Chapter Sixty-eight – In which Ark learns that sometimes there is too much of a good thing, and someone eventually has to pay the price.
While laying in my bed together cuddling with Prima, I had asked her if she ever once felt like biting me. It was something I became curious about because of Lily and Berry, and earlier because of Vera, but also because of the relevance of ear-biting to the Bloodmaw goblins that Toy had taken the time to explain to me.
“Ark want Prima bite?”
“I’m only asking if you’ve ever felt like it?”
“Have.”
Prima turned around and looked me right in the eyes, her own glowing gold in the room where the light from my magic lantern in the center of the breeding room didn’t reach fully inside my own room.
“Ark want bite… Prima?”
“If I say I did, would you let me?”
“Know what mean bite?”
“Is it something similar to showing care or like to a goblin?”
Prima shook her head.
“Mean share strong.”
“Strong?”
“Bloodmaw goblin know blood strong. Share blood, share strong.”
“So, if I bite you, I’ll be sharing your blood and gaining some of your strength?”
“Not know. Prima not bite other goblin, not let other goblin bite.”
“But you’d let me?”
“Ark only want talk… not bite?”
“Will you bite me back?”
Prima sat up and rolled me onto my back before straddling me again, and then opened her mouth wide to reveal her razor sharp teeth.
“Not want, say now.”
“I don’t suppose I can ask you to be gentle?”
“How get strong if not bite hard?”
I took a deep breath and exhaled.
“My teeth aren’t as sharp as yours.”
“Not matter. What matter bite hard, taste blood, take strong. Goblin way.”
“Alright.”
Regret is something that should be experienced frequently. It’s one of the greatest tools that humans possess when it comes to learning. Another great tool is pain. And I was experiencing more of the latter than of the former when my main wife proceeded to bite my other shoulder which had been spared from Vera’s earlier bite.
Yeah. I admit it. I screamed like a little bitch.
I also tried to silence myself by biting her shoulder as well. I don’t think I did nearly a good enough job, but I tasted blood after biting down as hard as I could, and that only made Prima’s jaw lock down harder on my shoulder. I thought my shoulder joint would be crunched to pieces, but it hadn’t. I could feel Prima’s long tongue slithering and lapping up all of the blood she could, like a greedy goblin vampire.
When Prima retracted her mouth from my shoulder, and the cold sharp pain had been replaced by a warm throbbing sting, I looked up to see her maw absolutely dripping with my blood. I think I fully understood why the tribe was named the Bloodmaw now.
She wasted no time reaching between her legs and grasping my cock, putting inside of her and growling in a feral manner.
“Ark Husband. Prima Husband.”
“And you’ll always be my first.”
“Prima feel. Strong inside of Prima. Give big seed!”
Her wish was my command.
Or it should have been.
Before I could fill her belly a final time, Prima was being thrown off of me by Force.
And I mean Force. As in magic.
Standing at the entrance to my room was both Vera and Glace. The sapphire stone being held in one of Vera’s hands, and the other palm open and responsible for separating us.
Prima, who had been cast into the wall nearby and thankfully not taken any serious damage went full primal goblin, crouching her body and hiss-growling at the two intruders, her arms in front in a provocative manner with her sharp fingertips spread wide and appearing ready to pounce on her own sister and niece.
“Sister. Stop!”
Vera, speaking two words, which was not an easy thing for her to do, was facing off against her sister who, in her current state, couldn’t hope to possibly beat.
Glace had her water pistol runes manifested, though the formation of the formula chain promised something much more dangerous than a just weak squirt.
“Vera, what’s going on?”
“Next!”
She was shaking her head quickly from side to side as she said it.
“Huh?”
Vera pointed at my penis.
“Stop.”
“You don’t want me to give your sister big seed?”
“Wrong!”
Now, I’m fine with nudity at this point, though I endeavor to keep my partner concealed as much as possible in front of my children, usually by wearing my undies, but this was a seriously awkward situation. My goblin wife with the communication disorder and her child who so far has made no attempt to speak, were both trying to stop me from giving her a dose of my clam chowder.
Prima let out a terrifying howl and realizing she seemed to be out of her mind, or maybe I just don’t understand goblin conflict properly yet, I sat up and grabbed hold of Prima’s body by throwing my arms around her waist and acting as both an obstruction and a shield for her.
My reward was a searing pain in my back. It felt like I had been bitten again, and I, no lover of physical pain, screamed again.
“Glace!”
I could hear Vera speak our daughter’s name, and that was the last thing I heard before feeling like a truck slammed into me. I felt my consciousness slip, and I wondered if I was actually going to die in this goblin hole…
When I came to, I wasn’t in the breeding room. I was in a cave-hole I hadn’t been in before. There were four goblins in the room with me, none of them were Prima. I couldn’t help but moan when my nervous system decided to let my brain know that I was fucked up.
“You are awake now, Human?”
“Nnh. Old One?”
She sighed.
“Such a shame.”
“Shame? What happened? Is Prima okay? Vera? Glace?”
“Calm yourself. All goblins are unharmed. You are to remain here until the Blood Fury the Guardian is undergoing has passed. You should consider yourself lucky that you are still alive. Were it not for quick action by Stupid-one, Silent-spirit, and Huntress, it would not have ended well.”
“Silent… spirit?”
“Husband, Old One means Glace. Silent-spirit goblin name.” Diana’s voice informed me of something new. Seems I’m not up to date on my daughters’ other names.
“Oh… that’s nice. Sounds pretty strong.”
I had to cough and that only exacerbated the pain I was feeling all over the top half of my body on both sides.
“I remember seeing Vera and Glace, but why are you here, Diana?”
“Here to protect Husband.”
“...from Prima?”
Diana didn't say as much, but the body language she gave off indicated I had hit the nail on the head.
“I suppose you are curious as to what happened?”
The Old One walked over and straddled me, a small clay bowl of some kind was in her hands. She dipped two pointed fingers into it and whatever muck it was that she scooped out, she proceeded to smear onto my shoulder. As expected, it hurt like bloody hell.
“I assume it has something to do with why the tribe is called the Bloodmaw?”
“How observant. But you remain no less stupid, Human.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I suppose since it has come to this, I should explain it. It will be good for you three to listen as well.”
The Old One stared at me with her golden eyes and I felt a shudder run through my body.
“Gods you are ugly.”
“You’re no spring chicken yourself.”
She reached for my face with her hand and stroked the side of my cheek.
“Will you grow face-fur?”
“Eventually… I’m still kind of young for it.”
“Mmh.”
“Humans, like goblins, have an origin. Some singular tribe that they originated from before spreading far and wide. And Humans, like goblins, have many shapes and forms. This is something Stone-feet, the one who made me and who was Shaman before Silent-spirit had told me. We Bloodmaw are the origin of all goblins. Our blood is ancient, given to us by our Creator. Blood tempers our body, Blood tempers our mind, Blood tempers our spirit. Through the Ceremonies of Blood, we become more.”
“Ceremonies of Blood? Like… biting, perhaps?”
“There are many ceremonies, that being but one. You have experienced the Blood Awakening with Prima and the others already, which I trust you found enjoyable each time?”
“You mean when I gave them big seed, and they bled?”
“Yes. The chance that they would have strong ones would increase with the more blood they shed. The first Blood Awakening also affects their partner. You should have entered a state of great lust with each one you Awakened.”
What Old One was saying explained why I seemed to have an eternal hard-on, and why one round was hardly enough. Why the heat was right, why the friction was right, why the bloody lube was perfect...
“Alright, so… these Blood ceremonies... Could one of them be related to why Stella changed into a goblin?”
The Old One stared at me for a moment, pondering something.
“It is possible. There is no story or history I have heard from Stone-feet which tells of such transformations. But much of the wisdom of the Bloodmaw was lost with the death of the former Shaman. Our history was oral, and that is why all that I know and remember will be passed to Silent-spirit as soon as possible.”
“Is it just Prima who was affected? I have uh, been bitten by other goblins…”
“It is a matter of the vessel, Human.”
Old One held the bowl up in front of me.
“You are smart enough to understand when this bowl is full, what continues to be added will spill out?”
I nodded.
“Prima, among the Bloodmaw is strong, and I say that with emphasis. Her vessel was near to being full before you had arrived. Now… she too will change with the Blood Fury.”
“What is the Blood Fury?”
“It is how the vessel increases to hold more.”
“So… it’s an evolution or something?”
“That is a word with many meanings, and not one that exists in gob. It is better to think of it as a gradual change to become more. Body, Mind, Spirit… what was overflowing will be contained, but with the vessel changed, the new vessel must be understood once more in order to be filled again.”
“Is… the change physical?”
“Yes... and no. I have seen it once before with my own daughter, Spear-hand. She became taller, stronger, faster, smarter, and that was only at the start. But, at the end she was able to fight as only one against many silver-skinned humans who were also as strong as she was…”
A solemn look crested the face of the Old One.
“You say other goblins have bitten you, Human. Who were they?”
“W-well, Lily, Berry, and Vera…”
“Goblins with small vessels bordering on empty. All runts or weak ones. But not without the right to become more. I do not yet fully comprehend your own vessel, Human, but your seed is strong, you know human magic, and your blood was strong enough to send Guardian into the Blood Fury. I believe I understand now why the Great Protector has chosen you to be their Husband.”
“Diana Artemis know! Know Husband strong! Tell Old One! Not make sense be so strong when Berry make. Berry weak goblin. Bloodmaw take Husband strength, take Husband seed, make Diana Artemis strongest!”
“Yes, Huntress. That seems to be exactly what is going on.”
All eyes then fell upon Glace.
“Why Glace runt but have magic strong like Husband?”
“Perhaps the quality of the vessel is different. Husband’s outer vessel appears weak, does it not? It may be that her vessel is meant to wield both human magic and our Bloodmaw spirit magic and so she needs to take that form for now.”
“Then, if Diana Artemis have strong outer vessel, mean not able use human magic?”
Diana looked towards me and then at Old One, who was not forthcoming with an answer.
“Diana, I was thinking about gathering you and your sisters to see if you have that capability soon. We’ll find out the answer together.”
“Diana Artemis listen Husband.”
“So, what now, Old One?”
“You will stay in my cave-hole for now, Human. When Guardian’s Blood Fury is over, you may go back.”
I sighed.
“Husband not worry! Diana Artemis bring all animals hunt with sisters! Husband have many time make weapon while stay with Old One!”
A cheerful expression was fully plastered along her face.
Did I ever mention that goblins have an excellent memory for the things they are greedy for?