“It must have been Divine magic. A malediction.”

“Probably,” Jay agreed after swallowing the mouthful of thick bean soup she scooped from her bowl. “It was just like that malediction dagger. It went right through my armor and damaged my health pool directly. Hurt like a son of a bitch. Actually, wait.”

Turning away from Aila and Eir, Jay reached across to where Maeve was sitting with Kerr and Bridget and tapped the shapeshifter on her shoulder.

“Do you still have that dagger I gave you?”

“Of course,” Maeve replied, one eyebrow raised in question. “Why? Do you need it?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind.”

As Maeve stretched out her arm, the enchanted dagger appeared in her hand, almost quickly enough that Jay could have been fooled into thinking that the weapon had magically appeared like it had been pulled out of thin air. In truth, the dagger had been inside of Maeve and Jay had more than enough perception to see that it had moved through the shapeshifter’s arm and her hand had warped around the blade, allowing it to slide out smoothly and cleanly.

“Here you go, honey cock.”

“Thanks, sweetie,” Jay laughed at the absurd endearment Maeve had mispronounced just enough that anyone else listening would assume she meant cake.

Except for Kerr, who was cracking up.

“So, the spell was golden in color,” Jay continued after turning back to Aila and Eir. “But it definitely had the same sort of translucence as this blade.” Taking hold of her unequipped helmet, Jay passed the dagger through the metal, stabbing through the black steel like an intangible ghost and withdrawing to leave no mark behind. “Just like that, yeah. I was hit by two of the lances and I took two hundred and seventy points of damage.”

“You said Wilhelm was also struck?” Aila asked as she took the enchanted knife from Jay’s hand. “How many times and how much damage?”

“Already did the math. He was struck four times and took two hundred damage. Not huge numbers, but that’s just because we both have high Resilience. His is a lot higher than mine, though. Anyway, based on the difference between what I took and he took in damage, and the number of lances that hit us, we think each lance probably does two hundred and fifty damage a piece.”

“And there were ten lances in the spell?” Eir’s voice was worried as she considered the information. “That would mean one spell could deal two thousand and five hundred damage.”

“Only if all ten hit the same target,” Aila pointed out, her tone showing less concern. “And that’s not counting Resistance. Jadis could be struck twice by all ten lances and still survive.”

“We also don’t know if that Demon will have ten eyes again the next time we see her,” Jay added. “But honestly, I’m assuming she’ll have them back the same way I’m assuming we’ll be seeing her again. Anyway, I’m not actually that concerned about the lances. They’re short range and she’d have to be right on top of anyone to use the spell effectively. The real issue is that sniping bolt she shot at me and Alex. That shot was from over a mile away. Not even being in the airship would be enough to keep… soft targets out of range.”

Jay’s eyes couldn’t help but move to Eir’s face as she said the last few words. Eir had some defenses, but she was far from a frontline combatant. Considering what the spell had done to the two soldiers who had been partially caught in the area of effect, Jadis was deeply concerned not only for Eir’s safety, but for all of her lovers who normally stayed back from the direct battle.

“I spoke with the cleric who attended the two who were wounded by the spell,” Eir said, her expression grim. “The woman passed away before he could get to her. The man lived, but his left arm could not be saved, as the muscle and connective tissue was too damaged and his bones detached.”

Jay reached out and took Eir’s hand, holding her much smaller lover’s fingers between her own as she tried to will her warmth and love into the elf.

“Do you want to use your Flawless Regeneration spell on him?” she asked, fully willing to support Eir’s choice.

“I do,” the saint nodded her head but turned a wan smile up at Jay. “But I won’t. We are on the march now, and I can no longer use the spell to regenerate the limbs of others. If something were to happen to you or any of the others, we could not afford the seven days it would take for the spell to come off of its cooldown period.”

“Jocelyn has a regeneration spell,” Jay inclined her head towards where the Oracle was sitting with Wilhelm by a nearby campfire.

“Two of them, actually,” Eir corrected. “And she is keeping both in reserve for extreme need as well.”

Taking a deep breath, Eir pushed aside the thoughts that were clearly troubling her and addressed both Jay and Aila.

“To the point of our discussion, based on what I was able to learn from the cleric, the spell Demon’s Divine spell did massive damage to the flesh, but did not do nearly as much damage to the soldier’s health pool as expected with the initial impact. The male soldier had two hundred and ten maximum health and when Cleric Tullius healed him, he had thirty-seven health remaining. The soldier’s Resilience was average for his CLR at twenty. Tullius believes that a significant portion of the damage done came from the aftereffects of blood loss.”

“So, the spell did somewhere around a hundred damage at most,” Aila’s brow furrowed in thought. “Considering the range, that’s much less than I would expect.”

“The soldier only had his arm caught in the edge of the spell radius,” Jay said as she tapped a finger against her helmet. “The damage done probably goes up based on how much of you is inside of the sphere of effect. And if it’s designed to shred your flesh, the spell probably relies on bleeding its targets out. Hard to stay alive when all your blood is lying on the ground around your feet.”

“That seems likely,” Aila sighed as she leaned back on the folding stool she had sat upon. “What a horror of a spell.”

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“Such is the nature of maledictions,” Eir shook her head in dismay. “They are not meant to avenge wrongs as a holy smite does, but to harm and inflict pain.”

“Am I interrupting?”

The three looked up to see that Severina had approached their fire with two more guests in tow. Putting on a smile, Jay stood and turned to greet the two avatars who Sev had brought over to introduce to her.

Ever since Kalliope had arrived, the number of avatars in the staging grounds had steadily increased to the point where the large campsite with dozens of tents that General Salvius had arranged made a lot more sense. While a few of the avatars had already been stationed at the site and had simply been out on patrol for the day, many more were individuals or small groups like Kalliope’s troupe who had been wandering the battlelines or territories within Volto’s control doing what they could to help in whatever ways they were best suited. All had heard the call for war, either from runners who had been sent to find them, or from a divine nudge that their patron god had given them. As these many avatars made their way into the camp, Jadis and the Hero had been greeting them, with help from their companions. While Jay had been largely leaving the introductions and small talk duties to her other two bodies so that she could discuss the dangerous Greater Demon that had attacked the camp with at least a couple of her lovers, it seemed that there were just too many new arrivals to continue in that fashion. The time had come for Jay to be social.

“Of course not,” Jay grinned lovingly at her winged lover before turning her attention to the two individuals who stood slightly behind her. “Who do you have with you?”

“This is Gallo of House Ventus,” Sev motioned towards the Seraphim man first before indicating the Lares next to him. “And this is Sirio of Tolosa. They just arrived from the southwestern shores of Volto.”

“You’re taller than the rumors made you out to be,” the Lares, Sirio, spoke in a surprisingly gruff voice. “The goose mongers are underestimating you.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Gallo held out his hand towards Jay. “I place no stock in rumors, but the reports have been… intense.”

Taking the Seraphim’s hand, Jay took note of the man’s appearance. All of the avatars who were arriving at the camp would be her allies, working closely with her and Wilhelm to help defeat the Demons of Kastoria, so she wanted to know each one by name and sight. There was no saying what impact each one would have on the march and the fighting, but Jadis had high expectations. There were not many avatars compared to the rest of the army, but each one had the potential to be old, experienced, and high CLR.

Gallo was a middle-aged looking Seraphim with curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. His wings were an interesting greenish color that reflected the light in ways that made the feathers shift in hue. Judging by the light armor he wore and the quarterstaff he had leaning against his side, Jadis assumed he was more of a scout or skirmisher than a frontline combatant.

“Nice to meet you, Gallo,” Jay greeted the man politely. “Your name will be easy to remember. I have a father-in-law with that name.”

“Ah, that will make it easy,” the Seraphim smiled. “For my part, I’m already struggling to keep track of all of your companions, never mind all the avatars who have heeded the call to support this march. It’s a rarity to have so many of us in one place at the same time.”

“They should have gathered long ago,” Sirio commented grouchily, reminding Jadis strongly of Bridget’s grandfather. “Bunch of scattered feathers. Poor leadership has caused this mess. That Wilhelm boy had best be ready to step up his efforts now that he’s finally had a thought to leave that fat and lazy empire of his.”

Kneeling to put herself closer to the fiery feline avatar, Jay held out her hand to take Sirio’s paw in greeting.

“Well, even if he isn’t, I’m here to put a stop to the invasion in Volto. I can promise you that.”

The paw that Sirio placed in Jay’s hand was large and had rough pads, matching the Lares’ overall appearance. Sirio was more than twice the size of Amarantha in her original form and had dark red flames for his coat with lots of dark, smokey patches. He looked like a hot coal smoldering in the hearth, just waiting to catch some new fuel on fire. While most Lares gave Jadis the impression of being housecats, Sirio had the air of an apex predator. This man was a lion, if in miniature form.

“Good,” Sirio nodded approvingly at Jay’s words while letting his sharp claws prick her hand. “The geese were right about that part of you, I’d say. You’re confident. Confidence goes a long way. You just better have the strength to back that confidence.”

“I do,” Jay grinned at the gruff Lares with an unwavering gaze. “You’ll see.”

“Mm,” Sirio made a noise closer to a growl than a hum. “I suppose I will.”

“With introductions aside,” Gallo smoothly stepped into the conversation, “perhaps I can ask you a few questions about the battle in Glanum? The reports I received are missing a few details that I—”

“Let them alone, peacock,” Sirio slapped the Seraphim with his tail, which to Jay’s surprise had enough force to make the winged man stumble. “You can try to monopolize her time another night. We still need to talk to that Hero.”

“Right,” the Seraphim obeyed with a grimace as he followed behind the stalking Lares. “Have a pleasant evening, Lady Jadis!”

Once the two were far enough away that the noise and bustle of the campsite gave enough cover, Jay leaned closer to Severina and whispered in her ear.

“Anything I should know about either of them?”

“Gallo is young and his primary class is a form of courier. However, when the Demon’s invaded he gained a combat class and has been active on the battlefield,” Sev quietly filled Jadis in on what she knew. “Also, his family is known for their speed. His best use is going to be for carrying messages and transporting the wounded to healers.”

“And Sirio?”

“He was born during the last Demon invasion and gained a reputation as a fierce hunter as he dedicated his life towards killing the many Demons who infested the lands after the old Demon Lord was slain. From what I know of the man, he’ll do his best work if you leave him alone. He’ll go where he is needed.”

Hesitating for a moment, Severina considered something before adding a final note.

“Try to keep Alex away from him. I don’t think he will seek her out, but he’s from a time that saw a great deal of destruction wrought by Demons. I don’t know how well he will adjust to the idea of an allied Demon.”

“He’s on the list,” Jay murmured. “Thanks again for doing all this.”

“Of course,” Sev gave her a small smile. “I have the knowledge. I should make use of it. Now, don’t settle back into conversation, there are three more Lares I’ll be bringing over to meet you in just a moment.”

“Three more?” Jay let out a huff of laughter. “How many is that in the camp now?”

“Thirty-eight,” Aila supplied from where she stood with Eir. “Kerr is going to be upset that she lost the bet.”

“If five more show up, I’ll be happy,” Jay joked. “But the arrivals have to be slowing down by now.”

“I would not bet on that,” Severina said as she walked away, calling over her shoulder. “The gods approve of this gathering, and we who serve heed the call!”

“Right,” Jay nodded more to herself than anyone else as her eyes scanned the growing gathering. “Having all of these avatars in one place is going to have some crazy results, isn’t it?”

“I would assume so,” Aila agreed as she stepped next to Jay’s right side. “Even if all who arrived were those Golems, I would agree with that assessment.”

A statement of truth Jadis had no argument against. Even as they spoke, the Wandering Stones were playing a quiet song with an earworm of a chorus that had enraptured Alex completely. It was quite a sight to see four Golems playing instruments while a Demon rocked from side to side in time with the music, accompanied by seven Dryads and a half-elf who were swaying right along with her. The shirtless, tattooed barbarian who kept singing his own drunken additions to the score definitely added to the surrealness of the moment.

“At least they will all be working together,” Eir said as she took up her place on Jay’s left. “Our goals are aligned and our purpose is clear. So long as we keep together as allies, we will triumph.”

“So long as we keep together as allies,” Jay echoed as she watched Sirio and several other figures stalk through the crowd. “Just so long as we do.”