Long thick and slimy. The tentacles forced their way out of his arms reaching out to the wall on the other side of the room. With the walls support they spread out further, climbing the wall like mutant ivy. They dripped with a viscous purple slime and it was smearing over everything. Krim stared in awe at the disgusting mess all over his room. The tentacles were on every surface including the ceiling and he could feel the rough materials as if he was using his hands.
'Of coarse I get the most disgusting boon ever.' he sighed. Instinctively he knew that he had received the Boon from Selaphos the lord of flesh, he also knew how to move his new limbs as if he'd been born with them. He retracted them far faster than he grew them and couldn't stop him self from cringing at the mess he'd have to clean up. 'How do you even clean that?'
The slime had even gotten all over him, his light blonde hair now had purple streaks and his face was covered in purple spots.
He quickly wiped himself down, changed into some clean clothes and readied himself for going downstairs. He had no doubt his family were down there waiting to hear what Boon he got for turning sixteen. Selaphos's followers didn't have the best reputation. The cults formed in his name were a constant cause of gossip for the overly pure and pious. The Lord of Flesh definitely attracted a certain kind of deviant which left him puzzled. I'm not that weird, right? Bracing himself he went down.
In the kitchen his parents and little brother sat at the tablewhich he expected since they lived here but next to them stood his three aunts and uncles and all six cousins. They all cheered when they saw him and rushed to give him hugs. 'Good thing I cleaned my hands.'
“So what mighty Boon did you get?” Tarla his oldest cousin asked. she had gotten an incredibly weak Boon from Avia Goddess of the sky which let her befriend birds easier and always took the time to belittle other peoples Boons.
Krim grinned at his cousin and waved everyone back a bit. It might be disgusting but there's no denying its strong he thought and pushed out his tentacles. This time though he sent them out of his arms and legs but kept them to about two meters long. He made them writhe like worms and soon found he wasn't as self conscious as he thought he'd be. Then everyone began to shout at once.
“What in the hells are those...”
“Put them away!”
“I'm going to be sick.”
“So cool!”
Arden his little brother hopped off his stool and grabbed one of them and began waving it around laughing. “It looks just like...” A slap to the back of his head from their mother shut him up.
“We know dear.” she said patting his little shoulder, turning to Krim she asked “Do you need to make so much slime? Its ruining the floor.”
He withdrew the tentacles and looked apologetically at the puddles on the wood floor. Before he could say anything though Arden piped up again. “I can't feel my hand!” The hand he'd been using to hold the tentacle hung limp and he held it to his face blowing on it. Information suddenly swam to the surface of Krims mind like an after thought from Selaphos's Boon. “The slime numbs whatever it touches.”
“Well that floor wont be feeling anything for a while.” his dad Kell said with a chuckle at his own joke, No one else was laughing though. They all knew who the blessing had to come from and only his parents and brother seemed to be ok about it.
“Selaphos is a monster.” Tarla stated stepping forward and only just avoiding a slime pool. “I always knew you were a perv.”
'Here we go.' “Your just jealous I can actually do something with my power besides befriend chickens.” he shot back. Tarla's face contorted and he barely got a tentacle out in time to wrap around her wrist to stop her right hook. She paled immediately and screeched so loud you'd think he was murdering her.
“Get it off! Get it off!” Uncle Jim jumped in and grabbed the slick tentacle only succeeding in numbing his own hands.
“Krim let go.” his dad said warningly. “I think that's enough entertainment for one day. We'll need to give him some thime to get used to it” he said getting up from the table.
After some assurances to his relatives that he wasn't going to start kidnapping young woman to start a flesh cult, they finally left giving him a half hearted congratulations. Krim turned back to the only people who's opinions he cared about. Arden was already sold and was asking if he could get a jar of slime to prank his friends. Krim didn't say anything he just sat down at the table across from his parents. His dad was the first to speak.
“So...Selaphos?” It was a weak attempt but it broke the awkwardness and the three of them laughed. “Did you see the look on Maria's face.” he said coughing from laughing so hard. His mum put on a face of mock horror and clutched her chest “Put them away!” that sent them over the edge and even Arden was laughing even though he didn't get why everone was so mad.
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Once they had pulled themselves back together his mum handed him a bucket and small scraper. “Boon or not I want this floor spotless. I'll tackle your room, its been starting to smell recently anyway.”
Krim turned to his brother and held out the scraper “Give you a jar of slime if you help.” Arden grabbed the scraper and began shepherding the slime into one big pool. Krim sat down and smiled. All things considered the morning could of gone worse. The slime apparently dried up quickly and after ten minutes was just a pile of purple dust that they swept up. Krim filled a small clay jar of fresh slime for Arden and he sprinted out the door to throw some on his friends before it dried. Krim similarly went to find his friends but didn't plan on attacking them with slime.
Bargus and Fredd were in the threes usual hang out on the roof of Fredds house. It was one of the taller buildings in town and had a flat roof, the three of them had hauled chairs and a table up ages ago. Deciding to play a small prank of his own Krim let out five tentacles as thick as his forearm from his leg and raised himself off of the ground, He let as many as he could out of the rest of his body and held them in the air waiving eerily. “Fleeesh!” he roared making the other two jump and turn around. Fredd almost fainted and only Bargus grabbing him kept him standing.
Bargus quickly got over his fear and let out his own Boon. The air around him rippled with heat, so much so that Fredd had to stumble away. “What the fuck are you!” Bargus shouted raising his hands to shot super heated air at the monster.
Krim retracted the tentacles hiding his face and grinned at his friends. “A flesh cultist, obviously.”
The heat around Bargus floated away and he sagged with relief. “Goddammit Krim I almost cooked you. Thats an amazingly disgusting Boon.”
“Selaphos?” Fredd asked brushing ash off his clothes from where Bargus singed them.
“Who else?” Krim laughed, retracted his remaining tentacles and grabbed a set at their table. “So what do you think?”
Bargus nodded appreciatively and joined him at the table. “You could hold twenty swords at once, the Guild will love you.”
Krim filled them in about the slime and even smeared a bit on Fredd when he was curious. The numbness it seemed only lasted for a few minutes but he could keep applying it to keep the area numb.
“So you're our front line, Bargus in the back cooking monsters from afar and I'll throw seeds at them.” Fredd said a bit sullen.
Krim shook his head and waved a tentacle at him. “You've been getting better at making them grow. We just need to find you some dangerous plants.”
“We've been over this Fredd. We'll give you the first few cores we find so you can improve your Boon, you'll be strangling monsters with flowers in no time.” Bargus said for the hundredth time since they had made their plan to join the Adventurers Guild. Fredd had his doubts, cores weren't very common finds especially for a group of new adventurers.
“So we go tomorrow then? Have either of you told your parents yet?” Krim asked. He'd been keeping it a secret himself but now that he had such a strong Boon they wouldn't be able to argue against it.
Fredd shook his head but Bargus nodded, “You know my dad was an adventurer before he met my mum, he didn't have a problem with it. Mum did though and it caused another huge fight.” he said sighing. Bargus couldn't remember a time when the two of them didn't fight. “Anyway.. we should go practice one last time before tomorrow. I've heard the entrance tests are getting harder.” Krim and Fredd agreed more to take Bargus's mind of his parents than anything else.
The three boys went to their favourite clearing a short walk outside the town walls, It was a rough circle glade well within the safe zone maintained by the guards. Anything more than a mile or so out from the town was just asking for a monster attack. Bargus warmed up by drying the area from the previous nights light rain while Fredd flattened the long grass. Krim liked Bargus's idea of wielding twenty swords but swords were expensive and Krim had a feeling he'd cut himself more than the enemy. Spears though could be just the thing he needed, 'I'd be a one man phalanx' he thought. 'Maybe add in some shields.'
He grew tentacles all down the sides of his body making sure not to obstruct his arms, next he grew one from each shoulder blade on his back and an extra thick tail just above his rear. He had to make some extra holes in his clothes to make it work but when he was done he had four on each side including the shoulders for a total of eight and his tail would defend from the back. He broke off the straightest branches from the trees around them and tried to develop some kind of coordination. It took twenty minutes before he developed a comfortable routine. Two held low to the ground, two held high above his head, two were held about chest height and he dropped the two sticks from the remaining tentacles planning on replacing them with shields or using them to numb his enemies. In his hands he kept two shorter sticks to act as swords.
He finally turned to the other two who were watching him with their mouths open. “What?” he asked worried.
“Its just so much. They weren't that thick before but your tail is as thick as my thigh.”Fredd said wraping his hands around his leg for emphasis.
“I'm just picturing you in full plate with couple of big tower shields, How much can you lift with those things anyway?” Bargus asked.
It was a good question 'I've not really felt any strain when using them yet.' “Not sure, lets check.” Krim dropped his sticks and found the biggest rock he could at the edge of the glade. The slime made it difficult to get a good grip but once he tilted it and got a few underneath, the rock lifted. “Its not easy but If it wasn't so slippery I could probably do more.” Krim said as surprised as the others, the rock had to way more than a cow.
“I have to admit I'm getting kinda envious.” Fred said making his thin vines wiggle around him.
“That has to be more than just a regular Boon, I'd say greater Boon but your not exactly a priest of Selaphos, unless you've been hiding something from us.” Bargus said raising an eyebrow in question.
“Definitely not a priest of the flesh, it does seem a bit strong for a first Boon though.” Krim said while lobbing the rock into the forest.
“It might be worth visiting a cult to ask a few questions.” Bargus said hopefully but Krim just snickered “I thought I was supposed to be the pervert.” Bargus responded with a wave of heat that singed the tips of the grass and their practice began in earnest.