Charles had few things to complain about in life. Sure it hurt when both of his parents died unexpectedly, but he still had his brother at his back, sort of. Chris had found refuge in those cartoons from Japan. Charles did not care for them in particular, but had to admit that some of the women in those were quite attractive.

So when he had heard Chris yelling, it was only natural that Charles came running. He was not sure what to make of the weird glowing circle on the ground, only that he felt in his heart that Chris should not be in it. Apparently being in that circle himself still caused them to be separated, but Chris was still able to talk to him so things were not completely bleak.

Charles, despite what Chris might think, was not a complete muscle-headed idiot. He was certainly average, so compared to his almost genius brother he looked vastly inferior. While finding himself magically summoned to another world and being that world’s hero had never been part of his expected life plan, Charles took to the position quite well. He was not sure how being a hero made one just generally superior to the people of this world the way it did, so he left that to Chris. Instead Charles took to the combat side of being a hero with gusto. Secretly though, Charles wanted to go back home. He had a girlfriend and a brother actually there.

“Charles? Your presence is requested in the throne room.”

Captain Seiren waited outside the bedchamber Charles had been provided. While bigger than his room back home, it was sparsely decorated and felt empty to him. He thought of the room as nothing more than a glorified hotel room while he was on a vacation. An incredibly fun vacation, by the way.

As the Captain led the way to the throne room, Charles tried to contact Chris through the strange brain link they now had. Charles honestly preferred talking aloud when trying to talk with his brother, since it felt more like a conversation that way, but in this moment he realized that not might be dangerous to do so..

"Hey Chris? The king guy called for me," Charles thought.

It was quiet for a moment in his mind, but eventually Chris's voice echoed within.

"What did you do? Destroy another stone wall?"

"No. I didn't do anything!"

"Sure. Kayla stopped by again today."

"Did she change her mind about breaking up?"

"No."

"Oh."

Charles was quiet.

"So what's the king want?"

"Don't know. Figured you'd want to hear."

"Good. Say what I tell you this time and nothing else."

Charles shrugged. He was not a fan of authority figures, so listening to the king was a bore. He was perfectly content to let Chris handle things. Instead, he could focus his attention on winning the affections of the women in his group. It did leave a bit of conflict in him to decide that, but as much as he might have wanted to still be with Kayla she was stubborn once she made up her mind. Maybe he could figure out a way to bring them back to Earth with him when he returned.

The throne room that Captain Seiren led him to was the smaller of two in the castle, used for more private discussions and such things. There were few decorations here, which Charles did not understand, but the throne itself was an exact replica of the one in the larger throne room. It was actually a quite modest piece, only being made of carved wood with no gold trimmings or any sort of embedded gems.

Despite his irritance he felt towards the king, who had apparently ordered the magic summoning thing that brought them here, Charles also felt sorry for the king. He was a weak ruler stumbled over his own words and obviously second guessed himself a lot. That the man had made any sort of decision alone about summoning a hero seemed unlikely. Captain Seiren was perhaps one of the most devoted people in the country to the royal family, but even he had expressed his misgivings in private. Charles approached the throne, but did not bother to take a knee.

"What'cha want old man? Charles asked.

He heard Chris's sigh through their link, but paid it no mind. Several of the royal guards nearby twitched in anger at his disrespect, but kept themselves otherwise in order.

"Yes. Well…," the king launched into whatever he had wanted to say.

Charles tuned his mind out of the conversation immediately, instead focusing on ranking the quiet druid, fiery mage, and alluring elf from his party.

"Say that you're honored," Chris piped in.

"About time," Charles said aloud before returning to his thoughts.

"That's not what I said to say you idiot."

Charles was wondering how exactly elven anatomy might differ from human. When it came to ears there was a difference, but other than that there was nothing obvious. Maybe he should check her out first.

"Say you agree with the decision to promote the Captain."

"He deserved it sooner," Charles said.

Chris let out a mental scream, which distracted Charles from his previous thoughts. He instead started thinking about his connection with Chris. Even he had heard the theory about twins sharing a mental connection, but before being separated by worlds he had never given it any credit. Not even when they were kids could Charles remember a time where the two had shared thoughts like the theory said was possible. Inevitably, he had chalked up the theory to be one of those crazy conspiracy theories that people bought into.

Confronted with the current reality of the mental connection though made two questions run through his mind; how did it work and would it stop once he returned home? Chris had apparently figured out a lot about the connection, as he had no issues whatsoever just listening in whenever.

"HEY! LISTEN TO ME! Ask the Commander if you can leave tomorrow."

"Huh?" Charles said aloud, "Who?"

"Captain Seiren. You really weren't paying any attention at all."

"Oh."

Charles turned to look at Captain, no Commander, Seiren. The man had the puzzled look on his face that Charles had seen numerous times now.

"Is something wrong with our hero?" the king asked cautiously.

"I'm fine you old fart."

"Charles, please be respectful to the king," Seiren commented.

“Please,” Chris begged.

“Fine. Seiren, can we leave tomorrow?”

Seiren thought for a moment, but returned a nod.

“We can.”

“Thank you, Commander Seiren,” squeaked the king.

“Please just politely leave,” Chris whispered, “Give a little bow or something.”

Charles thought for a moment, then simply turned and left without showing any respect to the king. He heard Chris groan.

“You think I would make a better king?” Charles asked, making sure to let the king hear him intentionally as he was leaving.

The king gasped, but Charles heard nothing else that he might have said or done. He remembered that there was a princess here in Therode. Maybe she would be a worthy consideration of his time.

“Why do you put yourself in these kinds of positions? Are you trying to get yourself killed by these people?” Chris asked.

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“I’m a hero. The Hero. They can’t touch me if that old fart wants to keep that seat of his. I can’t say I’m looking forward to the fighting, but beating these demons will save the country. I may not like the people at the top, but the others shouldn’t suffer. Besides, they did say beating the demon lord will send me back home.”

“Right…” Chris responded.

-----------------------------------

Two dozen shadow hounds had surrounded them. The creatures were a type of demon that resembled a sleek, black wolf that emitted a black mist which followed along magically. The hounds could manipulate the mist into shadowy tendrils that could lash out at a distance. These tendrils made the creatures difficult to deal with since the mist could easily penetrate armor to deal damage while the tendrils could not be meaningfully attacked. The best strategy for dealing with the shadow hounds was to rush at them and take out their bodies. It was a strategy that Charles technically used on everything.

A few minutes later the shadow hounds were dissipating, leaving a slightly wounded but still very much alive party behind.

“Waters of Life, fall upon us and soothe our wounds. Healing Rain,” Nicole chanted.

A small rain cloud condensed just overhead, then proceeded to drop its water on the six people there. Despite the water hitting him, Charles was still astounded that none of the moisture lingered on his skin, clothes, or armor. Not astounded enough to pursue magic on his own, but still astounded.

“That’s the largest pack of demons we’ve seen so far,” Seiren said.

“I’m no longer feeling sure about scouting ahead like I have been,” Kerri commented, “If they catch me with those kinds of numbers, I’m not sure that I’ll make it.”

“I can go with you. The two of us together can hold out long enough,” Charles suggested.

“Nah. I’ll just stay within sight of y’all,” Kerri said as she shook her head.

“Save it until we get to town and get a room,” Taerra grumbled.

“Jealous much?” Charles smirked.

“No,” Taerra snapped back, though the fact that she could not maintain eye contact might suggest otherwise.

Charles was not really good at reading people, but with the conversations he had been having over the last several days he suspected that he was making good progress in building up a foundation with Kerri and Nicole. Taerra was hostile and short-tempered, but he found himself still talking with her just as frequently as the other two.

“Thanks for everything, Nicole,” he said, causing the druid to blush.

“Y-you don’t need to thank m-me. I-it’s my job.”

“A critical job,” Seiren added, “Thank you. We should press onwards and reach Riverwatch by nightfall. It’s the last fortress that we still control this far out.”

Charles shrugged, “If you say so.”

“You really should pay attention to everything,” Chris whispered through their link.

“Bro!” Charles called out, “How long have you been chilling out this time?”

“Too long.”

Charles ignored the looks that his group members gave him as he started chatting with Chris. He wandered off a short ways away at Chris’s insistence.

“It’s still concerning that he does that,” Taerra said.

“Agreed. You both are certain he isn’t possessed by a demon?” Seiren asked.

Taerra and Nicole nodded.

“I can’t find any sort of mind altering or charm magics.”

“H-he also doesn’t have any sort of d-damage.”

“I’m starting to wonder if he really is telling the truth about his brother,” Kerri said.

“It’s a ridiculous notion though,” Taerra said, “No other hero has ever been able to communicate across worlds.”

“If his story is to be believed, his brother is a twin though. And the summoning spell had selected his brother,” Seiren commented.

“The summoning spell would never allow its chosen to escape that easily,” Taerra sighed.

“A-and there is no precedence for a mind connection like C-charles says there is. E-even among twins,” Nicole followed up.

They all turned to look at him as Charles laughed at whatever was being said.

“He’s crazy. I’ll take care of him before Riverwatch,” Gray said.

“No, you will not ‘take care’ of him,” Seiren scowled at the assassin, “How many times must I remind you of that?”

Gray shrugged non-committedly and said nothing further.

“At any rate, there is little we can do,” Seiren said, “He’s already too effective to just throw him away. A hero is the only one with enough strength to beat a demon lord. We’ll take time at Riverwatch to get him to that point.”

-----------------------------------

Riverwatch was built, as the name suggested, on the banks of a river. The river in question was known as the Temiss, and served as a large portion of the Therode Kingdom’s southern border. It was a walled city since it functioned as a military fortress, which was one part of its survival. The other contributing factor was its unique layout. The city existed on a series of artificial islands that had been created as channels were built to act as a moat for the city. Each time the city had a major expansion, a new channel had been dug to expand the moat system, creating a new island.

Since Riverwatch had such a unique access to water within the city, they had developed efficient aquatic farming for things like fish, watercress, and other aquatic-based edibles. It made the city self-sufficient in times of siege like it was now. Of course, many of the average people in Riverwatch had already fled northward by this time, so there was even more food to go around here than normal. Overall, Riverwatch could be said to be doing even better than before the demon’s invasion. There was a rumor starting to circulate that, after the demon invasion was defeated, Riverwatch would break away from the kingdom and go its own way.

Charles was impressed by the city’s appearance, and apparently Chris was as well by the comments he was making. After being checked at the entrance to the city, they worked their way across the islands to the area known as First Island. After exchanging whatever pleasantries they supposedly had to, which Charles paid no mind to at all yet again, they were shown to an inn that the military had commandeered for officers and other important individuals.

“Pleasant Dreams,” Chris murmured.

Charles thought it was an interesting name as well, but kept his thoughts to himself. Inside though, Charles was impressed. The entire place seemed welcoming and comfortable. Lounging chairs and sofas, though simple, were everywhere cushioned. The rooms were spacious and just as comfortable. A blended scent of vanilla and cinnamon gently permeated the entire place, making it relaxing just to be here.

“Welcome to the Pleasant Dream,” said the woman at the counter which served to check guests in.

“We’re with the army,” Seiren told her.

“Of course. How many rooms will you need?”

“Six. One for each of us.”

Charles was speechless for once, and not because he was not paying attention. Instead, it could be argued that he was paying too much attention. The reason for that was the woman at the check in counter.

She had a beautiful, heart-shaped face on which she kept an enchanting smile. A light dusting of freckles on her cheeks created an alluring contrast to her pale skin. Pale blue eyes shone with an inner brightness that projected both knowledge and beauty. She must know what she had going for her and played it well. Equally pale blue hair, completely natural in color, framed the sides of her face and was braided down the back. Pointed ears poked through her hair on the sides, suggesting an elven lineage.

She had an apple shaped figure that was not overly muscular, but had a nice tone to it. However, what drew most of Charles’ attention, as well as that of Chris, Seiren, and Gray, was her seemingly back-breaking chest. Charles had never seen such naturally large breasts, only something comparable in videos online perhaps. She was giving quite a generous view of her cleavage with her shirt, which itself seemed to strain with her size. Her skirt was less restrictive, but did reveal enough shape to show that she had an equally generous backside.

“Who are you?” she suddenly asked Charles.

“I, um, I-I’m Charles…” he managed to stammer out.

She giggled, almost seductively, at his flustered state.

“I’m the hero!” he blurted out.

“Oh? How wonderful to have you here! We’ll make sure you get our absolute best here at the Pleasant Dream. My name is Jynna.”

“Yeah…” he sighed.

Jynna giggled again, putting that same sense of seduction into it as before.

“How about you all head to your rooms and we’ll get something sent up there for a late night meal?”

“That… that would be excellent. Thank you,” Seiren said, managing to snap himself out of his lustful trance.

Gray also managed to do so shortly after, along with the women who were ogling a male staff member that kept drawing their attention in the same manner. They collectively had to drag Charles away, a difficult task to say the least, since only he seemed unable to break his trance of his own accord.

“Chris? You there? She was something else, right?” Charles dreamily asked.

“Yeah. She’ll definitely be in our dreams tonight.”

Charles was not sure exactly how long it was that he was alone in the room, but the knock on the door sent him flying to open it. There stood Jynna herself with a small tray of food.

“May I come in? I’ve brought you a little something to fill you up after your travels.”

“Of course,” he breathlessly replied, gasping a little to remember to breathe.

Jynna slipped past him and placed the tray on a small table for dining here in the room. Charles shut the door and slowly followed after her. She seemed to sense his gaze, and made sure to wiggle her hips seductively as she walked.

“Do you mind if I sit for a bit? I have been on my feet all day.”

“Go ahead.”

She sat in a lounging chair that had a large enough seat for two people and leaned back, shutting her eyes and letting out a moan of relief.

“Why don’t you sit here with me?”

Charles was shaking with nerves and excitement. Here was an absolutely beautiful woman, practically throwing herself at him. He sat down, but did not move to touch her.

“Oh that won’t do,” she commented.

She reached to him and grabbed his shoulders, spinning him slightly away from her then pulling him back. He let out a gasp as he found the back of his head resting comfortably against her chest. He looked upwards, savoring the sensation of softness as his head seemed to sink further in, and saw her face smiling down at him.

“It’s been a long day for you, hasn’t it? You look really tired. Maybe you should sleep?”

“Charles! Something isn’t right here!” Chris suddenly shouted.

However, he was too far gone to acknowledge his brother. He did not even hear the mental warning. Instead, Charles felt his eyes droop and his mind haze over as sleep took him.

Jynna’s smile continued.

“Now let’s take a look at this hero,” she murmured to herself.