I avoided looking at my notifications until after we got back to my house. I was actually very curious as to what the world thought might be a unique skill. I was also all but being carried by Lluvia as I was exhausted. From what I understood they had 20 to 25 levels on me and years of experience doing this.
"Alright we're here, let's get you out of that Armor and washed up. You can start pumping some water I'll get some wood for the fire box." Lluvia said.
I did as I was told by applying a stand of mana thread to continuously work the pump. Powering simple mechanical actions via mana was convenient as hell. The tub was a quarter full by the time Lluvia came up with some wood. She had also changed out of her armor and into a flattering dress.
"That's a good idea… I'll be right back." I sort of mumbled and went to get changed.
When I came back the tub was half filled and I could feel just a little heat coming off of the water already. When I had looked I had discovered the firebox was actually attached to a copper plate to help spread the heat and insulated by some sort of dried clay. The entire system was still quite basic but sure as hell beats near freezing mountain water.
Lluvia once she saw me gave me a coy smile then removed her dress from her shoulders letting it fall down to the ground, that woke me right up. She then slowly stepped into the ever heating water and lowered herself in.
"Come on in and we can 'help' clean the more difficult to reach spots." She said in a very seductive manner.
I gave into my own feelings pulled off my own dress far less gracefully then slid myself into the water. I wanted to be held for a little while so sat down back to her and then wiggled my way into her embrace.
She said nothing but I could feel her smile and her hand that started to play with my hair. Her other arm snaked around my chest to just under my breasts and pulled me in gently.
"That feels very nice." I said and just relaxed into her embrace.
"You were absolutely amazing today, I really enjoyed watching you work." She said.
"Oh so was it the expositions or the women handling the explosions that interested you so much?" I asked in a teasing tone.
"Hmm I would go with the explosions I think, they have a real force to them that you can feel through your entire body." She said.
"I am being serious by the way when I told you I would like to get to know you better." I told her.
"Honestly? Compared to you, what's there to say. I was born to a poorer elven family in Snowland. I got bored with my life there and wanted to explore. I found myself a mercenary band that would take me. Met the rest of the troop through said band, decided to adventure with our little group and here we are." She said almost without taking a breath.
"Remember, I'm not from this world… My world does not even have magic or other species of sentient peoples. In fact my world is ravaged by war, overpopulation, and greed. My world had the technology to go to our moon over 50 years ago… we sent probes on occasion but have not sent a persons sense. My world lost most of it wonder decades maybe centuries ago." I told her somewhat depressed.
"Let's try this instead. What was it like growing up as an elf for you? Did you have friends with other species?" I asked.
She took a deep breath
"Yes I grew up with mostly Elves and Dwarves, Occasionally some humans. And kids were all the same, some were nice, some were brats, some bullies, some were even my friends." I could hear a small smile with that last thought.
"Oh and what kind of kid were you?" I asked
"I was… the bully… and bratty kid. I would always have to be the one to win the argument or get the last piece of candy or be the first in line. I was an asshole in the making." She said with amusement.
"What about your life as a kid?" She asked.
"Was a twin … no… am a twin… you umm got a quick glims of him today. I had two other siblings a brother and a sister all younger. Myself and my twin Adam were the weird kids, we would say or do really odd stuff. We got yelled at all the time for breaking stuff just to run to understand how it would work. We were the target of the bullies all over… and the scapegoats…" I said.
"What about you and siblings or other close family members?" I asked.
"No siblings but plenty of elf and dwarf cousins. And I just realized I would have been the girl to bully you… only because I would have liked you." She said.
I chuckled at that.
"Umm so I did leave off a very big detail about myself because it's…. It's very weird even where I come from. It might even change the way you think about me. And it's ok if it does." I said.
"Oh? Now I'm curious and a bit concerned to be honest." She said.
I held off for just a moment I was concerned… I had been rejected before because of it and it hurts. Never serious friends but any romantic interests…
"You are you and that won't change anything, please be honest with me." She said, seeing my hesitation.
"My name when I was born was not Nicole but Nicolas. I was born a boy and lived most of my life as a man. Several years ago I altered myself to now appear as you see me now. It was long, expensive, and painful… but I am happier because of it." I told her after a very deep breath.
"I… umm wow that's a lot… but I mean you look and feel and sound like a woman." She said and moved her hand bit lower down tentatively.
"That's still all me down there, but I… well I can't get pregnant and I don't bleed monthly." I said.
There was a long pause… that stretched.
"O fuck you…. You got all the best parts without any of the annoying bits?" She blurted out
"I mean I guess if you put it that way sure." I said a bit sheepishly.
"But then… wait if you had… what happened to all of that?" She asked very confused.
"Umm… all of that was used for the construction of what you see down there… our medical technology is well quite advanced." I said
"Ok…. Ok…. I have so many more questions now but how!? Like things… and…. Wow…" she continued on trying to figure out what to ask next.
"So now that you know…. I would imagine you are no longer interested in umm dating me." I said.
"Umm… what?!... Wait why would any of that matter, sure it's different but you're still a woman. You talk, walk, smell, and feel like a woman. If anything I see this as an advantage particularly when I'm having my time of the month… both of us feeling like shit at the same time won't happen." She said seeming even more excited about the idea.
"Ok then not quite the reaction I was expecting." I said happily.
"Wait really?" She asked.
"Yeah some people are grossed out by the concept, men more so. Some women also see it as a kind of invasive of there gender." I said.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"I…. Hmmm not really sure why people would be grossed out. I mean parts are parts right? As for women seeing it as an invasion that's just weird I mean in some cultures women are more restricted then others so maybe I can see the difference sort of. But I'm not sure I understand still." She said.
"Like I said parts are parts, and yours definitely are a women's parts." She finished.
"Any other crazy secrets you want to drop on me now as well? Well now's the time to do so." Lluvia added.
We spent some more time talking about each other pasts, like her Mom was super strict with her and only saw her being a housewife for a good husband. Her absolutely useless first class (in her words) as a 'teacher'. My guess was kids looked up to her or maybe feared her it was hard to say. My complete lack of social skills and obsession with technology. Her wanting to be a pirate when she grew up.
We eventually helped clean each other which was far more mundane than I was hoping for but we were both tired as well. The interest to explore each other after our bath which quickly lead to us just cuddling together under the warm blankets and falling asleep.
I woke up with a Lluvia looking right into my eyes, her piercing blue eyes locked directly to mine.
"You have very subtle green blue eyes, I like them." She said.
"That sounds like a morning person… wake me up when it's mid-afternoon." Then I ducked under the blankets and pressed my face to her chest.
"Come on it's time to get up, we have to figure out what we are doing today." She said. She pulled herself away and started walking around the room getting changed.
"How are you this awake in the morning." I croaked out.
"Unlike you city dwellers we only have the light of the sun! You get used to it." She said, I then felt a poke to my butt.
"Come on get up sleepy head." She said and poked me a few more times for good measure.
"Can be add to the list a butt massage to try out." I said, then started to force myself up.
As it turned out my selected house had become the place where everyone was to meet. I felt a little embarrassed coming down just after Lluvia but then kind of moved through it.
Luckily someone made breakfast already, it was bland but it was good.
"Morning…." I said to the group in a half awake croaked.
"I missed this yesterday, you are really not a morning person are you?" Asked Turnip.
"Nope, and lack of caffeine does not help either…" I said after a big yawn.
"So what's the plan for today?" I asked
"Well that's partly up to you, I think the group is going to spend one more day looking around to make sure we didn't miss anything." Root said.
"So what part is up to me then?" I asked.
"Well technically either side has formally offered or requested to join up." Root said.
"Ah… yeah making it official adds some weight to the whole things." I said.
"Wait are you really considering not taking her with us?" Lluvia asked in shock.
"No but as a party we need to have a discussion about that." Root said.
I gave him a small smile, I think I knew where this was going.
"I'm an unknown variable that could bring lots of trouble or even just events to the group even unintentionally." I said.
Root nodded in agreement to that statement.
"I am what some might call harbinger of chaos." I said
"That was we need to determine as a party, any plans, ideas, or futures. Well throw them out the window, yesterdays event with the core proved that." Root said.
Everyone went quiet thinking over what was just said.
"I'll add that I am far less concerned about my own survival now. I need lots of training and practice still but I do have an idea of what's going on and how to present myself. So don't link like you are abandoning me, I'll be fine." I told the group
Lluvia clearly looked pissed at that last statement I made, I suspected whatever happens she's with me. I rested my head on her shoulder in appreciation which seemed to mollified her a little.
"I'm for inviting Nicole to our group." Lluvia said not a moment later.
"I'm for" Turnip said.
"I'm for" Iser said.
"I'm mixed" Orlo said.
"I'm mixed as well" said Root.
That seemed to shock everyone but I had my ideas as to why.
"You are just looking out for yours and I certainly won't blame you for that." I said.
Root smiled just a little then said, "It not you personally like you already pointed out but even by association things are going to be absolutely crazy around you."
"Oh it will get far worse than I suspected. If Iser is right about when the last Riftwalker was here over 100 years ago… well if everyone gets pulled from the same Earth then I have over 100 years of technological advancement stuffed in my heads. At a strategic level I am potentially as valuable as kingdoms." I said with a small smile, no I was not letting my ego get in the way at all.
"I didn't even consider that, can I change my vote to a maybe?" Iser said, that made me chuckle. Lluvia just looked even more annoyed.
"Look let me give you two examples to kind of help provide some understanding." I said.
Everyone agreed to the idea even Lluvia reluctantly.
"Example one, I know enough about a field of research call nuclear physics to potentially speed up development by 50 to 70 years." I stated
"Nuclear weapons are very very bad. What is the largest scale of destruction you can imagine or have seen?" I asked.
"Dragon attacking a city? Or even a swarm of horde maybe?" Root said.
"Ok so swaths of a city burning hundreds maybe thousands injured or dead. 100s of thousands of gold of damaged buildings?" I asked.
Root looked at the others then nodded in agreement.
"Ok, now imagine a device sitting on the back of a cart and wheeled into the center of a city. That device when it goes off would completely vaporize everything in a half mile radius. The only thing that might survive is underground. Outside of that half mile would be buildings being blown over, and fire traveling at hundreds of miles an hour. The weapon I am talking is considered 100% deadly to anything within 5 miles of the blast." I said.
Everyone just looked at me in shock and horror, even Lluvia.
"You know how to build this?" Iser asked.
"I know enough to jumpstart the technology needed by at least 50 to 70 years most likely. On my world it's actually not super rare knowledge. The materials needed to build it are very rare though so we so it's not nearly as simple as I just made it sound…" I finished.
After a new minutes of thinking Root finally asked. "And your second example?"
"O umm more personal note but I was born a boy not a girl. I had myself surgically altered to better suit my own mental image of myself." I said.
Stunned silence greeted me.
"Where your from can do that?" Orlo asked.
"Yes, it's a process and it's not without risk nor is it a painless process but yes we have the medical technology to alter a person to that extent." I said.
"So is that why you asked that duplicate about your name?" Turnip asked.
"Yep, my name was originally Nicolas. Even if the dungeon was in my head I would imagine it would get a bit confused." I said.
"Wait, humans have the umm, thing down there correct?" Iser said.
"By thing you mean are male and female different at the bottom of our torsos?" I asked.
"Yes" Iser replied.
"Yes, I had mine umm… repurposed to construct a likeness to what a female would have. I will add I am unable to bear children, nor do I have a menstrual cycle." I continued.
"You lucky bitch." Turnip said in astonishment.
"That's more or less what I said." Lluvia added.
"So this is all very interesting but why tell us?" Root asked them continued "This seems far more of a personal matter to you than to anyone else."
"Ah yes, it's a sort of proof that I am not just making things up. I come from a world that is maybe 200 years ahead of this world technologically speaking. I have the knowledge to alter your society in truly crazy ways. Not everyone likes that concept and might see me as a threat to the status quo." I finished.
"I will change mine back to yes again, I want to learn more!" Iser said excitedly.
"Anyone else want to change their vote?" Root asked.
"No, but again it's only because of the potential trouble Nicole might have around her. Not for the kind of person she is." Orlo stated.
Another long pause to let everyone think things over.
"Well seeing as this is Majority rules, we will extend an offer to Nicole to join our little group of misfits." Root said.
"So Nicole do you want to join our little group of misfits?" Root asked me.
After a pause to reflect.
"Sure" I said, then felt myself being enveloped by Lluvia sitting next to me.
"Then seeing as your are the first non founding member… I'm going to need to actually figure out our official rules… instead of the adhoc mess we have been using." Root said.
"Fuck that!" Lluvia said.