A yman will say that the introdu of rifles has destroyed grand-army tactics of the past. That is how it looks at face value. Where before, battles would have tens or hundreds of thousands of men, now a single man is able to mow down a dozen in a sed. By logical dedu, battles should be smaller. Es should not exceed a few hundred men, a sitalion ow cover entire ndscapes with careful pnning. Through sheer pragmatism and prote of life, armies should now be far smaller than they were in the past.

  Iy, the opposite has happened.

  Great War Grand-Army doe has been repced by frontliake the a supply line as example, farmers would produce food, fletchers would produce arrows, logistis would aransport, the supply line was an addition to society, it was not part of it. There was no use for battle-smitheries, no need for enormous mining expeditions, no want for exhaustive deforestations and farmings during times of ceasefire. Yet now, factories easily be retooled from cars to tanks. The only differeween a peace-time aircraft manufactory and a war-time one is whether the pne has a bombing bay or a on attached.

  War has not shrunk, iy, the opposite has happened. My thesis of Scable War has reached its natural clusion. Every aspect of society, from resource extra to manufacturing to transport to media to the men in battles themselves ow be militarized. The Military no longer exists to serve the is of a State, the State s to serve the is of the Military.

  - Excerpt from ‘The Modern War’, written by Goddess Kassandora.

  Helenna sat and smiled as she twirled a pen through her fingers. It danced around them, spinning, ung into the air, only to nd on another fio spin again. The faeneria, in her uniform, was trying to hide herself sneaking impressed g the trick of dexterity was extremely satisfying. Far more than if she just ft out said she was impressed by the trick.

  So Helenna reed as her ha pying with the pen. She had ended up on Arascus’ War cil, a far grander position than she ever had in the White Pantheon. Even during the Great War, she would only submit handwrittes to Fortia and Alsaria and receive a cold reply of thanks and a arget to iigate. Now, Arascus had invited her. This was the sort of respect a Goddess of Love should receive. She smiled and sipped some wihe fact he took no issue with drinking during the meetings was eveer.

  She sat in the middle of the table. Fer tht, lying down and watg the pen spin in her hands. A golden mass of hair, with two vulpine golden eyes watg Helenna. Neneria sat opposite Helenna, Kavaa opposite Fer. Iniri had not wao attend, and Anassa was busy keeping watch over Essa, but the rest of the Divines were here. Olephia close o Kavaa, sketg something in her little notebook. For the first time since she met them, both Arascus and Kassandora were te. It was almost odd how easy they took it. Even Iliyal had been allowed to attend the War cil meeting, that had been unheard of in the White Pantheon. The Divines made decisions, and then eae reyed them individually to their orders. The elf sat o Olephia, obviously annoyed Helenna ying with her pen, but he said nothing. His arms were crossed, two elongated ears popped out of his blonde hair covered by a tall cap and he looked down at the papers before him.

  They were in Nanbasa, in what had beeional Assembly, now the Imperial Pace. Through the window, Helenna could see the blue sky, the ringed city. Iniri was in that tral animal reserve, growing trees and flowers for the animals safeguarded there. The bck-white-red fgs of Arascus hung off every skyscraper aly breezed in the wind. The popution had taken far better to the coup than Helenna could have eveed.

  Although they would, when the papers from Mwai Ruku’s office were revealed, they had spat on the man’s corpse. To think he was talking with Fortia about selling Kassandora out? All to make Kirinyaa into a monarchy ruled by him! What a traitor! Dht horrible. The fact Helenna had written those letters had not crossed anyone’s mind. Besides, Kassandora had a Juo burn. Already, the mines recovered from the Jungle were bringing employment and cheap goods to the try. The ash left nds fertile and people were already cm for houses to be built iion’s west. Land lentiful, nd was cheap. Apparently a man could work for only a year and already afford aire estate.

  So whereas UNN moralists would clutch their hands at the terrible of a Divine Junta, and the Pantheon denounced Kirinyaa every other day, there was little argument to make against Arascus’ leadership. Why risk rebelliohe only argument for it was one of abstract morality? Helenna smiled as she thought about the situation. It had been such a devilish pn it even made Helenna blush. What a lovely and romantic tragedy!

  The door smmed open suddenly. Arascus held it open for Kassandora and she stormed in, both in dark suits, but Kassandora’s wasn’t as pristine as usual. Her red hair trailed behind her as she shot a look at Helenna and Kavaa. Helenna caught her pen and put it back down on the redwood table as Kassandora angrily stomped to take her seat by Helenna. Arascus took the head seat. He barely sat down before Kassandora took a deep breath to calm herself, then look to Helenna, to Kavaa, back to Helenna, then back to Kavaa. “We have something to discuss.” She said ftly.

  Well. A tone like that sounded like trouble. Helenna didn’t know what she had done wrong, but she had not seen Kassandora since Fer and Iliyal and Kavaa had returned from their training of the National Goddesses. Kavaa must have her, she angled her eyebrows at Kassandora. “Do we?” She asked.

  “Why is Tartarus on Arda?” Kassandora asked and Helen her hands tighten into fists. She rarely let her surprise show, but this was akin to being told that Alsaria was ing to turire city into gss. It was hard to maintain a straight a face. Helenna looked to Kavaa and the woman maintained her cold gaze at Kassandora. Fer she table, sighed and shook her head.

  “Surprise.” She said.

  “Oh.” Kassandora’s posture ged entirely. She rexed, the arms crossed over her chest dropped, she leaned forwards and she even smiled. Helenna sat there in pure fusion. “I see. So you really didn’t know?”

  “Me?” Helenna asked, stunned. “What? Tartarus is on Arda? No…” Fer loudly sniffed again.

  “Shock. Disbelief.” She said.

  “Alright. Thanks Fer.” Kassandora replied. “You stop now.” The Goddess of War turo Helenna and Kavaa. “Apologies to the both of you.” Helenna already khat Kassandora was only being polite, there wasn’t a hint ret in her voice. “But shog you was the fastest method to achieve certainty.”

  Fer sniffed again. “Satisfa.”

  “Fer.” Kassandora said, colder this time.

  Fer sniffed agaioher smug. “Annoyance.” Kassandora sighed, looked to Neneria, to Arascus and leaned bato her chair as Fer purred a low chuckle, the two tall ears on her head boung.

  “I expected you not to know, if Kavaa did her.” Arascus said as he looked to Helenna. “But we just had to make sure.”

  Helenna could only whisper a reply, she saw the ends of her hairs go white. “I really didn’t.”

  Fer sniffed again. Helenna had once heard the woman could smell emotions, but she had never believed it until today. “I believe you.” Fer said from the side.

  “That’s enough for us.” Arascus replied. “But it does ge the situation.” He finished and looked around the table. No one said anything, so Iliyal took the stage.

  “It lends credeo the possibility Irinika and Mam are in the Dwarven Underkingdoms.” The elf said. “And in that regard, it expins why the dwarves have not been seen for a millennia. The fact they were obviously in a state of war suggests that the dwarves are still alive.”

  The elf finished and Kassandora jumped in. “Well we know where the tunnels are.” She said simply. “How hard would it be to dig?”

  “There’s none in Arika.” Arascus said. “Uhey’ve expanded here.”

  “It could be worth cheg.” Kassandora said and Helenna saw her ce to be useful.

  “I could procure an underground radar from Rilia.” That try had a lot and Aimone was generally helpful. Kassandora and Arascus both nodded.

  “Then we tinue as we have.” Arascus said. “We don’t referehem once, if the Pantheon knows we know, then they may call them in.”

  “I don’t think the Pantheon knows.” Helenna said.

  “Who was in charge of seg the Holds then?” Arascus asked.

  Kavaa answered this time. “Fortia, Maisara and Alsaria. It only took them about decade after the Great War to force the dwarves back.”

  Helenna saw the mistake the Goddess of Health had made. “The Dwarves rgely retreated themselves after the World Core was sealed.” Kassandora suddenly leaned forwards.

  “Then we don’t need a ser, we dig to the core.” Arascus shook his head.

  “A ser would be needed for excavation in the first pce. And it would help with the Juoo, to see whether we are actually clearing it away or just scratg the surface. There’s regions it regrows in that need stant bombardment.” Kassandora nodded.

  “Then Helenna, this is your job.”

  “With pleasure.” Helenna said. “It will be here by the end of the week.” Helenna would steel it herself if she had to.

  “Very well.” Arascus said happily. “Now, uhere’s anything else to mention, we should discuss how to hahe Epan Coalition.”

  Helenna sat there for a moment. She supposed this was as important as anything else. Discussing the Coalition would give them all jobs, but this… No. This did take prece. “I have ohing to mention.” Helenna said, her hair turned e and red with pride as she leaned down to retrieve the folder by her chair. “I still have tacts on Olympiada. Not many, but enough.”

  Not many was a few hundred, although with Helenna gone, most of the mortals she relied on had slowly given up on her. It wasn’t that they no longer loved her, but rather that love for a Divine rarely held up against fear of a Divine. Now with Fortia and Maisara stalking the mountain’s roads, there lenty to remind people what they were risking for the Goddess of Love. “It’s important.”

  “Go ahead.” Arascus said. He really sounded like he meant it. Helenna calmed her heart from the incredible feeling of simply being listeo. Since Alsaria had been voted in as the sole ruler of the White Pantheon all those turies ago, she had missed it.

  “I…” Helenna didn’t know how to say. There wasn’t really anything to say. She simply opened her bck folder and pulled out an image. Alsaria in the air, snapped from behind a window, the image was blurry but there was no mistaking the Goddess of Light. Only one person had golden hair that trailed like, only one persoed that pleasant glow. “She’s back.”

  Kassandora and Fer both leaned in to ihe image. Kavaa’s cheeks paled. Neneria and Olephia gave ion, they merely g it and then looked at Arascus. Olephia didn’t even look scared, not even shocked. “And there’s more.” Helenna said. Ohing that did help her spies was Neneria’s assault on the mountain. Helenna had told the people she o stay off Olympiada for that day. The Goddess of Love pulled out another image. This image from closer, although all that was really o identify the figure was the brorident and the red coral : Tasaidien.

  Kassandora looked at the picture and spoke immediately. “So the Coalition has lost then.” She said ftly. “Anktyda will blockade Allia and raid the Dos and Rancais coasts. They won’t be able to hold a front in the South if they have to fight a war against the os.”

  “That does ge pns.” Arascus said.

  “We support them more actively.” Kassandora said.

  Helenna spoke before they desded into versation. She brought an image of a man with wings like an eagle, but all the feathers red.

  “Who is that?” Kassandora asked.

  “And here I thought you’d know sister.” Fer said smugly from one side.

  “It’s Itni.” Neneria interjected before Kassandora came back with a reply. “He is strong. Around…” She sighed. “I don’t know, strohan Kassie. I think Fer beat him, I don’t know really.”

  “I’d say he matches Maisara.” Helenna said.

  “Then I beat him.” Fer said.

  “He stands as the God of Pichqasuyu. We assume they will e in.” Helenna said.

  And Kassandora interjected again. “Then if the Pantheon is pulling in other nations, the UNN and Guguo will also go.” She sighed. “Guguo be brought to rebellion from within but the UNN has a parable manufacturing output to all Epa.” She looked at Helenna and nodded. “Good that you showed these. repare.”

  “I’m not done.” Helenna said as she pulled out the final image. Ohat she khey’d know, because this Divine had been with the Pantheon during the Great War: Mur. A man that had each of his limbs stretched out. Kassandora looked at it. And she looked at Arascus. And at Kavaa. Everyone knew what it meant. Mur led Uriamel. Uriamel trolled practically the entire o Kirinyaa sat on.

  The silence held for a few moments. Helenna had not thought that ossible. Frankly, she would rather Kassandora say that they had lost immediately. The fact that Kassandora was at a ck for words… Helen her throat tighten. Arascus broke the silence. “So the war will be defensive.” He said. “The Epa pn should be adapted, we hem to win now.” He looked to Kassandora.

  The Goddess of War nodded grimly. “I will prepare a coastal deferategy first then.”

  Before anyone could say anything, there was a kno the door. Iliyal looked at everyone in the room, then tilted his head to the door. Arasodded. The elf stood up and marched to it. Silehe elf asked nothing, there was only a guard there, a guard with his phone. He passed it to Iliyal.

  And Iliyal brought it back to the table. He set it at the foot, so everyone could see.

  Alsaria was giving a speech live. Not to any news station in specific, but everyone was c it. And in that moment, Helen as if she had chosen the wrong side. She liked it here. She really did. But was it worth dying for? Her hair turned pale white as she listeo Alsaria speak. “Thus, the Pantheon Peace Doe is resded for the immi future. Arascus, Kassandora, Fer, Anassa, Neneria, Olephia, Helenna, Iniri and Kavaa and the nation of Kirinyaa are decred as existential threats under my authority, as leader of the White Pantheon.” Helen her heart drop. Alsaria had mentioned her by here had been no anger in that tone, ne. It was simply a statement, as if Alsaria was rep the weather.

  The Goddess of Light tinued. “And my message to Arascus and his cohort: We have defeated you once. We will defeat you again. That is all.”