Building the Party

Aurora was a fantastic knight, but the greatest lone warrior in the world paled in comparison to a well-balanced group. Not even she could watch over herself while she slept, and if she found someone who filled in the gaps in her abilities and knew a bit of spell craft or could spot a trap, all the better. Part of her longed for the company of other paladins, but she knew that it was better, if more difficult, to be paired with her opposite.

She found her opposite stark naked with her head and hands locked in a pillory. The prisoner was a woman with copper red hair down to her shoulders, full red lips, and a blushing pink face, though Aurora suspected that the last was more due to her circumstances. A line of men (and more than a few women) went back as far as Aurora could see, waiting their turn to have a go at tormenting the poor naked woman, and the current tormenter was straddling her back like a horse, spanking her bare bottom that was turning a vivid shade of red.

"Say thank you!" he demanded.

The woman, red-faced, gritted her teeth. "No!"

Smack! His hand came down, sending her butt cheeks jiggling. "Say it!"

"No!"

Smack! "Say it!"

"Bite me!"

"Okay!" Chomp!

"Ow!"

"Enough!" Aurora said, striding forward. "What is going on here?"

The man on the woman's back looked up and squinted at her as her immaculate armor reflected the sun's rays in his eyes. "Oh, a knight! Pardon me, Lady Knight, I was just doin' me civic duty and teachin' this law-breaking ne'er-do-well the error of her ways, I am."

"I see. And what crime has this woman committed?"

"Um, the one that's against the law, I suppose. Pardon me, m'lady, but it ain't none of me business what this here naked lass did wrong, I'm just here to teach'er the error of 'er ways."

"How noble." She looked down the endless line. "How far back does that line go?"

He rocked slightly on the woman's back, anxious to get back to spanking her. "Don't know, ma'am. I got in about this time yesterday, and when I'm done I think I'll get back in line, so I'd say pretty far."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "This has been going on for a full day already? Don't you people have jobs to go to?"

He nodded. "Sure do, ma'am. I run a tavern just down the street thereaways, but all me regulars are in line, so I figured, what's the point?"

Aurora let out a sigh. "No wonder you people are oppressed. Look, get off of that poor woman already. I need to speak with her."

He frowned. "Now, see here, you can't go cutting in line no matter who you are! You have to wait your turn like everybody else." The people in the line behind him chorused their agreement.

"No I don't," Aurora said. "I have a sword." She also had orders from the Queen granting her the license to do whatever she deemed necessary to complete her quest, but she doubted the man could read.

"Yeah?" he said, finally getting off the naked woman. "Well, so do I! Wanna see?" He began fumbling with the tiestring of his trousers."

"I really don't."

"Ah ha!" He dropped his trousers triumphantly, presenting her with his manhood which, despite sitting on a naked woman only moments before, was still floppy and unimpressive.

Aurora sighed and drew her own sword, with its five feet of polished black steel, so sharp she could shave the whiskers off the man's chin. "Mine's bigger."

He grinned. "That's what she said!"

She stared at him flatly. "Yes. That is what I said. Now off with you before my sword makes you the 'she' in the next joke." She turned to the grumbling crowd behind him. "Same to you lot. Begone, I have business to attend to, and you're in my way." She didn't have many rankings in intimidation, but her charisma bonus was through the roof. She always said that charisma was the dump stat of fools–well, that and wisdom–and the crowd of would-be tormenters eager to do their civic duty for once in their lives muttered to themselves and went their separate ways, including a man who had been underneath the naked prisoner the whole time, groping her dangling breasts. How had Aurora missed that one? Well, half the reason she was here was to find a party member with a decent spot check.

She strode in front of the naked woman and looked her in the eye. She was younger than Aurora had expected, barely twenty if even that, and while she looked exhausted and bedraggled, the girl was still quite pretty. "So," Aurora said. "What can you tell me about yourself?"