Judgement, Mercy, Cruelty. The statues of the three Gods looked down at Amelie with their blank stone faces, expressions long since worn away by the sands of time. Bearing the traits and characteristics of men and women both, as befits a God, the statues were elegant and imposing at the same time. The Princess of Austria shivered as a draft came in from the broken mosaic windows, her low cut dress doing little to block the cold. Slowly, the Lady placed a candle at the base of each statue, before taking chalk to the faded lines of an ancient magic circle, long since out of common use. A five pointed star, trapped within a circle. A symbol as old as time.
"Tor, Mena, Slith, your servant begs a boon. Send us a Hero, as you have in times past. My people need you, now more than ever." The Princess prostrated herself at the base of the star, wrists placed at its two southern points. With an effort of will, she allowed the walls of her mind to lower, and her mana poured forth, filling the circle and star with her power.
Light rose from beneath the chalk and stone; purples and blues, golds and greens of all shades flashed like fire on the dusty stone floor. The star and circle burned with new life, and the beings Beyond took note. Three stone heads turned as one towards the prostrate Princess, the rumble of crushed stone echoed in the chapel. They spoke with one voice, one that rumbled through the room like muted thunder and quaking earth; but it was for the Princess alone as it could only be heard in the chapel walls, the rest of the palace remained undisturbed. "A Servant is required."
The woman cowered in fear, unable to look up at the statues of her Gods. "I am your humble servant." The ground in the chapel shook, dust falling from the stone as they each raised a hand. "A Servant is required. A Servant, and a Sacrifice." A scroll appeared before Amelie, lettering and trim in the purest gold.
Switch class from Princess (Lv 54) to Summoner of the Royal Three(Lv 1)?
The Princess hesitated, the fate of her country at stake, and either choice could doom her beloved Austria. She despaired about being the one to have to make this decision. She was the Princess, not yet Queen, and yet here she was, making a decision that would plunge the whole country into turmoil. "Have I not been a faithful servant all these years? Am I not worthy?"
The statues remained silent. Amelie bit her lip before looking back down at the scroll. It all came down to one question. Did she trust the Gods? Amelie looked up at the statues. Judgement, Mercy, Cruelty. The three aspects of a ruler. She did not trust them, not an inch. But she did trust herself. Austria needed allies, and she was raised to make them. No matter the man, his wits, his race, no matter how inbred or foul, she would be able to seduce and guide him. And a Hero would be far easier to manipulate than some inbred lizard princeling from the Britannian Isles. She accepted the Gods’ demands.
Power poured out of her in a wave, strength accumulated over a lifetime ripped from the Princess in a heartbeat; all of it poured out into the summoning circle. The burning lights rose higher and higher, until they lapped at the top of the ceiling. Then, the statues reached towards the center of the circle. Their hands turned into grasping claws, and as one, they tore… something in the air, a rent into a plane of pure white. The flames made of light seemed to bend around the rent in the air, unable or unwilling to go near it. Slowly, a figure of purest black began to materialize within the tear, starting with a vague outline, soon followed by a pair of bright blue eyes that seemed to drill a hole in the dark void of the form.
Amelie took in a deep breath, before getting to one knee, ensuring her bosom was clearly displayed. Head low, but not too low, she met the figure's eyes timidly, lashes fluttering. "Hero. Please, my people need you. I need you. We are in great danger, and none will raise a hand to save us. Will you save me, save my people, from the enemy that seeks to destroy all that is good in this land?" The Princess lowered her gaze and spread her skirts wide in a low curtsy. "We will be eternally in your debt, brave and noble Hero."
The figure, it's body slowly materialized from the darkness beyond the rent, spoke with a voice as deep as the earth and as wide as the skies. "Awesome! I love a pretty damsel in distress."
Amelie's face twitched, but she maintained her smile as she stared at the Hero's feet. Slowly, a pair of tight leather boots rose from out of the darkness, stepping down to the stone floor. Amelie couldn't help but admire the Hero’s toned calf muscles. Too many men neglected their legs, thinking thick arms and chests were the only thing a woman appreciated. Still, the priestess did not raise her face, waiting patiently for the Hero to make the first move.
Those toned calf muscles strode towards her, one foot moving in front of the other in quick succession, swift and precise as a predator in motion. None of the swagger of the pompous, who take their time so all could see them in their supposed splendour. Amelie was already liking this one. Soon, the Hero was almost upon her, and she was almost quaking in anticipation. Would he lift her chin, and stare deep into her eyes, promising to protect her? Or would he be forceful, demanding a kiss as proof of her submission?
The Hero did neither. Instead, they grabbed her by the elbow, and lifted her up. Surprised, Amelie barely had time to collect herself before she was arm in arm with a pretty young woman, who was smiling jauntily at her. "Heya, I'm Samantha, nice to meetcha!"
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Samantha couldn't have been more happy. Adventure! She wanted to squeal with suppressed excitement. For the sake of her dignity, she refrained from doing so as she waved goodbye to the nice Goddess. "Thanks, Tor! You'll stop by and stuff, right?"
The uptight Goddess of Judgement just stared at Samantha, expression flat. "Perhaps. Please leave now, your presence is no longer required." Sam grinned at the pretty Goddess, before turning back to the shimmering portal that waited for her. It was time. Her Isekai adventure! It was going to be amazing!
Brushing the long, dirty blonde hair out of her face, Sam prepared to step out into the unknown, but hesitated. Tor sighed. "Mirror?" Samantha blushed, nodding abashedly. For the fourth time in as many hours, the Goddess summoned a massive silver mirror for the newly reborn woman, who checked her reflection with the utmost care.
She was tall, but not extraordinarily so, just a bit above the average for men of the time. Which, sadly, was a mere 5' 6". Her hair was that odd mixture of blond and brown, near gold in the right lighting. It hung just past her shoulders in an unbraided ponytail. Her face was more cute than beautiful, plump cheeks with little dimples when she smiled. Her nose was dainty, set beneath two hazy blue eyes. A sort of girl-next-door look, rather than appearing like a model or exotic beauty. Some might think it odd, since Sam could have chosen any look she liked for her new body, but this one suited her fine. It was close enough to what she used to look like. Cute enough to draw eyes, but not enough to draw blades. No wars would be started over her beauty, if she could help it. Although… Samantha shook her head, moving away from her face, determined to stick with her choice.
Her body was slightly bulkier than average, with muscles you could somewhat make out beneath the smooth layers of skin. But she was no body builder, no Amazonian of perfectly sculpted muscle; just athletic. As for her clothes, well, those made her stand out a bit more. A somewhat stiff blue and white jerkin, thick with padded cloth that could turn aside a poorly angled blade. Brown pants of thinner padding, but of similar design and colouration, as well as brown leather gloves. Across her chest was a bandolier with three pistols; and around her waist a belt with two more, as well as a gently curved saber, and a pouch full of pistol cartridges. She only needed a conical hat and a parrot, and she could be a proper swashbuckling pirate! Her real Class wasn't quite as exciting, though it was close.
At the thought of her Class, a small scroll puffed into existence before her, with fancy golden scrollwork.
Warden:
Hunters of Monsters, no matter the terrain. Wardens seek out and cull infestations of monsters wherever they may hide. Wielding pistol, carbine, and blade, they fight the most deadly beasts, often in close quarters, and can operate alone, or in tight knit groups. Fear a Warden’s wrath, for there are few who are as brave, and even fewer who are as deadly.
Skills: Pistols, Carbines, Long Blades, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Scouting, Tracking, Clever Footwork, Riding, Hidden Movement.
Samantha waved the errant scroll away. Slayer of Monsters, how cool was that? There was a downside though, where was the flashy magic? Sadly, amongst the classes available to her, there had been few spellcasters with any appeal. Almost all fell into the stereotypical wizard with long-winded incantations, spellbooks, staves, and thick beards. Hardly the type for a good old adventure out in the wilds. So, pistols and sharp things. At least, until she found some special magic of her own out in the world.
Sam finished ensuring her clothes and equipment were straight as she mused, then played with her hair a bit, before Tor cleared her throat. Blushing, Sam hopped away from the mirror. "Okay, okay, I'm ready! Definitely! Let's get this party started!" The Goddess gestured towards the portal, and Samantha hesitated. "Uhhhh… aren't Slith and Mena going to say goodbye? And I think maybe I want green eyes instead of blu—"
Tor shoved Sam from behind, sending her stumbling into the portal, which snapped closed behind her, and trapping her in a small, white room. Huffing, the new Warden straightened herself out and checked that her hair was still in order, before jumping back in surprise as the far wall began to tear open from the top down, multi-colored light pouring into the blank white room. Shaking with excitement and a small amount of nervousness, Sam jumped up to the tear, eager to see what was on the other side.
What she found was sort of… unoriginal. A princess, a summoning circle, and a chapel. The summoning circle was neat; Samantha had never seen one that really glowed with actual magic. But it was still a princess, summoning circle, and a chapel. Cliché much? Oh, who was she kidding, this was exactly what she was hoping for! Then the Princess spoke.
"Hero. Please, my people need you. I need you. We are in great danger, and none will raise a hand to save us. Will you save me, save my people, from the enemy that seeks to destroy all that is good in this land?" Samantha almost laughed, absolutely delighted. This was wonderful! Then the woman curtsied, actually curtsied, "We will be eternally in your debt, brave and noble Hero."
Unable to help herself, Samantha blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Awesome! I love a pretty damsel in distress." And the Princess was pretty, and with a risqué dress to boot. Definitely the kind you'd send to greet a young and impressionable Hero. Too bad, that trick wouldn't work on her. Probably.
Stepping out, Sam slowly entered the chapel, looking around with intense curiosity. It was fairly neglected, with broken mosaic windows, and a fair bit of dust in the corners and up high, though the floor was mostly swept clean. The statues were garbage though. Mena looked nothing like that! Her breasts were way smaller. Artistic license aside, the place was on the outs, definitely having seen better days. Interesting. But enough looking around, there was a princess to meet!
A genuine smile split Sam's face as she helped the Princess to her feet. "Heya! I'm Samantha, nice to meetcha!"
The Princess froze, her jaw practically on the floor. Sam couldn't help but grin. "I'm sorry, is there something on my shirt?" She made a show of brushing some imaginary lint off her chest, drawing the Princess's eyes down to her breasts.
The woman blinked several times, before her jaw finally rose off the ground. "You're a.. a woman."
Samantha beamed. "Last time I checked!"
Another few blinks, before the Princess shook her head, regaining a semblance of composure. "I'm sorry, Hero. I was led to believe the Gods only sent male Heroes. I was taken off guard. Forgive my impertinence." The woman gave Sam a quick curtsy. The Warden grabbed her elbow as she rose to her feet. "Please, it's no trouble. It should be me apologizing, surprising you like that. But, well, here I am!"
”Yes. Here you are… Ah, my name is Princess Amelie, heir to the Kingdom of Austria."
It was Samantha's turn to be polite. Curtsying in pants did little for the figure, but courtly types had long since found a solution. A half-bow, with some bending at the waist, and the rest at the knees. A half-curtsy, half-bow, and lots of leggy goodness. Taking Amelie's hand, Sam did her little curtsy-bow over it, confident she looked great while doing so. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Amelie. I am at your service, and I look forward to our time together."
The Princess flushed slightly, looking more than a little dazed. "Ah, yes. That is… we will… I am in your care, Samantha." The Warden stifled a giggle. She'd always wanted to hear that! Amelie seemed to notice Sam's amusement, however, and flushed deeper. "Ahhh, you'll be following me to the throne room. I'll be introducing you to the King and Queen." Sam gave Amelie another beaming smile, before linking her arm with the Princess’. "Wonderful. Lead the way!"