Beyond the Veil - Ch.5 - New Job, New Life (Patreon)

"Lucie Angelica," my Goddess's voice suddenly rang through my mind with the clarity of a church bell. "It is time to meet the rest of our pantheon. And the other members of our team."

I'd been relaxing in my new place in Chaos Heaven, playing one of the latest video games. I was in my casual body, which was honestly really comfy. And smol. If I stretched up my long floppy bunny ears I could almost reach five feet tall, but when they naturally flopped down to either side I was just four-foot-one. On the other hand at about three feet long my big floofy foxy tail could stand up higher than me and my ears.

I didn't have my wings in this form which was fine, they'd only get in the way when I was lounging on the sofa. And my horns were cute little black stubs, barely noticeable as they poked up through my long silky black hair. I hadn't even dressed yet, I was still enjoying the incredible euphoria of my new body as I chilled out in nothing but a pair of black lace panties and a matching bra.

My heavenly home was just as cosy. It was a little old log cabin in a meadow in some woods, built on the side of an asteroid, floating in the heavens just a half mile away from Queer Corner. The outside looked kind of run down and overgrown with wildflowers, but the inside was all modern comfort and convenience. I had the latest-generation games consoles attached to a sixty-inch 4K screen, hanging on the wall in front of a big soft L-shaped sofa.

My Goddess desired my presence though, so the game would have to wait.

Despite being a world away I instantly knew where on Earth She was located. I could see Her clearly, in what appeared to be an old repurposed rural church. It was on the edge of a small town, about forty miles north-west of Toronto, Canada.

Cassandra wasn't alone either, there were a number of other divine and demonic beings with Her. And finally, I could tell that She expected me to make a show of my arrival. She wanted me to be in my formal 'Angel of Chaos' form.

Except my Goddess granted me the power of shapeshifting, so I wasn't limited to only the formal and casual bodies She'd selected for me. They were both great, but I had an infinite number of options available to me. And in the days after accepting Her offer I'd already found another favourite, in addition to the two She'd chosen. So for my big unveiling I decided to give my Goddess a little surprise.

With a thought I teleported myself directly to Cassandra's location. My form shifted in transit, and the spot where I was about to appear was marked with a little explosion of rainbow sparkles.

The light show quickly faded to reveal my 'stealth' form. I was a small sleek black fox, mostly. Even in this form I had my bunny ears, but rather than being long and floppy they were a bit shorter and stood up tall and proud. My horns were a little larger too, and each one had a single fork like they were halfway between horns and antlers. Still no wings though.

My tall ears were perked up and my floofy tail swished from side to side as I slowly turned on the spot, sniffing my surroundings and surveying all those in attendance.

The church interior had been redecorated at some point. All the original religious icons and symbols were gone, and the pews had been replaced with plenty of comfy seating arranged in a large circle. There were cushy sofas and love-seats, recliners, drum chairs, coffee tables and end tables. It gave the place more of an 'edgy club house' or 'cool hang out' vibe, rather than feeling like a stuffy old place of worship.

I'd appeared in the very middle, which meant everyone had a clear view of me. And I could see all of them as I looked around. Most of the others were looking relaxed, a few had drinks in their hands, and there were some trays of snacks set out on a few of the tables.

Cassandra was on Her feet a few paces away from me, and if She was bothered by the form I'd chosen She didn't show it. Instead She smiled as She proudly introduced me to the others, "Here she is. This is Lucie Angelica, my first Angle of Chaos."

A petite silver-haired goddess relaxing on one of the sofas set down her glass of ice wine and raised an eyebrow, "Don't you mean 'angel' of chaos?"

"She is not an angel," Cassandra replied smoothly. "And I feel like it's important to make that distinction, even though she does serve a similar role."

The silver-haired goddess exchanged a look with her two companions. The one seated to her left was a tall attractive redhead who was neither angel or goddess but was definitely touched by divine magic. And standing to her right was a real angel, all black feathered wings and long flowing black hair, she carried a black sword that burned black and had a halo of black fire burning in the air above her head.

"Please don't call her an Angle of Chaos," the goth angel asked. "It's not as funny as you may think."

My Goddess relented with a sigh, "Fine. In that case, meet Lucie Angelica, Agent of Chaos!"

"Or how does Alata of Chaos sound? Or Chaos Alata?" She added a moment later, although I wasn't sure if She was talking to me or to Herself. "It's Latin, for winged chaos. Or chaos on wings? We'll figure it out later."

At that point I figured it was time to switch to a more appropriate form. I'd had my fun, but this was obviously meant to be a more serious gathering and I didn't want to embarrass my Goddess too much.

So with another little swirl of rainbow sparkles I assumed my formal shape. Suddenly I was taller than Cassandra, and several of the other attendees. I stood about five-foot-eight, or six feet even if you counted my bunny ears. My antlers brought me all the way up to six and half feet though, and they were probably the most interesting thing about this body.

Their multiple branches and points were all coloured a deep dull black that was so dark light just fell into it. They weren't very thick or rugged-looking, and with only a dozen points on either side they weren't that elaborate. They were a whole lot tougher than they looked though, stronger than hardened steel in fact. I also had two large black crow-like wings stretching out from my back. Finally, a halo of rainbow light danced around above my head, flickering in and out between my tall bunny ears and fearsome antlers.

This body was just as femme as my casual form, but where the other shape was smol and cute and comfy this radiated power and authority. My halo represented the divine, while my antlers hinted at something untamed and infernal. I still had my three foot long floofy black fox tail in this form, but it looked shorter on the taller body.

My outfit was also more appropriate now too. I was dressed in black leather boots, tights, a short black skirt with rainbow trim around the hem, and a tight black bustier. Unlike the goth angel I wasn't carrying a weapon, but if I needed one I'd manifest a morning star. It was kind of impractical, but I felt like it fit with my name.

"Thank you Lucie," my Goddess smiled. "Now why don't we continue with the rest of the introductions?"

There were actually quite a few people present, but only about half of them were other gods.

Cassandra began with those closest to Her, starting with Her girlfriend. Sure enough Kaylee was a five-tailed demonic foxgirl, and she was even smaller than my casual shape. I'd estimate she was a couple inches shorter, somewhere around three-foot-ten maybe.

Then there was Nina, a demon who looked like my Goddess's younger sister, and Nina's girlfriends Sasha and Willow. The first was a slim demonic bunnygirl with pure white hair and fur, the second a mortal sorceress with long silky black hair similar to my own.

My Goddess also mentioned that Kaylee and Sasha were Her first two disciples, and She added that those catgirls and foxgirl with the streaming channel were three more of Her disciples. They lived in Chicago though, so it wasn't practical for them to be here today.

Next up was that petite silver-haired goddess who spoke earlier. She was Amethyst, goddess of trans queer and demi-human people. The tall redhead beside her was Tess, her high priestess. And her goth angel was called Ravenna. Finally, perched on Tess's lap was a small tortoiseshell cat whom Cassandra introduced as Siggy, enby goddess to neurodivergent people.

Seated in the sofa to the right of Amethyst's group were the only two masc-presenting people in attendance. The younger of the two was tall and slim, clean shaved and wore his dirty-blond hair in a mullet. He introduced himself as Lenz, god to those in the gig economy. And the burly bearded muscular redhead next to him was Fergus, god of bears and twinks.

Moving on there was another obvious couple. Ida was attractive in a girl-next-door way, with a pretty face, short light brown hair and brown eyes. She was goddess to programmers and coders. And with her was a tall slim Celtic beauty with long red hair, bright green eyes, and plenty of freckles. She seemed very friendly and outgoing when she introduced herself as Moira, goddess of lucky breaks. And standing a few paces behind those two was a third angel. She was a cute brunette, but she seemed a bit quiet and looked like she felt out of place when she introduced herself as Ida's angel, Lieve.

Then we moved on to the next group, which was entirely demonic.

Lily appeared as a serious-looking woman in her mid-thirties, with long black hair dark eyes and dusky skin. With her was a cute twenty-something blonde named Eva. Next were a pair of identical twins who were obviously related to Lily. Mara and Mira were both in their late teens, and had the same long black hair and dusky skin as the older demoness. The twins were seated with a short cute shy mousy-looking brunette named Amber, who I was surprised to learn was a powerful succubus.

After the demons there were just a few more, and I really wasn't sure what to make of any of them. The next two didn't have any strong divine or demonic energy on them. And while the last person did radiate divine energy, there was something unusual about her.

My unspoken questions were answered a moment later when my Goddess introduced the next couple as werewolf witches. They were both young, like college freshmen. Melanie had short dark messy hair with some lighter streaks in it, and was dressed in combat boots blue jeans and a black leather jacket. And Cerys was a blue-eyed blonde, wearing a black pleated skirt and a frilly white blouse. Apparently the pair were both close friends with Cassandra and Her immediate group.

Then the last young woman introduced herself to everybody as Jessie Kristensen. She had shoulder length dark blonde hair, and looked to be a college senior in terms of age. I was caught off-guard when she commented, "Normally I can't make these meetings in person. Luckily my father's distracted again, today he's busy celebrating that time I got nailed to a cross during my first visit to the mortal realm."

That raised more than a few eyebrows around the room, which made me feel better. I was glad to see I wasn't the only one surprised to meet someone as famous as her. On the other hand I was a demonic angelic crow-bunny-foxgirl who worked for the Goddess of Chaos. So maybe I shouldn't really be surprised by anything anymore.

In fact when I stopped to think about it, I almost couldn't believe how incredible my afterlife turned out to be.

Just over a week ago I was a depressed desperate trans girl, stuck living with parents who forced me back into the closet, who regularly threatened and abused me while denying the most basic part of my identity. Now I had a cool home in the heavens, I could visit Earth whenever I wanted, I had magic and power and a handful of awesome amazing bodies to choose from. I was meeting gods and demons, werewolfs and angels, and I worked for the strangest and most interesting one of the lot, the demonic Goddess of Chaos.

I knew Cassandra didn't like me saying it because She didn't want anyone else to try and copy me, but killing myself was the best worst luckiest screw-up I ever did.

That thought was quickly forgotten though as my Goddess spoke up again, pulling me from my reverie.

She suggested, "Lucie why don't you make yourself comfortable? Help yourself to a drink or some snacks if you like. Now that the introductions are over we're going to move on with the rest of the meeting."

"Yes my Goddess," I nodded.

Then as I settled into an empty chair to the left of Cassandra and Kaylee's love-seat, my Goddess began talking about Her pantheon's big project. Apparently Her plans to crush the Status Quo were moving ahead on schedule. The more active Kid Chaos and Her cohorts were, the weaker their target became, as more cracks formed in the façade of normalcy it held over the world.

It wasn't going to happen overnight though, everyone present knew they were playing a long game. Progress was slow at first, and her fellow deities especially had to be careful not to over-expose themselves. Except apparently my Goddess had some news on that front.

"For those who won't know," Cassandra said, "My cousin here is a genius at enchantments. She's been working on a way to protect my fellow deities from the Status Quo. Sasha?"

The bunnygirl's tall white ears twitched as she stood up and addressed the group, "As you well know, the biggest threat the Status Quo poses to gods and goddesses is banishment and exile. I've spent the past fourteen months working on a way to neutralize that risk. My solution leverages a unique combination of divine and demonic magic, which I've been able to unify thanks to some help from our friend Chel. The ultimate goal is to try and replicate the Goddess of Chaos's natural immunity to the Status Quo. And I'm happy to say, I expect to finish this project within the next two months."

The various gods and goddess all looked very happy to hear that. I had questions, like who was Chel and how could something banish a goddess, but I kept that to myself for now. Meanwhile Cassandra took over again, and started talking about some of Her long-term plans for Team Chaos.

After the Status Quo collapsed my Goddess and her friends were going to set their sights on some even bigger targets. They wanted to try and topple a few of those big old established mainstream gods, including Jessie's father. Not necessarily destroy them, but at least knock them down a few pegs. So the divine landscape would be a little more evenly matched, instead of all the power being concentrated among a few dozen over-powered greedy gods.

It was basically the divine equivalent of going after the one percenters, and Cassandra even made the comment that 'eat the rich' applied in the heavens as much as it did on Earth.

My eyebrows shot up once more when I heard that. And I realized the Goddess of Chaos was probably never going to run out of new ways to surprise and amaze me.