Jack floated over to the side of the evening tomb, as he peered into it to see Emily and witness his struggling cherubs.
[Just what's going on...?] Jack could see that Emily was in discomfort, even if she didn't make any sounds.
[...This can't be right] Jack raised his arm, as his laptop at the edge of the garden flew to his hand.
Murmurs in the small crowd sounded, as the clergy began to talk. Many of them performed these ceremonies, and this wasn't normal. Lucius thought to see what was going on but wanted to wait for the God-King to call him, least he overstep his bounds.
Jack quickly tapped on his keyboard. As the last few days of his private use, he had found more functions for his laptop, even if he was the one to create it.
Jack raised his right hand and squeezed hard. Drops of golden liquid formed and dripped down.
Eris in the audience licked her lips witnessing her god produce his blood.
These golden drops, as they dripped formed into new cherubs, that flew to aid the others. Now with seven cherubs working together, they were still unable to dislodge Emily's soul.
Emily now began to groan in pain!
[FUCK IT!]
"TUX."
"Reporting to Creator." The bland unenthusiastic voice of the undead penguin chimed in front of many undead, as their attention was split between the flock of Cherubs and the living tome that floated and spoke.
"Will there be a problem if I personally remove her soul?"
"As long as Creator shields the soul from outside influences, and especially your own influence, there will be no issues."
"Good."
Jack floated backward from under the nice reception that was created for Emily's coming of age ceremony by Lucius and the servants.
He, in front of everyone, dropped to his knees, as his golden regalia vanished leaving him in his normal robe.
From his crown appeared golden light, as many zombies undead shielded their eyes. Like the time that he ascended into the plane of death, Jack's god soul emerged from his body. Larger than last time, he squeezed out of his form and ascended high into the skyline. As the God-King's form appeared, the many many candles that were lit, went out instantly. All of the flames and light appeared to have been sucked into the God-King's form, as the Glowstone lamps trembled.
It was again time for all the undead of the continent to see the God-King in the sky. One would think seeing a giant golden skeleton in the skyline every other week would become the norm, but the undead had yet to adjust, as even those in Dragon's Jaw quickly went home and shut their doors and windows.
Jack now at his impressive altitude, as he hunched over with his bent head just under the roof of the Underworld. He took his large skeletal god hand and lightly sent the reception tilting and crashing to the side.
The audience members had long left their seats and prostrated before the God-King, even Crag. There were only two members that did not. Leslie and Eris. Leslie's brows had long been furrowed, and Eris looked to be drunk on the power of her god.
With the reception sent flying, he called back his own Cherubs. He seen inside both tombs. Jack looked to his right skeletal hand, as it burst into golden flames, that even the skeletal undead shielded their gaze.
With his flaming hand, he reached down and reached into Emily's tiny body into a place that was neither physical nor incorporeal. His flaming flight surrounding Emily but did not burn her. Once she was completely covered, Jack pulled.
He felt the resistance in her soul from leaving. He had never seen anything like this before. Enraged at being thwarted, and the thought that Emily might suffer the longer this took, he concentrated all of his strength into that pull.
[DAMN IT! RELEASE FOR ME!] Jack pulled again.
Still not dislodging, Jack was finally beyond angry, as he threw the collective power of his entire soul and God-Soul into this pull.
His form dimmed in radiance, but the holy fire that burned around Emily and his hand reached high into the sky.
"AS THE GOD-KING OF DEAGOTH, I WILL NOT BE REFUSED!" Jack's voice rumbled long in the continent, as thunder would roll in the skies of the Overworld. Many undead would talk for weeks just what caused the God of Deagoth to be so angry. Many Undead on the borders of Deagoth migrated to Deagoth from their surrounding Kingdoms. This would only be learned much later.
Jack finally felt the soul let loose, and he held it in his grip. As he pulled it out, no one could see the same as he saw...
Shocked, he looked at the thing he pulled. It was large... Large as he was! This was a large spider looking, woman.
[Arachne?!?] Jack was speechless at just what he was seeing.
He saw that Emily's body became still now that it's soul left.
He used his other hand to hold the massive soul in his hands. Gray all over, and with eight legs and body of a spider, the torso of a woman...
The face... The face looked just like the face of the body he brought back!!!!
Jack even glanced into the other tomb that held the vessel. It was true, the faces match.
[What... the hell?] Jack thought.
Everyone witness the God-King with both his hands held in the air at a standstill. Wondering what was wrong or what was going on... Until he finally moved, and it appeared to be placing something in what they assumed was the new vessel appeared.
Jack took this soul and began to move it into the new vessel, and felt almost like the new vessel was pulling the soul from his hands into it as if it was recovering what it once was...
Within seconds the massive soul that was invisible to the people was taken completely by the new Vessel. Jack wary of what he just saw, decided to not return to his body. He didn't know what that was, or if that was Emily at all... And if that wasn't Emily's soul... Then who's was it? There were questions that he couldn't answer, and Jack for the first time since he took this unlife. He never had as many questions as he did at this moment. He bet that even Yoggi couldn't list them all in the span of an hour.
Jack thought, for only an instant, he heard a faint coughing sound, as he looked around him.
[Yoggi? Are you watching?] He thought to himself but was only met with silence.
As this moment, he saw that the new vessel... Emily was stirring. He loomed high above, but his face look to look more carefully at his second precious Consort.
At this moment with his heart in turmoil, he realized just how much this second consort meant to him.
[I will never forsake her... My Emily.] Jack renewed his vow within his mind, the same on the day he made her ring. This time there was a touch of tenderness that was absent from that day.
The eyes of the vessel fluttered, and she looked up at the massive golden skull in her view, as she instinctively threw up her arms to shield her eyes.
Jack understanding that he was blinding her, backed off a bit, as he spoke in that thunderous voice, "Are you okay, my Emily?"
Emily's voice drifted softly, but it was that mature voice that she spoke in every once in a while.
"I'm fine... I don't seem to feel anything really different." She thought as she felt her body.
Relieved, Jack descended back into his body. Now that his body contained his mighty God-Soul, fatigue washed in behind him, though nothing like this trip into the plane of death. It seemed that completing this process really took a lot of his power... He would need more prayer to restore his strength. Something he would need to tell Lucius and Jordan to get on, as soon as possible.
Jack floated over to Emily's side, about the same time that she screamed.
Jack's speed was as if a flash of light appeared, and he saw that Emily was clutching her breasts.
Jack sized her up now that she was in her new body, as Jack called her name. "My Emily."
Emily looked up with her eyes. He looked deep into them. It was the first time he could see inside of her, as she was always a skeleton. Deep and profound. Gentle and soothing... A touch of loneliness... A touch of... Evilness...?
Jack was startled as he saw this last attribute. Leslie's eyes contained darkness, but... it wasn't like this... This was... slightly malevolent. Slightly... Evil. Jack didn't consider himself a bad guy, but he didn't feel evil.
After he looked into her eyes, he quickly scanned her body. She now had a flawless face, with a roman profile. Long webby white hair. She had a flesh body from the rib cage up, including her arms. This also included her shapely bosom, that she was clutching.
Below her ribs showed her spine as it descended into her pelvis and legs. She was half zombie and half skeletal.
With pleading eyes, Emily looked to Jack, "Why zombie!?"
Jack then remembered that she was a skeleton supremacist... He had forgotten, after this long period, and when choosing this body of hers, he remembered the attraction he felt.
Jack chuckled, as he spoke to ease Emily, "I love you for you, but you must admit. This form you take..."
Jack leaned into Emily's tomb and spoke next to her ear, lowering his voice to a whisper, "It invokes my lust. Do you want me to take you here? Soulbond in front of everyone? It's been a while... Do you... Crave it?"
Despite Emily not being in this body long, her pale blue skin turned dark from embarrassment, as she half glared at Jack, but half smiled.
Jack laughed again, as he stood up, facing the crowd.
"The ceremony is completed. This child has now become an adult, and may We celebrate!"
The audience shook itself back to themselves, as they were stunned by what they had seen. The clergy had never seen a coming of age ceremony like this before! The God-King did things in a big way! But was it really necessary???
Lucius finally got the attention of the servants who prepared the feast for the Zombie undead, but also more incense, as the once prior dissipated in the fallout of the God-King's form ascending. He also had a few servants relighting all the candles.
Leslie had already seen the vessel Emily had now occupied and had her handmaidens bring over some clothes. With a folded blind placed in front of the tomb. Emily stepped out and was helped dressed by her sister Consort.
Other servants under the direction of Lucius took the stone led and hefted it to seal Emily's old body away. This would later be taken to the Holy Palace Catacombs to be sealed among the other previous vessels and corpses.
Jack floated on back, as he watched Leslie dress Emily, but... He couldn't get his mind off that soul he held... That soul that looks like Arachne.
[I've soul bonded with Emily before... I know for a fucking fact her soul didn't look like that... Just what the hell!] Jack couldn't help but think more on it. He raised his hand and his laptop came to him, as he started researching.