A Flesh Golem's Ascension

by John Domus Cruo

  Chapter 14: The Morning After — John

  I awoke some time later to the sound of chomping.

  I felt a weight on my chest. I looked down to see Etreona, should I call her that? We never decided on a name.

  She really was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She must have fallen asleep on top of me with her arms pressed up against me and my arms around her. I noticed Pervy Guy was still saluting. But he felt strangely warm. I moved my hips and heard a surprised gasp. Oh, that's right — we fell asleep in the middle of it. After such an intense experience we must have just collapsed.

  She looked up at me with her big eyes, her face gradually reddening. Needless to say, we stayed there for some time repeating the actions of yesterday.

  Pervy Guy finally seemed satisfied. She however, looked haggard. Deliriously happy, but haggard.

  It was just then that I considered the chomping noise that had stopped some time ago.

  Oh shit. I sat up. I saw Bob sitting there casually holding a rodent leg with a broad grin on his face. Lina peeked out from behind him. Her hand over her mouth and her skin a dark shade of crimson.

  I hurried to put my pants on.

  "Bob, Lina this is... hmm.”

  She looked up at me as if not following.

  "Do I call you Etreona?" I nervously said.

  She looked for something to cover up with, but finding nothing just sat back down.

  "I don't think that's quite right. I'm not really that person anymore, and if anything you definitely made me yours,” she responded, still blushing.

  "I want you to name me." Expectation shone in her eyes.

  If only she knew how much I hated naming things. Let’s think here. She came from a goblin and a bird, Gobird... Damn that's awful. I called the other one Lina, maybe I could name her something similar since they were once both goblins. I could just give a cop-out name like Lilith. No, she's too important to not give her a unique name. Let's go with Leera. Yeah, I like the sound of that.

  "How about Leera?" I asked.

  She smiled at me warmly. "Yes, I like the sound of it! It's another gift you've given me." She came close and sat down beside me. I grabbed her in a sideways embrace and scooted her close.

  Bob was still smiling mischievously.

  "That was quite the show you put on, Boss. I had to give Lina a play-by-play to explain everything that was happening. Because of all the noise you two were making, we had a hard time hunting. You probably scared off everything within a mile of here. Leera, you should become a bard, you can definitely hit the high notes. One more thing, Boss: how'd you ever fit all that in such a petite girl? Hell, that had to have been tickling her ribs."

  In quick succession Lina blushed to inhuman levels, Leera blushed deeper, and even I blushed. Bob never ceases to amaze me.

  I picked up a piece of meat and flicked it at him. It hit him in the face, knocking him on his back.

  Chapter 15: Not As Planned — Bob

  Something hit me in the face, hard!

  When I opened my eyes, Lina was looking down at me with a concerned expression. The boss must have been a sculptor at some point because both she and Leera were works of art.

  I was still dizzy, so I decided to lie there for a while. Not like I had anything better to do. I shot Boss a thumbs up, then I thought back on Lina, and what had happened since the time she was made.

  I had been trying to impress her for a while now while Boss was doing his crafting stuff.

  I owe so much to him. I only remember burning for a day or so, but it still felt like an eternity. I don't want to think of how long I was actually burning there. He even helped me take revenge.

  When he made Lina for me I was awestruck. I wanted to teach her everything, but when I took her out hunting she learned too quickly. She was already better at it than I was. When she killed that giant gopher I was amazed. That was her first kill. She just swooped down and hit it right in the eye, like she'd been doing it her whole life. Well, I guess she had. It's hard to believe she had been a goblin in her previous life.

  I had told her of the greatness of the boss and what he had done for me. I even told her what she used to be. We both watched him for a while when he was crafting Leera.

  I pointed out the goblin bodies. I told her that was what we came from. She said that although she doesn't remember, she feels like a burden has been lifted off of her. She says she thinks she is finally complete.

  She always smiles when she talks about the boss. I wonder if she does the same when she talks about me.

  When Boss mated with Leera, Lina got all hot and flustered. I thought, Here's my chance. I described everything he was doing, but damn, he did things that I didn't even do to Dipshit. He definitely made Leera flexible.

  While all that was going on, I got close to Lina. I put my arm around her. I even got to fondle her a bit, but after a while she took off out of the cave. I had to get some relief at that point, even if it did come from my hand.

  When Lina returned she was dragging no fewer than three bodies. Damn! I wanted her even more.

  Boss and Leera were still going at it. I looked at Lina, and honestly she looked pissed. She just focused on dismembering the rats. Every time Leera would moan she would rip off another part.

  I had crept up behind her, hoping to take her then and there, but when I wrapped my arms around her she spread her wings knocking me on my ass. Then before I knew it she had her spike inches from my face. Her face was twisted in rage. She was glaring at me, all her sharp teeth showing in a wicked expression as if she would eat me. It took several seconds before she seemed to notice who I was. She lowered her arm and calmed down before getting back to pulling apart the rodents.

  Just then I thought Lina may be the jealous type. Was she jealous of Leera? How the hell would that even work? I mean physically, the bosses pride was at least twice her size.

  I heard one last loud moan from Leera before she passed out, even the boss seemed spent as he laid down his head and closed his eyes.

  This time it was my turn to go vent my frustration. I perched in one of the trees within sight of the cave. I saw some motion out of the corner of my eye. I had to hand it to the boss, my night vision was great. I swooped down on the moving object, skewering it from behind. I drove my spike into it until it stopped moving. I flipped it over and I took out my frustration on it. I dragged the remains back into the cave.

  I looked around for Lina. I saw her furs lying on the ground a few feet away from where Boss and Leera were lying, but I didn't see her.

  I stood there for several seconds just looking for motion. Could she have gone back out while I was hunting? Could she have gone out naked?

  I saw the tip of a wing peeking up from between Boss's legs.

  I dropped the rat and crept around to see what was happening. She was busy at work on herself, just looking at where the boss and Leera were still connected.

  Needless to say I had to go hunting again.

  I just sat in the tree thinking. I thought about Lina. I thought about how pretty she was. She definitely had a thing for the boss, though. I did too; I knew how much I respected him, how much I owed him. I knew, too, that Lina would never be my girl like Boss had intended.

  I wondered what I should do. I could have the boss turn me into a lady to join his harem, but I didn't feel like that would be right, as I was definitely a guy. I thought maybe the boss could give me a different girl other than Lina. I didn't want to think about Lina dying and being replaced by another. I thought that maybe I should become something else, something more dangerous. I craved power. I felt like maybe the boss was part of something bigger. Something that I had revered even before the burning, and I wanted to crush anything that would do him harm.

  I had decided to talk to her. Hopefully she was done with what she was doing. Just in case, though, I waited for daybreak before I went back into the cave.

  She sat by a row of neatly sorted rat meat.

 
She had her furs on again.

  I whistled as I approached. "Wow! Look at our little butcher over here. You're doing great, now we just need a little shop or maybe a tiny wagon. Think about it, we could open up a rat meat stall." I smiled a goofy grin at her.

  She looked up at me and returned my smile before looking back down again as if she was about to say something difficult.

  "I'm sorry about last night, I didn't mean to attack you like that." She looked a little sad. She reached her long arm out to me, handing me a rat leg.

  I took it and sat down beside her. She had begun to peel the skin off another leg.

  I spoke calmly. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have tried to do, well, you, without asking."

  She turned a little red and her face had a sullen look on it. I wasn't sure if she was embarrassed, angry, or maybe thinking about the boss again.

  She dared a momentary glance at me, then spoke. "I know that the boss made me for you." She trailed off for a moment as if thinking of how to say something. "But I don't feel that way about you. I think of you like a brother. When you showed me the bodies we both came from, things clicked. We're basically twins."

  We just sat there in silence for a few minutes before she continued.

  "For some reason, when the boss made me, I knew he understood something about me. Something that even I didn't know. I didn't have my memories. But I still remember when he first spoke to me before giving me this body. I remember looking at my glowing goblin self and feeling how hideous I was. I felt like I didn't measure up. I wasn't comfortable in my own skin and I was worried that I might stay that way."

  I waited for the right moment and asked her. "So... when did you fall for him?"

  She smiled as if remembering something fondly. "It was when he gave me this body. I thought it was beautiful, it was deadly. My shame for myself had disappeared. He was looking at me with so much pride in his eyes. I knew that he would never abandon me — that to him, I was an irreplaceable person. He had given me so much and made me so unique. I noticed how he handled me so gently while smiling down at me."

  She now had a bright smile. Her sharp fangs showed and her eyes looked brightly at her furs.

  "Then when he had noticed that I was embarrassed he made these for me. After I put them on I could tell he was turned on as he stared at me. I felt desired. I started getting turned on too but knew it was impossible."

  Her smile faded and she stared sadly at the floor.

  I felt a little sorry for her now. I guess she was going through a lot of stuff, too.

  I was a straight shooter, however, and I decided to ask her another difficult question.

  "What do you think about our new sister?"

  Her eyebrows knit and she made a fist as she spoke. "I know that I can't give Boss what he desires. She is so pretty, even a little delicate. I know she can give him what he needs. I will love her like a sister, but someday, somehow I will let the Boss know how I truly feel. Even if I become one of many. I had already guessed that someone as great as the boss would have need for more than one girl. I will wait my turn if I have to."

  I wasn't exactly a one girl sort of guy myself. More than anything now I felt like we were siblings. Boss had created us both. He had used the same bodies to make us. Maybe it was all on a genetic level, but I felt a kinship with Lina. I felt conflicting urges to both encourage and tease her.

  I had chosen to tease them all for now, as I still had a little bit of resentment left in me. But there was no way I could hate any of them.

  So I did tease them, then I got hit, rightly so, and now I'm just lying here.

  I had lain there for some time going over everything in my mind. I felt a soft touch on my head. The dizziness faded and I opened my eyes to the boss smiling down at me with a finger on my head.

  "Sorry, Bob, I may have hit you a bit too hard. You're all fixed now."

  Chapter 16: Sleepy Day — John

  Bob looked back at me and stood up. He looked absolutely drop-dead tired. I looked over at Lina. She had her wings wrapped around her as she leaned back against the wall. She looked pretty worn out as well.

  I walked over to Leera and sat back down beside her. She leaned into me and I looked down at her. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was disheveled, and it looked like she had been through a natural disaster. I brushed the hair out of her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

  A light morning fog hung around the floor of our cave. I had never noticed this before, but I had also never been awake and aware at this hour. It seemed peaceful.

  It looked like everyone had an eventful night. Bob walked over to the large rodent carcass by the entrance and began fluffing it like it was an old feather mattress. He hopped on top of it, wrapped himself up in his wings, and crashed down. He seemed to melt into the fur like a Bob-shaped puddle.

  "I know you just woke up, but I'm pooped. I think I'm going to pass out. Maybe if you hadn't hit me so hard I wouldn't be this beat," he said in a teasing tone before closing his eyes.

  Lina seemed to struggle to stay leaning as her head kept bobbing down.

  Leera's eyes were already shut, her body limp in my arms.

  Nap time. I carefully laid Leera down and reclined beside her to spoon with her.

  I felt her body heat as she was pressed close to me and listened to her soft breathing. We just cuddled there for a while until her warmth became unpleasant. I decided to roll over on my back. I moved carefully as not to wake Leera and left my arm under her head so she would have a pillow.

  I didn't have to sleep, so what was I supposed to do here? I felt something climbing up my shoulder. I saw Lina crawling onto my chest. She smiled sleepily at me before wrapping herself in her wings and plopping down. I reached down and softly stroked her hair with a finger. It was kinda soothing. After a while I could hear her slow steady breathing.

  I started to move my finger away, but she grabbed it, pulling it back down to her head again. I guess she still wanted more. I continued petting her soft hair for a while. For some reason it was really relaxing me as well. After some time, I stopped. She seemed to be sleeping this time.

  I went to move my hand again but she rolled over onto her back and grabbed it. She pulled my hand over herself as if it were a blanket. Stubborn little thing. I just cradled her against my chest and she relaxed again, finally nodding off to sleep. She kind of reminded me of a kitten I had when I was a child.

  Well, it seemed like both of my arms were taken. I heard Bob snoring from across the cave. He was a noisy sleeper. He would alternate between sawing logs and laughing. At one point I thought I heard something in an unknown language. Yeah, I guess I could sleep a little. I closed my eyes and drifted off.

  Chapter 17: Light Bringer

  I arrived at the massive church in Theross. I hadn't seen it since I had my initial self-healing training here when I was knighted all those years ago.

  It sat embedded in a cliffside with only one long, narrow bridge to connect it with the rest of the world.

  When I compared the chapel to the royal castle, it did not lose on either height or grandeur. Its mighty steeples and spires rose so high into the air that when you stood near it you could no longer see the top. It was truly a wonder to behold!

  An elderly clergyman met me by the massive doors and swiftly led me in.

  The interior was lushly painted with portraits of Therossa performing her twelve miracles. It showed from the point she created man to the point she banished the elves.

  I was guided to High Priest Barneth, who greeted me with his immaculate smile. I dropped to my knees and kissed the tops of his feet until he gave me permission to rise.

  "We must make haste, my child, the grand depiction of Therossa has requested us." He helped me back to my feet. A gentle light emanated from his hands as he touched me, relieving all my fatigue from the long trip here.

  He guided me at a steady pace to a large chamber far removed from the main hall. Two Paladins stood guard. Whe
n they saw Barneth and me, they quickly moved aside and started opening the grand golden doors. Their sabatons scraped the floor and their arms shook and strained from the effort.

  As the doors parted Barneth rushed inside and gestured for me to follow.

  I heard the Paladins grunt as the doors began to slowly close. The room was dimly lit by several candelabras that never seemed to go out.

  About twenty feet in front of me stood the most elaborate and ethereal painting I had ever seen. Therossa stood there, a slight glow coming from her wings. Slowly and almost imperceptibly her arms seemed to move, forming the symbol of prayer.

  Barneth dropped to his knees and bowed his head so low he was scraping the ground. I followed suit.

  For what reason was I allowed to witness such beauty? I felt truly humbled in her presence.

  I heard a voice seeming to come from all around me. It was like the sweetest honey given to a starving man.

  It said, "I have felt something ancient awaken. Far from here the void grows. It will come for us all. It will consume everything!"

  Barneth spoke up, his voice muffled by the floor. "What can we do, my goddess? How can your humble servants protect your kingdom?"

  I could only kneel there and shake in the presence of something so much greater than myself.

  Therossa replied, "You must bind it again while it is still weak. You must make an example of it. You must prove your worthiness to me or I'm afraid the end of our world will come. It exists south of Therograd. Right now I only feel three followers, but in time its power will grow and it will attain godhood."

  Therossa's voice shook me to the core, reverberating in my head. I felt my nose begin to bleed. I wanted to pass out but I had to ask a question first. "How can this most unworthy one vanquish this evil?"

  The voice spoke again, louder this time. "You have been my champion for most of your life. It must be you. It cannot be vanquished! You must bind this abomination. Go there at top speed with all the support you can muster! I give you my sigil. For any who refuse to aid you, I give the power of condemnation. If they see my sigil and are of my flock they will die, only to repent for an eternity in my realm of suffering."