A Flesh Golem's Ascension

by John Domus Cruo

  I felt like an anchor that was dragging everyone else down.

  "Liz, I have an awkward request." I said as I caught up with her.

  She stopped and eyed me suspiciously.

  "Would you let me ride you?" I asked awkwardly between breaths.

  Her thin lips curled into a mocking smile as I caught up with her.

  "Can you what?" she said teasingly with a hint of a blush.

  Oh no, I had been down this road once already. As much fun as it would be to tease Liz here, Nex had a determined expression. I could tell she was worried about her village.

  "My dear lady, I would humbly like to ask permission to sit atop your back as you run." I said as formally as I could.

  Liz's smile faded into a timid expression as her brows knitted together and she fidgeted with her staff.

  "No one has ever been this polite to me before; I'm not sure how to react,” she said somberly.

  She averted her eyes from me and seemed to be deep in thought.

  I hope I didn't trigger any bad memories. I wasn't trying to make her sad, and we needed to get going again. I looked at her body. She was roughly the same height as me, maybe a little taller. Her deer half was only slightly above my waistline. If I rode on her back I would have to pull my feet up to avoid hitting the ground every other step.

  She nervously turned her rear towards me. "Get on, I trust you,” she said as she covered her lady parts with her tail.

  "Thank you, milady." I said as I did an awkward little hop to throw my leg around her back. That's the first time I ever called a woman milady and she didn't scoff.

  I moved up to the front and pressed up behind Nex. I reached my arms forward and grabbed Liz's waist to steady myself while locking Nex between us.

  I heard her take in a long breath as if to ready herself and we were off.

  With me on her back, her speed dropped substantially; we were now running just faster the the oni.

  I told her to drop back to the rear, as I could see the trees thinning out. It was better to let the oni take point from here.

  They stood out like sore thumbs in this forest, while she could Blend in. She may have to worry about hunters at some point, I thought.

  We continued until we were at the treeline. I called a stop when the road was at the edge of my vision.

  I inhaled deeply, trying to sniff out any men who might be hiding. The wind was not in my favor, and I could only smell traces of their presence. Which means either they are here or they've been here, but it doesn't provide me with an idea of where they may be.

  I activated Life Sense. I saw several small blobs in the distance, but it was too far to make out what they could be.

  I dismounted Liz and looked up to the trees. Strange there aren't any birds around here; maybe we made too much of a ruckus. If that's the case, then any enemies around may also be aware of our presence.

  I searched the ground around me. I saw one of those bushy-tailed mice that Bob and Lina used to eat peeking out of the hollow of a nearby tree.

  I walked slowly towards it. It eyed me for the briefest of moments, which was enough. I used coerce.

  I thought about it coming over to me. It came running out of the tree toward me but stopped dead as a dagger protruded from its back.

  I looked around startled, only to see Nex grinning. Damnit, there goes my scout.

  I picked up the rodent and removed the dagger. I gave both to Nex and she devoured it hungrily, bones and all. Well, I guessed it wasn't a total loss. She must have thought I was hunting.

  As I looked around, I didn't see anything else I could use. It looks like we're going to have to go in blind.

  I started going over our basic strategy. I was going to order the two oni out into the open with their makeshift shields raised. Then I was going to have Liz and Nex flank them from the right while I flanked them from the left rear.

  "My Lord." The red oni spoke in a chilling voice, interrupting my train of thought. "We may be able to do more. If we plant our shields into the ground once we're close, the goblins will still have a defended position and we will be able to move out into the open as shock troops penetrating their lines and getting behind them. Doing it this way will give you and Liz, I believe you call her, a better chance to flank, while the goblins can take the time they need to take better aim."

  I had forgotten that he had military strategy at such a high level. I would need to consult him more often.

  "Don't forget about your fog and Life Sense abilities. The fog should cover me and Liz as we get into position." I said to remind everybody.

  As we were speaking I heard a loud crackling noise. I turned around to see a massive glacier hovering in the air. Before I could say anything it shot off towards the faraway road, hitting with the force of an explosion. Chunks of ice and dirt rained down on us as a cold wind blew past.

  I looked at Liz, who had a deranged smile on her face that was distorting her ladylike features as she cackled like a maniac.

  I had failed to realize just how much resentment she must still have. I looked back to the crop of trees by the road. They were gone, as well as a good portion of the road itself.

  "Charge!" I yelled.

  We needed to take advantage of this situation. If there were any survivors, I had no doubt they would be stunned and confused.

  As we approached the road, all we found was an icy crater. There were no enemies here. This seemed to back up my fears from earlier. Thads had probably come this way and taken his archers to another location.

  Liz trotted up next to me, admiring her work. Her face turned sour as she realized that there were no victims from her attack.

  "How badly did that deplete your mana?" I asked, as I was worried that she may be defenseless in the battles to come.

  "With all the regen and capacity I have now, I should be able to make two more of those glaciers, several logs, and hundreds of spears,” she answered with confidence.

  Liz was no longer a glass cannon — she was now a weapon of mass destruction. I was worried that I had corrupted her with power. I may need to change her back to her demi-human form if this continued, but I couldn't argue with the results.

  I faced her and pulled her into a hug. "Good job, my deer, but next time please consult me first." I whispered into her ear.

  I noticed immediately that her ears reddened as I released her. She just shyly nodded at me in confirmation.

  I mounted her again as we continued our trek to the goblin village. We traveled at a slightly slower pace to prevent the oni from crashing into trees and generally making noise.

  As we made our way through the forest I heard an almost imperceptible laugh in the distance. Liz and Nex seemed to notice it as well, as they turned their heads toward it.

  I called another stop while I focused on listening for any other signs of life.

  The oni hunkered down to one knee, catching their breath as I once again dismounted Liz.

  I focused on my hearing, trying to confirm what I had heard. The sound of cheerful voices and rowdy laughter wafted over to me. I wasn't sure who it was, but I knew who to expect.

  "Get ready, they seem to be coming this way! Liz, make yourself scarce, and use ice spears. I don't want friendly fire here." I said in a hushed voice.

  Liz and Nex disappeared in an instant as the oni stood up.

  I decided that I would be the vanguard. I didn't want innocent blood on my hands if I could help it and needed to confirm that they were the enemy. If they were anything like the ones at camp, they wouldn't try to kill me outright and would instead try to lure me to their friends for an easy kill. My spells would be able to control them as I called reinforcements should they try to kill me themselves.

  I opted to set an ambush. I told the oni to remain in place and be highly visible. At the point that they could visually confirm the enemy, they should make a loud noise to alert them of their presence. I would use that moment to slip behind them and bind them in place with Ten
drils and Weakness. The oni nodded and I moved off toward the voices.

  As I crept nearer I could make out more of what they were saying.

  "Therossa, I love killing goblins!"

  "I know, they always scream the loudest."

  "I kind of feel bad for that little one, though; it jumped at me screaming something about its god punishing us."

  "Since when do goblins even have gods?"

  "It's probably just made of poo like everything else in that village."

  They all laughed again, like it was just some sort of comedy they had watched and not a genocide. I felt my rage bubbling up from inside me again. Had they been talking about Leera and Lina's child? Had they murdered my only living disciple?

  "Just what was that spiky thing that poked out of his arm? Are they evolving?"

  "It doesn't make much difference now. Do you remember how much he squealed as I shoved my sword into his back?"

  "Yeah, you pinned him to the ground. He kept trying to crawl, it was like he didn't know he was stuck."

  "Yeah, it took him a long time to die. I had to kick him until his face caved in."

  They all laughed again while describing his bloody death. He was an innocent, in a way my step-child. I’d had enough of their banter. These were definitely enemies, and they needed to die in the worst way.

  I stepped out into their path. My fists were shaking and I could feel a sense of malevolent fury pulsing from me. I didn't think I could go along with my own plan anymore. I tried to use the calming effect, but it only took the edge off.

  There were six of them: two archers and four men armed with swords and daggers. This was likely just the group responsible for notifying the camp of their success.

  They noticed me instantly. The archers started to take out their bows as the man in front shouted, "Just who..." I didn't let him finish.

  I leapt forward and smoothly drew my weapon. I swung it into his side. I felt his body buckle under the impact as it bent almost in half. He went flying off into the trees as I heard a revolting crunch in the distance.

  The archers had their bows ready as the other two men fumbled with their swords in a panic.

  I dropped my weapon and dove at the archers. My bone spikes hit them each in the chest. I held them aloft, letting their blood slide down my arms as they squealed and kicked in the air. I withdrew my spikes and allowed them to die at my feet.

  I heard a scream as one of the men crashed to the ground trying to scramble away from me.

  The other one had drawn his sword but seemed unsure of what to do with it. I parried with my left spike as he took a wild swing at me. I grabbed his sword hand and crushed it at his wrist. As he screamed, I flung him to the ground on top of his friend. I picked up his fallen sword and skewered them both, driving the sword deep into the ground and pinning them in place.

  I retrieved my macuahuitl as they struggled and squirmed. I chopped into the one on top using the minimum force while being careful not to hit his spine. I felt it bite deep into his leather armor. I wanted him to feel everything; I needed to see his suffering. It would be like a cold drink of water in the hot desert.

  I began sawing slowly, and he shrieked as he tried to crawl away from the sword in his lower back. Unfortunately for him and the one underneath, I had driven it in vertically. If he wanted to be free he would have to split himself from his stomach through his crotch. I felt blood splatter my face as I hit an artery. It continued to gush, painting the ground around us in red and practically drowning the man below him.

  Soon the screaming turned into gurgling, and then only the horrified wailing from the one underneath remained.

  The macuahuitl finally broke through the one on top as he sloughed off in two pieces, leaving only the one at the bottom.

  "Did he scream as loud as that when you killed him?" I asked the one on the bottom as a look of horror slowly turned to a look of thought.

  "You! Are you their god?" he stammered through gasping breaths.

  "I am his god, and I will devour you all. This is only the beginning to your torture. Would you like a preview?" I yelled as spittle shot from my mouth.

  I used petrifying gaze.

  He contorted in abject agony. His body seemed to withdraw into itself as his hands curled up so tightly I could almost hear the tendons snap. His mouth opened to supernatural levels and his eyes cried blood as they bulged from their sockets.

  I began sawing. I felt it tearing into him as he spasmed under me. He didn't release so much as a scream as I finished bisecting him. My body and my macuahuitl were now dripping wet with their thick blood. I licked my lips, savoring the taste.

  I panted uncontrollably. This wasn't near enough. Not only had they likely raped those girls, they had also tortured someone who had believed with all his heart that I would save him. Someone precious to my girls, the last remnant of their former lives.

  Each would be a torch soon.

  I finally regained myself. I looked around for further threats. I guess I hadn't realized when they got here, but I was surrounded.

  Luckily it was my own group.

  The oni stared at me with terrified gazes as from the tops of their shields the goblins looked on in amazement. Liz looked at me with her manic smile plastered on her face, and Nex seemed aroused, her eyes glancing over my blood-slicked skin appreciatively. It was time to move on.

  I withdrew the sword from the red mud with a wet sucking noise and set about gathering their bodies.

  I used Soul Steal and took their skills. It wasn't enough to level up anything. Thads had likely kept his strongest men around himself and sent the weaklings off to fight the goblins.

  I began decapitating them.

  I infused each of their souls back into their heads. I looked to the sky and used Soul Steal again. As their lamenting cries rang out in inescapable torment, I felt my lips curling into a full grin.

  I felt the cold embrace of the elder god once more. There seemed to be something in it, a warm feeling similar to a proud motherly hug. It seemed so familiar, like I had felt it before I came to this world. I must learn more about it.

  I canceled Soul Steal and mounted three heads each on the tops of the oni's shields. They would definitely draw all the attention now.

  I knew the oni had strong defenses, as I had seen them topple several medium-sized trees with their bodies without flinching, but I needed them at full power. I wanted them to be able to regenerate. To do that they needed to eat, and as it turned out I had no further use for these bodies.

  I ordered them to eat. They looked at each other nervously. I could see the conflict in their eyes. They didn't want to eat humans, but they also didn't want to disobey.

  The red one was the first to try. He started taking timid bites that gradually turned into frenzied gluttony. Yeah, the hybrid stomachs probably automatically gave them the Feast ability. The blue one joined in after seeing the look of satisfaction on the red one's face, and soon there was nothing left.

  This way their bellies would be full and they would have the fuel to regenerate later — though I felt like they needed a bib, as it looked like they both had taken first place in a cherry pie-eating contest.

  I mounted Liz and our group proceeded onward.

  The mood was a little strange, and no one said anything. Nex was purposely pressing her butt against my crotch as we rode, but now wasn't the time for this. She hiked up her long shirt and I was reminded that she didn't have anything on underneath.

  We did still have a few hours until we reached the goblin village. Maybe she was doing this to take her mind off things. Perhaps she thought we might die in the battle to come and wished to mate one last time.

  Chapter 31: Reaching The Goblin Camp — John

  I had succumbed to Nex's temptation and we had mated. In the throes of passion, I had also dragged Liz into it against my better judgment.

  We stood there facing each other. Her lips were glossy from her earlier work.

 
Liz seemed so small now. She was looking at the ground between us, afraid to look me in the eye. Her body trembled as she drew her arms into her chest in a self-hug. Was she was worried I would abandon her now that I was done?

  I pulled her close and kissed her deeply as if for the first time. I let her tongue run throughout my mouth as her thin arms clasped me tightly, like she believed I would be gone when she released me.

  I returned her embrace, pressing her close to myself. I needed her to realize that I would not throw her away. I had not just used her. She was mine now, and I intended to keep her.

  I pressed my lips into hers and continued to kiss her. I had no other way to show her how I felt.

  Though I may have many, I wanted her to know that she was special to me, unique in her own way. I was sure my seed had taken root inside her, but I didn't feel like that was enough.

  I clutched her softly in my arms. I allowed my mouth to travel from her mouth to her neck as I licked and sucked her tender skin, leaving red marks and hickeys. I would mark her as mine for all who viewed her.

  I nibbled gently on her ears as I felt the heat from her skin on my lips. She cooed softly in my arms and seemed to relax.

  "I will never abandon you." I told her with certainty in my voice as I whispered into her ear.

  She loosened her grasp and let me move freely. I moved my head back and looked into her wet eyes. I could tell that she had truly given herself over to me, trusting that whatever fate was to befall her, she would face it proudly by my side.

  "I have finally found the place I belong,” she said as she searched my eyes with hers.

  If she was looking for doubt or insincerity, she wouldn't find it here. She kissed me once more. It was a sweet, gentle kiss that seemed to express both our feelings. I felt a warm sensation blooming inside me and knew I could never be apart from her again.

  I released her as she spoke. "Next time, I want to look you in the eyes as we..." She looked down nervously again before finishing. "Mate."

  She then looked back up to me as if finding her courage. "I won't take no for an answer anymore." A smile spread across her face.