It's a Hard Knock LARP, For Us

Mark woke up with two people on top of him: one of them was Allie, who had turned around in the night, and the other was Mary. Mark’s confusion leaked over to his other half, and Mary bolted awake and pulled away. Mary said, “When did you get back? I most definitely went to bed alone.” A wave of memories passed between both of them. “Okay, so I see we were very busy last night.”

“You were productive as well,” Mark replied. “Almost makes me want to keep us like this.”

“Yeah, say that after you are the one in the woman’s body. I know it’s our body and it’s fine, but you know full well I would rather be in your shoes. Plus, let’s be real, if this becomes permanent, there is no way that the female half doesn’t end up in the harem.”

Mark nodded, “True, which I know I wouldn’t like.” Thankfully, we have the ring to stop that from happening.

Mary got a momentary look of surprise on her face. OH, we can communicate like this. I guess that makes sense, it is our mind. I’m also glad that you aren’t getting aroused at the sight of me.

Yeah, but that also makes sense. It isn’t like we get turned on looking in a mirror.

That’s fair. I feel like we are talking to ourselves a lot more. We should really stop that. It might develop into a split personality, and we don’t need that.

True, Ellen having one is more than enough. Mark started to gently scratch behind Allie’s ears, causing her to wake with a yawn and stretch her arms. Mark stopped so as not to get hit by Allie’s hands as she stretched.

Allie turned to Mark and complained, “I didn’t say to stop that.” Mark chuckled and resumed the ear scratches. Allie then noticed Mary. “Oh, we’re back. So… Mark? Mary? Would you two be interested in—”

“NO!” They said in unison. Mark continued, “Sorry, but no, we are not having a three-way involving myself.”

“Agreed. I know that is my penis attached to Mark, but I do not want it involved with this body, in any way.”

Allie looked a little disappointed. “Okay, I understand. Well, Mary, can I have a kiss from my wife?”

Mary smirked, “Now that is something I can accommodate.” Mark got up to make room for Mary, who slid over and started to make out with Allie. Mark ordered three cinnamon lattes and a dozen donuts for breakfast. Mark pulled out his phone to look at the Customizable Waifu app again. As fun as super sensitive Allie had been, he didn't want her like that all the time. Mark reduced her sensitivity. He also decided to try some of the more interesting options. First, he shortened her hair considerably. Then, he gave her a bit more of a toned body and fluffier fur. He also removed all the hair from her body below her neck. Not seeing much else he wanted to change right now, and not wanting to touch anything even remotely mental, Mark put the last few points into increasing her bust size by another cup.

Mary could feel Allie’s hair shorten as she was holding the back of her head, and felt Allie’s breasts expand against her own as a little bit of body fat became muscle, giving Allie a much fitter appearance.

Mark looked at the time and noticed it was nearly 10 am. Which was when Cassandra appeared.

~Pop~

“Hello, you two. I truly do hate to intrude on the newlyweds, but there is a show that has to continue. Before that, once again, congratulations. Now, Allie, your path was updated last night after you went to bed. You can check out the details on your status page.” Which Allie immediately did.

“Waifu? It couldn’t just be wife?” Allie asked skeptically.

“Trust me, Allie, you will prefer the TFs you get with it as Waifu over simply wife.” Cassandra said, and to Allie’s surprise, Mark and Mary were nodding along to her words.

“Okay, also, was getting married really worth 20 VP? I mean, I know it is a big deal, but still.”

“Well, you were the first to get married.” Cassandra said, as if that explained everything.

“Yeah, but I don’t get first-time bonuses.”

“When did I ever say that?” Cassandra asked.

Allie thought about it. “Well, I haven’t been, and when Isabella was added, you said she would negate the penalties applied to me and get any remaining first-time bonuses.”

“Which is all true. I won’t lie, you have been receiving a penalty, which did include you not receiving first-time bonuses for some things. But in fact, you were the first to receive a first-time bonus and on the very first day, too. When Mark stripped you. While Mark might have helped remove your clothes, he didn’t strip you before. Specifically, Mark must either remove your clothes forcibly or in front of others. If he didn’t accidentally get your panties, you wouldn’t have gotten points for that.”

“So why haven’t I gotten first-time bonuses then for so much else?”

“Because you two had already done those things. It would have been completely unfair for you to get first-time bonuses for things that you were already comfortable doing with Mark. Heck, you would have hit 100 VP on your first night without the handicaps. You are in third right now, even with the handicaps. All I was saying with Isabella is that she can claim any first-time bonus, even the ones you can’t. There are some of those left.”

Allie blinked and said, “So… if Mark got me pregnant, I would get the first-time bonus for that?”

“Yes.” Cassandra nodded. “I can tell you are thinking about having Mark just knock you up right now. While I appreciate and encourage the enthusiasm, I regretfully need to inform you that it will have to wait. Unless you want to do it in front of everyone else. Everyone is waiting for you two so we can begin this week's festivities.”

“Fine,” Allie grumbled and got out of bed. “Should we change into the starting gear now or later?”

“Now,” Cassandra replied. “For expedience, I have placed a portal outside the palace to take you to the town square when you are ready. See you there.”

~Pop~

The three put on their starting equipment and grabbed their bags. Then they went through the portal.

On the left stood Sadie and the rest of Team Fairy Castle. She was in a green dress similar to Tinker Bell’s, but longer and more elegant. In addition, she had various jewelry and a tiara on to make her look more like a princess.

Next to her was Laura in a red dress with a cleavage cut out and a pelvic curtain in front so that her muscular thighs were on full display. She had a pair of gold bracers and greaves on, as well as a set of gold laurels on her head, and a staff with a pink gemstone on the end in one hand.

Sam was in a light blue breastplate armored skirt, bracers, pauldrons, and greaves with a cape billowing behind her and a shield on one arm and a katana in her other hand. She looked like a knight straight out of a video game.

Talia stood next to her, wearing a black and white dress with purple trim and a long slit down one side. She had a set of feathered-lined pauldrons on her shoulders and a black staff with a blue gem affixed to the tip and a witch’s hat on top of her head.

Isabella was standing there uncomfortably in a gold scalemail bikini with bangles on her wrists and see-through black pants. She had a pitch black cloak on that she was trying to use to cover herself, but was failing, while having a pair of scimitars to her side.

Mark and Allie went to join their team. Allie was wearing black plate armor with purple highlights. Her gauntlet fingers were tipped with claws clearly meant as a weapon.

Finally, Mark was shirtless but wearing a black and red jacket, with a black cape with fur trim around the collar, and an ornate gold necklace, with well-fitted pants.

On the other side of the square was Team Lioness’s Pride, which Mary went to join. Flora was looking over Mark’s attire appreciatively, not having seen it before. Flora was wearing a skintight set of black and red leather armor covering everything below her neck, with a set of sturdy bracers and greaves. She had a black cloak on with a quiver and bow slung over her back.

Next to her was Merida, wearing a black top that barely contained her massive breasts with a red caplet and a set of leather bracers and knee-high boots. Her skirt had two wide slits on either side, creating a pelvic curtain in front. Mary noticed she had all three of her tails at the moment, so Merigold must be with her.

Mary still found Ellen’s outfit rather odd, but figured given the nature of her class, it made some sort of sense. Ellen was wearing a grey gimp suit from head to toe that even covered her eyes, as well as a corset with leather straps and belts to frame her breasts. Ellen had told Mary that while wearing this, she has an awareness of her immediate surroundings even though her eyes are covered.

Aubrey’s outfit was essentially the same as Sam’s, with a few notable differences. First, it was pink and white. Second, she had a wool collar with a bell on it, and instead of a shield, she had a massive two-handed sword.

Hilde had on a black top that was close to but not quite a cheongsam, with loose blue silk pants, and a pair of light slip-on flats, making her look like a Hollywood version of a kung fu martial artist.

Chloe was wearing a sturdy long-sleeve white shirt with a brown leather apron that covered her entire front. She had a pair of metal shoulder pauldrons and several pouches on her belt containing potion vials and flasks.

Finally, there was Mary herself for the team. Everyone from Team Fairy Castle was drooling over her. Though in addition to checking Mary out, Sam also had a rather annoyed look on her face. Mary was wearing a black, red, and white barmaid outfit that showed off plenty of cleavage, had thigh-high red stockings, and held a serving tray to her side. With both her ponytails blowing to the side in the breeze.

Cassandra was standing between the two teams. “Welcome, everyone, to the real start of the third round. To the Audience who might have been wondering, where are the character bios? I am excited to tell you they will be available immediately after this installment of Harem Hotel: Missed Encounters. Find the link down below. Now I mentioned that the third challenge will be tied into the LARP, so I will let you know the rules right now.” Everyone went on alert and paid extremely close attention. “Glad I have all your attention with that. First, this challenge is going to be mostly straightforward: the one with the most points at the end wins. Now, the way you gain points is fairly simple: participate and play your roles. You will be getting points for whatever your level is at the end of the round; in addition, you will get points for various magical items you have as well. There are really a bunch of ways to earn points, but the two other main ones are completing objectives, primarily in the form of quests, and playing your role. Actually, good roleplaying can earn you points. I wish to add that there is both a team and party leader bonus as well. The team that completes the main quest first will all have one TF each increased by a grade in quality, while the losing team will have one TF each decreased by a grade during the next round of TFs. The winning party leader will also gain an additional 10 Victory Points taken from the losing team’s party leader.” This caused Flora and Sadie to go wide-eyed. “You heard that right, Victory Points. Being a party leader gives you a lot of power, but it comes with responsibility and risks. To everyone else, think about that before trying to push out your party leader to take their place. As whoever is the party leader at the end is the one who will gain or lose those points. Finally, Mark and Mary, your scores matter too. See, it was decided that you will be upgrading one TF of each of your girls at the end of the round.”

“WHAT! That’s not fair.” Aubrey complained. “So we are getting another TF vote and an upgrade? Also, how does that make their scores matter if they are doing it to everyone?”

“If you had let me finish, you would have heard that the type of upgrade you receive will be based upon whether your team’s Mark or Mary scores higher than the other. You will have to balance your own personal score with your team’s victory and your Mark or Mary placing higher than the other. As to the rest of what you said, Aubrey, yes, you will be getting both, and as for fairness, I don’t want to hear it.” Especially since it wasn’t my idea about the upgrades.

Laura raised her hand. Cassandra acknowledged her, and Laura asked, “What do you mean by the type of upgrade we will receive?”

“Ah, I’m sure you’ve noticed not all upgrades are created equal.”

“You mean like how I can only wear skirts, dresses, or skintight clothing was apparently an upgrade?” Sam complained.

“Exactly.” Cassandra nodded. “Though I will point out, Samantha, that Mark loves the way you look in those, and I know you want to look good for him. You would probably be mostly wearing those things eventually, even without that upgrade. But yes, you can think of that kind of upgrade as solely for Mark’s benefit. You probably won’t like it, at least at first, but it isn’t usually debilitating, just inconvenient. Then there are the upgrades that you ladies would consider an upgrade. Things like Merida being able to choose who is allowed to pose her. As a note, Mark will not be allowed to pick a boon for any upgrade. Any last questions?” No one said anything. “Wonderful, well off we go, and remember, have fun.” With a snap of Cassandra’s fingers, they all teleported.

Team Fairy Castle found themselves standing in an endless expanse of clouds. They all looked around, but it was flat and featureless besides the clouds they were standing on. Sam asked, “Okay, so now what? Is this like a loading screen or something?”

“I doubt it.” Mark said. “I bet it’s like an opening cinematic scene.”

Mark was quickly proven correct as a pleasant hymn began echoing out as a beam of light descended from the sky above, and Cassandra descended with white wings upon her back. “Welcome, my chosen heroes. I am the goddess Cassandra. I have summoned you all here from another world, as my world is in need of assistance. The Demonic Dragon Empress, Smug, is gathering her forces and seeks the destruction of all that is good, kind, and loving in the world. Please, I beseech thee, aid me in protecting my people. Alas, Smug has summoned her own champions to oppose you. I wish I could give you more power, but I cannot. But fear not, your powers will grow quickly over the coming days. You must hurry, though, for twelve days after today, Smug has a ritual she intends to enact that shall replace all love in the world simply with lust. The world will be plunged into a haze of debauchery for a thousand years should you fail. Go now, my champions, you must succeed.”

Without being given a chance to respond or ask questions, they found themselves teleported once again, finding themselves this time in what appeared to be a cathedral.

Team Lioness’s Pride found themselves in a dimly lit, massive chamber. Braziers with low crackling flames lined the far walls, causing the room to have an eerie glow. They saw an exit on one side and that they were on some sort of raised dais. Opposite the wall with the archway to leave was what seemed to be an endless expanse of darkness. The team immediately readied their weapons, thinking they were in for a fight right out of the gate.

Which was when there was a deep feminine chuckle that echoed throughout the chamber, coming from the direction of the darkness. “Good. Those quick reactions will allow you to serve me well. I have summoned you all as my champions. I cannot act directly to achieve my goals, or else the brat of a goddess Cassandra would have cause to act against me herself.” A pair of huge glowing yellow eyes could be seen in the darkness, and they were growing closer. Soon, the team could see the outline of Smug’s head, her scales glittering softly from the braziers. Everyone had thought Smug was big before. After all, an elephant-sized lizard was massive, but her head seemed appropriate on a kaiju, and reminded Mary simply of Godzilla. Even without Smug’s dragon fear affecting them, most were still at least a little afraid.

“My name is Smug. Some call me the Demonic Dragon Empress, but in truth, I am no demon. I have summoned you here to help me bring change to this boring world. Twelve days from now, the twelve moons of this world will all be in the sky at once while being full moons. During this time, I intend to enact a ritual to bring about change in this world, harnessing the magical power from this once-in-a-millennium confluence. While I have made preparations for this for centuries, the goddess Cassandra has summoned a group of ‘heroes’ as she calls them to prevent me from enacting my plan. I need you, my champions, to aid me in the days leading up to the event. The most important thing is for you to become strong and protect this sanctum from attack between now and the ritual. I have provided a list of tasks you can complete that will aid in the completion of the ritual. In the room right outside this sanctum. Do not fail me, or I shall devour you whole.”

Despite knowing that Smug was playing a part, the entire team was terrified, with Aubrey’s knees trembling, causing her armor to rattle. Flora, despite being intimidated, stepped forward, “So… Can you tell us what exactly this ritual will do, or what it is called? That way, if we find something related to it— we can handle it appropriately.”

“It is the ritual of eternal lust; it shall blanket the entire world, causing all of the weak-willed humanoids to become little more than animals, only caring about screwing.”

“Um— but— Dragon Empress— wouldn’t that mean— we would suffer the same fate?” Flora stammered.

“Well… that depends, little lioness. Are you weak-willed? Simply grow powerful. I have granted you a whiff of my power so that you can grow strong quickly. That should be more than enough to protect you.”

“I— I see… Very well, may we take our leave?”

“Yes, go forth and be careful not to reveal our location.”

Everyone was quickly made to leave the room at not quite a run. Upon moving through the arch and traveling down the hallway, they came to a rather well-furnished room. It reminded Mary of a high-class lounge, even including a bar. Chloe said, “Okay, that was terrifying. Did anyone know Smug could get that big?”

Everyone shook their heads. Aubrey was next to comment, “So, I guess we are the bad guys in this?”

Flora perked up, “Yeah, I always liked doing evil playthroughs of games. This should be fun.”

Ellen looked in a mirror, “Hey, ladies, check out the mirror.” Everyone did, and they were surprised to see that their reflections weren’t their own. Even their outfits were slightly different.

Mary said, “Well, that makes sense. If we are supposed to be the evil doers, and the other team could simply recognize us on sight, that would be a pretty big advantage. They might have the same thing, so be on the lookout for that as well.”

Flora turned to Mary, “Good point. I have a question for you, Mary. How exactly does your connection with Mark work?”

“It’s a little complicated, but my understanding is that anything about the LARP is private. So us having alternate appearances isn’t something Mark will know about. Same if you share any further class details with me, or what we are doing. But unrelated things are shared, though not immediately, since that could affect the LARP.”

“Could you give an example of unrelated things?” Flora asked.

“Sure, say you and I did something sexual together, or you told me something about your past. Mark would get that information. Though I don’t think it would be immediate unless I deliberately pushed that info to him.”

“So you can deliberately push info to him?”

“As long as it is permissible info yes. The reason for the delay, I think, is that if they know that I’m with one of you, that could be actionable information, especially since you are a stealth-type character, Flora. I think I’ll get all the info while sleeping. So we really shouldn’t have to worry about accidental information leaks.”

Hilde spoke up next, “Okay, I want to bring something up right now, that is absolutely critical.” Hilde then dashed across the room in about a second. “That wasn’t a class ability; that was my talent. Which means our previous capabilities and TFs are likely all in play. I might be wrong, but I think that puts us at a greater disadvantage than we were before simply with our class selection.”

Chloe asked, “Why? We have plenty of powerful options at our disposal.”

“Not comparatively. Flora and I are the biggest advantages, with Aubrey being next with her healing hair. But every person on the other team is getting a substantial advantage from their TFs. Mark is actually the one with the smallest advantage on their team.” Hilde looked at Mary’s horse ears and then realized something. “Cassandra, rules question.”

~Pop~

It was not Cassandra but Maja that appeared. “Yes, Hilde, you had a question?”

“Yeah, Mark’s and Mary’s TFs, how do they work? It seems like a pretty big oversight if one of them can spend all the limited-use resources they have on their team, leaving the other team with nothing. Also, with the You Are Who You Eat TF, if we are trying to get Mary to have one TF we have, and the other team is trying to let Mark copy another TF that creates a problem.”

“Hmmm… that is a surprisingly good point. Let Maja think about this for a minute.” Maja closed her eyes and looked like she was conversing with someone. “Okay, they are getting separated. They each have their own copied TF, boosts, and BP. Is that all?”

Hilde nodded, and Maja vanished.

Aubrey asked, “Did things feel weird to anyone else while Maja was here?”

Hilde groaned. “Don’t tell me you didn’t actually read the rules, Aubrey. I asked for a rules adjudication. It essentially put the game in stasis while the matter was resolved. It should even have affected the other team. It was expressly stated in the rules Cassandra provided all of us.”

“I… Well, it was really long. I’m sorry if I didn’t memorize everything.”

Merida spoke up next. “Hilde, it’s fine. I read them, an' really, there isnae that much that should matter. Also, I think ye're underestimatin' oor advantages.” One of Merida’s tails turned into golden fire, and Merigold appeared in identical equipment to Merida. “Oh, neat. I didnae ken ye got tae copy my equipment.”

Merigold nodded. “Aye, but look at oor HP an' Mana. It wis split equal atween the twa o' us.”

“Still extremely useful,” Merida said. To which Merigold nodded. “But that wisnae the only advantage. I think ye're forgettin' somethin', Hilde. Hey, Flora, can we try oot that suggestion ye had? Regardin' my boon?”

“Umm… I don’t remember what you are talking about, but… sure?”

“Perfect. Pretty Kitty.” Flora’s eyes glazed over. Merida went over and started to whisper in Flora’s ear. “Hey Kitty, dinnae repeat my suggestions here, jist nod if ye accept them. Ye hae an unshakeable belief that I can fly. Ye also believe that I hae incredible stealth capabilities. They are sae guid that ye think I can go unnoticed in almost ony situation that I want tae. That I can turn invisible, even.” Flora just kept nodding. “Ye also believe that I hae an innate understandin' o' magic. Ye willnae consciously be aware that I implanted these suggestions unless asked aboot implanted suggestions.” Merida stepped away from Flora and said, “Fierce Lioness.”

Merigold spoke up, “Oh, that’s interestin'. I wonder if I can dae that, tae.”

Merida whirled on Merigold, “Dinnae even try it. Ever. Merigold, we've got a guid thing gaun on sae far, but that's a brig that, if ye try tae cross, I willnae put up wi'. We'll be done. Understand?”

Merigold nodded. “Sorry, ye're richt. Ye dinnae need tae worry aboot that; it wis an idle curiosity.”

Merida could feel through their link that Merigold was being sincere and left it at that. “Noo, let’s see…” Merida thought about magic and how it worked. Okay, so that worked. It isnae a lot, but I definitely hae a better understandin' o' it. Which means that hypnotizin' her will work for my boon. Merida tried flying, but nothing happened. “Okay, I’m gaun tae ask tae dae somethin' that requires ye a' tae trust me. I want tae hypnotize ye al'. I'm pretty sure I could dae it wi'oot permission, but I'm no' gaun tae dae that.”

Chloe looked at her suspiciously, “Why?”

“I'm concerned if I tell ye it willnae work. But Chloe, I promise ye that I will undo ony hypnotic effects I pit in place within five minutes, on a' those wha consent tae allow me tae try this, and that it is meant tae help oor team.”

Chloe felt the promise and reluctantly said, “Fine, I’ll consent.” Which got Ellen and Aubrey to consent as well.

Merida looked to Hilde. Hilde shook her head and said, “No. I don’t want you in my head. It isn’t simply a matter of trust.”

Merida nodded. “Awricht, ye three, please tak' a seat. Noo, I want ye tae listen tae the soothin' soond o' my voice.” Merida then snapped her fingers, “And Sleep!” Ellen and Aubrey immediately fell into a trance while Chloe’s head drooped and her eyes fluttered, but she was still aware. So Merida said, “Chloe, ye will relax an' let yer worries slip away. Noo, sleep.” Merida snapped her fingers again, and Chloe nodded off.

Hilde shook her head to clear it and looked at Mary and Flora. She noticed that Mary was also slightly disoriented, while Flora was surprisingly completely unaffected. “Merida, you need to be more careful doing that. I feel like you were putting me under, and I think you were getting Mary, too. I don’t know why Flora wasn’t affected.”

“Sorry aboot that. As for Flora, it's because she will only go intae a trance based on the triggers Mark an' I hae pit in place; otherwise, she should be essentially immune.”

“Noo, Chloe, Aubrey, Ellen, nod if ye understand me.” The three nodded. “Excellent. I’m gaun tae gie ye the same suggestions I gave Flora.” Merida went one by one and whispered the suggestions into their ears. After she was done, she said, “When I coont tae three an' snap my fingers, the three o' ye will waken, no' rememberin' bein' pit in a trance. One. Twa. Three.” Merida snapped, and they awoke. “Noo, let’s see if this worked.” Merida once again thought about magic. She suddenly had a much greater comprehension; she even understood a bit more about what was possible with her own TF. Okay, that’s a lot o' knowledge tae go through… Though it dis look like whit I want is possible… that’s cool. Let’s try flyin'. Merida concentrated on simply floating off the ground, and to her own surprise, it worked. Not super well, mind you, but she was definitely hovering in mid-air.

Hilde looked on in amazement, as did Mary. Hilde exclaimed, “How can you fly?” Merida immediately felt more in control of her movements. She couldn’t zip about like Sadie could, yet, but it was definitely flight and at a speed greater than walking, if not a light run.

Which caused Flora to say, “Hilde, what are you talking about? Of course, Merida can fly.”

Aubrey nodded. “Yeah, why are you surprised?”

Chloe nodded along as well, “Yeah, I mean, she doesn’t show it off, but it's part of her magic as a kitsune. Didn’t you know that?”

Merida was surprised by that last comment since it wasn’t something she implanted in Chloe’s head. Mast be her way o' rationalizin' it.

“I… I see. Merida, you made them all think you could fly, right?” Hilde said to the floating vixen.

“I mean, I can fly, see, I'm daein' it richt noo.”

“Yes, I can see that. But it isn’t actually part of your kitsune TF, is it?”

“I honestly dinnae ken. I havenae experimented wi' my magic yet. Maybe it will be. But ye cannae deny that I can fly richt noo.”

“No, I can’t.” Hilde said while furrowing her brow and tilting her head down in thought, “Which I suppose is the point. Now that I’ve seen it, even if I know that you hypnotized them into believing it, and that is how you got the power to fly, I know it is possible that you can fly. Which I will say is extremely useful, and you are right. I underestimated your boon.” Hilde looked up toward where Merida was. Hilde looked around when she couldn’t find Merida immediately.

Mary had watched Merida’s antics while Hilde was in thought. Merida had turned partially translucent and started to float perfectly behind Hilde. When Hilde looked up and around, Merida remained in her blind spot.

Hilde finally asked, “Okay, where is Merida?”

To which Merida responded. “I’m richt here, but invisible.” Hilde whirled around but didn’t see Merida as she kept in Hilde’s blind spot, which did cause Merida to become even harder to see for all the onlookers.

Mary thought, she probably needs all of us to think she can be invisible to actually go fully invisible, but that is one hell of a cloaking ability. Then Mary said, “Merida, could you please reveal yourself to Hilde and stop messing with her. You also need to keep your promise and undo the hypnotic suggestions on those three.”

Merida deactivated her camouflage and landed right behind Hilde. “Boo!” Merida’s exclamation caused Hilde to jump in surprise. “Sorry, I couldnae help masel'. Blame Mary. She telt me no' tae mess wi' ye, an' it made me want tae dae it mair.” Hilde pouted but didn’t respond. “Awricht, noo for ye three.” Merida snapped her fingers, “Sleep!” This time, all three immediately went into a trance, and Hilde and Mary were not affected like before. “Noo, the suggestions I gave ye under yer last trance, ye ken, they were jist that, suggestions, an' they are tae be ignored. Ye will remember everythin' frae when ye were in baith trances an' the events while under the effects o' the hypnotic suggestions. Noo, one, twa, three, Waken!” Merida snapped her fingers, awakening the three of them.

Chloe was the first to speak, “Okay, that was bizarre as hell. Also, that is complete bullshit of a boon. Especially since when I think, ‘Can Merida fly?’ I just remember that ‘yes, I saw Merida flying’. So, can you just get any supernatural power then?”

Merida shook her head. “Naw, I dinnae think sae. One o' the things I suggested tae ye a' wis an understandin' o' magic. Which I still kinda keep, but it did decrease when I removed the implanted suggestions. No' a' abilities will work like that. Also, baith the invisibility an' flight cost me mana tae maintain. So it isnae like they are completely free. Chloe, ye mentioned while under hypnosis that it wis my Kitsune powers, an' that micht actually be pairtially true. I dinnae think I would've been able tae gain either o' those abilities afore my maist recent TF. The hypnosis is also somethin' that, while awfu' difficult, wis technically possible wi'oot magic. Though noo that I hae magic, it is actually even easier for me.”

“Okay, still overpowered if you ask me,” Chloe said. “Considering you only have half the harem believing you can do those things and how well you can do them. Still glad to have you on our team.” Chloe finished with a smile and nod.

Merigold said, “I wish I had gotten that boon noo.”

Aubrey asked, “What did you get instead?”

“I got Ca' o' The Spirits. They were actually whit convinced me tae accept Merida's ca'.”

“Still, that could be useful.” Hilde said.

“This has been rather productive, but how about we check out the quest board and either do one or try some grinding?” Mary suggested.

The others nodded and went to the quest board hung on one wall. After a moment, it was clear that most of these were not meant to be taken immediately. Eventually, after several minutes, Flora selected a quest. It was considered high risk for their level, but also high reward. They were going to go plunder the Eros Trap Dungeon.

“HA IT WORKED!” A young woman who could have barely turned eighteen years old shouted as she punched the air above her in triumph. She was dressed in what Mark could only call a priestess’s outfit. It was white, with pink and gold trim, and featured a hood with a long veil trailing behind it. She had short black hair and shimmering pink eyes.

“Welcome, Heroes of Cassandra. I am Priestess Ethel. I am also the 3rd princess of the Evolvian Empire.” She muttered to herself, “Those jerks said that I couldn’t perform the hero summoning.”

Sadie stepped forward. “Greetings, I’—”

Princess Ethel interrupted Sadie, “I know who you are. You’re Princess Sadie of the Fey Lands. So nice to meet you.” She then eyed Mark, “And you are Sir Mark of Garret.” Ethel walked over and placed a hand on Mark’s exposed chest. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Allie stepped up to separate them. But was overwhelmed when Ethel turned on Allie, and before Allie could even say a word, Ethel said, “Oh my god! You are so cute, and your fur looks SOOOO soft. Is it rude to ask to pet you? Can I pet you? PLEEAASE!” Ethel was bouncing on her heels slightly in excitement.

Sam was the next to try and speak, “Ethel by any chance—”

“Oh, how cool, a real dragon, and not the demonic kind. It must be nice coming from a world where dragons aren’t mostly evil. We have a few good dragons, but most dragons follow the Demonic Dragon Empress. I must say your eyes are so pretty, but also fierce looking with the vertical pupils.” Ethel looked like she had just realized something really important. “How forgetful of me, I need to take you to the palace right away, please follow me.”

Ethel began walking towards the exit, and the others began following. Sadie said, “That would be excel—”

Ethel once again cut Sadie off, looking at Laura and Talia, she said, “Oh, My, GODDESS! You are a goddess, right? AH, and you must be her high priestess! I can sense the divinity from both of you. I’m honored!” Ethel gave a slight bow without missing a step as she led down a hall and out of the cathedral.

The group continued to follow Ethel as she led them through the city towards the palace.

Mark had been the first one to get annoyed by Ethel. She had, in fact, barely turned eighteen a few weeks ago. She would not stop prattling on and on. Mark was about to blow a gasket after the hour-long trek through the city that was definitely less efficient than it needed to be. Luckily, Allie pulled him aside, and Laura took over Ethel listening duties. After another hour, some of it was walking, some of it waiting on official after official to get them presented to the Empress; even Laura’s patience was running thin, but she didn’t think it was a good idea to use magic on the princess to suggest that she shut the hell up. Luckily, Princess Ethel was saved from Laura, using her divine aura to shut the lady up as the doors opened to the throne room, so they could be presented to the Empress.

A set of trumpets sounded to announce their arrival. The chamberlain shouted, “Presenting to her Imperial Majesty, the Heroes of Cassandra! Sir Mark of Garret, Lady Allie of Garret, Lady Samantha of Irving, Lady Isabella of Amador, Lady Talia of Winchester, Princess Sadie of the Fey Realms, and the divine manifestation of the Goddess Laura Elliot.” While they were all applauded when entering, when Laura was announced, everyone took a knee in Laura’s presence, even the Empress stood, curtsied, and bowed her head in greeting to Laura. While the Empress resumed sitting, the rest of those assembled did not rise.

The Empress greeted them. “Empress Maja the fourth greets the Heroes of Cassandra. It gladdens The Empress that our divine patron saw fit not only to send the empire her heroes, but a manifestation of a fellow goddess to aid The Empress’s people. Empress Maja is humbled by your presence, Goddess Laura. Alas, there is little aid we can offer you at this time, but what we can offer is yours.” Maja made a gesture, and a well-dressed older gentleman rose and presented Sadie with a medallion. “The first is this medallion; present it anywhere in the empire and you will be granted safe lodgings and food. The second piece of aid, if you wish to use them, of course, is a set of trainers. One for each of you. They should allow you to safely progress and get accustomed to your skills. The Empress Maja was informed that you may not be accustomed to your newfound abilities. The final piece of aid The Empress can give you is a guide.” Mark's eyes narrowed as he noticed Princess Ethel had stirred ever so slightly at Maja’s words. “Sir Garret, you are correct. I will have my daughter, Princess Ethel, accompany you, and as we have little to offer you in terms of payment, her hand in marriage is also yours, Sir Mark.”

“Absolutely not!” Mark exclaimed. “We will not be taking Princess Ethel.”

Maja raised her eyebrows. “You do not want The Empress’s daughter? Or perhaps you are so enamored with her that you simply want to keep her safe. Yes, that must be it. Surely you would not offend The Empress by saying that you do not want to take The Empress’s daughter as your bride. But fret not, Princess Ethel is not defenseless by any means.”

“I already have a wife,” Mark said tersely. “I will not be taking the princess as one, nor will she be coming with us.” Allie nodded her agreement alongside Mark. The princess went pale.

“Ah, that is lamentable. Guards, please deal with her.”

Ethel turned to Mark, “Please, Sir Mark.” She was trembling.

Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, Maja, what the fuck? Why is she trembling?” Mark also noticed that the guards had actually begun moving towards Ethel but held up a moment seeing Maja reply to Mark.

“Because she is being exiled. Having her here would disgrace the imperial throne. Unless, of course, you want to take her with you…” Maja smirked.

She is enjoying this way too much. Mark sighed, “No, I am not taking her with me, you aren’t going to guilt me into that.” Mark then muttered under his breath, “What might have to happen instead is regicide, though. If this country is so fucked up, perhaps it needs societal reform instead.” Maja looked unamused and glared at Mark.

Sadie looked at Mark and hissed, “What do you think you are doing!” Sadie then turned towards Maja, “Please, Empress, forgive my uncouth companion. He is from a realm where what nobility there is left holds little sway. He knows not how disrespectful his actions and jests are. We would, of course, happily take on Princess Ethel as our guide.” Mark was glaring daggers at Sadie. “Whether Mark takes her as a bride is another matter. But perhaps in time Ethel shall grow on Sir Mark.” Ethel looked at Sadie like she was her saving grace.

Maja considered for a moment. “Empress Maja is magnanimous. Sir Mark is a Hero of Cassandra, after all; some allowances for discourtesy must be made. If he is willing to apologize to Empress Maja, then we can consider the matter settled.”

Mark was still glaring at Sadie. Which was when Allie shuffled over to Mark and said in a whisper, “Mark, apologize right now. This is a challenge for us; you need to cooperate with things. You threatening to kill the empress will screw us over, so apologize right now.”

Mark sighed and relaxed his shoulders. Allie is right. I let how annoying Ethel was get to me and forgot that this is a challenge for the girls. “I apologize, Empress Maja. We can take Princess Ethel with us, but I cannot guarantee her safety, nor am I willing to promise to take her as a partner.”

Maja nodded. “Very well. Goddess be with you on your travels.”

Sadie offered a hand to Princess Ethel, and the party quickly left.

+1 CP Playing her Part (Challenge Point) (Sadie)

Ethel directed them to a room down a hallway. When they got there, Laura asked, “Mark, what in the hell were you thinking? Allie is right, you seriously could have screwed us all over.”

Mark took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I won’t let it happen again.”

Ethel looked like a kicked puppy. “Sir Mark… did I do something to upset you? So much that you would threaten The Empress… rather than simply take me with you?”

Sam walked over to Ethel. “Ethel, you are mistaken about something. Mark did not threaten Empress Maja because it was preferable to taking you with us. He threatened Empress Maja because he had an issue with her treatment of you, and a society that would allow that treatment. Ethel, could you please give us a moment alone? I need to discuss something in private with my companions.”

Ethel nodded, “I’ll be right outside.” She shut the doors behind her after stepping out.

Mark turned to Sam, “I’m sorry, okay. Please don’t berate me more. I get that I screwed up.”

“Mark, I know you don’t like us assuming what you are going to say and having us interrupt you. Could you let me say my own piece first?” Mark sighed and nodded. “I wasn’t going to harp on your actions much. Yes, you should be more mindful that you could get the rest of us into trouble, but I’m not totally in disagreement with your assessment. If this place were real, I would also think regime change might be warranted, if that is what they do to someone who, as far as I could tell, didn’t actually do anything wrong. Which actually brings me to what I really wanted to discuss and why I’m not upset with Mark’s actions. I can’t blame Mark for not noticing, as he was listening to Ethel, but did anyone pay attention to those we passed by? Allie? Isabella? What about you? I know you both have heightened hearing.” Allie and Isabella shook their heads.

Talia asked Sam. “What’s your point, Sam? Because while I’m not going to berate the matter, what Mark did was reckless. I assume the only reason he did it was because it was Maja sitting on the throne. But still.”

“Most of, if not all, the other people were fake. I'm pretty sure they are all ASTRIDs using some sort of disguise, total illusions, or some other type of construct.”

Talia asked again, “What’s your point? We knew this was a game. It isn’t like Cassandra would actually risk dooming an entire world to this fictional storyline.”

“My point is, Ethel isn’t an illusion or an ASTRID. I don’t know if she is ‘real’ or not, but she isn’t one of the other types of NPCs.”

“What makes you say that?” Isabella asked.

Sam pursed her lips. “It’s hard to explain, mostly little things. But I’m having a hard time distinguishing her from a real person. All the other NPCs I haven’t had that issue with. Not including Maja, of course. When we were fairly close, the NPCs became more animated, but most are just background even then.”

“Are you saying that Cassandra is using real people beyond the staff of the show?” Talia asked.

“I mean, why not?” Sam shrugged. “Are you forgetting that the Lundevalls were all contestants?”

Talia looked at Sam and rolled her eyes. “Obviously not.”

“Well, I don’t see why other contestants wouldn’t be used for things.”

Mark nodded, “I don’t know about Ethel, but that is definitely something that would happen on the show. Not all seasons have eliminated contestants bound to the Master like this season. I could see someone who had an actress path and got eliminated being used to play whatever parts the Hosts needed in stories. Also, it’s possible that Ethel is artificial Sam, but that doesn’t mean she’s fake, even if she is artificial. I’m going to go apologize to her now.” Mark went over to the double doors and opened them. Ethel had been sitting on a bench across from the doors with her face in her hands. The moment Mark opened the doors, Ethel flinched, bolted to her feet, and looked down, not wanting to meet Mark’s gaze. Mark sighed. “Ethel, please come back inside.” Mark held open the door for her. She hesitantly walked inside without a word. While everyone else had taken a seat and there was an obvious place for Ethel to sit, she didn’t sit down.

Ethel started, “Mark, I’m sorry. Please don’t send me away.” She was fidgeting with the hem of her priestess's robes.

Mark said, “Ethel, please sit.” She did, and Mark sat across from her. “First, I’m sorry, Ethel. I shouldn’t have acted like that. Especially after your mother threatened to exile you. Second, it isn’t actually my call if you get to travel with the group or not. It’s Princess Sadie’s decision. What partially set me over the edge was when The Empress offered you to me as a bride. Ethel, I literally married my wife less than twenty-four hours ago.”

Ethel spoke up hesitantly, “But I know that the rest of Cassandra’s Heroes are bound to you. That you intend to marry them. So… it isn’t that you do not want more brides, it’s just that you don’t want me.”

Talia looked at Ethel skeptically. Like she wasn’t sure whether to believe or not that Ethel was a real person. Talia said, “Look, it isn’t like I don’t care about this, but we are in a bit of a time crunch here. Ethel, I assume you can inform us who our trainers would be or where we could find missions to undertake?”

Ethel cheered up a bit about being asked to be useful. “Oh yeah, for sure. Would you like me to take you there right now? Also, I’m the trainer for Princess Sadie’s class. So if you ever need some tips, Princess, please don’t hesitate to call on me.”

Sadie responded with a smile, “If you could, it would be most appreciated. Also, we are both princesses, Ethel. Please just call me Sadie.”

+1 CP Playing her Part (Sadie)

Ethel jumped up out of her seat and wrapped her arm around Sadie’s. “Please, this way!” She started to lead Sadie out the door, “I can already tell we are going to be great friends.” Ethel smiled. Everyone began to follow, but Mark and Laura both winced and trailed at the back as Ethel was already prattling away.

Mark and Laura gave each other a look that said, ‘This is going to be a LONG round’.