A Flesh Golem's Ascension

by John Domus Cruo

  The most dominant feature seemed to be the mouth taking up more than half of the over-sized head. The chin wasn't very prominent. The width of the mouth was rimmed with withered lips, which were straining to keep in the serrated blades it had for teeth inside. The skin around my mouth and jaws was thin and tight, practically showing the teeth and bones right through it.

  There was no hair anywhere on my head, not even eyebrows. The skin on the head and torso had thick, rough-looking, green blotches everywhere, likely lichen and other types of mold.

  The arms were large muscular things, definitely feeling out of place on this body. They were coated in grey skin with tufts of fur sprouting out from the shoulders and elbows. It was obvious that this rock troll was in a bad state when Dipshit found it. The arms were missing skin here and there and had stitches throughout them, roughly keeping them together. The hands were, as I already knew, huge, and the knuckles looked deadly.

  Normal Guy's lower half was displayed here without pants, and I can honestly say 'normal' did not apply here, my god — or my me, I suppose. He must have been blessed by the porn gods of this world. The legs were very muscular, definitely someone who had spent his life in hard labor, as he had bulky thigh and calf muscles and large, high-arched feet. The skin was pinkish-white as you might expect on any villager of European descent — not that Europe was a thing here.

  After seeing this, I decided I would use a skill, but materials were an issue. Sure, I had Dipshit just a few feet away, rotting on the floor. But he alone would not have all the skin necessary to cover the outside of the monstrosity I seemed to be. So what to do?

  Ah, yes, my snack store, AKA [Dipshit]'s part stockpile. Though mostly too rotten for these purposes, if I added it all together it would provide enough fresh materials. I stood up and dragged the body over to the stockpile and sat down amid the delicious parts.

  Yeah, I was definitely still under the calming effect of the book. It felt like being drunk. I clicked Choose Style and Start. I chose Strength, as with my current parts, speed and beauty would by no means help.

  My eyes glossed over and the book took control of my movements. I was only vaguely aware of what was happening, but what followed was a series of flaying and absorption. The book then began shifting and moving my parts and muscles.

  When I was again in control of myself I pulled up the Blend skill to get a look at my new body. The skin covering my body would look almost Caucasian if it weren't for a pale gray tinge that I guessed was partly rock troll and partly other sources. But at least now it was uniform. There were no stitches to speak of, and I still lacked hair, but at least I had eyebrows and the barest semblance of a nose.

  The skin around my mouth was thicker now, and the outline of teeth could no longer be seen through it. The teeth were still there, but now, provided I didn't smile, they could be concealed.

  The muscle had been stacked and layered throughout my body. I now had a six-pack — no, an eight-pack of abs. My shoulders had been broadened to accommodate the arm structure a little better and give me a more human shape. The leg bones had been lengthened to match the length of the arms and provide a more balanced impression. I guessed my height now must be between 6'5" and 7’. Yep, definitely still not human, but perhaps now I wouldn't be shot on sight.

  I moved around a bit, feeling how effortless everything was. I tried doing push-ups, jumping jacks and sit-ups; all seemed to be doable without any real effort.

  I noticed now that without much conscious thought the interface would disappear if I wasn't thinking of using it, but I could still feel it as if it were there. I supposed it wasn't actually anything visual but something happening in my mind.

  The fairy walked out from behind the skills window and started to speak.

  "So, what do you think? Pretty awesome, huh?"

  I could tell from her happy tone that she was fairly proud of herself.

  "It's not bad. I still feel like a resident of Innsmouth or a crappy batman villain, though." I replied.

  I really was surprised by the quality of the work, but at its core, or my core, I supposed, it made me realize just how inhuman I was.

  The fairy laughed proudly, thrusting her little chest out. "You have no idea how hard that was considering what we had to work with here. Well, I won't linger. You still have your Abilities tab to look through. I'll be waiting if you have any questions." The fairy again walked behind the window.

  Alright then, I still had two more skills, Soul Steal and Feast, to try, but it was obvious that the fairy wanted me to check out abilities first. I tapped on the abilities tab. It only had two entrees.

  [Abilities]

  Fleshcrafting

  Soul Infusion

  Fleshcrafting was wreathed with green flame, letting me know that it was the one I was supposed to click — so of course I hovered over Soul Infusion first.

  Soul Infusion:

  An ability granted by your elder-god core.

  A soul in storage may be infused into an object, either giving it the soul's attributes and sentience or causing it to complete a predetermined function.

  Additional levels may make the actions more complex or allow you to infuse multiple souls into one object for a more powerful result.

  Soul Infusion may also be used to disassemble, combine or otherwise alter souls in your inventory.

  Interesting, but I didn't quite understand it.

  I hovered my cursor over Fleshcrafting.

  Fleshcrafting:

  The ability to manipulate flesh freely into any form or shape one wishes.

  At current level you can only affect your own flesh or flesh that has been grafted to your body. This process takes hours or even days for bigger changes.

  At high levels you may even be able to quickly manipulate the flesh of your enemies, provided they are not magically protected. At the mid levels you can make split second changes to your own form. This skill is mainly seen in flesh golems at higher levels.

  "Hey, fairy." I called.

  The fairy once again walked around from the side of the window.

  "Yes, Master," she said as if doing an Igor impression.

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

  "Can Fleshcrafting be used for regeneration or instant healing?" I asked.

  The fairy replied, "Yes, of course! But at your current level it will take some time. You can heal in a few minutes what it takes a normal person a few months to do naturally, provided you have the materials. Cuts and things like that won't hurt you much as long as they don't hit your core, but fire, acid, and many magical attacks could still kill you before you could even start mending. Oh, and beware of priests and healers! If they throw a resurrection spell on you, you may die instantly, or at best be unable to use Fleshcrafting again for some time. You see, resurrection attempts to return your soul to your body, which happens to be long gone."

  "So if I understand correctly, as it currently stands a slime could kill me quicker than a fully armed knight?”

  "Not quite; all a knight would have to do is drive a sword, lance, spear, sharpened stick or any number of sharp pointies through your chest and rupture your core, and you would die. The slimes of this world aren't the cute jello mold-like creatures you're thinking about. They are usually bigger than horses and tend to envelope and smother things before digesting them. But they take a lot longer to digest than you would think. And given that you don't really need to breathe, you could probably just walk right out of there, or even use Fleshcrafting on it by absorbing it and turning it into gross slime-skin or tentacles or something."

  She continued. “And without further ado, I present you with this gift." She raised her hands in the air and a number 1 floated from them up to a new heading that said Ability Points.

  "Since you used Blend, your body is a little more stable, and you can handle some more power. Powering you up is kinda my thing, you know," she said. "Now then, all this talk of your Weaknesses makes me realize you need to create som
e defenses. and you have a pile of possible additions here. I would recommend putting that point into Fleshcrafting and making yourself a little something to help you out.”

  She was obviously going through this song and dance just to get me used to the leveling system she’d created. What was this, a tutorial?

  But who was I to argue with an ancient, evil book with lifetimes of wisdom under its belt? Plus, I didn't know what the other ability was all about yet, but I instinctively knew it wasn't anything combat-oriented. I was still a bit surprised knowing that just about anyone could kill me if they got in a lucky shot, and I had zero defenses against steel at the moment, making me feel squishy and vulnerable. I decided to listen to the fairy and tapped the new icon that appeared beside Fleshcrafting. A new line formed under the description.

  Fleshcrafting Level 2

  Fleshcrafting speed is increased.

  You may affect the things you are in direct contact with. This is a much slower process than something which is a part of you. It can also be used to make flesh constructs. However, the more complicated the creation the longer it will take to make.

  After thinking for a bit I decided I would attempt to make a weapon. I mentally clicked on Fleshcrafting to activate it, and something kind of like a design mode started.

  The fairy popped out again.

  "I tried to think of a way to change your perception of time a bit to make this all easier. Since you don't need to eat or drink, this shouldn't impact you negatively. I will also be helping you passively with things like mathematics and symmetry while you create things here."

  Without another word, she simply popped back out of existence.

  My first thought was a femur club. I gathered the legs and leg bones around me into a pile and extracted eight femurs and a pelvis. I began combining the bones together instinctively, extracting the marrow as I went. I smoothed and lengthened the object. A club just didn't feel quite right. If I was investing this kind of time, I needed more to show for it than something that would become obsolete when I found a sword or something later. Still, I couldn't think of anything too complex at the moment.

  I tried smoothing the bone into more of a sword shape, but that didn't feel right, either. I thought about ancient cultures and remembered something from the Mayans.

  I would make a macuahuitl, which was something like a large wooden paddle with obsidian blades attached to the sides.

  I changed my greatsword shape into a flat surface resembling a cricket bat with the paddle surface stretching out to about five feet, leaving the handle at the one-foot mark.

  But what to do about the blades? I couldn't shape rock. I thought for several minutes. Ah, yes, teeth! Teeth can be sharp, and enamel is harder than normal bone. I extracted as many teeth as I could from what was lying around and shaped them all uniformly into small jagged points. I then attached them to the sides of my weapon. This way when one broke off into an opponent the rest would still be there for the remainder of the battle. Simply adding one back would probably not take me too long.

  I looked at my work. It was something truly menacing to behold. It looked like a cross between a macuahuitl and a sawfish snout, but I felt like I could do more. I condensed the bone into itself several times. increasing its strength and density. While my paddle shrank slightly, it was still massive.

  I mentally clicked the Done button.

  I held my new weapon. It was around six inches wide and about five-and-a-half feet long. I was glad I took strength as my Blend option — this thing had some serious heft to it.

  I ripped up the robes worn by Dipshit to make a harness to hold it, as I knew the garment wouldn't fit me. Honestly, I just wanted to destroy something he had cherished. I still hated him. I didn't know if it was me or the elder god in me, but I knew I would always hate those who tried to control me — those who in some way thought themselves my superiors. I would not be controlled; I would not be contained. The thought of another being holding itself above me made me sick, and I drifted into thought.

  I will rule them all. Every other being will be simply my stepping stone. I am the end. Not even a god may fight death in this world. No sun nor star may overcome the darkness forever. Eventually, there will be only me, older than all. They may outshine me for a time, but I will always be present and as — what the hell am I thinking? I am okay. I am me and no one else.

  I took several deep breaths to center myself. Wow, this god had a major inferiority complex. I felt a kinship; I had been glanced over my entire life. Early on I had tried my hardest at everything, but I was never recognized simply because I didn't look capable of anything great. Others always took credit for my ideas and passed them off as their own. Just because they were attractive or seemed smart or cute. They always got what they wanted, while I was left with nothing.

  I had what was, for lack of a better term, resting bitch face. It made me seem unapproachable. People would often imagine the worst emotions or motivations behind anything I did. It was another reason I hated people — another reason my digital self was so much more real to me.

  In games, I was just another player. My avatar could smile while I was crying inside. The game would persist even when my world was crumbling around me. Spend money to live, live to make money. Truly, that world was broken, and I wanted nothing more than to break it all apart. I would embrace this god; he and I knew the truth of it all: that in the end, life is about the struggle, and to win we must crush all the false prophets smiling deceptive smiles with a shiny coin in one hand to tempt and a dagger in the other concealed behind their backs waiting to strike.

  I would kill all those who claimed their truth in gold, those who claimed to be superior by birth or fortune. Those who claimed the world was theirs by right. The only certainty is death, is nothing, is me. There is only nothing. Everything else is a temporary illusion strung together by false beliefs.

  I am the absolute certainty, the final end to all things.

  I laughed, my cackling voice scraping my throat, my voice abnormally loud. My very life was ebbing away into the ether. I felt my mind crack, splintering into nothing. I held my thoughts together with the strength of my willpower alone. I gradually regained myself. Jeez, I think I might have some issues here.

  I don't know how much of that was me and how much of that was the brewing resentment of the elder god dwelling within my soul.

  I knew that from here on I had to think of nothing but puppies and kittens or else I could lose myself. I sensed that if the elder god ever regained his memories I might cease to be. The very power of his existence could overwrite me and everything I was.

  But I also knew that we were fused now. We were one being, and if I could only show him that there was more to life than deception and strife, then he may wait a while before ending it all.

  Like me, he wished to know more of existence, to feel more. A meal prepared with love, slowly savored to the last morsel, would make consuming it that much more satisfying. This world didn't know it yet, but I would consume it all. And maybe my old world could use a little enlightenment then, too.

  I felt my wanderlust renew. I was ready to take this world for all it had.

  The fairy jumped out again, killing my momentum.

  "Wait! I still have more to give you!" she said, her body forming an X shape. "I give you three languages of this world, since no one here speaks English."

  She brought her hands together as if in prayer, then parted them once more. "You now know Therossian, Forestkin, and Goblin. These are the most common languages in this area."

  "Well, that's certainly convenient, thanks, but I would really like to get going now. Is there anything else?" I said with a touch of annoyance in my voice.

  The fairy pretended to think for a moment and finally said, "Yes, don't forget about your other two icons. The backpack is inventory, but you don't have any dimensional compartments or space magic, so it's basically just a list of what you have. You'll mainly use it to manage and intera
ct with the souls you take. The scroll icon is a list of tasks and quests that will be populated as you interact with people and things in this world. I will also try to help you by adding quests that I think you might benefit from, to make you stronger or acquire cool things."

  The fairy gestured to the other two icons. I mentally clicked on the backpack icon.

  [Rag harness]

  This harness was quickly and poorly constructed from a novice necromancer's robe. It seems to be held together merely by the power of wishful thinking but should provide something your weapon can hang from.

  Effect: Minor raised efficiency with Soul Steal due to the nature of the materials.

  [Great Bone Macuahuitl]

  Made of reinforced bone, you believe this weapon may even stand up to steel swords for a time.

  Effect: Higher chance of intimidation.

  [Normal Guy Pants]

  Made of a threadbare grey fabric. There is nothing spectacular about these pants except that they are still in one piece.

  [Souls]

  You have not yet stolen any souls, and you are not using mine.

  I closed the inventory and clicked on the scroll.

  [New Quest]

  Get souls!

  Use Soul Steal and acquire some souls to play around with!

  Rewards: Souls

  Consequences if refused: No souls, and the book will hate you.

  I closed the scroll.

  "So… you won't let me use your souls?" I asked.

  "I've already explained this to you. Most of the souls in me are smart, powerful, or at least magical, excluding a few goblins and curious fools. They are better if transferred to you when your soul can accept them without you losing yourself. Imagine having all the knowledge and power of so many lifetimes. You would be able to Master every sort of magic, learn every skill and martial art, or even make a goblin pie. The knowledge within also allows me to help you more, so in effect you would just be making yourself dumber. Plus, it's not like you even know what to do with those souls anyway, so why do you care? Go find your own souls to play around with."