The Deity Entertainment Network

Chapter 253 – Conflicted Thoughts And A Clan Matriarch

The undead turned to dust after a couple of hits of John's shadow magic, their already weakened bodies unable to stand up to his decay. He managed to roll to the side and grab his sword with his left hand, pushing as much as he could of the remaining decay mana he had left into the weapon and slashed with it. The undead poofed into clouds of dust as he connected, giving him a moment to breathe. The armour on his right arm was still connected but was hanging loosely, blood running down the limb.

Ice and fire exploded around him then, knocking back several of the attackers. John looked to see where it came from and saw Andre waving at him, two spirits on his shoulders flinging spells at the undead. He then threw a rock towards another group approaching John, and it exploded like a grenade when it struck.

John nodded, then started to rush forward, raging again like some sort of Berserker, screaming as he tore through the ranks of the undead towards where he saw Mica earlier. The sky started to get dark, making him think he was about to pass out, but he didn't care. He would tear through the remaining undead, and then he would rest. 

Mica was on the ground, bleeding but still alive, fighting off a single undead that was trying to tear her throat out. He lopped its head off and stood over her, guarding her as she tried to regain her footing.

*BOOOOOOOMMM!!!!*

An explosion struck the North gate, blowing the massive door off its hinges. Four wolves with riders flowed into the courtyard, his party riding on their backs. Yunyun was throwing balls of fire at more of the undead, while Darkness charged towards him on Nebula. Aqua started chanting something, and a silver circle of power shot out from her body, causing the undead near her to scream as holy fires started to burn them. 

Chris was in the rear, holding a barely conscious Megumin, who apparently blew open the gate for them. Her purple eyes locked onto him, looking relieved that he was still alive.

"Is that your party, John?" Mica said, standing beside him now, holding the axe he had thrown her way with her one uninjured arm. The waves of undead had all but ended, with Yunyun and Aqua rushing around with the wolves to finish the remaining few off. 

"Yeah. That is them. They’re a crazy bunch, but seem to be good people for the most part." He said, sheathing his sword as Darkness jumped down off Nebula in front of him. 

"John! You're okay!" She said, grabbing him in a bear hug. "I was so worried that we lost you."

"I missed- ARGH!" He screamed, the pain shooting through his arm now that his rage had dissipated.

"John? John?! JOHN!!!" Darkness said, but another kind of darkness took him as the pain from all the damage he had accumulated crashed into his brain at once.

 John found himself floating in the ocean of blue mana again, though this time it was mixed with strands of golden power. If he had to guess, that was his Ki, though he had no idea if it was true. Was this place his soul? Or just a byproduct of fever dreams? He didn't know. 

He relaxed as he waited, unsure why he was here again, but hoped that something would emerge from the depths and show him a vision or something. He had no idea how long he had waited, but nothing seemed to be happening, so he tried to manipulate his surroundings. He found he could drift around with a thought, but he didn't seem to be able to manipulate any of the Mana or Ki he was floating in. 

"C'mon, wake up, John. You can't be lounging around all day; you have a castle to help clear." He said, chastising himself. He knew that wasn't fair, that he had fought like hell and was nearly killed in the process.

"Aqua was there; she should be able to stitch me back together. Unless that lich showed back up, then she might have had some issues."

"You fought a lich? Are you crazy? You're only level 1!" A voice said. He whipped his disembodied head around, trying to find the source of the voice. A long white gash appeared in the sky above him.

"Aqua?"

"Yeah, that is me, your goddess that you should be worshipping. Listen, I stabilized your body, and you're resting in the master bedroom here. The Moonfall clan are just finishing up with the undead in the basement levels, using Darkness as bait. It's quite amusing to watch, but I needed to make sure everyone else is okay. I... did my best for you, I just want you to know that. I just don't have all my spells yet."

"Lost the arm, didn't I?"

"You knew?"

"Yeah. I figured as much. You don't take that much abuse and expect to come out unscathed."

"Well, I could... kill you and resurrect your body from nothing if you want. I don't recommend it, though; it can be quite traumatizing."

"No, it's fine. I'll figure something out."

"I'm sorry. If... if I were still in heaven, or if I had more spells, I could have done more for you. When I have a few more levels, I will be able to regrow your arm. I just chose to get resurrection first instead of regeneration."

"It's fine, darlin', you did your best with what you had."

"You're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be? You didn't cut my arm off."

"It's just, you always seem to be mad at me, yet you're my only way I get to go back home. I should be mad at you for how you treat me, but you made me feel something weird, and now I don't know what to think."

"I just want you to do better. You're not some sixteen-year-old kid, Aqua. You're a goddess that has been around for a long time; you can still have fun without being a brat."

"Grrr... I'm not THAT old."

"I'm eighty-four, and I'm pretty sure you're older than me if the age of these churches in town is any indication."

"Hey, I took a divination spell just so I could find your sorry ass! If you bring my age up again, I won't be responsible for what happens next."

"You want your ass spanked again?"

"Ye- NO! NO! Definitely not! Argh, why does talking with you make me want to pull my hair out and kiss you at the same time!"

"Kiss me? Sorry, I have a lot of women in my life already, and you already said you are monogamous. Maybe in another life we would have worked out, but I would hate for you to break your own moral code."

"I'm going to smother you with a pillow now. Either that, or draw pictures on your face. Maybe I can find someone who can do tattoos." 

"You really want your ass smacked, don't you?"

"If you do, you get to bear the consequences of your actions."

"And what would those be?"

"I- It doesn't matter. Listen, I have to leave you be for now. I have a few more wolfkin that I think I can resurrect before I run out of mana. I just wanted to check in on you before I go back to work."

"Aqua. Thank you for coming to find me. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Just remember, I take payment in the form of worship and becoming a devout follower of the Axis Church."

"How about some headpats and maybe a meal or two?"

"All I can eat?"

"Long as I have the money for it, sure."

"Deal! You can take me to dinner once you wake up! I love steak and seafood."

"Where am I going to find a surf and turf place in Axel?"

"That is your problem. Oh, Megumin is recovering beside you, so don't be surprised when you wake up."

"No worries. Go save some lives, Aqua. I'll talk to you in a bit."

"Will do. Later, John."

With that, the white gash in his soul closed, leaving John alone with his thoughts once again. 

She is pretty fun when she isn't being a brat. It's almost like having a little sister all over again.

He allowed himself to drift off to sleep. His new injury, while annoying, wasn't that much different than how he lived most of the last couple of decades with his bum right shoulder. At some point, either he or Aqua will have a spell to repair it, or he could go back to IF or MHA and get a prosthetic. 

Hell, maybe DEN will have something in the Gatcha. Maybe some sort of sci-fi gun arm? That could be interesting. Of course, with my luck, I'm just as liable to end up with a pirate hook or a vacuum cleaner. Or some sort of sex toy... It's going to be a frigging sex toy, isn't it? 

John cracked his eye open, feeling oddly refreshed considering he was just in a battle. He was undressed, lying under the covers in a large bed, in a very well-appointed, though oddly decorated bedroom. The walls and ceiling were all black with a bit of gleam to them, like they were made from Onyx. The furniture was all wooden and well-made, but stained dark grey, with a few white knick-knacks scattered about for contrast. Several large windows and a double door were wide open, leading to what appeared to be a large patio. 

I wouldn't have picked this myself, but... it has an interesting vibe.

Megumin was tucked into his left side, snoring softly against his chest for some reason, while Chris was on his right side, watching him as he lay there, tracing her fingers through his chest hair. There was another bulge between his legs, and he could feel something resting on Little John, though thankfully, he wasn't being molested again in his sleep. He could see other forms lying to the sides of the two women, one of which he was sure was Aqua just because of how loud she was snoring, but he couldn't guess who the others were.

"You know, I know the Eris church is allowing Polygamy now, but you are really putting it to the test to do this in front of their goddess." She said, not pausing her tracing, circling his nipple with her finger.

"You know I never asked for whatever this is. Why are you even interested in me?"

"I'm not sure. I was never interested in these things before, but seeing Darkness so happy that she found someone who could make her happy without being a complete dirtbag made me curious. I am pretty young for a goddess, only 1200 years old, but I have still lived out more lives than most people.

I love my people and have felt their love and devotion, but I have never experienced the more visceral feelings of loving another directly. I want to know what that is, but I need to return to heaven first, before I consider acting on these impulses. My avatar is me, but it isn't all of me. I want to make sure I know what I want first, before I make a mistake. You know what I mean?"

"Are you saying you want a relationship with me?"

"Maybe... but I know your heart. It's big, and you have let many people in, but you don't want it to be just a fling. This is the part I need to come to terms with. But before I go, can you cast your magic on me? I... want to know how it feels."

"Well, you did come help save my ass, it's the least I can do." He said. He lifted his good arm over Megumin and placed it on the scar on her face. "Middle Heal."

"Ahhh! Hah, hah... wow, that is what that feels like. No wonder Aqua is so conflicted about you right now." 

"Conflicted? How?" He said, taking his hand off her face. Her scar had disappeared, leaving her looking more like the goddess he had met that first day.

"She is selfish to a fault, but yesterday she was scrambling to take a spell so she could find you, instead of taking another party trick. That might not sound like much, but even in this short time, you have had an effect on her. Heck, you have had an effect on almost everyone in the party in one way or another. Not to mention the remnants of the Moonfall clan. How did you win their matriarch's heart already?"

"Hun? You mean Mica? I healed her wounds and offered to help free them."

"And you killed our slavemaster, saved my life twice, and stood guard over me even though you had a grievous injury. What else is a woman to do but fall in love?" A voice said from under the blanket. He lifted it up and was surprised when it wasn't just Darkness down there, but Mica as well, the pair of women resting on his thighs. "Not to mention, you brought my goddess to me in person. That is a little more than help."

"Good morning to you, too. Wait... she knows?" He asked, looking at Chris. 

She just shrugged, "We weren't exactly quiet about it, and I did say I was a goddess a few minutes ago." She looked down at Mica, "That was supposed to be a secret; no one else here knows who I am. Mind keeping that for now, at least until I let the rest of them know."

"For the one who sent our saviour, I will take it to the grave," Mica said, still insisting that Eris must have sent John to save them. 

"John isn't one of my followers; if anything, I will follow him. I think you should, too." Chris said, then looked back at him. "I'm going to head back to heaven now. Did you have any other questions before I go?"

"Several, but what I want to know most is, how did you set up your levelling system for your people. I have... a place where it could really come in handy, and could use a goddess to help watch over them."

"That... is a big ask. I need to talk with my boss first. I'll let you know what they have to say about it when I return. I'm a fairly minor goddess, you know, with just this one world to look after. Even Aqua technically has several she is in charge of, though most of them don't actually worship her."

"I didn't know that. Other than... fuck it, other than DEN, I have only met one other being I know for sure is a god, and that was in a dream. You two are the only ones I have had any amount of interaction with."

"Well, for the most part, we are not too different than normal people. We usually embody our aspects a little more than most people do, but for the most part, we all have hopes, dreams, and things we want to accomplish. Aqua is a little odd, since she doesn't embody how people normally see water and healing, but that is a general rule of thumb for most deities."

"And what is your aspect?"

"I'm the Goddess of Fortune. Word to the wise, never place a bet against me." She said, then leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Now, I'm out of here. Just tell Darkness I went to town. I'll see you again soon." 

"Take it easy, Darlin'. I'll have a bottle of bubbly waiting for your return." 

"That is two bottles, remember. And I'll hold you to that." She said, gave him a wink, then disappeared. He lifted his right arm then, looking at the ugly stub at his elbow. He just shook his head. That was a headache to deal with later.

"Would you like me to take care of this for you? Or is it too soon?" Mica said, poking Little John with a finger.

"Just come up here and cuddle if you don't mind. Darkness would be one thing, but if the others woke up, that might be a touch awkward."

"They are not all your women? It sure seems like it at how fast they came to the bed after the undead had been destroyed." She said, sliding upwards and into the right side of his chest.

"No. We kind of slept like this the other night, and it apparently stuck. Now, unless you're still tired, why don't you tell me what I missed while I was out?"

"Well, you have been out since yesterday. Since then..." She started to fill him in on everything that had been happening. John listened, but his eye kept drifting down to Megumin. She was only out for a few hours after using her spell. Why would she have crawled back into his arms after she had gotten up for the day?

This world is getting stranger and stranger every day I'm in it.