Chapter 287 – Re: Awaken

Day 21

"EEEEEEKKKKK!!!"

John snapped awake from the shrill scream right next to his head. He looked for the source and, to his surprise, nestled into his side was an attractive, familiar-looking, blue-haired hobgoblin, wearing a black playboy bunny costume. She was trying her best to get out of his embrace, but couldn't make his massive grey arm budge.

"Sui? What's wrong?" He asked, releasing her. Aqua almost looked how she did when she was a goddess, her hair now about midway down her back, and the familiar curves returning to her figure. The main differences were that she still had the larger canines like him, and her skin was now a light bluish-green.  

"R-R-Rou? Is that you?" Sui asked, no longer pulling away but still looking wary.

"Yeah, but never mind that. You evolved! How are you feeling?" He asked. He was excited for her; he knew she was bothered by the fact that most of the village had already evolved to become hobgoblins and was worried about being left behind. 

"Huh? I did?" She said, then looked down at her body in surprise. "Ah! I'm a woman again! But why is my skin blue?"

Apparently she woke up screaming. Maybe a bad dream? 

"No idea, though it looks good on you." He said, then realized that something was wrong. "Gods, I was so tired yesterday, I forgot to thank you for coming to my rescue, so thank you. I had to start drawing power from my eye to keep myself alive while trying to fight that thing. Man, I'm hungry right now. What do you think about having bear for breakfast? Not sure how it will taste, but honestly I don't care if it tastes like shoe leather."

"Rou..."

He then noticed he was butt naked, which jogged another memory out of the fragments remaining from his exhausted battle with the bear. "Actually, it will taste like the best wagyu steak. That bastard destroyed my leathers. I'll have to make a loincloth from its hide."

"Rou."

With more of his memories returning, he jumped up and looked around the clearing. About ten feet away from them were two hobgoblins and seven goblins, all tied up. The green-eyed mage was looking at him with wide eyes, the woman looking much smaller now that she was bound and gagged.

Actually... everything is looking much smaller... Holy crap! I'm massive!

"Rou! You evolved too!"

"Apparently so. What in the heck am I?" He said, looking down at his body. His arm was still missing, but the rest of his body had expanded. He was taller than he was as a human, much taller. On top of that, his body was covered in thick slabs of muscle; it made his human body look like he was a stick figure. "Did I turn into an Elemental?" 

"A what?"

"An Elemental. In one of the worlds I went to, there were some massive people that were genetically modified to grow to massive proportions, then stuffed in power armour and trained to fight mechs like the one you rode in. Other than the skin tone and these weird tattoos, I look a lot like they do." He said absently while trying to make out the tattoo on his chest. It just looked like a bunch of thick, curved, white and black lines over his pecs and abs. "Why do I have tattoos on my torso of all places?"

"Those aren't the only ones you have; your face and neck have them as well. That's not all, you have horns too."

"What?" He said, then touched his head. His hand grasped onto a six-inch-long horn on the side of his head, and after a few moments of exploration, found a second horn on the other side. His hair had also grown out, giving him a full head of shoulder-length silver hair. He wasn't sure, but it felt like the scarring on the side of his face had disappeared as well, though his right ear was still missing. 

Still, he had no beard. He missed his beard. 

He looked down and was shocked for a moment, then realized it was okay. Little John was rigid as it always was, ready for immediate use, but it looked small compared to the rest of his frame. He was somewhat confused about that, then realized if everything stayed proportional, the damn thing would have been at least eighteen inches long. It was probably around seven or eight inches, about the same size it was before.

Why am I thinking about my cock? Damn, these hormones are messing with my brain again. Status open.

Name - Ogarou (True Name - John Suzy Wayne)

Race - Ogre - Rare Variant

Age - 21 Days

Level - 1/100

Stats

Strength - C

Endurance - C

Agility - D- 

Magic - D

Luck - B

Intelligence - D

"According to my status window, I'm an Ogre." He told her.

"That explains your size, though back in my old world, ogres didn't look like... this," Aqua replied.

C in strength? I think that is two letters higher than it was before. What that translates to in reality, I have no idea. I'll have to test it out when we return to the village.

There was a ton of new skills added to his ever-growing list below his stats, but he just closed the window for now. He would have to explore all of this later when he had more time.

"As much as I want to keep exploring my new body, we have things to do. What is the story on these captives?" He asked, not remembering much about those last few moments last night. "Sui? Sui, are you-" He asked, wondering why she hadn't replied, then realized she was kneeling beside him with his cock pointing right at her face.

"Hah, hah... Rou, can you please put that away... or at least not put it in my face. It's making me feel funny and... I want to explore these feelings but not here. We need to get back to the village; Riana needs you soon."

"Shoot. I nearly forgot she needs my energy." He said. He could probably make it back in about five or six hours if he went at full speed in a straight line; the route he had chased Grak on the last few days sent him in a zig-zag pattern all over the forest, but neither Aqua nor these captives would be able to keep up with him at that speed. Not to mention that there were still more goblins and their leader somewhere nearby. Now that he had their mage, they shouldn't pose much of a problem for him.

Contemplating for a moment, he made a decision. He would capture as many of these goblins as possible and press them into labour for the village. He would rout out the rapist from their ranks, and leave them to work the mines for the rest of their lives, while allowing the ones who hadn't partook in actual rape some more freedoms, though for now, not as much as the ones back at the village enjoyed. This seemed like the proper use for Scouter and Card, not just for looking to see if someone had sexual fetishes. 

 "Rou, your... thing... It's oozing."

"Right. Sorry." He replied, realizing he hadn't moved for nearly thirty seconds.

He turned away from her and walked over to the mage. The small woman looked up at him, a terrified look on her face. She was trying to say something, but the gag was preventing her from speaking. "Relax, I'm not going to rape you, girl, nor kill you. However, I'm taking your shawl." He said as he knelt beside her, took the black garment off her shoulders, and wrapped it around his waist. It fit nicely, the makeshift kilt giving him a little bit of modesty. 

"No spells. Got it?" He told her. After she nodded, he pulled her gag off, then quickly grasped her by the neck. His hand was large enough that it could wrap entirely around it. He didn't squeeze hard, but he wanted to make sure she understood that she was in no position to cast a spell without being killed nearly instantly. "Now, where is that leader of yours at?"

"To the east, though I don't know if he is still there, Chief. I'm pretty sure he would have forced everyone to keep running to get as far away from the red bear as possible, though I have no idea which way he would have gone. The only safe route was to the south towards the nest." The mage replied. He could tell she was trying to be helpful, but the sound of fear was creeping into her voice. 

"What is his name? And how many goblins remain with him?"

"Dreg. There are thirteen, maybe fourteen goblins with him. We had left a few guards over our human captives- Urk!"

"You have more human captives?" He asked. He would have snapped her neck right then and there if he didn't have Card open and reading her thoughts. She didn't like it, the capturing and raping of humans, but accepted it as the only way to increase their numbers.

[Name - Hobusei]

[Race - Hobgoblin - Variant]

[Class - Mage]

[Age - 5]

[Birthday - June 15th]

[Aliases - Etoile (True Name)]

[Likes - Magic, Reading, Strength, Peace]

[Dislikes - Arguing, Unnecessary Conflict, Sex Slaves]

[Virgin - No]

[Cup Size - B]

[Sexual Preferences - Bi. Loves being pampered by Sato. Only touched by one male and enjoyed being dominated by him. Power.]

[Favourite Positions - Being eaten out. Doggy Style.]

[Sei's main goal is to grow stronger as a mage, and she is willing to go to great lengths to develop that power.]

[She could easily be the chief of the nest, but has no interest in the position.]

[She and Sato were lovers of the former chief, but after he died during a raid, the new chief nor other goblins had any sexual interest in them, so they gravitated to each other.]

[She wonders if the goblin males are all actually cursed to not lust after goblin women, hence their obsession with humans, but has only been able to do cursory research into the subject.]

[Current Thoughts - Please, don't kill me. Gods, the power in his grip; he could snap me like a twig. Why am I getting wet? Is this really turning me on? Damn, girl. Get a hold of yourself. Just because he is hard doesn't mean he wants to mate with you. Just help him take control of the remaining hunters, and he will probably let you go free.]

Easy. She is probably my best bet to learn more about goblin culture.

"Yes... five women... and most of the supplies from their caravan."

"Were they raped yet?"

"No. They were saving them for the party upon our return." 

John did some mental math and released her. "I'm going to trust you, Sei, but you and the rest of the older goblins are going to be on a short leash. I might end up needing to purge a few of them."

"How? How do you know my name?"

"Magic. Now, I'm going to cook us some bear for breakfast, and you are going to tell me all about how to assume the mantle of chief for the remaining goblins." He said, then slashed the knot binding her arms behind her back with a focused blade of Ki on his finger. 

He wanted to go to the human woman's rescue immediately, but he was starving; the battle yesterday and the evolution taking so much out of him that he could barely think straight. If the worst already happened, he couldn't change that fact, but he highly doubted it would be on their minds to do when they were running in terror. 

"Yes, Chief. Whatever you need."

Rubellia wasn't sure what was going on, but the goblins seemed to be in a hurry and were pushing her and the other four captives hard since last night. Now that it was daytime, she could tell their numbers were reduced, with barely a baker's dozen remaining. Two of the hobgoblins were missing as well, leaving just that large male who seemed to be their chief to keep them in line. Whatever happened, they seemed terrified, and didn't show any signs of slowing their pace. 

She wanted to talk with the other four women, but they were all gagged and were being forced to carry large sacks full of their caravan's supplies. They were all lagging behind the lesser burdened goblins, the threat of the chief's whip the only thing keeping them moving at all. Her endurance from farming for years before becoming a warrior and joining with an adventurer clan let her keep pace, but the other four women did not have the same stamina, and the whip would lash out at them from time to time. 

Hearing yet another muffled scream from the twin cooks, she fell back beside them, hoping to push them to keep up, or at least take the lash for them. It felt like the least she could do since she failed in protecting the convoy from the goblins.

Gods, there were a dozen of us guards, all new to adventuring other than a couple of veterans tagging along to make sure everything went smoothly. Now, I'm all that's left. Why did I survive?

She knew the answer to that, but she was trying not to think about all the lecherous looks the goblins were giving them. So far, they hadn't done much more than grab their breasts or asses once in a while, but she knew. She knew what was going to happen whenever they got where they were going. She was just hoping that at some point, they would make a mistake, and she would get a chance to escape.

I don't want my first time to be with a bloody goblin. Please, Fate, save our souls from that.

They continued on through the morning, the pace never relenting. She would move behind the twins when they started to slow and lift up their packs for a few minutes, taking some of the load off them before moving to the next woman. She constantly prayed to the god of fate, hoping that she would be rescued, that they would get their break to escape. Anything that could improve the situation they were in. 

By early afternoon, even her deep reserves of stamina were waning, and she could no longer support the other women's loads and keep the pace the goblins were demanding. She kept trying to push the cooks ahead of her, but one of them, either Felicia or Alma, she wasn't sure, stumbled and collapsed to the ground.

*SNAP* 

"Get up, you pathetic woman! GET UP!" The hobgoblin yelled, snapping his whip above her head, nearly slashing her face. 

"MRPH!!!" She screamed through the gag, flinching from the weapon. 

Unable to speak or do anything else, Rubellia stood between the two of them, doing her best to protect the exhausted woman as she tried to stand. 

"Get out of the way!" 

She held her ground, unable to communicate with their captor. She tried to gesture with her hands that they needed to slow down, but couldn't figure out how to do that before the whip was launched at a new target.

*SNAP*

"MRGH!!!" She screamed as pain blossomed from her face as she caught the whip on the cheek, narrowly missing her eye. She could feel hot liquid running down her neck, a mixture of blood, sweat, and tears soiling her leather armour and shirt further. Still she stood her ground, protecting the cook from taking any more abuse from the hobgoblin. 

"I said move!" He shouted, cocking his arm back for another strike. She closed her eyes and raised an arm to block, waiting for the next strike and praying to Fate that he wouldn't take one of her eyes this time.

*SNAP*

"Gah! Stupid woman! Tonight, you're going to be all mine! The pair of you are going to have all my children for the next ten years!" He growled.

She barely heard him, the pain causing her to drop to the ground as the whip caught her on the forehead. Blood dripped over her eyes, blinding her as she struggled to right herself. The heavy pack they tied to her was underneath her, preventing her from standing back up easily. 

I'm like a tortoise that got flipped over. 

*SNAP*

"GET UP! We need to- Urk!"

"So much for the diplomatic route. Just fucking die." Another male voice said, this one deeper and full of anger. She heard a loud snap, then the voice spoke again. "Firebolt. Firebolt. Firebolt."

Screams surrounded her as goblins and the women began screaming, the smell of burning flesh entering her nostrils. She struggled to wipe the blood from her eyes to see what in the hell was going on. Once she did, she was even more concerned than she was before. 

Standing above her was a tall, grey ogre, covered in black and white tattoos, missing half an arm, and wearing just a black loincloth. He was tossing fireballs at the goblins as they scrambled to run away from him, shooting the bolts of magic from the stub of his right arm. 

"Gae Derg!" He chanted, and suddenly he had a spectral arm on his stub, holding a wicked-looking spear of dark magic. "Shadow Rain!" He shouted and threw the spear into the air. It split into nearly a dozen separate spears and arced down into the surrounding woods; the screams of the goblins suddenly cut off. 

"Damn, these skills are insane." He said, then looked down at her. She almost wet herself in fear, the massive monster easily twice her height. The goblins might rape her, but ogres were known to eat their prey alive, starting with their limbs. 

"MRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!" She screamed, not wanting to go out that way. She would rather be popping out goblin babies for the rest of her life than be eaten alive. 

"Easy girl. I'm not going to eat you. I'm here to save you." He said, then placed a hand on the side of her face. It felt warm, calming, like her father's when he would wipe her tears when she hurt herself as a child. "Sorry about this, but I need to heal you now. Middle Heal!"

She didn't know what he meant by that, but didn't have time to say anything before magic flooded into her body. She felt something contract inside of her and a wave of pure pleasure struck her body. "MMMMMMmmmmmmm!!!" She moaned, unsure of what in the hell just happened.

"Yeah, it has that effect. You're healed now, and won't be scarred from that whip. By the way, my name is Rou, and you don't need to worry about being raped by goblins anymore." He said, then pulled her gag off and offered her a hand up. 

"Hah, Rubellia, but you can call me Ruby. Are... did you kill them all?" She said, taking his massive hand with hers. She was hardly a girly girl, but she felt like she was five again, and he was a grown adult. 

"Well, I have a bunch more as prisoners, but these ones are all dead." He said, lifting her and the pack up like she was a doll. 

"Good. I... ahh... gods, you're tall." She said. Her face was barely above eye level of his navel, his chiselled body looking like he was sculpted from stone.  

"Yeah. Crazy, isn't it? Come, let's help your friends, then I'll lead you back to the village. There are other human women these goblins had captured there. After you've rested, you can decide what to do next."

"Umm... we're not your prisoners?"

"Nope. If you want, you're free to return to human lands right now, though I wouldn't suggest going through these woods unarmed. It's full of wolves, bears, orcs, and a bunch of other monsters. Here, take Dreg's sword. He won't be needing it anymore." He said, grabbing the weapon off the corpse of the hobgoblin and handing it to her.

"What?" She said, reluctantly taking the weapon. She wanted to go back home, to put any ideas of being an adventurer to rest, but something was telling her to follow this ogre, that he would keep her safe. 

"What? I saved you, but that doesn't mean I own you. Or is there some sort of life debt thing with humans I'm not aware of?"

"No. It's just too fast... I'm... I don't know."

"Then come back to the village with me. We have plenty of food, clean water, baths, and probably the best beds you ever slept in. Rest there for a few days, then decide what you want to do. Now, give me a hand with your friends... I think a couple of them passed out from seeing me."

She looked around, and indeed, the cooks had both passed out, while the alchemist and smith were both standing there gawking at their interaction like she had two heads. It dawned on her then that she was talking to an ogre like a normal person. An ogre who could snap her in half with barely a thought. 

"I don't feel so good." She said, getting lightheaded, the mad rush and her exertions finally catching up with her. She fumbled with the knots the goblins had tied, trying to take the pack off, but couldn't figure it out. She started to tip over, but was suddenly caught by the ogre called Rou. 

"Easy. Here, let's rest for a few minutes first." He said, lowering her to the ground, then snapped the rope they used to tie the pack to her. 

"I... think that would be a good idea. Thank you." She said, then looked up at his face. He had a white eye with magic swirling in its depths, and a steel-blue eye that seemed able to peer into her soul. He was smiling down at her, a gentle, warm smile that made her feel protected.

That was the last thought she had before she passed out.