There was no hair anywhere on my head, not even eyebrows. The skin on the head and torso had thick, rough looking, green blotches everywhere, likely lichen and other types of mold.
The arms were large muscular things, definitely feeling out of place on this body. They were coated in grey skin with tufts of fur sprouting out from the shoulders and elbows. It was obvious that this rock troll was in a bad state when Dipshit found him. The arms where missing skin here and there and had stitches throughout them, roughly keeping them together. The hands where as I already knew huge and the knuckles looked deadly.
Normal guy's lower half was displayed here without the pants and I can honestly say 'Normal' does not apply here. My god, or, my me I suppose. He must have been blessed by the porn gods of this world. The legs were very muscular, definitely someone who had spent their life in hard labor as they had bulky thigh and calf muscles and large, high arched feet. The skin here was white and slightly pink as you might expect of any villager of European decent. Not that Europe was a thing here.
After seeing this I decided I would use the skill. but materials were an issue. Sure I had Dipshit just a few feet away, rotting on the floor. But he alone would not have all the skin necessary to cover the outside of this monstrosity that I seemed to be. But what to do?
Ah yes my snack store, AKA Dipshit's part stockpile. Though mostly too rotten for these purposes, if you add it all together it should provide enough fresh materials. I stood up and dragged his body over to the stockpile and sat down amidst the delicious parts.
Yeah, I was definitely still under the calming effect of the book, it kinda felt like being drunk. I clicked choose style and start. I chose strength, as with my current parts, speed and beauty would by no means help.
My eyes glossed over and the book took control over my movements. I was only vaguely aware of what was happening but needless to say what followed was a series of flaying and absorption. The book then began shifting and moving my parts and muscles.
When I was again in control of myself I pulled up the blend skill to get a look at my new body. The skin covering my body was almost caucasion if it weren't for a pale grey tinge that I guessed was partly rock troll and partly other sources. but at least now it was uniform. there were no stitches to speak of, and I still lacked hair, but at least I had eyebrows and the barest semblance of a nose.
The skin around my mouth was made thicker and the outline of teeth could no longer be seen through it. The teeth however were still there, but now provided I didn't smile fully they could be concealed.
The muscle had been stacked and layered through out my body. I now had a six pack, no, an eight pack of abs. My shoulders had been broadened to accommodate the arm structure a little better and give me a more human shape. The leg bones had been lengthened to accommodate the length of the arms and provide a more balanced impression. I guessed my height now must be between 6'5" and 7 feet. Yep, definitely still not human, but perhaps now I wouldn't be shot on sight.
I moved around a bit feeling how effortless everything was. I tried doing push-ups, jumping jacks and sit-ups, all seemed to be doable without any real effort or feeling of exhaustion.
I noticed now that without any real effort of thought the interface would disappear if I wasn't thinking of using it, but I could still feel it as if it were there. I supposed it wasn't actually anything visual but something happening in my mind.
The fairy walked out from behind the skills window and started to speak. "So, what do you think? Pretty awesome huh."
I could tell from its happy tone that it was fairly proud of itself.
"It's not bad, I still feel like a resident of Innsmouth, or a crappy batman villain though." I replied.
I really was surprised by the quality of the work, but at it's core, or my core I suppose it made me realize just how inhuman I was.
The fairy laughed proudly, thrusting it's little chest out. "You have no idea how hard that was considering what we had to work with here. Well, I won't linger, you still have your abilities tab to look through. I'll be waiting if you have any questions." The fairy again walked behind the window.
Alright then, I still had two more skills, Soul steal and feast to try, but it was obvious that the fairy wanted me to check out abilities first. I tapped on the abilities tab. It only had two entrees.
[Abilities]
Fleshcrafting
Soul Infusion
Fleshcrafting was wreathed with green flame, letting me know that it was the one I was supposed to click. So of course I hovered over Soul Infusion first.
Soul Infusion:
An ability granted by your elder-god core.
A soul in storage may be infused into an object, either giving it the soul's attributes and sentience or causing it to complete a predetermined function.
Additional levels may make the actions more complex or allow you to infuse multiple souls into one object for a more powerful result.
Soul Infusion may also be used to disassemble, combine or otherwise alter souls in your inventory.
Interesting, but I didn't quite understand it.
I hovered my cursor over fleshcrafting.
Fleshcrafting:
The ability to manipulate flesh freely into any form or shape one wishes.
At current level you can only affect your own flesh or flesh that has been grafted to your body. This process takes hours or even days for bigger changes.
At high levels you may even be able to quickly manipulate the flesh of your enemies, provided they are not magically protected. At the mid levels you can make split second changes to your own form. This skill is mainly seen in flesh golems at higher levels.
"Hey fairy." I said.
The fairy once again walked around from the side of the window.
"Yes master." It said as if doing an Igor impression.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
"Can fleshcrafting be used for regeneration or instant healing?" I asked
The fairy replied "Yes of course! But at your current level it will take some time. You can heal in a few minutes what it takes a normal person a few months to do naturally, provided you have the meterials. Cuts and things like that won't hurt you that much as long as they don't hit your core, but fire, acid, and many magical attacks could still kill you before you could even start mending. Oh, and beware of priests and healers! If they throw a resurrection spell on you, you may die instantly, or at best be unable to use fleshcrafting again for some time. You see resurection tries to return your soul to your body, which happens to be long gone."
"So if I understand correctly, as it currently stands a slime could kill me quicker than a fully armed knight?" I asked
"Not quite, all a knight would have to do is drive a sword, lance, spear, sharpened stick or any number of sharp pointies through your chest and rupture your core, and you would die. The slimes of this world aren't the cute jello mold-like creatures you're thinking about. They are usually bigger than horses and tend to envelope and smother things before digesting them. But they take a lot longer to digest than you would think. And given that you don't really need to breath, you could probably just walk right out of there, or even use fleshcrafting on it by absorbing it and turning it into gross slime skin or tentacles or something." The fairy replied.
"And without further ado I present you with this gift." The fairy raised her hands in the air and a number one floated from them up to a new heading that said ability points.
"Since you used blend your body is a little more stable and you can handle some more power. Powering you up is kinda my thing you know." she said.
"Now then all this talk of your weaknesses makes me realize you need to create some defenses. and you have a pile of possible additions here. so I would recommend putting that point into fleshcrafting, and making yourself a little something to help you out." she recommended.
She was obviously going through all this song and dance just to get me used to the leveling system she
created. What was this, a tutorial?
Who was I to argue with an ancient evil book with lifetimes of wisdom under it's belt. Plus, I didn't know what the other ability was all about yet, but I instinctively knew it wasn't anything combat oriented. I was still a bit surprised knowing that just about anyone could kill me if they got in a lucky shot, and I had zero defenses against steel at the moment making me feel squishy and uncomfortable. I decided to listen to the fairy and tapped the new plus icon that appeared beside fleshcrafting. A new line formed under the description for fleshcrafting.
Fleshcrafting level two:
All fleshcrafting speed in increased.
You may effect the things you are in direct contact with, this is a much slower process than something which is a part of you. It can also be used to make flesh constructs. however, the more complicated the creation is the longer it will take to make.
After thinking for a bit I decided I would attempt to make a weapon. I mentally clicked on fleshcrafting to activate it, and something kind of like a design mode started.
The fairy popped out again. "I tried to think of a way to change your perception of time a bit to make this all easier. Since you don't need to eat or drink, this shouldn't effect you negatively. I will also be helping you passively with things like mathematics and symmetry while you create things here." Without another word she simply popped back out of existence.
My first thought was a femur club. I gathered the legs and leg bones around me into a pile and extracted eight femurs and a pelvis. I began combining the bones together extracting the marrow as I went. I smoothed and lengthened the object. But a club just didn't feel right. If I was investing this kind of time I needed more to show for it than something that would become obsolete when I found a sword or something later. But I couldn't think of anything too complex at the moment.
I tried smoothing the bone into more of a sword shape, but that too just didn't feel right. I thought about ancient cultures and remembered something from Myan culture.
I would make a macuahuitl, which was something like a large wooden paddle with obsidian blades attached to the sides.
I changed my greatsword shape into a flat surface resembling a cricket bat with the paddle surface stretching out to about five feet, leaving the handle at the one foot mark.
But what to do about the blades I couldn't shape rock. I thought for several minutes. Ah yes, teeth! Teeth can be sharp and enamel is harder than normal bone. I extracted as many teeth as I could from what was lying around and shaped them all uniformly into small jagged points. I then attached them to the sides of my weapon. This way when one broke off into an opponent the rest would still be there for the remainder of the battle. Simply adding one back would probably not take me too long.
I looked at my work. It was something truely menacing to behold. It looked like a cross between a macuahuitl and a sawfish snout, but I felt like I could do more. I condensed the bone into itself several times. increasing its strength and density. while it slightly shrank my paddle it was still massive.
I mentally clicked the done button.
I held my new weapon. It was around six inches wide and about five and a half feet long. I was glad I took strength as my blend option as this thing had some serious heft to it.
I ripped up the robes worn by Dipshit to make a harness to hold it as I knew they wouldn't fit me. Honestly, I just wanted to destroy something he cherished. I still hated him. I didn't know if it was me or the elder god, but I knew I would always hate those who tried to control me. Those who in someway thought themselves my superior. I would not be controlled, I would not be contained. The thought of another being holding itself above me made me sick. I would rule them all, every other being is simply my stepping stone, I am the end. Not even a god may fight death in this world. No sun nor star may overcome the darkness forever. Eventually, there is only me, older than all, they may outshine me but I will always be present and as... What the hell am I thinking. I am okay, I am me and no one else.
I took several deep breaths trying to center myself. Wow, this god had a major inferiority complex. I felt a kinship as I had been glanced over my entire life. Early on in my life I tried my hardest at everything, but I was never recognized for anything, simply because I didn't look capable of anything great. Others always took credit for my ideas and passed them off as their own. Just because they were attractive or seemed smart or cute they always got what they wanted, while I was left with nothing. I had what was for lack of a better definition resting bitch face. making me seem unapproachable. People would often attribute the worst possible emotions or motivation for anything I did. It was another reason I hated people. Another reason my digital self was so much more real to me.
In games I was just another player, my avatar could smile while I was crying inside. The game would persist even when my world was crumbling around me. Money to live, live to make money. Truly, that world was broken and I wanted nothing more than to break it all apart. I would embrace this god, he and I knew the truth of it all. That in the end, life is about the struggle, that to win we must crush all the false profits smiling deceptive smiles. A shiny coin in one hand to tempt and a dagger in the other concealed behind their back waiting to strike.
I would kill all those who claimed their truth in gold. Those who claimed to be superior by birth or fortune. Those who claimed the world was theirs by right. The only certainty is death, is nothing, is me. There is only nothing. Everything else is a temporary illusion strung together by false beliefs.
I am the absolute certainty, the final end to all things.
I laughed out loud, my cackling voice hurting my throat, my voice abnormally loud. My very life ebbing away into the aether. I felt my mind crack, splintering into nothing. I held my thoughts together with the strength of my willpower alone. I gradually regained myself. Jeez, I think I might have some issues here.
I don't know how much of that was me and how much of that was the brewing resentment of the elder god dwelling within my soul.
I knew that from here on out I had to think of nothing but puppies and kittens or else I may lose myself.
I sensed that if the elder god ever regained his memories I might cease to be. The very power of his existence may overwrite me and everything I was.
But I also knew that we were fused now. We were one being, if I could only show him that there was more in life than deception and strife, then he may wait a while before ending it all.
He, like me wished to know more of existence, to feel more. A meal prepared with love, slowly savored to the last morsel would make consuming it all that much more satisfying. This world didn't know it yet, but I would consume it all. Then maybe my old world could use a little enlightenment.
I felt my wanderlust renew. I was ready to take this world for all it had.
The fairy jumped out again as if to kill my momentum.
"Wait! I still have more to give you!" It said with it's body making an X shape. " I give you three languages of this world, since no one here speaks English." It brought it's hands together as if in prayer, then parted them once more. "You now know Therossian, Forrestkin and Goblin. These are the most common languages in this area." it said.
"Well, that's certainly convenient but I would really like to get going now. Is there anything else?" I said with a touch of annoyance in my voice.
The fairy pretended to think for a moment and finally said.
"Yes, don't forget about your other two icons. The backpack is inventory, but you don't have any dimensional compartments or space magic so it's basically just a list of what you have. You'll mainly use it to manage and interact with the souls you take. The scroll Icon is a lists of tasks and quests that will be populated as you interact with people and things in this world. I will also try to help you by adding quests that I think you might benifit from, to make you stronger or get cool things." The fairy gestured to the othe two icons.
I mentally clicked on the backpack Icon.
Rag harness: this harness was quickly and poorly constructed from a novice necromancer's robe. It seems to only be held together by the power of wishful thinking, but should provide something your weapon can hang from.
Effect: minor raised effenciency with soul steal due to the nature of the materials.
Great Bone Macuahuitl: Made of reinforced bone, you believe this weapon may even stand up to steel swords for a time.
Effect: higher chance of intimidation.
Normal Guy Pants: Made of a threadbare grey fabric. There is nothing spectacular about these pants except that they are still in one peice.
Souls: You have not yet stolen any souls, and you are not using mine.
I closed the inventory, and clicked on the scroll.
New Quest:
Get souls!
Use soul steal and acquire some souls to play around with!
Rewards: Souls!
Consequences if refused: No souls, and the book will hate you.
I closed the scroll.
"So then you won't let me use your souls?" I asked.
"I've already explained this to you, most of the souls in me are smart, powerful or at least magic, excluding a few goblins and curious fools and are better if transfered to you when your soul can except them without you losing yourself. Imagine having all the knowledge and power of so many lifetimes. You would be able to master every sort of magic, learn every skill and martial art, or even how to make a goblin pie. The knowledge within also allows me to help you more, so in effect you would just be making yourself dumber. Plus it's not like you even know what to do with those souls anyway so why do you care? Go find your own souls to play around with." She said as she waived away the green soul bar resetting it to zero.
"This ends the tutorial. I'll still be around for any questions on skills or anything I feel you need to know but you will have to start figuring out things on your own. That's the best way to get stronger you know!" Some fireworks that blossomed into green screaming skulls shot up into the air and the fairy dissipated, leaving me alone in the quiet darkness of the cave.
Deathcreator Book One: A Flesh Golem's Ascension Page 3
