Always More to Do

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“Do you actually think you’ll be done in time?”

Ahsch sighed, lowering the blueprints - more of a rough map - for the new village that was being erected just out of sight of the Temple of Enochiel, and turned to glare at Kiilira over his shoulder. The Avatar of Krutune lounged on a pile of wooden boards, one leg hanging off the pile while the other was bent with the knee pointing straight up, loudly snacking on an apple. “You’re worse than my wife,” Ahsch replied after taking in the sight for a moment.

She raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a once over. “You’re one to talk, _Avatar _of Enochiel,” she shot back.

“I’m not the head of a religion,” he said as he turned back to the blueprints, fluffing the parchment to get it to stand straight again. “And yes, I think we will.” There was a moment of silence as he felt the Avatar’s gaze on the back of his head. “Barely,” he admitted.

“Hmm,” Kiilira hummed in mock sympathy. “And you _still _have so much work to do,” she crooned. “What were all those projects you had? Learning space and time magic from a dragon, develop your domains, figure out a way to get additional bodies…”

“I still can’t believe you, of all people, found out about any of that,” Ahsch growled.

“Hey, information is an important part of war!” she protested.

“Says the woman who can’t stand to work on her very necessary reports for her Order,” he retorted. “_And _who’s out here doing… well, nothing productive, as far as I can tell. At least I’m trying to help with the construction efforts.”

Admit it, Mahat giggled in his mind, you’re just curious and want to one-up Kiilira.

Ahsch glared at his beast-form familiar, who lounged in a lukewarm ray of sunlight which penetrated the canopy of the forest. The autumnal chill was only growing, and Ahsch was wearing a long coat to ward off the cold breeze. Do not agree with her, he half reprimanded, half pleaded. Further giggling let him know how likely that was.

The trio fell silent for a minute before Kiilira heaved a deep breath. “So… want to explain to me how a newborn deity figured out how to make a Ley Spring?”

Fuck. “Is that an actual question? Or a veiled threat?” Ahsch replied at length, not turning, but no longer focusing on the blueprints. Mahat raised her head up to warily watch the Avatar.

“It’s a reminder that the rest of us aren’t daft, and that you’re lucky that someone friendly enough towards you was the first to realize what it is you have here,” she said easily. “And an invitation to get out in front of the inevitable mess when the presence of a Ley Spring leaks out. You can only thank how small your Order is and the relative lack of knowledge about the damn things that it’s gone unnoticed this long.”

Ahsch raised an eyebrow and turned around. “If they’re so unknown…” he mused, then tilted his head as he gave the Avatar of Krutune a once-over. “Was it you, or _her _who actually noticed it?”

A flicker of emotion crossed Kiilira’s face, which she quickly blotted out as she swung herself to sit upright. “Does it matter?” she asked darkly.

Ahsch peered at her emotions… that’s… what the hells, that’s a tangle. Anger, hurt, vulnerability, a feeling of not belonging and personal discomfort similar to what Dorin seemed to feel constantly… “I… suppose it doesn’t have to…” he slowly replied, quickly turning away again. Then he cleared his throat. “I’m… reluctant to go into detail about how I learned… well, a lot of things. But as far as that Ley Spring is concerned, I suppose I should ask you what you would do about it.”

There was a long moment of tense quiet. “If you can replicate the feat,” Kiilira eventually said, “you might be pressured into making more for the other Orders, and the Ruling Family. Probably the mage guilds too.”

Ahsch grimaced. “And if I don’t want to do that?”

“Then you’ll need to be prepared to negotiate. A lot. Ley Springs are insanely rare, and insanely valuable, Ahsch. If you’re able to cultivate mystic resources within it, that only makes it more desirable, on top of the high ambient Mana within a civilized zone.”

He let out a long sigh. We knew this would happen eventually, Mahat consoled him. Now you just need to decide how to approach it.

“I’d be willing to offer a… compromise. I _might _be able to produce another one - if I were to make one that was, in essence, publicly available, perhaps monitored by the Ruling Family, large enough for the other Orders, the mage guilds, and even the royals to share…”

Kiilira crossed her arms. “I think you should also allow limited access to your own - at least to your friends. Your allies.”

Ahsch gave her a small smirk. “You’re right; Bennoch and the Shepherd would probably really like to have access,” he mused, pointedly looking away from the Avatar, who glowered at him. “Oh, and you as well, I suppose,” he mock-relented.

She rolled her eyes. “I am curious though - have you not bound your essence to it?”

He blinked. “Have I what my what?”

Kiilira stared at him for a moment before sighing dramatically, rubbing her eyes in frustration. “Clueless godling,” she muttered, her voice layering as Krutune’s presence became apparent, especially when she looked back up at him, eyes glowing a gradient gold.

Ahsch raised an eyebrow. “Krutune,” he murmured in greeting, giving the goddess a deep bow of his head. “I wasn’t expecting to see you anytime soon.”

“I wasn’t intending to, but your foolishness demands my attention,” she sighed, exasperated. “As you _must _know - else you’re even more clueless than I currently think - all Ley Springs within the world have been claimed by powerful beings - be they ancient monsters or beasts, or even gods. What you clearly didn’t consider is _how _they are claimed.”

Ahsch blinks a couple times, opened his mouth to ask a question, then flushed and shut his mouth as the answer came to him. “Bonds,” he muttered.

Krutune grunted. “Not _completely _hopeless then. Yes, godling, they bond with the Ley Spring, their essence mixing with that of the Mana of the Spring, marking it as theirs. To some extent, it takes on the properties of whatever being claims it - a flame dragon’s Ley Spring will become hotter, possibly more volcanically active; a kelpie’s wetter, more prone to flooding. And in addition - and importantly for you - the Mana of the Spring becomes more alike to the Mana of the being that claims it, and thus can only be gifted, not stolen.”

“But wait,” Ahsch protested, “if that’s the case, then how-”

“Did I not know you hadn’t already claimed it? Because the process takes time - months at minimum, even for an ascendant-level being, years for one as weak as you, though your domain of bonds might speed the process along.”

He nodded slowly. “Alright… but if I claim it… I don’t want to hoard it away from my followers…”

“You can designate those who can access the Mana by gifting them some of your own Mana, in such a way that your unique signature doesn’t break down. Or you can imbue your Mana into an item in a similar way, to act as a key.” Krutune huffed a small laugh. “Or, as a godling of bonds, perhaps you can bind others to the Spring, giving them the same claim as you on it.” She shrugged. “Such magic is beyond my focus.”

Ahsch nodded some more. “Alright then… and as far as access for others go…”

“I have made my interest and position known to my Avatar - negotiate with her at length. However, god-to-godling, I would… ask that you consider offering a small Ley Spring to me. And possibly to the others. As it is your knowledge and power, I doubt any of us would truly protest your monopoly upon it. However, whereas you likely can grow yours, we would be unable to; despite that, even a small Spring would be quite valuable.” She thought for a moment. “Valuable enough to put me in _your _debt, even should you fail to provide me with the body-enhancements I requested in trade for training.”

Ahsch’s eyes widened, and then he bowed his head again. “I’ll consider it, Krutune. And… thank you. For the advice, as well as the lesson.”

The goddess gave a curt nod and withdrew, leaving Kiilira to look at Ahsch for a long moment before she sighed and took another loud bite from her apple. As the Avatar resumed her lounge, Ahsch rolled up the blueprints and began to confer with his inner circle.