I awoke to a low but heated discussion between Bastion and Brick. They seemed to still be arguing about me, with Brick insisting he’d like to walk with me and be there for Bastion when he came back from meeting with Lily. Bastion, on the other hand, was being defensive, stubborn and obstinate and insisting that Brick stay behind.

As much as I would have preferred Brick’s company over Bastion’s, I didn’t want to be the cause of friction between the two brothers, so I sat up and blearily rubbed my eyes, which caused their conversation to stall.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Brick greeted me warmly. “There’s some porridge on the table for you.”

My stomach rumbled in response, and I obeyed its call and immediately sought out the bowl. I was pleased to find it was still hot and accompanied by a dish of brown sugar and a jug of milk. Kira may be a jerk, but at least she provided a decent breakfast.

“We were just discussing taking you to see Lily,” Brick informed me, taking the seat across the table from me. His toes brushed mine, and I looked up at him through the steam of my porridge.

“We leave immediately after you’ve eaten,” Bastion said sternly.

“Would you like me to come with you?” Brick ignored his brother. “I could show you around the village on the way and answer any questions you have.”

Bastion’s expression darkened considerably, and I felt his eyes on me like his gaze was made of pure flame.

“I don’t want to cause trouble for you. I’ll be able to make it with Bastion showing me the way.”

Bastion nodded grimly, but Brick dropped his eyes to the table, looking dejected. I slid my feet along Brick’s and up to his ankle in a hidden caress to show him I wasn’t rejecting him. His foot jumped beneath mine in surprise, but then stretched towards me, accepting my touch. He raised his eyes back to mine, and I smiled at him. He really was an adorable giant.

“Besides, I’ll only be there a little while, right? You’ll be here until the end of the week, and I know where to find you.”

“You might find you like it better with Lily,” Bastion sneered. “Don’t get my brother’s hopes up. Your kind are notoriously fickle.”

I ignored the slight, which seemed to annoy Bastion more than any retaliation could have and finished my breakfast. When I finished the last bite, I gathered my things, few as they were, and stooped to give Brick a kiss on the cheek on my way out the door.

“Thank you for everything, Brick,” I said warmly. “You’ve been my first friend in this place. I’ll see you later.”

Unless I figured out how to escape this world before I returned. The thought made me a little sad. Part of me wished I could yank Brick back into the real world with me. Then again, I struggled to imagine him working a job in a uniform. Finding a job as an orc might prove as hard in the real world as finding a normal job in this world.

Bastion bared his teeth at me as I passed him, clearly not approving of my kiss, but I figured he could go jump out a window for all I cared. I liked Brick, and I was sure as hell mad at James right now. I’d already started thinking of him as my ex. It had been a long time brewing, but I felt like this latest mess was just pushing me over the edge.

I wanted a guy who ran me baths and bought me food, not a guy who had neglected his own hygiene and spent our food money without consulting me. James seemed to think my day job as an accountant made me capable of inventing money to inject into our budget. Brick, by comparison, was a total gentleman.

I imagined how that break up would go as I walked down the stairs.

“Hey James, welcome to Dumpsville. By the way, yes, there is someone else. He’s an orc and could probably crush your skull with his bare hands.”

“What are you looking so smug about?” Bastion asked suspiciously as we walked out the door, past the noticeboard and down the road into town.

“Nothing,” I said.

“Hmph.”

We walked a little further, and I started to take more notice of my surroundings. The village looked quaint and medieval, built around a square courtyard in the middle and stretching out with a series of shops and houses.

We passed a few market stalls and a couple of specialty weapons stores. What I really wanted was a coffee, but I knew better than to ask Bastion to help me find one – if they even existed in this world. I was down to my last few coins after my expensive ale yesterday anyway, so I should really wait before I spent what little I had left.

I wondered if Lily could show me any succubus flirting techniques that might get me things for free. Back at university, the café manager let me take extra buns when I chatted with him over the counter. That probably wouldn’t work with Kira, though.

“Here we are,” Bastion said, stopping short of a large store with armour in one window and a lavish dress in the other.

I stepped forward, but Bastion didn’t follow. I looked back at him, surprised at the sudden shift in his demeanour. His face had drained of colour and his knees were knocking.

“Uh, were you going to come in and introduce me?” I asked.

Bastion swallowed thickly and nodded but didn’t step forwards. Suddenly I wondered if Brick’s desire to accompany us was more for Bastion’s sake than my own.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Come on.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him along. “It can’t be nearly as bad as you’re imagining. I’ll stick with you the whole time. Promise.”

I pulled him into the store and looked around in amazement at all the clothes. In my excitement, I almost forgot how my own outfit was barely more than underwear.

“Can I help you?” a voice asked from behind the counter. I looked up and for a second thought I was looking at Bastion, before realizing it was another wood elf. Their similarity was stunning though, same colour hair and eyes, only this one was dressed in fine robes and had his hair braided back, whereas Bastion’s hung loose around his face.

“Hey, I’m Emma. I’m new in town and looking for Lily,” I greeted him cheerfully, trying not to think about how Bastion was feeling. Was this one of the guys he’d been thrown over for? A slightly tidier version of himself?

“Another succubus?” the elf gasped, taking in my appearance. “How odd! I’ll inform Lily immediately.”

He left, and I looked back at Bastion to ask how he was doing, but I could tell the question was pointless. He looked miserable.

“Was it him?” I asked in a whisper. He averted his eyes and made no answer.

Before I could say anything else, the wood elf appeared ahead of a lithe woman with horns just like mine. She was dressed in elegant, draping robes which had slits up the seams. Her tail flicked out from one of these, swishing as she walked.

“Bastion,” she greeted him like they were long-lost friends, wrapping him in a hug before releasing him. “What a treat you have brought me! This was well worth the wait. Will you be staying this time?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but a rasping noise came out and he shut his jaw with a click, looking severely traumatized.

“He was just accompanying me here,” I said, shifting closer to Bastion and grasping his hand for support. “He’s got someone waiting for him, so he can’t stay long.”

“Oh?” Lily sounded surprised. “And is this another mission you’re going on, or is it someone special?”

Her tone indicated both curiosity and jealousy, and I began to wonder what kind of operation she was running here. I squeezed Bastion’s hand even tighter, as he appeared to look very near fainting.

“I think they’re rather special,” I answered elusively.

“And he’s brought you here. Why?” Lily turned her attention to me. “You look like you’re fresh out of the woods. Level One, am I right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t really know what’s going on, but Bastion said you could help me figure out… well, what I am.”

“Did he?” Lily looked back at Bastion. “Well, I’m glad you’ve moved on and apparently found happiness. But if you want to come back, there will always be a place in my harem for you if you choose to finally take the leap.”

Bastion looked sick and nodded, and I noticed the other wood elf giving him a heated look.

“You can go now. I’ll be fine,” I said to Bastion. “I’ll see you later.”

His feet still seemed to not be working, so I pushed him out the door and waved him off. He staggered back the way we had come, looking a little drunk.

“Poor guy, I think I hurt him,” Lily said, watching him go over my shoulder. “Wood elves have prickly prides, but their emotions run very deep. It’s one of the reason’s I like them so much. Now, let’s get you into some better clothes and we can have tea and talk. Aiden! Tea!”

The wood elf jumped into action and rushed off to fetch tea.

“Are you like… some kind of princess or something?” I asked, following her into the fitting room.

“Hm. I can see why you’d think that. We succubi are natural leaders, people gather to us. I see you’re a Healer class. That’s both very lucky and unfortunate, depending on your disposition.”

“Why would you say that?” I asked, a little concerned.

“I’m artisan class, I get to use my aesthetic prowess to make the most brilliant garments. I get to live in a town where people gather to me. It’s made me very wealthy, and I have a large harem of twenty permanent lovers and perhaps thirty or so more adventurers who come and go.”

“That sounds like too much work,” I grimaced. “I found one boyfriend trouble enough.”

“Were you trying to make him happy?”

“I did my best,” I shrugged.

“There’s your problem. Here, it’s quite the opposite.”

“So… you have a bunch of lover slaves who spend all their time trying to make you happy?” I frowned. “That seems kind of… dystopian. For them, anyway.”

“Part of the trick is learning what makes them happy. When they are happy, they fall in love, and they want to make me happy. Those I allow to stay here permanently help me run my business, and the ones who feel the call for adventure go and seek their fortunes and then return here to pay their dues.”

“But Bastion wasn’t happy with you,” I commented neutrally. I didn’t know the full story, but I was curious.

“The thing he decided he needed to be happy was for me to want him over anyone else. It’s not in my nature to sit around and wait for adventurers to come home. Aiden, while he still has his issues with jealousy and pride, is much more suited to harem life, partially because he is always by my side. If he was to spend so much time running around the countryside, perhaps his jealousy would get out of hand as well. Bastion knew what I was, but expected me to abandon my harem for him. An unrealistic expectation. Once I bond someone to me, it’s not a commitment I would revoke lightly.”

“I see,” I frowned. I didn’t know if I saw it at all, really.

“Well, it’s all a moot point now, isn’t it? Bastion has moved on and I wish him luck.”

Lily pulled a dress off the rack and held it up against me, before wrinkling her nose and putting it back. She pulled another out and nodded.

“There’s not much more to this than what I’m wearing,” I said, trying to indicate one of the dresses that looked like it had more coverage, but Lily shook her head.

“Sweetheart, you’ve got curves that kill. Enjoy them,” she said. “Besides, most styles of clothing don’t suit those of us with tails. The whole waistband issue is a bit of a tricky business.”

At her mention of ‘curves that kill’ all I could think of was my breasts flying out and KO’ing someone if I turned around too fast. It wasn’t particularly encouraging.

I sighed and put the clothes on. My new outfit consisted of a crop top that my over-large breasts continued to spill out of, and a miniskirt that covered barely more of me than the loincloth. At least the folds at the back around my tail prevented the skirt from raising up and flashing my underwear when my tail moved.

“You really don’t like your breasts?” Lily asked, tilting my chin up to look into my eyes. “Why?”

“I don’t have anything against big breasts,” I said carefully, not wanting to offend the particularly large-busted woman in front of me. “But they’re not mine.”

“It’s important to feel comfortable in your own skin,” Lily said with more compassion than I’d expected from her. “Here, I’ll cast a customization spell on you, and you can tweak things until you feel right.”

She wiggled her fingers, and a blue light surrounded me until suddenly all I could see was myself in the mirror.

“What do I do?” I asked uncertainly, but Lily’s hands appeared through the blue mist, guiding my own. I pushed my breasts in, and they shrank before my eyes, along with the garment I was wearing until they reached a more manageable proportion. “They look about right now. Thank you.”

“No problem,” she said, and dismissed the mist. The room came back into view, and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders – both metaphorically and physically.

“You look nice,” Lily smiled at her. “Confidence is the key to attractiveness. Remember that.”

“How much do clothes cost here?” I asked belatedly, wondering how much she’d charge me for everything she was doing for me.

“For someone else, I’d charge a hundred gold. For you? I think a vial of slime will do. As a Healer, you’re going to need to know how to harvest it, anyway. I’m assuming you don’t know how to do it already?”