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Divination (Fire Emblem: Three Houses / Sanctioned [Worm])

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Chapter 5: Gluttony
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    • Special thanks to @saganatsu, @DB_Explorer, @fictionfan, @Adephagia, @DaGeek247, @Wordsmith, @Taut_Templar, Jamie Wahls, @Elfalpha, @BunnyLord, @Drcatspaw, @Conspiracy, @tinkerware, and my 17 other patrons not mentioned here. An extremely enthusiastic "Thank you" to @Torgamous for her patronage as well. Also, if you're not on here, you fit the tier, and you want to be added, please tell me. >.>

    Beta-read by @Nachtigall.


    There were caverns within Garreg Mach which had gone practically untouched for centuries. They were places in which Rhea might carry out rituals away from the eyes of meddling followers, or allow her family to rest for decades should they ever accept that resting within the monastery was far safer than the outside world. In recent centuries, she had seldom touched them beyond checking the wards to verify that none had found and intruded upon her private sanctums.

    Sothis Admini now frolicked within one of those same caverns, chirping excitedly, fluttering Her wings, and periodically stopping to release a puff of mist from which new plants grew and flowers bloomed. And they were entirely new, Rhea was sure; the strangely-colored stems were quite distinctive from Rhea's childhood memories. Sothis seemingly needed to repeat Her old experiments with learning what colors of photosynthetic plant could best survive. In time, Rhea was sure that She would once again settle on green as the color best suited for devouring the energy of the sun.

    If Sothis Admini had playmates, the scene would not have been unusual for the Zanado of ages past, before humans—before Nabatean children were no longer there to play. Perhaps there might yet be more Nabateans again. Perhaps the second incarnation of Nabateans would be different than the first, and indeed, Rhea fully intended to request such. She would be among the first to admit that her species had its flaws.

    Or rather, she quickly corrected herself, it is the humans who turned Her gifts into flaws.

    Nabateans might have been made and birthed in Sothis's own preferred image, yes, but She was a goddess. She could make changes. Defenses against the desecration of their blood and bone were foremost among Rhea's wishes. The strength of Nabateans was a gift, of course, but it was one that could be stolen and humans had certainly proven themselves savage and monstrous enough to do so. Rhea was not so arrogant as to assume that humanity would not repeat their sins if they were given the option.

    Rhea's budding agitation rapidly faded in the face of another hiccup from Sothis's new incarnation. The newest pink-stemmed orange flowers with silver thorns were about as far from aesthetically pleasing as one could get, but it was clear that Sothis was not trying to create anything lasting at the moment. The magically preserved bouquet in Rhea's rooms revealed that She could manage attractive creations without issue when She wished to do so. These were clearly mere practice and an exploration of Her abilities. The presence of those abilities was rapidly kindling hope within Rhea's heart, too. She had long hoped for the return of Sothis at Her full strength, but a thousand years of failures introduced an undercurrent of doubt. Rhea told herself that having Mother back at all would be enough, and she still believed such. However, it now seemed all-but certain that Sothis would regain all that She had lost in time.

    Watching Admini, Rhea felt contentment slowly settle upon her like a blanket warmed by the hearth. She almost felt as though she could doze off then and there. The slight pain of the headdress still concealing her ears reminded her that sleep was not yet an option. Rhea was close to being able to rest, yes, but she would need to wait until Sothis had regained full use of Her powers.

    Rhea blinked upon realizing that Sothis Admini had reverted to Her two-legged form at some point and now peered up at Rhea. Her face lacked the ear-splitting grin Rhea once expected from Sothis reborn. Admini still harbored a small smile, however, and Rhea considered that victory enough.

    "How much time do I have available before we need to vacate the area due to a scheduled search?" Admini asked, Her calm at odds with the lingering happiness on Her features.

    Rhea paused at that. She thought she had made it clear they would not be disturbed here. She supposed that Admini might have thought Rhea meant only unexpected interruptions rather than anyone arriving at all.

    "You and I are the only individuals alive who know of this place," Rhea reassured her. "We may stay for as long as you want."

    For a moment, Rhea entertained the idea of simply keeping Sothis within the mountain until She had returned to Her full strength. But no, both human and Nabatean children required far too much care to keep Her truly hidden, to say nothing of what the lack of sunlight might do to Her. Sothis was so very fond of making sunlight an essential component for good health. Why shouldn't She? It was one of the easiest resources to provide.

    "The search patterns of knights are preset and do not include these secret areas?" Admini asked slowly.

    The question was uttered in a perfectly calm tone, but Rhea was still stuck with the sinking sensation of having done something wrong without knowing what. Mother was so seldom harsh when expressing disappointment; knowing that She was disappointed with the errant individual was often punishment enough. The Archbishop took a deep breath, clasped her hands beneath her robes, and reminded herself that Sothis had yet to return to Her full power and wisdom. Admini could, and had, repeated old mistakes.

    Perhaps Rhea would believe this was one of those cases if she thought it enough times.

    "There are a great many hidden sanctums that might yet delay attackers for a few hours more in the event of an invasion," Rhea elaborated. "Or caches that may go untouched and unknown altogether until Garreg Mach can be reclaimed."

    Admini's face twisted in exasperation, and a flicker of enlightenment dawned upon Rhea. The Goddess Reborn was concerned about the possibility of additions, was She not? She overestimated humans, Rhea felt. Even the quietest of their earth-molding magics was quite loud, and she had seen to it that such an incursion would be noticed either from above or below.

    "Are you concerned by the possibility of others exploiting the absence of additional checks?" Rhea asked, and smiled gently. "I believe I can offer some reassurances on that front. Those on the surface would stumble across any tunneling attempts in progress, and those below have been provided with generous financial incentives to report any incursions or information worthy of note. They have proven to be an exceptionally effective supplement to my more loyal intelligence agents and well worth tolerating."

    "Below?"

    Rhea started to incline her head in assent before remembering that Admini had been raised by mercenaries thus far. It felt absurd and alien for her to turn the motion into a full-fledged nod, but she bore the discomfort for the sake of clarity.

    "Many of the old areas beneath Garreg Mach have been contaminated by magical research, errant magical defenses, and the evidence of past mistakes," Rhea explained. "This realm, known to its denizens as the 'Abyss,' is a veritable maze that has claimed the lives of many would-be treasure hunters in the past. The passage of time rendered it only marginally safer, and it currently contains markets providing... less than legal goods and services. Fugitives from surrounding countries and those too impoverished to afford lodgings atop the mountain also reside within."

    The criminal element was an inevitability in any human settlement of sufficient size, Rhea had found. Best to have the beating heart within arm's reach so that it might be crushed if necessary, and financial incentives provided to their leaders so that elimination would not be needed.

    ...Ah, but Admini's eyes were growing even wider. That was not a good sign. The subsequent look as though Sothis were reevaluating her intelligence hurt more than Rhea wished to admit, too. It wasn't as though she had any perfect options available to her; she had done her best in this wretched and painfully imperfect world left by Sothis's demise!

    "Illusions can make noise. They can therefore cancel noise with sufficient tuning," Sothis Admini lectured, acting as though such a conclusion made perfect sense. "Additionally, this site has stood for multiple centuries and is heavily fortified on the surface. Any foe worthy of concern will have had more than enough time to map problematic areas underground in addition to cultivating a culture advantageous to them among the denizens thereof.

    "Humans are a community species and will frequently prioritize social bonds over financial incentives, especially if accepting the latter is seen as some sort of betrayal. If that is insufficient, then assassination or simple old age are both viable tools through which enemies may ensure that elements sympathetic to them are placed in positions of power. It is not safe to assume that networks outside your control will remain allied over the course of a longer timespan. Ongoing supervision is required.

    "The visible wealth of the surface is also an issue. Denizens of this 'Abyss' will likely develop resentment, jealousy, and the urge to take Garreg Mach's wealth for themselves. This issue will only be exacerbated by any poverty below ground. This is not a sustainable state of affairs. Garreg Mach cannot be called secure while such a blatant vulnerability exists within its walls."

    Rhea felt a small frown gradually form. She still believed that the Abyss was a worthwhile venture in the long term, but Sothis was correct: short-term security took priority until She regained full use of Her powers. Risk mitigation would be more important until then.

    "Reclaiming the Abyss would be an expensive venture," Rhea warned, "and one which would provide even more reason for its current inhabitants to loathe us—and you in particular, should the changes be linked to your introduction. People can become quite dangerous when they feel they have nothing to lose."

    A stab of age-old agony flickered through her at that and was almost reflexively buried. As she stared at her Mother reborn, however, Rhea realized that the agony was unnecessary and felt her chest slowly unclench without the need for such entombment.

    Mother is alive!

    She was so distracted by her dizzying rush of giddiness that she almost missed Admini's next words.

    "That should not be necessary. I can personally mitigate the threat in a manner which should also serve as a suitable introduction to this world."

    Rhea's giddiness was overtaken by a sudden and perfectly reasonable surge of dread. She doubted that she would like where this was going.
     
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    • Alivaril said:
    Mother is alive!

    She was so distracted by her dizzying rush of giddiness that she almost missed Admini's next words.

    "That should not be necessary. I can personally mitigate the threat in a manner which should also serve as a suitable introduction to this world."

    Rhea's giddiness was overtaken by a sudden and perfectly reasonable surge of dread. She doubted that she would like where this was going.
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    Don't worry, it can only get 'better'. Or go from 'nipping' a potential "Expansion" problem in the bud... To becoming a looming, blooming dagger against their adversaries...

    If anything. It'd be "those who slither" who'd have to lurk and wait... in horror.
     
    Alivaril said:
    In time, Rhea was sure that She would once again settle on green as the color best suited for devouring the energy of the sun.
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    This actually isnt true. While there is no universally accepted consensus on the reason for the green colour, its most likely a quirk of the world that green plants evolved in.

    The first photosyntehsizers were purple, they ate green and reflected blue and red. Green plants (evolved to eat blue and red and reflect green) were born into a situation where green light was less abundant than blue and red, and so found advantage in consuming those, then because they were absorbing twice the light as the purple plants (and the more energetic blue wavelengths to boot), they naturally grew faster and out competed them. They remain more or less green to this day as a result, and not because green is the 'ideal' colour.

    Black is the ideal colour, as it would absorb all three primary colours and provide almost half again more energy than green planets get. The reason a superspecies of black plants (like Black Mondo Grass) hasnt taken over is because a true 'black plant' has to be structured differently, turning a green plant black (again like the mondo grass) actually makes them absorb less light. To properly take advantage of the black colouration a plant needs a bunch of structural changes to go with the colour changes and without them black is a disadvantage rather than an advantage. The light doesnt reach as deeply into the leaves so the top layers end up over-saturated whil the under-layers are undersaturated.

    In short, black is better than green, but you cant turn a green plant black and expect it to thrive, so while black may be superior to green for absorbing solar energy, the evolutionary pathway from green to black plants is both fraught and unlikely, and since green took over from purple we are unlikely to ever get a black-dominated flora biome.

    And between you and me, im more confused at the lack of red plants. Its not as big a difference obviously but green light is more useful than red, so a plant(red) that eats green and blue should be able to out compete a plant(green) that eats red and blue. Without the structural issues that black plants have, as i understand it.
     
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    ChaoticSky said:
    This actually isnt true.
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    "They're green because that's the best color for them to eat with, right, Mother?"

    *looks at the non-photosynthetic green hair and eyes of Nabateans*

    "...Yeesss. It's definitely because of efficiency and doesn't have anything to do with a personal fondness for the color. Definitely."

    –Rhea and Sothis, Probably
     
    This is either going to end in Friendship or Nanoha's style of "Friendship." Which is to say a mushroom cloud.

    Both will be effective! :D
     
    Nice! I really didn't expect to see this update again, but I'm glad it has, it's my favorite of your crossovers. Can we expect more or was this a result of random inspiration?
    I feel like reviving the Nabateans might actually be within QA's current powerset. Of course she wouldn't just stop at the suggestions from Rhea, cause if a Friend isn't venomous and/or poisonous what exactly is the point in making it?
     
    Ken Lac said:
    Can we expect more or was this a result of random inspiration?
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    That's hard to answer since the morning I wrote it was the first time I had been medicated in weeks, but I forgot my meds again today. So uh, I'll get back to you once I'm less of a puddle?

    Ken Lac said:
    Of course she wouldn't just stop at the suggestions from Rhea, cause if a Friend isn't venomous and/or poisonous what exactly is the point in making it?
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    ...Explosives and acid? Acid bombs? :V
     
    TaliesinSkye said:
    Another charming chapter, thank you! I'm looking forward to whatever insanity Admini comes up with.


    If they have to operate underground, maybe fungus? XD
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    ROTH963 said:
    Might not even be proper friends but some nightmarish fungul zombie disease, some fungus cam act like zombie infection for bugs, something that infect humans and give them battle forms is possible.
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    LostArchivist said:
    This is either going to end in Friendship or Nanoha's style of "Friendship." Which is to say a mushroom cloud.

    Both will be effective! :D
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    It can be more literal, too!

    A cloud of mushroom spores, that eat into most materials and propagate, taking over bodies both living or not, it's going to be full on horror genre for everyone who's NOT Admini.

    Also yeah, I watched a video about how fungi eats through even rocks, and they reduce deadwood into mulch? I can't remember everything, but my understanding boiled down to this.
     
    Some people may be looking forward to Admini's meeting with Edelgard (myself included, to be fair). But I'm much more interested in her meeting with Bernadetta, just to witness Rhea's horror as they immediately bond over the Goddess's mistakes best flora.
     
    Honestly, Professor QAylor teaching a classroom of 'various issues/trauma' kids, would be like unwittingly being stuck with walking "would-be" hosts, if given the right 'trigger' for Parahuman powers, clearly.

    Or what can go wrong, over accidentally making "Draconic Parahumans", or worse accidentally having 'draconic ancestor' merge/puppet some characters by accident, "mother" horror wise? But I digress, before one even thinks of giving Rhea an anyrysm, over "Mother can make dragons out of people!" (That will be, but another green-haired horror show.)
     
    LectorEl said:
    (Imagine if Edelgard was one of Admini's conversions. Why confine the trauma to only one faction?)
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    At worst, all I'd say is if going under Eldritch Shard magic solution being, "Let's make them all Dragons! They have a good life span~"

    Those Who Dubstep: *Massive DOOM! Over the arrival of some Anti-Christ... To totally-not-Cauldron plots in mind.*

    And that's before we even cover 'how' would our Admini commit/unleash horrific War Crimes, by accident. Or with good intent, being so horrific, even Sophis would be stuck in hell, over having to manage a naively eldritch!halpful Shard, gone dangerously... creative, instead of repetitive.

    I mean. If sufficient "trauma" can make dragons out of humans unleash the 'true potential' out of 'potential hosts'. Then that'd just be begging for a classroom of horror, to be had.
     
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    V01DRei said:
    Anyone else think that Admini will get on well with Flayn? (I may be misspelling the name)
    (I have a feeling the the only reason the House wouldn't be on Fire with them together is that they'll only become dragons in places where there's nothing flammable. On the other hand, SCIENCE - which will make her do well with the Black Eagles princess...)
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    Dunno how accurate I feel this statement is.... what with how she is currently on a road determined to extinct-ify her entire species. If Admini/QAleth wants to subvert such an outcome she may wish to get started on rescuing her from her future torment and undoing a near lifetime of indoctrination by the molemen.
     
    Lady-Miki-666 said:
    If Admini/QAleth wants to subvert such an outcome she may wish to get started on rescuing her from her future torment and undoing a near lifetime of indoctrination by the molemen.
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    Problem is Admini has no future knowledge and is working on incorrect assumptions. She has literally no idea that the Agarthans are a thing, that there are experiments with crests, that crests exist (Don't think they've been mentioned) or even that her species is actually a natural species, not a Shard created creature. But I guess that last one is kinda correct in a way, if Sothis was actually a Shard as QA thinks she is. Honestly, a random SI with no knowledge of FE3H would probably be able to figure out what's going on better than QA can, QA is smart, but she's also really old and her views on how the world works are entrenched.
     
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