For the Record

Surprising to absolutely nobody who knew about it, u-comms are now everywhere, not even a full month later. I’d volunteered the Adventurer’s Guild on my own plane as a test group and Nyx had unsurprisingly refused, choosing to offer them to Gramr instead.

Because of course she did, and that’s fine.

The damnable pink demon continues to haunt me at every opportunity, continuing to poke at my mind for no good reason – I’m guessing she’s bored.

“Why don’t you go bother the furies instead? Aren’t they still just moping around their rooms?” I ask while petulantly tapping a foot.

Eros shrugs back without unwrapping herself from my lap. “Do you think I haven’t tried, darling? Of course I have. They’re not responsive to my usual methods, so I’m not quite sure what to do with them. Maybe it’s a result of the same treatment I received from that fish man? Not everyone is built for that kind of activity, not like I am,” she purrs.

“So how many of my adventurers are in your sway now?”

“Your adventurers in general are long since mine now. Did you not expect that? Hmmm?”

I lean annoyedly away from the succubus trying to get in my face like she usually does. I really don’t know what she expects me to do here; I’ve got half a mind to think her goal really is just to annoy me.

“Is that all you get from it?”

…I keep forgetting she’s in my head now too. A lapse in judgment, that. Apparently when someone sleeps, their defenses against mind magic and mental Skills in general are close to nothing.

And as a result of my curiosity regarding Hades’ dreams that no longer leave her to wake screaming, I get to deal with this.

Eros poking around in my mind, possibly even deeper than Nyx or Artemis can.

“May~be~” she chirps while wrapping her arms around my neck and hanging back from me to kick her legs idly.

It never really registered before that this throne is way too small for two people.

But anyway, it means she knows about the words of creation. Unexpectedly, she hasn’t asked me to do anything with them, or even tried to leverage the knowledge against me. I genuinely expected her to play those kinds of games.

At least she’s not Dolos I guess.

My second first wife hasn’t been nearly as joined to my hip in the recent week, spending a lot more time with Pearl. Which I suppose is long overdue… the sludge tentacle thing has been lurking around in our vicinity, clearly wanting very badly to cling to her purpose for existing, while also not knowing how to deal with a version of the former paladin that doesn’t even remember who her best friend is.

But she’s remembering bits and pieces, albeit slowly. Very slowly.

She at least remembers that her name was once Izahne, although even her parents still escape her. And she seemed so attached to her father…

And again, I could just magic her memory back, but she asked me to wait. I think she just didn’t want to remember all the time she spent vivisecting mortals for Ceto in one lump.

I can’t say I blame her, although I probably would have been fine in her place… it’s always been clear that I simply don’t feel that kind of empathy for the suffering of others. More likely than not, I’d slowly and painfully drain them of life without ever having to touch a knife.

But that’s neither here nor there. I haven’t been in her situation and I strongly doubt I ever could be. The Domain of Control is a trump card over mind control in general.

Which still did nothing for me against that wily demoness, even after I told her to stay out of my head.

“I don’t believe you, pussycat,” she replies to the unspoken words. “You always loved when people noticed you, and I’m noticing you more than anyone else ever will now.”

…

“Also, who is ‘the administrator’, and how exactly are they monitoring you?”

“Don’t speak of my mother. Really, you’ll regret it. She’s already watching me, probably moving my actions too. I wouldn’t doubt if you’re getting the same.”

“Oho? More family besides the old horror? Fascinating, love. You should tell me all about her.”

“Denied. Stop asking.”

Pouting back she says, “Well… suit yourself I guess. For now.”

A flash of shadow and a set of hands wrap around Eros neck, quickly enough that I barely have the time to dematerialize before I’d be yanked from my throne and thrown across the room alongside the demoness.

Hades is strong now. Very strong.

And very jealous. Or, envious? I’ve never been sure of the right word for it. Either way, she’s promptly taken the demoness’ place on my lap, curling tightly into me. Her soft breath on my neck is somehow relaxing, maybe even comforting.

It’s definitely become a routine feeling considering how clingy she’s been since I recovered her from her tribulations, and suppose I’ve gotten used to it.

“Stingy!” Eros complains as she drifts back across the room, her wings performatively flapping slowly as she returns. “We can share her you know! There’s plenty of room.”

“How the hells is there plenty of room!?” I exclaim. “This thing is made for one person! Two is already a stretch!”

And Hades unexpectedly leans even closer into me. Which is still completely fine.

She’s mine.

And she knows it. She’s embraced it.

The same way that we’re embracing each other now.

After a moment of expectantly hovering around in the hopes of an opening to squeeze in, Eros finally gives up and flits off, no doubt to enslave more adventurers.

I’m sure that will go over well with any and all of the other Adventurers Guilds… although I have to admit, I still have no idea if there’s any kind of overarching organization behind them…

(Yes you do, it’s how you got registered in the hive’s mains district. Remember?) Nyx interjects

Ah, right. I forgot about that.

…

I wonder what they’re all up to? I remember Mimir is long gone, but that’s to be expected… he really, really didn’t want to be found.

At least Eris is coming around, however slowly. Rebuilding those cities for her and showing her the planar dungeonization trick definitely helped, but it’s still obvious that she doesn’t trust me one bit.

She’s expecting me to lose myself to the Mantle of Malevolence again, sooner or later.

Which I guess I might, it could happen…

Do you want me to prevent it? a honey-smooth voice intones in the back of my mind. I absolutely could. But would you ever agree to it? I don’t think you would, hehe.

I… don’t know, to be honest. I might… but only if I start, I don’t know, indiscriminately murdering massive numbers of mortals again, and don’t listen to Nyx or Hades warning me to stop. They used to be my failsafe, but all it took was the isolation of losing my wife and feeling the other gods were deliberately withholding their help.

I hated them all, but I didn’t just want to kill them.

I wanted them to hurt.

I wanted them to suffer the same way I did when everything I’d worked for was taken away, and then and only then would I kill them.

But not permanently.

No, I wanted them to return and again see what I’d done to them, a reminder that they’d forever regret refusing to help.

But even then, a number of them did help… or at least tried. It seemed the ones willing to talk to me were the ones who knew the least.

A conspiracy.

Another ongoing game, just like everything else the damned gods do to while away their eternities.

They can’t even focus on their own people. I have plenty of entertainment simply spending time with my own retainers and my people, my worshippers.

…Also, for whatever reason, Dipshit is still trying his best to reach that damned rusalka… whose name I don’t remember, assuming she ever had one.

I’m surprised I didn’t eat her too in my rage, and yet I didn’t.

Well, I guess that’s one more thing still like the old days. It feels strange to say that.

Maybe that’s why the gods, although bored, manage to keep going. Meddling, sure; but also watching what does and doesn’t change with the ants scurrying about our hills.

…

I feel like I’m forgetting something.

…

…

Rose, I project to my main dungeon core’s avatar. What long running projects have I left unfinished?

Several, the not-really-a-nightwalker replies.

And then it lists off a lot of minutiae… mostly things like expansions to towns or adding more Adventurer’s Guilds and dungeons to keep them busy…

…

And one other that catches my attention. A name I haven’t heard in a very, very long time.

So I tear a quick rift – the old prison under the castle didn’t actually deteriorate despite years and years of my rage, and the wards are useless against those who travel outside the planes…

And stop in front of a large pit, the contents still snarling in the midst of eternal combat with swarms of goblins. After all, I wanted my old acquaintance to evolve as soon as possible – ideally into something capable of sentience.

I lean down over the edge to meet glaring red eyes staring hungrily up and offer their owner a simple greeting.

“Hello, Nerin.”