Omnimage

by Simon Archer

  “That’s… just…” Hikki was having a time processing my honest courting through what must have been a lifetime of doubts piled on top of her. “It has to be a joke, though. You must think I’m not tall enough, or short enough, or thin enough, or fat enough, or that my nose is too small, or my ears are too short, or that I’m not green enough--”

  “It seems like you’re as stubborn as your father, your asshole brother, your mother… s, and just about every other goblin I’ve met, so I’m going to make myself as clear as possible so you have no excuses.” I grabbed the sides of the poor girl’s face to force my message through whatever barriers on her mind were blocking me. “Listen to these truth-words of which I mouth-talk from this facehole of mine for you to hear with your beautiful pointed hearing-ears and understand with your head-brain: I want to sleep with you. I think you are attractive, and therefore desirable enough to want to see you naked, and then for more fun things after that. Even without seeing you naked, I like your hips and your butt and your pretty face, along with the rest of you. I don’t think you’re too tall or too short. I don’t think you’re too fat or too thin. I don’t think you’re not green enough or too green. You’re just the right amount of everything, from these braids that must have taken a long time to make so delicately artistic right down to your petite little feet. And I’d like to get all up in that, if you don’t mind me being too frank and vulgar about it.”

  “You…” From the look in her shiny, forest-hinted eyes, Hikki’s stubborn refusal to see the truth seemed to crack, if only just a tad. “Do you really think all of that?”

  “Here’s the thing: your father is so much stronger than me, it’s not even funny.” I gave her my damning evidence of my sincerity. “He could wipe me off the face of this planet with a single swing of that tree he just lugs around for fun. I’m not a fool, and I’m not suicidal. I don’t want to die. I actually like living a lot, especially in this world instead of my own, and I haven’t even seen the surface of it yet. But I plan to soon. I was aware of all of this just moments before, and I’m aware of it right now. And even though I plan to live a full life of uncrushed bones, and see the surface in all of its glory, and train hard enough to get strong enough to complete the absurdly grand destiny thrust upon me by a dying friend as his final wish, even after all of that, I put everything on the line just to stand up to your father, who, while a good goblin man otherwise from what I’ve seen just now, has been filling your head with vile nonsense about your mad-slamming-jamming-bangaranging-good looks. I truly felt in my heart that you not knowing was a crime, more so than even my will to live could have stopped. That is how much I wanted to show you your value and wanted you to understand that--”

  A pair of lips on my own silenced me, as the tentative Hikki finally let go of the inhibitions that had been holding her back all this time. She pulled away, turning as red as a tomato caught naked in a stranger’s house.

  “I am so sorry, Jeremiah from Earth!” She scooted away from me. “I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds with such--!”

  I shut her up just as suddenly with my lips against hers, though I pulled away gently, with maintained proximity and full intent to do so again.

  “Kisses from beautiful girls are not impositions, Hikki.” I kissed her again. “They’re wonderful gifts that most men would go on insanely dangerous quests for. I would have done ten just for what you gave me right now. And now I’m going to impose upon you for a few more gifts for myself.”

  “Are you going to…?” She was sheepish about what she wanted, and yet desperate to get it out anyway. “Uh, impose for more than just kisses?”

  “Well, we did just get married.” I pulled in closer, leaning over her. “It’d be a damn shame if we didn’t impose upon each other at least a little bit this one time.”

  “It’s no imposition at all, Jeremiah from Earth.” Her breathing grew heavier and faster as the moment began to form around us. “Take anything you want. Anything. Everything. It’s all yours. Do you want to take a look? I can show you everything that I can offer, as long as you still want to see it.”

  “As long as I can also look with my hands.”

  I felt out the straps and buttons holding her buckskin dress together, letting it fall off of her as I looked over her bountiful wares over and over again, while she accepted several donations of my gratitude in kind with grateful acceptance.

  Goblin men were bona fide idiots for passing this up.

  As I kissed my way up the side of her neck, I let my hands roam across her soft skin. I traced her curves as I worked my way down her back and over her hips, and then I gripped her tightly and pulled her in closer to me. She was more than willing, and I could feel the sharp points of her nipples grazing my chest through my shirt.

  As though she read my mind, her hands delicately inched up the front of my shirt, skipping over each toggle and loop until she had reached the base of my throat. Her movements were as bashful as her voice had been moments earlier, and I countered her gentle unbuttoning with a gruff tug at her waist.

  The little space left between us was now gone, and Hikki giggled shyly as I foiled her attempt to unbutton my shirt. She stretched up to kiss me gently on the lips, and I felt a shiver down my spine at the sensation of her velvet soft lips against mine. I pressed my mouth hard against hers, and she relented, returning my show of force with some of her own.

  With her shy spell broken, Hikki made quick work of the rest of my shirt toggles, and I hastily shrugged it off my shoulders and allowed it to billow down to the floor to join her buckskin dress. She placed her hands delicately against my chest, and they felt slightly cool against my warm skin. I cupped her face in my hands and stared into her dark green eyes.

  “It’s all yours,” she repeated, her voice hitching in her throat as she spoke.

  That was all I needed to hear. I climbed onto the bed as she scooted back again to make room for me. The mattress was as soft as I’d imagined, and as I crawled up the length of her body, she sank back into it, letting me hover over her. I took in the sight of her naked body for only a second before moving in to her neck, kissing my way down and across her clavicle. Hikki wiggled beneath me in response, and as I made my way toward her ample breasts, her wiggling picked up speed in anticipation.

  I wanted nothing more than to satisfy her every need, so I took one of her nipples into my mouth as I continued to let my hands roam everywhere. She gasped sharply at the sudden sensation of my tongue, and her skin felt delicate and supple beneath my hands. She arched up slightly, and I released my hold on her breasts, trailing my way down her stomach as I relished in her curves.

  When I reached her hips, she moaned and writhed, impatient for what she knew was coming, and her legs inched up onto my shoulders, pushing me down further until the scent of her sex wafted over me and called me closer.

  I didn’t hesitate. My tongue darted out to taste her, and her thighs tightened around my neck as she uttered a few breathless moans from overhead. Urged on by the sound of her voice, I dove in for another taste, this time slowing down to enjoy every second of it. She tasted exquisite, and I could have stayed there for the rest of my life if she would let me. I traced every inch of her delicate folds before taking her sensitive nub into my mouth.

  Hikki let out a high-pitched squeal as she arched upward again, forcing my face further up against her. I attacked her with vigor, lapping up as much as I could between gasps for air. She didn’t stop writhing and squealing, and eventually, I had to reach my hands up to pin her hips down to prevent her from interrupting me. I listened closely as her rapid breathing became more and more erratic, and then her hands flew down to my head, grabbing a chunk of my hair. She screamed out as her orgasm crashed over her with a vengeance, and I continued my ministrations until her screams settled into whimpers and her writhing turned into trembles.

  I took one last taste, trailing my tongue up her center before crawling back up the length of her body to look her in the eyes.
She leaned up to kiss me and then giggled as she pulled back.

  “Your face is wet,” she whispered, her breathing not yet steady.

  I cocked an eyebrow at her and shifted over so that I was sprawled out on the mattress beside her. I ran a hand over my face to wipe off any excess, which elicited another giggle from her. I reached over and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her on top of me. She immediately settled over me, straddling my hips and pinning my aching cock beneath her warm, incredibly wet center. I felt myself twitch with need, and a mischievous smile danced across her face as she felt it too.

  Hikki tentatively rocked her hips, slowly at first, and then with more tenacity. I knew that as electric as it felt for me, she was getting just as much enjoyment out of it. I felt her clit run up and down my length as she moaned with pleasure, tossing her head back and closing her eyes. I traced her curves again, astonished at how gorgeous she looked like this. I felt her grow wetter as she ground down against me until the two of us were drenched. It became so slippery that when she rocked back, I slipped right in. It happened so quickly, neither of us were expecting it, and she rocked completely backward before she could properly react, sending my entire length plunging deep within her tight, perfect opening.

  We both stilled and gasped at the sudden shift, and my cock threatened to explode right then, but I steadied myself and refused to allow it. We locked eyes and remained there for a moment, and my hands fell down to her hips and eased her back into her previous rhythm. She whimpered as she moved, and I fought to stay focused as her movements sent my cock throbbing, searching for release. I felt her damn dear vibrate beneath my hands as she inched closer and closer to climax, and listened as her voice crept higher and higher. Her breath was shaky, and every time she looked down at me, I saw her pupils dilated. She was close, so close, and I wanted to bring her over that edge with me.

  I slipped my hand beneath her, finding the perfect spot with my fingers, and let her movements press the pads of my fingers against her clit. With each rock, she pleasured herself on my fingers, and her short squeals mirrored the sensations coursing through my body. Finally, I couldn’t fight it any longer, and as she let out another shattering scream, I thrust my hips upward to feed my release, burying myself deep inside her as I spilled all that I had within her depths.

  Hikki twitched with aftershocks as she collapsed on top of me, and I held her close as I steadied my own breath. I don’t know how long we laid there like that, still burrowed into each other, but eventually, sleep took over, and I sank further into the mattress as the room went dark.

  19

  “My people!” Gak’Nak addressed the masses that had gathered for my wedding, a couple hours after Hikka and I had made everything rigorously official. “Today is an amazing day for my household! A day that none might have ever thought would pass in their lifetime. My daughter is finally married to a capable warrior! I know, I’m as surprised as any of you! But, I’m proud to say that she’s going to help give this tribe more power and strength than it’s ever seen before. I know that many of you among us have been very vocal about your disagreement of the groom’s right to be a part of this tribe. These complaints have not gone unheeded. I assure you, by the shed blood of Jubjub himself, that you will each get your chance to more firmly state your grievances with him personally in just a few minutes!”

  There was a wave of chuckles that washed over the party goblins, as if they were all in on some joke I hadn’t heard yet. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that one bit.

  “But I’m sure you’re already sick of me talking!” the chieftain entertainer joked as more goblins laughed, “you’re all here to drink until you can’t see straight! Well, get to it! We’ve already cracked the casks with axes! Don’t let it go to waste! I don’t want to see a drop of it left after we’re done!”

  All the goblins roared into the festivities, moving about like ants in an anthill of party favors and colorful outfits. Gak’Nak’s wives had even made me a fanciful outfit, in record time, with enough colors to make parrots and peacocks both jealous of my vibrancy.

  Hikka, obviously, had her own beautiful tribal wedding dress, sporting nearly enough feathers to be a bird of paradise herself. Like something out of a fairytale and indigenous folklore at the same time, it had a train of different-colored feathers long enough to make the Transcontinental Railroad give a double-take.

  Bodo was given his own set of feather dressings in the form of a collar, along with some ceremonial beads. Being a magical construct of my own power, he was a perfectly behaved little creature, charming all of Gak’Nak’s wives as they showered him with scratches and praise. He up and disappeared soon afterward, either into his pocket dimension or into a crowd.

  Even Delilah was given a dress of her very own. While the colorful beads and stones that made it up were very vibrant and pretty in their own right, the dress itself admittedly didn’t leave much to the imagination. She was very upset with it.

  “Did a rainbow throw up on me?” Delilah, abusing the fact that she was verbally invisible, spoke without any filters. “Gods, it looks like I rolled around in a flower field. Or in paint. And what is with these straps back here?” She reached around to the back of her dress, which was nonexistent, save for the straps that kept her top on, keeping her belly exposed. “Do people really need to see this much of my back all the time? I’m freezing my ass off in this thing. It couldn’t have been any thinner if it was my own skin!”

  “You were just trancing about in just a tunic less than a day ago!” I reminded her of our battle of wills before summoning Bodo. “Literally only the tunic, and before that, you were wearing cold armor over it. I suppose that was warmer?”

  “Hey, when you’ve got me hot and bothered, I can be as naked or armored as I want to be, preferably naked.” The distressing bridesmaid kept twirling herself around in a vain attempt to see all of herself at once. “Now that I’m expected to not be doing anything fun like that for a while, I’d rather be wrapped up in a fur coat. A thick, lumpy fur coat. Or my armor again.”

  “On behalf of my mothers, I am truly sorry that you’re displeased, my lady.” Hikka bowed to Delilah as I just stared at her with a confounded expression. “I assure you, they meant no offense. They used only the finest strands of skullspider silk in the weaving, even more so than the groom’s wedding attire. These are clothes befitting the honored First Concubine of the chief’s successor.”

  “Concubine!?” Delilah had been whipped up by the accusation. “In what universe would anyone reasonably want to be a…” Delilah’s mood drastically and suddenly took a complete turn around to positive and inquisitive, but not any less energetic. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hang on. First things first. You speak Grosrove?”

  “Yeah, I was just about to ask about that.” I added, still staring at Hikki, “How do you know what she’s saying? Have you been able to understand her the whole time?”

  “Well, she is only speaking the trade language of Grosrove,” Hikki explained, “I have learned--” She stopped herself to lean in, prompting the rest of us to huddle up as she switched to a whisper. “I’ve learned many languages on my trips up to the surface.”

  “You’ve been to the surface?” I questioned further, also whispering. “That’s awesome! I was under the impression that you were locked up in your room under guard. How did you manage even one surface trip, let alone enough to learn a new language from scratch?”

  “Why are we whispering?” Delilah asked.

  “My father does not know about these trips,” Hikki spoke even quieter, “and neither does anyone else in the village. He would never let me leave my room for any reason unless he allowed it, and he would be furious if he found out that I had done so without his knowing so many times. But I had grown curious, so I learned many ways of sneaking out and returning to my room without notice.”

  “How?” I asked the begging question.

  “I cannot say it here,” the goblin girl s
tood back straight, looking over at Gak’Nak, who’d just walked by us. “We can speak more after the wedding festival.”

  “Speaking of this wedding,” Delilah returned the conversation to the previous topic that she was still upset about, “WHY AM I A CONCUBINE?”

  “Why are you upset?” Hikki stepped back from the wild revenant. “You are the First Concubine. I am honored to be in your presence and wish only to serve you. Why would that make you unhappy?”

  “Happy?” The warrior woman resented the remark. “How is this a good thing?”

  “Do you not know already?” the confused princess inquired. “Well, then again, you are from Grosrove. They do not have concubines up there, do they?”

  “No, we don’t have house slaves used primarily for sex,” Delilah stated bluntly, “it’s not something that any elf with options just willingly stumbles into. Again, how is that a good thing? What are the benefits of having my rights not legally recognized by the institution I’ve found myself in?”

  “I am so sorry for making you upset,” Hikki looked down and away, ashamed of herself. “I did not mean to overstep my place. Please make your punishment merciful, and I will strive to remember where I stand in this household in the future.”

  “I’m not mad.” The monk warrior took a deep breath to let out her frustrations. “Mostly, right now I’m confused as to what makes you think that I have a right to punish you when I’ve been labeled a concubine?”

  “I’m sensing a major cultural disconnect between both of your uses of ‘concubine.’” I acknowledged the conversational elephant in the room. “What is a concubine in goblin culture, Hikki? Definitely not a sex slave like the Grosrove elves use, by the sound of it.”