They arrived at the encampment''s edge, just beyond wards so fragile, they seemed like cotton thread.


    A patrolling Astral Deva, his wings compressed within a green-skinned elven form, walked along the warded perimeter. He wore no visible armour, and from what Amdirlain could tell, he relied on his Angelic Aura and reflexes to keep him safe, as the earthen-hued cloth had no protective enchantments. His clothing had a pattern of horns crossed with a broken bow impressed into the cloth itself. When he spotted them, he started to string a bow made of glistening silver wood. While Amdirlain stretched her hands to either side, Silpar remained motionless.


    "Might we approach the encampment? A colleague of ours is within, an emissary from the Summer Court," said Amdirlain.


    Her words in the standard Celestial dialect relaxed him fractionally. "I''ll have to contact the commander first. You are?"


    "Of course," agreed Amdirlain. "Please call me Am."


    Silpar tapped his sternum. "Silpar."


    The Astral Deva didn''t take his gaze from Amdirlain but he still motioned towards the distant mountain. "Weren''t you investigating the Eldritch? Word came from the commander of your name and presence there."


    "That''s what I''m here to talk about. We have some information and some questions," said Amdirlain.


    My name? Why is he cutting out Silpar? Rana said they had local Lizardfolk, is there a problem between them and the elves?


    The Astral Deva''s mouth twisted in disappointment and concern. "Is the problem worse than you could resolve as well?"


    Amdirlain dropped her hands to her sides. "While I''ve secured all those near the mountain where Rana took us, it wasn''t a situation I could resolve completely in my limited time here. I believe there are others we''ll need to hunt down. Also, I wanted to check on some matters before I clean up the site’s distortion."


    "At least you have some good news. My apologies if my doubts about your effectiveness offended you. I''m Tirindo," said Tirindo. "There was an explosion and a cloud of dust from the mountain a little while back. I thought your efforts might have gone wrong and been abandoned."


    Oops, I only meant to vaporise to the surface. I should have set up a containment barrier. It’s still a bit of an assumption; there was an explosion therefore they didn’t succeed.


    Resonance confirmed the connection between the name and the Angel, drawing a frown from Amdirlain.


    "You should be more careful about freely giving out your name," advised Amdirlain. "Especially in an un-warded place where anyone might hear it."


    Tirindo twitched in confusion. "But I thought you''re aligned with the heavens."


    "I''m friends with many deities that live in the heavenly planes, and I know from experience that it''s best to be more careful," cautioned Amdirlain. "I''m not the only person who might be listening. Sometimes, sharing a name is necessary, but casual conversation doesn''t require one that can summon. Your full ‘use name’ written down somewhere is bad enough. When you speak it, it gives more power to the listener."


    "You can tell that just from hearing my name?" asked Tirindo.


    Amdirlain nodded. "I can."


    A flicker of concern deepened into a frown from Tirindo. "Your name isn''t Am?"


    Her head shake deepened the Celestial''s frown, and Amdirlain smiled reassuringly. "I''ve been called Am by many people, but it''s only part of my name."


    "As I''m called Silpar, it is also not my full name," advised Silpar. "Your honesty does you credit but also leaves you exposed if you encounter those with ill intentions. You seem very young to us both, and I''m sure my companion speaks with concern. I''ve seen a few billion years, but I know my companion has existed longer than me."


    "Ahh," breathed Tirindo.


    "I''d suggest you branch out your classes further. Also, learn something about arcane matters even if you don''t actively study magic," suggested Amdirlain.


    Tirindo appeared between distaste and curiosity, but Amdirlain didn''t press the matter.


    He doesn''t find magic appealing. How do the local elves view the use of non-divine magic?


    "If you''d wait here," requested Tirindo. "I''ll return shortly, but I''m told the ward is sensitive to intruders."


    I don''t know about its sensitivity, but it is delicate in a fragile fashion. It''s also established through blessings, not an arcane barrier.


    "We''ll wait here while you contact your commander," confirmed Amdirlain.


    Tirindo disappeared, and Amdirlain huffed in disbelief. "There weren’t any protective enchantments in his equipment."


    "It seems they are ill-prepared for the battle they''ve been fighting,"  commented Silpar. "I wonder if they even consider it a battle and not merely a problematic hunt."


    Amdirlain frowned. "More questions to ask."


    True to his word, Tirindo didn''t take long, and he reappeared accompanied by another Astral Deva. Though they sounded of a similar age, the second Angel possessed four classes in place of Tirindo''s two. The themes for Priest and Ranger were present in his melodies, along with the Fighter and Skirmisher classes Tirindo possessed. Upon the clothing he wore was the symbol of a crescent moon, a sun within its points.


    With a hand flat upon his chest, the other nodded respectfully to Silpar and Amdirlain. "I''m called Daechir."


    "You''ve adopted the same practice as these strangers?" questioned Tirindo. "How can hospitality be genuine if we conceal our names?"


    "Hospitality comes from the heart. Names are simply sounds uttered by the lips. If one acts with a genuine heart, does it matter what you say, or even if you say nothing?" questioned Daechir. "Likewise, if your heart is empty, you might as well stay silent than be a spider preparing a web."


    At the mention of spiders, Tirindo looked flustered, and he took a step back. "That wasn''t what I meant. I intended no trap for them nor temptation."


    "I never said you had, kin. It would be best to look deeper at things," instructed Daechir. "Wisdom and knowledge is the best source of illumination."


    "You lay a trail that might lead to your ruin. The game sign is a better guide," replied Tirindo.


    "And game signs rely on words?" asked Daechir with a firm smile, and he turned to Silpar. "Rana is present within the encampment. Please walk with me. I pledge you''ll be safe among us."


    Silpar and Amdirlain moved forward through the gap his invitation opened in the wards.


    The encampment was more of a loose gathering spot of celestials among the trees than a secure location. The links to their summoners stretched away across the horizon in assorted directions. All the celestials wore what Amdirlain considered hunting clothes rather than armour, sturdy clothing with thick leather boots. While some of them had knives, most carried only bows and spears. Here and there among the celestials and their weapons, Amdirlain caught a lingering taint of distortion.


    The only solid fixture of the place was a forge in the middle of a clearing near the centre of the tables. Amdirlain found their companions by the forge conversing with a fascinated Celestial. The soot-stained smith wore only pants that showed his muscular torso, and was split in his examination of Goxashru''s armour and Rana''s sword. As they drew within sight, the Celestial tapped the flat of a blade against Goxashru''s breastplate.


    Poor bastard, I''ve set him an unachievable challenge if he wants to match its strength and durability.


    Daechir let out a bird trill, and the encampment''s celestials surrounded the clearing.


    Once they had stopped moving, it was Rana who spoke up. "Am and Silpar are here in response to your Pantheon''s request for help."


    "My apologies for disturbing your preparations. While we''ve killed and secured many of the Eldritch, more are still on the loose, and we''ve some questions," said Amdirlain.


    "Ask them, and we will see what light we can shed for you between us," replied Daechir.


    Amdirlain waved towards the mountain. "How did you become aware of them? This location seems rather remote."


    "The death of the mountain''s forest drew the Pantheon''s attention," explained Daechir.


    "And when was that? A hundred, fifty, or twenty years ago? Less?"


    Daechir glanced towards the smith, and Amdirlain heard their mental exchange but waited for his answer. "If my count is correct, it was just over a hundred when the scouts encountered a strange beast. It killed two of them before it succumbed to its injuries. They found no sign of tracks to trace it to its den. Though they investigated the dead trees, they were a patch some two hundred metres across. Blight can kill trees, and they found no sign to determine what drew their Goddess''s attention."


    "They assumed the dead growth was caused by the creature they killed and left it at that?" asked Amdirlain.


    A Celestial female with dark blue shoulder-length hair and an eye-catching white streak that lay along her scarred right cheek coughed. "Yes, to our regret. It had been a fierce fight, and we''d never seen anything like it. We assumed wrongly that it was a planar creature that had come through a natural rift."


    "Is that when you got your scar?" asked Amdirlain.


    "Yes. It does not heal no matter my form," she replied. "I got off lightly, and I''ve been careful while hunting them since."


    "To my knowledge, the scar will fade with time, though faster if you spend time on the heavenly plane," advised Silpar. "It isn''t personal experience, merely what I''ve been told by others who have fought the Eldritch."


    ''I did some research for you while you were composing. Some among the cloister have fought them while in the heavens, but not since,'' projected Silpar.


    The female inclined her head slightly in thanks, one of the few to acknowledge Silpar. Another male Celestial wearing the same horns and bow symbol as Tirindo spoke up.


    "They are mindless beasts, poisonous, but there is no reason for their actions. They''re as inclined to attack as flee no matter how many or few they face."


    His words prompted a soft murmur of agreement among the other celestials.


    Amdirlain lifted a hand, and the group stilled. "Their mindset is alien to yours. I wouldn''t say they are mindless. Rather, they are unpredictable and act for their reasons, not what you see as logic. Shall we agree to that and leave it be?"


    Most of the celestials lapsed into silence, but a few folded their thumb across their palm, and Amdirlain felt it was the equivalent of a nod.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Subtle hand gestures rather than more significant body movements. It says the elves are hunters and gatherers. Am I effectively shouting by moving my hands so much?


    "What is the closest community to this mountain?"


    The scarred female twitched her chin slightly and spoke after Amdirlain motioned to her. "There was a band of stone giants here centuries past, but there was no sign of them when we saw the dead trees. Since they weren''t on the mountain''s slope, we had no reason to bother them. Their species tend to prefer being left alone."


    [World: Poica


    Age: 3.1 billion years


    Sun: G-Type (yellow dwarf)


    Landmass Type: Assorted-sized continents and a large archipelago


    Average diameter: 13.2 thousand kilometres (Earth-type)


    Planetary Orbit: 345.2 days


    Tilt: 19.2%


    Environmental range: Desert to arctic and sub-arctic tundra.


    Status: Stable


    Local civilisation advancement levels:


    Cultural: Agricultural communities


    Technology achieved: Early Iron Age


    Magical advancement: Divine blessings and relics


    Local primary species (averaged population percentage of total sapient species):


    Elves, local variants (89%)


    Lizardfolk (10%)


    Giants (1%)


    Population: 496 million


    Incursion Status:


    Outsider & Minor (Eldritch entities and natural elementals)


    Local Pantheon Status:-


    Classification: Nascent


    Priest Types: Priests, shamans, and spiritualists.


    Worship Types: Unstructured ]


    "Closest community of elves or Lizardfolk then?" questioned Amdirlain.


    The mention of the second received a look of distaste from a few celestials, and they continued to avoid looking at Silpar.


    "About a thousand kilometres," replied Daechir.


    "Have there been any events to your knowledge here around one hundred thirty to a hundred and fifty years ago?" enquired Amdirlain.


    Daechir''s gaze grew distracted for a moment. "The Treant Elder indicates that the only significant event was a shooting star that exploded in the air some distance from here. It destroyed a section of the forest, but that was further from the mountain than we are now."


    "It might have taken a while for them to wake up if they''d been in deep enough slumber. I was concerned that someone contacted them, as they can leave a mental stain that person can transmit onto others," explained Amdirlain.


    "Do you know their numbers?" enquired Daechir.


    "No, and that''s what concerns me. I dealt with nearly two and a half thousand," admitted Amdirlain.


    The gathered celestials were frozen in shock, and Daechir''s lips tightened. "How many?"


    Amdirlain caught images of fights where a dozen of them had struggled to kill one at a time, and the frustration in a few was an ugly buzz of jealousy within their themes. Keeping a calm expression, Amdirlain tilted her head towards the mountain. "Most of them were well underground, and they were burrowing towards the planet''s core."


    Silpar frowned. "Might I ask how many you thought there were? I managed to attract seventy up to the surface."


    The group exchanged various hand signs, and Amdirlain picked up the meanings from their thoughts to speed up her new translation ability. By the time the group''s discussion had been completed, she barely needed to eavesdrop on the meaning of the hand signs. While the progress satisfied Amdirlain, what didn''t was the exclusion that the celestials using hand signs intended. From their minds, she caught the discomfort of Silpar''s adopted form, as it put him close in appearance to their local species. In contrast, Goxashru had the advantage of being far different from the local humanoid Lizardfolk.


    Local Elf tribes don''t get on with the Lizardfolk tribes.


    "Somewhere between sixty and eighty, but they seemed to be getting stronger recently," admitted Daechir. "What did you do with them?"


    "Most of them I killed, but a few hundred I sealed away on a demi-plane. The corruption they left behind in the rock has saturated kilometres of tunnels along the molten layers beneath the planet''s outer crust. Besides seeking information about what woke them, I wanted to discuss the cleanup."


    "Tell us what work needs to be done, and we''ll begin," said Daechir.


    "What about those still out there?" asked Tirindo.


    "I''ve got some enchanted items looking for them," explained Amdirlain.


    The mention of enchantments caused a spike in tension among the group.


    "What sorts of enchantments?" questioned Daechir.


    "You wouldn''t recognise them, though I notice your weapons and gear only use divine blessings," noted Amdirlain.


    "Wizards and artificers have repeatedly caused problems among the communities," explained Daechir.


    Amdirlain shrugged. "That''s the fault of the individual, not the tool itself. Also, my tools aren''t the enchanted objects you''ll have experienced."


    Are they magical Luddites?


    Daechir looked among the group. "You''ll remove these tools when you leave?"


    "I hadn''t intended to leave them behind," replied Amdirlain. "I won''t need you to help. I came to talk because I wanted to ensure that nothing in the affected area is considered sacred, as I''ll have to destroy the contaminated ground and regrow it."


    They don''t like that we speak the same tongue. Their issue with wizards'' magic isn''t something I should stick my nose into; they need to develop their ethics.


    "How do you intend to destroy it?"


    "Lift it and cast it out beyond the planet''s atmosphere. I''ll destroy it out in the void of space so the tainted dust doesn''t spread. Consider it like an infected wound, but there isn''t any real point in cleaning it up until the other void spawns are killed or sealed away."


    "I don''t see how you killed so many by yourself in such a short space of time. You don''t even have implements to hunt," observed a rail-thin Celestial with greenish-blue hair.


    Amdirlain smiled. "If there is anything in the mountain’s vicinity, I could demonstrate why I was asked to help you. However, the corruption has spread wider than the dead forest on the surface. Perhaps I should set some markers and have you confirm everything inside the boundary is fine to destroy and regrow."


    "There are still more you''ve not killed. Unless this cleanup cannot wait, I''d propose we do that after they are slain," said Daechir.


    "The distortion worsens from the Eldritch presence until they''re all destroyed. The distortion will affect wildlife in the area but doesn''t seem to spread through stone by itself," advised Amdirlain.


    Daechir winced and gave a resigned sigh.


    "As long as everyone is within thirty-odd kilometres of Silpar and me, I''ll know if they are near an Eldritch."


    Amdirlain caught the tension her deliberately mentioning Silpar raised in some of them. Their reaction drew a wary stillness from Rana, though his gaze narrowed disapprovingly.


    ''Something is certainly wrong here,'' projected Silpar.


    Amdirlain refrained from rolling her eyes. ''Yeah, I''m also curious about their attitude regarding wizards. I thought elves and magic go hand in hand.''


    ''Not all the time,'' advised Silpar, not having moved a muscle since he last spoke to the celestials.


    Analysis showed those who''d reacted to Silpar with tension as promoted petitioners, and Amdirlain passed the information along.


    Tirindo twitched a finger for attention, and Daechir signalled him to speak. "My Lady indicates there is nothing near the mountain worth preserving. The spirit and nature folk who inhabited this area all became twisted by the Eldritch''s presence or left. We have already ended the former."


    "Then the two problems are: the corruption''s lowest area is wider across than its top, and it reaches down to the molten regions," advised Amdirlain.


    The gathered celestials looked at each other before Daechir spoke. "I''m not sure we can help you in either case. What do you propose?"


    "I will need to excise it in sections," replied Amdirlain. "Is there any deity among your peoples'' Pantheon that has dominion over the planet''s inner layers?"


    "Why would we wish to delve so deep?" asked Daechir.


    Amdirlain smiled. "Rarer materials like the mithril used to forge Rana''s sword don''t occur close to the surface like iron deposits. Such materials can support an enchantment placed by a Divine Blessing for longer."


    The smith sitting near the forge had mostly ignored the conversation; now he snapped upright, and interest sparked in his gaze.


    Maybe that will get one of them more interested in the arcane.


    "Would you tell me more after this situation is resolved?" asked the smith.


    "Afterwards," agreed Amdirlain, with a polite nod. "It is your patron''s choice if they release you to your duties and leave me to clean this up, or if some or all of you stay to monitor the process."


    The group didn''t converse among themselves, but the strongest astral devas wearing particular sigils signalled Daechir.


    Daechir turned his attention to Amdirlain. "We would like to witness how you secured the Eldritch and what you mean by excising sections of the corrupted ground."


    Amdirlain nodded and projected an image of the mountain slope where Rana had teleported them. "We''ll meet you here."


    When Amdirlain relocated to the mountainside, she caught Eldritch moving within distant surface tunnels. True Song enfolded them in crystals, and she brought them to rest on the slope as the other celestials began to appear. Arriving in time to see scores of crystal cubes with tentacled forms compressed within appear, the celestials flinched away.


    "I wasn''t boasting," stated Amdirlain. "These had either fled from my attacks or weren''t close by when I dealt with the rest. Fortunately, they made the mistake of returning while we conversed."


    Daechir and the scarred female Celestial stepped close and looked over the cubes.


    "They appeared to be trapped as if within ice. How long will this hold them for?" asked Daechir.


    "Without repairs, those crystals will constrain them longer than this planet has existed," replied Amdirlain.


    "And you know how long that is?" asked Tirindo.


    "The details I have are according to the record of the Titan''s servant, Gideon. Your world''s name is Poica, and it is over three billion, seven hundred million years old," stated Amdirlain. "Unless you''d like to argue with the Aspect of Knowledge for the realm."


    "It is not them we argue with, but your ability to offer accurate information on their behalf," replied Tirindo. His gaze quickly flickered to Silpar before fixing back on Amdirlain. "We know very little about you other than the Summer Court recommended you to our respective deities."


    "She doesn''t answer to you, Tirindo," declared Rana. "She is here because the people of this world are in peril. Your Goddess, among the others, asked the Summer Court for help."


    "Beware of jealousy, Tirindo. As it can lead to paths you would not wish to travel," rumbled Silpar.


    Tirindo''s gaze flashed with anger momentarily, but he held his tongue.


    It''s not jealousy. He doesn''t like the company I keep for a supposed helper of the elven interests.


    "Let me demonstrate how the excising of the corrupted dirt and stone will occur, then," said Amdirlain, her voice serenely composed.


    I will need something to block the planet''s core from expanding into a volcano and catch the chunks of corrupted earth I send upwards. It won''t be a solid mass like beneath that medical facility, so I can''t implant a single crystal to vaporise it and control its orbit towards the sun.


    A Gate to a high orbital position opened, and the celestials'' reactions varied. Some focused on the planet before them, while others had their attention held by the blackness beyond the threshold.


    "Nothing like the view from above your world to put things into perspective."


    Tirindo eyed her warily. "What perspective does it provide you?"


    "That life is fragile and should be treasured," replied Amdirlain. "Most creatures can''t survive in the space between stars without magical assistance."


    It''s time for my orbital catch and destroy platform.


    A set of golden glows came into existence. The first to complete was a thin crystal loop that oriented itself to draw in materials rising towards it and throw them in a decaying orbit towards the sun. The second was a six-metre-tall spire whose enchantments would target primordial flames onto the corrupt materials after it had been ejected towards the sun. Within each were enchantments to hold them in a geostationary orbit relative to the mountain.


    Ignoring the crafting experience, Amdirlain kept the Gate open to let her monitor their effectiveness.


    With all amusement kept from her expression, Amdirlain sang a one-way Gate into existence beneath the deepest layer of the corruption and used the material of the Element Plane of Earth to hold back the planet''s mantle. The ground shook briefly as she sliced a hexagonal pattern downward until it connected to the Gate''s event horizon. The maze of tunnels kept them from being clean pillars, and the ground subsided as they collapsed. Even as she carved more pillars, Amdirlain removed all gravitational attraction from the dead trees and topsoil and flung it upwards.


    The view allowed her to determine that her initial calculations needed some tweaks. With the gravitational forces removed, the hunks of material she''d flung upwards still strained the orbital relay more than she''d anticipated. Partly because even offset relative to the mountain the relay wasn''t close enough to the path she set the initial sections along. As she worked, Amdirlain adjusted the force she applied to throw the mass free of the planet and got closer to the device with every shot. On the other hand, the spire had no issues, and its inferno incinerated the material without impacting its trajectory.


    "Will the material''s remains cause harm to anything out there?" asked Daechir.


    Amdirlain gave a slight headshake but didn''t pause to explain.


    "We can''t detect it with True Sight, but she''s handling many pieces at once not to be able to talk freely," offered Silpar, and he motioned towards the churning ground where the corrupted stone had now been exposed. "I''ll stand guard to ensure her safety. It''s up to you if you go or stay to guard as well."


    That''s fine. I don''t need him to do that, but let them think I''m vulnerable doing this and see if anyone wants to misbehave. I might have to come back and clean some of this up again, but the Eldritch will have to dig fresh tunnels.


    As sections of the extraction were completed, Amdirlain extended the healthy ground and slowly walked the chasm forward. Those few celestials who stayed silently watched the creation''s glow as the vast gulf she’d created filled in. Their gazes darted curiously between Amdirlain and Silpar, who silently stood vigil with an ominous spear lightly held in his grasp.