It was starting to get dark. I picked up my pace.
I looked at the clearing in front of the cave. Bob was eating a large monstrous bear. Let's hope that's all he did to it.
"Hey, Bob, toss me a leg." I yelled as I threw the dryad over my back in a fireman's carry.
"Sure thing, Boss,” he said as he ripped a leg off effortlessly and hurled it at me. I caught it one-handed and began to tear into it, putting my sharp teeth to work. I needed it after all the blood this wench had drained.
By the time I got to the entrance I had already eaten most of it. Leera and Lina looked up at me with widening eyes. They were both wearing their furs. I had a moment of clarity. I'm a damned caveman.
I made up my mind at that moment. We would definitely live in a house soon. I needed to talk to the humans in the area and establish relations so that my world could become more civilized.
I laid the dryad down on the floor, but every time I went to stand back up she grabbed my harness. I looked down at her and she looked back at me with pleading eyes. Fine. I picked her back up and sat down by the girls, letting her sit in my lap. She looked around with a fearful expression.
Leera was the first one to break the silence. "So the two of us aren't enough for you anymore, huh?" she teased.
"Oh no, this one won't be joining our family. She's tried to kill me, what, like three times now?" I said as I shot the dryad a spiteful glare. "She'll be on her merry way as soon as she gets out of this funk she seems to be in."
The dryad looked up at me afraid. Was it possible she understood English somehow?
Leera actually looked disappointed.
The dryad clung to me tighter as her lips began to quiver. "Please, don't leave me. I've never been this vulnerable before. Don't abandon me!" she spoke in a whimper full of urgency and desperation.
I ignored her.
Lina was now glaring at the dryad. Her expression promised violence.
My little amazon, trying to protect me. I gestured her over. She walked slowly, keeping her eyes on the dryad the whole time until she was right beside me.
"Miss Dryad, this is Lina. Lina, why don't you show her what will happen if she does anything crazy while she's our guest."
Lina shot out her spike and placed it under the dryad's chin, letting the point barely break the skin before she retracted it.
I could now feel the dryad shaking in my arms.
I smoothed down Lina's hair for a few seconds. She relaxed a little, but she kept her eyes fixed on the dryad.
"And if you somehow do manage to kill either one of them, know that I can bring them back. Then I'll throw you to Bob." I said as I turned my body. I motioned toward the exit and called out, "Oh, Bob, would you care to say hello?"
Bob's glowing red eyes appeared in the doorway instantly, but he was too large to come in comfortably.
"Yes Boss, what can I do you for?" he replied as he eyed the dryad hungrily. His twins began to grow.
"If this one does anything at all to any of us, you can rape, kill, and eat her, in the order of your choosing." I said as I smiled wickedly at the dryad, gesturing between her and Bob in case she couldn't understand my meaning.
Bob exhaled a thick puff of fog as he spoke. "Thank you, Boss! And you, girly, please, oh please, do something stupid."
The dryad shrieked as her nails dug into my skin. Yep. She could understand us all right. Okay, it's night night time for her.
I exhaled a small amount of sleeping fog into her face. Her body relaxed as she went limp in my arms.
I got up and walked back to the altar that I first woke up on. I laid her down there. This'll be a nice surprise for her in the morning. I laughed an evil laugh as I rejoined my girls.
I didn't feel like the dryad was evil necessarily, but actions speak louder than words, and she had deceived me with the intention to kill me multiple times now.
She also had a high-and-mighty personality like the pretty girls from my world. Nothing pissed me off more than an unearned sense of entitlement. Just because she was born prettier than the rest of us, she thinks we all owe her something. Her personality was shit, and in this world I wouldn’t tolerate it.
"Did you actually mean that, Boss?" Bob asked, obviously excited.
"Yeah, but only if she does something to harm one of us." I replied.
Chapter 25: Source One Investigation — John
I woke up in the usual way — Leera with her head on my left arm and her body pressed close, Lina on my chest, and this damned dryad on my right arm. Wait! No, this was not normal. I swiftly ripped my arm out from under the dryad's head, letting it hit the ground. I gently rolled Lina onto Leera, then softly and carefully moved my arm out from under Leera's head, ensuring I did not wake her.
The dryad somehow seemed to stay asleep even though her head had made an audible thunk. She simply cuddled up to Leera.
I would leave the three of them together today; I was finally going to go investigate the source in the human camp. It was quite a distance, and I had a terribly embarrassing idea for cutting down travel time.
I walked out of the cave. Bob was cuddling the dismembered monstrous bear corpse and periodically laughing in his sleep.
"Bob, oh Bob." I called.
He arose with a start and looked around until his eyes focused on me. "Boss! I wouldn't eat that if I were you,” he said, pointing at the bear.
"Knowing you, I wasn't planning on it." I said with a chuckle.
We both laughed for a few moments.
"I have an odd request for you." I said hesitantly while considering the next words I would use. "Could I ride you?" I asked nervously.
Bob broke out in laughter before responding. "Gee, Boss, I didn't know you felt that way. What'll the girls say? I don't want them to think I'm a slut."
Damnit, I knew it would end up like this, but it was still better than asking if I could use him as a mount.
I sighed and rubbed my face with my hand as I responded. "You know what I mean, like a horse."
"I didn't know you did that with horses, too! Maybe you're the slut." Bob said, still chuckling.
"Come on, Bob."
"Isn't that what you're trying to do?" He was now practically cackling.
"Okay, okay, I admit it. You're just too damn pretty. I can't wait to get on top of you and pull your hair as I ride you in front of everyone." I said, now also laughing.
Bob abruptly stopped laughing. "Too far, Boss, too far. You should show some class when dealin' with the ladies."
"You're not a — oh, oh yeah. Sorry, man." I replied.
"I'm just joshin' ya. Throw that bouncy booty up here, and we'll go for a run,” he said, smiling his beastly smile.
Bob laid down in front of me and I climbed on top of him. I grabbed his fur to keep steady as he stood. With our combined height, it probably put us at around eleven feet tall. Hopefully Bob would be conscious of low-hanging branches.
"So, where to?" he asked.
"It's quite some distance to the northeast. I can feel a pull from it, so we shouldn't have much trouble finding it once I'm closer. Judging by what the crow showed me, if I was on foot I would say it would be a day and a half's walk without stopping."
"Just to warn you, I can't keep up a maddening sprint forever. I'm going to have to pace myself." Bob warned.
"Still a lot quicker than me." I responded.
I pointed the way and Bob took off. I could hardly keep track of the trees we were passing and weaving through. If this was his idea of pacing himself, I would hate to see what it looked like if he went full speed.
We stopped once or twice so Bob could eat something small and fluffy to regain his energy. We lost a lot of time trying to find a way around the river while still avoiding the goblin camp.
We reached the spot in the forest from the crow's vision just before nightfall. I dismounted Bob and had him lie down. I didn't want to spook or incite anyone. We looked at the camp in front of us.
Most o
f the tents were gone and the remaining men were taking down the rest. It still made me uncomfortable that they were all armed, as I couldn't honestly tell if they would be friendly or not.
I noticed now just where that pulling was coming from, and it seemed to hint at my suspicions. I was being pulled to the foul-smelling pit. I also felt a much weaker pull from a faraway tent.
"I'm going in there, but I would like you to keep an eye on me. If I call out for you by name, or if you see me fall, then kill them all, the bloodier the better,” I said in a hushed voice.
"I've got your back, Boss. Besides, I've been waiting for a chance to go on a rampage for a while now."
I was human-looking enough to fool the necromancers, so I was sure I could accomplish the same here. Let's see what this place is all about.
I used the calming effect and stood.
I walked slowly into the open.
One of the guys who was taking apart the closest tent looked my direction, doing a double take before running off towards the far tent.
A few of the other men stopped their work and simply stared at me.
"Who is he?" a voice said.
"He looks like a barbarian, maybe a half-orc," another voice responded.
"Yeah, get a look at that weapon. What is it even made of?" a third voice chimed in.
A young man wearing heavy leather armor and a metal half-helm walked up to me.
"Stop right there! Our leader will want to see someone as unique as you," he said in a serious tone, his brows were knitted and his eyes murderous.
I stopped walking and spoke politely. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd say hello. There's no reason for alarm."
The man's hands rested on his sword nervously. It seemed like he was expecting to use it soon.
Nothing about this place seemed right. Everyone was a little too high-strung for my tastes. I looked around to the growing crowd of gawkers. Half of them had sneers on their faces, while the rest looked on with hate in their eyes. I could feel their bloodlust in the air.
The youth in front of me was now looking down at me with a sadistic grin. Ah, they think they've caught easy prey but are still too unsure of their chances to attack. They were undisciplined cowards. Maybe the leader would have more sense.
I heard screaming from a far tent. Was that female? I was starting to get antsy. These guys were definitely up to something. I used Life Sense. The man in front of me jumped back and drew his sword. Never mind this idiot. I ignored him as I looked for the source of the scream.
I saw two blobs in the far tent. It was obvious what they were doing by the motion.
I deactivated Life Sense.
I heard voices from the peanut gallery.
"What is he?"
"Were his eyes just glowing?"
"I don't feel right about this at all."
"Who would just walk into our camp like this?"
The man in front of me pointed the tip of his sword at my neck but stood motionless, sweat dripping down his face. He kept glancing behind him as if waiting for something.
The flap opened on the far tent, and a skinny blonde guy with a scraggly beard came sauntering out.
A man ran over to him and spoke urgently. The man handed him a belt with two blades on it — one dagger and one cleaver-like knife.
The blond man looked over in my direction as he tied on his belt.
He swaggered his way up to the swordsman in front of me, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, Lenny, back down," he ordered.
Lenny sheathed his blade and moved to join the spectators.
"Well, well. It's not everyday we get a guest," the man said as he moved closer to me with a crooked grin on his face. "Relax, everyone here is just a little tense because we're a bit vulnerable right now. As you can see, we're about to move camps, so not everyone is present to greet you." He propped his hands on his blades.
"You may call me Thads,” he said in a lordly tone as he held out one hand.
I took it and shook, but he didn't let go as he spoke again. "And you are?"
"Call me John,” I told him as I eyed him suspiciously.
Something about this guy sent chills up my spine. His smile lacked all sincerity, like this was all a show for him, something he’d done numerous times.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Say, do you happen to have any coin on you?" he said inquisitively.
"No, I haven't needed any yet." I replied honestly.
He pulled me in as if to embrace me. A moment later I felt the sharp tip of his dagger tearing into my chest, piercing my heart and scraping against the thick bone shell surrounding my core.
I crushed his girlish hand. His face contorted in shock and pain. I punched him in the face, feeling his sharp cheekbone cave in as his jaw went sideways. As he fell back, I twisted his wrist feeling the bones grinding together. I released him, letting him fall into a shocked slump on the ground.
My elder-god half seemed to be smiling.
I ripped the dagger free and held it in my left hand. I immediately Fleshcrafted myself and healed my wounds.
"Well, Thads, I have to say you're a pretty shitty host." I said as the men all drew their weapons and Lenny jumped out of the crowd at me.
I cast Weakness on all of them as I activated Dark Shroud, Life Sense and Soul Steal.
Darkness coated me as green flames poured from my eyes.
A few of them fell on their asses as the rest looked on in horror. But it seemed like many more formed up behind them out of the range of Weakness.
Lenny seemed to be able to shake out of Weakness’s effect. He leveled his sword at me and glared into my eyes.
That was a mistake.
I used petrifying gaze. Lenny's jaw dropped open as his head tilted backwards in a frozen scream. Blood began to flow from his eyes as his stiff body hit the ground.
Oh, right. I can probably channel the abyss a little better than most.
Thads was now madly backpedaling. He winced each time he used his wrist. I saw him glow for a moment, and it looked like his jaw had returned to normal. I threw his dagger at him, pinning his leg to the ground as he cried out in shock.
I moved forward, drawing my weapon. I swung it in a downward arc to hit Thad's ankle. I saw the bones give in to the force of my weapon, the teeth digging deeply into his flesh. I sawed back and forth for a moment, starting the slow process of severing his foot.
"Where are you going, oh gracious host? You haven't even met Bob yet." I snarled as he wailed in pain.
"Oh, Bob! Why don't you introduce yourself to our new friends here?" I yelled.
Right on cue a thick fog began covering the area at a frightening speed. It was so thick that I myself couldn't have made out anything more than five feet in front of me without Life Sense.
Then the screaming started.
I heard terrible crunching noises as things rained down around me in wet plops. There was a powerful screech coming toward me from the sky, gradually getting louder as it approached.
A man landed about two feet away from Thads. The man looked at Thads in hopeless desperation as he reached his hand out to him. Thads looked back at him. The man was gone from the waist down. I saw the two glowing orbs of Bob's eyes appear for a split-second before the man was gone again and I was coated in a mist of blood.
I wiped my eyes before looking down to resume work on my host but found that my weapon was sunken into a thin severed leg.
Had Bob done that, or had the scrawny man done it to free himself? I used Life Sense, but there were too many blobs all moving in different directions. I had no clue which could be his.
I guess it's time to reduce the number of blobs.
I stepped into the fog and began swinging my weapon.
I felt something soft give way as my blade met flesh. I saw the body shoot off, hitting a few more and knocking them over.
I leaped over to the pile of screaming men hacking downward and noticed a
man come charging from my left. I shot out a bone spike, parrying his blade as I brought my weapon around with my other hand, soundly decapitating him.
My head shot to the right as I heard more screams. I saw Bob mauling someone. Another man was running at Bob with a spear. I picked up the head laying at my feet and threw it, hitting the would-be ambusher. I felt a sharp pain in my back. I turned to see a slender man in black holding a set of bloody daggers.
"Sorry, but those just won't do the trick." I said as my weapon swung around to meet him.
He feebly held his daggers as if to block, but the force went right through them, pinning his arms to his body as he went flying. He toppled end over end until he came to rest in a jumble of broken limbs. I'll let Bob finish that one off.
I ripped an arm off of one of the men in the minced pile in front of me. I ate without bothering to chew as I felt the wounds closing on my back.
The whole time I'd been fighting, souls had been regularly flying into me. I opted to use the rodent souls I had been saving to restore some of my mana — not that it was low, but sorting through all this later would be a pain.
I saw a large group of blobs in a circle about twenty feet away. Smart — they couldn't see, so they formed a circle.
I made my way there cautiously. The fog in addition to Dark Shroud would drastically reduce my visibility, but if they were looking right at me I could still be easily seen.
As I covered half the distance, sure enough a man called, "Here comes one! On me!"
They shifted to form a sort of improvised phalanx using self-crafted wooden shields. These men were different. Did they have military training? I got within swinging distance and they started to advance on me.
I used Dark Tendrils to root them all in place.
I casually strolled around their shield wall to their exposed backs and began hacking away. They screamed and pleaded as I moved down the well-organized line, striking the backs of their necks. Some were decapitated, but all were dead. The last one in line screamed the loudest, as I'm sure he knew what was coming.
I looked around, scanning for my next opponent. Most of the blobs were now lying on the ground motionless. I could make out two or three in the trees at the far side of the clearing.
A Flesh Golem's Ascension Page 18
