The Results

Gabe

The voices came in hard and heavy, the battle had gotten them riled up and they were eager to show their favor and disdain for my team.

We were down to just Hilda, and with no healing available it looked like this was going to stay between the two of us. I guess that made things easier.

I had no idea what to think of her, I hoped I would figure it out by the time we were together tonight. Hilda had been my little sidekick, and somehow through a few hundred years, and all of this she was still… something. Loyal? Helpful? Useful?

I was happy for her, she’d had such a rough start, and now here she was. On top of the world.

“Let’s start with you.”

She rewarded me with a coy smile. “Let’s see what a victory’s worth.”

A lot hopefully. “For your heritage trait, I’m going to give you Volume of Experience, which let’s me give you a starting class feat. Now some class feats are the ability to cast spells, but you can’t cast spells while raging, and none of the spells we’ve seen so far seems like a good mix. So I’m going with Rogue.”

She smiled. “So now I can add my Dex to damage from my bear claws.”

“We can focus on Dex, and stop worry about putting points into strength, sounds like a good deal to me.”

“I agree.”

“Good. For your class feat, I’m going with Reactive Mate.” She made a face, obviously not pleased the choice, but that’s why I’m the coach.” Mate! Lets her tank will damage, and it combo’s off her new Rogue Feat. Regular rage buffs strength, which I don’t care about anymore. Strong Grab also focused on strength. Reactive Mate gives her defense for the current meta, saves her a turn, and will make her competitive. “Problem?”

She smirked, though I sense it wasn’t with as much good nature as she was hoping. “Nothing worth making a fuss over, I shall adjust, let’s move on.”

Right the second big winner was Lana. I looked over to her still smoldering body. She even made that look good. “I wish her rewards were switched, but it is what it is. Since she’s proving to be such a good unit, I’m gonna keep trying to round her out. I can see there was some utility off the field that could be had from those other traits, but I’m going to go with Land of Reason, give her even better will defenses. If nothing else this should make a crit fail from her very unlikely.”

Skye waved her hand and made it so. “And for her punishment?”

"Butt of the Joke." Ever since she came to this world Lana had been brimming with confidence. I liked it, but it did remind me a bit too much of her sister. I was attracted to Lana partly because of how shy and... well... insecure she was. Her body was just about perfect, I just needed to chisel at her new ego a bit.

Skye smiled. "So it shall be, humiliation and failure will now have a certain attraction to Lana. What better way to remind her that thou art a god, than by basking in her own humanity?"

Hilda smirked and shook her head, but said nothing else. Suddenly even her being here seemed like it was too much. I hated doing these "Award" Ceremonies, and being judged for what was **** on me.

Hilda

Gabe

Now on to my problem child.

"Lana's fate has been decided, and what shall become of the lesser Merah?"

"Don't talk to her like that." I snapped. If these girls were supposed to be mine, than I couldn't let anyone disrespect them. Might as well get used to that too. I'd slipped up and now Jasmine was gone. This world really would destroy us if we didn't play perfectly. There was just one problem. "I can't decide."

"Oh?" Skye swirled around me. Her caring eyes looked me over. "The audience does not aide ye?"

"They're split. It's between Cross Bearer and Proselytize. They both seem really useful."

"Not to mention titillating."

I glared at her.

"You deserve the worship, don't begrudge me for encouraging it." She swirled around the sky contemplating my problem. "Then I shall make a wager with ye. Grant thine favored priest I will, both rewards. If she completes a challenge set by me, this very night."

"What challenge?”

"I shan't say, thy faith in her must be absolute, not calculating."

"Will she's know it's a challenge?"

"Aye."

"I accept. If Anna's competing, she won't lose."

The goddess liked that. She soared into the sky, and shot fireworks above the stadium. "Then it is set! Thy Cleric will be visited by me tonight, for the challenge, should she succeed she may have both rewards, should she fail, neither!"

"It's a bet."

"How exciting, well then pushing that off for later, now goes the final reward. Dear Precious has been a trustworthy ally this day."

"She's always been great." She was our social media director, our number cruncher, our star in so many ways. "It's her ego that always got in the way. She had to be the front of everything, even if she wasn't the best at it."

"You've certainly cut her down to size since then."

"Stop. For her I'm choosing The More The Merrier!"

"Ah, divine." Skye settled her hands over the drowzy Precious' shoulders. Now she will think nothing of this harem, or sharing you with others. Now that is a trait worth spreading to others."

"Thanks for the tip." She was right though. I looked at Precious as her jealous bone was removed from her body. I was such an insecure person, I couldn't imagine living free of jealousy. In a way I envied what I'd done to her. She truly was becoming something other than human, something I didn't really understand. She'd see Anna sleeping with me and think what? 'Make room for me?'

Once Skye finished working on Precious she floated over to Daisy. “Now it’s time to punish thine wayward sheep. This one most of all. Thou granted her mercy, and for what? Failure! Do thy worst to this most unworthy of slaves.”

Well, I mean… in her defense I would have been really pissed off if Daisy did well this round.

Deleveling her would harm the team, can’t have that. Her not having access to money is also a pain for me. Can’t have that.

That only left the most evil option, but… does the world really need another politician?

“I’m giving her mascot. We’ll see how that goes.”

“Very good.” Skye brushed her hand over Daisy’s forehead. “Once sleep has done its work, ye all shall awake with new memories of her human self.”

My stomach was in knots how bad was it going to be? Had I just killed her? Who would be our new boss? Too much was uncertain with that pick, I should have vetoed it. Changing their bodies was one thing but… my heart sunk again. I’d already erased Jasmine’s past… what was one more?

“On to Jasmine, I’m giving her Intensive training. She can work on her blowjob skills.”

“Yes!” Skye cheered. “And for the Drow?”

Night. This one was the hardest, at one point each option was a roaring in my ear. But eventually I guess my own pettiness won out. “Misandry Missfire.” Way back in the shrouded mists of my past i’d been on Night’s livestream and was more or less humiliated by her, and this was back when my hands worked, never again.

“Very good my Prince, you are a marvel. So it shall be, that though her ego says otherwise she shall never rise to challenge you again… and win. This is good and proper. The farther you lower them, the higher you rise!”

As ever there was no malice to this. She just sung my praises like an Angel to god, regardless of the evils or cruelty he inflicted upon his flock.

I had nothing to say, my nerve for all of this had just about left me for the day. Just one left.

“Finally we come to Vera, lacking in skill but strong in spirit. She earned your favor or failing that, pity. She has avoided a punishment and has earned a reward. What has your favor wrought?”

This was going to be painful to even say.

“The Living Hearth!”

“Praise!” Skye sang, and to my utter shock the dwarves cheered too, hell most of the audience was up on their feet. What could they be so happy for?

The megatron showed an image of the queen of dwarves crying. “Thank you my prince! She’s a good girl, she’ll make a wonderful mother for your heirs!”

That did it.

I collapsed to the ground, the feast from this morning spreading out before me, like so much vomit.

Skye giggled, and arose to address the audience in the arena. “That sure seems like the end to me. Everyone get some rest! Tomorrow we’ll be scouring the land for the dark wizard!”