Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 965: Moving Fast

Not long after the meeting in the consulate, Erika was standing in the collapsed church of Hamleth. Guiding the workers teleported in from Aranuvia, she was directing the construction herself with some help from Mino, Maine, and Arche. Aerin, Brenna, as well as Amelia and Ophelia, had decided to lend a hand as well, although most of their efforts were directed by the beasts of burden they commanded.

”What do you think, Asmodia? These people seem halfway there,” Erika whispered to herself, hoping to shed some doubts off her head.

”Too divided in opinion, but I think as long as we keep an eye on them, everything should work out just fine,” the devil replied, forming into a cloud-like body beside the priestess.

”They have fighters, but I don’t see many with a grip on magic. Surprisingly given the elven majority.”

”Who knows? Maybe that fae spirit withdrew magic from their blood since they wanted to praise that fraud, Hamleth.” Asmodia’s exaction was likely enough to sate Erika’s curiosity. Thus, with her directing tasks over, she decided to walk into the crumbled structure that was currently being built upon.

Setting an Ankh where the statue of the god used to be inside, she knelt before it with her hands locked in prayer and her eyes tightly shut. In silence, she prayed for a while, hoping to hear Athenia’s voice. Trying to find it in the chaos of her surroundings proved hard, and even when she managed to isolate her mind from the chaos, there was something blocking her from reaching Athenia.

’Moeria’s sync–she’s predicting the future and Nerva’s lair. Is that why I can’t talk to her yet?’ Although she wasn’t brought on the trip, Moeria’s presence so close to the goddess’s holy strain could be felt by the priestess. The woman using Mono’s body as her vessel was conversing with countless possibilities of the future and keeping an eye on the ever-shifting core of the world within which lay the witch goddess’s domain.

Even so, she alone shouldn’t have been able to cut Erika off from her goddess. Then why? The answer lay with Athenia herself, but she couldn’t risk telling anyone else. A few more days and all will be revealed. Reminding herself of that mantra, Erika got back on her feet and decided to leave the structure.

’Three more days now, I can only pray your preparations go well, my dear goddess.’ Having faith as she always had, Erika left their safety in Athenia’s hands. Far beyond the reaches of mortals, her goddess was preparing, but for what exactly? Nobody knew but her and ’her’.

Curiosity drew even Nerva to the mind prison, walking around casually while clones of Athenia wandered about picking up the slack of their master; she was just as confused as the mortals, as nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Setting foot towards the silver throne of the goddess, she glanced up at Athenia lying about in her chair.

”What are you planning?” She asked, narrowing her eyes.

”Nothing? Are you paranoid?” Athenia smirked.

For once, it was Nerva who felt a step behind. The goddess was planning something, even acting on it, and yet nothing she was doing currently would help her and her followers infiltrate her lair.

”Let me guess, that skull head left some trick for you to use against me, did he?” Taking a step towards the throne, Nerva’s eyebrows narrowed angrily. ”What is it? Some arcane spell to teleport in and out of my dead chest? The man was all bone himself; he probably did come up with some idiotic spell like that.”

”Why are you so pressed about this, sister?” Getting up, Athenia met the goddess halfway on the steps to her throne. Her smile stretched even wider as she stood towering over the shorter goddess. ”I thought I was the prisoner trapped here forever, unable to leave. But you can, can’t you? Escape that dark damp place if you’re so scared that we’re gonna raid it. Move while you have the chance or do something about it.”

”I can still kill whoever you–”

”Go ahead and try,” placing a hand on Nerva’s shoulder, Athenia leaned closer to her ear. ”You’re gonna kill someone, aren’t you? Go ahead and try; who knows what happens to your son then. Maybe I’ll strike right at his soul and squander your plans? No end of the world, the cycle continues, you’ll still be trapped here, only this time your plans would be fouled. Everyone knows what you’ve been up to, so who knows how long it’ll be until you have another chance to bring up another demon lord?”

Pushing her hand off, Nerva growled right back at Athenia.

”As if you’ll kill Raven! Without him, even you won’t live to see the end of this race!”

”Push me far enough, and we’ll see what I do out of desperation; go on, try me!” Tension reigned in the goddesses’ tongues. Neither wanted to find out whether the other was bluffing or if they would truly go ahead with their plans. And neither could afford to risk it for the sake of satisfying their egos either. ”Now, if you would just leave, I’ll return to account the dead and send their souls to Elenaria.”

Taking a step back, Nerva bit down on her lip, trying to hold herself back.

”They will join me in death soon; every soul in this world will be mine to nestle and mine to coddle in the depths of unbeing.”

”We’ll see about that.”

As the goddess of calamity retreated in shame, Athenia sank back into her throne and did...nothing, but wait. Her task, her preparations, they were to do nothing, and yet somehow even Moeria could see why the goddess’ plan was the best chance they had to raid Nerva’s lair. She and her alone could do what she was doing; only a handful were privy to the full extent of her plan, and surprisingly enough, Mono and Elenaria were amongst them, and her own chosen were not.

’Everything will make sense, just you wait.’ She thought to herself; only three more days and perhaps the most dangerous heist in Atlarian history was about to take place.