"Again?" Elithia demanded as she ripped me from my fight with the golem she summoned. the moment her hand touched the scruff of my shirt, the golem went limp. she threw me to the back of the warehouse we were occupying. "how many times will you turn it into a fist fight?" she tossed up a hand. "before you even think of saying a damn thing, that question was rhetorical."

the golem stood, like a Sentinel without a thought process. it was a large ball of stone with long, expensive arms that looked disproportionate to the body. the legs were perfect for the body, but there were four of them. i sighed and slumped into the corner.

i looked down to my hands. my palms were white, and my knuckles were bloody and two looked dislocated.

my mind went blank as i unintentionally spoke. "I-I feel most at home when my flesh clashes with my opponent. i almost feel their thoughts explode under my knuckles. my rage, my need to wound my opponent drives them. Sorry Elithia, i know you see a sword as the best weapon, but my fists, they just... they are my companions that have been with me, and will always be with me..." she chuckled at my speech. you truly wish to fight with your fists?" i nodded. "you know that means you will be the first target in a large blood bath?" she was genuinely concerned about me. i stood to meet her comment. "then i will be the first to strike down my prey."

Her eyes bulged at my comment. "W-wow..." she blushed and turned away. "It seems i will have to fashion you a new weapon. one befitting a fool such as yourself." she snapped her fingers, and two golems stood. she pointed at me. "kill." she commanded her dolls.

they sprang to life, mindlessly attacking at me. the first one slammed it's fist into the concrete. i slid back, dodging the fist by inches. "if you want to use your fists, i shall compromise with you. I will make the strongest of weapons for you, on one condition." i dodged another strike. "The fuck could you possibly need?!" i screamed as i rolled from a swipe of an arm built out of stone.

"you will continue to evade them, but know this, even if you die, i will bring you back." i will return in about two days. until then stay here and don't die." she turned and began to fade. "Oh, and one more thing, this is it, i promise. they will adapt to your movements." after her sentence had finished, she vanished.

a large clock formed on the skylight, giving me the time. "great, leave me to your beasts, and insult me with the luxury of knowing the time." if she wasn't so captivateing, I'd call her a bitch. but for that comment I'd burn for eternity.

i was alone with my attackers. for an hour they were sluggish, and easy to read. shortly after 1:15 they began to move faster. after 2:38 they coordinated their attacks to catch me off guard. after that i lost track of time. shortly after they began to shed the extra weight. soon they were my size, except thier arms. their arms grew bigger, stronger, and certainly packed a much harder punch. they four legs were now two, slim blocky legs that resembled that of a stick fell, and the moon seemed to give them power. for the fifth time, a stone fist clashed with my face.

i stumbled back. "Fuck you!" i screamed as i bounced off its head to get behind it. as i was falling, i heard a clank. i turned to see that one golem had struck the other. and it was going for a kill shot on me. the second golem dropped to its knees, and broke into small pebbles, that scattered on the floor like ants.

That means they weren't on a collective mind. just as i jumped back a ray of sunlight stroked my face. i flinched as the light stung my eyes. "fuck..." the stone fist connected with my abdomon. knocking the wind out of me.

My rage reached it's climax. i rose to my feet. "Fuck, You!" i slammed my fist into the bulky head of the golem. It toppled over, providing me a well- deserved opportunity. I pounced on it, and began plumbing its head. my arms slammed into it, over and over. moments later its smooth stone body was rubble.

i stood atop my fresh kill, my eyes on the clock. it blinked 'almost' i looked past it, to the morning sun that was rising for the second time while i was in this personal hell. "He is as foolish as you said, Etha." a woman's voice stated.

I looked over to the origin of the voice. a tall, lanky woman stood next to Ethilia. "h-hello lady ehthilia, i seem to have broken the toys you so graciously lent me. i am terribly sorry." my words were oozing with sarcasm.

"He even knows how to speak like a gentleman, while being an asshole. i like him already. but i have other things to do so let's speed this up. okay?" she walked over to me, and ran her hand around my body.

"and you are?" she leaned into me. pressing her breasts against me. "I am Hephaestus, the first Smith." my thoughts raced, mainly because she was sexually assaulting me while claiming to be a god. "the Greek god?" she squeezed me harder. "yup, but they didn't like that a woman could swing a hammer better than a man, so they twisted it to make me seem like a 'man' in their legends."

"Fair-nuff, I've seen some wierd shit lately, so that classifies as normal." she clapped as she slid off me. "ok, so you know me, but do you know of Centimanes?" i thought of it but nothing came to mind. "they were monsters that helped the fore god's overthrow the titans. they had hundreds of arms and fifty heads."

i shuttered at the thought of having to keep track of fifty thoughts at once, let alone more than i have now. "Well, because ethilia wants an ultimate weapon in the form fitting your fist fighting style. i have come to a conclusion." my heart raced. "take off your shirt, boy." her command shook me.

"do it, Dann." Elithia commanded from the other side of the door. reluctantly i compiled. i pulled off the tatters that were once a shirt. "alright, now i need you to lay down, and bite on this." she slid a piece of thick leather into my mouth. "we don't need you chomping off that witty tongue of yours, lest it be better at something else..." she said as she stroked my face.

Once i was on the floor, she straddled me. "Mmmffk, efff mmme" i mumbled through the leather. she pressed my head down. "don't struggle. im going to embed the weapon i made out of the many arms of the centimanes. and its going to hurt, but your a man, and you can take it, can't you?" she asked condescendingly as she slapped my face. 'blow me...' i thought. definitely didn't want that to slip.

Hephaestus placed her hands on my back, and began to press. my back stung as i knew it would, but it went far further than i thought it would. it felt like she was forcing molten steel into my veins. i screamed as the fire spread to my limbs. i lost consciousness shortly after.

"Dann, Oh please don't be dead. Ethilia will have my head for this..." i opened my eyes. the only thing i saw was Hephaestus' face. she was on her fours and her features were far more prominent now. she had a scar that ran along her cheek and her left eye was glossed over.

she looked into my eyes. "oh, thank Olympus." she rolled off of me, revealing all that was beyond her. weapons of all kinds hung from the ceiling. we were on a silk bed, that stretched too far for anyone to ever sleep on correctly. i attempted to sit up, but the pain returned. i was immobilized for the time being. "where are we?" i inquired.

"We are in my secret forge in Tartarus." my eyes shot open. "a-am I-" "No!" Hephaestus shot in before i finished. "-and, you can call me Hepha, i know Greek names are a hassle now, so I'll give you an exception. she stood and moved out of my site. "well, where is my weapon?" i asked. "i think you will like this one, its attached to your soul. i don't know a name for it yet. but it has the ability to manifest endless arms out of plasma from the surrounding galaxy.

"Eli demanded the best, i delivered the best." she stated proudly. "she returned to my sight. "but for now, i need you to sleep, it's the only way to calibrate your weapon. allow it to fill your dream, and it will guide you. i will join you to be sure you are safe." she hung an incense burner above me, and laid next to me.

my eyes drooped and sleep took me like an assailant in the night. what greeted me both amazed me and scared me shitless. the mass of arms was jutting out a single silhouette of me. it moved towards me. "what am I to you?" the voice was coming from everywhere, but dispersed and reformed, as if it were carried by the wind. but none the less i had to answer. "my body."

Hepha was behind me. she gasped at what we had met. "is that what i created?" the silhouette gazed at her. "you did not create me, but made a catalyst for my creation. my creator stands before you." it returned its glare to me. "and what will you do with me?"

I bared my heart. "Conquer all who incur my wrath, and protect those i hold dear." the silhouette nodded and walked to me. it stopped inches from me, and knelt. "i await a name, master." it stated. "am i to name you?" i question the thing. "yes, as you are the only master i will ever know, you will be the only one able to call me by name."

with how grand it looked i couldn't help it. "Arms Manarium, AM for short." the thing stood. "and so it shall be. i am forever with you master. and with that it walked into me. absorbing itself into me.

i woke to the sound of Elithia humming. i looked up to see Elithia looming over me. "how did it go?" she asked coldly. "i brought my hand to my head. "i think it went well." Hepha rose to her feet on the bed. "What is he?" she demanded. Elithia shot a lookup. "what do you mean, seductress?" Hepha took no notice of the comment. "He devoured the soul of the hekatonkheires without a problem, and the last time i checked, humans had trouble devouring a minute soul, let alone one akin to a god!"

"I do not know. but from what i can see he is not human." i felt hurt by the way Hepha was scared of me. "Did i do something wrong?" Ethilia shook her head. no, but we are doubling your training from this point on, once your are healed, as punishment, of course."

Hepha jumped off the bed." I didn't do a damn thing to him. hell if i could. he was completely un-interested with me." Elithia relaxed with that comment. "i have a question though..." Hepha met my gaze. "how do i manifest AM?" she smiled. "I'm not the one to ask. in due time, AM will introduce you to his many powers, do not worry."

I signed with agony as my heart sank. "Vessi is going to murder me." Elithia laughed. "either double training or i leave you to he-" "Double training!" she giggled. "I'll tamper with her memories again." "thanks... i guess." i said as i relaxed. but for some reason, i do not know why i felt the ache in my stomach.