I remembered back to when I had selected the Weapon Boon and appeared in Aestus’ Mind World. The feeling had been inviting, welcoming me into that dark space where the god was hammering away at a skyscraper-sized weapon. He had been patient and understanding as he explained to me how his Boon worked and what I could expect. It was an eye-opening experience to the Integrated Universe and filled me with hope that not every powerful being was bloodthirsty and political.

This was nothing like that.

As soon as I confirmed the selection, I was ripped from my body, my senses going numb. I was unclear how much time passed, but sensations slowly began to return. The first thing that hit me was the smell of blood. It had a tainted odor to it, heavy with iron and slightly astringent on my nostrils. I snorted to clear my sinuses, but the odor lingered.

A scream echoed around me and I tried to open my eyes, but all I saw was impenetrable darkness. I tried to turn toward the sound, but found my limbs locked into place by heavy manacles. In the back of my mind, Red began to panic, which mirrored my own growing horror.

What the fuck was this? Had something intercepted the Boon and abducted my mind? Or was this really how Leph imparted his Heirloom Armor?

A voice cut through everything, like it touched all five senses at once. I could swear that I tasted, smelled, and felt that voice as it spoke. All the same, it wasn’t a loud sound in the practical sense, only loud the way nerve pain consumes your thoughts, or decomposing flesh dominated your nostrils.

“The arrogance is astounding. To dare such disrespect, from one so weak.” The speaker snorted, and every animal sense of self-preservation fired in my body. It was like facing down an angry tiger on the verge of pouncing, and I knew—just knew—that I was moments away from being wiped from existence with a single, contemptuous thought.

I cleared my throat—and blessedly, found I had a voice. “I meant no disrespect.” My tone sounded weak to my ears and that pissed me off. There was nothing I could do against someone at Leph or Aestus’ level—that much was abundantly clear by just how neutralized I felt in this moment. But the one thing I could control, the one thing he couldn’t take from me, was how I faced whatever was to come.

And no one—god or otherwise—would see me sniffling and crying my way into the afterlife.

So I cleared my throat once more and forced that resolve into my voice. “I meant no disrespect,” I repeated. “I merely selected a Boon placed in the Tower by Conflict. If I wasn’t supposed—”

“Quiet.” His voice was low, but full of danger. Though I wouldn’t snivel or beg, I also wasn’t fool enough to disobey the deity. “You thought you would partake in my brother’s favor, then come crawl here for a double blessing? Approach me—Leph, the greatest armorer in the universe—as if I were an afterthought!” He screamed the last part, his words cutting like actual knives across my skin. Through the pain, I finally realized why he was so mad.

He’s mad because he’s the sloppy seconds! Are you fucking kidding me?

“That was not my intention. As you must know, I am from a newly-Integrated planet. I am ignorant in the ways of the gods—”

“Yes,” he interrupted, his voice quiet once again. “Yes. Ignorant. It is good that you realize this. From this awareness, will sprout a new understanding of just how poorly you have chosen.”

Fuck you, I thought.

“I appreciate whatever understanding you can impart.”

“Hmph. Your humility, while insincere, will suffice for now. Bah, I don’t have time to educate you—I am in the midst of a project that your little mind couldn’t even begin to comprehend.”

Why are all the powerful people in the Integrated Universe so sanctimonious? You’re just a glorified blacksmith, dude.

“I wouldn’t wish to waste any of your time,” I said. “If you send me back, I will think long and hard on how I’ve slighted the great—”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he growled. “Send back the little pissant without his Boon so Dondarius revokes my payment. Well, you tell him that I’ve already given out a Boon to a Climber in your Tower. A beautiful set of armor wrapped around an Intimidation core. Fine work. More than enough to satisfy the conditions of our agreement!”

He must have been talking about Jerome’s armor, which I’ll admit, was pretty fucking cool.

“Of course, Lord Leph. I know of the armor of which you speak, and let me tell you, it’s one-of-a-kind. Amazing, really—”

“God,” he interrupted.

“Uh, I’m sorry?”

“You said Lord Leph. I am a god. You may call me Divine One, Your Divinity, or simply: God.” The arrogance oozed throughout his words, but for some reason, all I could picture was some sniveling little kid who’d lucked out into far too much power.

But at this stage, I was just happy to get the fuck out of here with my life intact. This…god, seemed to be one wrong word away from erasing my existence.

“Apologies, Divine One,” I said, keeping my voice tight to mask my annoyance. “Will you send me back to my friends? As you yourself stated, you’ve already done more than enough to satisfy your Boon.”

“What did I say, ant? I’m not sending you back empty handed just so you can smear my good name across the Integrated Universe. No, I shall honor the Boon agreement, even if you don’t deserve it.”

Hmm, even though I’d been riding a razor’s edge this entire conversation, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t eager for some armor like Jerome’s.

“Anything you provide will be much appreciated, Divine One.”

He snorted again, though I felt much less animosity behind it this time. “Now, let’s see…purge this Mass core or the silly little spirit.”

My heart immediately fell into my stomach. Red reared up in the back of my mind, a confusing and chaotic series of images flashing before me.

“Pardon, Divine One. But could you please…not do that?”

“The ant makes demands now?” he roared. “Perhaps I should just leave you here for a millennia or two, hm? Time stands still outside of my Mind World. Once I’m done with you, I’ll return you to your body with a mind fractured into a million pieces! How does that sound?”

It took every ounce of self control for me to keep my thoughts in order. Red was having her equivalent of a panic attack in the back of my mind, and it nearly tipped me over the edge.

Red, Goddammit, relax!

She reacted instantly, snapping back into focus. I didn’t blame the Mantle—she had every right to be concerned this fucking psycho was about to wipe her from my soul. But I also couldn’t get us out of this if she was filibustering my thoughts.

There was only one way out of this that I saw. It hurt my fucking soul to admit it, but it was clear as day what needed to be done.

I had to flatter the fuck out of this tiny-dicked god.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Your Divinity, if you’ll allow me to say one thing?”

My heart was pounding in my chest. My vision was still blacked out and I strained to hear or sense any sort of reaction from this mad god. But all I could hear was the distant echoes of people screaming and my own frantic breaths.

After ten seconds that seemed to stretch on for hours, the mad god spoke.

“You may speak.”

My shoulders loosened, my gut unclenching ever so slightly. I wasn’t out of the fire, but he also wasn’t actively ripping Red from me, so that was a small victory.

“When I so stupidly chose your brother’s Boon, he said something to me.” I felt the air shift and the temperature in the room jump up at the mention of his brother, Aestus. I pushed through, rushing to reach my point before he killed me out of spite. “He told me that he was limited in what he could do for me. That I should have picked you. He also said, that you—and only you—could unlock the full potential of my Mantle. I know any creation you made from scratch would be infinitely more powerful than this pathetic cloth—” Red immediately bucked against me in my mind, but I ignored her as I continued. “—but I’ve grown accustomed to her, you see? I know it’s weak of me, but as you said, I am only an ant, still anchored to my sentimentality. And I am eager to witness how something so pitiful as my Mantle, can be elevated to greatness through your deft touch.”

I had been speaking rapid fire, all in one breath. As soon as I was done, I took in a big gulp of air, and I waited. My heart was in my throat, Red silently panicking—and sending me scolding thoughts—while Leph said nothing.

A full minute passed and I wondered if we had been abandoned. Had he decided to go the millennia of torture route?

“Divine One?” I asked quietly.

“I’m here, ant. Be quiet while I think.”

Another full minute passed, and sweat slicked my body. Red had finally calmed down, but was doing the mental equivalent of a leg tapping under the table impatiently. I desperately wanted to fidget myself, but I had the impression that any little thing would set this guy off.

Suddenly, my vision cleared, like a light switch had been flipped on.

I desperately wished it hadn’t.

Inches from my face, dominating the entirety of my vision, was a creature straight out of a horror film. Taut, red skin stretched across Leph’s face. His eyes bugged out of his sockets, pitch-black orbs that reflected my own horrified face back at me. Blood oozed from those eyes, dripping down his cheeks and chin. He didn’t have hair, but rather bars of rusted iron that looked like rebar sticking out of his skull.

Somehow, the smell seemed to intensify and I gagged briefly before locking down my involuntary reaction.

His black eyes bore into me, and I felt like I was staring into an abyss filled with blood and pain. But I couldn’t look away. I knew—just knew—that if I glanced away even for a moment, I’d see things around the periphery that I’d never scrape from my mind.

Off to my left, a blood-curdling scream sounded, and it took all of my self control not to flinch and glance over. And all the while, I was gazing into those empty, evil eyes, wondering why the fuck I had picked the Armor Boon.

After a tense few moments, Leph snorted, then looked away. I relaxed, feeling like the executioner’s axe lingering over my neck had just been retracted. All the same, I didn’t dare take in my surroundings—I just wanted to get the fuck out of here.

“You’re brave, little ant. I’ve broken real Cultivators with nothing but my gaze.”

He stood upright and I got a glimpse of his body before locking my eyes back on his face. He was so vastly different from Aestus, I had to wonder if the term brother meant something other than biological kin.

He was bare chested, his red skin still pulled overly-tight across his muscles and bones. Weeping gashes and nasty welts oozing pus crisscrossed his skin. The smell of blood and sickly death intensified as I scanned the wounds, like my gaze magnified the effect somehow. A distant part of my mind wondered if there was an Affinity at play here, intensifying my visceral reaction to his ghastly appearance.

“It is done,” he growled. “Do not seek me out again unless you reach the Immortal Stage.” He leaned in close again, his weeping eyes boring into mine. “Otherwise, you will not survive the pain my next Boon inflicts upon you.”

I was yanked backward in space, my body rushing away from Leph’s terrible domain. The motion was disorienting and when I snapped back into my real body in the Hold, I immediately crashed to my knees and puked all over the cobblestone.

“Holy…fuck…” I gasped.

In the back of my mind, Red wasn’t much better off. She felt small, compacted into a little ball, and I tentatively reached out to her—both mentally and physically—to give her comfort. As soon as my fingers hit cloth, she wrapped around me in a rush, squeezing me tight in a bear hug.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’re safe,” I said softly. It probably looked bizarre, me stroking my cape as it enveloped me.

Then, something changed, and Red began to shift unnaturally. The cloth seemed to liquefy, spreading across my torso like putty.

“What the…?”

I stood up, trying to examine exactly what Red was doing. The emotions from the Mantle had settled down some—there was still that existential fear from our run in with Leph lingering in her thoughts. But mostly, I felt a new sense of excitement and power emanating from her.

“What did he do to you, girl?”

In response, I felt her move with intention, coating my entire body in her material. The sensation was odd, like I was slipping into cool water. I felt it as she moved, but once I was covered in the living cloth, it was like there was nothing there at all.

She continued to flow across my body, covering me from head-to-toe, slipping up my neck and approaching my jaw. I’ll admit, I started to panic when she approached my mouth and face, but she sent me a chiding thought and I forced myself to relax.

This was Red, I reminded myself. She’d never do anything to hurt me.

So I relaxed as she enveloped me, though my curiosity was burning inside of my chest.

“Mate, what the feck?” Amos called from behind me.

I turned to see him and Jerome staring at me—him with wide eyes, Jerome with his usual scowl.

“What does it look like?” I asked.

Before they could respond, Red covered my face and eyes, blinding me. I was about to force her away from my face, when my vision suddenly cleared. It wasn’t that she had moved—I could still feel the liquid cloth on my skin—but rather, the cloth had somehow gone transparent to my eyes.

“It’s like yer wrapped in a giant, red condom, mate.”

I felt Red respond, her indignation spiking in the back of my mind. She rippled across my right arm, exposing the skin as she moved into my hand and shot out with a sudden movement. A spike extended from my hand, rigid and red, racing toward Amos’ face. My eyes went wide in shock and before I could pull the cloth back, she was poised right at his neck.

We both gaped at the four-foot-long, blood-red spike mere inches from Amos. It was wide at the base, narrowing to a needle-point at the tip. He reached up and gingerly touched the cloth. Unlike Red’s usual material, his fingers seemed to press against hard and unyielding material.

Before we could say anything, the spike began to morph again, refining along its length into a narrower shape. Some of the excess material traveled down the spike, moving back up my arm to coat it in red once more.

Over the next few seconds, what had been a circular spike began to shift into the form of a blade. Slowly, the shape of the blade became familiar, until I was holding a near-replica of my katana in my right hand. The only difference was that it was made of Red’s material, making it appear like a sword coated entirely in blood.

I stared at the katana in my hand, unable to process the changes Red was experiencing. Reaching out with my left hand, I ran my finger along the edge and felt it cut my skin from only the slightest pressure.

“Fuck, that’s sharp,” I said, pulling my hand away.

“I retract me earlier statement,” Amos said. “That’s feckin’ grouse, mate.”

At his side, Jerome grunted. “Not bad.”

I paused examining the blade and stared at Jerome. “Dude, how about a fucking warning next time? That psycho threatened to torture me for thousands of years.”

His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms. “Had no problem with him. Ugly, sure, but that be it.”

I shook my head and swung Red around, giving the katana a few experimental slashes and stabs.

“Fuck you, Leph,” I muttered.

As I swung the katana, I noted the balance was off, but Red felt it too and adjusted the weight. After a few more slashes, I was satisfied. Looking down at the red armor coating my body, I rapped my knuckles against it. It felt hard, like metal, but also had a bit of flex to it. I couldn’t wait to experiment with Red’s new capabilities!

“That’ll do, Red,” I said with an appreciative tap on my chest. “That’ll do.”

“Whoa, what the fuck, dude?”

I turned to see Lacy coming through the portal, Mama G and Lex right behind her. Flashing her a grin, I shrugged. Then I realized Red was covering my face and I willed the cloth to pull away so they could see me.

“Red just got a massive level up. Check this out,” I said, going through some motions with the katana. “The material is hard, too. I don’t know what it can tank, but I’m eager to do some tests.”

“That’s pretty cool…” Lacy said. Both Red and I felt our indignation rise.

“Pretty cool? It’s fuckin’ sick, Lacy, come on!”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s sick, but I mean…you look a little ridiculous.” She looked around at the others. “What is it he looks like? It’s on the tip of my tongue…”

“A giant, red gimp?” Amos supplied.

I whirled on him, ready to tell him off, but then got distracted with restraining Red—she wanted to give him a little prick, but I held her back.

Behind me, Lacy and Lex laughed, while Frank examined me with his Legendary glasses that he had received at the beginning of the Integration.

“Incredible material,” he muttered, leaning in closer. “It appears to have a fluid consistency, but has incredible tensile and compression strength on demand. I wonder if—”

Lex interrupted him. “HONK! I figured it out, Lacy!”

We all turned toward him—me with a look that said, ‘You better be really fucking careful with what you say next,’ while the others were a mix of curious and amused.

“I know what it is he looks like!” Lex waddled in closer, looking up at me with a glint in his eye. “He looks like the red Power Ranger!”

He flapped away in a rush as both Red and I chased him with murderous intent.