Of course!

Chapter 2 - Introductions

Erin had no idea what he was thinking. He was in some strange new world and was being asked to help in beating some strange perverted sex games. But he couldn't help but feel sorry for the two women in front of him.

"First things first." He said, standing up. "Are you able to send me home?"

Hella looked a little taken aback by the question but responded regardless.

"It would be difficult and we would require a few difficult to find things but...yes, eventually."

"Ok good." Erin said. "Then the deal is this. I will help you as best as I can. I can't make any promises that I will actually succeed but I will do my best to help you. Once this is all over, you send me back home. Those are the terms."

Erin finished and looked to Hella and Ginny for their response. They both nodded in agreement and let out little smiles. Feeling a little silly standing up, Erin sat back down, more questions still on his mind.

"So, how do we start this? Who is going to be training me?"

Hella and Ginny both went a little shy at that question.

"All of us."

"All of you?" Erin asked.

"Yes, all of us." Hella told him then continued. "There is a small group of six of us right now. We all run this tavern together but it has all been a front while we worked out how to summon somebody. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses and we believe it would be beneficial for you to learn from all of us."

"So you all do different things?"

"Yes. Ginny is the best of us at pure strength and melee combat. I am better at magic. We have four others. Eli, she is good at being sneaky and catching opponents off guard. Misty, she is great at tactics and speedy attacks. Luxe is an elemental user. She can use the elements to her advantage, similarly to magic. And finally..."

Before Hella could finish, the doors of the tavern flew open and another woman walked in. She was shorter than Ginny but taller than Hella. She had deep brown hair and wore deep blue and purple robes that dragged across the floor. She wore large round glasses that made her look a little like a librarian.

"Ahh Feela." Hella said as she walked over to the woman. "We were just about to talk about you."

"Really?" She said in a slow quiet voice.

"Yes, we were just telling our new friend about our abilities. Feela is adept at potions and enhancements." Hella said before hugging the new woman.

Feela began to stare at Erin. Erin felt as though she was looking into his very soul with her cold eyes.

"And you are?" Feela asked.

"Oh." Hella interrupted. "That's right, I never asked you your name, please forgive me."

"That's fine." Erin spoke up. "The names Erin, it's a pleasure to meet you." He was lying.

Erin felt a little intimidated by the new arrival. But he didn't have long to ponder as the doors opened yet again. Erin was completely taken aback by the newest person to enter the tavern. An incredibly short woman, no older than eighteen had just walked in. She has long black hair, tied back into a ponytail and a mean look on her face. It wasn't only her stature that was small, everything about her was tiny, from her hand to her breasts.... Erin had only just noticed that this new arrival, wasn't wearing a shirt. Her tiny breasts were on complete display and it seemed Hella had also noticed and rushed over the cover her with her dress.

"Aha...Eli...uhm, we have a guest."

The new girl Hella had just called Eli looked over and locked eyes with Erin. Her pale face immediately flushes a bright crimson as her eyes widened.

"Did you...did he..." Her eyes narrowed and she turned to look at Hella. "Who is that."

"He is the one we spoke about. The summon."

"I didn't realise we were doing that today."

"Well, yes, we couldn't find you to let you know."

"That's because I was out there trying to increase my rank!" She now said rather loudly.

Erin had assumed that was what had happened as he imagined that this small woman was not fond of walking around topless. He averted his eyes as best he could.

"Didn't go well then?" Ginny asked.

"Clearly not! Or do you think I enjoy walking around like....like this?"

"I don't know. You've always been a little strange."

Clearly Ginny had struck a nerve. Eli had sprung from behind Hella's dress and had lunged at Ginny who only had to hold out an arm to stop her attacker. Erin, in the chaos, had turned back around and was watching the fight. Eli locked eyes with him again. She looked down at her bare chest, made a strange squeaking noise before covering herself with her arms and running off up some stairs across the room. Erin awkwardly smiled at everyone else.

"Sorry about that." Hella said. "She can be a little...sensitive."

Erin gave a half hearted chuckle before the door yet again burst open. Erin thought he was seeing double at first. The person who had just walked in looked almost identical to Hella in almost every way. All except the clothes. She was wearing what seemed to be studded leather armour across her chest, elbows and knees. Underneath the armour seemed to be simple black cloth. Her hair was the exact same colour as Hella's though the new woman's was free and flowing, not tied up in pigtails.

"Ahh, Luxe, you're back." Hella said, running over and hugging her doppelganger.

"I see we have a new guest." Luxe said in a slightly deeper more sophisticated voice while nodding over towards Erin.

"Yes, this is the person. Erin. Erin this is my sister Luxe."

"Sister? That makes sense. Are you twins? You both look exactly the same."

"Not twins no." Hella answered. "Luxe is a year younger than me."

Erin almost refused to believe it but smiled at Luxe as she walked behind the bar and through a door.

"That's almost the whole team." Hella said, looking at the door, almost expecting it to come bursting open again. "Everyone except Misty."

"Misty won't be coming back." A voice came from the stairs as Eli, now fully clothed but still beet red, came walking down. "She also lost a battle earlier and isn't taking it too well. It was her third."

"Oh no." Hella said sadly.

Erin had been wondering this for a short while now. He had wanted to ask what ranks people were but wasn't sure if it was appropriate. Almost as if she could read his mind, Hella said "I'm rank X. In case you were wondering."

"Oh." Erin said, a little shocked. "And...have you lost many?"

Erin was worried that was far too personal to ask but Hella gave him a look like she knew the question was coming.

"A few. But never five." She finished talking and looked away.

Erin looked at Ginny and she also spoke before being asked.

"Rank S. Hadn't lost a single fight until S. Put it on break after losing three in a row,"

Erin pondered this for a moment. He knew that losing was bad. But he also knew that if they had won five in a row, that still meant sex right?

Once again as if she could read his mind, Hella spoke up.

"There is a small way out of the final forfeit, but it's harsh. If you win and you don't want to...you know, you can pay one thousand gold to the palace. That's why we opened this place. We didn't actually want to, but figured if we could save up any profit, we could use that to pay our way forward. That was until we learnt about rank S."

"What happens at rank S?" Erin questioned.

"The price goes up to five thousand gold."

Erin looked puzzled. He wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of the forfeits, but he also knew that if he won, he would get to have sex with somebody. The only problem was, knowing if that person wanted it or not.

"What if I make it to rank S though? How would I afford that much?"

At this question, the three girls in the room all turned to look at Erin with a confused look. It was Eli who spoke up first.

"Why would you need to?"

Erin was a little confused too.

"Well...to not make somebody have sex with me right?"

"But you're a guy?" Eli said staring blankly.

Hella took a step closer and spoke.

"Don't you want to...you know."

"It's not that I wouldn't want to, but isn't it a little messed up if they don't want it?"

"We kind of...assumed you wouldn't care."

"What? Why not?"

"Because you're a guy." Hella said, puzzled. "I don't think I have ever heard of a single guy, not wanting to go through with the forfeits. There are even some that...uhh...lose on purpose."

Erin didn't know how to respond. He assumed that they would understand why he would feel odd dishing out a forfeit to someone who wouldn't want it.

"Everyone knows what they are signing up for." Ginny spoke up. "Even us. If somebody goes into a battle, knowing the consequences, they can't exactly be shocked when it happens. Regardless of how unpleasant. That's why so many people are stuck at low ranks. They lose two, three, four times and then don't want to risk a fifth."

"I guess that makes sense." Erin said, still feeling a little conflicted. "So you all think I should just go through with each forfeit?"

Hella also looked a little conflicted but took a breath and spoke.

"Like Ginny said, people know what they signed up for. As long as you aren't cruel, then there is no sense in struggling to pay five thousand gold. Besides...I'm sure it's uhh...never mind." She looked away as she finished talking.

Erin looked out the window and had only just noticed how dark it had gotten. Even with the topic they were discussing, Erin felt oddly comfortable in the tavern. It seemed to have a warm and inviting atmosphere. As he was thinking about it, another question hit him.

"Uhh, where am I going to stay?"

"Here." Luxe said as she returned from behind the bar, now wearing a rather fluffy looking night dress.

"Yes, we have a room made up for you upstairs." Hella chimed in. "Which is a good point, it's getting rather late. I think we should all think about getting some sleep."

There were a few grumbles from the group. After a few moments however, everyone but Erin and Hella had gone upstairs.

"You should go as well." Hella said with a smile.

Just as Erin was about to agree, his stomach let out a loud growl.

"Goodness, I completely forgot, you haven't eaten most of the day. Stay right there." And she rushed off behind the bar.

Erin sat awkwardly in the tavern, thinking about the day. What the hell had he signed up for? He was still partly hoping he was in some strangely vivid dream but even his imagination couldn't cook something like this up. Fifteen minutes later, Erin was still sat there, wondering whether to go behind the bar and see if Hella was ok, but just as he stood up, she came back through the door, with a tray in hand.

"Like I said earlier, we haven't got much but I was able to make you a bowl of vegetable soup. I hope it's ok."

"You didn't need to do that. I feel awful taking this for free."

"Well, you have basically agreed to save the world for us. It's hardly free."

"Still." Erin said, genuinely feeling bad. "Is there any other way I can earn my keep?"

Hella pondered for a moment before responding.

"Well, the day after tomorrow we planned to open up the tavern again. If you aren't too tired from training, you could maybe help around here."

Erin smiled and agreed before tucking into the soup. He hadn't realised just how hungry he actually was. It didn't take long for him to finish as he leant back in his chair.

"So, tomorrow will be your first training session. The others will be busy so it's either me or Ginny that can train you. We will be alternating between all of us eventually but for now, whoever you choose will be training you for the first two days."

"Whoever I choose?" Erin asked.

"Yes. It depends on whether you would like to learn the basics of melee combat with Ginny, or the fundamentals of magic from me."

"Before I decide. In the Royale, which is used more? I assume I will want to train the most with the most used style right?"

"It actually varies quite a bit. In the lower ranks, there are a lot of melee and magic users, though none of them are highly trained. The others tactics of the other girls aren't as widely used in lower ranks but we still believe you should get a basic grasp of each before your first official match."

"I suppose that makes sense. Lot of work ahead of us then." Erin said with a slight chuckle. "Is it ok if I think it over while I rest?"

"Of course. I will come and wake you early tomorrow morning and you can let me know who you picked."

Hella stood up and turned towards the stairs. She paused, turned to look at Erin. She looked like she wanted to say something but simply smiled and walked off upstairs. Erin let out a long yawn before following. Realising quickly that he didn't know which room was his. He thought for a moment about opening the closest one to him but worried about possibly walking in on one of the girls. He didn't want another topless Eli situation. He already felt as though she didn't like him. Just as he was about to knock on a door, a different door down the hallway opened up and Hella came out.

"Oh good. Forgot to tell you which room was yours. It's room one, right there in front of the stairs. I'm in room six should you need anything."

"Thank you." Erin responded with a smile.

"Goodnight." Hella said before re-entering her room.

Erin walked into room one and was pleasantly surprised. The wooden walls seemed freshly painted and gleamed from the candles placed in sconces around the room. The bed looked comfy and warm. The sheets clearly made from some sort of animal fur. The window in his room seemed to look out towards an alley behind the tavern, though it was hard to tell because it was so dark. Erin, feeling far more tired than he thought he would, climbed into bed and pondered on who would train him tomorrow. He felt as though right now, there was only one choice. So he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, ready to tell Hella his choice in the morning.