Cephalon's Champion Ch. 03

Directly down my only remaining bond.

Into Selena.

An image of her cooking at the stove came to me like watching a computer screen in my mind. Her eyes popped wide as the roiling ball of energy slammed into her gut. The energy had already partially attuned to my form so it attempted to twist her spiritual configuration to match my own. Gritting her teeth, she fought against it with the same ferocity a mama bear used to defend her cubs. Lending her what will I could spare, I helped her push the energy deep down, compressing it to a small ball in her gut, sitting at the base of her spine. Streamers of energy leaked out into her muscles and skeletal structure, reinforcing and enhancing what was already there. Her hands fell onto the counter, supporting the majority of the weight. A single parting burst of energy, spun wildly into her skull. The energy settled and my awareness retreated along the powerline that tied us together, slamming back into my body with a lurch.

The experience with Selena had given me an idea about what I could do with the energy currently constrained by my struggling will.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Of all my testing in I'd done in this new world, the majority had focused on my physical capabilities.The strength of my haunches and the force of my punch. Thick strands of energy were laid like little furrowed fields across my muscles, reducing response time and increasing elasticity beyond the bounds of what would normally be possible. My muscles swelled with power, bulging obscenely on my bones for a second before relaxing.

Only to repeat the process.

Over and over my muscles tensed and relaxed, a six month workout regimen compressed into a five minute timeframe. It burned. But it was a satisfying burn, like eating a spicy food or the headache after solving tough problem. Every micro compression increased the density of my muscle fibers and used up a small portion of the energy until I was finally, gratefully, normalized; in spirit if not in body. The entire process had been harsh but gratifying in a way I hadn't known previously.

It was almost religious.

I'd never been very religious before being brought to this world but that might change if things like this happened regularly.

"What just happened?" I said through a series of coughs. Steam drifted off my overworked muscles in little whorls that drifted until they dissipated into the steamy air of the cave. The atmosphere was like a rainforest, the air humid with latent energy from whatever ritual had just been invoked.

"You've just obtained your first group of faithful. In an extreme injection of spirituality," Ata explained as she slid onto my form, donning me in full armor for the first time ever. She pulsed energy, her gems shining yellow and blue, making the intense ache of my muscles ease slightly. "The Lathen's culture is unique in their manner of existence. The have evolved to attach themselves to a divine, pouring their faith into them and depending on them for defense and shelter."

"Why didn't anyone tell me? You had to know I didn't understand the scope of what was happening," I said, miffed at the deception.

"Would it have changed what you did?"

My righteous anger derailed, I frowned as I mulled over the thought. "No," I said grumpily. "So what does that make me now? Their mother?"

"No. They are now a part of your congregation. Your faithful. And you are their patron."

"Patron..." I said, rolling the word around my mouth. "I think I can deal with that. A goddess, a sister, a priestess, and a hive of patrons walk into a cave... Now if we can figure out the punchline we'll be set."

"Overall, I would say that went well, your holiness," Vespal said, curling into my side, her stinger retreating painlessly from my back. She was obviously drowsy, but struggled to stay awake for my sake. "Would it be all right to invite the rest of the hive into your home? If I'm not overstepping my bounds that is, your holiness. I fear that Surt may stumble upon their hiding place if we wait too long."

"Of course. But that shit's gotta stop right the fuck now."

"What do you speak of... your holiness?" Her feigned cluelessness was thick enough to pave roads with, almost choking me with its obvious falsehood.

I growled at her, my nails diggins small cuts into her sensitive flank.

She shivered but it was not in fear. "How would you like me to address you? It is merely protocol... your holin-"

"You will call me Bast like everyone else or we will see how much punishment your ass can take and exactly what color your flesh turns when it bruises," I said, digging my claws into her plump ass suggestively.

"Very well Bast, your will is my command."

I pulled her into a kiss to to stop her from spewing additional sarcastic concern. Once she was appropriately cowed I addressed her again. "Quit with that subservient shit. I seem to appreciate it in the bedroom, but it makes me uncomfortable to see it used beyond that capacity."

"Very well. I shall attempt to remember said thing" she said, dropping the act.

"How long do we have before Surt shows up? I assume you are tracking him with a drone?"

"You are correct. And we have approximately two hours before his arrival. Long enough for a short rest and a few answers. You asked us previously about the size of the hive and I believe I'm comfortable enough with you now to provide the specifics." She hummed in satisfaction while she embraced my armored backside, her arms falling naturally around my waist.

"What are their names?" I asked, pointing my chin at the two girls who's snuggled together in a cute embrace at some point during the... festivities.

Quirking her head, I could smell her confusion.

She almost says more with her scent and pheromones than she does with words.

"I don't understand. We are all Vespal, together. You now included."

"But... If I want to talk to them, what do I call them?"

"If you wish to address them you may call them by their title, they are guardians of the Vespal hive. In addition to those two, there are two more guardians protecting the rest of the hive. We possess six scouts."

"Those little guys? Like the one I caught earlier?"

"Exactly. They have less volition than most others in the hive; usually they prefer to act as instruments of my own will but they do have their own quirks. We also have three workers, the last class of Lathen that you have yet to meet. They help me to produce our prized honey."

Freya rose from her throne looking curiously at her hands, like they were liable to pop off her arms and go scrambling around like stand ins for the Addams Family. She wobbled over to our piled up bodies, her tail waving around her. "What just happened to my hands? I felt Ata whisper something but I couldn't quite make it out. It almost... It almost sounded like it came from inside me."

Reaching out with a hand and my tails, I pulled her down into my arms, our breasts pressing against each other as our legs casually stacked together. I short circuited her panic with a small kiss, rubbing her hair before bumping our horns together affectionately.

She laid her hand on my hip and I mewed, the normal pleasure of her touch accentuated with the passive magic that'd soaked into her hands. Noticing my response, she slid her hand up my waist. My mouth opened and my eyes closed, the smooth pads of her fingers feeling like aloe vera after a sunburn. The lingering muscular soreness vanished under her hands, turning me into putty. "Magic. I've got magic hands." She held them into the open area our stomachs occupied.

Sure enough they glowed the same soft teal with hints of lavender I'd seen soak into her spirit.

"Of course you do," Vespal said, poking her head over my shoulder to also stare at Freya's hands. "Ata told us that you were an accomplished healer and that your talented hands could heal all the afflictions known to god and man with but a touch."

I paused, my thumb sliding along the edge of Freya's hands. Curling my finger over hers I shifted my hips slightly, turning back towards Vespal.

"What else did my sister tell you?"

"She told us that you were unbeatable in battle and that she had withstood dragon fire without a scratch. We were very impressed," she said without a shred of guile.

Focusing inward at my impetuous sister, I directed my thoughts toward her as best I was able.

You lied to her?

"Not lies. Just half truths. Half truths that are no longer that."

What do you mean? Are you being purposefully enigmatic?

"No. Nascent vessels, or divine eggs, have mutable characteristics before their legends have a chance to spread. By telling a certain narrative to what would be a large portion of your faithful, I've managed to shift the collective belief in our abilities far enough to make the half truths a little more true, three fourths truths if you will. Will Freya's hands cure any wound? Probably not. Not without some additional directly applied mana by you. Do they heal better than they did before you had your congregations? Absolutely."

So... by making the Lathen's believe certain things... Reality has altered to fit that paradigm?

...

That's insane! What if you told them I could grow the size of the mountain? Suddenly, POOF! I can change my form like the Hulk?

"I don't understand all your references but I get the gist and you're mostly correct. Belief has measurable power in this realm, like gravity or magnetism."

I contemplated the implications of what she was telling me as best as I was able.

That means... while my congregation, or legend, is small...

"That you are incredibly vulnerable... and full of potential."

This is a little too much to consider, too much weight to place on my brain, in the twilight before I face down what sounds to be a very literal giant.

"I agree. For now you should relax. What comes will come and I believe that together we will prevail against our foe."

Freya and Vespal had remained quiet while Ata and I were having our silent conversation. The former entranced with placing her hand over every inch of my exposed flesh, soothing my aches; the latter watched with equal interest, mesmerized as crimson skin met crimson skin. I let my worries drift away along with all the tension in my body, my muscles recovering under Freya's tender care.

We spent our time lounging in the antechamber with the thrones, Deku providing us with soft floor beds upon which we sprawled and exchanged gentle pleasantries. For the past five minutes, I felt rhythmic vibrations in the earth that were steadily growing more pronounced. Freya's, now literally, magic hands, kept me from getting too worried, encouraging calm preparation for the contest to come. Ata had disengaged and managed to scrounge up some fruit that she hand fed me, occasionally taking one for herself or offering one to Freya instead. I felt like Cleopatra, pampered on a golden palanquin while my attendants cared for my every want.

Only instead of a palanquin and the nile, I have a dirt floor and a cave.

My lips curled around a strawberry and I purred my pleasure.

I think I prefer my version anyway. Less mosquitoes.

"He's here," Deku's fatherly voice rumbled through the cave. Twirling to my feet, my heart began beat, a feral sort of joy building within me. I lacked the nervousness I would've expected, my transformed body ready and willing for the task ahead. Three Lathens that I presumed to be workers appeared, with their usual golden brown skin but lacking the dark chitinous plates of the guardians and queen. Like their queen, they also had a striated thorax with lighter and darker brown stripes; their thorax, in fact their body as a whole, was softer than the other Lathen, possessing larger hips and breasts that swung ponderously and indicated a more sedentary lifestyle. Chittering anxiously, they entered the cave, parting around me like a wave around a rock. While they entered the cave, all five of them, the three workers and two flanking guardians, fell twitching to the floor.

I turned sharply to Vespal. "Are they okay?"

"They'll be fine. I was holding them seperate from the collective in case our meeting didn't go well. Afterwards... Well afterwards I kept them isolated because I had an inkling that they might be affected by the memory of the event.

"All this...?" I said, motioning at the chittering writhing bee girls on the floor.

"Yep."

"From a memory."

"Indeed."

"Damn I'm good. That's a real ego boost," I said, puffing up my chest slightly.

"Indeed. I look forward to exploring additional avenues of prayer and devotion when you return victorious." She stepped right up to me and gave me a kiss. "Now go forth and conquer."

Ata stepped up and nodded at me and stepped forward, her form dissolving and reforming in protective plating across my flesh, hugging me tight like a skinsuit.

The base layer was a finely woven mesh that stretched and slid along with my skin and muscles; it had a matte finish and seemed to absorb the majority of the light that touched it. Everywhere was covered, with the exclusion of my tails, tips of my claws, and my head. Vital points like my torso, thighs, forearms, and various other areas were reinforced with glossy plating that was accented with crimson gemstones the same color as my natural skin tone. The plating was Ata's normal appearance. Altogether it looked very similar to the more fluid later versions of the Iron Man suit.

"You have men made of iron in your world?"

"Not exactly..." I said chuckling.

"What do you think of the design?" Ata asked with poorly concealed nerves, obviously caring deeply about what I had to say.

"Me likey. Very sleek and nice."

Ata preened under the compliment as I turned my arms and legs to and fro, getting a glance at all the angles.

"I very much like the gemstones design. Although they aren't really stones? The crystalline... Regardless, the curved accents look sufficiently sinister and threatening.

"Thanks. I designed them after your claws."

Placing my obsidian nails up to the shiny crimson proved her correct.

"What do you know... You nailed it Ata, I feel like a badass valkyrie."

"You are so much better than those preening squawk heads. All... 'Glorious death' this, and 'Who has the larger wingspan?' that."

I laughed loudly, single barking snort.

"Ata..." I shook my head. "When things finally settle down, I'm looking forward to exploring and learning about this world with you."

"Me too sister."

Freya approached, giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek, her tail winding possessively around both of mine. "Come back to me. I don't care if you win or not but just come back to me."

The power of belief... Better fake it til I make it.

"Don't worry. I've ate guys like this for breakfast. I'll be back here before you know it," I said with confidence I only partially felt, provided by my instincts and body more than any rational thought.

"It's a date." Her smile was a thin, frightened thing, entirely for my benefit as she tried to hide her fear.

Pulling her into a scorching, throat invasive kiss, she melted into me with full bodied eagerness. I parted from her reluctantly and she gifted me a real smile this time. Winking, I turned my back on her. I could hear her chuckle as I jogged down the hallway.

I exited the cave with all the stealth I could muster, which was considerable, ghosting across the ground on the pads of my feet like a spectre. My skin faded to match the background colors. It wasn't hard to track the invader, the trail of smoke leading to a quarry not far from the entrance into the mountain. A brief skulking later and I received my first glimpse of my foe, examining him from twenty yards behind the treeline.

If I can call it a him...

Surt was a hulking monstrosity, nearly twenty foot tall and oddly skinny for the height. Imagine a man molded hastily form clay, his legs and arms closer to ideas of appendages than anything concrete; now, douse the clay man in charcoal and light him on fire and you would be fairly close to a depiction of what Surt looked like. He wasn't intimidating in the way a tiger was, all sleek muscles and dangerous purpose. It was intimidating in the overwhelming, its size its greatest strength.

And hopefully, its greatest weakness as well. Square-cube law don't fail me now in the land of the gods and walking lava monsters.

Surt was visibly impatient, turning to and fro, gouts of lava sloughing off his hands to smolder on the rocky ground. "Where honeypot? I know she close. Minions tell me so. BRING ME HONEYPOT!" Like Deku, Surt's voice had an earth tone, but where my mountainous father contained deep wisdom, the fire giants held nothing but a simpletons rage. I grit my teeth, hating the way he talked about the woman like she was nothing but a thing... to be possessed... owned like a trinket to be worn around the neck and paraded in front of friends.

"Easy there, save it for the fight girl."

A chunk was missing from the tree, my claws slicing through when my hand clenched in rage.

Whoops.

My rumbling growl faded in my throat while I considered the daunting task before me.

Before us. How are we going to handle this? I directed the thought at Ata.

"How do you want to handle this?"

Surt's words and petulant tone rang through my mind.

I want to kick his ass.

"Then go do that."

That simple?

"That simple," she confirmed.

Angry eyes followed the fire giant, a slow grin pulling up my cheeks into a blood chilling smile.

I like that.

Clueless, the fire giant made no indication that he was aware of my presence. Hauling back, I released a simple jab at chest height. Which landed somewhere where his calf might've been if he had any sort of musculature. I was not confident in my ability to damage what was essentially animated lava.

The punch, although solid enough to plow my hand six inches into his craggy flesh, felt weak and ineffective.

Surt barely reacted, turning ponderously like an obese beached whale. I stayed unnoticed by side stepping along with him, a little annoyed at his obliviousness.

Frowning, I pulled back my fist and focused, drawing from the well of power that pooled throughout my body. My hair pulled back from my face into a tight ponytail, going into what I would henceforth refer to as 'battle mode'. Goosebumps popped up on the flesh of my arms while the little hairs stood up and took notice. Like a cat that had just spotted potential prey, my body prepared for action. The thousands of muscles that lined my body suddenly chomped at the bit, horses that'd been led to the starting gate but the gun had not yet been fired.

Then...

Bang!

With a loud pop, my fist broke the sound barrier, a shockwave of indignant air molecules heralding the arrival of crimson flesh pulverizing pseudo stone. A spray of lava, not unlike that of blood spatter, dotted the rock behind Surt. Unable to handle the heat, the rock quickly began smoldering, dark black smoke filling the air. Surt, dumb though he may seem, was just barely smart enough to realize that his entire leg below the knee was now missing, finally taking notice of me.

That's more like it.

"What you doing? You not honeypot." This seemed to stymie him for a good amount of time. Like tree roots growing in fast forward, glowing hot veins of lava punched through the topsoil, reaching up to connect with his torso and reforming his trunk like leg.