Isha, the Eldar Goddess of Life, was one of the few surviving deities of the Eldar pantheon.
When Slaanesh was born and the Eldar empire fell, the gods of the Eldar pantheon were slaughtered almost to extinction. Only Cegorach the Laughing God, Isha the Goddess of Life, Khaine—who was shattered into fragments—and the unborn Ynnead, God of the Dead, managed to endure in the galaxy.
Though, in a certain sense, Slaanesh had also become one of the Eldar gods.
Yuki had previously crossed paths with the Harlequins serving the Laughing God, so this wasn't his first time encountering an Eldar deity.
Isha sat upon a chair, completely stripped of any divine majesty. Her lower body had fused into the seat, and half of the flesh on her face had melted away, while the other half managed to retain its youthful, pristine beauty. The two halves looked like they were locked in a violent war, writhing relentlessly along the dividing line.
A dense, suffocating aura of death radiated from her form, sending an involuntary shiver down Yuki's spine.
"Well then, Great Devourer, I leave her to you," Nurgle said as he unlocked the cage.
Yuno glanced at him. "Aren't you afraid I'll just devour the Goddess of Life entirely?"
"Not at all. Even if you were to eat her, she cannot truly perish. Within my garden, I do not tolerate actual death."
Yuno stepped inside. Noticing her approach, Isha's body finally reacted, and she began to struggle desperately. Ignoring the frantic thrashing entirely, Yuno thrust her hand directly into Isha's chest cavity.
"What is she doing?" Yuki asked.
"She is likely using the Tyranid tendrils to directly consume the virus inside her body."
"That brutally straightforward?"
"Efficiency is all that matters."
Isha's agonizing shrieks completely drowned out the conversation between Nurgle and Yuki.
The procedure dragged on for a long time. Because the concept of time did not exist within the Warp, Yuki had no idea exactly how many hours had passed. Eventually, Yuno stepped out of the cage, looking thoroughly satisfied, as if she had just finished a heavy meal.
"Isha's regeneration speed is incredibly fast," Yuno noted. "If I hadn't consumed it quickly enough, those toxins would have instantly corrupted the newly grown, healthy flesh as well."
Glancing back at Isha, her body was currently a patchwork of exposed bone, but thin threads of bloody sinew were already weaving together. Within a few short breaths, fresh skin and flesh began to surface.
"As expected of a deity who managed to last in Slaanesh's grip until you snatched her away. Her vitality is beyond question," Yuno said, turning back to Nurgle. "Alright, where is the plague you promised me?"
Yuno was strictly focused on the agreed-upon compensation. The Tyranids only cared about biomass; whether a pathogen was technically alive or dead mattered little to them. The destructive potency of Nurgle's plagues was universally recognized; if the Aether-Kronos Fleet could incorporate it into their genetic codex, it would make their future campaigns far more efficient.
The rotund, fleshy sphere offered no immediate reply, staring intently at the weakened Isha as if verifying her stabilization. Only after the flesh on Isha's body had essentially knit itself back together did Nurgle finally answer, "Follow me."
Nurgle guided the two into an exceptionally cavernous chamber. Yuki noticed masses of pulsating material arranged throughout the room, resembling some sort of raw ingredients.
"This happens to be one of my many laboratories."
The fleshy sphere began to shift into a humanoid shape—though it was merely a silhouette, completely devoid of any distinct facial features. He reached out to pick up a tiny, unassuming canister.
"These are all my absolute treasures."
"There's no need to be so stingy, Nurgle," Yuno countered. "Can't you brew as much of this stuff as you want whenever you please?"
"Even the most commonplace things must be cherished properly."
"I certainly hope you say the same thing whenever you encounter the citizens of the Imperium."
"I am merely delivering them from their agony and despair," Nurgle rumbled. "Is joining my grand, loving family not a blessing?"
Yuki chuckled. "Only for those who possess the unique constitution to survive your blessings. We all know that in this universe, the vast majority of people are treated as mere expendable fuel, no matter whose banner they serve under."
"The galaxy is indeed a cruel place."
"Alright, enough with the philosophy. Hand it over, Nurgle," Yuno demanded.
Nurgle handed the canister over to Yuno, who took it and immediately absorbed it into her form via a mass of tendrils.
"Aren't you worried I might have sabotaged it to cross you?"
"There's no point. Strictly speaking, whether we look at your machinations or your raw power, the four of you combined aren't enough to threaten me. Sooner or later, under my absolute pressure, you four will be forced to unite just to stand against a foe you cannot hope to defeat."
Nurgle's temper remained surprisingly mild, and he chuckled heartily. "That sounds like a problem for the very distant future. I am not worried at all."
Yuno turned her gaze to Yuki. "Go wait outside for a bit." Then, her tone sharpening significantly, she added, "Nurgle, you get out too."
"You're using my own workshop! If you happen to pilfer my—" Nurgle grumbled, but he complied anyway, following Yuki out the door.
"Want a smoke?"
Yuki looked down at the cigarette-like object Nurgle was offering. After a brief hesitation, he took it.
"You actually ended up with a partner like her. Truly bizarre."
"She's usually very gentle with me," Yuki replied.
"I can tell. Though her burden must be immensely heavy. I can't even begin to fathom the sheer scale of the Swarm; even with a Hive Mind synapse network, maintaining absolute control over that many minds must be an ordeal. The underlings serving under me are a massive headache as well... sigh, I have a massive migraine right now. I'm sure you know all about the relentless feuding between Typhon and Mortarion, not to mention the squabbling among the Greater Daemons..."
Watching Nurgle effectively transform into a middle-aged manager venting about his exhausting corporate job left Yuki feeling an overwhelming sense of cognitive dissonance.
Is this really one of the four Chaos Gods? Why does he exude such a heavy corporate corporate burnout energy?
"To be completely honest, your mental fortitude is quite impressive," Nurgle continued. "Rising up from the bottom of the mortal world to seamlessly accept these stark contrasts. We had a transmigrator once before who was so utterly traumatized upon witnessing our true manifestations that he couldn't utter a single syllable."
"You guys completely lack the terrifying majesty one would expect from the Chaos Gods. Granted, the other ones I encountered before weren't exactly as grand and exalted as the lore made them out to be, but your casual demeanor is a bit too much."
Nurgle finished his smoke in a single drag and immediately lit another.
"That's only natural. We, the four Chaos Gods, were birthed entirely from the collective raw emotions of sentient beings; how could we possibly be that refined? Every now and then, when the mood strikes us, the four of us even band together to go harass that Emperor fellow on his throne."
Yuki sat down beside Nurgle, the reality of the situation completely defying his expectations.
"You must find it incredibly absurd right now, don't you? The mortal creatures at the absolute bottom of this universe endure such unspeakable agony, yet we appear so perfectly relaxed."
"I've grown accustomed to it."
Nurgle spoke like an old mentor: "That is precisely the most terrifying part, isn't it? You've grown accustomed to death. That must be completely different from the world you originally came from. Do you even still know what your ultimate goal is right now? To be frank, there are times when even I wonder what the grand purpose behind all of this truly is."
"And? Did you come up with anything?"
"Absolutely nothing. I feel keeping things exactly as they are right now is perfectly fine. Which brings me to my point, Yuki—can you ensure the Tyranid main fleet never actually arrives? If you can manage that, you might even earn yourself a brand-new divine throne within the Warp."
Yuki chuckled, finally seeing where the conversation had been heading all along. "There's no need for that. By the time the main fleet gets here, my status won't be any different from a god anyway."
Nurgle nodded slowly. "Fair enough. I was actually just pondering whether I should ambush the two of you right here. But on second thought, it's far too much trouble; better not to bother."
Nurgle finished his second smoke, his movements halting as he turned his gaze back toward his laboratory.
"What exactly is the Great Devourer doing in there?"