Dear Diary,

"Whenever you seek Vengeance,

Do not target innocents,

That is not Righteous Vengeance."

Doctrine of Tabitha, Book of Vengeance

Yeah, maybe I should have used the word 'Righteous' earlier in this Book. Because some stuff that gets labeled Vengeance might well be Vengeance, but it's not the kind of Vengeance I want to get credit for, and not the kind I'm going to support. Like, killing off a dictator's little kids because the dictator killed yours. Yeah, I get where that looks balanced, but in the end it's just gonna wind up with one more argument assholes use to excuse targeting little kids, like that shit is ever acceptable. Fuck, I know I'm significantly more durable than any human shaped, human sized object has any right to be, so I'm coming at this from a weird angle, but if some little kid has been brainwashed enough to attack me, even if they're the kid of somebody that hurt my family I really hope I keep my shit together well enough to gently disarm them and put them in time out until I can figure out what to do.

I mean, shit, from what I've been told Maze genuinely tried to kill me. Wanted to kill me. At the end of the day, went looking for the biggest, meanest, bitchiest badass she could to do unto me for her. Which happened to be me, but my point still stands, I'm not gonna off some little kid just because they got roped into a conflict they had no business joining in the first place. I mean, shit, if anything, she's like, the exemplar of Righteous Vengeance. I killed both of her parents, and she came directly after me. No bullshit about threatening Menace, or Saffron, or even any of the other kids we'd taken in. Just laser like focus on who she saw as the architect of her misery.

Makes it really weird that now she's basically attached to me at the hip whenever she can be. Which made it even less happy making that we had to leave the kids behind today. I absolutely did not want any of our little ones going through the kind of trauma that Devorah had.

Speaking of, at bath time she didn't flirt with Saffron once. Just stood, knelt, and sat in the tub as Saffron directed her. When Saffron rinsed her and sent her to me, she trudged over, eyes vacant, staring at my chest, and not in a 'checking out my naked nips' kind of way. I pulled a towel out from the stack, wrapped it around her hair in a little turban, then pulled another and wrapped it around her before pulling her into a hug. She just kind of folded into my arms, quiet sobs shaking her.

Eventually she stilled. Quieted. Murmured, "thank you, Champion. For rescuing me."

I shrugged. "Wish I could have gotten there faster. But that's what I do. Whether I'm there early, on time, or late, I come for my people."

I realized right then how bad off she was when she didn't even reply to my slow pitched innuendo. Instead she half sobbed, "I... I thought. I thought I was dead. Then you... you were there."

I'm not sure why I felt like I had to correct her, but my mouth moved before I could think. "You were." She just blinked owlishly up at me. "Dead. We Revived you."

"But... but..."

I rubbed my hands around her back, drying her off as I comforted her. "Just another part of me coming for you. Even if it's not 'after' yet."

She just kind of worked her mouth at me for an endless moment, tears filling her eyes, until she whispered, "who?"

"Sister Siobhan." Her head snapped around to where Siobhan waited near the tub, helping Anna disrobe while Saffron cleaned Chloe. "Well, me, but Sister Siobhan kinda held my hands, showed me how to do it."

Devorah's gaze snapped back to mine, her head shaking. "No, no, no, I mean who... who... who did you sacrifice for... for me?"

It was my turn to be taken aback. I'd long since forgotten about the fact that for any Mortal Mage, Shaping a Revive took more Mana than they had, and typically Healers powered it by sacrificing someone else's Soul. Or I guess maybe tearing a little bit out of multiple people's Souls. My left arm ached for some reason, but I gave no shits about that as I placed my hands on either side of her face. "I don't sacrifice people for that, Devorah. I powered it. Me."

Her gaze roamed over me, as if looking for missing pieces or something. "But... you're..."

I gave her my best wry smile. "A Goddess. Did you forget?"

The color drained out of her face, and I realized right then that she might not really have connected those particular dots yet. Or maybe she had, but with me being just dumbass muscle mommy Tabitha, it hadn't really been real to her. She dropped to her knees in front of me, her face turning toward the floor. "Forgive my impertinence, Lady."

I slipped my hands under her armpits, lifted her to her feet, then held her with one hand while the other tipped her chin back until she looked me in the eye again. "Devorah?"

She stared at my chin. "What would you have of me, Goddess?"

I snapped my fingers once between us, getting her to look me in the eyes again. "For one, look at me. I have no idea where this is coming from, but... You really want to know what I want?" She nodded, eyes wide. "I want you to make the best mead you've ever made, get me drunk off my ass, and have your way with me." Her mouth opened, but I drove over her, trying to forestall another round of her acting like I was... Like I was one of the Gods I'd read about back in that mythology brick at Eastside, the ones that treated rape and murder as party games. Fuck. "I kinda sorta want you to do the same with my partners, although you've got yourself a serious challenge with Marie. Then again, part of me kinda wants you all to myself. Maybe. A little." Saffron chuckled inside my head, and I shot her a look. "Hey, you said it yourself, I'm into MILFs."

"Ah, I, but..."

I grinned at her, happy she'd lost her initial lack of volition, but hoping I could keep her from going all 'your devoted servant' and shit. I mean, yeah, Saffron and Marie and Siobhan and I played at that, but all three of them knew I'm just some kinda fuckin' she-himbo who got lucky in the Isekai lotto, not an actual Divine being or some shit like that. Ignoring the laughter and denials in my head as I thought that, I ran one finger along Devorah's chin, then across her lips. "I mean, I'm not as far into the MILF in front of me as I'd like to be, but that's because we've got that whole 'after' agreement going on." I stopped, realizing something and very serious about it. "Unless you don't want to any more. Seriously, if me being a genuine Deity is a turn off for you? Just, I dunno, don't get me drunk, don't sneak my clothes off, don't do me until we both lose all sense of time and self. Seriously, I don't want anybody in my bed or in my vajayjay who doesn't want to be."

Her mouth worked, and eventually she looked up at me, then looked down at the floor again. "I'm not worthy."

I pulled her in, wrapping one arm around her waist, hooking one ankle behind her knee, putting my other arm around her shoulder, pulling her to me until she couldn't help but lean forward onto me. I lowered my mouth to her ear and whispered, "so... you're worthy to tell me who's worthy of me and who's not?"

She blushed, and stammered, and reacted exactly how I'd hoped she would. Exactly how I suddenly hoped she'd react after. "But..."

I pulled back just far enough to look her in the eye, our noses touching, our lips almost doing so. "What is it with you MILFs? All of you are into butts or something? Seriously." I stopped grinning my idiot grin and asked, "do you want me? All I ask from you right now is honesty."

She closed her eyes and whispered, "yes."

I tightened the towel around her, trapping her arms, and pressed my lips to hers. Siobhan absolutely pouted into my brain, I had to wait six months for that!

Quicker than thought, I Co-Located behind her, then pulled one of her into the Bed to do unto until she stopped complaining. A Goddess' work is never done. Yeah, I know, First World Problems.

When I pulled away from Devorah, she tried to follow, her eyes fluttering open as she whined at me. "Okay then, little brewer, little MILF..."

Oi!

"Okay, as I've just been reminded, bigger MILF. Since my wife the Imperator is in fact my favorite MILF, and is clearly the littlest MILF in the room. I am eagerly awaiting 'after'. If you get to that point and still want to. No more of this 'not worthy' nonsense. Got it?" She nodded. "Good." I pulled her close and held her. "You still shook up about the bear?" She nodded, shivering. "You need a few days before you go honey hunting? Or want us to just, I dunno, buy some honey for you to work with?"

She stiffened up, and for a moment I thought I'd fucked up, but then she turned to Chloe. "Did you get any of the bees to come back to that hive we set up?" Chloe shook her head as Saffron sluiced hot water over her to rinse her off. Devorah turned to Marie. "Can you cook that bear meat with honey?" Marie smiled at her and nodded.

At that point I leaned over to put my mouth to her ear and whispered, "why don't you discuss that with her?" I had a sudden thought, and sent it to Marie as I said to Devorah, "maybe even in private? I'm sure Chloe and Anna can find their own nightgowns." She looked back at me, startled, and I said, "yeah, I think our Marie gets a little anxious after tangling with a big bastard like that bear. Hell, probably do you some good too, that whole 'celebration of life after a brush with death'. Shit, she could even take you to say hi to her boss." Devorah blinked, and I said, "y'know, big guy, shares an initial and a profession with you?"

"But... but I..."

"Could use the stress relief. Shit, maybe you can start trying to collect a whole pantheon or some shit. Me, Marie, Big D, his sister, fuck if you're really adventurous you could dangle your ass in front of Big Willy Johnson and try for a threesome with Domnu. Careful, though, the man's pole is bigger than your leg."

A giggle that held more than a hint of hysteria trickled out of her, but again, at least it wasn't that dead look I'd seen before. "Wouldn't my chosen Goddess be jealous?"

"I thought Big D was your Patron?"

She shrugged. "Mortals are fickle."

"Yeah, well. I dunno about him when it comes to the Jealousy thing. Then again, his favorite put a ring on me and I'm intending to do the same, so I kinda hope not. But me? I literally just told you to go hit up my Concubine slash Fiancé slash Wifiest Wife to ever Wife, absolutely intending you and her to see how many times you can ring each other's bells, and how little sleep you can operate on tomorrow. Not exactly something I'd do if Jealousy was something I was big on."

"So my Goddess is telling me to pleasure her Pantheon?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Just, y'know, maybe suggesting it's healthier than going all emo and mopey and losing your absolutely fantastic appetite for life that is the first thing I noticed about you. Do what you want with who you want, just so long as everybody involved Consents."

She just stared at me, shaking her head. "A Goddess, telling me to follow my own desire rather than her own. I scarce believe it."

I smiled, then called out, "Ladies? Your standing Commandment from your Goddess?"

Without me even looking at them, they chorused back, "Do as we will!"

"See? Believe it. Now, I gotta dry Chloe off, and you gotta go decide if you're gonna get Marie wet." I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, spun her around to face Marie, and propelled her toward my Maenad with a quick shove on the butt."

When she got to me, Chloe whispered, "thank you, Champion."

I shrugged. "Just giving somebody a pulse isn't everything. Gotta make sure they keep living, right?"

"As you say. Still. Thank you." She put her arms around me, and if I didn't get any of the sexy time vibes I got from Devorah, I could tell it meant a lot to her. I let her lean into the hug, holding her until she pulled away, then returning to my toweling duty.

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When I finally made it to the tub myself, Saffron sighed, then smirked and said, "I suppose Siobhan will just have to smell of pie spice for the evening, but both of you, back here, now."

Siobhan got a little pouty, but smiled again when Saffron looked at the two of them and said, "Concubine? My Fiancé will not, in fact, be satisfied by Devorah tonight. Go do your duty and fulfill her needs. But first..." She Co-Located behind Marie and dumped a kettle of water over her. "Be about it, Sister."

The two of them disappeared, and Saffron collapsed into herself, turning to me as she did. I couldn't help but frown a little. "That... felt a little bit, I dunno... demanding?"

She smiled up at me as her arms slithered around my neck. "If I said to you, 'carry me off and take me until I collapse', would you consider that... inappropriately demanding?"

Her smile got a lot more gleeful as I hoisted her legs up around me, one arm under her butt, the other around her shoulders. "Uh, where should I carry you off to?"

She laughed. "Since our Concubines and Fiancé are in your Bed room, I'd say the Academy suite, but we've not finished bathing."

I dropped my ass into the tub, splashing us both, before I remembered. "Okay, yeah, but ordering Siobhan to... tow... Murder Mittens... they both wanted to, didn't they?" She bit her lip and nodded. "I'm an idiot."

"No, love, just extremely protective of our Agency. As I find most fitting, both as my Goddess, my Wife, my Lover, my Love, and my Goof." She laughed again. "You realize that despite her passionate love for you, Siobhan is in fact more attracted to Marie? Perhaps even to me, as strange as that seems."

"Huh?"

"Fear, love. For all that you're a Primordial Incarnation of Terror? You are, in her apparent estimation, the least scary of the three of us."

"Huh."

She smiled at me. "And since you've gone all monosyllabic, I'm going to put your mouth to better uses." Then she did.

Didn't dream of anything, because I didn't sleep. When I put Saffron to bed long after midnight, I went to the office to think about things for a bit. Doodled some stuff on some foolscap, read a few of the older verses, just kinda enjoyed the quiet time.

In the morning we told the kids we needed to secure the main house before they could join us. The rest of us headed back to the Homestead, where we got to work carving out the rest of the rooms for the main house. Saffron joined in with the carving, and the Maenads stacked the rocks up for me to melt later. Chloe and Devorah, the latter looking a little sleep deprived but way less depressed and overwhelmed than she had the night before, rolled out to look for more hives accompanied by four Maenads.

Just before midday, two things happened. First, a whole assed caravan of wagons rolled up out of the woods toward the Homestead. I'm not sure what else they were carrying, but two massive thigh bones made up the biggest single part of the cargo. Before we even broke for lunch, the Maenads grabbed them up and plonked them in place as really badass fencing separating 'our valley' from 'everything else'. I mean, these things were longer than the fuckin' Kaiju Bear was tall, so if 'we killed these and all that's left are bones' didn't convince predators that they were not, in fact, Apex, I'm not sure what else would.

Shortly after they were in place, Karen spoke into my head. Champion, Imperator, I'm leaving the ship, headed for the Overlord's palace.

As Saffron directed everybody to break for lunch, and what to do after, I hopped up to the relative quiet atop the tower and looked through Karen's eyes. She'd already hit the docks, and as she kept her head on a swivel I realized four of those big assed soldier boys trailed behind her, followed by four dock workers toting a big chest with poles shoved through the handles on its sides, followed by another four big soldier boys. Trolls, at a guess. Still wish I could see them. Had to pull my tentacles back from a stealthy excursion toward the line looking for more wacky Fae weed, even.

Rich Man's Port was... not what I was expecting, although I'm not sure why. Calverton had been like ninety-five percent stone construction, and the wooden buildings there looked really flimsy and temporary, like they'd been put up with no intent to keep them there any longer than it took to build a stone replacement. The buildings in Rich Man's Port, on the other hand, were an even mix of wood, what looked like brick, cobbled stone, and even some straight up tents. But even the tents had that look that said they'd been there for a while, and the inhabitants intended them to be there for the foreseeable future. Fences. Dirt piled over the loose edges of the tents. Old, old wood on some of the buildings, shit where it had gone gray with age without actually rotting or anything. The whole place had a kind of 'this is all temporary, and every bit of it will be here for as long as possible' vibe going on. Really weird.

Just beyond the regular docks, where I'd normally expect warehouses, bars, and brothels, a whole fuckin' row of dry docks filled the shoreline. I could tell they were dry docks and not just, y'know, pits in the ground because each and every one had a half built ship in it. Okay, one of them looked 'half torn down', but even there it looked like they were maybe rebuilding it, doing the whole 'ship of Theseus' thing to it.

Of course, right beyond that row Karen passed two thirds of what I'd expected. Every building on the next street either had a sign with food or drink or a bed hanging over the door, or a scantily clad, heavily made up person hanging out of it. More than one in some cases. And by that I mean some of them had more than one prostitute dangling from the door, some of them had a food and drink sign and a hooker, and one stood out for having a sign with a bed and a woman with tits bigger than her head hoisting a plate and tankard, with straight up naked woman standing beside the door with a sampler plate and a really big fuckin' tankard. As Karen watched, appalled, a sailor looking dude walked up, grabbed some kinda sausage on a stick off the plate, nommed it, then got a mouthful of whatever delivered via mouth to mouth from the woman. I guess he liked the samples, because after that he walked on into the bar. Inn. Brothel. Shit, that placed looked like three, three, three things in one! I didn't know quite what to think when the woman looked right at Karen and winked at her, even waggling her hips in a come hither gesture.

Really weird thing, she was the first non-Maenad, non-me person I remembered with pointy ears quite as pronounced as mine, not to mention slit pupiled eyes. I thought maybe Karen's got some kind of telescopic vision mojo going on.

Of course, Goddess. Intermediate Heroic Skills. Far Sight.

Good to know. Stay frosty, Karen. I don't want them putting some kind of whammy on you, too.

She sighed. I'll do my best, Goddess, but some are unavoidable. I hummed a question into her brain, and she thought, guest rights and duties. The Fae are famous for not only being sticklers for them, but being able to bind others to them, or enforce them via Geas, or lay Curses on those who do not adhere to them.

Huh. You think that's maybe what happened to me?

She pondered that as she advanced through the town. After the docks, it looked a lot more like a normal City, although the 'permanent impermanent' architectural theme stayed constant. As they approached the center of the city, an absolute fairy tale confection of a central keep came into view. The walls were stone, but not like the gray, almost black stone I'd seen in Phileo. This shit was white marble, or maybe even some kind of ivory, although if it was Ivory I did not want to meet the massive elephant it had come from. Although maybe you could get ivory from whales, I think? Like, their teeth? Also way bigger than anything I wanted to tangle with.

Eventually Karen reached the very functional moat and drawbridge at the front of the keep. No idea how they'd gotten wood that white for the drawbridge, nor what the black armor on the guards at the gate was made of. They had long spears, maybe even pikes, that they lowered across Karen's path as she approached. Without looking at her, they called out, "who goes there?" in unison.

"Senior Cadet Karen Smith of the Phileo City Heroic Academy, representing the Inter-City Alliance." She nodded to her retinue. "These are my guards and servants."

Servants?

By the last protocol I studied, the Fae of Rich Man's Port hold indiscretions of servants against their master, not against the servants.

Okay, fair. Brownie points for you.

I'm so glad my Goddess approves. I sent her a smile, because I kinda appreciated not being treated like some kind of whatever after Devorah's near kowtowing the night before. Of course, then she got my panties bunched a little when she thought, I really hope that protocol hasn't changed.

How often does it do so?

With disturbing irregularity.

Well. Shit. Just do your best. I've got your back.

At any rate, the pikes went up. "You're expected." One of them whistled, and the drawbridge, which had been half raised, lowered fully. A ratty little dude darted out from inside the keep, bowed to Karen, and said, "follow me, please." When they got inside, he guided them through a branching tunnel under the outer wall, which had a ceiling lined with murder holes. In the first big room they came across, ratty dude turned and said, "may I have your name?"

Karen leaned down, waved him toward her, and when he brought his ear up to where she could whisper to him, she draped an arm over his shoulder, taking a firm hold before saying, "no."

He pulled away, but she wasn't having any of it. "Unhand me!"

She shifted, twisting, grabbing his wrists. "Really?" She shrugged. "If that's what you want."

She squeezed, and he squeaked out, "release me!"

"No. We were invited to speak with Overlord Tallulah Crow. We are guests. And you will guide us to her."

He frowned. "Why would I do that?"

"Because otherwise I will do as my host's servant asked and remove his hands. Then, when I find my way to the Overlord, I will explain that her servant was unhelpful and rude to a guest."

"I haven't been!"

She leaned down until their noses were almost touching and hissed out, "I'm. Not. Fae." The ratty dude stared at her, mouth dropping open, horrified. "And I didn't say what else I'd remove."

"I will guide you to herself."

"And my retinue. And no more tricks."

Ratty dude whined. "Cruel! Cruel you all are!"

Karen just nodded. "I am. And those I serve even more so. Now. No tricks?" He shook his head. "Say it clear and plain then."

"If you let me go, unharmed, I will guide you and your retinue to herself, and play no further tricks on you or them."

Karen straightened, releasing his hands. "Excellent. Lead on."

As they continued through the twisting passages, something hard to see, but vaguely catlike appeared beside Karen, walking alongside her. "That was cruel of you. These little ones don't often get to leave the keep, and rarely have any to fall for their tricks."

"I am on a mission. I have no time for tricks."

"Mortals and mayflies, always so rushed."

Karen just shrugged. "Whatever you have little of is always precious. I suspect it's why so many Fae are so jealous of our Mortality."

"Ooh, a witty one! I like you. Are you certain you cannot stay and play for a bit?"

"I cannot delay my mission, but if you convince this trickster ahead of us to take the shortest route, I'll certainly converse with you until Lady Crow is ready to receive us." She looked over at the thing. It looked feline, almost like a big black tomcat, with a single splotch of the same color as the walls right in the center of his chest. But something about it just wasn't right. Its face was way too human, and that's coming from me, who spent most of last week canoodling with an upright albino tiger. It also seemed to glow, just a little, with an aura again the same color as the walls. Finally, and this took a bit to notice, its feet weren't quite touching the floor. Or rather, they did, but sometimes they plunged just a little through it, sometimes they stepped on the air above it, and when they touched it they left no prints at all in the dust.

The cat thing snickered, then growled at the ratty dude. Who immediately took the next left, then when we hit a dead end pressed a point on the wall, at which point the whole thing swung backward away from him, revealing an entrance into a throne room right out of some kind of fantasy movie. Columns ran along both sides, including one right in front of where Karen walked into the room. To the left, a pair of grand curving staircases ran up to a balcony, and beyond them a pair of doors stood open to a courtyard. To the right stood a line of petitioners, with gaggles of courtiers standing around the room, although with how some of them were armed I couldn't tell if they were nobles, room candy, guards, or maybe a mix of all three.

When Karen stepped past the columns, the strawberry blonde woman seated on the throne, who had an outfit that mixed 'pirate commander' with 'witch queen', overlaid with 'barbarian warrior and just a soupçon of 'faerie princess', looked up to half glare at her. The cat thing stepped forward, bumping the ratty guy, who squealed with suppressed terror, as it did. "Lady Crow, I present High Priestess Karen Smith, Ambassador of the Atlantean Alliance."

The woman's voice whispered through the hall, breathy yet somehow clear. "I did not expect you to drag them in so soon, Cat." Then she turned to stare at Karen, and I swear she stared at me as well. "High Priestess. Imperator. Goddess."

"Overlord." Karen nodded to the chick on the throne. "As any good Guest ought, I bring gifts for my Hostess." She nodded to the dudes with the chest, who tugged it forward, turned it to face the throne. "Bourbon from Lancaster House's cellars, Leather from the Obol tanneries, Cloth both wool and cotton from Big Jarl Johnson's looms, a grimoire from the Academy library, a compass from Calverton, scrimshaw from the artisans of Newark, and," here she sighed ever so slightly, "gold bullion from New Amsterdam's coffers, courtesy of the House of Orange." As the Overlord tensed to reply, Karen absolutely cut her off as if just remembering. She Co-Located to her retinue, stepped them back to the ship, then collapsed to two of her who stepped back in front of the chest and laid a fuckin two foot by two foot by four foot slab of something squishy wrapped on paper right in front of it before collapsing back into herself. "And, finally, a gift from the Imperator herself, the finest cut of the Dire Bear she slew only yesterday."

Overlord lady seemed more than a little shocked by that last one. "You no doubt mean cuts?"

"I would not offend your ears by speaking imprecisely, Lady Crow." She smirked. "The bear was very large."

"I... see. I look forward to sampling these gifts. They do sound delightful." Then she raised an eyebrow. "You send your guards away, yet remain?"

"The Alliance does not want war at this time, Lady. Should guest rights not protect me, I would rather withdraw than be forced to violence."

Lady Crow pursed her lips, then nodded. I couldn't tell if she looked more relieved or annoyed. "Well then. I accept your generous gifts. Be welcome in Our keep. As I said to the Cat, I did not expect you for some time, so I must ask you to wait until I finish hearing the pleas of my people."

Karen nodded, letting out a sigh that was pure theater. "Of course, Lady. A ruler's work is never truly done. I await your convenience."

What followed was like four or five hours of absolute bullshit as petitioner after petitioner brought one minor issue after another to the Overlord to adjudicate. Some of them were in pairs, and those almost seemed like they needed somebody to arbitrate. Others just seemed so petty I couldn't even figure out why she didn't just execute them for wasting her time. Of course, about three hours in I realized that they weren't wasting her time. They were tools so she could waste Karen's. Well, all of ours, because we sure as shit weren't leaving Karen alone to face her, even if we were all just kinda watching over her shoulder.

Which I remembered, as the last petitioner finished up her effusive thanks, that she and that fuckin' not-cat had known. Not guessed. Known.

She turned to Karen as I felt the sun dip below the horizon and said, "thank you for waiting so patiently, High Priestess. Would you care to join me for dinner?"