Sacrifice – Chapter 24: Prelude to Conflict

Aperio choose to ignore the approaching form of Laelia. Trying to use her aura to observe the paladin closely would likely just upset them, and she would prefer to be able to ask some questions before their potential fight takes place. Or maybe fight her and then ask questions? Maybe that way is easier?

So far, her mana had been more helpful than anything else in telling her what was going on. As she put her musing on hold and started to attempt to nudge her mana into the blade she now held, she hoped that the helpful trend would continue. Trying to guide her magic through something that was not alive turned out to be more difficult than Aperio had first assumed. The information she gleaned from the act was also rather meager when compared to what she had received while healing Arden. Perhaps my mana interacts with the mana of others? It would explain why it doesn't work with the sword.

As her attempts at mana aided inspection did not bear fruit, she returned to using her eyes. She gave the blade her undivided attention – truly focusing on it. The effort revealed numerous tiny imperfections all over the surface. Aperio blinked in surprise. She had known her eyes were better than before, but she had not expected to see tiny fissures in forged metal. There was another observation to be made though: every time she tried to focus on something, the world seemed to obey her will and provide her with a lot of tiny details she never knew existed.

She could see her mana hang in the air should she want to, or she could now spot the tiniest of cracks in a sword. Aperio ran her finger across the blade but felt none of the imperfections she knew to be there. So touch is not enhanced? Or do I just not know how to do that? Bending the world to her will was nice, but she did not know how she did it. When she used magic, Aperio had at least an idea of why it happened. Her mana was sacrificed to impose her will on the world. That was not the case when she simply looked at something. Or is the amount consumed simply too small to notice?

The thought of her mana usage brought another question to her mind. So far she had used only minuscule amounts of what she could draw on – even setting the building on fire was a mere drop in the ocean. Or Well, as it were. What would happen if I used more? What spell would even need more? It was something she wanted to try, but with an almost certainty that warded her away as surely as it drew her in, she knew that the attempt would end with a lot of destruction. Could I speed up the enhancement of my body instead? That idea involved a lot less potential disaster and was something she could try immediately. It should not affect anyone but herself – Probably – and she had not much else to do.

She could try to get more answers from Roland or the other adventurers, but being in the middle of questioning them would just lead to Laelia misinterpreting the situation when she arrived. With her decision made, she directed her attention inwards. Now, how can I speed this up? Drawing a small sliver of mana from her Well, she guided it through her body. Matching the patterns that her mana took when it flowed without her guidance was an easy task, weaving it into her being on the other hand was not.

Whenever she tried to fuse it into her muscles or bones, it did as it was told but only for as long as she actively held it there. A temporary boost like this was what she had previously known to be possible and, while it was nice to know she could achieve such effects, it was not what she was trying to do. She tried it again and again, but nothing stuck. With a mental sigh, Aperio brought her attention back to her surroundings. She would continue her attempts to speed up the enhancement later. Do I even need to? Probably not.

She was a Goddess now, free from the ravages of time. Simply waiting was an option but, she assumed, another God could still end her. And I know of at least one that definitely wants to. Aperio did have a problem that the simple application of patience didn't immediately solve, though. She already had a difficult time controlling her own strength and, if she continued to get stronger, it did not bode well for her ability to live life as she pleased.

There was a small voice in the back of her mind that told her she would just need time to learn how to control herself. A reasonable thought; she had only been back in the land of the living for a short amount of time. A month? Maybe? But there was also another part of her mind that told her that she would reach a point where living with mortals would not be an option. She squashed the thought as soon as it appeared. She would live where she pleased! If she had to give every single person a blessing so they would not perish in her presence, then she would.

The universe had dealt her a shitty hand before and now that she was free to pursue her dreams, it tried to limit her with the very thing that granted her freedom? Aperio would have none of that.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, an action that got the attention of almost everyone around. It took a moment, but soon Aperio remembered the state of her dress and the fact that her action had only furthered its demise. While she did not particularly care, the others seemed to mind and being properly dressed seemed like the correct choice. Unless my Domain is not what I thought? She silently went through a few of the possible titles in her mind and found that none of them felt even close to being right. If I know how close I am, why don’t I know what my Domain actually is?

With a slight shake of her head, Aperio moved to the back of the carriage. Ira was still not looking any better but she did not want to wait any longer to get new clothes. Opening one of the chests at the back revealed an assortment of books: not what she was looking for. The next one she opened held dresses she could wear, but sadly no bindings for her to use.

Picking another open-backed dress that closely matched what she was wearing now, Aperio moved to the side of the carriage without prying eyes in order to change. While she did not have a problem with being seen naked, she would choose the option that kept her modesty intact. What remains of it, anyway.

Putting on the dress was still an act that required a lot of wiggling and bending in ways she would not have been able to do before. This time, however, it only took a fraction of the length of her previous attempt. And also no ripping of the dress? Why can I handle that without breaking it, but not a person?

Was she so spiteful that she wanted to subconsciously hurt people that had nothing to do with the suffering she had to live through? Or was it something completely unrelated? She would have to ask someone about that, someone she could trust. Not that I have met such a person yet. The closet she could get was Ira who, while he had been very helpful, was still not someone she would consider trustworthy. She had only known him for a couple of days and whether he was secretly trying to get her killed or not remained to be seen. Good luck with that. I already died once.

A quick check revealed that Laelia was still a little ways away and while she was travelling fast, the fanatic that had attacked Aperio had been significantly faster. But they also really wanted me dead. Maybe she is just taking her time. If the paladin was weaker than the fanatic the whole idea of having a bout was kind of useless. Though I can still learn how to actually fight. ...If she is willing to teach. The thought of asking to be taught how to fight felt overwhelmingly disgusting, worse than most hypothetical questions she had thought so far.

Stepping out behind the carriage in her new dress, she noted that Thaddeus was awake and visibly confused. He was talking to Roland in their Human tongue, something she should have been able to hear while she was changing but had not. I really need to pay more attention. It was barely an effort to strain her ears to hear their conversation in perfect clarity. Not that it helped her understand them. It's the same as with my eyes, is it not?

Her reemergence got the attention of the young mage, causing him to seize up. Is he still scared? she thought, tilting her head slightly. I already apologised, you aren't getting another.

Why do I even care what any of them think?

The reality of her new life was something she had still not quite comprehended. She knew she was above the people she was surrounded with. Not in terms of morality or intelligence, but simple strength. Aperio would like to think of herself as just, but she knew that she held biases that she would have to work hard to overcome. Life as a slave did not make one like the race of their masters. Especially so when they had done what they pleased with her. How have I not gone mad?

At the time, she had never questioned why she had remained mostly sane even after rape and torture; she had just assumed it was another part of the collar’s magic. Now, she was not so sure.

There had to be a reason why they had chosen her specifically for the sacrifice. She had known, even then, that it was somehow bound to her [Status] that she had never personally seen. The happy news of her selection for the sacrifice had come only a couple of years after her own appraisal, after all. And I doubt that is coincidence. Now, I just need to figure out what it says. Hopefully the [Grandmaster], whoever she is, can help.

Her musings were interrupted by a new voice; one she knew. How did I miss when she got here? Did I just stand here staring at nothing? Aperio shifted her focus onto the newly arrived paladin who was already looking on edge. She heard her name in their conversation again; talk about the blessing if she had to guess. There wasn’t really another reason for Arden to say her name otherwise. I really need to learn how to not get distracted.

She had her aura, one of the – if not the – best methods to perceive her surroundings. At least, as far as she knew. It always provided her with information. Now, all she had to learn was to not get lost in thought every time she considered something marginally interesting.

The group of Humans soon noticed that they had attracted the attention of their resident Goddess, something Thaddeus seemed even less comfortable with. Maybe he does have something against Elves? She noted that he was still inside the bubble of nothing that she had made. Somehow that stayed created, even when she was not paying attention. I don't even know how my own abilities work.

Aperio noticed with slight amusement that Laelia seemed to be unsure about what to do. She had probably just been told that Aperio was a Goddess and had disposed of some over-eager zealot that had tried to kill her. She no longer wants to fight? It did make sense; who in their right mind would want to fight a Goddess?

As none of them seemed to want to break the silence that had descended onto the group, Aperio took the opportunity to let them know that she did not like being talked about behind her back. "If you have something to say about me, say it to my face."

Unsurprisingly, Arden was the first to recover. The blessing also seemed to make her voice more bearable for him, even when she only held back a little. Speaking in a whisper might have been the nice choice, but Aperio did not want to hold back any more than she already did.

"We just told her what happened! None of us would dare to insult you." He was frantic, seemingly single-minded in his goal to smooth over any perceived anger. But I didn’t even mean that as a threat? She just wanted to let them know that she did not appreciate being talked about without knowing what was said. Trying to dictate what others should think was definitely not what she wanted. Though, I guess my image is not the best at the moment.

In an attempt to shift attention away from the unintended threat, Aperio asked something that had bothered her for a while. "Why do you speak the Common I know but the other paladin did not?"

The confusion was visible on Laelia's face and for a few breaths Aperio feared that she had somehow broken the woman. Her fears were unfounded as, only a moment later, the paladin answered with a question of her own. "Inerlius?"

A brief nod from the Elf confirmed that they were indeed talking about the same person. "He from Kejeran, almost exclusively Human," she said before pausing to consider her next words. "Also not good with languages." So, he had never had a need to learn, and when the need arose he simply failed?

"How did he get to be a paladin here, then?" In Aperio's mind it made little sense to send someone to a place where they could barely communicate. The same would go for her, I guess. But at least she can speak the language.

"Request from nobles. The one you..." Her voice trailed off, unwilling to speak further.

"The one I killed?" The anger she felt at the mere thought of the encounter was enough to cause more power than intended to slip into her words. "And why would a God that claims to be just and righteous lend one of his paladins to slavers?"

Whether it was her voice or the simple fact that she appeared to be angry, Aperio did not know. Whatever the cause was, the people around her took a step back. Even Ira managed to move himself a little further from her with the help of the Elven mage. The only one who stayed where they were was Laelia. The paladin took a few breaths to answer, seemingly not as immune to the vocal assault as she had first appeared.

"The church is not above politics." Her voice sounded small, almost ashamed to admit that reality.

Aperio raised an eyebrow at her reply. "What kind of God needs to give in to the demands of mortals?" As far as she could tell, there was no need for followers. She – at best – had one and was able to handle a fully armed and armoured enemy without any weapons of her own. Are the other Gods just weak, or have I only found weak people?

Laelia hesitated for a moment before her face took on an expression of resigned resolve and she took the spear from her back. She said something that Aperio did not understand before charging. The only thing that came to Aperio's mind as the spear flew towards her was excited confusion. Why did she attack now?

GamingWolf

It would appear that the paladin has some beef with Aperio.

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