Noah looked out his bedroom door at the tall, gray-skinned golgotha named Graven, who smiled down at him. He wasn’t expecting Graven to show up. He had thought it was Berenice knocking on his door, and that she’d forgotten something. She was on her way with his gold coins to the front of the palace to buy the artifacts from Mister Mudd and the sellers. But it wasn’t her knocking; it was Graven. Why was he here?
“Uhh, Graven? I thought it was Berenice. What’s up? Why are you back?”
“The Emperor has recalled me. He has procured an artifact he intends to donate to Golgotha, which will speed up our work dramatically! We are sure to reach our goal this year!”
“Nice.”
“So, how have you and Berenice been? You seem down, am I correct?”
“Yeah. I’ve been having a rough time.”
“How about we sit down and chat? I will be in the palace for a few weeks waiting for the artifact, so I’m not rushing to get anywhere. Unless you have plans, sir?”
“No, I have training later, but that’s it.”
They walked to the couches in Noah’s grand bedroom and sat down opposite one another. The contrast between them was stark. Noah was weak and slouched when he sat. Graven, on the other hand, had impeccable posture that added to his height. And, shirtless, Graven looked to have more ab muscles than Noah had muscles in his entire body.
“Training, you say? The Emperor is having you trained so you can fight for him, correct?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“How is it going?”
Noah thought about yesterday’s training and felt his blood start to boil. He was humiliated and didn’t want to tell Graven about it. It was not going well. Moali wasn’t even training him anymore; he was just using him like a sex doll. It wasn’t fair, and nobody would help him. Noah’s breathing became faster and his fists tightened into balls.
“Not well, I take it? Yes, training can be very rough. I remember my first time going to training when I was just a boy. My master used to whack me whenever I did not squat deep enough!”
Filled with anger and self-hatred, Noah stayed quiet.
“Is something the matter, sir? I hope I did not offend you.”
“It’s not that, it’s just, I’m not just upset because my training is tough or something. My trainer isn’t even training me! He’s just-“ Noah started to cry. He covered his face with his hands, and started sobbing into them.
“Oh,” said Graven. “What has you so upset, young man?”
“My trainer is raping me!” Noah yelled through tears. “Every day, I go to the training ring, and he rapes me! He doesn’t even train me anymore! He says I’m a no-good, stupid faggot who doesn’t deserve to be trained, and he’s right!” Noah bawled while Graven watched from the other couch with a look of sympathy.
“Ah. That is not right. A trainer should train their students. Not take advantage of them.”
“Yeah! And the Emperor ordered him to train me, and he’s not doing it! I have to try to train myself! As soon as I am good enough, I’m going to fucking kill him!”
“I understand your desire to kill him, sir. I would want to kill him, too, if I were you. If you keep training on your own, I am certain you will be strong enough to defeat him one day. You are a true human, after all, correct? You will no doubt surpass his strength.”
Still covering his eyes and trying not to cry in front of Graven, Noah kept yelling. “But I won’t! Everyone says I’m some kind of prodigy, but I’m not gonna get better if I don’t train, and I can’t do it by myself. I’m just a lazy piece of shit! Most days, I can’t motivate myself to do any exercise or training at all on my own, and even when I do, like, how can I learn to fight by myself? You’re always training and meditating and stuff, right? How do you stay motivated?”
“Ah. I, too, am a very lazy person, sir. But I am on a holy mission. I cannot relax. There is no time. I have much to do.”
“Holy mission?”
“Yes, sir. The golgotha have a holy mission in three parts. Firstly, we wish to purify the Earth of demonic technology. Second, we wish to purify the heavens of false gods. We have already killed one god, and we intend to kill the rest until only one remains. Two – excuse me. The Foot and the Eye. And third, we will purify Hell to protect the innocent souls there from demonic torture.”
“What? How are you gonna do that?”
“Which part, sir? We kill gods using our Tower of Babel. Every year for centuries, we have built a tower. If it is imperfect, the Eye destroys it before we can reach the gods. But if the Eye allows it, we reach one of the Outer Gods, those false gods, and destroy them. To purify Hell, we train our whole lives, so when we are sent to Hell after death, we may have the fighting skill – and, more importantly, the pain tolerance – to fight and kill demons in the underworld.”
“Wait, you go to Hell on purpose? Does that mean you have to do something bad?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“To get sent to Hell. You have to be a bad person, right?”
“No, sir. Everyone goes to Hell when they die. Good and bad alike. Most succumb to the pain of hellfire, but those few who strengthen their minds and souls in life will be able to rise and destroy the demons they find in Hell.”
“Oh. Jesus. So I’m going to go to Hell?”
“Yes, sir. Everyone goes to Hell. You should hope you find a golgotha warrior in Hell to protect you. Otherwise, you will be at the mercy of the demons.”
“Fucking great. So even death wouldn’t be a way out of this nightmare I’m living in?”
“I’m afraid not, sir. Not until the golgotha have purified Hell.”
“How long will that take?”
“Thousands of years? One cannot say. We have been trying for many generations. It is our holy mission. But, there are few golgotha and many demons.”
“Fuck. One more thing for me to worry about.”
“One must not worry about what one cannot control, sir.”
“Yeah. I know. But I can’t help it. This world sucks! When I first got here, I was like, oh, cool, there’s all these strange people, and a giant green planet in the sky, and colorful trees, and nice people, and I fell in love… Now, I just miss being home. I was lonely, then. I haven’t felt lonely since I showed up here. But besides that, it was better at home. I miss people. I miss being safe and not having to worry about stuff.”
“This world is the only world we have, sir. I do not know where you are from. It sounds like a nice place. But this world is not so terrible. You only dislike it because you dislike the role you play in it right now. The role of a victim. But if you rise up and take control of your life, then this world will not seem so bad.”
“But how? How can I get stronger if my trainer won’t even train me?”
“I can train you if you want. I’ll be here for a few weeks, perhaps longer, while the Emperor’s craft mages finish modifying the artifact for use in the Tower of Babel. During this time, I can show you how to fight.”
Noah looked earnestly up at Graven with puppy-dog eyes. “Really?”
“Sure. I have little better to do.”
“But why?”
“Why not? I would be helping a friend. We can start now, if you want.”
“Okay. We can start soon, but I’m waiting for Berenice. We bought some artifacts, and she’s meeting with the sellers now.”
“Ah, and I was already jealous of the artifacts you both possessed. What is it this time, sir?”
“Berenice got a necklace that will make her look normal even when she’s wearing the metalskin ring; that way, she can wear it all the time. And I got some armour. It is supposedly stronger in shadow, and lets me attack people’s shadows with my own shadow.”
“Sounds powerful. And expensive. Where did you get the coin for such things?”
“Well, we sold our flesh printer.” Noah left out that the buyer died and so never came to collect. “So now I just have the Tesla rod.”
“Oh, the electricity rod? Why do you say, ‘Tesla rod’?”
“Oh,” thought Noah. Of course. Nobody else knew who Nikola Tesla was. “It’s named after… a car company.” He smirked slightly.
“A what? A guild of craft mages, you mean?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Regardless, congratulations on your new purchases. I am sure they will help you greatly in combat. Perhaps when we train together, we can train you in their use. Though it’s best to start with the basics.”
“Sure. If I’m ever gonna kill my trainer, it’s probably going to be with artifacts. He just suppresses my abilities right away when I show up now.”
“Ah, the Disciplinary Officer subclass?”
“Yeah, I guess. Otherwise, I’d Ether Walk a lead pipe straight up his fucking ass. Not really, because I’d probably be hanged or something, but still.”
“The Emperor would have you hanged, you mean? Possibly. If not beheaded. It would be insubordination and murder.”
“Yeah. He did say I can kill him when my training is done, though. But how will it ever be done if I’m not even being trained? How can the Emperor allow me to be raped by my trainer, by the way? How is that okay?”
“The Emperor is a confusing man, but his generosity and wisdom are known to all.”
The door opened, and Berenice came through, breathing heavily. She was wearing her new ornate ruby necklace and carrying the heavy scale armour in a bag.
“I’m back! Ah, Graven, I’m surprised to see thee! Thou art back?”
“Yes, ma’am. The Emperor has requested I return. He has found an artifact that will help my people.”
“Fantastic!” Berenice set the bag down on the coffee table and sat next to Noah. “I’ve obtained the necklace, and thy armour. ‘Tis in a bag – thou’ll see wherefore. And Mister Mudd hath said he shall aid us in selling the flesh printer again tonight if thou wisheth to go after thy training?”
“Sure,” said Noah, looking at the canvas bag. “Can I see the armour?”
“Yea, but shield thine eyes. It hath the opposite effect in the Toldenhold, so instead of emitting an aura of darkness when in shadow, it emits light when in light.” She took the armour from the bag. It was fine-looking scale mail, but hard to see, as it was surrounded by an aura of piercing, bright light.
“Ah! It’s so bright!”
“Aye, ‘tis painful, no?” Berenice put the armour back in the bag. “But outside the city, it should enshroud thee in darkness rather than light, making thee even harder to see when in shadow, and harder to hit with a direct blow. Apparently, the armour actually maketh thee easier to hit when in the Toldenhold. I hope that’s alright, Noah.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. What does your necklace do differently in the Toldenhold?”
“Naught. I already appear as I initially did when I first donned it, so it causes no change, whether inside the Toldenhold or not. But when I’m outside the city, I should be able to wear my metalskin ring without folks noticing. I tried putting on the ring inside the city, but it maketh me look like a metal statue, with no definition in mine face or body!”
“I see. Well, Graven’s going to train me, and we’re probably going to bring the armour and try it out. You can come if you want.”
“Verily? That’s wondrous, Noah. Nay, you two go ahead without me. I’ll be taking a nap or reading in the library. I’ll see thee later, Noah.” She turned to Graven. “What made thee decide to train Noah?”
“The young man seems to be struggling, and I thought I could help him. And his real trainer seems to be slacking in his duties.”
Berenice’s face became grim. “Ah, yes. Poor Noah.”
“And the Emperor won’t do anything about it!” Noah yelled in anger. “What kind of Emperor lets their soldiers get raped by their trainers? It’s horrible!”
Berenice looked with pity at Noah. “Noah, thou shouldnt speak of the Emperor in such a manner. He hath been generous, granting thee food, clothing, and shelter. He hath taken thee under his wing. Thou might not fancy the brutality of his methods, but he is effective, and he shall make a man out of thee.”
“But how? I’m not even being trained!”
“Missus Berenice is right, Noah. The Emperor is wise and fair. Your trainer is cruel to you, yes, but a soldier must be able to withstand cruelty. Or do you think your enemies will be kind to you on the battlefield? If you were training to be one of these useless, effete longfolk nobles, perhaps it would be enough training to give you fancy clothes and stuff you like a pig. But you are training to be a warrior – perhaps a great one. I do not approve of rape, but with or without rape, your training would have to be violent and brutal to be successful. You should not question the Emperor. It is his genius that has united the Empire. Before him, the region was chaotic, and the golgotha were considered mere religious terrorists.”
Noah stayed quiet, listening to Graven lecture him.
“Antimogne must be brutal, because one must be brutal to bring about order. The Emperor was the one who was genius enough to use the sheeple in combat. Before, they were only seen as worthless slaves. Now, some of the highest-ranking soldiers in his army are free sheeple. There were no free sheeple before him. Nobody even knew how to properly free them, but the Emperor figured out the secret. And he was the only ruler to see the virtue in the golgotha’s holy mission. He has elevated the entire Empire above petty, territorial squabbles to something greater.”
Noah grew frustrated listening to Graven praise the Emperor. “He may have done all these great things, but he’s not helping me!”
“Be patient, young man. You will see his wisdom in time. And he has said you may take revenge on the man who is raping you and even kill him when your training is done. Is that not justice?”
“Whatever. Let’s just go train, okay? I’m tired of sitting around in this stupid palace.”
They found a field outside the city, on the edge of the city’s outskirts and the wilderness, to train. It was a farm, but it looked abandoned. They trained on the edge of the field, next to a copse of trees.
The comparison between Moali and Graven was night and day. In Noah’s home world, Graven would probably be considered a strict or harsh trainer, but compared to Moali, he was a nurturing mother. As they sparred, he allowed Noah room to catch his breath, to learn, and to grow.
By the end, Noah was exhausted and lay in the grass, smiling. He felt accomplished. He had learned a lot, and though he knew progress was slow, he knew he was making progress.
“Thank you, Graven. Seriously.”
“Of course, sir. Do not even mention it.”
“Should we check out Shadowscale before we go? I still have time before training starts with Moali.”
“The armour? Yes, sir! I am very excited to see it in action.”
It took Noah almost half an hour to put on the armour. As he was sitting in the shade of a large tree, the armour emitted a black shroud around it, which meant he couldn’t see the buckles and clasps properly, so he had to move into the sunlight to finish putting it on. In the sunlight, the armour looked like normal scale armour. Expensive and ornate, but otherwise normal.
“There, finally. Jesus, that took forever.” Wearing Shadowscale was a weird feeling. He could feel his own shadow like it was an extension of himself. Another body part. He moved his real arm, and then his shadow arm. It was a weird feeling, moving them independently. He stepped into the shadow, and most of his body was obscured by an opaque, black, wispy cloud.
“It looks most incredible. You are a living shadow! A warrior of darkness!”
“Yeah, and watch this! Ether Walk!”
Noah disappeared, and so did his clothing and armour. He was there one second and completely gone the next. Graven was shocked and looked around to see where Noah had gone.
A few seconds passed, and Noah was still gone. “Sir? Where are you? Are you still there?” He stepped toward the tree. He was almost in its shade, but not quite.
Noah stayed hidden in the shadows for a while, smiling to himself. Then, he positioned himself within the shadow of the tree so that his own shadow would be peeking out of the tree’s shadow and close to Graven’s feet once he was visible. “End Ether Walk,” he whispered, and he became visible again. He moved his shadow’s hand and grabbed onto Graven’s leg’s shadow, and pulled it. Hard enough to pull Graven off balance, but not enough to trip him over entirely.
“Whoa, goodness, what?” said Graven as he turned around and tried to avoid falling over. He looked down at his leg, and nothing was there. Then he looked up at Noah, whose hand was in a grabbing position. “Oh! The armour! Hell!” Graven laughed, and Noah laughed with him. “You grabbed me with your shadow! But how did you disappear? That is your ability?”
Noah nodded. “Yep. And I have another idea, too. Watch this.” Noah took Berenice’s necklace, which he had borrowed, and put it on while in shadow. He whispered, “Ether Walk”, and became incorporeal. But, because the necklace maintained his original appearance, he stayed visible. “Try to hit me!”
Graven furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged. He picked up a stick and swung it gently at Noah. It passed straight through him. “Ah! Sir! You are a ghost!”
Noah laughed. He commanded his shadow to give Graven’s shadow a light shove. It felt like moving another part of his own body.
“Ah!” Graven exclaimed, recovering from the push. “Not fair! You can hit me, but I cannot hit you!”
Noah laughed, pulling and pushing on Graven’s shadow until Graven had the wisdom to step into the shade of the tree, where Noah’s shadow couldn’t accost his own. They both laughed.
“That is a very powerful combination of artifacts!”
“Yeah. Too bad it’s Berenice’s. I just wanted to try out my idea. It makes me look the way I looked when I first put it on, so I still cast a shadow, even though I’m in Ether Walk.” Noah stepped into the light and allowed his Ether Walk to time out.
“I wish I had artifacts such as yours, sir. My swords are magical, but that is all I have.”
“Really? What do they do? They can split into multiple swords, right?”
“Yes, sir. Watch.” He took out his two scimitars. “Extra Arms.” Graven’s two arms split into six, and his two swords popped into four, then six. He stood in a hunched stance and skillfully swung all six swords around at the same time, creating an impenetrable whirlwind of blades. He looked like… Noah laughed again. General Grievous. He looked like General Grievous. General Graves.
Graven stopped swirling his swords. “Why are you laughing, sir?”
“It’s nothing; don’t worry about it. It’s impressive. You just remind me of someone.”
“I see. Your ability is also impressive, though perhaps less useful in combat unless you are retreating.”
“Yeah, I picked it because I want to survive, no matter what.”
“Hmm. Sometimes, to survive, one must face one’s enemy and fight. And sometimes, there are things worth dying for. I think you have a lot to learn, sir, besides how to fight. But you are talented and dedicated. You will make a great warrior. If not a legendary one.”
“Really?” asked Noah.
Graven nodded. “You are a true human, after all. You will be a force to be reckoned with. I just hope you will be a force for good.”
Noah felt a lot more confident in himself after spending the early afternoon sparring with Graven. He was shadowboxing in his room, and telling Berenice he was going to challenge Moali to spar, and once Moali saw how much better he was, he’d be forced to start training him properly again. “It hath only been one day, Noah,” was not enough to deter him. Noah felt like, with what Graven had taught him, while he may still be a beginner, he was at least no longer pathetic. He was going to challenge Moali. He might not win, but at least he’d get to see the look on Moali’s face when he realized Noah had advanced so quickly. Moali would have to admit he was wrong about Noah.
But as Noah walked through the tunnel to the military encampment, his confidence faltered, and he grew nervous. He remembered how terrified he was of Moali, and his knees weakened. He was nauseous with worry by the time he reached the training ring and – all fight having left him – he merely set down his artifacts on the table and got down on his hands and knees before Moali like usual, pulling down his own pants and underwear.
“What’s that?” Moali shouted. Noah twisted his head to look back and up at Moali.
“What, sir?” Noah asked meekly. He felt awkward talking to Moali while he was exposing his bare ass to him like that.
“That thing. The artifact. You don’t normally have that one, just the rod, yeah?”
“Oh, uhh, it’s my flesh scanner artifact. Sir.”
“The one you said can print off new body parts?”
“Yes, sir.”
Moali left Noah kneeling on his hands and knees and walked over to the table, picking the artifact up. “Huh.” He fiddled around with the scanner, switching to one of the presets. He pulled the trigger, casting a cyan light into the air. He tried it again, this time aiming it at his own pinky finger. The scanner captured the image of the finger, storing it inside. Then, he switched presets and materialized a new finger.
“Would you look at that!” he said, having attached the new finger to his hand, giving him four stubby, clawed fingers instead of his usual three. He used the scanner to remove the new finger and threw it aside.
“Did daddy buy you this?” he asked, gesturing to the artifact.
“No, sir. I found it in the Rainbow Mountains, sir.”
“Sure you did. Well, do you have any idea what this thing is worth to the army? Do you know how many of my men would still be alive today if we had something like this?”
“No, sir.”
“A lot. This thing could print off new lungs, new arms, and new eyes. Hell, it could print you off a new dick! I had one private whose dick got ripped clean off by a Blood Mage. A Vampire, I think it was. Too much for the Life Mages to heal, the poor lad.” Moali stared at the flesh printer, turning it in his hairy hands. He started to smile, looking at Noah like he had just thought of some joke. “That gives me an idea, faggot. Stay like that. I’ll be back.”
Moali took the flesh printer and walked off. He returned with another soldier. She was of the same species as him. She was hairy, had a short trunk like him, and had the same tiny black eyes. But she was more slender, and had saggy breasts, which were covered by her colourful army-issue armour. She looked down at Noah, whose bare ass was still exposed to the sky, ready for Moali to use at any time. Noah blushed.
“Alright, Private Dentia, this is Noah. He’s a pathetic, tree-dwelling monkey, and the only good thing he’s ever done in his sorry life is to bring us this!” He showed her the scanner. “This thing is gonna save countless lives for the army. I intend to keep it.”
“But, sir!” Noah protested.
“Shut up!” shouted Moali, kicking Noah’s ass. Noah winced and rubbed his ass. “It’s mine now, you got that?”
“Yes, sir,” Noah said dejectedly. There was nothing he could do. He had been defeated several times before by Moali. The man was too skilled and too strong. If he wanted to take the flesh scanner for himself, Noah could do nothing. He felt angry, but to yell or fight would be suicidal.
“Now, I had an idea I wanted to try. See, I’ve been forced by the Emperor to train Noah here, even though he’s a useless waste of flesh. So, instead of training him, I’ve just been using him as a fuck toy. But I’m getting tired of using his ass. That’s where you come in. Apologies, Private, but I need you to take off your pants.”
She looked up at him, shocked, and took a step back.
“Relax, Private Dentia, I’m not going to take advantage of you. But I’m ordering you to take your pants and underwear off.”
She relaxed a bit, but was still guarded as she undressed. Noah watched her. Her legs were hairy like an ape. And where Moali had a huge, brown, tapered penis, she had an unusual-looking vagina, which had a larger hole than a human vagina and was very hairy. She quickly covered it with her hands. Noah could see that her underwear had a white rag inside, which was stained with blood.
“Ooh, that’s a lot of blood,” said Moali, pinching his trunk closed. “It’s your time of the month, Private?”
“Yes, sir,” she said meekly.
Moali rolled his eyes and sighed. “Pull your pants back up, Private. That’s disgusting. Why don’t you go get Private Claudette? Quickly, now.”
Private Dentia did as she was told, and soon, she was replaced by Private Claudette, who was a sheeple. She looked tired like she’d been napping. She wore the same armour and colours as Private Dentia, but with no clothes underneath, so her genitals were already exposed.
“Private Claudette. I need your help with a little project. I’m gonna use this artifact on your girly parts, got it? Hold still.”
“Yes, sir,” Private Claudette whimpered.
Moali scanned her vagina with the flesh scanner and then created a replica vagina, which he held in his hands, smiling. “Oh, eww!” He wiggled it around. It looked like a giant, pinkish-red worm, with a black face. It was a long tube of flesh, which would normally be inside the body, with a flowery, black vulva at the end. It had no hair or wool or anything.
“Thank you, Private. You can go back to sleep.”
She gave a confused nod and scurried off.
“Now, how do I attach this thing?” Moali approached Noah, and got on his knees behind him. He was going to attach the vagina to Noah? Noah didn’t want a vagina. Where would he even put it?
“Hmm… There’s not much room here.” After a few seconds, Noah heard a faint buzzing and a weird sensation on his penis and balls, and then they went totally numb. He heard something slap against the dirt, and he looked down and saw his own penis and balls had been detached from his body, leaving no scar or seam where they had been attached.
“Hey, what?”
Moali picked them up. “Ha! Eww!” He flopped them around and then tossed them aside onto the ground. “There, now I’ve got more room.” He pushed the vagina into place, which Noah’s flesh parted to accept. The vagina settled into place. Since the sheeple’s skin was black, you could see where Noah’s original flesh stopped, and the new attachment began, but otherwise, the attachment was seamless, and it looked like a normal part of Noah’s body. Like he had been born with it.
“There you go. Now you’ve got a pussy, like the little bitch you are.” Moali’s fingers played roughly with the opening, and he stuck his fingers inside slightly. “Ugh. You’re wet.”
Noah was so humiliated and angry. His face turned beet red. How could Moali do this to him? It was one thing to rape him, but to give him a vagina? No! Noah could feel the strange sensations coming from his crotch. He was wet and slick, and there was no external appendage like there normally was. But he could feel the tunnel of his new vagina go inside him. It made him angry. Moali was disgusting. Why would he do this to him?
“Yeah, this is much better. Now I don’t have to keep fucking that stinking ass of yours. Now I can have some real, wet pussy for once. Yeah.” Moali’s fingers found Noah’s new clitoris and rubbed it aggressively. It was overstimulating and not very pleasurable.
“Please,” whimpered Noah.
“Shut up, bitch.” Moali got into position to mount Noah. Noah could feel Maoli’s huge, tapered dick start to push into his wet vagina. It was a strange feeling. It felt kind of good, but Noah hated that it was happening. He wasn’t supposed to have a vagina. Noah let out a small groan of pleasure, which embarrassed him more.
Moali’s dick was huge, and as it went in deeper, it started to become painful. Noah couldn’t take it anymore. He could take the pain, but he couldn’t take the embarrassment. He stood up and ran a few steps away from Moali. “No! No! Fuck this! I can’t fucking do this anymore!”
“Calm down, faggot. You know where this goes. Why don’t you get back on your knees like a good girl?”
“No! Fuck you!” Noah grabbed the Tesla rod from the table and held it, ready to swing.
“That’s a bad idea, son.” Moali cracked his knuckles. “If you win, you kill me, and you’re hanged for it. If you lose, I beat you to death. So why don’t you put the rod down? Get back on your hands and knees, and I’ll pretend this never happened, got it?”
Noah wasn’t convinced. He stared at Moali with hatred. He wanted to see Moali burn. He wanted to watch him die. He would be penalized by the Heart again if he killed him, but so what? He’d be hanged soon afterward anyway. Emperor Antimogne said he would overlook him killing Moali after Noah was done his training, but killing him now would be murder. But he couldn’t let Moali keep abusing him. He had raped and beat Noah, and now he had put this… thing on him! He couldn’t take it anymore.
“Listen, boy. This is going to end badly for you. Just set the rod down, and we can talk, okay? I can put your dick and balls back on. I was just joking around. Okay, son?”
He was not joking around. Fuck this guy, Noah thought. Noah had one Ether Walk left today. Moali had been so preoccupied with the flesh scanner, that he had forgotten to pre-emptively suppress Noah’s abilities. And now he was too far away. That gave Noah a chance to get away if he failed to kill Moali. He swung his arm, causing the Tesla rod to unleash three thick lightning bolts. He watched them flash outward from the rod. Before they had even left the rod, Moali had started moving toward Noah, and leapt into the air, leaning backward into a backflip. The three lightning bolts passed around his body. He threaded the needle perfectly, landing on his feet after the backflip. He kept running toward Noah.
What the fuck? How did he do that? Even if his Dexterity score was incredible, he would still have to be extremely lucky to avoid the lightning bolts, which moved way too fast to dodge. Lucky… Shit. His Luck stat must be high, too. High enough that he could jump randomly and happen to end up exactly where he needed to be to avoid the bolts.
Noah swung the rod again, and it shot out two bolts, which Moali turned and ducked to avoid. Noah didn’t have time for another swing. “Ether Walk”, he said before Moali could reach him and suppress his abilities.
Moali swung his fist at where Noah’s head had been seconds prior, but from his point of view, Noah disappeared, and his fist swung harmlessly through the air.
From Noah’s point of view, Moali punched through his face and then looked around, confused. Noah ran quickly into a nearby shadow so his Ether Walk wouldn’t time out. He watched Moali from the shadows. The man yelled out.
“Come out, you little faggot! I’ll give you ten seconds. If you’re not out by then, I’ll have you executed for insubordination! Ten! Nine!”
Moali continued to count. Noah had no intentions of coming out. Noah looked at his dick and balls lying placidly in the dirt. They were too far from the shadows for him to run and pick them up, but he didn’t want to leave them behind. He idly touched his new vagina, and his fingertips became wet, and his hand recoiled in disgust. He needed his dick and balls back. But he couldn’t just leave them. Who knew what Moali would do with them?
“Three! Two! One! Okay, boy, you asked for it! I’m gonna have you tracked down and killed! You brought tthisupon yourself!” Moali yelled. He looked down at the ground, where he had dropped the flesh scanner. It was intact. “At least I still have you,” Moali mumbled, picking up the scanner. He walked out of the training ring, kicking Noah’s balls hard on the way out. They tumbled across the dirt but weren’t visibly injured.
Once Moali had left, Noah considered his next steps. He wanted to pick up his dick and balls, but he couldn’t while they were still in the sunlight. He could wait for nighttime, but darkness was not the same thing as shadow. As soon as he was no longer in a shadow, his Ether Walk would end in seconds, and he would become visible and vulnerable again. But he didn’t need to wait until nighttime, only until dusk. Then, shadows would become long enough that he could stay within the shadows and reach his genitals. Then, he could flee.
Where? He would have to stay within the radius of the Toldenhold, because there were no shadows at night without artificial light. But where would he go?
To reattach his dick and balls, he would need the flesh scanner back. Could he steal it from Moali? He didn’t even know where Moali went. And he’d have to meet up with Berenice and escape with her, otherwise she might get punished for his crime somehow. Berenice was coming to meet him outside the city walls in the market district soon. He could intercept her then, and they could flee. But he needed the flesh scanner back, or he’d be stuck with this vagina. He wanted his dick back. Fuck! Fuck that hairy rodent fucker!
Noah tried to pound his fist against the wall in anger, but his hand went straight through the white-coloured wood. Oh, right. He reached his hand through the wall again and then stepped through into the building.
He emerged in a shadowy corner. The building was an indoor training area. There were punching bags, targets, and exercise equipment. There was a male sheeple doing pushups on the mat. He was grumbling something angrily to himself as he worked out. There was nowhere for Noah to go inside the building without leaving the shadow. Noah watched the sheeple exercise for a minute and then stepped back outside.
Noah wondered how far he could get without leaving a shadow. Could he get all the way to the market district where Berenice would be soon? Not at this time of day. The shadows were too short. But if he waited a few hours, he could probably navigate all the way around the outskirts of the city. For now, he was essentially trapped in the outdoor training ring and the shade of the adjacent building. If he ran, he could make it to the shadow of the next building, but then what?
Trapped, Noah stared at his genitals, which sat sadly in the dirt. Noah wanted them back. If only he could reach them. He felt down his pants again. His fingers found the lips of his jet-black vagina. He froze, and then continued, exploring the exterior of his new genitals. They were flappy, squishy, and wet. Noah’s heart filled with rage. What a humiliating thing to do to someone. Moali was a psycho. And he was trying to fuck his new vagina, too. Noah shuddered. At least it probably wouldn’t have hurt as much as the anal sex he was usually victim to.
He pulled his fingers out of his pants and smelled them. Berenice, he thought. The smell was similar. It wasn’t a bad smell. If anything, it was a good one. But it was one Noah didn’t associate with his own body, and it made him angry. He stomped his feet in anger. The ground was solid to his feet, so he could do that.
He would get revenge on Moali. He would just have to be smart about it. He couldn’t just rage out and try to kill him. Moali had skills, and lots of Luck. He would have to plan his revenge. Which is what he should have done in the first place. Fuck! Why was he such an impulsive idiot? Tears came to Noah’s eyes, and he stomped his feet.
Right now, it didn’t matter. He was trapped. He couldn’t just sit here and wait for the sun to go down. They would find him. Noah was sure they had some way of tracking him down. They wouldn’t let him get away with insubordination. He had to go, even if it meant becoming visible again.
He ran out of the shadow toward his dick and balls. He picked them up, put them in his pocket, and ran out of the training ring and into the street. His Ether Walk timed out, and he became visible. A sheeple soldier saw him appear in the middle of the street, but didn’t seem to care. Noah walked slower, trying to act like he wasn’t on the run.
It would come down to luck whether or not he was spotted by anyone who was after him. And he had a decent Luck stat now. 14. Or 18 when it came to avoiding death. He prayed that would be enough. Every time he passed a soldier, he tensed up. But they ignored him. Soon, he was out of the encampment. He looked back and saw a troupe of soldiers running in the direction of the training ring. Were they after him?
He turned back and continued walking down the road. He just had to make it to Berenice. Then, they could figure out what to do together.
He touched the bulge in his right pocket. He hoped nobody could tell from the shape what it was. His pants were pretty tight. It wouldn’t start to rot, would it? Maybe he’d have to put it on ice soon so he could still reattach it. If he managed to get his hands on the flesh scanner, that was. Though, even if it did start to rot, the flesh scanner could create a healthy copy, right?
Soon, he found himself walking through a residential area in the city’s outskirts. The buildings were variably made from either white wood or corrugated blackiron. The people were poor. Their homes were tiny and messy. The people were dirty. Their wool – as many of them were sheeple – was stained with dirt. The roads were narrow and crowded. Sheeple sold vegetables and trowels and whatever else from outside their own homes. People stepped over other people who were sitting or lying on the ground. Everyone had somewhere to go, and everyone looked at Noah. He was dressed as a nobleman and was clearly humanborn.
“Milord, please, a moment of your time-“
“May the Eye bless you, milord!”
“Spare some coin, milord!”
A sheeple woman with missing teeth tried to grab Noah’s arm, but he twisted free. He sped his walk to a run and managed to escape the crowd into a side street. God. He shook his head and kept walking in the direction of the markets. He turned a corner and was shocked to see a sheeple woman being fucked doggy-style on the ground by a muscular, red tomatofolk.
Noah froze in his tracks. The sheeple woman was crying, and Noah turned the corner just in time to see the tomatofolk cuff her ear and tell her to shut up. They both looked up at Noah. She looked at Noah with eyes of hope. He looked at Noah with a look that said, “fuck off and pretend you didn’t see anything, or else.”
“What the fuck are you doing to her?” Noah shouted at the red man. He glared back at Noah. “Get off her, you piece of shit!”
The tomato man shoved the sheeple aside, and she cracked her face on the blackiron wall. “The fuck you say to me?” asked the tomato man. He was fully nude and erect. He was muscular, and taller than Noah.
The tomatofolk rushed Noah. Noah tried to take his Tesla rod from his hip, but he was too slow, and the red man bowled into him, knocking him to the ground. The Tesla rod rolled away from them. The tomato man straddled Noah, and tried to pin Noah’s arms with his knees.
“Fuck! Ether Walk!” Noah struggled. He took a punch to his cheek, which caused his head to bounce painfully on the dirt. “Ether Walk!” He yelled again, but it was in vain. He was out of Favor, so his ability wouldn’t work until tomorrow.
The tomato man pinned Noah’s arms. “I’m gonna teach you to mind your own fucking business.” He wound his arm back to punch Noah in the face again, but at that moment, a crowd of people ran into the alley. All sheeple soldiers.
“What transpires hither?” Shouted the frontmost soldier. They were all armed with swords. “Remove thyself from him!” he shouted at the tomatofolk.
The tomatofolk put his hands up and stood up. Noah sat up and then tried to grab the Tesla rod.
“What hath happened to yon slave?” asked another soldier, pointing to the unconscious sheeple girl who was bleeding from her face. “Does she belong to thee?”
“Yeah, she’s mine. I just bought her. I was breaking her in, and this maniac came running around the corner and attacked me!”
“That’s well, but brawling in public view is a fineable offence, you know.”
“I didn’t start it!”
“Yes, you did!” Noah shouted, standing up. “You were raping her! I just asked what the fuck you were doing, and you got pissed and charged at me!”
“Fuck you!” yelled the tomato man, and shoved Noah. Noah backed up and pointed his Tesla rod at him. “She’s my slave now, I can rape her all I want.”
“See? He was raping her!”
“The rape is not an offence. Yet, brawling is, so part, and go your separate ways.”
“Hold, sir!” one of the soldiers shouted. “Is yon not the humanborn we were told to seek?”
Shit. Noah took a step back and pointed his Tesla rod at the soldiers. The leader looked at Noah. “Aye. Methinks thou art correct.” They held their swords higher, ready for combat.
“Hey, hey, I have nothing to do with this!” said the tomatofolk, backing away. “Keep me out of it.”
“Stay back! I have a powerful artifact! See?” Noah swung the Tesla rod, shooting lightning bolts at the metal wall next to him. It was intense enough to melt holes straight through the wall, and leave melted, red metal around the holes.
The soldiers took a step back and hesitated. “Lay down your swords!” yelled Noah. Slowly, they did as they were told. He started to back away from them slowly, but then he saw the sheeple woman stir. She sat up, confused, looking up at the tomato man, who looked down at her with contempt. Noah stopped and stared at her. He shouldn’t just leave her behind, right?
“Hey! Give me the sheeple girl! Send her over to me.”
“What? No! I just paid for her! You know how expensive slaves are these days? I’m not giving her to you!”
Noah scowled. “Yeah, well, how about if you don’t, I’ll blow a fucking hole in your face with a bolt of lightning?” He wasn’t even sure if he could hit the tomato man accurately from this distance. The lightning might just arc to the metal walls. But he didn’t need to know that.
The tomato man was angry, but there was nothing he could do. “Fine. Go. Get up, bitch. Go!” He kicked her as she crawled toward Noah. She stood up and ran toward him. But she was as scared of Noah as she was of the tomato man. She didn’t want to get too close. Noah reached forward and grabbed her with his free hand.
“Come on. Come with me. We’re getting out of here,” he said to her. Then, louder, he said, “Follow me, and I’ll burn you a new asshole with a lightning bolt! Got it?” The soldiers nodded. He backed around the corner, and, holding the sheeple woman by the wrist, he broke into a sprint, pulling her behind him.
They ran for 15 minutes through random streets. Nobody stopped them. Finally, the sheeple woman spoke. “Whither art we bound, milord?”
Noah stopped. He looked down at her. She looked a lot like Berenice. She had the same white, woollen afro and the same jet-black skin. But she was shorter and slightly chubby. Not unattractive. And she had a scar across her mouth. She looked terrified.
“We’re going to the market district to meet with my friend. After that, I don’t know.”
“Am I thy slave now, milord? Art thou to ravish me next?”
“What? No. You’re nobody’s slave, got it? You can come with me if you want, or you can just run away. I’m fine either way. I’m running from the army. You might not want to come with me if you don’t want to get caught and returned to that piece of shit tomato guy.”
“I am free? ‘Tis not possible. By law, only the highest-ranked sheeple soldiers art free. The rest of us remain in bondage, to our masters, and to the Empire. ‘Tis our nature to serve.”
“No, it’s not. Nobody deserves to be a slave, okay? Whatever they told you to believe you deserve to be a slave is a lie.”
“Ah. Well, I thank thee for liberating me. But what if my master returneth to spirit me away?”
“Then I’ll turn him into ketchup. Come on.”
They walked to the plaza where Berenice and Noah had been shopping a few weeks earlier. She was going to meet him at the Inn and Out. Maybe they could hide there for a while? But they would have some way of tracking him down, surely?
They spotted Berenice entering the Inn and Out, and followed her in.
“Noah!” she yelled, embracing him briefly. “And who is yon fair maid? Is she with thee?”
“Yeah. Long story.”
“He hath saved me from a life of servitude under a cruel lord,” said the younger sheeple woman.
“I see. Well, I am christened Berenice. And thy name is?”
“I am christened Katherine. I thank thee for allowing me to join you. I know not where else to go.”
“Me neither! I but follow Noah as if I were his slave! Bahaha! Come, let us secure a booth.” Sensing Katherine was nervous, she put her arm around her shoulders and started moving toward the booths.
“Uhh, Berenice? Maybe we should get a room here instead?” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I don’t want anyone to see us. The army is after me.”
“After thee? What hath occurred, Noah?”
“I’ll tell you once we’re upstairs.”
They got a room for the night. The same bee girl who flirted with Noah before led them to their room, and winked at Noah on her way out.
“Enzjoy, milord! And dzo let me know if zyou vant a zird voman to kheep zyou khompany thiz night.”
“Uhh, thanks. I’ll let you know. Thanks.” He closed the door on her. Berenice and Katherine sat on the bed.
“Noah, what hath occurred at your training?”
Noah started yelling. “That Moali fucker! He’s unbelievable. I couldn’t take it anymore! I just couldn’t!”
“Be calm, pray, Noah. What hath transpired. What hath Mr. Moali wrought now?”
“He took my dick!”
Both Berenice and Katherine looked surprised. “Eh, what?”
“He used the flesh scanner and removed my dick and balls! And he…” Noah felt himself choking up and tried to calm himself. “He gave me a vagina instead. That’s what I have down there right now. I just couldn’t let him get away with his abuse anymore, Berenice.”
“Ah, poor Noah. Whither is thy… member, now?”
“Oh, it’s right here.” Noah took his dick and balls out of his pocket. Katherine shrieked and covered her eyes. Berenice didn’t shield her eyes, but covered Noah’s genitals with her hand and lowered his hand down.
“I am sorry, Noah. And what hath happened to the scanner?”
“Moali took it! So I can’t put this back on, and I can’t get this stupid, black vagina off me. No offense.”
“Ah. ‘Tis ill-fated. So when he did thus, thou fled? And now the army is after thee?”
“Fled? No, I tried to kill him!”
“Oh, Eye. You’ll be hanged, Noah!”
“I know! What do I do?”
“Hanged? Nay! He cannot be hanged! He is mine saviour!” yelled Katherine.
Berenice shushed Katherine, indicating she shouldn’t be so loud.
“Yeah, and they’re gonna track me down. I’m sure they have some artifact or ability that will let them track me down, right? So I think my only choice is to flee.”
“Yes! Let us fly like Annato! We shall flee the city with haste!”
“No!” screamed Berenice. Noah and Katherine were startled at how loud she screamed. “Thou must not flee the city! Pray, Noah, be reasonable. The Empire is vast. Thou shalt never escape with thine life. Throw thyself upon the mercy of Emperor Antimogne, Noah. Mayhaps he shall spare thee.”
“What? You just said I’d be hanged if I was caught!”
“But mayhaps if thou surrenderest thyself, thou shalt earn a lesser sentence.”
“So, what? Life in jail?”
“Better than thy death! And the Empire hath no prisons.”
“Probably because they just kill all the criminals!”
“I am scared, milord. If thou diest, whither shall I go?” asked Katherine.
Berenice put her arm around Katherine’s shoulder to comfort her. Noah wondered how much older Berenice was than Katherine. She couldn’t quite be her mother – not on Noah’s Earth, where mothers waited until adulthood to have children, anyway – but there was definitely an age gap.
There was a moment of silence while Noah thought about his options. He wasn’t sure Berenice was right. They might track him down, but maybe he could escape the Empire. There was a chance. He had to try. He couldn’t just go to the Emperor with his tail between his legs and beg forgiveness. He wouldn’t ask forgiveness for trying to kill Moali. In fact, Noah still wanted to finish the job. That piece of shit didn’t deserve to live. But it didn’t look like that was going to happen. Noah wanted to flee the city now. But that would mean leaving behind Shadowscale, and, more importantly, the flesh scanner. Without the flesh scanner, he’d be stuck with a vagina for life. He shook his head.
“I’m not going to run. Not yet. First, I need the flesh scanner so I can put my dick back on.”
“Milord, please,” spoke Katherine. “Is your fleshy member worth hazarding thy life for?”
“It’s my dick and balls! I want them back!”
“Noah,” said Berenice. She sighed. “Very well. But how shall we acquire the flesh scanner? Moali doth possess it, aye?”
“Yeah. I can sneak into his barracks and find it. But not until tomorrow. I’m out of Favor, and I need to be able to Ether Walk.”
“Oh, milord! What if thou art apprehended!” said Katherine.
“‘Tis alright, Katherine. Noah’s ability is powerful. It maketh him invisible and invincible.” Katherine seemed impressed by this.
“Tomorrow, then. Tonight, let’s just try to get some rest. If they can track us this quickly, I’m screwed either way. And I’m tired.” And horny, thought Noah, though there wasn’t much he could do about that. There was no way he was masturbating with a vagina. He wouldn’t even know how to do it.
Should he put his dick on ice? It didn’t look like it was becoming pale or anything. It looked as fresh as the moment it came off him. It would probably be fine. The magic of the flesh scanner seemed to keep it preserved.
Sharing a bed, they went to sleep. Noah was in the middle, and Katherine and Berenice surrounded him. When he went to sleep, there was a polite gap between them. But when he woke up, Katherine’s arms were wrapped around him, and she was snoring.
His awakening was violent as soldiers stormed into his room. Katherine screamed, and she and Berenice were pushed aside so the soldiers could grab Noah.
“Do not resist! Thou art under arrest! Be still!”
“What?” said Noah as he was pulled from bed, still groggy.
“My lord!” screamed Katherine.
The soldiers dragged Noah out of the inn and put him in manacles. It was still nighttime. It had only been an hour or two. Noah realized he still had no Favor. Shit. They marched him through the long tunnels under the Toldenhold to the palace and brought him before the Emperor. Berenice and Katherine followed in tow.
“The insubordinate twat is here!” yelled Moali, though Noah could only see the Emperor. “Thought you could run, huh? Well, now the Emperor’s gonna have your head cut off!”
Be still, Moali; Justice will be served, For aught I do is just. Have faith, old friend.
Antimogne turned to Noah, who had been pushed to his knees by the sheeple soldiers.
Noah Turner. ‘Tis said thou hast defied Thy trainer’s reign, and struck an officer of My royal army with intent to kill. What sayest thou to defend thine actions?
One of the soldiers had stuffed a rag in his mouth when he tried to protest while being dragged through the streets, and the same soldier pulled the rag out of Noah’s mouth. He coughed and then spoke.
“Your Highness, please! I know I tried to kill Moali, but he’s a piece of shit! He’s been abusing me and raping me, and you said I could kill him-“
You know that I said no such thing; Lie not!
So he wouldn’t admit in front of Moali that he said Noah could kill Moali once his training was done. But he wasn’t lying exactly. He told Noah he could kill Moali once his training was done, but no sooner. Noah had no excuse for trying to kill Moali.
“I couldn’t take it anymore. He took my penis and testicles and replaced them with a vagina. Look!” Noah took his dick and balls from his pocket and showed them to the Emperor. The Emperor frowned and looked at where Noah guessed Moali must be standing.
Moali, what is this? Is this the way Thou trainest thy recruits now? I do hope This is not how thou dost use my resources.
“Vannoccio- Your Highness! It was just a joke! I saw the boy had an artifact that could manipulate flesh and copy organs, and I decided to requisition it for the army. And to test it out on him. Yes, I got a bit carried away, I’ll admit. I apologize, Your Highness. But do I not have the freedom to choose how I train my recruits? You don’t suggest I have been doing a bad job, do you?”
Nay, fear not Moali. Thy deeds of late Do bear thee out, as ever. But this act I cannot sanction. ‘Tis a base affront. To strip the lad of manhood figuratively Is one, yet to unman him thus in truth? In this light, Noah’s deeds I grasp-
“Vannoccio!”
Be silent! True, his deeds I grasp, and yet, Such cannot be excused. Disloyalty Is still disloyalty, despite the cause.
Emperor Antimogne waved his long index finger, and a soldier approached. He spoke into the soldier’s ear. The soldier nodded and stepped away, out of the Emperor’s visual pull, where Noah could no longer see him.
I’ve resolved that he by blade shall meet His end for this offence. I saw in him Great promise, yet ‘twill never come to bear fruit. Justice demands that we uphold it now.
Berenice and Katherine both cried out when Antimogne pronounced Noah’s sentence. “Please, Your Highliness!” shouted Katherine. Noah saw someone drop to their knees and guessed Katherine must be pleading for him on her knees. “I know I’m but a slave, yet Noah hath rescued me from a cruel lord! He is kind and meriteth not to be slain!”
Antimogne waved his index finger again and whispered some instructions to one of the soldiers.
Thy speech shan’t spare Noah Turner this day. Thou but compound his sins. To take a slave From rightful lord is crime in its own right. Thou shalt be executed first for it.
Katherine screamed. Noah saw Antimogne pull a silver ring from his long finger, and all of a sudden, the entire room changed. The Emperor’s visual magnetism ceased, and Noah was free to look anywhere.
The throne room was opulent beyond belief. Everything was gem-encrusted and dazzling. And Noah was shocked to see how many people were in the room. There were at least a hundred. Mostly sheeple guards and soldiers, holding various weapons. Some looked like mages. Some weren’t sheeple. There was one golgotha in the group, holding a halberd. In addition to the guards were a half dozen longfolk, each sitting on a recliner, quietly watching. They were being waited on by sheeple slaves, who quietly walked carrying food and drink. All the people were silent.
Noah looked at Berenice. Tears were streaming down her face, but she was quiet. Then down at Katherine. She was on her knees, her hands clasped together, pleading for her life.
One sheeple soldier stepped on her back, pressing her stomach to the ground. The other shouted, “Speak thy final words, sheeple!”
“Please, Your Highliness! Pray! Why doest this thou? By the Eye! Methought thou wert a kind and gentle ruler! Pray, spare me and Noah both! Please! Please!”
Noah watched one of the sheeple guards swing his curved sword down on Katherine’s neck, severing her head from her body. Her head rolled slightly, looking up at Noah, fear stuck forever on her face.
“No!” screamed Berenice, and she dropped to her knees and held Katherine’s head. “Why, Your Highness? Pray, spare Noah! ‘Tis enough blood!”
The soldiers came to Noah. “Thou art next!” They shoved him to the ground. He resisted, but they were far stronger. He couldn’t Ether Walk out. He couldn’t do anything. They were going to cut off his head! He had to think of something. The Tesla rod? It wouldn’t work in the Toldenhold, and they had taken it from him. “Speak thy final words!”
“What? Please! Let me go! I didn’t do anything! All I did was stand up for myself. You can’t blame me for that, can you? This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t let that psychopath train me! If you had given me a normal trainer, this wouldn’t have happened! This is your fault! Your fault!” Noah broke down into tears. He looked to the side and saw Berenice was being held back from running to Noah’s side.
Noah watched as the sheeple soldier raised his bloody sword high. This was it. He closed his eyes in anticipation. He could feel a tingling feeling in his neck, like his neck knew it was about to be severed. He didn’t want to die. His heart pounded in his ears, and tears came to his eyes.
Clang! Startled, Noah opened his eyes. He saw that the sword had struck the ground next to his head. He felt the soldiers relax their grasp on him, and he looked around, confused. There were so many indifferent faces in the throne room, watching him like the audience of a play. What was happening? The Emperor spoke.
Thou hast been falsely executed. ‘Tis thy fate. And, too, the slaying of your sheeple girlfriend. Henceforth, bear mind, thy deeds touch lives beyond thine. And you Moali: School Noah as he’s due. No more such trifles, or beware. And, too Thou must give Noah back his artifact. Not yours, is it, and theft is still unlawful. Begone, all hence, and leave me now alone.
Antimogne waved his finger, and then put his ring back on. Noah’s attention snapped from Berenice, who was crying tears of relief, to the Emperor. He looked annoyed. Like they were children, and he was annoyed at having to discipline them. But they weren’t just children, and he wasn’t just putting them in time out. He just had Katherine executed like it was nothing! Noah was grateful, at least, that he wasn’t killed as well.
They were pushed out of the throne room, and the doors were shut behind them.
“Here,” said Moali, thrusting the flesh scanner into Noah’s chest. Noah almost dropped it. Moali walked away without another word.
Berenice hugged Noah. “Thou livest!” she cried, and held him tight. “But Katherine…”
“Yeah.”
“Poor girl. The Emperor speakest true. Thou canst not flout the law thus! Her liberation was against the law, and thou knewest it! Thou art fortunate to live! The Emperor must like thee greatly.”
“What was I supposed to do, Berenice, just let her get raped?” He pulled away from her embrace.
“Aye, Noah! Aye! Thou art meant to live! Wilt thou end thy life each time a sheeple in the Toldenhold is raped? Likely, a thousand sheeple endure such a fate in this city as we speak. Art thou resolved to dash out now and die for all their sakes, like some golgotha martyr?”
“No! But it’s wrong, and nobody is stopping it. How can nobody see that it’s wrong?”
“I have endured it, Noah! I know their pain. But I shall not sacrifice myself in vain. Thou did not aid her, Noah. She is dead.”
“I know!” Noah sighed. “Let’s go. I know I didn’t help her. I know she’s dead, and it’s my fault, okay?”
They began to walk down the halls. The black star cast its darkness on them as they walked. “I apologize for being harsh. ‘Tis a perilous world. Thou must be wary. Wilt thou permit Moali to instruct thee? Without any more fits of temper?”
Noah sighed again, loudly. “Yes. I guess I have no choice.”
“Thou hadst no choice before. Yet…”
“I know. I won’t try to kill him again. Not until I have the Emperor’s green light.” He wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, but he was at least sure he would try.
“Good. Our chambers lie this way, Noah.”
“I’m gonna go put my penis back on, and get this fucking thing off me,” he said, gesturing to his crotch. “I can’t do it in the Toldenhold. Pretty sure this thing would just melt my dick if I tried.” He held up the flesh scanner for emphasis.
“Ah, I comprehend. Then I shall see thee later. I am too spent to follow. Farewell.”
They parted ways, and Noah returned to the stairs leading to the tunnel and climbed down into the belly of the Toldenhold again. His legs were getting tired from all this walking, but he would be happy to finally have his dick back on again.
He needed to find somewhere private to reattach his genitals, so he returned to the abandoned farm where he had trained with Graven this afternoon. He looked around to ensure nobody was near and then knelt down in a patch of long grass. Even if someone came by the dirt road, the grass would give him the privacy he needed.
There, now to get this thing off me, he thought. He pulled his pants down and looked at his black vagina under the faint green light of the Eye. Now that he had the scanner, he was in no rush. He stared at it. It was such a weird feeling. To have a vagina, yes, but also to not have a dick where he had had one his whole life.
He moved his fingers to touch the lips, and then the clitoris. He sucked air in through his teeth. It felt good. He had forgotten how horny he was, but it had been days since his last orgasm. But he wasn’t going to masturbate with a vagina. He wasn’t even sure he’d know how to do it. Still, it was interesting to touch it, to see how it felt.
He adjusted the flesh scanner, and it emitted a purple light. Noah’s white flesh parted around the foreign organ, which slid out of his pelvis and landed in the grass. He took his dick and balls and stuck them back on where they belonged.
“Ooof,” groaned Noah. Ow. That hurt. Shit! He quickly scanned his genitals with the purple light, and pulled them off again. He guessed between being in his pocket and being thrown around and kicked by Moali, they had taken a beating. This flesh scanner could make him a new, healthy copy, right?
He used the flesh scanner to scan his dick and balls. It blinked to indicate the pattern had been saved. Noah idly wondered whether there was any way to edit the pattern before replicating it. Maybe he could make his dick huge. He shook his head. Probably not, and he would be happy to have any dick after having worn a vagina for the last few hours.
He produced a new set of genitals, which looked basically identical to the originals. He attached the new ones, and they stuck onto his body without causing him any pain.
“What am I going to do with you,” he asked his old dick and balls, holding them up with his thumb and forefinger. A part of him felt sad to be giving them up, even though he now had an identical – non-bruised – set. They had been through a lot together. Ah, well. Noah tossed them into the field. Some bird would find them or something.
He looked down at the vagina sitting on the grass. It was a long, pink tube of flesh with a black opening at the end. Not unlike a Fleshlight, he thought. Those male masturbator sex toys that looked like disembodied vaginas. He picked it up. It was still warm. He touched the opening. Wet. He was starting to get aroused by the possibility. There was no reason he shouldn’t fuck it, right? He had sworn off sex with girls besides Chastity, but a disembodied vagina surely wasn’t cheating.
He rubbed the opening of the vagina on his new dick as he got harder. He bit his lip. It felt good. His body had been aching for release for days. He rarely masturbated now, given the shame that sex had brought him lately. It just upset him. But now he was tired and grateful to be alive. And all alone. He slipped the tip of his hard cock into the pussy he had been wearing only moments earlier. It was still warm from his own body heat.
It felt good. Noah pushed his dick all the way in, and let out a soft moan. God, it felt good. He rolled onto his side and started rocking his hips to fuck the pussy. His mind wandered while he fucked it. It reminded him of Berenice, and so he thought back to fucking her. And how she sucked his dick. She was so good at it. Not like Kirsa. Definitely not like his ex-girlfriend. Soon, he was thinking about fucking Kirsa, too. He missed her sluttiness. How she would call him her Lord, and cling to him tightly while he fucked her.
It wasn’t long before he came in the vagina. He moaned loudly – nobody was around to hear. His brand new balls clenched rhythmically as they shot his cum inside the disembodied pussy.
He breathed heavily, his face resting on the tall grass. He felt guilty for fantasizing about Kirsa and Berenice. He should have been thinking about Chastity. But he had never even seen Chastity naked, so it was hard. Slowly, he pulled his sensitive penis out of the vagina. He closed his eyes and rested.
A few minutes later, he decided it was time to go back. But what would he do with the cum-filled vagina? Leave it for the birds to find? Part of him wanted to keep it. He didn’t think it would go bad. Whatever the flesh scanner did, it seemed to cause the body parts it copied to not rot. But it was full of cum, and he’d have to wash it. Unless he just copied a new one.
Soon, he was walking back to the palace with a copy of the vagina tucked into his waistband. Why not? He anticipated a lot of stress in the coming days. He needed a way to release. Before heading back into the tunnel, he took one last look at the green Eye, which filled much of the sky. He was glad to be alive to see it. It was a beautiful sight. Even though he knew there was a giant, creepy eyeball lurking behind the layer of green gas. He was glad the Eye had been closed, and had not witnessed him masturbating at the abandoned farm. It was an actual god, after all. Noah turned and went back to the palace.