Trials Of Tannen 01: The First Adventure free porn video

The Trials of Tannen 01: The First Adventure By Light Clark Synopsis: It was just a regular game night for Elizabeth, Claire, Mark, and Anthony until, suddenly, the lights went out. The next thing they knew, they were in another place, facing an annoying little boy. Strangely enough, the boy claimed to be a god, and that the only way for them to get home was to champion his cause by winning a grand contest. Like that, a very different game from the one they'd intended began. Chapter 01 - Game Night "Ugh ... where is she?" Mark groaned as he drew his card for the turn. It wasn't a particularly useful one, unfortunately, leaving him still far behind in the game. That fact only added to his current frustration. Tossing the card haphazardly onto the board, he grumbled out an angry, "Damn it." Across the table, Anthony chuckled under his breath. "You sound like one of my coworkers. He always stands there, looking over my shoulder, asking if I'm done yet. He doesn't seem to get that some things take time." "I get that things take time, Ant!" Mark shot back. "That's why we schedule these game nights in advance, so people have time to get their shit done and be ready. That way we can play, instead of sitting around twiddling our thumbs while we wait on people to get here." "Well, I'm playing something right now," Anthony pointed out. "If you're not, though, it would explain why you're losing so badly." Sitting to her husband's right, Claire giggled softly at the witticism. Doing so got her included in Mark's follow up withering glare. Of course, the glare didn't improve his position any, and Anthony's next play was top notch, all but sealing the game for him. "Fuck this game!" Mark huffed as his next draw revealed an even worse card than the last, getting him to toss his whole hand on the table in disgust. "You win!" "Jeez ..." Anthony breathed in shock as he saw the awful hand Mark had tossed away. "How can you even be that unlucky?" Mark shrugged. "God must hate me. It's the only explanation. I mean, look at me." In spite of his being used as an example of someone unlucky in the looks department, Mark wasn't a terrible looking guy. He was of middling height and a little on the husky side. That combined with a big nose, glasses, and a limp mop of dull brown hair meant he wasn't a stud, but he was pretty average looking really. The loving couple across from Mark weren't really any better off. Anthony was a little shorter than Mark, but very thin. He too had glasses on and wore a beard to hide his weak chin. Of course, that just meant there was even more orange fuzz on his head. Meanwhile, his wife Claire was a short, plump, blonde girl with big rosy cheeks, crooked teeth, and beady eyes. Strangely, in spite of her eyes' beadiness, she was the one member of the group that didn't wear glasses. "Here, maybe a cookie will cheer you up," Claire offered, getting up to grab a plate of chocolate chip cookies that were sitting on the counter. "Unless you put some magic potion in it, it's not gonna make me any prettier," Mark commented, though, it didn't stop him from taking one of the cookies and chomping down on it. "Nope just lots of sugar and butter," Anthony replied. "It's magically tasty, though." Still munching, Mark nodded before speaking with his mouth full, "Magically fattening, too, I'm sure." The sound of the doorbell interrupted any further banter, getting Claire to perk up. "That must be Liz," she remarked as she started off to go get the door. "Finally!" Mark exclaimed as he continued to consume his comforting, consolation cookie. A few moments later, the final member of the group, Elizabeth Danvers, entered the kitchen. She was a middle school math teacher, and looked the part with a hawkish face and short, rail-thin body. Her brown hair was pulled back in an austere bun that worked with her glasses to really complete the bookish look. "Sorry for being late. One of my kids' moms called me to complain about his marks," Elizabeth explained. "Apparently, it's somehow my fault that he spends the entire class period playing with his phone rather than listening." "Well I'm inclined to agree with the mom, though, that's mostly because YOU'RE LATE!" Mark declared angrily. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm not happy about it either, so keep whining and see what happens to your character." "You wouldn't dare," Mark retorted, narrowing his eyes at Elizabeth. Grinning wickedly, Elizabeth shrugged. "The dice have a way of getting back at players that are mean to their game master." "Yeah ... the 'dice'," Mark replied, adding air quotes with his fingers on that last word. "Anyway ..." Anthony cut in to put an end to the back and forth. "We're glad you could make it Liz." "Me too," Elizabeth responded. "I've been looking forward to this next scene all month." Mark let out a groan. "Ugh ... that's never good." Elizabeth shot a reproving glance at Mark. "You guys'll enjoy it too, you little whiner." "Did you want to hang out for a bit first or get right into it?" Claire asked, before Mark could pick a fight over the new topic. "Let's just get right into it. I don't want to run out of time," Elizabeth answered. "Just give me a couple of minutes to set up." Anthony nodded. "Sure thing." "You need any help?" Mark asked. "You just want to sneak a peek at what's coming," Elizabeth accused. Mark frowned at the insult. "Hey! Don't confuse my desire to hurry up with a desire to cheat. I'm not that kind of gamer!" "Yeah, you're just the kind that likes powers that feel like cheating," Anthony joked, getting a laugh from the group. Mark's frown quickly turned into a threateningly glare. "Laugh it up while you can, funny man. Next level, I get an non-resistible spell that can turn you into a frog, then we'll see who's laughing." "Nice job proving my point, you idiot," Anthony quipped, getting another round of laughs. "Don't worry, sweetie, if he turns you into a frog, I'll just kiss you to turn you back," Claire added, giving her husband a kiss. "That and cleave his stupid mage's skull in half with my axe." Mark rolled his eyes. "Damned married couples, always ganging up on the single guy." Claire snorted. "Psh, marriage has nothing to do with it. I just can't have you hurting my healer. I need him to save my butt after I charge in like an idiot." "A butt that I am happy to save," Anthony assured his wife. Chuckling, Elizabeth shook her head and started toward the dining room to set up on the table for the game. "Well, I'm gonna go set up. Try to get all the bickering out before the game please." "We'll try, but there's an awful lot of bicker in Mark," Anthory told her. "Or is that bitter?" That joke got a grouchy harrumph from Mark as he slouched into a pout in his chair. "Oh I see how it is ... fine! I'll take ya both on!" "Yeah right," Anthony remarked dismissively. "You always say that, but in the end you always remember that you need us to protect you while you cast your spells." "I'll hire henchmen to protect me instead!" Mark retorted stubbornly. "Yeah, like you could convince someone to work for you more than a week without them murdering you in your sleep," Anthony shot back. "Hell, people would probably attack your character on sight if we weren't around to clean up your messes!" Scrunching his face up in anger, Mark fumed. "I'll use magic to charm people then!" "Charm spells don't last forever," Anthony noted. "Fine then-" Mark started to argue. Stepping back into the kitchen, Elizabeth interrupted the quarreling. "Hey, game's ready. You want to keep tossing threats around or get to playing?" Glancing between Anthony and the dining room, Mark gave that question serious consideration before finally say, "Play." With that, the fight ended and the group quickly filed into the dining room. Inside, there was a long rectangular table that was perfect for gaming. There were no distractions around, plenty of space, and it was a nice flat surface for rolling dice. Of course, with the four of them, they didn't even use half the seats, with Elizabeth taking one end seat, Mark sitting to her right, and Claire and Anthony on her left. "Now, then ..." Elizabeth began once everyone was seated. "I believe we were right at the point where -" "The lights went out," a new, childish sounding voice finished for her. Right in time with the proclamation, the lights cut out, plunging the room into total darkness. What followed was a single panicked moment in that darkness where everyone gasped or squealed in surprise, all while wondering what had just happened - and more important what was about to happen. Minds raced with ideas of serial killers and horror movie monsters that for some reason had chosen their little group for victims. A moment later, a new trick happened within the gloom to toy with the group's mind. The chairs they sat upon as well as the table in front of them vanished. Not a single person didn't grunt or yelp as they flopped awkwardly onto the carpeted floor beneath them. Before the friends even had time to react to the sudden loss of furniture, the room changed again. This time, it wasn't darkness but a brilliant light that assailed the friends and illuminated the world around them. It was definitely not the lights turning back on, however. This radiance was far too bright, like the sun glaring down on a hot summer's day without a cloud in sight to offer shade. To eyes used to the dim interior lights and the brief moments of darkness that had followed them, it was painfully blinding, forcing everyone to slam their eyes shut. Only after they had done that, could they crack them open to little slits to squint against the glare. Slowly, eyes adjusted to the headache inducing brightness. The pain faded away in turn, allowing frazzled minds to start processing information again. The information that came to the four friends, however, served only to further confuse rather than elucidate. The first and most obvious of things the group noticed was that they were no longer inside. That was easy to tell not just from the bright, hot light that beat down upon them, but from the fresh air tinged with the smell of wildflowers, as well as the course prickly mat of edges they could feel underneath them - clearly grass not carpet. Squinting eyes managed to make out a vast rolling grassland around them with what appeared to be a small, rustic town off in the distance. The friends might have continued to look around in curiosity, if not for other, more pressing, concerns reaching their minds. "What the fuck!" Mark exclaimed, the first of the group to break the stunned silence of their confusion. However, the voice he exclaimed in was far from his usual slightly nasally tenor. Instead, it was decidedly high and breathy, edging on shrill in its panic. It made him sound more like some horror movie starlet than a man in his thirties. The source of Mark's panic was quite apparent as he stared down at his chest - well someone's chest at least. It certainly wasn't the one he was used to looking down at. The main reason for this was because this chest had a pair of a very expansive breasts sprouting from it which were quite snugly contained in a black and red dress with a neckline intent on showing them off. Unable to believe they were real, Mark clutched at his new assets, with small delicate hands that were every bit as strange as the orbs they held. They weren't the only oddities of his form either. Everywhere he looked, seemed to be nothing but the body of a slim, very well endowed girl. In spite of Mark's outburst, he received only cursory attention from the others, mostly because they had their own discoveries to deal with. Claire had one hand pressed to a decidedly flat looking tummy, something she'd never had, even when she was little. It was just one aspect of her now very athletic frame. At the same time, the other hand rubbed at the back of the first, feeling the softness of what appeared to be tawny fur growing from her skin. Next to Claire, Anthony glanced rapidly between himself and his wife, unsure of which was more worthy of his attention. Part of this was that his own changes did not seem as extreme as Claire's. Physically, he was obviously much broader and more muscular than he was used to, but otherwise not too strangely formed. He was a little more shocked, though, by the short sword he found belted at his waist and the strange, medieval looking clothes that he wore. Rounding out the group was Elizabeth, taking the same approach as Mark of clutching at something that she wasn't used to having attached to her. The major difference was that what Mark was clutching was hanging out there for everyone to see, while Elizabeth's was not. Still, judging by her large, well-muscled, and obviously male physique, it was easy to guess what might lie between her legs that hadn't before. "My my, there's no need for such language. They're just teats," the childish voice from before scolded Mark. Hearing that sound got every person in the group to shift their focus from their bodies to the source of the voice. What greeted them when they looked up was the sight of a small boy of about seven with sandy blonde hair and bright green eyes. He had a warm reassuring smile on his face, that was made less reassuring by the fact that he floated a good two feet off the ground. "What did you do to us, you psycho?!" Mark growled, or at least tried. The cute sound of his voice made it sound more like the petulant whine of a child or young teen than the threatening growl that he'd intended. As he spoke, he got himself awkwardly to his feet, wobbling unsteadily from the unfamiliar balance of his body. "My my, you are really going to have to work on these outbursts of yours," the boy chided. "They could get you into real trouble here." "Answer the question!" Anthony barked as he shoved himself up off the ground as well. His voice, which was low and gravelly not thin and whiny like his real voice, was much more suited to such an outburst than Mark's was. Also rising, Elizabeth gave the kid a wary look, before commenting in a rich, manly tone. "You two might not want to antagonize the person that could transform us like this and transport us to God knows where." "Ah, finally, the voice of a reason. I knew I picked you to be the leader for a reason," the kid remarked. "Also, your choice of phrase is actually quite apt in regards to me." "You're supposed to be God?" Mark asked incredulously as he peered dubiously at the small child. "Well, not the, but a," the kid answered. "My name is Lyren, and I am one of the twelve deities that watch over the land of Tannen." That declaration was met with looks of skepticism from the group, but they found it hard to argue with the claim when they could just look down to see proof of the kid's power. That brought up the next question, which Mark helpfully voiced. "Alright, 'Lyren, the god', what do you want with us then?" "Ah good, on to the task at hand already. You four are proving to be everything I hoped you'd be ... a good choice indeed," Lyren muttered, seeming to speak more to himself than the group. "You have been chosen as my champions in a little contest that the other gods and I are competing in." This announcement was met with even more skepticism than the child's claim of being a deity. "Why us?" Anthony asked. "We're nobodies." Lyren's smile spread into a full on grin. "And that is why you are perfect. If you were special, we'd have to fight over who got which champions, but because you're so thoroughly mundane there was no cause for quarrel. And to save on the question and answer time, we brought you here, because unlike denizens of Tannen, you are relatively blank slates with no investment in who we are or what goes on in this world. As for the transformation, that is an effort to create a level playing field. Think of your new selves like characters in one of your games. Each has strengths and weaknesses that are worth points and each god had a limited number of points to spend on their champions. I did my best to match your characters to your personal preferences." "These!" Mark spat, pointing at his chest. "Are not my preference - at least not when they're attached to me! Turn me back into a guy!" "Wait ... you're Mark?!" Claire gasped in a low, sensual voice that was as different from her usual high, chipper tone as everyone else's new voices. As she did, she looked wide-eyed at first Mark and then Elizabeth. "Then you're ..." "Liz," Elizabeth answer solemnly. At that revelation, Anthony snorted out a little laugh as he looked at Mark. "You really are unlucky, man." Clearing his throat, Lyren continued. "Ahem ... now I could spend a lot of time explaining exactly why things are the way they are, but that's what the handbook in Anthony's pack is for. It has outlines of your characters, information on the world, and a guide to the various peoples and beasts that populate it. I'm sure, if you give it a good read, you'll figure it all out. I will say that the first thirty days are a warmup period to acquaint yourself with the situation, but don't rest on your laurels. There is a lot you can do during that time to gain an edge in the main event." "And why should we care about this main event after what you've done to us?" Mark demanded angrily. "Well, if you manage to win, I will reward you by returning to your own world rather than leaving you stuck here," Lyren explained. "Also, the contest does involve violence between the competitors, so doing poorly might result in an untimely end for you, and unlike in your games, if your character dies here, you die right along with it." That got a gulp of dread from the group of friends. "Anyway, good luck." With that said, the boy just vanished without a trace, leaving the four friends alone on the grassy hillock. Still processing everything, they just stood there silently for a moment, staring at the spot the god had previously occupied. It was only after they'd taken that moment to recover from Lyrens declaration and subsequent disappearance, that someone finally spoke. "Well, I guess we should start with this handbook thing," Mark declared. "The sooner we learn about this place, the sooner we can win this contest and get back to our own bodies." "That's a good idea - for you," Anthony agreed, rolling a backpack off his shoulders so that he could look inside. It took him a moment of rummaging about before he finally pulled out a very thick, leather bound book. "Geez, this thing is huge." "It better be, considering it has to tell us everything about the game's setting and rules," Elizabeth remarked, treating this like some source book for a roleplaying game. "Let's look up our characters first." Nodding, Anthony opened the book. As soon as the cover was open however, the pages start to flip by on their own, rolling by incredibly quickly. A moment later, they came to a stop with a page of words on one side and a picture of tall handsome man that appeared to be Elizabeth's character on the other. "Altanus Calidorn," Anthony began. "Human lord of the town of Lyr. Seems to be some kind of noble warrior." "Great, now why don't you look up why the hell I've got tits," Mark cut in. Uncertain if he should keep reading or comply with Mark's demand, Anthony looked up at Elizabeth. The new lord of Lyr just waved him to go ahead, and Anthony turned a couple of pages until a picture of a short, busty, blonde girl was showing. "Terra. Some kind of elven mage. No explanation for her having boobs the size of her head." "Maybe it's because she's an elf?" Claire spoke up helpfully. "They could all be busty women or something." "Hmm, good point, sweetheart. Guess I should look up elves then," Anthony agreed. As soon as the words left his mouth, the pages started to turn until a page marked 'Elf' in big block letters at the top appeared. "Elf, one of the demi-human races of Tannen, and the only one of which that has natural magical ability. Elves are predominantly female, with males making up less than two percent of the population. Female elves are much more capable with magic than their male counterparts." "There's your explanation," Elizabeth interrupted. "You like playing spellcasters, and female elves are probably the best at it of the available options." Mark looked down at his chest dubiously. "So I'm stuck with these because I like magic? Talk about having to pay a price for power ..." "Too bad you aren't a male elf," Anthony remarked as he continued skimming the entry for elves in the book. "Not as good with magic, but apparently, their main purpose is to sex the females." "Seriously? Why couldn't I be one of those?" Mark questioned, shaking his head in frustration. "Man, never lucky ..." While Mark moped about his situation, Claire perked up, bouncing on her feet energetically. "Do me next!" "Sure thing, sweetheart," Anthony answered, getting the book to magically flip back to the character section. This time, it landed on a page with a picture of a tall, athletic catgirl. "Hmm, Adria. She's a feelan, which I guess is the name of the race of catgirls. Looks like some kind of ranger or rogue." "Cool!" Claire chirped, clearly quite happy with her lot. "And that makes me ... " Anthony continued, flipping the page to a stout looking fellow with black hair sporting white streaks and a broad, strong-featured face. "Elric Colture. I'm a kredger ... whatever that is. Some kind of dwarf, maybe?" Claire looked her husband over who was now a few inches shorter than her tall, lithe frame. "You don't look short enough for a dwarf. I'm pretty sure I'm taller than I was before, and you're only like three inches shorter than me." "According to this, I'm five-five. That's kinda short," Anthony noted. "Apparently, I'm also an alchemist, which I guess might be this world's healer class. If so, it's actually a pretty well-rounded party. That kid knows his stuff." "Don't compliment him!" Mark spat, still sore over the character he'd ended up with. "We could've done better if we'd gotten to pick." Anthony shrugged. "Maybe. Who knows what the rules were, though, or how selfish one whiny brat would've be just so he didn't have to play a girl." "Yeah like you'd wanna be stuck like this if that's what it took to be a healer!" Mark spat furiously. "Alright, enough!" Elizabeth interrupted. "No one is happy we got transformed against our will and conscripted into some death match. There's no point in getting angry with each other over it. It's that brat's fault." Sighing, Mark nodded in understanding. "You're right ... sorry." "Me too," Anthony mumbled insincerely. "Good, now, I think it would be best to treat this just like we would a game," Elizabeth proposed. "We find out everything we can, we try our best,and we stay in character." "You want me to pretend to be this ... Terra girl?" Mark questioned uneasily. Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, because if we go around calling you Mark, we have no idea what the people in this world will do. If it's medieval, like our clothes and weapons might suggest, they probably don't treat their mentally ill very well. So unless you want to be some asylum's new sex toy, I suggest you stick to being Terra, because that's who the world is going to see." "Oh ... good point," Mark conceded, shuddering at that scary possibility. "Everyone else okay with that?" Elizabeth asked, getting nods from Anthony and Claire. "Good, now then ... Elric was it?" "Yes, my lord," Anthony answered, falling into character. Elizabeth smiled at his compliance. "Can you figure out if that town is the one I'm supposed to be lord of?" Quickly, Anthony turned back to the book which promptly flipped to a new page. "Well, there's no way to know for sure, but it matches the description in here for the town of Lyr in the kingdom of Metellan." "Good, then we should be able to find shelter there easily enough," Elizabeth commented. "It doesn't look too far, but it's not gonna get closer until we start walking, so we might as well get moving. And remember, stay in character." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 02 - Day 01 Huffing for breath, Terra trudged along through the various grasses and brush that covered the countryside that she and her friends had been dumped in. In the sky above, the yellow star that seemed so much like the Earth's Sun beat down, hot and bright. She had no way to know if it was summer, or if this world even had seasons, but it sure was hot enough to be. Swiping a stray lock of hair out of her face, Terra lifted her gaze to peer jealously forward at the rest of the group. In the front, looking every bit the regal lord that he apparently now was, Altanus rode atop a large warhorse. It, and the pack horse that trundled along behind it, had been tied off not far away from where the group had first appeared. Seemingly, both were the property of the handsome lord. He definitely was handsome, too, looking like he belonged on the cover of some cheesy romance novel. Tall and muscular, he sported strong, rugged features, and a thick shock of shoulder length, dark brown hair that was a near perfect match for his brooding eyes. All of that was attired just like one would expect of a medieval lordling with a fine leather doublet over a chain shirt, embroidered tunic, and sturdy trousers. Bouncing at his left hip was a long sword that was joined by a small dagger on the other side. Following on foot behind Altanus was the sturdy Elric. He bore a slight resemblance to a badger with his stout frame, longish nose, and broad, but attractive, face. The most telling feature he had was the streaks of white that ran through his short black hair. That hair also spread to his ears, making them seem to be covered with black fur. Like the lord, he also wore fine medieval clothes and was well armed, sporting a matching chain shirt, a short sword, and a crossbow. On his belt were also several pouches and metal vials, both presumably filled with alchemical concoctions of some sort or another. Next in line, Adria loped along gracefully, seeming to almost float across the land. She was quite pretty, in an exotic and decidedly feline sort of way. Short, tawny fur covered her body except for the top of her head, which had longer hair of a rich brown like a human or possibly like a lion's mane. In addition to the fur, she also sported triangular cat ears on the top of her head, and a long, tawny tail with a tuft of brown hair at the end. She was more lightly dressed than the two men, wearing only a sturdy leather chest piece, trousers, bracers, and boots which were fairly snug on her lithe, toned figure. On her belt, twin hand axes rested in little loops, and in her hand, she held a spear that she was currently using like a walking stick. Bringing up the rear of the group was the panting, pointy-eared Terra. It was quite obvious exactly why the elf was out of breath. Unlike the other members of the group, she was neither dressed nor built for hiking through the countryside. She wore a black and red dress that looked like it belonged on a can-can dancer complete with ruffles along the skirt that constantly snagged on random brush and debris. Part of that outfit included a rather uncomfortable bodice to restrain her chest while restricting her ability to take deep breaths. It did not however do anything to disguise her slim figure or the soft, exaggerated curves that it possessed. At least she had sturdy black boots on and not impractical, sexualized footwear of some kind. Furthering her troubles, she was also by far the shortest of the group, nearly half a foot shorter than Elric, forcing her to quicken her steps to keep up. All of that combined with her beautiful face, long platinum blonde hair, and soft blue eyes to make her look like a ditzy prostitute that had wandered out of her brothel and gotten lost in the prairie. As Terra looked forward, Altanus glanced behind him to check on his three friends, like he had every handful of minutes since they'd started the journey to the town. Elric was engrossed in the handbook that he had been given, studying as best he could while he walked so that the group could benefit from its knowledge as quickly as possible. Behind him, Adria bounded along with a spring in her step, seeming to just enjoy the act of hiking through the country. While the first two were clearly fine, a frown creased Altanus's lips as he watched Terra struggling along in the rear. The elf had not complained since the march had begun, not even during the break that they'd taken not all that long ago, which Altanus took as a bad sign. To him, that meant that she was stubbornly trying to fight her situation, probably out of some machismo, without realizing the real problem. Mages were not physically oriented characters, and Terra was no exception to that norm, being small, weak, and clearly lacking in stamina. Such traits not usually an issue when playing games, because rules related to exhaustion were rarely enforced. Reality, however, presuming that this Tannen place was part of reality, always enforced the rules. Deciding that he'd let this issue go on long enough, Altanus turned his horse around, walking it back to Terra. Seeing him double back, the other three came to a halt, looking at him curiously, but he ignored it. Instead, he just stopped next to Terra and offered the girl his hand. "Come on. We can't have you collapsing. Ride with me the rest of the way." "What? No way," Terra protested, even as she gasped for air. "I'm fine." "You can barely walk," Altanus pointed out in perfect time with the elf swaying unsteadily. "I'm. Fine," Terra repeated icily. Altanus rolled his eyes. "Oh stop it. You're a mage. You've probably got like a single digit stamina stat. Just ride with me." "Oh? What happened to not breaking character?" Terra remarked acerbically. Starting to get annoyed, Altanus was about to retort when Elric spoke up. "She may actually have a point." "Huh? What do you mean?" Altanus asked. "Well, I was just reading through some of our bios, and well ... Terra and I are actually your slaves," Elric explained. "What?! I am no one's fucking slave!" Terra shrieked defiantly. While not screaming, Altanus was not happy with the news either, frowning deeply. "Are you sure?" Elric nodded. "Very sure, especially in Terra's case. There's no such thing as a free elf in this kingdom. They are all kept as pleasure slaves or rarely personal sorceresses. As for kredgers, they are very rarely freed for valor in military service, but my bio explicitly states that is not the case for me." "You have got to be kidding me ..." Terra groaned. Elric shook his head. "I'm afraid not, and having a slave ride with her master might cause problems." "See if the book knows for sure," Altanus ordered before dismounting. "Until then, we'll take a short rest here." "Yes, my lord," Elric replied, preparing to search the book. "Am I a slave too?" Adria inquired before Elric could get back to his reading. Momentarily confused, Elric glanced up before shaking his head. "Oh ... uhm ... no. feelan slaves are supposedly rare, rarer than just about all the other demi-human races, and your bio didn't mention anything about you being one." "That's a relief," Adria breathed, before catching herself. "I mean ... it still sucks about you two, though." After that, the group fell into silence for a bit while Elric searched the book. He scanned quickly through a couple of pages before finally shaking his head. "There's no section on proper slave etiquette." Altanus nodded. "Alright, Terra and I will ride together then. If people find it weird, we'll just pretend she's hurt or something. A slave owner wouldn't want to abandon or permanently damage his property." "That's great except for one thing ..." Terra began. "I still don't want to ride with you!" Exasperated by the elf's stubbornness, Altanus rolled his eyes. "Look, I know you hate this situation, but you're being ridiculous. If this was a game and I was telling you that your mage was taking damage because he was overexerting himself, what would you do? Would you ride the horse then, or would you just keep walking until your character collapsed and died?" "... Ride," Terra begrudgingly admitted. "Then swallow your pride, and get up here," Altanus ordered. For a moment, Terra glared defiantly up at Altanus, but it didn't last. Finally, she huffed, "Fine." "Good. Now, Elric, are there any other major facts like two of you being slaves that you'd like to share with the group?" Altanus asked. Elric shook his head. "Nothing major like that, no." Nodding, Altanus turned to Adria. "How about you, Adria? Any problems that you've been hesitant to share?" Adria shook her head as well. "No, although, I did find out I have retractable claws." She demonstrated by holding up a fist and flexing muscles around her knuckles. From in between her non-thumb fingers, a trio of of claws about three inches inches long extended. "I thought that was pretty cool." "Duly noted, and yes, that is pretty cool. If that's all, let's get moving again," Altanus replied, before turning to mount his horse again. Once he was up, he once again offered a hand to Terra who reluctantly took it. With that, he easily pulled the small elf up behind him. As soon as she was situated, the group started off again. *********************************************** *********************************************** The town of Lyr was not the quaint, little, idyllic village one would expect from upbeat movies, nor was it the muddy, rundown, slum town that was usually portrayed on the other end of the tone spectrum. Instead, it was somewhere in the middle of those two, showing the flaws of antiquated building techniques and limited maintenance. A single, bare, dirt street cut through the line of buildings, wide enough for two wagons to go abreast. Clustered along its sides were twin lines of small, thatch-roofed buildings sporting signs out front. The signs dangled over the stoop and had no words, just roughly drawn and weather worn pictures that indicated what service each place provided. The people on the street were like the town itself, a little dirty and threadbare, but otherwise pretty typical peasant fare. There weren't many of them milling about in the afternoon, but there were some. The ones that were out, certainly found the new arrivals in town quite interesting, pausing in whatever tasks they were about for to sneak glances and whisper rumors. "It seems we're drawing quite a bit of attention, my lord," Elric noted quietly after walking up beside Altanus's horse. "So it would seem, but it doesn't appear to be hostile or anything," Altanus replied as he tipped his head in greeting to a pair of men in front of a nearby store. Immediately, the men bowed deeply in response. "We do make for quite the crowd," Adria spoke up from the other side of Altanus as she looked around curiously. "Everyone around here looks human, except us, and Altanus is the lord of the town." Letting out an annoyed sigh, Terra grumbled from where she rode behind Altanus, doing her best to stay on without having to rely on holding onto him. "I still don't like it." "Neither do I, so let's get through it quickly," Altanus replied. "Well, our best chance of getting out of prying eyes is your estate, my lord," Elric commented. "If the map of Lyr in the book is right, just go straight until the town square and turn left." Nodding, Altanus led the way down the road. It wasn't long before the group found the town square. It was a large open space with all manner of wagons and carts scattered about. Some were selling goods right out of them, while others were just loading or unloading. There were far more people milling about in the area too, but surprisingly that actually meant less attention for the friends as people were too distracted with everything else to waste much time on them. In addition to the bustle, the town square had four roads that came off it, counting the one the group had just come down. Going straight seemed to lead to another row of shops and then out of town. It was the other two directions that were far more interesting. To the right was a short road with what appeared to be houses on it. At the end of the road was a large open courtyard right in front of an equally large stone structure. The place looked much like a gothic cathedral with buttressed walls and a high steeple. "That would be the temple of Lyren," Elric provided helpfully, before turning to point the other way. "And that would be your estate." To the left was another short road, but it did not have houses on it. It had larger buildings along the side including an inn, a stable, and a large dormitory looking building that the friends guessed was a barracks. At the far end of the road was a low stone wall, a little taller than a man, with a squat looking gate in the middle. Beyond the wall, the second story of a graceful looking manor home could be seen, seeming out of place against the rest of the town with its more victorian style of architecture. "Wow ..." Adria breathed in marvel at the sight. "Nice house you got there." "Seems there are some perks to being a noble," Altanus remarked before turning his mount toward the manor. "This would probably be a good time to give you guys some information on current affairs from our character bios," Elric spoke up as they continued on. Adria perked up, ears little twitching, at the news. "Ooo, this should be fun." "Not really," Elric replied solemnly. "Our bios mention that we are returning from a war with the orcs, a war which is considered a defeat for the humans of Metellan. Lord Altanus was presumed slain during the war when his company was eradicated, but with luck in the form of help from Adria, who was uninvolved in the war, he managed to escape that massacre." "Do I even want to know what I was doing during all of this?" Terra asked in disgust. Elric smirked. "You were apparently won by Altanus in a game of cards on his way home which was followed by a duel to the death over the efficacy of that game. Meanwhile, I was his personal medic on the field, which he retrieved after returning to camp alive." Terra let out a groan. "Unbelievable ..." "If it makes you feel any better, you were apparently quite valuable," Elric offered. "His lordship had to put up nearly his entire fortune against you." "That does not make feel better ..." Terra sighed morosely. "Anything else we should know?" Altanus asked, slowing his horse a bit in case more time was needed. Elric shook his head. "No, at least not anything that I read. You'll probably want to read your own section at some point, though, my lord. It's much more involved than the rest of ours." "I will once we get settled in," Altanus assured him, picking up the pace again. Within just a few moments, the group came to a stop in front of the gate. The gate did not just immediately open for them, however, nor did anyone appear to be on duty. That left them to wonder how to get through. "Try calling out to the guards?" Elric suggested helpfully. With a shrug, Altanus called out like suggested. "Open the gates!" At first, nothing seemed to happen, but a moment later, a pair of guards popped up from behind the wall to look down at the group. "Lord Altanus?!" the first guard gasped. "Is that really you?!" "It is," Altanus answered stiffly. "Rumor had it you fell on the battlefield," the second guard noted. "I certainly would have if not for the aid of my feelan friend here," Altanus told them. "She pulled me right from a dastardly ambush by those rotten orcs." "Sounds like quite the tale, m'lord," the first guard commented. Altanus nodded. "Indeed it is, but I am too weary from my journey to tell it right now. Open the gates, so I can finally get off this horse and rest." "Yes, m'lord," the two guards answered in unison before disappearing once again. A few moment's later, the huge wooden doors creaked as they swung inward. As soon as it was open, one of the guards positioned themselves at attention, while the other scurried off into the grounds beyond. With the gate out of the way, Altanus kicked his mount to get it moving again, entering into the estate grounds. The estate, like the village itself, was not quite what one would expect. There were no grand waterworks or bushes shaped like rare animals. It was a simple open area with some nice landscaping in terms of flowers and shrubs. A cobbled path went from the gate to the front door of the manor, in front of which sat a small copper fountain that had long ago rusted to a bluish green hue. "Well it's not exactly Buckingham Palace, but I suppose this is pretty good," Elric remarked once the group was well past the guard. "Especially for a group of newbies," Adria added. "At the very least, we shouldn't be hurting for funds and equipment," Altanus agreed with his friends. From the back of the horse, Terra just mumbled to herself, "I can't believe he gets this place while I got won in a game of cards ..." As the group neared the main entrance, the door opened and out came a trio of stiff looking men. They all wore matching uniforms, but no weapons or armor, which seemed to imply that they were servants. The man in the lead of them was an older fellow, with a few gray hair spattered into his brown locks. In spite of his age, he was in good shape, looking like he could fight alongside the guards if it was needed. "Lord Altanus!" the lead man greeted warmly when he saw the other man. "I am so glad to see you well. We had heard the worst." "That's the thing about rumors, they're always worse than the truth," Altanus replied as he reined his horse to a stop. Once he had, he helped Terra off then dismounted as well. "As you can see, however, I am none-the-worse for wear." "Most fortuitous, my lord," the man replied, bowing his head politely. "Benwald, take the lord's horses to the stable, please." One of the two men bowed and stepped forward. Silently, he took the reins from Altanus, bowed again, then led the horses away. As he left, Altanus called after him. "Make sure to bring all my gear inside as well." "Of course, m'lord," the man answered, turning to bow once again before hurrying off. Hoping that the horses were properly taken care off, Altanus turned to the leader of the group of servants. "Now then, we are tired and hungry." "Of course, my lord. I'll have some food and drink brought to your study for you and your guest," the lead man agreed compliantly, before turning to the remaining man. "Herron, take his lordship's new acquisitions to the overseer." Surprised by the order, the group just stood there stunned as Herron sketched a quick bow and stepped past Altanus toward Terra and Elric. Unfortunately, the first person to react was the blonde elf, glaring at the man threateningly. "You're not taking me anywhere, 'Herron'." Herron heard the command, but he clearly didn't intend to follow it. Rather than stay back, he stepped forward and lashed out. His hand came around too fast for Terra to react. The next instant, the backhanded slap cracked against her cheek hard enough to not just twist her head to the side, but knock her clear off her feet. While the friends might have been slow to react to everything leading up to that point, they didn't remain so. Elric's hand fell to his sword's hilt as he stepped forward. He was beaten to the punch, though, by Adria's spear which the feelan had thrust to within a couple inches of Herron's face. Of the three, it was Altanus that reacted most usefully, albeit slowly. Seeing the situation escalating quickly, he reached out and grabbed the Herron's collar, yanking him away from his friends' weapons. "What do you think you're doing?!" "I-I was just putting the halfling in her place, m'lord," Herron stammered out, clearly confused. "Idiot!" Altanus growled, shoving the man back toward the servant leader. "Do you have any idea what I had to risk to acquire her?! I ought to throw you in chains for this." "M-My apologies, m-mlord," Herron stuttered. "I-I d-didn't know." Spitting out a huff of frustration, Altanus spun from the man and walked over to kneel down next to Terra to quietly ask, "You alright?" "I feel like half my face is broken," Terra grumbled softly, rubbing at her cheek with one hand. "If it was, you wouldn't be talking about it," Altanus teased in a whisper as he pulled Terra's hand away to check her face. Nothing looked broken, just a little red and swollen, but he wouldn't be surprised if she had a black eye or something later. With her injuries minor, he helped Terra to her feet then spun back to the servant. "Luckily for you, your foolishness doesn't appear to have caused any lasting damage." Herron visibly sagged with relief. "That is wonderful news, m'lord." With that handled Altanus turned back to the lead man. "These two are very special. They are to be treated, fed, and housed like proper guests. Make sure the other servants are aware of this." The lead servant nodded immediately. "Yes, Lord Altanus. Will they be joining you and your guest in your study then?" "They will be," Altanus replied. "Also, make sure this man is properly punished for the damage he has done to my property." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 03 - Day 01 "So that man ordering the other servants around was the steward?" Altanus asked, pointing at the entry in the book on his lap. "This Sir Kellan Grund guy?" "I believe so," Elric confirmed. "Unless the steward has changed since the book was given to us which seems unlikely." Nodding, Altanus leaned back in his seat to gather himself. After some pampering by the staff, he and his friends had finally been left alone again. This time, they were in a comfortable sitting room with plenty of plush furniture to relax on. Relaxing was exactly what the friends were currently doing while they tried to review the situation they'd found themselves in. Adria had curled up on a small sofa, enjoying the rich food and wine that the steward had brought for them. Elric had pulled up a chair near Altanus, so that they could go over the book together. Finally, off to the side, Terra hunched quietly in a chair, arms wrapped around herself with her gaze distant and on the floor. Shaking his head, Altanus forced himself to focus on the game that he and his friends had been thrust into. "Alright, Elric. You've had some time to read. Can you give us an overview of system mechanics? What magic do we have, what healing potential, what kind of hits can we take, and anything else along those lines you can think of." "Well ... that's complicated. Healing wise, this world is a bit weak compared to what most games offer," Elric informed the others. "There's nothing like a priest class, not even for someone with natural magical ability like Terra, so it looks like we're going to have to live without actual healing magic. The best we've got, in terms of a replacement, is alchemical healing potions, which in this world are applied to the wound, not drunk like in most games. The strong ones are pretty great, closing major wounds in seconds. They're also expensive and difficult to make. The best I've got on me right now, though, will generally heal a similar wound in ten minutes or so, and I don't have many of those. The weak stuff takes about a day to heal anything even remotely serious." "So we should avoid getting hurt," Altanus concluded. Elric nodded. "Definitely, especially since, from what I can tell, we should be pretty comparable in durability to what we were used to back on Earth. The book compares Tannen humans to Earth humans, specifically mentioning that they are very similar. Demi-humans are all supposedly offshoots of humanity, so I doubt even an abnormally tough race, such as what I am, is all that durable." "Oh so you're tough?" Adria asked. "What about feelans, what are we?" Furrowing his brow, Elric considered that question for a moment before responding with, "You're probably most similar to what elves are in the games we usually play. You're supposedly graceful, woodland dwelling, and good at hunting." "If I'm an elf, then what's an elf like Terra supposed to be?" Adria questioned. "I don't know, a nymph?" Elric joked, looking over Terra's way expectantly. The elf girl didn't react to the joke at all, though. "Speaking of Terra, what's her magic capable of?" Altanus inquired, getting the group back on topic. Elric rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I had to describe it, she's more like an elementalist than a classic wizard. From what I could find in the book, there aren't really any complicated spell effects like disease clouds or enchantments. That stuff, when it's even possible at all, is all done with alchemy. Her magic is mostly just stuff like summon rock, then hurl that rock. That said, from what I could guess from the descriptions about spells effects and our durability, I wouldn't underestimate it. I'm pretty sure magic is very lethal. As for Terra herself, based on her profile, she is sort of a mixed bag in terms of capabilities. She's only had limited training with here abilities, but supposedly, has great potential." "Training? Does that mean we are supposed to have access to the skills our characters have?" Altanus wondered. "Yes, at least, when I messed around with my alchemical equipment a bit during the walk, I seemed to know what I was doing. It was sort of like I was picking up some skill that I hadn't used in a while but still remembered," Elric confirmed. "I suspect you'd feel the same way with a sword in your hand or if Adria tried to pick a lock." "Does that mean the little brat just inserted knowledge into our brains, because that's kinda creepy ..." Adria muttered uneasily. "Well, it's certainly more convenient than trying to figure out how to do all this stuff from scratch," Elric pointed out rationally. "But, yeah, I don't like the idea of some god using my head as a playground. Who knows what he did to us." Slumping in his chair, Altanus let out a sigh. "Probably a lot more than we'll ever be able to figure out. Gods in stories are typically known for being manipulative but not usually honest or forthcoming. I doubt real ones are any better." "True, especially if those stories happen to be based on real gods, since apparently they can exist," Elric remarked. "We should probably be at least a little leary of any information he gives us until we can confirm it first hand." "Well if his story about a contest is true, then we can probably trust any information that will help us win," Altanus deduced. "Otherwise, he would only be hurting his own chances." "Assuming he both wants to win and there's even a contest at all," Elric pointed out. "The whole thing could just be some kind of elaborate prank." That elicited another sigh from Altanus. "Yep ..." Filled with doubt, the group fell silent for a few moments before finally Adria broke it by asking, "Well ... let's assume it is true. What should we be doing to win?" "Hmmm ... Lyren mentioned a level playing field, so we should probably assume that there are other champions out there for the other gods with capabilities similar to our own," Elric postulated. "However, that should only be true when we were all brought here. If we grind for experience, we might be able to gain an advantage by the time the actual contest starts." "You're wrong," Terra spoke up for the first time since entering the manor. "What?! No, I'm not!" Elric protested defensively. "That's exactly what we need to do to hone our skills." Letting out a dejected sigh, Terra just shrugged and muttered, "Whatever." Elric and Adria shared a concerned look, but it was Altanus that spoke up. "No. Tell us what you're thinking." "As you wish, master," Terra replied with false servility, getting a annoyed look from Altanus for her attitude. "There's a difference between the world we're in now and the games we play. There's more to our characters than how good their dice rolls are. What they are matters. Look at what happened with the servants before. Altanus talks, and they rush to obey. I talk and ..." She paused to tap her fingers lightly on her sore cheek. "... wham." Altanus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, you have a point. Presumably, this isn't just some framework for an adventure. It's an actual world with social structures, history, and no concern for whether or not we have a compelling story." "I guess that means we need to reevaluate what stats are worth then," Elric noted. "As well as what even counts as a stat for that matter." "Well, we can't evaluate anything until we have some understanding of our characters and the world," Altanus stated. "We'll need to take turns with the book. If no one objects, I'll read tonight. Tomorrow, we'll do some combat practice to get into the flow of things." Elric nodded. "That's fine with me." "Sure. Getting to fight for real sounds fun," Adria commented. With Terra just remaining silent, that gave Altanus all the answers he needed. "Alright, then I'm going to go study. I'll make sure the servants know not to bother you guys." *********************************************** *********************************************** With nothing but a couple of candles for light, Altanus leaned over the book that the group had been given as he carefully read every word. It was quite the tome, large, thick, and filled with useful pictures and detailed descriptions about practically everything. It was much like a source book for a roleplaying game, but without the kind of hard rules information that Altanus was used to having. It didn't list hit points, but just described something as tough or frail. It didn't give attack values, just described things as strong or weak. The gamer within Altanus found that lack of precision frustrating, but it was nonetheless an engrossing read. "Interesting ... no wonder my bio claimed I was nearly fifty when I look like I'm in my twenties," Altanus muttered, having just read through the section on humans. Humans in Tannen were longer lived than their Earth counterparts, not showing significant signs of age until they were around a hundred. Not only was a prolonged youth a nice bonus, assuming he and the others were stuck there a while, but it also implied things about the society these humans had created. The kingdom of Metellan was a more stagnant place than a similar country would be on Earth. Diseases were not as common as they were in medieval Europe, and long lives meant that advancement within society was slow. To offset this, the kingdom had lots of rules to allow those in power to be deposed, from duels and games of chance like the ones that had won Terra, to legalized forms of coups. This all created a shifting web of political alliances that Altanus suspected would be important in the upcoming contest. "Terra was right. This game is definitely different from the ones we usually play," Altanus mused, leaning back in his chair. "There is no sense of balance. It's not meant to be fun or fair." The word fair stuck in Altanus's mind. He'd already perused the group's character sheets, but the more that he'd read, the more certain he'd become that their 'stats' were not evenly distributed like they would be in a game. It was quite clear that Terra and Elric, and possibly even Adria, had been short changed in order to create Altanus, assuming the theory that everything was a stat was true. Demi-humans were all but excluded from political advancement within the kingdom and would be treated with prejudice by most people. None of the three had any wealth or position to their name. Even when it came to skills, Altanus was loaded with a wide variety of capabilities, while the others, Terra especially, were more limited. "No, they aren't less capable ... they're focused," Altanus corrected his assessment. Elric was built as a stalwart second, a bodyguard and medic to keep Altanus safe. Terra may only have beauty and magic going for her, but she had incredible talent in both areas. With Adria serving as a scout and assassin, it was clear that those three characters had been designed as tools for Altanus to use. Any stat that they didn't need had been stripped away and dumped onto him to establish the position he had in the world. They were like pieces in chess, and just like in chess, if the king falls the game ends. The others would not be able to do much without Altanus. Frowning, Altanus didn't know whether to applaud Lyren for his creations or curse him. Certainly, specialization made sense. As a group, they were far more influential with one noble and three outcasts than they would be with all four of them being every day peasants. In terms of maximizing the value of the points, it made sense, but it neglected something important. One person was not playing all four characters - four were. Altanus had run enough games to know that imbalances like these were bound to cause strife amongst the group which would in turn hinder their ability to perform at their best. All Altanus could do was hope that he could keep it from spiralling into disaster. As if cued to thoughts of disaster a faint knock sounded on the door to Altanus's room before it opened to allow Kellan to step inside. "My apologies for disturbing you, my lord," he announced before gesturing at someone behind him to enter. A moment later, Terra stepped inside, and Kellan quickly ducked back out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. For a moment, the two friends just stared at each other silently before something seemed to click for Terra. The moment it did, she planted her face in her hand. "Oh no ..." "What's wrong?" Altanus asked, worried that another incident with the servants had occurred. Rising from his seat, he approached the girl, looking her over for signs of new abuse. "It's nothing. I should have expected this," Terra sighed, lifting her head to look Altanus in the eyes. Her own eyes were filled with defeat. Confused, Altanus furrowed his brow. "Expected what?" "I told the steward that I was ready for bed," Terra began. "And where does a pleasure slave sleep?" "In her master's bed ..." Altanus finished with a groan. "Don't worry. I'll sort this out, so you have your own room." "Don't bother," Terra huffed, walking over to flop onto the bed. Once she was there, she let out a sad, little sigh. Hearing that sound caused Altanus to wince while he silently cursed Lyren for setting up the group's characters the way that he had. "It'll only take a moment ..." "And how many moments do you intend to spend getting everyone in the whole damn world to not treat me like your personal whore?" Terra questioned angrily, sitting up on the bed to peer at Altanus. The fight in her vanished almost as soon as it had appeared, leading to a soft sigh and slumped posture. "You shouldn't waste your time on a slave girl." "You know, I'm never going to treat you like a slave," Altanus assured her. Terra nodded. "I know, or at least I hope so, but everyone not in our group will. You going to sort them all out?" Whether he wanted to or not, Altanus knew the answer to that question was no. They would undoubtedly meet people in this world that were above even a lord like him. Even among those that weren't, trying to force them to change would be met with resistance, or worse, backlash. It just wasn't practical to try to stop their assumptions. The silence from Altanus brought a wan smile to Terra's face as she added, "You were right. We do need to stay in character, which means it looks like we're sharing a bed. Try to keep your hands to yourself, though." Altanus chuckled at that last part. "That shouldn't be a problem. You're not exactly my type." "Yeah ... it's too bad we didn't get each other's characters," Terra remarked as she reached behind her to fiddle with the bodice of her dress. "Yeah, no ... I think it's better it worked out the way it did," Altanus replied. "You probably wouldn't have been able to resist taking advantage of having a cow-titted sex slave." "Hey!" Terra protested. "I'll have you know that I'm a paragon of self control. Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't have even wanted to turn me down if I was a hunk like Altanus." Altanus shrugged. "Hmm ... maybe not." "See!" Terra exclaimed smugly right before a frown creased her face. That frown quickly turned in an exasperated huff. "Damn this thing! How are you supposed to get it off?!" "Well, given the time period of this world, you're probably supposed to get help. Here, let me," Altanus offered, gesturing at Terra to turn. Rolling her eyes, Terra turned around and swept her long blonde hair over one shoulder to get it out of the way. "What kind of person invents clothes that take more than one person to put on and take off." "Rich people who have servants to dress them," Altanus explained as he figured out how the lacing on the bodice worked and started to undo it. Almost as soon as he got started, the bodice visibly loosened under the pressure from Terra's chest. As the bodice loosened, Terra let out a soft moan of relief. "Ahh, finally ... I can breath again." "That would be another problem with clothes from this time period. They were designed for appearance, not comfort," Altanus noted as he quickly undid the remaining laces. "There you go." "Thank you," Terra breathed as she divested herself of the bodice and turned back around. Without the confining garment, the elf's chest looked even larger than it had before. It also swayed gently with her movements in a way that proved to be quite alluring. Suddenly realizing where his eyes were, Altanus jerked his gaze up to Terra's. "You're welcome. Let me know if you need help with the actual dress too." "Let's see," Terra responded as she reached behind her back, thrusting her chest out in the process. "Nope, this one's much easier." "Good," Altanus said, starting to turn to go back to his desk. "Damn it!" Terra cursed. "How many layers of clothes am I wearing?!" Hearing the outburst, Altanus turned back around to see Terra in nothing but a simple white chemise that pretty clearly had nothing else underneath it. The garment was little more than an old-style nightie, and no less appealing in its own way. "Ahem ... I ... uhm ... I think that's your last layer. You might want to use it as a nightgown." "Right ... I guess I wear stuff like that now, huh," Terra mumbled as she tossed the rest of her clothes aside and crawled onto the bed. "Anyway, enjoy your reading." "Thanks," Altanus muttered, turning back to his book. His attention was focused on different problem at that moment, though, a problem that he had no experience having to deal with. He knew one thing about it though, and that was that apparently Terra was more his type, or at least Altanus's type, than he'd originally thought. Silently cursing Lyren again, he tried very hard to focus on reading and not the beautiful elf in his bed. *********************************************** *********************************************** "The Calidorn family sure has a good wine cellar," Elric commented as he