Fallout

On the way back to the palace, I get to thinking: I was **** when I got here. I've been here for a few weeks, am I…? Well, there's a spell to answer that: Detect Pregnancy. A simple touch range, third party cantrip. One casting and… yep. I'm going to be a mother in eight and a half months or so. The tiny little clump of cells has taken root and my body's feeding the growth.

I am NOT looking forward to that.

Of course, I really should not keep that to myself, as we all had a similar entry to this world. So… I take a slow breath, and use my telepathy from the magical augmentation, ‘Our plans for the old king got me thinking…’

‘About how that monster deserves everything coming to him?’ Charles jumps in.

I cringe, ‘No, about how I was **** when I first got here. I just checked, I'm carrying. Does anyone else want to know?’ Everyone stops dead in the middle of the road.

Alice is the first to speak up, ‘Yes. Please check me out.’

I cast the spell and touch her forehead, it doesn't matter where touch spells make contact, ‘Yes, you too.’ Although she's only one day along?

Brian takes a slow breath, ‘Better to be sure…’

I check him as well… ‘Same as me.’

Charles swallows, ‘I'll face it like a man. Check, please.’

Another spell and… ‘Clean sweep. All four of us are carrying.’ And… I'm not going to mention publicly that Alice's child isn't from the evil men who summoned us until after checking with her privately and confirming she's okay with that revelation.

‘Well…’ Brian considers, ‘...between Mystic Shield to make us immune to most incoming spells and negate the magic of weapons, Starmantle to negate the now non-magical weapons, and the Golem Immunity spell to stop most magic, and others… we're functionally invulnerable. It's not like it's risky.’

‘Childcare will be a non-issue,’ Alice adds, ‘we all have a library of Spheres Conjuration Companions that can be kept running 24/7.’

Charles sighs, ‘I suppose there isn't a Planned Parenthood facility nearby… ugh, I am not looking forward to this.’

I shrug, ‘Delay Pain should make it bearable, at least: Handle the backache and such. But there's little point in sweating it now, we have months to get used to the idea. Let's get back to the palace.’

As we walk, I direct my telepathy just to Alice, ‘The Detect Pregnancy spell also tells me how far along. It lines up with when we got here for Brian, Charles, and myself. Your child has only been growing for a day. I thought you should know.’

‘So that narrows it down to Hernandez, Martin, Sebastian, or Zachary…’ Alice considers, ‘...thanks.’

Umm… that's… four? ‘Narrows it down’… um. What. She doesn't seem… ‘...you're welcome? How many…?’

‘A few dozen over the course of the last couple days,’ Alice chuckles, ‘guys around the palace are really pent up, this wonderful body is insatiable, and I go off easily, often, and strongly. It's been a blast, you should try letting a guy in… although admittedly I have been tailoring them slightly with the Alteration Sphere: It turns out size does, indeed, matter. Oh, thank you for Sheltered Vitality to get rid of the fatigue, plus Fastidiousness so I never have to clean myself up. So handy! I'm sure that pregnancy is going to suck, but hey, that milk is already spilled, I don't need to concern myself with it further.’

Slightly dazed, I shrug, ‘After the baby comes I can get you a Conditional Curse keyed to some trivial action using the barren curse listed in the Book of Vile Darkness for next time…’

‘Ooh, that'll be awesome, thanks!’ Alice grins, ‘You're such a good friend!’

‘Not a problem…’ I keep blinking as we walk back to the palace.

When we arrive, we find one of the Queen's messengers waiting for us….