The Red Hand

Chapter 452 – Deception and Bait.

*SWOOSH*

After sticking around the Dumetor camp for three days to make sure everything was properly handled Akagi finally decided to return to the Dwarven Capital to continue her original mission of subterfuge and gas lighting. After her previous discussion with Elariel, and her encounter in the dungeon below the capital, it had become patently obvious to the Demon that Halifax was tied to Vikes. Though, while she had a few guesses as to what exactly the connection was, the only way Akagi was going to find out for certain was to find the Demon Axe Labrys. Pressing the Goddess any further was a futile endeavor and the Demon figured that it would be a wasted effort even if Elariel's threats were empty.

"I just can't step away from thing for FIVE minutes without all hell breaking loose, can I?" Akagi said as she buried her head in her hands. She'd anticipated most of the events that had taken place, but Hishya being away and Nima's mistakes were both outside of her expectations. After giving the Dragon the ass-chewing of a lifetime and practically scaring the scales off her, Akagi called back a bit later and apologized for screaming since it really wasn't Hishya's fault, though that did little to make the Dragon feel much better. "I've got the Gods pressuring me in two different worlds, a subordinate who's now fucked up twice, a plot to get my Sister out of her shell, andall the while I'm trying to find where the magic-talking macguffin is hiding and also, by the way, I'm pretty sure my new friend was made from a piece of what is the equivalent of my brother and is thus my niece." She let out a groan, while Yumi pat her on the back, grateful that she'd teleported them onto an empty roof rather than in the middle of the street. "I want to go home, find Miji, turn Cat, and be snuggled for a few years while wrapped together in a blanket with a plate of snacks..."

{If the end goal of this whole thing wasn't worth the pain in the ass I'd just nuke this place and leave.} (Akagi)

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"Reflia, what is delaying your return? You know how dangerous it would be for you to be captured by the Demon Lord." Gale spoke to her through the magic 'video' as the Goddess sat at her desk. He'd been pushing Reflia to return to the Heavens for some time, but she'd always made up some kind of excuse to delay her return and the Order God was getting impatient. "You must return at once. Otherwise, you may risk ruining everything."

{This woman. All our plans will be for naught if the Demon Lord manages to get into our Domain before preparations for our escape are finalized. I may be able to fight her one-on-one if I engage my backup plan, but that comes with risks...} (Gale)

"I am aware of the risk, Gale. But there are still things that need doing down here. We cannot just hide in another realm and hope this storm passes us by." Reflia replied with a sigh. She'd had this conversation with him before and was growing tired of it. "I've already helped you collect Power Reactors and my subordinates are in a race to find Labrys before the Demon Lord does. Need I remind you that cowering up there will mean nothing if she finds it as she may be able to invade our home at will." As Goddess of Space, she understood that what was stopping Akagi from breaking into the Heavens was likely not a lack of power, but rather a desire to preserve Enoris from the destruction that would result from a forceful entry. Reflia had been active during Vike's rampage and was intimately aware of how the Axe worked and that, by finding it, Akagi would be in a position to threaten the Gods' continued existence.

{And while I'd love for nothing more than to watch her rip Gale apart, I'd like to be the one bringing this whole house of cards crashing down.} (Reflia)

"I still think it dangerous for you to remain in the lower world. If the Demon Lord got a hold of youshe may be able to find a way into the Heavens without the Axe." Gale glared at her through the 'screen.' “There are other, frankly more expendable

Gods, that we could send. The search for more reactors and the Axe do not require your presence.""Gods that have no idea how to track the Demonic Axe or navigate the complexity of the current political crisis." Reflia clapped back. "You might be negotiating directly with the heads of each nation but need I remind you that I am the one doing damage control on the ground? I've had more members of the Clergy and Nobility in my office terrified out of their wits end these last few weeks than I've seen in eons. I'm the only one of us qualified to handle this, and you know that Gale."

{You're a stuck-up asshole that has no idea how to treat mortals beyond talking down to them and using them as tools, as with most of our siblings. I might not be perfect but I can actually have a conversation with them that doesn't come across as a God dictating to a mortal.} (Reflia)

The Order God wanted to retort but understood that she was right. The reason Reflia was his right hand and the second highest ranking of the Pantheon behind him was because of her ability to navigate mortal politics expertly. She was the only member of the Pantheon to interact with political leadership regularly and had it not been for the fact that she was busy in Northwind, and also because Gale wanted to keep the main project under his direct control, she rather than he would've been coordinating the formation of the Grand Coalition

"We cannot risk any fumbles now, Reflia." Gale grumbled. "It won't be that much longer until preparations are complete. Rahael has already tested the transfer on a smaller scale and once my other preparations are complete I'll be sending her to establish the final connection. The Demon Lord must not be allowed to interfere before then. Once we've made the transfer to that other world it will fall under our control and defeating her will be easier."

{And if all else fails, I still have that Ace up my sleeve.} (Gale)

"I will remain here." Reflia replied curtly. "Finding the Axe before the Demon Lord does takes priority. If the two are allowed to join forces then all your well-laid plans will amount to nothing since she will just rip us apart. I've taken precautions to avoid detection so it's unlikely she even knows I'm here."

{That cat of hers rampaged through the City and wiped out the Cult of Blood without catching on to my presence. So it stands to reason they lack an innate way of sensing a God that's hiding their power.} (Reflia)

"Find that Axe quickly and then return." Gale said before abruptly cutting the connection.

"Oh don't worry, I will." Reflia smirked as she looked up at the Elf that was standing in front of her desk.

{And when I find Labrys I'm going to kill you and every other one of your lackeys that turned this world into your little playground; even if that requires me going with you.} (Reflia)

"You seem rather enthusiastic, Lady Reflia." Evindal Ilimoira, the Dawnmaster of the Dawn Order said with a wry smile.

"It's nothing, now tell me do you have any updates on Labrys' location?" Reflia asked. They'd been cooperating for some time and she was using the remnants of the Dawn Order to track down Labrys as well as to interfere with both Akagi and Gale's plans, to limited success on both ends.

"At the moment, we're certain he's within the Confederation. Based on reports of missing villagers and raids at several military forts we suspect that he is collecting souls to regain his strength." Evindal explained. "It's just as you suspected though, the Axe is able to cloak his energy to prevent tracking and he never stays in one place for very long. Members of the Order have yet to even get close to him."

{This internal conflict amongst the Gods aside, we need to deal with this thing before it kills more people. Too many have already been lost to the War and the Demon Lord.}

(Evindal)"Indeed." Reflia said as she slid back in her chair. "We've been searching for it for thousands of years... And we've never managed to pin it down." She'd cooperated with the Order in the past, hence her connection now, and this had always been one of their top priorities.

"If I am not mistaken this is the most active Labrys has been since his master was destroyed, right?" Evindal knew of no other time where the Demon Axe had so fragrantly displayed his power.

"Yes, prior to now Labrys has almost exclusively remained hidden away by the Cult. I have no idea why he's ramped up activities to this level, but this will be the best opportunity to hunt it down and capture it." Reflia said. "If I can get a hold of Labrys before Gale or the Demon Lord I can use him to kill Gale and his plans." She bit her lip in frustration. "I refuse to stand by and watch this world be destroyed just to save the Gods."

{That bastard has been using us for eons, but the Spirit War was too much. I will never forgive him for making me into a liar and a coward.} (Reflia)

"I may not agree with your stance on the Spirits during the War, but I have to admit that it was probably the most pragmatic choice from the Gods' perspective..." Evindal shook his head.

As the Dawnmaster he'd sworn to defend the people of Enoris from harm and it was his duty to protect the world from any threat. During the War, the Order tried desperately to convince the Gods to call a halt to hostilities, but to no avail. This ultimately led them to openly side with the Spirits and from there, the rest was history.

"But to think the Gods would lie in order to save themselves." Evindal's words made it sound like he was clam but Reflia could tell the Elf was burning with anger inside. Evindal was a man of honor who was bound by a steep sense of morality and a righteous heart. His climb to the leadership of the Dawn Order was fraught with challenges but at the end of the day, he was chosen due to his commitment to the mission and to the people of Enoris, and learning that the Gods would throw them away so easily deeply angered him.

"That's why I've decided to sabotage Gale's little plan." Reflia replied. "I do not take kindly to being lied to and tricked into committing such acts of slaughter without reason. The Dark Elves were one thing but the Spirits were blameless and Gale thought himself so high and mighty that he and some of the others could hide that from us until it was too late and we were in too deep to back out."

{That bastard had the gall to tell us what was done was done and they need to move on and see the bigger picture. Bigger picture? By killing innocent people to save our own lives we've forever given up any right to a 'bigger picture' and I won't let that bastard get his way!} (Reflia)

"If we're unable to find Labrys quickly we'll be forced to resort to capturing Halifax, a task that I fear may have even greater repercussions." Reflia sighed. The Divine Blade had recently appeared in the City alongside the Primordial Twins. Reflia had thought of capturing her but such an action had two main obstacles. One it would be a noisy affair and could easily result in Halifax being turned over to Gale, something she absolutely could not allow to happen. And two it could alert the Demon Lord to her location which was not ideal given the fact that Akagi had declared war on the Gods and intended to kill her. While she had a grudge against the Demon Lord for the 'death' of Penelope she was not foolish enough to think she could win in a straight up fight. "Elariel has defected to the Demon Lord's side and taken the Blade with her..." She continued. "Lucky for us Elariel would sooner die than tell that monster the truth about Halifax and risk a reversion. But we need to be wary nonetheless."

{Though a reversion may be beneficial to our cause if it happened, but I can't allow it since that would mean I cannot have my revenge against that monster for killing my Daughter!} (Reflia)

"I must admit that having Halifax on our side would be a great boon. I've worked alongside her a few times in the past and I've always been in awe that you could take a Demon Lord's-" Evindal paused, shaking his head and deciding that finishing that sentence was not a good idea based on the look in Reflia's eyes. "But on the Labrys matter, I do believe that I've got a way of tracking him down and capturing him."

"If you were intending on using Halifax to lure him out, that is going to be a risky plan that I am not a fan of." Reflia guessed at his idea. "If Labrys and Halifax meet I don't even want to imagine what would happen. The Axe could try and tempt her to its side or it could even subsume her. Worse still Halifax learns of how she was made..." She shook her head. "No, if you were planning on dangling her out as bait I'm not on board with such a plan. It's too risky and could easily tip Gale off to our plan if things go wrong."

"I was planning on using bait to lure Labrys out." Evindal smiled brightly. "But rather than Halifax, I was thinking we use me."

Spoiler

Evindal! (The Dawnmaster!)

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