Set Bonus Ch. 05

"I don't worship a sex goddess." said Tenna with an eye roll. "Monessa is a goddess of hearth and community. Other faiths belittle us because she doesn't stress chastity or monogamy in her scripture."

"You've done it now." said Nell. "I believe we are in for a sermon." She briefly fought against the rope woven around her limbs and torso. "And it seems we are a captive congregation."

"Hush, you." grinned Tenna. "She brought it up."

agreed Vi. She did not speak aloud, instead projecting her words directly to them using magical telepathy. She hung in the air not far from Tenna, fully engaged in her magic enhancing gear, thus her need for telepathic communication. Her mouth was literally strapped shut.

"That's where we run into trouble." sighed Tenna. "The scripture is very clear on not using love and affection to cause harm. Being aware of others feelings. Avoiding unplanned children. But I admit it's easier to say than practice. For example, Nell is not my significant other but we have a close relationship. I was careful to consider her feelings before assisting you earlier. And for Nell's part, I had to take her permission at face value. If she does not inform me, when asked, that she is bothered by me pleasuring you, that would be on her. Communication is very important between all parties."

projected Vi.

"I would like very much to argue with you." said Tenna with a slight frown. "But people are what they are. I can only spread her word."

"Perhaps now that we have been enlightened, you might untie me?" said Nell. "The enchanted rope appears to work as indicated."

Tenna smirked and held out her hand, making a show of examining the paired ring that gave her mental control of the length of rope intricately binding the paladin. "Do you have somewhere to go? I thought you wanted to be here to help Vi identify some more items."

Nell twisted in the web of rope. She was not in her armor, currently, and the way the magic cord was pinning her clothes to her body was nearly immodest. "I am of very little help if I am unable to move."

"You're a perfect test subject, though." replied Tenna.

put in Vi.

Tenna turned away from the captive paladin to glance in the ancient trunk. "Hm... We have Myx's strap-on..."

"There's a length of chain, maybe three feet long." suggested Tenna. "A short pole with cuffs on either end. A shiny skeleton type key..."

As Tenna complied, golden light flashed across the metal hardware of Vi's restrictive equipment. Her eyes also flashed gold before taking on a dimmer blue luminescence. The key was plucked by telekinetic force from Tenna's fingers and drifted over to the Wizard to hover in front of her. she transmitted, before gold overtook her eyes again.

Tenna, quietly so as not to break her companion's concentration, made her way over to the still bound Nell, lowering herself to the floor to sit beside her. "So what should we do for a minute."

"Perhaps you could at least release my legs." replied Nell. She flexed the indicated limbs as much as she was able. She was sitting lotus style with her ankles bound together and strands running from her knees to her torso harness. "I am not as flexible as you are."

"But you're more flexible than you were." replied Tenna. "I wonder if that's part of the 'curse' from your wearing the soldier gear. You definitely look a little different. Your hair is silkier, and your skin is smoother, more clear." She reached out to cup one of Nell's breasts. "And I don't know that these are bigger, but their shape has changed a little."

Nell pulled at her arms, which were currently pinned behind her back. "I have noticed. Myx has changed in small ways as well. Become... more attractive."

"Small ways? Her boobs are quite a bit bigger." smirked Tenna. "Of course, they had nowhere to go but up."

"Mn." grunted Nell in reply. "Now if you would untie me, we could get lunch once Vi is finished."

"I don't need to untie you for that." grinned Tenna. "I would be more that happy to help you as you are."

"I think that you should be the next test subject." grumbled Nell.

Tenna leaned against her immobilized friend. "I'll let you play with me any time you like." purred the Cleric. "All you have to do is ask."

"Mumplgh!" Vi suddenly jerked in place, grunting into her gag. "Mmph. Mmph!"

She took a breath, seeming to center herself.

Tenna immediately stood to comply. "Everything all right, Vi?"

Vi paused, seeming to collect her thoughts,

"Okay. I can do that." Tenna peeled the gag from the wizard's face. "And I suppose I should let the paladin loose?"

Having her facial expressions restored, Vi smirked. "Yes." she said aloud. "Release the Paladin. You might want to armor up, Nell. I don't know what to expect with this. I don't think we have anything to worry about, but those are famous last words."

"Should I tell the others to gear up too?" working Vi's armbinder off her shoulders.

"Yes." replied the Wizard. "Just to be safe."

"Do you think our magical gear will be necessary?" asked Nell, impatiently struggling against the rope.

"I don't even know that your mundane gear will be necessary." replied Vi, stretching her newly freed arms. "I'm just being cautions." She braced herself to land on her feet when her hovering ankle cuffs were unbuckled.

"Okay then. You got me curious." Tenna pulled loose the ankle restraints before moving to Vi's collar.

"I'll explain when everyone is here." Now fully free, Vi moved to a folded stack of clothing on a nearby table. "And don't for get to loose Nell."

"I wouldn't forget." grinned Tenna. She waved her ringed hand, and the rope binding the Paladin unraveled. "If I left her, it'd be on purpose."

Tenna departed to gather the other two companions, and Nell to retrieve her armor and weapons. Their keep was not large, so it did not take long for the small party to reconvene in Vi's workshop.

"Whoa, it must be serious!" put in Myx upon arriving. "The Wizard's got clothes on."

"What is it Vi?" asked Lunara. She was still fastening a buckle on her breastplate as they entered.

Vi waited as Nell slipped in, having donned her full set of armor faster than the wizard would have thought possible. "I've identified something from the trunk that's kind of a big deal." She held up the silvery key. "This opens a portal to a continuously active, stable, extra-dimensional space."

"Okay?" said Myx. "You lost me after 'portal."

Vi looked around her, seeing similar blank expressions and sighed."All right, you know how a bag of holding works?" Vi sighed. "It's like that but... a building. With this key, it's like taking a whole, invisible, building with us everywhere we go. At least I think it will be a structure. The only thing I learned aside from how to open the door, is that there will be instructions inside. This is an incredible piece of enchanting. A stable extra-dimensional realm? I won't get into the theory but..."

"Wait, so this key opens a magic portal to the same, like portable base, every time it's opened?" Lunara asked. "Like essentially taking the keep with us when we leave? Am I getting that right? So we can store things and maybe camp in there when were traveling?"

"Yes!" said Vi. "My professional interest aside, this could be an extremely useful tool!"

"So what's the catch?" asked Lunara. "Why are we all armored up?"

"Because until we open it up, I don't know what's in there." Vi replied. "I wouldn't think you'd need guardians for so secure a place, but my first thought wouldn't be to gag a spellcaster either. Whoever created these items has a mind beyond mine."

"Understood." said Lunara, already adjusting to tactically assess the situation. "How big is the portal?"

"Door sized, I 'd say, five feet wide by seven high?" said Vi.

"Standard breach then." returned Lunara. "And I'm guessing you can choose it's location."

"Correct." replied Vi. "I'll have to place the key in the space like a regular lock, but anywhere I can do that."

"Okay." said Lunara. "I admit to not understanding it entirely, but this sounds worth looking into. Portable shelter and cargo sounds dead useful. Any opposed to exploring Vi's magic key?"

"If I can store a bed in there, I'm all for it." put in Myx.

"Figures." said Lunara. She looked to Nell and Tenna, hearing no disagreements. "All right then. Let's do this. Nell, I'll have you go in first. I'll be right behind you." She spun her polearm once. "If we run into trouble, I'll be thrusting under your sword arm." She looked to Vi. "I assume the door runs both ways so we can back out if we need to?"

"Yes. That much I can confirm." said Vi. "This will be both entrance and exit to where ever it takes us."

"Open it-- wait. Myx, do you need to use the little thieves' room before we go?"

Myx rolled her eyes. "Gods, one time and I'll never live it down. No. I went before I came in, thanks."

"You're welcome." smirked Lunara. "Open it up, Vi, and let's see what we got."

Vi wordlessly moved to a large section of blank wall (with scorch marks still visible from a prior equipment test). Extending her arm holding the key, she touched the tip to an central brick. Rather than make contact, a shimmering reddish keyhole appeared to receive the device. The Wizard inserted the key until it stopped moving. "Everybody ready?" asked Vi. "Opening a portal to who knows where in three... two... one..." And she gave the key a quarter turn clockwise.

The keyhole expanded, releasing the key to Vi's grip and covering a doorway sized area on the stone wall. The reddish haze filled it for a moment, before drifting away, to reveal a head sized orb of purple glass resting on a marble pedestal, and a large room beyond it, decorated in similar marble.

"Well, that's convenient." said Lunara. "I didn't expect a magic portal to be so... clear."

"My first one too." added Vi. "I was right. Looks like a structure. I can see archways deeper inside. Looks like plenty of room for us to camp if we wanted to."

"But do you see any trouble." pressed Lunara.

"Nothing jumps out." replied Vi. "Literally or figuratively. Probably don't touch that orb until I or Myx give it a once over. Not sure I can cast across dimensions to examine it."

"Okay then, Nell." said Lunara "Same plan, when you're ready. The rest of you stay out here 'til we wave you in."

Nell wordlessly complied, drawing her longsword and stepping up to the portal. Leading with the tip of her sword. She barely paused, walking right into the magical entrance. There was no visible indication that anything had changed, but when the Paladin set her armored boot down beyond the threshold, they heard no sound.

"Creepy." muttered Lunara. "Right behind you." she confirmed to Nell before her ears passed the portal. As soon as the Paladin had cleared the doorway, the Soldier slipped in behind her on her right.

"Lu, can you hear me?" Vi asked immediately. She got no response.

"Creepy." Myx confirmed."Why can't they hear us, Vi? I mean, they're right there."

"Right there in another dimension, sure." replied Vi. "If I had to guess, air doesn't move across the portal. Sound needs a medium to vibrate through. It would make sense to separate it from the outside for environmental control. Our first issue should be 'can they breathe' and they don't appear to be struggling. But if they should happen to collapse, hold your breath when we go in after them."

"Important safety tip." said Tenna. "Thank you, Vi. But I'm watching them. They seem all right. Hard to monitor breathing at a distance under plate armor, though."

Inside the portal, Lunara turned slightly toward the entry, her mouth moving soundlessly. She remained in a cautious crouch, one eye on her allies outside the portal.

Vi responded by tapping her ear and shaking her head.

Lunara nodded once. Fully facing back to the interior, she raised one hand, giving the universal gesture for'come on'.

"Here we go." said Vi nervously. "Never been to another plane before. You two first. In case it closes or something when the key passes through."

Tenna looked to Myx and shrugged. Stepping forward, she took one hop and was through the portal.

"Great. Now I'll look like a pansy if I don't go quick." grumbled Myx, following suit.

Vi followed her two companions into the opening. "Don't worry, Myx." she said as she crossed over. "I've always thought of you as--hurrk!" As soon as she was fully into the new space, a burning sensation washed up the arm holding the key.

Tenna spun to face the Wizard. "Vi?! What is it?"She saw Vi standing just inside the portal, flexing her arm. "What happened?"

"Ugh. Or something." groaned Vi. "Some kind of energy washed up my arm. Not sure what... Shit! The key! It's gone!"

Lunara turned as well, looking past the wizard. "Portal's still open. We need to withdraw?"

"I don't know." replied Vi. "We're good for the moment, but..."

"Fucking magic." grumbled Myx. "Check you forearm. You've got some new ink. And it looks like a key."

"I do?" Vi turned her arm back and forth. Sure enough, an ornate representation of a key stretched from wrist to elbow on the underside of her forearm. "I do." she agreed. "That's one way not to lose it I suppose."

"Yeah, let's not do that." said Lunara, returning her eyes to the larger room ahead. "Cause the vibe I get from this place is 'prison', and I don't want to get locked in."

"Agreed." added Nell. "I can see barred cells at the far end and restraints attached to the walls. It seems opposed to this lounge area, however. It looks quite hospitable." Nell gestured with her shield to a collection of comfortable looking chairs and couches.

"Not really that surprising." put in Tenna. "Going by what you three are often wearing, assuming this was built by the same wizard, they were into some pretty kinky stuff. I'm going to also assume 'he' was male." She looked around for a moment. "Also, this place is very bright, and I can't tell where the light is coming from."

"Mn, I believe you're right about being a male." agreed Vi, glancing down at her, considerably tighter in the chest, tunic. "As for the light... a function of the space maybe?"

"Right." sighed Lunara. "Back to business. No trouble yet, but we still have to sweep this place. I see a closed door off to either side. I want Myx and Ten to come with me to check them out. Nell, you watch Vi while she plays with her ball."

"Orb." corrected the Wizard.

Lunara smirked in reply. "Whatever. I'm going through the 'lounge' first to make sure nothing is hiding under the furniture, then Myx can check the door on that side for traps."

"Understood." confirmed Nell, sliding over to place herself facing outward from Vi's pedestal.

Vi let her companions do their jobs, while she stepped up to the purple, translucent orb. She stared at it intently for a moment, before cursing. "Damn it, that's right. I'm getting used to doing magic while I'm tied up. I'll actually going to have to cast." She intoned a brief spell causing her eyes to light up blue. "Hm, the whole place is magic. The orb is a little different though. If I had to guess, I'd say it was the instructions the identify told me about... but I'd need a pearl or my gear to identify this thing properly." She glanced down the pillar, spotting an angled surface withe the image of a keyhole etched onto it. Then to her new'tattoo'. "Well," she shrugged, "Apparently I am the Keymaster." before placing her right hand on the keyhole.

Her vision didn't go dark. She could still see Nell's back, and the room beyond, but there was script overlayed across it. Taking a moment, she read over a few words. It was written out in the common tongue, and seemed to her like a table of contents for a thick tome. Running down the list, she chose what she felt was an innocuous word, sustenance, and focused on it, suddenly opening up a whole new menu. "Oh, well. That's... convenient."

-

"No traps that I can see. Lu." informed Myx. "Nothing mechanical anyway. And there's no lock, but no handle either. I could futz with it, but I'd say let the Wizard look at it first."

"Agreed." confirmed Lunara. "I bet the other is the same, but we'll look anyway. Then we'll collect Nell and swing down to clear the 'cellblock'." She looked over to the other half of the party, with Nell glancing back at her charge occasionally, and Vi, quietly but animatedly chatting to herself. "How we doing over here?"

"Good." answered Vi immediately, though her eyes stayed focused elsewhere. "Better than good. It will take a little time to go through it all, but this thing is an index for this place and it's comprehensive. First off there is a map of the layout and I can see you guys on it. I can also open any locks and manipulate the entrance from here. It seems it will close partially; it will be externally invisible and no one can pass through it, in or out. We'll still be able to see out however. Or completely shut."

"The camping and storage idea?" asked Lunara.

"Just like we thought." replied Vi. "But better? -Ish?"

"Ish?" Lunara raised an eyebrow.

"Ish." confirmed Vi. "We can use it like a mobile base. It will also provide 'sustenance' on a... limited basis."

"Nice." said Lunara. "How limited?"

"Your 'prison' vibe wasn't far off." replied Vi. She pointed to the heavy closed door on her right. "That is the Key Holder's quarters. Me, at the moment. I, and one other person, my plus one I guess, can go in there and be magically given enough to sustain us for a day. Any more people than that, the staff it says, can also be sustained likewise... if they are locked in one of the cells."

"Go figure." Lunara rolled her eyes.

"Oh wait." deadpanned Vi. "There's more. There's a few restrictions. I'd have to read it completely to look for loopholes, but a prisoner can't take anything in there with them. There's additional benefits; accelerated healing, Lower sleep duration, but you'd basically have to go in there naked."

"Male wizard, you say." sighed Lunara.

"Or we can just travel with food." said Vi. "Anyway, this is the interface for everything. From here, the 'Key Holder' can control lights, climate, doors, food distribution. It's actually pretty amazing."

"The map interests me." said Lunara. "You can track us on it?"

Vi's eyes flicked back and forth, tracking something unseen. "It says any living creature in the space will appear on the map." She paused. "To the size of a mouse."

"Watch out for spiders and vampires then." commenter Tenna.

"So according to your map, the rest of the place is clear?" Lunara questioned.

"Yes." said Vi. "Not even any mice. There is a weird distortion on the first cell to the left I want to look into..."

"So if that'a the 'Warden's' quarters, what's on the other side?" Lunara jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

"No details." replied Vi. "We'll have to look." The Wizard's eyes flicked back and forth for a moment before the door to either side cracked open. "Safe as far as I can tell. I wouldn't be offended if you had Myx check it."

"Then I'm checking the bedroom first." said Mxy, skipping to the indicated door. She paused for a moment, examining the frame for switches and wires before shoving it open. "Gods, look at the size of that bed!" she exclaimed looking in. "What do I have to do to be the plus one, Vi?"

"I'm open to negotiation." replied Vi. "I haven't gotten to that section yet, but I imagine we can switch the key around as well."

"Why don't you hold onto it for now." sighed Lunara. She moved to the opposite door, nudging it further open from a distance with the butt of her halberd. "No explosions or poison darts..." She stepped forward and stuck her head inside. "Looks a little like Vi's work room but... extra."

The Wizard's head moved for the first time since she engaged with the pedestal, turning her eyes to the Soldier. "There's what now?" She lifted her hand clear of the orb stand and moved to join Lunara at the opening. "Oh." she breathed. "Oh my. Look at all this equipment. And notes. And books. And it looks like a few prototypes... And I see a familiar style of leather case..."

"Jackpot then." said Lunara cooly. She placed a hand on the Wizard's shoulder and spun her around. "But back to your orb for now. I let you in there, we might not see you for weeks. Let's get this place locked down first."

Vi twisted for a final glimpse into the laboratory. "But... I... Okay. You're right. Agreed." She reluctantly returned to her post replacing her hand on the keyhole. Her eyes flicked as she accessed the interface. "What do you want to know?"

"You said we had to check something?" Lunara replied.

"Oh yeah." put in Tenna. "First cell on the left you said." She tapped the Paladin on the shield. "Cover me, Nell?"

Nell glance to Lunara, who gave a single nod, before starting with Tenna across the room.

"So what are we looking at?" Lunara asked.

"Not sure. It just looks different." returned Vi. 'Wavy? Blurry? Some is--"

"Yipe!" Rounding the edge of the cell, Tenna had looked in and immediately leapt back with a yelp.

Nell, right behind her, leapt between the Cleric and the bars, sword drawn. She glared through the bars for a moment before sheathing her weapon. She raised her arm and waved it a few times. "You all should come and look at this."

Lunara, Vi and Myx all rush over to the cell and froze at the sight. Inside was a woman. Built very similarly to Nell, tall and muscular. She sat with her legs folded, eyes closed, her arms upraised with her fingers laced behind her head. She had long, slender, sharply pointed ears, marking her as likely an elf.. She was entirely unclothed, but most odd, she hadn't reacted at all, not a twitch, to the commotion outside her cell.

"She," put in Nell, "is bigger than a mouse."