Alasayana

---

A divine? This...thing? What Divine would ever so much as disrespect the dead in such a blatantly corrupt manner? No god she was a fan of, that was for certain. Alasayana would narrow her eyes at Mori further, agreeing with Trineon. As recognition slowly dawned on the others though, the Huntress would slowly glance between them and the walking corpse...well, girl, now? Was she truly a divine? It certainly seemed like she knew them.

And that was certainly confirmed once she introduced herself.

"...Moridax." Alasayana would sigh, lowering her guard. "Could you have not chosen a more acceptable way of introducing yourself!" She'd ask, though her mild annoyance would quickly cool. She had a...fairly decent relationship with the former administrator of the underworld, she liked to think at least. Well, whenever she could stand to go down there. Too cold. She preferred lounging in the sun on a warm bed. "I suppose its good to see you after so long. I'll have to bring you something I've hunted again if you have another one of your parties."

Greetings over, though, Alasayana would turn her head towards Flora. Thankfully Mori was handling the still living soldier.

"...if you mean the warrior who was affiliated with you," One of her tails would reach out and gently nuzzle the girl before pointing to where the man who was likely this 'Sir Oren' was laying. "He is over there." It would...be easier for her to see him herself, she thought. She didn't know the two well enough to offer much in the way of condolences or the like.

Trineon
Lord of Rivers, Lakes, and Oceans

As the water god held is sword menacingly at the walking corpse, she began to address some of the other gods assembled. This threw Trineon off, as he didn’t know what kind of monster would recognize the gods, especially after they were absent for so long. But as Trineon listened to her speak, some faint recollection passed by in his mind. While Trineon made it a point to not converse with the undead, it felt like he had spoken with this one before.

The blade wavered slightly in Trineon’s hands as he tried to make sense of the strange ghoul. But once she spoke again, everything became clear. Introducing herself by many titles, but most importantly her name Moridax, it took a few seconds for Trineon to remember her. Remembering anything currently was tricky as his mind still had a fog obscuring it from being dead for so long. But recognition did appear on Trineon’s face as he did indeed know Moridax.

Granted, Trineon didn’t know her well. In ages past he ruled over the waterways of the mortal world, but Moridax ruled over the underworld, a completely different realm. While his memory was still spotty, Trineon was pretty sure he had never been to the underworld. Granted that was when he was alive, as he could of been in the underworld during his long death.

Trineon lowered his blade. While corpse possession still rubbed him the wrong way, it was within the rights of the lord of the underworld. Trineon know felt foolish for threatening another god, but as he was about to drop his blade, when the death god pointed at the surviving soldier who was trying to grab one of those tube weapons. But before he could do anything about it, Moridax raised his fallen comrades to grab hold of him, locking him in place.

“Thanks for noticing that,” Trineon said to Moridax, “And I am sorry for threatening you. That was a grievous mistake.”

Trineon gave a quick bow to the death god, before turning back toward Flora and the others. Alasayana was showing the young girl the body of her compatriot, the mortal called Sir Oren. Trineon winced slightly, as he knew how damaging seeing the corpse of a friend could be, especially to one so young. What did bring some peace to Trineon’s mind was when he saw O’Menus saying a prayer over the body of Oren. While he didn’t know the sun god well, it still surprised him somewhat that he would take the time to honour a mortal.

Trineon closed his eyes as well, but only spoke his prayer in his head. While he tried to will Oren’s soul to the afterlife, Trineon also wished all those who fell in this battle a safe trip to the next world. By now the hot blood of battle had left Trineon who now regretted killing so many. As a god, Trineon had always felt a calling to help mortals, and only punish the wicked ones. But that battle had been so quick that Trineon could not tell who among the soldiers was a sinner. Trineon was well aware that some soldiers are just following orders and have no evil intent.

As Trineon waited for O’Menus to finish talking, he added, “Yes, we must get to the bottom of this. This so-called Holy Emperor seems to be leading these mortals. There’s a very good chance that he is exploiting good folk. As gods it is our duty to aid the righteous mortals.”

and the far less important, trivial aspects of travel and luck

“Less than you,” was Aureia’s simple retort to the Lord of the Underworld. Or was it lady now? Oh, well, Moridax answered that question for her. “To be fair, you are late to the party,” she decided to point out. It did raise a good question, though; if Moridax had reappeared –awoken—after Aureia and the fellow gods she had encountered in the chamber, did that mean that more gods could potentially reawaken? In the end, would the entire original pantheon reappear? It would be nice, so to speak, if the entire gang could get back together. Especially when there were friends like these Holy Imperial Bootlickers.

The last of which, by the way, was still trying to kill them, especially when Aureia grew bored of him and finally turned her attention away. “Thanks for that,” she echoed after the god of Watery Things, a bit miffed that she had made that small mistake.
She glanced back over to the awakened priestess, and the saddening sight of her dead knight. She let out a sigh. There were enough gods taking her attention for now, so she left them to it.

“Might as well go ahead and send him over to your realm,” she shrugged, returning her attention to the god of the underworld. “As things are now, can you even access the underworld?”

"Well... as you can tell, and no doubt experience, we find ourselves to be unusually diminished in capabilities, listening to fanatics rave about some strange emperor they have, and currently with a single priestess to share between us," Ashte confirmed, echoing the general sentiment and placing one hand on the girl's free shoulder. She was the type to go to perhaps-extreme lengths for her favoured, no matter how new... but, well, bringing back the dead was out of her purview. Short of going off to find the skellington king over there and be annoying make impassioned requests.

Which, if Moridax was as weakened as the rest of them, probably wasn't an option in this case. Or any other means of comfort she was skilled at. So, she'd just... be here and keep talking to the others.

"Personally, I think this seems like fun. I don't remember the last time I got to fight a war from such an inferior position. Half a dozen gods against an empire..."

The white armor was stained with red. Sir Oren's body had been pierced so many times, with blades and bullets, and yet by the sight of the battlefield prior to the God's fight with the soldiers, it was clear he had not gone quietly.

Flora was silent as she stared at the dead body of the knight. She didn't scream, nor did she make any other sound. Instead, she proceeded to walk towards the fallen warrior, and slowly sink to her knees. Quietly, without saying a single word, she raised her small, warm hand to the man's helmet and placed it on the cooled steel, tracing her slender fingers along the slit for his eyes, then the cracks that revealed his other eye, before simply stopping as she stared at his empty blue eye.

She didn't say anything else. But anyone who chose to investigate would be able to see the tears running down her cheeks, falling into her lap and staining her dress.

The soldier who had attempted to grasp at one of the grenades thrashed against the grasping arms of the dead with howl of rage.

"Your blasphemies won't go unpunished!" he cried, even now struggling to reach the weapon in spite of the corpses holding him back, "You'll all die, just like that Klois bastard! All of you!"

The fanaticism of the imperial soldiers was growing ever more apparent.

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Apparently tired of the ranting, and perhaps vindictive about the upset caused to the girl who had brought her here, Ashte took steps to shut him up for good. Without turning, the two bronze shapes once again formed--this time into nothing more than crude, simple axeheads. Against an immobilised foe, well...

People that no longer had heads couldn't talk.

Alasayana

---

"...I can't say I've hunted someone calling themselves a Holy Emperor before." A small smile would form on her lips, the edges of her mouth curling, fangs evident. "And it might be unbecoming for a Goddess of justice...but I am finding the idea of it entertaining." It seemed at least they were clearly in agreement about their course of action then. How curious. She had met and occasionally worked with the other gods on occasion, but nothing so grand as this endeavor seemed to be shaping up to me.

Giving a small cough as she'd get her more bestial aspect under control, Alasayana would turn her attention to the Priestess again.

"My, has being humbled given the Sun some semblance of compassion?" She'd say as she'd approach. Hm...how does one console a human that is sad? Should she give a hug? Should she praise Sir Oren's bravery and then offer a burial? How did...they even honor their dead in this time?

"But he is correct...we do need to know what is happening, Priestess. You have summoned us for some request, that much is obvious. As the Goddess of Justice I hear all requests made of me, and should it be a just cause I will see that it is carried out and any judgement delivered no matter where or what it is." The Huntress would slowly take a seat next to Flora. Understanding humans, how to interact with them wasn't something she was good at. She knew how a god should behave and how she should behave as one...but humans baffled her. Being so weak...really, offering to help with whatever it was, was the only thing she knew that could maybe offer some semblance of comfort to the girl. "...maybe telling me about him will make you feel better?"

Trineon
Lord of Rivers, Lakes, and Oceans

The water god was surprised by Ashte’s willingness to go up against an entire empire. While the recent battle had heated Trineon’s blood, he was in no mood to fight a war, even with his fellow gods at his side. In the past, Trineon had seen many naval battle, and the general rule was that the larger fleet would win. And these mortals serving this Holy Emperor had strange weapons like that tube thing.

Deciding to focus on something beside how outnumbered they were, Trineon instead decided to watch Flora. She was silently crying in front of the dead knight. Clearly he was very important to her. Trineon felt great sympathy toward her, silently praying for peace for her. But his prayer would be interrupted by the injured mortal, spouting more stupidities about the gods dieing.

Trineon glared at the mortal, contemplating killing him right now. However Ashte beat him to it, forming an axehead that decapitated the mortal. Trineon felt some relief as his head rolled a few feet from his body. At least now the mortal couldn’t bother Flora with anymore of his rantings.

Trineon turned back toward the young priestess, seeing that O’Menus was comforting her next to the knight. Trineon walked over to the young girl as Alasayana sat next to her. The goddess would then ask her about Sir Oren. Having nothing to add with his words, Trineon instead decided to focus on her tears. Reaching his hand out, calling on divine magic not used in centuries, Trineon took control of her tears. With a wave of his hand, the tears lifted off the priestess’s face, floating away from her and off into the distance.

Moridax, Lord of the Underworld

---

Moridax cared little for the priestess the other gods were fawning over like some lovestruck adolescent. No, instead, of course the merchant was the bright one who spoke to her instead. "A good question my well traveled friend! I'm afraid I have a not so good answer." The goddess of the underworld said with a sigh. "Sadly, keeping this form is taking a good deal of energy. Even with all the materials, I wouldn't be able to even make my last form, let alone use it." She added shaking her head a small bit at the frustration of it all. Truly these were dark times... Well... She didn't have to do paper work... She jumped over to Aureia, grabbed her hands with her own and danced around for a small bit, "I may not have much power but it's like a vacation to me~!" The formed corpse woman said happily. She spun the commerce goddess around for a second before noticing that Ashte had beheaded the man and stopped.

"Ahhh..." The underworld goddess sighed as she let go and grabbed on to Ashte's arm. "Please... Don't make as much paperwork for me after we get our positions back!" She whined, really hoping that the Goddess would listen to her pleas. She had no hope as such but... "I know it's your job but still..."

and the far less important, trivial aspects of travel and luck

Aureia had yet to talk to the priestess, but not out of immediate disinterest. It was just that there were other equally interesting things to do or talk to at the moment, and that was figuring out the mystery behind the loss of their powers, and greeting the newly returned Moridax.

“Ah… that’s unfortunate,” she commiserated. After all, everybody here was affected in one way or the other. “But… it does beg the question, is it still there after all these years?”

She was caught by surprise by the corpse-woman suddenly jumping over and engaging her in an impromptu dance. Giggling a bit, it was definitely still a strange experience to have been awakened and suddenly lead around in a dance by the Lord of the Underworld in the guise of a walking corpse. Strange, but amusing.

“Well, Lady Moridax,” she started, a tone of amusement still in her voice, before turning steelier, “We do have a ‘Holy Emperor’ and all his minions to cut down to size, so you better stock up on lots of paper. Ah, it really does seem like the world needs to be fixed now, huh?”

The soldier's head rolled off, neck spewing blood. He finally lay still, no longer able to display his utter fanaticism.

For several moments, Flora was unable to reply. When she opened her mouth, instead a rather pitiful noise came out, and she sniffled and wiped at her eyes, no longer able to remain silent. The small girl's tears were now flowing even more freely down her cheeks, dripping onto her white dress and the stony ground as she trembled on her knees.

It was only when her tears began to drift away from her face, into the air, that it seemed to distract her somewhat. Perhaps it was simply due to surprise, or perhaps genuine awe had managed to briefly cut through her sorrow.

Whatever the case may be, after a moment it seemed like she had become willing to speak again.

"... Sir... S-Sir Oren was the one who volunteered to t-take me here," Flora said, finally, her small hands clutching at her dress, "H-he... he was very b-brave and kind and he... he said we'd see each other again..."

Her voice trailed off, eyes drifting back up to fall on the white-clad knight's body once again.

"...S-something... s-something bad is going to h-happen so... s-s-so... we had to..."

After a few moments of silence she clutched at her dress again, sniffling as she remained kneeling beside the corpse of the knight. It would likely take further coaxing to encourage her to say anything else. However, it seemed as if she had been tasked with reviving the gods for some purpose, that much was certain. It wasn't immediately clear if Flora herself even knew all the details, but regardless it seemed like this 'Klois' was the best lead they currently had.

Oddly enough, the name 'Klois' would seem somewhat familiar to each of the gods, like a vague and distant memory.

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"Enemies that won't surrender have to go, Mori dearest. That's just how it works; can't leave a knife at your back."

Klois, Klois... it had a ring of familiarity, but did that mean anything? It could just be a name shared with a one-time lover, or maybe some commander or opponent. No matter, who this Klois had been would no doubt reveal itself when they got out of this place. Of course, that meant getting out of here. Hm...

"So, will you show us where you came from?" Ashte asked, stepping forward towards Sir Oren. What were funeral rites even like in this time and place...? Honestly, it felt like the sort of thing Moridax should know anyway but if she didn't even know if the underworld still existed... probably not 'left in a cave with a bunch of weirdo fanatics'. Hm, for now, he wouldn't be too hard to bring along. Just slide her weapons under him like so, turn them into proper shields, and... presto! Ready-made floating conveyance for one deceased knight.

Alasayana

---

The Huntress would frown. Humans shouldn't make such promises like that, in such circumstances. Death would be all but an inevitability, no matter how righteous or how noble...still, she couldn't fault them for it. Humans were weak things, after all, and without the support or guidance of gods often fell prey to it. That was just the way they were. Sometimes, without doing something so foolish they wouldn't accomplish anything, and he did, at least, accomplish what he set out to do - protecting this girl.

"Hm...this Sir Oren went willingly," Alasayana would say. "He did what he wanted - ensuring your safety." She'd stand, turning to the Sun God. "The others are right, but a full explanation would likely take longer than we have the luxury for." One of her tails would would wrap itself gently around Flora. "I will not ask you to not mourn, but we must at least be wary of the time, which we have little of. They may have reinforcements or the like nearby. We should find some place safe so we can discuss what we are doing next."

Klois, klois...the name seemed familiar, but would bring no stronger emotions than curiosity over why she remembered. She could recite the name of nearly every sinner she had executed, and every demon she had dealt with, so she was fairly certain they weren't but she couldn't be sure.

"Stock up!? Aureia, surely you jest!" Moridax exclaimed, thinking about the trouble she'd have afterward. "Ha! I should force each god come and fill out their own paperwork after they murder twenty people for not agreeing that she's the most loving Goddess!" Truly, the Goddess of the Dead could not remember if such a thing would happen, but it seemed about right. "How many administrator skeletons will I have to raise? Will they be allowed breaks? Even the risen dead have feelings and exhaust themselves!"

She drew close to Aureia and grasped her hands together and gave a pleading look. "My dear, dear Aureia. Is it bad that I have this inkling of not wanting to fix this world, knowing that I have that to look forward to? Work! More work! How many years has it been? Is Mister Bonesington still working? Is Overseer Eyeball still watching the Soulium mines!? Things I need to learn, yet, I don't want to! Knowing means I would be back in the underworld and working again!" This production was quite obviously overly dramatic but realistically was her true thoughts on the matter. She released Aureia's hands and looked to the distance. "And yet, I need to. Why was I gone? Who took me from my domain? Who threw the world into a chaos with no one ruling the underworld or the overworld, for that matter?"

"So for that I must ask... Who is this girl? And what is this Holy Emperor? I have no idea what's going on right now." She asked, looking over towards where the other gods were, trying to comfort the girl for the loss of her bodyguard or something before turning her gaze to Aureia again, this time she seemed somewhat cold, perhaps calculating. Something one might expect from the Lord of the Underworld. "Is there anything we are truly sure about right now besides a continued existence?"

and the far less important, trivial aspects of travel and luck

“Dealing with mortal paper is beneath me, but surely I can offer a twenty-percent discount~?” Aureia grinned, twirling her umbrella almost diabolically as she teased the goddess of the dead.

“Awa?” She looked surprised when Moridax’s cold fingers clasped against hers. Even though it was the god of the underworld and Aureia was a goddess herself, it was still kind of weird to be pulled in close by a walking corpse. “Eh… I’d forgotten about the unique names you’ve given to your minions. But still, you know, the longer we don’t fix this world, the more and more paperwork would end up piled up on your desk in the underworld regardless, for your ultimate return, hmm?”

She gave her a pat on the head as consolation and briefly brought her up to speed. “…As for the girl… well, the others know more, I think. I haven’t spoken with her yet…”

Really, Aureia should. She just felt weird about glomping the poor girl when everybody already was, even if it totally was her style to do it, too.

After Aureia finished recounting their experience with the soldiers, however, it did occur to her that Klois really did sound kind of familiar. Was it a country or group that she had dealt with in the past? Very strange.

Since nobody else mentioned it, she asked around. “Hum… Now that I think of it, doesn’t the name Klois sound familiar? Anybody?”

Trineon
Lord of Rivers, Lakes, and Oceans

The water god continued to make the young priestess’s tears float away. Within a few seconds she became aware of what Trineon was doing, surprise appearing on her face. She then started speaking again, talking of the fallen Sir Oren and something bad happening. But before Trineon could ask what the bad thing was, Flora began crying again. Unsure of what to do, Trineon placed a hand on her shoulder as he continued to cause her tears to float away. The sun god then started to speak to Flora in a rude tone.

“Give her a break. This Sir Oren clearly meant a great deal to her,” Trineon said to O’Meus before turning to the girl, “I know you are still grieving, but like Alasayana said our time in which we can be safe here is fleeting. I know it must be hard, but we don’t have time to do proper funeral rites. Instead we shall honour Sir Oren by keeping him in your memory.”

As Trineon spoke to Flora, the word Klois kept shifting around in his mind. It was like an elusive thread, always just avoiding his reach. From what he could tell, it was a name of something, but whether that be a person or a place, Trineon could not currently say. The truth of what Klois was kept just escaping him, his mind racing to catch up with it.

While this was going on, Aureia was busy catching up the newly arrived Moridax on all that happened since they awoke today. She then asked if anyone remembered Klois, starting the whole challenge in Trineon’s mind to place it over again.

“Klois? They said something about a knight of Klois. So I’m figuring that is what they serve under. What I don’t know is if that is a ruler like a King Klois or a land like a Kingdom of Klois,” Trineon mused before turning back to Flora, “Do you know what this Klois is?”

For a few moments, all the small girl could do was cry. But it seemed as if the words of the gods had gotten through to her. Perhaps it was the memory of Sir Oren, too, that prompted her to shakily rise to her feet.

The knight had died for her sake. She couldn't just sit here, no matter how much it hurt to try and move. To leave Sir Oren behind. But Sir Oren would have wanted her to keep moving.

"..."

It would be a while before she could dry her eyes.

"Th-the knights," she murmured, her voice weak, "Sir Oren... he's one of the kn-knights. The Klois Knights. They... u-um..."

Clutching at the hem of her dress, she fiddled with her skirt for a moment, her cheeks still wet from her tears.

She didn't seem to have much else in terms of information, or perhaps it was difficult for her to explain at the moment. However, there was one last important piece of information she was able to provide.

"... I-I can take you... take you there, I-I'm supposed to..."

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