Refusing My God’s Advances

Aria let me carry her like the princess she was and only broke my arm once. It felt like a good day, but in truth, this moment was eclipsing everything. Even with the injury, all I did most of the flight was steal looks down at her cute red face.

At first, she had held her breath so long that I thought Aria might pass out, but I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "It's okay. You can breathe," I had said, and then lifted off with her. That was also about the time she broke my arm, but a quick Restore made the excruciating pain go away.

As we flew back to Emberfall, and after about 15 minutes of dodging each other's glances, we ended up bursting into laughter, breaking the ice between us. Aria created a wind barrier that silenced everything around us, and we chatted about various things—our plans, recent events, and the future. Aria seemed genuinely interested in my thoughts and feelings, making me feel a sense of warmth and connection.

Upon arriving at Emberfall, with the sun starting to set, we headed straight to the lab. As we entered, Danielle approached us, wearing a perturbed look on her face. "Where did you two run off to?"

"To go see how other adventures struggle. I actually hired some for recon work in the North and East," I said, and Danielle nodded.

"I guess that is fine, but do you have the essence I asked you for?" Danielle asked, pressing into me, making Aria step back and laugh at us.

"Probably, but I am not going through my inventory until after I eat," I said firmly, and Danielle rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but you had better have got some!" Danielle warned, and I rolled my eyes back.

"I already have a few in my inventory that I know of," I sighed, and Danielle's mood instantly changed to happy as she linked arms with me.

"You should have just said that before and left them with me," Danielle said brightly, then turned to the banging in a part of the lab I couldn't see. "Scarlet! Come join us for supper!"

Almost instantly, Scarlet appeared in front of me with dirt and grease on her face, but also a bright smile. "Hello, Leon! Did you have an enjoyable day?" She asked and I smiled, but Aria spoke up.

"I will go help Shelli, and see you all inside," Aria said, and I nodded as she turned and left.

Scarlet came over and took my other arm, but I looked over at Danielle with a frown. "How come Scarlet is working here with you?"

"She failed at cooking with Aria and Shelli, and I found her sitting at the table looking lost. I brought her to the workshop, and she has been a big help since the disappearance of a certain brother of mine and my dear assistant that he has been canoodling with!" Danielle growled, clearly trying to remain calm.

After a deep breath, she went on. "Scarlet has been extremely helpful, and fast. While there are many things that she can't do, there are many more that she excels at. At some point, you are going to have to decide what you want to do with her."

"You know she is on the other side of me, right? Scarlet isn't a golem to me. She came to life from a single kiss that we shared. To me, I am more concerned about," I explained, pausing to turn to Scarlet. "What you want to do."

Scarlet smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. "I just want to help you in whatever way I can best. There is a way that you can upgrade my skill, but I need to absorb souls to do that, but specific ones."

I turned my head back to Danielle. "Do you know what kind of souls those would be or how I find the monsters that will have them? I have 2 more souls, but I had planned to make more golems out of them to increase my golem army. Maybe I can just give you these two if it works, and you can help me. I have a (Rare)Crystal Wolf Soul that is blue and on (Rare)Emerald Boar Soul. Do either of these help?"

Danielle's eyes widened as I mentioned the souls, and asked me to pull them out. I withdrew the two floating orbs, one blue, the other green and she quickly took a step closer to inspect them. "A (Rare) Crystal Wolf Soul and a (Rare) Emerald Boar Soul... These are both suitable for upgrading Scarlet's skills, but there's something you need to know. The (Rare) Crystal Wolf Soul can enhance her agility and speed, while the (Rare) Emerald Boar Soul can strengthen her endurance and vitality. It's up to you to decide which aspect you want to prioritize."

I shrugged. "No point in picking. If they are both suitable and then rarity doesn't matter, then she should have both. I will just have to borrow her for half the day tomorrow to finish that dungeon I am working on. After that she can help you," I said, but then turned to Scarlet, who was eyeing the souls. "As long as you want to, Scarlet? Do you like working here with Danielle?"

Scarlet turned from the souls and nodded. "I can't really help with the housework since everything has an enchantment that keeps it clean. I also can't cook, so there is not really anything else for me to do. When I am here, Danielle always finds me a new project to work on when I am done!"

Scarlet turned back to look at the souls hungrily, and I shrugged, turning back to Danielle, who had her arms crossed.

"Just let her have the souls already before she starts drooling on the floor," Danielle grumbled, and I chuckled, turning to Scarlet who was now hovering like a predator ready to strike her prey.

"You can have them both, Scarlet," I said, and she pounced on them.

It was cute until she shoved the pool ball sized souls into her mouth, one after another. I could even see them glowing behind her throat which was filled with a soft light. Scarlet then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if savoring the energy. After a moment, she opened her eyes, which now had a faint blue and green glow, matching the colors of the souls she had consumed.

Then Scarlet burst with green and blue energy.