Chapter 5

Lilly and Xomera sat in the bar in Refuge neither of them were big drinkers, Xomera even less so than Lilly, so they had only a few drinks. It was a mostly silent visit.

"We know the betrayer is here, so, where should we start looking?" Lilly asked.

"I don't care." Xomera muttered.

"You don't care about finding him, or You don't care where we start?" Lilly asked, confused at Xomera's admittedly vague response.

"The latter." Xomera replied.

Lilly was about to say something when she looked out the window and saw the people out there running from something, looking back to Xomera, Lilly then Got up, Strapping Chillkiss To her back, and Slinging Jade's Lash Over her shoulder, Lilly tossed the Bartender the Gold she owed. Walking for the exit, Xomera let out a long sigh, finishing her drink off quickly before following after Lilly, already fed up.

"Leaving the Bar, Lilly and Xomera had to fight through the retreating Crowd, but once they got through, thankfully before Xomera started killing people, they saw what they were running from, eleven of the Betrayer's wraiths.

"I think we've found where to start." Lilly said, Drawing Chillkiss, the wraith Lilly could Identify as her ancestor, Gwendolyn Dragon loom turned to her peer on the left.

"Find him, tell him the rumors are true." Gwendolyn ordered, and the wraith she said this to Dissipated and flew east.

"You want to tell us where your pal is hiding, we'd very much like a meeting with him." Lilly said, Gwendolyn drew her weapon, and the nine wraiths aside from her soon followed.

"By the gods," Xomera muttered, pulling her katana from its sheath. Lilly and Xomera Both Approached the Wraiths. They've both fought many wraiths on their own before, so Lilly was confident in the two of them vs ten wraiths, so long as they didn't pull any cheap tricks, Like the Betrayer, and doolga had.

They engaged the wraiths. The reason they teleported so much was because they were slow, because somewhere under those dark cloaks, and hidden faces, there were bodies clad in heavy plate. A technique Lilly had found useful was a spell that would set her Target on fire when her Arrows Strike true. It dealt with most wraiths as they don't like fire. Xomera Threw three throwing knives at three of the wraiths, being propelled by her trademark eldritch blast which threw them back ten feet.

Lilly was about to Sheath Chillkiss to switch to Jade's lash, but Gwendolyn moved for a teleport Strike which forced Lilly to dodge roll. Lilly regretted drawing Chillkiss instead of Jade's Lash, because now Lilly was stuck with the Longsword

Two more wraiths tried to Teleport strike Xomera, as Gwendolyn pressed the advantage she had on Lilly. Xomera Parried one Wraith's attack, and blasted the other with her magic, she then Blasted the wraith she Parried first, Gwendolyn had Lilly on the back Pedal, Gwendolyn then was thrown forty feet away from Lilly through a brick wall by Xomera's magic blast, and so Gwendolyn would be out of the fight for a while.

So, Lilly and Xomera turned their Attention to the other wraiths. Five moved to teleport Strike Xomera, and four went to teleport strike Lilly, Lilly dealt with her Attackers by ducking out of the way of the High attacks, she pulled the first wraith who attempted to teleport strike Lilly, into the Path of the other two wraiths who haven't made their first strike entirely yet, and used the wraith as a Shield, barely dodging a sword being stabbed all the way through the wraith that Lilly used as a shield. After the Strikes were done, Lilly threw the wraith onto the other two, and Locked blades with the final one.

That was a rapid strike, and Xomera's attacked immediately after that, so when Lilly's four wraiths moved to attack again in unison with the five attacking Xomera, Xomera Grabbed hold of Lilly and casted a spell which made the wraiths perceive their worst nightmares, whatever it was Lilly didn't want to know, but it stalled them.

"Let's just go, it's not worth it," Xomera said.

"Where to?" Lilly asked.

"Far away for now, where I don't care. I'm too tired and weak for this now." Xomera said, Lilly nodded, and they left the city while the wraiths were distracted, when leaving, Lilly Banished the one wraith that was certainly broken, and they left. They traveled a good distance in only a few hours

The next time they stopped was at a town where the guards there carried katanas like xomera's, only theirs weren't magically infused. Lilly paid for their rooms.

"I'm getting too damn old for this." Xomera muttered.

"Well, if you need anything, you know how to get ahold of me." Lilly told her. Xomera's comment was only funny if you didn't know the truth, Xomera looked like she was sixteen, but in reality, twenty years older, same goes for Lilly only she looked like she was nineteen.

"Have anything for a pounding migraine? My skull may be reformed, but it doesn't quite feel like it." Xomera mumbled, her hand nursing her head.

"I can look for some herbs that can act as painkillers." Lilly replied.

"Herb tea?" Xomera questioned

"If you would prefer it in that format." Lilly answered.

"Oh goodie, a tea party like normal. That sounds nice right now, relaxing normal." Xomera mumbled

"It really does," Lilly replied, "I'll go search for those herbs, if I have to I'll speak to the local vendors, though sorely hope I don't"

"I'll set up a tea to brew, and wait for you in the dark for now, hopefully that can help." Xomera replied.

"Alright, well, take it easy." Lilly said, leaving the building, and pulling her hood up, the less people who recognized her the better, as the wraiths could track them if people knew, at least, Lilly assumed that's how they found her and Xomera at Refuge.

Lilly searched the forest nearby thankfully she found the herbs that she recognized that were native to both Tiplella and Tiplora, and would also help as painkillers, there weren't many, but Lilly found them, and returned to Xomera, and true to her word, the room was dark.

"I got what we needed." Lilly said.

"Thank you, Lilly." Xomera hummed, sitting not far from a table that already had a tea pot sitting on it. "The tea is done, I figured I'd make a full pot and mix it into mine specifically. You know, not spike you with drugs."

"Anything." Lilly replied, bringing the herbs over to the table.

"I hope you're not afraid of that dark," Xomera mumbled, only trying to lighten the mood as she poured them both a cup of tea. She would mix some of the herbs into her drink as she awaited Lilly's reply.

"Well, I don't think I am normally, but around you, I don't think I'm afraid of very much at all." Lilly said, Glad to be back with her best friend.

"If anything, you should be afraid of me." Xomera mumbled, before taking a sip from her cup. "After all, apparently, I go and slaughter towns of people for 'no reason' they say."

"You have plenty of reasons." Lilly told her.

"Precisely." Xomera replied. "So be it, paint me as the bad guy. I'll only fulfill your prophecy."

"It's a bit difficult for the empire to paint you that way, since you could walk in and be their empress at any time, along with the fact that you're one of their Patron gods." Lilly explained.

"Yes, but it was easy to before I was all of that. I remember the days I walked around and saw the way people looked at me. Preventing me from entering their town like that would help them. And I remember the days when I was in chains, the way people looked down on me, never helping to free them slaves. What a foolish child I was then." Xomera mumbled.

"And now, you're a Goddess, I'd say if that didn't show those who looked down upon a thing or two, then they're just as bull headed as most northborns. After all of that, you came and helped me out, I kind of owe everything I have to you." Lilly said.

"I came to help you, because you were the first to show me kindness, even while I was shackled. I viewed you as the first person to see me as me, and even if you didn't know at the time, the fact you tried to help meant everything to me. That's when I was able to grow my courage, and eventually rise up to the occasion that led to me gaining my titles. So, in a way, everything I had, was also because of you, Lilly." Xomera said, truthfully.

"Well, now here we are, two Mothers with a major vendetta." Lilly replied, "And we wouldn't have gotten this far without each other from the way you explain it."

"And to be truthful, we probably won't get much further here without each other. It seems we were either made or destined to work together." Xomera mumbled

"I'm glad I have you as my best friend." Lilly replied, but not saying much more.

"And you as mine," Xomera answered.

"Well, obviously we're not going to do much once you're too full strength, but at least we know we have the Betrayer's attention, which means, once we're ready, we should be able to fight him on our terms." Lilly explained.

"What I would give to throw him off the imperial palace roof once more." Xomera mumbled.

"What I would give to see that, you know, despite him suffering defeats in battle before, I think he considers that his greatest loss." Lilly replied.

"Oh, I'm sure he does, I specially used a form of psychology against him. Anointing him every so often, getting him to lower his guard about me while I make myself seem weaker than I am, and targeting his anger while he previewed me as weak. To a point he would turn his back to me while thousands of feet high upon a roof. Mind you, he did eventually figure out my style, and had a dirty backhand." Xomera mumbled.

"Nice," Lilly said, "I personally can't believe he had Dolga try to kill me, and then his 'best lieutenant' had his plans crumble around him, to the point he was too afraid to fight me when I had a broken arm."

"I'm just glad Zathor is with us. I couldn't imagine trying to go against him, with or without backup." Xomera stated.

"Yeah, it's difficult to Imagine he ever worked for the Betrayer in the first place." Lilly replied

"He was manipulated, we can relate to that. Things can be more powerful that we perceive, but when people truly want to overcome it, they can. This was such a case, as was ours." Xomera explained. "And sometimes, you need people to help you see that light. Like you did for me, and I for you, and me for him."

"Yeah." Lilly sighed, "Sometimes people get what they don't deserve. Remember Lily Dragonborn?"

"How could I ever forget her?" Xomera claimed.

"Well, she was killed by Dolga, that's why I adopted Alayna, and then Dolga managed to kill me." Lilly sighed, hoping Alayna was doing alright.

"Is it just me, or does it seem like Dogla has a thing for killing kids' moms, specifically little girls?" Xomera questioned.

"Yeah," Lilly said, "Maybe he had issues with his mother and sister, doesn't make it any less bad, or any less worthy of being dragged through fire."

"Oh no, he definitely deserved that, if not more. I'm just starting to notice his fetish I guess." Xomera mumbled, sipping on her tea.

"I think he just hates families in general. And then there's the illusionist," Lilly had to take a deep breath, "I have no Idea what's wrong with him."

"They are all men who think they are powerful after finding a negative outlet to deal with their trauma. There's nothing special about them, just run of the mill levereter's." Xomera said.

"Yeah, mostly, save for the Illusionist's raw Illusion magic, which allows him to make physical Illusions, and wound people's psyches." Lilly said, regretfully thinking back to what the Illusionist did to her in the ice wastes of the northern region.

"In the end they will suffer, I'll see to it personally. I'm tired of playing games, I just want to be able to sleep in my own damned home for a change, without having to go out for war, or teleport all across the continent to fix everyone else's problems!" Xomera spat. "I'm not some hero for people, or a proper goddess to worship. I'm just tired!"

"Me too." Lilly wasn't sure if she was being truthful or not, she always liked the adventure, but at some point, there's a limit to what she's willing to do.

"In the end, I guess you don't get much choice. If there's a threat perceiving your world, and you want to stick around to be able to relax, you have to deal with it. Because you don't know who else will. Maybe you'll even start on your own. But that evil needs to be dealt with." Xomera sighed.

"Agreed." Lilly said, one hundred percent in agreement that time.

"See, now that agreement was more strong, more fulfilling than the last, dear." Xomera pointed out. "You don't have to agree with me to agree with me."

"Well, we should get some rest," Lilly began

"Now, now, Lilly. Cutting me off and ignoring my claim, is there something you're trying to hide? Why now all of a sudden are you being so void on the subject?" Xomera hummed, looking towards Lilly fully.

"When I fought the Illusionist, he really scared me." Lilly said, and then explained everything that happened during her first encounter with the Illusionist after Alayna was kidnapped.

"My body and all, that coward. Of course, he would use something like that against you, Lilly." Xomera spat, giving an angered sigh as she tried to calm herself. "There's nothing I can do to console you, other than to tell you I'm right here. I don't know what they thought they would accomplish by putting us together in hell, but it sure as hell didn't work out well for them."

"I was consoled the moment I saw you again in the hells." Lilly replied, even though the scar remained, "You see now why I dragged him through a forge fire?"

"I would have loved to see you do it to him, even without that happening to you. He still deserved it beforehand." Xomera muttered.

"Yeah, he really pushed me over the edge, though if This odd Jayda woman didn't show up, I might have frozen to death out there in the wastes." Lilly said.

"I'm glad you didn't, Lilly. Even if I were to die right before you, I would still want you to go on and live your life. Especially to your child. That's one of the only reasons I choose to keep going right here, to get you home, where you and your kid could have a chance in a stable environment." Xomera mumbled.

"I'm not sure Alayna's anxiety would allow for stability. But there's still something about Jayda that I can't shake. I probably should have checked the Hourglass, but I think she had Temporal radiation on her. Come to think of it, the hooded man did too."

"As far as I know from my experience with that radiation, that means time travel. So maybe this person could be important to you in the future, it's hard to say. There's so much time travel fuckery going on anyways, and we can't get enough details now, less everything explodes, or our heads implode. So, maybe you'll find out, maybe you won't. It's unjust to bugle your mind with it so when you won't know till later." Xomera claimed.

"Well, that Hooded man gave me a sense of Deja vu as well, he really reminds me of, what's his face, the annoying idiot who argues with the other annoying idiot like they were an old married couple, despite the first annoying idiot being Andrea's fiancé."

"Ah, Garou and Tedran are who I think you're referring to, the two-time traveling idiots." Xomera mumbled. "With enough words ever flowing from their traps to drown the billions of people in the world evermore."

"Yeah precisely, the hooded man reminded me of Gar- that son of bitch. The hooded man is Garou. I'm going to kill him if he ever shows his face again." Lilly said, again, not sure if she was telling the truth.

"That yaldson, Lilly, get it right." Xomera corrected. "Don't let that wandought get the better of you."

"Yeah." Lilly said, "You know, I've really missed you."

"Hard to believe that people say I'm too scary to be around." Xomera joked, sending a small smile toward Lilly. "I've missed you too."

"Take as much time as you need to recover." Lilly said, taking another sip of her tea, and spent the better part of the afternoon catching back up with Xomera.