I opened my map. I now had a view of everything around my cave including a goblin village a few miles away.
I combined the remaining rodent souls into one, then combined the crow souls into that.
I now had:
Soul of a lusty goblin: 40%
Soul amalgamation: ??
Soul of a paradise falcon: 100%
I split the soul amalgamation into categories:
Skills
Personality
I checked out it's skills.
No skills transferable.
I guessed most of what an animal does would be an ability. There's nothing else to transfer that I can't already do or think of doing.
I tried to talk to it.
A large, freaky-looking furry bird with a fleshy tail showed up. I tried saying hello, but it didn't even really acknowledge my existence.
Since I couldn't burn it with fire, I converted it to mana.
Mana 10,076/10,076
I decided to see what the paradise falcon had.
Skills
Magic
Memories
Personality
I chose to look at magic.
Self heal level 1
I knew better than to take that. Fleshcrafting was already far superior, and healing magic could actually hurt me in undead mode.
Still, this meant that it had mana.
I opened my eyes. Bob and Lina were coming back, dragging in something heavy while giggling at each other.
I looked at the majestic corpse of the paradise falcon. I had a strange thought. In most early cultures it was always believed that the heart was where the soul's power lay. So then what if I used its heart?
I removed its heart with Fleshcrafting and opened my chest, attaching it to my own.
Minor mana regeneration ability added. You will now regenerate mana at a rate of 1 mana per hour.
Woohoo! I couldn’t exactly be a mage with this, but now I could use a few spells a day.
I stopped Fleshcrafting.
Bob and Lina were now eating something that I could only describe as a large groundhog.
Soul Steal.
Soul of a rodent added
I just converted it to mana.
Mana 10,077/10,077
"Hey guys, get over here." I said.
They both came running over, their little claws clacking on the stone. I presented them with their new outfits.
Bob started putting his on immediately. Lina ran behind my leg before unfurling her wings and putting hers on.
Bob looked a bit like a hornless oni now with his fur toga. Lina walked out shyly. She looked even more like an amazon. Yeah, it was still a bit too adventurous for her, but she still gave me a happy smile. At least now she wouldn't have to feel so exposed with her wings unfurled.
"Thanks, Boss! I was fine before, but now I feel stylish." Bob turned around a bit as if showing the front and back. Lina just bowed her head before hugging my leg. "Thank you, Boss!" she also said. She seemed grateful.
"All right, you two, go back to eating your rodent of unusual size." I waved them off.
I really needed to do something about this tightness in my pants. Pervy Guy's libido was not to be questioned. I was still getting hard thinking about Lina, and the logistics of trying anything on a five-inch girl just screamed disaster. Besides, I had already intended her to be Bob's wife. How could my new race of tiny gargoyles prosper if there wasn't a man and a woman? I briefly had a mental picture of Bob popping out an egg. No! Just no.
I looked around the room. I had two partially decomposed goblin corpses, several animals, and the badly decayed parts pile.
I think the real problem I'm going to run into is lack of skin coverage. I suppose I could use the skin of the rodents but that would take a while to Blend. It's still worth a shot, or else I may end up terrorizing the nearby goblin village in a most unexpected way.
"OK, Bob, I'm going to be busy for a while again. Come and get me if anything terrible happens."
Bob looked up from his meal, blood dripping down his face.
"No problem, Boss. Got you covered,” he said as he went back to eating.
Chapter 11: An Interested Party
I smell something delicious on the wind. A beautiful decay had entered my nostrils. There was so much of it now.
I had been traveling these woods for a while, practically summoned here by all the death.
I had gathered a large group of familiars who crave death, like me. Crows, vultures, grave rats, anything with a weaker will than myself will be pulled into my desire to feed, and will submit to me.
I inhaled deeply. I needed to feed. Three places now. So much death has been gathered. I sent my familiars to scout the closest source. They still haven't returned from there. I sent some out to a farther source. Goblins, they do not satisfy. I sent my last familiar out to the farthest source. They saw several men, all armed.
I will go to the closest one. I must feed.
I walked toward it slowly. I cannot take chances. I will eat or I will die again.
As I walked, I breathed out endlessly, filling my surroundings with a thick fog. I traveled for some time.
I eventually saw something resembling a cave in the distance. With each step that fantastic smell grew. I sat back in my fog.
I will observe this place of death. I will wait here until I find a good opportunity to feed.
Chapter 12: A Mate — John
I started up Fleshcrafting .
I took the two goblins and added them together as best I could. I compressed their bones together as I lengthened the frame to about 5 feet. I made the legs long and slender. I layered the muscle as I went, giving her slender thighs and sleek legs. I widened the hips a bit. I corrected the feet, making them smaller and more feminine. I reduced the size of the belly and layered on more muscle, giving her the slightest hint of a six-pack. I shrank the head down to normal levels and made the ears more human, giving them only the barest hint of points.
"Mors, I need your help here."
Mors came out and looked on in interest.
"How may I be of assistance?"
"I have trouble with faces. You know my preferences, is there any way you can speed this part up?"
Mors took control of me, much like the book fairy had done with Blend, and got busy gathering parts.
Mors went to work on beautifying the face. She gave it big, almost Asian eyes, a small upturned nose, and lush lips. She made it rounder more heart-shaped. She shaped all the teeth to be normal and perfectly aligned. She kept the canines sharp. She gave it perfect eyebrows and a V-shaped hairline. She forced the hair to grow out to the small of her back.
I regained control of my body.
"Thanks Mors."
I looked at her work. It was truly beautiful.
I changed the hair color from goblin snot to a true black color, making it thick, shiny, and smooth to the touch.
I changed the overall skin tone to a pale color similar to my own, but much lighter, almost white. I gave her dark red lips and changed the skin around the eye to a midnight black, giving her permanent eyeliner. I lengthened her eye lashes and added more of them.
I went over the body once more eliminating, large patches of muscle in favor of lean muscle. I stacked tendons ensuring they were flexible and fast. I reduced the shoulder size and added breasts. The goblins were originally skinny things and didn't have a lot of fat. I borrowed all I could from all the parts around, but the best I could do was around the size of a B cup, maybe a little smaller. It worked with her lean body.
Now for the special features. I had done all I could to ensure she would be drastically fast, but quickness alone isn't enough. I thought about adding bone spikes, but she couldn't just walk around with the tips hanging out like Bob and Lina, and she couldn't heal the holes like I could.
Wait, maybe she could.
With some deliberation and regret I opened my chest and disconnected Etreona's heart. I pl
aced it inside my creation's chest and attached it to her heart.
I took two thin bones from the parts pile and shaped them into spikes much like mine. She didn't really have large forearm muscles that they could Blend into. I placed them underneath her forearm. I hardened and compressed them, adding enamel to the tips, but I left a hollow reservoir and gave her an injection function like Bob and Lina's. Hers were smaller than mine at just around eight inches.
I added some additional features. I felt like this was a hard world. I knew how men treated ladies in a medieval culture. She was truly beautiful, and I wanted her to always have the right to refuse. I added internal retractable teeth to her entrance just below the skin. Should someone she doesn't want try to assault her without her consent, they would not like what they found next.
I Blended the skin all together and eliminated any irregularities.
Now for the soul.
I was originally going to use the lusty goblin's soul for obvious reasons. But I felt like Etreona deserved something as well.
I opened the soul screen.
Soul of a lusty goblin: 40%
Soul of a paradise falcon: 100%
"Mors, teach the goblin English."
I selected Talk with the lusty goblin soul.
A goblin figure like the one I had seen before showed up. It looked me up and down, lingering at a certain point as she smiled a toothy grin.
"Hello there, I'm John."
The goblin managed to release her eyes from my crotch long enough to look into my eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't remember who I am anymore. But you, John, I think I like."
"Would it be ok if I introduced you to a friend?" I asked.
"Ooh, you’re kinky! All right, bring them on," she replied.
I selected Talk with Etreona's soul.
The ethereal falcon showed up beside the goblin. It took a look at the goblin and backed up a little.
"This is my friend Etreona." I said.
"I'm not sure I can do it with a bird, but it's worth a try,” the goblin said as she eyed Etreona.
"Why exactly have you brought me here?" Etreona asked with some worry in her voice.
"Not for that I assure you. At least not as you are now... er, damn. Nevermind that. This was once a goblin who lived a very unsatisfying life. I have removed her memories and she is now a lonely shell. I figured you understood a thing or two about being lonely as that's the vibe I got from our last conversation. And I had a strange idea." I awkwardly said.
"Yes, I was alone not long after hatching. I had never met another of my kind. We migrate once every thirty years to find a mate, and this was my second trip. I have no mate, no nest, and no younglings. As you remember we've already talked about my difficulties talking to other beings." Etreona said with a distant sadness in her voice.
"You and this young one are both currently inside me. You're both dead. But I have another option for you."
I opened my eyes, showing them the female flesh construct.
Then I closed them again so I could see them both clearly.
"That is a body I made. The body that will be my mate. Maybe not my only mate given this libido, but one that I will always love. Right now it is a hollow vessel. I am considering bringing one or both of you into it, to live again. To be my mine."
The goblin seemed excited by the word mate. She was the first to reply. "She is definitely beautiful! If I accepted, we could then, mate?" She said with a bit of desperation while putting emphasis on the word mate.
"Yes, again and again." I replied.
The goblin jumped in joy.
Etreona spoke next. "I'm not sure how I feel about this. In a way it's what I've always wanted, but in another it's not truly me."
I thought for a moment before replying. "It may not be you, but part of you is inside of it. It has your heart. I will always be with you; you will not be lonely again."
Etreona looked at me pensively, glancing away after a moment as if she was shy.
I spoke again. "There are parts of each of you that I like. I like how the goblin is honest with her feelings, and I like Etreona's gentleness. I want the two of you together. I want to combine you both and have you as my mate."
They both looked at each other a little shocked.
"Combine? How?" Etreona said
"I will combine your souls. You will both cease to be in your current forms and become one being. I will then place that being into that body, and we will start our life." I said looking at both of them.
The goblin looked confused. But after a few moments she replied. "This bird is beautiful; that body is beautiful. If you add it all to me, I'm afraid you won't be able to resist me." The goblin smiled then walked over to Etreona and sat down, looking her in the eyes.
"I will not leave you either," the goblin said before hugging Etreona.
Etreona did not pull away. Instead she seemed to accept the honest sentiment.
The goblin slowly released her hug and Etreona looked at me once more.
"I've never had a feeling of closeness like this, after so many years of being alone. I accept. Please let us all be together from here on."
I replied. "As you both wish. I will join the two of you together, and I will see you again when next you open your eyes."
That got to me a little bit. I think this is a good thing.
I combined their souls and dragged it over to my construct.
I looked excitedly at her closed eyes, waiting for them to open.
When they did, she smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. She sat up and held me tight as if embracing a long-missed lover.
We held each other like that for several minutes, just feeling our bodies pressing together before she loosened her grip. She wiped tears from her eyes and looked into mine.
"I'm here," she said.
"And we will always be together from here on." I replied.
I leaned in to give her a deep kiss. She pulled back a little, then seemed to accept it. We let our tongues explore each other's mouth for a while before I let her lips escape mine.
"What was that?" she asked while her face got gradually redder.
Oh, right, goblins and birds probably don't do that.
"That was called a kiss. Would you like to do it again?"
She was now in full heat. She looked down shyly as if considering, then raised her eyes back to mine. She kissed me hungrily as she pushed her body against me closely. She wrapped her legs around me, squeezing me tightly.
I raised her up, still in my embrace, as I stood and took off my pants. She gasped as I lowered her down my body and we felt our connection for the first time.
We lay there after mating for some time. She looked up at me with her alluring eyes and I leaned up. I moved the hair from her face and gave her a loving kiss, which she gladly returned. I lay back down and she let her head rest on my chest as I ran my fingers through her hair.
I know I didn't need to, but for the first time, I felt like sleeping.
Chapter 13: Best Laid Plans — Leader
After the look Thads had given me, I felt strangely paranoid. He had never taken to open aggression against me before, but this time he stood in front of me as if in defiance.
That look he shot me let me know his intentions. He would make his move soon. I was, after all, spoiling his fun.
I didn't have the traditional Therossian sense of right and wrong, but everything he did rubbed me the wrong way. He didn't care who he hurt as long as he could have his precious fun.
I would have to post a guard tonight. I had a trusted man named Lenthuate, Lenny for short. He had been one of my first supporters. He kept an eye on Thads’ minions while I held my meetings and helped me to recruit more people to my cause.
A new coachman had stopped in earlier in the day to inform us that we had another girl coming soon. This time I wouldn't let Thad do his little song and dance. I wouldn't let him torture her.
I couldn't stomach the t
hought of pretending to be okay with all this anymore. My hard-won honor was already in the gutter.
Tomorrow I would remind him what true strength looked like. Tomorrow, that girl would go free, and soon we would follow. There's no way these amateurs could stand against our combined military training. It would be easy and thoroughly satisfying.
Maybe I would draw and quarter him. Maybe I would roast him alive. I didn't care as long as he died screaming.
I went to my bed and lay down. These days I slept in my armor. I had to be ready for anything.
One night a few months ago I had awakened suddenly. I felt as if something were watching me, only to find him standing over me with his dagger drawn.
When I drew my axe and jumped up he said it was just a joke and he was only testing me. That was when I started posting a guard. Lenny might be young, but he had seen his fair share of action in actual combat. If Thads wished to get past him, he would need more than a few petty criminals with knives.
I closed my eyes with fond thoughts of tomorrow.
I felt something grabbing my arms. My eyes shot open as something sharp was dragged across my throat.
My eyes darted around the room, focusing on Lenny holding my arms as Thads looked down at me.
I tried to yell out, but Thads had his hand covering my mouth. I coughed and felt my throat part as a gush of blood came out.
He can't even do this right. The cut is too shallow. I began drowning in my own blood. What was that gurgling noise; was that me?
I coughed again, splattering them with my blood. I looked at his eyes. The bastard was laughing as he held me there.
More of my men entered the tent.
"I think we got the last of them," someone said.
As my adrenaline hit I began breathing heavily, making terrible sucking sounds. I felt a blade slowly sawing through me without a care in the world.
I heard that bastard's voice one last time. "Woo! Look at him gush. When I'm done, throw his body in the latrine."
A Flesh Golem's Ascension Page 8