John ran to Lui the second the fox-boy finished speaking, arms wrapping around the slender frame in a tight, desperate hug that crushed them together on the cool stone floor.
Tears spilled hot and immediate down his cheeks, soaking into Lui's fur as John buried his face against the smaller male's shoulder.
"I thought I lost you forever," he choked out, voice cracking with every word, the raw relief making his chest shake.
"You died right in front of me back there on that cliff, and I couldn't do anything. I watched them take you and Selio and I just… I thought that was it. I thought I'd never see you again." The words tumbled out messy and wet, years of bottled-up loneliness and fresh grief mixing together until he could barely breathe between sobs.
Lui stood frozen for a long moment, ears flat against his skull, tail stiff behind him. His hands hovered awkwardly in the air before finally settling on John's back in uncertain pats.
"Where the fuck am I?" he muttered, voice muffled against John's greasy hair, confusion thick in every syllable.
"One second I'm getting speared by some asshole, the next I'm waking up on a fancy stone floor with you crying all over me like a kicked puppy. What the hell happened?"
John pulled back just enough to look at him, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and leaving shiny streaks across his own cheek. "Short version? I died too. Got hit by a truck, woke up in this world, got my ass kicked six ways to Sunday, then somehow became… this. A god, basically. Or close enough. I can bring people back. I can change things. I can do whatever I want now." He gestured vaguely at the triple monitors still glowing behind them, the massive office stretching out in every direction, the faint hum of the system that never fully slept.
Lui's ears twitched once, skepticism written plain across his sharp features. "Bullshit. You're lying through your teeth. You always talked too much back in that cliff, but this is next level crazy. Prove it."
John sniffled once more and straightened up, wiping his face again. "Fine. What do you want me to make?"
Lui crossed his arms, tail flicking. "Umm… a sword. A real one. Sharp enough to cut through goblin armor."
John flicked open the system window with a thought. The blue glow lit the room for a second, and a perfectly balanced longsword materialized in his hand with a soft chime, steel gleaming under the monitor light. He handed it over hilt-first.
Lui took it, tested the weight, swung it once through the air with a satisfying whoosh, then narrowed his eyes.
"Still not convinced. Could be some fancy trick. Make me… a full set of leather armor. The good kind, with actual padding."
John did it without hesitation. The armor appeared on the floor beside them in a neat pile, supple and well-crafted, smelling faintly of tanned hide and oil.
Lui poked at it, then demanded more. "A feast. Roasted meat, fresh bread, actual fruit. Not that trail slop we had before."
Platters of steaming food materialized on the desk with a soft pop, the rich aroma of roasted venison and warm bread filling the entire office and making both their stomachs growl.
Lui's tail flicked faster. "A horse. A real warhorse, right here."
The massive animal appeared in the corner with a snort, hooves clacking against stone, tossing its head in confusion at the sudden change of scenery.
Lui stared, ears slowly rising. He walked around the horse, ran a hand along its flank, then turned back to John with wide eyes. "Make… make Selio a soft bed over there. With blankets. The kind nobles sleep on."
A large, plush bed appeared against the far wall, piled high with thick furs and silk sheets.
Lui stood there for several long seconds, mouth opening and closing. Finally he exhaled sharply, shoulders slumping. "Holy shit. You're not lying. You actually did all that. You're… you're really a god now?"
John shrugged, a small, tired smile breaking through the leftover tears. "Close enough. What do I do now? I'm trying to find a territory to conquer. Something small to start with. I don't want another kingdom-level disaster right away."
Lui scratched behind one ear, still looking dazed. "Couldn't you just… make a kingdom? Snap your fingers and rule the whole thing?"
"I could," John admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But where's the fun in that? I want to earn it a little. Feel like I actually did something."
Lui snorted, stepping closer until their faces were inches apart.
"You're an idiot." Then he leaned in and kissed him, quick and firm, muzzle pressing warm against John's lips for a heartbeat before pulling back with a huff. "Hmph."
John blinked, stunned, heat flooding his cheeks. "Wait… you like me now? First that kiss back at the waterfall and now this?"
"Shut up," Lui muttered, ears flattening again, cheeks darkening under his fur. "I don't like you. HMPH." But there was no real bite in it, just the familiar tsundere deflection that made John's chest feel strangely warm.
John chuckled softly, the sound low and genuine. "Alright, alright. Message received." He reached out and ruffled the fur between Lui's ears. "Thanks for coming back with me. Both of you."
Lui looked away, tail swishing once. "Don't sweat it. You brought us back from the dead. Least I can do is not punch you for being a crybaby about it." He paused, then added quieter, "Seriously though… thanks. For not leaving us behind."
John nodded, the moment stretching warm and comfortable for a few seconds before he straightened up.
"I need to focus on my job now. Being an overlord and all that. So… let's find something small to start with." He turned back to the globe, zooming across the planet until he spotted a modest goblin village nestled in a forested valley, maybe three hundred strong, crude wooden palisades and smoke rising from cookfires. It looked perfect. Manageable. A place to test limits without another apocalypse.
He clicked the transport button.
The world folded around him in a familiar lurch. When the light cleared, John woke up standing in the middle of a muddy clearing, the smell of damp earth, woodsmoke, and unwashed bodies hitting him like a wall. He checked his skin and froze. Green. A sickly, mottled green that covered every inch of him.
"WHY THE FUCK AM I GREEN!?!?" he screamed, voice cracking in panic as he stumbled toward the nearest puddle of rainwater collected in a wagon rut. He dropped to his knees and stared at his reflection. Half-human, half-goblin stared back, coarse features blended with his own face in a grotesque mash-up, pointed ears, yellowish teeth, and skin that looked like it had been dipped in moss. He looked like some half-breed freak that had crawled out of the worst parts of a bad fantasy novel.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN"