Lewd Ascent - A Futa LitRPG Ch. 146-155

Right now, she worked studiously away at dusting down the statue of Ephythithys. Since she had been caring for the Temple since she could walk, this was hardly her first time doing so. But despite that familiarity, she had always—and still did—found the task of cleaning Ephythithys's statue a bit ... well, flustering.

Because whichever artisan had painstakingly chiseled the effigy had taken great effort to highlight the goddess's, erm, holy assets. Which was fair. Most people knew Ephythithys as the goddess of fertility and sex, but primarily in the biological sense—the planting of seed to grow new life. Aria, however, having spent her life studying religious texts and immersed in topics of the divine, knew she represented more than that. Sex in all of its aspects. Ephythithys's domain included lustful indulgences, carnal desires, the sensuality of touch, and the heat of ecstasy. Not just the process of creating life from a sacred standpoint, but all the sweaty, sticky details in between.

And the statue-maker knew this too, apparently. Blushing, she dusted down Ephythithys's bust, struggling not to let her eyes shy away from her very, very generous proportions—and more importantly, the lifelike realism of the stone. The clearly visible nipples through thin clothing, which Aria politely dusted.

Unfortunately, Aria was hardly the only person in the Temple to have noticed the impressive accuracy of the statue. Many visitors had as well. And because of that—and the perverted, irreverent nature of some—Ephythithys's stone breasts were starting to discolor from being touched so often. Most people brought proper reverence into the Temple, but not all of them. People would be people, even in a holy place. Aria herself had caught a handful of visitors rubbing the stone.

One such violator had told her that he had done so because, apparently, rubbing Ephythithys's breasts brought good luck—and he was trying for child. Aria was torn on whether she believed him. He had seemed earnest. It made some sort of sense, but she was pretty sure the constant touching stemmed from immaturity, not the desire to 'receive luck with fertility'. Regardless, it was becoming clear that the statue might need to be renewed. The discoloration became more noticeable by the year.

Aria wondered whether it counted as blasphemy to fondle a Goddess's breasts, even just an effigy. Or the Goddess's rear, which was likewise changing shades from so many touches—and was also likewise perfectly, and nearly lewdly, sculpted, with the long, thin folds of her dress very neatly tucked into her curves so that she might as well have been naked.

Certainly, the mistreatment of any other holy statue would have produced an outrage in the Temple, but Ephythithys was obviously a special case. She was also the only one with clearly visible nipples poking through her clothing, to name the obvious, so really, they were as at fault for displaying her as the visitors who couldn't help but touch.

And wasn't that Ephythithys's aspect to begin with? Even if the lewd touches weren't for 'good luck', Ephythithys would celebrate anything related to carnal desires. Though, maybe not so much the groping of her own holy image. Aria was undecided. Funny enough, it was a topic of quiet debate in the Temple—though obviously not in any official capacity. Except, as years ticked by, it might need to be discussed at the next council, officially speaking. They could hardly allow the discoloring to become too obvious.

Deliberately keeping her eyes from wandering across the goddess's figure, Aria studiously dusted away, keeping her altar and image as pristine as a goddess deserved. Eight candles flickered across the altar and in various places on the alcove, providing a dim light in the recess which the tall overhead dome windows couldn't reach.

Then, as her thoughts wandered as she dusted away, something odd happened: the candles flickered pink.

Aria froze, her eyes snapping in the direction of the nearest, to find that, yes—it burned a bright, lustrous pink. A half-second later, long enough she knew she hadn't imagined it, the lights returned to their soft yellow glow.

A shiver went down her spine. Not from fear, but incredulity. Anticipation, perhaps.

She stared at the calm candle light for a moment longer. She'd gotten a good look, so she knew she hadn't imagined it—unless she was going crazy and seeing things.

She swallowed. What would make Ephythithys's candles burn pink? Was it a sign? If so, of what?

She turned from Ephythithys's alcove and scanned the Temple proper. The usual light crowd bustled about. Nobody was looking her way—she'd been the only one to see the pink candles. Still wide-eyed, she looked back at the lights, then to the goddess's figure, as if she could glean some meaning from her serene, motherly expression. But she found nothing useful there.

Finally, she looked back out into the Temple, still disoriented. She considered scurrying over to one of her colleagues and telling them what had happened, but wouldn't she just sound crazy? Attention-seeking, even, trying to imply a goddess had given her a sign?

And a sign of what? If, indeed, that was the interpretation she should be making at all.

Before she could worry too much over the idea, her wandering eyes snagged onto something other than a colleague. To a figure near the entrance of the temple, accompanied by another woman—both of whom had clearly just walked in.

Even with how perplexing the flickering of Ephythithys's candles had been, Aria's thoughts were completely diverted by the two women, her attention instantly captured. Especially by the taller one.

She was a goddess. Even from the distance Aria was standing, she froze in astonishment. Every part of the woman was perfection. And not in the way of a piece of art, but in a more carnal way. Aria wouldn't consider herself a lusty woman, but she drank in the hard edges of the newcomer's jaw, her green eyes, then down to her curves, the way her clothing hugged her breasts, her hips, her thighs, and her legs. Heat thrilled across Aria just looking at her, her stomach clenching with need. It was a reaction she didn't think she'd ever had before, not for a stranger—but this exception came with an easy explanation. Because she'd never seen a woman who was such a walking figure of sensuality.

The other woman, her obvious partner, who was leaning into her side with intimate familiarity, was only slightly less stunning—which Aria needed to emphasize only made her the second most beautiful woman she'd seen. The orange-haired foxgirl was shorter, with violet eyes and a softer face, with curves no less eye-catching than her partner. Who was she? Her girlfriend? Wife? The way they chatted and smiled told Aria they weren't just friends.

Then violet eyes flicked to Aria, catching her staring even all the way across the Temple. Aria should have expected that—both carried themselves like wayfarers, and wayfarers had excellent awareness. Preternaturally so, in many cases. Aria jolted and, in a panic, looked away. She blushed furiously, chiding herself. With great effort, she chased away the scandalous thoughts that had invaded her mind.

The Temple hardly confined their clergy to chastity, but that didn't mean it was acceptable to go around lusting after visitors. And while chastity wasn't required, members of the Temple were expected to behave in moral and upstanding ways—which, again, lusting after two complete strangers obviously wasn't. Not that Aria was lusting. She'd just noted how beautiful they were. And stunning their figures. In a strictly abstract sense?

Well, no, Aria couldn't delude herself like that. The tall woman with black hair had especially dripped sensuality, despite being dressed in a way that didn't particularly show her body off. The moment she'd laid eyes on the woman, her stomach had clenched with need. Sex—nobody could look at that woman and not think about it.

Aria redoubled her efforts to clear her mind. What had gotten into her? The lewd detour in her thought process must have come from cleaning Ephythithys's shrine. Influence from the goddess's own lewd imagery.

Or maybe, Aria admitted, that woman was just that attractive. And it had been a while since Aria had found any sort of relief. Temple life was busy.

Then, in a jolt, she remembered the candles.

They'd flickered pink. Shortly after, Aria had looked around and caught sight of a literal goddess entering the Temple.

With a body like that, Aria wouldn't be surprised if that woman was some sort of disciple to the goddess of sensuality. Though, Aria shook her head. She was really letting her thoughts run wild. She obviously didn't believe that.

Then again, the pink candles meant something.

Before Aria could finish organizing her thoughts, or come to a decision on what in the world was going on—if anything—she was interrupted from her cleaning a second time.

"Hey," a feminine voice said behind her, making Aria jump. "We're a bit new here. Think you could help us out?"

Aria turned. She knew who it would be before she laid eyes on them. The two stunning women had come to speak with her, and—oh, heavens—they were even more intimidating up close.

"Of course," Aria said faintly. "I would—I would love to. What is it you need?"

5.31 - Priestess II

The couple introduced themselves as Delta and Zoey. Aria knew immediately that she'd been caught looking—or more accurately, admiring. The two were probably used to being stared at, so the way she'd panicked and turned away had all but tattled on her.

The good news was that it didn't seem like her ogling had made them uncomfortable. In fact, they had used it as an excuse to come over and chat. To feel her out. They probably thought Aria's staring meant she was interested. The way they asked her about the Temple and Ephythithys's altar, subdued smirks and teasing present throughout the whole conversation, made it clear that they had come over for her more than to learn about the Temple.

Was that bad, though? That Aria was suddenly being hit on by two goddesses? And Aria knew it was blasphemous to be calling other women 'goddesses' in a temple of all places, in a space meant for worshiping actual divinities, but there wasn't another word she could use. They were perfect. More than perfect. Aria's cheeks had started burning the moment they had come over.

Which, unfortunately, they were delighted by—a reaction that only made Aria's face burn even hotter, and her stomach squirm around even more excitedly.

The two girls kept the conversation polite, keeping away from their obvious real intentions as if explicitly to tease Aria. They asked about the Temple of Natural Order and the surrounding churches, about the various gods, goddesses, altars, and amenities. Finally, they asked about her duties, and what she'd been doing—cleaning, she explained, waving her duster to emphasize—and the topic somehow landed on Ephythithys's statue. Namely, the same subject of Aria's previous musings: how obvious it was that visitors were groping the goddess's figure for 'good luck'. Delta seemed to find that hilarious, even stepping forward to also touch—which Aria protested, and Zoey also scolded her for.

The conversation was actually somewhat difficult to navigate, not because it was awkward, but because their presence simply made Aria hot and tongue-tied. Especially with all the subtle teasing, and the way their eyes flicked down to her figure, not bothering to be covert about checking her out. After Aria had done the same, she supposed that was only fair. Though she'd done so from across the hall, not right next to them, while they were talking.

They were interested in her, which Aria honestly found a bit confusing. It wasn't like her priestess's get-up was flattering, and compared to them, she was nothing. Aria hardly thought she was ugly, but Zoey and Delta made her heart stop just by looking at them.

Thanks to how flustered she was, Aria nearly forgot about the incident with the pink candles. A reminder came shortly, as soon the two girls revealed their true reason for coming to the temple.

"It's funny you were here, actually," Zoey said. "By Ephy's statue. She was who we came for. Lucky coincidence."

"Divine intervention, maybe?" Delta tacked on, a hint of mischief in her voice.

Aria paused, though not at the flirting. 'Ephy'? That was a bizarrely familiar nickname to use for a goddess. And said with such casualness, as if the woman was accustomed to using it. How odd.

Aria's thoughts returned to the flickering pink candles. If she wasn't so distracted by two beautiful women flirting shamelessly with her, she would have been much more focused on that.

So, these two goddesses had come for Ephythithys? After the goddess had maybe given Aria a sign? Just what was going on?

"You came to say a prayer?" Aria asked in clarification, wanting to know more about their intentions.

Zoey and Delta shared a look. "More than a prayer," Zoey said. "More direct. Which is why we need advice. If I wanted to commune with her—to try to speak with her directly, or be given a message—what would be the best way to go about that?"

Aria stared blankly at the woman. It was hardly the first time a visitor had come to the temple to receive wisdom from a patron deity directly, but combined with the pink candles? The coincidences kept piling up. Though, she guessed there weren't that many. Just three: the candles, the fact that Zoey had a body sculpted as if by Ephythithys herself, and now, that these two had come explicitly to commune with her.

Then, Aria digested the question itself. Commune with Ephythithys. Her blushing had been subdued up to this point, with Aria fighting it away desperately, but the question finally broke through. Her face turned red.

"Yeah, I told you," Delta said, nudging Zoey with her elbow. "It's totally what we thought."

"We're not trying to make you uncomfortable," Zoey said apologetically. "We just need an expert's advice."

Aria fought to control her blushing. Just, the imagery that had been created by the question was a bit flustering.

"Communion with Ephythithys," Aria said. "You could try, but, of course, a response from the divine might not come as directly as you would hope." It sounded like the two of them thought they'd receive an actual message, or something of the sort. That didn't happen often. Certainly never to Aria or anyone she knew.

The two shared a look, though Aria didn't know what it meant.

"We know," Delta reassured her. "We're just wondering what the best way to get her attention is." She smiled, and there was a bit of a predator's excitement in it—which had Aria's heart beating faster. "We have a few guesses, but, again, you're the expert."

Aria cleared her throat, her eyes shying away from Delta's teasing purple ones. "Beyond the usual offerings of incense and prayer, a more direct communion would typically happen through a ritual focused on the goddess's aspect. Since Ephythithys's most prevalent aspect is sensuality and fertility, I could only assume—" Aria cleared her throat a second time, fidgeting in place. She really shouldn't be awkward about this. She was simply explaining the domain of a divinity. It was entirely within her duties as a priestess. "I could only assume that an intimate encounter culminating with impregnation would be the highest form of offering—the action most likely to draw her attention."

Zoey and Delta paused. Delta turned to Zoey and raised her eyebrows. "Huh," the foxgirl said. "We were just thinking sex."

"Any act of sensuality, given to draw her attention, would suffice as an offering," Aria agreed. "But impregnation would be the highest. The most aligned to as many of her aspects as possible. That's my interpretation at least. I wouldn't claim to know everything."

"That's fair," Delta said. "So. Do you think you could help us with that?"

"With what?"

"The ritual." Delta grinned. "You know. Directly. Join us, maybe?" She leaned forward and whispered. "Let us fill you up?"

Aria froze. The words took a few moments to become comprehensible.

Had the foxgirl just asked to impregnate her?

But they were both women?

As if reading Aria's thoughts, Delta's hand slipped down between Zoey's legs, surprising both Zoey and Aria. With Aria's eyes forcibly drawn that way—and with the touch eliciting a reaction in Zoey's body—another incredible revelation occurred. Zoey's pants started to press forward, and a thick outline appeared, growing wider and firmer by the moment.

Aria gaped.

Zoey had a cock?

One so big Aria couldn't even understand what she was looking at. And it kept getting bigger.

"The filling-you-up part would be optional, I guess," Delta said. "Or any of it, obviously. Mostly we just want help with setting up the ritual. We could do it ourselves, but having a priestess help would make things easier. Plus, three sounds better than two. Threesomes are in Ephy's domain, right?"

Aria could barely register the words. Her eyes were locked to the bulge inside Zoey's pants that was, incredibly, still growing. More than a foot long? As thick as her forearm? On a woman?

"Some depictions of Ephythithys have her with hermaphroditic biology," Aria mumbled, the words coming out more from incredulity than actual intent. "And usually quite generously bestowed, too." She was trying to explain today's coincidences to herself. The candles. Zoey's unbelievable physical beauty, as if created by Ephythithys herself. And her cock. Her giant cock. The nickname 'Ephy', too.

Was this woman some favored disciple of Ephythithys, as Aria had originally wondered—though in incredulity at her beauty rather than genuine suspicion?

"They do?" Zoey asked, sounding surprised, and way too casually interested for how her partner was stroking her cock, helping it grow to full mast. She was clearly showing off for Aria's sake. "I didn't know that. Makes sense, though."

"She represents sexuality. Of all kinds." Even the less palatable, the less moral urges and actions, Aria knew, though she didn't bring that up. Her eyes finally tore away from the monster inside Zoey's pants, back up to green eyes. "Who are you?"

Zoey paused, taken aback by the question. "No one. We just need help with communing."

Aria didn't buy that. There were too many strange coincidences. And signs.

Finally, Aria's incredulity at seeing Zoey's cock faded, and, her mind digested the lewd offer she'd been given. She froze.

These two women had asked to...

Breed her?

Aria's eyes widened. She stammered out, "And I—I don't know about partaking in a ritual with you two, but—" And this next part came out as a surprise to Aria, her mouth barreling along without permission from her brain, "But I can help you organize it, at least. Oversee it."

She rationalized her acceptance: clearly, this wasn't a typical request to worship and commune with a deity. Something more was going on, and the divine might have sent her a real calling. So it was her duty to help these two women. The pink candles alone made her certain in that fact.

And even though she'd politely turned them down, should she help in a more direct manner? It wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? And it had been a while since Aria had had some fun.

She chewed her lip as she looked around the wide hall of the main temple. "Okay," Aria said. "Come with me. We can take one of the private prayer rooms. And I'll need to collect some supplies." This was a ritual after all, and there were some steps Aria needed to take if they wanted to increase their odds of drawing Ephythithys's attention.