—3rd Person POV, Earlier—
Sending his nephew, Artemis, to meet with the High Kobolds, the Dwarf Elder wanted to rekindle their old alliance. Having not spoken to them since they went underground the Elder felt that it was only proper for the next in line to meet with them. Skipping over his father, as he had no talent for dealing with people, Artemis was forcefully placed in the position without hesitation. Given a map, a Magilight, and a rough location as to where to look Artemis was sent on his way with only a day’s warning.
“Why did he have to send me though…the King is his friend, not mine.”, Artemis complained as he followed the ancient map his grandfather gave him, “Let me see, I am not far from where the main gate should be now. I cannot wait to get back and have a pint of mead, being without the good stuff really gets a Dwarf down.”
Continuing through the dark tunnels with only his Magilight to illuminate his path, eventually, he came upon a finely crafted orichalcum door. Seeing the runes carved into the door, the young Dwarf took a moment to decipher them. While he was busy reading the enchantment, he failed to notice the guard approaching him from the rear. Not realizing she was there till a spear poked into his back, Artemis almost cried out like a scared child.
“What are you doing here? Speak quickly or I will gut you where you stand!”, she demanded as her spear dug into his back.
“Wow there lass, me grandfather Dorim sent me to meet with your leader!”, Artemis said as his Dwarven speech overrode his usual human tongue, “We used to have friendly relations when ya lived on the surface! He was hopin' that you would be willing to rekindle that alliance.”
Turning around so she could see his face, the guard quickly withdrew her spear and apologized for her actions. Telling her that he understood, given the circumstances of their retreat beneath the ground, he asked if she could arrange a meeting with him. Stowing her spear on her back, the young High Kobold nodded her head and told him to stay close behind her.
“Being down here for centuries has made some of us rather…stir crazy. All of us are ready to return to the surface, and resume the lives we once had in the past.”, she stated as she pressed a rock in the wall to unlock the door, “Please do not make eye contact, some of the unwed women are desperate for a young man like you from the outside world. We had to carefully manage our birthing to avoid going sterile so…they may pounce on you the moment you lock eyes with them.”
Having heard stories from his grandfather on how wild High Kobolds could get in heat, Artemis tightened down his straps tightly and kept his eyes on her back. Sticking as close as possible to her as they wandered through the settlement, he could feel the hungry stares all over him as they called out for his attention. Keeping his eyes forward, no matter what they were saying, eventually they made it to the Throne Room where the King was busy discussing things with his ministers.
“Grandfather, I found a Dwarf at the front gate. He is here to seek an audience with you.”, she informed him as she stood at attention.
“Amethyst…how many times must I tell you that these formalities are unnecessary? You are the next Elder of our Faction, please start acting like it.”, he sighed as he looked at Artemis, “So…the Dwarves make an appearance just days before our reemergence. We have not had dealings with you in several centuries, why do you show up unannounced today?”
“My apologies King Osmi, my grandfather Dorim has wanted to reach out to you for a while now but the war would not permit it.”, Artemis admitted, “The situation drastically changed above ground, we have been working nonstop to make arms and armor just to keep our Pantheon Protectors happy.”
“That old bastard is still alive and kicking!?”, Osmi laughed loudly with excitement, “I am glad to hear my old friend is doing well…I miss the days when we would ride mine carts together through the mines. Those were the days, it is unfortunate that the Great War took them from us all. How did your people fare through the war?”
“We…we did not fare well at all.”, Artemis said taking off his helmet, “You were right to go underground, this bloody war came at a terrible price for us.”
Feeling the weight in his tone, Osmi asked him to please tell him what happened. Informing him of the harsh conditions their people were forced into for continued protection, he told them all about the Dwarves working themselves to death and ruining their lands just to keep their Pantheon Protectors happy. When he got to the deaths of his aunt and mother, it took every ounce of strength he had not to break down there.
“We are grateful that the war finally ended, but our lands are no longer suitable for habitation. Our people had to tear everything apart to find every ounce of metal we could for the war effort.”, Artemis stated looking at the King, “When our protectors rejected our requests for aid, all of us thought we were going to starve to death there…till the Youkai Faction accepted my kin into their lands. Thanks to the blessing and protection of their new protector, Cole, their lands are being revived at a rapid pace. My grandfather wanted me to come here, and offer you a place with us there.”
“I see, we need a new home as our old one was wiped off the map by the Fallen Angels.”, Osmi remarked, “Has Dorim forgotten that we do not trust deities? The last Pantheon we made a pact with almost bled my people dry and worked us to the bone. What makes this one different?”
“Cole’s fee is a mere 10 jugs of Youkai Sake, he does not request women, money, or anything form of other compensation. He has his men working to rebuild the Youkai Faction to heights that far exceed where they were before the war and openly accepted the Elves, Succubi, and us without any special conditions.”, Artemis spoke up, “To my knowledge, he is the only deity to defend his subordinates from enemy attack. Cole singlehandedly massacred Lord Lucifer and several thousand of his faithful followers. More recently he killed Lord Hades and his Grim Reapers alone eviscerating all of them without so much as a scratch.”
Seeing no signs of lies or deceit in his eyes, Osmi sat up in his seat with interest. While he could not be certain what he was being told was the truth, he was willing to trust that his close friend’s grandson would not lie to him. Assuming that everything was true, the High Kobolds could safely return to the surface without any fear of retribution from the Pantheon they fled from. That said, there was one thing he wanted to know first.
“So he has made an enemy of the Devils and the Greek Pantheon?”, Osmi clarified.
“Absolutely not, those buggers are petrified of him. He threatened the Greek Pantheon with complete annihilation if they met on the battlefield again. From what we heard, the Pantheon turned on Hades out of fear for Cole.”, Artemis chuckled with a grin, “I say this with absolute certainty, no Pantheon or Faction wants to fight him. Joining the Youkai Faction will guarantee your safety and prosperity.”
Satisfied with his answer, Osmi turned to his granddaughter with a smirk.
“Alright, I want you to go with this young man and see for yourself if what he says is true. If it is, you have my blessing to request a place for us there.”, Osmi said placing their future on her shoulders.
“Grandfather, are you sure!?”, she gasped as his ministers began protesting his decision.
“You are my granddaughter and the next Elder, you need to start handling matters like this for our people.”, Osmi said with a warm smile, “Young man, I leave my daughter’s protection in your hands. She is the only family I have left in this world, make sure she comes back here alive.”
Understanding what the implications of failure were, Artemis stood at attention and placed his fist over his heart.
“I swear on my life to ensure her safety till we return.”, Artemis agreed, “In the event we run into any trouble, Lady Yasaka gave me a token to protect us.”
Showing them an oddly shaped object, Osmi and Amethyst asked what it was.
“This button will summon Lord Cole to us instantly.”, he informed them, “Lady Yasaka was concerned that several Pantheons would come looking for you, so she sent me with this.”
“I see…”, Osmi said with a doubtful gaze, ‘Would a deity really come to the aid of a subordinate faction?’
Excusing herself so she could go pack, the two of them left the settlement thirty minutes later.
—Current Time—
“So you are here as well looking for subordinates.”, Enma said with a hollow smile, “You do realize the mess you started for all of us right? If you idiots had just followed your pact, the Youkai would not have gone to Lord Cole for aid. He was moments away from leaving, but your actions caused this domino effect for everyone.”
Standing outside the cave leading to the High Kobold’s domain, the three Shinto Gods found themselves stuck between the Hindu and Buddha Pantheons. Feeling the disgust and hatred that some of the other deities held for them, Hachiman and Takemikazuchi wanted to keep things civil but…Susanoo refused to take the insult laying down.
“Oh piss off!”, Susanoo retorted with his own glare, “Do not blame us for your poor treatment of your subordinates. If you had treated them better they would not have left you! It is not our fault that you cannot do your jobs properly.”
Staring at him in disbelief, everyone present was stunned he dared to say that after what he had done. It was well-known what Susanoo demanded of Yasaka as she had come to many of them before meeting Cole. Having made outrageous demands of her, to keep the peace with the Shinto Pantheon, they now regretted not offering her a better deal than what her people had at the time.
“Gentlemen, please do not start a fight here. It will leave a bad impression on the High Kobolds we are here to meet.”, Guanyin insisted as he got between Enma and Susanoo, “We are all in deep trouble at the moment, no need to cause further problems for anyone else. If we fight now, we will waste valuable energy that may not be restored later.”
“Agreed, we should keep things civil for the time being.”, Takemikazuchi agreed as he pulled Susanoo back from the other deities, “Some of us should not try sparking a new war over their damaged pride.”
“I am surprised our three groups arrived here at the same time.”, Vishnu commented trying to change the subject, “Has anyone had any luck with the small factions and groups today?”
Shaking their heads, everyone willingly admitted to having no luck with any faction today. Taking this opportunity to try and curry some goodwill, Hachiman began telling them all the factions they had visited already. Watching the two groups begin marking those groups off their lists, once he was finished, they began sharing their crossed-off factions as well. As the names were being rattled off, all of them started to notice how bleak the situation was for everyone.
“Haha!!”, Sun Wukong laughed nervously, “So we are down to our last option here.”
“It would appear to be that way…”, Varuna acknowledged understanding that a fight might break out now.
Feeling the sharp increase in animosity toward them, the Shinto Gods realized that a war was inevitable now. Recognizing that they were no match for either group alone, Hachiman could see the writing on the wall now. Placing their hands on their sword hilts, the Shinto Gods prepared to fight as they watched a few of them reach for their weapons.
“So how good is your treatment under your new protector?”, Amethyst asked as the two of them approached the exit.
“He has provided us with all the food and drink we could ever want and provided us with all the necessary tools to sustain ourselves moving forward. From what I hear, the Elves think we will have a large amount of extra food this winter which is first for all of us!”, Artemis said with excitement, “We can finally start brewing spirits again!!”
“My grandfather told me all sorts of stories about your legendary spirits. I am excited to one day try them for myself!”, Amethyst said with excitement as she saw daylight for the first time in centuries, “I cannot wait to breathe in the fresh air again!! Oh how I have missed-”
Walking straight into the standoff, Artemis and Amethyst froze up feeling the tension between them. Turning to look at the two of them, the groups realized that the Dwarves had beaten them to the punch which was not good news for any of them. Desperate to get their allegiance, Susanoo, Enma, and Varuna all rushed forward to speak with Amethyst. Unfortunately for them, Artemis thought they were going to be attacked and immediately pulled the button out of his pocket.
“Oh no ya don’t!!”, Artemis shouted gripping the button tightly as he shielded Amethyst, “Ya wankers do anything, and I will call Cole here to beat the piss out of all of ya!! You Shinto buggers especially, you are on his fuckin’ list of shitters!!”
Sensing Cole’s Divinity on the object, the deities froze where they were. Knowing how he would see the current situation, none of them wanted him to show up here and kill them.
“Calm down, we are only here to talk…”, Enma said taking a step back, “We mean you no harm!!”
“Yes please be reasonable here!”, Varuna gulped as he began to sweat.
“Go ahead, call him here!!”, Susanoo spoke out of anger, “All of us can take him!!”
“NO!!”, Hachiman and Takemikazuchi screamed as they forced Susanoo to the ground.
Pressing his face into the dirt, the two apologized profusely to Artemis and begged him not to call Cole. Assuring him that they would leave peacefully without another word, Takemikazuchi just wanted to escape here with their lives. Seeing the reactions that everyone was giving them, Amethyst understood now that what he had told her grandfather was the truth. Each Pantheon here had powerful fighters among their ranks, but they cowered like children before them with just the mention of Cole.
‘Maybe we really can have the peace we always wanted now.’, Amethyst thought as a sense of renewed hope filled her heart, ‘We can finally bury Grandmother just the way she wanted to be before everything went to hell.’
Quickly dragging him away before he could doom them, Hachiman and Takemikazuchi immediately got on their cloud and took off. Watching them flee from the area, the other two groups focused their attention back on Artemis and Amethyst.
“Young Lady, I assume there is no room for negotiations?”, Sun Wukong asked understanding that Susanoo had yet again ruined things.
“That is correct, the Persian Pantheon destroyed any faith we had in deities of this world.”, she answered suppressing her distaste for the specific Pantheon.
“We understand…thank you for at least being honest with us.”, Vishnu acknowledged with regret.
Accepting that they lost their opportunity here, the two groups turned and left without another word. Seeing some of the strongest beings in their universe leave without voicing any threats, Amethyst was convinced that Cole was every bit the deity Artemis said he was. Tucking the button back into his pocket with a sigh, Artemis turned back to her and asked if she was okay.
“I can see now that you were not exaggerating, please forgive me for doubting your claims. Please take me to see this wonderful land you have told us about!”, Amethyst said with joy.
—3rd Person POV, Earlier—
Sending his nephew, Artemis, to meet with the High Kobolds, the Dwarf Elder wanted to rekindle their old alliance. Having not spoken to them since they went underground the Elder felt that it was only proper for the next in line to meet with them. Skipping over his father, as he had no talent for dealing with people, Artemis was forcefully placed in the position without hesitation. Given a map, a Magilight, and a rough location as to where to look Artemis was sent on his way with only a day’s warning.
“Why did he have to send me though…the King is his friend, not mine.”, Artemis complained as he followed the ancient map his grandfather gave him, “Let me see, I am not far from where the main gate should be now. I cannot wait to get back and have a pint of mead, being without the good stuff really gets a Dwarf down.”
Continuing through the dark tunnels with only his Magilight to illuminate his path, eventually, he came upon a finely crafted orichalcum door. Seeing the runes carved into the door, the young Dwarf took a moment to decipher them. While he was busy reading the enchantment, he failed to notice the guard approaching him from the rear. Not realizing she was there till a spear poked into his back, Artemis almost cried out like a scared child.
“What are you doing here? Speak quickly or I will gut you where you stand!”, she demanded as her spear dug into his back.
“Wow there lass, me grandfather Dorim sent me to meet with your leader!”, Artemis said as his Dwarven speech overrode his usual human tongue, “We used to have friendly relations when ya lived on the surface! He was hopin' that you would be willing to rekindle that alliance.”
Turning around so she could see his face, the guard quickly withdrew her spear and apologized for her actions. Telling her that he understood, given the circumstances of their retreat beneath the ground, he asked if she could arrange a meeting with him. Stowing her spear on her back, the young High Kobold nodded her head and told him to stay close behind her.
“Being down here for centuries has made some of us rather…stir crazy. All of us are ready to return to the surface, and resume the lives we once had in the past.”, she stated as she pressed a rock in the wall to unlock the door, “Please do not make eye contact, some of the unwed women are desperate for a young man like you from the outside world. We had to carefully manage our birthing to avoid going sterile so…they may pounce on you the moment you lock eyes with them.”
Having heard stories from his grandfather on how wild High Kobolds could get in heat, Artemis tightened down his straps tightly and kept his eyes on her back. Sticking as close as possible to her as they wandered through the settlement, he could feel the hungry stares all over him as they called out for his attention. Keeping his eyes forward, no matter what they were saying, eventually they made it to the Throne Room where the King was busy discussing things with his ministers.
“Grandfather, I found a Dwarf at the front gate. He is here to seek an audience with you.”, she informed him as she stood at attention.
“Amethyst…how many times must I tell you that these formalities are unnecessary? You are the next Elder of our Faction, please start acting like it.”, he sighed as he looked at Artemis, “So…the Dwarves make an appearance just days before our reemergence. We have not had dealings with you in several centuries, why do you show up unannounced today?”
“My apologies King Osmi, my grandfather Dorim has wanted to reach out to you for a while now but the war would not permit it.”, Artemis admitted, “The situation drastically changed above ground, we have been working nonstop to make arms and armor just to keep our Pantheon Protectors happy.”
“That old bastard is still alive and kicking!?”, Osmi laughed loudly with excitement, “I am glad to hear my old friend is doing well…I miss the days when we would ride mine carts together through the mines. Those were the days, it is unfortunate that the Great War took them from us all. How did your people fare through the war?”
“We…we did not fare well at all.”, Artemis said taking off his helmet, “You were right to go underground, this bloody war came at a terrible price for us.”
Feeling the weight in his tone, Osmi asked him to please tell him what happened. Informing him of the harsh conditions their people were forced into for continued protection, he told them all about the Dwarves working themselves to death and ruining their lands just to keep their Pantheon Protectors happy. When he got to the deaths of his aunt and mother, it took every ounce of strength he had not to break down there.
“We are grateful that the war finally ended, but our lands are no longer suitable for habitation. Our people had to tear everything apart to find every ounce of metal we could for the war effort.”, Artemis stated looking at the King, “When our protectors rejected our requests for aid, all of us thought we were going to starve to death there…till the Youkai Faction accepted my kin into their lands. Thanks to the blessing and protection of their new protector, Cole, their lands are being revived at a rapid pace. My grandfather wanted me to come here, and offer you a place with us there.”
“I see, we need a new home as our old one was wiped off the map by the Fallen Angels.”, Osmi remarked, “Has Dorim forgotten that we do not trust deities? The last Pantheon we made a pact with almost bled my people dry and worked us to the bone. What makes this one different?”
“Cole’s fee is a mere 10 jugs of Youkai Sake, he does not request women, money, or anything form of other compensation. He has his men working to rebuild the Youkai Faction to heights that far exceed where they were before the war and openly accepted the Elves, Succubi, and us without any special conditions.”, Artemis spoke up, “To my knowledge, he is the only deity to defend his subordinates from enemy attack. Cole singlehandedly massacred Lord Lucifer and several thousand of his faithful followers. More recently he killed Lord Hades and his Grim Reapers alone eviscerating all of them without so much as a scratch.”
Seeing no signs of lies or deceit in his eyes, Osmi sat up in his seat with interest. While he could not be certain what he was being told was the truth, he was willing to trust that his close friend’s grandson would not lie to him. Assuming that everything was true, the High Kobolds could safely return to the surface without any fear of retribution from the Pantheon they fled from. That said, there was one thing he wanted to know first.
“So he has made an enemy of the Devils and the Greek Pantheon?”, Osmi clarified.
“Absolutely not, those buggers are petrified of him. He threatened the Greek Pantheon with complete annihilation if they met on the battlefield again. From what we heard, the Pantheon turned on Hades out of fear for Cole.”, Artemis chuckled with a grin, “I say this with absolute certainty, no Pantheon or Faction wants to fight him. Joining the Youkai Faction will guarantee your safety and prosperity.”
Satisfied with his answer, Osmi turned to his granddaughter with a smirk.
“Alright, I want you to go with this young man and see for yourself if what he says is true. If it is, you have my blessing to request a place for us there.”, Osmi said placing their future on her shoulders.
“Grandfather, are you sure!?”, she gasped as his ministers began protesting his decision.
“You are my granddaughter and the next Elder, you need to start handling matters like this for our people.”, Osmi said with a warm smile, “Young man, I leave my daughter’s protection in your hands. She is the only family I have left in this world, make sure she comes back here alive.”
Understanding what the implications of failure were, Artemis stood at attention and placed his fist over his heart.
“I swear on my life to ensure her safety till we return.”, Artemis agreed, “In the event we run into any trouble, Lady Yasaka gave me a token to protect us.”
Showing them an oddly shaped object, Osmi and Amethyst asked what it was.
“This button will summon Lord Cole to us instantly.”, he informed them, “Lady Yasaka was concerned that several Pantheons would come looking for you, so she sent me with this.”
“I see…”, Osmi said with a doubtful gaze, ‘Would a deity really come to the aid of a subordinate faction?’
Excusing herself so she could go pack, the two of them left the settlement thirty minutes later.
—Current Time—
“So you are here as well looking for subordinates.”, Enma said with a hollow smile, “You do realize the mess you started for all of us right? If you idiots had just followed your pact, the Youkai would not have gone to Lord Cole for aid. He was moments away from leaving, but your actions caused this domino effect for everyone.”
Standing outside the cave leading to the High Kobold’s domain, the three Shinto Gods found themselves stuck between the Hindu and Buddha Pantheons. Feeling the disgust and hatred that some of the other deities held for them, Hachiman and Takemikazuchi wanted to keep things civil but…Susanoo refused to take the insult laying down.
“Oh piss off!”, Susanoo retorted with his own glare, “Do not blame us for your poor treatment of your subordinates. If you had treated them better they would not have left you! It is not our fault that you cannot do your jobs properly.”
Staring at him in disbelief, everyone present was stunned he dared to say that after what he had done. It was well-known what Susanoo demanded of Yasaka as she had come to many of them before meeting Cole. Having made outrageous demands of her, to keep the peace with the Shinto Pantheon, they now regretted not offering her a better deal than what her people had at the time.
“Gentlemen, please do not start a fight here. It will leave a bad impression on the High Kobolds we are here to meet.”, Guanyin insisted as he got between Enma and Susanoo, “We are all in deep trouble at the moment, no need to cause further problems for anyone else. If we fight now, we will waste valuable energy that may not be restored later.”
“Agreed, we should keep things civil for the time being.”, Takemikazuchi agreed as he pulled Susanoo back from the other deities, “Some of us should not try sparking a new war over their damaged pride.”
“I am surprised our three groups arrived here at the same time.”, Vishnu commented trying to change the subject, “Has anyone had any luck with the small factions and groups today?”
Shaking their heads, everyone willingly admitted to having no luck with any faction today. Taking this opportunity to try and curry some goodwill, Hachiman began telling them all the factions they had visited already. Watching the two groups begin marking those groups off their lists, once he was finished, they began sharing their crossed-off factions as well. As the names were being rattled off, all of them started to notice how bleak the situation was for everyone.
“Haha!!”, Sun Wukong laughed nervously, “So we are down to our last option here.”
“It would appear to be that way…”, Varuna acknowledged understanding that a fight might break out now.
Feeling the sharp increase in animosity toward them, the Shinto Gods realized that a war was inevitable now. Recognizing that they were no match for either group alone, Hachiman could see the writing on the wall now. Placing their hands on their sword hilts, the Shinto Gods prepared to fight as they watched a few of them reach for their weapons.
“So how good is your treatment under your new protector?”, Amethyst asked as the two of them approached the exit.
“He has provided us with all the food and drink we could ever want and provided us with all the necessary tools to sustain ourselves moving forward. From what I hear, the Elves think we will have a large amount of extra food this winter which is first for all of us!”, Artemis said with excitement, “We can finally start brewing spirits again!!”
“My grandfather told me all sorts of stories about your legendary spirits. I am excited to one day try them for myself!”, Amethyst said with excitement as she saw daylight for the first time in centuries, “I cannot wait to breathe in the fresh air again!! Oh how I have missed-”
Walking straight into the standoff, Artemis and Amethyst froze up feeling the tension between them. Turning to look at the two of them, the groups realized that the Dwarves had beaten them to the punch which was not good news for any of them. Desperate to get their allegiance, Susanoo, Enma, and Varuna all rushed forward to speak with Amethyst. Unfortunately for them, Artemis thought they were going to be attacked and immediately pulled the button out of his pocket.
“Oh no ya don’t!!”, Artemis shouted gripping the button tightly as he shielded Amethyst, “Ya wankers do anything, and I will call Cole here to beat the piss out of all of ya!! You Shinto buggers especially, you are on his fuckin’ list of shitters!!”
Sensing Cole’s Divinity on the object, the deities froze where they were. Knowing how he would see the current situation, none of them wanted him to show up here and kill them.
“Calm down, we are only here to talk…”, Enma said taking a step back, “We mean you no harm!!”
“Yes please be reasonable here!”, Varuna gulped as he began to sweat.
“Go ahead, call him here!!”, Susanoo spoke out of anger, “All of us can take him!!”
“NO!!”, Hachiman and Takemikazuchi screamed as they forced Susanoo to the ground.
Pressing his face into the dirt, the two apologized profusely to Artemis and begged him not to call Cole. Assuring him that they would leave peacefully without another word, Takemikazuchi just wanted to escape here with their lives. Seeing the reactions that everyone was giving them, Amethyst understood now that what he had told her grandfather was the truth. Each Pantheon here had powerful fighters among their ranks, but they cowered like children before them with just the mention of Cole.
‘Maybe we really can have the peace we always wanted now.’, Amethyst thought as a sense of renewed hope filled her heart, ‘We can finally bury Grandmother just the way she wanted to be before everything went to hell.’
Quickly dragging him away before he could doom them, Hachiman and Takemikazuchi immediately got on their cloud and took off. Watching them flee from the area, the other two groups focused their attention back on Artemis and Amethyst.
“Young Lady, I assume there is no room for negotiations?”, Sun Wukong asked understanding that Susanoo had yet again ruined things.
“That is correct, the Persian Pantheon destroyed any faith we had in deities of this world.”, she answered suppressing her distaste for the specific Pantheon.
“We understand…thank you for at least being honest with us.”, Vishnu acknowledged with regret.
Accepting that they lost their opportunity here, the two groups turned and left without another word. Seeing some of the strongest beings in their universe leave without voicing any threats, Amethyst was convinced that Cole was every bit the deity Artemis said he was. Tucking the button back into his pocket with a sigh, Artemis turned back to her and asked if she was okay.
“I can see now that you were not exaggerating, please forgive me for doubting your claims. Please take me to see this wonderful land you have told us about!”, Amethyst said with joy.
