If there was one thing Maggy could appreciate about the shitshow the world had turned into, it was the lack of paperwork. No endless files to keep track of, no forms to fill out in triplicate, no bureaucratic bullshit turning even the most minor and trivial thing into an entire production. Granted, the lack of organised paperwork meant she needed to keep herself organised without the usual checklists and apps that would remind her if she forgot to deal with something, but that couldn't be too big a problem, right?

It was a delusion, she was aware of that, which was why she had started to make her own notes, essentially starting files of her own, something she had despised before things changed. And yet, it was a necessity, if only to make sure they didn't run out of something essential, like food, for example. That was important, people got really grouchy and impatient if they realised there wouldn't be food for them or their loved ones.

Letting out a sigh, she looked at the latest list, only for a knock on the door to pull her out of her commiseration. Looking up, she called out to enter, thinking it was one of her runners, possibly bringing some important news. Or anything interesting, really.

When the familiar form of Samantha stepped into the room, her shoulder-length blonde hair looking a little dishevelled and unkept, Maggy was quite surprised. Usually, Samantha took great care of her hair, but apparently, something serious had happened. It would certainly explain the tears in her clothing and what might be a few splatters of blood.

"Hello, Samantha," she greeted the other woman, deciding not to mention her state. Samantha would almost certainly tell her, unless something truly troublesome had happened.

"Maggy," the greeting was returned in a terse, tired voice. "Why are people so awful?"

"Excuse me?" There were a few ways Maggy could imagine somebody greeting her, but this hadn't been one of those.

"Sorry, I'm tired," Samantha managed to suppress an obvious yawn as she stepped into the office, her whole demeanour screaming exhaustion, "I'm here to act as a messenger of sorts. Warning, explanation, all that good stuff. Makes you question things," she contieud to ramble, confusing Maggy even further as the woman wasn't making all that much sense. Maybe if she just waited a little, or maybe if she prodded her just right.

"Maybe you should start at the beginning, it might help me understand what is going on," she tried the second option, hoping it would help.

"Yeah, sure," Samantha nodded, only to fall silent as she plopped down on one of the chairs in the office, looking almost as if she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. Just before Maggy got impatient, Samantha continued to talk.

"You see, a few months ago, some strange centaur and his buddies showed up at Jade's tower, trying to batter down the door for some reason. Something about heretics or some bullshit, it didn't make all that much sense. We talked to them and, ultimately, those guys pissed off, or so we thought. Turns out, they didn't piss off, they stuck around in the area, talking to people, getting into their heads, not sure how they managed or what they sought to accomplish. Not sure if it matters," Samantha rambled on, while Maggy was continuing her quest to find meaning in the stream of consciousness.

"Now, those guys somehow got a bunch of people to believe that they are some sort of divine messenger; hell, they might as well be, all praying and shouting and shit. Problem is, the divine message they bring is one of division and hate, mainly directed at Jade but with a splash zone across everyone who has learned from her or something like that," another pause, this one weighing heavily in the air as Maggy started to see the problem. Her group had a fair number of people who had learned magic from Jade, meaning they were all potential targets.

"Remember those guys Jade and her daughter augmented? Over at Peaks Park, or Idiotville as Jade liked to call it? The centaur dude and his buddies have done their best to drive out those they augmented, became a massive mess. I think some of that splashed over to us, though they haven't actively attacked us, just managed to make some trouble while we were out and about." Samantha paused for a second, letting out a sigh, "They are really, really good at making trouble, you know?"

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"Maybe you should get some rest, you don't make all that much sense right now," Maggy told her guest, noticing that the woman's eyes were dropping again, making her wonder if Samantha would fall asleep on the uncomfortable chair the next moment. Which, as it turned out, wasn't far from the truth. After a few more attempts to speak, Samantha's head lolled down, the woman out like a light.

The next morning, their discussion resumed, this time with a much more rested Samantha.

"Now, you rambled quite a bit yesterday, but I'm afraid the details you managed to deliver were somewhat murky," Maggy poked a bit of fun at the other woman, noticing the blush that spread across her face. "Want to try again?"

"Yes, I would like to. Yesterday, I ran on almost no sleep, thanks to those sun-burned idiots," Samantha nodded, the blush fading as a look of annoyance took over. "We managed to get some background on them, partially thanks to Jademoon tower and the resources Jade left behind. Wasn't easy, there's apparently a lot going on, but I think we have a relatively useful picture."

After a nod, the explanation started again, this time with a lot more details, both regarding the conflict itself and its current extent. It took a while, and Maggy managed to hold her questions until Samantha was done with the explanation, answering some of those questions in the process. Not that these answers helped Maggy with her rising temper.

"Shit," Maggy quietly cursed when the explanation was done, "And we can't even get properly drunk right now," she groused, cursing the lack of alcohol to act as a distraction.

"You are telling me that now, after the world went to hell in a handbasket, people can't just let bygones be bygones? They have to drag up the same shit we were dealing with before it all went to hell, just in a different flavour?" Maggy started to rage, only for Samantha to shake her head emphatically.

"Think again, it's so much worse," the other woman's forcibly calm voice took the wind out of her sails, "It's not just people using religion and believing in that stuff. Now, we have actual divine beings pushing things along, divine beings who are obviously capable of holding a grudge and working through mortals to have that grudge avenged."

"Right, we now have holy wars, just with superpowers. Wonderful, the world is so much better now that people are starting to kill each other again, not like there have been too few dead people in the last year and a half," Maggy let out a sigh, "How have we not managed to go extinct yet?"

"Good question, I can only hope that the religious nutjobs are a local phenomenon. And, I should point out, they are not yet at the 'kill people who disagree with us' stage; they are merely at the 'make serious trouble for people who disagree with us' stage. Though given that they are escalating and happily using the various monsters as weapons, I'm not sure the distinction will remain in effect for all that much longer." Samantha's voice caused Maggy to sigh again.

"So, they don't stab people, they just bait monsters into running into their settlements?" she asked, just to clarify.

"Exactly, they managed to gather a fairly large mob two days ago and, somehow, managed to have the entire mob crash into our defences. Fighting and clean-up were why I was so exhausted when I came here yesterday; I didn't sleep all that much. Or at all, really."

"I'd just love to know why so many people joined them, you said there were only five? Yet, the description you gave later implies at least forty people, all following the same idiotic ideas?" Maggy sighed, already knowing that there likely wouldn't be an easy answer. Individual motivations, all coalescing into a large, stupid mob.

"Power, why else?" Samantha answered, sounding just as defeated as Maggy felt, "Their deity hands out some relatively potent rewards right away, though I'm not sure how much growth those guys will experience. So, instead of having to train or study a lot to get to the level that allows them to challenge the monsters around here, they just have to submit and pray." There was a brief pause, before she continued, "Also, they are excellent at growing crops, though their way is quite different from the tricks we were taught at Jademoon Tower. Easier but, again, completely reliant on their deity."

"That would do it," Maggy nodded, fully aware that a lot of people were willing to take the easy way if one was offered. As was the case here, they took the easy way, likely ignorant or simply indifferent to the fact that they were now stuck on that path. Letting out a sigh, she asked herself just how this mess would turn out in the future. And, echoing Samantha from the day before, why people were so awful?

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