The Book of Gouval: Gouval Inc. Forever: The Books of Gouval, #3

By Lord Gouval

The awaited direct sequel to Genesis, Gouval Inc. Forever is a wild nonstop ride from the beginning—finding Mike waking up in a strange Sunken City penthouse, to the shocking conclusion—involving another Trial at Gouval Court. At times touching, and constantly gripping, Gouval Inc. Forever is bursting with twists and turns as Mike allots his many facets to develop into clones—the story eventually being told by each from their distinct points of view. Featuring a litany of new characters, Gouval Inc. Forever continues The Saga with an unprecedented force of storytelling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gouval Inc. Press
• Release date: Dec 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201901943

Book preview

If I remember anything after this.. Random Goddess laughter.. magenta lights spiraling as I down drink after drink in a strange place.. there’s a porpoise arm-wrestling with Harold.. I’m not gonna remember any of this.

When I woke up with a thick curly golden blonde mane in my face, I tried forcing the memory back.. bits and blurs here and there, but nothing to guide me to how I got here. Well, better than an alley, or a parking lot.. still, I probably left a mess in my wake. I recalled an intimate moment with Kate.. this isn’t Kate.. drats. I would get too drunk to recall the first time I had sex. I cleared my throat loud and put my arms around her. ‘..wake up so you can explain to me why I’m here’, in this white silk bedspread—a looming glass dome above for a ceiling—the Sunken City sun shining down upon me casually. It’s far from blinding. I think of it as a friendly candle illuminating faces properly without singeing my skin.

The golden blonde hair turned into the most beautiful Goddess I’d seen thus far—angelic blue eyes carved to tap into hearts, tanned skin, and I could tell immediately she were some seraphim gift from the gods—one of those rare creatures you meet who defy all the shit that plagues most us.

Morning.. or afternoon. She looked up at the sun while wrapping her arms around me.. I heard groaning back there. I zipped around and pointed my ray-gun at the interloper.. dirty-blonde hair, sassy dark-brown eyes, soft, chalky pale skin.

Told you he wouldn’t remember shit. The dirty-blonde shoved my gun aside, or tried. I kept it between her eyes—still not knowing what the fuck were going on, who I could trust, where I was.. and I were hungry.. and needed a drink.

Remember what? I glanced back at the golden blonde—ready to blow the dirty’s brains out if need be. Daisy!.. where’s my lawyer? Nothing’s normal in this town.

Last night.. Jess is cool. The golden one assured me while gently pulling the gun away.. I trusted her, then noticed I’d been a cover hog and shifted some sheet towards Jess.

Sorry.. what’s your name? I looked at Jess while she wrapped herself up in the sheet, then turned to my angel.

Amber.. how drunk were you? She chuckled a little while pulling me against her.. what the fuck did I say to her? I had no context to work with.. someone had to tell her I were an asshole.. probably Kate.

I think I’m still drunk.. I apperated a shot of vodka, downed it, then gauged my reaction. Yeah that’s not gonna change.. where are we? I asked, wondering if this were my penthouse or theirs. A shoal of shame rose into my stomach.. Jerry.. I’d abandoned him.. he were probably crying and sad somewhere.. this is why I don’t have kids. I can’t even take care of a raptor.

Our penthouse in Sunken City. Yours is up there.. you don’t recall anything at all? Amber tried jogging my reels.. nada. I blacked out before we got on the sub.

No, so I’d enjoy some concrete intel on just what I did and said.. is my raptor ok? I were concerned. I hoped Daisy were with him.

Your raptor’s fine.. and you sold your soul to Amber and I. Jess smiled into my ear while wrapping her arms around me. I could never get drunk enough to do that, and knew she were pushing her luck.

Nice try.. what did I do though? I asked, really wanting a big syrupy plate of blueberry pancakes.. nay.. a blueberry crepe. Sunken City is a crepe town. Pancakes almost seem basic down here.. I’m currently in my aquatic penthouse for the sake of vibe, drinking Irra and smoking whatever Daisy shoves through the door. My editor is ruthless—demanding sequels within a month. Just lock me into a room with booze and don’t complain when I drag Goddesses through the crack every twelve hours.

Um.. nothing you’d really regret.. you guys showed up, you stumbled against me and I dragged you to our table, we kept drinking while Iggy walked in and you guys fell in love with him.. Iggy’s a porpoise—like the only Outer Sunken City fish who isn’t a dumbass, Amber rolled her eyes, And after a while we came up here. She smiled while I tried piecing a scene together from that.. alright so I didn’t fuck up—from her point of view.. that’s good. That still left a lot in question though. Did Kate hate me? I were fine with that. I had Amber now and I were due for an upgrade. But I’d have to consult Harold before knowing the true gist of everything. He never gets blackout drunk, and I can always rely on him to piece a dicey night together for me.

I didn’t piss anybody off? I asked—figuring we’d walk downstairs and some Goddess would throw a drink in my face.. happens often enough.

You were all so wasted I doubt they remember anything either. Amber shrugged. I were relieved.. good thing about socializing with nothing but drug-crazed drunks—they not only won’t judge you, but they won’t have any sordid memories to judge you with.

Well that’s good. You guys wanna get some breakfast? I asked, as I were in the red. I needed a meal or I were just gonna turn into a monk who purposefully depraved himself from food to enter a euphoric state parallel with mania. At that point, I just curl up and let the auto-pilot kick in—random visions occurring while you hide under the covers. It’s an enlightening experience. Definitely worth skipping a few meals for.

Here? Jess smiled before kissing my ear.. Jefferie’s not here.. is he? And who’s Iggy? Did he beat Harold at arm-wrestling? How much money did I win/lose on that? There were too many holes in my memory for comfort.

Is there no restaurant in this building? I asked, knowing Julian wouldn’t set me up in a penthouse complex lacking a lobby restaurant. That’s horseshit. I wanna ride an elevator downstairs to take my usual stool at the café bar and order assorted pastries while reading the morning paper at two in the afternoon. I had to assume it were like three PM at the moment. I generally sleep through most the day—drinking past sunrise and passing out in some random location. I find it a salubrious lifestyle.

Well there is.. but we can make breakfast here? Amber smiled before kissing me.. here sounds good. Adds some mystery to the other’s rousing. ‘..what the fuck happened to Mike? Did he die? Who gets Jerry?’ No I just upgraded to these two and like I said—Jerry can handle himself.. I hoped.

Sounds good. I said while hopping out of bed in a black silk bathrobe, black fur lined house slippers and a corn cob hash pipe between my lips—the first daily paper in my hands. So we took Adriane to Court.. alright cross her out of my little black book.

Breakfast in bed.. dumbass. Jess dragged me back with extendo arms. I slid back under the sheets, tossed the paper aside, then apperated a breakfast in bed menu of my current desires.. I went with the chocolate chip waffle burrito—a thick, plush waffle shell pimpled with plump chocolate chips and loaded with more waffle chunks, maple syrup, blueberry pancake bits, chocolate strudel pockets and a heavenly, milky hot chocolate sauce. It were a foot long—resting on a plate on my B&B tray—a Screwdriver and tequila infused coffee on the side.

I kinda want that.. though the Breakfast Pie looks good too. Jess grimaced while studying my menu. The Breakfast Pie features chorizo, peppered scrambled eggs, jalapeno bacon, a subtly spicy salsa verde, and chunks of buttered sourdough toast in a billowing cornbread pie crust laced with diced jalapeno and glazed with maple syrup. I invented that, and the can opener.

Try the Waffle Pie. Amber smiled while digging into the pie version of my burrito. I alerted Jefferie of my latest culinary creations. He asked where the fuck I were? With Amber and Jess at their place. Who’re Amber and Jess? I don’t know.. do you remember anything? He said he woke up on a pile of GC in some strange penthouse Julian says we own. Damage report? I’m riding the elevator down now, hoping to find out just that. What does Harold remember? I haven’t seen him, or anyone. You know you did something horrible when your lawyer doesn’t even recall what the fuck happened last night.

Who’s Adriane? Jess squinted after levitating my paper towards her. I sipped my coffee.. then grimaced and just replaced the brew with straight tequila.

A redhead who.. apparently raped me and assaulted the good doctor. I said after reading the first paragraph of that story. Amber gasped, then pulled me against her and rubbed my head. Are you really that nice? There’s no bullshit in Amber. What you feel from her, you can intuit as a verity without worry. How I ended up with her is irony getting her kicks.

What really happened? Jess asked while studying the article carefully. She’s not as angelic as Amber, though still someone I’d trust to babysit Jerry. She’s very blunt, yet also equally kind in her sassy, authoritative way. You fall in love with Amber immediately. It takes a few drinks to understand Jess.

You’re asking me? I chuckled, not even recalling how I met Adriane.. then squinted at the pineapple on my left arm.. dear Gouval.. how drunk was I? I had it disappear, wondering what possessed me to get that.

Well I doubt she raped you.. though I could picture someone wanting to punch Dr. Grant. Jess shook her head. Amber asked if I recalled the tattoo on my neck. That I could remember clearly. Jefferie asked when I were coming down? He were with Harold at the lobby bar and hearing the damage report. I’ll be there in like.. half an hour. Make sure to ask him about Jerry. Jefferie said Jerry were with the others at the hotel. Hotel? He said they’d explain once I came down. I don’t take suspense well. I’m too impatient for that.

Did he piss anyone off? I asked, wondering what sort of reputation we had with the locals—or what the locals were like in general.

No, but he walks around with a severed horse head.. I don’t know what things are like up there, but that’s a little weird in Sunken City. Jess made a face, then chuckled at reading Jefferie’s verbal laceration of Adriane. I assumed everyone we interacted with last night now thought land-based Gouval were full of insane drunken heathens.

It’s dope up there. Dr. Grant’s just.. Dr. Grant. I shrugged, figuring I were one of the few deities in Gouval who wouldn’t shirk at anything he did.

You didn’t answer me about this last night, but who’s she? Amber poked The Queen on my neck. I shot my eyeballs out and angled them so I could study that tattoo.

No one I know. I think Franz just drew a random Goddess.. thankfully. I said while sucking my peepers back into their sockets, then rubbed them cause it’s just a strange sensation—the reentry. I then recalled what I’d said to Kate before things got real blurry and checked my hands.. whew. Last thing I wanted were a Goddesses’ name on my skin. ‘Who’s Kate?’ ‘That was my mother’s name.. she died in a car crash when I were five.’ ‘..Gods don’t have moms?’ ‘Have you met Jerry?’ ‘He’s so cute!!’

..did we tell any of his whores we live up here? Jess looked at Amber. Yeah nobody wanted Daisy to pop up with her wands out, or Janice demanding a foot massage. I won’t spoil anything, though she were a little upset upon reading the fine print of that contract she drunkenly signed.

They seemed nice.. but no. Amber shrugged while rubbing my head. I purred a little.

They were gonna try sharing him.. no offense but if you thought that were gonna work, you’re dumb. Jess patted my head. I shrugged and apperated a fifth of cold vodka to pound—as I missed being so drunk I just plain didn’t care about anything.

It was going just fine.. Daisy was onboard, Hailey came around, I think.. Janice didn’t care.. was Kate upset? I asked, wishing I were hearing this straight from my Aide-De-Camp down there, though assumed if Jefferie weren’t alerting me of some calamity, it amounted to routine drunken madness and mild public embarrassment. I can handle that. It’s the calamities that power-wash shame into the gut.

Was Kate the one in a carnelian silk blouse? Jess asked. I nodded. No, she was holding onto you and laughing before you stumbled into Amber. Nobody really noticed we stole you either. Jess shrugged. I were relieved.. that means I got off scot-free, and everyone else were likely the subject-matter of Harold’s Damage Report—which soon became a series of articles in The Daily.

Jess. Amber gave her a ‘don’t fib’ look.. drats. My relief fumed into anxiety again. I hit the fifth.

Ok so you were called a whore a couple times.. the one in a hoodie was upset when Amber and I wouldn’t join your dumb.. shared relationship thing, and the one with black hair started making out with a dolphin, thinking that would piss you off for some reason. Jess explained, and I laughed my ass off at that last part.. oh I still give Janice shit for that. ‘Dolphin fucker.’ ‘It was just a kiss!’ ‘That’s how it started, then you.. wait, was the dolphin a male or female?’ ‘I didn’t ask..’ ‘Well, you learned your lesson.’ Don’t try pissing me off. It will always backfire on you.

"But you see that maybe you were trying to form a harem of.. dumb drunks?" Amber rubbed my shoulder.

Well I didn’t really have a plan or expectations. It was a damn good night though. I hit the fifth to that.

And now? Amber asked, expecting something from me.

Now what? I asked, then handed her the fifth. I could sense Jess shaking her head back there.

Are you gonna go back to them, or..? She looked at me like ‘if you do, I’ll be upset and won’t wanna talk to you again.’

I’m not really built for commitments. I shrugged, willing to leave so I could join The Boys downstairs for a late-afternoon bloody mary.

And that’s fine. Jess rubbed my back while reading the paper all the way through.

Well you could just.. try? Amber leaned against me.. I felt bad. Nothing’s ever gonna change who I am. She didn’t understand that ‘trying’ amounted to belly-flopping on my own sword. The Gizzard King knows no Harakiri.

I wouldn’t even know how to. I shrugged while thinking it were best I dip—regroup downstairs and find my deities—the ‘dumb’ drunks.

Amber it’s fine. Jess pulled me in to kiss her. Let me know before you come over. She smiled. I liked Jess. I kissed her again, then teleported downstairs in a black and purple checkered flannel, dark-blue slims with off-gold stitching, black suede Gouval Inc. Low’s with the white midsoles, and a black fitted reading ‘Fuck Normies’ in bold, elegant white cursive. I gave Jefferie dap to my left. Harold waved to his left, and asked what happened with Jess and Amber? I were looking around for a porpoise.. there was a marlin to my right. He offered to buy me a beer. I patted his back—not the fin (never the fin) and raised two fingers to the tender.

Jess is cool. Amber wanted something more.. where’s this hotel though? And where’s Bobo? I asked, finding it odd he weren’t with Harold and Jefferie. Harold said he, Alfonso, Franz, Iggy and Dr. Grant were at the seahorse racing track down the street, and that he deserved a thank you for sticking around to explain the Damage Report. Thank you.. alright so what happened? I asked while accepting my brew. The pint glass had a circular dark-blue graphic reading ‘Coral Towers’ on it in gold. The lobby looks like a loose nightclub—the bar a square of black marble, the tiled floor made of glass with magenta bioluminescent lights underneath, maroon velvet walls and black leather booths lining them. Up to my right were a dance floor some octopi were getting ready for the night. Doc were half dead in the corner. Well, at least he found the place, I thought.

Harold said—so far I were concerned—I ran into Amber, they took me to their table, then we left shortly after Janice started tonguing a dolphin. Before that—we met Captain Iggy—the dopest porpoise you’ll ever know. Damn good arm wrestler, though he were no match for the guns (Harold flexed his right bicep.. I were thinking ‘porpoises don’t even have arms?’). Jefferie had locked the door to our penthouse, so the Goddesses decided to stay at a hotel not far from here—Jerry going with them.

Sounds like a successful night to me.. for the most part. I said, then telepathically asked Daisy how she were doing? Are you still with your whores? Jess is cool, and I’m at the bar with Harold, Jefferie and a dope sword-fish. You fucked fish Goddesses first.. not me, fish. Daisy appeared behind me and ruthlessly assaulted my head, or tried. I had a forcefield over my dome—anticipating her likely reaction.

You probably fucked Hailey first. I turned around while the sword-fish asked if I knew this mad-Goddess? I assured him she were cool. He patted my back, then ordered two more beers. I liked this guy.

"I woke up—fully clothed on the floor of a fucking hotel room, cause you locked us out of the penthouse." Daisy caused me to gesture at Jefferie. He said he were the one who locked the door. The marlin asked how I felt about hot wings? I said we should order a basket. He told the tender we’d take a couple servings of the Mango Habanero Wings—with the bones in. I looked at Jefferie. He said that were Bob—a local real estate broker. Is he One of Us? Jefferie shrugged and shook his head a little. I understood. Bob were cool, though not our people.

They took me to their penthouse. Are you mad? I asked plainly while reaching back for my beer. You can be mad at me. That’s a personal problem. I don’t deal with those.

..I kinda predicted you’d fuck a mermaid.. even if they aren’t really mermaids.. Daisy said, then looked behind her as the other Goddesses teleported onto the scene. Jerry clicked his heels together before running over to hug me. I held him close, then asked if they’d fed him? He nodded with a smile, saying Kate had made him a sammie. I apperated an arcade in a separate room of the lobby, and handed Jerry some change so he could play games. He ran off towards the jingles and jangles.

So, Janice. I fought my laughter while grinning at her like ‘I know what you did last night.’ She hid her face in her hair and shook her head. Hehe. Kate were chuckling to herself. I assumed she’d been giving Janice shit ever since they roused.

You disappear with two fucking.. like the hottest Goddesses I’ve ever seen and I’m.. Janice groaned while leaning against me, then raised a finger to the tender. He handed her a shot of Irra, then patted her shoulder. Bartenders probably have some sense of sympathy for the drunk who made a harmless ass of themselves the prior night. If you don’t start a fight or cause them trouble, it’s harmless.

Excuse me? Kate and Daisy said simultaneously, squinting at Janice like ‘uh, so are you blind or?’ I wanted no part of that. Kinda hard to deny Amber and Jess were in their own echelon.

Ok that blonde? The blue-eyed one? I’d kill you to even kiss her. Janice took her shot, then pointed the empty glass at Kate. I asked Bob how business were? He sipped his beer, then said he just closed a deal on a fifteen story office building up the street. I nodded, not at all able to find that interesting. Jefferie said he’d randomly announced that to him earlier. Bob had no juice. Good fellow, though I wouldn’t wanna drink with him again.

Kate were attempting to digest that sword in her gut to no avail. I offered Janice a wing after the black wax paper lined baskets arrived before us. She smiled while accepting it. Harold said—as Gouval Inc.’s Resident Foodie, he were obligated to try those wings as well. I floated him and Jefferie a couple each.

So why aren’t you with them? Daisy glared while pushing Bob aside. ‘These land-folk.. so rude.’ Yeah there is a major difference between the inhabitants of Gouval City and Sunken City. Up-top, we don’t give a shit. I’d piss in the corner of a bar if I had a bladder. Down here, they respect decorum and peaceful civility.