Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 183

Chapter 183: The Rooftop Gathering

Lysette stood atop the dormitory roof, Mirae just behind with their arms around her waist, pulling her into a hug.  The sun descended upon the western horizon, and as its golden glow shone through the various buildings of Domark, Lysette couldn’t find it within herself to hate any part of the town.  It wasn’t perfect— it would need a few centuries of additional reforms at the current pace of change— but it had been a sort of second home for her.

She’d met friends, met her love, bonded with many of the students, and started the winds of change that would hopefully lead to a more equitable society.  The road ahead would be long and equally bumpy, but she sincerely believed it would lead to a nation better aligned with the Reciprocity that she wished to one day bring to all of Aimarion.

“Alright you two,” Serrena said.  “Everyone is going to be here shortly and I don’t want the joy of explaining why you two are holding one another in a compromising position.”

She stepped onto the roof with a woman Lysette hadn’t seen before.  The woman had red hair, though with more of a brownish tint in contrast to Serrena’s fiery golden red.  The woman was well-built, toned, and was a cut above the average student in terms of her Cultivation.  Probably on the same level as Kiarra when Lysette had dueled her, or maybe a bit stronger.

“Personally, I don’t mind,” Mirae said.  “I’m proud of my girlfriend and I don’t mind if others see that our relationship is as strong as ever.”

“Well, I’m about five seconds from puking literal lava and I don’t think any of us wants to explain to Colonel Sanderson exactly why there’s a massive hole in the roof.”

“Fine, fine.” Mirae said, releasing Lysette from their grip.  “Will you be introducing us to your friend?”

Serrena nodded.  “This is Rayleigh, another second-year student here at the Academy, and one who specializes in Wind-element techniques.  The two of us go way back.  Not always in a good way, but I think we need another person on our team who’s willing to call you out on your shit when you have a dunderheaded idea.”

“Damn right we go back, Serrena!” Rayleigh poked Serrena’s shoulder, eliciting a scowl.  “We met at orientation a year ago and pretty much butted heads from that moment on.  Sometimes— a lot of the time— we can’t stand each other, but hot damn if she isn’t the one you want to have fighting by your side when the chips are stacked against you.”

Mirae giggled.  “Now there are two of them, love.”

“Good.  Sounds like she’s exactly who we need if she can rustle even Serrena.”

“Oh, and just what are you two over there giggling about?” Serrena asked.  “Wait, no, on second thought, don’t answer that.  I don’t want to know.”

Rayleigh walked up to Lysette and offered her hand.  “I take it you’re the famous Lyse Barret that everyone’s been talking about these past months.  It’s nice to finally have a face to put with a name.”

“Likewise, Rayleigh.  And this,” Lysette said, gesturing toward Mirae, “is Mirae Trosst, my partner.”

“Mirae?”  Rayleigh tilted her head.  “I seem to remember her–”

“Them,” Mirae said.

“I thought she–  er, they were a woman.  I apologize.  Well, they’re certainly not going to be confusing anyone looking like that.”

Mirae grinned, slipping their hand into Lysette’s.  “Thank you.”

“Anyway,” Rayleigh said, with the same eye roll and inflection as Serrena, “It sounds like we’re going on a big adventure?”

“We’re going to be scouting out the Terean army from the north side of the Spire Mountains,” Lysette said.  “The three of us have been there a few times and set up a base of operations in a small town called Ciricu, which is now operating as an independent city-state just south of Terea.  In conjunction with the townsfolk there, we will be ensuring that neither Terean opportunists nor Elithrian partisans are able to use the northern border to sneak forces into the northern heartland of Domaria.”

“There’s what… ten of us going?” Rayleigh asked.  “How are ten students supposed to stand against the might of one of the five great kingdoms on Kraciell?”

“Don’t sell Lyse short,” Kiarra said.  “You haven’t had the pleasure of dueling her.  I don’t know how she does it, but she always seems to pull some new technique out of her ass whenever her back is up against the wall.  Guess someone up there is looking out for her.”

“Not exactly wrong,” Mirae messaged.

“I am curious when and if Zarielle or Nightshade are going to contact me.  That’s not a conversation I’m looking forward to.”

“Well, in any case,” Kiarra continued, “I doubt the Archduke of Terea is going to be thrilled about these developments.  I can’t say I’ve ever met him, but I’ve not heard anything particularly nice about him from my family.  I wouldn’t say he’s quite a tyrant, but he’s not far off either.”

“We’ll cross that bridge if— or more likely, when— we get to it.” Lysette said.

Lysette felt confident with Kiarra’s words that, in fact, he very much was a tyrant and the world would be better off in his abdication or untimely death.  However, she also remembered Saffron’s words: The now has value.  If it became necessary to remove the Archduke completely, Lysette resolved to get as many opinions and perspectives as possible before taking such actions.  For she knew that she had her own biases, and that, if not done correctly, with consensus planning, the end outcome could be even worse for all involved.

“So, here’s the goddess’s team coming together at last.” Kristil’s voice echoed in Lysette’s mind as she and her brother joined next.  “Thought I’d come see you off.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Mirae said.

“I considered your offer, but I think my place is here.  I still need more time before I’m fully healed.”  She rotated her left arm, though not without some difficulty.  “With your help, things are moving in a better direction, but the students here on campus are going to still need organizing.  And I think I’m more trusted than anyone in that department.  So I’m going to stay here and keep working with the new administration on some additional reforms.”

“And besides,” Nicholas added.  “I think this is going to be good for both of us.  I’ve lived in my sister’s shadow for a number of years, and I want a chance to branch out on my own.  A chance to live my life and create a name for myself that isn’t just ‘Kris’s younger brother.’  So I’ll be coming with you all while she stays here and continues the work she’s been spearheading for years.”

“And I’ll be staying here too,” Danitha added, following just behind the Rosari siblings.

“I thought you’d be coming for sure.”  Lysette feigned a smile as her friend announced her decision.

“I think this is the right decision for me right now.  I feel much the same way as Nicholas.  I’m glad to be your friend, Lyse, and though we’ll be separated more going forward.  I’m glad to have been the first person you met after your tragedy, and I’m so proud to have had so many opportunities to fight alongside you, to grow as a Cultivator, and to witness the start of the journey you have ahead of you.”

Dani buried her head into Lysette’s chest, and Lysette Reciprocated the hug.

“It might be selfish of me, but I want to stay here for now with my new boyfriend, so that I can fight alongside him just like how you fight alongside Mirae.  I’ll have to introduce the two of you the next time you come back to town.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being selfish some of the time.”  Lysette switched to telepathy.  “I was selfish when I chose to use my power to elevate Mirae to divinity.  I was selfish by choosing to form pacts with you, Kristil, and Nicholas, giving each of you strength, yes, but because I needed your help for my own ends.  I was selfish when I asked Amalia to be my priestess, and some might even argue that I was selfish by accepting Zarielle’s offer to be reborn as a Godslayer in exchange for the power to claim my revenge.”

“Thank you, Lyse.  And besides, with all of you going off on your next journey, I want to stay here, to spread your word, and to continue to support my home in my own way.  Kristil will need help around here without her brother, and I think the two of us can support each other in ways only we can.”

“I’m going to miss you, Dani.  Promise me that you’ll live through all of this.”

“I don’t think those Elithrian bastards are going to just let me go if I say ‘Sorry, I promised my demigoddess friend I’d return from the war alive, so you’re not allowed to kill me.’  But I’ll do everything I can to survive, and if I can’t, I’ll make sure to send as many of those assholes down to the Infernal realm before I go.”

“I guess that’s extra motivation for me to keep up my Cultivation.  To continue to grant you the strength to defend yourself, your boyfriend, Domaria, and everyone and everything else you care about.”

Dani smiled.  “And you take care of yourself too, Lyse.  Don’t go dying on me either.”

“I won’t.”

During their mental conversation, Lilia, Gerald, and Amalia each made their way onto the roof, but none of the three said anything until Lysette and Danitha separated and greeted the three of them.  The team wasn’t perfect— other than Lysette, there wasn’t another healer among them.  They did, however, have most of the balance Sergeant Major Niman had advised.

Mirae and Nicholas could assist Lysette with logistics and communication.  Serrena was a natural tactician who could fight at close and medium range with her Fire techniques.  Lilia was a Water-element Cultivator, and Mirae’s Ice techniques could supplement that in a pinch.  Gerald and Amalia— when she was again healthy— were frontline fighters with strong defenses.  Rayleigh, as a Wind-type Cultivator, provided a sorely-needed source of long-range attack and a fourth individual who could fly.  Finally, Kiarra had a mixture of some middle-distance techniques and, perhaps more importantly, knowledge of the nobility and political balance that Lysette and the others lacked.

And while the team didn’t have a second healer at the moment apart from Mirae’s self-regeneration, it did have a little better.  Three untiring demigods each of immense individual power, something any would-be commander would salivate over.

“Love, are you going to be okay with everyone knowing about you?” Lysette asked.  “I think they should know about me.  Not the demon part, at least not yet.  But the Godslayer part for sure.”

“It’ll create some unease.  You know that, right?”

“I do.  And at the same time, I think they need to know who and exactly what I am, so they can make an informed decision about whether they still want to come along.”

“And if they back out and tell others?”

“Then they do so.  Then my secret gets out.  I don’t need to keep it so secret anymore.  I’ve gained enough power and notoriety that I can defend or extricate myself against almost anyone on Aimarion.  And, I think, now that I’m strong enough, with enough allies at my side, this will still benefit us all, shifting worship and accumulation of Divine Essence from the current pantheon to ourselves.  This is, according to one hypothesis, the true reason why Godslayers got their moniker.”

“Alright, love.  If you believe it’s for the best, then I trust you.”

Chapter 182: https://www.patreon.com/posts/110306777

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/table-of-101896170

Chapter 184: https://www.patreon.com/posts/110762789