“There are countless great treatises written about fundamental questions of morality, volumes upon volumes which fill entire libraries. Every being, from the lowliest human to the most powerful god, has weighed in on the question of what constitutes right and wrong. I personally believe the answer is resoundingly simple, and can best be expressed in two principles:

1. Do what you want to, and do what makes you happy… so long as you don’t harm anyone.
2. By improving the lives of those around you, and making your community, your nation and the world at large a better, happier and more welcoming place, you also contribute to your own happiness.

“That’s right, dear readers. The foundational principle of just morality is nothing more than simple enlightened self-interest. I hope you are not disappointed by the anticlimactic nature of this answer; truth is often more mundane than we’d like it to be. Even so, it remains truth.

“You don’t need holy cause to do good works, and you don’t need the endorsement of any higher power, even myself, to be a good person. Wanting to do what’s right is enough. Listen to the weak, the wounded, the suffering among you, and do whatever it takes to fill their lives with joy. All other moral questions are secondary to this overriding principle.

“To summarize in the colorful vernacular of a rather unremarkable backwater universe:

“‘Be excellent to each other, and party on!’”

--Divinity and Demonlogy for Dummies, Chapter 12

“Excuse me, Miss?” I looked up at the unfamiliar voice addressing me, brushed my bangs back to clear my field of vision, and studied the young man who’d just approached my little booth. He was dressed in sackcloth, much like every other inhabitant of the slums.

“Yes, hello,” I said, marveling briefly at the lovely sound of my own voice; I never got tired of hearing it. “I’m Versyn the healer. How can I help you?”

The man, who was cradling a heavily bandaged hand, looked around warily. “I heard you’re a friend of Vraiden’s?”

I shrugged; much as I disliked my old name, the good works I’d done in the slums in my old life still held sway with the people, so I didn’t mind hearing it in that context. “More like his replacement. I’m continuing his work.”

“Is Vraiden gone?” he asked dejectedly. “For good?”

“Yes,” I responded without a moment’s hesitation. I’d been asked this question many times, and always gave the same response. “He had to leave town, and you’ll never see him again. Don’t worry though… he’s in a happier place, and I’m determined to carry on his important work in this clinic. Now, shall we have a look at your injury?”

The man nodded, then gingerly rolled up his sleeve and unwrapped his bandaged hand. His fingers were shriveled, the skin dried out and colored a sickly green-black. I didn’t even have to use my healthsight to see the problem; it was a common enough sight in the slums, where even simple antibacterial magic was a rare luxury.

“That’s a rather nasty case of gangrene. Please, have a seat.” I said, motioning to one of the stools in front of my booth.

The man looked at me hesitantly. “This… This won’t cost me anything, right?”

“Not a copper,” I responded reassuringly. Skye and Zuliva had quite a horde of treasure from their century-plus of adventures together, so finances were never a problem for us. That meant I could offer my services pro bono and focus all my efforts on caring for the poor, a rather refreshing change of pace from my days in the Raydra Facet. “This clinic is just as free as the day Vraiden established it. Now, have a seat please.”

After a few rounds of healing, antibacterial and shaping magic, the man’s hand was good as new… possibly even better, as my healing skills had become vastly more powerful since I mastered demonic spellcasting techniques. The man stared in wonderment, clenching and unclenching his fingers, and heaped praise upon me.

“Incredible! I was worried I’d have to have it amputated, but you completely healed it! Thank you so much!”

I waved him off sheepishly. “Don’t mention it. I’m simply happy to help. Good deeds are their own reward.”

“You are truly a gift from the Gods!” he continued, gripping his hand tightly as if he were afraid it might escape. “Now I can work in the mills again and earn coin for food! You’ve saved my life! Were you a man, I might even call you an angel!”

“Been there, done that,” I muttered to myself, before raising my voice so he could hear me. “I’m no angel. I’m merely the Priestess of a particularly magnanimous, not to mention flippant, Goddess.”

“God… dess?” He looked at me in confusion for a moment, then shrugged when I offered no further explanation and went on his merry way. I sat down back at my booth and waited for my next patient.

******

When I returned to the tome for the evening, dispelling my human disguise glamour as I exited the portal, I was immediately greeted by a tacklehug from Ayem.

“Versynnnnn!” Ayem cried out fondly, landing a precisely aimed smooch on my cheek.

I held them tightly, relishing their warmth against mine, and chuckled as their wings flapped excitedly. Since our demonic apotheosis, Ayem had become far more outgoing, emoting openly through vigorous movements of their wings and tail in concert. Since they could now live openly as themself, with the enthusiastic support of our hosts, they’d really come out of their shell.

“Ayem, nice to see you,” I said as I snaked my own tail around theirs. A few moments later, we were cuddling together on one of the couches, rubbing our horns against each other affectionately.

“Did you have a good day at work?” Ayem asked.

I nodded. “Yes, but it was pretty slow. Only three patients.”

Ayem giggled. “That’s because you practically healed the entire town on the first day. The people of the slum are happy and healthy thanks to you.”

I shooed off the compliment. “Just doing what my Goddess demands. Where are Zuliva and Skye?”

Ayem smirked. “Skye’s still scrounging the local shops for arcana, as usual, and Zuliva’s shopping for new weapons. They should be home in a few hours.”

“A few… hours, huh?” My voice lowered, and I batted lidded eyes in Ayem’s direction. “That means we have the place to ourselves, right?”

They nodded, face already flushed. Our lascivious grins echoed the deep desires inside of us, desires we never grew tired of acting on even a half year into our new lives.

******

After our sticky soiree, a shower and a hearty dinner, I settled down in a quiet corner of the room, closed my eyes, and channeled entropic mana through my soul. This was a technique the tome had taught me, a kind of fast-track meditation to shunt my consciousness into another universe entirely. There, on demand, my official status as Priestess afforded me a direct audience with the bratty Goddess who set me on this path in the first place. Normally one had to die (temporarily or permanently) to converse with her, so this meditation method was far less bothersome, and I relished serving a Goddess who freely spoke to me on a regular basis. Even the High Breeders were not so blessed.

Her domain was a pitch-black void, devoid of stars, time or energy. She floated at the center of it all, directing quadrillions of souls through trillions of universes and keeping a vigilant watch over the tangled timelines of the multiverse. Despite her grand importance to the greater cosmos, she still maintained the humble form of a blue-skinned, horned and winged ashen demon perpetually clad in a black evening dress. As I entered her realm, she smiled and gave me a happy wave.

“Hello Versyn, my dear Priestess,” she said warmly.

“Good evening, Skellish,” I responded, returning her smile.

This was the almighty Goddess of Entropy, a being powerful enough to crush all Thirteen Gods simultaneously with her pinkie finger if she so desired. She was also inordinately fond of puns. “That was some good healing you did today. I’d say your skills are really IMProving!”

She cackled madly at her own joke, and I rolled my eyes. “In truth, Skellish, I’m running out of people to heal in Mesonida. I was thinking about training up some apprentices to take over the clinic here and then moving on to another city.”

Skellish frowned. “Just gonna ignore my brilliant pun, eh? You mortals can be so uptight, I swear. Well, I’ll just appreciate the joke for the two of us. Hahahahaha! Good one, oh great and almighty Goddess of Entropy!”

I folded my arms and glared at her. After a moment, she relented.

“Oh, fine, we can talk business if you like. I think moving to another town is a lovely idea. You’ve damn near cured every chronic illness in the city, and undercut the Church while you were at it. If you could do the same in other cities, why… I delight in seeing the face of the Supreme Breeder as his precious revenue stream continues to dwindle.”

I leaned forwards, seizing upon the hints she offered. “This is all part of your grand plan, isn’t it?”

She chuckled. “Naturally. It’s easy to think ten steps ahead when you exist outside of spacetime.”

I pressed on with my inquiry. “So what role do I and the other imps play in this grand plan?”

“Why, exactly the role you’re playing now,” she responded. “Keep helping people and causing mischief. The other pieces are falling into place, slowly but surely, and things will come to fruition in another century or two.”

I sighed. “You’re being vague as usual.”

“Oh, come now, none of that frustration. You must realize, I am observing every point on your universe’s timeline simultaneously. The mysterious ways in which I work are far beyond the comprehension of any mortal mind.”

“Blah blah blah,” I said, sticking out my tongue. “All I hear is excuses. Can I get a concrete answer to my question, please?”

Skellish emitted a deep laugh. “That’s what I like about you, Versyn. You’re irreverent as a matter of principle. That’s why you make such a fine Priestess, you know? Chatting with you is always so delightfully stimulating!”

“Compliments will get you nowhere.”

She rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. You want a little guidance? You want to know where to go from here?”

I shrugged. “Pretty much.”

“Well, I can’t get into too many specifics. Knowing your own future would make the timeline impossible to manage, at least where it intersects with your life path. That said, how about I act properly Goddess-like for once and give you a prophecy?”

“No doubt a vague and cryptic one,” I retorted. “But sure. I’m certain Skye will relish decoding it.”

“Indeed.” Skellish cleared her throat, flared out her wings and spread her arms wide in a dramatic pose. “Alright, my chosen Priestess, are you ready to receive the word of the divine? Are you ready to gaze deep upon eldritch knowledge no mortal has ever seen?”

I smirked. “Always.”

“Alrighty, here it comes! You, uh, wanna write this down, or…”

Like I could bring a pen and paper with me to another dimension. “I’m good. I’ll just pay extra-close attention.”

She stuck out her tongue at me. “Spoilsport. Anyway, here goes.” She cleared her throat again, and despite myself I leaned forwards.

“In the town of Vuzukanth, on the eve of war…

“Look for the baphomet.”