Elysium's Multiverse-Chapter 323

Genua chuckled, sighed, and put a hand on Riven’s thigh right next to where she lay. “No, Kara, I don’t need anything. Yes I am ok. I just wanted to say thank you for helping. You are appreciated.”

Kara’s usually nervous attitude shifted to a beaming smile, and she blushed furiously while staring at the floor. “Oh, uhm, it was nothing! Thank you for thanking me though! It is nice to hear it.”

Azmoth grunted from the side. “Now Azmoth is no longer baby of group. Iris is baby now.”

Riven snorted a boisterous laugh and slapped Azmoth’s shoulder. “We’ve never called you a baby! What are you talking about?”

“Athela call me big flaming baby all the time.”

“She does?!”

Athela quirked an eyebrow from where she was holding Iris and was still rocking the child to the sound of loud giggles. “Well that’s because he IS a big flaming baby!”

Azmoth turned a flat look on Riven. “See? Athela bullies Azmoth. It makes Azmoth sad.”

Athela stuck out her tongue. “Well if you weren’t such a baby about being a baby then maybe you wouldn’t have your feelings hurt, you’re an archdemon damn it! You’re supposed to be scary, not a wuss!”

“Azmoth will crush Athela after she is done holding baby. Then Azmoth will dance on Athela’s corpse and wear her tiara as new prince Azmoth is crowned.”

“I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY YOU FLAMING APE! THIS TIARA IS MINE!”

Riven held up a hand to stop the bickering duo. “Stop it, you’re going to scare Iris.”

Indeed, the yelling had definitely triggered Iris and she was now showing wet lines of water glistening down her puffy cheeks - while her lips trembled and her chubby fingers fidgeted in front of her.

Fay gasped with her hands up to her lips in a horrified expression. “Athela you whore! You made the baby cry less than an hour after being born! You’re a terrible person!”

“That’s Azmoth’s fault! I had to defend my honor as a bad bitch!”

Genua rolled her eyes, holding up the pajamas Fay had picked out earlier and that still hadn’t been put on. “Give Iris here, I need to get her clothed.” 𝘳𝐚ŊốBÊ𝙨

Reluctantly, Athela handed the baby back to her mother and pouted with folded arms. Without warning she was promptly picked up and launched out the front doors of the cathedral like a cannonball by Azmoth with a shrill scream that faded into the distance, but Riven had no doubt she’d be back within a minute or two.

“Azmoth is not baby.” The large archdemon said with a huff, and he extended a gentle claw down to Iris again to poke at her and to try cheering her up. “Don’t worry Iris, Azmoth protect you from crazy spider wench.”

Fay, who was watching Athela sail through the air, shook her head in dismay and closed her eyes. “One day Riven, when Athela has a child of yours too, I’ll be incredibly interested to see if that kid ever inherits her ridiculous tendencies or not. It’s a scary thought.”

Riven grinned wide. “Oh that’ll be on a whole ’nother level.”

“Scary indeed.” Genua said with a raised eyebrow, fitting the pink infant pajamas over Iris’s chubby limbs before holding the silently crying baby to her chest. “There, there, Iris, mommy has you.”

Riven couldn’t be help but be a little bit irritated that they’d already scared Iris like that, and he was already thinking about ground rules for whenever they were around his newborn daughter. That would have to come later though, and for now - he just settled in to lay next to Genua and held out a hand.

Iris latched on again, sniffled, and brought his finger up to her mouth when-

CHOMP

Tiny fangs sank into his finger, and he yelped in startled surprise as Iris closed her eyes and began to drink his blood of all things. He watched wide-eyed, realizing that what he had assumed to be a toothless little baby wasn’t that toothless after all.

“I guess she got the vampire side of you.” Genua said, proudly stroking Iris’s head and adjusting the pink fluffy clothes while petting the baby girl’s head with one hand. “She’s gorgeous, just look at those cute pink eyes of hers! I can’t wait to introduce her to Len! Len’s always wanted a baby sister… and now she has one. She’ll be so excited.”

Staying still and watching Iris fall asleep with his finger in her mouth as the baby drained blood like milk from a bottle, he gently smiled and patted her head a few times with his free hand before settling in for the long haul. He almost couldn’t believe it, but there she was - laying on Genua’s chest right in front of him. Riven was a dad now, and for better or worse - he was now responsible for this little girl’s safety and upbringing.

“She’s such a cute little chunk, isn’t she?” Riven said to Genua, eyes crinkled happily at the corners.

Genua patted the child’s back. “Oh she’s a chunk. She’ll probably lose the baby fat over the next two years, but she’ll remain a chunk until then.”

Riven’s heart warmed.

Was he ready for this kind of responsibility?

No, not really.

But that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t try his best, and he was ready to embrace it anyways. He would be the father that he never really had, and hopefully one day he could cultivate a genuinely loving relationship with this little girl he’d helped make. Riven was already becoming attached only a very short time after her birth, and he was rather surprisingly excited about the prospect of watching her grow up.

Perhaps he’d even introduce her to anime and Dragon Ball Z. Because if a demonic overlord like him was going to have a kid, Iris damn well needed to be a woman of culture.

***

Riven inspected the altar to Gluttony with a cocked head and hands clasped behind his back. It was an odd sensation, interacting with the altar that led directly to his bonded intertwined sin - and he could tell just by touching it that the altar hadn’t been used in millenia despite the signs of wear and tear.

“It shouldn’t be much longer until the portal arrives.” Fay muttered, stepping up next to him with a flap of her wings. “I’m worried about Iris traveling down here. She’s so fragile and…”

Fay’s voice trailed off.

Riven agreed. “Not much we can do about it though.”

“Genua could attempt to go back to the Blood God’s realm and-”

“No.” Riven shook his head adamantly, turning to look at Fay with a grim expression. “I won’t have my child enter that place, ever. And Genua has already tried going back while in the descent a while ago, she is unable to do it even if she wanted to.”

“Are you afraid the Blood God will betray you then?” Fay asked curiously, a frown painting itself across her lips.

Riven didn’t respond. They all knew there’d been a priestess who’d tried to take Riven’s child once, and that was before he’d secretly become a heretic. The blood pearl didn’t register as heretical outright, but that didn’t mean the Blood God couldn’t somehow find out. And if he did, Riven was boned.

Taking it out of his spatial bag, he stared at the shifting red orb in his hand. He still had the prize notification information in his system logs from the boss fight, and pulled it up to read. “Yes, it’s a very real possibility.”

[Trishard Blood Pearl (C-Grade Blasphemous Blood Artifact): This relic has condensed the affinities from 3 of 5 paths the Sub-Pillar of Blood may take, and has non-permanently bound to you: Riven Thane, as its new wielder. This item is shielded from the Blood God’s farsight, detection, and scrying abilities - and will be viewed as a normal Blood artifact by all but the most powerful of his Blood Clergy, Blood Precursors, and the bearer of this item. This item holds long lost and buried secrets of the Blood Sub-Pillar, and is marked as an extremely taboo artifact by the current Blood God. Study and meditate on this item for further insights into powers now lost to all but the dead. +200% bonus to Dao insights regarding the Blood Sub-Pillar while meditating with this item in hand. Large amounts of Blood mana of any type may be stored inside this Trishard Blood Pearl, and it creates ambient Blood mana at a steady rate to either be used as stored mana or to be used to change environments. This item may be stored within your soul space at will. Must naturally be of 99% Blood Affinity or more to properly wield this item.

“I don’t know why you keep that item, it’s such a terrible prize to get for the descent.” Fay dubiously looked over the pearl, obviously not seeing the same letters Riven was seeing even despite his notification being pulled up right in front of his face for both to look at. “I’d just throw it away. Or do you like the way it looks?”

Riven smirked slightly. He’d already tried this with his minions before and knew they’d not see the real message hidden under the altered text, nor could they sense the intensity of the aura leaking off the item - promising secrets to be discovered through experimentation and meditation.

Seeing he wasn’t going to answer, Fay let out a huff and turned around to look at the little girl the rest of the party was engaging with. “She’s really cute, you know. Your daughter.”

“She is, isn’t she?”

“Yes. But I still don’t think she belongs here, and because of that - I’ve decided to tell you what my Christmas surprise was going to be.”

Riven raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What does that have to do with anything?”

Fay steeled herself and straightened her back. “I think you’ll understand when you see it. Athela and I have been working together to get it ready, but now… now I think it may be a way to help Iris stay safe as we travel. Not only that, but it may be a way to also take Kara with us - but I can’t be sure yet. You still might have to hire her on to the guild as originally planned.”

Riven was immediately interested, and turned fully to face her. “I’m listening.”

Fay’s resolve fell slightly, and she sheepishly smiled while fidgeting with her hands. “You know how Athela and I have been doing that thing with our tongues at the end of every session? To your teeth?”

Now Riven was just becoming confused. “Yeah, I think it’s weird but if it turns you on then I don’t mind.”

Fay sputtered a laugh. “Well it’s not just weird! It has a real purpose. We’ve been milking you for vampiric venom… Ugh. Just come on and find out, let’s get this over with.”

A portal ripped open in the air beside them, and without another word - Fay dragged Riven inside.

[You have entered Fay’s Dreamscape Dungeon, a resting place for damned souls. Current Prisoners: 5 of 50. Prisoners must be weaker in mind, body, and cultivation than the wielder of this ability to be kept here.]

Stumbling through due to the disorientation of the skill, it took Riven a second to adjust to his surroundings.

Five figures were strung up in the middle of a large stone room, hanging from the ceiling by chains that connected to iron manacles around their ankles and wrists. Candles resting on skulls along the perimeter illuminated the prison with dim light, and tools of torture were laid out on various benches and tables. Anti-energy suppression runes were also carved in the walls, and their effect completely ignored Riven - but he could see how it was effecting the five prisoners kept there rather easily.

“So THIS is where Numin and Zefima went…” Riven muttered, eyeing the drooling, rabid pair of dark elves as they thrashed around from their dangling positions. His eyes lingered upon the shrieking, snarling duo - before examining the other three prisoners in detail.

One was a draconian man with white scales, similar to the dragonkin but smaller and of a slightly different, smaller species. His claws weren’t as dragon-like either, more akin to fingers of a human than the dragonkin were, and he lacked the spines the dragonkin had too. The draconian was rather calm, unusually calm, and curiously stared the vampire down as Riven walked by.

The next was a kind of mer-woman Riven had never seen before, with a deep shade of yellow skin, purple eyes and purple hair, gills along her neck and webs between her fingers and toes. She too was unusually calm, and stared back without fear, hate, or any kind of obvious negative emotion.

Then, lastly there was an ogre? Maybe a half ogre, with pale green skin. Riven didn’t even know how the chains held the guy up because he was so big, and damn was he ugly. Huge bulky muscles, about 8 feet tall, but due to how his body was built - he still looked squat and square-ish. He had tusks coming out of his very prominent lower jaw, and his belly was large enough to fit at least two of Riven inside its mass without much issue. Yet again, this ogre didn’t seem troubled at all to be here - and even gave Riven a little nod while blinking.

Weird.

“Let’s come back to these two first…” Riven said, walking over and pointing between the snarling dark elves, noticing that not only were they seemingly out of their minds. “What’s going on with their behavior?”

Both drow were drooling and frothing from the corners of their mouths, their eyes were bloodshot, and their veins occasionally pulsed along different parts of their bodies at random. They seemed to not even realize Riven was there until he snapped his fingers in front of Zefima’s face, and then she tried to bite him of all things.

She immediately went back to frothing and screeching while nearly giving herself whiplash from the jerking she did while dangling from the ceiling.

Fay seemed surprised. “You don’t care that we abducted them? You’re not going to ask me about-”

“I don’t care as much that you abducted mortals for me to feed on. I very much DO care that you lied to me when I told you to do something and you did something else instead.” Riven commented, walking around the two drow and curiously extending a finger to poke at one of the pulsing veins. “I’d told them they could leave, and you and Athela ignored that. Why?”

Fay winced, but knew this had been coming. “Uhm… Gluttony said that you needed more variety to feed on in order to unlock other aspects of your vampiric bloodline. Like you did back on the blood-ocean floor, after eating those orcs. You’re a bit too nice to do this yourself, so we decided that perhaps we should be the ones that set up a blood farm for you instead… by collecting rare and varying species of mortals for you to feed on and eat.”

Riven nodded absentmindedly, and came back around to stand in front of Numin. “I’m both impressed and disappointed in you two at the same time. We’ll all be having a talk about personal boundaries that we shouldn’t cross with one another concerning trust. Trust is pivotal to any relationship, and if I can’t have it - then there won’t be a relationship. Is that abundantly clear?

He gave her a sharp look, causing his succubus to recoil.

“Y-Yes…” Fay said, looking like she was sick to her stomach as her lips began to tremble. “S-sorry, Riven. Please don’t-”

“I am not breaking up with you, don’t think I am.” Riven said sternly, head-bobbing to the two drow dangling ahead of him. “You also did this for my benefit. For that, thank you. But keeping me in the dark about these kinds of things is absolutely not ok. I said I’d do something, that I’d let these two go, and you two went behind my back with Gluttony’s encouragement to do the exact opposite. I’ll be having a talk with Gluttony as well, to make it blatantly clear that should he have known about this - it will not be acceptable to have him continue down the path of deception regardless of whether or not it is in my interest. He can find a new fucking vessel to reincarnate in if I can’t be treated as an equal partner and if he can’t find it in himself to not lie to me. After today, the same will go for you and Athela too. I love you both and I’d die for either of you, but I’ll say it again - I, will, not, be, lied, to, or you can both find another warlock to bind with and I’ll get new minions. Trust is an absolute must in our relationship dynamic and I will not compromise on it, and that becomes even more important if you and Athela really intend to go dating other girls on the sidelines outside of our relationship like you’ve talked about doing. If I can’t trust you two, there’s nothing left. Do you understand?”

A tear trickled down Fay’s flushed cheek, and she sniffled while wiping it away. Her breathing was becoming hard, frantic, and labored. “Yes, master. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

He stared at her long and hard after that to make sure she knew he was deadly serious, then turned his attention back to the flailing drow. “I think they’re reacting this way because they’re mentally and physically combatting the virus you’ve injected into them. It is making the transition into thralls become much more uncomfortable and difficult. At this point, I don’t think it’s even reversible - they’d likely die if we stopped the process now. Part of me thinks I should just kill them and get it over with… but the other part of me says they deserve this. And yet, I am rather hungry… How long have they been force-fed my venom?”

“Since the floor with multiple suns representing the pillars, master.” Fay replied weakly, staring at the ground with red-rimmed eyes.

“That’s not very long, but they’re already changing rapidly. How much venom have you been forcing down?”

She shrugged. “A lot, I think? Your venom is far more potent that most, master, and Genua even had her eyes change color. That isn’t normal for a thrall either, Luke Blissfallen didn’t have it happen to him when you turned the old man into a thrall, and is probably a byproduct of your pure bloodline that only presents itself when enough of your venom is injected throughout the transition process. But that’s just Gluttony guessing.”

Riven scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I did feed on Genua far more than I did Luke… at the time it just felt weird to suck on a guy’s neck for blood when Genua was available. You know?”

He gave Fay a small, forced smile, causing her to stifle a laugh as she wiped at her face again. “In fact, whenever I fed off Luke - he usually just drained the blood into a cup for me to drink. I didn’t inject much venom into him at all. Where did you get these three?”

Riven pointed at the white-scaled draconian, the yellow and purple mer-woman, and the tusked green ogre off to his left.

“From the blood ocean floor, where people were coming out of the clam’s rift.” Fay replied, regaining her composure and calming her breaths.

“Have you been feeding them venom too?”

“Not yet, we were going to wait for the drow to change first so we could continue pumping your venom in.”

Riven raised an eyebrow, and placed himself in front of the draconian. “What’s your name?”

The draconian blinked, and his voice came out as a deep, masculine tone that surprised Riven given how the man was a reptile variant. “I do not know anymore.”

“Anymore? So you knew once?”

“Yes… I think so.”

Riven nodded. “Do you remember coming out of the blood rift and fighting my team?”

The white-scaled humanoid flitted his tail back and forth, and grunted in irritation. “Vaguely, but I was just coming out of my sleep then and the memory is fuzzy.”

“Do you remember how you even got into that blood realm?”

“No.”

“What is your combat skill set?”

“I am a warrior.”

“Specifically through your status page?”

The draconian’s pupils dilated for a moment. “It says I am called an ‘Unholy Striker’, and I have a handful of physical and distance-clearing abilities. I’m level 200.”

“Would you have a problem becoming my thrall, now that I’ve set you free?”

The draconian seemed indifferent. “I wouldn’t know any different, I cannot remember my past life. If becoming your thrall gives me the opportunity to experience a new life, then I will gladly take the opportunity.”

Riven smiled in satisfaction and went on to the next. “Do you have a name?”

The yellow and purple mer-woman shrugged. “Just as the lizard said, I cannot recall. I believe my memories have been wiped, or perhaps I was just in there too long to remember my past. Unlike him, I do remember the fight - and I remember glimpses of the ocean the other souls and I resided in. But nothing of significance.”

“What is your combat skill set?”

“Level 200 Swamp Witch. I have a variety of curses, debuffs, and stacking afflictions that cause damage over time.”

“Ah, you’re something like my succubus then. What is your take on becoming one of my thralls after setting you free?”

The merwoman hesitated, and shot the two drow a wary glance. “Will it hurt?”

“It is not likely if you accept what the virus is doing to you. Genua and Luke, my first two thralls, never had much of a problem.”

“If I refuse, will you let me go?”

Riven gave her a pleasant smile. “Perhaps at some point. Not any time soon though, if what I hear about needing variety to unlock my bloodlines is true - then a species such as yourself is going to be very hard to find. I’ll be feeding on you for quite some time.”

“And if I became your thrall, I’d have my freedom back immediately?”

“Yes, to whatever extent being a thrall allows you to do so.”

“That’s a fair enough answer.” The mer-woman replied. Pursing her lips, the witch came to a decision. “I will willingly become your thrall then, whenever you’re ready to start the process.”

“Very good.” Riven grinned, clapped once, and moved on to the last.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Before Riven could even open his mouth, the ogre began listing off the information he wanted. “Chaos Barbarian, Level 200. Give me freedom, and I can become your thrall without question - vampire. My soul has been in a tormented state of boredom for far too long. Give me the opportunity for violence, and I will do whatever else you ask.”

Riven studied the green-skinned ogre and gave a thumbs up. “Well that was rather easy.”

“You FOOLS!” Numin of all people, who was still thrashing around in his chains with sweat beading down his bare chest, snarled at the three people Riven’s team had taken from the blood ocean floor. “Do you not know what it even means to become a thrall!? You are selling your very minds! Do not give in!”

Blood began to mix with the drool dripping down Numin’s chin as the dark elf bit down on his lip with hatred in his eyes, glaring at Riven with a hatred so pure that Riven would be dead a thousand times over if looks could kill.

“Death is better than becoming your thrall!” Numin hissed, spitting at Riven with contempt. “You’re a liar and a fraud, vampire!”

Riven let the glob of spit land on his gluttonous chest armor, and approached the dark elf while raising one hand. “To be fair, I didn’t intend on lying to you. Life just has a funny way of working out sometimes, but I can’t say I feel bad about it either. What you did to Kara was terrible, and may have been even worse than what you’re experiencing now.”

“More lies!” Numin spat, coughing up blood with a gurgling noise as his eyes began to roll into the back of his head while his body convulsed. He managed to gasp, and get out another few words as Zefima began to sob nearby. “Just kill me! Please, kill me!!!”

There was a long pause.

“Is that what you want too, Zefima?” Riven casually asked. “Your mother was killed by your king, and your country will execute the two of you on sight. The transition is already too far gone to fix. It’s either this, or death.”

Zefima was still convulsing, thrashing, and sobbing - but the sobbing became more violent and louder at the news. “I STILL WANT TO LIVE! DON’T KILL ME, I WILL BECOME WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT! PLEASE, JUST MAKE THE PAIN STOP! MAKE THE PAIN STOPPP!!!”

“I’m pretty sure you can do that yourself, you just have to let it in. Stop fighting the process.” Grimacing, Riven snapped his hand forward in a blur. Blood sprayed across the room, and Numin let out a gargling final scream before beginning to go limp. The man’s thrashing stopped, and he slowly slumped down with his bloodshot eyes becoming lifeless. The very last thing Numin saw in this life was the still-beating heart Riven held in his hand. The one that Riven had pried out from Numin’s very own chest.

Placing the heart to his lips, Riven took a bite out of it and began to eat it like an apple. Considering Zefima for a while, he spoke to Fay: “Despite these drow being lesser beings, cattle for butchering, and a pair of guilty criminals - I find it strange that I still have some remnants of empathy left for them. When my hunger strikes, I find myself washed away without a care in the world - all I need to do is kill and eat. But when my hunger isn’t all encompassing, I find that a part of my humanity has still found a crevice to hide in.”

He set the half-eaten heart on the table, and began to walk away. “Give Zefima a potion for pain, if we even have any. Make sure she’s calmed down or at least sedated before bringing Genua and my daughter, Iris, into this place. Kara too. I agree with your assessment, having a pocket realm like this one is far safer than allowing them to travel through the abyssal descent like the rest of us.”

“Yes, master.” Fay subserviently followed behind. Hopefully, she reached out and started to increase her walking speed to catch up. “Is… Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? For lying?”

She stopped him by grabbing his shoulder and turned him around, then unhitched a latch on her waist and let her skirt fall to the ground around her long bare legs. Standing half naked in front of him, she gave him a flirtatious and hopeful smile while grabbing for his crotch.

Riven looked down, looked back up, gave her a blank stare, and coldly turned away to continue walking - leaving her rejected in the dim candlelight. “No. I’m sorry Fay, but this is going to take nothing less than time to get over. I’m sure I probably will, but I’m going to need some space from physical intimacy for the foreseeable future.”