Perversions of the Flesh Pt. 01

Chapter 1: Brave New World

It was cold. A biting cold that went straight to Katlyn's bones, but that was normal for this time of year and she wasn't focused on that at the moment. No, what had her full attention was the shambling bulk of flesh and distorted body parts thundering after the sledge carrying her companions. The sounds of dead trees shattering under its bulk as it bulled forward echoed through the forest.

Another shot rang out as Arty fired his rifle. The ensorcelled bullet streaked toward the monster with a flash of red light before detonating. A mangled roar escaped from the monstrosity, its many limbs and heads focused on them as it continued its reckless charge.

"Well, that didn't slow it down at all. Gods damnit Bren. Can't ye get us moving any faster?" Katlyn yelled over the whistling wind to the slender brunette driving the team of elk, pulling their ride.

"They are going as fast as they can. Do you not think they want to flee as much as you do?" He called back. Katlyn turned her pale blue eyes back to the beast following them. It was large for one of the Warped. Far larger than it had any right to be in this area, at least eight feet at her best guess. It had nine limbs ranging from human arms and legs to those of a deer, and all of them were distorted to grotesque proportions. The same went for the heads. Glares of rage and rabid snarls escaping human and bestial mouths alike. Its flesh was covered in a thick fur that made it a tough target for most of their weapons, and worst of all, it was gaining on them.

Katlyn readied her blade, the sharp longsword held lightly in her right hand as she readied her shield in her left. She was tall, cresting six feet with a well-toned body of someone who had spent their life training to fight. She'd never admit it, but she was strong, especially for someone her age and level. Another shot broke the screaming of the wind as Arty tried to blow the legs out from under the Warped.

They were a small team. They weren't meant to take on something like this. Hell, they were barely meant to be scouting the area.

Katlyn shook her head, trying to bite down the fear as she stood, waiting for the inevitable clash.

Suddenly, the trees gave way to a vast plain of snow. The sudden lack of the black trunks diluting the blinding white made Katlyn squint past her scarf and hood. This wasn't good. The Warped was being hindered by the trees but free to run, it would be on them soon.

A sharp lurch of the sledge forced her to a knee. "The Hells is going on?"

"CLIFF!" Bren screamed back, panic pinching the words as he tried to turn the elk, or at least stop them.

"Feck," Katlyn swore to herself. One heartbeat, two, and the thing was on them. A massive paw made from several human hands swung down, but was knocked to the side by her shield. A reverberating pain shot up her arm, numbness spreading quickly after. She grit her teeth, readying her body for more.

Then the worst happened. With a snapping of wood, the Elk broke free of the sledge. The panicked beasts bolted, leaving Katlyn, Bren and Arty to fend for themselves.

The monstrosity was on them in a blur of flesh, muscle, fur, and antlers. As the point woman of their team, Katlyn was left to take the brunt of the charge. She leapt from the sledge, planted her feet as best she could in the snow, and braced for impact behind her shield. A loud crash sent her teeth rattling and her arm burned as she met the Warped monstrosity's furious assault. She grit her teeth and pushed as hard as she could, magically enhanced muscles forcing the beast to slow, and, after several feet of skidding, stop.

A scream of pain escaped her throat as a claw hooked around her right side, slashing through her leather armor with barely any effort. Blood welled, but the wounds quickly closed as Bren's healing magic washed over her. Kat cursed herself for missing the opening strike, but quickly homed back in on the creature.

She lost track of her party as she focused on her life or death struggle with the Warped. A block to the left let it swing at her from the right. Barely ducking under the swipe, she slashed a line of bubbling black blood across its front. Thankfully, the wound didn't heal. Regeneration would have made this even worse. She stumbled back as another blow hit her shield. Her left arm was numb from the impacts, and keeping the rest of herself away from the many grasping, clawing limbs was tiring her quickly.

Katlyn's eyes darted right as she heard Arty take another shot. He had been circling around the bulk of the beast, peppering its hide with elemental explosions. Fire mostly, but some ice and force here and there. He took particular aim at the heads, hoping that taking them out would stop the beast, or at least confuse it. Bren was somewhere behind her, trying his best to keep her alive while she fought. He, like the others in the group, was young and fresh to his position, and he'd be running low on Mind soon.

Suddenly, there was a yelp to Katlyn's left. Hidden in the snow, a stone had tripped Arty.

"No!" Katlyn screamed. Time seemed to slow down as the Warped turned, sensing weakness, and charged Arty. It was over in a moment. The snow was splashed with red as Arty's final screams were silenced with a sickening crunch.

Katlyn froze. For a couple of seconds, all she could do was stand there in disbelief as she watched Arty get torn to shreds by the creature. She felt numb and slow. Shaking hands grasping at her shoulders brought her back to reality.

"We have to move!" Bren all but screamed as he started pulling her back. She followed, still half in a daze as they moved toward the sledge.

They crouched behind the vehicle as wet noises echoed over the field.

"What are we going to do? We can not kill that thing! And now Arty is dead, and he was our damage. Oh, oh Gods were so fucked Kat. So fucked, so fucked..." Bren's eyes welled up as he rambled in panic, his hands clutching his brown locks. The sudden initiative he displayed moments before he dissolved as fear took hold of him.

Katlyn wasn't doing much better. Her hands shook, and she could feel the terror welling up inside her. This was supposed to be a safe, simple mission. Next to no danger. Maybe a smaller warped, like the two headed dogs they'd seen before. Nothing like this. She could not stop her sensitive ears from picking up each crunch and slurp as the beast continued its meal. Her stomach churned and she heaved, spewing her breakfast across the snow. Thankfully, something about the violent ejection brought her back, let her focus a little more as she wiped a woolen sleeve across her lips.

Katlyn shook herself and rose to peek above the sledge. The Warped was still gorging itself on Arty's remains. "Bren, hey, hey, I need you to listen, Bren." She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "I'm about tae do something really feckin stupid here, and I need ye to do what I say. Ya ken?" A meek nod of understanding was all she got from the terrified man. "Good, I want ye to crawl over that way." She pointed to the right of the sledge. "Stay low in the snow, even better if it covers ye. Be quiet, but be as quick as ye can."

"I understand," Bren whispered.

"Hey, yer gonna be OK." A smile she didn't feel stretched across Katlyn's face. "Now get going. See ye in a minute." She patted his shoulder and turned back to the task at hand.

Taking a quick moment to make sure Bren was well on his way and to make sure the sledge was close enough to the cliff for her plan to work, she stood and slowly walked around to the other side.

I'm gonna feckin die. Fighting the thought, she steeled her nerves, watching the Warped finishing its meal. At least one of us'll survive.

"Hey ya big feckin beastie! Ya full, or are ya ready fer seconds?" She shouted out to the bloody mass of fur.

Eight sets of eyes swung her way, their baleful stares sending a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the frigid weather. Katlyn watched in horror as blood and gore dripped from its many lips. The creature turned its massive body to face her.

"All right. Ye killed Arty. I'mma make sure you pay for it," Katlyn growled. She lowered her body, shield at the ready and made herself as threatening as possible.

With a distorted, multi-throated roar, the monster charged at her. She held her ground as she watched the beast pick up amazing speed, the many legs carrying the weight with ease.

Feckin gotcha! Katlyn howled, as she leapt to her right at the last possible moment. Guarding the glancing blow sent her spinning to the side as the beast smashed straight past her.

Loud cracking of splintering wood echoed over the field as the monster impacted the sledge. Through blurry vision, Kat saw its numerous limbs get stuck in the wooden vehicle as they punched holes through it. Additionally, straps they used to secure any equipment or cargo had snared the beast. Unable to stop its momentum, the Warped's weight pushed the sledge up to and over the edge of the cliff. A surprised scream ripped out of its throats as it tumbled through the air.

Several seconds passed before a sickening crunch echoed up and over the lip of the ledge. Katlyn offered a silent prayer that the rocks at the bottom were sharp.

It took a couple moments of her panting and laying on her back in the snow before she felt a sharp pain lance up her leg. "Oh, oh, that's not good." She felt like she was going to puke again, somehow. Bracing her arms and lifting her upper body, she could see her right leg bent and twisted in a way it shouldn't be. It looked like it had snapped at the knee and was almost backwards. The world swam as she looked in horror at her mangled limb before soft hands caught her.

"You did it, Kat, I can scarcely believe it!" Bren was saying as he kept her upright. "Hey, hey, stay with me. I'm going to do the best I can to fix you up, however my Mind is scraping empty. Kat? Kat, listen to me. I will need to straighten the leg first."

She nodded, more on reflex than understanding. The pain was growing to consume her higher thoughts as her body and mind focused on the mangled limb, and she lost focus on Bren's words.

"Hey, Kat, focus. I am going to set it. This is going to hurt a lot. Understand? I guess it scarcely matters if you do. Hells. Prepare yourself." He glanced at her, blanching as he prepared to do what needed done.

Katlyn grit her teeth and screwed her eyes shut. "3... 2... 1..." A sickening crunch and her vision darkened, edges shimmering with sparks of light as she fought to stay conscious. She could tell that Bren was talking to her, but she couldn't make out the words. Her entire world narrowed to the searing pain in her leg.

Finally, after several seconds, her muscles relaxed, and she slumped in Bren's grasp. She felt a low trickle of healing magic working at her leg. It didn't do much more than numb the pain, and not by much at that, but she could think again.

"We need to get somewhere safe," Kat panted, wiping tears from her eyes. "I need tae not move much, and you need to rest and restore your Mind." She groaned as she sat up again, feeling the dull ache that substituted the sharp pain she should be feeling. "Think ye can grab one of the pieces of the sledge and pull me?"

"Yes, yes, I believe I can manage. It will most likely be slow going. However, I saw what looked like an old building a mile or so back." Bren said as he looked around for a big enough piece of wood. "It looked like some old mansion. It might not be warm, however it will be shelter."

A few minutes later, they had a makeshift sled with some rope for Bren to pull with. It was, indeed, slow going, but Kat wasn't about to complain. She focused on keeping her balance and watching out for any new threats. Truth be told, it felt longer than an hour before Bren caught sight of the old building. It was a massive two story complex. At least a hundred years old, from what Kat could tell. The walls were lined with gaping holes where windows used to be shuttered, and its siding was all but stripped of the decorative yellow paint that had once adorned the wooden walls. The steepled roof seemed to be mostly intact, a gaping hole to the eastern side, and there was a rough stone chimney to the west. "Thank the Gods for that. We can have a fire," Katlyn prayed to herself.

Shoving open the heavy double doors that formed the main entrance, they looked cautiously around the main foyer. It was clear that whoever had lived here had been wealthy, but looting and the harsh winters had taken their toll. The place was stripped bare, with less faded spaces on the walls, all that remained of portraits or wall hangings. Snow drifted in from the hole in the roof covering the floor and grand stairs with a soft blanket of white and, strangely, footprints leading off further into the building.

"Did ye see any prints outside?" Kat asked as she looked around, leaning on a wall, trying to stay off her bad leg.

"None, and these look fairly fresh."

"Yeh, couple hours old at most." Kat's eyes scanned the upper levels for movement. None was to be seen.

"Do you think they are still present?"

"Well, I don't see any tracks leavin'. Ye wanna take a gander at the rest of the house? Don't think I'll be much help to ye like this." Kat gestured at her lameness.

"I can, yes. May I borrow your knife?"

"Yeah, sure." She tossed Bren the knife, still in its sheath. "Holler if ye need me. I'll limp o'er to the side without the snow. See if I can get a fire goin'."

"Very well, see you soon."

She made her way through the halls to the Eastern wing, leaning against the walls for support. It got darker quickly as she got further from the gaping hole in the roof. Eventually, at the end of the main hallway was a large set of doors that should have led to the room with the fireplace.

The room with the fireplace was on the larger side. Enough that a few couches could have fit along with a table and some extra chairs here and there.

Kat set about doing her best to find some spare wood. Thankfully, someone had pulled up the floorboards in a corner of the room and had left the debris. Taking her starter kit, she arranged the wood and lit the paper with the fire crystal. Useful little things, they only needed a small bit of mana channeled through them to get the desired result, and with how cold it could get, they were critical to anyone traveling.

After a few minutes, she was starting to warm up, taking off her thick woolen cap and letting her long ears finally breathe after a long day. Chocolate brown locks tumbled down over her shoulders as she undid her scarf. She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of the flames.

A noise behind her had her head whipping around to the door. It was Bren, standing there awkwardly with a rosy blush to his cheeks that didn't seem like it was just from the cold.

"Hey, Kat, uh, I think I'm going to need your help with this one." He said as he shuffled nervously in place.

"Huh? Find someone? Are they dangerous?"

"N... no? They, uh, she, he, they? They're asleep. But, uh, yeah, you, I just, please help," He stammered as he spoke.

"Askin' a cripple for help? Yer truly a cruel taskmaster Bren." Kat laughed. "Help me up." It was funny, Bren normally had such a proper way of speaking, but when he got nervous it all fell apart. Something must have really gotten to him.

Leaning on his shoulder, Kat fought a groan as she stood. Slowly and carefully, Bren guided her through the building, up to the second floor and to the door of a side room. The snow was disturbed, obvious traces of someone entering the room.

"They in there?" Kat whispered, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice.

"Y... yeah, they are." Bren stammered.

"Dangerous?"

"I... don't think so?"

"Still dinnae know what's got ye all flustered, but let's take a look." Kat brushed past Bren and sidled up against the door, slowly opening it with a soft creak. Looking through the crack carefully, she saw the intruder, but her subtlety dropped once she saw the other person in the room.

Atop a soft unspoilt bed of snow lay a sleeping woman, naked as the day she was born. Her tanned skin and supple curves contrasting her hip length dark grey, wild hair, fur, ears and tail. She was big, bigger than most people Katlyn had met, and unmistakably beautiful in a feral way. Even sleeping, her face had an air of soft pride to it.

Suddenly, in her sleep, the woman rolled to her other side, exposing her shapely breasts, abs, and face, but also between her legs, where Kat expected female anatomy. A thick cock instead slid into view before disappearing again as she settled.

"Oh." Kat whispered with a blush. "Oh, ye don't see that every day. Or ever."

Chapter 2: Out of Time

Annita was a fairly normal girl. Pale, with wild black hair that could never seem to untangle. About five foot five with a petite build. Her life was mundane, at best. She graduated from an art university in 2011 but couldn't really make any headway off her work. With some help from her parents, she found an apartment to live in with her two cats, Emeril and Pixel.

For a couple of years, she got a job in customer service at a few restaurants and eventually a call center. Her daily commute took the local bus system.

The last thing she remembered was on one of those seemingly endless commutes. She'd had her headphones in, listening to some random song that had caught her interest a couple months ago when there was a commotion toward the front. There was shouting and a loud bang, and then the world went black.

It had been black for a very, very long time. Now and then she thought she could hear voices from other people, but could never tell if she was dreaming. Over time, the black began to shift. The voices had been gone for longer than they'd been around. It grew brighter and brighter as the seemingly infinite time she was stuck here passed.

Eventually the world became so white she could call it blinding. She had been walking. Since time didn't seem to matter here, she didn't know for how long. Then she saw something. It was the first thing other than herself she'd seen since she wound up wherever this was.

Shockingly, it was a couch. A nice, plush, modern couch with a lot of leg room and a pillowy back that looked like she could just sink into it. Even more shocking was the woman sitting on it. A ridiculously beautiful woman with platinum blond hair, button chin and nose and a splash of freckles over her cheeks that only elevated her beauty.

She was focused on something and as Annita got closer, she saw there was a TV set up with some game being played. It was surreal.

"Come, darling, sit for a while." The woman beckoned without glancing back at her.

Annita knew she should be suspicious, but something about the woman disarmed her. A warmth exuded that made her comfortable and relaxed. She rounded the edge of the couch and her eyes widened as she saw the woman was completely naked. She had a gorgeous figure, wide full hips, with large pert breasts that didn't seem to have a hint of sag to them.

It was this that shocked Annita into realizing she could sense her own body for the first time since she arrived in what she'd called The Void. Also that she was similarly naked. Blushing furiously, she took the seat next to the woman, trying desperately not to stare, and even more not to drool.

"How are you feeling, love?" Annita jolted as she realized she'd been staring despite her efforts.

"Uh... fine? I guess? Who, who are you?"

"Ah, a good question. We'll get there in a bit, but for now, we need to talk about you. How much do you remember before all this?" She waved a hand airily at the white infinity.

Annita took a moment, sitting back and letting her head sink into the soft cushions. "Not much, to be honest. I remember my life, my family, my cats, some friends, but it gets kinda vague toward the end."

"I would imagine so. Now, this is the unfortunate part. I have a bit of bad and good news." The woman put down the controller and turned her full, breathtaking attention to Annita. "You have been, what's the best phrase for this, out of it for a long time, sweetheart. A long time ago you were shot. A man came on the bus you were on and opened fire. He hit you in the head but miraculously didn't kill you."

"Wait, wait, hold on." Annita interrupted. "I was shot?" She ran her hands through her hair and over her face, looking for a bullet hole or blood or anything that could match the trauma she'd experienced. "Then what's this? Why am I wherever the hell this is?"

"Patience, patience. I'm getting there." Annita immediately calmed as the woman's melodic voice washed over her. The woman smiled and continued. "You were shot, yes, and have been in a coma ever since. Annita, darling, you... never woke up from that coma. You were there for years. Before you get worried, your family cared for you deeply. They were there as much as they could be, and your family watched after your adorable kittens. They brought them to see you as frequently as they could."

Annita sat in stunned silence for what felt like a long while. A warm hand settled gently on her shoulder, but the woman let her be, let her process the horrifying news. Eventually, stomach still in knots, she let out a long, shaky sigh. "So, sorry." She sniffed and wiped away tears she couldn't remember shedding.

"No, no, child. Do not be sorry. Your grief shows how important they all were to you. Never apologize for what you feel." A knowing and sad smile graced the woman's beautiful lips.

"So, you were saying? You were talking about this like it was a long time ago. How long have I been in a coma? Am I still in a coma? Is this even real?"

The woman took her hand back and placed it in her lap as she turned to sit cross-legged, facing Annita. "This is going to be the other difficult part of this conversation. Let's start with the latter. No, you are not still in a coma, or at least not really. Also, yes, this is real. I'm not some wonder of your imagination. We are in your head, though. Second, yes, it has been a very long time. Millennia to be more accurate. I think it's about four or five thousand years since your incident? When we..."

"I'm sorry THOUSANDS OF YEARS?" Annita burst out, bolting upright, eyes wide. "That's impossible. No freakin' way."

"Yes freakin' way." The woman chuckled with the sound of a choir bell section. "And trust me, a lot has changed. Chiefly that we returned. We being the Gods of this world."

"Wait wait, Gods? Real Gods? Like, Shiva, Zeus, all those Gods?"

The woman laughed again, Annita's confusion and bafflement clearly amusing her. "Yes and no, child. We were around a long time ago, before most of the civilization you knew got started. We had many names, but it wouldn't shock me if some of us carried over into your mythology, if not our true names. I am Orenous. I mostly preside over love, connections, emotions, and minds. My brothers and sisters have their own domains, but it's a bit too much to go over for now. You'll fill in the blanks as you go. Any questions so far?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, a fucking ton of them. I guess the most pressing is why am I here and why are you here and how the hell am I still alive if it's been thousands of years?" Annita was starting to get a headache. Way too much was being revealed all at once, and she didn't have the emotional capacity to deal with it after the news about her life. She was drained and Orenous didn't seem like she was close to finishing.

"Well, those are probably the most important you could have asked. First, to explain, you'll need a bit of a history lesson on the future of your world. As silly as that sounds." A wry grin on her lips shone as bright as the midday sun. "I mentioned we returned to what you called Earth, didn't I? Well, that was not without incident. Your lot had made advancements that were, let's say, incompatible with our simultaneous existence. Large portions of the mechanical infrastructure and whatnot? Perfectly fine. Your electronics? Completely and irrevocably ruined. It is a shame. I quite enjoy the toys and trinkets you children came up with." She gestured to the dark television and game console. "I can only experience them through old memories I have saved in my domain."

"Back on track though, yes, we accidentally caused a lot of chaos on our return. The world's advancements slipped backwards for a long time and they're only now beginning to recover. During this time of chaos, we walked the earth as our divine selves. Understandably, this also caused a lot of problems due to the multitude of religions your people had established. There were wars, droughts, plagues, and famine. The population shrank, but eventually, things stabilized as people became accustomed to their new reality. It was not all doom and gloom, though. Though our influence magic returned to this world as it had been long ago. Unfortunately, this also led to another period of chaos where our gifts were too strong for humanity to wield and control themselves, so we limited them. You remember games, correct?"

Annita nodded dumbly. She was trying to take in everything the Goddess was telling her, but a lot of it was too much for her to really fully grasp or have any emotional reaction to. It didn't help she kept having to pull her eyes up from the gorgeous breasts that rose and fell with the Goddess' breath. Orenous' eyes twinkled now and then when she caught Annita's attention drifting, but she never made a comment on it.

"Well, good, because this world has some new rules to it. Magic abounds but is bound to people's chosen Paths. These Paths are many and varied, but also serve to make the people stronger, better at what they seek to accomplish. Say an artist strives to create better and better masterpieces. Depending on the time and effort spent on this Path they will gain skills and physical attributes to help further their goals. Better color acuity, increased finger dexterity, more strength if they happen to be a sculptor. You get the idea. This is true for all living beings in this world. Well, save one, but we'll get there too. I'm sorry dear, this is a lot, but I promise you'll appreciate it soon."

"I... is there like, paper or something I could write this all down on?" Annita asked, mind thoroughly overloaded with information.

"No, sorry, but rest assured that this new world you will be walking soon will help contextualize it enough. Continuing, there was one other gift we gave to the people of this world. Seeds of our divine nature, places that embodied who we are as deities. There are quite a few of these, so they were scattered around the world. Some larger, some smaller, depending on the breadth of our influence. Well, something happened in the last, what was it, two thousand years or so? Something that cut us off from these gifts and began changing them. What were once places of divine influence slowly became warped. Things that entered them changed irrevocably. It was subtle at first, small things. Some were even beneficial. The singular human race became many races, a few that you would even draw analogues to fantasy stories. Longer lives for some, stronger bodies for others, there are a multitude of changes present, even today. Then, nine hundred and twenty-four years ago, the subtle became overt and malicious. Changes were quick, rampant, and deadly. Warping the creatures and people who entered the Seeds into unspeakable monstrosities. Their minds were broken, their flesh twisted, and a madness drove them to an endless rage."

"This, above all else, is why I have called you to speak with me, and incidentally, how you survived this long. When you were in the hospital, dear Annita, languishing in your coma, was when we returned. It also happened that one of our Seeds was planted nearby. Mine, actually."

"Hold on, have a question!" Annita's had shot up as if she was back in school. "If these Seeds were your influence and your gifts, didn't you know what was in them? Why was I left alone? You have domain over the mind, right? Couldn't you have woken me up? While I still had my family around? What the hell? You're a Goddess, right? You've got all that power and you couldn't fix me? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

A sadness fell over Orenous' face as Annita's anger flared. "I apologize, my child. I know you will not believe this, but I thought this was for the best. To not see your family and friends thrown into chaos, to sleep peacefully. A mercy. I will be the first to admit that we, the Gods, are fallible. I believed what I was doing was for the best."

Annita was fuming. This bitch had taken her whole life from her, her choice to remain with her parents, her pets, her brothers and sister. They were all just gone, and this woman was the one responsible. The urge to strike out flared, but just as she was about to act on it, she felt a pressure on her mind push the feeling down.

"I truly understand, my child, the anger that pushes you, but now is not the time. In fact, our time here grows somewhat short. You have been a singular existence for some time. Even my Seed has been corrupted, but I somehow never lost my connection with you. You slept and slept, never changing, never aging. When the corruption finally reached you, I did my best to prevent it from influencing you overmuch, but your body has changed. Let me show you."

With a wave of Orenous' hand, the TV suddenly leapt to life with a hiss of static. On the screen was a woman. Tall, strong, lithe, and unmistakably beautiful. Tan, almost brown skin that was as flawless as Orenous' own flesh. Her hair was dark iron grey that shone with a luster that Annita had never achieved. Adorning the top of her head were a pair of fluffy wolf's ears standing at attention. Her face was fierce, with defined cheekbones and a pronounced jaw. Set in those features were piercing green eyes under a pair of thick eyebrows of the same color as her hair. Looking closer, she could see defined abs and thigh muscles as the figure rotated. Sharp claw-like nails tipped her fingers and her legs ended in paws rather than feet. Annita almost fell out of her chair as the full front of the woman was revealed. Well proportioned breasts with dark nipples adorned her chest, but that wasn't what hit her. It was the cock. The eleven inch, as best she could guess, cock that was in between the woman's thighs. Situated right below a nice tuft of the same iron-grey hair. She couldn't see any testicles, though, but the image wasn't at an angle she could get a good look.

"You have got to be fucking with me." She looked up at Orenous for confirmation as her jaw hung open. "That's ME?"

"Yes." Orenous intoned, with a hint of worry in her voice. "I know it's a lot. For what it is worth I do find the alterations you went through to be somewhat of an improvement myself. I certainly wouldn't mind inhabiting a figure like that."

"Yeah, well, you're a God, so you've got to be used to different bodies! I've only had the one! This... that? That's a lot. How the hell am I, just, I mean. It's not bad, but still!" Annita couldn't help her fluster. She definitely liked what she was seeing, but couldn't imagine herself being what she saw. If that woman had approached her, she'd be a shivering mess of desire, and now that woman was her.

Orenous scoffed at her fluster. "Darling, it's fantastic. And considering you're to be my sponsored champion, I think it will help you fit the bill wonderfully. We need to keep our talk moving, though. As we speak, your body is moving. No harm will come to you, I promise, but I am having it moved out of the Seed. Once it reaches safety in a place near others, you'll regain consciousness, so time is of the essence now."

She leaned down and picked Annita up with surprising ease, and placed her back on the couch. "Last part of our talk, I promise. Your mission. Your representation of my influence. I need you to look further into what is causing this corruption. Since we Gods are cut off from the affected areas, we grant minor blessings of protections through our churches to the mortals who wish to explore them. You will be different. You will have my full backing as my personal emissary to the world. The choice of paths for you will be subsequently narrowed to allow you to focus on this task."

"So I don't get a choice in this?" Annita blurted out. "You're talking like this has already been decided but I haven't said yes to any of this."

"Sweet child. I know your mind better than anyone. Maybe even you. You do get to say yes or no to this, but I know what you will choose."

Annita crossed her arms, trying her best to look defiant. "I... OK, fine, you're not wrong. It sure beats the eternity in nothingness, I guess. Fine. OK. So how's this champion thing going to work?"

Orenous smiled, leaning back as Annita accepted. "Well, there will be responsibilities. You will be representing me among the mortals, and I expect you to declare who you are, though you can leave out the whole from the before times part if you'd like. I'll leave the rest to your skills and intuition. You have the tools you need to grow, plus a little extra. Just don't forget to have fun along the way. With a body like that?" She gestured at the screen. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Annita flushed deeply at the implication that the Goddess of love had basically just given her the go ahead to fuck people. She nodded, eyes trying to avoid the smirk that spread across Orenous' lips.

"Well, time's up. Someone is nearing your resting place. Ooh, I think you'll be in good hands with this one." Another giggle, somehow more beautiful than the last. "Very good hands. Oh, and I'll see you later. You're not getting away from me that easy." With a wink, Orenous reached out, tapped Annita's nose, and the world went black once more.

Chapter 3: Hello World

Annita slowly began to rouse. Her face scrunched up as she felt the cold in her limbs. Not a bad feeling necessarily, but a bit cooler than she liked it. Slowly, she opened an eye, bleary and apparently unaccustomed to the surrounding light. She was lying on a snowbank in what looked like a completely wrecked room. No one else was there, at least for now. She sleepily remembered that Orenous had said she'd wake up when someone friendly was near. Guess they were a bit further away than she thought they might be.

Sitting up, she reached up, stretching her stiff back and arms as far as they could go. She noticed that they felt lighter and more responsive than they had in her dream-state. She pulled them down to admire her new body, turning them this way and that, admiring the perfectly tanned skin and sharp nails. Looking down, she ran her hands over the rest of herself, pausing briefly as a jolt ran through her when her fingers brushed her nipples. They were definitely more sensitive than they used to be. "Goddess of Love, huh? I bet you had a hand in some of these changes." She muttered as she kept examining herself. She felt strong, stronger than she had ever been as a human. It felt good as she stood up and went through a few stretches she learned during her time practicing martial arts to try to stay fit.

Then she got to the part she was trying to avoid noticing. Her hands wandered between her legs and brushed up against her new anatomy. A shock of unfamiliar sensation jolted through her and elicited a surprised gasp. "Ah, wow, that's really, really sensitive." Her hand slowly rose as her, God, wait, no, Gods, that was going to take some getting used to, cock rose the more she felt it. Flushing, she continued to run her fingers up and down the member as it continued to grow until it reached its full, proud length. "Oh, oh, that feels so good." She took a minute to admire the thing that was now attached to her pelvis. It was thick, long, and had a slight upward curve. Despite being so incredibly huge, it seemed sleek, the veins that traced its length subtle, being mostly coloration under the rock hard flesh. As she did, she heard a swishing behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her tail swinging side to side animatedly. Normally, she would have wondered at this, but her mind was somewhat preoccupied. Turning back to the matter in hand, she delicately traced the thin blue lines of her veins with her fingertips, exploring her new member cautiously.

More by instinct than experience, she closed one hand, then the other gently around the flesh. It was almost too big to fit her hands around, but she managed. Carefully, slowly at first, she pulled her grip down the shaft, feeling the friction between her palms and cock. It sent a shiver down her spine as she repeated the motion back up her length. Annita quickly set into a rhythm and her hips eventually joined the symphony of new experiences. A moan escaped her lips as she began to feel a pressure slowly building in the pit of her stomach. Her movements became erratic, desperate as she writhed on the floor, pleasuring herself. Suddenly she brushed up against the underside of the swollen head one last time and her world turned white. Her muscles contracted, spasming beyond her control, and thick white jets of cum sprayed forth from her with a loud moan. She kept her hands where they were, almost scared to move them lest they elicit more of this intense sensation.

Slowly, panting, Annita collapsed on the floor, looking over at the sticky mess of cum that painted the floor. The melted snow clearly showed how much she had exploded. "That's... oh, wow. That's a LOT." She mumbled to herself.

"Oh, I, er, I guess I should give ye some privacy. Sorry." A sudden voice from the direction of the door snapped Annita out of her post-orgasmic bliss with the force of an ice bucket being thrown on her. Whirling her head to the sound, she saw a woman peering in, long brown hair hanging down over her chest and what looked like a well used set of leather armor.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry." Annita scrambled to cover herself with her hands, finding them completely inadequate for her new proportions, and recover some of her completely ruined modesty. "I... I didn't know anyone was still here. I'm so sorry. I just. Oh man." She felt her cheeks and ears burning, which brought a whole new realm of new feelings, as the ears burning weren't on the sides of her head, but up top.

"No, no, maybe I was rude not to knock? Ye, eh, finish up whatever yer doin' and we'll be downstairs." The woman turned and left, but not before she glanced down and over at the mess Annita had made.

"I'm such an idiot." Annita groaned as she buried her face in her hands. First thing waking up from a five thousand year nap, she had masturbated and embarrassed herself in front of someone. How was she supposed to keep living if this was how she was going to start? Stupid stupid stupid! After wallowing in self pity for a few minutes she shook herself, took a deep breath, and stood again. As she did, she noticed a trickle running down her inner thighs. Cocking an eyebrow, she bent down and wiped it up her thigh. Following it to the source, she gasped as she brushed against familiar flesh. "Well, at least you're still here, old friend." She straightened and took a step toward the door.

A cacophonous crunching rang in her ears, and her reflexes launched her into a deep crouch, bracing for something to crash into the room. After a few seconds of nothing happening and her new hackles begging to fall back against her neck and back, she relaxed. "What was that?" She took another step, and the crunching roared back again. "Oh, oh God, Gods, I can hear that?" she gasped as she took another step. Annita stood still, stiller than she ever had, and listened. She could hear the soft rush of air as she breathed, the gentle swish of her tail as it moved on its own, the sound of snow shifting on the roof above, some skittering creatures under the floorboards, and in the distance murmured words. She felt her ears twitching from side to side, tracking each of the noises by pure instinct. It was the strangest feeling not having control over some part of her body. "How the heck did I not hear that woman coming?" she mused before concluding that she was just lost in orgasmic bliss and wasn't paying attention. "Ugh, this is going to take more getting used to than I thought. Couldn't have had a normal body, noooo." She kept griping to herself as she left the room, following the sounds of conversation down the stairs and to the opposite side of what seemed to be a massive mansion.

Easing up to the large doors at the end of the hall, she realized she didn't even need to press her ear to the door to overhear what was being said on the other side.

"Come on Kat, you are being awful cagey about this." A male voice said with an annoyed huff.

"Like I said, she's fine. She'll be fine. She's probably going tae be down here shortly. Since when were you such a gossiping ninny Bren?"

Ah, the woman. Seems like she had a friend with her. Annita's nerves flared. She was already severely humiliated and now she'd be meeting two people, buck naked, in a new body she wasn't even used to. She walked around in a couple of panicked circles, looking for something to make her feel better, but the bare walls and empty hall provided no comfort. "Well, this is the best I've got. Orenous, if you're listening, clothes would have been really nice." She whispered to the void. "This'll have to do." She took her tail and tucked it between her thighs and up over what she could cover of her nether regions. "All right. Hello world."

She knocked softly. The hushed conversation stopped immediately, and she gently pushed the door open, only slightly surprised that it was unlocked. Ducking her head under the eaves, she stepped into the room. The woman and a shorter man were sitting next to a cozy fire in the hearth. They had equipment pushed off to the side and a couple of recently used bedrolls they were sitting on. "Uh, hi?" Annita grinned as disarmingly as she could. At the sight of the flinch from the other two, that didn't seem to work.

"Lordie, you've got a set of chompers on ya lassie." The woman gasped before collecting herself. Annita was surprised to hear the accent had survived the few thousand years, but tucked that question away for later. "Well, go on and take a sit girlie. Take me blanket, might allow you to keep... some modesty." Annita gratefully took the blanket. It covered some, but she had to settle for it covering her lower body. Taking a moment, she rubbed her cheeks and felt large canines instead of her normal human teeth. She really needed a mirror.

"So, what brings ye to be nappin' out here in the no-man's-land? Er, pardon, the name's Katlyn. This nervous wreck here is Bren." Katlyn jestured to the timid-looking man seated next to her. Taking a good look at the two of them, Annita almost thought them siblings, but for two distinct differences. They both had chocolate brown hair, pale skin, and similar eyes. The disparity was in their ears and eyebrows. Katlyn had pointed, long ears that trailed out a couple inches back from where a normal person's ears would stop while Bren had typical human ears. Bren had very bushy eyebrows that didn't really fit his more slight build, while Katlyn had sharp thin streaks interrupted by a scar on each.

Bren was a slight man with a nervous look in his eyes. Clearly not someone who was used to hard physical labour, but active enough to be lean and healthy. He sat beside some heavier robe looking clothing, but was currently in light breeches and a loose shift. He met Annita's eyes and quickly turned away, blushing furiously.

Katlyn had a fighter's build. Strong arms and core visible even under her loose shirt. The armor she was in was tossed to the side, but kept close at hand. Annita thanked Orenous for that since it also gave her a good look at the woman's well proportioned chest. It fit her body and build perfectly, not large, but shapely and perky.

"Ye like what ye see?" Annita snapped back to reality as she was teased.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I mean sorry?" The heat in her cheeks rose further and further.

"Nothin' to be sorry about, girlie. Bit rude to be oglin' without givin' your name, though." A cheeky Katlyn's face as she grinned up at Annita. "And take a seat. Ye look nervous as a cat in a room full o' rockin' chairs."

"Right, um, I'm Annita. Annita Kronforst Nice to meet the two of you." Annita sat cross-legged, covering her lap with the blanket. As close as she was, she got a better look at the other two. Bren had sparkling blue eyes that shifted into a light grey toward the edges. They almost seemed to change colors with the light through various shades of blue and grey as he continued his attempts to not look directly at Annita. Katlyn, on the other hand had golden eyes with flecks of red-orange. Annita had to pull her gaze away before she was stuck staring again.

"So, back to the question, what are ye doin' all the way out here with what looks like no gear, no food, no clothes? Not exactly normal circumstances if ye catch my meanin'." Katlyn sat back on the palms of her hands, looking over expectantly.

"Well, I." Annita paused. She hadn't really considered what she was going to tell people about her origins. Orenous had told her that telling other people that she was a being out of time would probably be a bad idea, but she couldn't really explain her situation all that clearly. What would these two think if she lied, or if she was honest? The anxiety crawled in her gut as she thought, before deciding her course. "I'm... not really sure. I don't remember much before waking up here. I was walking, I'm not sure why, and when I was tired, I found this place and passed out in the room upstairs."

Katlyn's eyes narrowed. Annita tried to remain confident, but it was increasingly difficult under the scrutiny of the blazing gaze. Bren, to his credit, had also turned to listen and took his time contemplating her response more thoughtfully.

"It is not unheard of." Bren spoke slowly, clearly still thinking over his response. "But usually it is caused by some sort of trauma to the head, causing damage to the brain and memory loss. Usually magic can heal that with time, but you do not appear to have any such trauma. Would you mind if I examine your head for a moment?"

Annita looked at him, and then to Katlyn, wordlessly asking a question.

"He's a healer. Got some defensive magic to 'im too. If there's something medically wrong with ye, he should be able to suss it out right quick," Katlyn offered, shifting to put her elbows on her knees, hunching forward as she continued to scrutinize Annita.

"Oh, um, ok. Go ahead." Annita sat up and stock still while Bren moved around her, his prior hesitance quickly fading as he began his examination. Even with his almost clinical attention, she had to admit his fingers in her hair felt nice.

After a few minutes of prodding and mumbling to himself, Bren re-took his seat on his bedroll. "There is nothing that I could find that could be causing this. It might be magical in nature, however, that would require an Arcanist to determine."

Katlyn seemed to relax slightly at the words. "All right then. Guess we won't be gettin' those answers here. So, Annita, ye got yer Path yet? Wait, no, stupid question. Bad memory. Sorry. Take a second. Focus on somethin' flat like yer palm. Think about yer Path. It should show up there if ye've got one."

"Like this?" Annita held her palm up in front of her face.

"Aye, that'll do. Now just breathe and think."

Annita focused. Orenous had described Paths like a game's class. She took the assumption and ran with it. Focusing on her palm, she tried to project something onto it. Anything. After a moment, she saw a shimmering silver window appear in front of her. It followed her hand as she moved it around, catching Katlyn grinning at her out of the corner of her eye. Blushing, she read the text that appeared before her.

Name: Annita Kronforst

Age: 23

Race: Lupine (Warped)

Path: Unknown

Title: Chosen of Orenous

Racial Skills:

Cold Resistance: Reduced damage from cold effects. Comfortable in colder climates.

Keen Hearing: Able to hear sounds from greater distances with greater clarity.

Natural Weapons: Claws and teeth are considered weapons for any skills that would affect weapons.

Endurance Hunter: +2 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Stamina

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one's progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer's Path.

Additionally provides +3 to Faith.

Strength: 12

Intellect: 10

Dexterity: 15

Faith: 13

Stamina: 15

Mind: 10

Endurance: 10

Resilience: 10

"Aye, looks like ye've got it. Keep in mind while we can't see what you see, ye do look mighty silly goin' all bogeyed at your hand." Katlyn flashed a bright grin. "Some things yer maw and paw shoulda told ya: That there is a gift from the Gods. Helps us figure out what to do with our lives, but isn't all telling. Ye can start over, sets ya right back to the beginning, but it takes a lot of work and commitment to do so. Big changes take big effort. Second is that it's generally considered private information. Normally yer parents woulda been the first ye'd share this with, but seein' as yer brain is puddin', that's gonna have to be skipped."

Annita kept staring at her screen. The racial skills seemed pretty nice for her current situation, and the skill that Orenous seems to have given her was absurdly powerful. She started to wonder how it could improve from there. Statistically? Or would there be more effects? "She wasn't kidding when she compared it to a game." She mumbled to herself.

"What was tha'?" Katlyn cocked an ear, the long point bouncing slightly. Annita was taken off guard by how surprisingly cute the motion was.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Don't worry about it. Thanks for the information. I, well, I don't know what a lot of this means. It doesn't look like I have a Path quite yet. Does everyone have a set of stats like this?" Annita dismissed the sheet and returned to focusing on the room and people she was with.

"Oh, aye. That's the basics. Strength and Dexterity are what ye think they are. Not much to explain there. Ah, except that both Strength and Dexterity will increase how fast you can move, just in different ways. Bigger muscles, faster movement, bigger jumps, that kinda thing. Dexterity focused Paths are more about the reflexes, generally quick to act and react." Annita nodded along, trying to retain this information as best she could while Katlyn continued. "Stamina and Mind are kinda two sides of a coin. Stamina is just how long you can be up and exerting yerself. Mind is the limit of yer magic. A whole bunch o' nuances there Bren here could probably get into, but I don't give a toss about. Same shit with the Intellect and Faith stat. Magic of different kinds. Don't ask me, never cared to get into it. Endurance and Resilience, well, you get what I'm about to say, yeah?"

Annita nodded. "Yeah, physical toughness and magic resistance, right, Katlyn?"

"Atta girl. At least there's somethin' left in that gourd of yers."

"Heh, thanks. So I guess all that's really left is my Path, which is showing 'Unknown' right now. How do I go about getting that?"

Katlyn sighed, looking over at Bren, who nodded in some unspoken understanding. He sat forward while Katlyn took a back seat for the next part. "Well, that is going to be the interesting portion. Generally a person's Path is discovered over their lives. People who grow up farming will generally gain a Path that helps them with what they know. To be frank, you not having acquired a Path at your age is extremely rare. Rare enough that it is likely we will need to force the issue. Our journey back to the outpost and further, likely back to Graven Keep, will be somewhat dangerous. I do not wish to be rude, however, you would be a liability on this trip."

"Hey, we can look after 'er," Katlyn chided.

"Can you really say as much after what happened to Artyom?" Bren raised his voice for the first time in this conversation. "We are all trained, we have our paths, and he still died." Katlyn's ears drooped at his response. Her fierce features faltering into something that looked like shame.

"No, no. I understand," Annita blurted. Something had clearly happened, and she didn't quite like the look on Katlyn's face. She'd seen that hurt. This wasn't the time to be prodding that trauma. "So, how do we 'force the issue'?"

Katlyn tossed Annita an appreciative look before sitting up again. "That's the easy part. Gotta get some experience under yer belt. Speaking of, here." She rummaged in her pack for a minute before pulling out a belt, what looked like a sheet of canvas of some sort, and a spare blanket. "Give me a minute. Can't have ye walkin around all nekkid."

Using her knife and some spare strips of leather, Katlyn managed to fashion a rough open backed halter top from the blanket and used the belt to affix the canvas to Annita's hips in a makeshift long skirt. Once in place, she cut an opening, which he fed Annita's tail through. "Ye don't seem to mind the cold, so at least we don't have to consider that. How's it feelin'?"

Annita took herself through the same series of stretches she did upon waking up. The cloth kept tight to her, slightly restricting her chest when she bent over backwards, but the rest allowed for a full range of motion. "It feels great. Thank you Katlyn."

"Ah, call me Kat, all me friends do and I feel like that's gonna include you soon. Come with me. We're gonna spar a bit." With that, she turned and left the room, clearly expecting Annita to follow.

"Kat, got it." Annita briefly waved at Bren, who responded with a dismissive wave of his own before hurrying after Kat.

Chapter 4: Show Me Your Moves

Annita followed Kat through the mansion, trailing slightly behind. It was a quiet walk before they got outside, facing the bracing chill of the winter snowscape. There was a small courtyard with what looked like it used to be a fountain in the middle. It wasn't much more than a few stones in a circle now, and snow covered everything in a soft, amorphous blanket. To the left there was a thicket of black trees, leaves long since gone to the winter's cold. The skies were overcast but the steely grey clouds were bright and the snow made things brighter, reflecting the surrounding light. Kat led her to the right side of the fountain, where there was a good amount of clear ground.

"Sorry about tha' in there," Kat said suddenly. "We lost a teammate just before gettin' here. Tae be honest. I'm surprised Bren's holdin' it together as well as he is." She let out a deep sigh, raising her eyes to the grey, clouded skies. "Hells I'm mostly only keepin' it together for 'im. Someone's gotta have their head on their shoulders."

"I'm so sorry," Annita said as she drew closer to Kat, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I can't say I understand, but, yeah."

"Oh, aye. Not somethin' you really can until it happens to ye. Ugh, well," she shook herself and took a step away, causing Annita's hand to fall to her side. "let's get to less depressin' things. First off, ya remember anything about fightin'?"

"Hmm, I think there's something in this brain, but not much." It wasn't really a lie. She remembered her martial arts, but it was vague. "I know how to throw a punch. Maybe how to grapple a little?"

"Well, good enough to start on. Shame it aint anythin' weapon based. Coulda used me sword and shield for tha'. Fair warnin', I've got twelve levels in me Path. It's not high, but it's enough this won't be fair. Don't hold back. Any accidents that do happen, Bren can patch us up. Any questions?"

"Rules? Tap out or stop on unconsciousness?" Annita took a couple steps back, bouncing on her paws, feeling her body loosen as she got ready. She shook her arms and one leg at a time, rolling her neck to try to get as much stiffness out as she could.

"Unconscious. Ta get ya the most out of this, it's gotta be as real as we can get. Ye get to count it down. Remember, no holdin' back."

Kat stretched herself and Annita couldn't help but take a moment to admire her body. It really was a fantastic body. Muscles rippled under her taugt skin as she moved.

"Ready when you are," Kat said, seemingly noticing Annita's gaze and grinning mischievously.

"Then here we go." Annita took a deep breath. "Three, two, one," she charged.

Katlin seemed to stand perfectly still, waiting to see what she did. She rushed up and aimed a closed fist at the smaller woman's stomach. With seeming ease, Kat had caught her fist right before she made contact. Annita jumped back on instinct, paws sliding slightly in the snow.

"Good. Actually excellent for someone with no Path to help 'em. Ya sure you're unleveled?"

"Yeah. Certain." Annita shook her hand, flexing the fingers before she moved back in. She leveled a kick at Kat's ankle, which the fighter deftly moved her foot away from before striking back. An impact that rattled her teeth hit Annita's shoulder and spun her away from her target.

"No holdin' back." Kat reminded her.

"Yeah, gotcha." Annita growled. Kat was fast, she had to try to be either tricky, or faster. She came in again with another punch, trying to aim at Kat's head before she ducked and wrapped her arms around the other woman's waist. Pushing hard, she was surprised to find Kat knocked off her feet. A soft grunt met her ears as they hit the snow. Trying to press her advantage, Annita tried to move and restrict Kat's arms, but never got a chance.

Immediately upon landing, Kat went on the offensive, raining a flurry of blows up at Annita. She got her arms up in front of her as fast as she could, but a few strikes hit her chest, almost knocking the wind out of her. Even with her arms blocking she wasn't faring much better. She could tell each and every blow was going to be a bruise, but it was better than nothing. Realizing this wasn't going to work out, she rolled off Kat and scrabbled to her hands and... paws? Somehow, it was far more comfortable for her to be in this position than it had been. Perks of the new body, she guessed.

Slowly, Annita circled Kat as the woman, in a show of physical ability, launched herself off her back and to her feet. She settled into a boxer's stance as she watched Annita's movements. Suddenly Kat was on her, punching down at her back she'd unexpectedly exposed in the stance she'd taken. A loud thud echoed through Annita's ears. Pain radiated from the impact as she hit the ground with a grunt, completely prone.

Using her until now forgotten claws on her hands and paws, Annita scrabbled forward desperately, trying to make it more awkward for Kat to hit her. She clawed up the woman's legs, gripping around her waist again, digging her claws in. She grinned as she got a hiss of pain from Kat and began to squeeze.

"Oh, gonna try it like that, are ye?" Kat laughed as she looked down at Annita. "Let's make it fair then."

Suddenly Annita felt herself being lifted, her claws scraping against flesh, before Kat's arms hooked under hers. She looked up and saw a competitive gleam shining back from the fighter's eyes as she got in position.

Then Annita felt the arms around her squeeze. It was like a vice, or an anaconda. She struggled and twisted, feeling her body being slowly crushed as she tried to do the same to Kat. Air began to slowly leave her body bit by bit, her vision beginning to fade. Desperate, she opened her mouth and sunk her elongated teeth into Kat's shoulder. The experienced fighter didn't even flinch as Annita tasted blood for the first time in this life. It was no use. Slowly, painfully, her world went black.

Annita groaned as she felt feeling return to her body. She wished it'd go away again, but she winced and opened her eyes. A familiar silver window opened up in the corner of her vision.

Level Up!

Path unlocked. Please make your selection from the following choices:

"Hey, how're ya feelin' there?" Kat was sitting at her side in the snow. Her shirt was ruined, torn up its back and with a bloody bite mark on her shoulder. Curiously, she wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Like I got put into a corset by a gorilla." Annita tried to sit up, but her body just wouldn't let her. "You weren't kidding about this not being fair."

"Aye, Paths are some incredible things, and with a combat one like mine? Well, it's even less fair. So, did it work? Ya get a Path?" She looked down with those intense blue eyes that sent a shiver through Annita.

"Yeah, think I did. One minute."

"Take yer time. It's a big decision."

Annita turned her attention back to the silver screen floating in her vision.

Level Up!

Path unlocked. Please make your selection from the following choices:

Shameless Exhibitionist

Congratulations on your new lease on life! Strangely, your first act was getting caught in a compromising position. Clearly you must like eyes on you. This class will help continue this experience, drawing the eyes of others while helping you and anyone else involved get away with activities.

Feral Scrapper

You may lack experience, but you make up for it with ferocity. Biting, clawing, kicking, scraping? Anything goes for you! Learn to let loose the beast within and bring your enemies low, using your body's natural advantages in more ways than one.

Warrior of Orenous

A warrior sponsored by the Goddess Orenous. As the Goddess of love and emotion, she would prefer you spend your time living and loving those around you. However, the time calls for action. However, your path will be long, and the road hard. You will not want for entertaining options as well.

Pervert of Orenous

You are sponsored by the Goddess Orenous herself. Through your actions, you have made it clear that you are here for your own enjoyment. Enhanced by a Goddess' powers, you will be more alluring and enchanting to those you wish. Gain skills and abilities influencing the minds and bodies of others to further your goals.

Strangely, there was a box next to the third option. Focusing on it for a moment, it expanded.

Hello child. While the last option may be tempting, I urge you to choose this one. It will fit your personality and goals the best.

"Well, those sure are some choices," Annita grumbled.

Kat quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Bad choices?"

"Kinda? At least one of them definitely. Useless outside of, uh, specific situations." Annita could feel her cheeks burning as she spoke. The thought of the Path excited her, but it wasn't going to help her survive. "The next two seem combat focused, with the third being more of a mixed bag? The last one is another strange one. I can see it being useful in some circumstances, but isn't really something I see myself taking."

"Well, it's a real personal decision you've got to make. Take some time, but you will need to make it before we leave here. Bren and I want to make some ground before the day is done." Kat patted her on her shoulder. "And, erm," a hint of a blush crept up the woman's long ears, "if ye want a second opinion, I'm all ears."

"Was... was that a pun?" Annita's voice was full of incredulity as she looked at her long-eared companion.

"Oh, aye, one of me favorites," Kat laughed heartily as she flopped back in the snow next to Annita. "But seriously. Yer in a vulnerable state not havin' yer memory and whatnot. I'm happy to help how'ere I can."

"Thanks." Annita turned back to her choices.

Exhibitionist is right out, no question. I guess I can see Pervert of Orenous being useful in some situations. It'd probably be useful, if I were getting into politics or something like that. Man, bending the minds and hearts of others, dangerous stuff. Yeah, don't want to touch that. Moving on.

I guess these two are both more about fighting, would probably help get me out of this situation. She rolled onto her side, facing Kat as she thought about her choices silently. Feral Scrapper is probably because of the fight we just went through. It seems interesting. All about my body? More about the wolf parts of me, and getting more out of it? Sounds really interesting now that I think about it. And would that include my cock? Shit, shut up horny brain. No wonder I got the other two options.

This last one, though, Warrior of Orenous. It seems like it's tailor made for what she wanted me to be doing here. Even comes with a recommendation from the Goddess herself. Yeah, sure, fuck it. Kat said I could get it changed later if I really wanted to.

"All right." Annita let out a sigh and tapped the air where Warrior of Orenous hovered. A brief flash filled her vision, causing her to blink rapidly.

"Yeah, probably shoulda' warned ye about the flash. At least it only happens once." Kat chuckled as she watched Annita try to clear the afterimages burned into her eyes.

"Gee thanks." Annita responded wryly.

"Well, now that ye've got yer Path chosen, check out yer screen. Shoulda updated with it."

Doing as directed, Annita mentally pulled up her status screen. "Well, that's interesting."

Name: Annita Kronforst

Age: 23

Race: Lupine (Warped)

Path: Warrior of Orenous

Title: Chosen of Orenous

--------------------------------------------------------------

Racial Skills:

Cold Resistance: Reduced damage from cold effects. Comfortable in colder climates.

Keen Hearing: Able to hear sounds from greater distances with greater clarity.

Natural Weapons: Claws and teeth are considered weapons for any skills that would affect weapons.

Endurance Hunter: +2 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Stamina

--------------------------------------------------------------

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one's progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer's Path.

Additionally provides +3 to Faith.

Health Points: 150/150

Strength: 12

Intellect: 10

Dexterity: 15

Faith: 18

Stamina: 15

Mind: 20/20

Endurance: 12

Resilience: 12

Libido: 0/100

Desire: 0/30

Path Skills

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive:

Weapon Proficiency: Light weapons and small firearms.

Armor Proficiency: Medium Armor

Health Points: Stat has been unlocked.

Libido: Stat has been unlocked. Increases by 5/hour. Once full, sexual inhibitions will be greatly reduced until release is achieved.

Desire: Stat has been unlocked. Gained through relations with trusting partners.

Stat Increases: +5 to Faith, +10 to Mind, +2 to Endurance, +2 to Resilience

Compatibility: You're a large lady, in more ways than one. This will help make sure things go smoothly in your conquests.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Active:

Stoke the Flames: Consume 10 desire points to inflame the target, incensing a heightened emotion of your choice for 1 minute.

Smite of Orenous: Enhance an attack to deal additional Holy damage. Adds 20% of current Faith to the attack. Cost: 10 Mind.

"Of course it's weirder than I thought it would be," Annita groaned, covering her eyes.

"Hm? Somethin' wrong with the Path?" Kat's voice was more curious than concerned as she leaned closer. Annita was suddenly reminded how close they were, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Uh, no, not really? It's strange. It seems like it's a mix of fighter and magic user? I'm not really sure what to make of it. And there're some stats on this screen that are, uh, problematic to say the least."

"Problematic how? As in dangerous to others or just frustratin' to use?"

"The latter, definitely. Honestly, it might be easier for me to show you. Wait, can I even do that?" Annita looked up to see Kat blushing furiously, at a loss for words for once. "Did I say something wrong? I know this is supposed to be private, but you're the only one who's around that I can really talk about this with. Especially with how some of this, uh, Gods, works."

Kat took a second to recollect herself, but the blush did not fade, and was starting to incite a blush in Annita as well. "Oh, yeah, definitely. And definitely private, and personal, and, well, sharing means a great deal of trust. Are ye sure?"

"I think I am?" Annita responded slowly. "How do I do it? And uh, don't hate me?"

"Just put yer hand on me cheek and think about the Screen. And why would I hate... oh, oh!" She stumbled over her words as Annita followed her instruction.

"Orenous? How the bloody, shite suckin' Hells did you wind up with a class dedicated to 'er? Not to mention a title to boot? Who the hell are ye, lassie? That shite aint normal. Not even rare. That's," Kat looked like she was about to explode, her previous embarrassment completely forgotten. "Feck. It's not important right now. The rest of it is. Gods, now I know why you asked me not to hate ye."

"Yeah, sorry. Not like I knew that was coming with this." Annita rolled back onto her back to stare back up at the sky. "I'm as surprised as you are."

"Clearly not! Yer way too calm. Wait, amnesiac, right! UGH!" she shouted again with frustration.

"I've gotta fill ye in later. Once we're back in a modicum of safety. We're gonna talk about yer race too. Yer pretty exceptional 'n all, but Warped isn't somethin' I've seen or heard of attached like that. Not with yer sanity. Fer now, ye've got weapon proficiency, ye've got yer health points, ye've got a good boost to yer physical stats, and yer magic ain't nothin' to sneeze at neither. Ye're an all rounder. It'll help get ye outta 'ere an' back to the outpost fer sure. Gods damnit woman. Ye've got the looks and a bonkers class to go with it." Kat flailed in a small tantrum, tossing snow around and over Annita.

"Hey, hey, wasn't my choice to be given this," Annita laughed as she tried to block some of the snow. "So, you're cool with the, well, other parts of the Path?"

"What the fuckin'? Oh, aye, tha's fine. Er, wait, are ye propositionin' me?" Kat stopped thrashing, focusing on Annita with an almost offended look.

"No! Nonononono. I would, I mean, I wouldn't never, but I just, uh. Fuck. I don't know." Annita melted into a pile of nerves and anxiety with a whine. She was pretty sure she already liked Kat. The woman's easy confidence relaxed her, making even fighting her seem pleasant. But she couldn't help thinking they'd just met about an hour ago. Was this too fast? She couldn't tell.

"Ah, I'm pullin' yer leg. Not like I wouldn't like a tumble with ye, but it's not been a day we've known each other." Much to Annita's relief, Kat's look softened back to normal. It seemed like the woman was of the same mind as her. The brunette with elven features stood and looked around. "All right, it's been a bit. Bren's probably worried sick about us. Let's head back in. Oh, and Annita?"

"Yeah?" Annita asked as she stood to follow Kat back into the mansion.

"Buy me dinner first." Kat giggled as she strode back into the building, leaving Annita stunned in the snow outside.

"Oh, so this is why you liked who was coming, isn't it?" she quietly said to the sky. "Goddesses I swear." With that, she trudged in and went to meet up with Bren, tail wagging softly behind her.

Chapter 5: The Pack

Kat wasn't kidding when she said they wanted to make good time. By the time she and Annita had gotten back to the fireplace room, Bren had already gotten most of their things packed up. Kat got to working on finishing up the last parts of it and re-donning her leather armor. Not having much to do, Annita stood to the side and watched.

"So," Bren spoke without turning from his duties, "did you manage to procure a Path?"

"Yeah, I guess I did. Though I'm not sure if it's a good one after the reaction Kat gave." Annita shrugged as she moved and sat down next to her companions.

"Aye, that's fuckin' right. It's a solid combat class. Got some other things fer 'er, too. 'S her business tae talk about though." Kat grunted as she strapped her bedroll to her backpack.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna keep that under wraps for the most part." Annita worried if this would offend Bren, since Kat clearly knew what her Path was. To his credit, he just glanced over at her, silver eyes searching her for more, but when he got nothing, he returned to his work.

While they were busy, Annita took some time to figure out her claws. Apparently they could retract like a cat's, but it seems like they retained the thickness of a dog's. The anatomy didn't really make sense as she watched them replace her fingernails and then go back. Taking an experimental scratch at the floor, they didn't hurt when she put pressure into the action.

While experimenting, Annita also noticed she'd stopped having issues with loud noises. She closed her eyes and listened. She could hear the clinking and rustling of Bren and Kat packing, but could hear a lot more. Soft creaks in the house, the wind down the hall coming in through the roof, the skitter of some small animal living in the walls. The world came alive in a way she'd never experienced before.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Kat leaning down. "Ye doin' all right?"

"Ah, yeah, was just listening," Annita sighed as she stood.

"I could tell. Yer ears were flickin' every which way. Interestin' to watch for sure. Hear anythin' interestin'?"

"No, not really. Just the sounds of the house. We ready to go?"

"Aye. C'mon, I'll give ya a hand." Kat said softly as she reached out.

Annita took her led stood. A quiet look between the three of them confirmed everyone was prepared.

They all stepped out into the overcast day and took in their surroundings.

"So, which way are we headed?" Annita asked.

"West, back behind the house. It will be the best path to the nearest outpost." Bren said in his clean cut way of speaking. "It would have been about a day's ride on the sledge, however, since that's out of the picture, I believe it will be around three days."

"Aye, providin' we don't run into any trouble, which is likely considering how close to the Seed we are. Annita, ye've got those ears, yeah? Keep listenin' for somethin' movin' out there. Anythin' bigger than a squirrel and let us know. Might be an animal, might be a Warped. Can never tell."

"Sorry, a Warped?" Annita cocked an ear in confusion.

"Aye, nasty beasties. I think I mentioned we lost Arty? Was to one of 'em. Creatures that're all sorts of wrong. Whole buncha' animals an' men all mashed together. That's the usual for 'em. I've heard o' more dangerous versions, smarter, but none of 'em should be outside the Seeds so at least we've got that goin' fer us."

"Until that assumption fails." Bren muttered.

"Ah hush. Let's get back to civilization before we get to mournin'. C'mon gloomyguts." Kat clapped Bren on the shoulder, causing the slighter man to stumble but also bringing a wan grin to his face.

The route Bren and Kat had chosen led into the woods behind the mansion. It was an untamed area full of dead underbrush and trees. Everything, as Annita was becoming used to, was covered in a few inches of snow. This seemed to bother her and Kat less than it did Bren, most likely due to their more physically focused Paths.

They walked for a couple hours until the sun was high in the sky, or as best they could tell with the cloud cover. Kat called a break and co-opted Annita into helping clear a small area of snow to rest. While they did so, Bren unpacked food and melted some snow for water. It wasn't good food, mostly hardtack and preserved fruits, but it was filling.

"So, what should I expect out of this outpost you two have mentioned?" Annita asked between bites.

"Oh, that is right, you wouldn't know," Bren replied, dusting some crumbs from his cloak. "It will not be a very hospitable place. It is mostly intended to house mercenaries and soldiers. It is surrounded by log walls about twelve feet high with a gate and guards. Inside, you will find an area for members of The Watch and other structures for others to sleep. There is a mess hall, and several official buildings. Rough, utilitarian, but it serves its purpose as a forward position well." With that, Bren went back to eating.

"So, sounds like it's kinda official. Would I be allowed in?" Annita took another bite.

"Oh, aye. If ye were like ye were when we found ye, then that'd be a problem. All nekkid. But as ye are? No problems at all. What ye are, mind, will draw some attention. There're some clans that have some level of bestial traits, but ye're a bit more than the others."

"That is correct." Bren picked up, "Most of the peoples who have taken on animal traits due to the Warping effect around the Seeds are generally minor. Ears, tails, teeth. Usually only a single trait. To have one such as yourself so extensively changed is a nigh unseen rarity. I am certain that scholars back in Indelholm would love to study your nature."

"Yeaaah, I'm gonna have to pass on that one," Annita blushed. "Not really keen on being poked and prodded all over. It's my body, as strange as it is."

"Oh, I quite agree with the sentiment. I simply meant to warn that it may come up if you visit. The changes the Warp invoke on the creatures of this world are a constant point of research. Normally someone with such extensive changes would have long since lost their mind and become a slavering, rage filled beast. But here you sit, conducting a proper conversation. I will admit my own intellectual curiosity has been piqued. However, I will not press if it causes you discomfort."

Annita scratched behind one ear, a wonderful feeling she'd been trying to chase whenever she could. "I mean, if you have some questions, I can't really promise an answer, but I can hear you out? Can't really say much if it feels normal, though."

"Oh, I quite understand," Bren said as he sat forward. "Well, let us start with this, then. Canines, by and large, are known for their fantastic sense of hearing and smell. You seem to have the ears. Do you share these senses?"

"Well, I definitely share the hearing. I've been listening since we started walking, but that's pretty normal for me. Seems to be about a hundred feet or so clearly, and from there, it falls off." Another half-lie. Again, nothing she felt great about but still was worried about how others would perceive her situation. "As for the smell, no, thankfully. I don't think I'd like being able to smell everyone and everything in a large radius around me."

"Ah, yes, I can imagine that would be off-putting. Then I suppose your eyes do not see the way they do as well? I understand that they have a limited perception of color based on the few I've met that had the trait."

"Yeah, full color here. From my experience, it seems the same as a human's?" It was hard trying to keep up the act that she hadn't been human before this.

"Well, that is probably a blessing. I could not imagine this life without being able to see the vibrancy of the world. Moving on, if you would permit, you seem to have the lower legs of your bestial kin. Is there anything special regarding them?"

"Uh, not that I can tell? I can run pretty quick, I guess, but otherwise they're just my feet."

"Hm, understood. Well, thank you for humoring me for the moment. Kat, do you have any questions for our new traveling partner?" He turned to Kat, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, nae, at least none ye've got the right tae be around fer." At a quizzical glance, she continued, "Girl talk ye twit."

"Oh!" Bren's cheeks colored quickly as he caught her implication. "Yes, of course. That would be a more private matter. But, yes, like I was saying, thank you Annita for being so open."

"You're welcome?" Annita shook her head. "Gotta say it's a bit weird being quizzed about my body. It's just been normal for all my life? Loud noises generally bother me, but I've gotten used to filtering it all out. I'm really not sure how much more I could give you for info. At least, not that I'm comfortable with." Annita hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them.

"Nae, it's fine darlin'. Must be terrible not knowin' much about yerself. At least you seem to know yer body, and how tae talk. That's a good starter." As she spoke, Kat shifted so she was leaning up against Annita, wrapping an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"Yeah, I guess. Also, thanks for helping me out. Don't know what I would have done with-" Annita cut off mid sentence as her ears twitched. Something bigger was approaching. She could hear the patter of what she thought might be paws, but wasn't quite sure.

"Ye ok?" Kat looked at her concernedly.

"Yeah, you remember that whole thing about listening for something bigger than squirrels? Yeah. It's got paws. I think I can hear breath, but I can't make out details."

"Ah shite, Bren, at the ready. We've got company." Kat tossed what was left of her rations aside and quickly strapped her shield to her right arm, gripping her sword in her left. Bren similarly stood and pulled out what looked like a wand from what Annita could see and began scanning the surrounding woods.

"Can ye tell where they're comin' from, Ann?" Kat asked, standing at full alert.

"Uh," Annita paused as she tried to pinpoint it, "that way." She pointed behind where Kat was currently facing.

"All right, good. Now ye don't have armor, or much in the way of strength. Stay behind me, try to help as best ye can, and keep whatever gets past me off Bren. Got it?"

"Got it." Annita confirmed, extending her claws and crouching low as she waited.

"All right, ye bawbags. We know yer there. Come on out and we can get this o'er with." Kat yelled into the woods while smacking her shield with her sword.

"A taunt." Bren explained from behind Annita. "Draws some attention to her. It will keep most of the enemies focused, but several are likely to come around to the sides."

Sure enough, as he spoke, six wolf-like creatures shuffled from the underbrush into the clearing. Annita recoiled slightly as she took in their forms. All of them had two heads, or, at least, sort of. It was more that they had one head split into two halves that seemed to be working independently. As they twisted and turned, she could see the inside of their mouths, nose, and throat. Slobber dripped out of the space for their mouths as they snarled at the group.

"Aye, that's right. C'mere ye mangy mutts." Kat goaded them further, continuing to make noise with her shield.

Several barks rang out and three rushed her at once, two flanked while the other took the front. As they neared her, Kat lunged and skewered the middle of the group with her sword, the body going limp almost immediately. The wolf on the right met her shield with a crunch of bone and desperately tried to work its way around the barrier.

As it did, the third got past Kat's sword and bit down hard on her armored leg. "Feck, gerrof me," she grunted as she kicked at it. Without full power from both halves of its jaw, it was launched free fairly easily. At least, that's what Annita assumed. It might just be that Kat was that strong. While she was preoccupied another twin headed wolf attempted to take the place of its dead companion.

"Hey, eyes up!" Bren called behind her, his hands moving as he cast some kind of magic.

Looking around, Annita saw that the remaining wolves had circled past Kat and were angling toward the rear of their group, meaning Bren. She turned and moved so she was in the path to intercept them and growled low in her throat. Surprised at such a familiar sound, the wolves hesitated for a moment, but that's what she needed.

Sprinting as quickly as she could, she sunk her claws into the chest of the leftmost wolf. Black ooze seeped over her hand as the beast writhed in pain. Pulling back, she barely caught the second wolf coming in for her legs. Instead, it got a good bite of her arm. Annita cried out in pain as she began to pummel the writhing heads of the creature, trying to take chunks out of her to little effect. She changed angles and stabbed her claws deep into one of its eyes. This got the reaction she was looking for as she tore her arm free from its loosening jaws. Seizing the advantage, she bowled the animal over and used her claws to dig at its chest, tearing flesh and sending black blood flying.

Before she could finish the severely wounded creature, she felt another bite close around her left calf. Without protection, like Kat, she let out another yelp as blood began to run down her leg. "Oh, fuck this. Fuck you!" She screamed. "I just got here, I'm. Not. Fucking. Dying. To. DOGS!" as she yelled, she clawed frantically at the slavering hound. Ripping its jaws from her leg, and a bit of that with it, she snarled, pulled its half heads together and sank her teeth deep into its necks. An awful taste filled her mouth. Something like moldy soup, but she didn't stop. She dug her teeth in until she felt them meet and pulled as hard as she could. The wolf fell dead at her feet as blood poured from its throat.

Annita spit out the black ooze and turned back to the other creature. Limping, she approached its ragged side and kneeled. Without a word, she drove her clawed fist into its chest and felt something give way. The body twitched once, twice, and was still.

Panting, she stood over the dead wolves, adrenaline coursing through her as her hands began to shake. Her blood roared in her ears as she reared her head back. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" Annita screamed to the slate grey sky. She wasn't quite sure why she did it, but it felt good and right.

"Fuck, how hurt am I?" she panted, looking at her bleeding arm and leg. Pulling her stat screen up, she saw her Health was showing a 76/150. "Ow, not good. Just over half from that? Two bites is all it took?"

"Yes." Bren said close by, causing her to jump out of her skin. "And that is why a healer is crucial for these excursions. Allow me to attend to your wounds."

"I'll be fine. Go help Kat." Annita brushed off his hands.

"Oh, I have. She is already back to top shape and finished with her combat."

Looking around, Annita saw Kat leaning against a nearby tree.

"Aye, get yerself healed. Not bad for a first fight. Gotta ask, what's that black shite taste like?" She was clearly not concerned, so Annita let herself relax as well.

"Awful. Like old spoiled food, and maybe shit. I, ugh." Annita shivered and grabbed some untainted snow, stuffing it in her mouth and spitting out more of the foul liquid. "If my teeth weren't just about the best weapon I've got, I'd never bite those things again. The hell were they, anyway?"

"Those," Bren said as his healing magic got to work, "are what we call Twinwolves. They are a fairly common type of Warped around this area. Wolves that either spent too much time near the Seed or were unlucky enough to stumble into it. It twists them into those things. Thankfully, they're weak, relatively speaking, since they are numerous. Each head's bite counts as individual attacks, though, so they can overwhelm ya quickly."

"Weak, yeah. I guess they would be to you guys," Annita grumbled as the pain began to fade in her arm and leg. She watched the wounds begin to stop bleeding, and the flesh knit itself back together. "Me though? I thought I was gonna die."

"Well, knowin' what I know, ye're gonna be in a lot more o' these situations. So ye best start gettin' used to 'em," Kat sighed, standing and walking over to Annita. "No promises it'll all stay so easy, but at least ye've got us ta help in yer early stages."

"Yeah, guess I am lucky. Totally lucky," Annita mumbled, silently thanking Orenous for the help. Taking a deep breath, she noticed something in the corner of her vision. A small silver notification. Pulling it up, she was greeted with a new Screen that simply stated:

Level Up!

Please review your Stat Screen for further information!

Chapter 6: History Lesson

"Oh, I leveled!" Annita gasped, looking at the announcement.

"Well, congratulations, ya belter!" Kat clapped her on the back. "Go on, take a minute tae figure it out. Bren an' I'll clean this mess up."

Nodding, Annita did as instructed and summoned up her Status Screen once again. This time there were a couple of messages overlayed on top of the normal numbers.

Congratulations! Your Path has advanced!

Warrior of Orenous (2)

The following has been modified:

Health cap increased to 160.

Libido cap increased to 105.

Desire pool increased to 40.

Huh, neat! That gives me an extra hour before the cap on Libido is hit. That'll prevent some awkwardness. Some. Ugh. Still can't believe this is a thing. Moving on. She flicked the first screen and it dissipated in a shimmer of sparks. The next one was pretty normal.

Please select one of your core stats to increase by +2.

Ah, ok. Simple enough. What to put it in, though? Annita scratched behind one of her ears. Well, I don't have any way of using my Mind or Faith right now, so I guess... yeah. Strength. Let's go with that.

As she thought, the window disappeared like the first. What laid below was her newly increased stats.

Name: Annita Kronforst

Age: 23

Race: Lupine (Warped)

Path: Warrior of Orenous (1)

Title: Chosen of Orenous

--------------------------------------------------------------

Racial Skills:

Cold Resistance: Reduced damage from cold effects. Comfortable in colder climates.

Keen Hearing: Able to hear sounds from greater distances with greater clarity.

Natural Weapons: Claws and teeth are considered weapons for any skills that would affect weapons.

Endurance Hunter: +2 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Stamina

--------------------------------------------------------------

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one's progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer's Path.

Additionally provides +3 to Faith.

Health Points: 150/160

Strength: 14

Intellect: 10

Dexterity: 15

Faith: 18

Stamina: 15

Mind: 20/20

Endurance: 12

Resilience: 12

Libido: 25/105

Desire: 0/40

Path Skills

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive:

Weapon Proficiency: Light weapons and small firearms.

Armor Proficiency: Medium Armor

Health Points: Stat has been unlocked.

Libido: Stat has been unlocked. Increases by 5/hour. Once full, sexual inhibitions will be greatly reduced until release is achieved.

Desire: Stat has been unlocked. Gained through relations with trusting partners.

Stat Increases: +5 to Faith, +10 to Mind, +2 to Endurance, +2 to Resilience

Compatibility: You're a large lady, in more ways than one. This will help make sure things go smoothly in your conquests.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Active:

Stoke the Flames: Consume 10 desire points to inflame the target, incensing a heightened emotion of your choice for 1 minute.

Smite of Orenous: Enhance an attack to deal additional Holy damage. Adds 20% of current Faith to the attack. Cost: 10 Mind.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive Stat Increases:

+10 Health

+10 Desire

+5 Libido

+2 Strength

"Well, at least Libido increases as I level," Annita mused. "That buys me an extra hour. So I'm at what," she paused as she worked through her atrocious math skills, "twenty-one hours? Still less than a day. That's annoying, but I guess it's what I can expect from Orenous. Betting that's gonna have some use later though. Until then, nightly figuring out where to jerk it."

"Huh, so health doesn't top off when it increases?" Annita muttered to herself.

"Oh? Aye, bit strange that, but it is how it is." Kat said, just returning from piling up the bodies of the Twinwolves. "No top up, and the amount ye've got when ye level is what ye've got until ya rest or heal."

"One of the little quirks of the Gods' infinite variety." Bren sighed, wiping black ooze from his arms and hands. "Well, that concludes the cleanup. It would be easier if we had someone to ignite the corpses with magic, however, we can just leave them like this. They will dissolve eventually and return to the earth."

"They do? That's pretty convenient. Do you get to harvest anything from them?" Annita cocked her head with curiosity.

"Oh, no. At least not from creatures as insignificant as these. Encounter and defeat a greater beast and some part of its being may be left behind. The Kingdom pays handsomely for such materials, and craftsmen are eager to work with it as well."

"Yeah, I bet. Rare materials, good equipment and wares, right?"

"Pretty much, aye. Ready to leg it a bit more?" Kat offered Annita her hand.

"Yeah, let's get moving," Annita grunted as she stood, kicking her leg and stretching her arm to see if everything was working right. No pain, no stiffness. Magic is crazy.

After what felt like a good amount of time, Annita broached the subject. "So, Kingdom? What can you tell me about it?"

"Oh, yes. That will be rather relevant in short order, will it not?" Bren stepped over a fallen, snow covered tree and continued. "I will attempt to keep this brief." Annita caught Kat giving him a sidelong glance at the comment. "It is an old regency. The current royal family, the Farraghers, has ruled for nigh on one thousand years. It has been a good and stable rule for a large majority. There are, of course, border wars with our neighbouring nations from time to time, however, this Kingdom has persevered. There are four main cities occupying our territory. First in the order is Korvas, the mountain city and capital of the realm. Nobility and those with wealth tend to gravitate there, as it is the seat of power. While also being such, it is a city founded on mining. It exports all sorts of ores and metalworks to the rest of the kingdom. Secondly, Indelholm, City of Magic. As you can infer by the name, it is the home of the magical academies of the land. Everything from our Archmages to the newest of Acolytes reside there. Currently, it is led by both Headmaster Mariani and Governor Heyburn. It is a wondrous place, and I highly recommend a visit when you might have the time."

"Oh, aye, the fancy-pants magic city's fine and all if ya like flashy lights an' expensive shite," Kat cut off what Annita could tell was going to be a long description of the city. "There're the other cities too, just to remind ya. Graven Keep and Thalten. Thalten's pretty simple in a lot o' ways. It's the agricultural center o' the kingdom. Lots o' good folk out there workin' fields in better climates, hunting in the woods, ye get the idea. It's all spread out too, not like the towering e'rythin that's Indelholm. Been there a good few times. Great chats to be had in its taverns. Then there's where we're headin' right now. Graven Keep. Icy as the name makes 'er sound. Lots o' stone, dark woods, big walls. Gates close at nights, but the bars and fightin' rings don't go quiet until early mornin'. Whaddya say to visitin' a couple while we're in town?" Kat elbowed Ann, who had fallen into a quiet pace, absorbing the new information.

"Hey, sounds like fun. What sorts of people live there? It's a fort, so I imagine a lot of soldiers?"

"Aye, that, fighters, warriors, mercenaries all. Ye get the more adventurous magic types too, like ol' Bren here. It's a relic of the olden days. Back when the Warped were more o' a problem than they are now. Had to have big ol' walls to keep 'em out."

"How long ago were 'olden days'? They sound pretty ancient if the current kingdom was mostly peaceful," Annita mused. "And the, uh, Warped were a bigger threat before?"

"Yes, very much so. Though our lovely Kat's sense of time is a bit distorted due to her lineage, it was before the time of the Farraher house. A thousand and some five hundred odd years. Possibly longer. It was when the Seeds became dangerous to enter. Monstrosities suddenly began to pour from them. Our kingdom and the neighboring regions banded together to push the hordes back. A dark time filled with blood and terror. I might recommend a few tomes containing the histories of such if you are so inclined," Bren said as he walked.

Annita decided to push a question she'd been holding back out of fear of being rude. "So, Kat. Please don't take offense, but what exactly are you? You've got the long ears, so are you an elf?"

Kat stopped for a moment, seemingly surprised by the question. "Er, no? Our people are normally known as Alfindurn. Though I guess Alf and Elf are pretty similar, no? Somethin' knockin' 'round in that knoggin o' yers?"

"Maybe," Annita shrugged. "Just trying to get my bearings on who is what and who. Ya know?" She paused as Kat helped her traverse a treacherous slope. Loose rocks and gravel dug grooves in the snow as they clambered down. "So, I know I'm at least some variation of Lupine, people with wolf features. I'm guessing you're full human, Bren?" He simply nodded, confirming the question. "So what's different about the Alfindurn?"

"Oh, just a couple things really," Kat said, wiping the back of her neck clean of the sweat that gathered under her warm clothing. "We've got the long ears ye've noticed, but we do live longer than most. There're a couple other peoples that live as long or longer, but aye, we're pretty up there. Fer reference I'm fourty three winters. To us, just a bit past age o' majority. Really just startin' tae get meself out there and work on figurin' out me."

"Dang, you're way older than I am," Annita gasped. "I think I'm around my mid to late twenties? That feels right."

"Well, then we're not too different, are we?" Kat laughed. "Age and maturity aren't near the same thing. Me ma would still call me a wee babe, so don' let it bother ya none."

"Oh yeah? What's your family like?" Annita asked as she trudged through a deeper drift of snow. The sun was beginning to set.

"Oh, they're all right. Got me, ma and pa, two sister an' brothers. I'm the middle child if ye can believe it. We hail from Korvas, at least me whole life so far. They're a loud, lively lot. Lots 'a competition, lotsa petty arguments, all in good nature though. We're family first. Other shit can come after."

"They sound great," Annita huffed as she stumbled over yet another tree buried in the snow. The uncertain blanketed terrain was starting to get on her nerves. "And you Bren?"

"I have a fairly normal family, too. Mother and father both originally hailed from Indelholm, however, they moved to Korvas after they made names for themselves in the magical community. I was their firstborn and have a sister who is six years of age this past summer. Angelica is quite the curious little one. My parents are hard pressed to keep her busy, so she isn't getting into trouble and places she has no business being."

"Man, it must be nice to have families. Can't even remember mine. Had to have a mom and dad. Maybe? Ugh, I hate that I can't remember them," Annita grumbled.

The group fell into a silence as they continued their march.

Eventually, the sun hit a point that Kat decided was enough to call camp for the night.

Bren and Kat went around their preparations, clearing an area of snow and setting up a tent with a T shaped hole cut from it. Apparently, that's what Kat had used for Annita's top. Annita helped as much as she could, clearing the space, gathering what dry sticks she could find, and sat with the pair as they shared their food with her.

Eventually their fire burned low and on a whim, Annita checked her stats, specifically one.

Libido: 60/105

Hm, so it's been twelve hours since I got my Path? Wow, the sun stays up a lot longer here. Guess we're either really far north or south. Means it should be summer, but so much snow still. Guess we're somewhat polar. Ugh, and I'm going to need to handle this if we're going to have another long day. She had dreaded the maintenance the stat implied, but it was a reality she had now, and according to the stat's description, she couldn't ignore it.

Making an excuse of using the bathroom, she wandered as far away from the camp as she felt comfortable, still able to hear Kat and Bren idly chatting with her enhanced hearing. Once she thought she had enough privacy, she undid her belt, lowered her makeshift skirt, and contemplated her problem.

Chapter 7: POV Kat

POV: Kat

It had been a tiring but good day overall for Kat. A few kills under her belt and a lot of talking with Ann and Bren, she felt their little group growing a bit closer. It was still awkward trying to get to know Ann since she was a blank slate, but it didn't mean she wasn't without personality. She was also pretty good for a first time fighter.

The scrap with the Twinwolves had been fairly expected. They were all over the place in this area and she was mildly surprised they'd only ran into one pack so far. She'd purposefully let the two around her flanks to see how Ann would react to them. She was sloppy, but did her job and kept Bren safe despite being outnumbered. Kat liked the commitment she saw in the woman and mulled over her feelings as she stared into the fire.

"She's been gone for a while, no?" she muttered to Bren.

"Yes, rather long. I wonder if she has run into trouble."

"Eh, unlikely. We'd hear it if she did. Doubt she went far." A restlessness stirred in Kat. Despite knowing that her new companion was likely safe, she didn't want to take chances. "Might be that time o' the moon fer her. I'mma go check on 'er, aight?"

"All right, call me if you need me." Bren waved in his dismissive way that seemed rude, but she knew was just confidence that she'd be fine.

With that, she turned and followed the furrows in the snow where Ann had walked. As she did, slowly and carefully, her mind wandered to other things. Things she'd seen of the woman earlier that day. A heat rose in her cheeks as she remembered the massive member so proudly displayed when she'd peeked in on Ann. Gods, it was thick. Something about it excited her in a way that was hard to explain. She'd not really focused on that kind of desire in a long while. Oh, she'd had her flings over the years with various boys and girls, but it was always a lighthearted jaunt of passion. Something about the sight she'd seen had been different, and she couldn't quite put words to it. Maybe it was the strange perfection Ann seemed to possess, or the rarity of her biology, both below the skirt and not, that intrigued her? Kat's heart rate slowly rose as she stalked quietly through the dark.

Suddenly, she heard a gasp and froze. Soon it was followed by a low, lustful moan from her left.

"Oh, Gods, she's doin' it again," Kat realized. Her body subconsciously lowered itself and approached the sounds as a silent predator would.

Eventually she found Ann leaned up against a tree, bathed in moonlight that seemed to perfectly illuminate just her. She'd taken off her skirt, and from Kat's vantage she could see her right arm working slowly and steadily along with what she knew was that enormous cock.

"What am I doin' here?" Kat whispered to herself. "Stop this Kat, this is wrong. Really wrong." Another moan echoed out as Ann's hips bucked into her hand, a couple inches of girl-cock appearing from behind her arm before disappearing again. "Ah feck, that's hot," Kat whined quietly as her body began to heat up. Slowly, distracted by the sight before her, she began to move to get a better angle. Ann's supernatural hearing seemed to be muted during her times of passion, and the fluffy ears above her head didn't so much as flick her direction.

Eventually, Kat was settled behind a bush to Ann's left as she peeked between the dead branches. "Oh, holy shit," she gasped under her breath as she got her first clear and good look at Ann's body. It was shimmering in the moonlight, a slight sheen of sweat covering her toned abs and muscled thighs. Her arms were taut as she gripped the tree behind her with the left and slowly but powerfully stroked her cock. Her eyes were screwed shut and her head drooped forward as she lost herself in her self ministrations.

As she watched the woman masturbate, the heat in Kat's cheeks rose, and another one in her loins began to join it. She ignored it. She had to stay still. What the hell would Ann do if she found her like this? Gods, she could run and leave her, die somewhere in these woods.

Or, Kat thought as her breath began to quicken, the knot in her chest tightening, she could take me. Oh Gods, she could do unsightly things to me with that bitch-breaker of a cock. I wouldn't even fight it. Feck, I need ya Ann. Damn me for wantin' tae do this right. Was this right? Oh Gods, I'm already fuckin' this up, aren't I?

She watched as Ann's hips bucked again and her left hand came around to join her right in stroking up and down the shaft. Her worries left her thoughts immediately. Both hands. Gods, and there was still more she couldn't fit between them. Up and down, Kat's eyes followed the motion with desperate lust as her own heat rose. "Oh feck it. I can't," she panted quietly as she slipped a hand down under her pants and between her legs. She felt the sopping wetness she expected and carefully sunk a finger into herself. Timing each electrifying movement to each stroke Ann took of her cock, she continued to watch in rapt attention as the woman's motions sped up. She desperately tried to keep her own movements silent, feeling the heat within her rising with the excitement of the forbidden view she was getting.

Ann sped up again. Moans began to flow freely as her hips readily joined her hands in fucking herself as hard as she could. Kat had added a second finger to her dripping slit as she watched the woman's cock and breasts bounce with the force of her masturbation. Gods above, she could feel herself getting closer and closer. Her mind began to fog over with the overwhelming desire she felt for the woman before her and she began to imagine Ann being the one between her legs. Ann being the one running her fingers deep inside her, teasing her and pushing her closer and closer to that orgasmic edge. "Fuck, I need it Ann. Please," she whispered desperately.

As if she'd heard her, Ann stiffened, her tall ears flattening back to her hair, then bucked once, twice, thrice between her hands before a glistening, pearly stream of cum flew from the tip of her cock. Kat watched as Ann's head flew back and her entire body locked up, every muscle tense and on display. It was a gorgeous sight that sent her over her own edge.

She bit into her arm and shuddered quietly as she felt wetness gush over her fingers, her soft, searing inner walls clenching the digits tightly, releasing, and tightening again. Lost in the mind melting pleasure, she lay there, fingers idly working at her spasming cunt as she watched Ann slowly finish painting the snow before her, small tendrils of steam rising in the frigid air.

Gods! The thought broke through her lust-addled mind. That was more than she came in the mansion! I wannit!

She watched Ann slowly relax as both their separate orgasms subsided and Ann slid down the tree, fur bristling as it rubbed against the bark, as she came to a sprawling sit. Kat listened to her panting over her own as she desperately tried to control her breath. Ann's hearing would probably be coming back soon. She needed to be quiet. Silent. Or she'd be found and, Gods above, she didn't want that now. As she feared, she watched the Lupine's ears twitch and begin to straighten again.

She pulled her sodden fingers from between her legs with a soft squelch and shuffled back as quietly as she could. When she thought she was far enough away she could risk it, she stood and crept back to the patch Ann had used to go and "relieve herself". With what time she had before Ann showed up, she tried to collect herself as best she could, using the snow to wash her hand and clean up as best she could. Even without the Lupine sense of smell, she likely reeked of her own fluids.

A quick snow-bath later, and re-clothed, she began following Ann's trail again, quickly hearing footsteps approaching her.

"Oh! Hi, uh, miss me?" Annita greeted her flirtatiously in her cute, awkward way. It was simply disarming how much Kat enjoyed how the woman stumbled over her words now and then.

"Aye, sure did," she grinned. "Ye were gone fer so long, Bren and I got worried. Mostly Bren, but he'd never tell ye." She shuffled slightly, awkwardly. She found it hard to make conversation after what she'd seen, but desperately needed to hide it. "So, ye all right? Anythin' happenin' out there?"

An appreciative smile lit up Ann's face, showing off her sharp teeth, which glinted in the moonlight. Kat had been alarmed at the first time she'd seen the chompers, and rightfully so, she'd found as she watched Ann rip the throats of the Twinwolf out. Now though? She knew they meant no harm to her or hers, so they were just another interesting feature of her new friend. A stray thought about what those would feel like scraping up her thighs, warm kisses trailing the sharp points, sent shivers down her spine.

"Nope, nothing much. Just took some time to myself, is all. It's been a long day. I killed something for the first time, I remember. Met you and Bren, and just... yeah, it's been a fucking day."

Kat had noticed Ann didn't swear as much as she did, almost keeping the civility she expected of Bren, but she'd heard it twice now. First during the fight with the pack earlier, and now. Something to figure out, Kat determined.

"Ye all right? Wanna talk about any o' it?" Kat offered.

"Could we? I just, I don't know. I need to process some of this." Ann looked down at her with eyes full of trepidation. How could she say no?

"Aye, let me clear off that log o'er there." Kat led her over to a fallen tree and brushed the old bark as clear as she could get it. She patted a spot next to her and took her own seat. Ann sat gratefully, the old wood creaking under her weight through the silent woods, her tail swishing through the freshly disturbed snow nervously.

"I'm here," she prompted Ann a bit.

"Yeah, thanks. I just, give me a second," she withdrew and looked up into the barren branches above them. The stars twinkled through as Kat joined her gaze. The vast heavens weren't something she contemplated much, but on a clear night like this, they were on full display.

"I guess the biggest part for me is the killing part," Ann started softly as she continued to stare upwards. "It was terrifying, fighting for my life. The blood rushing in my ears, the pain in my body from the bites, the feeling of my claws sinking into flesh, scraping against bone. I just, shit, and the scarier part is it felt kinda good once it was all over. The rush of getting out on top. Having lived while my opponent died. It was amazing and terrible at the same time. Am I making sense here?" Her tail began to swish agitatedly as she looked over at Kat.

Kat took a minute to think about her response. She didn't want to scare Ann away, but also didn't want to hold back on what she thought about the woman and what she suspected her future held. Kat had been fighting for nigh on a decade now. Kat was used to the thrill of combat and the elation of victory brought her. She was also familiar with the fear and confusion that a particularly close fight brought her. She needed to tread this conversation carefully.

"Ye are makin' sense," she started slowly. "It's not wrong to have been scared o' that fight. Ye were outnumbered an' had no experience or trainin' to bolster ye. Fer what it's worth, I stand by my earlier comment that ye did fantastic considerin' the circumstances," she put a comforting hand on Ann's shoulder. "And nae, not a bad thing to be scared o' the excitement o' havin' the capability o' killin'. Even when the rush takes ye over, makes it feel exhilaratin', it's a life ye took," she tightened her grip on Ann's shoulder as she saw the other woman shake a little, tears welling behind those big beautiful eyes. Kat's heart clenched at the sight.

"That bein' said, remember that the Warped aren't anythin' worth pityin'. We've had hundreds o' years researchin' their kind, and without fail, madness has been their common factor. They're broken creatures of body an' mind. Some believe they be in constant pain and killin' 'em is a mercy. Besides those I've lost to 'em and the, frankly, hard resentment I hold toward their kind, it's another layer that lets me fight 'em without reserve. Aye, though, I can understand ye not havin' any memories of any o' yer life havin' to struggle with this."

Kat sighed and let her hand fall to her side as she returned to staring up at the sky. She sat there, still and waiting. Hoping her words had the desired effect. It was a long few minutes Ann spent in silence, contemplating Kat's words.

Kat nearly jumped as she felt Ann's hand slide over hers and squeeze gently. "Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. I think it's going to take some time to get used to."

"Aye, and if yer life is anythin' like I suspect it's gonna be, lookin' at yer Path, it's gonna be something ye'll need to be comfortable with. But hey," she turned her hand and squeezed Ann's back, "I'm here for ye. 'Kay? Ye need to talk, shoulder to lean on? I'm here. Bren, most likely too, but that's up to ye," she offered a wry grin.

"Thanks." Ann took a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly. Kat was familiar with that breath. Steadying herself. "I think I feel better now. Or at least mostly. Can we head back?"

"Aye, we can. C'mon ye giant wolf lass," Kat chuckled as she got up off the log and offered her hand. Her grin became a warm smile as Ann took it and followed her back to camp. She was absolutely giddy when Ann didn't let it go until they saw the orange glow flickering through the dark trunks of the trees.

Chapter 8: Don't Go Quiet

Ann woke and stretched languidly over what blankets Bren and Kat had spared her. It was light again, but she wasn't quite sure if that was because of a polar night, or if she'd slept long. Kat was still dozing lightly, rolling over and making soft noises, while Bren tended a newly stoked fire.

"A fine morning to you," he called out softly as he placed a pot of snow over the flames.

"'Mornin," Ann grumbled back. "What time is it?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and moved over to sit beside the warmth.

"It is morning. Not overly late, no. However, it is not early either." As the pot began to steam he added a few leaves to it, tinting the water as they boiled. An herbal scent wafted across the camp and apparently roused Kat somewhat.

With a loud groan, Ann watched the fighter curl up into a bundle before stretching much like she had. "'Mornin' ye louts," she yawned. She came to sit next to Ann, running a hair through her wild brown locks. "Tea smells amazin' as always, Bren."

"Thank you, as always, Kat. It will be finished soon. For now, we should eat."

Kat went through her pack and unloaded a share of rations to each of them, along with an extra tin cup to Ann. "Ain't much, but it's fillin'. At least we'll have good tea."

"It's that good?" Ann asked as she chewed on the hard bread. It was considerably easier to break apart with her new teeth, thank the Gods.

"Oh, aye. Bren makes a great cup." Kat swallowed, then grabbed a handful of nearby snow to wash down the dry crumbs.

"It is not as fantastic as she makes it out to be," Bren protested. "I simply have practiced the art for a short while and found it to my liking. Ah, it's ready." He lifted the pot off the flames and filled each of their cups.

Ann took the cup and simply held it, basking in the warmth it spread throughout her. "Oh, that's so nice," she whispered, more to the cup than anyone. After letting the scalding liquid cool, she took a sip. It was a very nice herbal blend. Hints of ginger, she guessed, with an earthy taste that fortified and warmed her spirits along with her body.

After they finished their meal, Kat and Bren guided her through breaking down the camp. It was pretty easy work. Most of it was clearing up the fire pit and packing up the bedrolls. With Kat and Bren fully armed and armored, they set out for the next day of hiking.

As they went, Kat and Bren talked idly about the woods. They had apparently been the home of Twinwolves and several other Warped creatures. Some were simple and harmless; squirrels with two tails, birds with extra eyes, nothing that really required new classification. Most of the more dangerous Warped came from predators or larger animals. There were Thorned Bulks, bears that had fused with elk, gaining their haunting cries and antlers growing out of their backs in a ridge. As if their claws and bulk weren't dangerous enough, now they were a fucked up porcupine as well.

Kat took the time to describe the creature her party had run into right before finding Annita. Watching her, Annita noticed her steps grew heavier while she spoke of the monster that had taken Artyom, their previous rifleman and third. She made it clear it was not something native to the area and had caught them by complete surprise.

After hours of walking and listening, Annita heard paws in the distance once more. "I think I hear more Twinwolves," she said, interrupting a particularly gruesome description of a snowcat with hooves and a split jaw whose muscles broke its skin when it exerted itself.

"How many do you hear?" Bren asked, readying his wand.

"Two, no, three? I think?" Ann responded noncommittally.

"If that is all, I believe this may be another opportunity for you to grow," Bren stated, relaxing slightly. "Kat, I think we should let her deal with this one. We can be ready to help if needs be."

"Aye, sounds good tae me. You all right with that, Ann?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm going to need to get used to this, after all," she sighed. "They're coming from the North, just in case."

"Roger tha'," Kat replied curtly. "We'll be over 'ere if ye need us. Not gonna let ye die, but don't take that tae mean ye can be all reckless. Don't let 'em flank ya, try to keep one down tae reduce the odds. Ye've got this."

"Thanks." Ann took a few steps over towards the section of the woods while Kat and Bren retreated a short distance. Closing her eyes, she listened to the approaching beasts. As she focused, she began to hear their strange guttural breathing rasping from their split necks. It was a disturbing sound, to say the least, but also allowed her to better count the number of those approaching her.

Soon they were close enough and she opened her eyes, searching for the danger in the woods. Grey, ragged forms wove between the trees as she counted and confirmed she'd heard the three Twinwolves correctly. They were no less disturbing visually than audibly, with their slack tongues hanging out of gaping oral cavities, being able to see the split in their skulls. Two of them were smaller while the center wolf stood up to Annita's waist at its shoulders. The smaller ones split off to her left and right as the leader approached from the center.

Annita tried to keep track of her flanks, but with so much room for them to maneuver and slip behind trees, it was a difficult task. She kept her eyes on the larger wolf in the middle and tried to use her hearing to track the other two. It worked surprisingly well as she heard the steps of the left flanker quicken to a run. She turned her body slightly, facing front left, widened her stance, and drew back her left arm, claws at the ready. Bolting out from behind a tree, the smaller wolf jumped at her, its body sailing through the air. Annita met it with an extended hand where she was used to a dog's head existing, a mistake in this case, as her palm slipped between the slavering heads and down to where the neck split.

"Ah, shit!" Annita cried as she felt two sets of fangs sink into her shoulder and side, latching on and holding tight. Her left arm disabled, the pack leader moved in quickly, angling to take her right side. She'd also lost the third wolf. Desperately, she sank her claws into the exposed rubbery flesh on the inside of the left Twinwolf's neck. A sickening squelch came from it as she forcibly closed its airway and punctured it at the same time. Panicking, the beast let go of the left side of her body, allowing her to re-focus on the center wolf. Great timing too, as the thing was already within arm's reach.

Changing tactics, Annita swiped hard at the creature's right half-head with her right hand. A satisfying crunch reverberated through her arm as claws met bone. She dug in and gripped the flesh, pushing hard to her left, trying to keep the two wolves she could track in front of her. A quick flick of her eyes confirmed the other Twinwolf was still gasping and recovering from the wound she'd dealt it.

Forcing the head held in her claw to the ground, Annita twisted to avoid the left one pinned down as well and shifted her grip to her left claws. Clomping sounds filled her ears as the other head desperately tried to bite at her. Suddenly, she heard paws directly behind her. The third had snuck around and was finally making its move. No time to pummel the Twinwolf. Too dangerous to let it go. Her indecision cost her a precious second, which the wolf behind her used to bite into her thigh and calf, immobilizing her right leg. At the same time, the pack leader's free head found her left shoulder.

"FUCK!" Annita screamed. She had to end this quick. She'd be at half health now, or at least close, and none of the creatures were dead yet. "Now or never. Fuck it!" she yelled as she focused on a skill for her first time. Slamming the claws of her right hand into the grounded Twinwolf's side, she focused on the concept of what she thought a Smite would look like. She felt a strange, ethereal drain from her head as her Mind was expended into a Smite of Orenous. Her claws glowed pink as she shoved them deeper into the writhing flesh of the beast before bursting with the light. A small space opened up around her hand as the holy force expanded, searing flesh and burning bone. The Twinwolf howled in pain and scrambled to back off from her. She let it go. Its shoulder was severely wounded, and its front left leg was limp.

Twisting around, Annita tried to grab at the necks of the Twinwolf on her leg. It was smaller than the other two, allowing her to more easily manipulate it despite the awkward angle. Grabbing its tail, she transferred it to her left hand and shoved her fist down its esophagus with another Smite. It didn't even sputter as it fell limp and released her leg. Warm blood covered her fur from the puncture wounds. It wasn't a feeling she enjoyed whatsoever.

"One down," Annita panted as she turned back to the other two, standing shakily on her wounded leg. The one she'd disabled first had recovered and was regarding her warily. The pack leader was struggling to its paws, eyes filled with equal parts rage and fear. "All right, you first," she growled at the still mostly whole wolf, feeling her hackles rise in a show of aggression.

To its credit, even with most of its pack disabled, the wolf lowered its head and snarled at Annita the best it could with its mangled anatomy. It sounded like a horribly constricted gargle, but the pulled back lips helped interpret the sound. Annita rushed it. It met her charge with its front paws, scrabbling at her while trying to bite again. She ducked to her left and under the snapping jaws, toppling the wolf on its back. She used the advantage to hold it down as it kicked at her, trying to shove her off, and clawed at its tender belly.

Annita tried not to puke as she felt her claws sink deep into the organs of the creature. It was different from when she did the same to its ribs or head. Less resistance made it feel more visceral. She grabbed something she hoped was important and pulled hard. Wrenching free with a sucking noise and a spray of blood, her hand returned with a length of intestine. Throwing it to the side, she shoved back in and grabbed more as the Twinwolf thrashed desperately, screaming in pain. Some part of her felt bad for it. She liked dogs, hell she was part wolf now herself, but it was her life or it. Thankfully, whatever organ she punctured next, or maybe because of blood loss, the wolf quieted and went limp.

Standing and shaking her hand free of blood and gore, she returned to the wounded pack leader. "I'm sorry about this, pup. I'll end it quick." It whimpered back at her, but still bared its fangs.

Annita moved in as quickly as she could, taking the right head again with her injured left arm, and angled to use the hole in its side to pierce its heart. As she leaned in, she felt the left head latch on to her bicep in a desperate final stand. At the same moment, she felt warm black blood cover her claws.

It was quiet. All Annita could hear was the pounding of her heart and the panting of her breath. She'd won. She'd probably almost died, but she'd won. Annita sank back onto her heels, head hanging back as she closed her eyes, and let the pain of her wounds wash over her, exhaustion filling her limbs.

When she opened her eyes again, Kat's face was obscured by another silver window. Wait, no, two windows.

Level Up!

Please review your Stat Screen for further information!

Annita dismissed the window quickly, returning her sight to just Kat.

"Hey girlie," the brunette fighter said softly. "How're ye feelin'?"

"Like a chew toy," Annita groaned back.

A soft laugh escaped Kat's lips. "Aye, and ye look it, too. Don't worry, Bren's fixin' ya up. Ye'll be right as rain in a tick."

"Good. Oh, that feels lovely, Bren. Thanks." Annita closed her eyes as she felt the healing magic wash through her. "I leveled again. Twice actually. I think," she mumbled.

"Yeah, sounds about right considering that one skill ye've got. Anythin' good this time?" Kat moved and began shoving the Twinwolves into a pile nearby. Annita elected to keep her eyes closed and simply listened to the woman move.

"Not sure. Let me check." Annita sighed. Focusing on her Status Screen the ethereal window appeared behind her eyelids.

Congratulations! New Skill unlocked!

Please make your selection below!

Lustful Duelist

Cost: +20 Libido

Requires taunting your target.

Engage in a one-on-one duel, limiting your focus and allowing you to further exploit their weaknesses. While the duel is engaged, increase the damage done to your opponent 20% of your Dexterity. The duel is broken if any external interference occurs.

Predatory Sensuality

Cost: +40 Libido

Requires a display of sensuality to activate.

Your force of will and pure sensuality make you irresistible, lowering your opponent's guard. For a single strike, lower the target's Endurance by 5 points.

"Oh my Gods, can this get more embarrassing?" Annita groaned aloud.

"Oh, fun ones?" Kat chuckled as she returned to Bren and Annita's side.

"Eh, not really? More useful, but with a big drawback," she explained. "One's a duelist skill. Pretty self explanatory. Gives me a damage boost as long as I'm one-on-one with someone. The other is something that lowers an opponent's guard and lets me do better damage for a single hit."

"Huh, sounds like it's anglin' ye toward more of a rogue fighting style. Big single hits, lots'a damage, exploitin' weaknesses," Kat pondered.

"Yes, I agree. In our current situation, that type of fighter well suits our composition," Bren said as he pulled back. "There, you should be restored to your previous state."

"Thanks again," Annita said as she opened her eyes, looking over at him. "I think I'm going to go with the second choice. It's got a high cost to it, but if I'm going to be more of a rogue here, I might as well increase my capability in the role."

"Aye, a good choice. What's the cost if ye don't mind me askin'?"

"Er, well, it's a resource and an action. You've seen my skills already. It's the one that none of my other stats use, and it adds fifty of it." Annita fought to hide a blush she felt coloring her cheeks.

"The stat you don' 'ave a use fo- oh. OH!" Kat pondered slowly before the pieces clicked. "That's a hell of a cost!" She sat down next to them with a thump.

"Do you two deign me important enough to explain what you are talking about?' Bren interjected.

"Er, maybe?" Annita blushed furiously.

"Yer gonna be blushin' as hard as she is if we do. Ye want that?" Kat prodded the healer.

"Is it really that scandalous?" Bren asked, suddenly nervous.

"Oh, aye, an' I'm not pullin' yer leg on this one. She's got a right nutter of a Path, she does," Kat warned him with raised eyebrows.

"I-" Bren began before being interrupted.

"Saucier than I like my biscuits." Kat continued with her analogies.

"Still, should I not be incl-"

"Spicier than the peppers from the mines o' Korvas," Kat interrupted again.

"Fine, enough. I get the point." Bren raised his hands in defeat.

"Tell you what," Annita interjected in the banter, "I'll show you once we get to Graven Peak. It seems like a hub, so if you're not all right with what my Path entails, then we can part ways there, no hard feelings. Does that sound ok?"

Bren took a minute to think over the proposal. Annita watched his brows knit as he thought, and his hand rubbed his stubbled chin. "Yes, I believe that is acceptable. However, I doubt it will change my mind. This one is not escaping me that easily." He poked Kat in the side.

"Oh, now yer actin' the mother hen? Ye've been goin' along with me antics for months now, an' now ye've got a problem?"

Annita let their playful bickering fade into the background as she returned to her Sheet and confirmed Predatory Sensuality as her choice. She then moved on to the second level. This wasn't as interesting. She was given a choice of a core stat to increase as well as what seemed to be a standard increase to her other stats. She bumped her Dex up by two points and reviewed the updated information.

Name: Annita Kronforst

Age: 23

Race: Lupine (Warped)

Path: Warrior of Orenous (3)

Title: Chosen of Orenous

--------------------------------------------------------------

Racial Skills:

Cold Resistance: Reduced damage from cold effects. Comfortable in colder climates.

Keen Hearing: Able to hear sounds from greater distances with greater clarity.

Natural Weapons: Claws and teeth are considered weapons for any skills that would affect weapons.

Endurance Hunter: +2 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Stamina

--------------------------------------------------------------

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one's progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer's Path.

Additionally provides +3 to Faith.

Health Points: 160/180

Strength: 14

Intellect: 10

Dexterity: 17

Faith: 18

Stamina: 15

Mind: 0/20

Endurance: 12

Resilience: 12

Libido: 60/115

Desire: 0/60

Path Skills

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive:

Weapon Proficiency: Light weapons and small firearms.

Armor Proficiency: Medium Armor

Health Points: Stat has been unlocked.

Libido: Stat has been unlocked. Increases by 5/hour. Once full, sexual inhibitions will be greatly reduced until release is achieved.

Desire: Stat has been unlocked. Gained through relations with trusting partners.

Stat Increases: +5 to Faith, +10 to Mind, +2 to Endurance, +2 to Resilience

Compatibility: You're a large lady, in more ways than one. This will help make sure things go smoothly in your conquests.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Active:

Stoke the Flames: Consume 10 desire points to inflame the target, incensing a heightened emotion of your choice for 1 minute.

Smite of Orenous: Enhance an attack to deal additional Holy damage. Adds 20% of current Faith to the attack. Cost: 10 Mind.

Predatory Sensuality: Cost: +40 Libido. Requires a display of sensuality to activate. Your force of will and pure sensuality make you irresistible, lowering your opponent's guard. For a single strike, lower the target's Endurance by 5 points.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive Stat Increases:

+30 Health

+30 Desire

+15 Libido

+2 Strength

+2 Dexterity

Chapter 9: The Outpost

According to Kat and Bren, their going had been progressing fairly well. By the time they made camp, they were within another day's walk to the outpost. Thankfully, it had just been the one pack of Twinwolves that day. However, Annita had heard several others in the woods. They were mostly steering clear for now.

Deep in the night, Annita woke herself and wandered away to handle her rising Libido. It was nice that it was almost a full day between having to release the pent up tension, but still inconvenient no matter how much she enjoyed the maintenance. There was something primal in her that just loved being outdoors, in these dark woods, and reveling in her own pleasure. Gods above, she would love to share that experience with someone.

Kat was interested, she had little doubt, but was holding off for some sense of propriety. Annita thought she got a more relaxed feeling from the woman, especially around her sexuality, but she guessed there was more than she could sense.

Closing her eyes and sitting against a tree, she lost herself to the pleasures of the flesh. It was still as strong as it had been that first morning in the mansion, but she could control herself a little better and, with some effort, drew out the experience.

After what felt like a few minutes, the inevitable conclusion to Annita's nightly ministrations concluded with a shower of pearly cum jetting across the snow in front of her pulsing cock. She was panting, and slightly sweaty, but felt incredibly relaxed. She took a few minutes to recover, feeling her hearing coming back from the roar of blood that usually filled them while she was masturbating.

Despite the darkness, the woods were alive and filled with sounds. Small rodents shuffling through the snow, nocturnal birds flapping here and there. It was a comforting feeling to be so relaxed in nature. Annita wasn't quite sure if this feeling was from her new Lupine nature, or just something she hadn't had a chance to feel in her past life. Either way, she loved it.

Sighing, Annita retrieved her discarded skirt, buckled the belt, and returned to camp. Kat and Bren were where she left them, though Kat seemed to have shifted in her sleep while she was gone.

Annita smiled to herself. She was lucky it was these two who had found her. They were both good people, willing to help her, even if it was to help themselves as well. She'd made more of a connection with Kat after sparring with her and sharing her Path, but Bren was becoming endearing as well. He came off a bit awkward, but after a couple of days, and seeing how Kat interacted with him, she was fairly sure that was just him getting used to a new person. She could understand that. He was an incredible source of information and did not mince words with magical knowledge.

Annita settled back onto her blanket, the cold that froze the other two a pleasant chill to her, and drifted back to sleep.

They broke camp early and headed out, just like the previous day. Kat seemed more tired than the day before. Annita worried she was stressing over keeping her safe. She really needed to get stronger for that reason alone.

Setting out it was a fairly quiet morning. Nothing hostile showed itself, though Kat showed her tracks of the elk/bear hybrid she'd told her about.

It was almost midday when Annita heard the clanking of metal and human footsteps that weren't their own. Two voices spoke back and forth, one gruff and baritone, while the other was a feminine voice, though similarly rough.

"People up ahead," Annita said as she kept walking.

Stopping for a moment, Kat listened as well. Annita still loved watching her long ears twitch when she paid attention to them. They weren't quite as agile as her wolf ears, but you could tell when she was listening intently.

"I don't hear 'em yet. Must be at the limit o' yer hearin. What do they sound like?" She looked at Annita with an unusually intense stare, her icy eyes fixing the Lupine in place.

"Uh, rough? One man, one woman. I think I can hear boots? Some kind of metal, too. They're not trying to be quiet, but I can't hear what they're saying yet."

Annita watched Kat visibly relax. "Oh, tha's good then. Prolly a patrol from the outpost. Let's go meet up with 'em. Which way?"

Annita pointed the way and followed as Kat and Bren led. About five minutes later, they came upon the pair patrolling the area. They had arrived behind the pair, so the initial impressions were from their backs.

One was a shorter humanoid covered in hair more than skin. They carried a double-headed axe over one shoulder and wore a leather studded set of armor. The other was much taller, maybe on a level with Kat, and carried a longsword sheathed across their back. Their equipment was heavier, with a chain main doublet and what looked like a reinforced kilt.

"Greetings!" Bren called out.

The two turned immediately, weapons in hand and ready for a fight. Annita instinctively braced for an attack, but the patrol made no further moves.

"Identify yourselves," the feminine voice she'd heard earlier called out. Turns out she was the shorter of the two. What Annita would probably be wrong in calling a Dwarf.

"I hail you as Bren Hedera. Scout of the King's legions. My compatriot Katlyn is of the same designation. We are escorting our third who we found in the no-man's-land. Kat and I have our badges to prove our claims."

As he spoke, both Kat and Bren took badges from their clothing. They were simple metal discs, each emblazoned with a dead tree, its many branches spreading in an arc over a mountain below it.

"Emblem o' the Kingdom," Kat explained quietly as she held hers aloft.

After taking a moment to view the presented credentials, the two soldiers lowered their weapons and approached. The taller man removed his helmet and Annita was surprised to see blue skin over a bald head. He was a handsome guy, but a grisly scar that ran diagonally across his face slightly marred it, along with the missing chunk of his nose from the same wound.

"Guards Alvaro and Hazel, patrolling these parts. Guessin' you three are headed back to the outpost, yeah?" Alvaro greeted them gruffly.

"Aye, we were a sledge team, three o' us. Ran into a right nasty Warped what saw fit to relieve us o' the transportation an' the life of our mate."

At the news, the Alvaro's eyes fell. "Sorry to hear that. We've been getting some reports here and there of more dangerous monsters, but not from credible enough sources to lead a hunt. You finish the thing off?"

"Nae. At least not that I can confirm. Fucker went off a cliff with the sledge wrapped 'round it. Heard it hit rocks, but it got me leg on the way past. Ol' Bren patched me up, though." She patted Bren's shoulder appreciatively, which he shrugged off.

Not one for praise, Annita observed.

"Well, we'll keep our eyes out," Hazel said. "Any specific tracks to look for on it?"

"A variety. It had several legs, some of which were human hands, others paws, others hooves. If you find what appears to be a herd of different animals moving too close together, that is likely it." Bren reported.

"Gotcha. Well, you all best be getting to the outpost. It's not far. 'Bout an hour more west of here. Should make it in time for lunch if you keep a good pace." Hazel said as she stood back. "Captain Gwidon's in charge of this location. You'll all be in good hands. Oh, and welcome to the Kingdom, newcomer." With a wave to Annita, Hazel and Alvaro turned and continued their patrol.

They apparently made excellent time. In about three quarters of an hour, as best Annita could guess, the wooden walls of the outpost came into view.

"All right. There she is." Kat huffed. "Yer new to everythin' so let us do the talkin' for this first bit. Once we've got ye at least informally registered as a citizen, ye'll be more free to move around."

"You don't think there'll be any problems, right?" Annita asked nervously. "You've seen what my race is listed as."

"Eh, it'll raise some eyebrows fer sure. I think we can smooth it over though. Yer clearly of sound mind, ye've fought the monsters alongside us. We'll vouch fer ye." Kat squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yes, it would not sit right with me for you to be cast out after seeing you in action. I still do have questions as well." Bren offered. It was a colder response, but Annita figured he meant well.

As they neared the gate, Bren and Kat went through a similar exchange they'd had with the patrol. They offered their badges and identification, exchanged words, and the patrol shortly ushered them through the gate. Annita kept her head on a swivel as they walked into the encampment. It seemed to be able to house a good amount of people, and there were soldiers everywhere she looked, going about their tasks. Up on the walls, bowmen stood, keeping an eye on the fields and forest around them. She thought she spotted what might have been a mage as well. The woman had long robes and no visible weapon.

Their group was escorted to the Captain's quarters directly. It was a small, square building with a sloping roof and two small windows on the front. It bore no embellishment besides the Kingdom's emblem above the door.

Knocking, the guard escorting them announced himself and entered. Annita heard a muffled exchange through the door before they were bade enter by a deep voice.

The inside of the room was as bare as the exterior. Wood paneling the walls, floor, and ceiling. In the center of the room was a large table with a map of what Annita assumed was the Kingdom placed upon it. Towards the back a large desk stood, covered in papers and books. To their left and right were several cabinets of more papers and items Annita could only guess at.

Captain Gwindon was a grizzled man in his later years. Human from the looks of it, with short grey hair and a mess of stubble covering his face. He looked every bit the old war veteran Annita had seen in a dozen movies. He wore what she thought might be a dress uniform. It was black with silver trimming and buttons down the front. On the shoulders were epaulets with several patterns she had no idea the meaning of.

"Welcome back, soldiers," he greeted them. "Report."

Annita stood awkwardly as Kat went through the events of the past few days. She learned a bit more about their fallen comrade, Artyom, and the chase they'd gone through before meeting her.

No wonder they were so touchy in the mansion, Annita thought. That was literally an hour before.

Kat mercifully omitted the lewder portion of their meeting, but kept enough that the Captain understood that she was a relatively unknown entity.

"Understood. Thank you Katlyn, Bren," the old man grunted as he stood. He turned and rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a metal rod. Turning, he approached Annita.

"You, Annita, are an unknown. I don't like unknowns in my fort. You will submit to an identification or you will be removed from this location." There was no room for disagreement in his voice.

"Ann, it's fine. He's just gonna take a look tae make sure yer not some beastie in disguise, or some foreign saboteur. Just hold still."

Annita looked from Kat to the rod in Gwindon's hand. Bracing herself, she stood to her full height, and nodded down to the man to continue. "Go ahead."

Raising his arm, he flicked a section of the rod into movement. It spun with a blue glow that spread up its length.

"Oh, and there'll be another flash." Kat warned her too late, as Annita's vision went white for a split second before returning.

"Please, please, let me know if that's going to happen again," Annita whined as she rubbed her eyes.

"Huh." Gwindon lowered the identification rod, but did not relax at all. "Annita, you will explain your situation to me here and now. Warped being appended to your Race could mean several things, but I want to hear it from you first."

Annita looked to Kat, then Bren nervously, her ears lowering and tail drooping with nerves. "Uh, ok. The unfortunate thing is I don't know much about my situation. First thing I remember was waking up in the snowdrift as Katlyn explained. Everything since has been a new discovery for me. No memories of where I came from, who I was, or how I got there."

"Strange, very strange," the Captain grunted. He turned and re-took his seat at the desk. "A few more questions before I dismiss you three. First of all, you two vouch for her, I assume?" He leaned forward on an elbow, gesturing to Kat and Bren with a quill.

"Aye, we do."

"Yes, sir."

"Good, a point in her favor. Now you," Gwindon turned the feather on Annita, "any feelings of unexplained anger? Urge to commit violence? Dark thoughts you can't explain?"

"Not that I can think of? Only thing that came close was adrenaline after fighting the Twinwolves. It was a rush, uh, sir." Annita moved to stand between Kat and Bren as the interrogation continued.

"Good, usually the first sign of someone turning. Any noticeable unexplained pain in any of your limbs or body?"

"No sir. I feel normal as I can be," Annita declared.

"Understood. I'll still need you to visit the medical building for an examination to rule out anything you three may have missed. Once that is complete, you will be provided a citizen's badge, allowing you free movement within the Kingdom. This will not grant you access to restricted areas or any military facilities. If you wish to be granted access, you will either need to sign up as a conscript or as an affiliated mercenary." Gwindon leaned back in his chair, a tired look falling over him. "My recommendation would be to enlist, however I am a military man, and your path is yours to choose. Katlyn, you and your team are dismissed. See the quartermaster for your payment on the Twinwolf kills."

Katlyn performed a surprisingly proper salute and led them from the building.

"Well, that went well. Feelin' all right Ann?"

"Yeah, as I can be. He seems all right, just cautious," Ann said with a long sigh of relief.

"Most men in his position will be of the same attitude. Shall we? The medical facilities will be this way." Bren gestured to a larger square building.

Taking a wider, less hurried look around, Annita realized all the buildings were made like this. Function over form ruled the small place.

"You two head out an' get that handled. I'll go collect our pay," Kat said, turning to head in another direction. She stopped and turned after a couple of steps. "Oh, yeah, Ann. Pants or kilt?"

"Wha'?"

A wide grin spread over Kat's face as she watched Annita fumble her words. "Clothes, ya dafty. Unless yer good with me shoddy craftsmanship?"

"Oh! Right! Um," Annita scratched behind her ear, thinking for a moment. "I guess the kilt feels fine for now, and a shirt, please. Something a little more covering."

"Aye, I can work with that. I'll see you two at the mess hall?"

"That sounds appropriate." Bren responded, waving as he ushered Annita over to the medic.

The process took longer than she'd have liked and was a bit more invasive than she expected. It was what she'd call a full physical back in her time. The female medic blushed furiously when Annita dropped her skirt and the poor woman came eye to eye with the flaccid five inches of girlcock. She had to give the woman credit, Annita supposed, for despite the rose red cheeks and fluster, she maintained her professionalism and completed the examination without comment.

"All right hon, you're good to go. Captain sent over a citizen's badge to give ya once the exam was done. You're free to go and meet your friends. Stay safe out there." She handed a polished wooden medallion like Kat and Bren's. Carved into one side were the same tree and mountain, but the other side was blank. "If you ever go about making yourself a family crest, that's what goes there. Take good care of it. Until the registration paperwork gets back to the capital, it's the only thing declaring you a citizen."

"Thanks. I definitely will." Annita awkwardly dressed herself again and walked out to meet up with Bren. She found him talking to another healer, but he broke off the conversation as she approached.

"So, lunch?" Annita asked, as her stomach growled loudly.

Much to her surprise, Bren chuckled at the sound. "Yes, I do believe that is overdue. This way."

Chapter 10: Choose Wisely

Annita and Bren walked quickly over to the mess hall, crossing the yard of the outpost. Hall was a generous word. It was mostly a building that served as kitchen and service, next to an open area with a series of wooden benches and long tables. The service area had a menu posted with chalk on a board. Today's meal included baked potatoes, bread, pork chop, and a dish simply described as "greens". Drinks were ale or water.

"Not much of a selection, huh?" Ann said to Bren as she grabbed a hammered metal tray.

"No, you will not see such luxuries out here. Once we are back in civilization, it will be more standard to have options. For now, we take what we are given."

"Hey, food is food. As long as it's not bad, I could eat whatever right now," Ann's stomach growled in agreement.

"Ho there, you're a bigun!" came a jovial cry from behind the counter as Ann got to the serving window. A portly man looked up at Ann with a cheerful smile. He was wearing a floppy chef's hat and a grease stained apron that well suited his position. He had a beaming smile with perfect teeth under a well-trimmed moustache. Annita's instant comparison was a pudgier Chef Boyardee. "Can't say I've seen such a fine lady your size before. Gotta eat good to keep that figure, yes you do! Double helping for you, and I won't be hearin' any backtalk." He talked a mile a minute and seemed like he loved every second of it.

"Yessir!" Annita barked back. His enthusiasm was infectious and, the more he talked, she could feel a grin spreading across her face. He set her double portion on her tray and she moved on to grab a drink.

"And for you, young man, you need some meat on those bones. You're getting extra meat for the muscle. Don't care if you're one of those magic types, can't ignore the body. It's the foundation for the mind, after all! Strong body, strong mind, my ma always said. Here ya go."

Bren joined Annita after grabbing his drink, wearing an amused grin. "If only we all could enjoy our work as much as he," he chuckled. "Now, Kat should already be here somewhere."

"Over there," Annita pointed and lead the way through the busy tables.

Kat waved as they neared. "Oi, over here!" she called.

After they were seated and had gotten some food in them, Kat handed Annita a backpack. "Here ye go. Got ye a full pack. Yer gonna need one if ye'll be travelin with us. Got a couple changes of clothes in there too. Two kilts, green and brown, a few sets of small clothes, for men considering you, a few chest wraps to help keep things contained. The shirts are gonna be a bit late, though. Made a request that they be laced up the back. Gonna need some help gettin' into 'em, but figure it'll be more comfortable with yer fur."

"That's really thoughtful of you. Thank you Kat." Annita blushed as she looked through the bag. Everything in there was sturdy and ready for travel.

"Ah think nothin' of it." Kat scoffed as she took another big bite of meat.

Conversation lulled for a moment as they continued to chew their food.

Annita broke the silence. "So, I've been thinking. Bren, I want to move up us having the conversation about my Path. Would it be all right to talk about it tonight?" She played with a "green" with her fork nervously.

"Are you certain?" he asked, looking worried. "It seems like it will be an important discussion."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Annita sighed, meeting his gaze. "It's going to be a thing now or later and it's better to just get it out of the way now."

"Then I will happily hear what you have to say," Bran said with his normal implacable calm.

"Gotcha. Tonight it is."

"Got somethin' I'd like tae say too. But, in the meantime, we've got some things for ya to do!" Kat said after swallowing the last of her meal. "Yer a fighter, and ye've got no weapons, an' no armor. We've gotta fix that."

"Agreed. The armory is next, is it not?" Bren took a swig of his ale.

"Aye, then the trainin' yard. Gotta test out what feels right."

"Sounds good to me," Annita said as she wolfed down the last of her double helping of food.

They stood, gathered their things, dropped off their trays, and headed off to another building that had guards posted at the door.

Flashing their badges, Kat and Bren got them in without incident.

The building was large. More of a warehouse, Annita thought as she looked around. There were racks of all sorts of weapons, from daggers to mauls, pistols to a cannon. Everything in there was polished and shone brightly in the lantern light.

"'Ey, checkin' in or out?" came a squeaky grunt from behind a counter. A short woman hopped up on a stool. She had long ears like Kat and dark brown skin. Her copper hair was done up in a wild bee's nest of a bun with a file stuck through it. A small metal plate on the counter read "Quartermaster Pile".

"Checking out," Bren replied. "We have a newcomer who is unfamiliar with her specialty. We will need to have her try out a variety of weaponry if that is permissible?"

"Who's the newbie? You?" Pile stuck an oily finger at Annita.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Knew it. Look like a kid in a sweet shop. What types o' weapons ya lookin' fer?"

"Uh, light. My path says I've got proficiency with light weapons and small firearms," Annita explained.

"Huh, woulda thunk someone big as you woulda been packin' some bigger weapons." Annita caught a barely contained snicker from Kat. "Oh well, Path's a Path. Let's see what we've got fer ya."

Annita followed Pile as she walked around the armory with a wooden cart, tossing weapon after weapon onto the wooden platform.

"All right, that's a good enough selection to get you started. Nothin' fancy, mind, but it'll keep ya safe and your enemies dead. Go ahead, take the cart. Trainin' field's out back. Oh, and here's some ammunition. Either of you two know how to handle a shooty?" Pile looked at Bren and Kat.

Bren shook his head and Kat made a so-so gesture with her hand.

Pile sighed, eyes closed and ears drooping with the motion. "All right, quick run through. First rule, fucker is ALWAYS loaded. Shit's not a toy and you'll get your friends killed if you treat it like one, or yourself. Point is, it's dangerous. Second rule, only put yer finger on that trigger if you are ready to kill summat. Otherwise, that claw o' yers better stay up and away. Third rule, goes with the first two, only point the damn thing at somethin' ya wanna kill. Don't point it anywhere else. Stops mistakes, keeps people unperforated. Last, these suckers," she held up a bullet, "can go through whatever yer shootin' at. Make fuckin' sure that what it hits isn't anythin' you don't want dead, too. There'd be more if you were the settled types, but not relevant to you adventurin' folk. I want you to repeat all of that back to me before you get goin'." Pile craned her neck to look directly into Annita's eyes.

Despite her smaller stature, Annita felt significant pressure exuding from the woman as she repeated the instructions back, albeit in less colourful language.

"Good enough." Pile grunted. "Now get out. Got more inventory to work on. Holler when ya finish up and we'll do all the boring paperwork." The small woman turned and disappeared back into the warehouse.

"She's fun," Annita chuckled as they made their way back to the training yard.

"Aye, knows what she's talkin' about, too. Surprised someone as competent as she seems is all the way out 'ere." Kat said as she unloaded the weapons onto waiting tables. "Might be the attitude, though. She probably pissed off someone who couldn't handle a bit o' cursin'. All right Annita. Here's yer lot. Take yer pick and see what feels good."

"Any advice?" Annita asked.

"I have none. I will simply be observing." Bren said, finding a seat up against the building.

"Nah, not really. It's a feel thing. Just try 'em all, see what fits. With yer Path I've got a feelin' ye'll gravitate toward somethin' specific."

Annita took a look at the spread. There was an assortment of blades laid next to the firearms. There were various types of daggers, larger knives, a machete like blade, smaller swords, a scimitar, a couple handaxes, and even some clubs.

"I guess I'll start with the mele ones first?" She said, picking up a dagger. It felt tiny in her hand, but she figured it was best to make sure. Walking over to a stuffed dummy that was set up next to several others, she took an experimental stab. It pierced the fabric easily and thunked into the post. "Eh, don't feel like this is much better than my claws."

"Aye, ye probably want somethin' bigger." Kat called from the table.

Annita was turned away, but she could hear the grin in her voice. She walked back and picked up a shortsword. Swinging it through the air, she liked how it felt in her hand. Taking a few swings at the dummy felt good. The extra reach was nice, the weight felt good. She liked it. Stepping back to the table, she set it aside and ran her hand over the other weapons. Her hand eventually drifted over a sword of similar length as the shortsword, but with a slight curve. It had a single edge, a sharp point, and a cupped guard. Something about it pulled her to it. "What's this one?"

"Tha'? Tha's a falchion. Good fer slashin and stabbin. Single-edged, so ye can put yer weight behind it if ya want. Ye like it?"

"I'm not sure if like is the right word," Annita mumbled as she lifted and examined the sword. "It just feels, right?"

"Ah, think yer gettin' some guidance there. Give 'er a whirl." Kat gave her a confident grin before Annita turned back to the dummy.

Annita swung, cutting through the fabric and padding easily. The impact of the sword on the wood hit her arm, but didn't jar her at all. She took a few more swings, getting used to the weight, and then tried what Kat had suggested. She swung, then pushed on the back of the blade with her other forearm. Annita let out a shocked gasp as she heard the wood snap as the sword broke through the beam.

"Oh, ho ho! Yeah, I think ye've got yer weapon there, lass." Kat cheered as Annita collected herself.

"Guess so," Annita said, looking up at the sword. She walked back over and handed it to Kat.

"Now the guns."

"Guns? Oh, the firearms. Yeah. Sorry, but I don' have much experience with 'em. This'll be on you."

"Should be fine. I think." Annita said as she looked over the spread. There were a few flintlocks, wheel locks, and a couple others she didn't recognize. There was one that was pretty much a standard revolver, from what she could tell. She didn't know guns that well, but figured she could use it well enough. Plucking it from the pile, she fumbled with the cylinder release until she figured it out and popped it open. Taking a couple of bullets from the box provided, she slotted them into the chambers and closed it back up. Making sure it was pointed down, and she wasn't touching the trigger, she walked over to an area that had a couple other people practicing with their own weapons.

"Oh man, better hearing is going to suck for this," she groaned as she took aim at one of the free targets and squeezed the trigger. The kick went up her forearm, which bent at the elbow from the force of the shot, but didn't travel further. Looking back at the target, she'd hit it. Not a great shot, but it made contact. Annita took three more shots, getting more used to the kick and aiming with each pull of the trigger. She shouldn't be this good with the weapon already. She knew this. Ears ringing, she shouted back at Kat, "Hey, do skills help with weapons?"

"Aye, they don't magically make ye a master, but they speed up the process. Ye'll be shootin' like a champ if ye keep it up," she said back.

"What?" Annita called back, cupping an ear.

"Ah shit. We're gonna need tae get that thing quieted fer ya," Kat grumbled to herself and Bren. "Put 'er down and c'mere!" she shouted.

Opening the cylinder and removing the shells, Annita walked over to them.

"I shoulda known the hearin' woulda been a problem fer ya. There're some enchantments that'll make the thing quieter, but they're a custom job. We'd have to get lucky and make it a rush order. 'Ere, stuff some o' this in yer ears for now, Bren an' I'll see what we can scrounge up." Kat handed Annita some cotton, which she gratefully put in her ears. The fibers against the fur felt weird, but it was for the best. "Keep practicin' both o' yer weapons while we look. We'll return the rest back tae the Quartermaster."

Annita nodded and turned back to the firing range, deciding she needed the most time practicing with the revolver.

Annita improved significantly with the revolver and could reliably fire from both a single-handed stance and her hip. Being right-handed, she'd started with her right hand, but realized she couldn't do so with her sword out as well. She'd taken the rest of her time to practice with the sword in her right hand and the unloaded gun in her left. Sweat was dripping down her face, and the sun was getting low when Bren and Kat returned. Wiping her brow, she caught an appreciative look from the Alfhindurn.

"Good news. We got lucky. There's someone in town who can do the mufflin' enchant fer ya. Bad news is it costs a good bit. Bren an' I chipped in, but we had tae take a good bit o' yer share from the wolves tae cover it. We've got food covered for all o' us, so the rest o' yer money's likely going to buyin those." Kat gestured to the falchion and revolver.

"Oh, right money. How does that work?" Ann asked as she pulled out the cotton she'd forgotten in her ears.

"We are a coin-based economy," Bren explained. "It ranges from gold to coppers, more expensive to less." He flicked a coin to Ann. A Copper, it seemed. It was hexagonal and thin. On one side it had the symbol of the Kingdom and the other a set of two crossed battle axes stamped into it. "They are the symbol of the kingdom, and the weapons of the current queen. It is a simple system. Ten Coppers to an Iron, ten Irons to a Silver, ten Silvers to a Gold. To give you a point of reference, a night at a standard inn would cost one iron. Food and drink would be around five coppers."

"Uh huh." Annita could at least figure out the system from role-playing games, but she'd need time to accustom herself to the scale.

"Well, let's get ye sorted an' get a couple o' rooms," Kat said, patting Annita on the shoulder.

Walking back inside, they greeted Quartermaster Pile.

"Oh, you lot again. So, how're ya liking those two?" Pile leaned over the counter, barely clearing it to stare at Annita's weapons of choice.

"They're good. I like the falchion, nice, light, but sturdy too. Revolver is nice and easy to use."

"Oh, yeah, it sure is. Bitch and a half to reload, but you'll get used to it. Probably some Skill down the line for it too. Who the fuck knows? If you like 'em, that'll be an Iron each, and five coppers for thirty basic rounds. Advise keepin some in a pocket if you have any. Just in case."

"Sounds good. Thanks for the advice." Ann said as Kat walked up and paid for the weapons. Pile took both from Ann, grabbed a sheath and holster, stowed the weapons, and handed them back to her.

"Don't go dying out there. Take good care of your tools and they'll take good care o' you. Now git. You're holding up the line." Pile huffed as she motioned them to the door.

Annita looked at her bewildered as they left the otherwise empty armory.

Dinner was another filling, if not flavorful, meal. Meat Annita had no idea what animal it came from, some kind of root vegetable that was close to a carrot, more bread, and ale again.

Once they were all seated, they ate in relative quiet. Annita was nervous about the talk she promised Bren, and nervous about revealing who she was to Kat. She'd decided if the Path was coming out, and if both of them seemed committed to helping her out after learning of her quest, then she'd tell them the rest of the story.

Kat sidling up to her broke her concentration. "So, good lookin, not gonna buy me a drink 'ere?"

"Wha, huh? Here? I thought we were only staying a day? I thought you wanted, like, a date?" Annita could feel her cheeks heating up as Kat's smell wafted up to her from the proximity. She smelled like the earth, and a nice bit of natural body odor that sent a shiver up her spine. It drew her in as much as she tried to resist her instincts.

"I mean, aye, that's the plan. Just teasin'. Yer too easy, lass," Kat laughed, still leaning against her shoulder. "Ah, ye blush easier than ol' Bren here when a lady fancies 'im. Can't figger out what to say with that giant vocabulary o' his."

"I can speak. I will have you know," Bren retorted. "You're just so forward that you've never had someone take you off guard."

As he spoke, Annita spied a hint of a blush creep up his neck, confirming the lie to his words as surely as his verbal contractions did.

Kat took things a step forward and wrapped her arm around Annita's waist. "Oh aye, can't be taken off guard if yer the one on the offensive. That's just logic."

"Hey, I'm still here," Annita laughed as she pushed Kat away. "Though she's right, Bren. Easiest way to be on solid footing is to take the advantage. Like so."

She suddenly wrapped an arm around Kat and easily lifted the woman into her lap.

"How's that?" Annita grinned roguishly down at Kat, whose eyes had flown wide at the sudden movement.

"I, uh, yeah, uh huh. Like that." Kat was flustered! Annita felt a rush course through her as she realized the reaction she'd provoked. She absolutely loved how it was the tips of her ears that colored first. "I uh, I think I made my point," Annita said as she quickly shifted Kat back beside her and off of the growing erection she was desperately trying to hide. Saying an inner prayer that Kat hadn't felt anything, she took a huge bite of bread to stop herself from saying anything else.

Bren looked at them both with a gaze that radiated smugness, but kept his silence as he finished his meal.

Kat did similar to Annita, but Annita could feel her gaze darting her direction frequently.

Finishing their meal, they took a brief stop to clean themselves from the grime of having traveled for a few days, got changed, checked in at the local mercenary lodging, and gathered in the girls' room.

"So, uh, I guess I'll start then?" Annita said, rocking on the bed anxiously and hugging her furry knees. "Kat already knows all of this, so yeah. Would it be easier to tell you, or do you want me to show you my sheet?"

"To be honest," Bren said from his cross-legged seat on the floor, "I'd prefer you tell me. Sharing something by showing is generally seen as an intimate gesture, and, no offense, I do not feel that way toward you."

"No, no. No offense taken," Annita sighed, looked to Kat, who was seated on the other bed, and steeled herself. "All right, well, my Path is called 'Warrior of Orenous'. It seems to be a rogue based Path from what Kat and I have been able to figure out. Big single hits, that cost one of my resources. One of them uses Mind, like what I gather normal magic uses, but the others use apparently unique resources Libido and Desire."

Bren's eyes widened as he stared at her incredulously. Wordlessly, he turned to Kat, who nodded affirmation. "That's inconceivable. How? Who are you?"

"So, there's a bit of a story to that, but I'd like to talk about the whole Orenous thing first. It'll help make the rest of it make sense. Maybe. I fucking hope." Annita sighed again as she tightened the hold on her knees. "Before I met you two, I met her."

"No fuckin' way. You met Orenous? You met a goddess?" Kat blurted.

"Shhh, I don't want to announce this to the world, ok? There's kinda a reason I didn't tell you two from the start, and I promise that I'll get to it."

"Ok, sorry. Just, hell of a bombshell to drop on us, girlie." Kat sat back again.

"Well, probably not the only one tonight. Anyway. Yeah, I met her. We talked for a while about the world and, more specifically, the Seeds. She told me they were corrupted, cut off from the Gods' influences, and that something was fucking with anything in or nearby them. None of the Gods could investigate since they were cut off, so she decided to task me with figuring out what was going on and fix it if possible."

Annita paused, looking at her companions for their reactions. Bren had recovered slightly from his shock and wore a stern face of contemplation. Kat, on the other hand, had stood and was pacing between the beds.

"Holy balls, 'at's a big job to ask o' someone," Kat said, breaking the silence. "Humanity's been pokin' around the Seeds for a damn long time, and none of the stories I've read hinted at any progress on a source o' the Warped."

"Neither have any of the histories I have read," Bren concurred. "A divine mission to try to unravel what millennia of men have tried and failed at. There have been numerous theories on the subject. That the Gods themselves were to blame, that an ancient curse was put upon Their creations, that there was a traitor God taking their domains. None could be confirmed. Knowing that you have spoken to one of them, that is something momentous. Clerics and priests of every temple have received guidance and blessings from their respective Gods. However, the guidance was vague at best and unintelligible at worst."

"Well, that's going to suck for getting more information then." Annita sighed, leaning back.

"So, what was she like?" Kat asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Annita looked up at her stupidly.

"Orenous! Ye met the goddess of love, beauty, connections, fuckin'. What was she like?" Kat huffed exasperated and sat down again.

"Oh, uh, well, she was gorgeous, of course. She had this wavy platinum blonde hair. I'd describe her face as more cute and comely than drop dead gorgeous? Lots of freckles, cute chin, nice soft features, though for some reason I can't remember her eyes? I think they were green, but something keeps me from remembering."

"Eyes are said to be the window to the soul. That is probably for your benefit," Bren guessed.

"Yeah, ok, her face is nice, what 'bout the rest of 'er? How was her ass?"

"Kat!" Bren exclaimed. "That is nearing blasphemy!"

"As if that Goddess out of all of 'em is gonna care if someone talks about her bits," Kat retorted.

"Ok, so that part was drop dead gorgeous. Like, perfection. Perfect pale skin, perfect breasts, wide and full hips. She was sitting the whole time so I can't really say much on her butt," Kat threw her hands up in frustration, "but she was absolutely a Goddess of beauty. She may have had to grab my attention a few times when she caught me staring and not listening."

"Some people get all the luck," Kat grumbled. "Well, shit. I expected this tae be a big reveal o' some sort, but that takes the cake. Shit, my secret seems like fuckin' nothin. Ya ready fer it?" She asked Annita.

She nodded back, waiting.

"I'm a fuckin' princess."

"Bullshit."

"Nae. Swear to the Gods. Should I swear to Orenous now? Things I never thought I'd ask. Fuck! I need a drink. I need several. Bren, d'ya think they'll let us snag a bottle o' wine? I'm checking. Be right back." She left quickly, stomping down the stairs to the main floor. It wasn't even a minute before she was back with a bottle. She wrenched the cork free with her teeth and poured into their camp cups that Bren had retrieved from the packs.

"Ok, sorry, princess?" Annita resumed her question.

"Aye, middle kid o' the Farragher royal family. Mum's the Queen, da's the King. Grew up in the big ol' Palace Under the Mountain."

"Bren, she's telling the truth, right?" Annita turned to hopefully the one she could count on to be the voice of truth.

"She is telling the truth, yes," he responded matter-of-factly. "Third child of the Farragher household. Princess of the Korvan Kingdom. You may have inferred, but my family and hers are rather close. Our parents met at a ball by chance and they made fast friends over their discussions on magic theory. Father tells the tale frequently. Kat and I have been like siblings despite our age difference.'

"But, where's the courtly decorum? The propriety? The gowns and all that?" Annita asked, completely bewildered.

"Ye won't catch me dead in one o' those stuffy things again. I'll fight ye if ya even try," Kat growled as she drained her cup and poured another. "Da and I always fought o'er that. Ma cares as little as I do. Eventually we just came to an agreement that it didn't suit me and tha' was tha'."

"I pulled a fucking princess into my lap at dinner," Annita groaned as she drained her own cup. It was a sweet wine, one she could drink copious amounts of easily. Dangerous.

"Aye, sure fuckin' did. Did ye hear 'er complain, either?" Kat grinned mischievously back. "Title don't change who I am. Don't ye be one of 'em that lets it change who I am to you. Ya ken?"

"I, sure. Fine. Holy shit." Annita took a moment to collect herself. Bren drank his wine, but in far less quantity than Kat and Annita were. "So, Bren, back to the Path thing. I do want you to know that my two unique resources are explicitly sexual in nature. Desire requires 'relations' with a trusting partner."

"I will stop you there. I have no interest in you." Bren said sternly.

"Yeah, that's fine. I don't really have any interest in you either, at least in that way. Uh, no offense."

"None was taken." Bren said, relaxing a little.

"I just want you to understand that it seems like this is going to be a theme for my Path, and want to make sure that's not a deal-breaker for you if we continue to travel together." Annita took another long drink from her cup, handing it to Kat for a refill.

"That is fine. It is certainly an unconventional Path, however unique can mean powerful. As long as you do not try to involve me in any lascivious activities, I will continue to journey with you. I assume you are already on board with all of this Katlyn?"

Kat sputtered in her cup when she heard her full name. "Oh, aye. I am. Honesly? Ready to get more involved than ye are, but I've laid me guidelines out on how I want this relationship to start."

"Definitely," Annita agreed. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders as they talked. She didn't realize she was dreading this conversation as much as she had been. Bren was a good man, and it'd be a shame to run him off with something she couldn't control. "So, you two all right with me tagging along with you?"

"You taggin' with us? Lass, we gonna be taggin' along with you soon enough. But yeah, I'm in. Bren said 'e's in and 'e don' change his min' once 'e makes his mind up." Kat's words were starting to slur a little, and Annita grabbed the cup from her.

"I think that's enough for now," she said, handing the cup to Bren. "With that settled, I have one more secret here. This is a big one. Probably more unique than the Orenous thing."

Kat flopped back on the bed and groaned. "Fine, wha'ever ye've got. Lay it on me."

"So I'm not an amnesiac whatsoever. I remember everything about my life. It's just that I'm from the past. Like before the Gods, past. I think Orenous said it was about five thousand years ago or so. And this?" Annita raised her hands and wiggled her fluffy ears. "This isn't my original body. I used to be human as you can be. I was stuck in a coma. Kinda like being dead, but still being alive. I was in a hospital when the Gods came back and everything apparently went to shit. Orenous happened to plop her Seed down in the area and kept an eye on me. Said she felt something about me. When the Warping thing started, she did her best to protect me from it. Couldn't stop all of it, so now I look like this." She spread her arms wide to emphasize her Lupine features. "It's probably why my race is listed as Lupine (Warped). Still really not sure what that's about. Another mystery of my existence. Then at the end of the talk, she said she'd made my body walk to the mansion you found me in and you guys know the rest."

Once she was done with the abridged version of her story, Annita flopped back on her own bed. "Questions?" she asked the ceiling.

"What the fuck?" she heard Kat say from the other side of the room.

"Oh, yeah, agreed. What the fuck. I don't even know what the fuck, is how fucked it is."

Annita giggled, then laughed, and kept laughing. Soon she heard Kat joining in the laughter. Even Bren had a few chuckles.

"We've got a lot of walking to do tomorrow. How about we talk about it more on the road?" Annita suggested.

"Aye, sounds good tae me." Kat said, her voice trailing off as the alcohol dragged her down.

"Yes, that is acceptable. Now, if you will excuse me, I will take this and bid you a good night." Bren grabbed the bottle and closed the door gently behind him.

After a few minutes of silence, Kat sat up on her elbows. "Ye need tae handle yerself again, dont'cha?"

"I, yeah, I do. Don't want to run into whatever happens when I cap out on Libido." Annita sighed.

"Gods, why the fuck did I have to want to do this right?" Kat moaned, flopping back down. "I'd help ya otherwise."

"You would?" Annita asked, a little surprised.

"Aye, yer good lookin'. More than that." As she spoke, her voice got quieter and quieter. "Gods know I like ye."

Her last words were a whisper before Annita heard the soft, steady rhythm of the Alfhindur sleeping.

"Gods, she's cute when she's drunk, and tired, and everything." Annita said to herself. "All right, let's deal with this and get some sleep."

She stood and quietly left the room, heading to a lavatory to sate her ever-growing libido.

Chapter 11: On the Prowl

Annita woke early, stretching in her bed and rubbing her eyes. It felt amazing to have a mattress again after the days of sleeping on a blanket, and she dreaded going back on the road. This time she'd have a bedroll, though. Improvements.

She sat up and took a look around, finding Kat still sleeping in her own bed. Annita's heart jumped a little seeing the woman laying there. The mundanity was something special to her. Kat's hair was a mess from tossing in her sleep, and her blanket had tangled around her. Annita took a moment to admire her figure, outlined in the blankets as it was, before getting up and walking over to her. She startled slightly as her claws clacked against the wood, not used to actual floors yet.

"Kat, c'mon. It's time to get up. We've gotta get on the road again today," she said softly, rocking the sleeping Alfhindur by her shoulder.

"Mmmm, little more sleep?" Kat groaned, rolling over and taking the blankets with her, exposing she'd apparently stripped at some point in the night.

Annita couldn't help but admire the sight, but restrained herself. "All right, you've got until I get dressed. Deal?"

"Deal, don' rush. 'Kay?" was the sleepy mumble from the pillow.

Annita smiled, pulled the blanket back over Kat and turned to her pack and dressed herself. She wrapped the new strip of cloth around her chest, binding her breasts comfortably so she could move freely, donned her shirt and green kilt, cinched her belt and checked the rest of her pack. She couldn't finish lacing up the shirt, since the opening was in the back, so she went to wake her sleeping companion.

Grumbling the entire time, Kat sat up, yawned, and sat on the bed with her head hung for a couple minutes before she got to dressing herself. "Oi, d'ya know how tae braid?"

"Yeah, definitely. Need some help?"

"Aye, usually wear it in a few of 'em. Leave the bangs free, maybe some in the back too. Rest in two or four long braids if ye don' mind."

"Yes, your highness," Annita giggled as she took her position behind Kat.

"None o' tha', ya numpty," Kat groaned.

Laughing, Annita got to work. She found the process much easier than it had ever been. She attributed it to the increased Dexterity stat she'd started building up. Soon, she had Kat's hair done up in a way that stayed out of her way, but still had a good bit of volume in the back. Two long braids trailed down over her shoulders and chest, and two trailed from her temples to the back of her head, meeting in a loose knot.

"Thank ye," Kat said as she felt her hair as they lacked a mirror. "Feels perfect. Ye weren't a friseur back in yer day?"

"Sorry, friseur?"

"Oh, sorry, person who works wit' hair," Kat explained.

"Nope, I studied art mostly. Ancient by my standards. Probably considered relics by yours." Annita moved from behind Kat and ran a hand through her own hair, feeling the wild mane that flowed between her ears and down her back. As she did, Kat moved behind her and finished up lacing her shirt. It definitely felt better with her fur poking out between the straps than the alternative. The mere thought of all that fur getting mushed around by cloth made her spine itch.

"Sounds borin' as 'ell." Kat huffed. "Though I bet Bren'd love tae talk yer ear off 'bout it. Man loves 'is books, he does." She stood, stretched again, giving Annita a wonderful view of her muscular body, and started donning her clothes and armor.

"Yeah, I can imagine it would be pretty boring for someone who's used to fighting and adventuring like this. It was something I loved, though. I'm honestly looking forward to seeing what art this time has made. Sculptures, paintings, frescos, murals. There are probably entire new mediums, with magic being a possibility." Annita rambled as she watched Kat dress.

"Ye'll like Korvas then. City's old. Mountain she's built under is older, obviously, but the sayin' goes she's as old as it is. If there's a place fer ye to get a good look at art, it'll be there or Indelholm. Indelholm more on the magic side, mind. Bren'll talk yer ear off about tha' too." Kat chuckled as she finished clothing herself. She moved around behind Annita and helped tighten the laces on her shirt. Once done, she cinched her sheathed sword to her hip and fastened her shield to her back. "Need help with figurin' out the sheath and holster there?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I do. Didn't quite know how I should put them on."

"Straps are simple enough. Yer usin' the falchion in yer right hand, yeah?"

"Yeah, that felt the most natural."

"Gotcha, so that might be awkward. Normally ye want tae be able to reach across yerself tae draw yer sword. Do ye want tae draw yer pistol from yer left or do ye feel more comfortable reachin' across fer that, too? Here, try." Kat held the sword up to Annita's left hip and the pistol to her right.

Reaching both ways across her body, she gripped both weapons and drew them. "That felt fine to me. I guess we can keep it like that."

"All right. Lemme get that fer ya real quick." Kat ran her hands around Annita's waist and fastened the sheath and holster securely. Annita felt her hands wander a little as she did so, but didn't comment.

"There, ye look the part o' an adventurer." Kat said, satisfied. "Yer gonna need some armor, but we'll need more coin fer that."

"So, question. You're royalty, right? Aren't royalty supposed to be rich?" Annita asked.

"I mean, aye, normally. If we were back at home, we'd have no problems gettin' ye outfitted by wonderful artisans, but I personally don' like flauntin' that. Shit warps people as much as the Seeds do."

"Ah, yeah, makes sense. If that's how you like it, I won't ask again." Annita said, feeling some embarrassment at her forwardness.

"Hey, no offense taken. Ye didn't know better. Hells, there's gonna be a lot o' stuff like that fer ya with how ye got here." Kat laughed. "Let's not keep Bren waitin' though." She turned toward the door, beckoning Annita to follow.

Bren was waiting for them downstairs, already packed. He handed them each a large roll. It was hollowed out and had an egg, and what looked like sausage baked as a filling, still steaming.

"That smells awesome." Annita took the roll as her stomach growled, sinking her sharp teeth in eagerly. The creamy egg and greasy sausage soaked into the fresh bread and coated her tongue with an amazingly savory blend. "Mmmf, I'm gonna miss this when we're eating rations again."

"As will I," Bren agreed, taking a bite of his own breakfast. "Are you two ready to be on our way?"

"Aye, all good tae go," Kat said, shifting her pack on her shoulder.

Before leaving, they made a quick stop at the enchanter and picked up Annita's weapon. The tired-looking man took their payment and shooed them away quickly, probably so he could catch up on sleep.

They left the Outpost as the sun crested the horizon in the east. Annita watched as the long shadows of the trees they were heading into became more defined, and the snow between them sparkled in the early light.

Two sets of footprints and one set of paw prints stretched out behind them as the sun moved further into the sky.

"So," Kat began, "what was it like all that time ago? I mean, back when ye were from?"

"Gods, different," Annita sighed. "For one thing, magic didn't exist. Though I guess we kinda worked around that in some ways."

"Oh? Did you? Could you elaborate?" Bren was sticking slightly behind the other two, to their right, as they wound through the black trunks.

"Well, yeah, we used electricity. Lightning, but incredibly controlled and far less powerful, to make all sorts of things happen. We used it to make pictures, lights, communicate all across the globe. It's what we used to store most of our information, too. If you could think of it, we likely had an application of electricity for it."

"That sounds absolutely fascinating. I wonder why humanity has not replicated the feat since," Bren pondered, lifting a hand to his chin and stroking a non-existent beard.

"Well, I've got an actual answer to that. From Orenous herself, actually. Apparently it's the Gods' fault. Something about their presence just breaks how we used to use technology. I'm not really smart enough to figure out why, so I've just been taking her word for it."

"Aye, tha's fair. Had any family?" Kat continued the questioning as she scanned the woods.

"Yeah, had my mom and dad, two sisters, and a brother. I was the oldest of them all. Had two cats too. Definitely counted them as family. Dad worked for the government doing taxes. Mom stayed at home, but she had a degree in biology. The study of life, I guess, is the best way to describe it. My brother and sisters were all over the place. The youngest, Jane, was too young to really know much about her, and I was already off to college by the time she started getting more personality. Ben was really into sports and loved our local football team. He and dad would always try to watch whatever game was on the TV. Rosita was the older one. She was more into cheer-leading and makeup. That stuff. We didn't agree on much, but she taught me some stuff about taking care of hair, and I helped her with makeup. It was nice for what it was." Annita let out a long sigh, homesickness washing over her in a heavy wave. "And they're all gone now."

Two hands gripped her shoulders. Bren and Kat both looked at her with understanding. "I am truly sorry for your loss. I know there was nothing you could have done about it."

"Yeah," Annita huffed. They all walked in silence for a while before she broke the silence again. "And thanks for that. Haven't really had time to, ya know, deal with all that. Orenous gave me some time to cry and stuff, but she had to keep moving too. Figure I'll either get used to it, or just have a breakdown somewhere, sometime. Sorry, being a downer here."

"Nah," Kat said, hoisting her pack again. "It's loss. Shit's gonna linger with ye longer than ye expect it to. Still think about Arty all the time. Kid was a reliable, kind one. Great shot with that rifle of his, an' all that. We picked him up, what, a couple months ago?"

"Yes, in between Korvas and Graven Keep. We had just registered for our mercenary licenses, and he was doing the same in a town we passed through. We invited him to join us in whatever adventures or jobs we were hired for, he agreed, and that was that. We are going to need to make a stop to tell his family what happened on the way, Kat." Bren said with a heavy tone.

"Aye, just tryin' not tae think about that right now. Gonna be hard enough when it happens. Can't be buildin' stress over the future on top o' it."

"Yeah, I get that. I keep trying to focus on all the new stuff here, not thinking about all the stuff I lost. Which, thankfully, is an absolute fuckton." Annita thought to herself for a moment, trying to change the subject a little. "Like, language. I figure it's magic, but I've understood you all from the moment I woke up. I can't imagine that the languages I knew stayed consistent, much less completely intact, for five thousand years."

"Yes, I do believe you are correct in your assumption. There are several languages spoken on this continent and outside of the Kingdom. I have no point of reference, however, I would hazard a guess that they are unrecognizable to you."

"Huh, yeah, most likely. Would be cool to turn the translation off to see if I could tell the difference. Oh well." Annita shrugged. "Then there's other stuff. Seems like animals have stayed mostly consistent, with some changes from the Warping. Think I saw a couple new birds out there though. Then there's the gear and other things. Like this," she drew the revolver from her hip, "this design was something that was around in my time. I'm surprised it stuck around."

"Fascinating," Bren said, taking a closer look at the gun. "Firearms are a fairly ancient weapon, at least to us. They've been modified over time to include enchantments, magically fueled ammunition, etcetera."

"Yeah, they were pretty much the most powerful personal weapons we had in our time. All our wars were fought with them after they were refined enough. People collected older models, some had them for personal use or protection. They were everywhere."

"Damn, can't imagine." Kat said, maneuvering through some tricky, prickly bushes. "Magic kinda keeps 'em in line. Yeah, they can be made magic, but that just lets magic deal with 'em a bit better."

"Guess I chose a versatile weapon here, huh?" Annita turned the revolver over, tracing the new bluish lines tracing the barrel, marking the noise dampening enchantment.

"Aye, and with ye not havin' magic o' yer own to put into 'em, ye'll have to pre-select what ye want 'em tae do when ye get some. All sorts o' elements, though most chose fire an' lightnin' for obvious reasons. There's a crazy amount o' different kinds."

"Good to know. I'll take my time looking. So, Kat..." Annita trailed off as her ears twitched. Something was approaching. It was a strange sound, a low huffing of an animal, but quiet, solid steps. It didn't sound like a Twinwolf. No, something new. Then there was a chittering. A noise she'd heard a hundred times from her cats when they wanted to hunt the squirrels outside her window. "Some kind of cat's nearby. Getting closer."

"Aye, just picked it up, too. 'Member the hooved cat thing I told ye about? Probably one o' those. Solitary hunter, much stronger than the Twinwolves. We all fight this time. Get yer shit loaded. Bren, behind us. I'll take point, an' ye strike when ye feel is the right time."

Annita and Kat turned to where they heard the noise coming from, weapons drawn and searching the trunks for their stalker. Soon they spotted movement. A surprisingly white coat from the description Annita had gotten speckled with dark spots kept the cat-deer-thing camouflaged if they weren't looking for it.

Noticing that their party had seen it, the beast dropped the act of trying to sneak up on them and rose. It was big, probably the size of a tiger, Annita guessed. It was also built without an ounce of fat on it. Even with its long coat, she could see the massive muscles rippling as it moved. As it tensed for the confrontation, Annita spied new spots appearing in its fur. She realized the spots she was already seeing weren't a natural coloring, but dried blood from previous exertion.

"Thank fuck, it's just the one." Kat muttered to herself before slamming her sword into her shield in a familiar taunt.

The cat's gaze flicked to her and it lowered its body to the snow, its golden eyes gleaming from the pure white. A low growl rumbled over the snow before it leapt at Kat. True to its description, it had hooves instead of paws and claws. Despite the anatomical anomaly, it put them to good use, swiping at Kat with blunt force.

The metal of Kat's shield rang as she caught the blow, parried, and stabbed back at it. The Warped ducked out of the way and moved to the side The Warped ducked out of the way and moved to the side with more speed than any of the Twinwolves.

As it lunged in to take a bite from Kat's right side, Annita took the opportunity to slash at its hindquarters with her falchion, grinning as she watched a line of black stain its coat. Unfortunately, this drew attention to her way, and she backpedaled hastily as hooves swiped her direction. One caught her lower leg, and she felt the bone complain as it resisted the impact.

"Thing hits fucking hard," she gasped.

"Aye, focus on dodgin'. My job tae take the hits." Kat said as she slammed her shield into the creature's side, causing it to stumble.

It turned back to Kat as she took the offensive, raining blows down on the muscled beast with both shield and sword. In the meantime, Annita saw Bren begin to weave his hands and wand, casting what she assumed were defensive spells and healing on their tank. She snuck a good couple hits in with her falchion, but with Kat moving so quickly and the Warped matching her speed, she didn't want to use the revolver.

This changed when Kat caught the thing with a particularly solid shield strike, throwing it clear of their tight melee. Dashing in, Annita sunk her falchion into the thing's shoulder, a stream of blood erupting from the wound, and placed the barrel of the gun to its side. Channeling divine power into the weapon, she pulled the trigger. Annita reflexively braced for the deafening echo, and it was still there, but it didn't hurt anymore. Pulling back as a hoof sailed past her face as a gurgling roar burbled from the creature's throat. She saw even more black blood oozing from a circular wound along with the trailing smoke, which meant her Smite had worked with the bullet. Pulling her sword clear, black blood oozing from the wound, she watched with revulsion as the muscles under its skin seemed to bubble and move to try and seal the wound. However, a hoof swinging at her face so close it cut her cheek broke her concentration on the wound.

Annita maintained her distance for most of the beginning of the fight, watching how Kat moved, how the creature reacted, and picking up where she could slip in. It was difficult. She felt like she was too slow. Once she saw an opening, but misjudged her timing and jostled Kat, who took a nasty blow to her side. Apologizing profusely, Annita moved back, scrambling on her back to make sure she was out of the way.

Annita eventually fell into a rhythm. Kat would demand the cat's attention, and she would maneuver behind it, or to the side, come in for a quick strike, and retreat while Kat resumed her offensive. Blood flowed freely from wounds across the thing's flesh, both self inflicted from its exertion, several sound wounds, and four bullet holes.

"Fuck, this thing is tough." Annita gasped as the grueling combat reached a pause, both sides eyeing the other.

"Yeah, sure fuckin' is. Looks like it's slowin' down, though. Almost there. Ye good?" Kat was similarly panting, sweat running down her face as she kept her eyes locked on the predator.

"Yeah, Bren? Doing ok back there?"

"My Mind is at half. I've only been helping with the most severe strikes."

"Gotcha. Prayin' we don't need ye more. We're gonna be a pile o' bruises tonight."

"Sure are," Annita groaned, twitching as the cat made a feint at her, but backed off again.

"Jerkin' it tonight's gonna suck fer ye." Kat laughed as she began to regain her breath.

Annita let out a long sigh, and she was saved from further teasing as the Warped lunged at her. Scrambling to her left, Kat replaced her and met the hoof with a metallic clang and a grunt. "Let's finish this up, yeah? Arm feckin hurts."

Annita nodded as she wiped the sweat from her eyes. She tried to keep up with Kat but was growing increasingly tired, her ability to catch openings lessening every passing minute. Kat was faring much better, but she could see the fatigue starting to take some effect.

There!

Kat had shoved the beast away with a mighty push, sending it skidding backwards and off balance. Annita lunged in, sneaking the falchion through the creature's left ribs, locking it in place. As the cat's head turned to greet her, she leveled the pistol to its head and fired her last bullet with the flash of a Smite. There was no sound as the Warped's full weight fell to the snow, with Annita collapsing on top of it.

It was a couple of minutes before Annita caught her breath enough to push up off the creature. She turned to see Kat laying sprawled in the snow, recovering herself. Slowly, she made her way over to her companions on unsteady paws. Without ceremony, she flopped to lie next to Kat.

"Good... Job," Kat said between deep breaths. Bren was doing some kind of healing, and the encounter clearly beat her up. "Yer takin... tae yer weapons... real well fer... how new they are."

"I'm just trying to hit the things." Annita shrugged as she stared up at the cold blue sky. "You're so fast. It's hard to keep up."

"Aye, ye'll get there, though. That's mostly levels. Keep puttin' points into yer Dexterity an' ye'll match me soon."

"Yeah, oh, wait, on that note." Annita turned her attention to a silver screen that had popped up. "Guess I leveled from that too?"

"Course ye did. I got one too. Bren?"

"Yes, I have advanced."

"So, wasn't just one."

Kat groaned. "How many?"

"Would you be mad if I said two again?"

"Feck you. Anything good?"

"One sec, let me see." Annita expanded her sheet and looked through her options.

Congratulations! Your Path has advanced!

Warrior of Orenous (4)

Please select a core stat to increase by +2.

Congratulations! Your Path has advanced!

Warrior of Orenous (5)

Passive Upgrade has been unlocked:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one's progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. For each lover in the current party, increase the multiplier by 0.2. This bonus will apply to all party members of the same or lower levels as the owner. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer's Path.

Additionally provides +5 to Faith.

Please select one skill from the following:

Deft Hands: Increase dexterity by 5. Any complicated manipulation of your digits becomes moderately easier.

Healing Embrace: Take a moment to rest with your loved ones. Resting with skin to skin contact restores health for all involved at a low rate.

"Definitely interesting." Annita's voice hitched as she read the upgrade to Chosen of Orenous again. "Remember my experience passive? It upgraded. Looks like it'll apply to you two once I catch up in level, and anyone else that's beneath my level."

"Woah, that's ridiculously good," Kat whistled.

"I'm not even done," Annita continued. "It says that per lover in my party, the bonus increases by 0.2. I swear she's playing matchmaker with me."

"She is the Goddess of Love." Bren nodded sagely as he turned to provide healing to the cuts Annita had sustained.

"Yeah. Guess she's also fine with me not getting tied down to one person. That's so weird."

"Huh, what 'bout it?" Kat asked, sitting up on her elbows with a grunt.

"Is that more common here?" Annita looked at her, confusion plain on her face.

"I mean, not really, but it's not unheard of?" Kat explained. "Ye'll have a few groups decide they all love each other, an' they'll just go with it. Sounds like ye've had different experiences, though."

"Yeah, back in my time, and I guess my culture, it was mostly monogamous. There was a historical precedent of polygamy and harems and stuff like that, but I'd never seen it, much less participated." Annita sighed, scanning her stats again. "Guess I'm going to have to get used to it."

"Hey, ye almost sound like yer disappointed tha' ye'll be skewering multiple women with that log 'twixt yer legs. Ye all right?" Kat reached over, taking Annita's hand in concern. Her icy eyes softening as she watched the Lupine's reactions.

"Are you ok with it? Seems like we're moving on the path to becoming more than friends here, and I already care about your opinion. I just don't want to hurt anyone's feelings." Annita looked away from Kat sheepishly, trying to avoid the smaller woman's piercing gaze.

"Tae be frank wit' ye, it wasn't in me plans fer me life. Always figgered I'd be settlin' down wit' a nice lady after a good life o' adventurin'. Maybe adopt a littl'un. Nice an' simple. Ye seem tae fit the nice lady part," she elbowed Annita in the ribs, eliciting a groan as she hit a bruise, "so I guess we can figure the rest out. Ye've got yer quest. Ye've got this wonderful skill. Just run it by me if ye find someone ye think might be into us, yeah? I'd like tae have feelin's fer anyone ye do. Keep things from gettin' messy."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. I promise to include you in any romance outside of us I might find. You do the same too. Not like I want to be all hypocritical and say I'm the only one for you. If you know anyone who'd join the party that'd be interested in us, we can feel that out together." Annita squeezed Kat's hand warmly.

"Aye, sounds good."

"Now that that is out of the way, may I ask you two to roll over? I need to examine your backs for wounds." Bren said coolly. Despite his tone, his slight smile betrayed his feelings.

The pair of fighters groaned as they turned over.

"So there's skills too. Got one that's an increase to Dexterity. Five points. It seems pretty nice. The other is a healing one surprisingly. Gives passive regen to me and anyone else who's resting with me and touching skin."

"I'd go for the Dexterity if it were me," Kat said, voice muffled by her arms. "We've got a healer, an' he's not goin' anywhere."

"Good point. Definitely agree." Annita opened her sheet again, made her selection, and spent her bonus points. Sighing, she relaxed into her arms, feeling her tail swish behind her lazily as Bren finished healing them.

Name: Annita Kronforst

Age: 23

Race: Lupine (Warped)

Path: Warrior of Orenous (5)

Title: Chosen of Orenous

--------------------------------------------------------------

Racial Skills:

Cold Resistance: Reduced damage from cold effects. Comfortable in colder climates.

Keen Hearing: Able to hear sounds from greater distances with greater clarity.

Natural Weapons: Claws and teeth are considered weapons for any skills that would affect weapons.

Endurance Hunter: +2 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Stamina

--------------------------------------------------------------

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one's progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. For each lover in the current party, increase the multiplier by.0.2. This bonus will apply to all party members of the same or lower levels as the owner. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer's Path.

Additionally provides +5 to Faith.

Health Points: 118/200

Strength: 14

Intellect: 10

Dexterity: 24

Faith: 20

Stamina: 15

Mind: 0/20

Endurance: 12

Resilience: 12

Libido: 55/125

Desire: 0/80

Path Skills

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive:

Weapon Proficiency: Light weapons and small firearms.

Armor Proficiency: Medium Armor

Health Points: Stat has been unlocked.

Libido: Stat has been unlocked. Increases by 5/hour. Once full, sexual inhibitions will be greatly reduced until release is achieved.

Desire: Stat has been unlocked. Gained through relations with trusting partners.

Stat Increases: +5 to Faith, +10 to Mind, +2 to Endurance, +2 to Resilience

Compatibility: You're a large lady, in more ways than one. This will help make sure things go smoothly in your conquests.

Deft Hands: Increase dexterity by +5. Any complicated manipulation of your digits becomes moderately easier.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Active:

Stoke the Flames: Consume 10 desire points to inflame the target, incensing a heightened emotion of your choice for 1 minute.

Smite of Orenous: Enhance an attack to deal additional Holy damage. Adds 20% of current Faith to the attack. Cost: 10 Mind.

Predatory Sensuality: Cost: +40 Libido. Requires a display of sensuality to activate. Your force of will and pure sensuality make you irresistible, lowering your opponent's guard. For a single strike, lower the target's Endurance by 5 points.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive Stat Increases:

+50 Health

+50 Desire

+25 Libido

+2 Strength

+9 Dexterity

Chapter 12: Lending a Hand

Eventually. Annita and Kat rose, their bodies still aching, and resumed their journey. It was slower going, a combination of exhaustion from the fight and some deeper swathes of snow that proved treacherous to navigate.

Soon, they made it to the edge of a small creek, its moving waters carving a dark crevice through the field of white. Clearing a space, they set up camp along the bank on the large, smooth rocks that made up the area. Kat wandered off to gather firewood, leaving Annita and Bren to themselves.

"So, I have a question about the Warped. When I stabbed that last one, I saw something under its skin move. Do you know what that was?" Annita started as she worked on setting out the bedrolls.

"Ah, yes, that would be its flesh. They are not restricted by the rigid internal structures the rest of us are. Are you well versed in the internal makeup of a body?" As he spoke, he set about unpacking their rations for the night.

"Yes, well, as best I can be without being a doctor," Annita admitted, struggling to get her blankets out of her pack momentarily.

"Good, that will make this easier. When we take damage, we do have our health points to fall back on that normally rebuff some of the damage and protect our vitals. They have something similar, however, it affects their ability to rearrange their internals and regenerate from damage taken. When we are fighting them, we are wearing down their ability to heal until we can make a lethal blow they can't recover from. This gets stranger when the creature is not entirely flesh. There have been plenty of instances of plant life also being affected by the corrupting aura of the Seeds. They usually operate on the principle of rapid growth to repair themselves."

"I see," Annita said, as she noticed Kat returning with some wood. "It's really nasty to look at. Almost didn't believe what I saw."

"Yes, I understand the reaction." Bren smiled as he took the wood from Kat and started the fire. "It is a disturbing portion of their nature. I personally have seen many of the creatures, and their forms are as variable as their ability to utilize this nature. Some, like the Twinwolves, have very little capability to modify their internals. When they take damage, they can resist to a point, but any major damage will persist. Larger creatures, or special cases, have some truly incredible levels of regeneration and modification."

"Is it bad that I don't want to run into anything like that?" Annita cringed at the description. It reminded her of horror movies back in her times, like The Thing. The reality of something like that was much more disgusting. She shook herself of the memory and focused on the future. "So, how far away from Graven Peak are we?"

The sun was setting, long shadows looming from the trees at the edges of the field they'd found themselves in. The fire sparked, warming them with its orange glow. Kat had settled close to Annita, with Bren sitting opposite them.

"'Bout a week? Give or take a few days. Mostly forest 'twixt us an' there." Kat said, munching on a biscuit.

"Yes, though things may be more complicated than we expected. Did you hear about the Seed that was further to the south?" Bren asked, taking a sip from his cup. "Well, in any case, it has moved."

"They can do that?" Annita asked, cocking her head so her ears flopped slightly.

"Yes, now and then. It generally coincides with some event impacting the presiding God's domain. Of course, there are several forests and rivers in this area, each with a God to watch over them. Though they have taken a step back, there were many such deities scattered across the lands. I wonder if an avalanche occurred, or if a river burst a dam somewhere to the south." Bren let out a heavy sigh before packing away his rations. "Regardless, it is in our path now. We will either need to make a detour around it or march through it."

"Takin' someone so new through somethin' like tha's not a great idea, Bren." Kat sat forward at the mention of the new danger and was twiddling a long braid between her fingers. "Then again, shit'll probably take us an extra week or so to get around. Ye said it was a Forest God's Seed?"

"Yes, a minor one of the Choltar Forest. Of all the seeds to traverse, this would likely be one of the least dangerous. Not to say, Annita, that it will not be dangerous. Just comparably less so."

"If it were just me 'n Bren, we'd take it without questions. We've already got our protective blessin's so we're protected from the effects. Ye've got a Goddess' backing, so ye'll be fine. I'm a wee bit worried about ye, though, Ann. Guess we'll leave it up to ye. Think on it a bit. We've got time."

"Thanks." Annita tilted her head back to stare up at the stars. It was still early in the night and the moon had yet to rise. The camp fell into a quiet peace, the only sound being the crackling of the flames.

It was a hard choice. Not one she was sure she should even be making. She'd been here all of four days. Now people were asking for her opinion. Daily battles against monsters she'd only seen in fiction, and some even outside what she expected. She hadn't taken the time to think about how crazy her life had been. Now they wanted to go through an even more dangerous place.

Her thoughts drifted to Orenous and her conversation with the Goddess. She'd been chosen. For what reason, neither of them really knew, but there was something about her that had a chance of helping. That, and the Seeds were what she was supposed to be looking into, anyway. Eh, fuck it. In for a penny.

"Yeah, let's do it," she said, looking back down at her companions. "I'm gonna have to go into one of them eventually. A less dangerous one sounds like a good idea."

Kat looked to her, a questioning raise of an eyebrow probing for any worries. Not finding anything she disliked, she let out a held breath. "Alrighty then. We're gonna be headed in tomorrow, aye?"

"Yes," Bren agreed. "It should be earlier in the morning when we cross the threshold. Annita, I know you have no experience with these domains in the waking world, so let us explain a couple of things. There may be more or less Warped residing in the Seed. The ones we do encounter will be of a greater threat than those out in the wilds."

"Aye, and crazier. I'd say tae expect the unexpected in there. Shit'll be all over the place as well. It's a God's domain. Their world, if ye will. They don't have tae play by our rules. Forest God means we'll probably have tae deal with plants an' shit."

"The warped can be plants as well?" Annita asked, bemused. "Thought it'd only be animals."

"Nae, just about anythin' that's livin'll be susceptible tae the influence. Usually animals outside the actual Seed though."

"Correct. Terrain may change drastically as well. You may enter from a flat plain and encounter a mountainous landscape before you. As I said, anything is possible."

The moon began to creep above the trees, signaling the night's progress. Annita looked up and, for the first time, realized something was wrong with the glowing celestial body. How had she missed that before? It was in pieces, but not really? It looked like a clump of moons had been stuck together to imitate what had once been a larger whole. They were all round, tightly clustered, arranged in as close of a sphere as one could manage with what was there.

"The fuck is wrong with the moon?" Annita exclaimed.

"Huh, what'cha mean? What's wrong with it? Always been like that." Kat stared at her, clearly confused.

"No no no, it was not. I remember it being a single sphere up there. Thing'd just be looking down at us like a face. Not... broken?"

"That is odd. It has been as such in all the recorded histories I've read. If it was changed, it was likely during the Dark Ages. So strange. A single uniform sphere?" Bren had pulled out a piece of paper and was quickly scribbling down a note.

"Yeah, it controlled the tides, gave us light at night when it reflected the sun. It was a wonderful sight at night." Annita sighed, taking in the new form of the familiar object.

"Fascinating. Fascinating. Thank you. I hope you do not mind me recording this information?" Ben asked, almost as an afterthought, still holding the paper.

"Nah, it's fine." Annita waved him off. "Not like it'll change much here."

"You never know," Bren quipped with a smile as he tucked his note away into a thick book filled with other scraps of paper.

"Fair. All right, I gotta handle myself, and then we should probably get some sleep here." Annita said, stretching before standing.

To her surprise, Kat stood with her, drawing Bren's attention as well.

"Ye mind if I talk tae ya fer a moment in private?" she asked, eyes aloof, but driving home this was more than a request.

"Sure? Come on?" Annita accepted. She turned with a shrug at Bren, who seemed to be hiding a smirk.

"So, you gonna tell me what this is about?" Annita asked.

They had been walking for a few minutes in silence. Kat seemed nervous and Annita had a growing pit of anxiety that she knew what this was about. The Alfhindur had said she was into her. She said she'd want a tumble, but also that she wanted to wait for them to have a proper date. Did something change? Did her conviction break down? Was she trying to fuck now?

Annita shook her head, clearing her thoughts as they spiraled into lewdness and desperately tried to fight the stirring beneath her kilt.

"Aye. Just, aye. I have tae come clean with ye over somethin' real quick." Kat kicked at a small drift of snow as they walked. "Please don' think worse o' me. All right?" She paused, waiting for Annita, who nodded back. "I've been... watchin' ye. The second night ye skipped off tae, uh, handle yerself, as ye put it. I know it wasn't right, but I couldn't help meself for some reason. I'm sorry."

Annita stopped for a moment, staring at the woman next to her. She'd never heard anything during her escapades, never would have guessed that she'd had an audience. The thought brought a bright blush to her cheeks, and her heart picked up its pace.

"I... forgive you?" Annita said after a long moment. "I appreciate you telling me. I know we've had plans on escalating our relationship later, but wasn't sure how you were feeling. I do like you, just, yeah. I'm not really a mind reader."

"Nae, and I don' expect ye tae be. I, ugh, I wanted tae do this right. Ye seemed special. I didn't know how special at the time. Just that Orenous had chosen ye fer somethin'." Kat found a fallen log and cleared a place to sit. Annita joined her after a moment. "Ye know I'm a Princess an' all that now. I've had me own flings in the past, but with someone so important, shit, I felt like bein' careful. Makin' sure I was sure, ya know?"

"Kat, I think you're overthinking this a bit," Annita chuckled, her tail swishing behind her with amusement. "I got chosen by Orenous, yeah. Doesn't mean I'm not just a person. I'm just some lost girl out of time that has no idea what the hell is going on, and trying to figure it out. Yeah, why I'm here is special. But I'm not. At least I don't feel that way."

"I get tha'. Honestly, feel the same way sometimes." Kat let out a heavy sigh, turning her gaze to the shattered moon. "Bein' a Princess is somethin' I never agreed tae. Just a factor o' me birth. Don't like people treatin' me all special over it, either."

"So, want to just kind of start over?" Annita asked, leaning a bit closer to Kat, testing the waters. "Just two girls figuring each other out? Though I'm pretty sure we already know where this is going."

Kat returned the gesture, leaning up against Annita's shoulder, her head resting in the crook of her neck. "Aye, that'd be nice. I'm still gonna insist that the first time ye bed me, it'll be in a proper bed. After a date and dinner. Don't mean we can't have other fun, though."

Annita's heart rate spiked again as she looked down into the mischievous stare Kat met her with.

"I gotta say, Ann, ye've got a hell of a tool down there. I've been waitin' tae get me hands on it." As she spoke, she leaned in, breath tickling the fur running down Annita's neck. Her right hand traced around Annita's back as her left leisurely reached down and began to stroke Annita's thigh gently.

Annita froze, feeling the touch and whispered breath against her skin were electric. She couldn't stop the arousal now and she didn't want to. Kat was too much, and she'd wanted her since she'd seen the woman. She reached over, her right hand cupping Kat's chin. She gently urged the woman's face up until their eyes met. Annita's heart skipped a beat as she leaned in and pressed her soft lips to Kat's.

Kat returned the kiss passionately, quickly smothering Annita's hesitant advances. She tasted lovely, Annita noticed, like warmth with a hint of a summer day. She loved the taste and eagerly deepened the kiss, her tongue pushing out against Kat's lips. The other woman eagerly deepened the kiss, allowing the questing tongue in to play with her own. The heat rose between them, the cold seemingly no longer bothering Kat, as she withdrew her right arm from around Annita's waist to undo her coat.

Gasping, Kat broke the kiss, leaning her forehead against Annita's own. Her left hand had only sped up in the meantime and Annita was sure she could feel the tent she was pushing up under the heavy fabric.

Looking down, Kat let out a small gasp at the sight. Quickly she pulled up the Kilt, exposing Annita's cock in all eleven inches of its glory. "Gods, you have no idea how much I've wanted this," she whispered almost to herself as she slowly reached out to the pillar of flesh. Her fingers twitched now and then as if she was afraid to touch the thing, but she persisted, gently wrapping the warm length with her fingers. "It's so thick."

Annita drew in a sharp breath as she felt someone else's hand on her cock for the first time. It was completely different. She liked jerking herself off, but something about not knowing what was going to happen next excited her even more. Every touch was unexpected, every slight movement as Kat slowly began to stroke her, almost in a daze. "Oh, that feels good," she moaned into Kat's hair as she hugged the other woman close.

Kat responded to the encouragement by speeding up her strokes, watching the taut flesh follow her hand as she did, watching it reach its limit and then glide under her fingers and palm. Soon it was coated in a glossy film of pre-cum as the glistening liquid began to pour out of the tip.

Annita was transfixed by the sight as well. Kat was almost reverent with how she handled the massive cock in her hand. It bobbed up and down, each stroke taking it from the base, brushing against her other anatomy, all the way up to the bottom of the head. Each time it hit either extreme, Annita sucked in a breath as a jolt of pleasure coursed through her. She could feel herself getting warmer, could feel her arousal approaching its limit far faster than normal. She was beginning to pant, to moan. Oh Gods, Kat's hand felt so good.

Annita pulled the other woman close to her, feeling her breathing quicken as well. This only sent her further into her own pleasure. The thought that the gorgeous woman that was Kat was almost lovingly jerking her off was intoxicating. She buried her face into Kat's hair with another long moan as the Alfhindur reached the head and, instead of retreating, cupped it in her palm and began to rotate her hand around it. The feeling was so intense, her cock jumped in Kat's hand. "Oh, right there," she panted as more moans escaped her lips. Her ears began to flatten back against her head, signaling an oncoming orgasm.

With a gasp, Kat redoubled her efforts, quickening the pace and increasing the pressure. Soon she had Annita in a gasping, moaning mess, drooling pre-cum heavily as she slowly began to lose herself to the pleasure. "Fuck, Kat, holy shit, I'm gonna..." she trailed off as another intense wave of pleasure rocked through her body.

To her utter shock, Kat got up off the log and between her legs, adding her other hand to her ministrations. She looked Annita in the eyes from beneath the massive throbbing shaft in her hands. "Do it. Oh Ann, give it tae me. Cum for me. Cum for me now."

It was too much. Annita felt herself clench, her muscles flexing as she desperately tried to stay still while the rush of heat traveled up her cock before erupting over Kat.

The first jet of warm, sticky cum flew over Kat entirely, landing in a steaming streak on the snow. Letting out a gasp of surprise and disappointment, Kat leaned in and wrapped her soft lips over Annita's tip. Her eye contact faltered as her lids fluttered with the sensation and taste of drinking Ann's cum. She let out a deep, throaty moan as she continued to swallow desperately, jet after jet filling her mouth as she struggled to keep up.

Ann was lost in the pleasure. Her world went quiet and all she could perceive was the warmth around the tip of her cock and the orgasmic bliss of her release. One hand reached down to cup the side of Kat's head, which only elicited another moan from the apparently cock drunk woman.

After what felt like minutes, her orgasm began to subside. With the last dribble of cum leaking into Kat's waiting mouth, the woman pulled free with a pop, struggling for breath.

"Gods be damned, lass. Ye cum like nothin' else I've seen." Kat gasped as she tried to regain her composure.

"Yeah, apparently I do." Annita panted from her seat on the log. "I didn't expect you to, well, you know."

"Aye, me neither," Kat laughed. "Just felt right, so I went with it. Gods, am I glad I did. You taste incredible." She almost moaned out the last word, making Annita's heart skip a beat.

"And don't think we're done here." Annita took a deep breath, slipped her hands beneath Kat's arms, and lifted her to sit on the log. "Turnabout's fair play."

"Oh, fuck yes," Kat gasped as she desperately fumbled with her belt and pants.

Once she had the belt undone, Annita reached up and roughly pulled the leather garments down her legs, revealing the soft, pale flesh beneath. She gently began to kiss Kat's thighs, feeling the woman tremble beneath her lips and tongue. Slowly, teasingly, she worked her way in deeper, each moan and gasp from Kat's beautiful lips making her want to draw it out further.

Eventually, she reached her goal. Pressing her nose to Kat's wet folds, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the woman's scent. Re-opening them, she looked up at Kat without moving. The other woman looked conflicted, her hands hovering in the air above Ann's head.

"Yes?" Annita asked, pulling back slightly.

"Can, can I touch 'em?" Kat asked almost timidly.

"Hm? Touch what, Kat?" Ann almost purred.

"Yer ears. I wanna touch 'em." Kat's face somehow turned even more red at the request.

"Go ahead, darling." Ann smirked up at her before leaning back in and taking a long lick of her pussy. The taste was as amazing as Kat's lips. The same taste of summer, with a slight hint of the earth. It was bizarre, but intoxicating. Quickly, she buried her face between the Alf's legs and began to lick her in earnest, pushing her tongue in and out, running up and down her lips. She suckled at her clit which for which she received the wonderful reward of Kat's thighs tightening around her head.

While she did, Kat's hands were never idle. They stroked her mane of steel grey hair, running through it and encouraging her deeper. Now and then, Kat hesitantly wrapped a hand around one of her ears. The feeling sent shivers down Ann's spine as she moaned into Kat's sodden depths. Once Kat seemed certain she was fine with her ears being touched, she grew bolder. Stroking them, scratching behind them, squeezing them. It felt amazing and only encouraged Ann further in.

Her face was soaked with the Alfhindur's juices as she continued to lap at her. She wanted more. Gods, she wanted to drink from the woman. She sped up, moans flowing freely into the flesh she continuously pleasured. Adding her fingers to the mix, Ann rubbed at Kat's sensitive clit, massaging the swollen nub and feeling Kat tremble with each motion. Meanwhile, she added a couple fingers along with her tongue, more pressure and more movement causing Kat to buckle. Ann closed her eyes, losing herself to the pleasure of pleasuring another, her tongue pushed in with a purpose, searing for that hidden point of pleasure. Ann knew she found it when Kat locked up. Kat went completely silent as her muscles contracted around Annita's tongue and head.

Annita moaned into Kat's pussy as she felt the warm gush of her orgasm hit her tongue. She quickly sealed her lips as best she could to the other woman's sex and drank as deeply as she could. The surrounding pressure only heightened the experience as she felt her head begin to swim. Kat's powerful thighs were exerting their full force, and she would just have to endure it. Gods, she loved every second of it. She drank for what felt like an eternity, her tongue never stopping, her hands gripped to Kat's thighs until she felt the other woman begin to relax. Only once Kat's thighs fell to her shoulders, limp, did she pull back. Looking up into Kat's lust hooded eyes, she licked her lips slowly and seductively, each pointed tooth showing as she worked her way around. Kat shivered like a leaf at the sight, her chest heaving as she recovered from her orgasm.

"You taste fucking incredible." Annita purred up at her, slowly crawling up the other woman before locking lips once more. Kat moaned into her mouth as their tongues wrestled, each tasting themselves on the other's tongue.

Kat once again broke the kiss first, still desperately out of breath. "That was. Holy shit, that was amazin' Ann." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

"You were too. Do we really have to stop here?" Annita asked as she moved to sit next to Kat, hand idly stroking the flesh above Kat's pussy.

"Fuuuuuck, I don't wanna. I really don't, but we should. I'm... I'm not thinkin' straight anymore, ya damn sexy she-wolf." Letting out a frustrated groan, she reached down and began to put her pants back on.

"So, not just this time, yeah?" Annita asked hopefully.

"It better fuckin' not be. I'll hunt ye down if it is." Kat threatened as she fastened her belt. "Yer not escapin' me after that. Graven Peak is gonna shake, mark me words."

"Promises promises," Annita teased with a smirk as she helped Kat stand on somewhat shaky legs. "Let's get some sleep."

"Aye, feelin..." Kat let out a long yawn. "I'm feelin' the call o' me pillow. Move yer roll next tae mine, will ya?"

"Yeah, I can do that." Annita smiled as she took Kat's hand. She smiled again as she felt their fingers intertwine naturally. "Thank you."

"Nothin' tae thank me fer. Ye more than returned the favour." Kat whispered, leaning on her shoulder as they walked.

Bren was seemingly asleep by the time they got back, so they silently re-arranged their sleeping positions, and shuffled into their bedrolls. Before they nodded off, Annita rolled over, kissing Kat gently one more time. "Good night, Kat," she whispered.

"G'night Ann," Kat whispered back sleepily as she drifted off.

Chapter 13: The Seed

It was another cold morning. The clear skies and bright sun did nothing to aid with that. Annita thanked Orenous for her resistance to the cold as she watched Kat and Bren shiver as they trekked to the Seed.

She'd woken closer to Kat than when she'd drifted off. Apparently rolling in her sleep, she had found herself almost cuddled up to Kat. Thankfully, the sleepy Alf hadn't noticed in her usual morning stupor, and she'd been able to create more distance. Yeah, they'd crossed several lines the other night, but she still wanted to respect Kat's apparent struggle with establishing their relationship.

Bren had eyed them constantly as they broke their fast and packed up camp. He never said a word, but Ann got the feeling that he knew that they'd done something with each other. Every now and then she thought she'd caught a ghostly smirk on his face, but he hid it quickly every time.

Eventually, they came to a clearing, snow covering the empty space in the trees as usual. The unusual thing was the wall in front of them. It was taller than Ann could see, even craning her neck, and extended out to their left and right. It wasn't solid either, more spectral than anything. It shimmered with greens, reds, blues and golds. Patterns danced over it like motor oil on water. Looking at it for too long made Ann feel nauseous.

"So, this is the boundary, huh?" she asked her friends.

"Aye, edge o' the Seed. We're already in the Warpin' field, but our Blessings protect us. Once we step through there, though, we keep moving 'til we're out. Short rests, quick naps while someone is on guard, but no full night sleeps are ever recommended in a Seed. The less time spent in there, the better."

"Yes, that is the general advice. Also, it would be remiss not to warn you that it will be disorienting crossing the barrier. I suggest closing your eyes. Those patterns you see will surround you while you walk. It is easy to lose your balance, or your breakfast." Bren looked up at the wall with a face that said he'd experienced both.

"Ok, well, I guess this is it, huh?" Annita sighed, trying to sound confident and hide her nerves.

"Aye, hold hands, cross together. I'll be lead, Ann in the middle. Bren'll bring up the rear." Kat turned back to grin brightly at Ann. "Do or die, lass. Time for some fun!"

With that, they took each other's hands and stepped to the wall. Taking a deep breath, Kat entered first. Annita watched as she disappeared into the sickening swirl of color. Closing her eyes as Kat's hand tugged on hers, she followed.

She walked for what felt like a couple minutes before she felt lips touch hers. Opening her eyes in surprise, she saw Kat smiling up at her.

"Welcome to yer first Seed!" The Alf twirled away from her, sword and shield drawn as she took in their surroundings.

The scene that expanded before Annita was nothing short of breathtaking. Gone was the cold blue sky and snow-covered plain. Instead, there was a lush green forest with a warm summer breeze. Looking back, she still saw the nauseating patterns of the border of the Seed, but she couldn't see the other end of things. Looking further up, she could see that the trees weren't normal at all either. From their low vantage point, she could make out what looked like a large hill rising into a towering, twisting tree that expanded over a good portion of the woods below. Despite this overhang, the warm sunlight was unimpeded as it lit up the trees below. She recognized pine, ash, willow, and some birch over to the right.

Several of the trunks before her were twisted into strange shapes. Most grew straight as was normal, but some were doubled over, looped around themselves, or split in an almost fractal pattern. It made absolutely no sense to her, and the more she tried to think about it, the worse the logic got.

There also seemed to be life in these woods. Birds chirped happily, and she saw something that looked like it used to be a squirrel but with too many tails and a beak climb a nearby tree.

"It's kinda pretty, in a twisted way." Annita said as she took in her surroundings.

"Aye! Best part o' comin' in these places. There's always somethin' new an' wild to see." Kat's eyes had lit up significantly since she entered the Seed. An energy entirely different from her normal enthusiasm seemed to fill her. Annita could swear she was about to skip with excitement.

"Remember Kat, this is not a walk in the woods. Danger lurks, and will take us if we show weakness." Bren was cautiously watching the treeline. He was tense, his eyes shifting around constantly.

"Oh huff, spoil me fun, will ya? I know, I know, we're in fer a fight. Gotta take in the experience, though. Not many people get tae see this shit!"

"Sooo," Annita interjected before they could get to more bickering. "Which way do we go?"

"The most logical direction would be to the vantage point provided by the hill and large tree at the center. It is likely to be more dangerous there. However, it will let us chart a path out as well."

"Aye, probably somethin' valuable up there, too. Usually is at the heart o' these things. Ye got lucky yer first excursion was a minor one. Anythin' else we'd skirt the edge an' exit quick as ye like."

"Ok, sounds like a plan. I'll let you two know if I get any feeling related to the whole Orenous thing, too." Annita nodded, drawing her weapons.

With that, Kat led the way into the tall trunks before them. Once they were under the branches of the lower trees, it got much darker. The leaf strewn soil was a wonderful feeling under her paws, but Annita couldn't allow herself to enjoy the sensation as she kept her ears alert for anything that might be dangerous.

Several times, Kat called for them to pause. Annita's fur bristled with anticipation on each occasion, but nothing ever came to attack. The first time it was a bird rustling through the underbrush looking for some seeds, the second was what Annita could only describe as a vampire jackalope.

"Do ye feel that?" Kat whispered to her at one of these stops.

"I don't know. I feel nervous, tense. Anything specific?" Annita answered quietly.

"Aye, feels like we're bein' watched. I don' like it. That an' I think the trees are movin'. Try tae keep an eye on 'em, you two."

Bren and Ann nodded, now suddenly very aware of the surrounding trunks. Gnarled and twisted bark stared back passively, never moving, but always watching. If Annita stared too long, she swore she could see faces in some of them. It was eerie. The gloom of the canopy didn't help either, as shadows danced along the underbrush.

They were passing through a section of some kind of jungle trees covered with vines when Annita heard the rustle of movement again. Tapping Kat, they all froze, scanning their surroundings warily as they backed up to each other.

Suddenly, Annita was upside down and several feet in the air. It happened so fast she had to take a moment to collect herself. Vines were everywhere, and they were no longer still. Like snakes, they writhed in a green carpet across the ground, up the trees, and over bushes. They rapidly approached Kat and Bren, who had managed to avoid the initial snare.

Ann struggled against the vines around her leg, lifting her torso up to get a better look at what was happening past her flipped kilt. Staring in horror, she found a nest of similar vines above her dangling down to grab her other leg. Kicking hard, she spun around, losing the strength to keep her body bent. As she tried to re-gain her orientation, she felt a second vine wrap around her free ankle and pull taut.

"Oh fuck. Kat! Help!" she cried as she felt her stomach drop.

"Feckin' tryin'! Gimme a minute!" Kat shouted back as she cut through several grasping vines. Each one severed seemed to be replaced by two more. "Kinda stuck here. See what ye can do. Feckin' Hells we need a mage!"

Annita shifted her focus back to her own predicament. The vines around her ankles had tightened their hold and began to coil down her calves, almost reaching her thighs. "I have seen WAY too much hentai to know where this is going. No fucking way!" Ann shouted as she pulled her body up and took a swing at the vine attached to her right leg. The cord cut with a satisfying snap, only for another vine to shoot out from the cluster above on the branch, replacing it. "Shit." Annita grunted as she swung from the exertion. "Think, think. Where the hell are they all coming from? Bren! Do you see any core or something?"

"No, I do not. Though I confess I'm a bit busy fending them off!" he shouted back.

Annita felt the vines twisting further down her legs, reaching her mid thighs with their smooth exteriors. Bile rose in her stomach as she envisioned their goals. Twisting, she desperately scanned the surrounding woods. The vines were everywhere she looked. It was hard to make out any patterns, but being suspended like she was, she found another clump like the one above her. Vines seemed to pour out of the bulging mass. Lifting her pistol and aiming, she took a shot at it. The shot went wide, hitting a random vine and spattering its contents across the jungle floor. It writhed like a cut limb before going still. Letting out a string of curses, she lifted the pistol and took aim again. This time, the bullet found its mark. A strange rustling noise came from the knot of vines, almost imitating a hiss. More importantly, the vines surrounding it flailed wildly.

"Kat! The clusters! Hit the balls!" Annita screamed as she swung again from the recoil of the shot.

"Got it!" came the response from behind her.

Returning her focus to her own predicament, she knew what she had to do. Sheathing her blade, she took the revolver in both hands. Once more very grateful for her new body, she lifted her torso up and aimed at the bundle of vines. The recoil of the shot spun her once again. She could hear the thing rustle-hissing in pain, but it wasn't letting her go. When she glanced back up, a baleful yellow serpent's eye met her gaze. It had stopped hissing as two ancillary vines retracted. "Oh, screw you! Regenerating is not fair," Annita whined as she realized what the thing was doing. Each vine was a part of it, and the Warped could repair any damage they did by consuming a vine.

Annita steadied herself as best she could while hanging upside down. Her head was starting to swim as blood filled it. She was losing time, and the vines were getting dangerously close to places she did not want them. Pulling deep, she felt the divine energies in her surge as she channeled a smite into her weapon.

The normal flash of the barrel was magnified with a blinding purple explosion as the bullet sailed and struck the creature. This time it hissed even louder, its many arms writhing in pain. Gripping a tendril wound around her thigh, Annita watched as the eye retreated beneath a weave of green. Four arms retreated this time. Not enough. It still held on, and the remaining vines increased their pace.

Shit, I'm going to have to use it. On this thing, of all things? Fuck my life.

Annita heaved herself up again, one last time. Doing her best to try to sound seductive, she called out to the creature above. "Hey, you tentacled creep. Is this what you've been after?" As she spoke, she snagged her underwear with a claw and pulled it to the side, exposing her pussy to the thing.

Immediately, the thing's eye popped back out from the inner portion of its body, staring directly at her exposed sex. Sensing an opportunity, it sent several tendrils down at Annita, greatly reducing the mass of its core.

Guess the skill works on anything. Hopefully, this finishes it. With her Predatory Sensuality clearly taking hold, Annita leveled the sights, channeled a smite, and pulled the trigger once more. A purple explosion emitted from the barrel and a split second later, the thing's eye exploded. Its limbs went limp, and it slumped off the tree branch.

Ann hit the ground hard, bouncing off her upper back with a grunt of pain that radiated down her spine, before she landed on her back. Rolling on the loamy soil to her stomach and pushing herself up, she took stock of the rest of the fight.

Kat was still dealing with two of the vine-balls. One was up in a tree, and the other was scurrying around in the underbrush, desperately avoiding her sword.

Bren was dealing with his own creature, hacking wildly at the limbs with a knife. It was a losing battle. Not suited to direct combat, the creature found openings to wrap itself around his legs, holding him still, and others to lash across his robes.

"Hold it still, Bren!" Ann called as she charged in with her falchion drawn.

He glanced at her for a second before taking hold of a few vines that were trying to entangle him. All too happily, the Warped quickly ensnared both him and itself.

Sword met vined flesh as she pushed the point of the falchion deep into the core of the creature. Ann grinned wildly as green blood gushed up to coat her face and the creature struggled in pain. Spitting out the ooze that had shot past her lips, she withdrew the sword and brought it down again in a hacking motion, severing several vines as it tried to defend itself.

Time slipped away as she hacked at the creature. Green blood sprayed over her shirt and kilt, coating her chest and face. After some time, the thing went still. Panting, Ann lifted her head to see what else had happened while she was occupied.

Bren had apparently been freed some time ago, as he had moved over to help Kat with the remaining Warped.

Kat, ever the experienced warrior, had finished one of the creatures on the ground and was dealing with the second. Two more lay dead to the side, earlier victims of the woman's proficiency with the blade.

Annita stood, making her way over to the pair as they worked to finish the last aggressor off. "Grab on to it and get ready to pull," she ordered Kat as she drew her revolver and sighted the core.

Doing as she said, Kat quickly sheathed her sword and grabbed a vine in each hand. The crack of gunfire rang out, and the creature recoiled with the force of the bullet. As its limbs flailed, Kat pulled hard, yanking it from its perch. It hit the ground, bounced, and was driven back into the dirt by Kat's quickly drawn sword.

Huffing, Kat remained hunched over the creature's body as she caught her breath. Annita had leaned up against a tree and was doing the same. Bren was the least physically affected of the three, but even he sat down to rest for a moment.

"Not a fan of those." Annita said as she slid down the tree to sit as well.

"Aye, annoyin' little shits. Seems like they hunt in packs. Weak individually, dangerous as hell in groups. Even more so if they get the drop on ya." Kat kicked the vine creature's core off to the side before joining the other two in sitting.

"Not to mention randy. Think the one that had me was trying to get into my pants. Also, apparently, Predatory Sensuality works on more than just humans." Ann leaned her head back as she talked, closing her eyes.

"Oh yeah? What'd ye have tae do to get it goin? Invite it in? Show it the goods?" Kat teased.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Annita huffed. "Ugh, that's going to bump my libido up a good amount. I lose eight hours every time I use that skill."

"Yes, an ability best used sparingly," Bren agreed. "Though with the situation being what it was, I believe this was an appropriate use."

"Yeah, agreed." Annita opened her eyes and opened her skill sheet. Her health was at 180/200, probably just from the fall. Her libido was sitting at 100/125. "Ugh, not good. I've got five hours until whatever happens at my libido cap."

"That is definitely unfortunate. We will have to increase our pace." Bren sighed and stood.

As she struggled to do the same, one other thing on her sheet caught Annita's eye. She walked over to Kat and offered her a hand, which the woman happily took. Instead of letting her go, Ann pulled her closer, whispering, "Hey, uh, looks like last night counted for gaining Desire."

"What? Really?" Kat whispered back.

"Yeah, it's at 20/80. So, uh, yeah. Just thought you should know." Annita's cheeks were burning. Something about the stat having increased, and the description of it requiring trusting partners, made the increase feel more significant than it otherwise would.

"Aye, thanks. Huh, well, at least ye've got use o' that skill now," Kat whispered back as she broke the hug they'd found themselves in. Kat nodded, a slight pink gracing her cheeks as well, before turning and clapping Bren on the shoulder.

"Ye good, mate?" she asked a little too loudly.

"Yes, quite?" Bren looked at her, confused, with an eyebrow raised.

"Good, then let's get goin'. We've got land tae cross, an' less time to do it. C'mon ya chucklefucks."

With that, she lead the way further into the Seed, Bren and Annita in tow.

Chapter 14: Croaking Oak

"Ugh, how much longer is it going to be?" Annita asked. She was getting tired. It had taken another half hour to get out of the jungle area, thanks to the roots slowing their progress. The trees had also become more active as they neared the center of the Seed. Multiple times, they found their way completely blocked by a wall of greenery that didn't seem natural. On top of all this, the Vine Warped's plant guts had begun to dry. It felt awful as she scrubbed flakes of the gunk off her arms and face. Even more frustrating was the stuff that had gotten into the fur on her legs. It had become a sticky mess that matted her fur supremely uncomfortably.

"We've got a bit more. Not much though," Kat reassured her. "See the ground here? It's startin' to slope up. We're almost at the hill at the center o' this thing."

"You'd think with all this green there'd be a stream, a pond or something!" Annita groused.

"It is odd that we have not encountered such, however, this is a God's domain. The natural order as we know it may be entirely usurped. Seeing as it was a forest God, it is likely that They just had the trees for their world. I wonder if a greater forest God's domain would be entirely made of a tree?" Bren pondered as he brushed a tree from his path. An explosion of angry chittering met the movement from the swarm of Warped squirrels that seemed to be following them.

"Not helping," Annita huffed. "What I would give for a nice hot shower. Maybe a bath bomb, some good suds, my cats watching in horror as I got myself wet."

"Ye had cats?" Kat asked as she leapt over a large root.

"Yeah, two. Pixel and Emeril. A tabby girl and a little tuxedo boy. Loved them to bits. They cuddled up with me every night and purred me to sleep. I know they were well cared for after my incident, but it still eats at me that I couldn't take care of them myself. God, I hope they understood. They probably didn't, but their mama loved them so much. Wish I could tell them that one last time." Annita's eyes grew misty as she spoke, a tightness rising in her chest. The smallest things brought up the massive loneliness she kept stuffed away. The feeling that no one in this world would ever really understand her. She wiped her eyes with the back of her arm, and doing so, got some plant gunk in her eyes. "Shit. God damnit." She desperately tried to wipe it out of her eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder as she wept.

"Here. Use this to cleanse your eyes," Bren offered softly as he handed her his water skin.

Annita took it and doused her eyes. Clearing quickly, she wiped her nose clean as well. Taking a shuddering breath, she handed the water skin back. "Thanks," she said quietly, not trusting herself with anything louder.

"Of course. You have been through much in a short time and have not had the proper time to heal. You may never have enough time. But know this. We will be here for you. I understand you and Kat have a deeper bond growing between you. However, please lean on me as well. She cares for you, and thus do I."

"I..." Annita faltered. She felt another wave of tears boiling up and tried to push it down, but just couldn't. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The tears flowed unbidden. Something in her had collapsed. A fear, or a longing, she wasn't quite sure. Quickly she felt Bren's arm reach around her waist, followed quickly by Kat's around her shoulders.

"Shhh, it's all right. Let it out, Ann. We've gotcha." Kat whispered as she laid her head on the shoulder closest to her. This only redoubled the sobbing coming from Ann.

She let it out. All the grief, the loneliness she'd felt during her coma, the fear of this new world and the pain she'd been through since. She cried until she couldn't continue, and her body was left trembling in her companions' arms. After she quieted, she let Kat wipe her tears for her, sniffling.

"Thank you, both of you. Sorry. Sorry, this came out here," Annita sniffled as she wiped her nose. "Know it's dangerous. Sorry." She felt her lip tremble as another wave of sobbing threatened her. This time, however, she managed to control herself.

"Grief comes for us all, in different ways," Bren soothed. "You have a larger share than most. Do not feel as if you inconvenienced us."

"Aye," Kat agreed. "Yer not a burden. Ye've got a lot goin' on in that fuzzy head of yers. We're here tae talk to if ye need us. You good to keep goin'?"

"Yeah. I think so. I'm on a timer. Ugh!" Annita blew her nose loudly, trying to shake off the aftereffects of the crying fit. "Let's go."

Kat looked up at her worriedly, but nodded and helped Annita to her feet.

The next half hour passed in silence. Annita was less on guard than normal as she collected herself, and the other two seemed to be picking up the slack. Gradually the terrain began to incline, growing steeper and steeper until they were hiking uphill.

The trees had become obviously active at this point. It was to the point that they were moving in eyesight. The unnatural shifting as their roots slithered through the dirt was intensely unnerving, not to mention seeing their trunks bend and twist. The mammalian animal life seemed to quiet as they grew closer and closer to the summit. Only birds seemed to remain.

"This is getting creepy as hell," Annita sighed as they took a short break. The going was slower than they wanted. She had three hours left until her deadline.

"Yes, I do not like how the trees seem to be guiding us at this point," Bren agreed. "It is likely we will be encountering the guardian soon. Or one of them."

"Aye. This is gonna be the big fight, Ann. Check yer Mind, see if ye got any back. Ye mighta while ye were cryin'."

Annita pulled up her stat sheet and checked. Sure enough, her Mind was at an 11/20. "Yep, got enough for another Smite. That's good."

"Aye, likely gonna need it. Whatever's waitin' is gonna be tougher than the cat before the Seed. Usually some kinda avatar of the domain. Probably a tree," Kat mused as she kept an eye on their surroundings. "Unless it's part o' the thing's nature, or how it defends the realm, there should be a clearin' up ahead. If not, the surprise is gonna be a tough one."

"Oh Gods, these things can ambush you?" Ann gasped, horrified.

"Oh, aye. Heard tell of a domain of a Goddess of cats. Thing hung out in tall grass waitin' for the expedition to get close to it before attackin'. Was a larger Seed than this'n though. Regardless, won't know until we get there. Let's get goin'."

Annita groaned as she stood, helping Bren up from his seat in the dirt and leaves.

They walked for another fifteen or so minutes before the walls of trees on either side of them. Ahead opened up a clearing as Kat predicted. It was a good two hundred feet across, with soft grass covering the ground. Annita was surprised they hadn't seen it from their entrance to the Seed.

Standing at the center was what could only be the Guardian. It was a massive tree, towering above them. Its gnarled trunk was ash grey with countless knots woven into it. A large split about five feet up ran across its surface in an approximation of a jagged mouth. Three large branches sprouted from its lower trunk up to the rest of its canopy. That was the worst part of it, though. It didn't have leaves. Instead, its branches were covered with jet black feathers, all of which ruffled and glistened in the gentle breeze. While taking in the monstrosity, Annita also swore she could hear the faint croaking of crows coming from somewhere.

"Aye, that'll be it. I hope it's softer than it looks." Kat said as she stared intently at the stationary Guardian. "Probably gonna start movin' when we get closer. Get yerselves ready."

"Can't we just go around it?" Annita asked as she took in the sight.

"Nae, it'll stop us. Sure as anythin'. I'll lead, Bren in the back. Just like the cat. Careful, somethin's strange with this'n. Save yer smite if ye see some kinda weak spot. Let's go."

"Casting a shield and speed on both of you. Stay safe." Bren said as he followed them toward the monolithic tree.

As Kat said, when they got within about fifty feet of the tree, it began to move.

The rustling of its leaves echoed over the field as it leaned to one side, the wood and bark groaning loudly, and it pulled an enormous set of roots free. Soil rained as it set the root cluster down with a heavy thud and repeated the process three more times before it seemingly completely uprooted itself. The three thick branches it had held aloft earlier lowered, two being long spindly claw of branches, and the other a gnarled stump much like a club. It thumped the appendage on the ground, issuing its challenge to those who faced it as they stood in the shadow it cast.

"Holy shit, that's a big 'un!" Kat shouted as she charged in, sword low and round shield raised before her.

"It's a tree. What did you expect?" Ann called back as she moved to the left flank.

Kat got to it first and swung hard at a root. It snapped free as the blade cleaved through it, but the tree didn't seem affected.

With a grumbling creak, one of the claw arms swept down from Kat's right, the wind whistling through the twigs.

Kat turned and took the hit with her blade, feet barely moving despite the size difference. Locked down, she took her shield and slammed the edge into the wood, trying to push her away. Splinters sprayed across her face and she saw a deep dent in one of the "fingers" as the hand retreated.

Meanwhile, Annita tracked as quickly as she could to the left of the behemoth. Checking the cylinder to make sure she had all six shots, she snapped the weapon closed and fired off three into the trunk. It was hard to miss with how big the thing was. She was rewarded with another creaking groan from the tree she assumed was pain.

Grinning widely, Ann used her boosted speed to dodge the club branch as it rocketed down at her. The thing was keeping both her and Kat busy at the same time. When its arms weren't engaged, it was trying to snare them in the roots at its base. It was tricky staying free and out of harm's way. A branch hand came sweeping from her left, forcing Ann to hit the dirt to avoid getting swatted away. Rolling on to her back, she let off two more shots with the pistol into the underside of a particularly thick root.

Another groan signaled damage, but this time Annita saw more of why. It was bleeding. Not the goopy green blood of the vine creatures. No. This was blood. Bright red and flowing from the holes she'd just put in it.

Ann scrambled back to her feet, backing away from the monster and trying to get a better view of things. Kat was still heavily engaged, taking hits one after the other on her shield and parrying the best she could considering how big the thing she was fighting was. She'd scored a few good hits of her own and blood flowed from several branches on the thing's hands. Bren had been focusing mostly on healing her and fortifying her defenses against the blows she was taking.

Ann couldn't take long to admire the sight, though. She quickly dug five bullets from a pouch she'd affixed to her belt and reloaded before darting back in. Two more shots into the trunk, red trails spilling down the wood as she set to work with her falchion. Twigs snapped free, for the most part bloodless, but when she hit a thicker portion, the red began to flow. The feeling of hitting the thicker portions of the tree was also off. It was definitely wood, but it was more pliable than it should be. Instead of a hard impact after a swing, it seemed to give a little before stopping her blade. Not quite like cutting the cat, but definitely not like hitting the training dummy.

Ann dodged another swipe of a clawed branch, hacking at it as it sailed past, but this time didn't notice the tree had followed up with the club arm. She felt it hit her side; the air left her lungs, and then the world was spinning. She bounced painfully once, twice, three times before coming to a stop. She lay there, gasping desperately, trying to get her lungs to work. Quickly, she felt a trickle of Bren's healing magic enter her, and she could breathe again. Groaning and sitting up, she checked her body and winced. Either something in her side was broken or heavily bruised. At least the healing from Bren kept most of the pain down as she stood once more.

Something was still bothering Ann, though. She could still hear the muffled caws coming from somewhere. It seemed like it was nearby, but as far as she'd seen, none of the feathers on the tree were attached to living birds.

At that moment, Kat landed a significant strike, cutting a large gash down the front of the trunk. The tree shook, its feathers rustling in pain as it staggered back slightly. "Ha, didn't like that, did ye?" Kat bellowed after it, taking the moment to collect herself.

"Kat, something's wrong. Do you hear that?" Ann called out as the birds got louder.

The muffled cawing was growing. Louder and louder until it was a cacophony. Then the front of the tree split open in a jagged grin with dark black teeth.

With frightening speed, it barreled forward at Kat, overwhelming her with both branch arms and a mess of roots. It lifted her, drawing her struggling body closer as if to swallow her in its new maw.

Ann ran as fast as she could, digging her paws in and leaping as hard as she could. She landed in the mess of branches around Kat and took hold. Kat was struggling hard, but the tree was determined to keep her still this time. Ann tried to break her free, hacking at the surrounding branches. It did damage, but not enough to get the thing to loosen its grip.

"Fuck," she swore as the screaming crows became deafening. It seemed like the closer to the mouth they got, the louder they became. "Oh, oh fuck." She saw the teeth. They weren't teeth. They were all crows. Individual crows without wings, each fused from above their legs into the flesh of the tree. Their beady black eyes tracked Ann and Kat as they were brought closer with a hungry intensity. Inside, the mouth was more of the same, forming a tunnel of grasping beaks and deafening noise.

"Get me the feck out o' here!" Kat screamed as she redoubled her efforts to free herself. She got her sword arm free and began to hack desperately at the other branches holding her.

"I'm trying!" Ann yelled back as she swung harder at a particularly stubborn branch. Blood flew everywhere, but it just would not let Kat go. Cursing, she shifted her angle and looked down the maw of the Tree. It was the only place they hadn't hit yet. She sheathed the falchion and drew the revolver. Aiming, she took two shots into the gaping cavern of screaming crows. Two of the birds exploded in a puff of feathers. This, somehow, seemed to do the trick as the tree staggered, loosening its grip on Kat.

Wrenching herself free, Kat dropped to the ground, shortly followed by Ann. "The feck did ye do? It worked."

"The birds. It's the birds. The tree is a nest, I think. Or they're the core or something. I don't know. Just hit the birds." Ann was panting. The fight had been going on for what felt like hours, and she was getting tired.

"Think ye can keep it busy for a minute? I've got somethin' that's got a good chance o' clearin' em out, but I need time tae get it charged." Kat took her shield and planted the edge into the ground as she spoke, driving her sword into the dirt behind it.

"How long?" Ann asked. The tree was recovering quickly and looked ready to re-engage any moment.

"Two minutes. I have to focus fer this and I can't miss. Ye should be fine. You'll have Bren backin' ye up. Ye got this," Kat reassured her as she knelt behind her sword and shield.

"Yeah, new, level five, giant fuckin' tree. I've got this," Ann huffed to herself as she leapt back into the fray.

The next two minutes were nothing but pain. The crows in the tree had gotten louder, their piercing cries overwhelming Ann's already sensitive hearing. She flattened her ears to her skull in a futile attempt to dampen the noise. The Warped paid her back in full for every strike she landed. Either a branch slapping roughly against her leaving cuts and raised red scratches, or the clublike arm slamming into her. In a serious lapse in her defense, the club slammed into her left shoulder and a sickening pop sounded out as her arm dislocated.

Ann stood, blood dripping from a cut in her forehead from one of the branches she'd barely dodged, left arm hanging useless, and her good arm barely able to hold up her sword. Dirt, welts, and other minor wounds covered her body, which she knew she would feel in the morning.

"Twenty seconds!" Bren shouted out behind her. He'd been constantly keeping her appraised on how much time was left. She appreciated it, but also hated him a little for it because it made her acutely aware of how slow time was moving for her.

Grunting her acknowledgment, Ann moved back towards the hulking mess of roots, bark, and feathers. She took a stance with her left arm behind her, raising the falchion in a challenge.

The tree cawed at her with a hundred throats as it charged her. Ducking the initial swipe of a long branch, she shifted her feet to roll to the side, avoiding the overhead slam of the club branch. She swung hard, pushing her Smite into the blow, but the sword bounced off the tough appendage and only left a charred line. Grimacing as her hand went numb, Ann couldn't stop to recover. The Warped sent a root sweeping at her legs, forcing her to leap and roll over it. Bile rose in her throat as she landed and rolled on her dislocated shoulder, but she held it together.

"Five seconds!" Bren called again.

He'd been trying to help, but the fact was that Ann was too inexperienced not to take a lot of damage. She felt him numbing her pain, fixing some minor wounds that would have impaired her, but he was also straining his magic reserves.

A branch swung at her, and Annita glacially reacted, barely catching the limb and diverting it. The bark still left a scratch across her stomach as she stumbled, falling to a knee. She was at her limit. She couldn't move anymore. Gasping for breath, she stared back up at the Warped above her and checked her health. 5/200 It seemed to sense that she was done as it leaned down, opening its maw. The deafening squawks neared, then surrounded her. She closed her eyes, lowering her head, and prayed to the old god she knew and Orenous. As she did, she felt a hand shove her roughly to the dirt as a heat flared at her back. In a moment, the crows went silent. The heat was gone, and she just had the hand on her back. A moment later, a large thud sounded behind her.

The hand left her back, and she felt the person gently rolling her over on her right shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Kat drenched in sweat, kneeling over her.

"Two minutes," Ann said faintly.

"Aye. Two minutes. Ye did amazin'. The Guardian's dead. Take a rest, Bren is too. I'll keep watch."

Nodding softly, Ann felt herself drift into unconsciousness.

Chapter 15: The Core Concept

Ann felt the pain first. Her eyes cracked open, dried blood caking her face. It was still daylight. Seemingly, no time had passed since she collapsed. Turning her head, she saw Kat sitting close by with Bren. They were talking in hushed voices as they kept watch. Gently, she tested her left arm. It still hurt like hell, but she could move it again. Groaning as she sat up, she saw the others' attention snap to her. "How long was I out?"

"You were unconscious for only two hours. Nothing to worry about. How are you feeling?" Bren asked as he moved over to her.

"Like I lost a fight with a cement mixer. Arm feels better, though." Another groan escaped Annita's lips as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Did you say two hours? Shit, my time limit."

"Aye, an hour left," Kat said, hushed. "We're gonna have tae figure that out. Can ye stand?"

Taking the hand offered her, Ann leaned on Kat as she was lifted to her feet. She took a couple of unsteady steps before confidence returned to her body. Everything hurt, but she could move. "Yeah, I can. Think I can walk too. We've got to move. I'd rather not hit my limit in here."

"Yes, that is completely understandable," Bren agreed. He took a look around, gathering his bearings. "We will need to head past the apex of the hill and then down the other side. The Seed should have quieted now with the Guardian slain. Another will be grown, developed, or however they are created. It will take some time, though."

"Then let's move." Annita grunted as she walked with Kat's assistance.

The living forest had indeed quieted. No longer were the trees blocking their way, and they made it to the summit of the hill in roughly ten minutes.

The tree at the top was a genuine marvel. It was immensely thick, with sprawling roots that seemed to hide worlds of their own in the gaps between them. Warped squirrels and birds scurried and flitted in and out of nests created in the ancient monarch of the woods. Craning her neck, Annita gazed up into the canopy far above them. It shifted in the wind, giving the sunlight peaking through the illusion of being stars in the night sky.

As they made their way around the tree, Annita heard something. It was almost a song? A sad, slow music. Ethereal and nothing like she'd ever heard before. "Do you hear that?"

"Hm? Hear what?" Kat asked, her long ears twitching as she listened closely.

"Music, I think. It's nothing like I've heard before," Kat answered absently as her own Lupine ears swiveled, trying to find the source. "Over here."

She left Kat's shoulder and wandered to a gap between two large roots. Looking further in, she saw an earthen tunnel extending under the tree itself. "It's in there."

"Could it be the Core you're hearing?" Bren mused. "Every seed has a Core. The heart of the domain. It is what maintains the realm. The heart, if you will."

"Don't know," Annita mumbled. "But I feel like I need to go down there."

"Ye sure?" Kat asked, having come to stand beside her. "Could be more danger."

"Yeah, definitely. Something is... pulling me. I don't know if this has anything to do with Orenous, but call it a hunch." Annita took a step forward, and then another. Bren and Kat shared a worried glance before following after her.

It was pitch black in the tunnel. Loose roots dangled from the earthen ceiling and walls, but the path never split. Annita followed the song with confidence, not needing to feel her way through as long as she relied on her ears. Kat and Bren were not so lucky, and they stumbled now and then over exposed roots and the occasional rock.

Soon, they saw a glowing green light ahead of them. Coming around a bend, they entered a cavern. It was small, low, and covered with leaves and roots. At the center was a sphere. It gave off a verdant light that seemed to match the forest itself. However, covering its surface were motes of an inky black smoke that swirled in hypnotic patterns, creating an eerie pattern of light on the ceiling and walls.

"That is the Core. I am certain of it," Bren said. "It is as I have read many times. A color matching the domain of the God it was assigned to, as well as the inky black flowing across its surface."

"It's... beautiful." Annita whispered as she slowly approached it. The closer she got, the clearer the song she heard became. It was a symphony. Of summer, and of spring. Of plants and trees growing, but it was tainted. There was an undertone of rot, of stagnation and decomposition. A natural part of life, but unwanted in this realm. Slowly she began to lift her arm to reach toward the Core.

"Ann, what're ya doin'?" Kat asked nervously.

"I would not advise that!" Bren warned.

Annita couldn't hear either of them. She neared the Core, and brushed a fingertip across its surface. The black smoke shifted, suddenly much more active as it rushed to the point she made contact. Pain shot up her arm and she recoiled, breaking the link with a cry.

"The feck happened. You all right?" Kat was holding her up, steadying her.

"I... yeah. I think so." Annita looked at her hand. The black energy swirled around her fingertip before fading into her skin. She flexed her fingers, feeling a tingling pain as if she'd lost circulation before it faded. She looked up at the Core. The black smoke was still there, but it had faded. It was sort of like someone had turned down the opacity slider on it. "Weird. You saw that too, right?"

"Aye." Kat was still holding her, concern plain on her face. "The black shite seemed to react to ye. Seemed like it was tryin' tae get into ye."

"I think it did. I don't feel different."

"Check your stat screen. See if anything changed?" Bren suggested.

"Yeah, good idea." Annita pulled up the shimmering silver screen.

The first thing she noticed were three notifications. She'd leveled several times after they'd defeated the guardian, but that was something she'd get to later. She pushed the notifications to the side before a different notification appeared. It was a black smoke instead of the normal shimmering light.

Warping Increased!

You have absorbed a tiny portion of the corrupting forces affecting the Seeds of the Gods. This will allow mutability of the flesh. The more you consume, the stronger the effects will be.

Current Choices Available:

Minor Cosmetic Mutation

At the sacrifice of 2 HP, you may modify the length and or color of your body hair to your choosing. Color must be natural in some spectrum. These effects will last until the skill is used again.

Virility Manipulation

Channel your mutation to allow yourself to control the virility of your ejaculate. Sacrifice 10 HP per use. Options are Sterile, Natural, or Extreme.

Annita felt a cold ice creep into her gut as she read the words. This couldn't be a good thing, but it was there, staring her in the face. She'd taken in some of the evil that was overwhelming the Gods' influence on their own domains. No word from Orenous or any little notes like she'd gotten before, either.

"So, I'm not sure what it means, but yeah. Seems like I did take in some of that," Ann explained slowly. She read off the description of the skills presented to her. Bren and Kat listened solemnly.

"None of that first part sounds good," Kat said quietly, still deep in thought. "Absorbin' whatever's causin' the Warping? Nothin' good can come o' that."

"Agreed. It seems to be a skill set that comes with costs to use it as well. Something requiring health to use is not unheard of for Paths like a Berserker, however the mutagenic properties are not something I have heard of before." Bren looked through a book he'd taken from his bag. "Yes, nothing that I see here. I will need to research further."

"Yeah, but with Orenous' other blessings, and my Path, that second option is incredibly tempting. Not having to worry about children? At least for now, that sounds dope." Ann reviewed the options again. She was pretty sure she was going to take the second one, but understood the others' concern about the source.

"On a related note, though, I am at 124/125 Libido at the moment. I, uh. I don't think I'm going to last until we get out of the Seed. That's at most twelve minutes if my math is right and this stupid sheet doesn't do decimals." Ann blushed. Some deeply ingrained shame causing her body to heat up at the mention of her impending sexual need. She looked at Kat, whose ears had begun to blush slightly as well. "I can handle myself, if you want me to," Annita offered.

"Hm, nae. Yer a friend in need. Least I can do is offer a hand." Kat grinned mischievously at her.

"I'll... wait outside," Bren said tersely as he turned and hurriedly made his way back into the tunnel.

Kat moved in quickly, her body brushing up close to Annita as her hands went to the other woman's face. "So, yer at yer limit, an' need tae blow off some steam?"

Annita's face burned with the blush that had painted her skin red. Her breath quickened with her heart as she looked down into Kat's icy blue eyes. She adored those eyes, so calm and cool, but with a light that betrayed her endless energy. Without even thinking about it, she leaned in and pushed her lips against Kat's. Those icy pools closed as Kat melted into the kiss. Annita's arms wrapped gently around her shoulders and waist, bending Kat as the waist as she leaned deeper into the kiss. Slowly, she moved her hands over Kat's strong back and lower, cupping her firm ass through her leather pants.

Neither of their mouths were still, each having turns of taking and receiving the other's passion. Air was the least of their concerns as they lost themselves to their passion for the other. Slowly, they made their way to the floor, Kat having ended up below Annita.

Ann looked down at the woman, her heart racing as she felt her desire growing as much as the cock that was pushing against her straining underwear. "Gods, Kat, I want you, so much," she moaned.

"I know," Kat breathed back. "I want ye too, but I set me limits. Just a bit longer."

With a labored groan, Ann pulled back and rolled off Kat. "You said you'd offer a hand, right?"

"Aye, got somethin' in mind?" Kat smirked back.

"Get your pants off," Ann ordered as she followed her own demand.

Quickly, both women were naked from the waist down. Reaching over with one long arm, Ann pulled Kat up next to her on the wall of the cavern. Her skin was warm to the touch, and Ann took a moment to admire the freckles that dotted her thighs.

"Yer ears twitch when you're excited," Kat whispered into Ann's sensitive ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Yeah, and fucking hell am I," Ann said as she made sure they were hip to hip. "Now, let's give each other a hand, shall we?"

She took her right hand, softly placing it on Kat's thigh and began to massage gently.

"Oh, that's what ye wanted? I like how ye think." Kat smiled back as her eyes relaxed. Her left hand began to mirror Ann's right, slowly massaging Ann's thigh. She moved down to Ann's knee, where skin gave way to fur, before working her way back up. Teasing gently closer and closer.

Ann was treating the Alf the same way, each movement of her hand moving tantalizingly close to Kat's sex. She watched Kat closely, almost feeling predatory as she paid attention to each small movement, the hitching in her breath as she touched a sensitive portion of her thigh, the shivers that rocked her body as she finally brushed against her folds. She'd always thought herself an attentive lover, but she was seeing things more clearly than she ever had. Kat was like an instrument she was learning to produce the most amazing music with. She tucked the thought away to ask Orenous about later as she focused on her partner.

Kat wasn't idle either. Annita's heart jumped, and she felt her core clench and her cock bounce as Kat's hand brushed up against her folds as well, drawing a soft moan from her lips. Kat took it as encouragement and gently moved her hand to cup Ann's pussy, slowly tracing the outline with her fingers. Each stroke pushing through her outer folds, and teasing entry before pulling back at the last second.

Ann moved to mirror her movements, feeling her palm come to rest on Kat's lower stomach as her longer fingers softly traced the slick folds of her partner. The sounds Kat was making were intoxicating. It took all of her will not to push further, but she wanted to enjoy this. Slowly, deliberately, she slid her middle finger up Kat's folds, before gently pushing in on the downstroke. They both moaned in unison as their mirrored movements gave their aching insides some of what they needed.

Ann felt Kat getting more eager, her middle finger beginning to pump into her. It felt amazing. The fighter's finger was calloused and rough, but that only increased the texture and pleasure it caused Ann. Throwing her head back against the cavern wall, Ann closed her eyes and bit her lip as she reveled in the feeling. "More," she moaned to Kat between heavy breaths.

Immediately, she felt a second finger enter her. The increase in girth of the second digit felt incredible, and the movements never stopped. It was all she could do to focus on returning the same attention to Kat, making sure that her palm never left the other woman's clit. Her efforts rewarded her with a constant stream of moans as her fingers were covered in Kat's slick fluids. The fingers inside her faltered as an orgasm wracked Kat, but the Alf was not to be hindered in her task, adding a third finger to Ann's pussy unbidden.

Ann's heart jumped and her pussy ached as she felt the third finger stretching her sensitive walls. Every movement brushing up against sensitive nerves and spreading her wide. It felt amazing, so fucking amazing she felt herself beginning to tighten, a heat rising inside her as her cock pulsed heavily against her stomach. "Fuck, that's it Kat, oh, oh fuck, that's it. Right there. Fuck fuck fuck!" She cried as she felt herself clench, her muscles contracting. The fingers inside her felt massive as her walls squeezed around them. At the same time, jets of cum erupted from her cock, painting her stomach with sticky white seed. Kat never stopped her motions as Ann shook in orgasm. Gasps, moans and curses dripped from her upper lips as her juices did her lower ones.

Kat wasn't stopping, she wasn't letting her rest. Ann's breathing was ragged, and the woman was still torturing her. Her oversensitive insides were constantly barraged by further friction.

"Kat! Kat, please. I'm so... so sensitive. Oh, fuck!" Ann felt her core clenching again. Fuck, her hand in Kat fell still as she lost control of her body. The over-stimulation was too much. She closed her eyes and submitted to the overwhelming sensation. Ann shook as her previous orgasm was perpetuated as she felt a second one building. She felt Kat realize as much as the fingers inside her sped up even further, Kat apparently putting some of her levels into the motions, increasing her strength and speed.

"No restin'. Give me another," Kat purred breathily in her ear.

With a howl of ecstasy, Ann came undone again. Shaking wildly, ears flat against her head and her tail rigid, she came hard. She gripped the only thing she could, which was the inside of Kat's pussy, drawing a loud moan from the other woman as she rode her orgasm. White stars flashed across her vision as she reached her peak and slowly faded as she began to come down.

Gasping for breath, Ann slumped against the wall, leaning against Kat as they both desperately tried to regain their breaths. Her inner thighs soaked, and she had covered her stomach and chest with her own cum.

"You always go that extra mile." Ann laughed breathily as she laid her head on Kat's.

"Aye, ye said ye were close tae yer limit. An' where's the fun in doin' the bare minimum?" Kat replied contentedly, her fingers tracing through Ann's sodden thighs. Idly, she took her fingers and slipped them between her lips. A moan reverberated through her as she sucked on Ann's fluids.

"Hmmm, how's this for bare minimum?" Ann asked, twiddling her fingers still in Kat's core. The other woman twitched, her eyes going unfocused for a moment.

"Feck, not fair," Kat gasped as she gripped Ann tightly.

"No, definitely not," Ann whispered as she sped up her fingers. As she went, she realized that her fingers and wrist should be cramped by this point, but they felt as loose and dexterous as ever. Seemed like Deft Hands was coming in handy. Grinning, she pushed Kat further, feeling the woman quake with an orgasm as she began to curse. It started softly, but Annita wasn't satisfied.

She tested her fingers, flexing them, pushing the limits of what she should be able to do, and finding further flexibility. Kat seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the experiment, as her curses were lost to guttural groans. With a final salvo, Ann brought the woman to her fourth orgasm of the moment. A ragged scream of ecstasy ripped from Kat's throat as she threw her upper body back, pushing hard against the wall of the cavern. After a full minute, she felt Kat relax, slumping down against her.

"Good?" Ann asked with a grin.

"Ye're evil," Kat gasped.

Ann laughed and let Kat recover for a moment. "I gotta ask, though. How'd I taste?"

"Mhm. Good as yer cum. Here, take a taste," she replied, gathering more of Ann's fluids on her fingers.

Ann opened her mouth, closing her eyes as Kat raised her fingers into her mouth. Closing gently around the digits, Ann gently suckled on them. The taste was amazing. It tasted salty, but also refreshing. Like the sea almost. Her tongue followed Kat's fingers as they left her lips, and she pulled back, a little embarrassed she'd enjoyed her own taste so much.

"Your turn," Ann giggled as she took her fingers from Kat's core and pressed them to the Alf's lips.

Kat's eyes looked at her, shocked, before fluttering closed and accepting the finger between her lips. Ann watched her bask in the lewdness of the moment, feeling her tongue gently lapping at her digits. A strange sense of pride welled up inside her as she watched the woman giving in to her wants.

It was over too soon, as Ann pulled her fingers back.

"Mm, aye, I see why ye liked bein' between me legs the other night." Kat giggled.

"You've never thought of doing that?"

"Tastin' meself? Nah, not really. Much preferred takin' in whoever my partner was. Focused on them, ya know?" Kat reached her left hand over and gently hugged Ann close.

Annita smiled as she gave into the hug, savoring the moment of closeness, paying attention to Kat's breathing as it matched her own. It was almost domestic, this comfort. Simple, innocent touch that stoked a warmth in her. She wanted more of that. More of Kat, to be honest with herself. She knew they'd only known each other for about a week now, but she just had this feeling that this was right. Or at least something she really wanted. Not yet, though. She was incredibly nervous about talking these feelings over with Kat. The fear of rejection, despite their actions together, still haunted her.

"This is nice." Kat whispered on her shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

"Yeah, it is. Thanks again for being there for me." Ann replied quietly.

"Aye love. Wouldn't leave ye all helpless like tha'." Kat said almost drowsily.

The words spiked the already nervous energies in her. Was that a confession? Was that just something she said to people she was close to? She never said it to Bren, but they bickered all the time for their affection. Annita took a long moment and forced herself to stop overthinking things. That's for after their date.

With a heavy sigh, she shifted in Kat's arm and the other woman loosened her hold. "Bren's going to be worried about us again. Or just thinks we actually started fucking this time." A shaky laugh escaped her as she spoke.

"Oh, aye, he's a worrywart, an' I've seen the look he's been givin' us. He knew before this. I reckon we only confirmed it."

"Yeah, he's crazy observant for a normal human." Ann giggled as wiped off the best she could. Kat was following suit, but had less overall to clean up.

Before Ann could get all her cum off her chest, Kat gave her a cheeky smile and swiped her tongue across Ann's clothed chest, taking a line of the sticky fluid with her. "Fer the road."

Cleaned up, Ann with a fresh shirt, and properly dressed, they made their way out to Bren.

"Did you two have fun?" Bren asked dryly.

"Aye, sure did. How long've ye known?" Kat asked bluntly.

"I suspected the first night you went and checked on Annita. You were gone too long, even for a private chat. I now believe that this occurred on subsequent nights, as I woke to someone returning to the camp. You were always too quick to get into your bedroll for me to confirm, however. Last night was a major confirmation. You lost your subtlety there, and today was the outright admission."

"Can't keep anythin' from ye. Known ye way too long, Bren." Kat laughed as she clapped him on the shoulder. "Fer yer reference, Ann, he's always been like this. Couldn't sneak sweets outta the kitchens without me Ma hearin' about it from some little snitch."

"Yes, well, someone needed to teach you manners, and you were far too covert for most of the adults to notice," Bren huffed. "We fought over this countless times until we grew older and the skill became useful in other ways. She still can not hide things from me for long, though."

"Yeah, yeah. You're a real pain in me arse," Kat laughed.

"And you, in mine, Your Majesty," Bren retorted.

Annita found herself laughing at the back and forth between the two. "Y'all are great. Reminds me of my older siblings. At each other's throats for the longest time, but loved each other like nothing else."

"Oi, Bren," Kat cut her off, "ye leave tha' there?" She pointed to a sack that was sitting on one of the nearby roots. Brown, unassuming, made of some sort of burlap at Annita's best guess. It was tied shut with a drawstring, and had a piece of parchment attached.

"No. I did not," Bren mumbled, confusion plain on his face. "That was not there a minute ago, either."

"Looks like it has a note on it," Ann observed. She walked over to it and pulled off the section of parchment. The letters were nothing like she'd ever seen before, but somehow she understood their meaning.

To the ones who helped my Seed:

Greetings and salutations. It would be my pleasure to proffer these rewards to the hero who has pushed back, even if just a little, the darkness surrounding my lands. May you continue in your journeys and be safe through them all.

Estvall - God of these woods

"A gift from a god?" Bren sputtered in disbelief. "And addressed to all of us. What, how?"

"Seems like whenever I touched that Core, it weakened the hold on the Seed? Maybe that let Him slip this in." Annita crouched and undid the string around the bag.

Inside was a piece of wood, a gem, and a rolled up strip of bark. The piece of wood was a gorgeous dark brown, polished and just a bit longer than Annita's grip on it. She rolled it around in her fingers, but nothing happened. Neither the gem nor the bark seemed to be obviously magical, either.

"Reckon we'll need an artificer tae figure out what those're fer," Kat pondered, taking a closer look at the bark.

"To identify them?" Annita asked.

"Aye, pretty standard. Magical monsters an' the like drop all sorts o' things. Artificers are everywhere 'cause of it. Though with these, might be best tae find someone trustworthy. Them bein' Gods given an' all." Kat returned the bark to Annita, who placed it back into the sack.

Putting the sack into her pack, Annita stood again. "I'm ready to get out of this place. You two ready?"

"Yes. Let us leave. The side we need to exit should be... this way." Bren said as he consulted the large tree for direction.

Their travel from the Seed was uneventful. True to Kat's word, the pocket dimension had calmed significantly. Birds and small beasts scurried about as usual, but nothing hostile crossed their path.

It was an hour's walk before they came upon the iridescent wall that marked the boundary of the Seed.

"Well, this is it. Ye survived yer first seed! Congrat's Ann." Kat said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

"A feat several do not accomplish. You did well," Bren said, joining the compliments.

"Couldn't have done it without you two. That's for sure," Ann laughed as she wrapped her arms around Kat and Bren's shoulders.

"Damn right. Now let's get out of here," Kat laughed, taking Annita's hand.

Forming the line they had made when they entered Estvall's Seed, they calmly walked through the shimmering surface before them.

Chapter 16: Return

The pressure of the barrier subsided, and the three adventurers heaved a deep sigh.

"Wow, it feels good to be back in the cold!" Annita gasped as the familiar chill of the woods sunk into her skin and fur. She hadn't noticed how warm she'd gotten in the Seed, but being in the cold again brought it to the forefront that she was meant for this type of weather. Stretching her long, lithe limbs, she took in their surroundings.

Unsurprising to anyone, they were in more forest land. The same black trunks they'd traveled through on the way here, surrounding them once more. Bren was already studying the skies, probably figuring out exactly where they were, while Kat was looking off into space.

"Hey, you all right Kat?" Annita asked as she moved over to the fighter.

"Oh, aye, just lookin' at me stats. Leveled up after the Guardian Tree thing. Figures. Thing was a damn sight tougher than I expected."

"What was that the big flash I felt, by the way? Seemed to just cut the thing in half from what I could tell before I passed out." Annita asked, pacing slowly in the snow.

"That, my dear, was what you were stallin' fer. A last resort skill o' mine. Have tae channel all my grit an' sacrifice a big chunk o' me defenses for the next two days tae use it. Puts all tha' into a single strike. Does massive damage but it can miss. It's an all or nothin'."

"Gotcha. Well, I'm glad it killed it. I was in no space to keep fighting that thing. Oh, right, I leveled too. Seems like it was more than once again. Let me check."

Congratulations! Your Path has advanced!

Warrior of Orenous (6)

Please select a core stat to increase by +2.

Congratulations! Your Path has advanced!

Warrior of Orenous (7)

Please select one skill from the following:

Rogues Do It From Behind

+0.1 of your Dexterity to enemies when attacking from their flanks.

Distracting Shot

Spend 20 Mind to give your allies an opening to strike! Draws attention to yourself, use with caution! Allies better able to exploit weaknesses if visible.

Congratulations! Your Path has advanced!

Warrior of Orenous (8)

Please select a core stat to increase by +2.

"Ok, those are pretty reasonable," Annita mused as she looked over her options. "I think it's decided that I'm going to be a rogue. Or something close, at least. Two options: Rogues Do It From Behind," a snort from Kat cut Annita off, earning the Alfhindur an eye roll, "and Distracting Shot. The first is a small damage boost to flanking attacks, while the other is more of a support thing. Gives others a better chance at hitting important stuff."

"Well, I can't really confirm whether rogues do as the skill says," Kat said through a huge grin, "but it seems like the most versatile of the skills. The second could be fantastic, but depends on whatever it is you're fighting, even having a weak spot. Not everything does."

"Yeah, fair. Oh, hey Bren! How do you boost your Mind stat by the way? I don't see anything in my levels that says how." Ann turned to Bren, who had made his way over to them.

"Ah, yes, simply assign a level's stats to the Mind stat. It is one point to 10 points of Mind. A strange conversion, however it is how the system works. I believe I know where we are when you are ready," Bren explained as he sat on a nearby rock.

"Oh, strange. Thanks." Annita returned to her sheet, assigning two points to her Mind, setting the reserve to 40, and then the other two points to Endurance. It seemed like she was taking a beating in a lot of these fights, so being a bit hardier felt like the right call. Looking over her skills, it seemed like Distracting Shot was already somewhat covered by her Predatory Sensuality. Making the decision dissipated the silver window as the passive was added to her sheet. At the top left of her vision, the smoky black box of the Warped skill still hovered, waiting for her to make a decision.

Name: Annita Kronforst

Age: 23

Race: Lupine (Warped)

Path: Warrior of Orenous (8)

Title: Chosen of Orenous

--------------------------------------------------------------

Racial Skills:

Cold Resistance: Reduced damage from cold effects. Comfortable in colder climates.

Keen Hearing: Able to hear sounds from greater distances with greater clarity.

Natural Weapons: Claws and teeth are considered weapons for any skills that would affect weapons.

Endurance Hunter: +2 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Stamina

--------------------------------------------------------------

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one's progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. For each lover in the current party, increase the multiplier by.0.2. This bonus will apply to all party members of the same or lower levels as the owner. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer's Path.

Additionally provides +5 to Faith.

Health Points: 180/230

Strength: 14

Intellect: 10

Dexterity: 24

Faith: 20

Stamina: 15

Mind: 0/40

Endurance: 14

Resilience: 12

Libido: 5/140

Desire: 20/110

Path Skills

------------------------------------------------------------

Passive:

Weapon Proficiency: Light weapons and small firearms.

Armor Proficiency: Medium Armor

Health Points: Stat has been unlocked.

Libido: Stat has been unlocked. Increases by 5/hour. Once full, sexual inhibitions will be greatly reduced until release is achieved.

Desire: Stat has been unlocked. Gained through relations with trusting partners.

Stat Increases: +5 to Faith, +10 to Mind, +2 to Endurance, +2 to Resilience

Compatibility: You're a large lady, in more ways than one. This will help make sure things go smoothly in your conquests.

Deft Hands: Increase dexterity by +5. Any complicated manipulation of your digits becomes moderately easier.

Rogues Do It From Behind: +0.1 of your Dexterity to enemies when attacking from their flanks.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Active:

Stoke the Flames: Consume 10 desire points to inflame the target, incensing a heightened emotion of your choice for 1 minute.

Smite of Orenous: Enhance an attack to deal additional Holy damage. Adds 20% of current Faith to the attack. Cost: 10 Mind.

Predatory Sensuality: Cost: +40 Libido. Requires a display of sensuality to activate. Your force of will and pure sensuality make you irresistible, lowering your opponent's guard. For a single strike, lower the target's Endurance by 5 points.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Passive Stat Increases:

+80 Health

+80 Desire

+40 Libido

+2 Strength

+9 Dexterity

+20 Mind

+2 Endurance

"All right. Should be good to go," said Annita as she stretched again.

"Very well. We are about three days east of Graven Peak. It appears that the Seed covered a fairly sizeable area and provided us a shortcut. We have saved several days of travel," Bren stood, pointing to the west.

"Well, ain't tha' nice. We've still got a couple hours before night. Let's get what we can here, an' camp. Hopefully, it'll be a quiet rest of the trip. Maybe a pack o' Twinwolves, nothin' we can't handle." Kat hiked her pack up on her shoulder, shield strapped to the back.

They set off into the forest. It was about four hours, as best Annita could count, before night began to fall. They found a natural overhang under a few fallen trees, the skeletal branches woven to form a spider web above their heads. It was oddly cozy, but didn't allow for a fire, much to Kat's complaining.

"So what should we be doing once we get to the Keep?" Ann asked as she sprawled near the opening of the shelter. "I know you two probably have to check in with whoever you answer to, but I'm totally new."

"Well, that is going to be a question about what you wish to do," Bren offered. "Your Path and quest are pushing you into a fairly frequent combat. I would advise signing up as an Affiliated Mercenary. Generally the responsibilities entailed are minimal. You are expected to check in with any towns or city branches. They, similarly, report to the headquarters located in each major city. All of this, in turn is reported up to the Royal Military. They will need to collect information on you, which may be an issue now that I think on it."

"Aye, I think I should be able to talk wit' a few contacts o' mine. Royalty's got its perks, don' get me wrong. Ugh, yeah, that'll be a talk wit' Gen'ral Polaris. Ol' bastard'll probably let ye register privately." Kat huffed as she leant forward, tracing patterns in the dirt.

"Makin' me feel like a top secret weapon here," Annita chuckled.

"Not sure what tha' means, but, aye. Yer definitely a secret fer now. A Goddess showin' interest in the world enough tae send a sponsored champion? Shit moves nations. It'll be up wit' me Ma 'fore we even get back to Korvas, if we go as the crow. Personally don' feel like doin' tha', but we can get into tha' later."

"Yes. That would handle most issues we would be running into with registration. From there, we will be reporting the incursion to the Seed, receiving a reward based on our accomplishments, and then setting about securing lodging."

"Right, ok. How much should we earn for the whole guardian thing?" Annita asked, intrigued.

"It was thirty copper for the Twinwolves on the way to the outpost. For the vine Warped they will likely be a silver a piece. The Tree Guardian will probably be several gold. Guardians of Seeds pay very well. The larger the Seed, the greater the reward. Generally once a Guardian has been defeated, expedition teams are sent in to gather resources while the threat of the Warped is diminished." Bren shifted in his spot, pulling out a book and leafting through it casually. "Ah, here it is. After defeating a Guardian, the Seed is considered complacent for one week. The time frame varies, however, to ensure the safety of the workers dispatched, collection is limited to one week." With a snap, he shut the book and returned it to his bag.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Annita hadn't really considered why they knew so much about the seeds, or rewarded people for taking down the Warped. She thought it was just for keeping people safe, but now that there was an economic gain from the Seeds, of course other people would be going into these things looking to make money. "So for something like we just went through, I guess they'd send in a team of lumberjacks to get wood?"

"Among plants an' other things that'll be found there," Kat explained. "Each seed varies. Get a big ol' mountain an' ye'll have a lot o' ore an' stone tae collect. With a forest ye've got plants, smaller beasties, trees, saps, herbs, Hells sometimes the water is different. Imagine findin' a mountain God's domain in the middle o' a desert an' it's got ice in it. Best believe anyone with a combat Path is gonna be gunnin' fer the Guardian."

"So hunting in these Seeds is more common than I thought it was? I figured they'd be avoided with how you two talked about them." Annita rolled over onto her back and stared at the cluster moon, with its weird, bulbous shape.

"For most, that is correct. Remember that we had significant trouble with a minor Seed's guardian. We almost lost you if Kat was not able to make her preparations in time. Only those with significant confidence in their skills as well as any companions they might have, dare to challenge Guardians. Most will perform minor expeditions into the outskirts of the area, gathering intelligence as best they can, and any resources they deem worth the trouble."

"I guess we should mention that most people don't get their levels as quickly as ye do, Ann." Kat said as she lay down on her bedroll. "What ye've been gettin' can take several years. Bren an' I are lucky tae have the resources we did tae advance ourselves, but we've still got years on ye. Probably best not tae tell anyone how green ye are."

"Got it," Annita confirmed. They fell into a brief silence as she digested the information. "I'll definitely be signing up for the mercenary permit, then. It's the best option for what I've got to do. God, what my parents would think about me telling them that? 'Hey mom and dad! I decided I'm going to be a mercenary and go fight monsters! No, I don't really know how to fight, and I'm making it all up as I go. It'll be fiiiiine.'" Annita laughed.

"They would not approve?" Bren asked, brown eyes showing concern.

"Hell no, they wouldn't," Ann laughed as she rolled back over to face the other two. "Mercenaries in my time were all soldiers for hire. They'd go and help armies for money, and maybe do things those armies couldn't be caught doing. Not to mention, monsters were all made up. The stuff we've been fighting was relegated to books, video games, movies and all that. Wow, you'd find my time boring. I guess it had its interesting things, but compared to this?" She gestured to the wild expanse around them. "Nothing like it. They'd kick my ass for putting myself in so much danger, but would also be proud of trying to go after a goal, making friends and all that. They'd freak the fuck out about my body, though. I look nothing like their daughter anymore. More like one of my old drawings I did to make some extra cash."

"Ye said ye liked art. Didn't know ye were an artisan before yer incident." Kat said, propping herself up on an elbow.

"Oh yeah. Art was really common in my time. Everyone had access to paper and something to write with, so doodling, er, sketching was something everyone did at some point when they were bored. I took it a step further and studied it, got really good at it too. There was a subset of art with characters that look a lot like I do right now, including genitals. The people who were into it were really wealthy for some reason, and if you could establish yourself in that niche, you'd make a ton of money from commissions. I never really got that into it, but enough to make some money."

"People paid for illustrations?" Bren seemed intrigued by this, taking out his notebook again. "We have artists that are hired to paint murals, and some have noble patrons who sponsor them, but the large majority are usually working on things like maps, some books, decorations on buildings and the likes."

"Oh yeah. There was a whole thing about it. Writing, drawing, animating..."

"Animating?" Bren cut her off.

"Yeah, it's what we called making moving drawings, I guess. If I can get my hands on a blank book or notes of some kind, I can show you. Basically, you'd draw a picture, draw it again on a different page, but slightly moved, then repeat that hundreds or thousands of times. Once you have it all drawn, you'd show the pages really quickly in sequence and it would give the illusion of motion." Annita sighed as she looked up at the tangle of branches above them. "There was a LOT of porn made with that. Lots of stuff that wasn't real could be with the drawings."

"Heh, guess people're horny no matter the age." Kat nodded sagely.

"You have no idea," Ann shuddered at the memory. "People got weird with their drawings. I made some money off all that, so I can't really judge much."

"So ye were a pervert even before Orenous, huh?" Kat grinned toothily at Ann.

"Kinda, yeah. Didn't have much outlet for it, to be honest." Another sigh. "I was busy earning enough money to stay alive. Had a couple girlfriends over my school days, though that always ended poorly. Being gay wasn't really seen in a great light by a lot of people. Lots of hate. Lots of judgment. The college girlfriend was fun, though. We did a lot with each other, but eventually grew apart. I didn't have anyone after that with work taking over my life until, well, I ended up here."

"It sounds like a complicated life," Bren said as he closed his book. He relaxed, laying down on his bedroll as well.

"It was. There were things I had to do that wouldn't make much sense to you, with how technology is here. It was also kind of simple? I had a job. I did the job. I got money. I used that money for a place to live, food, bills and taxes, and then other stuff I wanted. It was alright. Nothing really exciting." Annita curled up a little, her knees shifting to her chest as she lay there while her ears drooped and her tail curled up as well. "There was a comfort in the routine, though. Knowing what I'd be doing the next day, what to expect. All of that is out the window now. I'm lucky as hell to have met you two, and no, I won't stop saying it." She cast a glare at Kat, who just smiled back. "Nothing in my old life prepared me for this. Well, maybe some brief martial arts, but that's it. Getting used to what I need to do here is going to be so much easier with you two's help."

"Yes, I imagine it would." Bren smiled at her as well. "It is likely why Orenous put you where she did."

"Yeah, well, probably not the only reason." Ann glanced sheepishly at Kat, whose grin only widened. "Regardless, probably a large part of it." A yawn stretched her lips, sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight. "Ugh, I'm exhausted. Even getting knocked out a couple of times didn't help."

"Aye, time fer rest. Let's all get some sleep. Long day of hiking through snow again tomorrow." Kat said, sliding into her roll. "G'night everyone." Within a couple of minutes, she was snoring.

"Night," Ann replied sleepily as she lay down, still on top of her roll. The cold was nice. It relaxed her and she quickly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 17: Pushing Onward

Ann stretched, cramped muscles waking slowly with her. Everything still hurt a bit, and she was still covered in bruises, but felt miles better. Kat's snores from nearby gave her an involuntary smile as she breathed in the crisp morning air and opened her eyes. It was another cloudy day. The grey blanket covering the sky was deceptively bright as the land below woke to the hidden sun. Her ears twitched as she registered the sounds of rabbits scampering through the snow, the songs of the morning birds, and what she believed to be a couple of playing foxes.

Sitting up, Annita checked on her teammates. Bren was also rising, blinking the sleep from his eyes and yawning deeply. His short brown hair was sticking up wildly from how he'd slept, and he was apparently too tired to notice at the moment. Looking Annita's way, and seeing she was awake, he smiled and waved. "Good morning. Have you been up long?"

"Nah, just woke up. Was just laying here enjoying the sounds of the morning." Ann stretched back out, this time sitting up.

"Sounds?" Bren asked, as his eyes slowly gained wakefulness.

"Yeah, birds, little animals moving all over the place. It's actually kinda noisy." Annita laughed.

"Not to mention Kat's snoring." Bren chuckled as he tugged his bag over and dug through it.

"Yeah, girl can snore like thunder, can't she?" Annita looked over at the Alfhindur, who'd fallen asleep on her back, arms and legs splayed and her braids flung out at wild angles.

"I often wonder how she fails to wake herself up considering her acute hearing." Bren began to pull out rations for the three of them, setting them aside.

"Guess those pointy ears turn off when she's passed out." Ann laughed as she took her portion of the rations.

"Oh, she has always been like this. Once she's asleep, naught but the loudest of horns can wake her. Even thorough shaking from her maids has failed to do the trick."

"Hmmm, I wonder..." Ann trailed off as she scooted over to Kat, tail wagging with mischief. "Good morning, sunshine." She leaned over and planted a kiss on Kat's soft lips.

"Mmmm, mornin' ya furry lout." Kat mumbled back quietly, not opening her eyes. "Can wake me up like that any time."

"Guess a kiss does wake the sleeping princess." Ann teased as she backed off from Kat. "Just like the stories."

"I'll show ya a princess ye, ye... feck. I'm too tired. Get back tae me in a few." Kat curled back up, but didn't start snoring again, so Annita left her alone.

"I never got to ask," Ann said, turning back to Bren, "but your parents were mages, right? You told the story of how they met Kat's parents, but never the why. What'd they do to earn the privilege?"

Bren had busied himself with starting a small fire outside the overhang. "You're quite right. I never did get to tell you. They both studied together, my mother a fire mage, and my father, water. Interestingly, their work was on further improving steam based energies. With fire and water, they had spent years working together and eventually helped develop a new steam engine. The minutiae of it is a bit beyond me, to be honest, but it was important enough to earn them a place at a ball, as I've said. They have always been a fascinating pair. Passionate like no others for their work and each other. When I discovered my love for history and older records, they were my staunchest supporters, Kat being a close second, if you can believe it. Then when I chose the Path of a healer, they supported it as well. They were concerned for my safety, as any good parent would be, but when it became clear that Kat and I would be traveling together, they felt relieved. From there, we have kept in touch by letter as I traveled. I know they are doing well in their work and health, and they know I am well. I am sure they would be eager to meet you."

"They might have to get in line." Ann chuckled ruefully. "Seems like once my origins get out, if they do, I'm not gonna have a second's rest."

"Well, yes, and no," Bren offered, placing a pot over the flames and heating some snow. "Initially, yes, absolutely. However, you have a mission given to you by one of the major Gods. That will not be taken lightly and you will be allowed to proceed as you see fit. The various religious orders would likely see it no other way. Politics as always will be involved, and you will need to consider allegiances, though your relationship with Kat will help with that immensely. Should you two choose to make that public, that is."

"Perks of dating a princess, huh? Man, didn't think the first relationship I'd get into here would be so impactful." Ann sighed.

"Second thoughts?"

"Nah, not at all. It's just a lot to take in when I stop and think about it. I'm going to be pushed into high society, whatever that means in this time, and I'll be at the very top of it all off the bat."

Bren took a moment to add tea leaves to the pot, letting them steep. "Yes, but remember who Kat is and how she is. Not all in her position possess the grace of nobility. She, for all her noble attributes, does not exemplify propriety."

"That helps, honestly. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to act around everyone like that." Ann sighed as Bren poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her. The familiar tin was cool in her hands, but quickly warmed. "Thanks. So, history, huh? Anything that's been eating at you to ask me?"

"More than you could guess. Should I limit it to just one?" Bren asked as he leaned over to set a cup near Kat. The sleepy Alf groaned her thanks, but stayed still for now.

"For now," Ann chuckled over her tea.

"Very well. I guess I should ask about your leadership. Your nation's philosophy of rule. How was power consolidated in your time?"

"Ah, that's a bit more complicated than you'd think. I honestly wasn't big into politics, but it was kind of a mess. The theory, or at least the ideal I guess, was a republic of essentially mini countries, forming a larger nation. Everyone gets a vote to decide the course of the nation and the leaders would be beholden to the populace. Of course, this doesn't really work out all that well in the end. There was a lot of corruption, power imbalances, and poverty. I'm sure in your recorded history there's been similar."

"So it was not solidified around a central family?" Bren asked as he sipped his own steaming cup.

"No, at least not when I was around. There were monarchies historically, but because of some technological advancements, they mostly fell out of favor. Political leaders were a thing, there was a figurehead of course, but they weren't the end all be all for the nation. Keep in mind that this nation was huge, too. You could walk for months and still not be all the way across. One of the largest, if I remember right, land wise. I wouldn't be surprised if we're somewhere in it right now. Not that I'd recognize anything at this point."

"Uuuugh, ok. 'M up." Kat groaned from the side as she finally sat up. Her eyes stayed shut as she fumbled for her cup and took a cautious sip. "You two gettin' on all right?"

"Wonderfully," Bren replied with a smile.

"Just talking about the past and politics." Ann said, scooting over closer to Kat.

"Bleh, maybe I should go back tae sleep," Kat grumbled. "More hikin' today. Two more days o' this. It'll be good tae be back in a proper city."

"Speaking of which, actually. Bren, you mentioned a steam engine. What's transportation like?" Ann asked as Kat scooted closer to her and leaned gently on her shoulder.

"Personal transportation is largely still horse and carriage. There have been advancements in travel between the cities. A large contraption with an engine pulling several carts behind it has been a staple for the Kingdom in recent decades. It eases transport of both people and resources."

"Oh, ok. So you're at steam trains. Got it." Ann replied offhandedly.

"You're familiar with them?" Bren asked, his curiosity obviously piqued again.

"Won't get too far into it for this one's sake," Ann ribbed Kat playfully, earning a grunt of thanks. "But, yeah. We had trains. During my life they'd all advanced past steam and were operating largely off either gasoline, or in some case magnets. Without electricity, the second one is less likely for you to ever get working, and the former I wouldn't recommend. Too much pollution, and I wouldn't be able to help figure out how to make it work."

"Fascinating. Understood. Well, yes, that is the largest form of transportation currently in use. Otherwise, the devices are used for lifting with the aid of magic. Really, most things can be done with magic. However, the efficiency increases when it works in tandem with machinery."

"That's cool. I was a little worried the whole machinery thing would kill a bit of the magic for me," Ann admitted as she chewed some ration.

"Aye, seein' things from yer time'd probably be confusin', huh?"

"I mean, this already is." Ann held up her holstered revolver. "Just a bit different. It's the bigger things. Oh well, it's still the world I lived in. About right that you all would re-invent some stuff."

"Yes, the cycle of humanity turns on. Shall we get moving? We have much ground to cover." Bren had packed away what was left of his breakfast, and was working on dousing the fire.

They gathered their things, packed up camp, and headed west once more.

The first half of the day after the Seed passed without incident. As the day progressed, the grey cloud cover broke apart and a bright blue sky shone through. Despite the sunlight, the temperature dropped harshly, and even Annita was forced to borrow a blanket from Kat to wrap around herself in a makeshift cloak.

Their quick lunch was a quiet affair. More rations and water. Ann swore that she'd be figuring out better food for their next journey. She was getting sick of the preserved fruits and bread.

The second leg of the day was more of the same. The mostly flat forest had begun to give rise to hills spread throughout the landscape. They hiked over several shallow slopes, the ground beneath their feet sometimes turning treacherous and gravely. Occasionally, a babbling stream blocked their path. The current was ice cold, and they made a concerted effort to find crossings that avoided getting their feet wet.

Now and then Ann heard movement nearby, and froze instinctively. It was usually one of the strange jackalopes or the many tailed squirrels, but once she spotted a deer through the trees. The Warping being what it was; the deer was anything but normal. Almost completely white with brown spots across its flank. It walked taller than any deer Ann had ever seen, like its legs were too long, and its horns branched into literal branches. There were no leaves present, but the texture was clearly bark instead of bone. It tracked them as they walked past, still and silent, then ambled away.

As they walked, Annita noticed that Kat was keeping closer to her than normal. The woman was always close, but she seemed to almost crave contact. She took almost every excuse to have a hand on Ann that she could. Ann smiled at the clearly deteriorating patience of her, uh, friend? Fuck buddy? That was going to have to be a talk later. Probably once they got to the Keep. Definitely once they got to the Keep.

Thoughts drifting along those lines, her mind turned to her unique skill: Chosen of Orenous. The wording on it implied that she was being encouraged to have multiple partners. She wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. Annita had enjoyed sex when she'd had the opportunity in her old life, and this life had it intertwined with her identity. She could hold off for longer now, over a day, but it's not like she really wanted to. It all really boiled down to what Kat was comfortable with. If the woman was the type to want her just to herself, she'd respect that. It's not like the woman seemed to be any less randy than she was, considering she'd watched her masturbate.

There was also the question of Ann's inner romantic. She'd been somewhat hurried into the situation she was in, but she did admit to herself that feelings were growing for Kat. She was growing increasingly comfortable around the brash woman's bluster. Her gorgeous eyes and long brown hair as it shimmered in the moonlight. A bit of the alien found in her Elven appearance. Kat's strength was nothing to scoff at, either. Most of all, she just liked talking to her. Ann enjoyed being around her, fighting with her, laying with her, in multiple ways. Ann's heart swelled as her mind wandered through this path before she felt Kat's fingers intertwine with hers.

A brief squeeze and Ann looked down at her tall partner. A knowing grin met her gaze, drawing a smile to her face unbidden. Yeah, things would work out. Ann was sure of it. If not here and now, later down the road.

They walked like this for some time, hand in hand, following Bren's direction. He didn't comment on their state, but there were glances and small smiles Ann caught through his normally reserved features. His lack of resistance to their budding relationship was another building block to her confidence. Bren had known Kat all her life and all of his. From what she'd heard, they were incredibly close, almost like real siblings. If he didn't oppose their already quickly progressing intimacy, she felt there was little to worry about.

"Can't wait to get to the city," Ann said quietly, squeezing Kat's hand back.

"Me neither. Fer more reasons than one," Kat replied. She leaned in a bit closer, bumping her head against Ann's shoulder as she walked. "Ya couldn't be a little shorter, could ye? Makes it harder tae walk all hand in hand like this."

"Hey, if these Warped skills have anything to say about it, I might be able to. But for now you're stuck with giant me."

"Not really complainin', mind. Just this one situation where it'd be nice. Like ye all big the rest o' the time."

"I'm sure you do," Annita chuckled. "Must be strange. You're pretty tall, judging by Bren. Been with anyone else taller than you?"

"Nae, actually. Guys and gals alike, all've been shorter than me. It's definitely weird lookin' up tae you. There're the larger races, but even then some of 'em are shorter."

"Bigger races?" Ann asked, intrigued.

"Aye. Oh, right, you'd not know. So, there're humans, standard as ye like. There's the Vulhardrin, the general name fer the beast kin. Ye'd actually fall under the umbrella. Since it's all so varied, Vulhardrin just came tae be the title and then the specifics used per classification. Lupine, like you, Ursine, Canine, Feline, Vulpine, Avian, some lizard folk I can't remember the name fer."

"Reptilia," Bren filled in. "They are more varied than the others. Some take after snakes, others lizards. It is best to ask how they prefer to be called before making assumptions."

"Aye. Generally folk don't take offense tae askin'. Unless ye've pissed 'em off beforehand, but that's yer own fault. Anyway, besides them, we've got Thrundol. Tall, lanky blokes, tusks and somewhat warty. They come in all sorts o' colors but tend tae be thin. Great hunters, that lot. Then there's the Mulsfar. They're huge. Bigger'n you an' not just in height. Generally ye'll see more of 'em around Korvas, seein' as they prefer the mountains. Then there's the Grrn." The noise she made was almost like a growl that she constricted at the back of her throat. "They're rock people. Completely made o' stone. They can understand each other, but fer the rest of us they write. Sounds like boulders scrapin' when they do talk though. Think that's all o' the big'uns."

"Then there are the smaller folk," Bren continued the impromptu lecture. "Inlon are the shorter of the group. They are small people of many colors. Humanoid with large eyes and ears. They are a good people, if not a bit mischievous. If you befriend one of their kind, you will be well treated by their peers. Then there are the Bultrong. They also stick mostly to Korvas, but the inner portions of the mountain. Stout people with a longevity on par with the Alfhindurn. They made their place mining in the mountain. Long ago, they were the original rulers of this kingdom before a civil war imposed a more diverse lineage of leadership."

"Honestly, you two are mostly describing fantasy races from my time," Ann interjected. "The names are different, but the general themes are the same. Thrundol sound like trolls, Mulsfar are either ogres or giants, Grrn are golems. The smaller ones are goblins and dwarves, respectively. Do the Bultrong also have an accent like Kat and have a grudge against the Alfhindurn?"

"Nae. Actually, our races're closer than most. A long time ago, even by our standards, the Bultrong in Korvas took in a tribe o' fleein' Alfhindurn. Persecution from the Bortislaw kingdom tae the West causin' trouble. They made it through the massive Seeds between our borders an' were near dead. The Bultrong took 'em in, got 'em healthy again, an' offered tae share their home. We've been tied at the root ever since. Even after the civil war, our kinds made up. On the first part o' yer question, aye we do speak alike. At least fer the most part. Our peoples are varied enough, it mostly depends on yer upbringin'."

"Huh, ok. Interesting. And that's it?" Ann asked. It was interesting that there were so many parallels, but obvious differences, to her preconceptions.

"Well, yes and no," Bren continued. "It is part of why no one is offended when asking about what they are. The Warping has affected us all. Some more than others. Individuals can vary even within their own race. Extra eyes, limbs, horns and the like are most common. Some have extra hair or none at all. Colors are all over the place, so keep that in mind."

"Doesn't that concern mothers? It sounds like they're birth defects."

"No, not particularly. Most have access to a healer who can make sure their alterations are functional and not detrimental to the child. There is, regrettably, the chance that the child is too Warped to survive. Those unfortunate mothers are well cared for by their communities, but there is always the chance." Bren's face fell as he relayed the somber information.

"Shit, that's awful. No wonder people hate the Warped. I mean, besides the whole slavering monsters coming to eat everyone you love part." Ann looked at herself, extending and retracting her claws. Her worry spiked as she thought back to what she'd done in the Seed. She'd taken in this malevolent force. Even if it was accidental.

"Aye, not a light topic. That's fer sure," Kat breathed. "It's a fact o' life, though. Not much we can do about it. Or at least there wasn't until you came along. If Orenous is right, mayhap ye can make a difference with all this."

"Yeah, hopefully so. Gods, that's a lot of pressure," Annita breathed as she wrestled with the scope of her responsibility.

"I mean, she chose ye for a reason. I'd have faith that she's got some inklin' o' why she chose ye. Even if she didn't explain fully in yer dream."

"I guess so. She seemed confused by it too, but we'll just have to see. She said I hadn't seen the last of her, so I'm guessing she's keeping tabs on me and what I'm goin' through."

"As do most Gods, though rarely this directly," Bren said with that tone that meant he was feeling particularly wise.

"But enough of that," Ann heaved a deep sigh. "I think I just heard wheels? Or some creaking wood on dirt. Animals too."

"Oh thank the Gods, we're near a road. Lead the way, ya furry beaut," Kat laughed as she clapped Annita on the ass.

Laughing, Annita took the lead toward the sounds she heard. Soon they came clear of the treeline to a dirt road. The soil was hard packed and frozen, with deep ruts cut by many years of travel. Ambling toward them was a large covered wagon drawn by four oxen. It was driven by two figures, one Annita now knew was an Inlon, and the other a Bultrong.

"Oi! Fine day to ya!" Kat called. "Might we impose on ye fer a ride tae Graven Keep?"

Chapter 18: Hitching a Ride

"Howdy!" the Inlon called back. She had what Ann recognized as a thick southern accent. "Mighty well armed there. 'Preciate it if ya identify yourselves first, before we get to trustin' y'all."

"Of course," Bren called back. It was at this point that Annita noticed the heavy crossbow sitting over the Bultrong's lap, pointed directly at them. All three of them pulled their medallions from their gear, holding them up. The pair on the wagon couldn't possibly inspect them from this distance, but seemed to relax slightly at their display. "My name is Bren. This is Katlyn, and the tall Lupine is Annita. We are making our way back to Graven Keep from the outpost east of here. Took the direct route through the woods."

"You can come over," the Bultrong beckoned as he lowered the crossbow. "Names Jessamy, and this here's Bon." He gestured to Bon, who waved back enthusiastically, her ears flapping with the movement.

The pair were interesting to Ann's eyes, though that might be because she was seeing someone like them for the first time. Bon was bright blue, with dark brown eyes, and dark green hair tied back in a ponytail. Her pointed ears stuck out to the sides of her head and drooped slightly at the tips. Her frame was petite, and she wore a set of overalls that gave her a farm worker's appearance. Jessamy on the other hand was a burly fellow. Thick in both arms and legs, with a dark complexion and a bristling beard. His eyes twinkled blue beneath a bushy brow as he greeted them.

"Pardon the suspicion, friends. Bandits have been a plague around these parts lately. Can't be too careful. Mind if I take a closer look at those badges?" He stuck out a hand towards them.

"Sure, here you go." Annita gathered the badges from Kat and Bren, then handed the stack over to Jessamy. After a moment of inspection, the Bultrong grunted and handed them back.

"Two with houses, one without. Those're official though. Thanks for cooperatin'. So, you said you were headed to the Keep? We are too, but I reckon you already figured that."

"Aye, been a long trip, as we said," Kat returned. "Would greatly appreciate it if ye would give us a ride."

"Don't see why we culdn't. Right Jess?" Bon spoke up.

"Nope, no reason I can see to deny some road weary travelers. Just don't be causin' trouble and we'll get on fine."

"If you have any questions for us, don't hesitate to ask. And don't mind Bartholomew back there. He's just there for security. Like Jess said, can't be too safe." Bon said with a wide smile. "He's the quiet sort though, so don't get offended if he doesn't respond to y'all."

"Gotcha. Thanks again!" Ann said enthusiastically as their trio walked to the back of the wagon.

As they pulled back the canvas that covered the back, they saw boxes and crates piled high, likely their ride's cargo. Nestled on top of it was what could only be Bartholomew. It wasn't a person. It was a large black panther. Two tails swept from his hindquarters as he observed his new acquaintances intently. True to Bon's word, he kept quiet and left them alone.

"How friendly is he?" Ann called back to the front of the wagon.

"Oh, friendly enough to people he knows. I'd probably not test y'all's luck, though." Bon called back. "He won't hurt you, but give him his space."

"Got it. Ready to go!" Annita called back.

As they settled in, the crack of the reins sounded. The oxen groaned, and the wagon lurched as they began to move. It wasn't particularly fast, but they didn't have to lug their gear around while walking. Spreading out their bedrolls together in the somewhat intimate space, the three companions made themselves as comfortable as they could. Kat wound up close to Annita while Bren was afforded some space for himself. Not much, but some.

"Oh, this is much better than walking," Ann sighed as she casually wrapped an arm around Kat.

"Aye, an' those oxen'll make good time, too." Kat said as she settled against Annita. "Seen their like. They're strong an' 'ave endurance fer ages. Likely they'll be movin' all the way tae Graven Keep. Should cut this all down to a day and we'll be at our destination in the mornin'."

"I am looking forward to getting back to civilization," Bren said wistfully. "A good, hot meal, a proper room with proper furnishings. I can stock back up on tea."

"Yeah, and we can figure out better food for the next trip than these rations," Ann replied. "They do their job but Gods, are they bland."

"Aye, there's other stuff we can get. Not tae mention equippin' you fuzzbutt. Can't have ye on the brink o' death every time we get into a fight. Not just with Warped, mind, but with people too. Yer gonna draw a lot o' attention once yer identity is out."

"Ugh, I'd prefer it kept secret. Less hassle, but I get that it's a big deal for the country and the churches."

"It will not come with all downsides, remember," Bren said as he pulled out a book. "Knowing who you are will open opportunities for the kingdom and the churches to sponsor you. It will be up to you how much you are willing to take. However, I suggest utilizing them to increase your odds of success in this quest we've found ourselves on."

"You're right, as usual. I just get an icky feeling imposing on other people for who I am, not what I've done. I didn't really earn any of this. I'll most likely be given it all because of who I happen to be. Feels wrong."

"Then..." Kat said, laying her head on Annita's shoulder, "how about this? Ye've already helped with a Seed, yeah? We're reportin' a Guardian was slain. Once we get tae Korvas, whenever the Hells tha' is, we can report the rest. It's a boon tae the kingdom, it's a service tae the world and the Gods, an' we can collect the letters if Gods keep droppin' 'em off fer us. Bren an' I'll be plenty credible witnesses."

"That... yeah, that does make me feel a bit better about it." Annita sighed.

"Good." Kat huffed. "Can't have tha' pretty face all wrinkly with worry."

"Oh shut it, long ears." Ann retorted.

"Only if ya make me." Kat teased further.

"If you two are going to get frisky, maybe we can ask for a halt and let you wander off to handle things?" Bren interjected, killing the back and forth.

"Ye killjoy," Kat pouted.

"Excuse me for not wanting to watch my, for all intents and purposes, sister get all handsy with her new girlfriend."

"Girl... wha'?" Annita sputtered. "Nothin's been made official."

"Aye! Just helpin' each other out. That's all." Kat confirmed, despite the blush quickly heating up her cheeks.

Bren didn't bother responding. The raised eyebrow was enough to tell them he didn't buy that for a moment.

"So, uh, yeah. I guess we'll do that later. Libido is getting up there. Still unsure about letting it hit that cap," Ann said, a hand scratching behind her ear.

"Fer now, let's uh, get some rest? I dunnae. It's been a long few days." Kat was almost as red as she could be, all the way to the tips of her long ears.

"Agreed."

Bren returned to his book, while Kat and Ann spent a while laying there, close to each other. Neither of them would admit it but Ann could feel her cock stretching at her underwear and she could hear Kat's breathing. The woman was desperately aroused, and trying to hide it. Both of them knew that Bren would catch anything they tried, even if they attempted to be subtle, and respected his request to keep their intimacy away from him.

Instead, they just enjoyed the closeness. Their hands gently exploring the other, feeling muscles and skin. It was nice, just getting to know someone else's body. Even keeping things chaste, Annita appreciated how strong Kat's arms and shoulders were. She was built incredibly solid, with a thin layer of skin and fat smoothing out her definition. She'd seen some of it in action though, and when Kat was straining that softness disappeared. She'd love to see some of that strain in the bedroom.

Turning her thoughts from future plans, she spent time running her hands over Kat's braided hair, and through the unbraided portions as well. It was silky smooth, wavy, and lovely to run her fingers through. Gently, she stroked the top of the woman's head. Kat leaned into the touch, happily basking in the attention.

Kat's hand wasn't idle either. She'd roamed up Annita's back, feeling along the strip of medium length fur that ran down her spine. It was an entirely new sensation, but felt as good as having her head scratched. A soft sigh escaped her as she felt Kat's fingers trace idle patterns through the strands. After a short while, her hand worked further up, into Annita's grey mane and massaging the back of her head. Ann melted into the other woman, body going limp as her scalp was massaged. It wasn't voluntary, it just felt so good she couldn't help it. A finger accidentally brushed one of her ears and a moan rose from her lips unbidden. Kat looked up at her in surprise, then made an effort to focus on her ears. Ann's tail twitched madly in appreciation of the attention.

Time drifted on, and the sun began to set. Shadows crept as the light retreated. The oxen continued their rhythmic plodding as they made their way ever onward. Bon and Jessamy were having a quiet conversation on the driver's seat, their voices muffled by the walls of crates. Bren had dozed off as well, exhausted from their time walking and fighting, his book having slipped from his hands. Bartholomew, true to every cat Ann had known, had slipped down from the stack of crates and curled up next to Bren, choosing the one who'd paid him the least mind to get friendly with.

"Hey, Kat. I think it's about time I handle things." Annita whispered. They hadn't moved much from earlier, still intertwined comfortably.

"Mmm? Ah, yeah. Want some help tonight or just do it yerself?" Kat asked, drowsiness muffling her speech as much as Annita's shoulder was.

"Up to you. I'd appreciate it, though."

"All right, let me wake up a min'. Go tell the drivers. Meet you at the back."

With that, Annita extracted herself from Kat's arms and slipped out the canvas flaps of the wagon's cover. Quickly, she made her way around to the front.

"Hey Bon, Jessamy. Kat and I need to take a minute to relieve ourselves. Would you mind stopping for a few?" Annita asked as she kept pace with the cart.

"Truly? Ah, sure, sounds fine. Oxen could use a short break too. Get yourselves handled an' well be right here for ya." Bon said quietly. "Barty back there keepin' to himself?"

"He was. Now he's curled up next to Bren." Ann informed them as the oxen slowed to a stop.

"Aw, good for him. All right, off you hop. We don't want to pause too long, so be quick, if you could."

"Thanks, be right back," Annita said quietly as she hurried back to the rear of the wagon.

"All good to go," Ann whispered as she peeked back into the wagon. Kat had pulled a blanket up over Bren and folded his book back into his lap. She nodded and slipped out of the space, one of Bartholomew's eyes opening to track her lazily. "But they said we should be quick."

"Think that'll be a problem, lass?" Kat teased.

"I don't think so, not with you." Ann shot back as they walked deeper into the treeline.

"Aww, gonna let it all end so quick? Gonna hurt a girl's feelin's." Kat egged her on.

"You and that mouth. You sound better when you're moaning." Ann said as she suddenly grabbed Kat's shoulder, spun her and pinned her back against a tree. In the same motion, she sealed her lips over Kat's, feeling the other woman yelp in surprise before a low moan vibrated her tongue. "Yeah, like that."

"Feckin cheater." Kat panted from the surprise kiss. "C'mere." She launched herself back into Ann's lips as she kissed back madly. "Gods, your lips taste amazin'. Never get tired o' it."

Hands were moving everywhere, under shirts, loosening bindings, freeing their bodies slowly as they enjoyed the rapturous kiss. Their tongues wrestled fiercely as they devoured each other. Breaths came quickly in the small breaks between lip locks.

"Gotta... be... quick, remember?" Kat panted as she broke their latest kiss.

"I know. Gods, I know. I can't wait to take my time with you." Ann hissed as she brought her hands down to free her cock from her kilt and underwear.

"Neither of us'll be walkin' straight the next day, darlin'." Kat purred. Eleven inches of girlcock slapped into Kat's thigh, eliciting a gasp from the woman. She immediately took it in her left hand, stroking its turgid length firmly. "Imagine what ye'll do tae me. What this'll have me doin' tae ye. Think about all this inside me snatch, poundin' intae me." As she spoke, her grip tightened and her pace quickened.

"Bodies movin, muscles slidin' o'er each other. Me in yer arms moanin me lungs out. The feelin of yer body movin. Don't it excite ye? Ann?"

At her name, Ann's breath quickened and her cock pulsed heavily in Kat's hand.

"Hmm, ye seemed tae like that. Like me callin yer name Ann?"

Another pulse, and a moan this time.

"I'm gonna have so much fun with ye, Ann. That's a promise. Me 'n' you are gonna spend a lot o' time gettin' tae know each other. Inside an' out."

"Don't think you'll have all the fun," Ann grunted back, suddenly thrusting into Kat's hand, drawing a wide grin from the Alf. "You, Kat, are going to be mine for a whole night at least."

"Oh tell me more, ya feckin' stud." Kat panted.

"By the time I'm done with you, I don't want you to be able to walk. Gods, I don't want you to be able to talk. I just want both of us to melt into a puddle of cum, sweat, and each other. I'm never leaving once I'm inside you, got it? You'll take all of me."

"Feck yeah I will," Kat breathed shakily, her hands speeding up as Ann's hips matched her pace. "Pin me down an' take me, Ann. Feck me intae the bed like an animal until I flip ye an' return the favor."

"Fuck, yes. Oh Gods, I'm close Kat." Annita cried as she braced herself on the tree over Kat.

"Gonna cum fer me, Ann? Gonna paint this tree white with what ye'll be fillin' me with later? C'mon lassy. Just imagine, imagine me hand is me cunt." Kat paused for a breath, straightening so her lips were close to Ann's Lupine ears. "Fill me."

Annita lost herself. One, two, three more thrusts into Kat's grip and she came hard. Cum jetted out against the trunk of the tree, splashing both over Kat's hip and onto the snow below them. Without her input, her claws extended and dug deep grooves into the tree as she held on for dear life. Kat never let up her stroking as she rested her head on Annita's shoulder, continuing to milk the mad Lupine for all she was worth.

Jet after jet hit the wood, before Kat turned the flagging stream to jet against her stomach, locking eyes with Ann as she did. The effect only redoubled Annita's emissions, a large burst covering Kat's nethers.

When the torrent finally stopped, Ann slumped against the tree, elbows hitting besides Kat's ears. The woman leaned in and kissed her gently. "'At's my girl." To drive home the lewdness of what they'd just done, she reached down and scooped a portion of the cum covering her and licked it off her palm. A shudder ran through her body as she closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

"So fucking hot," Ann panted as she struggled to recover.

"Back atcha," Kat laughed. "Now, as much as I'd love fer ya tae return the favor here, we were told tae be quick. Let's get cleaned up."

Before Kat could move, Annita held her still while she sank to her knees. The height difference meant she was facing the woman's upper stomach, but she bent down and began lapping up the mess she made, licking quickly as she could. Kat gasped, but didn't stop her. Instead, hands ran through her wild hair and encouraged her to finish faster.

Once she finished her task, Ann stood and kissed Kat again, feeling the other woman draw close once more. "Let's get dressed."

"Aye, we should."

Quickly they gathered their scattered clothes and left the cum soaked tree behind.

A couple of minutes later, they returned to the wagon, right where they'd left it. Bon and Jessamy were standing off to the side of the oxen, seemingly checking on them.

"Hey, we're back. Sorry for the delay!" Annita called out.

"Oh, it's no bother. Just checkin' on ol' Rutherford here," Jessamy said. "He's been gettin' a little slower these days. He's still got a couple of years in him, but soon enough he'll be out to pasture."

"You two take care of everything you need?" Bon asked.

"Aye. We'll pop back in the wagon and grab a wink o' shuteye." Kat replied.

"Sleep tight y'all. We'll let you know if there's anything coming up." Bo called back as the two women re-entered the covered interior.

Bren and Bartholomew were exactly where they'd left them. The large panther raised his head at the movement, but laid his head back down on Bren's lap when he recognized them.

As quietly as they could, Kat and Annita settled back onto their makeshift mattress and drew close to each other. Kat laid her head gently on Annita's shoulder and let out a long yawn.

"Big day tomorrow. Let's get some rest," the sleepy Alfhindur said.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow. Can't wait." Ann replied softly.

"Mhm, tomorrow."

They both drifted off in each other's arms.

Chapter 19: Civilization

It was midday the next day before Bon called back to the trio riding in the wagon. Stretching, they all exited the still trundling wagon and jogged to catch up with the driver's seat.

"Almost there dearies. Should be over this next rise. Get yourselves a look. I love approachin' the Keep from here," the Inlon said happily.

She was right; the view was amazing. Over the next ridge, they saw the city and its remaining lands spread out below them. It was miles and miles wide. Annita struggled to get a proper scale for the city. A black stone wall surrounded the outskirts. From their vantage point, several districts could be seen, all made from wood and the same dark stone as the walls. It gave the city a bleak, dark appearance against the brilliant snow that surrounded it. Nearer the center of the Keep, the buildings of commoners faded into industry. Warehouses and large workshops were visible even at this distance, their smoke billowing into the air as their wares were crafted.

Past these was the Keep itself. A large, black castle set upon the hill at the center of the sprawl. Its walls were, of course, black stone, but capped with white crenelations and towers. Eight of these towers surrounded a central building with a steepled roof that reminded Annita of a church. She couldn't see much else from this distance.

Despite the imposing visage of the city, it seemed active, with a good amount of people coming and going from several gates in the walls. To the west, Annita spied the telltale tracks of the train she'd been told about, though it did not seem to be present at the moment.

"Welcome tae Graven Keep," Kat said, clapping Annita on the back. "Center of martial might in the Korvan Kingdom. It's a rough and tumble place, but it's got heart. Let's get ourselves movin'! Thanks fer the ride you two. Been an absolute pleasure."

"Y'all stay safe now, ya hear?" grunted Jessamy. "Eas guide you on your travels."

"And to you as well," returned Bren. "Let us gather our things and be off."

A short time later, the trio was walking ahead of the wagon; they reached the line of other travelers waiting to be cleared for entry. It was long and appeared like it'd take the better part of the day to get through.

Now much closer to the walls, Annita saw why the city had its name. First off, the walls were massive. Each easily a hundred feet high and purely carved from black stone. Carved being the operative word here, since each wall was inlaid with intricate patterns. Each section had a different pattern, and all were seemingly ancient. Their weathered faces polished by the seasons. Each shimmered with an illusion that she could only guess was magic of some kind. Annita decided to ask Bren more about that later.

"C'mon, we're not hitched to a wagon. We can go through the other line." Kat beckoned Ann and Bren to follow. They waved to Bon and Jessamy as they headed to the much smaller line of travelers on foot. At the gate, a guard stopped them.

"Halt," he said with a bored voice. "Name, citizen badge, and purpose in visiting Graven Keep."

"Katlyn Farragher. Here tae check in with the General about some confidential news and tae report to the Mercenary branch."

The guard stiffened immediately at her name. "Apologies Your Majesty!" He cried out, saluting.

Eyes turned to them from all angles at his proclamation. Whispers rippled through the crowd as the other travelers came to the realization of who was at the checkpoint.

"Gods damnit," Kat groaned. "Wish ye'd kept it down, but that's that. Anythin' else?"

"No, Your Majesty. I'll just need to verify your companions," the guard stated stiffly. The poor man was practically shaking in his boots.

"Bren Hedera," Bren introduced himself. "Accompanying Katlyn in her business in the capacity of healer."

"Understood. Welcome, Lord Hedera." Bren was ushered past quickly without further questions. "And you ma'am?"

"Annita Kronforst. I guess I'm with Kat as well. Here to register at the Mercenary headquarters. Guess we'll see after that?" Ann said awkwardly, glancing at Kat, who gave her a quick thumbs up.

"Understood, my Lady," the guard continued. He checked her badge, noted the lack of heraldry on the opposite side, and handed it back to her. She was then similarly ushered through to where Kat and Bren were waiting.

"But, I'm not a... oh nevermind," Annita sighed.

"Now ye see why I don't like talkin' about who I am all the time," Kat grumbled as she looked around at their growing crowd of observers. They kept their distance, but it was clear they were the center of attention. "Feck, not gonna get out o' this easy. Ann, sorry, but I hope ye're ready tae be in the spotlight. Let's head tae the Merc's first, get our report an' some rooms reserved, then head up tae the General. He'll be aware o' us by the time we're done. If he ain't already."

Their walk was obstructed just from the press of people as the city learned of Kat's arrival. People chattered ceaselessly as they watched their progress toward the Merc branch. Along with the people on the ground, there were kids and several more enterprising individuals that skipped across the flat roofs of the city. It was because of them Annita noticed that the roofs were used as further dwelling space for the inhabitants. With various items and several platforms connecting them, it was easy for the citizenry to track them from above. The streets were thankfully wide, so there wasn't travel overhead, but the grid-based setup of the residential area afforded ample alleyways between the main roads.

The buildings themselves were well kept. All made of the same black stone as the walls, they appeared to be sturdy structures. Most were single storied, but several had two. Each consistently had a piece of signage embedded into the front of the building, indicating the building's number and resident. True to its mentioned rough nature, not much was around in the way of decoration. Some enterprising people had taken to painting the exteriors of their homes, and Kat spied one which had inlaid veins of wood that spidered across the surface. It was a unique take to modify a utilitarian design.

The attention wasn't all on Kat, either. Annita felt eyes boring into her. Several men and women looking at her with keen interest. It made her fur bristle. She wasn't ready for this, but here she was. Most of the attention she noticed was from other Vulhardrin. She saw a wide variety of ears, eyes, tails, scales, fur and other assortments. True to how Kat had described them, they stuck to one or two parts of their bestial kin. At one point she thought she even saw a woman with a snake tail instead of legs.

The idle thought of whether that counted as one or two body parts entered her mind, but was chased away as she saw one of the variances caused by the Warp on the people. A large man stood above the rest of the crowd. A Thrundol, judging by his lanky limbs and long tusks, but instead of the usual two arms he had three. Two were where they normally were, and an extra was sprouting from his left side. It looked fully functional from the quick glimpse that Ann had caught. Looking closer, she noticed other oddities in those surrounding her. An extra eye or two there, more fingers than is normal. It seemed that about a quarter of the populace had some kind of mutation they lived with.

It took the better part of an hour to get from the gate to the Mercenary branch. Kat was waylaid more than once with greetings from several people Annita assumed to be Noble because of their demeanor towards the Princess. Without fail, Kat brusquely greeted them and moved on. They attempted to keep conversation with her, but she ignored them.

Bren kept tight to her side, and Annita followed suit. "Gonna have tae wear a fuckin' mask around 'ere now." Ann heard Kat grumble at one point over the roar of the crowds.

The Mercenary's branch was a large building, and one of the few buildings with a large amount of wood used in its construction. Oak lined its corners, with the usual black stone forming the walls of the first floor. Several windows with diamond patterned glass panes were spread out to provide light to the first floor, and several more could be seen in the wooden walls of the second to fourth floor. The roof was steepled, with a large sign hanging off the front of the roof, a shield and two axes emblazoned upon it. Heavy doors were set into the stone for the front of the building, flanked by lanterns and two guards.

As the trio approached, the guards stationed moved out and began to clear a path for them. Once inside, the noise died out. Annita was met with a familiar lodge looking entryway. The ceiling was high and crossed with several large logs that provided structural support for the floors above. Hanging from these beams were several chandeliers with candles burning brightly, giving the place a warm glow. Trophies scattered the far wall. Several skulls with strange antlers, hides of beasts, claws, and other things Annita couldn't recognize. Below the assortment was a long desk.

The right-hand portion was partitioned off into several booths attended to by secretaries of some sort. The left half was a bar serving drinks and food to the patrons of the establishment. A smattering of tables was scattered around the open space, comprising both round tables, longer bench tables, and several smaller square tables. Rugs covered the floor in a patchwork quilt of various colors. Several other mercenaries were loitering in the area, drinking and talking amongst themselves.

"Ah, finally here. Bren, let's go get the report done. C'mon Ann." Kat beckoned as she headed to the receptionist section.

"Greetings, and welcome to Graven Keep's Mercenary organization. Are you already registered with us?" the receptionist, a mousy woman with long black hair, greeted them as they approached the counter.

"Yes," Bren replied. "Bren Hedera and Katlyn Farragher. We're here to report several Warped slain as well as a Seed Guardian."

The woman's eyebrows went up at Kat's name, but she remained a consummate professional and moved on. "Understood. Please take this form and fill out the details of your claims. Use the section on the second page to describe the size and location of the Seed you encountered, the type of terrain contained within, and any dangers expeditionary crews may expect. Once complete, I will review the information and provide compensation. Is there anything else I might assist with?"

"Aye," Kat stepped in. "Gonna need two rooms. Preferably with thick walls if ye can. Not sure how long we'll be, but we'll pay a week out fer now."

"As you wish, Your Mag-" the receptionist was cut off by Kat clamping a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening at the quick movement.

"None o' that shite now. Call me Kat, ma'am, or whatever else ye like. I don't want the attention here as well as in the streets. Ya ken?" She released the woman, revealing her red cheeks.

"Of course, Your, er, I mean, ma'am." Annita couldn't help but think the way she stumbled over her words, the brief break in the professionalism, was adorable. "Two rooms. Will that be three beds?"

"Hrm, aye, three beds. Two to one room, one tae the second."

"Very well. You will be on the third floor, end of the hallway. That will be five silver a piece, per room, however for such distinguished guests, the rate will be cut to two per room. Please be sure to let us know if you have any needs during your stay. Once again, welcome to Graven Keep." The woman stood from her chair and bowed as Bren took the paperwork, and the trio made their way to a table.

Bren laid out the forms required to report their adventures and got to work on the main report of the Seed. He handed Kat a couple of other forms for the Twinwolves and Snowcat they'd fought. "Here's some coin, Ann. Be a doll an' grab us some drinks an' grub? Whatever the special is should be fine."

"Oh, uh, ok?" Annita asked as she took the silver offered by Kat. She headed over to the bar and was greeted by a tall, well-built human with a dark moustache at the counter. Despite his height she still had to look down to meet his eyes. "What can I get you for, friend?" he asked cheerfully.

"Um, actually, I'm not entirely sure. What do you have to drink?" Ann asked.

"All sorts of things. We've got water, various wines, ales, fruit juices, liquors. Depends on how you want to end up in an hour." A glint shone in his blue eyes as he spoke.

"Definitely still have a lot to do today, so I'll go with three ales, and three of whatever the special is today." Ann decided.

"Comin' right up. Hey Jer! Three of the special!" the barkeep yelled back into a door behind him. "So, you new here?" he asked as he grabbed three flagons from under the counter and began to pour from a keg behind him.

"That obvious?"

"With you gawking around the room like you were? Yeah. That, and I've never seen a Vulhardrin quite like you. You kinda stand out for more than your height." He chuckled as he set down the first flagon and started the second.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm one of a kind. Still having to adjust to that a bit," Ann sighed as she leaned on the counter.

"Being different can be hard. You've gotten a pretty good lot from the looks of it, though. Just hang in there. People'll get used to you soon enough. At least you're not like one of my friends. He has a literal third leg." He set down the second mug and started on the third. "Poor bastard has to pay for custom work whenever he needs new pants."

That got a chuckle out of Annita. "Sorry for laughing. Sounds rough."

"Nah, he's always making fun of it. He'd be glad you found it funny. Name's Ron, by the way."

"Annita," she returned as Ron set down the last drink.

"Well, pleasure meeting you. You staying here while you're in the city?"

"Yup, not sure how long we'll be here, though."

"That's not an unusual story around here," Ron said. "People come and go all the time. Well, that's your drinks. Jane will bring the food out when it's ready. That'll be eight copper."

Annita put down the silver, which Ron whisked away and quickly returned two copper.

"Do you all take tips?" Annita asked.

"Tips? Not sure of the meaning, to be honest," Ron said, with his head cocked to the side.

"Uh, gratuity? Extra money for service? Like, if you received excellent service, you give the waiter a little extra?"

"Oh, I've got you. No, not here. There are establishments that encourage as much, but not here."

"Good to know. Thanks, and have a good one!" Annita called as she gathered the mugs and returned to the table.

Bren was still writing, his quill scratching feverishly over the parchment. Kat, meanwhile, was buried in her own papers, though hers were more tedious.

Annita set the flagons down next to each of them, taking her own seat. "Can I see one of those?" she asked as she tried to get comfortable on the normal sized chair which was now too small for her.

"Oh, thanks. Yes, here. This one is complete." Bren said as he handed her a filled out form.

The thing was fairly straightforward. It was a standard form, which indicated either someone was very good at copying, had a Path that helped with that, or they'd figured out the printing press. It started with some identifying information. The name, the member number for the Mercenary Association, date, and additional claimants. Below were fields to describe the Warped killed, behavior, the approximate area it was slain, and details on the disposal of the remains. At the bottom was a section for a signature as well as a stamp from the Association, confirming the document's validity.

The date jumped out at Ann. "Hey, so it's the year 583 F. R.? What's the F. R. stand for?"

"Farragher's Reign," Kat explained. "Since the royal family can have a couple different branches o' names, generally it goes by the name held by the current ruler. Ma, grandpa, an' his ma 'ave been around fer a bit. If some other family comes through, an' takes over by coup or some other means, the date starts over. Before me great grandma, it was a Bultrong family that didn't 'ave an heir. The old king had a likin' fer great grandma, an' named 'er the next ruler."

"Gotcha. Inheritance system is fully online." Ann mumbled as she read through the details of the Twinwolf encounter, as written by Kat.

"Online?" Bren perked up from his writing at the odd word.

"Oh, uh, modern word. Actually, I guess it's ancient, isn't it? Anyway, in this context, it means running, or in operation. Should I call my language something? I'm not going to get the hang of changing how I speak that quickly."

"Eh, just play dumb. Or don't acknowledge questions. Easiest to ignore 'em." Kat said as she took a drink. "It's how I handle the politicking bastards."

"Yeah, saw that on the street." Ann chuckled.

They spent some time there while Kat and Bren filled out the paperwork. After some time, their meal was delivered by an adorable waitress. A shorter Alfhindurn, with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a white apron over a brown working dress that didn't do anything to hide her prodigious bust. She set the three plates down, looked around the table, blushed when she caught Annita's gaze, and scurried off. It was a rustic fare. A meat pie to each of them, steaming hot with a crispy crust. It came on a lipped plate, so when Annita cut into it, the gravy that spilled out was caught. Digging in, Ann's mouth was filled with savory delight as the meat and what she assumed was potatoes filled her mouth. Kat and Bren took the time to eat while finishing up their work and quickly they were sitting around the table with full bellies and a completed stack of papers.

"I will go hand this in. Why don't you two go get our things into our rooms, and meet me back down here?" Bren advised.

"Sure thing. See ya in a few." Kat waved him off. She groaned as she stood, hoisted her pack and weapons up, then took Bren's pack as well.

Annita and Kat made their way up to the third floor and got to the end rooms of the hallway.

"Wait, we didn't get a key. How do we?" Annita trailed off as Kat held her badge up to the door. A soft glow emanated, and the door swung open. Kat looked back with a smug grin.

"Keeps it simple. They took the readin's downstairs. Guess I forgot tae tell ye that these have a small, unique magical signature embedded. Helps for shite like this."

"Magical RFID chips. Huh." Ann said under her breath as she followed Kat in.

The room was large, easily fitting the two decent sized beds, their side tables, an armoire, a table with some chairs surrounding it, footlockers, and a door that led to a washroom. Off to the side, there was a vanity for female guests who might need it as well. The windows were larger than Annita had expected. Not floor to ceiling, but nearing it. She pulled the heavy curtains back and took in their view of the city.

While she looked at the view, Kat had put down the burden she was carrying and had snuck up behind her. Feeling the strong arms wrapping around her sides, clasping in front of her, Ann's heart quickened.

"Enjoyin' the view?" Kat asked softly.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous. Better with you here," Ann admitted. At the words, she felt the arms around her squeeze a little tighter.

"Careful, might have me thinkin' ye've caught feelin's." Kat teased as she lifted Ann in her strong grasp. Ann giggled and struggled futilely against Kat's grip before Kat unceremoniously deposited her on one bed.

Before Annita could reply, there was a knock at the door. Sighing, Kat backed off and left Annita blushing on the bed as she answered the door.

It was Bren, who entered casually once the door opened. "Sorry to interrupt, but the General has summoned us to a meeting. He would like to speak with us before the day is out."

"Argh! Fine. Bastard can't wait one night? Feckin, sure," Kat groused. "C'mon Ann. Ye'll need tae be here fer this too. Guess ye're gettin' registered as a Merc tonight.

They headed downstairs, and a pair of guards with the symbol of Graven Keep on their heraldry greeted them. It was a simple symbol, a black castle on a plain background. Easily recognizable.

"If you'll come with us, we will make sure this trip is expedient. A carriage is waiting for you outside." One of the guards said with a sweeping bow. She straightened quickly and held the door open.

"I'm too tired for this," Kat complained as she walked out the door.

Chapter 20: North Star

The ride to the Keep was a bumpy one. The cobbled streets were well worn, but there were holes, bumps, and dips that could easily be felt under a carriage's wheels. The carriage seemed like it had some form of basic suspension, but the jostling was only mitigated, not eliminated. Not to mention the ceiling was a bit low for Ann's new height.

Kat sat to one side with Annita, while Bren sat on the other. The fighter's mood was dark as she sat in silence, looking out the window.

"You seemed to know the General," Annita started. "Are they that bad a person?"

"Nae, not a bad person," Kat replied. "Hells, any other day I'd love tae see 'er. Just wanted tae relax fer the first night outta the wilderness. That an' the general peoples knowin' I'm here makes shite a bit more complicated. Woulda been nice tae just come an' go unannounced besides this meetin'."

"You really don't like being noticed, do you?" Annita asked. It was a rhetorical question, but Kat answered, anyway.

"Yeah, I sure do. Makes me feel normal, ya know? People all treat me like this special feckin' thing when I'm just born tae someone important. Not like you with yer important Goddess quest an' shite like that. I fight, I get bloody, dirty, everythin' else a normal person does. Wish they'd treat me like it. Ugh, never mind."

"Kat, remember what I have said before," Bren said calmly. "You need not worry about it, for it is your reality. Just try to do what you can to feel as you wish."

"Aye, aye. Yer right, as usual. Just pisses me off when I get reminded o' that reality," Kat huffed.

"It will pass. Most likely the next day, we will be free to roam. It is not like the common man knows your face," Bren said as he glanced out the window.

They were passing through the outer wall of the inner Keep. A large portcullis could be heard ratcheting up as the guards driving the carriage chatted with their colleagues. Once the loud clacking stopped, the carriage moved on.

It wasn't long before guards ushered them from the carriage and through large wooden doors in the main keep's southern face. Down an entryway decorated with arms and armor of centuries past. Numerous doors lead off to other wings of the buildings to the left and right, while a grand staircase rose and branched directly ahead of them. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting the room along with torches on columns throughout.

The guards took them up the grand staircase and off to the right, down a hall, down around a corner, another hall, another corner, and at the end of this last hall, to a large set of doors.

"Through here. She is expecting you," the female guard who'd greeted them directed.

Opening the doors for them, the trio was ushered into a large office. It was warmly lit, with more candles strewn throughout, and a couple of glowing stones in sconces along the walls. The left wall was comprised entirely of dark wooden shelves. They were filled with books and other trinkets. The right wall was lined with cases containing weapons, pieces of armor, a trophy or two, and several larger books or tomes. A rectangular table dominated the center of the room, a map spread across its surface. Figurines were arrayed upon it, with several dome shapes scattered here and there. At the far end sat a woman behind a large desk, a mountain of papers to her left, and another to her right, back-lit by a window. She looked up at the sound of their arrival.

"Ah, Katlyn. Good to see you! Sorry to take you away so soon, but the commotion at the gate required it. You look healthy, a bit more muscle on you?" General Polaris rose from behind her desk. She was tall, even to Annita. Lanky arms and legs indicating she was a Thrundol. Despite her long arms and legs, she was well proportioned with a thick body full of muscle. Her black, straight hair fell across her shoulders in an inky waterfall over her uniform. Her face was comely, a brownish red, sporting a distinctly hooked nose accentuated her angled cheeks and protruding tusks. Bright eyes fell upon Annita as she stared.

"Good to see you too, General," Kat responded stiffly.

"Ah, cut the shit, kid. No one's gonna hear you in here," General Polaris chided Kat.

"Fine, fine. How've ya been Candaleria? Office work treatin' ya right?" Kat sighed, physically relaxing for the first time since they left the Mercenary building.

"No, frankly, it's not. I'm bored to tears. Miss being out there on the front lines, guarding people and fighting monsters. I guess this is what you get for being too good at it." The general let out a derisive snort and turned to Bren.

"And how have you been, bean sprout? Twenty six and you somehow look skinnier than last time we met. Guess that's a healer for you, though. Keeping safe? Keeping Kat safe?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bren returned with a broad smile. "I can not say if I have lost weight, though the rigors of travel can take their toll. It is a pleasure to see you again."

Candaleria nodded, smiling back, and turned to Annita.

"Who's this?" Candaleria gestured to Annita. "Don't remember you having her as a friend the last time you passed through. Interesting Vulhardrin. There's a lot of the beast in you, girl."

"This is Annita. We found 'er out east, patrollin' the wilderness. Honestly, we needed to talk to ye about her, so this meetin' was gonna happen, anyway." Kat gestured Annita forward.

"Annita Kronforst. I, uh. I guess I'm pretty new here." Annita introduced herself with a slight bow. "Pleasure to meet you, General Polaris."

"Oh Gods, you picked up another Bren?" the General chuckled. "Relax kid. You're not one of my soldiers. Unless there's an emergency or you mean harm to one of ours, you're a citizen and we can just talk."

"Thanks," Annita said as she shuffled nervously.

"C'mon, grab a chair and sit. I can tell this is going to be an interesting story if Kat's all cagey about it."

They gathered chairs and formed an informal circle beside the large table. The General pulled a flagon out from a side table, pouring them each a cup of wine.

"All right, get to it." Candaleria grunted as she sat down. "I don't stand on propriety with you lot, but I am busy and that stack of paper frustratingly has my name on it, or needs to have my name on it."

"Well. I guess the best place to begin would be finding Annita," Bren began. He told the General the story of how they had gotten to the building they'd found Annita in. When describing their adventures together, he thankfully left out the lewder parts he'd either suspected or witnessed.

"All right, but that doesn't tell me why you needed to talk to me specifically?" Candaleria leaned forward as she spoke, fixing Annita with a stare. "What's the secret here? You're dancing around something and I don't like it. Especially from you, Bren."

"Candaleria," Kat said flatly, "the next bits here aren't tae leave this room. Need ye to swear ta secrecy. I guess ye can tell me ma, but that's about it."

The General's eyes narrowed and a frown crossed her face, pushing against her tusks. "If it's that serious, then you have my word as General of your kingdom, Katlyn. Now, out with it."

"Annita, you wanna take this?" Kat asked, looking over at the Lupine.

"Yeah, sure. So, I guess we'll start with something you picked up on. I guess I'm not a normal Vulhardrin." Annita leaned back on her chair as she spoke. "Technically, my race is listed as Lupine (Warped). With parentheses around the Warped part. I guess that classifies me as some kind of subspecies? I'm not sure. Regardless, that is what I am."

"Interesting. Since Captain Gwindon checked you out, I won't ask you the same questions. That these two are with you would be credibility enough. That's unusual, and potentially dangerous, but doesn't seem world shattering to me," Candaleria said as she pressed her lower face into her hands.

"No. I guess it isn't. That's just me. The bigger part is my Path, and who I got it from." This got an eyebrow raise from the General, but she stayed quiet, waiting for Ann to continue. "My path is 'Warrior of Orenous', and since Kat seemed to freak out about it, I have a title as well, 'Chosen of Orenous'. Not really sure what that means, but it sounds important."

Candaleria sat there for a moment, before sucking in air between her teeth. "And she didn't explain it to you." A reproachful glance was shot Kat's way. "Titles are rare. They only show up after someone's achieved a magnificent feat or done something of significance. From what they've told me, you've done neither. Though your face, right now, is telling me that you know why you have it, correct?"

"Yeah. I do. This is the big part that needs to be a secret." Annita paused, letting the gravity of the room settle in. "I've met Orenous. Talked to her, sat with her. She told me a lot of things, but the most important thing was her giving me a quest of sorts. She wants me to figure out what's going on with the Seeds, and see if I can fix it. Best she could tell, something about me was different. Something related to the corruption of the Seeds that might help unravel whatever is going on."

"Ah, yeah, there it is," Candeleria said as she sat back. "That definitely qualifies as a secret worth swearing over. Anyone else know about this?"

All three of the others shook their heads.

"Good. Keep it that way for now. This is going to be relayed to the Queen directly. A week is the earliest I can make the trip. It's going to cause chaos with the churches, no doubt. So, Chosen, what's your plan for all of this?"

Annita shifted nervously in her seat. "That's the thing. I don't really have much of a plan right now. Orenous basically told me to wing it, and I've been doing the best I can with that. I don't have much to go on, so for now I guess just exploring more Seeds would be the plan?"

"Figures," Candaleria grunted. "Leave it to the Gods to be vague. Guess it's not just a thing their priests do. Well, at least you know what you're wanting to do. You have a good team here to support you as well." At the compliment, Kat and Bren both grinned and shared a glance. "I do suggest you find someone good with magic, considering you don't have one currently. I have a few people that might fit with your group. You've got a healer, a guardian, and a sort of rogue. You need a big hitter."

"Aye," Kat agreed. "Three front line tae two back line is generally the best groupin'. Was meanin' tae scout out someone while I was here."

"Any preferences?" Candalera asked.

"Could we get back tae ya on tha'? Think we need tae talk about that first, and we've literally just gotten off the road."

"Of course. Sorry, got lost in the weeds here. You three must be exhausted and I pulled you right out to meet me. Before you go, just want to let you know that I will be posting a guard on you all. Annita, specifically, since she's a fairly low level for now and her status makes her safety a priority."

"A babysitter? Really?" Annita scoffed.

"Yeah, a babysitter. They'll be quiet and keep out of the way. You won't be arguing this point, understood?" As she spoke, the General rose to her full height, head scraping the ceiling. "Or would you prefer I keep you under strict guard here in the Keep? For something like this, I can override even dear Katlyn here."

Annita shrunk back as she felt the force of the words. "Ok, sure. That's fine. I guess."

"Good. Now, you all have rooms sorted out?" Candaleria asked, lowering herself into a more casual slouch. "If not, we have a couple rooms here you could spend the night in."

"We do already have rooms reserved in the Mercenary Association," Bren informed her.

"Speakin' o' which, that's the other part o' why we wanted tae talk to ye," Kat interjected. "Need tae get Ann registered as an Affiliated Merc. Couldn't go through the normal channels fer obvious reasons."

Candelaria looked back at the pile of papers on her desk and sighed. "You just added a new sheet to the pile, but that's fine. Merc paperwork is easy enough. I'll get it all set up confidentially and get it filed. I'll need to borrow your Badge, Annita. The guard I send in the morning will return it."

"Oh, right, here." Annita passed her wooden badge over to the Thrundol. The woman's hand eclipsed her own as she took the disc.

"Well, that's all the time I've got for you. Sorry to rush you out, but an army doesn't run itself. It was good seeing you two." Candelaria reached out and ruffled Kat and Bren's hair. "And nice meeting you too, Annita. Now shoo. The guard can take you back in the carriage."

With that, the General returned to her desk and sat heavily on her chair. A deep sigh escaped her lips before she picked up her quill and got back to work.

"So, you guys know each other WAY better than I thought you did." Annita laughed as they settled back into the carriage.

"Yes, I guess Katlyn did give off the impression she was dreading this visit." Bren said with a chuckle of his own.

"She trained me in how tae fight," Kat explained. "She's been around me family a good while, an' we grew somewhat close. I'd mark it up tae friends, though can't really be too friendly when she's all business nowadays."

"How long have you known her?" Annita asked, leaning in.

"I said childhood. So... thirty years, give or take?" She blushed, being pressed for the information.

"Longer than I've been alive. Wow." Ann sighed, leaning back. "She seems nice enough, though. Except for when she gets all authoritative. I was about to curl up and die."

"Imagine 'er holdin' a weapon, standin' over ye after kickin' yer ass tae the Hells an' back. Then she starts tae lecture ye about how ye didn't parry this right, yer footwork was sloppy, hold your shield up more. Love the beast, don't get me wrong. Kinda a formative person in me life, but damn she could be scary."

"Not to mention when she caught you slacking off," Bren snickered. "I got a lot of practice healing sore muscles in those days."

"Hell-beast made me run laps around the castle. Not just the grounds, nae, the entire feckin thing. Walls an' all. At the tender age of twenty! Monster." Kat huffed with a wry grin. "But she got me ready fer a fight. That's for damn sure. Honestly, ye'd probably benefit from a few lessons with 'er Ann. Yer skills help ya, but it doesn't make up fer yer fundamentals bein' shite."

"After hearing all that, I'm not sure I want to." Annita balked, ears flattening back.

"Oh, c'mon. Ye'll survive. Bren'll make sure of it. Wontcha?" Kat tapped Bren with her foot.

"Of course. I would not let a member of our team endure such distress unaided." A wicked grin crossed his face for the first time.

Annita had a really bad feeling about this. "Anyway!" She interjected. "Let's move on. So, the Queen is going to hear about me?"

"Aye, that part was expected. No way in Hells she'd keep that from 'er. At least she'll be goin' 'erself. No chance o' the secret gettin' out before we're ready fer it. Shit's gonna be a mess, Ann. Yer gonna be the most influential religious individual in the Godsdamned world."

"Your own personal Jesus," Annita laughed.

"What?" Both bren and Kat looked at her, incredibly confused.

"Nothing. An old song from my hometown." Annita explained, trying to hide her slip-up in case the guards driving were listening in.

"Right. So, regardless, it will be a massive event. We will need to coordinate with Her Majesty on when best to reveal the information." Bren continued.

"The Hells is Ma gonna think about me hitchin' up with a Chose - er - a person like ye?" Kat sighed.

"She wouldn't approve?" Annita asked, suddenly concerned. If the Queen didn't like her, and Kat was committed to her, that could get messy, even if it was a normal family.

"Eh, maybe? Depends on how ye two get on. The whole Vulhardrin thing shouldn't be much o' a problem. Ye bein' a girl fer all intents an' purposes shouldn't either. Just worried about a personality clash," Kat sighed, waving a hand through the air. "She's strong willed. Yer gettin' involved with 'er eldest daughter. Probably gonna be a bit protective. Then there's Da'. I honestly don't expect you two to get along. Stick up his arse is puttin' it mildly, that one. Yer way too much fun." A twinkle sparked in her eyes as she gave Annita's body an appreciative glance.

Blushing, Annita tried to change the subject again. "So, we've got a security detail on us?"

"Yes. It is standard procedure for persons of high importance when residing within city limits," Bren explained. "They should not impose upon us overmuch."

"Yeah, still not too thrilled about that. I guess I can't really blame General Polaris after what we told her. She seems confident in you two. It's just me that's a weakling." Annita sighed, ears flopping as she looked out the window. "Eventually I'll get there. Just wish I could be more useful."

"None of that," Bren chided. "You have existed in this world for just over a week, and you're already at level eight of your Path. And you have divine help to accelerate yourself, and us."

Annita gave him a halfhearted thumbs up and rested against the wall of the carriage, watching the city pass by.

During their conversation, the sun began to set, and by the time they neared the Association it was getting dark. Lanterns sprung to life across the city, lighting the way for the denizens whose business wasn't restricted by the light of day.

They were driven up to the doors of the wooden building and stepped out into the frosty night air, stretching their stiff limbs.

"All right!" Annita groaned. "Anything else to do tonight?"

"Feck no. I just wanna sleep." Kat said with a yawn. "I'm exhausted. You look all perky though."

"Yeah," Annita responded, looking around excitedly. "It's a new place and the first time I've been in a city like this."

"Well, not much is gonna be happenin' around these times. It's mostly bars that're open. Rest o' the city is gettin' ready tae turn in."

"Damn, no night life at all?" Anni asked, a bit disappointed. She was sure in a world of magic something fun would be happening at all hours.

"Eh? Me bein' who I am, wasn't much time fer me tae explore things like tha'. Probably something to..." another yawn "explore when I'm not knackered. Maybe tomorrow? Been lookin' forward tae some down time with ya."

"Hey, we get our money tomorrow right? I can finally buy you that dinner."

As the conversation turned flirty, Bren abruptly said his goodnight and went inside.

"I hope we're not making him too uncomfortable," Ann said, slightly worried at his reaction.

"Nae, we're not. It's just how he is around more intimate stuff. Private is the best word I have fer it. He'll get used tae it an' stick around more. Give 'im some time." Kat said as she leaned up against the outside of the Association. "Cause I doubt from tomorrow on we're gonna be subtle."

"I sure hope not, depending on circumstances," Ann grinned, leaning next to Kat, staring up at the cloud-streaked sky. The moon lit the fluffy trails with silver light as they slowly made their way overhead. "Be nice to have a girlfriend again."

"I can agree with tha'." Kat smiled to herself. "Been a while fer me too. Lots'a fightin' an' bein' out in the wilderness doesn't really give ye much chance at datin'."

"Try being asleep for five thousand years," Annita laughed. "I think I have the whole world beat on a dry streak."

"Not shit ye do," Kat laughed back. "It's a wonder ye're not fallin' all over yerself at the sight o' me."

"Now that's a bit vain, isn't it?" Ann asked, cocking an eyebrow at the Alf.

"Look at me. I remember the looks I got when ye first saw me. If I can get those looks from someone who looks like ye do, I'm sexy." Kat laughed again, her upper body shaking with mirth as she tried to puff out her chest in a false bravado.

"Says the woman who was drooling over me just as much, but I've got an excuse. A Goddess given one." Ann retorted.

"Aye, but that just makes me all the more impressive. All natural." Another cheeky grin split her lips as she wave her hands over her curves. "But, fer real, I am tired. Gods I'm lookin' forward tae tomorrow. Hope ye've been thinkin o' ideas. I've got a few of my own."

As she talked, she turned and lead Ann up the stairs to their room, the boards of the stairs creaking softly under their weight. They opened the door and undressed, down to their small clothes. Ann was topless, just in boxers while Kat had her simple bra and panties.

"I will apologize though," Kat yawned again. "I'm exhausted, an' I'm probably not gonna be up tae helpin' ye tonight. At least not as intensely as normal."

"That's fine," Ann reassured. "You've done a ton for me today, get some sleep. I'll just handle it the old fashioned way."

Kat flopped back on her bed, her hair and braids splaying out behind her. She stretched with another yawn. "An' after tomorrow, can have a lot less self imposed restrictions."

Annita felt her cock twitch with the implication. "Yeah, we can. Get some sleep, you sexy Alf. You're going to need it for tomorrow."

"You two, Ann. Don't be up too long fantasizin' about me." Kat let out a deeper yawn that shook her body. "Night."

"Good night." Ann smiled at her friend as she drifted off. Once she heard the slow steady breaths of Kat's sleep, she got up and handled her business in the washroom. Flashes of Kat's body kept racing through her mind, the feeling of her skin, the strong muscles wrapping around her. It didn't take much before she had finished.

Slipping under her sheets, she laid facing Kat, watching the woman sleep softly. She quickly dozed off herself, eagerly anticipating the day ahead.

Chapter 21: The Date (Part 1)

Morning broke to a loud trumpet in the distance, rallying the troops in the Keep for whatever morning exercises they had. Groaning, Annita rolled over. Dim light filtered through the cracks between the curtains that covered their large windows.

"Fuckin' forgot about alarm clocks. Where's the snooze button" Annita mumbled as she tried to muffle the noise with a pillow. After a minute or so, the music stopped, and she returned to blissful slumber for a short while.

The light entering the room was much brighter when she once more cracked her eyes open. She sat up slowly, her body slowly coming back under her control. She took a few minutes to just relax, stroking her tail as her brain slowly worked its way into functioning.

Looking over, she saw Kat in her bed. She'd tossed in her sleep, as usual. Her hair was a mess, and there was a line of drool glistening from the corner of her mouth as she snored. The sight brought a sappy grin to Annita's face. Something about how hard the woman slept just felt right. She didn't leave much to moderation, she wore her heart on her sleeve. It was refreshing.

Annita stretched, standing and walking over to the washroom. It was fairly modern for what she expected. The plumbing all worked like normal. The bath was a wooden tub elevated from the floor. Water flowed in from a slot in the wall after pulling a cord that hung nearby. Crystals set into the floor of the tub heated it to a comfortable temperature and kept it there. From the looks of it, there was another pull cord in the floor to drain the tub as well.

Annita shuffled off her boxers and slipped into the water, feeling it soothe her body. Her eyes closed and she sank further until all but her head was submerged. Her tail swished under the water, the feeling strange as its motions were restricted by the heavier fur being restricted by the water.

"Who knew I'd have a hot bath in a place like this," she sighed. It was going to be a big day. A long one, if her plans had anything to say about it, but hopefully good.

She rested in the warm water, before reaching over to a bar of soap nearby and beginning to wash herself. She was unsurprisingly filthy after the days on the road. Blood and dirt washed out of her fur in surprising quantities, the water darkening quickly. She pulled the plug on the tub and resorted to cleaning herself under the running water before refilling the tub.

After a little bit, her ears twitched at the sound of movement in the other room. Soft footsteps approached and Kat quietly opened the door. She looked half dead, like she normally did when she woke up.

"Mrnin," she mumbled as she stripped and moved toward the bath.

"Mornin. Sleep well?" Annita scooted to make room in the bath as Kat sleepily undid her braids. Once she did, her hair was left in long, intensely wavy locks.

"Like the dead. You?" Water splashed as Kat lowered herself opposite of Annita, a soft sigh escaping her as the warmth surrounded her.

"Really well, until the horns this morning."

"Mmm, yeah. Bren complains about 'em too. Never heard 'em meself. Too early." Kat yawned as she sunk deeper into the water, until just her nose and the points of her ears were above the surface.

Ann smiled and sat there in silence, watching the tired Alf slowly wake up in the water. Thankfully the tub was large enough for the two of them to mostly fit. Their legs crossed, but otherwise no touching was necessary.

After a few minutes, Kat stretched, her wet skin glistening as her muscles flexed. "A mornin' bath is amazin'. Forgot how nice this was."

"Yeah. Haven't had anything but snow baths since I showed up here," Annita sighed. "Warmth is such a good change of pace."

"Mmm, aye. Wash me back? I'll get yers after."

"Sure." Annita moved closer as Kat turned away, taking the soap and running it across the relaxed muscles before her. "Got everything planned for today?"

"Sure do. Lots o' stuff tae do here. Lookin' forward tae it. Ye got any ideas o' yer own?"

"A few. Less specific to where we are, since I'm not familiar, but ideas all the same."

"Well, good. Can't have a good relationship without both o' us puttin' in the effort," Kat sighed as Annita finished up. "Yer turn scruffy. Turn around."

Following her directions, Annita turned her back, feeling Kat's fingers caress her skin and running through the strip of fur that ran down her spine. "You're right, by the way. About the whole effort thing. I'm glad we agree on that. Have known a few people who didn't see it like that. Their relationships didn't last long."

"Anyone close?" Kat asked as she lathered up Ann's fur.

"No, not really. A couple family members dating, friends, that kind of thing. Though I guess that's what ultimately ended my last relationship. She just wanted more from me than I could give while trying to do what I wanted, and we just grew apart because of it. It sucked when she finally ripped off the band-aid, but it needed to be done. Otherwise we'd both have been miserable."

"Sorry, band-aid?"

"Bandage. We had little adhesive bandages with a cotton strip on them. They were nice for small cuts but the things stuck to your skin and hair like crazy. Tearing them off always hurt."

"Can't say I really understand, but alright. Sounds like ye were reluctant tae let that one end."

"Yeah," Annita slumped, ears folding forward. "I liked her a lot. I was hoping she'd wait and be there for me when I was ready to give her what she wanted. Had a plan and everything, but she just couldn't. Small things add up, and it was just the right thing to do."

"Aye. The right thing's often hard. That's enough dourness outta you though. C'mon, ye're clean. An' we've got a whole day tae us."

"Yeah we do." Ann sighed as she stood and turned around, accidentally giving Kat an eyeful of girlcock at face level.

"An' I'll be sayin a proper hello tae you tonight." Kat giggled as she flicked Ann's shaft.

"Tease. All right, let's get dressed. Man, I should get some more clothes if we're staying somewhere. I've got, what, two shirts and two kilts? Would be nice to have other options," Ann said as she picked out her cleaner set of clothes.

"Tha' was actually the first thing I wanted tae do with ye." Kat said, pulling on her leather pants and loose linen shirt. "Can't have a beauty like ye all dressed up in shambles. That an' we really do need tae get ye some proper armor. Ye're loosin' a lot o' blood in these fights an' it'd help Bren out."

"Not to mention getting hurt just sucks," Ann laughed.

"Aye, but I wasn't gonna judge. Ye seemed really inta that first fight, an' ye got the shit kicked outta ye." Kat retorted, lacing up her boots.

"Pretty sure that was all adrenaline. I couldn't feel anything until Bren healed me. Help with my shirt?" Ann turned, pulling her hair out of the way of her back. Kat moved over and laced her up.

They headed downstairs and met Bren sitting at the table. Exchanging some small talk they had breakfast in the Association. Eggs and bread were the thing on the menu right now, so it was a pretty bare bones meal. Once they finished up, they headed to one of the booths with the clerks. Giving their identification they were provided with a satchel of coin each. Three gold, twenty silver, and forty-two copper, each.

"Wow, this pays well, doesn't it?" Ann said as she marveled at the gold coin.

"We did eradicate a Guardian," Bren said as he checked his money. "Remember why that is so beneficial to the kingdom."

"Oh, yeah, the whole resources thing. Still, that's a lot."

"Ye best be gettin' used to it, girl. If our plan holds true, we're gonna be seein' paydays like this pretty regular." Kat grinned as she deposited her money into a pouch already on her hip, handing the bag back to the clerk. "Ye got anythin' tae do today Bren? Gonna be lonely without us?"

"Hardly. I plan on visiting the healers stationed in the Keep. My supplies are low after our expedition prior to finding Annita. A restock is in order. After that, I will likely be visiting the records. Some things you have told me, Annita, I would like to see if I can find records of them somewhere.."

"Cool! Let me know what you find," Annita said earnestly. "Anything that survived this long has to be interesting."

"I will. You two have a good time today. If I do not see you tonight, then shall we meet at breakfast tomorrow?"

"That'll do just fine," Kat grinned. "Don' stay up fer us, though. Have a feelin' it's gonna be a late night."

Bren rolled his eyes, a bit of colour touching his cheeks at the implication, before bidding them farewell and leaving the building.

As they stood and made for the door a figure bolted upright from a distant chair and made their way quickly to the pair.

"Greetin's," the woman said in a somewhat British accent. "I've been assigned to your guard detail. Abeline Crannog. Master Sergeant Abeline Crannog." She was hardly inconspicuous. A Thrundol like General Polaris, she had a good head of height on Annita. A pale green tint colored her skin with thick reddish hair done up in dreadlocks that ran down her back. Her tusks, while there, were small, barely pushing out of her lower lip. She wore the standard uniform of the military, though, and would not stand out otherwise. "Know I'm supposed to be keeping my distance, but felt it proper to introduce myself. Feels a mite strange to be watching over you without you knowing who I am."

"Good tae meet ye, Master Sergeant. Now, if ye'll excuse me, we've got a busy day ahead o' us."

"Of course. I'll make myself scarce. You'll barely notice me. Oh, and Annita, here's your badge back." With a nervous chuckle, Abeline handed Annita the wooden disk, then backed off and left them alone.

"Well, at least our babysitter isn't that bad," Annita sighed. "Kinda awkward, but she seems all right."

"Aye. We'll see if she can keep tae her word o' stayin' out o' the way, though. Anyway, clothes are first. Let's get movin'." Kat grinned as she lead Annita out the door.

They made their way through the city, taking main roads toward the shopping district. It was snowing lightly, and the city felt quieter. As they got closer, the more banal residential buildings changed into more varied architecture. Shops were apparently exempt from the cubic building standards of the homes. Wood joined the black stone more frequently. Peaked roofs began to appear, with shingles and eaves. Balconies on second floors stretched over the road, some going so far as to bridge the two sides of the road.

Signs hung off several buildings, symbols painted and carved into wooden placards advertising the services provided. They passed a bakery with steaming bread displayed behind a window, a couple of butchers, cobblers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and several other craftsmen.

The people were also out in full force. They'd felt the crush of the attention of the city the day before, but now, without announcement as to who Kat was, they passed through the crowds unbothered. Indol ran underfoot while Bultrong barreled past. Humans and Alfhindur mingled with Thrundol. Once Ann felt the ground shake as a towering Mulsfar passed by, the crowds giving the giant a wide berth.

After asking around, they found a shop that specialized in Vulhardrin clothing. It was on the main thoroughfare, near a large fountain, with a female figure holding a sickle as the centerpiece. A bell rang overhead as Annita opened the door.

"Be with you in a moment!" came a call from the back of the building. The entrance was small. Not much was on display. What items were visible were mostly textile patterns. It was nothing like what Annita expected when she thought "clothes store". A shuffling from the back proceeded the shopkeeper before he glided into the room through a curtain behind the counter.

He was a Reptilia, Annita recognized. The thick trunk of his tail allowing him a particular grace as he made his way to the center of the area. As he looked up to the pair, she saw his eyes were also slitted, like any other snake's.

"Greetings, greetings. Welcome to Nolton's textiles. I am Nolton, himself. We specialize in Vulhardrin clothing and work with custom orders, obviously. Might I presume that you are the one looking for a new wardrobe, my lady?" Nolton spoke with a nervous energy and his hands were never still while he spoke.

"Yup, that's me. I'm kinda new here, so I'll be in your hands for all of this," Annita said with a kind smile.

Nolton rose on his tail until he matched her height. "Of course, of course. No need to worry. We will have you outfitted in the finest clothing before the day is out, my dear. A beauty like you deserves the best, I must say. What do you have in mind?"

"Honestly, I feel like simple is better, at least for me. Something that will stand up to the road would be good."

"A traveler! Very well. It must be robust as well as fashionable. I insist on the fashionable. Any special considerations? Mutations from the Warp to consider, besides your obvious tail, paws, and ears?" He made the comment so casually, Annita had to assume this was a standard question for him.

"Uh, no tight pants? I'm... uh... male, down there." Ann said with a blush.

"Understood, understood. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. However, due to the uniqueness of everyone in this world, I must ask the troublesome questions. Will you follow me to the back? I will need to take your measurements. Not often I get a Vulhardrin with your anatomical specificities. Quite unique, I dare say. Oh, you have fur down your back? Does that trace the entirety of your spine? Oh, and your friend may join if it will make you feel more comfortable."

Ann laughed as she and Kat were led back to the fitting room.

"Now, please remove your clothing. You may keep your undergarments on. However, if you are using a binding, I will ask you to remove it as well. Accurate measurements are the key to comfortable clothing, after all." Nolton said as he slithered over to a set of drawers in a large cabinet, opening several, grabbing a measuring tape and a notepad.

Kat laughed to herself as she took a seat on a nearby stool and watched as Ann was fussed over by the Reptilia. He took extensive measurements of every part of Ann's body, including her breasts, inner thighs, groin, and even the distance between and the size of her ears. Every time Annita was forced to contort herself slightly for his measurements, Kat gave her a supremely amused grin.

"Are you thinking of hats?" Ann asked him.

"Possibly. Are you? Having the measurements in case you are is useful. I will, of course, provide these for your further use as you travel."

"Not at the moment, no," Annita replied. "Hats never really went with anything I've worn."

"A shame. I believe you would look absolutely dashing with a wide-brimmed hat. Cut-outs for your ears to the sides of the crown, to allow comfort. Yes, it would fit your intense features as well. If it is not in your taste, however, I will not push. Do consider it if you ever need formal wear." Nolton said in a rapid fire manner that almost made Ann's head spin. "Now, for your current needs. Would you prefer to remain in a kilt or would you like to mix things up? I assume pants would be the norm for someone on the road. Your friend here being a good example. Hers hug her form wonderfully, allow a free range of movement should you require exertion, appear to be a steady leather to resist damage when in combat. You all are used to violence, are you not? Regardless, yes, something tough. For the top, I'm thinking several tunics, patterns of snow in bright colors with dark greys to accentuate your hair and fur. We will also provide you with proper underwear, complementary as a binding will affect the fit. Yes, yes. This will work wonderfully. Any questions?"

Annita took a second to parse everything that had just been said while the man had wormed his way around her form, studying every inch of her. "I think I like the kilts, yeah. It keeps anatomical things simple. Two pairs of pants would also be good for variety, I guess? The tunics sound nice, but could we figure out something that doesn't crush my fur, and also doesn't need another person to put on?"

"Absolutely. An easy enough request. I believe that your clothes, well fitting enough, should mitigate any necessary adjustments. I'll make sure it feels like a second skin. Now, colours. Any preferences? I do insist on the dark grey as the base. It would look wonderful on you."

"Um, how about some earthier colors to go along with it? Greens and browns?" Annita suggested.

"Yes yes." Nolton muttered, scribbling notes. "Anything more colourful? Not always that you need to be subdued."

Ann laughed. "Not for now. Though if I do need something, I'll let you know."

"Fantastic! Well, I've got my work cut out for me. For a set of clothes and underwear to last you several days, with regular changes, taking into account you will be getting dirtier than the normal person that'll be six of each coming to five silver up front, five again on completion. Is that agreeable?"

Annita glanced at Kat, who nodded her approval. The woman's face was still split in a massive grin, watching Ann get fussed over. "Yeah, sounds good. Here." She shuffled in her coin pouch and retrieved the coin. Nolton quickly took it from her outstretched hand, depositing it into his own coin purse.

"Now, out you two. Much work to do and you will find no entertainment in it. I will see you in six day's time. I'll send a runner if my work progresses quicker than expected, or any delays are met. Farewell!"

With that, they were almost pushed out the door before Ann could get her clothes back on. Taking a moment to collect themselves from the whirlwind of a man that was Nolton, they shared a laugh.

"I like him," Ann said as they began to walk through the market.

"Aye, so do I. Real nice o' him tae consider all he did. Though, I guess specializin' lets ya do that."

"Surprising that a specialist can be a thing for people as varied as Vulhardrin are."

"I'm sure there're more common types around here. Frankly, I'm surprised a Reptilia is this far north. Their kind likes tae live further south, where it's warmer."

"Guess he doesn't have cold blood like normal lizards, then." Annita pondered as she looked through a nearby food stall. "Didn't notice the place being any warmer than normal." She waved to the human vendor, who smiled back politely.

"Lucky sod. But if he's as good as he seems to think o' himself, then we're lucky he's here."

They spent a couple more hours exploring the market. There was everything Annita could think of that made sense in the semi medieval society. Vendors were shouting, hawking their wares to passersby. Children were running amok between the legs of the larger individuals, shouting at each other as they played freely. Every few stalls, there was a guard posted to keep watch on the busy area, their helmets disguising their gaze as it swept the masses.

The buildings were interesting too. To accommodate for the variance in size the people that frequented them possessed, their doors were generally large. Large enough that a Thrundol could get through without issue. Since this contributed to heavy doors, smaller doors were set within the larger ones for the Indol and Bultrong customers. Humans and Alfhindur generally made do with the larger portion. Ann couldn't guess how a Mulsfar would deal with things.

Unlike the rest of the town, most shops had two stories. The lower was for business, Kat explained, and the upper floors were for either residence or storage. It usually wound up being a mix of both except for the better off shopkeepers.

A growl sounded from Kat's stomach, causing her to stop, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I guess I'm hungry. Wanna grab a bite?"

"Please. I'm starving too," Ann said to the brunette. She'd been so absorbed in the shops and the culture she'd not noticed her stomach grumbling its own protest.

They wandered around until they found a cafe a couple of blocks away from the main road. It was a quiet place, with only three customers sitting at tables, sipping drinks and eating some light meals. A supremely bored looking waitress took their order at the counter.

Kat ordered a black coffee with a scoop of sugar, and a chicken salad. Ann ordered the same for food, but took a lighter roast with cream and sugar. They settled down at a table to wait for their food, looking out the window beside them at the few passersby.

"Honestly, this is pretty similar to how things were back in my time," Ann said quietly, trying to stay under hearing volume of the other guests.

"That so?"

"Yeah. Coffee house, nice food, a quiet place to escape to. It was the type of place I escaped to. Get away from the pressures of the world and all that."

"I can see tha'," Kat smiled as the waitress delivered their coffee and left without a word. "Probably coulda' used somethin' like it meself when I was younger."

"Speaking of," Ann interjected. "We've talked all about me, or at least a lot. I keep finding out stuff about your childhood. Mind sharing a bit?"

"Aye, though I'll keep it vague considerin'," she gestured to the room. "Anywhere you wanna start?"

"Start early I guess? Something from a young young you," Ann suggested.

"Gotcha. Hmmm." Kat paused in thought, taking a sip of her drink. "Early story. I was twelve I think? It was the first time I held a weapon."

Ann watched as Kat's normally intense eyes lost focus while she took herself back into the memory.

"Me Ma was havin' some big meetin'. Not unusual fer her, as ye can imagine. Little me was bored tae tears. She'd made me attend cause it'd be good fer me. Somethin' about seein' how the world worked. I was more interested in stories o' fights with the Warped. Massive monsters, dragons, the like. Anyway, I was fidgeting in me chair, bein' me usual restless self when one o' the generals in the room noticed. He asked me Ma if he could take me aside fer a few. Grunbeld, I think 'is name was. She let him, an' he took me off tae a side room off the main room."

"We got tae talkin'. He told me all these stories of the battles 'e's been in. Fights against both Warped an' man. He'd gotten me hooked almost immediately. It was like I was there, fightin' alongside heroes an' warriors. I couldn't sit still, an' was runnin' around the room while he spun the yarn. I remember his laugh as he watched, deep as thunder it was. He called me over after one of 'em and took 'is sword from 'is hip."

"This is a sword." 'E said. "This is a weapon to kill and to cause pain. But it's also a tool that can protect everyone you hold dear. You seem to have a heart for this, young Katlyn. Here, hold it."

Kat was interrupted briefly as their food arrived. Served in polished wooden bowls was a pile of lettuce topped with some seed based dressing that glistened gold, and strips of chicken. Their stomachs growled, and both took a few minutes to devour their meals. The dressing turned out to be honey based, and paired lovely with the spicy seasoning on the chicken. Before they knew it, their meal was gone, and Kat continued her story.

"'E offered me the sword. It was heavy in me hands. Bigger than anythin' I could hold at the time. Felt like I was holdin' the world. The smooth, worn leather o' its grip. I still remember it well. I stared at the thing as it's weight drug me arms down. It was beautiful."

"'Twas the next day I asked Ma tae get me lessons with a sword. Da was against it, as he always is when I'm not actin' the lady, but saw the benefit o' me learnin' tae defend meself. After a couple o' years with, uh, distinguished mentors, I got ahold o' Candalaria. Knew 'er fer decades after tha'. She was me main mentor an' the one who suggested I take up the shield as well. Even when she was off on a campaign or somethin' she left me lessons tae work on."

"Tha's at least the interestin' parts o' me life. Went an' got meself registered as a Merc as soon as I could, an' me parents would allow. Ye know the rest, pretty much. Travelin' all o'er the place, fightin' Warped, savin' people. It was kinda rough at the beginnin', but Bren an' I made it work. Had various parties here an' there, no one really stuck though."

"Wow, that's a lot. No wonder you're so good with that sword," Ann said. "Sounds like a story out of a book. A warrior princess traveling the lands, defeating evil, being incredibly sexy while doing so."

"An' now yer part o' the story. Hell ye mighta taken the main character spot," Kat laughed. "Not that I mind. I've always hated bein' the center o' attention."

"Well, if we get involved, I'm going to be dragging you into the spotlight, like it or not." Ann felt a twinge of guilt as she spoke. She didn't like that her existence was forcing Kat to do something she didn't want to.

"Aw, pish." Kat waved her concerns off with a dismissive gesture. "Ye're not so bad. Tae the public ye'll be an oddity, but not recognizable by everyone. That's the part that fucks wit' me. I can mostly handle the rest o' the higher ups. Kinda had tae get used to it, bein' who I am."

"Still feel kinda bad about it." Ann said grumpily, leaning on her hand.

"Betcha I know what'll make ye less grumpy, fuzzbutt." Kat grinned at her mischievously.

"Wha--" Ann let out a squeak that was instantly cut off as Kat grabbed the arm she was leaning on, pulled her across the table, and kissed her deep on the lips. True to Kat's word, the uneasiness evaporated in the softness of her lips. They stayed like that for a few breathless moments, before they sat back slightly short of breath.

"Yeah, that definitely worked." Ann laughed, her cheeks flushed as she looked over at Kat and her own slight fluster.

"Told ya," the gorgeous Alf laughed back. "Let's go, though. Got some more I wanna do today."

"You and me both." Ann smiled as they stood and left the cafe.

Chapter 22: The Date (Part 2)

"So, what did you have in mind, hot stuff?" Annita asked as they walked through the city.

"Think ye know me better by now. I wanted tae spar wit' ye again. Now that ye're on yer Path with a few levels under yer belt, I wanna both get physical wit' ya an' feel ya out more. Sound all right?" Kat asked as she directed their course through the streets.

"Yeah, sounds good to me. Left my weapons at the inn, though."

"Eh, we don' have Bren wit' us so I'd keep it tae fists, anyway. Can find some quiet place or an open space if ye'd prefer. Just like tae test meself, and ye're right here, an' pretty well off physically, if I do say meself." Kat gave her a once over, a brief flush coloring her cheeks. "Yeah, don' mind gettin' physical wit' ya in any way shape or form."

"Think this'll be the first time I've fought my date on a first date," Ann laughed. "Usually it's more talking and getting to know each other through that."

"Aye, but we've done a shitton o' that already. Nothin' like gettin' yer blood pumpin' wit' someone ye care about. On or off the bed."

Kat had led them to a secluded patch of open space. Beneath the light coating of snow seemed to be a patch of dead grass, but it was soft enough for their purposes. Set in the middle of the area was a small fountain, the water somehow unfrozen and burbling quietly. There were a couple passersby, but overall it was pretty private.

The pair walked over near the fountain, staying close.

"What're the rules?" Annita asked as she stretched herself, Kat following suit beside her.

"Well, don' want too much hurt goin' out, so nap or tap sounds good. If there's a snap, one o' us fecked up." Kat sighed as she finished her routine and stood up straight, taking a stance with her arms up before her, a modified boxer's stance. "Oh, an' no claws. Don' wanna ruin any more clothes." She grinned. "Teeth too. Nylir's arse, ye're never unarmed are ye?"

"Guess not," Ann shrugged. She didn't recognize the name that Kat swore to, but would ask her later. "Sounds good to me." She took her own stance, loose and neutral, ready to adapt to what Kat threw at her. "Ready when you are."

"Alrighty then. Get ready, go!" Kat called as she rushed in, arms held up before her face. Once she got in reach of Ann, a quick flurry of jabs shot out.

Ann felt the difference from when she'd first fought Kat. She could follow the other fighter's motions, swinging her hands to either deflect or dodge the fists thrown at her. She caught a couple hits that she couldn't get to in time, but it was much better. After enduring the assault for a couple of seconds, she shoved back at Kat, creating some distance and launched a kick at her. Ann's naturally long leg arced out and was blocked immediately by the experienced fighter, who immediately spun into the opening created, landing an open palm strike on her chest.

Ann staggered back at the first substantial hit. It didn't hurt as much as she remembered from her old body. She checked her health and saw it at 225/230. Neither of them was going to be doing substantial damage to each other before they exhausted themselves, it seemed.

A little less worried about the situation, Ann leaned into the fight. She took the role of aggressor and closed in on Kat, going low like she had their first fight. Kat seemed to remember and prepared to catch her grapple. Instead, Ann launched an uppercut directed at Kat's chin. Kat barely dodged the strike, stumbling off balance from the surprise. Despite this, a wild grin crossed her face as Annita pushed her advantage, striking out with another kick that landed on the other woman's thigh with a satisfying smack. A grin that bared her pointed teeth painted her lips as well. Kat wasn't holding back in this fight. She'd closed the gap and was actually competing. It felt so good to be able to match the girl of her desires and she wanted to keep going.

Both of them became a whirl of motion, feeling each other's defenses out with quick, non-committal strikes. A quick front kick from Annita was met with a series of jabs from Kat. Testing her limits, Ann threw out a punch with more of her weight behind it. It hit Kat in the shoulder, but the woman didn't even flinch, as a small flash seemed to absorb the strike. The defensive movement didn't go unrewarded as Ann felt a fist hit her gut, followed by two more driving some of the wind from her lungs.

"I've got tricks o' me own, scruffy." Kat laughed wildly as she backed off. "C'mon, let me 'ave it."

"You sure? You've seen what my Smites do to Warped," Ann panted as she straightened herself.

"If me own skills can't handle that, I'd be surprised. Ye've only got a few o' em, anyway. No permanent damage. Now c'mon. Let's see ye fight fer real."

"You asked for it," Ann grumbled as she rushed back in.

A fierce back and forth ensued. Annita trying to get through Kat's defenses while defending herself in turn. She chose her moment after she'd landed a solid front kick into Kat's raised arms, knocking her backward a couple of steps and opening up her arms. Ann lunged in, driving her fist into Kat's stomach. A flash of purple sparked from the impact as she channeled a Smite of Orenous into the strike. Kat was driven further back, toppling and rolling before righting herself.

"Gods damnit, that's wha' tha' feels like. Feck." Kat coughed a couple times before rising to her feet.

"You good?" Ann asked, slightly concerned.

"Feck yeah I am. That was awesome. Good job gettin' me tae open up. Need tae work on yer footwork though." Kat explained calmly as she slowly approached. "Otherwise, ye might fall fer somethin' like this." Kat's right leg swept out suddenly, hooking Ann's heel and pulling while she simultaneously pushed her upper body.

Hitting the ground hard, Ann found herself mounted by Kat, who proceeded to rain down strikes while she guarded. Catching one of Kat's arms, Ann shoved her off and regained her footing.

"Aw, want me off ya that badly?" Kat jeered.

"Oh, I'll show you where I want you." Ann growled, teeth bared as she charged again, low once more. With the earlier fakeout, Kat reacted by guarding herself, allowing Ann to tackle the Alf to the ground. Quickly, she locked her legs around the other woman's hips, restraining her movement, before sending her own flurry of blows down toward the defending arms below her.

In a surprising show of strength and speed, Kat found a gap in her offense and sat up face to face with Ann, grabbing the other woman's torso and rolled, putting herself back on top.

Both of them were breathing hard. Ann had still only found one opening to use her smite. It was time to fight a bit dirtier. Tapping into her Desire, she cast Stoke the flames to enhance Kat's obvious pride. It worked, and the warrior sat back slightly, a smirk on her face as she looked down at Ann. Tapping into another skill, she pushed her chest out, arching her back as she struggled to get free, but also showing off the large swell of her breasts through the tight shirt. The prerequisites met she cast Predatory Sensuality, and felt Kat's tension slack as she was distracted momentarily by her chest.

Ann took full advantage of the lapse, landing a savage strike into Kat's side, bolstered by another Smite. There was a resounding crack as Kat flew off her, a small white flash indicating she'd at least absorbed some of the damage with whatever skill she was using. Kat lay on the ground, gasping for air several feet away while Ann sat up, looking over at the woman, slightly stunned by how her skills had interacted.

"Feckin'. Hells!" Kat cried through laboured breaths. "That shit hurt! Good job!" The Alf rolled over and lifted herself up on her arms, before standing back up.

Ann rose to her own feet. "Want to keep going?"

"Nae, this is a friendly spar, an' ye've definitely improved. Still have a coulde things I could pull out, but they're more deadly." She walked over to Ann and leaned up against her.

Ann tensed for a moment, half expecting another trick, but when none came, she relaxed into the sweaty woman. "You do this with all your dates?" she asked.

"Only the ones who can stand up tae it. Fightin' lowers barriers an' teaches ye a lot about someone." Kat drug Ann down to lay down in the thin layer of snow as she spoke. "An' you. Ye're a softie. I can feel that ye hold back when fightin' me."

Ann began to protest, but Kat cut her off. "Not a bad thing, hon. Shows good character. Rather good trait, I'd say. I've seen ye fight the Warped. That's ye not holdin' back."

Kat rolled over and laid on top of Ann, her smaller form fitting comfortably on top of her as they caught their breath. She leaned down and kissed Ann. It started quick and tentative before deepening. Their arms wrapped around each other, tongues playing between their mouths as they reveled in the adrenaline still coursing through them. Eventually, the moment passed, and they broke apart, though Kat remained on top of Annita. A silly grin crossing her lips, she ground her hips into the large bulge that had formed under Ann's kilt.

"Dirty girl. Gettin' all excited beatin' up yer date?" she teased.

"Only when my date is literally asking for it." Ann smiled back, grinding her hips up into Kat. A gasp and a small moan escaped Kat, and Ann felt the woman's thighs tense in arousal.

"Oh! Tha's not fair," Kat said with a small voice.

"Taste of later." Ann whispered as she leaned up and kissed Kat again.

"Half tempted tae take ye here, but I don' think our escort would be too happy seein us create a public disturbance. Much less 'er boss," Kat whined.

"Shame," Ann laughed as she let up on teasing Kat.

"Little surprised ye were down fer tha'," Kat said as she rolled off, laying beside Ann, head resting on her left arm.

"I've had a couple more... daring encounters in my time." Ann paused, considering her next words. "A girlfriend in high school decided she wanted to get frisky in some mostly deserted bleachers. Uh, stands, I guess you'd call them. She wormed her hand into my pants before I knew it. The high from the risk stuck with me. I wasn't going to seek it out, necessarily, but I don't think I'd ever turn it down again. It's a rush."

"I'll have tae take yer word fer it," Kat sighed as she rolled in, snuggling up to Annita. "Bein' in my position didn't provide much opportunity fer stuff like tha'. Not just 'cause o' the lack o' privacy, but if I got caught, it'd be a feckin' problem fer the family."

"I mean, now that you're out in the world that largely doesn't know what you look like..." Ann trailed off, leaving Kat to fill in the blanks.

"Maybe, ye damned furry succubus. Maybe." Kat held up a warning finger, then flopped back onto the ground. "I am a little tired, though. Lunch wasn't even heavy." Her words faded as she laid there before rolling over and snuggling up to Ann.

"Not gonna hear me complain." Ann grinned as she relaxed, listening to Kat doze off.

The day was going well. As good as she'd hoped so far. She didn't expect to have fought Kat, honestly, but that was how the Alf was. Competitive and straight forward. She softened a lot when she slept, though. The intensity of her brows relaxed, the corners of her lips dropped. She was wonderful, and Ann couldn't help but lean down and place a kiss on the woman's forehead. A faint mumble sounded from Kat before she drew closer to Ann's side.

It took all Ann had to keep quiet at how excited she was. Kat was incredible. A strong person, individualistic and honest, strong as fuck and sexy as hell. She was a fantasy come true for her, and she was interested in her! The giddiness of the feeling just seemed to grow as she spent more time with her, too. It was amazing. How the hell did she get so lucky?

At the thought, Ann's thoughts turned to Orenous and said a tiny prayer to the flirtatious Goddess, thanking her for the second chance at life. She didn't think she'd done anything to deserve it, but was thankful all the same.

They laid there for an hour or so, before Kat stirred. "Mmm, sorry. Dunnae what happened. Just got real sleepy. Anyone ever tell ya ye're really warm?"

"Just you, and you're the only one that's been with this body," Ann laughed as she let Kat draw away.

"Lucky me. Ugh, what time is it?" Kat asked as she sat up.

"Not sure. It's been an hour or so? Maybe a bit longer?" Ann rose beside her, shaking out her mane of hair and ears. "Looks like the clouds are clearing up. Helps with what I wanted to do."

"Yeah? Lookin' forward tae it." Kat laughed.

"Anything else you want to do?" Ann asked. "My plan is later, once it gets dark."

"Hmm, take a walk? Grab a bite? Ye owe me dinner." Kat reminded her playfully.

"That I do. I kind of want to see the city a bit more, too."

"I got the place fer that then. Much less crowded, too. C'mon." She stood and offered her hand to Ann. She took it and they set off toward the wall.

Once they reached the towering structure, Kat took a moment to talk quietly to a guard, and they were allowed in to a gem lit tower, with a coiling staircase leading up. After several flights, Kat cracked a door open, and a cold wind blew in against them.

Exiting, Ann found herself on top of the outer walls of the Keep. The view was incredible. To her left, the outskirts of the city spread out. Small buildings dotting the landscape. Forests and plains clearly divided as they stretched out into the distance. To her right was the city itself. Dark, with a magical dusting of snow. Having been on the streets she could now see the clear divisions between the areas visible. She could make out the market district with its different roofs, the residential spaces with their squat square buildings, and some more industrial areas.

"Love comin' up 'ere when I'm in town," Kat said, taking in the view herself. "More privilege, I know. Just somethin' about bein' up 'ere, away from it all. Helps clear me head." She took Ann's hand and led her along the walkway. The guards didn't bother them as they made their way, just the occasional glance with Abeline following at a distance.

It was a quiet moment. Time for them to just take in the world around them, together. Ann relaxed, content to just spend her time with Kat. Kat, in turn, didn't seem to be eager for conversation up here either.

After an hour or so of comfortable companionship, Kat broke the silence. "This is nice."

"Yeah. It is." Ann replied simply.

"Some people think the quiet is all awkward an' shite. Takes the right person tae make it comfortable."

"Yeah." Ann agreed again.

Kat pulled closer to Ann, turning the taller woman to face her. "Yer one o' those people, ye know?" She reached up and took Ann's chin in her hand. Gently, she guided the taller woman's face down to hers, meeting her with a gentle kiss that set Ann's heart racing. Chaste, but loving, Kat pulled back, blushing deeply. "I... yeah." She seemed at a loss for words. Something Ann hadn't seen from her much.

Ann smiled softly, holding Kat's face in her own hand and stared into the Alf's beautiful eyes. "I'm getting hungry and I owe you dinner. Then my idea for today."

"Aye, c'mon." Kat laughed as they headed to the nearest stairway back down into the city.

They walked back toward the market area of the city. The energy had changed since the morning. It was still busy, but less chaotic. People moved slower, and the lanterns and torches gave a softer mood to the streets. The town was starting to quiet down. Moving through the buildings, Ann spotted what looked like a pub, or at least what she thought was one. It was warmly lit on the outside and the sounds of music and talking could be heard even from outside.

She led Kat through the doors, past what looked like a bouncer, and took in the room. It was a pub, thank the Gods. One side of the dining room was a bar with a bar, manned by two bartenders cleaning their counter and taking orders. The other was a wider, open area with tables loosely spread across the space, chairs surrounding them, and booths set into the walls. A waiter rushed up to them, a shorter Alf with chestnut hair and a friendly smile.

"Greetings! How many?"

"Just the two of us," Ann replied.

"Got you. Table, bar or booth?" the man asked.

"Booth, I think."

"Right this way then."

The short Alf escorted them to a booth near the center of the rear wall. Patrons flanked them on either side, but conversation in the building was loud enough that some privacy was afforded them.

Food was standard pub fare. Ann ordered a steak and potatoes. Kat took a fish dish with some greens on the side. Both ordered a flagon of ale.

"Christ, I'm glad places like this still exist too," Ann sighed as she leaned back in her seat.

"Christ?" Kat cocked her head.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Ann glanced around. No one was paying attention, but she kept her voice low enough that only Kat's enhanced hearing could pick it up. "An old God from my time. I can fill you in on that later, though." Raising her voice, she continued. "Good people, good drinks, good food. Ahh, I could spend my evenings here." She grinned wolfishly at the rest of the place.

It was a fairly cozy atmosphere. Everything inside the building was a rich wood with only accents of the black stone of the Keep. The people were lively, shouting back and forth over the bar, conversations happening at large tables, and drinks flowing freely. The clientele was all sorts as well, from rougher looking types to average people. Not many wealthy looking folk were present, but there were one or two. The wait staff bustled to and fro, greeted by cheers at the rowdier tables. Everyone was having a good time tonight, and the feeling was infectious. Ann felt a grin spreading further across her lips.

"Yeah, I like it here."

"Aye, only been here once before. Was a decade ago, but looks like they've got a good group attendin'. So, Ann. How was yer life growin' up? Can't imagine ye were gettin' intae life an' death brawls all the time."

"Oh, it was definitely... different," Ann began, being careful how she worded things. "It was mostly peaceful. My mom was an accountant. Someone who worked with money. Dad was a biologist, studying the body. He liked marine life the most, so I got a really good foundation in math and science. They were pretty cool parents overall. Mom was a bit dry, but made up for it with how much she cared for us. Dad was always coming up with projects for us to do. We went to lakes, took road trips to the ocean, all sorts of things. I could tell you tons of stuff about the things that live, or lived, in the ocean. Not sure how much is still around. Anyway, yeah. I grew up with them, went to school like a normal kid, made all sorts of friends. I wasn't always the most popular kid, but I hung in there with the kids who liked me."

Ann took a moment, taking a long drink from her flagon. "It was fun, all things considered. Had a bitchy teacher in third grade that drove me nuts, but she was generally an exception."

"Interestin'." Kat said, thinking over the story. "Surprised yer dad was so focused on an area. That's usually only somethin' the wealthy can afford. Were ye rich?"

"Oh, no, absolutely not," Ann paused. "Er, I guess we were well off? Stable for sure. I don't know. I had a messed up perspective on all of that. I grew up with them and their means. I thought it was fairly normal, but then I got out into the world a bit more and saw what poorer people had to deal with and came to the realization I had definitely had a better than average childhood." Taking another drink she shrugged. "Not like I can really complain. The world is going to go on no matter how I was raised."

"Aye. I guess from my perspective, it's kinda impossible not tae know I was technically above everyone else," Kat grumbled. "It's warpin', in a non magical way that gets ye extra limbs an' drives ye nuts."

"For sure. I just tried to keep it in mind when talking to people, that I had a different experience than a lot of others."

A waitress showed up at their table, carrying their food. A surprisingly quick turnaround, but it looked and smelled delicious. They both dug in, appetites stoked by their brawl earlier.

"Mmm," Ann grunted around a mouthful before swallowing. "I meant to ask you. Earlier in our fight, you cursed to Nylir I think it was? Who was that?"

"She's a Goddess, like Orenous. One o' the major Gods at least. She's got domain o'er war, warriors, an' a good amount of the negative emotions tha' come with war. Hatred, rage, shite like tha'. Tae be honest, kinda surprised yer, uh, situation," Kat made a gesture at Annita's everything, "wasn't tied to her."

"Yeah, well, my patron said I was where she put down roots, so it was mostly because of that I imagine," Ann responded. She had to keep double checking herself to make sure she wasn't blurting out her connection to the gods.

"Makes sense," Kat said, returning to her meal. "Ye were sayin' before the food?"

"Right, so, grew up, went through elementary, middle and high school. I honestly don't remember much of middle school. For your reference, that was ages 11-14. Just had a lot of fun with friends, got into trouble, roamed the neighborhoods causing trouble. I think that's when I started figuring out I was a bit tougher than other girls, though. I would play rough with the boys and not care, but still liked the normal girlie stuff too. Anyway, then high school came, and I figured out I was attracted to girls. I learned a lot in the school part of things, but even more about people because of my tastes. Turns out a lot of people in my time decided I wasn't worth anything cause I liked a woman over a man romantically. Got into a lot of fights because of it. My girlfriends and I both. I usually took the beatings, though."

"Tha's not great," Kat interjected. "Glad ye fought 'em. Wouldn't have stood fer it meself either."

"Yeah. Still got a chip on my shoulder about that. Pisses me off when people judge others just for who they are. They can't be the arbiters of someone else's desires, and if they want to try to do that to me, they can kick bricks. I got suspended a couple times from school because of those fights. Bullies just wouldn't learn, and the school wouldn't do anything. My parents understood, though, so at least there was that."

"Good, at least ye had that."

"And my girlfriends, yeah. Even after we broke up, there was a sort of solidarity cause being gay was rough. Anyway, then I graduated, and it seemed like the world chilled out a bit. University was much more of a focus on education for me. Yeah, had the one girlfriend, but I told you how that turned out. And that's pretty much it. That's my life in a nutshell."

They returned to their meals, eating in silence for a bit as it seemed Kat digested both the story and her food.

"Well, at least it tells me why yer so predisposed tae scrappin'," Kat grinned. "Got it literally beaten intae ye."

"Oh yeah," Ann grinned back. "Got pretty good at it too. This new, uh, circumstance," Ann wiggled her arms, emphasizing her body, "is throwing some of that off. It might have been quicker to adjust if I'd taken one of the other Paths I was offered."

"Right, ye said there were four when ye earned it. I'm curious, what were the others?"

"Well, two are embarrassing as fuck, so keep that in mind. I'll keep a certain name out of it too. The first was Shameless Exhibitionist."

Kat spit out her drink, coughing roughly as she gasped for breath. "I'm sorry?"

"I told you," Annita hissed, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"I need the description on that one." Kat insisted.

Ann squirmed in her seat, before leaning over the table and gesturing Kat to do the same. Once she was close enough, she explained the perverted Path, and its proposed benefits and drawbacks. As she spoke, she could see Kat's long ears turning redder.

"Orenous be damned, that's a description an' a half. An' that was only one o' the two embarrasin' ones?"

"Yeah. The second was Feral Scrapper. It was all about fighting with my Lupine traits. That's what I meant by it probably helping to adjust. The third was the one you know. The last one was, uh, Pervert of my patron."

"Oh, tell me now. Don't tease me like this." Kat leaned back over the table.

Ann quickly lent back over and whispered the details.

Kat sat back and laughed uproariously. "Holy Hells girl, you really got the full spread there."

"No kidding," Annita sighed as she sat back. "Listen, now that you've heard my Path, I don't think I've learned either yours or Bren's at this point. I know they're pretty private, but you know literally all of mine. Feels fair."

"Aye, it is. Honestly, I shoulda told ye mine a while ago. It's Stalwart Protector. Combat class that focuses on defense an' makin' sure I'm the one takin' the hits. Obviously has a couple offensive things, but mostly focuses on defense. The other two I got offered were something to deal with my 'station'," she made a crown with her fingers, "and another dealing with politics. The choice was obvious."

"Yeah, and Bren?"

"I'll leave 'im tae tell ya. I'll remind 'im though. He's generally good at rememberin' things, but forgets like everyone else," Kat said with a smile, wiping some of the beer off her side of the table before taking another sip.

They'd both finished their meals and just enjoyed some further light conversation as the sun set.

"Hey, it's about time for what I wanted to do. Do you know anywhere that's a park or something close nearby?" Ann asked.

"Aye, settle the tab an' let's head out."

Ann paid the wait staff at the bar, three silvers covering their food and drinks.

Kat led Ann through the streets once more, this time darkened and lit by the occasional torch, gem, or just the moon and stars. The buildings suddenly opened up into an empty stretch of snow, trees dotting the landscape, and a frozen creek and pond sitting close to the middle. It was deserted. Both because of the time and the snowfall.

Ann took Kat's hand and plopped down in the middle of a big open space, brushing the snow away from a space next to her with her tail. She patted the spot and Kat sat down as requested.

"It's not much, but I just wanted to look at the stars with you. Call me sappy, but it's something I've liked doing with my partners," Ann explained.

"Yer sappy," Kat jabbed back, "but tha's not a bad thing."

Ann closed her larger hand around Kat's, holding it tightly. "This has been a really fun day. Thank you."

"An thank ye. Ye made it all the more fun," Kat said with a huge smile. "'Aven't had fun like this in a long time."

"Me neither. It's just so easy around you for some reason. Might be that we've literally been in life or death situations together, but I don't feel like this for Bren," Ann admitted.

"Aye, I get what ye mean." Kat paused, thinking. "Not sure where this is all headed. What the future holds fer us. I hope it's good."

"Me too."

They laid there quietly, staring up at the heavens.

"Out of curiosity, do you have names for the stars?" Annita asked.

"Aye. Generally fer the Gods. Let me see," Kat searched the sky, then pointed. "That bigun there is fer Orenous. Over there is fer Qu'sella, an' that one is fer Eas."

"Fill me in on what they do?" Ann asked, taking note of the positions of the distant suns.

"Qu'sella is a dual god and goddess. They move between the two an' have a different aspect per side o' them. Qu is a wizened witch, Goddess of magic, and all mages. Sella is kinda a frumpy professor type. He's all about leaning and knowledge. Scholars and their like take to him," Kat explained. "Eas reigns over the wind and speed itself. Can't really call them him or her, since they don't really have a form as far as we know. It's odd."

"Oh, right, I remember Bren saying Their name when he was saying bye to the cart drivers. I meant to ask him about that, but forgot."

"So, I'm guessin' y'all had very different names fer all o' them." Kat gestured to the sky.

"Yeah, definitely." Ann scanned the sky, looking for the familiar constellations. "You see the three there, in a line?" She pointed with an extended claw to further refine her direction. "Those were called Orion's Belt. They're part of a bigger constellation, or group of stars, that look like the hunter, Orion. He was a mythological figure supposed to be the son of a woman and one of the gods of the sea, Poseidon. There were a lot of stories about him, so it all depended on who you ask. That one over there," she shifted her direction, and Kat's head followed, brushing against the arm she'd laid down on, "that is what we called the North Star. Part of the Big Dipper constellation. It's actual name was Polaris."

"Like the General?" Kat asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Yeah, just like that. It's interesting the name survived all this time. Anyway, if you trace it down, you can see two bright stars in a line, then four in a box. That's the Big Dipper. And over there, that's Ursa Major, it's supposed to be a Bear."

"It looks nothin' like a bear, tho'." Kat protested.

"I mean, if you look at it like this," she drew out the outline, "it kind of does."

"No, it doesn't," Kat huffed. "You sure your people were smart?"

"Oh, lay off," Ann laughed. "I don't think most of our astronomers were artists."

They spent a while like that. Annita would point out a constellation, Kat wouldn't get it, and argue. She'd try to make it make sense, and sometimes it did, but the rest of the time Kat refused the idea. Soon enough, the two were laughing at the ridiculousness of the exercise, as they laid close together.

After a while, Kat had seemingly lost some of her inhibitions, and had reached across Ann, snuggling up against her head, her right hand gently resting on her breast.

"Ye know what?" Kat asked.

"What's that?"

"Ye're pretty when ye're actin' all smart," the Alf replied.

Ann turned her head to face the woman, suddenly aware of how close they'd gotten. "Just being me."

"Aye, an' it's sexy as hell." Kat leaned in and kissed her.

There was a moment of hesitation before Annita melted into the kiss, relaxing and letting Kat take the lead. She felt the other woman's tongue pushing against her lips and let it in, feeling her breath catch at the intrusion. Her heart was pounding as she shut her eyes and focused on her other senses. Kat's smell was all around her, that earthy, solid smell that stabilized her. Kat's weight was so comfortable on her, and she shifted the woman to lie more solidly on top of her. She felt Kat's hands run through her hair as they made out, fingers massaging her scalp and then brushing against her sensitive ears.

Annita moaned into Kat's mouth at the feeling, only encouraging the other woman, who increased her attentions to the sensitive organs. It felt incredible, her tail beginning to thump against the ground in satisfaction and her underwear was getting much tighter than it should be. They broke apart for a breath, but returned to the kiss almost immediately. This was the night, and both their patience was wearing thin. Ann's hands roamed over Kat's body, feeling her move, paying attention to spots that elicited different noises and reactions. Breaking the kiss again, Ann's eyes fluttered open to see Kat blushing a bright red, panting for breath on top of her.

"I want ye, Ann," Kat whispered down to her.

"I fucking need you," Annita replied, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"No more waiting. Back tae our room." Kat ordered, rolling off Ann quickly.

"Yes, ma'am."

Kat took her hand tightly, and they ran back to the Mercenary Association as quickly as their magically enhanced bodies would take them.

Chapter 23: The Date (Part 3)

They almost didn't make it up the stairs. Neither of them wanted to wait any longer. They were practically stripping each other as they worked their way down the third floor hall to their room.

Ann's back hit the wood of the door hard as Kat shoved her into it, kissing her deeply, running her hands up under her shirt. Gasping breaths and moans echoed, but neither cared.

Ann distractedly fumbled for her badge, found it, slapped it against the door behind her, and tumbled backwards as the force of Kat's weight pushed it inwards.

They landed on the ground and Kat kicked the door shut behind them, magically locking itself.

"Finally," the Protector growled as she lifted herself off Ann. Her eyes were hazy, and she was breathing hard. Her neck, ears and cheeks flushed with arousal as she looked down at Annita with cold blue eyes. "I've been waitin' a week fer this."

"You and me both," Ann giggled as she reached her long arms up and drug Kat back down into a kiss. Both women moaned into each other's mouths, as they finally released their inhibitions and drank deep of the other.

"Clothes. Clothes need to leave," Ann demanded as she shuffled, trying to escape the fabric that constricted her.

"Aye, up you. I wanna undress ya meself," Kat said huskily, backing off on all fours.

Annita stood and looked down as Kat sensuously rose, almost crawling up her legs, thighs, and chest before wrapping her arms around her neck. As her hands began to undo the laces of Ann's shirt, Kat kissed Ann's neck, drawing another moan from the Lupine. Each lace undone was another kiss. Ann leaned her head to the side, giving her all the room she needed.

Kat finished with the laces and quickly loosened the wrap that bound Ann's breasts. Once she had, she began to lower the fabric over Ann's shoulders, kissing down her neck, then her collarbone, and finally between her breasts.

Ann gasped as the Alf reached the sensitive area and paused for a moment, kissing back and forth between the soft mounds, before dropping the clothes to the ground without ceremony.

"It's a feckin' shame tae have these hidden away like that," Kat declared as she cupped and gently massaged Ann's breasts. "Feckin' perfection." She leaned in and kissed a nipple, drawing a gasp from Ann as her head rocked back. "Sensitive here eh? Me too." Kat returned to the task, eagerly suckling on one nipple while she took the other between two fingers and began to roll the sensitive nub.

Ann was in heaven. Kat was good with her hands and clearly experienced. That and her body seemed more sensitive than any time before. She felt heat suffuse her as Kat toyed with her body, losing herself in the pleasure the other woman provided. She lifted her hands, one going to the back of Kat's head, keeping her there while the other joined the woman's hand on her breast.

"Ah, but that's not the end all here," Kat grinned up as she pulled off her nipple with a pop. She lowered herself, bending at the knees until she came face to face with Ann's belt. "Time tae get acquainted." She deftly undid the belt and let the Kilt drop without ceremony. Ann's underwear bulged as it strained to contain the ridiculous size of the cock within. A small damp spot showing her already leaking precum.

"Tha' looks uncomfortable," Kat said in a sultry voice as she moved closer, pressing her face in against the bulge. "Lemme help with tha'." She pulled down the underwear, letting the full length of Ann's rod spring free. "Gods, always such a surprise." Kat gasped to herself as she wrapped her hands around it. She began pumping slowly with both hands, up and down the full length and smearing pre across the skin. Her focus was entirely on the task before her, and Ann moaned at the sight.

Almost hypnotized by the sight before her, Kat leaned closer and closer with each thrust until her lips brushed up against the flared glans. The moment she felt contact, she instinctively opened her mouth and let Ann in.

Ann gasped and moaned as she felt Ann's lips around her shaft. It took everything she had to not move immediately as Kat gently suckled her tip. It felt amazing, the suction and Kat's tongue as it played across the sensitive slit in her tip. Thrills raced up and down her spine. She looked down, only to meet Kat's blue eyes, staring up at her.

The woman on her knees removed her hands from the cock in her mouth, placed them on Ann's thighs, and then slowly began to push forward.

Ann let out a husky moan as she felt Kat descend on her, wrapping her cock in the tight, wet warmth of her mouth. A couple inches in and she pulled back, immediately plunging back in to the depth she was at before and pushing for more. Two inches, four. She felt the back of Kat's throat bump into the head of her cock. Kat moaned, the vibrations echoing through Ann's flesh as she felt the other woman struggle to push past the barrier.

Ann was honestly surprised she was even able to get this far, with how massive her girth was, but it seemed her Compatibility skill was kicking in since she felt Kat gain traction and push Ann's cock into her throat.

Both women moaned at the new tightness. Kat looked up at Ann and nodded. Taking the signal, Ann thrusted, causing a soft gag from Kat before pulling back and pushing again. She was only halfway in, and Kat was struggling slightly.

"Gods, you're so tight, Kat," Ann moaned. "That all you can take?"

She'd meant it earnestly, but watched as Kat's eyes hardened and focused. The woman gripped her thighs and pulled hard. Tears welled up and spilled as the competitive woman forced herself to make room in her throat for Ann's cock. Slowly she descended, eight, then nine inches, before catching again. A frustrated moan echoed through Kat's throat as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Feeling her partner's frustration, she looked down at the woman, both hands resting on the back of her head. Kat nodded up to her, and with that, she pushed her face down until it met with the soft fur of her pubes.

They both moaned deeply with satisfaction at the accomplishment. Ann stayed there for a few moments, letting Kat adjust to the thickness in her throat. After a nod, Kat pressing her nose into Ann's lower stomach, Ann pulled back. She felt eight inches of girlcock slide from Kat's throat and the salacious shiver up her spine before she pushed back in.

They quickly increased the pace, and before long, Kat's face was covered in her own spit as it stretched in strands between her and Ann's crotch. Kat was lost in the motion, her body almost limp as Ann thrust into her throat, barely hanging on to her ass.

Ann felt a pulse in her stomach, just above her cock, and froze for a second. "Oh fuck, I'm close." Kat looked up at her blearily before Ann resumed her thrusting with a new hunger. Gagging sounds filled the room as Ann took the woman for all she was worth. Tension in her gut growing and growing until she felt a heat traveling up her length. She pulled Kat to her base and moaned loudly, feeling herself unload directly down Kat's throat. Her hips spasmed on their own with the force of her orgasm, and her locked muscles held Kat still as the woman struggled with the volume of cum being shot down her throat.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, she collapsed, her cock sliding out of Kat's throat with a wet pop and a series of wet coughs.

Hazily, Ann pulled Kat close, wiping the tears from her cheeks as Kat recovered. When she stopped coughing as much, Ann leaned in and kissed her gently and tasted her cum on Kat's lips. It was a deliciously lewd experience, and she craved more, but Kat needed to breathe.

"Sorry if that was too rough," she whispered.

"Feck that, it was amazin," Kat rasped out with another cough. "And we're not feckin done yet, or I'm gonna have words with Orenous."

"Gods no we're not." While Kat continued to recover from her rough treatment, Ann got to work getting her out of her clothes. She unfastened the buckle on her belt, helped strip her sweaty shirt off, and unclasped her cloth bra. As she did, she took in the woman's body.

Her shoulders were larger than Ann had given credit, the muscles rippling as she breathed, working in concert with her defined back. Scars crisscrossed her skin, old battle wounds. She saw both claws and swords had left their mark. Leaning in, she gently kissed along each of them.

"Mmm," Kat hummed as she felt the attention. "Got a lot o' those. Ye might be there fer a while."

"They're gorgeous," Ann said softly, tracing another couple with her own claws, careful not to hurt.

"Oooh," Kat gasped as a shudder ran up her back. "Tha' feels good. Ye probably give great back scratches with those."

"Probably, but that's not what we're here for tonight, is it?" Ann teased as she worked lower, helping Kat out of her pants. Once they were both sitting on the floor completely naked, they took in each other's bodies.

Kat was as built as Ann expected, with perky breasts that would just spill over a handful. Wide, muscled hips, a wonderfully toned ass, and muscular legs put together her solid form. They both sat there for a moment, just staring.

"Damn, yer a sight tae behold. Even though I've seen it before," Kat said with a hint of awe in her voice.

"You're incredible yourself. You look like a living sculpture," Ann returned as she reached out and traced the creases on the edge of Kat's bicep.

"Work damn hard fer it," the other woman laughed. "An' ye've got me beat on statuesque, in places. More on the softer side. Beauty rather than power." Kat's hands had begun to roam across Ann's thighs, massaging as they went. "Though, I don't think most sculptors would include her," Kat said as she traced a finger up Ann's half flacid length. The motion on the sensitive organ caused Annita to twitch, and her shaft began to rise once more.

"Looks like yer ready fer round two. On the bed wit' ye. My turn tae be in control," Kat ordered.

"As you wish," Annita smiled as she stood, then laid back on the bed. Slowly Kat crawled over on top of her, lowering her body so her breasts and stomach rubbed against Ann's cock and breasts themselves.

Ann laid dutifully still and watched as Kat rose to settle herself on the base of Annita's cock, legs spread. She began to roll her hips back and forth, slowly sliding her sodden sex up and down Ann's length.

Ann leaned back into the pillows, watching the show as she felt her body worked back into arousal. She reached up and placed her hands on Kat's hips, not exerting any direction, just holding her. Kat smiled and increased the speed of her movements.

"Mmm, can't wait tae feel this in me," Kat moaned as she kept up her rocking movements. "Been wantin' this since I first caught ye in the woods. Ye know what tha' did tae me? Ann? How feckin horny ye made me?" Kat rolled her hips further up than normal, catching Ann's head against her lips and lifting it up slightly. She leaned forward and whispered in Ann's ear. "I woulda let ye take me then an' there." With those words, she pushed back firmly.

Ann felt the head of her cock spreading Kat's lips wide as the Alf applied pressure. Slowly, carefully, Kat worked her way down, enveloping Ann in the slick velvety caress of her pussy. Both women moaned, Kat burying her head in Ann's chest while Ann threw her head back in the pillows.

"So feckin... big," Kat panted as she continued her descent.

"So Godsdamned tight," Ann replied as she gripped the bedsheets, fighting the urge to push Kat down further.

It took a few more thrusts, and probably a good amount of help from Compatibility, but Kat finally sunk fully down until their pelvises met. Kat shook and closed her eyes as an orgasm rocked through her. A strangled whine escaping her lips as it passed.

"I've never felt this full," Kat whispered as she lay there, adjusting. "Holy feck Ann, yer gonna break me."

"I'll go slow," Annita offered.

Kat growled down at her. "Told ye I'm gonna be the one in control this time. I'll take ye as fast as I damn well please." To emphasize her point, she lifted her hips and slapped them back down. The clap of skin on skin echoed through the room. Both women shook at the intense feeling. Then Kat did it again. And again.

Before Ann knew what was happening, Kat was riding her at a quick pace. Her hips rising and falling in a steady rhythm. She felt Kat's insides clench, squeeze and massage her shaft with each thrust. Squeezing on the lift, clenching on the drop, and massaging as she adjusted to the intrusion. She quickly lost herself to the intense pleasure and met Kat's descent with an upward thrust.

This tore a loud moan from the guardian and only increased their pace. Quickly finding their rhythm, the room began to echo with moans, cries and the wet slapping of flesh. Kat leaned forward, her hands on Ann's shoulders as she rode, her face barely above the other woman's.

Ann took the opportunity to lean up and kiss Kat deeply. Kat fell on top of her, her hips still pumping, but her upper body putty in Ann's hands. Ann held her close, massaging her back as she thrust up into her core and locked her into a fierce kiss.

Suddenly, Ann felt her cock hit something. It was like a hard nub at the back of Kat's depth, a barrier that she hadn't felt before. Kat's eyes shot open as she bumped the wall before melting back into her with another hoarse moan. "Oh, that's it. Right there."

Encouraged, Ann began to target that spot, rubbing up against it with every thrust. Her hands trailed down to Kat's hips, guiding them to better hit the sensitive spot. It was doing wonders for her as well. Each time she hit, it sent a shock up her cock and fed the growing fires of her orgasm.

"Fuck, Kat," Ann panted as she ground into the other woman.

"Aye. Aye, Ann. I'm so close. Fuck me. Fuck me hard. I wanna cum fer ye. Cum fer me, Ann," Kat begged as she picked up the speed of her hips.

Ann responded in kind, feeling her muscles beginning to ache as she drove herself to thrust as quickly as she could. She used her hands to further increase the force with which she took Kat, feeling the woman following her direction eagerly.

Scant moments later, Ann felt her cock swell, her orgasm on its way. Kat's eyes widened, then shut as she focused on the feeling, making sure to not lose her rhythm and lose this moment.

"Kat. I'm cumming. I'm cumming, holy shit, fuck fuck," Ann began to grunt as she felt her orgasm overtake her.

"Do it, fuck me. Fill me Ann. Give it tae me!" Kat cried as she slammed her hips down in one final movement.

Ann erupted into the Alf's depths, feeling her cock swell and pulse with each jet of sticky white that flowed into Kat. Every muscle of hers locked up, holding Kat still against her.

The Alf let out a guttural moan as she collapsed again in Ann's arms. Her strong legs locked tightly around Ann's hips as she shook with her own orgasm.

After a couple seconds of Ann pumping into the helpless woman, she felt some of her seed trickling down over her pussy and between her legs. The realization that she was overflowing Kat sent another pulse deep into the other woman, eliciting another languid moan.

"Holy Hells, Ann. I'm so, what, holy feck," Kat stumbled on her words.

"Yeah, yeah. Same here. Oh, my god. I... Gods, you're incredible." She pulled Kat down into another kiss.

"Nae, I can't..." she trailed off as another aftershock of her orgasm rolled through her. Her eyes fluttered, screwing shut before her face relaxed again. "Not just me. You. Oh, you..." She dove back into another kiss, clenching tightly onto Ann's increasingly sensitive member.

The motion drew a whine from Ann's lips into Kat's mouth as she was overloaded.

Kat pulled back and grinned down at her. "Sensitive now are we?"

"Yeah! Oh my Gods, yeah. This is what it feels like?" Ann gasped as Kat flexed her inner walls, driving her wild.

"Right, this is yer first time properly usin' that thing," Kat laughed. "Oh, we're gonna have so much fun."

Ann rolled, staying inside Kat so they both laid on their sides, facing each other. Kat laid on Ann's extended arm, breathing slowing as she relaxed.

"As good as ye thought?" Kat teased.

"As good and better," Ann sighed, pressing her forehead against Kat's. "This was awesome. You're awesome."

"Aw shush you," Kat demurred, blushing as she brushed a hand over Ann's cheek.

They laid there for a while, just gazing into each other's eyes as Ann's tail thumped happily against the mattress.

"Think we still need two beds?" Ann asked.

"Nae, wouldn't wanna sleep alone with ye in the room after this," Kat whispered.

"Wanna push them together? Make one big bed?"

Kat laughed, and to Ann, it was the most beautiful sound in the world. "Aye. Ye sound like a teenager wit' 'er first crush, but aye. Sounds good tae me."

"Hey, new life, new beginnings. Hmm, does that mean you just took my virginity?" Ann asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kat's face froze and went even redder than before. Her mouth worked soundlessly as she flustered over the question, not able to get anything out.

Ann giggled and released her from her torment with a kiss. "Hey, second virginity's not that big of a deal, right?"

"Feck if I know? Maybe? Might be more important 'cause ye got it back," Kat blurted.

"Gods above, I love you," Ann laughed, then froze. Had she said that out loud? Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Oh, she didn't mean to do that. Her wide eyes turned to Kat's equally wide stare.

"Uh..." Ann faltered.

"Do ye?" Kat asked, her voice quiet and vulnerable. It was the softest Ann had ever heard the woman.

"I... yeah. I think I do? I mean, I'm pretty sure? We get along great. I love hanging out with you, we apparently have great sexual chemistry, you're perfect for my life and quest. I just... it feels right, ya know?" Ann rambled, her heart speaking more than her head in the moment as she tried to rationalize her feelings.

"Hmmm, I think I do," Kat said softly, leaning in and brushing her lips against Ann's. "So, ye got yerself a princess fer a girlfriend, an' I've got a literal god sent girlfriend, with a cock tae die for." She emphasized the last part by squeezing her insides around Ann's cock, which twitched in response. "I think I can make do with that."

"Girlfriends." Ann agreed.

"Now that tha's settled, ye promised me a night an' I intend tae make full use o' it." Kat stated, shifting her hips, rocking them slightly over Ann's half hard length.

A gasp, followed by an instinctive thrust into Kat's already overflowed depths, sent more shivers through Ann. "Oh, I'll make sure you do."

Kat laughed as Ann rolled on top of her, kissing her nose gently before she began to move again, tail swishing happily above her.