Only a few things were left to finish up the changes review. [Comprehension: Accelerator] had changed to [Comprehension: Evolver]. She basically knew what it did, but she reviewed it anyway.

  Double the exp from before. Cool.

  The next thing up was her [Spellcraft Specialization (Abjurer)] with an upgrade and an enhancement.

  Alrighty. I have plenty of things that add that stuff, but none of them are free, after all, and this can aid group recovery after losing shit to Dispels.

  The final thing that needed a looksie was [Sponge of Knowledge] transforming.

  Holy smokes, that’s quite an upgrade! Double exp on [Magineer] gains now in combo with [Spells of Deja Vu].

  “And there we have it,” Sammy declared finally. “Time to get back into the swing of things. Three days. Wonder if a quest or two was completed without me?” She shifted her attention to the various spam of gains in the realm, day by day.

  Day 1:

  Operational costs got a bit inflated during my absence. Looks like it’ll get even higher for the other, fuller days to follow, especially due to Caneboro activity. Should reduce with my direct hand available to do shit, but I know it’s going to track upward with my growth, especially with constant Servitor top-ups from reliance on their abilities.

  Day 2:

  Oh shit, we pulled the trigger on a Devout Naugite for Puck. Felt it in the back of my head now that I think about it. Let’s take a gander at this synergy thing real quick, then…

  This is great! I can make clerics for Greenleaf and Stillwater with this, too, by all appearances. I’ve got enough Domain flexibility and spell access to pull it off, I just need to make sure and stick to bullshit sub-specialties as fake Domains…

  She pondered it for a bit, then shrugged. One last ‘block’ of shit to be up-to-date.

  Day 3:

  Sammy frowned at her final total core FE: 19,507 and counting. Her max was 24k right then, signifying a likelihood of maxing out in a couple of days at most. In large part, her accomplishments as Puck probably put her over that edge. She’d have to deal with it as she got closer, though she did have Servitor creation to catch up on and might as well use core FE again, as she did the last time.

  Constance suddenly materialized before her, as her original self — a dainty, elfin fae being with butterfly wings clad in a diaphanous gown, though she seemed to be sporting more jewelry. Translated from the real world, there were many gifts from Bast, who spoiled her endlessly.

  The Faerie Dragon princess threw her arms around Samantha and sighed in relief. “I missed you so much, Goddess! Thank heavens you're back to brighten the whole world with your beauty!”

  Sammy grinned a bit wanly as she returned the hug. “I missed you all, too. But clearly, you want something. Out with it.”

  Constance broke from the hug with a smug grin splitting her face in half. “See, I knew you’d think that! But what I want is merely to tell you of another informational gain in your absence that might adjust your strategy with Faith Energy gains. Interested, hmmm?”

  “A gift,” Sammy exclaimed. “Color me surprised, Conny. Alright, go ahead.”

  “Yes, so, we paid a special visit to Redberry au naturel — See what I did there?! — in her territory. As it happened, we enjoyed more quasi spy roleplay for information acquisition! As Her Ever Spreading Queen Most Glorious tenderly dripped hot wax on my-”

  “Zzzt!” Sammy slapped her hand on the chair arm and glared. “Skip the erotic details! I just want the info!”

  Hot wax?! Wha…?

  Constance cleared her throat and gave a faux-apologetic smile. “Right, sorry. I knew you and Jeeves were worried about the max-out issue, so I mined Red for any advice or hints. Mostly what you’d expect — build the realm, create more avenues for energy sinks, but also indicating it was fairly normal for beginning deities who’d bring an existing base. This triggered a memory, though! She said she was certain there was a hidden quest for maxing out FE! Or possibly going slightly over, she doesn’t recall which. She thinks there is a minimum level, but you’ve probably hit that already.”

  This made Sammy smile wide. “Haha! Awesome. That’s great intel, Conny. Well done. Very well done. True insider information. I’ll have to make sure it happens, now.”

  Constance’s chin rose as she positively preened from the praise, cheeks going red. Sammy felt a bit taken aback by the reaction. Had the dynamic always been that way? No. Constance saw her a bit differently as time passed, as reflections of her old soul blended back in.

  Caught in sudden impulse, Sammy reached out a hand to place on Constance’s head and rub slightly. A head pat.

  Constance’s eyes widened at first, and she blushed deeper. Then her eyes fluttered and practically rolled back as she closed them with a shudder. A little smile was on her lips as she plainly relished this simple, warm acknowledgment.

  Sammy was caught between those warm feelings and guilt. Constance was her creation. The line between her responsibility for how a Servitor was and what Constance chose to be was blurry. She regretted some of it, just as she regretted baking in the fanatical devotion of Raphael to Azure, a design born of panic and a failure of ethics. She had plenty of those. Who exactly would judge or punish her for such crimes? If they existed, she likely couldn’t accept their judgment, having too much responsibility to complete her work for the greater good, flawed that she was.

  Despite it all, her children did not deserve her doubts reflected. If they coveted her praise she was obligated to give it. In heaps. The least she could do.

  So the goddess smiled proudly and left her hand for Constance to enjoy her acknowledgment and beloved contact a while longer, guilt be damned.

  Headpats make everything right.

  Next Chapter...

  Odds and ends. A lil' viewpoint session with a certain elf girl.

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