Rules and Revelations, Part 2

“Me?” Adam cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Hold on, didn’t you just say that I wasn’t the Master?”

“That is correct, my dear. You are not this season’s Master; you are its Mistress.”

“Ok, but if you hadn’t noticed already, I’m a GUY. That doesn’t exactly mesh with the word ‘Mistress,’ or do you have a different definition than the one we’re using?” Adam was growing frustrated, wishing that the Host would start making more sense.

“It is certainly true that you were born with male anatomy, but I hardly see that as an issue. Or—at least, a permanent one. Besides, I think you and I both know that the inside matters far more than the outside.” Sera smiled knowingly as she spoke.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sera.” Adam’s(?) tone grew terse, and his(?) eyes narrowed.

“Wait, is she saying what I think she’s saying?” Aoba was the first to realize what Sera was implying, joined shortly by Erica. The rest (except Alexis, who was still tipsy) followed soon after.

“It seems they’ve all figured it out, and I know you have, as well, my dear. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Should I show them your search history? Your Amazon cart? Or maybe the subreddits you follow?” Sera was going in for the proverbial kill.

“Ugh, FINE! Yeah, I'm trans! My shitty dad gave me his shitty Y-chromosome, and I’ve been dealing with the consequences ever since! Is that what you wanted to hear?! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?! Adam’s frustration had hit the boiling point.

“No, I’m not.” Her response was painfully blunt.

“The hell do you mean?! You **** me to come out on some weird, twisted game show, and you’re still not satisfied?! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!” Adam hated the turn the events had taken, and was raging for this strange dream to come to an end.

“It is quite simple,” Sera said as she stepped toward Adam, “there are two desires at the forefront of any decent Host’s mind—the first being to create a season that will satisfy the Producers. The second is to make their Master or Mistress happy, as that is the most surefire way to achieve the first desire.” Sera waved her hand, creating a strong gust that circled around Adam. “Allow me to make you happy, my dear.”

Flower petals danced on the wind as Adam’s body began to glow a bright pink—bright enough that the others had to shield their eyes. When the light dimmed and died, a woman knelt on the floor where Adam had been standing. Scruffy, dark brown hair was replaced with silky auburn that hung in loose curls to her mid-back. The bit of flab that she had before her transformation was mostly gone—while it could still be said that she was carrying a bit of extra weight, her new frame carried it much better than her old one. It would be more accurate to call her “thicc,” rather than chubby. And though she was certainly not the largest present, she still had a reasonable handful.

She looked down at her hands in stunned silence. While they had never been particularly rugged before, her new hands were positively dainty by comparison. She tentatively felt her transformed face; she could no longer feel any stubble, nor any of her old acne scars; her skin seemed flawless. Sera conjured a mirror for her to get a proper look at her new appearance. She saw a woman staring back at her—a cute woman. Even her clothes had been transformed—her slacks had changed into a pair that hugged her new curves, her old dress shirt replaced with a light pink blouse, and her feet were now wearing simple flats instead of the worn out dress shoes she had worn for her interview. The others could only look on in shock and awe… which quickly turned to panic when the new woman burst into tears.

Image by orifalcon

“GOD. FUCKING. DAMMIT!!!” She cried out in distress, sobbing as she worked futilely to wipe away the tears that wouldn’t stop flowing. “I just managed to come to terms with the fact that this job wasn’t real—that this was all just some stupid sex dream. But now you did this?! How am I supposed to just get up tomorrow and act like I’m fine? It just feels so real. Why? Why do I have to wake up from this?!” Even Sera was taken aback by her sudden outburst. Erica was the first to recover, walking over and kneeling down in front of the crying woman.

“Hey. HEY! Look at me!” Erica put her hands on either side of her crying friend’s face, forcing her friend to meet her gaze… before pulling on her cheeks, prompting a pained response.

“Ow, ow, ow! Shtop, dat hurtsh!”

“See? This isn’t a dream. You really turned into a girl, so please, calm down before you hyperventilate.” Erica stopped pinching, but still held her friend in the hope of providing a bit of comfort. She smiled gently. “So, what should we call you now? I don’t think ‘Adam’ is gonna work anymore.”

“Erica is right, my dear—this is no dream. Though fair warning, Erica—hurting your Mistress is actually against the rules, barring any consensual S&M, but I’ll let it slide, this time. After all, you were just trying to help. Plus, it was cute.” Sera had regained her composure and walked over to offer them both a hand up. “She was also correct that you’ll need a new name. Your old one simply won’t do. I’m sure you have one in mind already, yes?”

“What? I don’t have one picked out or anything…” She wiped the tears from her eyes as she blushed and unconvincingly denied Sera’s claim. “Ugh, fine. Just promise not to laugh… Do you think you all could call me Aífe?”

“Sure thing, Aífe. But why would we laugh? I mean—I have no clue where it’s from, but it’s not a silly name or anything.” Erica chuckled as she held the newly christened Aífe.

“It’s… from Irish mythology. The story of Cú Chulainn, specifically. She’s the sister of Scáthach, the woman who trained Cú Chulainn, or—she was in the version of the story I’m familiar with, at least. I was really into Irish mythology when I was younger, and I just really liked the name.” She looked down in embarrassment. “It’s just a bit embarrassing. It’s kind of a stereotype for trans girls to name themselves after women from mythology.”

“It’s a lovely name, dear. Besides, I doubt anyone here—even our most unruly contestants—would be so gauche as to poke fun at something so important to you.” Sera reassured her as Cecilia glowered at the “unruly contestants” barb. “We still have a lot of ground to cover, so why don’t we return to our seats? I still haven’t explained the rules, after all.”

Before returning to her seat, Erica hugged Aífe tightly, whispering in her ear.

"You look very pretty, Aífe," She said affectionately.

"Come on, I only managed to stop crying a minute ago. Are you trying to make me start again?" They both sat back down, only for everyone to nearly jump out of their seats a moment later when Sera waved her hand, causing her own chair to vanish and the others to rearrange themselves. They all now faced toward one of the outer rows of columns, Aífe’s chair at the center of the line, with 4 people on either side. The Mistress was startled yet again as her chair shot up a couple of inches, transforming into throne made of silver, with purple velvet cushions. Sera waved her hand once again, and they could all hear the grinding of stone and the rush of water as a hole opened in the ceiling across from them. The water cascaded into a trough below as it formed a curtain. Once the water’s surface smoothed enough for them to see themselves, Sera snapped her fingers, causing words to form in the reflection.

“Oh, I nearly forgot,” Sera muttered as she turned toward Alexis. She snapped her fingers, and the **** woman startled before clutched her head in pain. “I apologize for the sudden hangover, but I imagine that you would prefer to be lucid for my explanation of the rules.”

“Ugh, I’m not too sure about that one,” Alexis groaned, “Fuck, I think I’d prefer to still be drunk if this is the alternative.” Sera ignored Alexis’ complaints as she resumed her presentation.

“As you can see here, you each have two point totals—Victory Points (VP) and Bonus Points (BP). You’ll likely be able to guess which total determines the winner.” They all nodded along. Sera’s explanation was fairly simple, so far. “Unlike VP, BP has no direct influence on your overall scores, but it is what will likely make more of an impact on your strategy, as well as your day to day lives here. There will be a number of shops and services available to you, from clothing to cosmetics to items of a more intimate nature, all of which can be purchased with your BP.” She saw a couple ready to interject, so she quickly spoke to ease their concern, “And before you ask, don’t worry, you will not be charged for meals or basic necessities while you’re staying here; these points are yours to use as you see fit.”

“Now then, your next question is likely ‘How do I earn these points?’ which is a fairly straightforward matter for both. VP can be earned through two different methods—performing well in the challenges that will be held at the end of each week, or through intimate acts with the Mistress or another contestant. Though, a note of caution—acts performed on or with other contestants only earn half as many points as they do with the Mistress.”

“HOLD ON! You expect us to do WHAT?!” Elise suddenly shouted in indignation.

“You heard me explain the premise of the show, yes? You can certainly try to make it through without sleeping with anyone, but I certainly don’t recommend it.” Sera solemnly shook her head in warning.

“And what if we don’t want any part of it, huh?! We could always just refuse to play by your stupid rules!” This time it was Cecilia who interjected.

“Then you’ll be eliminated. A fate that I guarantee you would wish to avoid at all costs.” Sera’s expression was exceptionally grim; a fact that was lost on the redhead.

“So, what? We don’t get a prize? You make us pay for our stay here then send us home? Big deal.” Cecilia failed to understand the true gravity of their situation.

“Fine, then. Perhaps it would be better to show you what elimination entails.” Sera waved her hand, and the scoreboard vanished from the water’s surface, only to be replaced by footage from what they could assume was another season. A blonde bimbo frantically speared herself up and down on a dildo as she sat at the counter of an empty shop. A male voice could be heard echoing from the depths of her mind—Please, someone—anyone—HELP ME! I’m sorry, please just change me back! I don’t want to be some brainless slut! The scene changed, and they could now see a petite woman in a slutty maid costume. She sat, helplessly, in a cage as she watched a man pour load after load into a busty redhead across the room. She could only fruitlessly paw at the chastity belt on her crotch, unable to find release. Despite her situation, a perverse smile sat on her lips.

“These are only a couple of examples—and some of the more benign ones I’ve seen, as well.” Sera’s words now hung far more heavily on the ears of the contestants. “Are you still sure that you would prefer elimination?” They all shook their heads. Aífe, in particular, was horrified by the realization of the danger her friends, new acquaintances, and Cecilia were in.

“Whoa, whoa! Hold on! Is any of this really necessary? I mean—you gave me a new body, and that’s plenty! I’m more than happy with what you’ve already given me! I don’t really need a harem on top of that, so surely you could just let them go, right?” Aífe frantically pleaded in an attempt to shield them from harm.

“If that is truly what you desire, then I suppose I could grant your wish.” Sera looked concerned. “But I didn’t think you’d turn out to be such a cruel Mistress.”

“What do you mean? They’d just be able to go home, right?” Aífe broke into a nervous sweat, fearful of Sera’s response.

“To send them away would mean cancelling the season entirely. Unfortunately, the magical energy has already been spent to secure them as contestants. The Producers will demand a return on their investment. In the best case scenario, they would just get sent to a different Master, and in the worst case, well…” Sera snapped her fingers, and the video feed once again changed. This time, however, they couldn’t make out what was going on, merely a scene of flesh colored pixels and the sound of screams. Whatever was happening, it was clearly so horrifying that Sera felt the need to censor it.

“As for myself, I’d be seen as a failed Host. I’d likely either be assigned as an Assistant Host—a glorified **** to more successful Host—or I’d have a similar fate as the one I just showed you. In my worst case scenario, even my very soul could be destroyed.”

“Okay, okay! No worries—we’re good! Everyone agreed? Better the Mistress that you at least kinda know than the horrifying pit of flesh that you don’t, am I right?” They all eagerly nodded their assent, positive that their current situation would at least be better than what they were shown.

“That’s certainly a relief! Now, then. How about I finish my explanation of the rules?” Sera waved her hand and brought the scoreboard back onto the screen, since she had already made her point with that shocking footage.