Like everyone else, Artemis had been forced to adapt her deck based on what she could pick up.

Her Providence, Lady of the Hunt, allowed her to declare an enemy Type as her hunt's target, at which point all of her Artifacts and those wielded by her Champions would become supereffective against it. She could change her choice once per day outside a B&C battle, and at the beginning of each of her turns during one.

As a result, Artemis usually stacked her decks with Artifacts, Miracles that boosted her Champions' stats, or effects that damaged enemy units to pile on the pain. She had followed a similar trend on Elphion and even managed to secure enough werescale Artifacts to replace all her beginner cards, but on the other hand, she had also picked up a few Prophecies, Animisms, and Rituals throughout her time in the Wyld.

Unfortunately, some of them were more useful than others…

"Moonwalk?" Wepwawet couldn't help but chuckle when he read the description. "'Compels the target to moonwalk for one minute straight at the exclusion of all other activities.' How did you even earn that one?"

"Ugh, I was trying to liven up one of my selected Festivals, so I taught my followers a few dance moves, and it escalated from there–" Artemis blushed when Wepwawet couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "Don't mock me, Wepy!"

"Sorry, sorry," Wepwawet apologized. "It's still a pretty good Miracle, since it lets you stun a single target for a while."

"You need more debuffs," Ganesha suggested. "How about you take my Weakness Dice Prophecy? It rolls a six-sided die and briefly debuffs all enemies' damage by the rolled amount. It'll let you weaken all of Tiamat's critters and reduce the pressure. I can take one of your Rank 1 Miracles in return."

"I think you should pick my Howl of Verglane too," Wepwawet added. "It won't affect your followers if they're caught in the blast, but it will kill or cripple all the weaklings around them. It worked well as a crowd control option for me."

"I, uh…" Artemis scratched her cheek. "I don't want to take such a powerful Miracle from you, especially since you won't get it back…"

"I insist." Losing Howl of Verglane would be a significant loss, but Artemis deserved the best. "I would rather see you return to us victorious than haggle over a Miracle. You've helped me more times than I can count without asking anything in return, so now it's my turn. I have your back."

"Thanks, guys. I won't forget it." Artemis smiled bashfully. "Which Miracles would you like in return?"

Wepwawet checked his girlfriend's deck and spotted an interesting pick.

Growth

Rank 3 Ritual

All plants within a three-mile radius immediately strengthen and overgrow; this includes Plant Type creatures. Affected crops have their productivity and vitality increased for a year. Each additional point of mana increases the range by one mile, to a maximum of twelve.

"Can I pick this one?" Wepwawet asked. It would synergize very well with his Terraformer, and his two civilizations needed all the extra productivity they could get from agriculture.

"I forgot I had this one," Artemis replied with a shrug. "Sure, you can take it. The Wyld is so full of big plants I've never needed it anyway."

"Fair enough." It saddened Wepwawet a bit to surrender the Howl of Verglane, but it was for a good cause. Artemis needed all the firepower she could get, and with all his enemies occupied and him sitting out the Second Incursion, he should focus on recovering from his army's losses and developing his civilizations. "I'll be shipping all our cannons to you."

"You should do some recon for unwelcome guests as well," Ganesha suggested.

Wepwawet raised his eyebrow. "'Unwelcome guests?'"

Ganesha nodded sharply. "There's one god on Elphion that won't abide by the truce, Wepy."

Oh, right, Beelzebub had no reason to sit this one out and they still didn't know what victory condition Tiamat would choose for the Incursion. Selecting the 'Idol destruction' option meant everyone present on the board would participate in the battle, even Champions belonging to non-participants. That was how Karen the Kraken had ended up fighting in Whiro's Incursion.

"Beelzebub might use the opportunity to seed lunarian agents in the Wyld so they can assist Tiamat when the battle begins," Wepwawet concluded.

"My Champions know the jungle like the back of their hand," Artemis replied with confidence. "They'll have nowhere to hide."

"Even then, I think you should check," Ganesha advised, being the cautious elephant that he was. "They might try to sabotage the supplies we'll send you, too. Poison the food, break weapons, drill holes into ships…"

"I'll have my workers double-check everything," Wepwawet promised.

"Don't worry, guys, I'll kick Tiamat's ass so fast I probably won't even need the extra help," Artemis promised with a grin before shifting in place. "Oh, I have an Influence call from Sun. He wants to meet me and Anansi to discuss our strategy."

"Don't show that spider too much of your deck," Wepwawet warned her. They might be playing on the same team for now, but Anansi would use all the information he gathered against them later.

"You don't need to tell me." Artemis raised a thumbs-up. "See you."

She vanished soon after to go to her meeting, leaving Wepwawet and Ganesha alone in their realm of shared Influence.

"How did things go with Artemis last night?" Ganesha inquired the moment their friend had left.

"It was fine. We watched a movie when you didn't show up." The way Ganesha stroked his trunk with a hint of self-congratulation aroused Wepwawet's suspicion. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm happy you had a good time."

Wepwawet squinted. He had known his friend long enough to tell that he had an idea in mind. "What are you plotting?"

"I'm not plotting anything, I'm… winging it." Ganesha winked at Wepwawet as if they now shared a secret, but whatever his friend meant flew completely over his head. "I'll go oversee my shipyards so Arty can have new boats to play with. See you in two days!"

He scampered off before Wepwawet could interrogate him further.

Weird. He didn't think Ganesha was playing a prank on him, but he had the feeling the 'family issue' that caused him to miss their last meetup might have been exaggerated.

Wepwawet waved those thoughts away and focused back on his civilization. The Commanders he had sent west had reclaimed the last of Lavaland's Altars, located in the Red Ravine, a large canyon marking the border between magmorian territories and the Zoramesh Empire. Lavaland was now entirely united, with Wepwawet enjoying twelve Altars to draw power from.

However, the System's penalties reduced their yield by one each time they changed hands. Salamandra, the Red Ravine, and Citadel Sapphire thus produced one less mana than normal because he had claimed them from Pele, while Orestown and Pitsfire brought in two less because Watatsumi and Hel had briefly taken them over. The Pack Provides also increased the daily maintenance cost of his Doctrine to eleven.

Nonetheless, this left him with a whopping flow of fifty-one mana each day after expenditures. Wepwawet basically renewed half of his reserve each morning. Plenty to cast high-ranked Miracles like Underworld Escape, Terraformer, or an empowered Growth.

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Something which Wepwawet immediately began to do. He started testing out Growth by casting it around Narc, as his capital had begun to replant crops after clearing a good chunk of arable lands devastated by Whiro. A pulse of mana immediately surged from the center of town and took root in the surrounding vegetation.

Only then did Wepwawet realize that when Growth's description said it would bolster all plants within range, it meant all of them.

The effect was both immediate and spectacular. Freshly planted seeds began to take root in an instant; pumpkins growing in the soil doubled in size; and tree branches expanded twofold.

But then the bushes and briars became thick and overgrown. Narc's Terraformer had long warmed the atmosphere enough to remove most of the snow around the city and allowed fields of grass to thrive, and those arose in wild masses, swallowing both earth and stone. Ivy sprang onto the walls of houses, and even potted flowers burst out of their containers, much to their owners' astonishment. It caused quite a ruckus across town.

"Everything is okay!" Wepwawet said after materializing his spirit above the city to better reassure his people. "I asked the earth to bless Narc, but her generosity simply knows no bounds! Nature smiles upon us for repelling the Titans' poison!"

Pretty effective, but indiscriminate. I'll have to be wary. Nonetheless, Wepwawet was pretty happy about his new acquisition. A judicious combination of Growth and Terraformer should make even Lavaland arable. It might even have offensive applications based on terrain…

A plan formed in his mind. He would build Terraformers in all southern settlements, have farmers plant specific flowers and crops that would thrive in volcanic soil, then bolster them with Growth until a self-sustaining farming economy could form. This ought to encourage immigration into magmorian lands and improve its falling demographics.

As for his army… considering the population losses, Wepwawet found it wiser to focus on building golems, creating monsters with Castle Neigebleue, and recruiting mercenaries. He had reached a point where straining his population further might cripple his economy in the long term. People on the frontlines couldn't harvest crops, build infrastructure, or raise families. He hoped Victoire and the others would find some luck in signing trade agreements with their neighbors.

And then there was the small matter of dealing with Beelzebub.

Could the Incursion be a smokescreen? Wepwawet wondered. With Epona probably focusing on bolstering Anansi's army and preparing her country to fight should he fall, his agents in Valentine now enjoyed a precious window of time where they could operate with reduced scrutiny. I should keep an eye on Valentine for the next few days.

Then again, the situation also opened up a unique opportunity: two days where he wouldn't have to worry about one of his classmates' interference. Two precious days he could use to uncover the lunarian threat without fearing too much reprisal. Moreover, the Free Brotherhood didn't answer to him. He couldn't be blamed for anything they did in Saguenay…

Time to do some recon on the royal vault.

Flying felt worse than dying.

Rapoleon didn't recall the moment his life ended. One second, he was fighting elves after burrowing his way into Orestown, and then everything went black the next. He remembered a brief moment of bliss when his soul joined Lord Wepwawet in the sky, then the rush of air filling his lungs when his body returned to life. He barely had time to recover his composure before his god sent him on a new mission alongside another freshly revived Champion.

Unfortunately, that mission involved flying for hours over enemy territory at night. Rapoleon threw up during the first hour and spent most of the experience sick. For a wererat like him, who had lived most of his life in the comforting bowels of the earth and with a ceiling above his head, finding himself floating so high above ground that houses had begun to look like spots was a most distressing experience.

He might have found it more tolerable if his transporter carried him on her back rather than holding him by his shoulders with her talons, but they didn't all have the luxury of having a pet dragon to ride.

"You are weightier than I expected," Sagesse complained. Her death and resurrection hadn't dulled her sharp tongue at all. "I would have expected you to be lighter than this."

"Don't push it," Rapoleon replied. "My warren remembers tales of wereowls carrying us wererats away to devour them."

"That is all in the past. We haven't hunted wererats since Roynimalia's founding… and we strongly condemn those who try to violate that covenant."

"Just… don't drop me." Rapoleon felt a sudden surge of kinship with his ancestors. Was this the last thing they saw before their demise? An empty sky waiting to devour them, right before they hit the ground and traveled to the other side? "I'm in no hurry to die again."

"Me neither, my friend." Sagesse let out a sigh. "Although I must say that I am relieved to know there is something after death. I feared that the tales lied and that everything would simply… end."

"I agree. Pity the threshold is so… discomforting." While Rapoleon now knew for certain that death would likely be little more than a temporary inconvenience, he didn't look forward to crossing that threshold anytime soon.

At least he wasn't the only one suffering. The squadron currently flying above a sleeping Valentinian Republic included a dozen wereowls carrying an equal number of wererat or werefox saboteurs led by Renarde. She seemed to take their night flight much better than he did, whistling in the wind.

"I find it refreshing to stretch my wings after being out of commission for so long," Sagesse said, her gaze squinting at the ground. Rapoleon knew her night vision had slightly deteriorated in return for Lord Wepwawet's sorcerous gifts, so she mostly followed the lead of the other wereowl flyers. "I think this should be the spot."

Rapoleon glanced down and immediately identified the meeting spot: an unnaturally star-shaped clearing in the middle of the woods. There was no way nature would allow trees to grow in such a specific formation, which pointed to magic.

Sagesse and the other wereowls began their descent in the shape of a circle, with Rapeolon suddenly feeling thankful for having emptied his stomach earlier in the trip. The darkness held no secrets for him, so he quickly noticed a certain wererabbit waving his flaming sword from the ground to guide their landing. A hooded figure and a werefox waited nearby.

Rapoleon couldn't put the joy and elation he felt when his feet finally touched the ground into words. Farewell, hungry sky, hello beloved earth! He immediately embraced the grass beneath him without a care for anyone looking. The other wereowls gracefully landed with their passengers, most of them swiftly following Rapoleon's example.

"Sagesse?!" Filou stared at his formerly deceased wereowl ally and immediately rushed to greet her with tears of joy. "Sagesse, how good it is to see you again!"

"Me too, Filou," Sagesse replied by patting him on the head. "How big you have grown since we last met, inside and out."

"Ohoho…" Filou's werefox ally—likely that 'Montfort' person Lord Wepwawet mentioned during the mission briefly—tipped his hat at Renarde. "I didn't know we would enjoy the company of such a fair flower."

"Thank you, thank you, I know I deserve it," Renarde replied with a chuckle as she began to fan herself. "I did not expect another of my kindred so far south, and especially not another bard."

"What can I say? Someone has to roll their shoulders and bring some joy to the people of these dreary lands."

The hooded figure glanced at Rapoleon, their face and expression shrouded in darkness so thick that not even Rapoleon's sight could penetrate it. "Was the flight truly so terrible?"

"Try crossing a country and a half in a single night without being detected by pegasi patrols," Rapoleon grunted back. "Are you the one they call the Hood?"

"Yes. Do you have what we asked for?"

Rapoleon nodded and showed them the contents of the travel bags they carried all the way from Lavaland. Not only had he brought sapping tools, but alchemical firebombs, steel swords, and Alpine's healing potions. The Hood assessed them with interest.

"Good," the Hood said. "We'll give you shelter in the Lady's abode for now. I assume you've been briefed on the plan?"

"Yes. My sappers and I will start digging tunnels to the Royal Vault while Renarde's group infiltrates the city."

"The Lady's roots extend all the way into the city's depths," the Hood said. "She can guide you on how to reach Saguenay's sewers and lower depths.

"Sounds good." It wasn't an especially difficult task for them, especially since Rapoleon was now experienced at breaching cities, but they had one major issue to deal with. "Unfortunately, Lord Wepwawet informed us that the enemy will sense our presence the moment we Champions enter the range of the local goddess' Influence."

"Saguenay is a very large city, and the Horse Goddess' Altar is not located at its center," the Hood reassured him. "It looms over the Cathedral on the eastern side of town. The western side cut by the Genereuse River falls outside her so-called 'Influence.' You'll fly beneath her notice so long as you don't cross it."

"Non-Champions won't trigger an alarm either," Renarde said wisely as she waved her fan at her own face. "My fellow werefox shapeshifters should infiltrate the area without an issue."

The Hood nodded. "The Three Mages likely have a secret laboratory somewhere in the city outside their goddess' influence. I would like to start investigating that lead."

"How are you so sure of that?" Rapoleon inquired.

"Because I know them." The Hood shrugged their shoulders without giving details. "If one of those ruffians is indeed infected by a parasite or breeding them, then they will try to operate where their suspicious goddess cannot see them."

Renarde smiled in interest. "Do they have vices to exploit? All old men have at least one."

"The same as all old mages. Curiosity." The Hood crossed his arms. "Those three are hungry for knowledge, sorcery, and power. The best way to win their favor would be to tempt them with secrets. I'm sure the horse goddess thinks she keeps them in her stable by promising divine truths, but she miscalculates."

"The more you give them, the hungrier they become?" Rapoleon inquired. He had dealt with their kind in Roynimalia. Nothing satisfied those people. "I see. You believe that they are collaborating with the enemy of their own free-will."

"I do. Those three would sell out Valentine in a heartbeat if it brought them closer to the pinnacle of magic." The Hood turned to Renarde. "I would be wary of approaching them directly. They are dangerous."

"Don't worry, darling. You see, I love secrets too…" Renarde grinned ear to ear. "And I have the perfect bait in mind."

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