A question we all ask ourselves, yet that we will never know the answer to, is how do our powers work. I will give myself as the example. I can summon my spear at any time, any place, any where. It takes nothing out of me when I do so yet I do not what I actually do. I simply instinctively know how to summon my Divine weapon in the same way a child knows how to breath.
Yet the combination is apt, for in this situation, I am the child raised by no parents. I know what I am capable of instinctively yet what of the things I must learn yet have no one to teach me? Do I theoretically have other abilities I am simply unaware of? Likewise, when it comes to my spear, do I pull it out of another dimension? Is there some armoury hidden somewhere the spear is kept in when it’s not by my side? Can I lose it? What is the mechanism that transports it to me? Could I theoretically be able to summon other objects in the way I summon my spear?
Questions about our fundamental selves like this affect all Divines. And it is one of the few things all Divines can actually agree upon: We simply do not know.
- Excerpt from “Thoughts on Godhood”, by Goddess Fortia, of Peace.
Kavaa skipped from foot to foot on the wooden beams of her terrace in a long shirt and nothing else. Operation Ratsweeper had been four days and she had not received work since then. There had been times in the past when she would creep around the halls and corridors of Olympiada hoping someone would give her something to do, but right now, she was eagerly taking the chance for a break. Olonia’s builders had finished Kavaa’s home in Lubska’s Land of Gods project, so it had even been exciting to see what Olonia had built and planned for the Goddess of Health, since Kavaa had been too busy to actually do little more than select a few pictures and projects she liked the general idea of.
So the Goddess of Health skipped from beam to beam as she crossed her balcony, making sure that she would never between a gap. Olonia’s builders had done well, Kavaa’s home was built into the mountain, it was small on the outside, but inside it was more than spacious enough. One side of the main living was all glass, it looked out over the terrace that was lined with panels of dark oak wood. A huge pool was excavated into the terrace and past that was a view of the hills of southern Lubska that eventually gave way to the endless grain fields in the country.
The Goddess of Lubska was smart, Kavaa had to give her that. The Land of Gods project had brought Lubska onto the cultural world stage. Apparently in Kaczaw, a trade school was being built were the men who made statues for Divines would pass on their craft. Very smart indeed, Olonia lived up to her duty of being a National Goddess.
Kavaa walked to the edge of her terrace and leaned on the glass balustrade, she stared out onto golden fields were huge combine-harvesters reaped grain. A few cars drove on the roads here, there was a plane in the distance, a single black dot that created a white streak in the blue sky as it flew, Kavaa was in much too good a mood today to wish for anything more than this view which went on for miles. It was a moving, swaying picture. Even the biting mountain wind of autumn didn’t do much to kill her smile.
Ever since Operation Ratsweeper, it was as if the Kavaa’s world had suddenly gotten more colourful. Her gin was tastier, she stopped to appreciate the little cars driving in the distance, she could sit down and put her feet up and not even feel bad about taking a break when others were working. No no, after the First Expedition and then Operation Ratsweeper, Kavaa knew she should be allowed to take a rest. She turned around, quickly scattered back inside her home and shut the glass door. Immediately, the howling of the wind became silent.
Kavaa happily pranced back inside and towards the kitchen and started throwing fruit into a blender. Kiwi and banana and just a bit of passion fruit. The Goddess of Health stared with a big smile as she waited for the fruit to be liquified, some milk would be added and it would make a delicious treat. She smelled the mixture as she filled up with flask with it and was about to drink when someone interrupted her. A series of heavy thuds on her front door. Arascus? His knocking was always a slower beat than that though. Kassie? Kassie wouldn’t knock.
Kavaa sighed, sipped her juice, and thought about dressing herself. Who could it be anyway? Malam? That knocking sounded like it could be Malam’s. She blew her grey hair away and thought for a minute. It was her home. But it could be Arascus. But it was her home. But she needed to have decency. But she was a damn Goddess. Exactly, she was a damn Goddess and a Goddess needed to keep appearances up. It came with the job.
Hissing like a snake, Kavaa went to her room to get dressed. She only did the bare minimum and threw on a pair of shorts before returning to the door. The loose shirt could stay. Three more rounds of knocking came, each time sharper, before Kavaa yanked open the door.
It was not Arascus. It was not Malam. It was not Kassandora. Kavaa had to tilt her head back as she looked up at the Goddess of Beasthood who was breathing deeply, her entire face was flushed red with fever, she was sweating, goosebumps were popping out over her skin, and she stood in dirtied clothes. Fer opened her golden eyes, those two slits looked down at Kavaa for a moment and she nodded inside. “Doctor appointment.” The woman talked in a whisper.
Kavaa stood aside and Fer stumbled in. She managed about a dozen unsteady steps, swaying heavily from side to side before doubling over, supporting herself by laying her palms on her knees and opening her mouth as if she was about to throw. Kavaa immediately ran to get woman a bowl and Fer shook her head. “Noo…” She said. “Noo… nothing to throw up. Just heavy.”
Kavaa put her hand on the woman’s back. Her golden hair was exceptionally soft and fluffy, even now. “Lie down. There’s the…” Fer lay down onto the wooden floor where she stood.
“I die now.” Fer said. “Two min… wait…” She trailed off, her breathing getting sharper as Kavaa dropped to her knees in a panic and laid her hands on the woman’s shoulders. Silently and instantly, her healing power spread through every part of Fer’s body. Like a blast of lightning running down tree roots, Kavaa traced every vein and every nerve in Fer’s body. One thing that was for certain was that the woman had no danger of dying. She was breathing heavily, her heart-rate had increased, her blood pressure was high, her temperature was far out of the norm, but there was nothing fundamentally wrong with her. It was a list of symptoms without a disease.
Kavaa forced some of her healing power just in case, smattering it across random muscles and things that weren’t really off, but that weren’t at the peak of health, and Fer moaned. It did nothing. Fer managed to summon up enough energy to lay her head on Kavaa’s lap. Kavaa stroked Fer’s soft hair as she began to tally off illness and malady and condition and wound and disease that could cause such a reaction. There were plenty and yet when she went to check, there was nothing wrong with Fer.
And yet, after about two minutes, Fer’s temperature started to drop and her breathing began to calm down. Not to healthy levels, and her blood pressure was still high, but it was passing, whatever it was. “I alive now.” Fer said, her breathing slowing down. “I’m alive now. I live now. It’s fine.” With each word said, her speech began to get clearer and sharper. “Your legs could be softer.”
Well if she had a sense of humour, then she must be feeling better. “Being a cushion isn’t on my list of priorities.” Kavaa replied dryly, now whatever had just struck Fer was beginning to recede, Kavaa checked the woman’s body with her power again. And again, there was nothing.
Fer rolled from her side onto her back, still taking the liberty of using Kavaa’s lap as a pillow. “Not even for Kassie?” Fer asked and Kavaa stared down at the Goddess of Beasthood with a flat face. Malam had not taught her anything, but she had effectively desensitized her to these sorts of comments.
“Kassie doesn’t mind.” Kavaa replied unimpressed. “Aren’t you taking this too easily? Is this from the fact your readjusting to your power returning or what? You’re not ill Fer.”
“Do you know Furcas?” Fer asked and for a moment, Kavaa actually had to think about the name. Wait. Wasn’t it obvious?
“Do you mean from the Great War? From Tartarus?”
“I ate his heart.” Kavaa only stared down at the monster laying in her lap. She honestly had no clue what to say. It wasn’t…
“I’m not even surprised.” Kavaa replied.
“Mmh.” Fer said. “And I’ve been like this since then. I would have got here faster but I’ve been dying on the way here.”
“What do you want me to do about that?” Kavaa asked.
“Well I was hoping you would know.”
“Are you stupid?” Kavaa had to ask. She knew it was rude. She didn’t particularly care. And Fer was strong enough that she wouldn’t take it badly, unlike Kavaa’s old compatriots in the White Pantheon.
Fer’s wide smile revealed her teeth. “I try to be.”
“I mean how am I supposed to know? Wasn’t Furcas effectively a Divine?”
“He was stronger than Kassie.”
“And you ate his heart. What do you want me to do with that? Isn’t his essence in you now? I’m not a mage. I’m a doctor.”
Fer sucked her lips in and stared up at Kavaa with those large eyes of hers. Kavaa had expected her to beg, but the Goddess of Beasthood just mirrored the Goddess of Health’s unimpressed gaze. “So you mean you can’t get rid of this?” She asked dryly.
“Isn’t it in your blood?” Kavaa asked. “Or your soul? I don’t know how you power works.”
“It’s in my stomach.” Fer replied and Kavaa immediately checked the condition of the Goddess’ stomach. Her power ran through the woman’s body again, but this time it collapsed upon Fer’s stomach from all sides. And it was a perfectly healthy stomach. There wasn’t any ulcers, any breakings of the stomach lining, there wasn’t any sudden movements or any stretching. There wasn’t even a bruise or an infection. Save for the fact that she could do with eating something, Kavaa had nothing to suggest.
“How do you know that? Your stomach is empty.”
“I don’t know how but I know. I eat him, so he’s in my stomach.” What an answer. Fer’s eyes widened when she saw Kavaa’s expression. “I mean it! That’s how I work!”
“Have you tested that?” Kavaa asked and finally Fer got grumpy. She started throwing her hands about and suddenly Kavaa realised that the woman resting on her lap had been supporting herself with her elbows. Now without those, Kavaa felt as if she was going to be crushed. “Fuck you’re heavy.”
“Oh I’m sorry Little Miss Doctor! Have you tested your own power? Do you know whether it comes out of your ass or your front? And don’t swear at me! I know how I work as much as you do. If I say its in my stomach, then its in my stomach. That’s the problem we have! I ate his damn heart and I’m still absorbing him! Would you prefer I come in here and pretend I don’t know what’s wrong with me? I’m trying to be a good patient Miss Doctor! Do you need me to beg too? Make big eyes like a kitten too?!” By the end of it, Fer was shouting so loudly that her voice was echoing throughout Kavaa’s home.
Kavaa took a breath and tried to shift under Fer’s weight. “Can you get off me?” She asked. Fer sat up with a heavy, annoyed sigh as if there was nothing wrong with her whatsoever.
“So?” She demanded. “Can you do anything?”
“It looks like its passed.” Kavaa said as she massaged her own legs. She tried standing but Fer’s weight had cut off the circulation entirely and now her legs had gone numb.
“It’s not.” Fer replied quickly. “It’s still there. It comes on in waves. I thought you could do something because I remember how you managed to de-drug Ana and Nene.” Kavaa remembered that too.
“That was a chemical I could just order your body to break down.” Kavaa replied. “Here though…” She tried standing up, wobbled and fell over when her knees simply refused to work.
“Have you been drinking?” Fer said and made a theatrical sniff. “Putting gin in juice?”
Kavaa ignored the comment as she lay there and slowly stretched her legs out. She wiggled her tones and felt as if they were being poked by a thousand and one pins and needles. A few more moments, and she could move again. Yet she lay on the ground as her mind tried to rationalize a way to deal with Fer’s problem. “It’s hundred percent in your stomach?” Kavaa asked and Fer nodded quickly. “I ask because it’s the intestines that absorb the nutrients of food.”
Fer looked down at her shirt, dirtied with mud and the greenness of grass, and then placed her hand on her chest. On her stomach at first, then she slid it down to her gut, then back up to her stomach. “No. Definitely in here.”
Kavaa wasn’t about to argue. “There is a solution.”
“There is?” Fer asked.
“Well I don’t know if it will work or not…” Kavaa trailed off and Fer lit up.
“But it’s worth a shot you mean.”
“Well…” Kavaa sat up and rocked from side to side. “I mean… theoretically, if it’s like an invisible cancer, we just remove the cancer’s host.” Fer’s golden eyes blinked, her mouth fell open and her cheeks grew pale. “Like I said, it’s-”
“That’s smart.” Fer interrupted. Both Goddesses stood up as Fer started tracing a circle with her finger on her chest. “Is it here?” She asked.
“You don’t where your stomach is?” Kavaa asked. She poked the woman’s core. Fer’s skin was soft and smooth, but the moment Kavaa tried to press harder, it was as if she was pressing against an anvil. “Here.”
“Here exactly?” Fer asked.
“Do you want to do it now?” Kavaa asked as she turned around to go to her medical cabinet. She didn’t even know why she had one. Maybe just for the aesthetic? Because she was the Goddess of Health and how could the Goddess of Health not have a closet filled with scalpels and syrups? “I have a scalpel and I can knock you out with my-“ A crash from behind stopped her in her tracks. A gurgle kicked her into action. Kavaa turned, already knowing what had happened. Of course Fer would do that. Of course. Why wouldn’t she?
The Goddess of Beasthood lay on the ground, her breathing shallow and calm. And around her was a puddle of blood that was rapidly expanding as Fer’s own body started to regenerate, although it did little to stem the bleeding. Off to the side, thrown a good distance away from her, was Fer’s stomach. It had been ripped out and thrown. Kavaa splashed into the blood immediately and laid her hands on Fer’s wound. She started to heal.
“Owie…” Fer cooed as Kavaa’s magic dragged her veins and stitched them together. Cells exploded and reformed and reorganized themselves as the Goddess of Health began to work. Sinew was pulled as if it was being sewn by the invisible needles of Kavaa’s power. The woman’s stomach started to violently reform as Kavaa practically dragged a new organ out of the woman’s muscle. It took about ten seconds of Fer hissing and curling her toes and fists in pain but Kavaa finished. She let go and inspected the woman again. And once again, Fer was the peak of health.
“How are you feeling?” Kavaa asked. Curing a malady like that was exciting. Far more exciting than just putting her hands on an ill person and exterminating the disease.
Fer took a deep breath and rolled from side to side. Kavaa realised the mess she had made and started to look around the room. “I think it’s done it.” Fer said and jumped up as Kavaa leaned down to touch the floor. The woman’s blood better not stain the wooden floor. “In fact, I’m sure it’s done. I don’t feel it. I feel slower actually, but it’s just my power, not mine and his anymore. You did it Miss Doctor. You’re…” Fer fell silent when she saw Kavaa’s rage-filled eyes staring up at her.
“You couldn’t have waited? I couldn’t put you in the path? Or maybe outside? No? You had to do it in the middle of room?”
“I…” Fer made a stupid smile and large eyes, as if she was trying to be a cute little kitten.
“Oh no Fer. You’re cleaning this up. The price for my services is you get to be a fucking maid because there’s no one else out there who would heal a disease that doesn’t exist…” Kavaa trailed off as she realised what she just said. It was impossible. She had just healed an illness that was not there, that had symptoms and yet possessed no cause. She had just reset the woman’s stomach. She… Kavaa’s mind went to sleeping Baalka. Who suffered from no disease yet exhibited symptoms that should not be there.
Impossible.
Or was it?