5 November 2023

Their little campfire burned low, barely enough to cook on. Considering how deep they were into demon territory, it would probably have been better to do without completely, but none of them really pushed the issue.

Caldwell was telling them about some yearly festival they had back in his hometown, but Kyra was only half listening. Instead, she watched Gavin and Fera carefully. There was an odd tension between the two. Gavin’s jaw had been clenched all evening, and he didn’t sit next to Fera like he’d been doing. For her part, Fera shrank into herself, and she couldn’t stop fiddling with the engagement ring Gavin had given her. It was the exact opposite of how Kyra expected them to react after Gavin finally popped the question.

She knew Caldwell had been trying to ease the tension in his own way but it didn’t seem to make a significant difference. So as soon as there was a lull, she interrupted his story. “So what the hell is going on with the two of you? You’re acting like someone died, not like you just got engaged.”

“Actually, I… I turned him down.”

Kyra blinked slowly. She looked down at the ring Fera was fiddling with, then back up to her face. “What.”

Fera’s shoulders curled in even tighter. With no small trace of bitterness in his voice, Gavin said, “Tell them. They’re your friends. They have a right to know.”

At his words, Fera’s hands clenched tight. Kyra’s own stomach twisted,, but she never took her eyes off of Fera. For several long moments, no one spoke.

When Fera finally did speak, her voice cracked. “I… Even if everything goes well, I… I won’t be coming back. Even if the demon king dies, he’ll just come back. We have to seal him up, and to do that, I… I have to seal myself in with him.”

By the time she finished speaking, tears dripped down her cheeks. Despite that, still, she smiled, small and soft.

Kyra couldn’t tell if her thoughts had frozen in place, or if she was thinking so many things at once it all bled into nothingness. Once she’d started to calm down, her thoughts flickered to a desolate homestead, long ago. To the bloodied face her her dear husband, Roylan. To the immobile bodies of her two sons.

It was happening again. She’d finally healed enough to reach out to other people, to care about other people again, and she was going to lose them. And once more, there was nothing she could do about it.

She barely noticed the roar of anguish that tore through her throat, or the crack as she hurled one of her prized axes into the nearest tree. By the time her mind cleared, her own cheeks were wet, and she collapsed to her knees.

Kyra thought back to the bastards at the church, the ones sitting pretty on their thrones, while they sent a young girl–barely even nineteen–to give up her life for them. “Damn them. Damn them all.”

1 October 2023

When the templar captain stopped Fera and Kyra on their way out, Kyra groaned internally. Logically, she’d known she’d had it easy so far. The [x]’s weeks travel from Naothair to Cathwain may have been uneventful, other than a rare bandit or five, but she’d always known traveling with the saintess would come with complications.

Still, Fera was the saintess, right? Didn’t that mean her word was supposed to be law or something for these churchy types? What was the point of getting stuck with the job if the girl got all the responsibilities with none of the perks?

“I appreciate your concern, Captain Neumann, but Kyra has proven herself perfectly capable of defending both my person and my honor.”

“And I am grateful for her efforts in escorting you here to Cathwain. But now, surely we can pay her what she’s due, and assign someone more capable to stand at your side?”

Kyra growled and rested one hand on the head of her ax. Before either she or Fera could respond to the templar, though, a bark of laughter sounded from the gate. The three turned to find a hooded man reclined against the doorway, flipping a knife between his fingers. “Capable? Like the way you lot handled the [] invasion? Or how the [slums] are an absolute icon of honor and civility?”

The templar’s hands tightened into fists. “At the very least, we should be more capable of defending the saintess than some drunkard off the street.”

Kyra opened her mouth to protest, then cocked her head. He kind of had a point. At least about the “drunkard off the street” bit. From what she’d seen, though, she figured she could take any of these “knight in shining armor” types.

Based on the shake of his head, the hooded man agreed. “You’ve not even seen the woman in action. Don’t you trust your little saintess’s judgment at all?” Fera protested, but the man ignored her. “Look at the way the woman carries herself. Ten gold says she’d be able to take any one of your people.”

A familiar feral grin spread across Kyra’s face. “Sounds fun. Care to test me, Captain?”

Fera muttered, “Oh, pickles.” Kyra pretended she hadn’t heard her.

21 September 2023 part 2

Kyra had always figured traveling with the saintess was bound to come with complications. But this… this was something else. The [x] weeks’ travel from the holy city of Naothair to Cathwain had been uneventful, other than a rare bandit or several, and the fact Fera felt the need to check in at the local cathedrals seemed to come with the job description.

Then the templar captain had stopped them on their way out, with “concerns about the company her holiness was keeping”. Which… fine. It was annoying, but, fair. Kyra knew she wasn’t the most respectable person around, especially when she got herself drunk. Which was often.

No, Kyra’s issue was that the dumbass reused to listen to anything Fera had to say on the subject. Wasn’t she the saintess? Wasn’t her word supposed to be like law or something for these folks? What was even the point of being stuck with the job if the girl got all of the responsibilities but none of the benefits?

“My lady, please, I implore you. Let one of my templars take over as your bodyguard, and let this… drunkard… back to drowning whatever demons plague her elsewhere.”

“I appreciate your concern, Captain [Neumann], but Kyra has proven herself perfectly capable of defending both my person and my honor, regardless of her degree of inebriation. There’s really no need for you to be concerned.”

The templar–[Neaumann], Fera said?–blinked. “If the issue is a matter of gender, my lady, there are a number of women under my command who would be honored to serve at your side.

VERSION 1

Surely they can serve you better than this mercenary? There’s a large difference between fighting bandits and fighting demons.”

Next to her, Kyra heard Fera mutter, “Oh pickles.” Kyra wasn’t sure if that was because of her or the captain, but she wasn’t going to worry about it. She took a deep breath and glared at the templar. “So your brats know what it feels like, then? They’ve seen demons murder their family? Friends? Watched their homes–their whole village–burn around them? Are they haunted by nightmares still, years, even decades later?”

Both Fera and captain stared at Kyra with wide eyes. She spit on the ground and growled, “Don’t talk sh** about things you don’t understand.”

She turned to leave.

VERSION 2

Surely one of them is more trustworthy than this mercenary?”

Kyra’s hands tightened on her belt, and she forced herself to breath slowly and keep calm. “Are you implying I am not as good as my word?”

The templar shrugged. “It is well known that a mercenary’s loyalties lie with the highest bidder. And while I doubt the demon king would be making any viable offers, there are some less-than-reputable nobles who might be willing to pay a veritable fortune to keep the saintess under their thumb. I’m just saying, a more trustworthy and reputable entourage–”

He was interrupted by a snort of laughter from the wall. The three turned to find a hooded man lounging atop it, a nihilistic smile across his face. “You only need to visit the [slums district name] to see the famous ‘honor of the templars’ at work. Half of them would sell out your ‘precious saintess’ before night fell.”

Based on the way the templar captain grimaced, there was at least some truth to that statement. His expression did a lot to relieve Kyra’s building temper.

The templar opened his mouth to reply, but the stranger cut him off. “Besides, your saintess is right. Look at the way the lady carries herself; she’s no green recruit in shining armor. No, she’s a fighter, and she’d be a more capable protector than any of your little knightlings. Probably better than you, even.”

The captain scowled and glanced at Kyra. She shrugged, then grinned as she suggested, “I know a way we could find out.”

From beside her, Fera muttered, “Oh, pickles.” Kyra decided to pretend like she hadn’t noticed.

11 August 2023

Fera’s official recruitment of Kyra. Honestly, reading back over it, I’m not especially satisfied with this; I might cut it entirely, if the previous scene ended well enough, or I might rewrite it in the future. We shall see.

…twice and let go. “How would you feel about joining me on an expedition to the demon king’s castle?”

Kyra blinked slowly. “What?”

“You and me. Based on the scuffle last night, you seem quite strong. If you think it’s too dangerous, though, I understand.”

It took another moment for Kyra to catch up. Then she snorted and shook her head. “Hate to break it to you, but unless you can somehow get the saintess to join us, no way they’ll be letting us anywhere near the front, much lest into the heart of the demon realm.”

Fera pointedly avoided meeting Kyra’s gaze. “Ah, yeah. Um, about that…” She held out her hands, which slowly started to glow.

Kyra’s jaw dropped. After a few moments, she said, “You’re the saintess? Here?” When Fera nodded, Kyra planted her face into the palm of one hand. “What the hell did I do last night?”

“You stepped in when I was accosted by a trio of overzealous noblemen. Really, if you hadn’t immediately gotten sick, it would have been quite gallant.”

Kyra groaned, her cheeks flushed. She took a deep breath, and then she looked up at Fera. “So, let me get this straight. If I go with you, act as your bodyguard, you’ll give me a chance to punch that son of a bitch demon king in the face, yeah?”

Fera shrugged. “More or less.”

A positively feral grin formed on Kyra’s face. “Then count me in.”

10 August 2023

I wasn’t super happy with the timing and pacing of the scene, so the next day I rewrote it, let Kyra show up sooner and get dismissed. I also felt like I did a better job demonstrating that Fera is capable of taking care of herself better, but I think I could do more; perhaps in future scenes. That could be fun, actually. Someone—maybe even Kyra and/or the rest of the party—underestimates her badassery until they get to witness it first hand. …Might be too cliche. She still needs to show off at some point regardless, though.

“...offer, then?”

Before Fera could reply, the door to a nearby bar slammed open, and a tall redheaded woman stumbled out into the street. She had a hard look to her, and Fera couldn’t help but stare at the twin axes on her belt. She ignored the lot of them to retch in the alley behind them.

Fera took the chance to dick around and step away from the young man. “Thank you, but I think I’ll be better off on my own.”

The young man frowned, and his lackeys stepped in behind Fera. “I don’t think you understand how dangerous the city can be, saintess.”

Well, pickles. Why did every brat with a title think they knew what was best for her? Fera sighed and began gathering mana to her palms. It was amazing how often a simple flash of light let her escape unpleasant situations. And if that didn’t work, it’s not like she didn’t have other options.

As she prepared, though, the redheaded woman appeared behind the young man and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Hey, asshole. She said no.”

The nobleman jerked back and began to draw his sword. “What!? How dare you–”

The sword was still halfway in its sheath when the redhead decked him, leaving him out cold on the ground, nose broken. Fera was so shocked she let go of her spell, letting the energy dissipate, while the nobleman’s lackeys cried out and jumped at the redhead.

She caught the first in the temple with a hook kick, then stumbled out of the path of the other’s sword. “Oof. Might have had too much to drink.”

The last young man roared and lunged, but the redhead dodged to the side and drove her fist into his stomach. Before he could do more than wheeze, she flipped him onto his back and knocked his lights out.

For a moment, Fera could only stare in shock. Then a wide smile broke out across her face and she hurried over. “That was incredible! Thank you, miss–”

The redhead held up a hand to keep her back, and then unceremoniously vomited all over the alley floor.

Kyra woke with a splitting headache. That wasn’t really a surprise, though.

A young blonde watched her expectantly from beside the bed. That very much was.

What the hell happened last night?

Once the young woman realized Kyra was awake, she beamed. “Good morning! How are you feeling?”

Still groggy, Kyra sat up, then groaned as her headache spiked. “Terrible.” She took a deep breath. “Sorry if this is insensitive, but… Who the hell are you?”

“Ah, yes.” The young woman held out a hand. “I’m Fera.”

Kyra eyed her warily a moment before she accepted the handshake. “Kyra.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Kyra.” Fera pumped her hand twice and let go. “I’d like to hire you as a bodyguard.”

9 August 2023

I decided that the best place to start building my “goddess of battle” story — where Kyra kills the demon king while they’re sealed together and takes some of his powers — was to write down the backstory, so I could have it on hand and reference it throughout the modern-era story. I’m also hoping it will give me ideas, between world building and the party’s experiences together, that will lead to the plot of said modern-era arc. What flaws does Kyra have? How do they interact with the world? What flaws might society wind up with? Etc.

She certainly gives off a very different aura here than she did when we first met her, doesn’t she?

“Well? What do you think?” The young man in front of Fera flashed her a grin. His sword was still poised from the impromptu demonstration he’d given. As far as Fera could tell, he, along with his two companions, were all dressed to see who could best imitate a peacock.

Fera forced a thin smile. “Ah, um. Yes. That was… a very fine display.” And it was; very flashy. But “flashy” didn’t always mean “skilled”, and her journey to the demon lord’s castle was going to be dangerous enough as it was.

Still beaming, the young man sheathed his sword and stepped in closer than Fera was comfortable with. “Does that mean you accept my offer, then?

Fera ducked around him and stepped away. “Truly, thank you, but I must decline. I’ll be quite alright on my own.”

The young man frowned, and his followers stepped in behind Fera. “I don’t think you understand how dangerous the city can be, saintess. Much less the demon realm.”

Well, pickles. Why did every member of the nobility expect her to just agree with whatever they said? Common-born or not, she was the saintess, wasn’t she?

Fera opened her mouthe to tell him off when the door to a nearby bar slammed open, and a tall redheaded woman stumbled out into the street. She had a hard look to her, and Fera couldn’t help but stare at the twin axes on her belt. The redhead took one look at Fera, then the trio of men surrounding her, and managed to ask, “Need help?”

29 April 2023 Notes

No main story for this date; I only brainstormed.

I am wiped. I did get the major assignment for my marketing class finished, though.

So where do I go today, then? It’s late and I want to keep this short… What else do I know or can I see about the Goddess of Battle story?

As I thought about it more, the idea of a modern fantasy take on the world when Kyra wakes up might not be so bad. Fit the aesthetic I first pictured her as… but I’m not sure.

jDon’t really have time to consider how the world evolved during her timeskip, though. Do I want to write about beating the demon lord in the first place? What did happen? Did they manage to knock him unconscious? Did they kill him, but his death wasn’t supposed to be permanent for some reason? …I like that. Did Kyra steal that ability from him somehow?

Who else was in the party? Kyra was a fighter/melee type; Fera was the cleric/healer priestess type; was there a prince? …Not likely. Probably a rogue–might even be Fera’s love interest–and a tank. Big knight/paladin type…

Decided I’m going to count my brainstorming today as my writing. So I’ll keep at it a little bit longer. Kyra was definitely not the leader; that was probably Fera, or maybe her and the paladin both. I’m thinking the paladin is surprisingly easy going, and soft-spoken. The sturdy, supportive type.

The rogue, though… What kind of rogue is he? Explicitly Robin Hood-y, or does he (try to) play everything off as for his own benefit? Considering the risks involved with facing this demon king, if he were truly selfish I don’t think he’d be there, but I don’t want him to just be a standard rogue, either. Hmm… Is he actually a cop with a roguish skill set? I’ll have to ponder that idea more…

What bits about the past, of Kyra’s mortal life pre-sealing, are actually relevant to the story? Defeating the demon king, of course, and losing her family. Does her dynamic with the other party members affect the present timeline at all? Or Kyra’s choices here? I’ll have to think on that…