In Loki's Honor

The floating airship docks were but one of the marvels in Clovehaven. The harbor and wharf were suspended fifty meters above ground but cast no shadow thanks to the enchantments I placed on them. Airships would sail and dock just like their maritime brethren, and the wharf was wide enough it gave the illusion of being firm land. A winding spiral ramp connected it to the floating island below and then split into the several roads that now crisscrossed the island.

[King] Hamilton was the last ruler to arrive. He brought Eleanora and Elizabeth with him but not Isaac. The reason was obvious. He left the [Crown Prince] behind to have a taste of ruling a nation. The two [Ladies] had grown and bloomed into splendid women. Though they lost the last hints of baby fat their teenage shapes held, it was traded with great profit for womanly charms and shapes.

"Your Divi[nity, Baroness," Hamilton dipped his head low while the others on his retinue either bowed or curtsied.

I reached and touched his shoulder. "Welcome to Clovehaven island, my friend. I wish you health and long life." As it became customary, I blessed him too.

Now that the Church had been stirred awake and the threat of divine punishment was ever more present in the minds of the clergy, the flow of Faith was not as it should be but still better. I had notifications that several [Priests] around the world did penance for their crimes and sins, unwilling to sink deeper into the Faith debt and lose levels. The Exp bonus also brought a slew of new supplicants wishing to be ordained. I sometimes paused to vet this or that candidate. With the strict vows, the odds of a demon worshiper infiltrating the clergy were low but still existed. And without Pandora/Rosalinda to automate the work for me, I had to use the System interface myself.

"The others are already here," I said. "Please rest for the day. We start tomorrow."

"I see Ambrose wishes to reconnect with her friends. I'll indulge in your hospitality and excuse myself, then. And thanks for lending me Apricot's help."

The [King] and his retinue boarded the carriages and went on their way, leaving the two [Ladies] behind. I nodded to Barbara and opened the System windows to manage my clergy.

"Elly! Lizzy!" Barbara cheered as she went to exchange hugs and kisses with them. "It's been so long!"

"Barbie, we missed you too!" Eleanora replied and returned the hug. "And you missed court too. It's been quite the season now that many Houses have new heads at the helm and those need wives and husbands. Look!"

She showed a diamond-studded ring. Barbara squealed.

"You've married!"

"I'm now [Countess] Birchshire! Sorry, we didn't invite you but the ceremony was private. Too many contenders for either my fiancé's hand or lands."

"Too many knives in the dark, she means," Elizabeth explained. "Though Apricot's presence at the capital reduced the number of nobleman murders to zero."

"Yes! One knife in the light dispelled all shadows, it seemed."

[Assassins] in this world were motivated not only by hard cold coins but also by the promise of a huge Exp bonus from the [Death Contract]. Though most guilds organized who would take each hit, the System didn't care. A mark's bounty was open to anyone with the [Class]. Having an [Assassin] on retainer who could detect and remove such marks, or even track down the ones responsible was a huge deterrent. [Assassins] were cowardly, callous, and calculating in nature. It was second nature to their craft. Their cautious nature made them seek greener pastures elsewhere, away from the Death Princess.

Barbara's eyes moved to the taller [Lady]. I could see she craved some gossip, after staying almost a whole year in the lab doing research.

"My husband has taken a wide domain along the forest shores. It's three weeks by carriage and he has to stay there to keep our lands from descending into chaos. I stayed at the capital to look after our interests there."

The [Crystallomancer] looked at me, pleading. I could see her wishes. I stopped messing with the System windows and approached.

"We can lend you a small and fast airship," I said, finally joining the conversation. "It should shorten the trip to and fro to less than a day. With an experienced crew that can see in the dark, you can make the trip overnight. Depart at sunset, and reach your destination by dawn. It will be a small one for few passengers, unable to transport either cargo or troops."

Basically a sky yacht. Airships were a disruptive technology. from land-bound trade, to troop movements, and even travel time, it had profound impacts on many aspects of society. That's why we were cautious about lending or renting airships. Selling them was a no-no so far. Perhaps when others crack our technology and start making their own. The level of skill and cost of materials and time consumed making each airship made them too expensive.

"You would?" Elizabeth let her countenance drop slightly at the surprise.

"At least until the situation of your fief stabilizes. If you are willing to host them, I can also send some [Priests] to help."

"The Goddess is too generous," she said stiffly.

"I hope I'm not imposing," I chuckled to dispel the tension. "I understand if you don't want a Church meddling in your affairs. I know how much I didn't want them messing in mine back in the day."

"How could I?!?" She flustered. "You've done so much for us, your grace saved our lives in the Labyrinth, then the extra training after the eruption and the death of the [Archmages]..."

Eleanora stepped in, nudging Elizabeth's waist with an elbow. "If she doesn't want the airship, I sure do!"

"No, I'll take it!" Elizabeth made up her mind.

*

*

At the great hall built specifically for this purpose, the leaders of the world sat around a round table, inspired by legends of another world. It was just a ring of fancy wooden countertop, with an empty floor in the middle, though. They had a couple of meters between each seat, to make sure no [King] or [Queen] was uncomfortable. These people were used to having nobody above them and ruled their nations with supreme powers. But at my request, they gathered. The table had not only sovereigns of nations but also the five Elder fairies, representing the natural world.

Instead of grouping the people by continent, we went around and made sure to put neighbors far away. That was for the best as they often considered each other as targets. Behind each ruler sat their retinue, with an allowance to let bodyguards armed with close-quarters weapons stand near their wards.

According to protocol, everyone took their seats at the same time. Here, none was above the others, not even me. After the ruffling of chairs ended, I spoke.

"I wish to thank every one of you for taking the trip here. I wish prosperity upon your lands, health and happiness upon your people." I emptied my Divinity pool and then the Saintess magic pool to cast that blessing. But the artificial and transactional nature of deific interactions in this world meant the power I spent would come back tenfold as people recognized the source and prayed their thanks.

"The pretext of this meeting is to celebrate the creation of my daughter, Miriel Eilian, the first Crystal Fairy."

She was by my side sitting on the table with her back to Barbara. Miriel was bedazzled by the people around her, now that she learned about [Kings] and the importance and power they held over the world.

"But of course, there's more to it. The Crystal Fairies hold an important role in today's world. But I'll let the representative of Nature speak. I concede the floor to Brenna, the Fire Queen of the fairies."

Everyone had been briefed on the others in attendance. When I said "Fire Queen", they knew she was but one of the fae rulers.

"Corruption has taken hold of this world, and we are facing extinction. The Gods you mortals used to worship went dead, silent, or outright abandoned this world entirely. They cannot be relied upon. Demon worshipers are not just a problem for those on the Scorched Continent," She took her time to meet their gaze and nod at the rulers from that land. "They are everywhere. The demons want to steal the souls of this world for their nefarious purposes. And they had already taken thousands away to their hellish worlds and dimensions."

Sariandi motioned to speak. Brenna noticed and nodded, fluttering on her orange wings back to her seat.

"What Elder Brenna said is true. Each soul lost to the demons is one that no longer will reincarnate. This world depends on people growing stronger through many lives, reaping the fruits of their previous efforts to grow. You call them Transcendentals. For too long the old Gods blocked them from existing. Only by the grace of the Matriarch do we have them now. Exceptional people that can bring about many wonders."

"This is not a problem any of us have to deal with," the Minotaur [King] of the hidden nation of Viaan'myria said. He managed to shock Sariandi with his rude intervention. But then he smiled. "That's what I wish to say but it is not true. For the demons rip the souls out of the living bodies of people. For centuries our people fought on the wrong side of that accursed continent. If we don't act and fight back, we'll only know it was too late when we awaken in one of their eternal torment racks in a hellish dimension. There's no coming back from that, my fellow sovereigns. I side with the pretty elf lady and the fairies. Sit on your gilded thrones and dilly-dally at your own peril. When we meet in hell, I'll stare into your eyes and say, 'I told you so'. Sariandi, excuse me."

The Elf [Queen] smiled magnanimously.

"Though many think me cold, I understand the fire of passion. You are right. We need to fight. Fulgen pledges to send a thousand volunteer Griffin riders to Viaan'myria and the Scorched continent."

"Thank you, my [Queen]," the proud Minotaur bowed his head.

"We're being sidetracked," the [King] of the Auvani mumbled audibly.

"Indeed," Doris said as she flew above her seat. "The crystal fairies are a blessing from the Matriarch. Their wings are made of Truesilver, which is anathema to undead and demons alike. Their bodies are of pure crystal and cast a light that's poisonous to evil and dark creatures."

Miriel puckered her lips as she felt and understood the burden we placed on hers and her brethren's existence.

"Though you should not covet the treasures the Goddess bestowed upon them. She also placed a curse on every crystal fairy so that their murderers are left dispossessed and shunned," Doris added.

Silence. I knew many in attendance were looking at Miriel the same way a starving beast looks at a wounded warrior in the wilds.

"Though I stand here alongside you today," I spoke. "I'm still recovering from the wounds suffered in the Cataclysm against the Broodmother. Until Sylvis the green moon once again graces our world in the skies above and even a while after that, I won't be back with my full power. There's only so much even I can do. Faith. Faith is the lifeblood of all divinity. Without followers to worship and pray for the deity, Gods aren't. The last two thousand years were marked by an absence of deities and a decline in the people's piety. I was sealed away in a book until Barbara Ambrose here released me."

Miriel raised her head to look at Barbara and grinned, "You are a hero, mom!" Barbara kissed the fairy's metallic wings.

"I'm doing what I can. Moonstone climbs to the heavens to join the other fragments and become whole. We created Clovehaven island here to serve as a hub of knowledge and a bastion from which the fight against diabolism will spread. Our airships already sail the skies over Akerton and Atlantis, pushing back against the hordes of demons and cultists. They'll join the Fulgen Griffin riders on the other side of the mountains, fighting for Viaan'myria's freedom."

"We are going to create Academies like the one [Archmagister] Marlowe created in Windemere. They shall be places of learning for both commoners and nobles alike. For both martial and magical Classes, and also a cathedral in my honor. We will share the secrets of airship construction and much more with the nations that agree to shelter one such facility in their lands. This is an offer, not a demand."

"What I need you on Pekothas and Auvani to do is not to send warriors, Adventurers, and soldiers to a place filled with millions of Experience points to be gained daily."

The Minotaur chortled and pumped a fist.

"What I need you to do is to channel the people's prayers and faith to me."

I stood up and teleported to the empty space at the center of the table. Then I released mom.

*

*

I raised a hand and made the roof over the conference hall vanish, revealing the planetary ring illuminated by the Sun and the blue skies above. I laced my voice with Divinity.

"Listen to me, Gods of this world. Those who remain, at least. You either do your fucking job, or I'll give your churches and last worshipers the same treatment I gave Bundeus' clergy four thousand years ago. This world will not sit idle while you let it rot with your truancy. This is my ultimatum and my declaration of war. Descend now and negotiate, or face my wrath!"

The very wind stood still, freezing the white clouds. Not even bugs dared make a sound. The world waited for an answer, and none came.

"The dice are cast, and a choice has been made," I declared as I flew back to my seat.

The rest of the meeting dealt with other subjects like trade, mutual cooperation, boring diplomacy all day long. Three nations from each continent. This day entered the annals of history as the first nine-nations conference. I hoped we would have a second one.