Chapter 31
(Mead and Bacon)
The morning seemed to arrive earlier than Jarow would have liked. She kept her eyes closed, attempting to shield herself from the intrusive light filtering through the window. Her head throbbed with the aftermath of drinking the mead from the previous night, and she still desperately longed for the continuation of sleep to help her forget what she had done.
Her experimentation with drinking the previous night had proved to be less than pleasant. While her body apparently could technically handle ingesting liquids, in this case; alcohol, the amplified effect and subsequent discomfort she was experiencing greatly outweighed any enjoyment she had taken from tasting the honey-sweet drink. Her single glass of mead from the night before now felt to her as though she had consumed an entire barrel of the semi-alcoholic liquid, and she deeply regretted her choice of trying the beverage in the first place.
The sounds of people moving about, along with the smells wafting up from below—scents of bread being baked and meat cooking, typically considered extremely pleasant—aggravated her condition and reaffirmed her desire to never eat or drink again.
"Suzerain, I apologize for pressuring you, but we must depart soon to reach our destination on time," Xinpo calmly spoke into her mind. While he could tell she was experiencing some extreme discomfort, he also knew that if they were to make it to the correct timing for the portal, Jarow would need to get moving.
"Can't I just have another hour?" Jarow pleaded, her reluctance evident in her voice.
"If it were up to me, you could have the entire day," Mediv remarked casually from the foot of the bed where he was still curled up around her feet. "Seems like you're not too good at handling your drink." He chuckled through a strange purring sound which had been tickling Jarow’s ears while in her half woken state.
The sound of his chuckling grated on her ears, and she was tempted to cast Molecular Fusion and merge his cells with those of the bed underneath him. She refrained, of course. He was right, and she knew that; they needed to get moving and meet up with the others so they could start this next quest. But that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Ugh... fine," she grunted, tossing the blanket aside. She opened her eyes and scowled at the thinly veiled window. "Why do we have to leave so early anyway?"
"It is necessary for our current location as well as the destination's placement to be in proper alignment. If either point moves too far out of alignment, the portal will not be viable," Xinpo explained. He honestly didn't know all the details either, having only a vague understanding of how the portal would ultimately function. The message he had received told him that both ends needed to be in a specific place and time for the portal to form correctly, and there was little room for error.
This was technically Xinpo’s first time creating a portal to a specific far away destination. Passe-partout hadn’t allowed for coordinates to be entered until he had hit level eighteen. While he had opened several portals before with the ability, none had been to a specific knowable location; they were more of a random exit rather than a way to get from one place to another.
“That’s on you and your weapon this time. You can’t even blame Suhry,” Mediv teased her. She had been speaking aloud out of habit because Xinpo was laying on the dresser rather than being at her side. She knew he would hear her speak to him telepathically no matter the distance, but in her current low-brain-power state, it seemed better to talk out loud than in her head. That's also why Mediv chimed in. While it was annoying that he assumed she was talking to him, she understood it was her mistake that caused the problem. He also seemed to be more amused than hungover, unlike her, which only served to make Jarow even grumpier.
“I know, but I’m not the one who set the schedule. You know that as well as I. Another thing that wasn't me was the guy who kept me up and dancing all night,” Jarow grumbled as she finally rose up and began to search for her clothes.
"If I'm not mistaken, there was a certain Elf who never even had to ask you to keep dancing. You were more than happy to have her around," Mediv jibed back as he stretched. His feline body extended far out from the edges of the small bed, and Jarow watched as his claws extended from his fingertips before he ended his cat-like morning stretch.
“You never said no either, and you’re the one who’s waking up in this room with me, not by her or by yourself,” Jarow retorted, a small smile finally making its way to her lips. The night hadn’t been all bad, at least what was left of the night after they had spent the larger part of it dancing.
Jarow actually didn't think she'd ever had sex before. She really doubted it had happened in her original body. It had been disabled and much too frail to have ever experienced anything as physically interactive with another person. That being said, she certainly wasn't a virgin any longer. In her wildest dreams, she doubted that she'd ever even contemplated losing her virginity to a half-cat person, let alone by a male while she was in a female body.
Her life had taken a strange turn, but at least she could look back on last night with fondness, regardless of what lay ahead. Since waking in the Liminal divide, Jarow had gained relatively few 'good' memories. She had grown somewhat accustomed to navigating dangerous situations and enduring more losses than gains. Amidst the overwhelming abundance of negative memories, it was comforting to have something positive to cherish.
The experience had also been unlike anything she could have even conceived of. She hadn’t really taken the opportunity to explore her other female bodies which made last night's interaction all the more significant and challenging. Luckily Mediv knew his way around a female body and was more than adequate when it came to finding the correct spots and touching the right places to make Jarow feel things she had never before dreamed of experiencing.
Mediv continued their conversation, giving Jarow a scandalous wink as she pulled on her tunic. "Well, she is married after all. It would be rude to Suhry for Isilandra to wake up next to me or you. Although there is always the possibility of you becoming the third hand in that situation."
"If you ask me, all of this extra socialization just takes away from the goal," Xinpo chimed in telepathically from the dresser where he lay.
The two exchanged smiles, acknowledging Xinpo's perspective but having fun in their teasing nonetheless. Despite him being correct in that their entertainment hadn’t done anything directly to advance them toward their goal, they both recognized the importance of taking a night off for an enjoyable experience. They knew they would be facing a great challenge today, and the evening’s pleasantries would help bolster their spirits and give them an additional reason to win and return safely.
"It actually does have a purpose, Xinpo," Jarow said, taking her trousers from Mediv's outstretched hand. She spoke in her most empathetic tone, "I'm just sorry you can't experience it. Let's just say that these interactions are part of bonding, similar to what you and I have done, just... different, more physical."
Xinpo mentally harrumphed, expressing his disapproval.
At first, giving in to their desires had been somewhat awkward. Jarow had finally come to terms with her identity as a female and accepted that she could allow herself to enjoy Mediv's presence. However, her lack of knowledge about the female anatomy was evident. While she still retained memories and instincts about having a male member and how it worked, understanding her female body took some extra time and experimentation.
Fortunately, with Mediv's help, they had both enjoyed themselves. They ended their session panting and completely drained, just as the sky began to lighten and Jarow had fallen asleep almost instantly afterward, feeling comfortable in Mediv's embrace.
However, this morning, she found him curled up at the end of the bed, where he had apparently slept for the short time they had before Xinpo woke them up. It seemed to her that his Werecat curse had changed more than just his body, giving him some other feline traits.
She found that she rather liked him this way, fur and all.
There was no need for words last night, and other than the annoyance of her hangover, the feeling of satisfaction and familiarity between them was still present. The awkwardness Jarow had imagined might be between them simply didn’t exist, for which she was very grateful.
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The other three party members were already downstairs when Jarow and Mediv arrived at the end of the hallway at the top of the stairs. Isilandra smiled at them as she saw them entering the room together. She had gone to bed well before they had, but had a good suspicion that they were going to accompany each other upon waking this morning.
Suhry looked indifferent and impatient as the two of them stood at the top of the stairs, her finger moving up and down on the table, clicking her claw upon the wood impatiently.
Grolluk smiled broadly and yelled across the room to them, “Did you guys do it?” Then, in a slightly quieter tone but still well within the range of the other patrons to hear, he turned to Isilandra and said, 'I'll bet they did it!'
Jarow hadn't felt embarrassed until now, but Grolluk's yell drew the attention of everyone in the tavern who was there to eat breakfast. They all subtly turned to look up at them as they began to descend the stairs, the patrons faces holding looks ranging from large smiles to overly exaggerated winks, and even a couple scowls of disgust.
The four party members had been staying here now for several days and had interactions with many of the townsfolk, including their assistance in dealing with local problems such as the swamp dragon in the neighboring community.
Jarow too had caused a bit of a stir with her impromptu casting of Complete Cleanse yesterday; the cleaning light had affected almost all of the people in town when the pure white dome of light encircled the community and stretched out for several miles. Even people from the countryside and neighboring towns had come to find out for themselves what had happened.
So it was that their party was somewhat well-known to the small community by now, and as with any small town, rumors and gossip spread faster than wildfire.
When Jarow and Mediv arrived together after their dancing and canoodling the previous night, the rumor mill was set to high gear. It was almost an audible wave of whispers surging from the tavern outward to everyone in the community: Two of the party members were now an item, leaving only Grolluk as the sole single and available person in their group. This fact left many women, and a few men, extremely disappointed since Grolluk wasn’t really within their range; his massive size and pungent aroma were definitely acquired tastes.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Gossip notwithstanding, as Jarow arrived at their table, she found a mound of bacon and eggs awaiting her and Mediv, along with bread, fruit, and juice. Grolluk, who still had some remnants of his breakfast on his plate, grabbed another handful of bacon before Jarow and Mediv could even sit down. He smiled at them as he shoved the greasy meat into his mouth. "You two can have the rest," he said through his full mouth of meat. The grease slid down his chin as he spoke while still chewing.
Mediv didn't hesitate and grabbed half of the remaining bacon and slopped a fair amount of the poorly scrambled eggs onto one of the remaining plates. Jarow assumed he was going to start devouring it right away, but he surprised her when he set the plate down in front of her. "Is this enough?" he asked.
Jarow looked down at the plate and raised an eyebrow, feeling extremely perplexed. Her emotions were still akimbo, and she didn't know exactly how to feel. Although one thing was very clear to her as bile rose into her throat. She definitely wasn’t going to test her luck with solid food this morning.
“Uh, thanks, Mediv, but after last night, I’m not going to press my luck and try eating. My body just doesn’t function that way anymore. I appreciate the thought though,” Jarow said as she slowly slid the plate back towards the Cathan.
Mediv’s expression shifted from sweet to hurt, then to understanding, before settling on acceptance as he observed Jarow sliding the plate he had prepared for her back in his direction.
“Oh... yes. That's right. I had forgotten. It's just that you had that mead last night, and I assumed... but no worries. I'm sorry for offering,” he stammered, his tone apologetic as he accepted the plate. Taking a bite of bacon, he halted his rambling. His head and shoulders drooped as his gaze shifted from Jarow's face to the plate in his hands. With a sigh, he began to shovel the food in, avoiding eye contact with the rest of the party, who had all witnessed the awkward exchange.
Jarow shifted her gaze to Isilandra, who returned her smile with a mischievous glint in her eye. Something told Jarow that the elf was actually enjoying the awkwardness of their situation. It almost felt as if the Elven woman found secret delight in Jarow and Mediv's coupling, perhaps even instigating their romantic entanglement, at least in part.
Jarow couldn’t be sure if Isilandra had played a role in what had transpired between her and Mediv last night, and she doubted she would ever truly know. Despite still finding Isilandra's beauty entrancing, Jarow now felt a new sense of happiness and contentment from being with Mediv, which tempered the lust she had previously felt towards the Elf.
Whether it was because she had finally lost her virginity or due to Mediv’s attentiveness and understanding this morning, Jarow wasn’t sure. Nevertheless, the enchantment the Elven woman held over her seemed to be less potent now.
Before she could make sense of her swirling emotions, a small whisper from deep within her mind reminded her of the complexity and difficulty of her existence, suggesting that forming attachments wouldn’t be possible for her.
The thought was unwelcome, yet it contained a kernel of truth. While Jarow wouldn’t label her connection with Mediv as a genuine relationship, the idea had crossed her mind. She had enjoyed waking up with someone beside her, even if it was just Mediv curled up around her feet.
Jarow attempted to suppress the thought, but it persisted, niggling its way around in her consciousness, overpowering the awkwardness she had been feeling moments earlier. She was on the verge of telling Mediv that they couldn't be together, despite not officially being in a relationship, when Xinpo’s voice cut through her emotional turmoil.
“Time is almost up, suzerain. I need to open the portal in twelve minutes,” Xinpo spoke into her mind, startling her. He then made the same telepathic announcement to the rest of the party and Jarow watched the slight twitching reactions as they all were startled int he same way from receiving the message.
Before she knew what she was really saying, she mentally asked, “Xinpo, who am I?” She couldn’t keep herself from asking her oldest companion the question still burning within her mind. “Am I this body? Am I a man or a woman? Can I really be attached to someone? Or do I need to keep everyone at arm's length?”
The questions spilled out of her as she reflexively moved her hands to a small piece of bacon that had slipped from the plate Mediv had set before her moments ago. It wasn’t until she had placed the piece of salty meat into her mouth and chewed a few times that her mind drew itself from her reveries enough to remind her that she wasn’t going to eat, even though she had stated as much only moments ago. She quickly spat the slightly chewed meat out into a cloth napkin lying near the edge of the table.
She was still recovering from drinking last night; she had peed for almost three minutes straight this morning while Mediv patiently waited for her, and now she wasn’t about to see what eating did to her digestive system. She remembered having to witness Grolluk’s exhibition in the cavern, and didn’t want any part of that to happen to her.
Her head wasn't in a good space. In just over ten minutes, she and these people, whom she had grown to know and enjoy their company, some more than others, were going to step through a portal to face yet another daunting battle. In the end, she may die once again, and with that death the opportunity to reunite with these people once more may never arise.
The minutes passed as her teammates finished eating, checked their supplies and weapons, and generally readied themselves for what lay ahead. Throughout this time, Jarow felt the all-too-familiar sensation of Xinpo's contemplation at the back of her mind as he too readied himself for the transportation portal’s summoning, seemingly forgetting or avoiding the questions she had asked earlier.
Finally, the sapient blade responded to her earlier questions, “I cannot speak to your own emotions, suzerain, but I believe that you are you, albeit ever-changing. Right now, you are a young woman grappling with a range of uncontrollable emotions and the desires of her heart; tomorrow, you may be an old man pondering life's purpose and unaffected by lust. But your teammates seem ready to accept you for whoever you may become. I believe that should be the focus as you attempt to find the answers on your own”
The answer wasn't exactly what she had hoped for, but it did provide some solace. Xinpo was right. She was an ever-changing being, a transient soul, and that reality wasn't going to change anytime soon. It was best for her to accept her existence and the continual change it brought, for there was nothing she could do to alter that fact. She glanced at her teammates and smiled. She was lucky to have met people so willing to accept and trust her and her ever changing situation.
"Before we go," Jarow began, speaking in a somber tone to the party gathered around the table, careful not to be overheard by other patrons. "You guys know a bit about my existence, but not the whole story." She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. This was something she had never explained to anyone before, and while it wasn’t as if she were revealing a deeply held secret that would change people’s views about her, she felt that what she was about to say merited some reverence.
"When I die, I don’t cease to exist. I return in another body. Those strange, oddly personal system messages you guys have received about me? Well, those are what I typically receive. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing or who is guiding me, but I want you to know that I really appreciate having you guys in my life, even if it's just temporary. If I die and don't see any of you again, then I want you to know how grateful I am for not only your assistance but your friendship."
Tears sparkled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she concluded her speech. Mediv took her hand, and Isilandra did the same on her other side. Grolluk teared up as well and gave her a goofy-looking tusk-filled smile.
Suhry stared at her intently, but her mouth twitched up at the corners. "Just don't lead us to our deaths," she whispered. "We don't get another life like you do."
As Suhry spoke, Grolluk stood up and circled around the table, wrapping Jarow, Mediv, and Isilandra in a huge hug. Suhry ducked away, seeing the Orc’s intention and narrowly avoiding the large ham hand which reached out to encircle her in the hug as well.
"We love you too!" he exclaimed, loud enough for the entire tavern to hear. He squeezed the three of them tightly, restricting the intake of air into Jarow's lungs. She gasped for breath, not only from the overly tight hug, but also from being pressed in the middle of the trio, feeling their bodies squashed so closely to hers.
Additionally, she couldn't help but notice the Orc's body odor wafting from his open armpits, which tainted each hard-fought breath with a hint of regret.
“How does he get so stinky so fast?” she wondered, while being pressed against Mediv’s and Isilandra’s chests.
Once the hug ended and they could breathe freely again, Xinpo began vibrating at her side. Jarow still held reservations about herself and her identity, but she pushed those thoughts aside. Her chance for introspection and internal debate was over; it was time to go and face the threat of the next challenge.
“It is time, suzerain,” Xinpo said to her unnecessarily.
As her teammates and the other patrons watched, Jarow withdrew Xinpo and moved to the wall nearest to the table. She positioned herself beside the entrance door, just far enough away that she wouldn’t be hit if someone entered. With a swift movement, she stabbed the black and white sword directly into the wood. Instead of being stopped, the blade vanished up to the guard as it pierced directly into the wood.
Where the sword seemingly sank deeply into the wood, a dark circle formed. But the small circle didn’t stay small for long and rapidly expanded outward, growing and looking more and more solid. Inside the circle, a nebula of stars glimmered to life within the blackness of space.
Once the portal had grown to over seven feet tall, it finally stopped expanding. Five stars shot from the outside edge of the portal, leaving a trail of white stardust in their wake. They all moved towards the center of the circular blackness but broke into pieces before reaching the center. However, the pieces didn’t disappear; instead, they angled and trailed more stardust behind them while forming a central pentagonal shape. A star located centrally within the dark circle then exploded into five smaller pieces and traced lines of white to each of the corners of the portal, directly through the angles of the pentagon. This created the symbol both on Isilandra's necklace and what Jarow associated with belonging to the being guiding her journeys.
A wave of power radiated out from the portal as it fully formed, which was felt by everyone. It radiated out to distances unknown and to people unseen. The essence of the power released was more intense than any simple person could handle, and instantly everyone in town, but the five members of the group lost consciousness.
A system message appeared before the party members. Jarow had seen this type of message before, but none of the others had. It was as if the words were being burned onto a semi-transparent piece of rolled parchment, with flowing and intricate handwriting. A deep voice read the words as they appeared.
Through this portal lies the world of Magadan. Its original inhabitants are long dead, but a new threat has now taken occupancy of the dead planet: they are called the Z=K1-LLRT (0MAD0), a ruthless mechanical species that strips planets of all resources before moving on.
Unfortunately for all, this planet held a secret deep within it that the Z=K1-LLRT (0MAD0) have taken control of.
It is up to you five to keep the Z=K1-LLRT (0MAD0) from unleashing the full potential of the artifact. If they have enough time, they will be able to use it to alter the fate of this universe, causing an eventual annihilation of all organic life within its borders.
Prepare yourselves, for this will be the fight of your lives, with the fate of existence on your shoulders.
"Grolluk loudly swallowed and then asked, “Is that true?”
"I believe it is," Suhry answered. "And we should hurry and move through the portal before it loses cohesion."
None of them really wanted to step through the portal now, though, and even Suhry, who had just said they needed to hurry, remained steadfastly locked in place. They simply weren't ready to bear the fate of universal extinction on their shoulders. They each began to second-guess their choice of accepting this mission, now feeling small and wondering if they were truly up to the task.
It was Xinpo who telepathically spurred them forward. "This needs to happen. Do not see this as anything other than another mission. If you let the gravity of the situation weigh you down, the mission will fail. Move forward and face the challenge together as a team; in the same way you have done before!"
His inspirational words helped, pulling them from their fear-induced stupor. It was Jarow who slowly stepped forward first. She moved ahead and, taking a deep breath, stepped into the nebulaic portal, disappearing from sight. This mission was ultimately hers to complete. She desperately wanted the others to join her but understood their hesitation and fear and wouldn’t blame them if they chose to remain behind.
The rest of them watched as her body dispersed and vanished through the portal, the dark night sky opening shimmered as the last of Jarow’s particles left this side, and she was truly gone.
There was a pregnant pause. The atmosphere in the room felt oppressive, and the fear locked within them all became the fetters binding them to their place. No one moved or said a word; even breathing seemed unimportant as they stood, facing the reality that the fate of the universe lay on their shoulders.
“Fuck it. I’m going,” Mediv said, breaking the silence and jolting them out of the dark places they had all been drowning in. With that, he closed his eyes and ran headlong into the dark portal, without so much as a glance backward.
Isilandra looked to her wife, “Suhry, we need to go too," she said, then stepped forward with Suhry's hand held in hers.
Suhry didn't budge though and stood firm, holding her wife back. "This is too much, even for me," she whispered, her tone filled with fear and indecisiveness, a stark contrast to her usual commanding tone of voice.
"Nothing is too much if we face it together," Isilandra said as she moved back and wrapped Suhry in her arms. "We will win, we have to."
Grolluk saw Mediv go through and the two girls hugging. He was scared, but knew he wanted to die facing a strong opponent, that being one of the main goals of his life, and this felt like it could be a good place to find an opponent worthy enough. He inhaled deeply, silencing his fears, and stepped boldly through the portal before the girls even finished their hug.
Isilandra ended the embrace and once again moved toward the portal, pulling her Tiefling wife along with her. Suhry stepped forward and tugged at her wife’s hand, bringing them up together side by side in front of the portal. They squeezed each other’s hand tightly then stepped through at the same time.
As soon as they had all stepped through, the portal glowed black, and a wave of darkness pulsed out several feet before the nebulaic portal faded and withdrew within itself. The circular opening contracted until nothing of the portal could be seen, except for the symbol of the pentagon with the star in the center; which remained.
The symbol glowed brightly, then pulsed a bright white in a huge flash, almost as intense as the Complete Cleanse spell had been the previous day. The energy wave flew out even farther than the spell had, encompassing the entire town and the surrounding area.
As the light passed over and through them, all the people in the area returned from their death-like stasis. They remained asleep, but their bodies became able to breathe and pump blood once again. They didn’t wake up, but their dreams had them running through fields of purple flowers, chasing a huge playful puppy who liked to steal sloppy kisses as they merrily ran and played together.
The symbol then burned itself into the wood, remaining as a not-so-subtle reminder of what had happened this day. Though the people of the town wouldn’t remember anything other than a peaceful nap, for years after, they would see the symbol burnt into the wall and feel as though they had missed something important.