My great thanks to TodaBruh, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
A day before the meeting of the Dragonflights, The Void.
Oedon stepped through the portal leading to the so-called "Mother of Feasts," Nusha'urraatst, her spear in hand and an armor of Blood around her body, her blood-red eyes full of both sympathy and anger. She arrived in the middle of a shattered fortress, the once great throne room she was in now but a shadow of its former glory. Here and there, tattered red banners still hang, wherever symbols of power they heralded long faded by time and damage. Corpses, fresh and old, littered the place, though the fortress was by no means empty, far from it.
The moment she stepped through the portal, everything on the other side of it froze, their heads snapping towards her instantly.
The countless daughters/lesser clones of the local Eldritch Goddess of Blood in the throne room, their pale, horrific forms twisted by unnatural hunger, driven just as mad as their mother by the cruel god who broke Nusha, stared at her with a mix of pure, insane bloodlust… and a certain amount of instinctive submission.
They could feel her own Authority as a Greater Goddess of Blood, greater even than their progenitor. It made them cautious, despite their maddened frenzy for Blood that reminded Oedon far, far too much of Yharnam's beasts.
As for their mother…
Oedon's expression turned into one of deep sorrow and sympathy towards the broken wretch currently looking up at her with despair, insane bloodlust and the remaining shred of willpower she could muster to dare to hope.
She must have been beautiful, once, but now she was an emancipated, pale, filthy and blood-covered thing barely recognizable as a woman. Wearing the tattered rags of a once beautiful red dress, crazed, blood-red eyes met her own underneath filthy strands of raven black hair, the sheer hunger in them making it clear that she was but a single hairsbreadth away from snapping entirely and throwing herself at Oedon in frenzied bloodlust.
"You…" the broken goddess whispered softly, madness and desperate hope fighting in her eyes for control. "Blood… So rich, so thick…" she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a second.
When she opened them again, they glowed a bright, burning red, the shreds of sanity in her eyes fading away in the place of sheer hunger for Blood.
"So sweet… It's enough to make a goddess sick…" she purred hungrily, licking blood-stained lips and teeth.
Oedon stared at her… and then smiled softly, sadly. "I know. I know better than anyone."
She extended her free arm towards her, the armor of blood rescinding to show her pale skin.
"Drink." Oedon ordered firmly, though with immense gentleness. "Drink and be whole again."
Even the mad goddess froze at those words, visibly stunned that Oedon was willingly letting her feast, but a moment later a twisted, ugly grin spread on her face.
"Yeeeesss… Feast!" she hissed, a second before her head snapped towards the mad lesser clones slowly gathering behind Oedon, their hunger finally making them eager to tear her apart and drink her dry, insane rage flashing in the mad goddess' eyes at the sight. "You! Stay back! She's mine!" she howled with a shockwave of power, sending the bloodthirsty clones scurrying back in terror… though they stayed close enough to observe, muttering brokenly to themselves about rich, sweet blood.
Then Nusha looked back at Oedon, cruel glee in her eyes, the same twisted grin flashing back on her face. "And now… The Feast!"
She lunged forward, sinking her teeth into Oedon's pale wrist, biting and and tearing like a wild animal-
And then Oedon's Blood actually filled her mouth, the power contained within flooding her body, mind and soul.
The mad goddess froze, her eyes suddenly glowing brighter than the very stars themselves with raw cosmic might, while Oedon smiled, utterly uncaring of the mess that was currently her left arm, dismissing her spear for now and bringing her free hand on top of the goddess' head to gently but firmly keep her where she was.
"Drink." she commanded, the broken goddess having no choice but to obey both her nature and the command from the far more powerful deity.
She drank, deep and greedily of Oedon's blood, and behind them the lesser clones of the mad goddess suddenly froze as well.
Power, pure and beyond anything any of them had ever experienced, suddenly filled their bodies through their connections with their creator deity, and they all began howling as something began lovingly caressing their very souls with infinite gentleness, healing and strengthening all that they were.
The mad goddess kept drinking from Oedon, the once frenzied grip she held on the pale arm freely offered to her turning into a desperate grip, as if something deep within the goddess pushed her to not let go of it at any cost, like a drowning woman being given a lifeline.
She clung to that thread of hope, every mouthful of Blood bringing ecstasy and a sense of peace she could scarcely ever remember feeling.
Oedon began humming a lullaby, gently stroking the goddess' head, who began slowing down her frenzied gulping of Blood in favor of something calmer, more controlled, her once crazed red eyes turning lidded with bliss and a sensation of warmth flooding her entire being.
A soft smile on her lips, Oedon whispered gentle encouragement to the now kneeling goddess, her free hand still stroking the goddess' head, even as she used the Blood as a conduit through which she used her power to remake the goddess and her spawnlings, greater than ever.
Across the throne room, the fortress beyond it, and even within the full scale of the multiverse, all connected to the mad goddess of Blood collapsed, writhing on the ground with glowing red eyes and shockingly peaceful smiles, as if a hole within their very souls they had been desperately trying to fill had finally become closed at last.
Nusha kept drinking from Oedon's arm, her body filling out, her beauty returning and then becoming even greater, an aura of power and nobility returning to her instead of one of barely-contained bloodlust.
Finally, Oedon used her free hand to gently, but firmly tug Nusha's head away from her blood-soaked arm, said Blood returning inside her veins and her arm healing itself in a mere second.
Her Blood armor regrowing around her pale arm, Oedon looked down with a soft smile at the goddess kneeling before her, her parted lips still bright red with Oedon's blood, her body once again holding the beauty and nobility of a goddess, though she certainly would have to clean herself to remove all the filth years of madness left on her body.
Nusha opened her eyes, the once maddened red eyes now a far more soothing red, a storm of emotions flashing through those suddenly sane orbs as she beheld the gently smiling goddess above her.
"Much better like this, is it not?" Oedon said gently, her right hand still stroking lovingly the head of the no-longer mad goddess.
"You…" whispered Nusha, pure awe and disbelief on her face. "You… healed me…"
"I healed all of you." corrected Oedon, nodding towards the spawnlings behind her, who were slowly recovering from the wide-scale divine miracle they had been blessed with.
Nusha froze at her words, before the look of awe on her face deepened further, tears building up in her eyes.
Then she slammed her face in Oedon's robes, her body shuddering violently from heartbreaking sobs of relief and gratitude as the now sane goddess choked out her thanks, over and over again.
Oedon slowly kneeled down, bringing her arms around the weeping goddess and hugging her gently as if she would comfort a child, whispering words of comfort the broken goddess in her arms badly needed.
In the background, the spawnlings of Nusha broke down sobbing in relief as well, their own torment finally over. Those who once knew each other crawled towards each other and clung to one another tightly, sobbing in each other's arms.
For them all, the nightmare was finally over. Now, however, the long road to recovery and healing awaited…
It took several hours before some semblance of calm was brought back. The part of the Void where Nusha and her spawnlings had made their last stand against the cruel god after them was still an absolute mess, and while Oedon had offered Nusha to fix everything with her power, the goddess had instead decided to refuse the help, citing that she and her people badly needed something to keep them focused.
Moreover, fixing all the damage by themselves would be a testament of their recovery as individuals and as a people both, as they badly needed a source of pride and defiance against the one who broke them.
Even so, Oedon was staying close to Nusha as she sat on her throne, the Great Old One having done her best to fix her throne room as best she could with the help of her spawnlings… Those who weren't still too catatonic to do more than hold themselves and sob, at least. Those, Nusha had assigned a number of her more emotionally stable daughters to watch over, while the others tried to at least start fixing their home.
Not that any of them were doing all that great right now. It was only the warmth of Oedon's presence in the back of their minds, the sight of their Goddess visibly trying to be strong for them, and a general desire to do something to occupy their thoughts that made most present capable of actually doing anything more than mentally break down all over again into sobbing wrecks.
All these years as insane bloodthirsty monsters weren't going to go away instantly, even with a Divine miracle.
Even Nusha often glanced at Oedon, as if trying to reassure herself that this wasn't a Dream and that this was all real. Oedon had gone and hugged her more than once each time the goddess had confirmed her presence with her own eyes and almost broken down sobbing in relief all over again.
Right now, Oedon was keeping a comforting hand on Nusha's right shoulder as they listened to a report given to them by the oldest spawnling of the Great Old One, the pale-skinned, red eyed and black-haired woman looking at them with the look of someone kept together solely by sheer loyalty to her goddess and a sense of duty towards her fellow spawnlings.
"... In conclusion, the eastern side of the castle is going to take decades of work to fix fully." announced the grim-faced woman. "It's not as bad as the northern side, where the attack was strongest, but it's still in a horrific state. Just making sure to add back all the Runes on the walls will be the work of a decade or two. Thankfully, the best Runesmiths we have… survived-" she visibly shuddered violently, old memories threatening to consume her for a second before she visibly pushed through with sheer willpower "-so they will be able to get to work once we have fixed their equipments… and got the resources we need to build back the walls…" she trailed off, despair flashing through her expression for a second before she took a deep breath and relaxed.
Nusha didn't comment on the way her spawnling almost collapsed in tears, nor the single tear that was making its way down her right cheek despite the younger woman's best effort to appear strong. Instead, she merely nodded, while Oedon used the fact that she didn't have to worry about showing the face of a leader to send a warm smile to said spawnling, who shuddered at the sight, sending a deeply grateful look back.
"Understood. And for-" she swallowed, a slight tremble coursing through her that had Oedon tighten her grip on her shoulder, the physical contact grounding the goddess enough for her to keep speaking. "-the northern side?"
The lesser clone of Nusha took a shuddering breath, before speaking up. "We'll have to rebuild everything. Either it's all rubble, or the foundations are unstable. At this point, it'll be easier to knock down what's still standing and rebuild it anew. I… I don't know how long that'll take. It'll depend on the manpower we can bring to bear, and if we have the resources to rebuild it all, and even then-" the woman shuddered, visibly swallowing whatever words she was going to say before giving a shaky smile. "For now, we'll do our best to clear out the rubble, see if there's anything of use we can find, and of course… remove the b-bodies." she stammered slightly at the end.
Nusha visibly held back a grimace- her maddened daughters and herself have long since hunted down every single body following the attack of the cruel god in a frenzied desire to feast upon their flesh and blood, so the state of those bodies would not only be horrific, but serve as a harsh reminder of their circumstances until literally hours ago.
"Understood. Keep me updated, Muah." Nusha replied, her voice more gentle than commanding considering the circumstances.
Muah bowed, then quickly walked away to get back to overseeing the rebuilding efforts… though right now it was mostly going through the ruins of their home and seeing how bad things were.
To nobody's surprise, it was bad. The mad, cruel god and his legions of Star Vampires who had hunted them down until they had had no choice but to make their last stand here had not even sought to kill most of them, preferring instead to break as many of them with his maddened bloodlust for all living things in order to turn them into unwilling tools with which he would help paint the cosmos red with the Blood of Gods and mortals alike.
From a certain point of view, that was lucky, as it meant many of Nusha's people had survived. On the other hand, death would have been merciful in comparison to what they went through…
With Muah away, Nusha let herself slump in her throne, a look of exhaustion and sorrow on her face. "So many dead… So much broken. It will take a very long time before we can fully rebuild…"
"But you will." Oedon declared with firm certainty, the mere sound of her voice enough for Nusha to straighten slightly in her throne. "You will rebuild what has been broken, heal what has been hurt, and thrive despite the best efforts of those who wished to destroy you. It is merely a question of time… And Time is something we both possess an infinite quantity of."
Nusha looked at her, a storm of emotions in her eyes. "Lady Oedon…" she whispered, but Oedon quickly interrupted her, gently but firmly. "Just Oedon, my dear. There is no need for formalities between us."
"Says the first wife of the God destined to sit by Azathoth's side." Nusha replied, the look on her face making it clear that she was still grappling with that little bit of news on top of everything else.
Oedon smiled. "Then, if such an important person such as myself tells you to call her by her name, shouldn't you obey?" She teased her gently.
Nusha looked away. "You… You saved me. Saved us all, it feel disrespectful to-"
Pale fingers gently took her chin and turned her head back to force her to look into kind red eyes, Nusha blushing under the weight of that infinitely gentle gaze.
"Nusha." Oedon said firmly, the Great Old One shuddering as she found herself unable to look away from those bright red eyes, holding equal amounts of power and kindness in them. "It would make me very happy to hear you simply call me by my name."
Oedon smiled, and Nusha visibly melted at the sight. "Can you do that for me, please?"
The Great Old One swallowed, but somehow found the strength to nod once despite being mesmerized by the sight before her.
"Fantastic." Oedon replied with an even warmer smile that left Nusha blushing brightly. Then Oedon straightened and let go of her chin, looking away, much to Nusha's disappointment.
"Look, another one of your daughters is coming to report."
Nusha shook herself and looked back to see that Oedon was right, trying her best to show a more presentable appearance in front of others.
She failed to fully hold back the blush of her cheeks at the memory of that warm smile, though.
Nusha looked out at the dark lands within this portion of the Void surrounding her ruined castle, an exhausted look on her face.
It was now a day after Oedon had saved them all, and Nusha was still trying to do her best to get a grip on their current situation.
With the miracle given to them all by the first wife of the new King of the Eldritch, every one of her spawnlings had been healed, which meant that more and more of her wayward daughters who ended up scattered across the multiverse after… that day were trickling back home. It was a slow process, as they all had to recover from the result of getting their sanity back, followed by finding a way into the Void, specifically the part where Nusha was.
She fully expected some of her most distant daughters to not make it back for years, possibly decades yet. Still, some had already arrived, as was shown by the approaching forms of a number of her daughters making their way towards the broken castle.
It was simple for her to feel their shock, awe and disbelieving hope and joy as they felt her presence, warmly welcoming them home after so long. Every one of her spawnlings making it back home was like getting a piece of her soul back, the joy of knowing that, even after everything, she was not alone, that more of her people had survived.
Even so, her eyes and senses couldn't help but linger on the ground around her castle. The countless craters, the fallen bodies of the dead, the broken weapons of war… As far as even her eyes could see, the corpses of millions littered the ground, the remaining scars unleashed by devastating weapons of war still twisting the very fabric of reality, and the very air itself was thick with the psychic imprint from countless vicious battles and deaths, rage and despair and fury and hope and more all clashing into an unholy mix to her senses. Here and there, the dead were so numerous that literal hills had formed, whereas at other places nothing could be seen except giant holes into the ground. This being the Void, there was no sun, nothing but a land of pure darkness, though here and there more colorful plant life could be seen, singular signs of life amidst a land covered by death and destruction. The fact that most of the dead belonged to the Star Vampires serving the mad god was of little comfort to her. Any and all mortal followers she had here with her at the end had died, as the mad god had been only interested in turning her spawlings into bloodthirsty monsters. And unfortunately, their enemies had become very good at doing so, a fact that she both cursed and was thankful for, as it was the very reason that so many of her spawnlings had survived to this day.
All of it served to help her remember the desperate last days as she and her spawnlings fought against the inevitable, the sounds of screaming and mad laughter from the insane God who broke her ringing in her mind-
She jerked, tasting blood from where her teeth had bitten clean through her lips, and her nails dug into the flesh of her hands.
Letting out a long breath and focusing on her breathing, she counted down from ten, doing her best to calm down the shuddering of her body and her wildly beating heart. She could almost hear the mocking laughter of the mad god, gloating as he tore into her, uncaring of her screams-
"Nusha."
She jerked again, flushing in shame as Oedon walked up to her side on top of the wall section they were in… one of the parts not shattered by time and damage, at least.
She looked away, refusing to let her savior see her moment of weakness, only to stiffen when warm arms hugged her gently from behind.
"It's over, the nightmare is over, Nusha." Oedon whispered gently in her right ear, making Nusha swallow and desperately focus on not collapsing in the warm arms holding her. She succeeded at staying up, but not at holding back a choked sob and vicious full-body shudder caused by hearing those words.
"I… I'm…" she stammered, soft lips gently kissing the top of her head making her shudder even harder.
"It's okay. Let it all out, we're alone, you don't have to be strong all the time, Nusha." came the softly spoken words of the goddess holding her, sadness mixed with infinite kindness in her voice.
"I… can't…" she choked out, despite trembling violently.
"Why?" Oedon asked, her voice lacking any judgment, and holding only earnest curiosity.
"I-" Nusha swallowed, blinking back tears. Don't want to be a burden. "I-" don't want you to see me weak and broken. "I don't-" want you to leave me. I have to be better, I have to-
Gentle but firm hands turned her around, her crimson tear-filled eyes meeting softly glowing red ones.
"Nobody is perfect, Nusha." Oedon said gently, the sheer understanding in her eyes making it hard for Nusha to not look away from that deeply sympathetic gaze. "Sometimes, tragedy strikes no matter how hard we try to prevent it. That does not mean that things can't get better. That does not mean that you will not make things get better."
A flash of old pain and grief flashed into Oedon's eyes, the sheer strength of both emotions that Nusha easily picked out through her psychic might making her eyes bulge in shock.
The sad smile that appeared on Oedon's face next broke Nusha's heart, as it held a staggering amount of sorrow that she refused to believe the incredibly kind goddess before her should ever possess within her heart. It just wasn't right that someone that good should ever be hurt that deeply.
"You're not the only one who saw her people be broken by madness and bloodthirst." Oedon whispered, the ancient pain and grief in her only growing at those words. "Nor are you the only one who lost children."
Then Oedon took a deep breath, the pain and grief fading away to be replaced by joy, love and bright, burning hope.
The smile that spread across Oedon's lips next was so warm, so brilliant, and so utterly happy that it took Nusha's breath away.
Twinkling red eyes stared at her with the joy of someone who had found new reasons to live, and cherished every moments after for all that they were worth.
"But life goes on. For all the tragedies, for all the pain that life inevitably makes us feel, things can always get better. The nightmares can fade away, leaving a bright new day before us, full of new wonders and causes for joy. So do not despair, Nusha."
Nusha stared into the eyes of the goddess before her, looking at her with unshakable faith that one day, she and her people would fully recover and thrive once more, the absolute certainty that no other outcome was possible doing more to soothe Nusha's soul that anything else she could ever think of.
"The nightmare is over… and I am certain that you will find your worth in the waking world." Oedon finished with confidence and a warm smile, and Nusha…
Nusha took one look at that smile and knew she never stood a chance.
She smiled wryly, her entire body relaxing. "You won't allow any other outcome, huh?" she asked, even while knowing the answer already.
"Nope." Oedon replied, cheerfully popping the "p."
Nusha huffed, looking away with red touching her cheeks and a smile tugging her lips upwards.
Then she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded at Oedon.
"In that case, I might as well get back to work. I can't disappoint you after you say things like that, you know?" she declared, before walking back towards her throne room.
Oedon stared at Nusha for a moment, before giggling softly to herself.
"Oh, she's going to be as fun to tease as dear Aeon is…" her red eyes stared at Nusha's departing back with a gentle smile on her face, if with hints of sadness in it.
"It seems that, no matter the reality, we goddesses of Blood must suffer through tragedies… But I will save you and give you hope. It's the least I can do, after the Good Hunter did the same for me."
Oedon began walking back to the Throne room, intent on continuing to help Nusha.
However, not before a second version of her appeared, opening a portal back to the Hunter's Dream.
I raised an eyebrow at Oedon, as she walked through a portal back to the Hunter's Dream.
"So, how are things with Nusha?"
"Going well, or as well as they can with an entire species and their goddess being heavily traumatized." Oedon replied with a sad smile, sitting down at the table outside the mansion where I was, while I took the kettle of tea and began giving her a drink.
Oedon's smile turned warmer at the move, and she happily took a sip before relaxing.
"They are going to need a lot of help to rebuild." she warned me, which I honestly expected. You don't come back from what they suffered through without a lot of help and support, both as individuals and as a people.
"Nothing we didn't expect when I sent you through." I pointed out.
"True." mused Oedon, cradling her cup of tea with a sad frown, before perking up slightly. "Also, I dare say that young Nusha will be more than happy to welcome comfort from me that involves her bedroom, sooner or later."
I stared at her, then snorted. "Yeah, I saw that coming from the moment I sent you through."
Oedon blinked at me, and I chuckled. Ah, my dear wife, even you can be blind to the effect you have on people, sometimes…
Nusha never stood a chance. After all… neither did I, when I met you.
I took a sip of my tea, looking at Oedon with amusement. Sooner or later, Nusha was going to make her move, but until then I was going to thoroughly enjoy watching a beautiful goddess pursue my wife rather than me, for once.
Not that I didn't fully plan to sweep Nusha off her feet too, if it did indeed look like things were going to go as I expected them to, but for once I was going to enjoy setting up a new member for my and Oedon's growing harem from the other side.
The more pragmatic side of me was curious to experiment and see how different things would go by having Oedon be the origin point of seduction, rather than me. Who knows, depending on how things go, I might choose to involve Oedon more from the start of any romance I begin with anyone else in the future.
There was something quite attractive about both me and Oedon working together to seduce beautiful women into our bed, rather than me mostly doing all the work…
More importantly, this will be good for Oedon too. I knew she still carried the pain and grief of the fall of the Pthumerians and Yharnam, so her helping Nusha and her people recover would help Oedon get over past trauma as a by-product.
Helping what was effectively an alternate version of herself and her people recover would do a world of good to Oedon, and also be a good prelude to what we would have to do once I focused back on Yharnam and finally went back there.
In short, for reasons pragmatic, loving and out of a desire for entertainment, sitting back and letting Oedon be the savior for once was unquestionably the right decision.
"That does leave the matter of Uvhash, the mad god who broke Nusha, however." I pointed out.
Oedon's hands tightened on her cup, a rare look of cold fury flashing through her eyes before she got herself under control.
"He'll come to attack Nusha again. And when he does, I'll be there, waiting." Oedon declared coldly, red eyes gleaming with anticipation.
I hummed, peering into the future. "What do you say, a month before he attacks?"
She nodded. "He's overconfident. He thinks that because I'm a goddess of Blood too, he can win against me, much like he did with Nusha."
Her red eyes danced with unnatural shadows. "He is wrong."
I chuckled. My wife may prefer the domains of Life and Blood, but she ascended just like I did.
The Void was a part of her almost as much as it was a part of me.
And the mad god was going to fight her… in the Void itself.
Welp, it couldn't have happened to a better guy, so I'll make sure to have popcorn ready for the show.
I took a sip of my tea, then hummed in thought.
"Well, with the matter of Nusha tabled for now… There's the matter of the dragons."
I smiled and spoke up.
"Azathoth?"
"Beloved." answered Azathoth, appearing by my side and calmly taking a third seat at the table, a brilliant smile on her face. "Do you need me for something?"
I nodded. "We're going to have to move quickly on getting the help of some of the potential recruits we met. I want the dragons to have as much backing as they can get, since helping them will be a wonderful opportunity to start flexing my authority. And after that…"
I glanced at Oedon, who smiled knowingly at me. "That project, then?"
"Yup." I agreed.
Azathoth raised an eyebrow, and I smiled at her. "Remember the species I wanted to create?"
Azathoth's eyes widened. "The one that you wanted on the level of Angels? Yes, I do remember."
I nodded. "Well, creating them before the conflict with the Dragons goes off is a good idea. So with that being said…"
I snapped my fingers, a group of messengers appearing at my feet.
I smiled down at them, still wearing small top hats and modern suits, before turning thoughtful.
"Hmm… You know, it might be wise to change some of them to show off that they are truly acting in my name…"
Oedon blinked, then looked down at the Messengers with curiosity.
"If that is your will, Good Hunter. What exactly do you have in mind?"
I looked at the moaning messengers for a second, then reached out with my right hand towards the nearest of them. Poking it in the forehead, a ripple of power went through its body, along with that of the others. For a second, they froze-
And then shifted.
Where before there were a number of Messengers as I was familiar with from Bloodborne, now a number of creatures with the same shape stared back at me… but their vaguely humanoid shape was all that remained the same.
Much like my True Self, they looked like cut-outs of the night sky in humanoid shapes, distant stars and cosmic sights visible throughout their forms. Where their eyes should be, a glowing star and a swirling black hole stood, with no visible mouths or noses on their smooth faces.
Oedon and Azathoth blinked, then leaned forward to peer with fascination at the new Cosmic Messengers.
"Fascinating." Oedon said with gleaming blood-red eyes. "They are truly imbued with your power… They remind me of the Aeons you intend to create, though obviously on a much lesser scale. Though…" she tilted her head curiously, a soft smile on her face. "They can communicate psychically now, on top of the constant psychic link they have with you… or your true self, rather."
Azathoth stared at them with two brightly glowing golden eyes, her own expression one of equal fascination.
"A perfectly balanced conceptual dual-nature… How intriguing. Light and Dark, Chaos and Order, Death and Life… And they stand as extensions of yourself, as well. You're right, anyone who sees them will recognize them for your Messengers instantly."
I smiled, proud and satisfied. With this reality's many dangers, I wanted to make sure my Messengers would pack the proper power to make it clear they were from me, and to help offset their less than impressive size.
Also, it made for a great first step to confirm that my for-now theoretical plans for the Aeons would work as intended.
Speaking of which…
Summoning some paper, I wrote down a quick message and then gave it to the Messengers.
"Give that to Shub-Nigurrath, please." I asked, the little cosmic Messengers (still in top hats and suits, despite their changed forms) eagerly accepting the paper and giving me quick salutes before disappearing.
Oedon tilted her head at the sight. "I do not remember them saluting like this, before…"
"They are now firmly bound to me." I pointed out with amusement, as if that explained everything.
Which, by the look of dawning realization and amusement on Oedon's face, it very much did.
Less than five minutes later, Shub appeared in the Hunter's Dream, nodding respectfully at both Azathoth and me and sending a shy smile at Oedon, who returned it with a warm one.
"My Lord. You requested my help?" she asked.
"I did indeed." I confirmed. "Tell me, what did you think of the Messengers?"
Shub paused, then smiled, her eyes lightning up with delight.
"They were fascinating creatures, my Lord. It's very rare to see multiple elemental concepts within a single creature, much less opposing ones, but as far as I could tell, they were perfectly stable!" she gushed, before her cheeks turned faintly pink. "They were also… rather cute with their little hats and suits, and… hmm…"
"You took a few moments to play with them, didn't you?" Oedon said with a knowing smile, which only made Shub's blush darken as she looked away.
"They were cute…" she mumbled to herself with a pout.
I held back a snort of amusement. Well, I'll consider this a success.
"I'm glad they were to your liking. However, they were but the first of my servants I wish to create. And since you mentioned that you would be willing to double-check my work with my spawnlings species equivalent… is that offer still on the table?" I asked.
Shub smiled brightly at me. "Of course!"
I nodded. "Very well. In that case…"
I took a deep breath, and spoke.
"DATA."
Azathoth and Shub's eyes went wide, before losing focus as their minds went over everything I shared.
Azathoth blinked first, whistling softly. "You're really going all-out on this, aren't you? This is…"
Shub blinked next, staring at me with a blank expression on her face for a long moment.
Then she sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile. "Right, I'm going to need to go think of everything you shared with me for a while. Also, I can't even begin to imagine how what you shared will impact my next generation of children. Even if I use only a fraction of the knowledge of what you just freely shared…"
"Pantheons would go to war for what you just shared, beloved." Azathoth said bluntly. "And it would be worth it for only a mere scrap of the knowledge you gave to Shub."
"I'm aware." I replied. "The strongest of my Aeons will be on the levels of some of the strongest Outer Gods. Not on the level of your Inner Court, Azathoth, but still more powerful than most things in existence. Even so…"
I smiled. "It'll be one hell of an army, wouldn't you say?"
Shub pinched her nose, looking just a bit pale. "An army, he says… Considering that what you shared could go toe-to-toe with most of the Eldritch Kingdom and pantheon combined, that's the biggest understatement ever."
I carefully didn't point out that was exactly what I had originally planned for said army to do. No need to give existential dread to the helpful Eldritch Goddess.
The look on Azathoth's face, however, made it clear that Shub wasn't the only one disturbed by what trump card I had casually revealed.
It was only Azathoth's sheer devotion to me that helped her remain calm at the idea of anyone holding what power I would have once I went along with my plans.
I could only imagine the look on Azathoth's face when I came around to show her my most secure Vaults and what they contained…
Could I horrify the greatest Eldritch Horror in existence? So far, the answer seems to be yes.
Yay…?
"Well, in any case, I'll leave you to double-check my work. For now, I need to go on a recruiting trip. I'd like to at least recruit some of the names Yog showed me to send to the Dragons."
"I'll come with you." Azathoth said, and I smiled at her.
"Road trip! Sounds fun."
I stood up after finishing my tea, Azathoth doing the same.
"I'll stay and help Shub with any question she may have, since many of the concepts behind the Aeons go beyond her specialty." Oedon decided.
"That's fair. Have fun, you two!" I said cheerfully.
Shub gave me a half-hearted goodbye, visibly too lost in mentally checking out the data I gave her to really notice anything else.
Azathoth gave me an amused smile at the sight. "Please don't make a habit of breaking the minds of my deities, beloved."
"Even if it's very funny?" I joked.
"Even so." Aza replied with twinkling golden eyes.
I dramatically pouted, meaning a stifled giggle from her, before nodding.
"I'll try." I told her.
"Oh boy." muttered Aza with a grin.
Snorting, I looked away from her and opened a portal, going straight to my first potential recruit: Ta'lanurgatlau, the Serpent of Despair.
The Naga woman looked at me with curiosity when I appeared, though she tensed and bowed when she noticed Aza.
"My Lord and Lady. What can I do for you? I'd offer refreshment, but…" she waved at her empty cave in a pocket dimension outside of the normal Space-Time Continuum helplessly.
"We're here to talk about how you can be of use to me, in exchange for your freedom." I replied calmly. True, Azathoth had forgiven her long ago for trying (and failing miserably) to steal part of her power, and Ta'la was a much more relaxed person these days, but a bit of formality wasn't amiss considering what we were here for.
Ta'la nodded, not surprised. "That was fast. From my point of view, barely any time has passed since we met."
Aza spoke up. "A situation has arisen that my Beloved wants to make use of, and he'll need agents acting in his name to do so."
Ta'la's expression turned serious.
"I'm listening."
I explained to her the situation with the dragons, and then got to the point of this meeting: making a deal so that she would become one of my Hunter of the Dream in exchange for her freedom.
"I see…" she mused. "Not only do you gain an immortal warrior, but prove your support to these dragons you seek to gain the loyalty of through me… and on top of that, you can use this deal as both an excuse to free me, and as an example of how you can help the Eldritch community as a whole."
I smiled. "Essentially. You get freedom, a purpose, and a job that will help get you respect across the Eldritch community and beyond. And I get everything you mentioned."
Ta'la grinned. "A mutually beneficial deal indeed. Though of course, we should speak about the details… Such as how long do you wish for this arrangement to last?"
I grinned, waved a hand and summoned a table, tea and more for a proper discussion, before taking a seat, Aza doing the same at my side.
Folding my hands before me, I leaned forwards with a grin.
"Then let us discuss terms, Ta'la."
At the same time as one of me and Aza began negotiation with Ta'la, another iteration of us both arrived at the next target for recruitment.
The Elder Goddess Thaghhu'una, She Who Rides, looking much like a female centaur, paused at the sight of the portal opening near her, followed by me and Azathoth going through it.
"My Lord and Ladies." Thag said, bowing at the waist. "What can I do for you?"
"I have need of your services, Lady Thag." I declared.
"Already?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, before visibly shrugging it off.
"Who is to be my prey?" she asked instead, expression firming.
My grin was sharp and cold. "Demons… and maybe Devils, depending on how things go."
Thag froze, then slowly an equally cold, sharp and hungry smile crossed her face.
Aza glanced at our equally cold smiles and shook her head fondly.
The Elder Centaur Goddess readied her bow, her arrow glowing a bright purple with enough power to put ballistic missiles to shame.
"Tell me more." she purred hungrily.
The next iteration of me and Azathoth arrived in the office of Gacthaurshaaftxtt, Gaze of the Abyss, the personal spymaster of Azathoth, in all of her ethereal glory.
Or at least, one of her greatest, since the argument could be made that Yog-Sothoth was actually the greatest spy of Azathoth.
"My Lord and Queen." Gactha stood up from behind her desk and bowed deeply, once again beginning with Azathoth. "How can I and my people be of use to you on this day?"
Aza glanced at me, and I stepped forward, giving her a report on the situation with the dragons, and what I wanted out of this mess.
Gactha listened in silence, then nodded at me. "And so, you wish for my people to spy on the demons and Devils and help your forces and those of the dragons fight them off as necessary. I understand the mission."
She reached out with her mind, and I could feel the psychic presences of many of the temple's inhabitants suddenly jerk and move with a lot more urgency than before.
"Be assured, my Lord and Queen. Your Wills will be made reality." she declared firmly, while all around us an order of psychic battle-priestesses prepared for war.
"Thank you for your help, Gactha." Aza told her with a warm smile.
"It is a pleasure and honor to serve, My Queen." Gactha replied, though I didn't miss the way she subtly stood taller at Aza's words.
Though I could also feel that she was looking forward to fighting the Demons and, possibly, the Devils. I wasn't surprised: as the spies of Azathoth, they and both Hell and the Abyss had no doubt come to blow many, many times across the multiverse's history.
And now that they had the perfect chance to get pay-back, they would gladly seize it.
Heh. I almost felt bad for those Demons.
Almost.
The next iteration went to someone I certainly wasn't going to forget anytime soon:
La'gusuun, Perdition, the living Incarnation of Doom.
The Eldritch Rider reacted to my and Azathoth's arrival with merely a slight bow of the head at us both, though interestingly enough it was slightly deeper towards me than Azathoth.
"My Lord… and Lady." he greeted. "Have you need of me already, my Lord?"
"Indeed." I replied, before catching him up to speed on what was going on with the dragons.
"You wish for me to help the dragons, my Lord?" he asked, with no judgment in his voice, merely the desire for clarification.
"Yes, but not as the others will. I've given a specific mission to Gactha that I want you to support." I told him with a grin.
La'gusuun stared at me… and then a dark chuckle echoed from beneath the shadows casted by the tattered wide black hat he wore.
Twin dark red glowing eyes shone with anticipation.
"Ah… that mission. Yes, I see why you would call me. Fear not, my Lord… I will provide ample distraction to Gactha's people. After all…"
The air around us twisted and shattered in maddening ways, the rider's horse huffing hungrily, the very ground underneath its hooves disintegrating into nothing and leaving them slightly floating above ground… not that the horse or its rider cared about such concepts as gravity.
"It is not every day that Doom comes to the Abyss itself!"
Azathoth and I appeared on Earth, deep in the Goatswoods where the cultists of Shub-Niggurath used to gather in great numbers in the past.
Gugurshaguastghuug, Dog of the Goatswood, servant of the Mother of a Thousand Youngs greeted us with a deep bow, his voice deeply respectful.
"Hail, Master and Mistress of my Mistress! What can this humble hound do for you?"
"I need Hunters, Gugur." I explained. "And you've previously offered your services, so we are here to negotiate for your help, both on the short term and the long terms."
Gugur stared at me, wooden head tilted while green tentacles coming from his body waved through the air in anticipation.
"If I may be of help, I will gladly answer the call of the Hunt. Tell me, O Lord, who has angered you that they must be hunted down?"
"Demons." declared Azathoth, voice firm.
Gugur paused, before nodding. "Ah. A not unexpected answer, all things considered. Which demons in particular am I to hunt?"
I explained about the situation with the dragons, before giving the specifics of what I wanted from him.
The green tentacles waved harder. "A hunt in the dreamland of another world, by the side of Dragons against a Demon Lord and his nightmares… Yes, it will be a fine hunt indeed."
He bowed again. "As you command, my Master and Mistress, I will join the Hunt to come!"
For the next, and last iteration, however, we didn't go directly to who I wanted to recruit.
Instead, Azathoth's eyes widened as we stood in the Dream-space of the most famous Great Old One on Earth.
"Cthulhu?" she asked me curiously.
I nodded. "If I want to send his daughters against demons, the least I can do is ask permission first."
Azathoth nodded at that. "You want to send Nctosa and Nctolhu, the Twins of Cthulhu, to help the dragons… are you sure that's wise?"
I chuckled. "They'll be supervised, and besides, if they truly are as good at causing chaos as everyone makes it out to be, then just think what that can do against the forces of the Abyss!"
Azathoth tilted her head, before chuckling softly. "Alright, I must admit beloved, the mental image is pretty enjoyable. I just hope everything will work out."
We paused as a third presence joined us, the form of a giant humanoid squid… or was it octopus… appeared before us before shrinking until he stood no taller than Azathoth.
The newly arrived Cthulhu promptly kneeled, head bowed.
"My King and Queen, what do I owe this honor?"
"Rise, Cthulhu." commanded Azathoth gently, a smile on her face. "My beloved is here to ask permission to make use of your twin daughters to help fight off a demonic Invasion assaulting the Dragons of Glyu-Uno. His logic being to use your daughters'... well-known capability for chaos against the forces of the Abyss."
Cthulhu rose to his feet as requested, his red eyes staring at me curiously. "You trust them to lead your armies, my Lord?"
I shook my head. "I don't intend to use them as generals, no. More like… an elite strike team that will go behind the enemy lines and cause chaos. Assassination, sabotage, misdirection, and more. They'll be watched over by someone I trust, but I figure this is a perfect opportunity to start their road to redemption. Expecting them to be on their best behavior from the start would be foolish… so why not make use of their mischievous impulses, instead?" I explained with a sharp smirk.
Cthulhu fell silent, visibly deep in thought, before speaking up. "Do you swear that they will be protected, Lord? The forces of the Abyss are not to be underestimated, and if their legions invade in force…"
"They won't." I told him. "Or at least, we don't plan on letting things escalate like that."
Azathoth and I explained the situation to him, and Cthulhu listened instantly before speaking up.
"But you are not certain that things won't escalate." he pointed out.
"Indeed not." I admitted. It was a low probability, since my future sight told me otherwise, but I knew better than to rely on it completely. "Which is why I'm willing to personally assure you of their safety. If need be, I will personally bring them to safety, have no fear."
Cthulhu stared at me with some surprise. "You'd be willing to charge into battle for my daughters' sake?"
"I'm the one who will be asking them to put themselves into danger in the first place." I pointed out. "The least I can do is make sure they come back home safe."
Azathoth said nothing, but the bright smile on her face made it clear she approved.
Cthulhu stared at me, then, seeing and feeling I was serious, visibly relaxed.
"Very well. If you are willing to go that far, I have no objection." he declared, before a feeling of sadness and regret surrounded him. "My daughters have been prisoners for far too long. I know all too well what that feels like. Even if they earned their sentence, I can't help but wish…" He trailed off, visibly wistful for a moment, before he looked back at me.
"Please take care of them, my Lord." he pleaded earnestly, even bowing before me to add weight to his words. "I have been unable to be there for them as a father should, and they've been suffering for it for far too long. If you could make sure that they can be happy… I would forever be grateful for it."
My and Azathoth's expressions softened in the face of a father's earnest plea for his daughters' sake, the sheer strength of his regret and sadness over his inability to help his daughters hitting us like a hammer to the face.
"Cthulhu…" Azathoth whispered softly, visibly incredibly sympathetic to the bowing old god before us.
I stepped forward, putting a hand on his right shoulder. "I promise that I'll do my best to see that they can live happy at last." I promised him solemnly. "I chose to take responsibility for them. I won't betray that. I swear it."
Cthulhu raised his head to stare me in the eyes, once again seeking even a hint of deception or doubts, but upon finding none he smiled brightly.
"Thank you, my Lord." he replied, gratitude and joy overcoming his melancholy for a moment.
I snorted. "You're letting me send your daughters to battle for the sake of my ambitions. Yes, it's also the morally right thing to do to fight the Abyss, but still. I feel like I should be the one thanking you, here."
I smiled, then. "Though I do have something else I wanted to discuss with you, since both me and Azathoth are here anyway."
"What is it, my Lord?" Cthulhu asked curiously.
My smile widened.
"How I'm going to help you bring R'lyeh back, of course."
I walked back in the Hunter's Dream, having finished my talk with Cthulhu and also gotten Kass' acceptance of sending her daughters into battle after that.
The Goddess had been visibly even more hesitant to accept than Cthulhu, but my personal promise of stepping in if needed seemed to have done the trick, in the end.
So with that, I was pretty much done setting things up for the battles ahead. It was a pity that I couldn't ask for help from Great Old Ones and Outer Gods directly, but that would be an escalation going too far. Elder Gods were one thing, but full-blown Great Old Ones and Outer Gods taking the field against them would make the Abyss react violently.
Either way, now I had my local team of adventurers/Hunters to throw at the demons. Combine that with what Hunters I already had, and it would be more than enough to really bring the pain to the demons.
Still, as good as it all was, I wanted more. It was possible that my actions would lead to war, so I wanted to prepare things, just in case. And that meant it was time to do what I had been preparing for for quite some time: the creation of the Aeons, my personal servants.
With Azathoth by my side, I walked towards Oedon and Shub, seeing them still sitting at the same table as before… though the table now had several Black supercomputers on it resembling regular human portable computers.
Both goddesses were staring intently at the screens, where I could see parts of the data about the composition of the Aeons. Quite obviously, they've been hard at work reviewing everything while Azathoth and I did our little road trip.
"Ladies." I called out. "How is it looking?"
Oedon and Shub glanced at me, then Shub sighed.
"I'd like to say I was of help, but honestly Oedon has been helping me even understand what exactly you are planning to create more often than not."
Oedon patted her on the shoulder. "In your defense, most of the concepts involved aren't part of your Authorities."
"I'm aware. Even so…" Shub shook her head with a smile. "Well, make no mistake: what you will create is a masterwork of conceptual manipulation. I dare say that only someone like the White God in Heaven can truly help you in most of the underlying principles of the Aeons. As it is, Oedon's expertise on Life has impressed even me, so I'm afraid I can be of little help in this project."
Azathoth and I frowned, easily picking up the self-depreciation in her voice. I had noticed it before, but Shub really didn't have the best confidence in herself…
"Nonsense." I said firmly before Azathoth could say anything. "You are the Mother of a Thousand Youngs. I am certain that you are an incredibly capable goddess in your own right, and if the Aeons are truly that impressive to you, then it only shows you fully understand the scale of the project. Not many can claim the same, so raise your head, for you have nothing to be ashamed of."
A brief expression of surprise crossed Shub's face, before a small but brilliant smile touched her lips.
"I thank you for your kind words, my King."
"Aeon is right, Shub." Aza said firmly, a gentle smile of her own on her face. "I know exactly how much work you have put into each and every generation of your children. You are arguably the greatest goddess of Life in the Eldritch Pantheon, so the fact that you are impressed by my beloved's work, alongside that of his wives, only confirms to me that they truly planned this project properly."
"Azathoth…" mumbled Shub with a hint of red on her cheeks at the combined praises, before she visibly relaxed and looked back at me.
"Very well then. My King, it is my personal opinion that what you have planned is going to work as intended. So with that being said, I would like to request the honor of being present when you go through with it." she asked, bowing as she spoke.
"Granted." I replied immediately. "It would be my pleasure to have you here, especially after you went and reviewed the project for me."
Oedon glanced to the side, where Ghuftrshasg'unkt, the Wolf That Drinks, remained ever since I brought him to the Hunter's Dream.
"You already changed some of the Messengers… but you intend to use him as well, do you not?" she asked.
I nodded, looking at the mindless wolf that has not moved since he stopped at his current spot.
"I figure that he can be used as a good second test before the real thing… Besides, as he currently is he doesn't have much use for someone like me. So why not make him more? Who knows, given enough time he might even become a person in his own right."
Calling out to the wolf, who immediately bounded up to me waiting for orders, I gently put a hand on top of what passed for his face and pushed my power inside of him, fundamentally changing him while keeping everything useful.
From an eldritch abomination barely worthy of being called a wolf, he became much like the messengers, a cut-out figure of a wolf showing the cosmos where his body should be. The resulting being looked, if anything, even more disturbing, but also held a transcendent beauty and grace that Ghuftr was lacking before.
Looking into one glowing starlight eye, and one black hole where the second eye should be, I saw deep, deep within the very first spark of true life inside him.
And it was a him, now, not an it. It would take countless years to fully develop into full sentience and sapience… but one day, my new cosmic Wolf would be a proper companion.
I stared at him, then smirked wryly at him. "Please don't go and take a bite out of the Space-Time Continuum, Yog would never let me hear the end of it."
As expected, the wolf did not move or said anything.
Not yet.
Shub, Azathoth and Oedon came by my side, examining the now cosmic wolf.
"So that's what a lesser version of an Aeon looks like…" mused Shub, clear interest on her face. "Impressive indeed. It puts even my latest generation of Dark Young to shame…"
"Well… at least it's technically already house trained?" said Azathoth, before reaching out and patting the wolf on its head.
Despite looking like a cut-out of deep space, her hand clearly hit something physical, a look of intrigue flashing on Azathoth's face at the feeling.
"Hmm… Curious, it feels like I was petting up a multiverse…" she said thoughtfully.
I looked at the wolf in the eyes and nodded solemnly.
"I dub thee Leo, the Cosmic Wolf." I declared grandly.
All three goddesses paused, and then turned to look at me.
"Did you seriously name the Eldritch, Cosmic Wolf… Leo?" Shub said slowly, staring at me in disbelief.
"It is a good name!" I said firmly, much to my wife's giggling.
Azathoth paused… and then reached out to start patting me on the head.
"There, there beloved. No one's perfect, and I suddenly understand why you named your servants Aeons, of all things." she said soothingly.
I pouted. What was wrong with Leo? It was a great name!
Choosing to ignore the amused looks and giggling from the traitorous goddesses around me with no taste, I focused, and began calling on a number of people.
As both Azathoth and Shub paused and Oedon began smiling, I turned around, grinning in anticipation.
Sherry appeared first, followed by all my wives and Hunters, and then others appeared as well.
Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Kass, Yidhra…
It was finally time to create my Aeons.
And I fully intended to make it a show that no one would ever forget.
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Love Azathoth!
So first, Nusha and her spawnlings. They won't play a part with the dragons, because sending a bunch of traumatized people against demons is just stupid, but they'll be something that'll help me add scenes with Oedon. She's been left a bit on the wayside as a result of Aeon not needing her too much against zombies or monsters, but with Yharnam eventually showing back up, she's someone I'm going to focus on quite a bit more during this story Arc. Nusha and her people will help to prepare her for when she'll need to help the people of Yharnam rebuild as well, and it will help give Oedon a power of her own within the Eldritch Kingdom. Also, I'm playing around a bit with romance, because why not mix things up a bit for once?
Beyond that, Aeon and Azathoth are recruiting an adventurer party/hunter squad to deal with the demons. Out of a concern to not escalate too much, they are not calling on full-on Great Old Ones or Outer Gods, but Elder Gods or Eldritch beings in general is fairplay.
Expect them to show up at different locations to help different Dragonflights fight the demons, or in one specific case, give their greetings to the Abyss in person…
Place your bets, everyone: Eldritch battle-priestess led by an Incarnation of Doom vs literal demons in their own dimension. Who will win?
Also, the plotline about Cthulhu and R'lyeh will, naturally, be expanded upon eventually, I'm just focusing on the dragons for now.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, Aeon creates the Aeons! Because what is an Eldritch God without an army of Eldritch servants to (freak out people with) be awesome with? *Picture of Aeon and his army T-posing over the Omniverse.*