My great thanks to TodaBruh, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
The Hunter's Dream.
"Well, it appears that our King is in fine form. Honestly, he's taking to his new kingship with a passion."
Shub-Niggurath smiled brightly at those words.
"Indeed. I was rather worried, as going from human to Eldritch is already a large step, but from Eldritch god to God-King is an even bigger one. Still, I'm very happy to see that everything is going well so far. Aza certainly seems much happier these days."
Yog-Sothoth, sitting beside her outside the mansion of their new king and drinking the divinely good tea freely offered by the master of the house, nodded in agreement.
"Having the Dragons free of the Abyss is a weight off my shoulders." the Goddess of Time admitted. "I've been doing my best to watch out for them for many years now, but I can freely admit things probably wouldn't have gone so well without him getting involved."
"Well, they aren't quite free yet. They still have to finish fighting off the demons." Shub pointed out.
"And I'm confident that they will." Yog said firmly… before looking at Shub with a knowing look.
"And don't think I haven't noticed the fact that you encouraged many of your children to make it easier for them to be summoned by the mortals." She grinned. "I doubt our King hasn't noticed, either." Yog finished with a teasing grin.
Shub gave Yog a pointed look. "Don't give me that. You sent the Hounds of Tindalos in the thousands to hunt down demons on the dragons' world, and in the trillions across the multiverse, you aren't nearly as subtle as you sometimes think you are."
Yog flinched-
Yog grinned, taking a sip of her tea while looking at her with twinkling eyes.
Shub rolled her eyes, well-used of Yog's endless smugness.
"Still, it is good to see Aza relax. Especially now that her Avatar and her have made up since her people are thriving once more!" Shub exclaimed brightly.
Yog hummed happily, her gaze lingering on her smile for a little too long before looking away with a small grin.
"True. Honestly, I'm glad that this whole affair had a happy ending." Yog grimaced slightly. "Dealing with a depressed Aza back then was… not fun."
Shub grimaced as well. She and the others had to work hard not only to try and cheer their queen up, but also deal with the consequences of a depressed Queen of Reality.
Having entire multiverses be afflicted by sudden, all-empassing mood swings causing every living beings in them to go from deadly levels of apathy, to full-blown crushing level of guilt that caused entire galaxies' worth of people to instantly commit suicide was definitely not something any of them wanted to deal with again.
As it was, they almost had the opposite problem, with Azathoth's joy and love causing countless galaxies to spontaneously form, and countless mortal species suddenly being taken over by sudden surges of inexplicable joy and delight.
Though thankfully, their King was somehow managing to suppress the most spectacular ripples from Aza's good mood. Too much joy can be a danger as well, as entire populations almost lost all sanity if not for him and could have died from indulging in endless parties and debauchery that would see them die from not eating, drinking or simply exhausting themselves to death.
As it was, the greater amount of control their queen possessed over her powers, and the help of their new king helped ensure that no species had inadvertently died from Azathoth's joy spreading across Reality.
"I also heard that our King met with Cthulhu recently?" Shub asked, eager to move on from the less than pleasant subject.
"He did!" cheerfully said Yog. "He's got a whole plan ready to bring him and his people back. Gotta admit, creating a demi-plane, binding it to Cthulhu and R'lyeh, and then creating connections to Earth is a genius move. Especially when combined with the dimensional walls of the demi-plane keeping the psychic shockwaves of R'lyeh' rise contained. The most that the humans might suffer from when R'lyeh rises are some nightmares here and there across the world, which is much better than near-complete human extinction."
Shub smiled. "I see! Well, I'll be glad to see Cthulhu up and about again. I know it's only been a few dozen millions years, but I and many others do miss seeing him at Aza's court. He's always been a voice of reason and kindness."
Yog hummed in agreement. "Yes, and with R'lyeh back, our King got Cthulhu's personal support, and vice-versa."
Shub shrugged. "You know that hardly matters. Aza declared Aeon to be our king, nobody was going to say otherwise."
"Fair. Still, our new king does love to imitate the humans in many ways." Yog pointed out. "Probably a remnant of his mortal self. Then again, he does feel like a Human god… while being an Outer God."
"It's certainly new." Shub acknowledged. "I heard about that one Eldritch Goddess that became a Human goddess instead, but an Outer God that is also a Human god?"
Yog frowned thoughtfully.
Shub blinked, then looked at her curiously. "Yog?"
The goddess of Time shifted in her seat. "It's the White God in Eden. He always felt… strange."
"Ah. Him." she mused.
The White God of Eden was a strange one. Suddenly appearing one day, he was by far the strongest non-eldritch deity in existence…
And yet, there had always been a suspicion he was actually eldritch. The way that Aza seemed to almost recognize him and his power when they had first met had implications, and yet… he didn't feel like one of hers. Not like Nyarlathotep or the twins in the Void.
The true nature of YHWH had been a point of much debate over the eons, and the looks and feel of his heavenly creations had not helped. However the God himself has never come forward with an explanation, and his ability to keep secrets and play the part of the mysterious deity has ensured that nobody had a firm idea of what was going on with him.
Shub idly wondered if their King might know. He was to Azathoth in knowledge what she was in power, after all, so if anyone could tell, it'd be him.
"Speaking of human gods, do you think our new king is going to take a few female ones as his wives?" Shub asked curiously.
Yog sent her an amused look. "You noticed the fact that he really likes human females, huh?"
"There's nothing wrong with that!" she said quickly. "And considering both Oedon and now Aza, well, he certainly isn't shy about pursuing Eldritch goddesses either. But it does make me wonder, considering the presence of Lucy Miller…"
Yog nodded. "She's an interesting one… Though I'm sure you felt it too."
Shub turned thoughtful. "She's not an eldritch Goddess, despite the company she keeps… and she's an omnipresent goddess like you, Yog, spread out across the entire space-Time Continuum. She's much, much weaker than you are, as you represent Time across the omniverse, where she is a lot more… limited, but even so…"
"Even so." Yog agreed. "And there is the question of how she went from Human to… that to begin with." she paused. "Though the same could be said about our King and his first wife-"
"Yog." Shub interrupted sternly.
"What?" Yog replied innocently.
Shub scowled at her. "Don't go poking where you are not wanted. Whatever secrets he, Oedon and the others with him have, his love for our Queen is genuine, and that is all that matters."
"What? You aren't even a bit curious about how two former mortals like Aeon and Lucy became so powerful?" Yog teased her with a grin.
"I am curious, but I do know the importance of privacy and boundaries, something you seemed to have never truly learnt, Yog." Shub coldly replied, her expression darkening, her hand tightening on her cup of tea almost to its breaking point, cracks showing across its length.
Yog flinched-
Shub scowled at her. "Don't go poking where you are not wanted. Whatever secrets he, Oedon and the others with him have, his love for our Queen is genuine, and that is all that matters."
Yog raised her hands defensively.
"I get it, I get it, I won't do anything that would get both our new King and his overprotective new loving bride angry at me." she told her firmly.
Shub scrutinized her for a moment, making sure that she wasn't lying, before sighing.
"Good. Aza has a good thing going, and I want to make sure it stays that way." Shub told Yog firmly.
"Hey, you don't have to worry. I'm quite happy with our new king as it is. He's already handled, or will be handling, quite a few outstanding issues I had to worry over for eons, now." Yog replied cheerfully.
"Yes, the Abyss…" Shub mused.
"And the Hells, too." Yog said.
Shub blinked.
"... What did you foresee?" she asked.
"Weeeeellll~, let's just say our new King isn't one to let a job be half-done, you know?" Yog told her with a grin.
Shub's eyes narrowed. There was something about the way she said that, like it was… missing something?
She tried to see what had caught her attention, but ultimately resigned herself to leaving the question unanswered.
"But, you know…" Yog played with her teacup, a rare look of concern on her face. "At this rate, a war is all but inevitable, sooner or later. Are you sure that you are ready for it?"
Shub scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Yog bit her lips. "The war with the Abyss… there can be no doubt it will be unlike anything most of Reality has ever experienced. And that means your children will take part in it… and a lot of them will die."
Shub grimaced, and Yog's expression grew even more concerned.
"Are you ready for that?" Yog asked softly.
Shub took a sip of tea, using the moment to recenter herself.
Then she sighed.
"I hate war, and to see my children, or my cultists, suffer. But the Abyss had been a problem since its creation. To see it permanently dealt with would be a massive boon for all reality. If our King calls the Eldritch to war, I will not shy away from supporting him."
"Even with the cost of war?" Yog whispered gently.
"Are you questioning my convictions, Yog?" Shub growled. "Or my loyalty?"
The eyes of the Goddess of Time widened. "What? No, I-"
"Good." Shub said firmly. "Whatever else can be said of me, I am loyal to Azathoth. And Aza had made it clear she has no problems with her beloved going to war with the Abyss. Quite the opposite. So with both our King and Queen in agreement, our duty is to support them, not question them."
"That's not what I did, or wanted. I just-" Yog tried to interject, but Shub only shook her head.
"I appreciate the concern, but I remember all too well where it can lead." she told Yog firmly, who flinched. "I have made my decision. My children, my cultists and myself will answer the call of duty once it is made by our rulers, and there is nothing you can do to change that."
Shub finished her tea, then stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I might as well focus back on what is going on with the dragons. And so should you, since now some of them are actually your cultists."
With that said, she disappeared, turning into a writhing mass of legs, mouths and bleating darkness for a second before being gone entirely.
Yog looked at the spot where her fellow Outer Goddess was standing a moment ago with a sad expression on her face, before she sighed deeply, finished her own tea, and then disappeared as well in a mass of impossible colors and geometric forms.
For a moment, silence remained on the empty layer of the Hunter's Dream where the conversation took place… before Oedon appeared, taking one look at the left behind tea cups and shaking her head.
"Those two, I swear… If Aeon doesn't get to helping them soon, I will. That whole mess with Shub being impregnated the first time she took a mortal form as a goat really needs to come to a proper conclusion because they won't properly talk until the full truth of events have been revealed."
She sighed. "Humans really were on to something when they said that proper communication is important in any relationship… Well."
She smiled.
"In the worst case scenario, Aeon can just fuck those two silly. It worked for Nyarlathotep, after all!"
"What are you doing?"
Nyarlathotep grinned at the red-haired woman staring at her with suspicious blue eyes. Oh, those mortals were so cute, being all suspicious of her! It was adorable.
They were lucky Aeon got to them first, she would have loved to see them kneel before her throne, with only a collar around their necks for "clothes".
Well, she'll have to settle for seeing all of them kneel together before their king's throne, instead. She wondered how long it would take to set that up… She was certain her king would appreciate the view, even if he was too kind to actually ask for such a thing from her fellow sex pets.
Thankfully, he had his trusty (hah!) Nyarly to help, now!
"Getting to know my fellow harem sluts!" she said cheerfully, before pausing. "Oh, right, it's wives, isn't it?" she shrugged carelessly. "Meh. Same thing!" She finished brightly.
"You know, I heard that you were a bitch, but you really aren't even trying to hide that fact, huh?" The other blue-eyed woman present deadpanned, glaring at her from her own seat in the living room they were all in.
Nyarly created a collar around her neck, the leash connected laying in her right hand, before she looked the woman in the eyes.
"Woof." she smirked.
"You know, when Aeon told me he seduced the Nyarlathotrep, I wasn't sure what I expected." The green-eyed medic, Rebecca, sighed. Then she looked at her with a frown. "This… certainly wasn't it."
"Don't worry, if our King doesn't satisfy your desires to service him on your knees, I'll be more than happy to have you between my legs!" Nyarly said cheerfully.
Rebecca blushed. "That's- I mean-" she stammered at the unexpected bluntness.
Nyarly snorted. "Mortals. So unable to recognize their own desires… Come on, be honest, all of you. Once you heard that Aeon became King, how many of you began fantasizing on being bent over his throne? Possibly in full view of the entire Eldritch Court?"
The Crawling Chaos smirked at the way the three Huntresses squirmed slightly at those words. So predictable.
Human women could be just as perverted as men, some just got huffy and puffy about it when it was pointed out.
Nothing being mind-broken into good little sluts won't fix, of course. A pity her King was so constrained by his human morals. Bah!
"You really have no shame, don't you?" said Claire.
Nyarly grinned at her. She liked all of her King's lovers, but especially the most fierce amongst them.
And humans had it right: Redheads were awesome. The only thing better than a fiery redhead was the satisfaction one felt in taming them!
"My dear, I'm the Crawling Chaos. The first Dark God in existence. There are few things I love more than to see how far you mortals can fall. You all look so perfect crawling like worms in the dirt you were born from, is it any wonder I love seeing you on your knees?"
Jill shook her head. "How Aeon can love someone like you, I have no idea."
The looks on Rebecca and Claire's faces made it clear they agreed, as if their emotions didn't betray them, considering they were all but blasting them to her senses.
To their obvious surprise, Nyarly threw her head back and laughed at those words.
"Oh, you poor mortals! So eager to see the best in the man they love! So desperate in convincing themselves that of course, the man they fell in love with is a good, kind, merciful man!"
The smile she sent those three was inhumanly large and full of teeth, her red eyes glinting cruelly.
"That same man took me like a bitch in heat without care. That same man made me scream, beg, and squeal in bliss and agony without hesitation."
She laughed softly, awe flashing in her gaze.
"That same man burns with hate. A hate so strong, so bright that if it ever got out of control, the omniverse would burn. The only reason the man-" she sneered. "-you love isn't a monster greater than any Creation has ever seen is his self-control. That, and the remnant of his humanity. Do you have any idea of what he is capable of? The horrors he can unleash, if ever… pushed?"
Nyarly cackled, a ugly, sadistic, awed sound.
"Reality would shatter at his will! Multiverses would be sent screaming into the Void without hesitation! Countless species and civilizations would burn to ashes without him blinking even once!"
She grinned at their pale, grim faces. "And all it would take is a reason. Honestly, a little push is all it would take for him to see reality break before him. He can't help it, see?"
She sneered, a gleeful glint in her gaze.
"A hunter must hunt. If he ever met an evil great enough that to destroy it he would need to break the omniverse… he would do it. He would Hunt. It's in his nature. The man you love would rush headlong on the path to Hell, if only he can ever be convinced it's the right thing to do. Look at what is going on right now! The Abyss has existed for eons, and yet, less than a year after our new king has arrived, the greatest war to ever exist is on the brink of starting!"
Nyarly sat back in her own seat, looking like a Queen on a throne, a cold, delighted grin on her face.
"Face it, ladies. The man you love is a monster. A monster that would see reality burn to change it to how he wants it to be. And you? You're his good little pets. Carefully seduced, indoctrinated, trained and more. You will kill in his name, and do it with a smile. You will bear his children, and they will kill in his name as well. Same with their children, and on and on."
"You're wrong." Jill said coldly. "Aeon won't turn our children into killers. If they don't want to become-"
"Don't want to? Hah!" Nyarly laughed at them. "Do you hear yourselves? Look at Sherry! So well-raised, so well-loved! And guess what she's like, nowadays? That's right! The girl that was defined by her kindness became obsessed with making Daddy proud! Why do you think she's attracted to heroes?" she sneered at the last word. "That girl will kill more people than her birth parents ever have! You say that they will have a choice? Oh, they will. But it'll be mere illusions, smoke and mirrors. He will raise them with love, train them with love, and in the end, they will be his good little killers out of love. And they will all serve our King's plans, and help ensure that his will, and his will alone, define what Reality will look like."
Nyarly grinned at them. "And maybe, maybe some of your children will indeed not be his good little killers… But if they come from you? They absolutely will. With both their parents being killers… Do you really think the kids will not follow in your footsteps? Raised as they will be over the stories of your great deeds?"
She stared at the three grim-faced little sluts before her with a grin. Honestly, mortals. So very blind to the obvious.
Oh, certainly, some of the kids will not seek to become killers… But they will be her King's children, all the same. Their very nature will ensure they will be trained to kill… and so, sooner or later, they will convince themselves to put those skills to use in some way.
"So, as I said… wives or harem sluts, it'll all end the same way." she finished smugly.
"Nyarly."
They all froze, before their gaze snapped towards Aeon, suddenly standing besides the Crawling Chaos.
"Hello master~!" cheerfully said Nyarly, getting on her feet and jumping up to hug him, making sure to press her large breasts against his chest.
The looks that earned her from her fellow harem sluts at her back made her grin wider. Ooooh, did their emotions burn like stars to her senses…
A moment later she froze, unable to move despite all of her powers.
Her king stared at her with a flat look.
"You really can't help yourself, huh? Fine then. Have it your way."
A moment later she was thrown into the sex dungeon where her king had first taken her, naked and bound, utterly helpless.
She just got a look at the three women staring at her with sadistic satisfaction at the knowledge that she was going to get it now, before Aeon stepped through the portal he sent her into and closed it behind him.
He stared at her for a moment… before sighing.
"Did you really have to fuck with them like that?"
Nyarly shrugged, now that she could move again, even if constrained by her bindings. "None of what I said was wrong. Better they get used to the idea right now, rather than be bitter over it when confronted by the truth later."
"There were kinder ways of breaching those topics than… that." he said dryly.
"It wouldn't have been as fun, though!" she shot back cheerfully. "Their emotions, the looks on their faces…" she squirmed in her bounds. "It was delicious."
Her king rolled his eyes. "You don't have to play the role of the sadistic bitch, you know."
Nyarly turned serious, all humor fading away instantly.
"I do. Someone should always be willing to spit harsh truth to people's faces. There are few better ways to test your lovers' loyalty than to confront them on the fact that not everything is perfect. How they handle that fact reveals a lot. Beside…" she grinned at him. "Those three are going to need comfort, reassurances, and of course love. And you'll be there, being your loving, gentle self, kissing and, no doubt, fucking their fears and doubts away. I'm sure they'll be really grateful for whatever kind words you tell them after this to make them feel better. I've got a feeling the sex tonight is going to be very enjoyable for you."
He sent her a flat look, and she chuckled.
"Good cop, bad cop exist for a reason. If you had broached those subjects, or others like it, they'd have been annoyed at you for it, no matter how needed it might have been to talk about it. No human woman likes to think over the fact that their kids will become killers, some day… and we both know that most of your kids will be ones. This way, I get their bitterness, and you get to swoop in and comfort them."
Her king groaned. "I still think that there were better ways to handle this. Though I can't say I'm surprised you choose to do this…" he gave her a dry look. "Especially when you knew I was going to drag you into this place, before those three's eyes, to punish you."
Nyarly smiled. "I'm a sado-masochist. I got to make those three squirm, and now I get to be punished. Win-win!"
She paused.
"Also, you've got a harem. Making it clear that you can, and will, punish those of your lovers that go too far is a good thing." she pointed out.
Her king crossed his arms over his chest, sending her a long look.
"So, basically you get to be a sadistic bitch to my lovers while helping them face some harsh truth and being the focus of their bitterness, I get to comfort them over it, and then you get to enjoy being punished by me for messing with my other wives. Is that it?"
"Yup. Pretty much!" she cheerfully shot back. "Also, if they decide to take their frustration on me in the bedroom later, that's even better!"
Her king sighed, before smirking at her.
"Right, there's a problem in your plan."
She paused.
"What problem?"
His smirk widened.
"What if I just leave you hanging there, to stew on your own, without being able to get off or anything?"
She froze.
Aeon laughed, tapping her in the forehead with a finger, before turning on his heels, a portal opening.
Her red eyes widened in panic. "Wait, don't-"
The portal closed, leaving her alone, naked and helpless in a sex dungeon strong enough to hold even her.
And the spell casted on her would both bring her to the absolute edge of climax… without being able to actually orgasm.
There was only one thing she could say to this.
"That did not go as planned!"
"Wait, don't-"
I closed the portal, Nyarly's shouting, panicked voice instantly cut off as a result.
Looking at Jill, Rebecca and Claire, it's pretty obvious that they heard her panicked scream… and thoroughly approved.
I mentally nodded. They certainly earned to hear the Crawling Chaos get actually punished after what she said, somewhat good intentions or not.
"Sorry, girls. Nyarly is…" I sighed. "How she is."
"I'm still wondering why you decided to take her as your own." Claire said, frowning. "Aza I can understand, for many reasons, and I have to admit she's cute, both in looks and personality."
She chuckled. "Not something I ever thought I'd say about Azathoth, but there you go. But Nyarlathotep, while being incredibly beautiful-"
"-she is a raging cunt." Jill finished flatly.
"She can be." I agreed. "But I do have my reasons, and she's loyal to Azathoth, and now to me, too."
I shook my head, sitting down near Rebecca and hugging her, my green-eyed medic happily melting into the hug and hugging me back tightly.
Both Claire and Jill had barely time to send an envious look at her before space shifted, and Jill found herself on my other side, with Claire on my lap.
They didn't waste time, Jill taking my arm and hugging it between her breasts, and Claire happily snuggling on my chest.
"What she said really got to you three, huh?" I muttered.
They winced, their grip on me tightening before they relaxed.
"She didn't say anything we hadn't considered before, but the way she put it…" Rebecca hesitated, biting her lower lip anxiously.
"I don't mind our kids growing up and learning how to fight from us." Jill said softly. "And if they want to follow our examples, so be it… But I do wonder if it wouldn't be better for them to not have anything to do with being Hunters." she admitted.
"No offense, Aeon, but being a Hunter can get brutal, sometimes." revealed Claire. "Having our kids be hurt… or even d-die…" she stammered, paling slightly. "Even if they wouldn't stay dead, it's not a happy thought." she muttered, looking almost ashamed of her words and refusing to look me in the eyes.
Probably for saying that being a Hunter was a shit job. Which, to be fair, it really was.
It also happened to be necessary, if only to keep Evil contained as much as possible.
I gently took her chin, and turned her head back to make her look at me.
"Hey, it's okay. Trust me, I understand." I said softly, rubbing my thumb over her cheek, Claire's eyes fluttering in pleasure at the move. "And I promise you-" I looked at Rebecca and Jill both before looking back at Claire "-that I won't force our kids into following any specific paths in life. If they want to become peace-loving florists dedicated to cataloging and selling flowers from across the omniverse, then I'll happily support them in becoming exactly that." I said with some humor, but above all earnest determination and truth.
All three of them smiled, relief and joy clear in their expressions.
"Thank you." Claire leaned forward and gave me a gentle kiss, before pulling back… looking a bit shaken still.
"You're still worried about something." I pointed out.
She flinched, along with Jill and Rebecca.
"I hate it when he's so perceptive." muttered Jill, though the lack of heat in her voice shows it for the lie that it was.
"We just…" Rebecca muttered, looking away, taking a deep breath, and then looking back at me with worried green eyes.
"She had a point. Sherry-"
"Sherry had some unique circumstances behind the way she grew up." I interrupted her gently. "She lived in a world full of monsters like the ones her parents were. Confronted every day with stories of how more of the same kind of people that almost destroyed Raccoon City continued to thrive across the world."
The three of them flinched at the name of the city, old memories resurging at the name, along with the horrors they fought there.
"Our children will grow up within the Eldritch Kingdom, a place far safer for all of us than your Earth was at the time Sherry grew up. Yes, they will still hear of various evils in existence, but they will also experience life far and away from the kinds of danger the people of your Earth had to face. I won't say that Nyarly didn't have a point, but it's not anywhere near as ironclad as she no doubt deliberately made it sound."
I sighed, and hugged all three of them tightly, something they returned eagerly.
"In the end though, all we must do is raise our children with love, and as best we can so that they become good people. Everything else, including what our children want to do with their lives, is for them to decide over time. All we can do then is support them in their own dreams, as we support each other in reaching out for ours."
That seemed to dispel the last of their worries, and I smiled as they finally relaxed, Jill and Rebecca's heads resting on my shoulders, and Claire's against my chest, seemingly taking comfort over the sound of my beating heart and my body's warmth.
I let them have this moment, knowing they needed this after their talk with Nyarly.
Though by the looks they exchanged, it seems that Nyarly had it right on one thing: I was definitely going to enjoy the sex tonight.
Hmm. Maybe I really should think about bending them over my throne, once I claim it…
Azathoth first, though. She was my Queen, after all, it was only right.
And besides, the bragging rights of bending Azathoth over my throne and fucking her silly would be enormous.
Note to self: troll the internet by dropping that fact in the middle of an argument, refusing to elaborate and then leaving at least once!
The Void, Fortress of Nusha, Great Old One of Blood.
Nusha took a sip of her blood-filled glass, before sighing in pleasure at the taste.
Oedon and her husband truly have some incredibly good bottles of Blood wine within their personal Vaults. Nusha herself had some legendary bottles in her personal collection, but she could freely admit that the bottle Oedon had brought was by far the best she ever had.
"You are being too kind, bringing that bottle to drink so casually." Nusha told Oedon.
She did her best to smother the blush trying to rise at Oedon's smile, the sheer kindness within it along with the amused red eyes doing terrible, terrible things to her emotional state.
"Nonsense. Wine is meant to be drunk, and enjoyed in fine company. And I am very much in fine company, am I not?" The Outer Goddess replied, a teasing glint in her eyes.
"I certainly hope so." she replied with a grin, more boldly than she actually felt, but the warm laughter her words earned her made her smile turn more genuine.
"Don't worry, you have been a perfectly fine host so far, and I see no reason why that would ever change." Oedon told her.
Nusha took some solace in that at the very least, her personal quarters were no longer wrecked ruins. She had wanted to focus on other, more important parts of the fortress first, but her people had almost rebelled at the thought of not starting with making sure their goddess' home wasn't fixed first of all.
The most that Nusha had been able to do was convince her daughters that not everybody needed to focus on doing that, and even that much had nearly started a brawl to decide who would have the honor of working on her personal quarters and who would not.
Having Oedon watch everything, amusement clear in her expression, and occasionally adding oil on the fire with a few well-placed comments had not helped things.
At least, she could now welcome Oedon to a chat without looking like a barely alive survivor of a great calamity, and instead try to look like the Queen she was.
No matter how much she felt like the first, rather than the second. It was hard to be a proud queen when glancing outside still showed fields of corpses as far as the eyes could see, and crumbling ruins where once there was a fortress bigger than some continents.
"I'm glad to hear that, considering-" she held back a flinch. "-my and my people's current situation."
Oedon sent her an admonishing look.
"Now now, none of that. I told you before, you will rebuild, and thrive once more, reaching heights greater than ever before. I have faith in you, and so do your daughters. Beside-" Oedon smirked at her, red eyes twinkling mischievously. "-the pleasure of your presence is reason alone for me to be here."
Nusha blushed, a part of her really wanting to tell Oedon to not flirt with her like that as her heart could hardly take it, but the majority of her happily clinging to the illusion of being desired.
After everything she had gone through, it was hard to not feel like a failure undeserving of compliments and love, and yet Oedon's gentle comments helped her feel like she wasn't completely worthless and unwanted.
She would have thought it was simple kindness and little more, but she.. Knew that Oedon was being entirely truthful.
There was a part of her that wanted to scream at her that she wasn't worthy of her love, that she wasn't worthy of kindness to begin with. She had failed her people, heard their screams and the way they begged her to save them-
Only for her to fail them all.
"Nusha."
She jerked slightly at the sound of her name, Oedon having leaned forward with the same look of kind understanding on her face that she seemingly always had.
"Stay with me, Nusha. Losing yourself in the pain and fears, the doubts and hesitation that are eating away at you won't help." the goddess said with infinite gentleness, and Nusha had to take a moment to not choke from the emotions trying to overwhelm her at the words given to her.
She gave Oedon a weak smile. "It's easier said than done."
"I know." Oedon replied softly, the sheer sympathy in her voice and eyes making it clear that she spoke from experience. She reached forward, taking one of Nusha's hands in her own and gently squeezing in comfort. "Trust me, I know."
Nusha swallowed, remembering the conversation where Oedon had explained her past.
That had been a deeply emotional talk, and one that had left Nusha wondering if Azathoth hated Goddesses of Blood or not, because why would they suffer like this otherwise?
But no. Azathoth had nothing against either Oedon or Nusha herself. Reality could be cruel all of its own.
It did not make the pain easier to bear.
"I'm sorry. Things always seem to turn sad when we talk." Nusha apologized.
Oedon merely shook her head, however.
"Don't worry about it. There are many reasons for you to be sad right now." she smiled warmly, then. "But on the bright side, it just means we'll have to create plenty of reasons to be happy instead, won't we?"
The wink she added at the end was saucy enough to make Nusha's cheek redden and a smile spread across her lips, while being earnest enough to let her know she meant it far beyond mere flirting.
Nusha took a sip of the Blood wine to get the time to regather herself, before sending her a gentle look.
"Your endless positivity is something I don't think I'll ever get tired of." Nusha told her earnestly.
"To take my husband's words… It's because I learnt that, no matter how dark the night, dawn always comes." Oedon's expression was gentle beyond belief, a deep sense of love radiating from the woman at those words. "And in the same way he refused to let it be any other way, so will I."
Her red eyes fixed themselves on Nusha, and the sheer intensity of her gaze sent shivers down her back… and not unpleasant ones.
"You have my word, Nusha, that I will make sure that you will be happy from now on… forevermore, if I have anything to say about it." Oedon declared, the immense conviction and determination in her voice and face making Nusha shudder.
A woman as kind and gentle as the one before her had no right being as sexy as she was when she looked determined.
Whatever words she might have replied to that were lost when a knock came from the door, making both Nusha and Oedon glance its way to see Muah, her second, enter the room without even being given permission.
Nusha blinked, not only at the breach of decorum (her daughters' respect for her would have normally made such a thing impossible) but at the awe on her daughter's face.
"My lady!" exclaimed Muah, wild-eyed. "You must-! They are! A miracle-!"
Nusha was about to try and calm her second when Oedon suddenly stood up, a warm smile on her lips.
"Ah, they have arrived. Come Nusha, you'll want to see this."
Oedon quickly began to walk towards the door, Muah stepping back to let her pass, and Nusha scrambled to follow suit.
"Oedon? What's going on?" she asked after running behind her friend.
Oedon's smile was so bright it could outshine any star.
"A homecoming."
Oedon refused to elaborate further, leaving Nusha and Muah to do their best to keep up with the very tall woman quickly making her way through the fortress, including going through some of the newly fixed portals allowing people to go through one part of the fortress to another quickly.
Finally, Oedon slowed down and came to a stop above the gates of the fortress, looking far off into the distance with a smile, and Nusha noticed how more and more of her daughters were rushing the place to do the same as Oedon.
Nusha did as well, wondering what caught everyone's attention-
And then she froze.
For a moment, terror gripped her heart, as she saw what had to be millions of people coming towards them all, wondering if an army of Star-vampires was making its way towards them…
But then she recognized who it was… and who was leading those people.
She gasped, tears gathering in her eyes at the oh-so familiar presence.
"Serana…?" she whispered, calling her daughter's name.
Back when everything was obviously lost, she had managed to convince her Heir to leave with a fraction of their people, even if it took Nusha fighting the mad god himself for days, and the sacrifice of countless of her people, to successfully make sure they got away without anyone knowing.
But she had always feared that the madness she had been afflicted with, and that had spread to all of her people, had gotten to her and those she had managed to save, dooming them as well, in the end.
And yet-
Oedon's left hand came down on her shoulder, gently squeezing in comfort.
"See? You didn't fail everyone." Oedon's eyes danced with joy. "You succeeded at getting some of your people out. And your Heir led them for all these years… Until it was finally time to come home."
Her voice turned firm, yet remained kind.
"You did this. Your plan worked. You saved your people. So go, and welcome them home."
Nusha said nothing, even as tears of joy flowed down her cheeks.
She merely waited, as more and more of her people within the fortress gathered to see the return of their kin.
She waited, as the mass of people in the distance grew and grew into a procession counting millions.
She waited, until she could see her daughter's face, and her daughter could see her, tears of relief and joy flowing down their cheeks at the sight.
She waited until her daughter stood at the head of her people, right before the battered gates to the fortress.
Serana tried to speak a few times, visibly choking on her emotions, before gasping "Mother."
Nusha quickly jumped off the wall, fell down on the ground before her daughter, and stared at her.
"I'm home-"
Nusha lunged forward, hugging Serana against her body as tightly as she could, kissing and sobbing into her daughter's hairs.
Serana hugged her back just as tightly, while around her Nusha's people surged forward, people laughing and crying as old friends were reunited, and much of what had been lost once was now made whole again.
And above it all, Oedon smiled, silently promising herself that the same would happen for the people of Yharnam one day.
Nusha wasn't the only one who intended to reclaim what has been lost, after all.
The Hunter's Dream, Fortress of Eternity.
As the children and servants of Aeon, God-king of the Eldritch, the various lesser Aeons had a lot of work to focus on from the moment they came into existence.
Certainly, they went to work gladly, the connection that they all shared with their God and Creator letting them know at all times what was expected of them, and for what reasons.
Across quintillions upon quintillions of galaxies, across an infinite multiverse, and across all the different Planes of the Prime Multiverse, Aeons went out, watching over people, fighting, and helping as necessary.
The Othaoses, servants of Rwandelux, the Pleroma of Light and Darkness, went out to limit the damage caused by Shadow demons incursions, while also ensuring that the most extreme servants of the Light did not commit atrocities of their own.
The Bythos, servants of Zaldroct, Pleroma of Space and Time, went out to carefully watch over all those who would abuse Time for their own ends, while also making it harder for the forces of Evil to use Divination magic against the forces of Good. They also worked to ensure that space-time magics and portals would not be misused, ensuring that no second Starwound like in the Golarion galaxy would ever come to pass.
The Akhanas, the servants of Phygmi, Pleroma of Life and Death, went out to secure the souls of all who died, helping to ensure that no astrademons and others such beings could steal souls from their righteous Judgment. The great river of souls, regularly patrolled by the servants of Pharasma, Greater Goddess of Death, saw legions of Akhanas appear to stand and fight by their side, as an agreement was struck between the Greater Goddess of Death and the Lord of the Eldritch. Battles that saw explosions bigger than entire star sectors bloomed across the great River of Souls, as armies of the Abyss waged war against those who would defend the souls of mortals against them.
The Theletos, the servants of Amnique, Pleroma of Fate/Order and Free Will/Chaos, spread across the cosmos to fight the plots of Evil in their own way. Those fated to fall to Evil were suddenly nudged towards new, chaotic paths that may yet save their souls, and countless prophecies that were previously set in stone began to lose their powers. On the other hand, other destinies were conceptually reinforced, and new prophecies were registered across the multiverse as the Will of the Lord of the Eldritch began to be felt by all.
The Lipikas, the servants of Uldatrex, Pleroma of Good and Evil, were sent out in force at this time. Either unseen by all as they secretly supported countless wars and parties of Heroes across enumerable worlds and dimensions, they also were not afraid to step up and fight by themselves if need be. Legions of them stood with the armies of the Coalition, ready for war, while countless more focused instead on the others forces of Evil beyond the Abyss, ensuring that no hidden force of Malice would use this time were the Forces of Good were distracted to strike with impunity.
The Agnoias, the servants of Sydnotra, Pleroma of Knowledge and Ignorance, strove out throughout the Cosmos to carry the will of their God. Inventors were suddenly struck by inspiration, while evil geniuses were suddenly left with the dreaded horror of the white page, unable to think of anything worth creating. Moreover, the knowledge of countless evil plots somehow found themselves in the hands of those able and willing to do something about them, while on the other hand the plots of the Forces of Good seemingly became impossible to understand or spy on.
And finally, the Synesis, the servants of Altryxna, Pleroma of Magic and Science, worked hard to regulate the creations of new spells and technologies to ensure as smooth a progression of the civilizations' base of knowledge across the cosmos as could be managed. Ensuring that new discoveries would not lead to wide-scale conflicts and social unrest whenever possible, or in a few cases the opposite when necessary to boost the chances of good-aligned factions against evil-aligned ones.
All of that, needless to say, required a level of coordination far and beyond most anything that mortals were capable of. Thankfully, the people within the Fortress of Eternity, held in one of the deepest layers of the Hunter's Dream, were not even remotely mortal.
Right now, the Pleromas, leaders of the lesser Aeons in service to the Lord of the Eldritch, were gathered in the meeting room deep within the fortress, their little council of seven working together to ensure the overall situation remained within acceptable parameters depending on their Father's plans.
"The armies of the Dragonflights are gathering around the city-fortress of the Black Dragonflight." declared Sydnotra. "Skirmishes with the farthest demonic forces away from the city itself have already broken out, thankfully all ending in favor of the Dragons so far. However, there can be no doubt that the demons are aware of their arrival, and are going to plan accordingly."
"The situation in the city is chaotic. The Black dragons are getting as good as they're giving, and thus losses on both sides are high." said Uldatrex.
"What about their leader and the Necronomicon?" questioned Altryxna.
The Pleroma of Good and Evil grunted. "They've been busy fighting off the more esoteric threats the demons threw at' em. Especially the good ol' 'Scry and die' tactic. To say nothing of all the times the demons tried to use the corpses of Black dragons to create a sympathetic connection and start cursing the whole damn species instantly."
"If it wasn't for Al Azif working with their leader, the Black Dragonflight would be in deep trouble right now. Our Father was wise to create the spirit of the Necronomicon and immediately sent her to work with Neltharion." revealed Zaldroct, with Amnique nodding at his words in agreement.
"And what about the demons' plan? The Dragon's Soul artifact is still a card they have yet to play, and the way they are deliberately baiting the leaders of the Dragonflight to gather in one place makes their plan clear." questioned Rwandelux.
"Already accounted for." Uldatrex said with a cold grin. "The divine blessings the leaders of the Dragonflights have will protect them. Even if the demons are wise enough to strike at the lesser dragons instead, the effects of the artifact will be diminished. The wrath of the dragons, on the other hand, will not be."
"And what of the local Eldritch forces on that world? Are they still not involving themselves?" asked Phygmi.
"There's a lot of debate going on between them about what they should be doing." explained Sydnotra. "Most are uncaring of the dragons' fate, some actively dislike them, and a few wish to support them. The factor that will decide their course of action is whether or not they decide to curry favor with our Father."
"You'd think they would have made a decision already." sighed Altryxna.
"They are Eldritch gods. They are usually used to things moving slower than this." Shrugged Sydnotra.
"That might be a problem if war breaks out." pointed out Uldatrex with a frown.
"It depends. They are also culturally eager to obey the wills of the Outer Gods, especially if Azathoth is involved. A good part of the reason the gods haven't sided with the dragons yet is because they've been worried that their intervention would go against Father's plan." Sydnotra replied.
"Which is true, since our Father wants the dragons to win this fight, not the local Eldritch Gods." pointed out Rwandelux.
"Which is why none of us received orders to influence them to move and rejoin the fight." agreed the hidden spymistress of the Aeons.
"Alright, so things with the dragons are overall going as planned, what about the rest of Reality?" asked Phygmi.
"Well, as you are well aware, there are some escalating battles across the length of the River of Souls." Uldatrex said to her, and the Pleroma of Life and Death nodded grimly. "We've already got trillions of astrademons charging at the combined armies of your Aeons and the Reapers of Pharasma, and those numbers are growing. At the current rate, I'd give it less than a week before that number reach the quintillions."
"We can take it." mused Phygmi. "But I will admit, that's partially because we're focusing so much on the demons, and not everything at once. Moreover, the Goddess of Undeath has already sent a number of armies to clash against my Akhanas. So far we've been winning those fights pretty easily, but it's also obvious that they were meant to be probing strikes, to test our strength, nothing more."
Rwandelux grunted. "Our enemies are testing us. The undeads aren't the only ones sending armies to fight with the demons whenever they can. A number of other evil aligned factions have made moves, more or less overt, in trying to gain information about us."
"Hell included." agreed Sydnotra. "As the Pleroma of knowledge, I can assure you that the number of official inquiries and more subtle ones into what we are all capable of is… staggering. It feels like every Lord and Ladies of Hell are sending out feelers… along with their subordinates, the subordinates of those subordinates, and on and on."
Phygmi frowned. "Should we be worried about Hell starting a fight with us all, like with the Abyss?"
"No." said Amnique. "They are trying to find out weaknesses, yes, but mostly it's about the words our Father spoke to their envoys. Many of the leaders of Hell are outwardly outraged… but on the inside they are wondering if they could become King of Hell themselves if they support our Father in a hostile take-over of Hell. Asmodeus has bound the leaders of Hell through many deals and treaties, but that does not mean they can't maliciously be compliant towards him… for the right price."
"There is no loyalty in Hell, huh?" mused Altryxna.
"I wouldn't go so far, but I will say that Lucifer leaving Hell with Lilith, and the mess that ensued with WW2 and Asmodeus' hand in that, mean that Asmodeus' position is not as secure as it once was. Lucifer has many allies, and they all see this as a perfect opportunity to mess with Asmodeus and get away with it. Then there are those who are simply opportunistic, those who see the way the wind is blowing, etc. Hell is divided, and the unity of the Heavenly Realms, combined with the very real possibility of the Abyss ceasing to exist in the future, is not helping matters at all." replied Amnique.
"Can we actually start a civil war in Hell?" questioned Phygmi.
"It's possible, I'd say." answered Sydnotra. "It will take time to plan it, set up the pieces and ready the board, but it can be done. If we put enough pressure on Hell by forcing them to escalate the Blood War on one hand, while working to support the plans of Lady Oedon to spread pacifism and conversion towards good of those aligned with the Abyss and Hell who get traumatized by the conflict, all of that while heating up the flames of ambitions in the leaders of Hell… By the time the Abyss is conquered by the Coalition, I could see Hell going to war with itself over its path forward from there."
"Asmodeus will see through it all. He is no fool." warned Rwandelux.
"That can be of use to us, actually." mused Uldatrex. "The denizens of Hell are Prideful. If we whisper the right words in the right ears, we can ensure that any attempt on Asmodeus' part to keep the loyalty of his people will be seen as the sign of a tyrant desperate to keep his power when he can feel it slipping through his grasp at last. The more brutal he is, the more easy it will be to flame the embers of misguided hubris."
"Nobody likes to be a slave." agreed Rwandelux with grim anticipation.
Then he chuckled.
"I wonder what the Goddess of Liberty in the Heavenly realms would think of our plan to turn the Lords and Ladies of Hell into Freedom fighters?"
There were a few snorts and chuckles across the room.
"We'll have to point it out to her, once we can afford to reveal it." said Uldatrex with a grin.
"What about Abaddon, by the way? I haven't heard much from them since Father descended there to make them kneel." asked Altryxna.
"They are doing as Father ordered." answered Zaldroct. "They are fortifying the borders of Abaddon with the Abyss, and preparing for an extended siege of their plane. They are also heavily reinforcing the paths leading from Pharasma's Spire with Abaddon, in preparation of the Abyss trying to steal souls from them there. Already, several battles have taken place, one great enough to have the Horsewoman of War make an appearance."
"That bad?" questioned Altryxna with surprise.
"One of the greatest servants of Lamashtu ended up leading a raid on the main path from Pharasma's spire to Abaddon, and Szuriel learned of it quickly enough to intercept the Abyssal army before it could get anything done." revealed Uldatrex. "The ensuing fight lasted for hours, saw billions dead on both sides, though with the demons getting the worst of it by far, considering they were facing the personal forces of the horsewoman of War. In the end, Lamashstu's servant fled while grievously wounded, and with the added insult of Szuriel shouting at his retreating form that she had found the fight boring."
"Ouch." winced Phygmi, sounding amused. "That had to have really angered the demon."
"Considering Szuriel's personality, she would gladly welcome a round 2." snorted Amnique.
"So the Daemons of Abaddon aren't secretly waiting to stab us all in the back?" asked Altryxna.
"Surprisingly, no." answered Sydnotra. "By all indications, the leaders of Abaddon have genuinely decided to serve our Father. As for the ranks and file, the vast majority are following their example, with only a handful deciding to be idiots. Don't worry, the Horsemen are already keeping an eye on those for when they slip and earn a quick death."
"I suspect that dear ol' dad kicking their shit in had something to do about their newfound loyalty." deadpanned Uldatrex with amusement.
"That's a fool's bet and you know it, brother." remarked Sydnotra with equal amusement.
Uldatrex shrugged with a careless grin made of starlight from underneath his cosmic hood. "Can't blame a guy for tryin'."
"On another matter, any news from Earth?" asked Altryxna. "I know that dad naturally likes the world, since it's where he was born… well, on the Earth of another multiverse, but you get what I meant. How are the pantheons of Earth reacting to his presence?"
"Stunned shock, mostly." Sydnotra said with a grin. "The idea of a human becoming the King of the Outer Gods seemed to have caused them to freak out a bit, especially when it came out of nowhere. The explanation that dad comes from another multiverse helped a bit to understand how nobody saw it coming, but at the same time it means dad has no reputation on Earth, for good or ill. Right now, the pantheons over there are simply wondering if he'll summon a Divine gathering or not, and if so, what exactly he'll want to do, or want done, about Earth."
"And that isn't even speaking of the chaos within the Hindu pantheon, after dad so casually raised one of their own back to Eldritch God level of power." Amnique said with deep amusement. "Seriously, Rani got into a wrestling contest with Shiva and threw him across the galaxy. That caused quite a few people to freak out, even if he came back laughing."
"Will there be a divine gathering? I'm pretty sure dad will ask for one to happen sooner or later, but I haven't heard anything yet." Altryxna wondered.
"There will be, once dad no longer has to focus so much on the Abyss… or alternatively, after the war starts and he has to work with the local pantheons to better protect Earth." Amnique told her.
"Speaking of diplomacy, he really needs to go deal with the Void, sooner or later." Rwandelux spoke up. "Tatsumaki almost got into a fight with their ruler earlier today."
"What happened?" Phygmi asked, leaning forward with concern.
"Empress Bel'veth made a careless comment about the strength- or lack thereof- of non-void beings. Tatsumaki did not take kindly to it, and things… escalated." Rwandelux said with dry amusement.
"How badly did it escalate, exactly?" inquired Phygmi.
"Not too far, since our father's first daughter, Sherry, managed to calm things down. And by 'not too far', I mean that a tenth of the Void shook violently for a few minutes… while Tatsumaki was still holding back." Rwandelux chuckled.
"Oh." gasped Phygmi, before she began giggling.
"Yes, oh. In other news, the pro-crusade faction is reconsidering their stance after that…" Rwandelux smiled. "A totally unrelated fact, I'm sure."
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Love Azathoth!
We start with Yog and Shub, two deities with history. What that history is will be explained when Aeon goes through their romance Arcs, but let's just say that solving it will require strong alcohol and getting gloriously smashed at some point. Young Yog quite literally fucked up, you see…
And yes, Yog time-warped the conversation twice. The only reason she didn't do that in past chapters was because there was either no need, or it would have failed and she knew it (whenever she was talking with Aeon, for example.) More on that later, too.
As for Nyarly, well she's a sado-masochist bitch who has a very skewed way of "helping" others. On the other hand, she's very much happy to get punished for it whenever possible. Also, just because she can be an absolute bitch doesn't mean she can't manipulate people when motivated. She just underestimated Aeon's pettiness and self-control, or things would have gone exactly as she had planned it.
Also, more Nusha! It's been a few chapters since we last saw the traumatized, but recovering Great Old One of Blood, but I didn't forget her. And yes, I used Serana as the vampire princess. I mean really, why wouldn't I?
And finally, more Pleromas scenes! They are very useful for expositions, though I'll also focus on character interactions when the war no longer is the focus of everything. Things are moving in the background, as people continue to react to everything going on… and Tatsumaki almost threw down with an Empress. Exactly as Aeon planned, because who better to have a show of force than the strongest non-divine lover he has? With Sherry helping to keep the peace and acting as "good cop", just in case.
In other news, I finally checked out "Frieren: beyond journey's end", and I'll definitely have Frieren show up sooner rather than later. She'll make a wonderful Hunter of the Dream, and her and Aeon would absolutely understand each other.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we return to the Dragons, as we bring the Dragon War to a close… and set up the embers of future conflicts