Renaissance of Chaos

XX

"You know, today could have been a good day. A marvelous day even! My daughter is back, and she brought friends too. Sure, she didn't act the best way, and I have to punish her for it, but again, my daughter is back!"

"...Are you going somewhere with this?"

"Yes, I am. Now don't interrupt me PLEASE! It's very rude! So, as I was saying, this could have been a marvelous day. But then, this fire had to happen and then you showed up and instead of just putting it out, you FUCKING FLOODED the entire region! Great job, you dumbass!" Nyarlathotep shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"Excuse me, Messenger. Am I to understand that this flood angers you?" Nodens asked with fake concern.

"Yes, jackass! Are you fucking with me right now?!"

"Bravo! You figured it out!" the Elder God replied, clapping his hands. "You earned a cookie! Unfortunately, I have none on me, but I can find some mud, spring some pebbles on top..."

"FUCK YOU! You cheap-ass Santa Claus rip off!" the Crawling Chaos barked back at him.

Randolph Carter was staring at the two deities, trying to decide whether he should attempt defuse the situation or run away as far as the eye could see. How he had gotten in this situation, he still didn't know, but he was already way over done with it. He was no longer mentally present. He was picturing himself, back at his palace, at his desk, occupying himself with mind-numbing paperwork, safely away from two of the most childish, and honestly, annoying deities to ever exist. While he could understand and even praise, Archaic Nodens' ability and determination to get on Nyarlathotep's nerves, he couldn't deny the fact that sometimes he tended to take his antics over the top.

And today of all days, he was in no mood to play arbiter. Few hours before this fiasco, Elena had dropped into his office, looking terrified and thoughtfully distressed.

Though an old woman in the waking world, in the Dreamlands, she always appeared as a young, 20-year-old woman, with hair as black as a raven's feathers and eyes carrying all the wisdom of her actual years. She was graceful, and energetic, dressed in old Transylvanian clothing. Though sadness was ever present on her features, embedded into her every expression, she always offered him a kind smile and words of comfort whenever he had a hard day. He didn't mind it, finding himself enjoying her presence more and more each time.

But today, she, who was always so well-mannered, busted through his office doors, looking as if she had come face to face with a wild shoggoth. Her hair, usually tied up in a bun above her head was loose and disheveled. Skin once rosy was now ghostly-white, her every movement accompanied by violent tremors. Her eyes bore an expression of pure terror, and she could barely articulate a word.

As soon as he saw her, he ordered his spies to go check on her family in the waking world, while his best servants tended to the frightened woman. Before he could get a coherent word out of her however, he was summoned by Archaic Nodens, to come for an urgent matter. Now, Randolph Carter was boiling in his own furry at having been forced to abandon his friend just so he could be here and babysit these idiots.

Next to him, Keziah, the Old Witch, was sighing with her arms crossed. Knowing her, the King of Ilek-Vad was amazed she hadn't pulled a frying pan or broom and start beating both deities up, like she did back at the farm. Gods, Higher Beings, Great Old Ones, it meant nothing to her. Perhaps, it was due to her age, or some sort of madness she acquired in her long service to the Crawling Chaos. Whatever the reason, Randolph truly admired her fearlessness. So much so, that he was scared of her.

If only he had half the courage, she did...

The sound of a falling tree and the loud splash which followed drew his attention. He cast a quick glance towards the forest, at the restless waters rushing through the trees, searching for a place to settled. Small bushes were entirely submerged beneath the rivers, the tallest and strongest of trees, slowly beneath its strength, bending their large trunks in the direction of the flow. And to make things worse, it wasn't only the enchanted forest who was affected by it, but the human side too. And if he remembered right, there was actually a river near the woods.