My Slave Goddess

The trolls were getting closer.

Behind them, the demonic beasts had already been killed faster than Alex could even believe. He didn't have time to look behind before one troll jumped in front of them, shouting:

"Where is the light that looked divine?"

"No it was just a beautiful touch," Alex muttered, frozen.

Ashley and Alex both stood still. No matter how hard Alex thought, he didn't see any way he could defeat these giant monsters. His body was shaking.

Then the troll spoke again, more aggressive this time.

"Where is the beautiful light?"

Now their faces showed anger.

Just as they were about to attack, Ashley looked at Alex. Her voice was soft.

"I dragged you into this. If someone must die, I'll be the one."

With that, she activated her divine power, growing with divine light. Her body glowed bright again, her energy rising into the air.

The trolls came charging at full speed. Ashley braced for impact.

Even Alex stood in front of her, trying to shield her. "This flat goddess she's really given up hope," he muttered.

But the impact never came.

Instead, strange sounds came from the trolls. One of them scratched his head, confused. The other started mumbling, trying to speak properly.

"I want to say we both say ho–hell–holy woman?"

The other one shook his head. "Let's just shout 'what a beautiful light' together."

Then both trolls raised their fists and shouted:

"WHAT A BEAUTIFUL LIGHT!"

One of them followed up, saying, "All hail holy woman with her dildo!"

The other troll stared at him. "Did you just say dildo?"

"No! I said halo! You sick beast!"

The trolls looked at each other, then back at Ashley, their massive heads bowed low.

"We heard it from the knights," one said, voice deep like thunder. "They said the Holy One has descended into the mortal world."

Ashley's glow flickered for a moment.

"They said your light was seen even beyond the kingdom walls," the other troll added. "We thought it was a lie until now."

They looked at each other, then at the goddess, then dropped their weapons and kneeled.

"We're sorry," one of them said. "We didn't know it was you."

Ashley blinked. "Me?"

"We don't know your face," the troll explained, "but the light. We've seen it in dreams, in the caves. It came from above. From the sky."

The other troll added, "Ever since the kingdom started collapsing, there have been more kidnappings, more screams from the mountaintop. Strange lights. Things moving in the darkness."

Alex stepped forward, still confused. "What are you saying?"

"We don't know what's happening," the troll answered. "But the mountain is cursed. And now you, the holy one, have come. It must be a sign."

"What do you want from us?" Ashley asked cautiously.

The troll bowed his head. "Nothing. Only that if a divine being ever came to our world, we hoped to die by her hand. As an honor."

Alex muttered under his breath, "Okay, that's not comforting."

Ashley said softly, "I don't kill for honor."

The trolls nodded slowly. "Then we will protect you instead."

Alex looked at Ashley. "What do you think about all this?"

She looked toward the mountain peaks.

"It's not a coincidence," she said. "Something is waiting up there."

No we are not going there, to dangerous. Let's go home.

What the, where are we going again. Lunch. Let's go Lunch. They followed the trolls in there cave

The cave was far larger than Alex had expected. A natural cathedral carved out by time and earth, its high ceilings were strung with thick vines and bones from beasts long devoured. The trolls had led them deep inside, past glowing fungi and steaming pools, until the air smelled of firewood, wet stone, and meat.

A lot of meat.

Massive chunks of it were skewered over a roaring fire, sizzling with grease that made Alex's stomach rumble despite himself. The trolls, now less monstrous and more like oversized, brutish villagers, motioned for them to sit. Their armor was crudely forged from old iron doors and broken wagons, but their hospitality oddly enough felt genuine.

One of the trolls, the largest, handed Ashley a piece of roasted leg something from a beast Alex couldn't begin to name. She blinked in surprise but took it. Alex, more hesitant, accepted his portion with a grunt of thanks.

They ate in silence for a while, the fire crackling between them. For the first time since they leapt from the kingdom's wall, they weren't running.

"You light up," the troll leader finally said, mouth full. "When we saw you, we thought maybe the holy one came down from sky."

Ashley tilted her head. "You recognized me?"

"Not you, but the light. That feeling." The troll thumped his chest. "Long ago, when gods walked here, we were not enemies. We served. Carried temples. Guarded the sacred places. But now no more gods. Only silence. Then you."

Alex frowned. "So you're saying trolls used to be holy guardians?"

"Of course," the troll said, chewing loudly. "Until humans called us beasts. Hunted us. Took the land. Made us monsters in storybooks."

Ashley looked down at her food. Her divine glow had faded again, now a soft shimmer on her skin. "I didn't know."

"You don't remember much, huh?" another troll asked. "The gods forget things too, just like mortals."

Alex glanced at her. "You hear that? You're not so special."

Ashley shot him a tired look, but a tiny smile curved her lips.

Outside the cave, hidden in the tree line, the knights who had pursued them watched from a distance. They had seen the trolls surround the goddess and the boy. And then, instead of crushing them, they bowed.

"What madness is this?" one whispered.

"No madness," the captain replied. "The beasts recognized her. That means she's real."

"So what do we do?"

The captain grimaced. "We go back. We report this to the Church. This is beyond our swords."

Quietly, the knights vanished into the forest.