CotB 48: Change

Cult of the Bay

Chapter 48: Change

<<<Lamb>>>

While Lamb loved Italy, and seeing the sights (never mind the beaches) it felt good to be home. Besides, even with her cloning ability she felt guilty leaving the new members with only a clone to teach them… despite the fact that she was in both places at the same time. And…

She should stop thinking about it, it made her head hurt.

Ignoring the potential existential crisis that was her existence, Lamb did wonder what she should actually do. She considered just… continuing as she had been but well… that’s rather passive in all honesty. 

Maybe it was about time for her to get a little more proactive? There was still the looming presence of the Fallen and Slaughterhouse to deal with. Then there is the whole thing with Dragon that needed to be addressed, as well as the more local S-class threats like the Machine Army and Nilbog.

“I always enjoyed goblins…” Selene hummed, “But I’ve never had the chance to play with a cute robot… mind if I borrow one once you’ve changed the world to your tastes?~”

“Of course…” As if she could deny her anything she requested… well, provided it wasn’t too outrageous anyway.

Maybe she should just… do a tour of the country and deal with S-class threats? That’d lead to some pretty good PR and more people joining her cult. Which in turn would increase her own power and just increase her abilities to protect and keep her girls satisfied.

But later, they just got home. Right now she was baking cookies for a Baked Goods sale her cult was arranging. She wasn’t the only one of course, but it felt wrong not to contribute. At least that’s her justification, not that she needed one in the first place.

“Put some tentacle larva in them,~” Selene purred, “They’ll only activate for people old enough to have fun but for those… mmm.~” Lamb could feel the shiver of pleasure her Goddess had through their link. “But… for the future, I’d suggest starting with the Fallen. Take them, change them into your worshippers, and take your proper place in the world.~”

It was only a matter of time before they tried something, especially when she collects their other ‘Gods’ so it’d probably be smart to nip a potential problem before it could turn into an irritant.

Lamb paused for a moment before snorting, “Listen to me, considering a long standing problem that’s plagued the country as an irritation…” Then she processed the rest of Selene’s words and… admittedly she gained some confusion from them. “Wait, how would that be enough power to do that? They have, what, two hundred total? Three hundred? That’s almost nothing in comparison to just the devotion from this city alone.”

“The more fervent the believer, the more potent the faith,” Selene noted before appearing next to her, whispering directly into her ear, “And… imagine how much More you’d get once you took her power into yourself and made it your own?~” Her Goddess shivered, holding her softly, “All those people that are thinking of you all the time, all those thinkers looking your way, every time your name is uttered… you’d be there, all the time, forever. For everyone in the world.”

“And… this is the final step?” Lamb asked quietly, “Then I can… fix the real problem?” She had a brief flash of a Garden of Flesh and how wrong it felt…

“You could fix all of them,” Selene replied, kissing her neck, “As many as you wanted to fix. Turn whoever you wanted into an Angel, kill and punish those that deserve it, free millions from slavery, exult in pleasure unceasing… whatever your desire is. But, if you wanted to hold off on using that power to ascend for a time, you could. If you wanted to do things as a simple demigod… but I wouldn’t recommend it. Imagine all the suffering you’d be prolonging.~”

Visions of the prison and brainwashing camps in europe and china flashed through her mind, of murders and rapes, of children and elderly men and women being abused.

Lamb closed her eyes, “That’s not fair…” She mumbled, not really mad or anything as Selene was right.

“You’re right, it’s not,” She replied, voice sympathetic, “It’s something I grappled with as well. It hurts… but, there are benefits to waiting for a time as well. After all, if you want to give a Dragon a human-like body, it’s best to at least remember being such, right?”

“Okay,” Lamb said, “... Let me finish my cookies and then…”

“The world will be changed forever,” Selene finished, “And you’ll join me in eternity and pleasure.” 

Her goddess gave her another loving kiss, on the lips that time, before vanishing.

Lamb just shook her head, “Winding me up then leaving…” She muttered playfully.

It was funny really, once upon a time she would’ve thought becoming a goddess would only come after completing a near impossible quest that would stretch across the world, and take multiple years to complete.

And it hadn’t even been a full year! And she was already at the endgame, for the lack of a better term.

Should she prepare her cult? At least the ‘true believers’ and not the casual believers?

She’d… surprise her girls with it, it would be funnier that way. ‘Hey girls, I went out for some coffee and became a goddess, what did I miss?’ Besides… she was pretty sure Taylor wasn’t really on board with it. But she’d understand after it happened, right?

She really hoped she did, Lamb loved all her girls, and she’s coming to love Beatrice and, in time she’d probably do the same with Leviathan and Simurgh. But Taylor… she’s the first, her first, and the thought of her not understanding… upset her.

She was going to make the world a better place, why wouldn’t Taylor like that?

“She’s just scared, my Lamb, she’s a mortal,” Selene comforted, “She thinks that losing one’s mortality, that becoming something More than human, strips things from you. She’s wrong, of course, but it’s just a human fear.”

“But… I’m still the same Lamb that seduced her in the beginning,” Lamb said, “I haven’t changed that much, have I?”

“Fear isn’t rational, darling. She’s scared you’ll change from how you are, she hasn’t even noticed that you’ve abandoned your humanity already,” She replied, “Don’t worry, all will be well.~”

“... Fear’s stupid…” Lamb grumped as she set the timer to let her know when the cookies were ready; though she might’ve got a little overboard.

Chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies, brookies, and fudge brownies?

… She had a sweet tooth and she regretted nothing…

“One benefit to being a goddess that you haven’t considered,” Selene started, “You can cure everyone’s allergies.”

“... Man, Goddesshood sounds really good about now…” And she wasn’t simply saying that to get rid of her own allergies either… actually, she wasn’t sure she had those anymore, not beyond psycho symptomatic ones.

She’d had family members die from severe food allergies, and well… who wouldn’t want to cure those if they could?

“Now… I wonder if Becca would know where the Fallen call home…” She muttered to herself, “Then I could deal with them all in one go.” Last thing she wanted was to hunt and forcefully convert entire cells of the Fallen.

“Darling… you have the soul of Valefor. Just pull the knowledge from his head,” Selene pointed out with a… patient and amused voice.

“... You heard nothing…” Lamb said, earning a cackle from Selene.

Pulling the knowledge from the monster’s soul wasn’t hard. It was, in fact, trivially easy. She could understand why Selene wanted her to have Alena now, once the girl’s soul was fully in her possession (which didn’t require death, apparently) she’d know everything Alena did if she so chose. She’d never do it, of course, but… maybe enough to keep up in a conversation with her wouldn’t be too bad?

Nah, it wouldn’t. Besides, it wasn't like a diploma from Winslow was worth the paper it was printed on.

Becoming a Goddess would help her connect to her girls! So Taylor really had nothing to worry about.

Also it would trivialize so much! The rest of the Endbringers, the Slaughterhouse (maybe she would design a special Hell all for Jack… the thought of eating his soul made her feel icky), the Machine Army, Nilbog, and even help her resolve Dragon’s entire issue!

She smiled as she hummed, dancing through her home. She’d be able to help her neighbors live longer and happier, cure cancer even!

… It sounded egotistical as hell but… her becoming a Goddess is the best thing that could happen to Bet! And maybe the other earths as well!

She felt loving approval from Selene, which meant she was in full agreement as well!

Making a few clones that immediately teleported away, Lamb just hummed and decided to have a nice quiet day… for the most part anyway. Though she did make another clone to keep an eye on the cookies and everything, and would take them to the bake-sale when they were done.

A few people to sacrifice, a few hundred to forcibly convert… she’d become a full goddess during the bake sale. It would be funny.

Who knew, maybe in a century she’d have consolidated all religions into worshiping her? Would there be a giant Lamb statue? Would that be more tacky or flattering though? Just how much power would she get if an entire world worshipped her?

“... Is it getting hot in here?” Which was stupid because she could stand in the middle of the desert at noon, with all her fluff out, and not even be bothered…

“You’re blushing,~” Selene purred, “Yes, I’m going to pamper you for a millennium before letting you go back to Earth. Don’t worry, it’d just be a nanosecond for them.~”

She shuddered at the thought but smiled brightly.

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There was something oddly satisfying in managing a bake-sale, ensuring everyone had a table to sell their goods, making sure that they weren’t going to be disrupting the public. Everything really.

Though it was something of a trial to get permission, despite the fact she got it so easily last time she hosted a bake-sale. She figured the mayor would’ve bent over backwards, but well… politicians. She never really trusted them to begin with.

Or he thought that allowing it would invite another S-class threat to the city. Which… if she weren’t doing what she was doing was sadly plausible.

But now she was sitting back watching the sale with a smile on her face, due to how many were taking part they couldn’t rent a building so they decided to do it in the park not too far from the Boardwalk.

Of course she also greeted everyone, and signed autographs when asked. It gave her a decent amount of Faith, but… well, that was hardly enough reason to do something like a bake sale on its own.

“... Considering things, the money I’m getting from this isn’t going to be very useful for what I planned for it…” It was going to go to a children’s hospital. That… probably wasn’t going to be needed after.

… She really sucked at planning ahead…

“Well, maybe if I just got rid of the terminal diseases? But no then people would be like why not get rid of them all? And if I said to prevent the healthcare professionals from losing their jobs and then they’d cry I’m supporting Big Pharma and then that would lead to even more drama…”

“If I might make a retort, darling?” Selene started, “Curing all diseases won’t prevent injuries. People will still get hurt unless you make them all into super beings, and I don’t recommend doing that.”

“... Couldn’t you have stopped me from going down the rabbit hole with that earlier?”

Selene’s amusement grew. “Yes, but why should I assume you will always make a mistake, mentally or otherwise? I trust you to not make them, I simply step in and gently correct you when you are,” She replied, “Because I love you, you’re a daughter to me and you are soon to reach metaphorical adulthood.”

Both statements brought her indescribable levels of happiness and- Mama Mathers’ heart was in her hand, the woman’s tainted Soul was in her hand. She should have felt vindication and a sense of Justice for taking something so evil out of the world… but Mathers didn’t matter anymore.

She crushed it and took her power, her Shard, into herself. It took a few moments for the change to finish, for her new power to reach across the world…

Her mouth fell open in a moan as she became Whole, and Selene was right there beside her in the World Above, embracing her in an embrace that felt more pleasurable than anything else she’d ever experienced.

Thankfully, no one noticed her slip or ascension. She wasn’t sure she was ready to explain her power growth yet.

“Now, darling, there is one last step,” Selene said, waving her arm and displaying small spheres of… not power, but Concepts. “These are domains. As my daughter, you may choose any from those I have… but those given to you by your worshippers must be actively rejected. You don’t have many of those, of course. Hero, Children, Hope, and Love you got from them.” The spheres (gold, green, blue, and pink) floated to surround her.

Lamb looked at the spheres and then to Selene. “I love you, but I want to be me,” She said.

“They don’t change you,” Selene corrected, “Merely give you… Domain and Knowledge over them.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Lamb said, “I mean… I want to be my own goddess.”

“And you will be,” She replied, “In much the same way Athena gained War and Wisdom from Zeus, you may gain things from me. It’s optional, of course, but I do recommend taking some of them. Health, as an example, and Corruption.”

“... But I would have to give up some?” Lamb asked.

“No,” Selene replied, “Each will just be individually weaker, but that will change in time. You’ll even gain more over time and-ah, you just did.” Another sphere appeared around Lamb, another gold sphere: Power.

Lamb blinked, “Where did that come- ah… I wasn’t expecting that,” She said.

“I let time pass for a moment to demonstrate,” Selene assured, “The other one that popped up behind you, however, I didn’t expect.”

It was Pink and…

“Furry,” Lamb deadpanned, “Of course.”

Why was she not surprised?

“Now that you’ve gotten them,” Selene started, “Do you feel any different to the you of before?”

“Not really,” She admitted, “Though… it is rather surprising to just see how deep Love can go and just how dark it can become…”

“All Domains have a good and a bad side,” Selene replied, “Even my Rape domain. It’s a… fitting punishment, for some beings.” Then her hand waved again and the spheres were laid out like a product wall in a store for her. “I suggest Pleasure, Corruption, Sex, Change, and Magic. To start with. But take whatever you desire.”

“Okay,” Lamb said with a smile as she gave Selene a hug.

In the end, she did take the ones Selene suggested… alongside Tentacles, Pain, Rape, and Healing. After a second’s thought, she took Knowledge, Sickness, and Madness as well. She couldn’t fix the second two without knowing where they were!

… And also so she wouldn’t have to use Alena’s knowledge to understand her beautiful otter.

As the spheres merged with her and Selene embraced her… her world became true Pleasure, and it never stopped. Not for an entire millenia. At the end, she simply kissed her wonderful wonderfully perfect Mother as she shivered in delight.

Then she blinked and was back at the bake sale once more, and for the rest of the event she had a pleased, and oh so pleasured, smile.

Of course the Pleasure hadn’t stopped. She was Pleasure now… now and forever.

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