by M. E. Thorne
Vexile was as nervous as I was, and even Nichessa seemed disturbed. Something terrible had happened, and we could all feel it.
Finally, after an hour of hard travel, Garnet led us up a steep hillside. We crawled up the last few meters, then finally crested the top of the hill.
Before us was a scene of absolute horror.
The Luminark had built a massive bonfire on top of the neighboring hill, the flames licking towards the heavens. Arranged around the flames, facing the camp, were pikes, driven into the dirt. Impaled upon their points were the bodies of prisoners, their corpses left as a message to those below.
Young men, old women, children, all of them were a part of the gristly tableau, their bodies silhouetted by the crackling flames behind them. The ground was stained red with blood, and it became clear that the people were impaled while still alive.
I felt bile rise up my throat, even as I felt a thunderous rage hammer in my chest.
Vexile, eyes wide, openly wept at the sight. Nichessa said nothing, but I heard gears and rods snap as she clenched and unclenched her fists.
Garnet, having completed her mission, retreated a short way down the hill, huddling with her legs tucked against her chest.
I had no idea what could have triggered such a massacre. Did Sanderson order the deaths due to Jeanie’s escape, the lost keys, or some other small sign of defiance that happened after the quake?
Whatever vile reason, he would pay. I would make sure of it.
We stayed far longer than we should have, unable to leave, to look away. Finally, it was Nichessa who broke our suffering, roughly grabbing us by the shoulders and hauling us back from the sight.
Without saying a word, we made our way back to camp.
Our morale did not improve with the dawn. After a quick conference, we agreed to move our base of operations to the abandoned mine. Marl would stay at the town ruins with the crawlclaws, since it would be impossible to hide the beasts at that other site; the crustaceans were far too large to fit into the tunnel. The driver confirmed he would be fine, since he had the crabs to keep him company.
Everyone else would relocate to the new site, so we could launch our campaign against the Luminark. After seeing the execution grounds, we knew we could afford no further delays. We had to take the camp and liberate the prisoners as soon as possible.
We spent the day moving along the edge of the hills, taking the long way around rather than risking cutting straight through and encountering any Luminark patrols. The soldiers were still shaken up, and I was worried about their ability to react in a crisis.
After a hard day, we finally made it to the abandoned mine and set up our camp, concealing it behind the mound of excavated earth. We made no fire, afraid someone would spot the light.
Nichessa went off to check the mine, venturing down the other branches we had left unexplored. Surprisingly, she asked Vexile to accompany her; the two women talked quietly amongst themselves as they ventured into the underground.
I stuck around the camp, talking to the other soldiers, memorizing their names and asking for bits of their stories, like how they had come to the northern continent and come to serve with their captain, Dougherty.
Shannon, Raul, and Chen had all escaped together, having served in the same auxiliary unit back in the empire; their commander had bungled an attack and gotten almost all of their fellow soldiers killed. The three of them found a way to get their names added to the casualty list, then escaped.
Grenn had been a household servant, spending most of their childhood hauling wood, shoveling coal, and scrubbing floors. They wouldn’t elaborate on how they had escaped, but once they had met Dougherty they had instantly volunteered for duty.
I listened to the others as well, like Thomas and Vivian, doing my best to get to know them, to learn about their lives and why they decided to stay at the watchtower. Listening to them, I came to admire Dougherty even more; he had done a fine job raising those young people.
After a while, I ended up talking a bit about myself and the world I had come from. Telling them about Earth, and my life there, seemed to bring them a bit out of their shells; they were amazed by the ideas I introduced, like having devices that let you talk over long distances or the ability to heat or cool our homes at will.
If I tell them about the Internet or traveling to outer space, they might think I’m mad.
It had grown dark by the time Vexile and Nichessa returned. My queen stopped to kiss me, before retreating to her tent for the night, claiming exhaustion.
“Dark Lord?” Nichessa stood awkwardly near the edge of the camp. “I want to grab some extra supplies from my house, can you help me?”
Unsure why she was asking me and not Garnet or another soldier, I nonetheless agreed to help her. We hiked quickly back north; we moved carefully, but it was clear the Luminark rarely patrolled that far from their base. The blacksmith rebuffed every attempt at conversation as we marched.
Entering her home, I was surprised that she did not go for the stack of supplies, but instead, she walked to the middle of the forge area and stood there, her back to me.
“Nichessa?” I was worried she was having second thoughts about helping us, after everything that had transpired the night before.
“I decided to take you up on your offer.”
Those were not the words I was expecting. “What?”
She gave a small, helpless gesture. “I recognized one of the bodies, on that hilltop.”
“Damn,” I uttered. I tried to move closer to her, to offer a comforting arm, but she waved me back.
“We called her Grandma Josie, even though she was only a few years older than me,” the blacksmith continued roughly. “She took care of all the orphan kids around the camp. Hell, she helped me when my parents died, sitting with me through the worst of the nights immediately afterward when I was sure I was going to die from sadness.”
I was at a complete loss.
“She didn’t deserve that,” Nichessa’s voice ached with emotion. “She was a kind person, far too kind for this shit world. I sometimes even thought about going back for her, and the others who had helped me before my escape, but I was too afraid. I was comfortable here, happy, and I didn’t want to risk getting caught.”
“No one can blame you for that,” I said.
“I can!” she shouted.
Backing up further, I gave her space to vent her rage, her frustration.
“I could have done something,” she insisted stubbornly. “And I will do something now.” She turned to face me, her eyes as hot as two coals. “If I become an ascendant, I’ll be strong enough to rip that whole fucking place apart, Sanderson included.”
I just wanted to accept her and bring her into my arms, but instead, I asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Of course,” she replied, still shaking with rage.
“I ask, because this is a life-changing decision, and neither Vexile nor I would want you to regret it.” I moved closer to her, putting a hand on her arm. “Once you become our Second Queen, you can no longer distance yourself from others. The kingdom and its people need you. Can you accept that?”
She lowered her head, then nodded. “For this, I can.”
Suddenly, she pressed herself closer to me, wrapping her arms around my back. “I talked to Vexile earlier she --” the blacksmith paused, “-- filled me in on the details on how this will work.” A flush blush crept across her face, making her look years younger. “Promise me you’ll be gentle. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been with anyone else.”
Planting my hands on her shoulders, I leveraged myself up, placing a small, delicate kiss along her jaw. “I promise.”
She broke away from me and began removing her gauntlets, resting them carefully on top of the anvil. Fondly, she ran a finger over their surface. “You were an ass, for what you said last time.”
“I know,” I ran a hand down her arm. “I will always do my best, to be a good ma
n and a good Dark Lord, but I will never admit to being perfect. All I ask is that you have patience with me and for you to be honest with me when I am wrong.”
She laughed darkly, “I’ll ask for the same then.”
Taking my hand, she led me into her private chamber. It was a small space, the curved, buckled ceiling hanging low over a bed and a small footlocker, which I imagined contained her private effects.
Hesitantly, we sat on the edge of the bed, Nichessa’s hands curled in her lap.
“You’ll have to help me with my clothes,” she said, blushing again. “I can’t work the buttons too well without my gauntlets.”
I reached out to touch her, but instead of unbuttoning her shirt, I ran my fingers along her jaw. Magic pulsed in the room’s shadows, and I could feel the goddess’s presence.
Turning her head, I slowly stroked the skin along her cheek. She blushed further, but rather than pushing away, she leaned into my embrace.
“I’m terrible with people,” she admitted, as she took my hand and held it more firmly against her chin.
“I’ve noticed,” I smiled.
“It’s not that I don’t like them,” she said haltingly as she drew closer, her knee pressed against mine as we sat side by side. “It’s just that I don’t understand why they do what they do half the time, or how I’m supposed to respond. Metal I get, but people? They’re a mystery beyond me.”
“You want to know a secret?” I leaned in closer, my mouth against her ear. “They’re a mystery to me too, really. I’ve learned to watch people, read their reactions, and gauge their emotions, but sometimes they just surprise me and react in a way I could never have predicted. People are infinitely varied, and even someone like me, who spends their lives in service of others, rarely understands their underlying motives and emotions.”
“How do you put up with it?” she asked plaintively.
I kissed her again, my lips against hers, before drawing back, “By reminding myself, despite the horrors you might see and the things you have to endure, it’s still worth it. That people, the ones you bring into your life and care about, are always worth it.”
Her mouth closed over mine, greedily, hungrily. She placed her hands onto my chest, slowly leveraging me down until she could move to straddle my waist.
Sitting back up, she took my hands, bringing them to the collar of her shirt. “Do you still want to help me with these buttons?”
Cosmic sparks danced in the corner of my vision, and I could feel the goddess’s power flow into me, filling me. I truly was a conduit for her, a bridge between the mortal and the divine.
Nichessa was under Revina’s influence as well. Her breath heaved and her skin became flushed as I reached up and slowly began undoing the buttons holding her shirt on. Carefully, one by one, I undid each button, revealing her dark, toned flesh underneath.
Finally, I undid the last one, and she shrugged off the offending garment, giving me a clear view of her majestic body, which was rugged and beautiful like she had been carved from the heart of a mountain. Carefully, I played a hand along her side, marveling at the strength under my fingertips.
She cooed slightly, head rolling back, as my hands reached her breasts, carefully cupping and holding them. They were fairly sized, fitting well in my palms as I tweaked her nipples, loving their soft, supple texture, which was so unlike the rest of her.
Moaning again, she shifted her hips, sending her crotch grinding into my rock-hard shaft. She shuddered at the contact.
Nichessa looked down at me, slipping her hips back, but just to ram them home again, grinding herself against me.
She licked her lips, and reached down, taking a hold of my member through the fabric of my pants. “It’s been a long, long time,” she squeezed and caressed the tip of my cock through the thin material, “so I think I’m going to be patient and really enjoy this.”
Continuing her dual assault, she slowly tormented my cock, tugging and rubbing it through my pants, even as she rode hard along my leg, the material of her trousers growing damp as she focused on my reactions.
“Nichessa,” I growled, suddenly rising and seizing her arms. I crushed my lips into hers, and we rolled over, the bed creaking as I pushed her down.
She pulled her hands back, and I took the opportunity to shed our garments, my cock aching to finally be free from its confines.
Grinning, I saw my opportunity. I teased her with my shaft, dragging it against her moist lips, running it through her brush, and angling the tip right up to the entrance to her channel before pulling away. As I did this, I kissed, licked, and caressed her neck, loving the faint taste of the sweat that ran along her skin.
“Robert,” she groaned, her arms grabbing me and pinning me close.
I leaned up and kissed her, “I think that’s the first time you’ve used my name.”
She repeated my name, her hands running down to my hips, trying to force me inside of her. The air in the room was thick with magic, and I could feel the stellar winds howling around us, demanding to be released, to be poured into their new vessel.
Seeing my new queen writhing in pleasure, and eager for us to become one, I finally relented. Standing by the edge of the bed, I took my cock and lined up with her entrance, the head just touching her lips.
“Are you ready?” I panted.
Nichessa just nodded once, a thin smile crossing her lips.
It was like thrusting my cock into a live forge, all heat and pressure. I almost screamed at the sheer pleasure, like I was being scalded by ecstasy as I slowly pushed my way inside of her tight channel.
Nichessa’s back bowed as she gave her own cry, fingers tearing at her blankets, as I made it halfway in, withdrew, then forced my way back home.
Grabbing her tight, I built a steady, careful rhythm, mindful of Nichessa’s enjoyment. But I needn’t have worried, as soon as I had plunged into her depths, she was overwhelmed by pleasure and power. I could feel Revina’s blessing flowing through me, connecting us, a cosmic chain of energy that brought the two of us closer together than humanly possible. Each spark of bliss Nichessa was experiencing was jolted into me, like some strange echo, my nerves fraying at the sensation.
Picking up my pace, I felt the sweat slick off our bodies as the air grew volcanically hot around us. Nichessa surged up and grabbed me in a suffocating embrace as my thrusts became wild and savage, the top of my cock grinding her G-spot remorselessly.
My queen gave a wordless, incoherent cry as she came, her nails digging into my skin. The magic ran through her chest, flowing into her limbs, waiting for the spark to ignite her ascension.
And I gave it to her. With a maddened howl of my own, I came. Like the birth of a star, the room flared with blinding, white light as the connection was forged, and Revina’s power flowed into Nichessa.
Stumbling back from the bed, my knees giving out, I watched as Nichessa ascended, her body transforming under the goddess’s gift. Muscles rippled under her skin, and she easily put on nearly a half-meter of height, her heels shooting off the bed to kick against the floor. She continued to cry out in bliss as fire ran along her skin, her hair erupting into a spray of molten magma spikes, licks of flame playing along their edges.
She shot up and hunched over as the magic flowed along her shoulders. I watched in awe as a second pair of arms sprung from her body, right below the first. They twisted and flexed, newly born hands reaching towards the sky before the magic extinguished itself.
Nichessa collapsed onto the floor; I barely managed to catch her, grunting under her new, massive weight.
“Fuck,” she panted, “that was amazing.”
Helping her back onto the bed, I tentatively kissed her, my lips sizzling at the contact. “All hail our new queen.”
Chapter 19
We slept like the dead after that, our bodies simply done in by the ritual we had enacted.
When I awoke, I groaned groggily, my right side aching, as if I’d slept on a pile of rocks. Well
, that’s the side Nichessa was on, so maybe I did?
The air in the blacksmith’s home was warm, and I could smell the tang of hot iron. A loud series of clangs and bangs emanate from the front room. Nichessa had risen early and decided to work at her forge.
Still feeling woozy, I rolled out of bed and fumbled around for my clothes, but I couldn’t find them. Instead, I wrapped a blanket around my waist and wandered towards the forge.
Nichessa, completely in the buff, stood with her back to me as she worked at her anvil. Her back was a topological map of rigid muscles and tendons as her two pairs of shoulders flexed. She held a pair of hammers, one in her upper right arm, the other in the lower left, as she shaped a piece of metal, the air singing with each blow.
If she minded the sparks of hot metal hitting her, she didn’t show it.
The ascension had truly transformed her. Though they no longer burned, her hair fell in stony waves of spikes and crests, each strand glowing with some inner heat. Her skin had transformed as well, taking on the dark hue of hardened bedrock, her figure now like some perfectly carved titaness.
As I stepped into the room, she turned and gave me a tentative smile, her face just as impressive and sharp as before. Her eyes were the same as well, flinty and possessing the gleam of a striking intelligence.
“Morning,” she said, her arms coming to rest. She glanced down at herself and smiled.
I came closer, putting my hand on her elbow; I was happy to see she hadn’t truly transformed into stone. Her skin felt flush and hot, like the forge’s flames were trapped just under its surface, but it was still unmistakably human.
“How are you doing?” I asked, looking up at her face.
She shrugged, both sets of shoulders rising and falling. “Outside the fact that none of my clothes or armor fit anymore?” She casually lifted her hammers again, “I feel fantastic, like I can do anything.”
I stood back as she returned to the anvil. She began swinging her hammers, shaping what I came to recognize as a new breastplate, one modified to accommodate her new figure.