Hallvar didn’t risk any more chance encounters with the heroes, escaping Claylake Post as soon as drinks were finished.

Hallvar regretted having to leave since Grim invited the adventurer to join on their quest into the [ territory ] to hunt a few Tawha wolves. The chance to explore a [ territory ] with a small party hurt to turn down, but Hallvar worried about retribution from that Leon fellow.

They were certain this was not the end of this stupid conflict. Leon seemed to be roleplaying the part of a noble knight or a prince in power, a game which the other heroes tentatively followed. Hallvar remembered how difficult it was to look away from the man – were the other heroes similarly affected? Free will existed, but so did compelling charisma.

Hallvar hated how weak they felt. Even with newfound power, new skills, they were still one person against a well-equipped asshole of a man, and the soldiers who trailed after him.

[ skill: bull rush ] was one worth practicing. Hallvar used it in every moment of physical exertion, sometimes sprinting for a distance until the timer ran out. It was up to 80s now, a minute and twenty seconds.

The problem was that even though Hallvar needed to prolong the time limit, each use added only 1 second.

And Hallvar learned the hard way that spamming the skill resulted in muscle aches and weakness, on top of severe nausea. The physical exertion of combat or exercise was necessary for the skill to work, otherwise it was the bodily equivalent of downing six high-sugar energy drinks and expecting to sit in silence and study.

[ skill: bull rush ] allowed their strength to reach 16, as the system rounded down. While Hallvar found it easier to parry Kiran’s attacks, they remained an amateur in actual combat.

The idea of fighting against an executioner’s sword was daunting. Kiran put Hallvar in their place with the spear, teaching the adventurer that long reach could trump almost any physical superiority.

How could Hallvar fend off a three-foot bladed bludgeon with an axe? Even with a strength 16 and agility 15, Hallvar could only hope to close distance before Leon’s sword made contact. Without armor – and maybe with armor? – that sword would break bones instantly.

They rehearsed sparring scenarios in their mind as Hallvar walked back to the capital. It wasn’t practice, but with their proficiency in basic offensive and defensive melee, Hallvar could mentally puppeteer a guy with a big stick through strikes and make educated guesses about the best reactions as an axe and dagger wielder.

After another night under the stars in their bedroll, Hallvar was ready for a proper mattress.

They made it to the capital in the mid-morning, shrugging off bags and equipment into the entryway of Fern’s home before fetching a change of clothes. The bath house sung its siren song; Hallvar didn’t give a shit if they were supposed to report to the guildmaster, the bath came first.

Cleaning was difficult at Kiran’s cabin. She owned a small bath, but it wasn’t the same as sinking into a massive hot spring, like at the bath house. Hallvar’s other option had been the ice-cold stream, which only sounded good after an exhausting sparring session.

The bath signaled a moment in which Hallvar could finally relax. No one bothered them here. People talked, sure, but they were couples or friends who arrived together.

Hallvar followed the spring to a curve in the pool where they climbed in and leaned their head back onto the stone walkway. They could nap. They shouldn’t nap, not in the bath house, but Hallvar felt the warmth and comfort sink in to make this place very nap-able.

There was probably an etiquette thing about napping in the bath house. Hallvar would have to ask the front desk later.

They planned out a to-do list – see the guildmaster, clean and repair equipment, stock up on food and other goods, research heroes and politics – and when that didn’t fill their time completely, Hallvar prodded the system for information.

faq topic: what additional features can the system provide?

The system can perform tasks that you would be able to do given the appropriate time and energy, as long as you currently possess either the resources or mental capacity to fulfill the request.

Example: [ hero skill: rote reading ] allows books to be catalogued. Without additional skills, the system can fulfill a request to list all known types of plant alphabetically. Further detail may be added, such as connecting names to pictures to create study cards.

No results of tasks are saved. Every task must be re-requested in full detail.

Hallvar played with this concept for some time. The system could do simple math if provided the numbers in order, but it could not calculate the cost of buying an axe, a book, and a knife together, as those prices were variable.

The system was able to suggest a path from the bath house back to Kiran’s cabin based on Hallvar’s memorization of a local map, but it could not maintain the guidance as a GPS would.

Hallvar was very interested in a catalogued list of all beasts they encountered so far, which were paired to illustrations for easy understanding. If Hallvar wanted to be a beastmaster, a successful one, they needed to find a companion.

The simple solution was to purchase a dog or tame a Tawha wolf. Man’s best friend and whatnot.

Livestock animals were available too, but Hallvar was unsure about a horse. They didn’t know how to ride, which was an embarrassing thing to need training for in a world where cars didn’t exist. People probably learned to ride at a young age.

Hallvar remembered pets in a far corner of the market. A domesticated animal would be an easy introduction into beastmaster-y, though perhaps a terrible companion for combat.

A soft gasp interrupted Hallvar’s thoughts. They tensed and sat up quickly, presuming the shocking sound came from someone falling or in danger.

While not in danger, someone was close by.

Fern.

She was wrapped in a towel and standing over the adventurer, a hand over her mouth.

“It’s you!” She said softly but with excitement. “Tyrus mentioned you were nearby.”

The elf woman lowered herself to the ground, sitting then slipping into the warm water next to Hallvar. She dropped down so the water reached her collarbone as she sat comfortably on a ledge.

Hallvar was stunned by the sudden nudity of the woman.

It was non-sexual. Bathing was not a sexual act, therefore nudity in a public bath was not to be sexualized. Hallvar understood this. They were able to push past it with the other bathers.

But Hallvar was from a purity, modesty culture where nudity was considered bad and wrong and even condemning in the right circumstances. They didn’t believe in the religious tones, especially after literally dying and returning to life in a different world, but the context of sexuality and nudity remained.

It was so hard to shake off a lifetime’s worth of culture.

The water was slightly cloudy with the ambient heat, but Hallvar could distinctly see two brown spots on the woman’s chest.

Ah, tits, Hallvar both acknowledged and swore.

They fought diligently to look up at her face; she smiled back, unaffected. Did she know Hallvar could talk? Was she waiting for a coherent response?

“Sorry, I—” They tried to explain but the woman’s eyes lit up once words escaped their lips.

“You can talk?!” She grabbed Hallvar’s knee instead of a hug, making the poor hero realize how close she was. Their arm lingered behind her – before it was sprawled out to relax and stretch, now it hovered near her shoulders awkwardly.

Were there protocols here? What kind of touching was bad in a bath?

“I can,” they admitted, trying very hard to focus upward and not downward. “I’m Hallvar.”

They wanted to show genuine appreciation to the woman, but they were struggling to find the words and garner the appropriate warm fuzzy feelings without veering into hot feelings.

Hallvar lowered their awkwardly placed arm to carefully touch her shoulder, making firm, intentional eye contact with a smile. “Thank you for helping me. I don’t know what would have happened to me without you.”

She practically leapt to hug them, throwing her arms around Hallvar’s neck. Their brain short-circuited at all the skin contact and the soft pressure on their chest, though her hug was blessedly short. Hallvar could feel their face and ears go cartoonishly red even as the woman talked cheerfully.

“We thought you were dead! The guildmaster vaguely mentioned that you were safe a few days ago, and I’ve tried to needle information from him since. What happened?”

She leaned back against their arm, her bright eyes watching Hallvar fight off a mini-puberty surge. They didn’t know their exact age, but they were well past the time for this shit. Probably.

Formerly-Abby didn’t know anything about how dicks worked from the perspective of the dick-haver. This was a crash course in learning, though.

“I didn’t catch your name?” Hallvar asked, counting freckles on her face as a distraction.

“I’m Stella. Good to finally meet you.”

A pretty name. The hero smiled and squeezed her shoulder with the comfortably pinned arm. “Hi, Stella. Did, uh, Tyrus tell you anything else?”

She furrowed her brow which was terribly cute. A hand movement brought Hallvar’s attention down for a few seconds – whoops, tits – but they recovered.

It was unfair that Stella was this lovely. Looking at her was like a minefield of emotion and lust.

“He talked at length about meeting the mage hero and mentioned you by description.” Stella’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Did you get to meet the other four? I heard they travel together.”

Boom, another landmine went off.

“Other four?” Hallvar kept their voice down to a whisper too, but it was clear they were agitated.

Did she mean the mage plus four more? According to Kiran, it was the gossip of the kingdom that only four heroes arrived at the castle. Stella should know only four heroes existed, except…

“You knew?” Hallvar questioned, a sense of confusion rising. A painful idea wormed its way in. “Were you helping me to, I don’t know, gain something from my… potential status?”

“No,” Stella answered immediately, shaking her head. “I learned the night you disappeared on the quest, and I haven’t told anyone.”

“How—how did you learn? What do you know?” Hallvar sighed, any sense of sensuality dwindling as the conversation grew more complicated. “I believe you. But I know very little, only what Kiran and the system told me.”

“Ser Kiran, the knight?”

Hallvar nodded, continuing their hushed conversation. “She told me that the… that my existence would attract a lot of attention if I wasn’t careful and that I should lay low until I spoke to the guildmaster.”

Stella was sitting fully sideways now to face Hallvar, grabbing their hand to hold in solidarity or something.

“He’ll explain later, but-” She made her whispering even quieter, leaning closer in. “There’s a power struggle happening with the heroes and the King-Consort. Your absence and presence at the Guild might be used for political purposes.”

“What does that mean?” Hallvar hated the idea of being a political pawn.

Her eyes locked onto Hallvar’s; they could tell she was thinking, finding the best words to explain a deeply complicated situation. Stella leaned in, whispering in their ear.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“The King-Consort may use your accidental participation in the guild as a reason to punish the guildmaster and accuse him of kidnapping. You are safe from execution; the guildmaster is not.”

So the old motherfucker was in trouble because of Hallvar? Or was he using Hallvar to avoid trouble? It was all very confusing.

If Hallvar stayed arrested, they would have been brought to court on a charge of attacking the princess. Could that have prevented this nightmare?

No, the metal guild card with the personal note from Viktor would have exposed the guild regardless, and Hallvar had no reason to hide that information, no knowledge of this plot.

Their Luck brought Hallvar to Kiran, the former First-Knight. Her motivations were fairly simple – the knight commander at the tournament failed to do his job, and she was preventing the unreasonable death of a weird adventurer as a favor to Viktor. She told Hallvar exactly that when they asked but refused to elaborate more.

The King-Consort wanted to ruin the guild, or at least the guildmaster.

“If the royals are after me, shouldn’t I leave the country? Or do I turn myself in?” Hallvar responded finally, uncertain. A pit of anxiety was forming in their stomach, one that warm water couldn’t soothe away.

Stella huffed and shifted around, pushing Hallvar’s arm over her shoulders. “Hold me so I can sit close and explain. If we whisper like this, it looks like we’re together and no one will pay attention.”

They complied, unable to really appreciate the intimacy at play. There was too much at stake for a fun game of don’t look at the tits again.

Hallvar stared out across the bath house, looking at other occupants to see if they were watching. The hot spring was large and sprawling with pockets and indentations, not a standard chlorine-pool shape. It had plenty of room for bathers to spread out and enjoy a sense of pseudo-privacy.

The elf leaned against their side, turning her head so she could talk as quietly as possible. Their height difference meant she spoke into Hallvar’s neck and jaw. It would have been quite an intimate arrangement without the threat of death or causing someone else’s execution.

“Try and breathe, Hallvar.” The name sounded nice when she said it. “I’m sorry I brought this up here while you relaxed. I should have left you alone.”

The supposed hero breathed in and out deeply, as if meditating. It did help the overall anxiety. They decided to lighten up the stressful moment with an attempt at earnest human connection.

They squeezed her shoulders, pulling her closer in a sideways hug. “I want to get to know you, so I’m glad you stopped to talk. A lesson on local politics wasn’t my idea of a date, though.”

Stella laughed. “Let me explain the big issues then we can drop our clothes off then get lunch. Would that be a better date?”

“Much,” Hallvar replied, placing a cheeky kiss on the side of her head. This was going well for something that started off so awkward.

The political situation was simpler than Hallvar imagined. Probably easier than the electorate college, at least.

In Amnasín, the gender of the reigning monarch didn’t matter, but the current one was the Queen Voisava Janiesae.

She was married to King-Consort Cyciphos of Kovateli, the kingdom to the immediate east, and they had two daughters, one of which was married and elsewhere.

While the Queen was known as an even-tempered, just ruler, the King-Consort often pushed the limits of his station. The -consort part of his title indicated that he would not inherit the throne, nor did he possess power outside of local castle affairs.

For years, rumors built that the King-Consort wanted more. He gathered what little strength was not already oathed to the Crown, but the Queen’s absence for a diplomatic event was the perfect moment to summon and oath heroes into his service.

Stella had little information outside of gossip and personal knowledge, but she thought that if the King-Consort knew Hallvar wasn’t missing, he would use the information to hurt the guildmaster and take control of Hallvar at the same time.

The hero had to explain their interactions with the princess and Kiran before Stella could answer a second question – why would the former knight choose to hide Hallvar from the royals instead of turning them in?

Another simple answer. The Queen and her consort would celebrate 50 years together in the next season. Kiran’s presence as a knight, and then as First-Knight, spanned around 40 of those years.

She was well-aware of the King-Consort’s temperament and his tendency to wield authority like a hammer when the Queen was away. Any man who injured the princess would be executed before reaching the throne room, without any heed for if they were the missing hero.

Stella knew that, and she was only 35 years old with most of that lifespan spent on her family’s farm.

Everyone in the capital understood the King-Consort’s behavior. Even crime dwindled while the Queen was away, for fear of immediate execution instead of a reasonable sentence.

It was safer for Hallvar to remain quiet until the Queen returned. Her judgment was intelligent and informed, not based on emotional outbursts.

After Stella’s explanation, the pair left the bath. Hallvar felt pruney from the water, wrinkled fingertips and damp all over, but the main source of discomfort was the pit in their stomach.

They felt uneasy about the future. When would the Queen return? Did they have to live in fear for a week or months?

They remembered Leon’s determination to see Hallvar arrested. The archer tried to convince him to let it go, but would he?

These questions haunted Hallvar on the walk back to Stella’s house, past the Adventurer’s Guild itself.

The equipment and bag sitting in the landing just past the doorway brought Hallvar back to reality and the rudeness of clogging up the walkway.

“Oh, sorry,” they said, pushing forward to clean up their mess. “Between the cabin and the walk here, I just wanted a bath.”

“I understand!” Stella replied, ducking into her room while Hallvar took their things upstairs.

They pocketed their coin purse and secured their knife, just in case, before heading back down to join the woman.

Hallvar stopped in her open doorway with full intentions to ask about lunch plans and whether they should talk to the guildmaster first, but they stuttered over the first word at the sight.

Stella was trying on different shirts, looking into a vanity mirror as she did. The elf glanced over at Hallvar, who apologized and immediately looked away.

She laughed again, a merry sound that Hallvar liked. “You saw me naked in the bath! Don’t pretend you didn’t look. I did!”

“It’s—” They tried to explain themselves, brain skipping like a scratched cd at the admission that she looked. “In my culture, nakedness is always flirting or meant to be sexy. I’m trying to adjust.”

Stella stood in her… was that a bra? Whatever, she stood shirtless and looked at Hallvar with a bemused expression. The adventurer made a point to watch – they could be cool about it! See! – as she gestured toward Hallvar with a hand.

A shimmer of magic appeared, like a shiny grey fog.

“Your Awareness is 14. You can perceive social cues and understand their purpose. You should be very good at that. But your Charisma, ouch. A 6 is low, what I would expect from a young adult. You know what complex social situations are but when faced with them, you will struggle to interpret an appropriate social response.”

“You can see my stats?”

The top of Stella’s head reached Hallvar’s nose, so she had to reach upwards to clasp the hero’s cheeks in both hands and pull them to eye level.

“I’m changing in front of you because I’m flirting, Hallvar. Use that ridiculous Luck attribute to get lucky.”

The sudden rush of excitement and confusing apprehension clogged up Hallvar’s thoughts until they ground to a halt.

Fuck, they wanted this! Absolutely, they did. Yet there was a lot of weird summoned-person baggage that lingered.

“I promise I’m smart,” Hallvar began weakly, feeling entirely embarrassed and too horny to think at the same time. “I- you’re so pretty and nice, but I’m awkward and dumb. I’ve never had a dick before, either!”

They were rambling now, trying to explain why they hesitated. “Everything feels a little different and I’m nervous. I’ve slept with all kinds of people, but as the old me, not this!”

Stella seemed entertained by their excuses, taking advantage of her hand placement to play with their sideburns. She stopped as soon as the genitals were mentioned, letting Hallvar stand more comfortably while waiting for her judgment.

“You… what?”

Hallvar could place that question on any part of that rambling statement, but they presumed it was the dick comment, as it was the most inflammatory one in their mind.

“Yeah, I-” Something occurred to the hero. “Wait, how do you think heroes are summoned?”

It was Stella’s turn to be confused. “I don’t understand. Heroes are summoned. They come from an unknown place to here, like spirits do. I don’t know the correct terminology for it, but spirits step through a veil from their world into ours.”

Fuck, this explained a lot about the treatment of heroes in this world.

Hallvar asked another question, carefully. “Spirits answer a call willingly, then? The same as heroes?”

There was a long silence. “That’s how summoning works. A spirit won’t cross into this world unless it wants to. I assumed it was the same for heroes.”

Hallvar shook their head slowly. They opted out of the full explanation, cutting it down into an acceptable one for the moment.

“I was a completely different person before I appeared here. Boobs, vagina, the works. Much shorter too. It’s hard to remember, but maybe my eye color was the same?”

The conversation was derailed more than Hallvar intended. They gently steered it away from the discussion of death and being forced into a new life.

“My Charisma is probably low because I still feel awkward in this new body.” They gave a crooked, placating smile. “I’m happy to flirt badly with you, if that’s still on the table?”

Stella looked the hero over with a sigh, shaking her head as if to scold them. “Will you keep surprising me like this? Should I expect shocking information at any moment?”

“That wasn’t a no to the flirting.” Hallvar was pleased she didn’t seem upset, mostly curious. And still partially naked. “But if you want transparency, there’s more to the summoning that requires a couple drinks and multiple dates before I’m willing to discuss it.”

The woman’s face lit up again, leaning in to grasp at their shirt as she drew into Hallvar’s personal space. “Multiple dates? You promise?”

They were firmly back into flirting territory, thank the fates.

“Of course,” they promised, hands finding her waist easily. “Can I get a second chance on this one?”

Stella was very close now, looking up at Hallvar with such an adoring expression. “The date hasn’t started yet.”

The hero kissed her softly – a peck, a tease. “But I want to show you a skill I kept from my world.”

That piqued her curiosity enough to distract her from the potential of kissing. “A skill?”

A strength of 11 was plenty to loop their arms around Stella’s waist and carry her the few steps toward the bed. She was laughing by the time they arrived, easily posed where Hallvar wanted her.

The hero propped themselves up against the headboard and pulled Stella back against them, as if they were spooning. They ran their hands over her warm, soft stomach and up against her bra-thing, teasing.

“Fuck, you’re perfect.”

She didn’t agree as much as hum, especially when Hallvar abandoned talking in favor of kissing along Stella’s neck. They murmured their own approval as they cupped her breast, running their hand over the fabric to find her nipple.

Hallvar continued the heavy petting until she arched and groaned. With a chuckle, they kissed behind her ear. “If you want more, you have to take it off. I don’t know how.”

The bra thing was tied in the front; Stella fumbled out of eagerness, but her breasts were exposed with a happy wiggle from the woman.

The hero didn’t need another cue. They fondled her with enthusiasm, hoping their hands weren’t too rough. She inhaled sharply once Hallvar turned their attention from kneading the soft flesh to toying with her nipples.

Now, Hallvar had zero experience with a dick of their own. Well, not zero, but self-pleasuring wasn’t the same as shared sexual experience. It wasn’t like those moments were plentiful; Hallvar could count the attempts on one hand, and even less so for successes.

But they certainly knew how their old cis girl body worked. Nipple play could get some women off without any other stimulation. Now, to see how Stella liked it…

They brushed, pinched, twisted and pulled on her cute brown nipples until she whined and writhed. With one nipple twisting between their thumb and forefinger, Hallvar dipped their other hand down under her skirt, past her underwear.

It took some shuffling, but the hero felt hair then folds and wetness. Yes. Good. They thanked whatever entity or system intelligence led Stella and Hallvar to meet because she was perfectly short for Hallvar’s height. They could dip their fingers inside her while still comfortably seated and toying with her breast.

After a few strokes of their fingers, Stella clamped her hand onto their wrist. Confused, they stopped.

“You haven’t fucked anyone yet?” she asked breathily.

“No?” Hallvar answered.

“Can you obey orders?”

Hallvar understood now. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good, strip.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. Stella climbed off them so Hallvar could stand. Their shoes were by the front door, but they tossed away socks, trousers, shirt, underwear – finally nude.

Stella didn’t waste any time either. She pushed Hallvar toward the bed with the urgency only sex could provide. “Lay down.”

With that, she climbed on top of the very exposed hero. They were mostly hard from teasing and fingering Stella, but she leaned down to lick up the length of their shaft and suck on the tip.

A little gasp escaped Hallvar. They propped themselves up to watch her go down, groaning at both sensation and how good she looked with her mouth full.

“Ugh, fuck me,” Hallvar swore.

“That’s next,” Stella quipped after freeing her tongue.

They couldn’t help but laugh, which made Stella giggle too.

This was nice. It was beyond nice, veering into sexy and hot and steamy and all sorts of words. But it was nice too. Hallvar liked Stella a lot, and they liked to see her enjoying herself.

She climbed further up in the bed, grabbing Hallvar’s cock and lining herself up.

“Say no to the thing.”

“What?”

No explanation came, but as Stella lowered herself down, a system message pressed into their thoughts. It was almost drowned out by the sheer sensation of Stella – hot and tight and gyrating – but Hallvar skimmed it quickly.

sexual encounter

Do you want this action to result in pregnancy?

Yes x2 must be input before pregnancy will occur.

[ yes ], confirm and proceed with pregnancy

[ no ], I do not want to proceed with pregnancy

It was the fastest no selection in Hallvar’s life.

Stella proceeded with more instructions, each making things better for the pair.

“Hold my hips and thrust up—” They did that eagerly; Stella moaned at the sensation before continuing. “And—And you push up when I go down.”

“Got it.” Hallvar sank their fingers into her hips. She was soft there too.

It turned out that repetitive exertion and maintaining speed and strength fell under Endurance, which Hallvar had in spades. They had no problem fucking Stella from below, even when she faltered.

It was their turn to give orders. “Touch yourself, make it work.”

Stella was panting, tired from riding her new adventurer plaything. Her legs were probably burning; she didn’t seem like an endurance build.

She tried to follow the instructions, but she kept having to move her hands away to balance.

Hallvar sat up and the action slowed, helping the woman balance before kissing her. “Tired?”

“Yeah,” she said softly, catching her breath. “It’s been a while. Sorry.”

They kissed her again, still thrilled by the contact. “I think my Endurance is working against us. Can I fuck you another way and try to get off? I promise you’re not leaving here without coming.”

With everything Hallvar knew about first-time sex, they should have come 30 seconds into the entire adventure. The stats had to be affecting performance, which was a confusing option to consider later.

Stella hummed her approval and lifted herself off, flopping over onto her side. Hallvar rearranged her so they could be on top, kissing her a few times before pressing inside.

Ugh, still felt great. They started slow and built up speed, hooking their hands under her hips to pull her closer, fucking harder. She made all sorts of pleased noises underneath them, but Hallvar had a singular goal.

Their thrusting stuttered when the sensation became too much, and the pressure peaked. They let out their own moan as they came inside the woman, overwhelmed yet very satisfied by the entire experience.

“Fuck,” they said again. It was their word of the encounter.

“Good?” Stella asked, running her hand over their hair.

Hallvar nodded, but they moved down in the bed. “Not done.”

The hero didn’t care about their own come; they had a fucking job to do. Stella’s clit was pert with arousal too. She twitched as their tongue made contact and moaned when their fingers pushed inside her.

Maybe Hallvar needed some practice to find the g-spot, but if stats affected sexual performance, then their 12 points of Dexterity had to do something.

They couldn’t help but feel satisfied as Stella gripped their hair tight, pushing their face down into her cunt. With more patient application of tongue, she was twitching and shuddering around their fingers, panting with exertion.

Hallvar flopped onto the bed now, wiping off their face with their forearm. A proper cleanup could wait.

They both laid there quietly until Hallvar’s blood flowed back up into their brain, gifting them some wits once more.

“So… date now?”

Stella snorted, then giggled at her accidental snort. She was certainly feeling good.

“Yes, but we’re doing this again.”