A breeze, I could feel a breeze which felt refreshing. I

slowly opened my eyes and was greeted with a clear blue sky. ‘Oh yeah, I’m

still here’ for a moment I thought that all that has happened recently was only

a dream. Thankfully it wasn’t. I breathed the fresh air in deeply and sighed. I

could feel a small hot spot on my side, turning my head I looked to see a

familiar face resting on my shoulder. The face was small, amber hair was

covering some of her cheek and her ears were pointed and floppy.

I immediately smiled as I seen her sleepy face, she was

quietly snoring.

Elora.

I recalled back to last night when Elora had called me ‘Mom’

it was quite a sudden thing to happen but in the end I accepted and comforted

her. I had stayed awake until Elora fell asleep. She seemed to snuggling up

next to me at some point in the night.

Yawning, I slowly slipped out of bed as not to disturb her

and moved over to the wagon to peek inside, I seen Sarya and Zephy sleeping

together. ‘Huh… I wonder when those two got close?’

Satisfied that everyone was where they were I moved towards

the pond and undressed to wash up. Signing I wondered what to do next, it

seemed obvious: Put as much distance between us and Gelranos. But how long

could I keep running for? The men that had attack us never told us but they

were clearly bounty hunters. I wonder how long they have been looking for us.

Now that I had Elora was with us I needed to be extra cautious when traveling

cities or towns. I couldn’t just ignore either because there were things we

would need such as supplies. While we may be able to go without for some time,

we would eventually need to go into town. I guess I would just need to be

careful. Plus, because Sarya wanted to help people we would enviably run into

trouble.

I signed. It was quite troublesome but… oh well…

“What’s with the sign? I hope you’re not upset with me.”

I was leaning my head back so when my eyes flashed open I

was looking up to a naked Zephy. She was looking down at me with an arched

brow. My face flustered as she sat next to me and hung up her arms along the

edge of the pond.

“Upset…?” I asked.

“Yes” She answered. “With what happened back at Gelranos.”

“Oh…” I thought about it for a moment. “No… I don’t think

so. I’m actually kind of glad. We helped Elora so in the end we did some good.”

Zephy smiled. “Good… I’m glad you have no regrets” She

suddenly frowned. “Elora?”

Oh yeah, that’s right. I forgot to tell them her name. “The

little girl’s name is Elora”

“Ah” Zephy nodded. “So, she opened up to you? That’s good”

Zephy lend up against me.

“Well, I suppose as long as she is OK then everything is

fine” She sighed as looked up at me.

“You really do look like her…” She whispered.

Blinking in confusion I asked. “Her?”

Zephy shoulders tensed as I asked her, she looked away for a

moment before muttering “Why did I say that…?”

Say what? I was confused as to her actions. I was also

confused about other things as well so I think it was time to ask her a few

questions. I supposed it was long overdue, I was hoping she would tell me when

we were traveling but she never so much as gave a peep to why she came with us.

Yes, she did proclaim her marriage but I was still uncertain as to her motives.

“Zephy, why did you take such action? I understand the need

for justice but I still don’t see how charging head long into a town would be a

good idea…” I needed to be firm; I wasn’t going to let it slide.

Zephy sighed and looked at me again.

“Because she reminded me of myself…” Her gaze fell to the

water for a moment before continuing.

“I was born in a small village north of here. In this

village I was only ten when a military moved into our village. However, they

weren’t allied with anyone anymore. They were deserters. When they moved into

the village they immediately declared themselves as ‘kings’ of it. For one

year, the drove us like slaves. They even raped our women, I was force to watch

and listen to it for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, one of the men

forced himself onto me and my mother managed to save me. My mother killed the

man and then grabbed me, leading me out of the village. She knew that we had to

get out of there or the soldiers would kill us. As we made our way out from the

village, we were spotted and in a pursuit, my mother was killed by the

deserters.”

I could feel a lump in my throat as she told me her story. I

could now understand her when she said that Elora reminded her of herself.

Being left alone and without any parents. I bit my lip as I felt guilty for

demanding an answer from her. I brought up a painful memory for her and now she

was reliving it by telling me.

Sighing, she continued.

“My mother had wanted me to run so I did, I ran as far away

from that place as I could. Eventually I snuck into a city and lived on the

street as a beggar and thief. Stealing what I could, when I could. I continued

like that until I was fourteen. Then… she came”

“She?” I asked.

Nodding, she answered “Gwenore…”

She was quiet for a moment before contuining.

“She was a thief like me. However she managed to catch me

stealing and followed me to my hideout. When I made it back she immediately

ambushed me and made me a deal. If I would listen to her and follow her lead,

she would take care of me and teach me all her tricks. When she was done, she

would allow me to leave at anytime I’d want to. So I took her offer and for

another four years I was taught the ins and outs of being a thief. We stole

from many rich people and moved town to town. City to city. We were living the

good life…”

She turned to look at me.

“She also taught me other thing…”

She placed a finger between my breasts and trailed her

finger down to my stomach.

“Like… all the secrets to… pleasing other women.”

Chills were shooting up my spine as she trailed up and down.

Her gaze met my eyes.

“Yes… you really look like her”

I paused at that. So that’s what she meant?

“Your eyes are interesting… hazel and blue. Your hair is

shorter and your skin is more toned but all in all, you look quite similar…”

She gave me a sad smile. “When I seen you walking towards my seat, I couldn’t

breathe. For a moment I thought you were her, coming back to me.”

Did she say coming back to her? I was about to ask before

she went on.

“However, our robbing spree wasn’t going to last forever. We

were wanted in a lot of places, so word traveled fast. We were living

peacefully in another city when suddenly our hideout was stormed by the city

guards….”She trailed off, as is reliving a painful memory. “I had managed to

escape because of her. I hide out of sight until they stopped searching for me

and made my way after her but… it was too late.”

She paused; I could only guess she was gathering herself.

“She was publicly executed, and I was forced to watch it…”

My heart stopped and my body felt numb. For… the love of

God. She had most likely shared some good times with that woman and then in a

heartbeat it was all taken away. If that was Sarya…. I don’t know what I’d do.

No… I knew exactly, I lived through that already when Sarya…

“I had want revenge more than anything but Gwenore had told

me when we were stormed by the city guards to take as much of the money we made and

run. If I had taken my revenge, I would have been killed and Gwenore’s

sacrifice would have been in vain. So I made the hardest choice in my life… I

ran…. again. I had used the money to rebuild a place for people similar. For

women who had been abandoned by the harsh world of men. You know the rest.”

I was quiet, absorbing all that she had told me. My feelings

were mixed; I didn’t even know what to say. To think that she had gone through

all that, seen this world at it’s worse and yet she still prevailed. It was

remarkable and tragic. I could now understand her when she told me that Elora

reminded her of herself. All that Zephy lived through… she most likely saw

herself in Elora. Hungry. Alone. No future. It seemed like it was only a matter

of time before she would have to resort to thievery herself… or worse.

She snuggled closer into me.

“When I seen you… I knew I had to have you. Maybe that’s the

old thief in me still but I just had to take the chance.”

I should be annoyed that she made it sound like I was a

trophy to be claimed but instead took comfort in the fact that she was both

honest with me and that I now had an opportunity to comfort her.

She laughed.

“Gwenore was always the dominate one in our… ‘Sessions’ so I

took the opportunity to take the lead in ours”

My face flustered as I recalled that night when she cuffed

me to the bed.

She looked up at me one more time.

“You know what they say: Fortune favors the bold”

“Yeah…” I muttered. ‘…and the daring’ I thought.

“Oh, come now” She tsked. “You’re not still upset by that

night are you?”

I couldn’t meet her gaze, just thinking of it made me blush.

“…maybe…”

She snickered and whispered in my ear “Well… I’ll allow you

to do it to me once”

She stood up; the water splashed and trickled down her body.

Stepping out she grabbed her clothes and looked back at me.

“But I’ll only allow it… if you can convince Sarya to allow

me to join you in your next love session”

She walked away leaving me with a flustered face. That

woman! Does she only think of sex? Still, it was good to see that she didn’t

let her past drag her down. Most likely a mixture of her becoming a leader and

her over all personality.

Getting up, I grabbed my clothes and made my way back to the

camp.

…….

We had come back to the camp to find Sarya and Elora waking

up. I asked Sarya to take Elora to the pond to wash up as me and Zephy would

prepare breakfast. After we finished, Sarya and Elora came back in time and we

sat down to eat.

We were all eating quietly. I thought back to that thing

that the Summoner brought out, that thing.

“Hey Sarya, back in Gelranos you said something about there

being two world’s?”

Nodding she said: “Yes, Hevlan and Lanos. The world we are

living in is Hevlan. Hevlan was created by the Goddess Nora. Lanos was created

by the Demonic God Marcrick. The Goddess Nora blessed this world with life such

as the many races. Such as Elf’s, Humans, Beast-kin and Nightorten’s.”

I frowned: “Beast-kin? Nightorten? (Pronounced

Night-or-ten.)”

She nodded. “Beast-kin have human bodies but they also have

traits similar to animals. Both physical and mental. They are typically shunned

because many people are afraid of their animal side. Nightorten are similar to

elves in appearance but have a dark bluish skin. They have a desire for the

night and will not show themselves to anyone. Because they refuse to show

themselves many people believe they are myth and even believe they are a

vampire-like race”

“Huh… I see…” These races seemed… strange. Also vampires?

They exist? Great…

“Oh yes… where exactly is this Lanos?”

She answered: “It‘s in an alternate world”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Frowning I asked “Alternate world? Like a different dimension?”

It was her turn to frown. “Die-men-shuuns?”

Oh… I guess they wouldn’t call that here. “Ummm… like

different plains of existence?”

She finally nodded. “Yes, Lanos exists on a different plain

then ours. The Demonic God Marcick created Lanos out of his own twisted vision.

Everything there is demonic, from the places to the monsters. It is a very

hostile place. It is said that all the evil in the world has come from that

place. The people of this world grew curios of Lanos so they tried to open a gateway

to that plain and with it they open the all the horrors that Lanos had to

offer. Marcick planted the corrupted and cruel desires of people. Hate. Envy.

Greed and so forth.”

I sat there taken in her entire history lesson. It sounded

like when they opened the gate they opened Pandora’s Box. I guess it’s true

what they say: curiosity killed the cat.

Zephy tilted her head at me. “Why do you need to know these

things? Isn’t this something we all know?”

Sarya was the one to answer. “She lost her memory”

Zephy eyes widen “Memory loss?”

“Yeah…” I sighed. “About a month ago”

Elora, who was sitting on my lap, grabbed my attention by

tapping my arm. I looked down to see her holding her plate up.

“Mom, More….. please.”

Both Sarya and Zephy look at me agaped. “Mom?” They said in

unison. I nodded sheepishly.

“Yes, I’ve decided to take care of her… in place of a

mother.” They looked at each other, unsure but soon shrugged and smiled.

“Well… it will be hard but in the end, I think it could be

best for her.” Zephy smiled.

Sarya added. “Perhaps

we should take the time to teach her a few things. It will help her in the long

run” I nodded at her idea. I couldn’t agree more.

I filled Elora’s plate with more food and she quietly

munched away. As I watch her eating I felt warmth spread through-out my body.

Just seeing her enjoy something was enough to make me feel happiness. Was this

how it felt to be… a mother? I could

only hope to help her as much as possible.

…………….

We had gotten packed up and I was looking at the map. We

needed more supplies so I knew we needed to head into a city. The closest city

was actually only a day away so it was nice. When I was looking at the map I

noticed that there seemed to be six cities. The closest city; Boncre,

(Pronounced Bon-cree) looked to be the largest city out of all the others. Was

it the capital? Well, either way we needed to go there. If it was a heavy

populated city then we had a chance of sneaking in there through crowds…

hopefully.

We were all packed and I sat in front with Sarya while Elora

and Zephy sat in the back of the wagon. As I looked over to Sarya I suddenly

remembered what Zephy said, or should I say ’offered’ to me back in the pond.

My face flustered at the thought, did Zephy say that knowing that I wouldn’t want

to ask her such a question. I… suppose it was something desirable. Every person

would want something like that; at least I would imagine so. Then maybe I

should… I immediately shook my head. What was I thinking!? That’s just…

Sarya noticed my shaking and gave me a look of concern. “Are

you alright Teela?”

“Uh…” Come on, think. I needed to take my mind off of…

“Yeah, um… oh yeah by the way. You were saying something about the Goddess Nora

and Demonic God Marcrick? I was curious as to what people say they look like.”

I was expecting a ‘no one knows’ but was surprised with an

answer: “Well the Goddess has been said to resemble a phoenix and the Demon God

as a large goat of sorts”

A Phoenix and a Goat? Sounded like a one sided match-up.

Right, well… I needed to keep my mind on getting to Boncre. For some reason, I

could feel Zephy’s eyes on my back, watching me with a grin.

……….

We had made our way inside Boncre with little issue.

Arriving at dusk, we were met with an enormous bustle of people. It certainly

seemed like the capital. We needed to push and shove our way through and we

also had to find a place to purchase the things we needed. But first things

first… I spotted a clothing store and made our way inside.

I looked around the store with amazement. Clothes of all

kinds, shapes and sizes were lining the walls. I wanted to get some more

clothes for us as I only had the one outfit, it was also pretty dirty. Sarya’s

clothes were also showing some dirty and Zephy… well I wanted to get her

something else besides her fur clothing. Most importantly; I needed to get

Elora something good to wear too.

A man appeared out from the counter with a suspicious look

on his face. He had a bald head and goatee.

“Can I… help you?” The man’s tone had an underline of sarcasm

to it which annoyed me, he probably seen our state and figured we didn’t have

any money to purchase anything. Still, I needed to ignore his tone because of

Elora.

“Yes, I’d like to buy some clothes for her.” I rested my

hands of Elora’s shoulders.

He arched a brow and nodded. “Very well, this way please.”

We had gotten Elora into a change room and I had Sarya help

me chose some clothes. I had never understood why women in my original world

loved shopping. Clothes were just clothes, or so I thought. But after getting

Elora into a few outfits I had some understanding now, she reminded me of a

doll. We had dressed her in different things; blouses, dresses, sandals and even

jumpers. Sarya was enthusiastic at the outfits Elora donned on. Zephy was

supportive and I couldn’t help but have a bit of fun with it. Elora was very

shy, asking for my approval for ever outfit. Eventually we gotten her five

outfits to wear and I purchased them.

I looked at my clothes and figured that not only I but the

other three needed outfits too. My clothes were dirty and only had the one.

Sarya was the same way and Zephy? Well… a fur skirt and bra wasn’t exactly

‘clothes’ So I had Sarya grab a few. We had run into one problem though,

Sarya’s bust size was too large to fit most clothes so we could only get her a

few. She didn’t seem bothered by it so we moved on to Zephy; she wasn’t exactly

fond of changing her clothes as we were.

“Clothes such as those would cover me too much. I prefer

more open wear.”

I rolled my eyes at her reason. “Well you can’t just keep

wearing that. So come on, while we’re here”

She crossed her arms under her breasts. “I’ll be fine like this;

I’m not really fond of those garments anyways”

I signed. “Come on…” She shook her head.

Why was she being so impossible all the sudden? “Why should

I?” She asked. “Because it’s a gift”

She blinked in surprise and her cheeks reddened slightly.

“I-I… see. Very well.”

She had entered the change room and we picked something out,

when she emerged from the room I was surprised at her outfit. Her shirt was a

small thing that showed off her stomach and she had a skirt that reached have

way to her thighs and was held up with a chain belt. Finally, her boots were

made of leather. Over all it was quite… nice. Sexy even…

“Well? Are you going to say something about it” She was

trying to look proud at her outfit.

Yeah…” I nodded. “It suits you quite well.”

She grinned at my words. “Well, I’m glad for you complement.

I guess I shall take it”

With that, I was my turn. Both Sarya and Zephy showed a lot

of interest in choosing my clothes so I could only sit in the change room and

wait. I could hear their whispers which only made me more nervous. Finally some

clothes peeked over the curtain and I hear Zephy’s voice telling me they found

something they’d like me to try on. I held up the outfit and my jaw slacked at

what they’d offered me. I shoved the curtain aside and held up the corset that

they provided me.

“W-What the hell is this!?” I snapped.

Sarya’s face flustered and immediately looked away. Elora

tilted her head looking at the corset curiously and Zephy displayed a wide

grin.

“Well… I personally would like to see you wear less so I

thought that’d do”

This woman! Ugh! Of all things a corset!?

“I-I just need a vest and such! I’m not really interested in

such things!”

Zephy tsked at my outburst. “Oh come now, won’t you do it

for your second wife?”

Sudden gasps and whispers from the other customers could be

heard. Could Zephy had been anymore subtle with her words?!

“J-Just get me something more respectable!” I snapped.

Sighing, she took the corset and left me behind the curtain once more. After a

few minutes another outfit appeared over head and I only took one glance at it

before pulling the curtain back once again.

“Zephy… come on. This?” I held up the clothes, which was a

maid outfit.

“Well… a bar maiden would be a nice touch I think”

Sarya looked at the outfit and nodded. “I think I would look

quite nice on you”

Great, now they were both agreeing. I looked at the clothes.

I wasn’t really bothered by my nudity. I wasn’t really bothered because I spent

a majority of it with someone I knew or alone. I also wore pants and vest with

shirts because I was both, holding onto my old world self and I was

uncomfortable with showing much skin in public for the simple reason: going

through attempted rape would most likely do that to you. The men here seemed to

have no problems with trying to force themselves onto me so wearing something

that would provoke such actions would be pretty stupid.

But… thing were different now weren’t they? I had Sarya,

Zephy and Elora here. I wasn’t the same person I was before. I had company and

their affection. So now…? I actually wanted to enjoy some times like this with

them.

Sighing I looked up and nodded. “Alright… gimme a sec”

I closed the curtain and tried to put it on but there was

only one problem.

“Ummm… Sarya, I need help with this thing.”

She pulled the curtain back and entered the change room.

“Uh, I need help with tying these things…”

Getting to work, she told me to hold my breath and when I

did she jerked it tighter and made me gasp. As I looked down I seen that the

clothes made my cleavage protrude out the abnormal lengths, my face exploded

with heat and the sight.

Sarya face was also flustered as she noted the seen too. “I…

guess their designed that way for a reason…” She muttered.”Yeah…” I took a deep

breath and pulled the curtain back to reveal my new look.

Zephy had a wide smile on and Elora was enthralled as well.

The other customers, mainly males, were all but drooling. Their stares made me

slightly uncomfortable; I cleared my throat and tried my best to stand with

pride.

“Well… are they suitable?” Zephy scoffed at my question. “I

think you know the answer to that Teela”

I bought a few more outfits and left the store with more

bags then I had originally intended to get. We walked around for a bit longer

and I had told the others that I wanted to stay in the city for a few days if

possible. We needed the break from the roads and I also wanted to get Elora a

few things and find a place where we could teach her a few things as well.

We found an inn, ate and sleep in it, waiting for morning to

come.