#arc20

[juimondraws]

Some more commissions from #ARC20! These two were two unusual and interesting concepts! I thoroughly enjoyed them both!! Thank you lovelies bless bless bless!!!! 😘 #aarakocra #dragonborn #arcanacon #commission #watercolour #paintings #dungeonsanddragons #illustration #drawing #artist #originalcharacter #painting https://www.instagram.com/p/B7qGgrJHSZG/?igshid=5j2vjqpjxx2j

[sanctuaryoftheodd]

Chapter 110: Shoe Family Reunion

O'Bea is sticking by my side, so I decided to show her the town. She was kinda attached to me, I don't know why.

"Sorry for being clingy." The bear responded to my thoughts.

"Oh, I hope my narration wasn't too disparaging."

"Nah it's true, though." 

Okay, I didn't want to depress my new subject, so I um... change the subject.

"Pffffffftt" Bea was cracking up at the accidental wordplay. It wasn't THAT funny. "Yes it was!"

"So what is Multiverse G like?" I don't think I've heard of that before. Also, are there multiverses C-F?

"Well, Multiverse E is where the mortal author of the Mother of Gods lives." (AUTHOR'S NOTE: That's where you guys live!) The bear looked around confused for a moment before continuing. "Uh... I believe C and D come into existence as a result of Multiverse B collapsing trillions of years from now and those are just being named preemptively. I don't know much about Multiverse F..."

"You sure know a lot about this."

"Well, the nothing gives a pretty good vantage point to all of this." She smiled with pride while tapping a knuckle on her noggin. "Anyways, the G in 'Multiverse G' stands for 'Games.' The universes all have their own rules, a lot of times resembling the rules of video games from other multiverses. Mine was like the dating sims I've seen on your worlds!"

"Oh?" I smirked at the idea. "Were you romanceable?"

"Unfortunately I don't know. I kinda got stuck in the bad ending routes."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"But yeah! There's universes where people are obsessed with Go Karts, universes where they play sports all the time, board game universes, one where people hold fighting tournaments-"

"Fighting tournaments? You'd think the gods would dominate that." If there were even gods in that multiverse.

"Oh, there's balancing, don't worry." She flapped her bear claw at me. "Oh yeah, and speaking of gods, they have their own version of the Mother of Gods, but she's more like, a final boss! Everyone dreams of taking her on in whatever game they play!"

"Huh." Sounds like a wild multiverse. I wonder what it's like to live there. Like what is even the day to day life of the fighting multiverse? Is it just normal whenever they aren't fighting or do fighting mechanics play into every aspect of life?

"That's a really good question! I should have the me currently in the nothing look into it!"

"Let me know if you find anything!"

Makes me wonder if there's any version of me in that multiverse. Is there a me currently being romanced by some protagonist, or currently fighting in tournaments? Seems kind of silly to me, but I get the feeling more and more that my existence is cosmically important, so I guess it makes sense I'd be represented in that multiverse.

Cosmically important. I feel so weird admitting that. It's hard to imagine my actions could have a greater effect in history when 80% of the stuff I do is mundane. Where in destiny's plan has me doing paperwork then playing video games with my daughter until I could make-out with my fiance late into the evening?

I saw O'Bea looking really awkward. She was holding her mouth so shut that you could have sworn she was trying to keep her soul from escaping or something. I guess even she has stuff she can't talk about.

She finally opened her mouth. "Uhhh, hey! Tell me about Bonnie!"

"You know about Bonnie already?"

"Yeah, tell me everything!!"

We spent the next leg of the stroll talking about my daughter. I must really be a mom now, considering I sure had a lot to say about her.

"...I'm still beating her in Smash Sisters, but she's gotten better ever since she started maining the tanuki."

"Boss Goddess? Interesting choice!" The bear nodded in approval.

"Yeah, she's getting really good at the redemption technique. If I wasn't playing Captain Udon, she probably would be sweeping the floor with me."

"Yeah, true. People underestimate karma as a hidden variable of the game. The slow build up before and during the battle can really uptick the damage over time. If you didn't have Udon's indomitable spirit on your side, yeah, you would have definitely lost."

"Heh. Go figure someone who lived in the multiverse of gaming would understand gaming so much."

"Well, I mostly lived in the dating sim portion of it. Most of my knowledge is from observing from the nothing."

"Oh..." So an astrologer instead of an astronaut.

"Hey, is that MahStar over there?"

Funny she doesn't use her title when addressing the old lady. I looked over to see Matriarch Mahstar meeting another elderly minutian and her three kids. An elderly human was standing close by. Wait, I know those people! "The shoe family?"

"Shoe family? Do they make shoes or something?"

"No, they live in a giant shoe."

The bear physically squee'd. "Ahhhh, I love how whimsical your multiverse is!"

"Says the girl literally from a video game..." I muttered.

"Oh hey! They are running our way!"

I glanced over to see the three children running towards me, their hands in the air with excitement.

"The Princess!"

"The Princess is with a bear!"

"Is the bear joining your harem?"

I chuckled. "Hello again kids! It's been a while!" Not since Annesville's founding.

Their tiny elderly guardian walked up to us. "Greetings Princess! I hope we aren't a bother!"

"Of course not, it's fine!" I gave her a reassuring smile and her shoulders rested.

MahStar approached scratching her chin. "Oh yeah, they did mention meeting you..."

"So are you kids related to the Matriarch?"

"She's Grandma!"

"Grandmahstar"

"Mom's mom."

“She was my matriarch.” The elderly minutian clarified. "Hey uh, I realized that I never introduced myself last time we ran into each other. My name is FoeStar, I'm a blue shawl for Annesville Security." She bowed to me once more.

"I'm Sally!" Shouted the human.

"I'm Sara." Said the dog girl.

"I'm Skyler." Stated the tanuki.

FoeStar turned towards elderly lady by her side. "And this is my fiance, Axcel!"

"Greetings Princess! It's an honor to meet you!"

"The honor's all mine!" I returned her bow. I turned to the minutian. "When's the wedding? I'd like to bless the union if it's alright."

She was surprised by my offer. "You don't have to go out of your way for us!"

"No, I want to. Your beautiful family is everything Sanctuary stands for! I want to see you off to your happy futures myself!"

FoeStar eyes shimmered hearing my words. She was practically close to tears. "We'll send you an invitation! Th-thank you Princess! You have no idea how important this is to me!"

"It's important to me, too!" I said, practically tearing up myself.

"Princess is going to be at the wedding!"

"Isn't she getting married herself?"

"Is mom joining the harem?"

"Hey!" O'Bea butted in impatiently. "FoeStar, can I play with the kids for a while?"

"Uhhh..." She looked conflicted.

"Don't worry, she's good around children." MahStar explained. "I personally vouch for her."

"Well in that case... Do you want to play with the bear?"

"Yes!"

"Yep!"

"Sure."

"Well, let's raid that playground over there then!" The bear ran ahead and the kids excitedly chased after. Their two parents hovered close to supervise. The bear proceeded to duplicate herself, two playing jump rope with one kid while another two did a full cartoon cat and mouse routine with herself on the play area. She even made one of the clones smaller which is another power she could do I guess. The kids were having a blast of course.

The matriarch has stayed back next to me. She watched the kids playing with a bit of a glow about her. "No matter how shrewd I get as a business woman, I just can't help but be soft towards my family. I guess that's a weakness of mine."

"Loving your family is not a weakness. Some things are just more important than money."

She grinned at my words. "Heh, spoken like a true socialist."

I smiled in return. "Again, I'm not a socialist."

-----

Arc 21: Diplomats

[sanctuaryoftheodd]

Meanwhile, in Multiverse G…

(CONTENT WARNING: Drug use, body horror, vore)

It feels so long ago, back when I went to high school.

I was a teenager back then. I thought about things like my weight, who I was going to take to the dance, hot people, petty shit in retrospect. I would not know of my grand purpose, at least not until the day everything went wrong.

Back then I was in competition. A new lackee had just joined the school, and just like that all the major players were after them like leopards to a gazelle. All the major social cliques were looking for new blood to add to their numbers. At the top of the food chain was Anne O'Maley, the leader of the most popular students in school as well as class president. She was quick to try to bring the new kid into the fold. Seeing her, dressed in that cringe as hell sailor suit school uniform moving in my prey, it was sickening.

It was a week or so after the new kid had transferred in. I was spending time at home to myself, deciding what make-up to wear the next day, when suddenly my front door swung open. I wasn't expecting any break-ins that day.

Next thing I knew, I was face to face with a minutian. "Freeze, criminal! Junior Officer Panchi is on the case!"

It was that narc of the hall monitor that hangs around Anne frequently. She almost caught me with cigarettes in my bag the other day.

"I have concrete evidence that you've been smoking underage!"

Yep, I wish she would drop this shit, she's got nothing on me. Then that's when I noticed she's not alone. She brought the new kid with her. Why did she bring them with her? No, this works out of me, I'll just make her look foolish and then-

"Wait, is that Raina's arm?"

Oh. She noticed the dismembered arm that I'm using as a paperweight in the corner of the room. My father gave it to me as a gift before he died. "N-No, that's um, a replica!"

Panchi walked right up to the limb and touched it. She reeled back in horror. "Oh my god! That thing's real!"

"Uh... I can explain, officer!"

The minutian pulled out her phone. "I've got to report this."

No. No! I can't get arrested! Not me! I won't allow it!

It's the primal instinct for survival that drew it to me. A cosmic power forged from a paradox had rained down from nothing and infused my body with something simply incredible. That was the moment my life would take an unexpected turn.

It happened so quickly, even Panchi didn't have time to react. My jaw unhinged like a snake as it wrapped around the minutian by the waist. She kicked and screamed all the way down as I slowly swallowed her whole.

The new kid was watching this, frozen in complete horror as my sights turned to them. Realizing they were next, they tried to run, but they weren’t fast enough. No one in that pathetic timeline was.

One by one, I ate every person in my universe, and each body I added to my count increased my power. Before long, I had gotten strong enough that I was pulling alternate timelines towards me, more food, more consumption.

However, there were three I failed to eat, three that stood up to me.

I was basking in a wasteland that was a doomed timeline. The air smelled of blood as I savored a limb I got off a small child earlier. It was then I heard my name being called.

I turned to see her. Anne O'Maley, still wearing that sailor uniform but it was tattered now. By her side was that bear girl, and an alternate timeline version of the new kid. Why is the new kid always there? Are they dragging them along on a string?

"You took everything from me." Anne said with vile in her voice. "I will rob you of your life, filthy cannibal!"

"And I'm helping!" Shouted the bear gleefully, a tad tone deaf if I might add.

"I don't know how I got roped into this..." the new kid nervously shook.

Their reaction wasn't really debunking my string theory. I tilted my head side to side, looking for their binds.

However, before I could continue that train of thought, suddenly Anne was right in my face, a sword coming down on me. I raised an arm to block and my arm was cut clean off. I screamed in pain, my howl piercing the ears of anyone nearby. Anne landed on the earth and immediately started to hold her ears shut in pain. This was my chance! I crawled across the ground, my gore filled stomach dragging on the way. My giant mouth full of razor sharp teeth were open wide, ready to consume her whole. 

However, she managed to get her wits about her and dodged out of the way. She disappeared for another jump attack, but I was ready for it. Time slows down, I rip one of the teeth from my skull, blood spewing from the hole it left, and raise it up where Anne was going to appear. It was all just in time to block her next sword strike. She was shocked I managed to block, but she should have seen this coming. That's nothing more telegraphing than goddamn light.

Time slowed down for me again, Anne was frozen in place. She tried to move but her body was lagging terribly out of sync with her thoughts, and found herself slowly going through a motion she decided to do seconds ago.

With my enemy incapacitated, I opened my maw to eat all of her, my hot breath encompassing her body. I never thought I'd see her terrified. It was magnificent.

That was until I was hit on the top of my head, pinning me hard into the ground and knocking us out of slowed time. The bear had apparently pulled a giant cartoon hammer from out of nowhere.

"Anne, now!" Shouted the bear with a giggle.

The girl in the sailor uniform didn't waste time. She disappeared and chopped off another limb. Then she popped out again and took another. But before she could take a fourth, I melted into a liquid and slithered across the ground. She tried to stab me, but I couldn't be cut in this form. I rushed towards the lackee.

"New Kid! Watch out!"

However, their warning came too late. Before long, they were caught in my goop. As their body got pulled in, they screamed and yelled for help. "Please! Don't let her eat me!" However, there was nothing they could do. "I don't want to die..." they said through the tears.

Eventually they were completely engulfed and I felt a wave of energy spread through me. I rose from the muck into solid form, my limbs rejuvenated. A fanged smile spread across my face.

Anne was primed to attack. The bear yelled a shout in warning, but it was too late, she had already gone into light form. However, in this heightened state, I can see her moving in that form as if she were moving normally. She didn't have a chance. Just as she was about to slash at me, I opened my maw and moved to come down on her. She saw what was happening and tried to stop, but she was already in motion.

However, suddenly, my body halted. No, it was being held in place. The bear was cloning herself dozens, hundreds of times and holding me down with all her selves. I tried to shake her off but more and more of her kept coming until I was completely covered.

Anne took the opportunity to drop out from light into ghost form. However, she looked horrified. "Bea no! I told you we wouldn't be doing that!"

"We can't defeat her after she's just fed and we're not going to get another chance like this!" She responded as she covered me with more and more copies. "Without the new kid, this timeline could destabilize at any moment! We need to get rid of her while we still have a chance!"

Anne pleaded. "I lost everyone else. I can't lose you too... I can't do this alone! Please!"

"Yes you can Anne! I believe in you! More than anyone!"

"Bea... please."

One of the clones stood on top of the pile. She pulled out another giant hammer and prepared to use it. The one that has been talking this whole time looked at her companion with a tear in her eye and a reassuring smile. "Take care of yourself, Anne. You were a true friend."

The clone with the hammer jumped off the pile and hammered hard into the earth. This did much more than shake the ground beneath her, but the very fabric of reality itself. A crack formed, one that spread and spread. Eventually the ground caved in and so did reality as we fell directly into the nothing, all those clones weighing us all down into the endless expanse dropping us like a rock through the sea of grey.

By the time the descent slowed, Multiverse G was far behind us. We were floating in pure nothing with only the many multiverses as a backdrop. The clones slowly melted away and finally I was free to move, but with no gravity or physics to speak of, I was stuck. I tried to reach for the bear, but the body that stayed was floating just out of reach. I couldn't even get my revenge.

"I guess we'll have a lot of time to spend together!" Stated the bear with a smirk.

I don't know how much time has passed. Days, months, years? It made no difference in a place like this, time tends to mesh together when there are no rules to speak of. The best the two of us could do to pass the time was watch what was going in the multiverses and subtly affect them. I was the cosmic power that rained down on myself earlier in this tale, however, leading to my own creation was the only thing I could get away with so far.

Meanwhile, the bear...

"Oooh! Multiverse B Anne is just as cool as she looked from afar! I hope I get to be friends with this version of her!"

HOW IS SHE STILL CHEERFUL AFTER ALL THIS GODDAMN TIME! Seriously, I was an eldritch horror and I'm still shocked at her resilience in a LITERAL EXISTENTIAL HELLSCAPE!

My complete disdain and confusion aside, I can’t let her comment go uncorrected. "She was mostly dumbfounded by you in your first meeting, I don't see how that makes her so goddamn cool."

"Oh, will you chill the heck out, Pinky? Let me have my fun!"

"Why would I? You literally trapped me here!"

"You're still on that? Geeze, holding a grudge won't get you anywhere, Pinky!"

"Stop calling me 'Pinky.'"

"No." She said indignantly before turning her attention back to Multiverse B. "This version of Lexine seems cool, too! She even recognized me! That means we're guaranteed to become friends! I couldn't before because she was a teacher!"

The blasted bear had succeeded to insert herself into Multiverse B, and now it was all she ever yapped about.

I intend to do the same eventually, however you need an origin story in order to enter these multiverses. I was waiting for the right opportunity, and the right vessel, and honestly I'm close to becoming the horror once again. I know I'll eventually succeed, the history books speak of my existence. I just need that moment, that opportunity.

"When I eventually make it to Sanctuary, I will eat them all."

"Pfft, we'll see about that!" The pig giggled as she continued to watch.

Yeah, we'll see. We'll see very soon! I'll make them all pay, and then I'll eat the Mother of Gods herself! Only then will I be satisfied. Only then will my revenge be complete!

I couldn’t help but laugh. It was going to be glorious!

[sanctuaryoftheodd]

Father's Day Bonus: Foxman's Daughter

(CONTENT WARNING: Abandonment, implied suicide attempt.)

My name is Foxman. That's not the name I was born with, I couldn't remember my dead name even if I tried. I am the founder and current CEO of the Chaos Rangers.

I've done many things in my long life, and unfortunately, that includes giving birth to children. Back when my age was in the single digits, I did what was expected of me and got into an arranged marriage with a guy my parents chose. I had two little fox children who I watched grow up into adulthood. However, my husband would one day leave me, and he would manipulate my children into disowning me. I knew my marriage was on the rocks, I knew it was loveless all along, but those kids were my only source of happiness at the time. I relied on them just as much as they relied on me. The day they turned their backs on me was the day I lost all my joy.

I can't even remember their faces anymore, but the pain is still clear as day.

I was a dedicated housewife when this happened, I didn't even have a career to fall back on, which meant starting from scratch in my late 30s. My life was basically over. With pain in my heart, and no future to speak of, I was prepared to end everything. I found the tallest building and found an edge that would give me the longest fall.

Heh, to think my life could have ended that early on. I couldn't have known at the time.

However, two kind interdimensional travelers would reach out to me, a bunny and a turtle. They'd take me in, they'd introduce me to a full multiverse of possibilities, but most importantly, they introduced me to the love of my life, Hekatos. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for them.

Hundreds of thousands of years would go by, I would do so many things, but starting another family wouldn't be one of them. I even refused to go to mating festivals, using my current wife as an excuse. I couldn't repeat that same mistake again, my heart couldn't take it, and that's how things stayed until I met her.

Future Anne. She always treated me like a father, and showed me undying love. I came to Sanctuary for her, to build a relationship with my stepdaughter. I could tell Lexine and my wife came here for the same reason. Family is a luxury ancients like us so rarely have, and to have one that won't be claimed by the passage of time, that's more valuable than all the coins in the multiverse.

Today was a very special day, my daughter had set time alone just for me!

I've been eager for some father/daughter time since we first met each other in the forest, but I didn't want to be selfish. Not only did it take a while for her to find out that I actually was her dad, but by then my wife had more claim to her time than I did. I am a stepfather after all. Though, admittedly, it feels like even Lexine got to spend more time with her than I do. I've thought about asking for a long time but I never could. Then she up and asked me out of the blue! I don't know what prompted it, but I wasn’t going to ask too many questions when a blessing had fallen in my lap!

I was standing in front of a brightly lit building that looked more like a casino than a restaurant. The words "The Rat Den" were in flashing lights. A line of many different kinds of beings were stretched around the block. I however, wouldn't have to wait like most would.

This place had a dress code, so I wore a necktie over my completely uncovered chest and put on the most expensive designer blue jeans I had. We agreed to meet out front so I was waiting patiently for her to arrive. It was a beautiful day so I didn't mind waiting. It is perfectly lukewarm with a soft breeze rustling my fur. I just let the wind encompass me, giving my body a pleasant cool. I didn't always appreciate sensations like this. I guess that was the magic of Sanctuary, or maybe it was the magic of Anne?

"Heeey!" My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. I looked over to see my daughter running up. She was in an elegant dinner gown that she looked incredibly beautiful in! "Oh uh, thank you!"

"Huh? Why did you thank me?"

"You said I was beautiful."

"Huh?" What was she talking about? I mean, she is, but I don't remember saying that.

"Oh! The narration is on you today!" My daughter exclaimed.

"Wait really?" It's been so long! Not that I could tell when the words came to me. Why today of all days, though?

"Maybe if I look hard enough, I can see the chapter title?" Anne tilted backwards and looked up into the sky. I tried looking up myself but all I could see was the endless blue. She laughed. "To be honest, even I have a hard time seeing between the lines. I don't know how Cat Maid Bob does it so easily."

"At least you can see it at all."

"Oh trust me, it's not much of a blessing." I could see even from this angle that she was squinting, tilting her body around to get a better view. "There's already so much text."

"How is that possible? I just got here!" Did the narration start with me waking up? Wait, no, Sotakeh would have said something!

"Oh! I see it! Uh..." She focused intently on the invisible spot in the sky. "Father's Day Bonus... Foxman's Daughter"

"Father's day? I've heard of some worlds celebrating that."

Anne snapped back straight in one clean motion. Having no bones must be nice. "I guess whatever world is reading our story celebrates it, too!"

"Probably where the concept came from..." I wonder how many other holidays we got from that viewer dimension.

"Well, in that case," she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around me, "Happy Father's Day, Dad!"

I wasn't expecting the affection so soon, but I quickly returned the hug regardless. I missed this. She used to hug me so much back in the day...

Suddenly, she pulled away and gave me a quizzical look. "Uh, back in the day?"

"Oh! Hey! Let's go into the restaurant!" I pulled her by the noodle inside before she could ask further questions.

Anne wanted to wait in line at first, but they immediately got a table for us. She said something about abusing her power as a leader, but she really needed to get used to acting like a Princess.

The place was certainly swanky. From the inside it gave off the vibes of a palace. Tapestries on the wall depict various moments in Sanctuary's history. I see they've added Anne vs. Chroma Catastrophe recently. I wonder what that one with Anne fighting a space knight is all about.

"Oh, that's when I got ambushed by Berry Blitzkrieg assassins. That's before we made this town Sanctuary."

"It makes sense I wouldn't recognize it." I was still wandering the woods at the time.

"Yeah, it's not super accurate considering they slapped the standard Princess clothes on me, not that I want them to display a picture of me naked though. Considering that, I'm glad for the change."

"You were naked?"

"Oh, that was before I figured out how to regenerate clothes. I did a lot of nude walking around back then."

"I'm sure Raina got a lot of mileage out of that..."

Anne laughed. "She sure did!"

We ordered our food and we were now waiting. I decided to ask her something that I had been curious about. "Hey, what made you decide to spend time with me today?"

"Do I need an excuse to spend time with my dad?"

"I mean, we've never spent time alone like this before."

Anne bashfully looked off to the side. "It's honestly my fault."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"The other week when we were talking about wedding plans. I went ahead and made Mom the father of the bride without considering you."

I was upset at the time, but I'm not anymore. "I'm quite happy with officiating."

"But that is when I realized I haven't really been treating you like a father. I intend to fix that."

I looked away embarrassed. "You don't have to go out of your way for me."

"I want to, because you're my dad!" She gave me a bright smile. "A dad worth having!"

It's as I've said, more valuable than all the coins in the multiverse! I could feel the corners of my mouth curving up.

But our moment was interrupted by our food coming in. Anne eagerly pulled out her knife and fork, only to realize we ordered tacos. We both had a good laugh at that. I hope I can continue to have happy days with my daughter like this.

"You will!" Anne declared with another brilliant smile as she started to cut up her tacos.

[sanctuaryoftheodd]

Chapter 108: Retainer Exchange

With the brief break we were given, I decided to touch base with my chief of security. "So why is Matriarch Dustwallow alone? The others didn't even help her up."

"It's the fate of parents for the children to one day leave the nest, so a Matriarch that stands alone is one that has succeeded in the whole 'motherhood' thing. Many see pride in it."

"But she can't even accept help?"

"Again, her pride comes from standing on her own, admitting she can't is a shame on her."

So basically, the entire system is built against her asking for help. "Nothing wrong with needing help from time to time..."

"Well, tell that to our entire shitty culture I guess."

"Is that whole 'leaving the nest' thing the reason the Patriarch is alone?" I glanced over to him. He hadn't left the room like the others, still standing in that impossibly dark corner of his. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could tell he was watching me.

"I kinda doubt it considering his age, unless he only had very few kids. He probably came alone for clout chasing or something." She explained, glancing at the Patriarch in the corner of her eye. "Though considering he's wearing a blindfold, I have to wonder if he has some kind of ulterior motive."

"Is the blindfold not normal?"

"Blindfolds in minutian culture represent the anti-Hekatos movement."

"Hekatos..." I wasn't expecting my father's name to pop up here.

"Even eye contact with him is enough to control you, so many minutians wore blindfolds in case they ran into one of his avatars. After his 'death,' many of my kind would wear them to protest those that worshiped Hekatos. Considering he's wearing it in the presence of his daughter in a diplomatic meeting..."

"He's protesting me?"

"Probably that's his intent, though I will keep my eye on him just in case he has some other kind of motive."I glanced at his direction again. I couldn't tell for sure, but I'm certain we just made eye contact. He immediately looked away disgusted. Did he really just come here to hate on me? I thought.

The Matriarchs filed back in one by one, Dustwallow being the last to return. She was a little more disheveled than before and there was a red spot on her forehead. I was wondering what that thumping sound was earlier.

"Okay, unpleasantness aside, it's time for the trade." She took another moment to take a deep breath before continuing. "As you can see, I have nothing to exchange, so we'll be starting with Matriarch Archea."

Panchi explained this to me a week or so ago, it's a very old tradition. It's common, when breaking bread with other clans, to exchange members to symbolize their truce. The idea is that if an ally has a member of your family living with them, you are less likely to attack them. It used to be only minutians can be traded, but as the clans were supposed to merge with the culture they were protecting, they can exchange anyone as long as they are considered a member of that community, and that they are consenting of course.

Matriarch Archea stepped forward. "I have to apologize, I have no masters in my clan to give up."

"To be fair," Panchi rebuked, "outside me, neither does ours."

She chuckled, and the tension in her shoulders dropped a little bit in response. "Allow me to introduce,"

The doors swung open and a minutian stepped through. She wore a blue shirt, red ascot and beige jeans.

"Divinytee, researcher of god manifestations." Finished the Matriarch.

She walked up before me and knelt down. "It's an honor, your highness."

Did I hear her right? "God manifestations?"

"That's right! Uh." The researcher was about to stand up but realized she hadn't been asked to rise yet. I told her she could. She bounced to her feet and continued. "I study structures and creatures that have been manifested by the gods! I've been studying the Crossroads for years already, but that manifested trillions of years ago. I heard the Odd is only 10,000 years removed, and the god that created it is still around! I had to be a part of that!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious. "I'm looking forward to what your research yields!"

She beamed at me. "Thank you for accepting me! I'm so excited to look around!"

"Well, it's time to bring in the one that'll be going to the Crossroads with you, Matriarch Archea. Please enter, Merry Puffins!"

Waddling in was a puffin person, carrying an umbrella on her and a black outfit. She bowed to the lady. "Greetings Matriarch Archea, I'll be serving you as your nanny."

"Merry Puffins..." The Matriarch looked shocked. "You had Merry Puffins in your kingdom?!?"

"And what luck, she was in between jobs when approached her!" It was pretty lucky, because I had no other clue who to exchange here.

Merry approached the Matriarch and held her hand with a wing. "You've been raising your family alone for so long. It's time you received a willing hand, or well, wing. What do you say?"

Archea looked deeply moved at the puffin's words. "Yes, please! Yes!" The minutians around her looked happy for their mother. I heard she hadn't received a single retainer when she settled into the Crossroads. I'm glad she will finally get the help she deserves!

Next up was Matriarch Aria. Seeing it was her turn, she stepped forward. "No introductions are needed for my exchange, I'll be providing Braddy on a more permanent basis. He'll help protect your kingdom, Princess!"

Braddy stepped forward and knelt down before me. "I'm more than happy to serve, my lady!"

Temper that rizz there my dude, I'm a taken lesbian. "I'm very glad to have you!"

Without missing a beat, Braddy walked up to Panchi and they shared what I could only interpret as a really crazy secret handshake that ended with them high fiving after jumping high enough to reach the ceiling. I guess this was a normal minutian deal.

Now it was our turn.

"For our exchange, allow me to introduce you to Sanctuary’s premiere musician!"

The door was thrown open as smoke poured in. Lasers pierced through the clouds as we heard the riff of an electric lute. Appearing through the door was a lackee wearing a feather cape and eccentric sunglasses. His sharp voice easily pierced through the wails of his strings. By his side was a small group of chicken groupies. Aria's eyes were wide at the sight. He finished his riff by sliding on the floor on his knees, lute sticking upwards as the final note cut through the air like a knife. The hens around him were practically fawning.

"Oh heck yes! I need this!" Aria approached the Lackee musician as he got back on his hooves. "What is your name?"

"Lackee Musician." He said, giving a sensual look through his sunglasses.

The chickens by his feet swooned at his gaze. Now that I think about it, those hens were pretty far from home. I guess they stan so much that they went on a pilgrimage to support what was a clear upgrade in his career.

"Oh, it'd be easier to market for you if you had a name."

"Lackees can only be named by their Demon Lord, ma'am."

Aria scratched her chin. "What about just a stage name? Doesn't have to be a real name, just a placeholder until you have a Demon Lord to name you."

"Huh." He thought about that for a moment. "That should be fine."

"Hmmm... I don't know enough about you to think up a suitable name, is there any preference?"

"To be honest, I want my name to speak of my origins. I got my start performing for chickens, I want my name to be reminiscent of them."

The fowl near his feet looked incredibly moved by his words.

She looked between the birds by his side and had a light bulb moment. "How about Chicken God?"

The lackee's face twisted in discomfort. "That would be heretical." The chickens looked even more offended.

"Oh I'm sorry..."

The rest of us joined in thinking up names.

"Chickeron." Suggested Lexine.

"The Clucker." Raina added.

"Uh... Roost?" The second it left my mouth I hated it.

"Hendrix." Said Panchi.

Everyone froze when she said that name. One by one, they started to nod.

"Huh, it's got a ring to it." Aria admitted. "I could see that on a billboard easily. 'Hendrix' written in lights!"

"It's perfect!" Raina marveled.

"Huh, yeah! I really like that!" The excitement was clear on the lackee's face. "From now on, call me Hendrix!"

"Glad to have you onboard, Hendrix!" Aria exclaimed. "I'm going to make a star out of you!"

[sanctuaryoftheodd]

Chapter 107: Matriarchs

It was two days before the big event and we were already greeting our first batch of guests, and all of them were minutians. Matriarchs representing different clans were coming to this shindig to discuss the future. They've all agreed to come early for security reasons. With more martial artists running around town, it'll make things way more safe for the glut of diplomats coming tomorrow. Always the protectors I guess.

The matriarchs trickled into town one after another in the last couple of days, and while Lexine has gone to greet them already, they've been waiting to meet the Princess, as in me, until today so all the matriarchs can meet me at once.

When we were certain all of them had arrived, we all gathered in the makeshift throne room Lexine had arranged. This was a noble's mansion originally, and not one that received all that many visitors, so it wasn't built for this kind of event. So we had to convert one of the ballrooms into a throne room. It was difficult because the building was specifically built in a way so it'd be difficult to alter. I guess the noble here really didn't like change. However, we managed to make it work in the end.

We were positioned in a long ornate hallway with a red carpet leading down the middle. I sat in a gem encrusted throne. All the gems were red, green, or yellow. It was to represent me and the two people closest to me.

Speaking of which, Raina was sitting in her own chair to the left of me. The positioning wasn't significant, outside the fact that I could hold her arm like I usually do.

Sitting in a much smaller chair to my right was the person of the hour, the leader of the Tanglefoot Clan, Lord Panchi. While meeting me was a big reason for the matriarchs coming today, they also wanted to discuss the matter of my friend's ascension. Apparently her taking the role when her matriarch was still alive was kind of a big deal.

Lexine was standing off to the side of us. Mom will be with us tomorrow, because having Hekatos present would be one hell of a bargaining chip. However, her presence was meaningless to the minutians so she was staying out of this part of it. Meanwhile, my daughter was sitting out the whole thing entirely because former Berry Blitzkrieg folk were coming tomorrow. I gave her plenty of games to distract her.

Of course, we had a large assortment of guards in black shawls present, for appearances. We made sure most of them were Tanglefoot Clan members, because this meeting was directly relevant to them.

Lexine got a text, and she immediately left my side to stand by the doors at the end of the room. We never picked a crier, and because Lexine knew everyone already, she was going to announce the newcomers.

As soon as she made it there, the large doors creaked open.

"Matriarch MahStar of the Dragon Fang Clan!" Announced the vampire.

Approached was an ornately dressed old woman who looked very much like she led some criminal underground or something. She had a whole slew of minutians by her side, many of them dressed in their finest suits and dresses to match their master's drip. She knelt down before me, and greeted me with what I could only describe as thinly veiled contempt buried under pleasantries. "Greetings, Princess Anne, I am Matriarch MahStar." I greeted her in return.

"Matriarch Archea of the Ancient Ones Clan!"

What walked down was what I could only describe as a cowgirl, with wavy blue hair and glasses. The minutians around her were all dressed like explorers or educators. She knelt down and greeted me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Anne!" She seemed quite genuine.

"Matriarch Dustwallow of the Bloody Boomer Clan!"

Out came a very elderly woman. She seemed to have trouble walking, but she persistently kept moving towards me regardless. The other Matriarchs bow respectfully towards her, she must be high status among them. Despite that, no minutians were by her side.

She rather shakily knelt down before me. I tried to signal to her that she didn't need to, but I was too late and she was already kneeling. "Greetings Princess Anne." She said with a pained grunt. She struggled to climb back to her feet. None of the others came to her aid. I guess they knew something I didn't.

"Patriarch Sigma of the Wolf Pack Clan."

I felt like the temperature in the room dropped as our next guest walked through the doors. He was wearing a long coat embroidered with wolf designs. He had a blindfold over his eyes. Was he using minutian abilities to see?

He walked up to me, and without kneeling, he simply said "I'm Sigma" before finding a dark corner to lean against. I'm not sure how he found one in the middle of a brightly lit throne room, but he somehow managed.

"And finally...!" Lexine started to introduce the final guest, but suddenly there was drumroll that seemingly came out of nowhere. Fog rolled in from the doorway as minutians break danced their way in. In from the fog strutted a flashily dressed Matriarch with a grin a mile wide. "Matriarch Aria of the Siren's Song Clan!" Finished the vampire. It appears she was in on the bit.

The minutians around us clapped for her as she blew kisses to her audience. The other Matriarchs weren't as amused, though.

With everything squared away, we got down to business. Lexine rushed off after getting another text, so she was no longer present. The oldest of the group stepped forward to speak for all of them. "While we should discuss forming diplomatic relations with Sanctuary, including a peace trade, we should deal with the elephant in the room, first." She swiveled in place to face Panchi. "Lord Panchi, you've been recently named the leader of the Tanglefoot Clan by Aria. During my visit, I'd like to get to know you a bit before I decide whether or not I'll throw in my support as well."

She turned to Matriarch Archea who took that as her cue to speak. "Lord Panchi, as Matriarch of the Ancient Ones Clan, I formally give my support to you being the lord of your clan." She bowed before her. "May you guide your family to a bright future!"

My friend humbly returned the bow. "Thank you. I won't let you down!"

Aria stepped forward as well. "Obviously, I support ya!"

"Yes! Thank you for my appointment, and for allowing Braddy to come in our time of need." She waved to her brother who was standing next to the matriarch.

"Oh, he would have come even if I didn't give him permission." She ruffled up the pretty boy's hair a bit, who immediately tried to fix it in a panic.

MahStar was next to step forward. "I will also need time to decide. I've only heard rumors about you, Lord Panchi." She looked her up and down. "Seriously, you're so high up the ladder and you can't get some fancier clothing?"

"That's enough." Dustwallow intervened. "You know our stances, so I say we head straight into the trade-"

"WAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIITTTT!!!"

A voice rang out the entire throne room and everyone immediately turned to look towards the door. Standing in the portal was none other than the former Matriarch Leahdah. Lexine showed up soon after, saying apologies. "I'm sorry, I tried to stop her."

"You shouldn't try to stop me! I have every right to be here!" She stepped into the throne room and pounded a fist against her chest. "I'm the Matriarch of the Tanglefoot Clan! I should be attending this meeting!"

All the other matriarchs immediately looked uncomfortable as they realized who had just crashed the gathering. Strangely enough, Panchi looked calm and collected. I thought she would be thrown off by the sudden appearance of her mother like this.

Seeing that no one was going to say anything to her, I chose to speak up. "I'm sorry, but because you abandoned your clan, Panchi was named the leader."

"I KNOW THAT!" She yelled, her face twisted indignantly. "But I've returned! You don't have to deal with this stunted child! I'm here! You can talk to me!"

"I don't think it works that way..." I tried to explain. "I mean, you abandoned your obligations, that can't just go consequence free."

"Ugh, what do you know!" She waddled her way over to Matriarch Dustwallow and started grabbing at her clothes. "Granny Dustwallow! Come on! You don't want to deal with a twerp do ya? I'm sure you'd prefer to talk to a full-blown Matriarch like me!"

The elderly minutian didn't even say a word to Leahdah. Instead, she turned to Panchi and bowed. "I recognize you as Lord of the Tanglefoot clan."

"What?!?!" Leahdah couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I also recognize you." MahStar bowed as well. "May you lead your clan to a bright future."

The former matriarch gaped like a goldish for a moment, before she finally found her words. "But, she'll dismantle the matriarch system! You'd be losing power!"

MahStar smiled maliciously as she responded. "If this is what causes the downfall of the matriarchs, then at least I can have satisfaction in that it was you that caused it."

The Dustwallow groaned as she held her head in pain. "Princess, may we call a brief recess? I have a massive headache."

"Of course! Would 15 minutes be enough?"

Leahdah, in a moment of desperation, started to approach me. "Wait, no! You can't do this! This is my birthright!" She started to grab at me. "This is my right as a mother! Please don't take that away from me!"

However, Braddy stepped in between us and started to escort the former matriarch out. "No hassling the princess! You'll have to leave!"

Her eyes bugged out as she saw the minutian in front of her. "Wha?! Pratty?!?!"

Another master from the Dragon Claw clan and a number of black shawls dragged her out of the throne room. Considering she managed to get the jump on Panchi before, they probably didn't want to take any chances.

Eventually, the Matriarchs had all left one way or another. With all of them gone, I had a moment to drop my shoulders. "That was intense. I wasn't expecting Leahdah to show up in the middle of all that!"

Raina was rubbing her chin. "I wonder how she even found out about this meeting in the first place."

Panchi grinned. "I'm sure her decision to come here had nothing to do with the letter I sent her the other day."

Oh that devious bastard. "You... You planned that whole thing?"

"I just thought things would go smoother if the Matriarchs saw first hand what the alternative was."

Honestly, I was impressed. I'm glad she's on my side.

[sanctuaryoftheodd]

Lore Dump: Veil of Dragons

You thought I was kidding about the return of lore dumps? WELL GUESS AGAIN!

Well, to be fair, there will be a lot of flavor text in here that might be of interest. Also, I'll give an explanation of universes, which will be helpful to understand. Let's get right into that!

So, a universe functions quite differently from the one you all are very much familiar with. Instead of being a collection of galaxies all dictated by the rules of gravity, we instead have small dots of reality that litter the blank canvas that is the void. While there are some realities that have a full galaxy, most only have tightly packed clusters of stars in them. Usually stars being so close together would make any world within completely inhospitable, but thankfully we live in a multiverse of magic.

As mentioned previously, the void in between universes have no rules, and people that traverse it tend to bring their rules with them. People who firmly believe they need to breathe will start to suffocate out there, and people without a firm grasp of their identity will fade away over time.

The void can be traversed through three methods: void ships, dimensional portals, and creating tunnels called "rabbit holes." Tales of explorers just jumping from universe to universe are the stuff of legend.

Back in Multiverse A, they had something called "linear timelines" where every point of a universe's history exists at once, creating a line through the void. Multiverse B won't begin to see those kinds of universes until they get some gods of their own. For now, they only have "fixed timelines" where you can only visit the "present" of that universe. Because of this, time travel in Multiverse B is currently impossible, with the exception of one method.

Anyways, we'll be talking about one specific fixed timeline: the Veil of Dragons.

As stated before, the Veil is protected by a barrier that warns the dragons of the Veil of invaders. This allows monsterkind to live without fear of outside threats. Now they only have to worry about INSIDE threats.

I'll be writing about the factions that exist inside the Veil. I can't promise Anne will visit all of these places. Not all of them will be that relevant, but it's flavor text that'll give you a good idea how tumultuous it is inside the universe.

----- THE SANCTUARY ALLIANCE -----

This is a brand new alliance that came into existence with the rise of Sanctuary. I don't think I need to go into depth about that as you should have been reading the story so far. However, there are a number of factions worth knowing about here

CHAOS SERPENTS

Chaos Serpents are the most populated dragon faction with the largest stomping ground out of all of them. They tend to favor against dragon superiority, leaning towards good sense and logic. Unfortunately, they often squabble among each other and get absolutely nothing done, so their more unified ideological opposites tend to get their way. However, one thing every dragon on this side could agree upon: King Anwir Plott needed to go down, and Princess Anne O'Maley was the key to that.

Mother's Gift: A religious sect, they worship and are completely devoted to the Mother of Gods, to the point that they elect leaders that have similar qualities to the Goddess. Their territory is a common place for people within the Veil to pilgrimage to whenever someone wants to devote their lives to the most powerful of gods. When they found out the leader of Sanctuary was the granddaughter of the Mother of Gods, they had to hold themselves back from annexing themselves to Sanctuary immediately. Right now, they are just really eager allies.

(I swear, I don't know how to feel about worshippers like that. Feels kind of cult-like don't you think?)

Melodic Domain: This is the home of the Siren's Songs Minutian Clan. Established 300 years ago after the lost century, they've become well known for their contributions to the musical arts. The entire solar system was rewarded to Matriarch Aria by the Chaos Rangers for her success in protecting and cultivating the region.

Beast Republic: An anthro ruled democracy that values freedom most of all. Whether or not they have freedom is up to debate. The dragons here are notable in that they completely respect the democratic process without forcing their way.

Garden Lords: These worlds are ruled over by the Karasi, an ancient race of tree people that predate Multiverse B. Karasi live all over the current multiverse, but some chose to live in the Veil because of the protection the dragons provide. Their society has a hierarchy based on age, their leaders being the oldest among them. Many of them are even older than the dragons in the Veil, which is really saying something.

Marduk Controlled: These are worlds that Marduk himself presides over. The leadership is all chosen by him. This is the location of the Chaos Serpents Head Quarters, as well where the top secret Adelaide Project was conducted.

RAINBOW DRAGONS

This was originally part of a much larger region controlled by the faction as a whole, but after Anne slayed Chroma Catastrophe and took his power, the faction split in half. The half that sided with Anne, kept the "Rainbow Dragons" name. As is true with any faction with "dragon" in the title, the dragons control the government. Technically this region now belongs to Anne, but considering she hasn't even traveled there yet, it's weird to say she rules it.

----- THE MONSTER KINGDOM -----

The kingdom has been controlled by the Monster Royal Family for thousands of years, currently ruled by King Anwir Plott. That being said, the Kingdom is largely made up of a large group of factions that only tangentially show loyalty to the crown. Pretty much the only thing keeping them a kingdom is the fact these factions pay taxes and their leaders consider themselves part of it. I guess keep that in mind as we cover the factions.

King's Playground: This is the region of space that has the most direct control by the king, so they are the first to feel the effects if they are currently being ruled over by an idiot. They have the most deportations out of all the regions because of this. They are also the home of Sarpanit, the original homeworld of monsterkind, which is where the capital is located.

Pandora: These people believe strongly in the teachings of an ancient religious figure. They believe in complete non-involvement in history, instead focusing on documenting it as it happens. Because of this, they are most well known for their movies and art. Their beliefs run in conflict with the current King as they refuse to provide troops for the king's military.

Metal Dragons: This area is controlled by dragons that are completely loyal to the monster royal family, no matter who is currently sitting on the throne as long as they belong to the blood. Their name derives from their catchphrase, "Our loyalty is as strong as metal!"

Blood Dragons: These dragons believe that the monster royal family member currently in power should be one with dragon blood. Considering the circumstances, they would probably immediately defect to The Sanctuary Alliance if they didn't fear retaliation from the Metal Dragons.

Chaos Rangers Outpost: Major trading hub for the Monster Kingdom. Unlike the other capitalistic factions in the Monster Kingdom, they are actually known for valuing fair and honest business. Technically, they've sided with Sanctuary, but they are too essential to oust from Monster Kingdom territory.

Twin Star: These two solar systems are ruled by two different dragons. They were at war for centuries, but they one day settled their differences and became one faction. They've since shown great pride in their ability to get along and often judge others for not being able to do what was easy for them. They've sided with the Monster Kingdom after the dragon invasion, justifying it with "while Sanctuary didn't start the fight, they were the ones that escalated it to murder." 

(Though, to be honest, I think they are just jealous that Sanctuary does the whole "unity" thing better than them.)

Pride: The people and dragons there believe that the monster kingdom should be ruled by the monster families of old. In fact, long descendants of those families still rule in the region to this day. Of course, they neglect to acknowledge that the old families gave up power willingly.

Kind Dragons: These dragons believe that all dragons, by nature, are the kindest creatures in the universe. They are kind because they aren't currently eating you, and they would love to keep not eating you as long as you pay them protection money. Yeah, they are mobsters.

Scales: These are an offshoot of the Kind Dragons. They are basically gangsters, but they have a more righteous edge to them.

Misfits: The most renegade of the dragon factions, they always act as if they have something to prove. Their territory is the largest in the kingdom, but this is largely for show as they have very few worlds in those dull stars to actually rule over. That basically sums up what they are like as a group, they make a big show of things to boost their own egos while not actually accomplishing anything.

Grey Dragons: These are the remainder of the Rainbow Dragons. These were the dragons that only joined the faction for their power and influence. Many of them left to join other factions, but a few stayed on, changing their name to "Grey Dragons" in solidarity to Chroma Catastrophe. They are huge supporters of the current Monster King as he is NOT Princess Anne O'Maley.

Gold Dragons: They are the merchants of the dragon world. They wield a lot of power and influence, often throwing their weight around to make sure certain policies get passed that help them get richer. They stand firmly against Sanctuary for their humanitarian policies.Coin: These dragons got rich on the rise of crypto currency. Now they are known for pushing scams like NFTs. I think I might have made enemies with someone in the audience for calling it a scam…

----- Neutral -----

These worlds, for one reason or another, do not answer to either of the two major powers in the universe, and may deal in both.

Mahstar Inc.: This is the home of the Dragon Claw minutian clan, the very first clan to be established in the Monster Kingdom almost a thousand years ago. Out of the three clans within the veil, theirs has the biggest territory, as they've chosen to become mercenaries over the centuries. They don't side with either major power as they provide services to both. Anyone with the biggest pocket book can hire a minutian to fight for them, as long as two of the same clan don't get pitted against each other. That's the one major caveat.

Hek: A world filled predominantly of free demons. This solar system was largely overlooked by the Monster Kingdom as all its worlds are as inhospitable as they come, and only those with the belief powers of demons could possibly survive there. Demons do live in the Monster Kingdom itself, but many of them wind up with suppression collars and segregated from public places. Hek is a shithole, but at least it's a place where they are free to be themselves.

Wolf Den: This was the chosen system of the Wolf Pack minutian clan. Not much is known about them as they mostly keep to themselves. They even picked a system that was so far away from everyone else that no one would ever think to head their direction. What is known about them is that they tend to play up their masculinity and seem to have a hatred for women. Naturally, they aren't fans of Sanctuary.

Off Star: The worlds in these two systems are freezing, but some monsters have chosen to live there, not because they like the cold, but because they don't have to deal with the Monster Kingdom but still get protection from the Veil. They are full of small communities that don't seem to have much interest in advancing or becoming more powerful. They just want to live their lives without having to deal with others outside their bubble.

Berry Blitzkrieg Activity: A small fleet was ordered to fly in circles for months just outside the veil on the other side from Sanctuary. They were there to distract Marduk from finding out what was happening on The Odd. Their mission has long since failed, but because Berry Blitzkrieg is currently in the middle of a major revolution, they haven't gotten the memo yet. They are still out there, flying in circles. I wonder when they'll realize...

[missfinefeather]

Sanctuary of the Odd, Part 2 - Chapter 128: First Warp

Read Chapter 128: First Warp from the story Sanctuary of the Odd, Part 2 by MissFinefeather with 0 reads. family, diplo...

Chapter 128: First Warp

I suddenly remember that I'm technically a science fiction author.

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