Balm of the Gods

Author's Note:This is the final chapter of this series' first 'book' -- but yes, as that implies, there's going to be plenty more! I'm planning a second saga, some of which will be set up for by the end of this chapter. Also working on some spinoffs that answer a few undeveloped threads.

This also happens to be the longest singular entry I've ever published. What can I say -- I like to go big for a finale. Of course, some of the additional pages here come from an extended 'epilogue' portion where things wrap up with fluff and plans for the future, so not all of this is the big conclusion itself.

I'll also mention about the character Nymphadottir, without spoiling anything outright -- while it wasn't my initial intention, I've slightly 'caved' to a certain fan theory about her intentions that it turned out I actually really liked. While it's not the whole of her motivation here, I did enjoy slipping hints of that into some of her 'confessions' later in this chapter. If you're one of the ones who commented it, you'll probably know it when you see it!

This series has been a blast to write all the way from Chapter 1, and it's crazy to think how it developed from a relatively simple and admittedly silly concept. Definitely let me know your thoughts on the series as a whole if you read till the end, and what you're looking forward to in future installments!

15. The Stand

Hours had passed, but the orgy in Cal's domain had never slowed, and still showed no signs of ramping down. And all around, changes were taking hold.

When Cal took the chance to look, splendid new sights greeted him. Sturdy walls of gleaming golden bricks now circled the property, interspersed by elegant spires that were equal parts beautiful and imposing. What he'd called a villa before was now undeniably a palace, every chamber worthy of royalty. Even now, as available energy surged, the realm responded to its god's needs, still building and fortifying.

A hedge maze to rival Versailles had bloomed into being at the far end of one courtyard. Magic made Cal aware of it, even though he hadn't exactly taken time to appraise it yet. He could sense the enchantment that had risen along with it, too -- one that would turn that maze into a trap for any intruders. It was just one of many clever twists of magic brought to bear for his domain's protection. Certain halls within the palace could now turn into endless corridors with no exit. Plants around the grounds could be roused to lash at trespassers like snakes. The portals to Earth had a new layer of magic, only letting the harem pass back and forth. And over the perimeter walls, the glimmering dome of a protective energy barrier shimmered, denying entry from the air.

The defenses grew and shifted with every round of worship. They took on new forms that Cal barely needed to direct. The realm itself, and the magic throughout, knew what Cal expected to face and understood the gravity of the threat. It was shaping itself to answer the challenge.

Which left Cal free to enjoy the more immediate things.

The afternoon's activities had long since left the banquet hall behind. All means of other venues beckoned, after all ‐‐ many freshly transformed even as they were discovered. Cal and his adoring flock had christened everything new with rounds of sexplay, always creative and always empowered. The new rose garden was the perfect venue to indulge in Leah and Mayim. A rock-lined pool, complete with a waterfall and a grotto that hadn't existed in the morning, made an ideal backdrop to claim Amanda and Jody against. And when Kaiyah had led him into the newly-expanded master bedroom, whose four-post bed had now grown big enough for half her basketball team, they'd enjoyed the space and each other with a long, lustful bout that left his WNBA lover gasping.

But all of that was nothing compared to where Cal had ended up now.

Having a throne room still felt extravagant -- maybe almost too extravagant -- even as the strong magic that hummed around him made it feel right at the same time. The ornate chamber had sprung into being at the top of the palace's highest tower, and was just as grand as anyone would expect. Gilded columns, tapestries, a plush carpet over marble floors. A skylight in the vaulted ceiling let warm sunlight pour inside. And at the far end, a set of wide steps led up to a dais -- upon which sat the golden throne.

Presently, Cal leaned back and enjoyed the cushioned embrace of his seat of power. He also enjoyed the embrace of Ashleigh's pussy as the dark-skinned beauty steadily rocked atop him. Her generous breasts bounced with each motion, as did the thin golden necklace around her neck. It had started out as an accent to a whole, elaborate outfit today, but now it was all she wore. She moaned and gasped, riding her god's manhood, her body rippling with pleasure -- and with energy, too, as the sex between them created wave after wave of power. The throne room glimmered with it.

"Ahh." Ashleigh gasped for breath. "This is..."

"Almost too much?" Cal supplied. He didn't stop, though. His hands seized her round ass as she rose and sank back down along his rigid length again and again. "Like we're in some crazy fantasy movie."

"Movie?" Mayim cut in from her own position: kneeling at the throne's base, one arm stroking up Cal's leg. "More like 'crazy power-fantasy wet dream come to life.' You should see how you two look on that throne."

"Yeah. Fuck. Exactly." Ashleigh leaned forward, pressing her breasts into his bare chest, her face inches from his. "I should... hah, say something about how this is the kind of thing that could go to your head. But,mmmph...I guess that's kinda the point, isn't it? A god... on his throne. Worshippers at his feet. On his cock. Hah." She shuddered as he thrust up deep, hitting that perfect spot inside her. "It sounds so wrong, but..."

"But what?" Cal asked. His hands roamed up her back as his partner's rhythm slightly slowed. Both were savoring the moment.

"But I've never felt more free," Ashleigh finished. Cal saw pure honesty in her dark eyes. "You remember how I walked into this... relationship. Divorced. Unsatisfied. Knowing I'd made the wrong choices before... hah, even almost wondering if I was making the wrong choice with you and Mina. Or at least choosing it way too fast. Not like that lasted. Now look where it led. Part of a god's harem." She ran a finger over his chest. "I don't feel... less than myself, though. If anything, I feel more."

"She's right," Mayim added while her hand moved higher. She caught Cal's eye. "The balance here shouldn't make sense. One godly man surrounded by adoring women? That'd be troubling in any other context I could think of, but here..."

"It's about mutual elevation," Vythia finished. Kneeling in a mirror image to Mayim on the other side, the alchemist took Cal's free hand in hers. "What we're creating here feeds all of us. It's not exploitation. It hasn't felt that way since I first breathed in that scent. I think it's a beautiful symbiosis. We choose to worship."

"We choose to fuck you senseless," Kjelle chimed in. Cal turned to see the High Priestess's naked form gleaming before she moved behind the throne, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Because we love it. And because it makes us stronger, too."

Jody leaned over the left armrest, grinning as her aqua hair tickled Cal's cheek. "Remember, we're here in this little world you made 'cause we wanna be here. That's what keeps this from being dark or twisted. Like a cult, or a prison, or some skeevy mind-control shit. I feel like I could walk out if I ever wanted to. But, fuck, why would I? This is home now. Beats anything I had before by a long shot."

"I guess I should have questions about the practical side," Amanda said from the right, leaning against a pillar. "Do we function like a harem in the historical sense? Does all this operate on a schedule? A hierarchy? How many more are going to join?" That last one made her smirk. "Not sure my brain can process the logistics -- sharing a god with this many women. But for once in my life, that seems okay. I'd rather just... trust."

"Doesn't seem like there's any schedule to me," Leah offered, striding in. Chalices glimmered on the silver tray she held. "That'd put a damper on the 'ultimate freedom' thing that makes this work. There's definitely a vibe, though. And a flow. I say we follow that -- even if I'd guess it leads right to Cal every time. That's enough for me to feel like I'll get what I need when I need it."

Cal accepted a chalice with a thankful nod. The divine nectar warmed him as he drank, and reinvigorated every part of him -- most notably the part that wanted to fuck and enjoy the beauty in his lap.

"I like the way this works, too," he confessed. "I love when you tell me how much you love it. I love making all of you feel good, too." His emptied cup faded into sparkling mist at a thought. That freed his hand to claim Ashleigh's hip, steadying her as his hips drove up. That drew a fresh gasp -- and not even just from the woman on his cock.

From the floor below them, Mina's own pleasured voice mingled with Ashleigh's. The raven-haired, buxom beauty had been lounging like an odalisque just ahead, her body draped on pillows, content just to observe. Now, even with no one physically attending to her pleasure, she shuddered and gasped as everything Ashleigh felt on Cal's cock echoed through the harem bond. As if a phantom penis were pumping in and out of her, Mina's walls clenched. Her hips bucked. Her nerves sang. Magic even took care of the difference in Mina's position from Ashleigh's, making nothing awkward or disjointed. All she had to do was savor it.

She wasn't the only one in the throne room to start feeling the effects, either.

Every lover felt it as Cal reconnected them to the pleasure-stream. All savored the ecstasy only their god could bring. Ashleigh was just the one experiencing it firsthand right now. Chantae knelt at the foot of the dais, gripping the edge of the top step, her face contorting in pleasure. Amanda's fingers got busy over her clit to add to what she felt, her eyes glued to her god and Ashleigh. Leah and Pim's knees buckled. Mayim and Vythia clung to the golden throne like a lifeline as they savored their share of the bliss.

No one was here just to lie still and look pretty. No one had to wait for their chance to be the next one chosen. In a harem like this, all were part of the action, all the time -- and none would rather have been anywhere else.

"Now you're thinking with power," Jody's pleasure-tinged voice came. She reeled on her feet but kept herself propped against the throne as the phantom cock that filled her matched Cal's rhythm with Ashleigh. "Godly. Magic. Fucking. Rocks.Haaah."

Somehow, when Cal looked his punk girlfriend's way, the briefest flash of memory hit him. For a second, Jody was back as the college coed who'd caught his eye years ago with her unique style and her mischievous, flirty side. Then the present rushed back, and Cal suddenly felt all the more keenly aware of how far he'd come.

"This definitely isn't... ah, what I ever thought I had in my future," he admitted.

"You love it, though," Jody answered. "The possessive stuff. Ruling us."

He didn't even have to tell her she was right. "Ruling is a hell of a thing," Cal conceded. "But I want to take care of you, too. Keep you safe. That's why we're all doing this now."

"If that was all it was about, you wouldn't be doing it on a fucking throne." Jody grinned wildly. "Babe, whatever it means for us to be here -- even with this crazy goddess showdown coming -- it's hot, it's fun, and I'm fucking psyched to see where it goes. All of us are. You wanna rule? Fucking rule us." Her voice went to a whisper. "You wanna conquer? We're right behind you -- whatever you want that to mean." To seal it, Jody kissed him, long and hard. "Now, fuck Ash. Fuck all of us. Make us scream. That'd be a start."

Kjelle leaned in, too. "Agreed. Use us like you're proving a point. Any of us you'd like. You're our god, Cal. This is your throne room. Everything that implies is real. Don't get hung up on humility. You're past that now. It won't hurt us or make us think you're arrogant if you get into the role. This isn't the normal world. Take us like you're showing everyone who's in charge. Maybe even Nymphadottir herself."

Their words stoked Cal's lust and power both. Remembering that even this was a means to victory, he didn't hold back. His hands gripped Ashleigh tight. He lifted her up and slammed her down on his cock again and again, faster and harder. Her voice filled the chamber as she cried out -- joined by all his worshippers in a chorus. All rode high on the energy and anticipated the climax to come.

When Ashleigh screamed, they screamed with her.

Squeezing convulsions of the ebony beauty atop him brought Cal to his peak. He drove in and stayed there as he erupted into Ashleigh. His voice soared and mixed with hers. He'd lost count of how many times he'd already come since the bacchanal had started, but this release was no less explosive than his first orgasm with Shaiden. Godly energy to spare meant he never needed to worry about losing steam, least of all now.

It took a while longer before anyone was ready for conversation again. Ashleigh sank forward, burying her head in the crook of his shoulder, deeply breathing that scent that had bonded her to him so thoroughly. She was content to lie and bask. It made a great visual for the others to drink in as they rose and started to gather around his throne.

"We're ready," Mina murmured. "Aren't we?"

Vythia crossed her arms across her bare breasts, eyes intent. "As much as I hate the idea of meeting that bitch face to face again... I've never felt readier to do it. The realm's energy is brimming like a star about to go nova." With a raise of one hand and a snap of her fingers, she demonstrated that by conjuring a glimmering, patterned robe that swirled around her nude body and tied itself at the waist. A golden-tinted vial appeared in her grasp; more like it soon lined her waistband. "With creation-magic like this to play with, an alchemist hardly even needs an atelier. Consider me well prepared for what's coming."

As Mayim strode forward, her own nude form was soon covered in light, gold-trimmed armor. It would protect all that would need protection without hiding anything beautiful about the body beneath. Cal never failed to appreciate how his 'lancer' paired elegance and lethality. "We won't have much longer to wait around," she warned. "Nymphadottir may be well on her way by now."

Ashleigh straightened atop Cal, her gaze intent on his. "Mayim's right, babe. I've adored this, but I think we need to get moving now." The moment she lifted herself off his cock and stood, an elegant golden gown swirled out of nothing to wrap her form. Cal didn't mind the loss of her nudity when the replacement was something equally beautiful. "We're so lucky to have had all this time to get ready, but now..." She looked back at him. "Now, we have to put all that to use."

Cal rose off the throne. With a look past his gathered harem to the wide window at the end of the chamber, he surveyed his domain, and felt a deep, subtle stab of... something. The same feeling of knowing that he'd felt by the lakeshore when Nymphadottir had arrived on Earth. He couldn't have explained why, but there was no question she was coming. His magic knew it. He did, too.

"She's on her way," he declared. "You're all right. I can feel her moving in. It may still be some time before she gets here, but she's not taking the scenic route, either."

A tense, anticipatory silence followed. All were ready, but none were eager for what came next.

"How long, you think?" Shaiden asked, breaking the quiet.

"An hour? Two?" Cal answered. "I don't know. Not a good idea to underestimate a goddess, though. If there's anything else we can do to prepare, I say we put it in motion."

"If I may." Vythia was first to speak up. "I've been thinking about this confrontation, and there's something I'd like to do if you'd allow me. I'm going to go out ahead and try to intercept Nymphadottir before she reaches the domain's perimeter. I may not match her power, but I'll be able to give her a hard time and slow her down, at least. As far as we know, she still has no idea that the two of us are allies now -- and that means I'm the one best positioned to take her by surprise. You all should stay here. Use any extra time I can grant you, and all the rest of this fresh power, to strengthen the defenses as much more as you can."

Mayim raised her eyebrows. "Vythia, you don't have to do this alone. I can come with you. We'll have a better chance of hurting her if we can fight her together."

"Thank you, dear Mayim," Vythia said with an appreciative smile and a twirl of the vial in her fingers. "But no. Not this time. I have enough new tricks to pull on her, I think. Your best place in this fight, I think, is as a guardian at the gates. In fact..."

Kjelle seemed to perk up, as if she understood where Vythia was going with this. In fact, Cal seemed to get a sudden intuition, too. A hint from his magic about what exactly he could put all his extra energy into. The idea had already taken shape by the time the alchemist went on.

"Cal? Have I explained yet that a god with enough power can create people of his own design to inhabit his realm and serve his interests?"

Cal pictured a host of subjects at his command, all imagined into being to fit his designs. It felt... a little weird, in a way. "I guess it's crossed my mind. I'm not sure about it, even now. I don't think I could create anyone I'd rather have here with me than you all. But... I guess this is a different situation. Warriors would help, wouldn't they? People to guard the walls, man the towers, reinforce the defenses." He paused. "Actually, that sounds kind of badass."

"Exactly," said Kjelle. "It'd be an apt use of your power."

Vythia nodded. "I don't even have to explain, then. You get it already. Give it a try. And don't be afraid to put your personal touch on it."

Despite everything, Cal's mind went exactly where it usually did. But then, if he could truly design whatever he wanted, why not? The others seemed to sense his intentions, but no one objected. They all knew the score.

Vythia took both his hands in hers. "Cal, I also want to say thank you. For giving me this." Her eyes held his, steady and sincere. "I never imagined things would turn out this way. I'm not sure I even deserve it. After years of bitterness and solitude? This realm, this family you've built here... it's the best new leaf I've ever turned." Affection and resolve showed in her wry smile. "Whatever happens out there between me and Nymphadottir? Know that what you gave me here... it matters."

She squeezed his palms firmly -- and Cal thought he saw a flash of alchemical fire in her gaze. "I'm not planning on letting her get the better of me, though. I'm going to give her hell. Be ready, my god. I'll see you when this is done."

And his Court Alchemist stepped back and away, making for the exit.

Mayim's hand fell on one of his shoulders; Kjelle's on his other. He felt all of his women gather at his side as he looked out at the domain that was his -- soon to be under siege. "You heard her." His voice came in firmer than he'd expected. "We're going to be ready."

All followed him down through the layers of his godly palace. All watched him as he emerged into the wide courtyard and raised his hands. He focused on his realm's need for defenders. And his magic answered. A rush of energy. A flash of light, and a surge of power that blew like wind across the grounds. The women around Cal gasped in awe at what their god had created.