AHOY TATERS!
Welcome to chapter eight of Wrath Of a Fallen Hero! I am sorry for the long wait but I got side tracked because I started working on some plot bunnies I had.
Speaking of which if any of you like Mass Effect please feel free to check out two of my mass effect stories such as "Commander Shepherd Vs The Multiverse" and "Five Nights In Mass Effect."
Anyways this chapter will have Prim do something naughty so to speak and will show Ben getting acquainted with Ken's people.
With that onto the chapter!
The sun shone down upon the Forrest below like a ceiling fan's light. A familiar blue and gold carriage creaked and cracked, the wheels wheezing as it was pulled by six horses whose hooves on the cobblestone road produced a sound like raindrops with a deep voice.
In the carriage, the pair of princess knights, the Dark Queen, her handmaid and Ben were awake and sharing a lemon pie.
"It's been a week and we haven't burned through even half our rations." Alicia announced after swallowing her piece.
Ben licked a yellow creamy smear off his lip and chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah thanks to those women we have too much food, I am grateful though I wonder what I'm going to do with all this food before it spoils."
Prim giggled as she licked sweet tangey crumbs off her fingers. "It's better to have too much food than no food at all." The pinkette shot Ben a smile that was sweet as a kid who ate a whole bag of Tootsie rolls. "I can't wait to see how other people in Eostia will react to your heroic deeds, my prince."
Ben felt his face heat up, blood pumping to his cheeks as sweat dropped down his forehead. "Thank you Prim, you really do flatter me. But as I'll keep on saying I'm not a hero. Not anymore."
His voice was wearing a jacket of discomfort with bacon bits of pride and embarrassment sprinkled on it.
'Prim still sees me as a hero and as a Prince charming. It's a great compliment coming from a girl as beautiful as her, but that voice in my head… telling me that my heroic self died with my family. That I can't be a hero anymore, now that I've given into my darkness.'
It was then that a middle strong breeze blew through the carriage, wafting over Ben like a swarm of bees and carrying the scent of his body forward.
Alicia choked and slapped her hand over her nose and mouth, as the stench of Ben's body odor slid down her tongue like spoiled honey. "By the goddess Ben, when was the last time you bathed?!"
Prim however closed her eyes and took a deep inhale of the scent, allowing Ben's musk to fill her nostrils and airways like a gas chamber. The pinkette's lips formed into a smile and she let out a moan barely audible that could easily be mistaken for the carriage settling.
'My Prince's musk… it's sour yet sweet like that chicken I once ate in Kaguya's kingdom. I can smell the sweat and the hard work he puts into his body.'
Unaware of Prim's thoughts, Ben looked down at the floor with a bashful look on his face. "Sorry, I haven't bathed since we were in Feoh."
Olga raised a hand to gesture at herself and the other women in the carriages. "Remember Arcturus, Everytime we stopped at a lake to bathe Ben would guard us and make sure no monsters snuck up on us.'
Prim paused as she remembered how Ben would always use his aliens to basically build a fortress so she, her sister and the Dark Elves could bathe in peace. 'Why did he never take a look at us? He always built the defenses than looked away… Most men would gladly have taken the opportunity to watch us bathe, but he didn't…'
Prim felt annoyance bloom in her chest like a flower and she opened her eyes and frowned.
Alicia oblivious to the inner mind of her sister, tried to wave the stench of Ben's musk away with her hand. "That's unacceptable!" She barked.
"We're only a few hours from Ken, you can't meet Celestine while you smell like you've rolled around in a barn!"
Prim felt her face flush, warming up as if she was in a hot shower as she realized the opportunity she had. "My Prince, we should be coming up on a waterfall. One that Sister and I have bathed in the past. You can bathe there and be perfect when we arrive at Ken."
Ben looked up and smiled. "You're a lifesaver Prim, my mother's ghost would never let me hear the end of it if I greeted a goddess while smelling like I ran a marathon."
Alicia took a quick peek outside before sitting back down. "We should be at that waterfall in fifteen minutes."
The Arcturus Heir placed a hand on Prim's shoulder and addressed her sister. "Thank you for reminding me of that Prim. This way I don't have to worry about Claudia."
Alicia shivered as she imagined how Claudia would have reacted had she brought Ben to Celestine while The Fallen Hero smelled like a goat.
Prim giggled. "No problem, I wouldn't want either of your images to be tarnished."
{BREAK}
Alicia laid down a trough in front of the six horses, before with one hand she lifted a burlap bag and tore it open with the other, proceeding to pour oats, corn and dried peas out of the bag and into the trough.
A few neighs blew from between a few horses lips like a small wind as they dug in.
Prim twiddled her thumbs together as she sat on a log underneath the shade of a tree. Her mind swirling and twisting with thoughts about a certain Fallen Hero. Specifically thoughts on what he would look like while bathing.
Her face became almost as pink as her hair before she pushed herself off of the log and announced. "I'm-I'm going for a walk."
'I hope my voice was confident enough. Otherwise Sister is not going to let me out of her sight.'
Predictably Alicia tossed the empty bag aside and faced Prim. "I'll come with you Prim."
The princess of Ur shook her head. "No thank you Sister, I want to walk by myself."
Alicia felt her heart lurch as if it just got punched. 'Is Prim trying to find an excuse to get away from me?'
Avoiding eye contact, the blonde princess Knight clenched her left fist and replied. "All right, don't stray too far, stay close enough that I can hear you if you call for help."
The pink haired Princess Knight nodded and assured her sister that she wouldn't travel far.
{BREAK}
It was only a few minutes later, twigs crunched under her feet as her heart bounced like a kangaroo. The Princess of Ur held a hand first to her burning face and then to her chest. 'I'm going to do it, I'm actually going to do it. I'm going to watch my prince bathe.'
The pinkette slowed down and made sure to treat her footsteps with the tender care one would a lamb, she didn't want to alert Ben after all.
The pinkette hid behind an orange tree that was a part of a pair of orange trees that seemed to form an arch that welcomed anyone who wanted to bathe in the waterfall in front of it.
She arrived just in time to see Ben shrug off his sumo slammer boxers, letting his manhood drop free from its cotton prison. Prim's eyes widened and shone with wonder like a kid who just had their first bite of chocolate, while her face began to steam.
'My Prince's cock! I just saw it! It's long and thick but not gruesomely big like an Orc's! I wonder how big his cock would get if he got an erection?'
The sound of Ben's footsteps entering the lake produced a sound like pebbles skipping across the water, and The Princess of Ur took the opportunity to admire Ben's behind.
'His butt is muscular and looks hard as armor, I want to-I want to take it in my hands and squeeze it!' The Pinkette had a trail of drool leaking down her lip.
She watched as Ben began scrubbing himself, first dipping his bar of soap in the water and then rubbing it vigorously on his pits, thus coating them in bubbles before he lowered the soap to his abs and began to scrub them too.
Prim gulped. 'His abs… I wish I was a bar of soap right now.' Her eyes locked onto Ben's six pack like a hawk, the sight of soap sliding down and grinding against them making Prim feel a heat building in-between her legs.
The Pinkette shivered and subconsciously placed a hand on her panties and pressed down with three fingers.
The Princess Of Ur watched as Ben slid the soap bar across his forearms thus coating them in bubbles too. Prim licked her lips as she saw the bubbles get entangled with the hair on Ben's arms.
She pressed her three fingers down harder on her panties, pulling and pushing her fingers up and down with the speed of a turtle. 'Something about seeing My Prince covered in soap, especially when it's on his body hair… It makes me wish he wore nothing but soap bubbles all the time!'
When Ben began scrubbing his butt, Prim had to slap her free hand over her mouth to silence the moan that came out as the speed of her fingers pushing against her womanhood intensified.
'I know I shouldn't be watching, but this was an opportunity that my mind wouldn't let me pass up. Ben's such a tease, covering his cute buff butt in soap bubbles.'
The Pinkette's breath caught in her throat as she watched The Fallen Hero slide the soap bar under the water he was in and began scrubbing his legs, biting her lip the Princess of Ur muttered. "I'm so close… so close to seeing him wash his cock."
Her heart hammered in her chest like a jackhammer as she waited with bated breath for her prince to clean his manhood.
And than it happened, Ben Tennyson brushed the soap against his genitals and began to clean himself there too.
Prim felt her knees become weak as she watched bubbles grow around Ben's privates, her free hand grabbed a hold of one of the nearby orange trees to stop herself from stumbling as she moaned in a whisper-like voice. "Ben…"
The Princess's smile was sweet as cherry pie yet somehow lewd like a happy drunk. "You're such a big tease, you're the king of teases washing that body like that."
As Ben finished scrubbing himself in soap, Prim jolted as Ben began to walk out of the lake. "I need to get out of here, fast." She mumbled as she withdrew her hand from her panties both the hand and the garment being soaked with her woman juices.
Not wanting Ben to catch her, The Pinkette slipped into the woods quickly but quietly.
{BREAK}
Ben was now clothed in a blue tunic shirt over a pair of leather pants, the pants creaked like a raven trying to imitate a frog with every movement The Fallen Hero made in the carriage, which gently rocked as the horses pulled it along the cobblestone road to Ken.
Prim's eyes darted back and forth between Ben and the floor, a little bit of steam still coming out of her ears. 'I don't think Nee-chan knows what I did… She probably wouldn't be too happy with me if she knew.'
The pinkette's eyes darted back to Ben for the tenth time as she rested her chin on her knuckles. 'How long will I have to wait until I can watch My Prince bathe again?'
Already she missed the sight of her Prince's nude sculpted body, in better shape than eighty percent of the men in her and Alicia's kingdoms.
Alicia meanwhile had a barely existent frown on her face as she observed her sister. 'I think Prim did something… I don't know what during her walk today. She keeps on looking at Ben as if she's undressing him with her eyes.'
A voice in the back of her mind whispered that Prim peeped on Ben while he bathed, but The Arcturus Heir smacked that voice down like a gorilla slapping a child's hand away.
'Prim would never do something so perverted. It must be something else.'
Suddenly a woman's voice from above and outside the carriage shouted. "Halt! Identify yourselves or be slain!"
Alicia pushed herself off the chair and pulled on the horses reins thus making two of the horses whinny in protest but nonetheless the six horses pulling the carriage slowed down before coming to a stop, the clop clop of their hooves winding down like a wind up toy losing power.
The Arcturus Heir stepped out of the carriage and was greeted by the pearl white walls that surrounded the city of Ken, thirteen women clothed in Mana Armor stood atop the wall, armed with spears and swords.
While two more nearly naked women stood in front of the gate, those two pointing their spears at Alicia's horses.
The Blonde Princess Knight bumped her fist against her ample bossom in a salute. "I am Alicia Arcturus. Princess Of Feoh and member of The Seven shields. I am here with my sister The Princess of Ur, as well as former Dark Queen Olga Discordia, the half elf Chloe and the shapeshifter Ben Tennyson. We are supposed to meet The Goddess Reborn Celestine."
The two nearly naked women in front lowered their spears and slammed their pommels onto the cobblestone road. Both of them mimicked Alicia's salute while they stood aside and pushed open the gate to allow the carriage through.
"Welcome to Ken, Princess Knight. Her grace told us to expect you."
As the horses pulled the carriage past the gates, Ben once again wondered why almost every woman here, especially the knights dressed like they were in a porno.
'I mean, I do appreciate the view and I understand that the quote un quote armor is magic. But why wouldn't they build a real suit of armor with the same enchantments? Does the armor have to be like a string bikini for the magic to work properly?'
The Fallen Hero suddenly started chuckling, causing Alicia to cast a glance at him. "What's so funny?" She asked in a voice that was both curious and annoyed.
Ben smiled. "I was just thinking what it would be like if Kevin and Gwen were here. I can imagine Gwen slapping Kevin on the back of the head for ogling your knights."
Alicia rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time they suffered such disrespect, they know how to handle disrespectful men by now."
Ben replied. "I don't want to sound victim blamey, but your "armor" would draw a lot less attention if it didn't leave your knights nearly naked."
As Alicia and Ben bantered about the practicality of the knights armor, Prim chuckled knowing that her prince would see her and the people she cares for through the troubles that come their way.
{BREAK}
The Goddess Celestine sat at her round table, the table coated in a golden table cloth with a red lion's face on it.
With a forlorn expression she looked at the empty seat where Maia used to sit. "I hope you're ok Maia, I hope that you're attachment to The Black Dogs won't spell your downfall."
Suddenly she was broken out of her reverie when her closest advisor Claudia knocked on the twin doors to the dining room chambers.
"Your eminence, the shapeshifter Ben Tennyson is here along with two of our noble allies. Alicia Arcturus, and Prim Fiore and two of our former enemies Olga Discordia and the Half Elf Chloe."
Celestine stood up from her chair and placed her palms flat on the desk. "You may enter!"
The four inch thick gold, red and maple doors parted with a thud, they barely opened before the acid green eyes brunette from her dreams stepped inside and he was quickly followed by Alicia then Prim and finally by Chloe who stood protectively in front of Olga.
For a moment Celestine felt overwhelmed, she felt the weight of being the ruler of The Seven Kingdoms, the weight of meeting both the hero who saved Feoh and dealt the greatest damage to The Traitorous previously undefeated Black Dogs, and to seeing her ex best friend Olga Discordia for the first time in centuries.
She barely acknowledged that Ben was greeting her, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes became rusted hinges that with great effort swung from Ben to Olga to Ben back to Olga.
She didn't know who to greet first, her ex friend whom she missed dearly or the fastest growing hero in the lands.
The decision was taken from her when Olga smiled and spoke in a mocking tone. "What's the matter Celestine? Cat got your tongue? Or should I say Dark Elf got your tongue?"
Before Celestine could reply, her ever loyal Knight snapped at The Dark Elf Queen. "Mind your filthy tongue! Every moment you breathe this castle's holy air is mercy from her eminence!"
Chloe sent Claudia a glare that was equally venomous. "Arrogant human! There's nothing special about this castle! It's a castle belonging to a traitorous Elf who sold her soul to perverted humans unlike Olga-sama who-"
"Chloe enough we don't need this!" Interrupted Ben who sent a glare Chloe's way, in response the Half Elf bit her lip as her heart twisted itself into pretzels.
She wanted to argue but her own mind was arguing against itself. 'He has done more for Olga-sama then any human in history! It's the only reason why I didn't just punch him!'
"Fine!" Scoffed Chloe.
Ben turned to face Celestine and gave a bow. "I sincerely apologize for my companion, she's kind of a hot head. As I was saying, I'm honored to meet the ruler of these lands."
Celestine finally found her voice at this point and a smile quirked up on her face. She took a few graceful steps towards Ben and placed a hand on his cheek, her touch being soft as butter.
As The Fallen Hero felt his heart rate quicken and his face heat up under the Goddess Reborn's butter soft touch, Celestine smiled and said. "You're just as handsome yet strong as you were in my dreams. Like a Papa Bear protecting his cubs. Let me personally welcome you to Ken, Ben Tennyson."
Ben didn't know what to say to that and remained speechless until Celestine turned to face Olga, at which point her smile became a little strained.
"Olga." Spoke Celestine. "It's been so long, did you ever think of the old days? Before the war?"
Olga's eyes softened. "Yes, though they only made me angrier as I felt like you betrayed me."
Celestine nodded. "I understand that all you wanted to do was protect your people, but I hope Ben here has helped you see that not all humans are bad."
Olga crossed her arms over her ample dark chest and scoffed. "He's… different. Anyways what are you going to do to me? The people of Ken are bound to find out that I'm here eventually."
Celestine frowned. "I have a plan, but you might not like it."
{BREAK}
Celestine now stood on a stage of pearl white stone and marble that was in the middle of a park, the park had grass trimmed like a fresh five o'clock shadow and green like an apple.
The park also had two beds of flowers with red roses, three leaf covers and Forget me nots.
As Celestine's blonde hair swayed to the left via a cold breeze that kissed her supple skin like a hypothermic lover, she gazed out at the crowd of spectators in front of and below the stage, various men, women and children of Ken.
Her stage was guarded by eight Female Knights in Mana Armor and behind Celestine was a golden curtain with a red lion on it, behind which were her Allies such as Ben Tennyson.
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd like crackles and pops spread throughout Rice crispies and to silence them, the Goddess Reborn cleared her throat before using magic to enhance her voice.
"My loyal subjects, I'm sure you have heard the stories about The Hero of Feoh. A young man who can transform into various monsters each with different supernatural powers. Yet he does not kill the innocent and nor does he violate women's bodies."
A few more murmurs began to open up and Celestine waited for them to quite down, when they did she continued.
"I'm here to tell you they are true. A shape shifter did save Feoh from The Black Dogs who betrayed us. And that's not all, I am pleased to announce that Shapeshifter has managed to arrest Olga Discordia and her handmaid Chloe for their crimes. The shapeshifter who's name is Ben Tennyson has brought the Dark queen and her servant to this very city to be judged by me and I have sentenced them to be his slaves. He will punish them as he sees fit."
She made a gesture with her hand and the curtains parted thus revealing Ben carrying a chain that led to a pair of collars around Olga and Chloe's neck the two being on their knees. The Dark Queen looked like she wanted to turn invisible while Chloe glared with lava hot hatred towards the crowd.
The crowd immediately broke out into cheers and jeering, cheers for Ben for bringing in the two dark elves and jeering at the two Dark Elves for their supposed fate.
"Well well well not so mighty now are you?"
"So much for being a queen huh?"
"Good job hero! If you can conquer the dark queen you can conquer anyone!"
Ben's hand that was holding the chain shook and he whispered. "Olga, Chloe I'm so sorry."
Olga looked downcast. "It's alright, the mud people here would've rioted if I wasn't punished in some way."
Chloe felt a small sense of satisfaction like a toad hopping into a shoe when she saw a trio of children break into tears at her glare but it was fleeting as she was still forced to be on her knees and in chains to a human.
"Just like when I was a kid… with my worthless father." She ground out like stones on a harp.
Ben gave Chloe a look of pure sympathy and gave a signal by tapping his right foot three times, with that Celestine waved her hand and the curtains closed again.
{BREAK}
It was the next day at one o'clock in the afternoon and Celestine had encouraged Ben to sell his image to Ken's people.
As a queen with a reign extending over a thousand years, The Goddess Reborn knew how helpful Good PR could be and so she encouraged Ben to show off his alien's powers to Ken's people.
They were in the same park as they were yesterday, with an excited crowd watching.
A makeshift arena had been set up in the large park and surrounding Ben who had transformed into Diamond Head were nine Knights on horseback and armed with Lances as if ready for a joust. A joust that was nine against one.
The crowd stood by, their hearts racing, eager to see how a single man even if he was a shapeshifter would handle nine knights on horseback.
Not only that but on top of the arena were eleven archers ready to unleash poisoned arrows should the knights fail.
Celestine raised her hand while looking at Diamond Head. "Remember Ben Tennyson, you are not allowed to inflict lethal injuries on my knights or archers but they are allowed to inflict lethal injuries on you. This fight will continue until either you're dead or my knights and archers are subdued. Do you understand?"
Diamond Head held up his gem-like dukes. "Crystal Clear your eminence."
More than a few people in the audience chuckled at the unintentional pun.
Celestine allowed herself a smirk before she chopped her hand down. "Fight!"
Three knights ordered their horses to charge at once, the horses' hooves pounded and clopped against the ground thus flattening the grass underneath.
In response Diamond Head shot forward like a ninja and grabbed the lance of the knight in the middle before yanking her off her horse, the knight yelping in the process especially when he used her as a bludgeon to knock the two other knights off their horses.
Their bodies produced an audible crack and thud as they collided and although there was some blood, it was very miniscule compared to what Ben did to the Black Dogs so it was obvious that the knights were still alive with just minor injuries.
The six other knights on horseback charged and Diamond Head slammed the palms of his hands into the ground thus making an aquamarine crystal the size of a school bus erupt out of the ground underneath the six knights.
Though unlike most of Diamond Head's crystals he made this one blunt as a nickel so as not to cut the knights and their horses into pieces. Instead the six knights and their horses were sent flying and crashed with a few broken bones and bruises.
The eleven archers then unleashed their poisoned arrows, the arrow heads dripping with purple liquid sailing towards Diamond Head and ready to strike like a viper.
Only for them to shatter like twigs when they hit him. The Pseudo Petrosapien chuckled before his right hand turned into cleaver like claws and shot forth a hail of crystal shards that split the Archer's bows in half.
Diamond Head turned to face Celestine. "Your eminence. I've subdued all your knights and disabled your archer's weapons. I think it's safe to say that I won this round."
Celestine smiled and nodded before raising both her hands. "The Hero of Feoh wins!"
The audience broke out into claps and cheers.
"Those poisoned arrows didn't faze him at all!"
"He took down those knights as if they were children!"
"Those traitors are truly screwed! We have nothing to worry about!"
{BREAK}
The makeshift arena had been disassembled and various junk had been brought from across the city, the crowd now watched with a mixture of wariness and intrigue as Jury Rigg took apart various carriages, boats, swords, armor and meshed them together with his crystals from Diamond Head.
A little girl pulled on her mother's dress. Her voice was squeaky like a scared kitten. "Mommy the hero of Feoh looks like a scary goblin."
The mother, her lip in a firm frown, forced a smile on her face as she rubbed her daughter's green hair. "Don't worry Kylie. If the Goddess says that The Hero isn't a goblin then he isn't a goblin. And he hasn't tried to do anything naughty yet either."
It was then her husband, a pink haired man chuckled. "Look at him, he's so obsessed with breaking and fixing shit over there. He's like a halfling that drank too much coffee!"
Indeed the way that Jury Rigg moved was like a roadrunner on ketamine as he tore the wheels off of three carriages and nailed them to a vessel via Diamond Head's crystals before imbedding two scythes into the hull of the vessel, then with strength that no Goblin could possess he lifted the now wheeled boat and stacked it ontop of another boat which he imbedded with fourteen axes before he welded twelve pieces of Mana armor that bounded the top boat and the bottom boat together.
Jury Rigg hopped off his newest creation and did an Irish Jigg while cackling. "Fix Fix Fix FIXXXED!!"
He did a twirl and pointed at his newest creation with both hands. "Behold Kenites! The Never go hungry ma bob 9000! No one in Ken will ever starve again with my genius invention! You'll see! You'll see! It gives free food! Free food for all! You'll see! You'll see!"
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd. Free food? From a supposed goblin?
"The Goddess says he's not a goblin but he looks awfully like one, why should we accept food from him?"
"What if it's an aphrodisiac?"
"What if it makes my boobs grow to gigantic sizes?"
Jury Rigg hopped up and down like a jumping angry child. "Nonono! Never poison food with aphrodisiacs! Am honorable Planchakule! My food won't do anything sexual to you, though it will make you plaid for an hour. You'll see! You'll see!"
More murmurs spread at that. "How can we be sure he's telling the whole truth?"
"I don't want to be plaid the rest of my life!"
Celestine then stepped forward with her hand raised. "Fear not my people, I as your Queen will go first and prove the safety of Jury Rigg's invention."
A few gaps broke the air like a bomb and worried glanced were sent The Goddess Reborn's way yet no one tried to stop her as she walked towards Jury Rigg and knelt to be at his level.
She smiled at the alien goblin creature and the Pseudo Planchakule felt his two hearts pound like drums in a rock band as his eyes dashed from her voluptuous sunshine silky breasts to her smile.
"Please show me how to use your invention Jury Rigg." When she addressed him by his name, the Pseudo Planchakule felt tingles and shivers of arousal go down from his neck to his heart and lungs and to his crotch.
The human part of him that still existed in the back of his mind slammed on the breaks while yelling. "DON'T GET A BONER YOU IDIOT!"
Jury Rigg coughed and forced a cackle. "Alright alright alright Pretty goddess! Jury Rigg is more than happy for The Pretty goddess to be the first to try his new invention!" He basically hopped and skipped over to the boat junkyard like machine and hopped back and forth from one leg to the other while gesturing to the various axes imbedded in the bottom boat.
"Ok ok ok, pretty goddess you have to smack one of the axes with one hand while holding out your other hand and the ax will materialize a carton of chili cheese fries into your hand. You'll see, you'll see!"
Celestine giggled. "You're so cute." She didn't know what Chili cheese fries were but she could safely guess they were some kind of food back where Ben came from, one that Ben really liked, why else would he be so eager to share it.
Celestine, like the crowd, was oblivious to Jury Rigg's steaming blush as she now stood in front of the machine, holding one hand in front of an ax while her other slapped the blunt side.
Out of the embedded ax came a series of green holographic lines which printed a red and white checkered carton full of messy and gooey chili cheese fries in Celestine's grasp.
Celestine inhaled the scent through her nostrils, and for some reason she found herself mesmerized. It wasn't like any food she had ever smelled before, it smelled meatier, cheesier and fatter then any food she's ever seen.
"This doesn't look healthy, in fact it looks like the opposite…" She inhaled its scent again. "Yet it has the best smell of any food ever!"
Claudia's voice barked from the back of the crowd. "Heathen! Brute! You dare try to poison her eminence with that garbage?! I wouldn't give that garbage to a peasant much less a queen!"
Celestine chuckled. "Claudia please, let me try this. I think I'll like this. I promise I can handle the occasional unhealthy thing."
With her free hand The Goddess picked up a duo of crinkle cut fries that had a broccoli shaped piece of chili on them and an X shaped piece of melted cheese on them, the piece of food felt gooey and hot in her hand.
She popped it in her mouth and was hit with an immediate explosion of cheesy, meaty and starchy flavor that even her best chefs had never captured before, the flavor spread like fireworks across her tongue and all too soon the piece was gone.
'More! I need more!' thought The Goddess as she dug into her fries.
She let out a happy moan as she swallowed fry after fry the mixture of chili, cheese and starch like a shower of pleasure for her taste buds.
So engrossed in the taste she didn't realize how fast she was eating until she reached for another fry and the carton was empty.
The Goddess pouted. "I ate all of them already? Crap baskets."
The crowd was stunned silent, they just witnessed their goddess devour a carton of sloppy food like a peasant who hadn't eaten in a week. Not only that but their goddess had turned plaid and now had remnants of chili around her mouth from all her messy eating.
Celestine looked around in confusion. "What's everyone looking at?"
Claudia unsheathed her sword and charged Jury Rigg. "You made our goddess look like a plaid pig you cretin!"
"Eep! Strict strict no fun lady!" Yelped Jury Rigg as he ran away with Claudia in hot pursuit.
{BREAK}
As the sun began to set, as the burnt orange sky began to fade to black Jury Rigg who now stood on the walls of Ken was consumed in a flash of green light and became Ben again.
Ben Tennyson smiled at Celestine (who was now no longer plaid) who had to shield her eyes before he patted down the "cannon" he made out of three blacksmith forges, a piece of diamond head's crystal the size of a bobcat and seven sets of Mana Armor.
That wasn't the only cannon, alongside the walls were eight others like it as well as nine "cannons" made of horse stables.
Ben spoke. "Jury Rigg is my most reliable alien for building weapons of mass destruction out of junk. I built these very same cannons for Feoh, the ones I made out of the blacksmith forges are called Gender Swapper ma Bobs-"
Ben then explained. "Gender Swapper Ma Bobs fire a beam that transforms attacking black dogs including monsters into blind women sick with measles who give birth to twenty nine roaches."
The Fallen Hero then gestured to the horse stable based cannons. "The cannons built out of horse stables are called Horse Cutter Ma bobs. They fire a beam that cuts off attacking black Dogs' arms while rendering them sick with whooping cough. Each cannon can fire eleven times before needing a cool down of four minutes."
Celestine nodded before she pursed her lip and shuffled her left foot as her heart warred with the logical side of her brain. 'These cannons are needlessly cruel, Ben could have made it so they granted instant painless deaths but instead made it so that they inflict slow suffering. Maybe I should say something?'
She opened her mouth to speak when her dream flashed before her eyes.
"You need to let me put them down if women in Eostia are to have any future."
The Goddess' mouth closed like a rusted door as the memory of her vision silenced her hearts pleas for mercy.
Nonetheless Ben must've noticed how troubled she was for he asked. "Your Eminence, I think there's something bothering you…" He frowned. "If I may be blunt it's my brutal methods isn't it?"
Celestine flinched. "You're very perceptive Ben Tennyson. Yes, before this war I never would have condoned using such brutal punishments or brutal executions on my enemies. But with your string of successes against our former heroes and my own vision telling me to trust you implicitly. It seems I have no choice."
She sighed and threw a lock of her blonde hair behind her pointed right ear. "It troubles me but I have to learn from you and adapt to your way of doing things."
Ben nodded. "I appreciate that, I too used to be disgusted by the methods I'm using now. But then I adapted and realized that villains only understand fear and so to truly defeat them you have to speak their language. All I want is to protect your kingdom, to secure a future for every law abiding citizen and I will do so with any means necessary."
Celestine clenched her fist and held it to her chest as a shadow swallowed up her down casted eyes. "If he can adapt then so can I. No, I must adapt for my people."
She looked back up at Ben. "You will be a member of my Inner circle, you will be one of my top advisors to the war effort and will have authority equal to a Princess Knight. Only Claudia will be your equal."
Ben felt surprise shoot up in his chest like a gopher peeking out of its hole but nonetheless he nodded. "I promise to punish all your enemies wherever I find them."
{MEANWHILE}
Vault felt pain, the familiar itching burning pain like a hundred feasting ants that was where his arm used to be. He had felt that pain since his failed attempt to take The Dark Fortress and make The Dark Queen his slave.
And now he had a new pain, like a hundred feasting mosquitos which was inside his asshole, the latter pain came from having a severed Orc penis shoved inside his anus, and although the severed genitalia was removed the phantom pain remained.
With his one remaining arm the formerly known hero clenched his sword's hilt so hard that his fingers bruised while his teeth cracked from grinding against each other.
"That damn shapeshifter…" He half snarled and half whispered as his knees shook from half rage and half fear.
"No one, no one has HUMILIATED ME LIKE THAT BEFORE!!" His voice started off as half a snarl and a whisper before turning into a scream like a drunk middle aged man throwing a tantrum.
From behind him multiple men and even two orcs flinched from fear while a certain mage sighed and pushed his glasses back up on his face.
'Vault's really losing it, he's a far cry from the confident war hero he was before Ben Tennyson was summoned by The Dark Queen. He screams and lashes out with his sword at the slightest provocation. He's killed several of his own men for mistakes he would've shrugged off before Ben Tennyson's arrival. Aww well hopefully paying Maia a visit will make him feel better.'
The Black Dogs and their monster allies had set up camp, their torches allowing them to see in the dark of the night.
Vault meanwhile glared like an extremely angry hawk at the city of Ansur off in the distance. "I'm going to carve that shapeshifter's name into every whore we fuck in that piss hole."
A grin that would look right at home on a clown high on ketamine appeared on Vault's face. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Ben Tennyson! Because of your fame, our next victims will have your name carved into their flesh!"
He began to laugh hysterically as he doubled over, the way he laughed was as if he was high on both crack and laughing gas. "You shouldn't have gotten in the way of my dream! Now the people you're fighting for will suffer even more!"
Shrill, hysterical laughter pierced the night around Ansur like nails on a chalkboard.
AUTHORS NOTES
So as you can see his string of defeats has made Vault crazier and more brutal, he has his sights set on Ansur where he plans to commit worse atrocities.
Will Ben make it in time to stop him?
Tune into next chapter to find out!