Part 2
When the four of them reconvened in their room at the hot spring inn, the atmosphere was slightly tense for several minutes. Sensing Elias wasn't sure how to bring it up, Francisco elbowed him.
"Hey what was that for?" Elias asked him, to the snickering of Vordea and Nalaea.
"Just say it for god's sake!" Francisco told him. "You'd think you haven't been banging her for 3 years with how nervous you're being about this."
"Well he does know how to treat a lady." Vordea said, winking. "So, what do you want to say? You finally going to marry me?" Vordea said, teasing him.
"Considering who you are, I don't think I can." Elias replied, pulling stacks upon stacks of papers out of his bag.
"Oh, what's this?" Vordea asked, quite amused.
"Proof. Months of proof. Years, even. I've been writing down everything you've said about who you aren't. Along with my own research in the many libraries I've visited in our time together." Elias explained, finally getting to a piece of paper with a single name written on it. "You're Lady Chaos, aren't you? The Great Destroyer. The Broken Mirror. Lady Vordea, the Goddess of Change... no, that title is wrong." Elias said, correcting himself.
"Hmmm?" Nalaea asked, curious herself.
"The Supreme Goddess of Creation. The last child of... oh where's that other note?" Elias began to rifle through his bag, before pulling it out. "Aha! Of course. The last child of Carcosa."
"You remind me a lot of Professor Hargrave." Vordea replied, as she assumed her normal avatar in an instant, complete with her black armour. "An endless hunger for the truth. That's why I chose you."
Elias and Francisco were both taken by surprise at Vordea so readily dropping her disguise, and the look on their faces made Vordea smile.
"Now then Elias, or should I say... High Priest Malloit? Let's discuss everything in the open." Vordea said, folding her hands and placing them on her lap. "Ask away, I will answer all of your questions... within reason, of course."
Elias was flabbergasted, and took a few moments to gather his thoughts, shuffling the papers as he did so, before deciding to begin with the very first thing that popped into his head.
"What do you mean, High Priest?" He asked.
"Exactly that. I have chosen you to be my next High Priest. I already empowered your soul when we first met. You're the perfect candidate, and it's how you were able to save Nalaea."
"Of course. Why keep it a secret for so long?"
"I wanted you to figure it out on your own. I could have just revealed myself to you, and made a proclamation. You weren't ready then. You still aren't ready now. That's part of the fun, though."
"Will things... change between us?" Elias asked, as diplomatically as possible.
"I do like you Elias, I wouldn't be wringing you dry every night if I didn't." Vordea answered, her face flushing slightly as she licked her lips.
"Wants to be treated like a lady, doesn't act like a lady at all." Francisco said, shaking his head.
"Many such cases." Nalaea added.
Instead of responding with words, Vordea decided to slither one of her tentacles slowly over to Elias's chair, and curled it up around his leg, before winking at him.
"Right." Elias said, slightly flustered as it uncurled and slithered away again. "What does your Imperial Visa actually say?"
"I promise you it's quite boring, but here you go." Vordea said, pulling it out from inside of her black armour and handing it to Elias, who read it carefully.
Name: Vordea
Occupation: Goddess
Reason for Visit: Searching for next High Priest
Duration of Stay: Indefinite
Visa Class: Divine
Warning: Do not read this visa aloud under any circumstances.
"Divine?" Elias asked, as he handed it back to Vordea.
"Catastrophe is what would be issued to Sirene Ignitis or a High Priest. Divine is what's issued to the Gods themselves." Vordea answered.
"So where's the other visa?" Francisco asked.
"Oh there isn't. I simply rearranged the words." Vordea said dismissively.
"What do I get out of this?" Elias asked, before Francisco could challenge the ridiculousness of what Vordea said.
"Let's start with some clothing." Vordea said, clapping her hands. Instantly, Elias found himself wearing the robes of a priest, and Nalaea snickered.
"What's so funny?" Elias asked.
"The hat. Lady Vordea did you really have to?" Nalaea asked, her snickering devolving into laughter.
Elias felt for the hat and took it off. Looking at it, he laughed and threw it at Vordea, who was smiling also. "Fuck off, a bishop hat?"
"Worth it." Vordea said, laughing. "Okay, I'll be serious. You speak on my behalf. As wonderful as I am, I can't be everywhere at once, and people get intimidated by me."
"Gee I wonder why." Francisco said, to the laughter of all.
"So, you speak with my authority. When you speak, my power is behind your words, and you may threaten, browbeat, abuse, intimidate, and corrupt as you wish with that authority."
"I'm starting to remember Vordea is not one of the good Gods." Francisco continued, upon hearing those words.
"Good? Evil? I'm far beyond those concepts, boy. I am change. The High Priest of Vordea is the only living mortal whose summons I will answer. If they will not listen to you, you can summon your God to enact instant divine judgement." Vordea was smiling quite wickedly now.
"What do I have to do in return for you?" Elias asked, crossing his leg.
"Smart boy." Vordea replied, repeating the motion. "I may give you a task from time to time. That is all.
"A task?" Elias asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's start now. Escort me back to Gilnas City. I have found my High Priest." Vordea said, folding her arms and smiling. "One more thing. Don't feel bound by your predecessors on how to act. High Priestess Celeste was chosen by an all out battle royale that resulted in the deaths of nearly a hundred, and the execution of her remaining rivals on the altar of the Great Cathedral. High Priest Fillmont literally seized control of the Church and named himself to the position. Act how you see fit."
"Celeste? Wait, you mean Old Handsy?" Nalaea asked.
"Handsy?" Francisco asked. "Do I want to know?"
"Dear sweet Neptis had a very... healthy sex drive." Vordea said, trying to be charitable. "I later discovered she was responsible for every single case of rape that occurred in Dragonpost over a 25 year period."
"All of them? Fuck off there's no way." Nalaea scoffed.
"She wasn't called that for nothing." Vordea said with a slight giggle. "But really Elias, just make it up as you go. My purview is change, and all that entails. The more chaotic, the better."
"You make it sound like this is just for fun." Elias said, laughing.
"Oh it is." Vordea answered dismissively.
"What." The other three said in reply, rather flatly.
"Your job is only as serious as you want it to be. Speaking of, there's another reason we have to go back to Gilnas City."
"Oh?"
"We need to make the pact binding." Vordea answered, quite seriously. "Right now you are still a flimsy mortal, and not one of my Avatars."
"That sounds like another thing you won't tell us anything about. So let's move on to your titles. Why don't you tell us a little about each one?" Elias asked, looking at the sheets of paper before him. "I've heard of most of them, but there has to be a reason behind them."
Vordea smiled widely, but kept her hands on her lap. "Let's start with the most well known. The Great Destroyer. What the elves call me, do you know why you even call me that, Nalaea?"
"Genetic memory. Elves can just barely remember the barest whispers of the last kalpa." Nalaea answered, one of her eyes twitching.
"What they remember is the end of a kalpa." Vordea answered, smiling pleasantly. "They see me devouring the mortal souls by the billions as I extinguish all life in the universe. They witness me returning all of creation to nothingness, so that I may begin the Great Work once more, and extend the life of the universe by many trillions of years yet."
Elias was writing furiously as Vordea spoke, unsure if she would ever share this information again. Vordea patiently watched and smiled as Elias continued to write, greatly pleased with her choice. Once Elias was finished writing, she waiting for a few moments before continuing.
"There's only a few who still call me this next title, The Broken Mirror. It's an old Orcish name for me. Can you guess why they called me that?"
"Probably to due with your propensity to omit the truth but not lie?" Francisco ventured.
"Close. A Broken Mirror only reflects a partial truth, that is the reason. Make of that what you will." Vordea said, shaking her head slightly.
"Anything more to it than that?" Elias asked, seeing Vordea shake her head again, he motioned for her to continue.
"The Last Child of Carcosa. Where did you find that one?" Vordea asked.
"When we explored Zimmil Ma. I heard it whispered as we looked through the libraries. It sounded important, so I wrote it down. Later I managed to link Carcosa to you, so it felt like it was referring to you." Elias explained, looking through his notes. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and fell back in his seat, holding his head. "What-Why do I feel like this?"
"Emperor Lazarus. Of course." Vordea said, chuckling. "Even the name is a mental hazard, so I'll refrain from speaking it again. It refers to where I came from. It's a place mortal eyes are not meant to see, and if I took you there, you would become quite insane."
"So what does the last child mean?" Nalaea asked.
"It was once a place so alive, but that was even before my time. I was the last child of a doomed land, created in the dying gasp of an ancient place, so that it would never be forgotten." Vordea answered, smiling sadly.
"Created?" Elias asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That is something that must remain a secret, my sweet." Vordea replied, shaking her head. "Let's move on to the last one, the Supreme Goddess of Creation."
"Hang on isn't that the Raven King's title?" Francisco asked, to which Vordea gently pat him on the head.
"No Franny, the Raven King is the God of Creation, which is... different. Creation versus Creation." Vordea said, stressing the word differently each time she said it. "I am the Supreme Goddess because none outrank me, not Eigengrau, not Agbus, no-one." Vordea continuing, offering vague half-truths designed to deflect.