Less than a year ago, Victoire thought she would die at the tip of a magmorian's blade defending Narc to her dying breath. Never would she have expected to witness the coronation of Lavaland's next sovereign and the start of a peaceful union between their two nations, let alone crown the Fire Sultana on her god's behalf.

So much has happened since that day, Victoire thought as she recalled the moment when Lord Wepwawet first showed up to save Narc from destruction. We've lost many friends and suffered greatly, but peace is finally at hand.

The entire population of Salamandra—mostly kobolds, magmorians, and traders from across the southern nations—had gathered at the palace's gates to witness the Fire Sultana's official coronation. Lady Alexandrite would convert in front of the whole population, and Victoire would crown her on Lord Wepwawet's behalf. Her god's divine avatar had already taken over Mount Sunfire and would oversee the region from afar.

Victoire had thus been invited to the Fire Sultana's personal solar, the noise and cheers of the crowd reaching all the way to their balcony. Princess Topaz personally put a gemstone necklace around her sister's neck under Jasper and General Peridot's careful watch. Victoire sensed the latter's hesitation as his gaze darted from his master to her.

"Does this turn of events trouble you, general?" Victoire inquired.

He didn't deny it. "The gods' power is unquestionable, and Lord Wepwawet has defended Verglane well against all threats… but I still doubt we should follow him unconditionally."

Victoire could sympathize with the sentiment. She had shared those doubts once, until her god regained her trust. "I understand your position, especially considering what happened between Lady Pele and you," she said. "Lord Wepwawet told me that neither he nor she blame you for Operation Cobalt."

"Lord Wepwawet said as much to me," Princess Topaz argued. "Lady Pele's warmth and wishes endure through him."

That didn't reassure General Peridot in the slightest. "It is not that I fear consequences for myself, since I would shoulder any blame or punishment. I simply wonder whether our current overlord will treat us as allies… or as pawns."

"This one was willing to put his life on the line for our sake," Fire Sultana Alexandrite replied. "Which is more than I can say for all the others."

"Lord Wepwawet has his flaws," Victoire conceded. "But I truly believe his concern for us is sincere and that his heart is in the right place."

"Flaws?" Her words amused the Sultana. "What kind of god allows his greatest Champion to criticize him?"

Victoire smiled back at her. "The kind I'll follow to the death."

Lady Alexandrite studied her expression for a moment before nodding. "Do you see that, Peridot? This is trust, and clearly built on experience."

"Lady Victoire's strength of character does her credit," General Peridot replied even as he crossed his arms. "Even so, I would rather avoid becoming a Champion again, unless the Sultana asks me to–"

"I do not ask, I order it," his mistress cut in sharply. "Lavaland's position is too precarious for us to refuse divine power. I cannot indulge your troubled conscience any further."

The rebuttal caused the magmorians present to wince, with Princess Topaz clearing her throat. "Sister, that is a bit harsh–"

"Do not mistake my calm for aloofness, my sister." Alexandrite stood tall, her hands behind her back. "I do not think you understand the consequences of Father's passing yet. He had led this country since its inception, and entire generations of our people lived and died under his rule. For most of our citizens, Father was Lavaland."

Victoire glanced at the magmorians present, none of whom dared to argue with their leader. She could see the gloom in their scowls. The loss of the Fire Sultan had shaken their state to its very foundations, and only their people's disciplined nature avoided what could have been an anarchic power vacuum.

"Many among our population blame Verglane for his loss and our army's destruction," Alexandrite replied. "While this Miracle demonstration nipped many quarrels in the bud, some wounds will take years to heal. We magmorians are a dutiful and traditional lot, so my people shall follow my lead and trust my wisdom… but that doesn't mean they will like my decisions."

"Our people will understand, Your Majesty," Jasper said. "Lady Victoire and I are the very proof that our nations can mend their wounds and learn to coexist. We must continue to pursue the olive branch of peace until we can one day see it bloom."

"An olive?" Alexandrite asked, suddenly curious. "What is that?"

"I believe it is an imaginary fruit?" Peridot answered. "And a metaphor."

"For what, peace?" Alexandrite nodded to herself. "Oh, I understand. Fruits decay, like peace."

"Exactly," Jasper said. "Lord Wepwawet taught us that peace is like fruit, sweet but ephemeral."

"And thus olive branches can lay the seeds for more fruits of peace in the future," Alexandrite said with enthusiasm. "What a fascinating analogy! Our new god might truly be wise!"

Victoire was pretty sure they had blown Lord Wepwawet's words out of proportion, but she didn't have the heart to set them straight.

"Indeed, peace is a reward we should all aspire to," Lord Wepwawet's voice echoed across the room, startling everyone except for Victoire. His spirit materialized in the room soon after. "I swear to you that I will treat Lavaland's people like I do Verglane's citizens, until the day you may all live in peace and harmony."

"A bold claim, and one most welcome." Sultana Alexandrite studied his spirit for a moment. "I assume that your presence here means you have claimed Lady Pele's throne for yourself?"

"Almost," Lord Wepwawet replied. "Assimilating a place another god used as a seat for their Idol is proving a bit more difficult than expected. It might take me a few hours until my Providence fully blankets the region."

"Which means you are vulnerable for the moment?" General Peridot guessed.

Lord Wepwawet marked a short pause before reluctantly nodding. "Vulnerable, but not powerless. I have more than enough Miracles to defend this city, but I will be unable to move my Idol until tomorrow."

"Mmm…" General Peridot lowered his head, his mind deep in thought. "This nonetheless leaves a gap in our defenses and might invite an attack."

"I have sent out Filou and the others to keep an eye on the other gods' ambassadors," Victoire reassured him. "We'll be ready to intervene if they try anything."

Alexandrite turned to General Peridot. "Keep the army on high alert as well. I want no incident to interrupt this historic event."

"I have already mobilized everyone to ensure a smooth coronation," the general promised.

"Good… but just in case…" Alexandrite turned to her new god. "Would you kindly bless us with the power of Champions?"

"But of course." Lord Wepwawet waved his hand, blessing both the Fire Sultana and General Peridot with his radiance; the latter accepted the gift less eagerly than the former, but did so nonetheless. "Welcome to the flock."

"Your glow is quite frostier than Lady Pele's… but it does not displease me either." Alexandrite glanced at Victoire. "Let us not make our people wait any further, my dear."

"As Your Majesty wishes," Victoire replied with a nod and a thin smile.

Princess Topaz soon entrusted her with a flat emerald tablet on which sat a crown of obsidian adorned with rubies. Victoire and her god's spirit walked after Alexandrite as she reached the balcony, waving her quicksilver hand at the people acclaiming her. A black and red sea of kobolds and magmorians filled the streets below, cheering loudly at their new leader's appearance. Victoire spotted Duke Vidé and the other foreign ambassadors in the front row, but the likes of Melchior and those of the southern nations were nowhere to be seen.

How strange for them to skip such an event, Victoire thought, her eyes glancing at the horizon. Neither Lord Horus' island and flying pyramid nor Lady Epona's shining sword had disappeared. Let's hope Filou can find them.

She doubted they would dare to do anything that would alienate Lavaland on the day of its new ruler's coronation, but a warning from her god came to mind.

Power-hungry fools were as common on earth as they were in the heavens above.

Assimilating an Altar from a land beyond his own proved surprisingly difficult.

Taking over Mount Sunfire and Salamandra's mana locus involved stepping into the volcano and then settling there until half of his Idol stood inside the crater like a magmorian god rising from the depths of the earth to guide his people. Wepwawet cancelled Divine Avatar and harmonized his essence with the local mana, settling on the throne Pele used to occupy and blanketing all of Salamandra within his Influence. A flow of prayers from kobolds and magmorians alike immediately reached his ears.

Demonstrating his power had won over many unbelievers, enough to complete a Quest.

Quest: Proselytism V, completed! You have earned the Fire & Ice Rank 7 Doctrine Miracle!

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Fire & Ice

Rank 7 Doctrine

All your followers and allies within your Influence gain Fire and Frost Resistance, and take no penalty from Fields or Weathers aligned with these elements. Maintenance Cost: 2.

New Quest: Proselytism VI

Convert over 1,000,000 worshipers.

Reward: Doctrine Miracle.

What better way to represent the union between Verglane and Lavaland than his newest Miracle? It would tremendously improve immigration between his two nations and was simply too good to pass up.

Wepwawet checked his deck and examined his cards. After a moment's consideration, he decided to let go of Victoire's Draketooth Spear. Not only did its unique aspect prevent him from creating copies, but he could always just re-register the Relic so long as Victoire retained the original like her shield.

All in all, it's a pretty good day, Wepwawet thought as he made the switch. New Altar location, new followers, new Miracle, and new Commanders.

Name

Alexandrite, Volcanic Queen

Type

Elemental

Rank

Commander 6

Class

Magmorian 4 (Monster), Fire Sultan 1 (Rogue/Spellcaster), Pyromancer 1 (Spellcaster)

Faction

Wepwawet

Movement

Walk/Swim

Strength

Agility

Vitality

Skill

29

12

27

31

Magic

Intelligence

Charisma

Luck

39

20

29

30

Accuracy

+30

Evasion

+21

Innate Perk: Legacy of Fire

Immune to Fire and resists Earth, but weak to Frost and Water. Can learn any Fire-based spell whose Rank is equal to or below your Champion Rank.

Fire Boost I

Spell: Flame Pillar

All your Fire elemental attacks inflict +5 Damage.

Rank 5 Prayer. Summons a pillar of divine fire, inflicting medium Fire and Mythic damage within thirty meters.

Fire Shaping II

Spell: Magma Bomb

You can mentally control any flame within thirty meters, allowing you to reposition them; this includes Fire-aligned spells or techniques, letting you act as if you were the caster. Additionally, once per day, you may craft a Rank 1 Magmorian from lava and infuse it with a spirit of its own.

Rank 6 Geomancy. You can create up to four magma grenades that explode when hitting any hard surface, inflicting medium Fire and Earth damage on impact.

Name

Peridot, Iron General

Type

Elemental

Rank

Commander 6+

Class

Magmorian 1 (Monster), General 5 (Fighter)

Faction

Wepwawet

Movement

Walk/Swim

Strength

Agility

Vitality

Skill

41

16

34

39

Magic

Intelligence

Charisma

Luck

23

32

29

25

Accuracy

+32

Evasion

+20

Innate Perk: Molten Metalheart

Immune to Fire and resists Metal, but weak to Frost and Water.

Ignition I

Leadership II

Can imbue melee weapons with Fire at the cost of lifeforce for five minutes.

Grants a +5 Damage bonus to all allies within range and reduces damage taken by 5.

Weaponmaster I

Armor Training I

All Weapon Artifacts equipped inflict +2 Damage.

Can equip any armor regardless of stat requirements; other restrictions may still apply.

Both Peridot and Alexandrite were incredible Champions, being an elite fighter and mage, respectively. Their status as Commanders was only the icing on the cake. Lavaland was in good hands.

I wonder if I will start to gain fire-aligned Miracles from now on, Wepwawet thought as he cast his new Doctrine and blanketed Salamandra in its protective blessing. His Influence slowly continued to expand across the city at a steady pace and should reach its maximum range at the city's walls soon enough. My essence aligned with Verglane and winter for so long, expanding across a fiery land takes effort. I miss my home desert…

Pele had claimed five Altars by the time Whiro expelled her from Elphion, four of them in Lavaland proper and the last one at Citadel Sapphire. This had allowed her to connect these locations into a teleportation network centered around the Salamandra mana hotspot. Traces of these pathways remained and allowed Wepwawet to check on the other Altars.

What the… Wepwawet focused on the leylines and immediately detected an anomaly in the flow of mana. Half this land's mana is cut off from the rest.

He analyzed the energy coursing through the land until his senses hit a divine wall smelling of rancid corpses and salty waters.

The Altars on the eastern side of Lavaland had already been claimed by other gods.

That alone would have been cause for alarm, but the feedback Wepwawet received from his Influence only worsened his doubts. Its range and the presence of Champions within Salamandra's walls allowed him to connect to his fellow deities and summon them.

Only Axomamma, Ganesha, Horus, and Ishtar materialized within their shared realms of Influence.

"Congratulations, Wepy!" Ganesha said, upon patting Wepwawet on his back. Axomamma clapped as well with a kind smile on her face. "I never doubted you!"

"I did wonder if you would fall to Horus in the last stretch, but I am happy with the result anyway," Ishtar commented with a sly grin. "A toast to the future friendship between our nations."

"Did you summon us to gloat?" Horus asked snidely. "Don't push it, wolf-face."

Instead of answering, Wepwawet glanced at them and immediately picked up on a few missing souls. Sun Wukong's Influence was connected to his own, but the Monkey King didn't manifest. Wepwawet guessed he was busy with something else, which he thought was fair.

What bothered him were the gods with no connection at all.

Horus was the first to catch on. "Where's Epona?"

"I cannot sense Hel's, Anansi's, or Watatsumi's Influences either," Ishtar noted with a suspicious frown. "Yet their clerics and Champions should be in the city…"

"Is something wrong?" Axomamma asked with a worried frown.

"I don't know," Wepwawet replied as he focused on his Influence and contacted his Champions. "Filou? Did you locate the Valentinian ambassadors?"

"I can't find them, Your Majesty!" the wererabbit replied with unease and panic in his voice. Wepwawet saw an empty room through his eyes, with werelings and magmorian guards tossing sofas and beds aside in search of missing people. "We've checked the Valentinian ambassadors' quarters, alongside those of Shadazar, Mortis, and Timberan. Every last one of them is empty!"

"Empty?" That took Wepwawet aback. "Did they leave the capital?"

"No one left the quarters," Filou insisted. "Someone would have seen them if they did, but it is as if they vanished out of thin air!"

"Or teleported away…" Wepwawet's jaw clenched. How fortuitous that these guests vanished right before his Dimensional Fortress Doctrine would have prevented them from doing so without his agreement. "Check the rooms for bombs or traps of any kind."

Filou choked at the word 'bomb', but immediately followed through with the order. The squire had grown experienced enough to guess they might have a fight on their hands.

Wepwawet's attention turned away from the capital to the outside. Victoire and his spiritual projection were in the process of putting the obsidian crown on top of Alexandrite's head for the pleasure of all onlookers. Almost everyone only had eyes for this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Although Wepwawet's Providence hadn't fully solidified its hold on Salamandra, his Doctrines had already been activated; including Animal Kingdom. His spirit seized control of a few birds circling the sky above the city and let him see through their eyes. He had them take altitude and surveyed the region around the capital until he spotted a cloud of dust rising in the southeast, too far away for lookouts on the walls to have noticed it yet.

A legion of ghosts rode across Lavaland.

Wepwawet couldn't contain his astonishment as a vast cavalry force of skeletal horses wreathed in purple, spectral flames marched onwards, their blackened hooves trampling dust and rare blades of grass in their wake. Armored corpses—rotting zombies, skeletons, and animated armors alike—rode these creatures with blackstone spears and phantom swords that blinked in and out of existence.

It had taken a single day for Wepwawet to cover the distance between Narc and Salamandra by virtue of his Divine Avatar's size and never suffering from fatigue. He guessed an army of the restless dead could achieve a similar feat… doubly so if one of Mortis' Champions had seized an Altar in the east and turned it into a teleportation highway.

Hel had finally made a move, and she wasn't the only one. The sword which Epona had summoned a few miles away from Salamandra had begun to shift in place, its luminous blade straightening up like a watchtower and glowing brighter than the stars. Shadows stepped out of the light and materialized into knights armed to the teeth or siege weapons. Only then did the truth hit Wepwawet like a wall of bricks.

The sword was a portal gateway.

The sword was never meant to kill me! Wepwawet guessed, his annoyance rising at being tricked. It was a trap!

Epona wasn't kidding when she said she couldn't trust Wepwawet with Lavaland and would secure her borders by any means necessary. She had set out to win by force what she failed to obtain through diplomacy, and she had brought reinforcements.

The southern powers were invading Lavaland.

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