* * * * * Chapter 1 * * * * *

Walter logged out of his workstation. It was early for him as he usually worked from nine to five in his typical office cubicle job. Today it was only four-thirty. He walked over to the elevators and used one to go two floors up.

A moment later he entered the dreaded area of human resources. Though he didn’t fear it as others did. He only was here for his monthly review. Mindy, his case worker, greeted him. “Ah, Walter. Punctual as always. Come into my office.”

They exchanged some pleasantries and then Mindy had a surprise for him. “I have some good news. The company noticed that you raised your intelligence stat to 87. That is quite high. Especially for someone with the ‘not specified civilian’ class. With a stat that high, you could make a good mage. I know. I know. We talked about that. You aren’t a glory hunter like others. And the company values that. Therefore it’s my pleasure to tell you that the company gives you a bonus. Equivalent to a month worth of salary. Of course, as your int stat is now 87 your salary is adjusted upward. Congrats.”

“Thank you. It’s nice that the company's notice changes like this.” Walter did his best to hide his surprise.

Mindy gave him a reassuring smile. “Well normally it doesn’t, but it’s quite unusual that someone remains an N.S.C. for so long. Of course, you aren’t the only one. Most of the others are working towards a Class-Change. It appears you develop skills solely to the benefit of your job. That stands out. I think your wife follows the same philosophy as you do?”

Walter fidget a little inside his chair. He wasn’t used to this much attention or compliments. “Yes. That’s right. Though she doesn’t work for the company. She is a part-time florist. We just don’t see the value in a class change. We also worry about undue attention.”

“Ah yes. Very understandable. Certain classes draw out thugs that hope for a class stone drop. However rare that is. And nobody cares for an N.S.C. class stone. Well, given your reservation about Class-Changes I was surprised to read in your file that your daughter had one. Isn’t she a bit young for one?”

“Yes, she did. Her mother and I aren't very happy about it. But I do understand her reasoning. You see, she had an unpaid internship last summer break at Netsearch Corp. We were so proud. With only sixteen, she got one of the few available spots. She did well. In fact, she won an unofficial competition. You see Netsearch Corp has money in spades. So they tend to offer the top 5 interns a random class change.”

“Fascinating. Do you mind if I ask what class she got?”

“No, I don’t mind. She’s become a Necromancer.”

Mindy looked surprised. “Wow. Rare and powerful. I bet it draws a lot of attention.”

Walter gave her a rueful smile. “You have no idea. Necromancers have some strong compulsions. All of them make her stand out. We are worried someone might target her.”

Mindy gave a curt and knowing nod. “Even with killing strictly forbidden it happens a lot. And let me tell you it really sucks. Losing experience points is the one thing. The memory loss is worse. I’ve gotten killed three times so far. Last time I got home I was surprised I had a cat. A pet that I later learned I had for nearly two years. For a teenager, such a memory loss would be a lot worse.”

“Yes. We think so too. That’s why, until she has better control over her compulsions, we decided to homeschool her.”

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea. Well, Walter, I don’t want to rob you of any more time. I will see you next month and keep up the good work.”

Walter mirrored Mindy’s smile and shook her offered hand. “I think the pleasure was all mine. Can’t wait to tell my wife of the pay raise. Till next time.”

* * * * * Chapter 2 * * * * *

Walter arrived home at seven and was greeted by his daughter Sarah. Her smile and eagerness made him weary. Like every good parent of a teenager, he knew she wanted something.

And if she was ambushing him at the door it could only mean one of two things. Either her mother had said no and she hoped she had better luck with him. Or her mother had pushed the decision onto him with a sentence like “I am okay with it if your father agrees to it.”

He mentally willed himself not to sigh in resignation and gave her an equally cheery smile. After a moment of typical father-daughter talk, he finally managed to enter the living room and greet his wife Bethany. He exchanged a few pleasantries. All the time being watched by his daughter close by, who waited for her moment to strike.

“Okay,” He gave a heavy theatrical sigh. “What does my darling daughter want?”

Sarah blushed a little as she was found out so easily. Walter meanwhile fought to hide a smirk. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and waited. Suddenly put on the spot Sarah fidget. “Well. As you know it’s been nearly a half year since my class change. And as we agreed I focused suppressing and managing my compulsions. I think I do well enough right now. So I thought we could go out this weekend.”

She gave him her most innocent puppy eyes she could manage. Walter sighed and took a critical look at his daughter. She was right. It was a far cry from the way she used to look.

Before her class change, she had been a normal teenager. Maybe dressing a bit on the plain side. After the class change that had been over. Long flowing black robes had been her new wardrobe. She couldn’t have helped it.

Worse had been the spirits of the dead that had bugged her. For days she had argued with ghosts that only she could see. Nowadays she mostly ignored them. Though sometimes she snickered at a joke being told to her or she hushed a particularly annoying spirit.

There also had been an improvement to the clothing she could wear. She still was wearing black, but now she learned to break it up with splashes of pink.

Today he saw she wore a hot pink skirt and a black leather jacket with pink highlights. Not a year ago that ensemble would have earned her house arrest. Now he was just glad she didn’t look like a typical necromancer anymore. More like a rebellious teenager.

Getting impatient Sarah added: “Mom said it’s okay. But only if you agree.”

Walter gave his wife an annoyed look. Yet another important decision she pushed solely on his shoulders. “How about a family picnic this Sunday in the park?”

Sarah gave a squeal of joy and then stormed up to her room, mumbling words like “outfit” and perfect”.

“Getting out again will be good for her. Being cooped up the past months hasn't been easy for her,” commented his wife Bethany.

“Yes, I agree. And visits from her friends can only alleviate her solitude a little.”

“Speaking of friends. You know the young Cooper?”

Her sudden steely voice made him look into her eyes. Normally her voice was soft and always hinted of compassion. Now it could have cut through concrete. “Brad Cooper. He is in Sarah’s class, right? What happened?”

“He showed up earlier today. He also had an auto-accept gift with him.”

Now it was Walters turn to get furious. Sometimes he cursed the universe that it ran by stats and numbers. And if he hated one stat above all it was the affection stat.

It had been nineteen years back when he first started dating Bethany. Both shared a lot of natural affection and they had been quite happy.
Then Gregory McCormick showed up. To this day Walter was certain Gregory had only been interested in her beauty. He wanted a trophy wife.

Walter and Bethany had raised their affection stat for each other with walks in the parks. Visiting museums or galleries. Simply spending time and talking with each other. Gregory instead showed up with gifts. Thoughtless ones that Bethany didn’t want.

But all these gifts had an auto-accept enchantment on them. Once presented Bethany had to accept them. If she wanted to or not and each gift raised her affection stat for Gregory a little.

Over weeks he had to see how she drifted away from him. She talked more and more about Gregory and his redeeming points. The very few that had been there.

Walter had nearly lost Bethany back then. Only the wilderness trip saved them. His last desperate play to protect Bethany. It had taken hours to convince Bethany of the trip but in the end, she had agreed.
Two weeks away rekindled their friendship. But better yet the artificial affection of the gifts had mostly worn off. What was left died when they returned and Bethany saw Gregory pursue another woman in earnest.

“I’ll phone the Coopers. Make sure they reprimand their son. And I won’t let him in anymore.”

“Thanks, honey. That means a lot.”

* * * * * Chapter 3 * * * * *

Walter gave his family a last critical glance before they were to head out to the park. Bethany had a nice white summer dress with yellow accents. It hugged her figure very nicely. Thankfully this spring had a spur of warm days. Thanks to it he could appreciate his wife's beauty as it wasn’t hidden beneath layers of clothes.

His daughter got a more critical once over. As a father, he was still worried. However, he had to admit Sarah had pulled out a small miracle.

She wore a black lace dress. Between its delicate needlepoint ornaments were parts quite see through. He wouldn't have her, in a million years, wear it, hadn’t it been for the second dress beneath it. It was a darker pastel pink dress.

The lace on top of it contrasted nicely. She looked quite fashionable. Of course, he knew the reasoning behind it. The long dresses were close to being robes and of course, she was wearing still a lot of blacks.

He still knew it was a risk, but he also knew he couldn’t hide her forever. Giving them a nod he opened the door and led them out.

The day was sunny and he smiled as he saw the two most important women in his life walking before him. They chatted just like they used to. Before his daughter's class change.

A picnic like this hadn’t been uncommon for them. In fact, it had been their family tradition. He looked forward to resuming it.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the local park. In the middle of it was a good-sized lake that was surrounded by fields and groups of trees.

He smiled as he saw his wife and daughter head for their usual spot. The lake had two small half-island. One had a spot where few trees provided a cool shade. Yet was open enough that a generous amount of sunlight could pass.

They arrived and started to spread their picnic blanket. Half of it was in the sunlight and the other half shaded by the trees. Not a lot further started the waterline.

They sat down together and enjoyed the spot for a while. Soon enough his wife and daughter continued their chatting.

Walter meanwhile lazily left his gaze drift over other park visitors. Most were farther away and they had the small half-island to themselves.

After a half hour, they unpacked a salad and enjoyed a quiet lunch.
Walter had to suppress a small smile. This was it. The perfect life. A beautiful wife. A daughter he could be proud of. Overall trouble stayed out of their ways. He just couldn’t understand why some would risk their lives and mind in search of adventure and fame.
He was happy if this right here could be forever.

It was an hour later. Sarah was reading a book and Walter was deep into a discussion about the last gallery he visited with his wife. Suddenly she stopped mid-sentence and furrowed her brows.

Curious, about what had caught his wife's interest, he turned around.
Two women walked down the path towards them. One was kinda small and a little hunched. She wore leather clothes even in the blazing sun. Walter found that strange. Downright shifty.

The other woman, however, caught his attention. And probably not just his. She was tall for a woman. Maybe 5 feet and between seven or nine inches. Because of the heels, she was wearing it was hard to tell. Contrary to the small woman the tall one boasted about her body by dressing as skimpy as you could. Her big breasts and hips were in full view. Everyone could see the taut belly and small waist.
She could have been a model if it hadn’t been for the big leathery wings behind her back or the small horns on her forehead.

He knew she saw some kind of succubus. This spelled trouble.
Distracted by the tall woman he nearly missed when the small one drew a knife. His body reacted before his mind caught up.
He stood up and positioned himself before his wife and daughter. The threatening pair steadily advanced, clearly not bothered by a middle-aged man.

He clumsily dug in his pocket till he fished his phone out. “I am calling the cops! You better stay away!”

He heard behind him shuffling as both, his daughter and wife, stood up. However, he didn’t glance back to them. His eyes focused on the threat ahead.

All his life he had thought he could stay from trouble if he just didn’t search for it like others do. Now, at the moment his family was threatened, he wished that he could take a step back in time. To learn something. Didn’t matter if it would be a defense or attack spell. The only thing that was left was to ball his fists and try calling the police. They could be close by. Maybe. He quickly dialed and moved the phone to his ear.

“That won’t save you old man.” The small one taunted.

By now they were close and he could see the manic grin on her face.
She was the dangerous one he thought. Then a voice spoke.
Sweet like honey and alluring. He could hear it as if the person was right beside him. “You don’t need that right. Just drop it and I take care of everything.”

His hand involuntarily opened and the phone fell to the ground, as his mind had it utterly forgotten. He couldn’t take his eyes from the tall woman. She had been a beauty from far away.

Close as she was now, he could see perfection so stunning it could rival a goddess. The surrounding and everything else faded away. All that was left was her. The only thing left worth his attention.

Sure enough behind him were voices. Insignificant ones. The vision before him gave a come-hither look. Then a thin but long tail revealed itself. It beckoned him to come closer.
Step by step his feet carried him towards her.

Then, only two feet away, he stopped. Again the woman motioned for him to come. Yet his feet didn’t move. He wanted to. Then a thin red mist rose up from his chest and slowly floated towards her.
She greedily sucked it in. Bliss appeared on her face.

At the same time, signs of pain appeared on his face. He grew weaker and intellectually he knew why. She drained his life points.
Still, he couldn’t move. Didn’t even want to. If this godly creature demanded his life force as a sacrifice, then who was he to deny it to her?

Slowly his limbs grew heavy. His smile slowly vanished as the pain grew stronger and stronger. Finally, a shout broke through.
“Dad! Step away!”

The cry of his daughter brought him back. Something snapped and the first clear thoughts drifted back into his mind. How could he betray his daughter and wife like this? Slowly he lifted his heavy head and looked the creature before him into his face.

She was still beautiful, but a far cry from the divine being moments before. What shocked him was the malicious smile on her.
Appalled he drew some hidden reserves and pushed the temptation made flesh away.

She only staggered away a few steps. Enough for his daughter to act.
Before Walter or the woman before him could react a slim white spear pierced her shoulder. A shrill wailing escaped her and she grabbed the spear.

While he was still shocked the back of his mind provided unbidden answers. The spear was summoned by his daughter. Forged behind the veil. It was made from ethereal bones of the dead. One of the few first basic spells a necromancer learned.

Meanwhile, the creature before him pulled the spear out in a fluid motion. Seeing it a sudden anger filled him. He flung himself forward and grabbed the spear. A struggle broke out. The tip of the spear still pointed towards her. All he had to do was point it to her heart and then push.

An anguished cry beside him nearly distracted him.
As slowly the spear slid into the woman's chest and heart, a searing pain drove itself into his left flank.

The woman's legs before him and his own crumbled. A hard impact rattled him as he hit the ground hard. Slowly he looked up and saw the face of the smaller woman. It was filled with rage and hatred. She leaned over him and move the blade of her dagger close to him. Droplets of his own blood were slowly falling to the ground before him.

“You killed what I love. I will kill what you love,” She snarled at him.

She spun around and he could see his wife and daughter. While he had been distracted they had fought as well. He saw the weakened mana-shield of his daughter and the cuts on his wife as she stood defiantly with a wooden branch as a weapon.

The small woman advanced and anguish filled him. The woman was skilled and clearly more than a match. All he could do was lie there. Stunned as he was mortally wounded. His last life points dribbling away as blood from his wound. He had to do something. Anything.

Besides him, the woman, succubus or what not, vanished as a mist into the air. She had respawned and somewhere she would wake up, close to a respawn stone, with two years worth of memories gone.
A fate that soon would be his too.

As his vision narrowed he saw something twinkle beneath the empty clothes of the vanquished woman. Soul splinters. He had heard of them. A common drop of a human or sub-human kill.

If there had been one drop there might have been others. Maybe something he could use. He fought to mobilize the last ounces of strength and slowly pulled himself closer. Then he reached with his hand in and felt for anything that might help.

Success. Something hard in his hand. He slowly drew it back.
A class stone. Not helpful. Or was it?

He tried to remember. Didn’t a class change heal the user completely once it was activated? Should he risk it? He heard a scream. He couldn’t tell by whom. His daughter or his wife. But it was enough for him to decide. He activated the stone.

Deep within his chest, an energy burst forth. Not burning but revitalizing. Soon he felt strong enough to push himself to hand and knees. His eyes caught sight of the bone spear before him. With determination, he grabbed it and drew himself upward.

He saw with crystal clear focus his target close by.
His enemy drew her dagger over the mana shield. He could tell it was close to failing. Behind it, he saw his daughter weakened by exhaustion. His wife with dozens of nasty cuts on her arms. He saw their faces. Looking at him with a shocked expression. The woman must have noticed as she started to turn.

Walter reacted quickly and slashed at her with a wide arc. The spear barely reached her but drew blood nonetheless.

Finally, the woman was facing him and whatever she saw made her fall to her knees. Was it the surprise seeing him standing or the rage on his face? He didn’t care. He came close fast and struck with the spear deep into the woman's weapon arm. She cried in anguish. Her dagger clattered to the ground. But still, she looked at him shocked.
Stepping close he knew that in just a few moments the battle had turned.

He had now the upper hand and only he controlled her fate now.
Yet he hesitated. He needed something from her. An apology? No.
Begging for mercy? Not even that.

He raised his hand as if to offer assistance. It was not. Something in him stirred. A hunger. He unleashed it and through it, he drew. A fine red mist raised up from the stunned woman before him. He drew it in and then consumed it. Power. It was pure life force that filled him and he couldn’t get enough.

Then, as the flow of the mist ebbed away, he raised his spear and struck the woman down. As the woman crumbled to the ground he leaned on the spear with all his weight and drove it deep into her body. Exhausted he did fall to his knees. His shoulder resting against the spear was the only thing keeping him propped up.

It was over. Finally, it was over. They had done it. They survived.
Below him, the body vanished. Only the clothes and the bloody dagger were left behind.

“Walter?” Bethany asked in a brittle voice.

Tired, he looked up to his wife.

“What have you done?” she asked with a shocked look on her face.

What had he done? What did she mean by that? Slowly his mind caught up. Started to take in the many details he had blended out before.

He looked to his arms. Still clinging to the spear. They looked so dainty and slender. A slight breeze caught his hair and blew a strain of long dark brown hair into his view. Below the wind tugged on the tatters of his clothes. He looked down and saw rosy nipples on top of creamy mounds. A tight stomach going over to wide hips and shapely legs. Around them slithered a thin hairless tail.

Wide-eyed he looked up to his wife. “What have I done?”

His high and breathy voice shocked him. It dawned on him then. The class stone. It must have been a women-only class. Exhaustion and shock caught up with him. He finally got some rest as he fainted and darkness claimed him.

* * * * * Chapter 4 * * * * *

Walter sat up with a start. Blinking he took in his surroundings. Was he in a hospital?

“Miss? Please remain calm.”

Walter looked to the side and saw a police officer. He looked weary and cautious. “Where am I? Where are my wife and daughter?”

The man relaxed a little. “Both here. Close by. You are at the police station. To be precise in the respawn recovery room.”

“I died?”

“No, Miss. You fainted. What is the last thing you remember?”

It came back to him. The park. The fight. He looked down. His new body. He gulped and panic threatened him. He took a few moments to fight it down. “We were in the park. Two women attacked us. I think ..”

He broke off. Realization wracked through him. “I killed them.”

The officer nodded. Gently he placed a hand on Walter's shoulder.
“We have them. Both of them. Picked them up at their respawn points. From what I heard it was self-defense.”

Walter took a moment to process it. He had never killed before. Never even thought about it. While his exterior was cool and collected, his inner space was in tumult. He needed someone to talk to and there was only one he trusted enough. “Can I see my wife? You said she is here.”

“I am sorry. Until the hearing, we have to keep you separate.”

“What hearing?”

“Well, Miss. There had been some conflicting statements from eyewitnesses. The hearing will sort those out and the district attorney will formally charge the offending persons. For now, rest. Your health points are awfully low. Our healers were puzzled by it. Whenever our healers tried to heal you, it worked only measly and your health tickled down to your current level. They found out that for whatever reason your maximum health is low too. Might be a temporary status ailment. Resting should help with that.”

Walter frowned and opened his status screen. There all his stats are listed. Name, birth date, basic mental and physical attributes. Then a long list of minor details. What drew his eyes was his health points. It was awfully low. Worse was that his max health was equally low. No wonder the healers failed. He was already fully healed. He seriously needed to find out what was going on.

As he was about to close the status window he noticed something else. He never used much magic. Now, however, it looked impossible. Current mana and maximum mana was listed as zero.
It looked like his situation got stranger with every minute passing.

* * * * *

It was an hour later that Walter was lead into the courtroom. He was pulling and tweaking his wardrobe all the way there. The standard pants barely fit his hips and the cleave of the shirt had to be cut to make space for his ample bosom.

It all reminded him too well that it wasn’t his old body anymore. What he had given up in the heat and confusion of the battle. He pulled the blanket closer around his body. He was thankful for it, even if it threatened to overheat him. For a thin blanket like this, it kept his body warmth amazingly well. He would have asked to keep it if it hadn't been so itchy.

A moment after entering he saw them. Bethany and Sarah stood close to the prosecutor table. Walter rushed over and hugged them both tight. A few tears escaping his eyes. He knew everything will be alright. Even when the signs told otherwise. Like the small hesitation before they hugged him back.

“Walter? Are you alright?”

“Yes. No. For the moment I guess I am. Let’s get this behind us and then we figure this out.”

Both nodded.

A judge showed up and everyone settled down. He reminded everyone that this was not a trial, but a hearing to sort things out and speed up the whole process.

Sarah and Bethany were first to bear witness. Then some bystanders who saw the whole thing from further away. To Walters relief, he was quickly dismissed as a suspect.

The next point was to determine if the small woman, a professional thief, was guilty or not. Walter hadn’t even seen the woman sitting beside her public defender. Contrary to before she looked meek and confused. Her case, for Walter a clear case at first, turned out anything but easy to judge.

The woman herself claimed no memory. Understandable, as most who died and respawned, lost their last two years of memory. Her background was surprising, though. As a professional thief, she worked with both, corporate and police, to design and test security systems.

Then, a half-year ago, it all changed. Her social pages told the true story. She met a woman. Beautiful and alluring. The thief fell hard. For her and later from the good graces of her business partners.

Finally, the public defender concluded: “Judge Abrahams. My defended did attack willingly, but it was under influence of an Empusa. Empusa’s are a rare subclass of Succubus that specialize more than other sub-classes on inducing wrongful artificial affection in their victims. And this is why Miss Mathews is a victim. I hereby advise to not pursue Miss Mathews in court.”

The thief broke out in tears and begged Walter and his family for forgiveness. Walter felt a cold realization in him. She had fallen prey to a vicious predator. Just like his own family. He remembered how it had been under the Empusa’s influence. What chilled him really to his bones was that he too was now that hated class. The class that first stalks and then twists the minds of their victims. He was now an Empusa.

The judge asked Walter and his family. Of course, they would not press charges themselves. Then came the hardest part. They dragged in the cursed creature. Screaming and kicking, she gave a fight. The hearing was short. She admitted all.

In a last defiant move, she looked to Walter. “I don’t regret it and you won’t too. I lived with this class long enough. Undesirable they call it. I call it cursed. You too will lose everything and will do anything to change.”

They dragged her out and for a long time, her maddening laugh could be heard.

His wife gave his arm a comforting squeeze. “We will get through this honey.”

He somberly nodded. There was a lot to figure out now. At least his wife and daughter are safe. Their health maxed out. Walter looked confused at them. Yes, he hadn’t imagined it. Normally a person had concentrate to find out someone's health points or cast a spell. Yet above every person was clearly for him to see a health bar. He decided that was probably due to a class trait. “Let's get home and start figuring this out.”

“No, Walter. First, we need to get you to a healer.”
She squinted for a moment to determine his health points. “You are running awfully low.”

“That is one of the things I want to figure out. I am not hurt. Bethany. This is my maximum health.” He heard shocked gasps from his family.

“No way. I know caster classes have lower health points, but even theirs don’t drop so low,” his wife commented.

“I am not a caster.”, interjected Walter.

“How do you know?” The question came from his daughter.

“Because. My maximum mana is zero. I can’t use magic. Any magic.”

Stunned silence followed. Then his wife gave him a hug. “Yes, you are right. Let's go home, but first, we have to visit a class library. You might be stuck as this class for some time. We need to know what we are in for.”

Walter nodded. Unwanted the words from the Empusa came back to his mind. Whatever they were in for, it was not good.

* * * * * Chapter 5 * * * * *

The tapping of his foot betrayed Walter. He was nervous and impatient. Still dressed in the standard respawnee clothes and the blanket. It made him stand out a lot. Of course, with his new figure, he would stand out everywhere.

“It’s not here,” Sarah grumbled.

Of course, his wife heard. “Keep looking. It has to be in the Succubus section.”

They had been lucky that the class library was open Sundays. For exactly the kind of emergency like Walter found him currently in. A class library was a mandatory public institution specialized in books about every class known to mankind.

At least one book should be here that was about the Empusa class. Yet they had found nothing and their time was running out. The library was closing soon.

On that note, a librarian walked around the shelf. “We are closing soon. If you can’t find a book maybe I can help.”

His whole family exchanged looks and Walter stepped forward. “Yes. We are looking for books about the Empusa class.”

“Empusa? That does ring a bell, but I guess it’s not a common class. I will check the index.” A moment later she reappeared. “Yes. We have one book about Empusas. However, I fear it is in another section. If you would please follow me.”

She led Walters family to another area of the library. A section that looked run down and in desperate need of repair. There stood a lone bookshelf with a big sign. On it was written “Undesirable classes.”
“I am sorry about the state of this section. We keep it a little messy here on purpose. To ward off people that look for classes to change into.”

Of course, his daughter had to know and pestered the librarian.
“Why are these classes undesirable?”

“Because they are flawed or broken.”

“No class is broken. Classes can only be improved from the baseline of the non-specific civilian class.”

“Well. That is true in a sense, but also wrong. What do you know about how classes are created?” the librarian quizzed Sarah.

The librarian scavenged through the shelf while Sarah recited.
“Every few decades someone is born that can create classes. To do that they take a class and add their own skill to it. It results in an improved subclass of the same kind.”

“Correct. However, class creators have to follow rules. Sometimes they try to cheat the system by creating unbalanced builds. Most of these classes appear to be strong. This one for example.”

She pulled out a book that her hand had glided over just moments before. “Sirens had been ruled the ‘class to be’ a few hundred years ago. Their voice, especially when they were singing, could hypnotize most men easily. But their strength had a price. The creator boosted the voice by adding flaws and drawbacks. Sirens need to sing above water yet live mostly in water. All sirens are female and other females are mostly immune. They share the realm of mermaids, the ocean. But they retained their human legs so their movement is rather crippled. With laws being added that prohibited mind control the allure of the siren class quickly vanished. Ahh, there it is!”

The librarian pulled out a thin booklet. Not much more than a magazine. Walter took it and eyed it suspiciously. It was old and worn out. Most of the pages were dog-eared or torn. A dozen handwritten notes spoiled the cover alone.

“That can’t be all.” Walter protested. Other classes had dozens of books written about them. This was a joke.

“I am sorry. Undesirable classes are badly documented. Most who end up as one try to change as soon as possible. The handwritten notes will probably be more helpful than the book itself. Normally we discourage people from writing in books, but in this case .. go for it. If you find out something new leave a note for those who come after you.”

“Are all undesirable classes bad?”, wanted his daughter to know.

“Well. Some appear badly unbalanced, but that may be because their strong points haven’t been found yet.” Walter and his family thanked her and hurried home.

* * * * * Chapter 6 * * * * *

“That’s not much to work with. Even with the handwritten notes. It’s useless.” Bethany was frustrated and made it known.

Not that Walter felt any better. Most of the booklet contained things he could see in his own status window. The low maximum health points were due to a trait called “condensed life”. Apparently, it also cut received healing by a large portion. The specific percentage varied from person to person. Beyond that, nothing concrete was written in the book. Only wild speculations in dozens of handwritings.

The trait “life overflow” was probably the attempt to break the rules. Empusa’s could receive healing past their maximum health. That point, however, was irrelevant as the health points slowly dripped down to their maximum. The more an Empusa was overcharged the faster it drained away. In other words, it was probably also useless. Especially when the “condensed life” slashed his received healing.

He nearly lost all hope, when he read about the next trait. “Substitute mana” was what set his mana maximum to zero. If Walter would cast any spell it would substitute the Mana with the one thing he could not spare: health points.

The rest was pretty much standard succubus skills, spells, and traits.
There was one skill that stood out as a thorn. “Orgasmic healing” used the energies set free from persons who have sex or masturbate to heal the Empusa. Of course, the drawback was that an Empusa needed daily sex to keep a healthy level that was even close to their original. Judging by the handwriting most going that route got quickly branded as sluts. By others and by themselves. They got addicted and like every major addiction, it ruined lives.

Walter eyed his wife when they came to that passage. She was the only one who he would have as a sex partner. Something that wouldn’t happen. He knew she was straight. Never had even thought about ‘experimenting’.

There was that spell, the same spell that had been used on him, to turn up her attraction to him. Past levels where she would care if he was man or woman. But he couldn’t do it. He simply didn’t want to. It would be a form of betrayal and subvert everything their marriage stood for.

“I guess I have to get used to a low health level. To watch out that I don’t stub my toes too often.” As intended it got a few giggles from his ladies.

“Oh, you.” His wife punched him playfully in the should.

“Oh my gosh, watch it. You just dropped my health by two-thirds!” Walter joked.

“That reminds me, dad. You know you need a new wardrobe. Maybe some pieces of bubble wrap taped together?” teased his daughter.

Now they laughed openly. Of course, she didn’t cause him harm, but a quiet voice inside reminded him that he wasn’t too far off. He was health wise far worse off than most ‘glass cannon’ mages.
The good mood didn't last long. All too fast the topic returned to matters at hand.

"One thing is strange," Sarah remarked.

"What is?" Walter wanted to know.

"Well, physically you share a lot of attributes with the Empusa in the park. Besides the overall physique, you have small horns and a tail. Yet you don't have wings." Sarah explained.

"Well, I am glad I don't have those," Walter said.

"Is there something in the manual about that?" Bethany asked.

They all looked but found nothing in the booklet. A search online provided help. "So," Sarah started. "To summarize: The wings are an optional trait all Succubus can unlock. They give you the ability to fly."

"I pass on that for sure," Walter remarked.

"The tail is for balancing while flying. In fact, the flared tip is polymorphic. It acts as an additional wing to stabilize mid-flight."

Curious, Walter grabbed his tail as he wasn't familiar with it yet and couldn't command it at will. It sprung forth just above his butt with a width of maybe two fingers and slowly tapered off. Its length was barely long enough to reach the ground. The tip was indeed flared out. It was heart shaped and reminded him of the spades symbol of playing card decks.

“We need to find you a different class.”, his wife stated firmly.

Sarah quickly added to it. “Not just any class. It has to be a male-only.”

"Yes. I totally agree," Walter added.

They spend the rest of the day researching online marketplaces and websites. The results looked bleak. Their family didn’t have much on financial reserves. As they never wanted to do a class change they used it to live a quality life. Every year vacations in exotic places and a generous apartment.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t put away money, but a good chunk did go to Sarah’s private tutor. What was left was maybe half of what a decent ‘male-only’ class costs.

“It’s late. We should continue tomorrow.” Walter concluded and pinched his nose.

Both wife and daughter nodded. However, the embarrassments for Walter didn’t stop there yet. Before bed was at least a mandatory shower necessary. That confronted him yet again with his new body.
His hands quickly found out just how curvy he now was. His washcloth glided smoothly over his new silky skin. Blood rushed into his face as he noticed himself getting turned on. He quickly moved his hands away from his new genitalia.

“Not on my watch young lady.”

Walter shrieked very unmanly. Turning around, he saw his wife standing there. How long had she been there and how much had she seen?

“You might be a woman for a while. That means you have to know how to clean yourself properly.”

What followed was one of the most embarrassing lessons he ever got. Patiently his wife explained every detail about his new body. How to clean it and to care for it. Genitalia included.

When he was finally done he meekly returned to the bedroom. On him a borrowed robe of his wife. One that no matter how hard he tried couldn’t be closed above his ample bosom.

With the borrowed pajamas he didn’t fare much better. When he was in bed with his wife. There was no respite. Instead of their usual close intertwined sleep, both lay separate. It did take a long time till Bethany’s breathing slowed to that of a sleeping person.

For Walter, it took even longer. No matter how he tossed or turned. The unfamiliar weight of his chest kept him awake. When sleep finally found him it didn’t last long. One turn in his sleep and he was awake again. He sighed as he knew it would be a long night.

* * * * * Chapter 7 * * * * *

Maybe it had been the long night of tossing and turning that made him a living zombie in the morning. Normally he would get up early, brew himself a coffee and be out the door just past eight. Now he had to be dragged up of the bed sheets just past ten.

For once it was Bethany that took charge. She already had phoned his company and explained the situation. One week off was all he got to adjust to a new body and new class. Bethany didn't seem to share his lethargy. He was dressed and fed in record time.

Only when she got him into the car he finally woke up enough to ask questions. “Where are we going?”

“To the mall, honey. You need new clothes.”

Walter nodded sleepily. A moment later his eyes shot open. The mall. That meant to be outside. Showing off his new body. Modeling clothes for his wife and sales clerks. “We can’t! Everyone will see me!”

“Yes, honey. Don’t worry. They will see two women shopping. Nothing unusual.”

“But …”

“No buts or arguing. You need clothes. These respawnee clothes barely fit you at all.”

Walter shut up and pouted. Which was unusual and as strange as his wife taking charge. Oh, he knew she could, but more often than not she pushed decisions to him.

His head filled with dread. Images of his wife dressing him in sexy Dessous and slinky sexy dresses came to mind. How gleefully would she be to see him for once tethering in high heels? Of course, that wasn’t how she usually acted. But could she resist tormenting him a little given this unique opportunity? His mind worked overtime to imagine situations where she could not. He was already seeing himself standing in a department store. Dressed in lace and silk. Customers ogling his body.

“Walter!”

Walter blinked. He recognized the parking lot of the mall.

“What happened to you? You looked all spaced out and didn’t respond for a minute.”

“I.. I was just lost in thoughts. Nothing more.”

Together they exited the car and went to the mall. Walter always lagging a little behind. First stop was the lingerie section of a big department store.

At once a sales clerk appeared. A woman aged around mid twenty with a bright cheery smile. “Oh, my. Just respawned my dear? I hope you still remember your name.”

“Of course it’s Wa..” Walter stopped mid-sentence. Giving away his real name would admitting that had been a man just a day ago. Suddenly on the spot, he decided to lie. “Valerie. It’s Valerie.”

“Of course my dear. I didn’t actually think you forgot yours. That’s rather rare. What can I do for you?”

Walter spied the eye-rolling of his wife. Thankfully she played along.
“My friend .. Valerie .. sadly forgot that she had a physical upgrade in the last year. She is on a visit and her clothing got stolen in the … event that led to her respawn.”

Of course, Bethany had to overemphasize his fake name a little. It would be his turn to roll his eyes if he hadn’t been the spot of attention.

“And what a fine body you have. No wonder you decided to upgrade. May I ask how?”

Walter exchanged a glance with his wife and thankfully she answered for him. “Class change to a Succubus class. She did it to overcome her problem with her shyness. I tried to talk her out of it, but she didn’t listen. Her adjusting had been rough and now she has to do it all over again. Please be considered.”

“Of course. I take it then a measuring would be a first good step.”
With a sudden swish, the sales clerk had a measuring tape in her hand and led them to a slightly bigger changing room.

A few embarrassing moments later he knew the size of the monsters on his chest. E-Cup was the shocking verdict. Walter could have sworn those would be bigger. From his perspective, they looked downright gigantic.

Next was a marathon of trying on different bras. His wife selected very plain ones, which suited Walter just fine. However, none proved to be comfortable. It wasn’t like they pinched. They just felt wrong somehow. His displeasure could be seen on his face.

“Oh I got it,” the sales clerk suddenly announced. She came back with another bra. Same size and everything. The difference was that it was a sheer material with lots of lace. Reluctantly he tried it on and sighed in relieve. Now that felt right.

“She’s having a version of the Succubus class right? Most of them have a build in a compulsion to dress sexy. Seen that before.” the sales clerk explained.

Walter groaned and the stifled giggle of his wife didn’t help. Just like his daughter he had to dress a specific way. For him, it was sexual enticing clothes instead of black robes.

This new development made itself known at every stop on their shopping trip. Pants needed to be tight as a second skin. Skirts couldn’t cover the knees or anything below. Tops that covered his bosom completely were downright forbidden. Blouses needed to show cleavage and did feel the best if they were a size too small. Accordingly, to his new class, the ability to button up a blouse was clearly overrated.

Everything was a tug of war. Walter’s head was spinning from the way his mind clashed with his new instincts and compulsions. The matter wasn’t helped by the sales clerk or his wife. The former tried her best to dress him in clothes that showed off his new figure in the best way possible. The later was for more modest clothing, but couldn’t help to tease him without mercy with other revealing clothes.

After hours of torment, they finally exited the mall. What they left was a small fortune. Who knew that women clothing could be that expensive. Before today, certainly not Walter.

Bethany and Walter both carried bags through the parking lot. He was amazed that he hadn’t fallen yet. Two-inch pumps had been the lowest he could mediate his two halves on. Maybe his tail helped him to keep balance a bit.

“Well, I hope you had fun, Val. If we don’t find a way to turn you back this will be a regular thing between us.”
Bethany’s ribbing made Walter suddenly realize what felt wrong the whole day. Something that had nibbled at his subconscious, but never on his conscious mind. Bethany hadn’t treated him like the husband she used to have. It was different. Now it came to his mind. The whole trip could have been between two friends. Close ones, but friends nonetheless. Walter knew what it meant and a cold knot grew in his stomach.

With Bethany being straight, her affection for him would slowly drop to a level normal for a female friend. He knew it right then. He would lose her as a wife and lover. They might be still friends, good ones, but never more. How much time had he left? How soon was this going to be unfixable? Once more he cursed the existing of the affection stat. With the renewed resolution, he moved to the car. He needed a solution. And fast.

* * * * * Chapter 8 * * * * *

“Oh my gosh, what happened?” Sarah asked shocked.

“Valerie happened,” replied a grinning Bethany.

“Who is Valerie?”

“Ask your father.”

“Beth. Please. Would you let it rest for a minute? I was put on the spot and it was a thing of the moment.” Walter begged.

“Wait. Dad is Valerie?”

“You got it,” Bethany confirmed.

Walter sighed. He guessed it needed a while to live down.
“The sales clerk asked about my name. I didn’t want to explain everything ..”

“ .. and that you were a man ..” interjected Bethany.

“Yes. That too. Just .. take it easy okay.”

“But what about your clothes?” inquired Sarah.

He saw Bethany’s grin and cut her off be she could start.
“Apparently I have some class compulsions too. Just like you with the color black and robes. Instead for me, it is revealing clothes.”

“Didn’t you mean sexy clothes, Val?” corrected Bethany.

Walter rolled his eyes which prompted some giggling. After some more banter, Bethany excused herself, as she wanted to put away Walter's new stuff. Stating that he hadn’t yet developed the feminine touch to properly stow it all away.

Alone for a minute his daughter had to ask. “How are you holding up dad?”

“Under the circumstances fine, I guess. The body is strange. The clothing embarrassing. The whole situation ridicules. I would probably freak out more over the situation if it wasn’t for…”

“What?”

“Your mother. The way she is acting.”

“Seems like she is coping fine with the situation.”

“Yeah. I worry it’s the wrong kind of fine. The whole day she acted more than a best friend than my wife.”

“Oh. Well. Maybe it’s just her way of dealing with it.”

“I think it is. But what if that becomes permanent? I have to go back to being male before that happens.”

His daughter gave him a serious nod.

* * * * * Chapter 9 * * * * *

The next week blew by awfully fast. Walter spent most of his day at home. Searching the internet and other mediums for a miracle. An exercise in frustration. There were plenty of male-only classes. The problem was the price. No matter what he did. They came always short by a large margin. Even if they would sell all they owned it just wouldn’t be enough.

With his wife gone for half the day, it was just him and Sarah to man the fort. It didn't take long for Sarah to pry his hard shell of unwillingness open. Soon he found himself as a student of a class called “All things women a man needs to know.”
It was ridiculous but provided a welcome relief from his frustrated searching. Of course, Bethany found out and suddenly he had two teachers.

On Friday he had a sudden thought. If all desired classes were expensive then he should look into the undesired ones. Maybe one of them was cheap and male only. They probably had their faults too, but maybe not as bad as his current class.
This, however, proved for now just as futile.

Too soon came Monday. So far Walter had never feared one. This, however, marked an important step. Going to work the newly christened Valerie had to pause her searching for a solution and start adjusting. Till she found a solution she had to live her life as a woman.

Her first big hurdle of the day was clothing. Her own idea of professionalism clashed with her class based need to show off her body. In the end, a half buttoned up blouse and a short pencil skirt were the winners. Combined with pumps with a modest heel she was declared ready by her wife. Of course, nothing could be further away from the truth. The pumps quickly proved to be an additional challenge on her drive to work and by the time she arrived two near accidents had happened.

She was painfully aware of the stares she got on her way to the elevators. Murmuring was all around her. As were stares.
First stop was Janet. His, now her, floor manager. Gulping she stepped closer. Janet could be a hard-ass on anyone and her temper was legendary. With Valerie’s new look she expected plenty of trouble. Janet hated everything that lowered efficiency of her floor and flirting co-workers especially. Now Valerie looked like a stereotypical flirt. Approaching her felt like being wrapped in red cloth and send to face a bull.

She stopped in front of Janet’s office. Unless you are above her payment level you wait for her to tell you to come in or you may as well walk out of the building. Valerie didn’t have to wait long.

“Walter I presume? Come in.”

Quickly Valerie stepped in and felt mustered.

“This ..,” Janet motioned at Valerie's body. “ ... is not much like I know you. Why a succubus? “

Valerie swallowed hard. “It was in the middle of combat. An ambush. I was close to dying. Saw this class change stone and … I didn’t think. I just reacted. Believe me when I tell you that this will be as temporary as I can make it.”

“So you didn’t want to be a Succubus.”

“Empusa actually and not in a million years. If my mind hadn’t been so muddled I would never have done it.”

“Good to know. Look. I’ll be honest. We had a few tries in the last years to incorporate Succubus classes into our workforce. Never worked out. On the other hand, I have known you for years so I’ll give this a try. Don’t make me regret it.”

“No Mam.”

“Now Walter, …”

“It’s Valerie for now. To avoid confusion.”

“Okay. Valerie. I would send you back to work immediately, but I fear you have to sign some documents in HR. They are expecting you.”

“Thank you. I’ll try to be quick.”

“Oh, and Walter .. Valerie I mean. Your clothes…”

“.. are the most conservative ones I can wear. Class compulsion.”

“I see. Might I suggest that you try working on counteracting it?”

“With all due respect, I rather keep trying to find another class. Preferably a male only class.”
Janet nodded and Valerie took it as a sign that she was dismissed.

* * * * *

Mindy was her usual cheerful self, but she tried to mute it a little, given the circumstance. What Valerie thought would be a short visit to read and sign some documents quickly ballooned out to two hours.

Apparently, Succubus classes tended to exert certain behaviors not appropriate for the cooperation she worked for. One hour alone was dedicated to avoiding gestures that mimic jerking of phallic objects. By the end, Valerie was deeply embarrassed and to her own shame, a little aroused.

Thankfully Mindy didn’t notice or if she did she was a good sport and kept silent. She also offered her service to Valerie to learn some girly stuff. Not as her HR representative, but as a friend. While grateful, Valerie excused herself quickly.

She just wanted to go back what she did best. Sitting in her cubicle and hammer away at her keyboard and workload. As Walter, she could spend hours immersed in her work. Now as Valerie it proofed much harder.

“Hey there. I don’t think we have met yet. My name is Gary.”

Annoyed, Valerie turned around. Gary was the third disruption in two hours and the potential to be the worst. He had a certain reputation. Walter had always ignored it. But sadly Valerie couldn’t.
“I know who you are. Not interested.”

“Oh come on, you hardly…”

“But I do! You know the cubicle I am sitting in?”

“Yes, it’s Walters. The old lame-o has some family crisis. Guess it takes a little longer and you are his temporary replacement. And a sexy one at that.”

Valerie had to bit her tongue and could swear she already tasted blood. Stupid low health points. Her nails bit into her palms. Better that than to smack that so-called ladies man. How he hadn’t been caught by HR was beyond Valerie.

“Listen… Gary… That old lame-o is me. I am Walter you dimw…” Valerie cut herself off before she said something she would regret. It wasn’t like her to swear and she wasn’t about to start now.
“I had an accident with a class-stone. Soon to be remedied. And in case you didn’t notice. I still wear my wedding ring. Might be a little loose, but I still wear it proudly.”

Gary opened his mouth, but Valerie cut him off. “Just move along. I have work to do.”

Thankfully he did just that. Annoyed Valerie swiveled around to her PC and back to her work. Too bad there hadn’t been a course in HR about the unwanted attention she might get. Then again Valerie thought such a course might take longer than two hours.

* * * * *

Valerie was on her way to her car when another voice called out to her. “Great. Another one who wants to hit on me,” she thought.

Turning around she saw Hank, the guard responsible for the afternoon shift in the underground parking lot. He was massive and had to duck his head even with a nine feet height clearing of the ceiling. Must be some class perk. “Valerie right? Normally Walter. I thought I might be of some assistance.”

“I haven’t forgotten how to drive a car.”

“I sure hope not. No, it’s about another thing. Some knowledge other co-workers found helpful.”

That peaked Valerie’s interest. She motioned for him to continue. “I complained to management that there aren’t enough cameras around here. There are some blind spots. As much as I hate to say it, it might be good if you know where those are.”

Valerie was confused at first. Why should she know about those spots? Of course, her mind caught up and the implications weren’t pretty. As Walter, she had been fine. Now as Valerie she was prey and judging by the number of times she had been hit on today she was a rather attractive one. With her slashed health points, she was a pushover too. She quickly agreed and was led around by Hank for half an hour. Time well spent as it might save her from a respawn one day.

* * * * *

“You are late. We were worried.”

Valerie did go over to give her wife a hug. There was a slight hesitation to return it, but both decided to not mention it.

“Sorry. Apparently, our own security guard thinks the company's underground parking lot is unsafe. He showed me which spots to avoid.”

Bethany shook sadly her head. “Welcome to our world. Look. You better heed his advice. You aren’t as robust as you used to be.”

“And you dress like you are asking for it,” her daughter chimed in.
Bethany gave her a mean look while Valerie was embarrassed and looked away.

“What? It’s true. I know Dad or Mom or … this is confusing. I know she can’t help it. It’s the same with my clothes. But we can’t ignore it. Maybe I can show her some tricks I learned. In the meantime …”

Sarah got up and fetched something from the hallway. As she returned she put a can of pepper-spray on the table and pushed it towards Valerie. “I think you need this more than I do. I hardly leave the house anyway and when I do I have now my spirits to protect me.”

Before either of her parents could say anything she continued.
“Of course I won’t fight someone. If someone comes at me I’ll use them to buy me time to escape. And that's the same tactic you will use Dad. Spray and run.”

Valerie hated that she now was the weakest in the family. Nonetheless, she took the spray. She was grateful and had to wipe away a tear from the corners of her eyes.

* * * * * Chapter 10 * * * * *

It was Thursday and Valerie had survived two more days at work. She dreaded to walk inside, yet did it anyway. It wasn’t like her work had changed. Just the behavior of her co-workers. News traveled fast and only rumors could match its speed. The hot “new” worker on the fourteenth floor. Many found a reason to “visit” her.

Mostly those reasons were flimsy at best and Valerie was thoroughly annoyed. Her male co-workers were now very attentive, while her female co-workers grew colder to her. Male co-workers were busy chatting her up and the female ones chatted behind her back. She so hoped the novelty would fade away soon.

Just as she entered her floor a slimy voice greeted her. Gary again. That guy couldn’t take a hint even if it was painted on a twenty feet billboard. She hastily made her way to her cubicle and hoped he would just vanish.

She hid behind her cubicle walls and a flimsy printout. “A short FAQ” it was titled and kept the worst off her back. Of course, there were always those that had to pry. Right now she hated the honor position. The one farthest away from Janet’s office. Earned by his good work the past years.

It was just past lunch break when Paul shuffled by. When Valerie’s cubicle was the honor spot, then Paul’s was the one for punishment. It was the closest to Janet’s office and in full view. It was the spot reserved for troublemakers. It was also the preferred spot for Janet to look for messengers or runners if she needed an errand to be done.

She half expected another tacky pickup line. Instead, Paul gave a short “Janet wants to see you.”

Valerie twitched like she had been hit by someone. “How bad is it?”

“Someone from human resources is there too.”

Valerie nodded and swallowed hard. Whatever was up she wouldn’t like it. She took a moment to get into a decent state. An exercise in futility. No matter how hard you try if you wear a blouse a size or two too small you can’t button it all up.

She stood up on her two and a half inch pumps and walked towards the dreaded office. In this moment she seriously regretted to not have the habit of swearing.

She quickly was led in by Janet’s personal assistant and with a finality, the office door closed behind her. Janet had a grim look on her face. Before her desk sat Mindy. Her expression was just as grim. Valerie decided she was neck deep in trouble.

Janet motioned for her to sit and Valerie quickly complied. She then looked at Mindy, who in turn began to talk. “I have known you for a while so this will be probably a shock to you. We got today a formal complaint in human resources about unwanted sexual attention and harassment…”

Valerie breathed out in relief. One of her co-workers must have filled it on her behalf. Fed up by the unwanted attention Valerie got.

“The named perpetrator was you, Valerie.”

“What!?” Valerie’s eyes grew as big as saucers. Her mind needed a few seconds to fully catch up. “That’s ridicules. I am the one peppered with stupid questions and cheesy one-liners and someone thinks I want that?”

“Please, Valerie. Indoor voices,” chided Janet.

“I fear it is worse than you think Valerie,” Mindy continued.
“I quote from the complaint … She cornered me in the lunch break when the floor was empty. I think she saw me as an easy target. She said something like that she had underestimated her hunger and now she was hungry for me. I mean normally I would have jumped at the chance, but the wild look in her eyes frightened me. I declined and she got pushy and said obscene things.”

Valerie was beside herself and fury shot through her veins.
“That’s … It’s pretty much an accusation of attempted rape. I would never do something like that!”

“We … “ Mindy motioned to herself and Janet. “ .. agree that it doesn’t fit your character. But given your current class, the accusation is not completely without merit.”

Janet took over in a calm voice. “Currently it is word against word and no evidence is present. However, the company can’t just ignore accusations like that. If that would go public it would be a publicity nightmare. Now Mindy and I have to determine a way to deal with this matter.”

“Who is it? The one accusing me, “ wanted Valerie to know.

“You know I can’t tell you that Valerie. Don’t lose your wits now,” Mindy replied.

She was right and Valerie knew it. It didn’t help her when emotions made her blind. In a way, that was what had landed her in this trouble in the first place. If she hadn’t lost her cool in the midst of battle. What’s done is done and Valerie knew she had to rely on the one thing that hadn’t changed. Her body and her physical stats might have changed, but she still had her mental stats. After a moment to calm down she had a solution. Not a perfect one, but close enough. Or so she hoped.

“You are right. I apologize. Such unfounded accusation isn't easy to stomach. Given that it is unfounded I do expect no serious action on your part. However, I would totally understand under the given circumstances that the company might want to keep an eye on me. Say for example by making me exchange cubicles with Paul? I would be in full view of you Janet and your personal assistant. The company could then keep tabs on me and who I interact with.”

Several seconds passed and only the drumming of Janet’s pen on her desk broke the silence. Finally, she cleared her throat. “Yes, that might be acceptable on my part. Any qualms with it on your end Mindy? No? Good. We keep this silent of course. You may return to work Valerie. Oh and switch with Jared. Paul is there for a reason.”

Valerie nodded and left. It didn’t take long to switch with Jared, who was in the cubicle next to Paul. Once done she could finally pick up her work again. She knew there would be rumors. That couldn’t be helped. And she definitely didn’t like the black mark in her company’s file. On the other hand, there was the silence. The only good thing that came out of it. No one dared to hit on her in full view of Janet’s office. Finally, she could work in peace again. Still, the anger never left her system that day.

* * * * *

Tired she entered her apartment and collapsed on the couch. It didn’t take long for her wife to come over and to notice that something was wrong. “Long day?”

Valerie nodded but avoided the eyes of her wife. Something she picked up immediately. Bethany sat down beside her and gently asked. “What happened?”

It took a moment for Valerie to start. There was a lump in her throat and her voice sounded coarse. It came out in pieces. Her words quickly cut off as tears welled in her eyes. Soon she was burying her face in her wife's shoulder and bawled like a small child. A flood of emotions broke free that she had suppressed till now.

It felt good in a way, but it also came with a harsh aftertaste. It was normally her that consoled the others in the family. She was the strong one. Or had been. Not anymore. Ever since her class change, things got more and more out of control. Walter had always handled everything. He had been the rock in the midst of this family. But she wasn’t Walter anymore and in this instance, the fact of it was so painfully clear.

It took a long time till she could tell the rest of today's events and even longer till the last tear was shed. The whole time Bethany held her. Unwavering like a rock. Valerie knew she must have become just as angry as herself. Yet she gave Valerie what she needed the most and she was deeply grateful for it.

* * * * * Chapter 11 * * * * *

Friday was mercifully quiet and uneventful. At least at work. When Valerie returned home she saw her wife upset.
“Sorry Val. I nearly had it. I saw a male only class stone we could afford online. Shop sale only. I asked a co-worker to cover for me and drove over as fast as I could. They already sold it. Apparently, a research company in the next town over buys all kinds of class stones as long as they are cheap.”

Valerie knew that might complicate things. Why wouldn’t the string of bad events finally stop? Out loud she asked a different question.
“Why do they buy them in the first place?”

“Shop owner said they try to override less valuable class stone with the contents of valuable one. In the long run, that might lead to a drop in class stone prices. But since they try for ten years now..”

“.. it might not help us short term,” finished Valerie the sentence.

“In that case, you are mine tomorrow,” came a shout from the living room.

Both walked into the room and Valerie had to ask her daughter.
“And why is that? I got a strange feeling it won’t be good for me.”

“Shopping and training. Unless you want to keep looking like a porn star trying to pretend to be an office worker.”

“Hey!” Valerie protested.

“Sarah you know your .. father .. can’t exactly help himself. Or herself.”

“I know. Better than most. I have a dressing compulsion too and I have learned some tricks to deal with it. So call me your teacher or keep flashing those t…”

“Sarah!” Bethany cut her off.

“Sorry. But you know I am right.”

Valerie had to agree. It made sense and it also might get some heat off her at work. “Fine. Why do I feel that lately I always draw the short straw?”

“Oh, I could share the misery of shopping with you,” replied Sarah. And a quieter “I could use some new clothes too.”

A few chuckles came and to Valerie’s surprise, some came from her.

* * * * * Chapter 12 * * * * *

“So sensei, where do we start?” Valerie asked.

It was Saturday and they just had entered the local mall. “To the shoe store,” Sarah proclaimed.

Valerie nodded and started to walk. “Wait. What? Last time I had to drag you to and through it.” Bethany exclaimed.

Valerie gave her wife a shrug. “Last time I ended up with two-inch heels. If Sarah knows a trick to go with a smaller heel I am all for it.”

“Oh, my. You are so on the wrong path. You won’t go lower. Instead, we try a three or four inch.” corrected Sarah.

“What!?” Valerie came to a dead stop.

“Well, let me explain. When I started fighting my compulsions I researched a lot. One thing I found out is that you have to satisfy a certain amount of the compulsion and that the compulsion judges this based on the whole wardrobe. Not just the individual items. That means if you go a little more deviant down there you can be more modest upfront. How much we will see. But let me show you something.”

Sarah got her smart phone out and browsed a moment in her pictures. Then she handed it to her parents. “I researched yesterday some possible looks that might work.”

Bethany looked through the pictures and Valerie looked over her shoulder. The woman there looked more modest, yet retained an aura of sexiness. They had a strict and stiff posture. On top of it all, they didn’t look like the typical porn stars. They looked strong, confident and in control.

Bethany stopped on one of the pictures. On it was a big white caption reading ‘reveal your inner slave to me!!' and some more small writing in the corner. “Exquisite Domina's blog? You browsed a porn site?”

“It was just a blog. And come on. You have to admit that style would be better than her current.” was Sarah’s defense.

“Okay. So where do we start?” asked Valerie.

“With three-inch heels, remember?” replied a grinning Sarah.

“Is it too late to turn around and run?” Valerie asked with a mock wince.

“It sure is. We are here,” Bethany announced.

Together they stepped into the local shoe emporium. It took three hours to whittle down the possible options to the chosen few to buy. Four three inch pumps in various styles and colors and much to Valerie’s dismay two four inch pairs too.
She even had to wear one pair of the new shoes out of the store.

“This way we can make sure that it works and can cover up more when we try on other stuff,” Sarah explained.

Valerie groaned. She had nearly forgotten that this was only the first stop of many. They entered another store. Sarah turned around and stopped them from going further in.

“Okay now for the hard part. An important step is to decouple the compulsion from the standard focus. You see I learned that my compulsion doesn’t make me dress like what I expected a necromancer to look like. No. It’s a little bit worse. The compulsion made me dress the way I thought others might expect I had to dress as a necromancer.”

“So you are saying I dress this slutty not because I find it sexy, which I don’t, but I think other think it is?” asked a disbelieving Valerie.

“Correct. It also says you are a bit of a snob if you really think everyone around you thinks that is sexy,” Sarah confirmed.

Bethany laughed as she saw Valerie’s face flush with guilt and embarrassment. “Well, at least your actual taste in women is good.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Back to the matter at hand. I decoupled so far my compulsion by substituting my own world view of how a necromancer should look like. A more modern and more flexible version. To achieve that you have to train your subconscious, which is a lot harder than you think it is. Now, Dad, we have to do the same with you. We have to pick a target set of points that define your view what makes you sexy. Then we shift it step by step.”

“Wait!” Valerie’s mind caught up. “You are saying in order to become less slutty I have to become comfortable with seeing myself sexy in my own way? To actually develop a preferred taste of clothes that count as sexy by becoming more ... feminine?”

Sarah saw the disheartened look on his face and needed a moment to gave him a serious nod. “Pretty much.”

Valerie let her head hang and soon felt the reassuring presence of her wife's hand on her arm. “We can start with it, but maybe we don’t have to finish it. Just till we found a way back to your normal self, okay? You can do it and Sarah and I are with you.”

Valerie nodded reluctantly. She knew that what Sarah proposed was reasonable given the circumstances. With a heavy heart, they started the long process of sifting through potential outfits and clothing for Valerie. Always measuring them against the outline of Valerie’s supposed future dressing style and how limited it was by her current discomfort.

It gave them a little hope when Sarah’s first educated guess proved right. With higher sexier heels came a greater freedom with the rest of the outfit. Not much. Just enough for now to squeeze out another inch of skirt length or another closed button on a blouse. But it made a difference one could see and Valerie took it as a rare good sign.

While some of the new acquisitions proofed to be comfortable, most were chosen to be slightly uncomfortable. Sarah always reminded Valerie when she squirmed or scratched an itch, that these will help her to train her resistance.

By the end of the day, they left with a lot of bags and Valerie was painfully aware of the irony. Each measure of money they spend now made it harder to find a permanent solution in the end. But she knew there wasn’t much of a choice. Short term survival by keeping her job had priority. She just hoped it wasn’t for long.

* * * * * Chapter 13 * * * * *

Valerie was relieved to finally arrive at her company's underground garage on Monday morning. Work meant a short break from her relentless training. Who knew Sarah would be such a strict teacher. From whom had she learned it? Not from Bethany or her. That was a sure thing. The whole Sunday had been dedicated to training. Walking in heels of three or even four inches. Wearing slightly uncomfortable modest clothing. Working on her posture and mannerisms.

“The posture training? Remember we are trying to trick your subconscious into believing these clothes are sexy and right for you. Acting like they are will help and eventually it will make it true. So stop slouching.”

“No scratching that itch! Remember: giving in will prove you wrong in wearing those modest clothes. Fight it and don’t give up.”

“Sway your hips more. Even a newborn gazelle is more graceful than you are right now.”

Valerie mentally nodded again. Definitely not from her or Bethany.
With a sigh of pure relieve, she parked her car and slipped on her heels back on. Immediately the discomfort became less. She had learned her lesson and drove now in flats to work. That however meant dropping below comfort level. The whole way she had to resist scratching and or tucking at her clothes.

A few minutes later she was in her cubicle and forgot her worries. Working always put her kind of in another mental state and today was no different. It helped that her new cubicle was so close to Janet’s office that no one dared to come by and flirt with her.

Sometimes, however, she looked up by reflex and saw a familiar figure close by yet never to close. Gary. She saw that sly smile he gave her whenever no one else was looking. He wanted her to know that it had been him who filed the harassment claim. Why she couldn’t tell. Nothing about this made sense. Even a player and ladies man like him should be able to stomach a rejection from a woman like her. Yet for some reason, he made his personal mission to ruin her. It was strange. No doubt about it.

Valerie stood up and grabbed her lunch when it was finally time for it. Normally she ate in her cubicle, but since last Thursday she knew that could be a mistake. The cafeteria of the company was not a place for some quiet time, but in her case to be seen and noticed. Not that she liked that either, but it gave her an unshakable alibi.

Just as she about to leave a voice startled her. “Valerie. I noticed your wardrobe.”

She turned around to face Janet. “All part of fighting my compulsion.”

“Interesting. Would you join me for lunch in my office? You can tell me a little more about it.”

Valerie nodded. She knew Janet for years. Both had always maintained a professional cursory relationship. She suspected her class change would change things for the worse, but now it appeared the opposite might be true. Most curious. The lunch was quite nice. Maybe it helped to offset the negative impact of the accusation a little.

* * * * * Chapter 14 * * * * *

“This is a disaster!”

Valerie cursed her own stubbornness as she took another break and steered her car over to the side. Following yesterday’s lunch with Janet, she was eager to show her just how much she could clean up and be modest. That, in turn, meant shifting where she got her sexiness from. She opted for her new four-inch heels. She still wasn’t proficient in walking them, but her long Empusa tail helped her to stay upright. It would have to do.

No. Her mistake was the same as yesterday, just worse. To drive she had to switch to flats, which immediately started the itchiness again. Just worse as more sexiness was missing. Even the hilarity couldn’t keep her mood up. Only her stubbornness kept her going. After she pulled aside she slipped on her four-inch heels and sighed in relieve. She would never have thought to be happy to slip on a pair of high heels.

It took her five minutes to calm down enough to try for the rest of her commute. She did arrive in time, but nowhere near her usual over-punctual standard. That, in turn, meant all the good spots in the underground garage were taken. She found finally a spot on the lowest sub-level.

Annoyed she walked to the elevators and thanked whoever build them for it. She didn’t even dare to think about walking all the way up the stairs in her new heels. Of course, when she arrived at her cubicle, she couldn’t just slip out of her heels. For someone with an intelligence stat of eighty-seven, she sure felt pretty stupid about now.

Work was serenity. It always gave her mind something to focus on. However, she noticed more activity than usual around her. She waved over one of her co-workers and just had to ask what was up.

“You haven't heard? One of our biggest clients demanded an audit and the review of some core documents. Now we scramble to make it on time.”

Valerie nodded. She could work with others, but she was usually quicker on her own. So that was how she usually was utilized. That would explain why no one bothered to shift some of the workloads to her.

Lunch came and went. She hardly saw Janet. Of course, she hadn’t expected to have lunch with her boss again. But at least she could have noticed her improved wardrobe. With all the hectic around her, it was no wonder she didn’t. Of course, it upset Valerie. All this torturing herself this morning and in the end it was nothing.

Getting close to the end of the day the high activity died down and slowly the floor emptied. She was packing her things when a sudden loud curse startled her. It came from Janet’s office. One she could ignore. The string of swear words that followed she couldn’t. She walked over to Janet’s office and knocked.

“Ah, Valerie. Get me Benjamin, Eliza, Cory, Gary, and James into my office.”

“Pretty sure they all left half an hour ago.”

The curse words that followed could make a sailor blush and it certainly made Valerie. She knew Janet could curse up a storm, but those were usually limited if she needed to cut down unruly underlings. Finally, she looked back at Valerie. “Valerie, I have a favor to ask…”

And there was Valerie’s evening going down the drain. Guess she had to endure her heels and wardrobe a few hours more. “I’ll call my wife that I’ll be late today.”

Sighing she moved her laptop into Janet’s office and started. She was quickly surprised about Janet’s half of the work. She was just as efficient as Valerie, if not even a tad better. Communication was limited and cut down to the essentials needed.

It didn’t take long to see what had Janet alarmed her. Large arrays of numbers were just plain wrong. Methodically she narrowed down the possible causes and came to the conclusion that several key-values had been altered. Had it been sabotage? Valerie couldn’t tell. For now, she concentrated on fixing the problem as fast as she could.

With their fast pace, Janet and Valerie fixed what was wrong in slightly below three hours. Tired they pushed the question of sabotage to the next day and headed out. It was a little eerie to walk through empty floors and hallways. Only Hank was there and gave them a wave from his security booth.

The underground garage was pretty much empty and Valerie was painfully aware of the echo her high heels made. Janet’s car naturally was parked on the highest floor. The privilege of being management. They said their goodbyes and split.

Valerie walked to the elevators and nearly screamed in frustration. Yellow and black tape, as well as a printed paper, marked the lift as out of order. Couldn’t go anything right today? Now she had to walk four flights of stairs. Unless. The ramp was close by and she reasoned the gentle slope might be easier on her feet than walking stairs.

By the time she arrived on the lowest floor, she would have given anything for a means to be instantly home and under a nice hot shower. She rounded a corner and spotted her car. A half hour of hellish driving might await her, but then she could finally get some rest. She was so done with this day.

Twenty feet away from her car she was rummaging in her bag, in search for her keys, when a voice startled her. “Hey, slut. I’ve been waiting for you.”

From behind a column, Gary appeared and walked between her and her car. He had a gleam in his eye she definitely didn’t like.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded to know.

“Waiting for you of course,” he admitted.

The nasty grin on his face made her shudder and she felt the panic rise within herself. Quickly she fought it down. It was the last thing she needed. What she needed was time to think. For now, she had to stall him. “Why?”

She quickly concluded her biggest mistake. The cameras Hank had mentioned. She had parked below one but the stretch towards it was a blind spot. Exactly where Gary sprung his ambush.

“To teach you a lesson. To remind you of your place in this world.”

What was that maniac talking about? She knew she couldn’t dwell on it. The next cameras were the one at her car and behind Gary or the one sixty feet behind her. Could she outrun Gary? Not in four-inch heels. “And where would that be?”

Could she use her magic? It was a risk as it would drain her health points further. Besides, magic like arousal or artificially risen affection might backfire horribly.

“Under a man of course.”

“You are delusional.” Of course. She still had …

“No, you are! You are made for sex! And I’ll prove it to you.”
Her hand pushed into her bag and grabbed what she needed. Just as he lunged at her she leveled her pepper spray. She stepped aside as he blindly staggered through the spot she had just occupied. He took a few more blind steps towards the exit that had been behind her. Valerie had anticipated that and ran instead towards her car.

After only a few steps she heard a roar and steps behind her. Panic welled inside her. He should be blind, yet she heard him behind her and he was coming closer. She dared a glance behind her and immediately regretted it. She missed a step and fell hard on the ground. Scraping arms, legs and her tail. Her car was close yet too far away.

A hand grabbed her and pulled on her left leg. By instinct, she kicked with her other and heard a satisfying yell of pain.

“Stop fighting it. You are in denial. Once I have sex with you, you will understand.”

“Never!”

Gary gave her a nasty grin again. He slowly started to unbuckle his pants.

“You are a Succubus sub-class. Doesn’t matter which one. You are made for sex and believe me, you will love it.”

“I will sue you. I will …”

“... beg me for more!”

He grabbed a leg of her again. This time her kick missed. Worse. His hand caught her second leg. It was hopeless now. Her heart did beat loudly in her chest. Drowning out everything else. He would rape her here and she would probably wake up at the respawn center and not even remember anything.

Defiant she looked with hatred up to his face. He still had that nasty smile on his face that … suddenly was replaced by an equal sized fist. Connected to an arm that might have steel cables under its skin instead of muscles. A hulking shape entered her view. It took a moment for her mind to catch up.

”Hank,” came an astonished whisper from her.

“Be with you in a sec,” Hank said without looking at her. He only had eyes for Gary who was slowly getting back on his feet. As Hank drew closer Gary took a fighting stance. “Oh how long I wished to wipe that grin off your face,” Hank shouted.

A moment later he became a blur as he moved with a speed Valerie hadn’t thought someone so big could have. Again Gary flew through the air. Just to land with nasty sounds of tissue ripping and bones cracking. Gary still lived, but she could only guess by the twitching, the agonized moaning and the health bar she could see if she tried to.

Hank turned around and walked in his usual slow pace towards her. He offered his arm, the same muscular trunk of flesh that struck down Gary, and she pulled herself up on it. A moment later she leaned on the hood of her car. Hank silently stood beside her. Her heart was still beating like crazy and her legs shook like leaves. She felt weak and drained. Yet she found the strength to keep clinging to his arm. He said nothing as her tears started to flow. He just was something solid she could hold on.

After a while, she calmed down. Now she could hear the sirens that drew closer. “Called the cops,” muttered Hank.

It didn’t take long for the first car to exit the ramp and roll towards them. There wasn’t much to do at first. Hank in his guard clothes holding steady a woman who had recently cried. Gary bleeding on the ground. The situation was clear and the first police officers waited for backup to arrive.

A moment later emergency healers arrived and hurried towards Gary. Valerie couldn’t care less. She felt numb and detached. As if all this happened to someone else.

One of the healers came over and Hank left her in his care. She just couldn’t find the strength to beg for him not to go. Instead, she watched as he walked over to the officers and talked quietly with them.

It was after a while that her tired mind noticed that the healer was still fussing around her. Wasn’t she already healed? As she stirred she was gently pushed down by the healer. “Please mam, your health is still low. I healed your outside wounds, but your low health might hint of internal damage.”

When she found the strength to speak it was barely a whisper.
“‘s alright. Healed full. Overhealing. A class trait.”

She didn’t manage to say more and just waited patiently till the healer checked her maximum health stat to confirm her statement.
Even drained she couldn’t sit still forever. She stood up on shaky legs and walked over to Hank and one of the officers. Ignoring the protest of the healer.

“... we always record the camera feeds. I guarantee you will get a copy,” Hank paused himself as he noticed Valerie.
She saw the concern on his face and was grateful for it.

“Miss. Are you alright?” the officer asked.

“No, but I … What happens now?”

The officer only needed a moment to collect himself. “It’s mostly clear what transpired. Later we might need a statement from you.”

“I can do that now,” she volunteered. Not only surprising Hank and the officer but also herself.

“Are you sure? This must be very traumatic for you. We can do it later,” he gently reassured her.

“No,” Valerie quickly interrupted. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to get it over with now. “It’s okay. I .. just … Can we do it now?”

The officer regarded her for a moment and then nodded. “Then please start from the beginning and take your time.”

“Yes. Uhm. I came from the ramp and it was about ..”

“Excuse me. Why from the ramp?” the police officer inquired.

“The elevator was broken and I thought it was easier," Valerie explained.

"Not as far as I know," admitted Hank.

"There was tape. And a notice," Valerie said.

“We will check that out. Okay. Go on Miss," the officer prompted her.

“It was there where Gary revealed himself. He stepped between me and my car. He was ranting nonsense and he scared me. When he came closer I sprayed him with pepper spray and ran over there.”

“To your car to..”

“No," Valerie interrupted.

The officer gave her a questioning look.

“Hank, the guard here, told me once about the cameras here. Gary had caught me in a blind spot. I needed help so I thought the smartest thing was to get into the camera view. One was at the ramp. Too far away. But there, above my car, was another. It was closer.”

She pointed with a still jittery hand and finger up. “If I hadn’t fallen I would have tried for my car. Instead, I had to stall for time and hope that Hank wasn’t walking a security round to check on things.”

“I came as soon as I saw you on the floor.”

“Thanks”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he patted her, surprisingly softly, on the shoulder.

The rest was a long and tedious amount of waiting and sometimes answering further questions. Hank had led her up to his small guard house and placed her on a chair. A cup of hot chocolate found its way into her hand.

She must have nodded off, as a sudden shout woke her up.

“Valerie!” Arms and a familiar smell hugged her. Bethany. Then she heard sobbing. Her own as she noticed a moment later.

Bethany held Valerie for a while. Valerie noticed the rest that happened only with a numb indifference. Like Bethany talking with Hank and thanking him. Next thing she knew was being strapped into her own car and that Bethany drove them home. Sarah’s worried face as they arrived. The spray of hot water from the shower. The soft touch of blankets. Then darkness. Not the scary kind. The one you welcome. She drifted off to sleep.

* * * * * Chapter 15 * * * * *

“It has been three days. We need to do something.”

Valerie was woken by Sarah’s raised voice.

“I know. It's just that... I can’t push her right now. If she doesn’t want to see an expert…” Bethany countered.

“I am fine. Just need a few days,” said Valerie as she joined the conversation.

“No, you are not.” Sarah crossed her arms.

“We talk about this when I am back from work.” Valerie saw her wife off. When she came back to the living room Sarah was gone. From her bedroom, she heard murmured incantations. Probably training her skills.

Valerie did what she had done the last three days. She headed back to bed and tried to forget that the world existed. She knew it was unreasonable. She was fine. He hadn’t really hurt her. The unimaginable avoided at the last second. She should be okay.
Yet every time she thought of the outside her mind spun tales of others. People like Gary. Those who saw only the body. Knew only her class. It filled her with dread. It was easier to bury her head under pillows and blankets. Maybe tomorrow she could face the world.

Sudden steps in her bedroom broke her train of thought. She peeked out of the safety of her blankets. Sarah who rummaged through Valerie's wardrobe? She tossed a few pieces of clothing on a nearby chair. Then, to Valerie’s surprise, the blanket flew off. Stripped from her by magic.

“Sarah? What the…”

“Get dressed.”

“What!?”

“If you won’t see an expert then you are mine for today,” Sarah stated with hands propped on her hips.

“I .. I haven’t even showered yet.”

“Oh, you want to when we are done. Count on it.”

Sarah picked up the clothes and flung it to Valerie, who wondered just when her daughter had become so bossy. Picking up the first piece she came face to face with a sports bra.

“I see you in five minutes outside.”

She was gone before Valerie could voice any protest. Wary she eyed the thrown ensemble. She knew it from the last time they had been at the mall. Valerie had protested to this one. Which she gave up as both, Bethany and Sarah insisted. The tight sports bra and smallish shorts made the basis for the outfit. Then, over her bra, came a flimsy half see-through top. And that was it.

Grumbling she got to work and then meet Sarah in the living room.

“You haven’t changed,” Valerie remarked.

“Of course not. Only you will be running. Besides. Running in a robe sucks.”

With that, Valerie couldn’t argue. She was about to grab a pair of sneakers when Sarah stopped her. “Nope. Take the heels. The one there with two-inch heels.”

“You expect me to run in high heels?!”

“Not just to run. Just be glad. Some of the others advocated for the three or four-inch heels.”

“The others?”

“Oh. Just some ghosts I keep around as advisers.”

Valerie gave Sarah a dubious look but complied nonetheless.

Now it was time to step out and a familiar tightness in her chest built up. “We won’t go very far. Just to the block’s community yard,” Sarah told her.

She nodded and gathered her strength. One step. Then another.
Step by step they made their way over to the yard. They stopped at the paved basketball court.

“Okay. Before we start I need to give you this.” Sarah dropped a whitish cylinder into Valerie’s hands. She nearly dropped it. It was cold as if it had been in the freezer for hours.
Sarah covered Valerie’s hands with her own and a moment later the cold feeling vanished.

“It is now attuned to you. Hold it up before you with one hand and make sure that both fronts point away from everyone.”

Valerie did as told.

“Now. Let a little mana ... well, health points flow into it. As if you are charging an artifact.”

As soon as the health entered it the cylinder twitched and extended in a blink of an eye. She was now holding a staff of about six feet long. Then she notices the gleaming edge on one end. It wasn’t a mere staff. “A spear?”

“Well, technically it’s an ethereal bone scythe that I reshaped by force into the form of a spear.”

Valerie twisted and turned the weapon to view it from each side. It was near white with a slight ivory tinge. Nothing even hinted of it just being a cylinder a moment ago.

“Why a spear?”

“You seemed to handle one well the last time.”

The image of the other Empusa’s shocked face flashed behind Valerie’s eyes. The moment when Valerie, back then as Walter, had pushed it into her chest.

“You can collapse it again with a little flow of health. Now. Take a position at the end of the basketball court. I want you to meet someone.”

Valerie did as told and watched as Sarah walked to the opposite side. She started some incantation Valerie couldn’t understand. A glowing circle shimmered into existence. Slowly rotating and gaining in strength. A sudden boom and the circle was gone. In its place stood a figure that made Valerie gasp. There stood a knight with an armor that was black as the deepest night. Contrasting to it he held a white spear on his own. A mirror image of Valerie’s.

“I am Sir Percival,” a deep voice announced. It had an unearthly resonance to it. “I’ll be your teacher.”

Valerie took a few steps back. Damn that guy was impressive. Sarah clearly got along in her studies. “Fear not my maiden. I mean you no harm.”

The tense moment was broken by laughing. It was Sarah who stepped aside so she could be seen behind Sir Percival. “You should see your face. Priceless.”

Once her shock was swallowed down it was time for her training. Sir Percival gave her step by step guide on how to hold the spear and what stance to take. “Your footwork is terrible. Those shoes of yours..” Sir Percival started.

“ … is sadly the best she can wear. Kind of a class restriction,” Sarah chimed in.

“Well let's end today’s lesson with something fun. Strike me with your spear as hard as you can.”

Valerie gave him a dumbfounded look.

“Do not worry. I am already dead. No harm will come to me.”

Valerie swallowed and took a position before him. Just like he taught her. Then she pushed the spear forward. It was harder than she would have thought. At once, she noticed the instability her heels gave her. Her strike landed nowhere near her targeted point. However, what really shocked her was the spear that actually pierced Sir Percival.

She thought it might get deflected. Instead half the spears head was inside his arm. With some difficulty, she withdrew her spear. No wound. Not even a hole or dent in the armor. It eerily reminded her of something from her childhood. Back when she had been Walter and maybe seven or eight years old. He had pushed a toothpick into Jelly-O. Just to pull it out and marvel as no puncture could be seen.

“Again. And this time please aim for my chest.”

Valerie grimaced. She had aimed for his chest. She stabbed at him again and then again. Each stab followed by a comment or correction. More and more she stabbed and struck at him. By now she couldn't tell how often anymore. She was lost in the rush of adrenaline.

A voice broke through her haze. “That is enough for now.”

It hadn’t been Sir Percival and only after a moment her brain caught up. “Sarah, I still can handle more.”

“Probably, but I can’t.” Now she saw her daughter well enough to notice the glistening of sweat on her face. Valerie admonished herself. Summoning wasn’t a one and done kind of spell. It had to be channeled. That Sarah had been able to do it this long was kind of amazing.

“Sir Percival. Thank you for your help.” Sarah gave a small curtsy.

“My pleasure Milady.” He gave her a swift and elegant bow.

With a wave of Sarah’s hand, he was gone.

“I didn’t know you were this good already,” remarked a proud Valerie.

“Well, after the park incident I reevaluated the priorities of my training.”

Together they walked slowly back towards the apartment. It didn’t take long for Valerie to break the silence. “I know what you trying to do.”

“Want me to stop?”

“No. Thank you.”

“Good. Next workout is after I finish today's lessons with my private tutor.”

Valerie tightened her hand on her spear. Now back in its collapsed form. She wasn’t feeling ready yet, but maybe soon.

* * * * * Chapter 16 * * * * *

To train twice daily became their new habit. Once in the morning and once in the evening. It was the next Sunday and Valerie was waiting at the door for Sarah to get ready.

It startled her when the doorbell suddenly rang. She looked through the spy hole and saw one Brad Cooper. A classmate of Sarah’s before she had begun homeschooling. Last time he had been here he tried to give Sarah an auto-accepting gift. Guaranteed to raise the affection level. He also had the bad luck that Bethany had opened the door.

This time it was Valerie’s turn. With more force than needed, she opened the door. “What do you want?” she harshly demanded.

“Is Sarah ..”

“You got another auto-accepting gift, right? No, thank you. Now go away.”

“But..”

Valerie grabbed her spear from the nearby shelf and extended it. “I have an auto-accepting gift too. Wanna feel it?”

Brad turned white as chalk and ran away as fast as he could.

“Wasn’t that a little too much?” came an inquiry from behind her. There stood Sarah with crossed arms and a bemused look.

“Maybe,” Valerie admitted.

Sighing Sarah waved it off but quickly surprised her in another way. “Today the four inch please.”

“Really?”

“You got a new teacher today. Her class. Her rules.”

“Fine,” Valerie grumbled and complied.

They arrived at the yard and Sarah started another summoning circle. What stepped out of it certainly wasn’t what Valerie had expected. It was a Lady of maybe fifty to sixty years. She looked fit for her age.

“I present Madame Carla,” Sarah announced with a flourishing gesture.

“Hello. You will help me with my spear training?” A little doubt tinged Valerie’s question.

Madame Carla wasn’t wearing fighters garb. Instead, she wore a blouse and a very loose and ruffled skirt. Completed by heels as high as Valerie’s own pair.

“Oh, no no no. No! In fact, you won’t be needing your spear at all. Today and in coming classes, I will show you how to unlock your passion. To free your inner fire. To dance with the devil and survive.”

Valerie’s doubt could be clearly seen on her face. So much that Sarah had to explain. “Tango. You are going to learn the Tango.”

“Exactly. But not just Tango. To round it out I will also teach you Flamenco.”

After a few moments of failed processing, Valerie had the perfect question to ask. “What?”

“It’s easy,” Sarah exclaimed. “As Sir Percival mentioned your footwork is miserable. He isn’t the right person to teach it to you. Madame Carla is. We chose Tango and Flamenco for a reason.”

“Tango is a partner dance,” Madame Carla chimed in. “It will teach you to anticipate your partner's movements. It also has a flow and steps of varying length. Later we will change from standard Tango to Queer Tango. There the roles aren’t fixed. The leading partner can change mid-dance.”

“Flamenco was chosen because it is in part a step dance. Precise movement here is key. It is also more fluid than other forms of step dances as the body contorts more. Because of your low health, you need to avoid getting hit. That means your primary defense has to be evasion. That, in turn, means it has to come from utilizing your footwork to the fullest.”

“Okay. Okay. I get it. How do we start?” Valerie asked.

“With some basic steps …”

Two hours later Valerie had to muster all her willpower to not curse. Her feet were hurting like hell. The first big lesson had been about when to rely on the heels and when to shift her weight onto her toes. That meant putting a strain on her feet she wasn’t accustomed to.

She wasn’t sure how much she learned from this lesson, but another one was painfully clear:”This won’t be as easy as she had thought.”

* * * * * Chapter 17 * * * * *

“How do you feel?” Sarah inquired.

“Might be better not to ask. It might take a while to list everything,” came Valerie’s tired reply. She was leaning on Sarah’s shoulder and limped with her back towards their apartment. Her ankle was swollen and hurt a lot. Courtesy of a dance step gone wrong. Secretly she was amazed that she had managed to avoid it till now. She sighed heavily.

“My fourth lesson and I am still a total klutz,” Valerie complained.

“Don’t beat yourself up too much about it. Remember that most people don’t start learning to dance with four-inch heels on their feet.”

“Yeah, I know.”

There was a momentary silence before Sarah took initiative once again. “I wanted to talk to you about something. I know you need all the lessons you can get, but I was contemplating to cutting them in half.”

“Are two each day to taxing on you?”

“Ah. No. I am doing better with every day. I hoped .. Well. I think my abilities have grown enough that I can defend myself. That’s why I would like to return to school. Besides, we need all the money, right? Saving on the private tutor might help a bit.”

Valerie nodded along. Yes, it made sense to her. There is protective and there was overprotective. A fine line they started to edge closer.
“Well. You are probably the only one in our family that can defend herself. Period.”

“Is that a yes?” asked Sarah with hope tinting her voice.

Valerie felt a little proud. Normally Sarah would go to Bethany and not her. That she was asking Valerie hinted that they have grown closer. Of course, there was one thing Valerie always had wanted and thinking about it, she couldn’t completely hide a small grin.

“Of course, …”

“Yay!”

“... provided your mother agrees.”

Finally, she could turn it around and offload a decision onto Bethany. Just like she usually did.

“My mother did just agree,” shot Sarah back.

Valerie groaned theatrically. “Oh don’t get cute with me. Your other mother.”

“Yeah. Yeah…”

* * * * *

“Are you sure you are ready to go back to work?”

Valerie gave her a serious nod to her wife. “Can’t hide away forever. Besides, I don’t know how long the company would tolerate my absence.”

“It’s their fault too. If they had more cameras installed then this might never have happened.”

“I know. But you know me. Without work, I get a little antsy.”

Now it was Bethany’s turn to nod. “Oh, I know. Well. If you are really ready to go out again then …”

Bethany let it trail out and it didn’t take Valerie long to take the bait. “Yes?”

“I talked to Hank, your savior, and offered him my thanks. I kind of pressured him to say anything I could do to show my gratitude.”

Valerie’s chest tightened. Had Bethany done something with Hank?
“So in the end, he relented and asked for this little favor. His fiancee is pushing him to meet other people together.”

Valerie let out a breath of relief. She hadn’t known Hank was engaged. Now she was curious who could have tamed this giant of a man.

“The deal we made is once you are comfortable enough we visit them for an evening. I think Hank’s fiancee is a chef or so. Doesn't sound so bad right? With you going back to work we could ask if this Saturday would be a good time.”

Valerie didn’t like the going out part. Not in her current form. But there was an opportunity here. The past weeks both of them had drifted apart. She knew she still could count on Bethany as a friend. But how much saw Bethany her still as husband or wife?

The rules of the world were immutable. With her being straight her affection was limited towards a woman. Slowly the rules would force her affection for Valerie down to that of a normal level. How long till it wins or had it already won? For Valerie it was clear. She had to take every chance she could get to keep Bethany’s natural affliction from dropping. “Yes, I think I can manage that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, I owe the big guy, right?”

She wasn't sure. Silently she cursed her own cowardice to tell her wife the real reason why she had agreed.

* * * * * Chapter 18 * * * * *

“Stop fidgeting. You look fine,” Bethany commented after she had a small fit of chuckles.

“I know. Can’t believe I am saying this, but I think this dress is a little too modest.” That made Bethany laugh out loud and that, in turn, made Valerie blush heavily.

“Here we are. Now just act naturally.”

Bethany pushed the doorbell before Valerie could comment. It didn’t take long before they heard heavy footsteps. Hank opened the door and gave them a huge grin.

“Welcome. Good to see you up and about again. Come in. Come in.”

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Bethany couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Your high ceilings are gorgeous,” she gushed.

“Really? My fiance always comments they are too low.”

Had he just made a joke? Valerie wasn’t sure. On the other hand, she couldn’t remember ever seeing him standing up to his full height. Maybe ten feet? She guessed that the ceiling itself was up about twelve feet. For Bethany and her, those were high ceilings. Not so much for Hank.

“Speaking of … My fiancee is in the kitchen and I should introduce you.”

They followed him into an opulent dining room and kitchen.
He turned around proudly. “This is Tom, my fiancee. Tom, meet Valerie and her wife Bethany.”

“Nice to meet you,” Tom greeted.

Valerie and Bethany needed a moment to gather their wits, which apparently didn’t stop Valerie’s mouth.

“Holey Moley, you are huge.”

Tom let out a bellowing laugh. “Yeah, that’s usually the first thing people notice.”

It was no wonder. Tom dwarfed them even more than Hank did. Valerie guessed maybe eleven feet. Now the earlier comment made a lot more sense.

“Sorry,” came the timid apology of Valerie.

“Ha. No need,” Tom reassured her.

“So how about some wine?” Hank chimed in.

Both agreed and the awkwardness of the first moment was quickly forgotten. They all were engaged in small talk a moment later. Sipping wine and kept watching Tom as he prepared dinner with amazing skill and dexterity. Topics came and went. They learned a lot of each other.

“Okay. Here is something tricky. Guess where we meet each other.” Hank dared them.

“I guess it won’t be something obvious like the gym?” Bethany asked.

“Not even close,” Tom admitted grinning.

“In a dwarf only bar?” Valerie suggested. Earning laughter from the whole room.

“Okay. Okay. So we sort of knew each other.” Tom told them.
“We frequented the same farmers market.”

“And it’s hard not to notice each other if the other person is the only one on the same eye level than you,” Hank added. “We even talked a bunch of times.”

“Liked him from the start, but always too shy to ask him out. Didn’t even knew if he was into men.”

“So one day a friend of mine kept bugging me to try this dating app. Right off the bat, I got a ninety-six percent match. And wait a minute. I know that guy!”

“And the rest is, as they say, history,” finished Tom.

Valerie had to admit. It was a nice evening and they had a lot of fun. But there was something bugging Valerie at the back of her head. It took nearly the whole evening till she could her finger on it. It was the closeness of Hank and Tom. How they complimented each other. It was something she once had with Bethany. But now, seeing Hank and Tom, gave it contrast. Much of it was lost. More than she would have guessed a few hours ago. It gave the nice evening a bitter tinge at the end.

“You’re alright? You seem a little bit quiet,” Bethany asked on their way home.

“Yeah. The wine. You know. Never could handle much.”

What she really wanted to ask was left unspoken: “Do you still love me?”

* * * * * Chapter 19 * * * * *

Monday came and went by. Much to her relief most of what was happened was kept under wraps. Janet knew, as did Mindy. Both showed their support in a quiet moment. For everyone else, it was the topic to gossip about. Most guessing was far off, but some came uncontrollably close. On the other hand, the company sprung finally for a few more cameras.

Eventually, it all died down. Valerie was swamped with work that had been held back by her absence and the rest of her floor had to carry Gary’s usual workload too.

* * * * *

The next Friday was the hard part she had been dreading for some time now. She had to appear in court and give her statement. Had to watch the footage of the security cameras and see that asshole again. Thankfully Bethany was there and gave her support through it all. In the end, she was glad that this was over. Gary could rot in prison and she could finally continue her life.

* * * * *

It was amazing how something important could be drowned in the flood of day to day living. Her workdays quickly became a blur. Getting up early had gotten a little harder. It took longer to get ready and be presentable. The workload was hell for a few days. Coming home she would spend one or two more hours on the court with Sarah. Training either dancing or handling her spear. She slowly got better. It helped a lot when she started to incorporate her tail into her movements.

A ray of hope was Bethany. Every day she came home Beth was deep in one book or another. Always searching for a solution. She had been dedicated before, but after their evening with Hank and Tom, she got at it with renewed urgency. It soothed Valerie’s mind a lot. If Bethany was so dedicated then all hope might not be lost for them.

And that hope carried Valerie through her days. Always expecting a little to come home one day and Bethany having found a solution.
It was the Friday two weeks after her court appearance. Bethany called shortly before Valerie was done for the day. “Val it’s me. Listen. I have found a solution. At least a partial one.”

At once, Valerie’s heart started beating in excitement. “You found a class stone we can afford?”

“No. Sorry. But there is something else important we have to fix.”

“What is it?” Valerie urged.

“I tell you when you come home, but there is something important you have to do. You have to have the next whole week off. Make whatever deals you have to do, but we need the next week clear of any distractions.”

“Now you worry me a bit.” Valerie’s voice was tinged with worry.

“Just .. trust me. Okay?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Good. See you soon.”

The next step was a scary one. Getting the week off meant talking to Janet. Sure, their professional relationship had gotten a lot better. And in ways, Valerie wouldn’t have guessed before. But for Janet efficiency stood above all. Valerie had taken so many days off recently. After her change and for her to get back on her feet after Gary. Now she had to get another week off based on ‘my wife told me to’.

It was a battle of wills. Not a fair one. Janet was playing the manager part for a long time. When she finally exited she felt as if she had sold her soul to a demon. When she will be back she had to work an extra hour every day till she got the hours back in. That might take over a month to accomplish. On the other hand, she got what she came for. The free week.

Giddy with anticipation and worry she headed home. Not a class stone. That she knew. So she will still be stuck as a woman. What else might be important enough?

* * * * *

The apartment was quiet when she arrived. She found Bethany sitting at the kitchen table. A bunch of books stacked close by.
She looked up and gave Valerie a strained smile. “Take a seat. We need to talk.”

Was that it? Was this where her hope would be crushed? She nodded and sat down. Valerie blinked a few times as tears threatened to form.

Bethany reached out and offered her hand which Valerie grasped.
“Ever since we visited Hank and Tom my mind had been reeling,” she started. “It was obvious. They had a spark that we lost. A spark that I missed so much and I know in my heart that I can’t go on like that. Valerie …”

She was sure. This was the moment her heart would be crushed. “ … I have to admit that I stopped looking for a class stone. Not permanently. I just needed time to find a way so we could be together again. Not just as friends, but as married people. This stupid world and its rules. I tried a way to break them, but no game there. But now I may have found a way to use them against themselves.”

She pushed one of the books towards him and pointed to a passage. “If the targeted person’s sexual orientation is contrary to the build upon artificial affection it is recommended to keep the duration of exposure short. Long term overload of artificially induced affection is known to temporarily alter the target's sexual orientation and in rare cases alter it permanently.”

Valerie pushed the book away. “I … I can’t do that to you….”

“But … “ Bethany started.

“No. You don’t understand. I have felt it. Back in the park. I had been under its influence. Looking back it was horrible. I didn’t care. For anything. Not even myself. All that mattered was that wretched creature. You would be a living zombie. Your whole life turned meaningless. I love you and doing this would mean I’d lose you too. Seeing you like this for month or years ... “

“Only five days,” her wife calmly interjected.

“What?” came the bewildered question of Valerie.

“My plan calls for five days. All the cases here in these books have been cases of low strength, but long term. I think we could expedite it by having you go full out. Cast as much as you can on me within five days.”

“That’s why you wanted the week off,” Valerie whispered as her wife's plan slowly unfurled in her mind.

“Yes. Five days and then four days for the worst of the spells to wear off.”

“Spells?”

“Yes. Empusa’s have, like every Succubus subclass, a spell to induce arousal. And the thing is I found similar warnings about long term exposure to arousal spells too. Using both gives us better chances to changing me.”

“Not just changing. You are talking about breaking yourself and we don’t even know if it works.”

“Valerie. I haven’t made this decision lightly. As long as I have known you, you have always been the one to sacrifice yourself for this family. Back in the park, you hadn’t even hesitated. For once it is not possible. Only one of us can do this sacrifice and I am willing to do it. I want to. No. I demand to do it. I ask you to trust me. To step back for once and let me be the one who bears the load of the decision.”

“I don’t know. Isn’t there another way?”

“Maybe, but not in time. Listen. Relying on our natural affection for each other had always been enough. But not this time. Just this once we have to do what we swore we would never do to each other. Valerie. Please.”

Tears streamed down both their faces and an oppressive silence settled over them. Valerie’s mind raced. Could she do it? She remembered how it had felt to be under overwhelming artificial affection. To be of a single-mindedness to please just one person. Because that one person meant the world. But deep in her heart, she knew Bethany was right. Without something drastic, they might lose that spark between them for good.

“I’ll do it,” came the silent reply of her. She knew it was too late to take it back. She had said it and she meant it. How she hoped it wouldn’t be a mistake. There was only one way to find out.

Bethany came over to give her a hug. Warm and welcoming. Then she walked to the fridge and got three health potions out.

With barely more than a whisper, she explained the plan.
“Sarah is over at a friends house for the week. I have unplugged the phone and taken a few vacation days too. So we shouldn’t be disturbed. You drink these potions which should give you enough to cast with without needing to hurt yourself. Cast the spells for artificial affection and arousal. If everything goes to plan it should lead to …"

Bethany swallowed hard. "Well, sex. It should lead to a bunch of sex. That should give you fuel for more spells. Don’t hold back. Whenever you have enough health to spare cast anew. For five days. I set an alarm that tells you when to stop. Then we have four days to let the spells cool off.”

Bethany looked Valerie deep into her eyes. “Are you ready?”

Valerie gave her a lopsided smile. “No. But let’s do it anyway before I chicken out.”

She grabbed one health potion after the other. Twisting the cap open and drowning them. This was the moment of truth. Valerie had never cast any of those spells, but she knew them. Both were starter-spells every Succubus sub-class learned on changing into the class.

The change was immediately visible. Bethany’s eyes grew wide as her lips parted in surprise. Her nipples became painfully prominent as she became aroused. It took only a moment of hesitation before she jumped Valerie. Showering her with kisses and clawed at her clothes with need.

It inflamed a passion in Valerie she hadn’t yet known. It coursed through her veins like electricity. They barely made it to the couch before Valerie’s legs buckled under her. It had been too long. Since the change, there had been nothing like this between them. Valerie had been too much afraid to explore this new side of her. The one that craved sex and passion. Now that hesitation was torn down by Bethany. Mercilessly she ripped it apart with every kiss, roaming hand and grinding move of her hip.

Time lost meaning as they chased one after another orgasm induced height. After each peak of passion, both would rest a moment. Only to be broken as soon as Valerie kept her promise to cast another set of spells. They descended into a pit of their most basic needs, the pleasure of themselves and each other.

Sometimes they passed out from exhaustion only to be woken up by the other one in the most erotic ways they knew. Soon Valerie had to add an additional spell. While she was fine, every arch of her body healed by the orgasmic backwash, Bethany was not. A body could only endure so much. Valerie knew this by instinct and added a healing spell. With that, there was no barrier they couldn’t climb together to reach the next climax.

After what felt like an eternity of drowning in an ocean a sound broke through their passion. After a while Valerie recognized it. The alarm. She knew it was time and withheld all spells, but the healing spell. Their sex continued, but without the overwhelming need of the arousal spell their speed slowly dropped. Their lovemaking changed pace from quickest way to climax to a slower and more sensual way. It was Friday morning when they both regained enough control over themselves to hold a conversation.

“That was awesome. You are awesome. I never knew what a goddess you could be,” gushed Bethany.

Valerie blushed but remained quiet for a moment. She tried to savor the moment. She and Beth snuggled close together. Something that hadn’t happen in a long time.

“I missed this so much,” she admitted with barely more than a whisper.

“Was it so bad without the sex?” her wife teased her.

“What? No. Not the sex. This. Us lying together. To feel your warmth against my skin. That I missed so much.”

Valerie expected another jibe, but got a dreamy “Me too.”

As Beth let a finger slide over Valerie’s curves she couldn't help but shudder. Valerie had thought that she knew all that is to her new body. How wrong she had been. It had been Bethany who coaxed out every little hidden erogenous spot of Valerie and she had found a lot. Most surprising of all was her tail. Intellectually she knew it must be the many nerves in it that made it yet another erogenous zone. Finding out just how polymorphous the tail was led to new and satisfying tricks for both of them.

“So… Did it work?” asked Valerie.

“My heart says yes, but my mind doesn’t know. The arousal spell is slowly fading out, but the artificial affection spell lasts longer. We won’t know for sure till it did,” Bethany explained.

Beth finger resumed her slow gliding and found the crevice between Valerie’s breasts and chest. She was rewarded with a small moan. Valerie didn’t know why that spot had her weak, but Bethany had not only found it. She was also abusing the knowledge often.

“You know … Sometimes I am a little bit jealous of your magnificent breasts.”

“Is that so? Well, you can have them. They are just a pain in the ass.”

“Oh really?” She started to cup one of Valerie’s breasts and slowly massaged her nipple.

“Okay. You win. They have some advantages. But I don’t think you need breasts like these. You are perfect as you are.”

“Really nothing you would change?”

“Nothing.” Valerie firmly stated.

“What about Hank and Tom?”

“What?”

“I saw the way you looked at them. If I hadn’t been certain that you are into women I might have thought you were checking them out.”

Valerie blushed and turned away for a moment. “It’s not that. I mean… Have you ever seen arms like that? Thick like tree trunks and for all I know there aren't muscles beneath the skin but steel cables.”

“So you like muscular bodies? Who knew?!”

“You didn’t? I thought that was obvious. Remember how we met?”

“Of course. In the park. I was jogging and you were reading a book on a bench.”

“Yes. You stopped to tie your shoes and the first thing I saw from you was your leg beside my book. A well toned and sexy leg. Why do you think I compliment you so often for them?”

She gave Valerie an “aww” and a pouty mouth. “You must have been disappointed after Sarah’s birth when I gave up regular workouts.”

“Oh no. By that time I had found something even sexier.”

Beth punched Valerie playfully as she remained silent. “Come on. Spill the beans. What fetish are you hiding?”

“Ha. No fetish. I just discovered that the personality of the person who owned those legs was way sexier.”

“Good answer,” Beth admitted and gave her wife a deep kiss.
Their passionate kissing didn’t last very long as Beth had to interrupt it. “Sorry honey. I know you want it to last longer, but … Damn, I am starving.”

Valerie laughed. Now it was her turn to say:”Me too.”

Slowly they freed themselves of the tangled mess that their bed-sheets had become and looked around. Their bedroom was a mess. It looked like a tornado had cut a path of destruction through the room.

Beth walked on tiptoes to the door. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed.

Valerie wanted her to chastise her for cursing, but arriving at the door, she too had to curse. The living room looked just as bad as the bedroom, if not worse. And to Valerie’s shame, each broken or pushed over item invoke the memory of a sexual act. They had been here often as it wasn’t the first time hunger lured them out of their bedroom. She looked over to Bethany and wondered if they managed this time to not incorporate food into their sex play.

“What deviants we have become …” she murmured to herself as she stepped into the room.

“Yeah. I was so innocent till I meet you,” teased her wife.

Looking around, she estimated that several hours were needed to get the apartment cleaned up. That, however, was not the priority. Food was. And to her relief, the fridge was still stocked somewhat. Given the random plundering of ingredients, they opted to warm some cans of food. Not Valerie’s favorite, but hunger made her wolf it all down.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we overlooked this in our playtime. Still hungry? How about dessert?”

Valerie turned around from her finished plate and found a Beth who just sprayed some whipped cream on her breasts.
Valerie reasoned that cleaning up could wait. After all, there was always space for some dessert.

* * * * * Chapter 20 * * * * *

“She just texted me. Sarah will be here in about ten minutes. Did we get everything in order?” Valerie told her wife who burst out in a sudden laugh. “What?!”

“Us. This. We are just like some teenagers who threw a party we weren’t allowed to do. Now our parent returns and we hope for the best.”

That made Valerie laugh too. “Yeah. Kind of twisted.”

They heard the keys in the lock and a moment later Sarah stepped into the apartment. A short moment later they had gathered in the kitchen.
“So what were you up to while I was away?” asked Sarah with a cryptic smile on her face.

“Oh nothing Mom,” replied Valerie and got a playful elbow jab into the rips from her wife.

“Just some soul-searching together.” corrected Beth.

“Oh is that so?” Sarah stood up and started to open each and every window.
“Does soul searching always result in making it smell like a swinger club had a week-long sex marathon?”

“You told her?” asked a bewildered Valerie her wife.

“No. … Oh, my!” Bethany suddenly looked flustered.

“What?” Valerie demanded.

“I guess we just gave some spirits the show of their afterlife…”

“... and they snitched.” complete Valerie her wife's sentence.”

Sarah gave them a nonchalant shrug. “Most reviewed it as ten out of ten. Would watch again.” The hilarity of the situation made Valerie laugh and the rest joined in.

“So with all the sex you had …” Sarah started.

“Someone has gotten blunt,” interjected Bethany.

“.. how high has gotten your health points.”

Valerie had completely forgotten. As an Empusa, she healed herself with sex and one of her special traits allowed her to heal more than her maximum health points allowed. When she stopped casting spells it must have stocked up.

What she discovered made her gasp. “I am a third over my max!”

“Only a third?” Sarah inquired.

“Yes. I mean no. A third above my old maximum health before the change. I am now at nearly four times my max. I am a freaking tank!”

“Oh don’t get used to it. I don’t think I can do something like that every week,” stated Bethany.

“You just made a whole bunch of spirits unhappy…” Sarah added with a smirk.

“And me too,” added Valerie and overacted the part of a sad person.

* * * * * Chapter 21 * * * * *

“Oh, Valerie. Whatever you did last week must have worked wonders.”

Valerie looked up to see Janet nearby. “That remains to be seen. But for now, I feel great.”

She had been on a high all morning. She knew that their little experiment was far from certain to be a success, but the mere possibility gave her hope. On top of it, her health was close to Walter’s original max health. It may not last, but for now, it was definitely a plus.

“Well, you look like it and whatever you did I may have to try that too.”

Valerie nearly choked when she suppressed a laugh. “Sorry boss. I fear that option is not available for everyone.”

“We will see. One day I might find out your secret.”

Valerie could barely hold back a grin and chose to remain silent for now.

* * * * *

Valerie sighed as she drove home. A whole workday was done, but her day itself was far from over. Sarah would snatch Valerie away for their evening training the moment she came home. At least she was improving.

After dinner, Bethany would occupy her and quite in the literal sense. Their experiment had worked. Sort of, as Bethany was now way into Valerie. Maybe too much as she would demand sexy time both in the evening and the morning. The only spare time she got was on her weekends and even that was limited. It was no wonder that already three weeks had passed since her week off.

She suddenly had to hit the brakes as the cars before hers did too.
Confused she witnessed people running over the road in a panic. Only to be terrified as hound-like creatures jumped over the cars and hunted people down.

“What the...? Where is the city border guard?”

Just at that moment armed persons appeared and mowed down the creatures. It didn’t take long and the guards gave the all clear. One guy close to her car yelled something into his radio. “We need healers in sector …”

He left before she could hear the rest. Shocked she exited her car. There was no driving on as the road was littered with wounded people. The guards were moving on and Valerie wondered about the injured around her. Would the healers arrive in time?

She quickly gathered her wits and grabbed the emergency first aid kit of her car and looked for the nearest wounded survivor. He was close to death and no bandages might save him. The kit all but useless.

She reasoned she could try healing him as she was still overcharged a little on her health points. Not much, but a few small heals might stop the worst of the bleeding effects. She seriously hoped those dog-like creatures didn’t return.

She looked for the worst wound and cast a small heal. The previous unmoving survivor drew a big lung full of air. That startled Valerie, but another thing shocked her even more: that guy had a significant amount of health back. She cast another small healing spell and again the health points of her target jumped further up than anticipated.

He opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile. “Thanks. You saved my life.” He even managed to sit up. She was about to cast a third spell when she was interrupted by him. “I am good enough. Please help the others.”

Looking around Valerie saw that she had been too much preoccupied with the survivor. A dozen of other wounded people lay all around her. She nodded. There might be more people needing healing spells than her overcharged health might provide, but she had to try.

She helped a woman next, then a small girl she had overlooked previously. While she helped an elderly man her mind reeled. Nothing in the manual had suggested that Empusa’s were good healers. The only thing that separated them from other Succubus sub-classes was that they cast from health and the condensed health trait.

She nearly miscast a spell as an epiphany hit her. Condensed health. Didn’t the name say it all? It didn’t limit her natural health points further. It condensed them. Casting spells now must mean she expanded them to their normal value or close to it. Since all of them did go to the spell it, in turn, was way overcharged and resulted in a large amount of healing provided.

Further musing escaped her as a piercing shriek could be heard followed by a few further away. Those creatures came back. She knew she wasn’t fast enough to escape them on foot. Even with her training, she wasn't good enough to run in four-inch heels.

Determined to not give into her fear she ran for her car. A moment later she opened the passenger side door and leaned into it to grab her collapsed spear. Just as she felt the cylinder in her hand a mighty weight landed on her roof. She pushed herself back and narrowly escaped a clawed paw.

Up close it nearly froze her in place. Black shaggy fur and a snout filled with menacing sharp teeth. A smell of rotten flesh and spittle dropping to the ground.

More her mind couldn’t process as the hound jumped. By pure instinct or luck, she twirled aside in an often practiced sidestep. Her spear was extended in a blink of an eye and ready to strike a moment later.

The beast hadn’t even turned around yet so the spear bore into its shoulder and exited near the throat. Black blood gushed to the ground as she withdrew her spear.

Valerie staggered back and had trouble believing what she just had accomplished in a few seconds. The hound was bleeding heavily and ignored her for now. She knew she had to finish it. Her logic dictated the means and a moment later she siphoned for the second time in her life the health points of another being. The beast yelped and shook itself, but it was too late. It quickly succumbed to the blood loss and her spell. Its last act was to shriek the last time in pure agony.

A shriek that was answered and they were too close for Valerie’s taste. She looked up to spot them but saw a dozen other people around her standing and holding weapons. Amateurs like her she concluded. Why else would they stare at her instead of watching out for the enemy?

“Get ready! They are coming from that direction,” she shouted and heads turned in unity. Just in time to witness a whole pack of those creatures to round a corner.

Valerie's mouth sprouted curses and her mind agreed that if there was ever a time to start using curse words it was now. Abandoned cars blocked part of the road and made the pack split. Valerie knew she was in a pinch as three hounds zoomed in on her.

Her mind raced to come up with anything. One thought screamed “even the odds” and a moment later she cast her artificial affection spell on the biggest of the beasts. It stumbled slightly and then pounced on one of the other creatures.

There was no time to celebrate or cast another spell. The remaining hound jumped at her. Again she twirled, barely in time, and managed to avoid getting hit. Her spear bore itself in its flank, but it was not a lucky hit like her last had been. Wounded her enemy started to circle her. Wary that she might strike him again. She lunged a few times at him. Not in the hope to strike it. Rather than to buy time.

A sudden noise behind Valerie startled her and the next thing she saw was black fur of a beast jumping over her. It crashed into her enemy and viciously mauled it to death. Valerie felt the bond of her spell and knew it was the one she had bewitched.

An agonized cry made her head snap around. One of the beasts was on top of a survivor who barely managed to keep the jaw away from his face. The claws, however, had raked deep bloody gashes into the hip and thighs of the man.

“Go!” she shouted and pointed with her spear. She didn’t know what made the beast move, but it leaped at once to its feet and raced to her target.

She rushed behind and stopped beside the man. He didn’t move, yet he was still alive. As Empusa she could see his health points and how quickly it drained away through the wounds. She touched his shoulder and fueled a healing spell with much of the health she had drained from the one beast earlier. Wounds knitted themselves together and color returned to his face. A moment later he was able to stand again.

“Come on,” she urged him on.

A few paces further her bewitched beast still fought the other creature. Valerie ended it by draining the enemy's health. While bloodied her unlikely companion headed her command as she chose another target. With the beast in front and a survivor besides her, Valerie quickly dispatched two more of the vile creatures.

Their small party grew as other survivors joined up and soon all that was left was corpses and eerie silence. At first, Valerie was at a loss what to do. The adrenaline in her veins screamed to fight on, but with no enemy in sight, it slowly settled down.

With her wit returning she turned around to her tamed beast. Its breath was labored and it bled heavily. It had been loyal, but for how long? She murmured a “Sorry.” and drained its health.

“Watch out for others,” she instructed and quickly looked on for other survivors that needed healing. For a few, she came to late. Bloody empty clothes marked places where someone had died and then respawned. She still found plenty of people in need.

While healing her mind raced. All this carnage was horrendous, but something irked her. Shouldn't there be more killed people and less wounded? It was as if the creatures tried to wound as many as they could instead of killing mercilessly.

A sudden pain made her wince. It was her last healing spell that had dug into her own health, as the overcharge she had arrived with and the siphoned health from the beasts had been used up.

Weary, she stood up and looked around. No new enemies around and she heard sirens getting closer.

“... never seen a healer fight like that,” she overheard on survivor that looked at her.

“Must be a high-level cleric,” another added.

“No. Most likely some paladin,” chimed a third one in.

Not liking the attention, Valerie made her way back to her car. As luck would have it she spotted a space ahead that made way to a side street. Quickly she started her car and slipped out of the chaos around her.

The sudden ring of her cell phone nearly made her hit a telephone pole. She stopped at the side of the road and answered it.

“Valerie? Are you alright? Where are you?”

“Beth. Slow down. I am fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ll be home in five minutes.”

“Hurry.”

Valerie ended the call and drove on as fast as was allowed. Had there been other places overrun by those creatures? It happened not that far from her home.

The moment she came into her home she was caught in a tight hug by Bethany. Sarah wasn’t far behind. “We were so worried. We saw you right in the middle of it.”

Sarah must have seen Valerie’s confused look as she added:”On TV. It’s all over the news.”

Together they relocated to the couch and then unmuted the TV.

“ .. is still unknown. They originated within city limits on three different locations…”

“There were more than the ones I saw?” asked a bewildered Valerie.
“There is no official count yet, but they guess over a hundred were released,” came Sarah’s reply.

“ … left widespread destruction. The border guard was spread thin as they had to rush towards different areas. Some areas were left exposed and citizens had to defend themselves as…”

“Look,” Sarah interrupted as helicopter footage was shown. She pointed to a small figure close to three of those beasts. It took Valerie a moment to recognize herself. They saw from high above Valerie’s lunges to drive back one of the creatures.
“Looks like our training is paying off.”

Valerie nodded with a distracted mind. From up high, her fighting nearly looked graceful. She had no clue that she had progressed that far in such a short time.

“Can’t believe you got away unscathed. You are really alright?” a worried Bethany asked.

“Yeah, but I used up my overcharged health. Oh, that’s right! I found something out. Something amazing.”

“What?” inquired an impatient Bethany.

“You remember my class trait called condensed health?”

“The one that slashes your maximum health and received healing?”

“That’s the one. Turns out the trait is quite literal. It doesn’t cut my health off. Instead, it concentrates it into a more potent form. When I used a small healing spell it was several times as effective as it used to be. It was like casting a normal healing spell for the price of a cheap one. I mean I healed dozens of people and I am not even a healer.”

“Why has no one ever noticed before?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t know. Most probably didn’t want to lower their health when it was unnecessary.”

“We should experiment with …” Sarah stopped. The street view on the TV changed to that of a studio and a news anchor.

“We just received the following news. Green Valley prison had a major break out. More than a hundred and fifty prisoners escaped as they were aided by external help. The breakout so far is largely unopposed as police as well as border guards left the area to deal with the large creature rampage on the other side of the city. We do not have yet enough information to confirm that both incidents are linked together.”

Valerie’s stomach turned upside down. Could someone be cold-blooded enough to unleash such mayhem as a diversion? She hoped not.

“Are you sure you are okay?” asked her wife.

“Yeah. I hadn’t been injured and I hadn’t used my .. um … core health to heal others.”

“Well, I can’t leave you running around with just your core health. Come oh heroine of the hour. Time to get your reward.”

Valerie was pulled to her feet by her wife. Her weak protests sounded even to herself unconvincing. Her last view of the living room was Sarah grabbing something from the kitchen area. Microwave popcorn? Before Valerie could ponder it her train of thought was broken by greedy kisses of her wife. Whatever it was it could wait until after her reward.

* * * * * Chapter 22 * * * * *

“So you managed to avoid it barely. Talk about lucky, right?” Mindy proclaimed. A few others at the table nodded enthusiastically.

This was the fifth time Mindy had scooped up Valerie for lunch and dragged her to some social hanging out at the company's cafeteria. It was to teach Valerie the new lay of the land.

The social circles she hadn’t been part of as Walter. But now, as a woman, she had to learn some things. According to Mindy, who took it upon herself to guide Valerie on the way. All part of being her HR case worker. Valerie didn’t believe it for a moment, but couldn’t find a reason to decline the offer.

Now she had to get used to small talk and gossip the girly way. Which, much to Valerie’s amusement, was pretty much the same she had endured as Walter. Just some topics had changed.

“I was at the same intersection just minutes before,” lied Valerie. In hindsight, it had been foolhardy to go out and fight. There was no way she would disclose it here at work. There was already enough gossip at work around her.

“Aww. To bad. There was one that could be your idol. A high heeled and refined-looking woman rallied the survivors and fought some of the creatures. I bet she could teach you a few things,” teased one of Mindy’s HR co-workers.

“What?” came the undignified response of Valerie.

A newspaper was pushed over to her. There was an article with the headline “Heroes admits the chaos”. The third person hadn’t been identified as only a blurry helicopter picture existed. Valerie, however, knew the silhouette well.

“Yeah. Too bad,” Valerie admitted and hoped no one would pick up on her nervousness.

“I bet by the time it happened she was already with sexy timing her wife,” teased one co-worker.

That elicited a bunch of “Uhhhs” from the girls around the table and a heavy blush from Valerie.

“Ladies! Stop teasing her. Seriously. We aren’t in high school anymore,” huffed Mindy.

Clearly, Mindy’s plan to introduce Valerie to the girly ways was backfiring today. Just then Valerie’s phone started ringing. Bethany. As if she had known that she was part of the talking.

“Hey Honey,” Valerie answered her phone.

A few of the girls uhh-ed again and made kissing noises.

“Hi to you too. It’s still your lunch break, right? Do you got a minute?”

“I always have time for you,” Valerie replied with a slightly raised voice so everyone at the table could hear her. “It was kinda getting boring anyways to listen how jealous everyone is of our fun hobby times.”

Valerie stood up and stepped away a few feet from the table. But not before she blew the other girls a raspberry. She saw Mindy roll her eyes. You are as young as you feel and apparently, everyone here was still in high school. Or so mused Valerie.

“Do I need to know what’s that about?” inquired Valerie’s wife.

“I tell you later. Is everything alright? Your voice sounds a bit off.”

“Oh yeah. I tell you about that later too. Listen. Since the chaos the other day I really got worried about your health situation. I found a solution!”

“You found a class stone for me?”

“Not exactly. Just come home straight away after work. I gave Sarah the okay for a sleepover. The weekend is ours. Only us here.”

“Just don’t do anything rushed.”

“Too late. Cya in a few.”

Valerie looked shocked. Bethany had hung up on her. On purpose. That never happened. Now Valerie was worried. What had Bethany cooked up now? Last time she had an idea it did lead to a week long sex orgy.

It worked, but sometimes Valerie suspected that they had overshot their target. Bethany wanted, no, demanded a lot more sex than she used to. It was usually her too that took the initiative. She was still the Bethany Valerie loved, but she had changed. How unscathed will they return this time?

“No booty call?”, one of the girls at the table hollered. They must have seen the slightly shocked face on Valerie.

Quickly she collected herself. “Oh, she just told me what devious things she will do to me once I come home.”

Her boasting was rewarded with some “Uhhh”.

“That’s it!” Mindy cut them off. “I think a few someones around here forgot they work in the human resources department. You all just earned yourself a refresher course for sensibility and about sexual harassment.”

“Awww” the girls exclaimed with looks on their faces that could be on school girls caught smoking by the teacher.

Valerie blinked a few times. Yep. Just like in high school. She must have fallen through a time portal. When had her life become so weird?

* * * * *

The rest of the workday progressed mercifully fast. All the time Valerie switched between worry and being intrigued. She practically rushed out when her work was done and was in record time home. Standing before her door she tried to calm and steel herself. She still didn’t know what she would find.

Valerie told herself that it couldn’t be that bad and finally headed in. Only to drop her purse in shock as she spied Bethany posing in the kitchen completely naked.

Beth turned around and gave her a beaming smile. “Do you like how I look?”

Valerie was too much in awe to give a proper answer. Her mind still trying to take in what she saw. It was still the Bethany she knew and loved, but not everything was the same. Beth had gained height. At least a foot and now towered over Valerie even with her wearing the highest heels she owned.

Bethany’s legs were long and brimming with taut muscles. A trend, that continued upwards. She was the epitome of a sexy body builder. An Amazon if she ever had seen one. There was not much of body fat to be seen save one major feature. Magnificent breasts that stood large, perky and proudly on Bethany’s chest. Valerie’s mind tried to size them up and came to the conclusion that they might just be bigger than her own.

Slowly Bethany came closer. “I don’t know what to close first. The front door you left carelessly open or that jaw of yours that appears to be unhinged.” She leaned close and reached with one arm past Valerie’s shoulder.

The sound of the front door slamming closed broke Valerie’s admiration. “You are stunning,” escaped Valerie’s lips.

“Oh, I know. I just watched you turn into a living statue.”

“How? I mean…” Valerie let out a surprised yelp of delight as she was picked up by her wife as if she was a light fluffy pillow.

“Class change! Come. I tell you all about it over a glass of milk.”

Valerie nodded instinctively, but soon her mind caught up. “Wait. What? Milk?”

She was gently lowered onto a dining room chair and a moment later a tall glass of milk appeared before her. “Yes, milk,” her wife simply stated. She took a seat opposite of Valerie.

“I found an undesirable class that was pretty much perfect. Well, not perfect for you, but rather complementing you. So I got it for myself. Wasn’t even that expensive. It’s called the Heylin class.”

“So I admitted my secret fetish to you and you did go ahead and changed accordingly?”

“Oh no. Though I admit it is a nice added benefit. No, the real reason is the milk. Come on. Drink it. But memorize your status beforehand.
“

Valerie hesitantly raised the glass to her lips. What hit her tongue was unlike any milk she had tasted ever before. It was kind of thick, creamy, and full of flavor. Before she knew what was happening Valerie had swallowed everything to the last drop.

“That was kind of … nice,” Valerie admitted.

“Check your status,” urged the psyched up Bethany.

Valerie did and her eyes didn’t need long to spot the difference. “It healed me?”

“Yes! It worked!” shouted Bethany as she jumped half out of her chair.

“So the milk is a healing potion? Kind of strange, but what does that have to do with … Oh!”

Valerie’s minded clicked the last puzzle piece together as her gaze landed on Bethany’s massive bosom. “This is your milk!”

“Correct!” beamed the excited Bethany. “An unlimited supply of health potions just for you.”

“Wha... I mean. How?” Valerie demanded to know.

“Well, while researching I stumbled on this class. Notes in the manual tell the tale of a potion creator. He tried to create the ultimate healing potion but hit a brick wall he couldn’t get past. He knew a class creator and asked that one to create a class that would give a potent ingredient suitable for health potion making. The result was the Heylin class. Today, I spotted it on the online stock of a local shop. I just had to have it.”

“And this is an undesirable class?” asked a baffled Valerie.

“Oh, at first it wasn't one. But there are two drawbacks. The milk loses most of its effect after a day and so do potions made with it. Second: it’s just not fitting what the society dictates for a woman to look like. Not everyone has a fetish for muscular women like my little wifey.”

Valerie blushed heavily. Suddenly a thought entered her mind and quickly was forwarded to her mouth. “Wait. Why didn't you gave the class stone to me? That would have fixed my health problems too.”

“Yes. Would have, but honestly, I can’t even imagine you as someone muscular. I rather like you lean and sexy. Besides …” Bethany stood up and slowly made her way over to Valerie. “I could imagine myself doing this.”

Valerie was scooped up in a heartbeat. “Now you have two options. Number one: I can put you down and you can pout. Or number two: I’ll carry you to our bedroom and you help me to get familiar with my new body.”

Valerie could hear her own heartbeat as her excitement made itself know. Her decision was made in a split second. “The bed,” she whispered and leaned into her wife.

Being carried reminded her of their wedding so many years ago. This time she was definitely not the groom. A fact she didn’t mind one bit. However, she was nervous, just like Walter had been all those years back then. As she looked into Bethany’s eyes she knew it was the good kind of nervous. The one that was laced with excitement and eagerness.

* * * * * Chapter 23 * * * * *

“Did you open the windows to air out a bit?” asked Valerie and had to hide a smirk.

Bethany rolled her eyes over the small running gag they had developed. “Everything is ready for Sarah’s return,” she remarked

“Are you? I mean you didn’t tell Sarah about your plan to change your class, right?”

“Yeah. Think she will be okay with it?”

“These days it's a bit hard to tell. Half of me expects her to drag you out to our training sessions from now on. Or she just shrugs it off. She is a teenager after all.”

That got a snicker out of Bethany. “Don’t think a spear would be a good weapon for me. I need something mighty. Something to strike fear and terror into the eyes of my enemies.”

“Whoa slow down there my little Amazon.”

“Little?” asked Bethany and crooked an eyebrow.

Both laughed and nearly missed the sound of keys rattling as Sarah pushed through the front doors.

“Hey Moms,” she half shouted. She gave a quick hug and rushed to the kitchen. There she grabbed an apple and talked between bites.
“Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was fantastic. We got to see the new Justin Alvarez movie I wanted to see. So good …”

“Honey,” Valerie stopped her daughter. “Notice something different about your mother?”

Bethany looked a little tense as Sarah mustered her critically.

“Oh! I know. New haircut?” Sarah beamed and Bethany looked as if she was in shock. Technically Sarah was right. Valerie had found small yet thick horns on Bethany’s head. Similar to the ones Valerie had herself but better hidden under Bethany’s voluminous hair.

“That reminds me,” came from Sarah. She looked through her purse and pulled something out. “I made this for you.” She dropped an ivory cylinder into her mother's hand.

“A weapon?” Bethany asked.

“Yeah. Just like sexy Moms.”

“Wait. If you made this then…”

“Her spies already told her and she is pretending to not notice as a prank,” helped Valerie her wife out.

“Oh you,” growled Bethany sternly, but soon broke out in laughter.
“Good one, but my revenge will come. Now show me how to use this weapon.”

“It’s not just some weapon. Necromancers can only create scythes. Now come here, please. We need a little space.” Sarah bound the weapon to her mother and then showed her how to expand it.

“Oh, I like this!” Bethany exclaimed.

Valerie gave a lopsided grin. “Aren’t scythes supposed to be sharp?”

“Yeah. I failed horribly. It turned out so deformed and blunt.”

“Best fail ever,” commented Bethany as she swung the malformed scythe around that strangely resembled a sledgehammer on steroids. A top a four-foot long pole rested the head of a mighty looking Warhammer.

“I can some serious pounding with that one for sure,” Beth told her wife.

“Lalala. I can’t hear you. Parents boning. How gross,” Sarah quickly interrupted. They all shared a good laugh.

“So I want to know something before I forget. Did you just call me sexy Mom?” Valerie asked.

“It’s fitting isn’t it?” Sarah innocently replied.

“What do you call Bethany then?”

“Beefy Mom?” Sarah volunteered.

“I like it,” ‘beefy' Mom proclaimed.

That drew out a round of chuckles. “Now who is up for some training? I wanna try out this baby.”

They quickly relocated to the yard and then had some ‘family fun’.

* * * * * Chapter 24 * * * * *

“Valerie?”

She looked up to see Janet poking her head into Valerie’s cubicle. “Yes?”

“Sorry to disturb my number one busy bee. I wanted to eat some cereal for lunch but forgot to bring new milk. I saw you had a full glass bottle in the fridge…”

Valerie blushed heavily. Did she want Bethany’s milk? “Sorry boss. I don’t mean to be rude, but it is .. special milk for Empusas. Helps to keep my health up. My wife … uhh .. got it for me.”

“Ah. I bet it is expensive.”

“It has its price, but I am more than willing to pay it.”

“Well, good that you found something that helps. No worries. I’ll just get some takeout or so. Speaking of food. Are you coming to the company’s picnic and BBQ next month?”

“Oh, that’s right. Haven’t thought about it. Why?”

“Just curiosity. From what you told me they had your back all through the last months and I realized I haven’t met them yet. I would love to get to know them.”

“I’ll talk to them. Promise.”

“You’ll do that. Now back to work.”

“Aye aye captain.”

* * * * * Chapter 25 * * * * *

Valerie was deep in a talk with Sarah when a shout from behind distracted her.

“Oh yeah. Flaunt it, baby.”

Valerie turned around and gave a raspberry. “Glad you could make it but didn’t you have to work for another hour?” Valerie asked her wife who was catching up.

“Boss gave me parole for good behavior. That and there wasn’t much business today at the shop. Besides. I am hungry.”

Sarah and Valerie gave a chuckle. Ever since Beth’s own class change, she was eating enough for two people. Valerie wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she was a little jealous. Bethany was now eating twice as much and she was eating half as much. Sometimes that sucked big-time. Times like when there was a barbecue.

“Couldn’t they have picked a place closer to home? We are halfway across the city,” Sarah complained.

“With over three hundred employees it is hard to find a venue big enough. Even with only half of them showing up it is crowded when everyone brings their family,” Valerie explained.

“Yeah. One of the reasons why we stopped coming to these events,” Bethany added.

“What was another reason?”

“Well, the last straw had been when one year they couldn’t get a venue so one genius came up with the idea to use the underground garage. It was horrible.”

Valerie cringed a little as her wife mentioned the garage. “There we are,” she stated to redirect the topic. Together they walked to the big community center and sports ground.

“That thing is still ugly as hell. I once was a stand-in at a nearby shop and one lunch break I explored the thing. Half of it is empty,” Bethany exclaimed.

“Good thing then that the company is grilling outside,” Valerie added.

They made their way in and passed a bounce house and other kids attractions. Everywhere kids and their parents mingled around.

“Why was it so important that we show up here?” asked a Sarah who barely managed to avoid a collision with two ice cream carrying children.

“I don’t know, but Janet has bugged me the whole last month about it. For some reason, she was really serious about us showing up. Together with my family. Therefore you are in it too. Shared pain and all that.”

She saw Sarah roll her eyes, but also a small grin.

“Speaking of. Isn’t that her?” Bethany pointed in a direction.

Following it, Valerie could indeed see her boss approaching. “Quick. How do I look?”

“Sexy, but way too modest,” commented Bethany.

“Okay. Perfect then.”

“Valerie. So glad you could make it.” Janet greeted them.

“Happy, to be here. Let me introduce you real quick. This is my daughter Sarah … and here is my professional bodyguard … uff...” Valerie staggered a bit as Bethany had given her a slight love tap with her elbow.
“ … I mean wife. My wife Bethany.”

“Ha. Good one. Nice to meet you. I am Janet. Valerie’s boss. Come, I want to introduce you to a few people.”

They all followed, but Beth needed a moment as she looked longingly to the meat roasting on the grills.

“So Sarah, I heard you are a necromancer?” Janet asked out of the blue.

“That is right,” confirmed Sarah.

“Do you have a specialty?”

“Straight summoning for now. I recently mastered to summon two spirit phantasms at the same time.”

“Impressive, yet a little predictable.”

Valerie thought she heard a little disappointment in Janet’s voice.

“Predictable? What else is there to do?”

“Well, necromancer have gotten popular recently as spies. More so on the industrial level than national. Sending in spirits into buildings to retrieve data can be profitable, but risky. It would be safer to work the other side. No one wards buildings against spirits better than other necromancers and they usually get paid quite well. Too bad, most others go the flashy way with summoning. Warding necromancers are rare. In fact, I think some companies might invest into future necromancers, that specialize in warding off intruders, in return for a limited exclusive contract later.”

“That sounds intriguing. I will think about it later.”

Valerie found it interesting too. Was Janet’s insistent bugging to show up here just to pouch Sarah? Valerie felt a little split about it. For one she was proud of Sarah. On the other hand, she felt a little betrayed.

“Do you see Hank around?” asked her wife.

“Not yet. Maybe he and Tom show up later. Still, haven’t given up on beating him in arm wrestling?” Valerie teased her wife.

“Last time it was so close.”

“Pretty sure last time he was going easy on you.”

“Next time I’ll get him.”

Valerie grinned. The last two get-togethers had been fun. Especially with Beth trying to match their strength. They slowed down and finally, Valerie could see where exactly Janet was leading them.

“Oh damn,” she whispered.

“What?” came the automatic reply of Bethany.

“That guy ahead of us is my boss.”

“I thought Janet is your boss.”

“Yes, she is. That guy is the boss of Janet’s boss.”

“Ohh. Isn’t that good?”

“I flew under the radar for a reason all those years.”

Before Beth could reply screams could be heard from nearby. Valerie had a hard time picking up from what direction it came. Then it dawned on her. It came from all around her. Last time she had heard screams like that all hell had broken loose.

“Beth, Sarah, Janet. To me. We need to get out!” Valerie shouted.

She pushed through the crowd only to see it was too late. Men dressed in black had made a picket line all around them. Weapons ready and sparks of magic showing here or there.

Worse of all they had hostages. Even kids. Valerie had to push back the raw fury burning in her guts. A big man stepped forward and shouted something she heard behind her from two or three different other guys.

“This is a hostage situation. If you do as you are told everything will be fine. Do not resist or else we have to silence the troublemaker. Now everyone will follow us into the community center. Remember. No heroes here. This will be all over soon.”

Blood rushed in Valerie’s ears. The calm announcement, same black outfits and coordinated afford. All that screamed that this was planned in advance. Days, maybe even weeks, beforehand. She pulled her hand out of her purse, where she had instinctively reached for her spear.

“We stay quiet and wait for a chance to escape,” she murmured to the others. “Panic won’t help us here.”

Despite her own words she had to fight hard to keep her own panic down. Slowly they were lead inside and their large number, Valerie guessed around one hundred, was divided into several rooms.
As a small mercy, she was still together with Bethany, Sarah, and Janet. They shared a room with a family. Once they were locked in hushed talking started.

“Definitely professionals. The way they act and so on,” Valerie started.

“Why us?” the family's father asked. “We certainly aren’t worth much.”

“They probably got all of the management,” Janet added.

“If they got all of them who exactly can pay their ransom money?” was Sarah’s throw in.

They shot around a few other speculations till Sarah had an idea. “Warn me if anyone comes to check on us. I’ll do some sneaking around.”

“You can’t,” Valerie quickly interrupted. “It’s too dangerous. They will spot you too easily.”

“No, they won’t. Have you ever heard of astral projections? One of my ‘advisors’ taught it to me. It lets my spirit leave my body for a short amount of time. I can scout around and no one will be the wiser.”

“Since when?” Bethany asked.

“Oh, a few weeks.”

It still sounded risky, but in the end, they all agreed it was reasonable to try.

“Okay. Here I go.” Sarah closed her eyes and it might have looked as if she was sleeping. Now and then she opened her mouth to say a few things.

“In the rooms beside us are people too. Between five to ten.” “They have guards at every exit. The police are here. Lots of them.” “Wait. I think that’s the CEO and that is probably his wife. Some big guy is talking to them. He is demanding access to the company's bank accounts!”

“If they steal that money the company is ruined. The insurance won’t pay enough to keep the company afloat,” commented Janet.

“Figures,” Sarah continued. “Dude refused. No surprise there. Whole company or two years of memories. Wait. The big guy just called for someone. Shit. It’s some kind of succubus and a dude. Of course, they wear black too. I’ll be damned!”

“What?” came from several of them as Sarah didn’t continue.

“It’s the Empusa that attacked us in the park!”

Valerie needed a moment to stomach this. The person that started it all and here she was again. Valerie had to fight to keep her anger in check.

“I thought she was in jail,” Bethany commented.

“Beth. The big breakout a few weeks back. She must have been one of the few dozen escapees," Valerie reasoned.

“Doucheubbus just tried to glamour the CEO and failed. Wait. The big guy just said that this covers their distraction.”

They all waited impatiently for Sarah to continue. Was all this just to distract the police? Just as the unleashed beasts a few weeks back?

“Oh, we’ve got to get out of here. Those guys. They don’t plan on surviving this. They want this hostage situation to go wrong. Their plan is … to kill everyone and hide any useful class stone that drops. To pay some debt or so.”

Sarah suddenly opened her eyes and looked around bewildered.
“I think they got a mage that spotted me.”

“What do we do?” asked the family's father.

A hectic discussion broke out till Sarah gave them a fact to stomach. “Sitting here we are dead for sure. If we try to break out now we have a chance to fight our way out. Nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

“Sarah is right,” Valerie said and stood up. “I’ll have an idea. It’s a life or death situation so I can do some things that would be illegal otherwise.”

Before the others could react Valerie knocked on the door. Loud and unyielding, till finally two of their captors gave in and checked on them.

As soon as the door opened a smile blossomed on Valerie’s face. “Be a sweetheart and kill your friend. Pretty please.”
To everyone's amazement, the guy that had opened the door turned around and drew his sword. The blade punctured the other guy's heart a moment later. Just a split-second later Valerie’s extended spear pierced the first henchman.

“That was rash,” chided Janet.

“No,” countered Valerie. “It was not. Time is short. Come on everyone.”

Just as Beth and Sarah exited the room two more guys came around the corner. Bethany extended her hammer and rushed them down. What remained was very unappetizing.

“Beth. Quit the tough girl act!” chided Valerie.

“I got them, didn’t I?”

“Well, they got you too.” Valerie slipped her hand over the cut on Bethany’s stomach. A moment later the cut was gone. “Remember. We are a team.”

“Well, three ain't a party yet,” added Sarah. It took a moment and then a familiar shape took place.

“My apprentice. We meet again," a low voice boomed.

“Sir Percival. Good to have you.” Valerie admitted.

“Ahh. The mighty wife. May today our enemies taste the crushing blow of your hammer.”

“They already did,” came from Bethany and she pointed behind her.

“One more,” Sarah exclaimed. Another figure emerged from empty space. With his black cloak and tunic, he might have been one of the gang's henchmen. “Sir Olaf. He is a duelist and dagger specialist. He also doesn’t talk much.”

While Sarah had summoned the help, Janet had been going around and unlocked close-by rooms. The newcomers were quickly brought up to date.

“We should move before more show up,” concluded Valerie.

“Might be hard to get through one of the barricaded entrances. Especially with the children," Sarah reasoned.

“The roof!” Bethany suggested. “If we can get up there we can easily defend it till help comes. Maybe they even can evacuate us from up there.”

“Great. Let’s go,” Valerie urged.

An emergency evacuation plan gave help to find it. Two more criminal groups stood in their way. Not for long. Sir Percival and Sir Olaf cut through them first, followed by Bethany. Behind her was Valerie and Sarah, as well as a bunch of frightened people.

They arrived at the roof access. They had luck as it was unguarded and not barricaded. While the families climbed up Valerie did something she rarely did. She cursed like a sailor.

“What is it?” asked Beth.

“All the children…”

“They are safe.”

“Those here. Yes. For now. But we aren’t even a fourth of all the hostages. If the jig is up they won’t hesitate to execute their true goal as fast as possible.”

“Someone needs to buy time till the police breaches in,” Sarah concluded.

“Yes. Look. I haven’t grown a hero complex or anything like that. But if I have to risk two years worth of memory to save children of the same fate .. I have to, right?” Valerie demanded to know.

“Yes. I am with you,” came from Bethany who put a hand on Valerie’s shoulder and gave a slight reassuring squeeze.

“You’ll need me and my knights. No arguing there,” Sarah proclaimed.

“Damn. I hate to be the one who runs away,” Janet added. “But I wouldn’t be good in battle. I’ll make sure the police hears what’s up. I promise.”

Once everyone was on the roof Valerie’s group headed off.

“Darned big this place,” Sarah commented. “It could have been a mall or something. Okay, listen. The complex has three wings. If we want to rescue the others we have to go through the central atrium. That’s bad news as that’s where the leader of the bad guys is. Also the CEO. The good news is that there weren’t that many baddies about.”

With their plan formulated they sneaked closer to their first goal. It didn’t take long to find their way through labyrinthine hallways, till they reached the junction of the complex.

Valerie’s heart pumped a mile a minute as she knew this was it. Make it or break it. Quietly she mouthed down a countdown. Reaching zero Sir Percival and Sir Olaf rushed through the nearby double doors. As they swung close Valerie could hear screams of pain. Bethany charged the door and instead of rushing through she swung her mighty hammer and the doors crumbled like cardboard.

When Sarah and Valerie entered the moment of surprise was over.
Their enemies had regrouped and now pushed back against them. Valerie quickly stepped over the few corpses, that had been unlucky to be close to the door, and pushed a healing spell into Bethany. She had been cut in many places. Healing the two knights was Sarah’s job as Valerie couldn’t heal the undead.

Slowly they were pushed back till they formed a loose half circle around the CEO and his wife. Beth and the knights did a good job covering each other, but now and then a slash came through. It made Valerie wince. Seeing her wife get hurt was taking a toll on her. She used her spear as best as she could from the second row, but it was getting harder and harder as the enemies figured out a strategy to counter them.

Suddenly loud clapping and the withdrawal of the enemy's fighters brought a lull to the fight.

“Impressive,” a loud voice boomed. “I bet a class stone drop from you will be worth much.” It was the boss who stepped forward.

“Not the one from the woman. She has the same cursed class I have.”

Valerie spotted the woman she sometimes sees in her nightmares. The beautiful yet hated visage of the Empusa that had started it all. Because of her, Valerie had to endure so many challenges. Suffer through embarrassments and pain. But now, seeing the creature before her, Valerie understood that she herself wasn’t anything like the dreaded temptress.

“Cursed for you,” Valerie shot back. “Where you faltered I blossomed!”

“You are still a slut,” pitched in a voice that was all too familiar.

“Gary?!” Valerie asked in shock.

“Of course. Where do you think they put me after an attempted rape conviction. Luckily the Blackstone syndicate wanted some of their boys out. Chance was too good to be true to let pass.”

While Valerie fought back to let go a string of curses Gary addressed the leader of the bad guys. “That’s the one. My price for helping you.”

“The hostage you want to fuck? Now I can see why,” the boss replied with a smirk.

“Lay a finger on her and I’ll remove them along with your head,” Bethany shouted. Valerie had to hold her back. Charging in wouldn’t do them any good.

“So this is your revenge?” Valerie asked. Hoping to buy time.

“Yes. In part. The Blackstone syndicate wants a fee for getting us out along with their guys. If we don’t pay there will be no more respawn for us. Fucking you and a new class for her are just a nice extra.”

“Police!” came a shout along one of the hallways. A few winded people dressed in black made their way in. “They are breaching. All sides. We can’t hold them.”

“Shit! Barricade the doors and cast some barriers. And no more chit chat,” the boss shouted. “Kill them!”

The sudden onslaught that followed nearly overwhelmed Valerie’s party. Only thanks to Sarah’s summons they managed to push them back. Whoever they had been in life Valerie was sure they had been formidable fighters and heroes. Still, they lost ground. Inch by inch. Valerie saw the appearance of Sir Olaf flicker as he took too many hits. A moment later he was gone. Vanishing into thin air. It was then that Valerie saw the nasty grin of the boss. Stepping closer to Bethany’s now exposed flank.

“Nooo!” her heartfelt yell didn’t stop her own reaction. In a sprint, she charged in. Barely stopped to twirl out of the way of weapons aimed at her. She didn’t know if the body she stepped on was alive or slain. All she knew was that she was flying a moment later. Ramming the spear deep into the surprised face of the leader. They came crashing down and it got quiet. Without the boss, the others backed away slowly.

“Enough!” Valerie’s skin crawled as she realized that Gary’s shout hadn’t come from before her. Turning around she saw him besides Sarah. A knife at her throat. “Enough. This ends now. You. Despawn your minion.”

Valerie saw the fear in Sarah’s eyes. A moment later Sir Percival vanished too.

“Good. Now I have the trump in my hand," Gary boasted. He jiggled the blade at Sarah’s throat. “Maybe this is a lost cause, but I still want my price. Beg me, slut. Beg me to fuck you and maybe I let her live.”

Valerie tightened her grip on the spear. Her mind racing in search for a solution.

“I agree. This is enough.” To Valerie’s surprise, it was the enemy's Empusa who stepped forward. “However, I have a better idea.”

A few steps and the Empusa closed in on Gary. His jaw slacked and his eyes grew wide. Valerie realized the signs. He was bewitched.

The Empusa turned around. “It is time to knock you off your high horse. You think you are better than me? A newly made Empusa. Barely a few months in this cursed form? I show you how wrong you are. Let’s dance. Just the two of us. We will see who is right. If not, stupid over there will kill that girl. Do we have a deal.”

Valerie wanted to curse. Where was the police? They should be here by now. All that was left to entertain her. Just long enough. Maybe. Just maybe the police will come in time to save Sarah.

“Bring it,” Valerie growled as she stepped into the center of the room.

The other Empusa gave her a nasty smile. “I have fucked every one of them at least twice in the last days. A prude like you can’t have much health, to begin with.”

“You’d be surprised. I grew strong thanks to always drinking my milk.”

“What a fool you are.”

The Empusa did something with her hands and claws of red energy formed. Valerie didn’t know if that was an unknown Empusa skill or something else. However, she knew they looked sharp. Slowly they began to circle. The other Empusa tried a few feints and lunges. Valerie was too quick. Her training paying off.

Finally, the Empusa charged and Valerie felt burning pain as her stomach was cut. It was the Empusa who staggered. Having been hit twice by Valerie. Longer reach and more health. Valerie concluded she might win after all.

“Wipe that smile off your face!” The Empusa grabbed one of the watching criminals. Before Valerie could react, the guy dropped dead to the ground. Every health he had siphoned away.

A moment later Valerie was on the defense. Every attack cut Valerie somewhere. Drained her strength a little more. If she blocked the claws another devious weapon cut her. Valerie hadn't known it was possible, but the Empusa before her could shape her tail into a blade just as sharp as her claws.

Valerie's mind raced to come up with a plan. Draining a criminal was out of the question. She wasn’t as good or fast as her opponent. What struck her as odd was the passivity of the criminals surrounding her. It was as if they had given up. Not even struggling as the vile Empusa drained one after another. With sudden clarity, she knew why. They had already lost. The plan foiled by Valerie and her party. All that was left was to watch. Her eyes darted to Bethany. Held in check by a bunch of thugs. A little further was Sarah with a knife still held her throat.

Had they already lost too? “With nothing to lose, we have everything to gain.” Hadn’t those been Sarah’s words? New determination filled Valerie. She had now a plan and hoped Sarah might forgive her for it. Slowly she let herself be herded around. Circling the small impromptu arena.

Her desired spot reached, she pushed off the Empusa for a moment. A flick of her wrist and she had reversed her hold on the spear. With a last desperate act, she threw the spear with all her might.
It could barely be seen as it cut through the arena.

“You missed,” snarled the Empusa. Wiping away a few droplets of blood that exited the thin red line that Valerie’s spear had drawn across her throat.

“She didn’t,” came a strong voice from behind and Valerie gave a smile of her own. The Empusa turned around to see what Valerie saw. Sarah brushing off a dead Gary. Valerie’s spear deeply buried in his head.

A few quick steps and Valerie used the distraction to land a mighty blow from her fist. Grasping the Empusa fell to her knees.
Valerie knew this was not a time to play fair. She gave a strong kick to the Empusa’s head. She collapsed. Dead or just unconscious. Valerie didn’t care.

The room became quiet as everyone stared at her. Only the sickening sound of Sarah freeing the spear could be heard. She tossed it to Valerie who struck a pose that would hopefully look intimidating.

“You all saw this fight,” she addressed the convicts around her.
“Both of us are Empusas. Yet we are very different. She represents the worst, the weakest, of being an Empusa. She cheated! By draining and bewitching. Yet I won. You have now a choice. Fight me and lose or save yourself the trouble. I don’t care. But know this. Whoever threatens my family will end like him,” She pointed to the empty clothes of the dead boss. “or that bastard,” Her spear tip indicated Gary’s body. “Or her.” Valerie planted a high heel foot firmly on the fallen Empusa. “The choice is yours.”

A moment of silence followed. Broken by the sound of a dropped weapon. Others followed. It confirmed Valerie’s instinctual guess that most of them were hacks. People caught in a situation they couldn’t control. Gladly following someone who told them what to do. That was now Valerie.

When the last weapon fell, the doors burst open and special forces of the police rushed in. The criminals subdued in a few heartbeats. One of the uniformed men approached Valerie. “I take it that you are Valerie? Nice fight. I am captain Barnes.”

“You were just outside?” asked a flabbergasted Valerie.

“We arrived at the barricades just as you daughter was held as a hostage. It was my decision to wait and let the situation play out.”

“What? Why?”

“I know you are upset. I seriously would have breached earlier, but most of my men were tied up rescuing and evacuating the other hostages. Given limited manpower, I had to make a decision that gave the best chances. I am sorry, but this was the best option.”

Valerie was dumbfounded, but let it go. What was done is done.
Just then something startled her. The body under her heel was stirring. Valerie quickly took a step back. The beaten Empusa shakily stood up with a lot of cursing and was promptly taken in custody of two police officers.

“Careful! She can build up artificial affection and other stuff,” Valerie quickly warned them.

“No worries miss. We wear special charms against mental spells and similar on us,” answered one of the officers.

As they turned away Valerie had to stop them again. “Wait! Just a moment.”

She looked around the battlefield. Dozens of clothing piles marked the spot where criminals died. It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for. She fished a class stone out of one of the piles.
She walked to the Empusa and offered the class stone without even looking what class it contained. “Take it!” she demanded.

The Empusa showed genuine surprise, yet snatched the offered stone nonetheless. “Why?”

“Because I meant what I said. You are the Empusa class at its worst. You don’t deserve the class.”

“You are even crazier than I am!” The Empusa activated the stone and Valerie witnessed how the woman before her lost her unearthly beauty. She was still pretty, yet a far cry from what she used to be a moment before. The woman looked at herself and started laughing madly. “It’s gone. It’s finally gone!”

“Take her away,” was the only thing Valerie said as she turned around.

Tiredly she walked over to Sarah and Beth. “Everyone alright?”

“You were awesome!” Sarah gushed.

“My heroine. Always knew you could be badass.” stated a proud Bethany.

“Oh, stop it. You both are really alright?”

“Well, my clothes are all holed through like swasarian cheese. Speaking of … I am hungry.” Bethany complained. As intended it earned a few chuckles. However, the mood turned serious a moment later.

“Why did you give her the class stone?” Sarah asked. “Now she has won.”

“Maybe,” admitted Valerie. “But this is for the best. How much did we go through because of her quest to change classes? How many others did suffer because of her? I had to end it.”

Both, Bethany and Sarah, gave her a nod.

“Besides. Every time I see her, I think I might have ended up like her.”

“No you wouldn’t and you never will. We will make sure if that,” Bethany corrected her sincerely.

“Yes. But where would I be without you? You both stood always by my side and I can’t thank you enough.” Swept up in emotions Valerie gave her family a long and heartfelt hug.

“You know. It’s kinda ironic. Isn’t it?” Sarah asked as the hug ended.

“What is?”

“Here you are. A class all about manipulating affection. Yet you rarely use it, because you never needed it. Moms and my own natural affection were always high enough.”

“Yes, you are mostly right. But there was that one time…”

“The one time when it needed a push,” Bethany interrupted. “When my own affection was still so strong to trust you completely. So strong that it found a way for us to remain together.”

“Yes. You are right. Both of you are. Thank you.”

“You are welcome!” both replied with a grin.

“Now. Let’s get out of here,” Valerie suggested.

As they walked out together they got a few odd yet admiring looks. Bethany was in the center, with her impressive physique and height. Flanked by Sarah in her elegant long dress and Valerie in her sexy summer dress as the epitome of most women's paragon of beauty. They stood and walked tall, even with all the cuts in their clothes. To some, it might seem as they had gone to hell and they came back after beating it into submission.

As they stepped out they were startled to still see the sun. It was still afternoon, yet all of them had guessed with everything that happened it would be much later.

“Valerie!” came a shout from the side. A moment later Janet was there and gave a heartfelt hug. Who knew Janet was capable of such. Valerie hadn’t, but then again she had to admit she was learning a lot about her boss in the recent weeks. “Are you all okay? You all look like Swasarian cheese.”

“That’s what I said!” Bethany exclaimed.

“We are fine,” reassured Valerie.

“Good. I was worried. Oh yes. Now is maybe not the right time, but before this universe conspires to prevent it again I want you to meet someone.”

“Nonsense,” came a gruff voice from the side. It was the CEO who came from one of the nearby parked ambulances. “There probably isn’t a better way to introduce yourself than to save someone's life. Thank you and your family for saving the lives of myself and my wife's.”

“It is a pleasure, Sir. But I have to admit you weren't the only reason.”

“Yes. The greater good. I completely understand. In fact, this and what Janet told me about you give hope that one day you will be a good replacement for her. I hope we speak more of this soon, but all I want right now is to get my wife safely home.”

Valerie shook his offered hand. Still baffled a little. “Look Janet. I am not working to replace you or anything ..”

Janet burst out in a loud laugh that was quite refreshing after the dreary stuff that just happened. “Why not? Oh my, you are honestly shocked? Why do you think I wanted you to be here? I let you in on a little secret. Next year our CFO goes into retirement. I have been groomed as a replacement now for a year and if they can groom me I surely can groom someone else. You had a solid reputation and work portfolio before and that landed you into my narrower selection. Then your class change happened. Honestly, I gave up on you back then, but to my amazement, you took each hurdle in your way and carried on. And now this. Honestly, I can’t think of someone more suited.”

Valerie needed a moment to catch up. Her mind refused to work for just a second. “I.. Wow.”

“She means ‘thank you’ and ‘ I’ll do my best’,” Bethany helped out.

“That is something we can work on. Now excuse me. This is a clusterfuck, pardon my Farchian, and someone has to play clean up for the company. That is still my job for now.”

As Janet walked away Valerie felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I am proud of you,” was all Bethany said. Valerie thought that was enough and gave her wife a grateful nod.

“So what does a band of heroes do after they triumph?” asked Sarah with a grin.

“A feast!” Bethany proclaimed.

“Too bad I don’t see a grill around here anymore,” Valerie remarked.

“Oh, I know a good fifties diner close by on the fifth avenue. Maybe we can sneak out?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Valerie agreed.

Together they tried just that.

* * * * * Chapter 26 / Epilogue * * * * *

“That was … nice,” Valerie commented a little out of breath.

“Just nice? That was amazing. Best sex in a long time. Maybe we should be more often in life and death situations.”

“Yeah. Maybe not.”

They both chuckled. For a moment they enjoyed the Sunday morning sun as it shone through the bedroom windows and the warmth of each other bodies.

It was Beth who broke the serene moment. “Val?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I owe you a confession, several actually, and an apology.”

Valerie turned around to look her wife in the eyes. “Why? What is wrong?”

“Do you remember yesterday when you gave that Empusa the class stone?”

“Mhmm.”

“The police didn’t seem to mind that you did it. In fact, they might not have said anything if you would have claimed a stone for yourself.”

Valerie looked shocked at her wife. “I … It didn’t even cross my mind.”

“Valerie. This is hard for me to admit, but you deserve the truth. I did. The moment you picked up the stone for the Empusa.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because .. I like you like this. Valerie … I want you to stay as you are right now.”

Valerie remained quiet as her mind raced.

“I am sorry Val. This is so selfish of me. I should have told you. Look. If the promotion happens it will come with a substantial raise. You can buy a class then. But, please. Don’t.”

It was a lot to process. Valerie’s mind walked in circles trying to get a grasp on things.

“Please, Val. Say something.” Tears started to run down Bethany’s face. Having made up her mind Valerie gently brushed away the tears.

“I am not mad at you. I am mad at me. Just a little. Now that you mention it I wondered when I have given up. No that isn’t the right way to say it. I wonder when I accepted it. I mean when I first woke up as Empusa and the weeks that followed all I wanted was to change back. Then stuff happened. I had to adapt. Had to grow. Find a way to live with it. Thanks to you and Sarah I did. But somewhere along the way, I lost my quest to change back. What stuns me the most is that I can’t even tell when the last time was that I thought about it…”

She gave her wife a long and passionate kiss. “Yes. I think I want to remain as Valerie. It was a long hard way, but I have grown to love who I am now. Who I am with you. Even though it is sad to let Walter go.”

“No. Honey. No. Walter is still there when I look into your eyes. He isn’t gone. Yes, you changed. We all did in the last months. But you are still you. The same person I fell in love with.”

“Thank you. I love you so much.”

“Me too.”

After a moment Valerie gave a short laugh and gave her wife a lopsided grin.

“Besides. It would be hypocritical of me to change classes now.”

“What? Why?”

“You remember when we did go to the class library and got that flimsy manual about Empusas? How bleak and hopeless it all looked. The lack of details and the many comments that were downright depressing. Yesterday I decided that if there were a better manual, others might end up like me and not like the other Empusa. So yeah. I will write a new manual with everything I learned in the last months. But what message do I send if they look me up afterward and see that I jumped ship the first chance I got?”

“Not a good one,” Beth agreed.

“Come on. Let’s celebrate. I know exactly what is on your mind.”

Beth playfully bit her lip. “More sex?”

“Well, I thought about grabbing breakfast…”

“Oh, good idea.”

“Thought you might like it.”

A quick shower later they walked into the kitchen and finding Sarah over a bowl of cereal. “Oh damn. I lost,” she exclaimed.

“Lost?” Valerie dutifully asked.

“The bet about when you two would emerge out of your Grotto of passion.”

Valerie saw Bethany’s rolling of eyes and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well,” Bethany interrupted. “We needed a while to work something out. Valerie has an announcement to make.”

“I plan to write a book!”

“No honey. The other one.”

“Oh, right. I decided to stay an Empusa.”

“How totally shocking. Guess I won one bet after all.”

“You bet on if I wanted to change back?”

“Hey. I wasn’t the one coming up with the bet.”

Valerie sighed theatrically.

“So what’s that about a book?” Sarah asked.

“I decided to write a revised manual for the Empusa class.”

“That’s a great idea! You could..”

Whatever Sarah wanted to say was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

“You two finish up. I’ll get it,” Bethany volunteered.

A moment later Sarah jumped up. “Mom don’t! It’s Brad Cooper.”

“Him again? I’ll give him a piece of my mind. Valerie is mine and ..”

“He is here for you. At least that is what one of my advisors claims. Let me handle it.”

Shrugging Bethany sat down beside Valerie. They could hear Sarah as she opened the door.
“Brad. What a pleasant surprise. … Who are you here for? The sexy one or the tall beefy one? … Her name is Bethany by the way and she is my mother. Also happily married! … Oh, you didn’t think. Listen up. I am a necromancer as you know. If you show up here one more time with a present I’ll swear I send a ghost to haunt you. Any takers to haunt this boy? What? You always wanted a baby girl and you think he is perfect for it? Brad? Why are you running away?”

Meanwhile, Valerie and Bethany giggled like girls.

“She is definitely your daughter.”

“I think I could say the same.”

Valerie sighed. This moment was perfect. She felt comfortable in her body and her family was great. The future looked pretty good and for the first time in a while, she looked actually forward to it. In this very moment, she decided that if anyone would ever write a book about her right about now there would be written: and they lived happily ever after.

The end.

* * * * *

Disclaimer from the author: I do not recommend dealing with difficult or traumatic experiences by using violence. Even if it is against an object or ghost. If you had such an experience, please ask for help. Especially of an expert.

As an author who just is starting to write, I would also appreciate if you would leave behind a review.
Thank you for reading.

Cassy

This story is set a week or two after the events of the story "Natural Affection (Link)". It can be read independently, but I recommend reading the other story first.

Brad Cooper has a lot of regrets about his past misdeeds.
He longs to be with a girl he knows, Sarah, but through his own actions that will never happen.
Or so he thinks.

Claire was whistling as she exited the subway. Today was a good day. The very one that would make all her hard work worth it. As she entered the employee parking lot of the museum she drew her daggers in a fluid motion. Here she was reasonably sure that no one would see her. No one around to panic. The daggers didn't just found the way into her hands. They spun around and danced around her fingers. Despite being razor sharp not one cut appeared on Claire's hands as she twirled them. This was how far her training had gotten.

Sixty feet away from the security guards booth to the side entrance she stopped. On her behest, both her daggers shot straight up in the air. One of them not quite as high. Just high enough so Claire could take momentum. Twirling around herself she caught the dagger mid-fall and used the momentum to throw it forward not a half second later. Another half turn of herself later the second dagger was thrown too.

To a spectator, the flying twin daggers would have been a silver blur. The guard in that booth was completely surprised. Two loud pangs made him jump up. After a moment his heart racing stopped. At the side door, he could see both daggers had pierced the wood a good two inches. Around them the remains of two ballons. The guard lifted his cap as he scratched his head. Then gave Claire the stink eye as she retrieved her daggers.

"Do we have to do this every morning Claire?" he complained. "You are getting better. And I am getting low on balloons."

"Without my training, I'll get rusty," Claire replied as she pulled her second dagger out. "Besides Anthony. Without them, you might fall asleep at work."

"Not seeing any drawback," Anthony replied as he opened the door for Claire. "Today is the big day, isn't it?"

"Finally!" Claire gushed. Gone was the serious dagger wielder from her face. Replaced by the excitement of a small child. "My own exhibit. I can't wait."

"Then in with you," Anthony said and ushered her in. As he closed the door she could hear him mutter "And let me nap-"

Claire shrugged. Nothing could diminish her good mood today. She sheated her two daggers in her hip holsters and marched on. She stopped at one of the prep shops and grinned as she saw the sign. "Buds Melone exhibit - Lead curator Claire Beaumont".

She opened the shop and saw a bunch of crates waiting for her. This was it. Her first exhibit she was in charge of. The story of Buds Melone. This exhibit had been her idea. The Verrencia exhibit was closing down. To be shipped to another museum. It had been Claire's idea to fill the space with an exhibit about the most dangerous gangster of all time. To her surprise not only had the museum directorate agreed but also given her the lead. This was her chance and she intended to prove that the trust in her had been right.

Most of the crates were smaller and were branded with the marks of the police. Many of these had been stored in an evidence warehouse. Just in case they could one day apprehend Buds Malone. When they raided his safehouse they found a lot. Just not Buds Melone.

Now, eighty-two years after the raid, no one believed him to be alive anymore. The police were just too eager to free some space as Claire requested those many pieces of evidence for the exhibit. Grinning she drew her daggers. Who needed a crowbar anyway? Their sharp edge slipped into the wooden cracks easily enough.

It was two hours into the unpacking that she found the first really strange item. Before, there had been plenty of explainable items. Documents and items tied to Buds Melone and his organization. But now she held a silver key in her hand. One unnaturally big. The overall length about a foot. A good inch thick was the old style beard. The flanges big enough that she could grab them with both hands if the wanted to turn the key. Provided she ever found they keyhole made for this big key. Frowning, she put it aside and returned her attention to other crates.

It was late in the afternoon when Claire had nearly all crates open. Only the largest one left. She knew this was only the first load. There was plenty of work left for her the next morning when the next load arrived. She could do the rest of her work tomorrow, but somehow this crate vexed Claire. It was bigger than her. Nearly seven feet in height. What might be big enough to warrant such a large crate? Claire had to find out.

With her daggers, she worked a side loose and as she lifted it away Claire gasped. "Sugardoll!" she said aloud in awe. Buds Melone was not only known as a gangster. He was also called as one of the big perverts in history. It was just that no one dared to with it to his face when he had been alive. Now Claire saw with her own eyes what she had known through photographs. Buds Melone's legendary sex doll was real.

She had been the inspiration for every sex doll later produced. How Buds Melone came to own her was a thing of rumors and speculation. Manufacturing her in the era of Buds Melone's activity had been highly unlikely. Yet she existed. Claire could see it with her own eyes.

Sugardoll was perfectly conserved too. The clothing on her was rotten and half eaten by moths. Yet the doll was unblemished and perfect. Claire could have sworn there was a person before her if not for the perfect skin. Too smooth to be real. Her skin tone just a tad too light. The hair just too perfect. But so was every other detail about her. Claire whistled in appreciation. She wasn't into women, but even she had to agree that Sugardoll was a thing of beauty.

"You, my dear, had been utterly wasted as a sex doll," Claire said aloud. Of course, the doll didn't answer. Not that Buds Melone had ever cared. He didn't just use her as a sex doll. There were pictures of him having her at all kinds of social functions. Even one when he had dressed the doll up in mourning attire for a funeral. To say Buds Melone's attention to his doll was creepy is the understatement of the century. Rumor was that Buds owned a second doll, but no one had ever seen her.

"Let's get you out of there," Claire murmured as she pulled the doll out of the crate. She was surprisingly heavy and Claire nearly dropped her as the dust of the crate made her sneeze. The clothing was utterly ruined. There was no helping it. Claire cut them away. All the while gitty with excitement. With Sugardoll in the exhibit, it was sure to draw attention and visitors to the museum.

Once freed of cloth, Claire was free to examine the doll. Even up close she was without blemish. And so very anatomically correct that Claire had to fight a blush. Only as Claire rolled the doll on its belly she saw something truly artificial. Right in the middle of her spine, the doll had a hole the size of Claire's own thumb. It was rimmed in a silvery metal and had an inch deep cut out. It reminded her of-

"It's a keyhole!" she shouted out loud. Her eyes roamed wild until she found the place she had placed the oversized key. With a sprint she retrieved it. Then held it over the keyhole of the doll. "There is more to you than anyone ever figured out," Claire told the doll. "Share your secrets with me."

She pushed the key in until she heard a click. Then there was a scream of a woman. Primal and loaded with raw emotion. It spoke of panic, fear, and survival.

And the scream came not from Claire.

* * * * * Eighty-seven years earlier * * * * *

To say Emilio was nervous was an understatement. He was close to panicking. Still, he made one step after another. Right into the lair of the lion. Emilio hated the very fact that he had to be here. That it had come to this.

He was a scholar of mathematics. Statistics to be precise. All he had wanted to was to prove some of his theories right. And it worked. In the beginning. He could pick out winning horses on the racetrack nine out of ten times. It made him some money. But it all changed. Soon not a single prediction came true. The very statistics he relied on suddenly not making any more sense. He wasn't a gambler, yet he had to try again and again.

First, he owed money to friends. Then he borrowed money from the wrong guys. When he still lost, payments were due. To none other than Buds Melone. Emilio wasn't stupid. As soon as he heard the name he knew something was foul. His statistics didn't make sense since the races were rigged.

Emilio walked away. At least as far as he dared. No more gambling. It wasn't his vice anyway. He earned money the hard way. The honest way. Slowly, but surely he paid his debts. Then there was a sudden windfall. The means to pay off the last chunk to his bookie. But the very one refused. He told Emilio that Buds Melone wanted to see him. Personally.

That was brought Emilio here today. In his clammy hands, a leather bag with the money owed. His heart was beating a mile a minute. Only the very thought that after today he was done with this dark side of society kept him together.

He was waved through a dozen checkpoints. Buds Melone had bunkered down in a big villa. Rumor was that the previous owner had signed it away for small money. And at gunpoint. Emilio didn't know for sure and didn't mind keeping it that way.

He met Buds in the courtyard. Propped up in a chair like a king holding court.

"Emilio, right?" Buds ask patronizingly. "Came to pay what is due."

"I have it all here," Emilio managed to press out.

"I don't care," Buds said with a wave of his hands. For a moment Emilio feared the worst. "You can keep it if you want-" That sounded too good to be true.

Buds stood up and walked up to Emilio. Only to grab him by the shoulder as if Emilio was an old friend. "Walk with me," Buds said. It didn't sound like an order, but Emilio knew better than to refuse it.

"Tell me, lad. How did you come to owe me money again?"

Emilio swallowed hard and pressed out "The racetrack-"

"Ah, yes," Buds agreed cheerily. "You win some. You lose some. And then a gambler loses more and more, right? But you, my boy, are no gambler. Isn't that right? What do you again?"

"Student," Emilio volunteered. "I study mathematics."

"Ahh," Buds said aloud. "Let me guess. You saw the racetrack for what it was. A rigged game. And you guessed it was me." Emilio flinched, but Buds continued as if all was right in the world. "Did you know that the first few grands I made were on the racetrack? Ever since then it holds a special place in my heart. Whoever rigs the games will be sorry. Truly sorry."

Buds stopped and Emilio had no choice but to do so as well. For a moment there was a heavy silence until Buds turned to Emilio. His eyes were cold and full of menace. "I want the head of whoever taints my racetrack. And you, my lad, will help me."

The next moment Buds was cheery again. Slapping Emilio on his back. "I even pay you for your help. The money you owe me. I don't care. Take it. I've got something special for you. A class stone."

Emilio swallowed. Part of him wanted to run away. Consorting with someone like Buds Melone was bad news. But what if Buds said the truth? Emilio could help keep the racetrack clean. And a class change? To have one with twenty-two was practically unheard of in this decade. It could push him ways forward in life.

"I need documents," Emilio said through dry lips. "Records."

"And you will get them, my boy," Buds agreed. "You will get them."

Then he laughed. One that chilled Emilio to his bones.

Five hours later Emilio marked the last name on a page. He was done. On his behest, a goon notified Buds Melone, who pushed into the room Emilio worked at, like a king.

"My boy," Buds opened. "I take it you have good news for me?"

"I narrowed it down to four people whose winning rate exceeds everyone else's by a large margin," Emilio explained. "What's more is that they take turns at the racetrack. Never being there at the same time."

"Brilliant!" Buds exclaimed. "I knew I can count on you, my boy."

Buds waved a goon over who held up a small box. Within a class-stone. "You kept your end of the bargain and I will keep mine." With that, he put the class-stone into Emilio's hand and closed it for him. "But one more thing-"

Emilio knew it was too good to be true. Unwillingly his posture hardened.

"We don't want the stone to get lost, right my boy?" Buds asked. "Better activate it now. Got it?"

Emilio swallowed hard and nodded. Not what he had expected, but didn't dare to relax yet. He took a last deep breath and stared at the hand that held the class-stone. A little mana channeled into the stone was all it took and Emilio was flooded with light.

When it subsided Emilio stumbled into Bud's arms. His whole body felt wrong. Lighter overall, but heavier in a few places as well.

"What happened?" Emilio asked, but broke off as he heard his own voice. It was higher than usual. Sensual and feminine. Confused he brought his hand up to his throat, but it bumped halfway up into something equally strange. "I have breasts?"

"Of course," Buds said with a smirk. "All with the 'Bisque'-doll class are females."

"Doll?" Emilio managed to press out.

"Wind-up doll to be specific." Buds let his hand fall around Emilio and on his back. There Emilio felt something very strange. Something was sticking out of his back. Slowly turning around itself. Even stranger was that Emilio could feel Buds' hand on it. "You see I could use someone with your expertise in my organization. But not as is. You needed an- Update."

"No!" Emilio shouted. Twisting to turn away, but Buds Melone was still stronger and bigger than him. And whatever spun in his back was grabbed tightly by Buds.

"You leave me no choice," Buds said with a shake of his head. "But I planned for it. Bisque-dolls are women of social nature. All I have to do is keep you close and you will fall for me. And it works when you don't."

There was a pull on Emilio's back and then a click. Whatever spun there stopped and so did Emilio. Every movement left him. Leaving him paralyzed. Yet his limps kept the last position they were in. He truly had become a doll. One whose strings just have been cut.

"Bring my new doll to my chambers," Buds instructed his goons before leaving the room.

Soon Emilio found himself manhandled. His new body eerily quiet as they dragged him through the villa. But internally he was screaming in confusion and panic. They left him on a bed, but not for long.

Buds entered soon enough. Filling Emilio with a new horror. His heart knew what was about to happen even while his mind refused to acknowledge the same.

"It is time to bind you to me," Buds told the unmoving doll. "To make you mine. Soon or later you will be, Sugardoll. Body and soul."

Emilio wanted to scream. To shove that dirtbag away from him. But he could only lay there. Waiting that the inevitable would happen.

"Let's make you more comfortable." Buds turned Emilio over. Just long enough to grab the thing in his back again. This time there was a stronger pull. As Emilio was turned back around he saw a big silver key in Bud's hand. "You won't be needing this one for a while, my dear. Look how sweet you look. Just laying there. Waiting for me. Just sweet. You know what? You need a new name. How about Sugardoll? I hope you like it. As much as this-"

Emilio watched horrified how Buds' stripped his clothes. Then something else drew Emilio's attention. The feeling in his limps faded away. Slowly, darkness crept into his view. He knew he was about to lose consciousness. Emilio welcomed it with open arms. Anything to not witness what was about to happen.

* * * * * * * * * *

Emilio woke up on something hard. For a moment he was disorientated. Then it all came back to him. The Villa. Class-stone. The changing of his body. The bed. The looming figure of Buds Melone crawling on it. Emilio himself helpless and unable to escape.

Screaming, Emilio pushed himself up. What he saw around him didn't make any sense to him. Open crates, tools, strange artifacts, and a woman. One who held daggers in her hands. Emilio scampered away from her and cursed as he fell off the table.

He needed a moment to untangle his limps and stand up. Wearily shifting between hiding his own alien nakedness or to ball his fists towards the woman.

"Are you with Buds Melone?" Emilio demanded to know with a confidence he didn't really feel.

"You speak!" the woman exclaimed instead.

"Of course I can speak," Emilio snapped back.

"But you're a doll," the countered.

"I am not a- " he started, but then fell silent. Memories of the class change came back to him. "Well, I can speak," he lamely said instead. "I am human after all."

The woman seemingly caught on. "A class made you a doll?"

"Not just a doll," Emilio answered wearily. "Not an hour ago I was a normal guy of the 'not specified civilian’ class. Now I am this!"

The woman replied with silence. Yet she acted like she wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Eventually, it was enough for Emilio. "Out with it. What aren't you telling me?"

She flinched, but then pointed at a crate behind her. A rather big one. "It has been more than an hour. You spend over eighty years in there."

"No way!" Emilio murmured while staggering back. That couldn't be possible, right? He looked down at his arms. They still looked alien to him. All dainty, slender, and female. But they looked young too. After eighty years he should look like a mummy. "How is this possible?"

"How should I know?" the woman countered. "I am just a curator. I didn't think Buds Melone's famous Sugardoll would suddenly-"

"Don't call me that!" Emilio interrupted her. "That is not my name. Never was and never will be!"

"Then how should I call you?" the curator asked.

"Emilio," he volunteered. "Emilio Vannelli."

"Okay," the woman replied. Drawing out the single word as if it was something chewable. "I am Claire Beaumont. I am a curator in this museum."

"Museum?" Now Emilio looked around. Soon he found an old picture taken of Buds Melone. In it, he was speaking to a few guys Emilio didn't recognize. But beside him seemingly sat a young woman. Even on the grainy photo, her beauty was evident. She resonated with Emilio as if he knew her. He held the photo up so Claire could see it. "What is this?"

Claire shuffled around awkwardly. "You see no one knew that you were a person. Everyone thought you were only a doll. Just a plaything he was strangely obsessed with. He took you everywhere he did go to and-"

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long did he use me like that?" Emilio asked quietly.

"About five years."

Emilio sank to his knees. So much time was lost. Time he was abused without knowing it. The image of Buds Melone as he undressed himself flashed behind his eyes. And there was that. It made Emilio feel filthy. Violated. It was the last straw. Emilio broke. Collapsing into a crying heap of misery.

"Oh shit!" Claire exclaimed, but Emilio paid her no mind anymore. "I think I- The Police! I call them. They can help you. Maybe."

Emilio didn't even notice how Claire ran out of the room.

* * * * * * * * * *

Emilio woke up again on his belly. This time below was only softness. He could feel a blanket as well as silken garments.

Now it came all back to him. The curator, Claire, had called the police. They looked different to the one's Emilio had known. Eighty-seven years ago. The time that had been robbed from him. Deep into the night, they had asked him questions. Took statement after statement. His own questions largely unanswered.

Eventually, they released him. Told him to not leave the town. As if he was a perp and not the victim. Emilio hated it. Expecting more. Then he found himself alone outside. The police had forgotten that Emilio was penniless. Not so the curator. She had been waiting in the lobby and then caught up to Emilio.

She had offered Emilio her guest bedroom. Out of options, Emilio had agreed. The rest was a blur. Many things he saw only making barely sense. The world had changed without him noticing. Familiar, yet twisted into an alien form over time.

He remembered a shower. Standing under it and crying until the water turned cold. Being dressed in strange garments. Then the softness of a bed and the welcome oblivion of sleep.

Sighing, Emilio rolled onto his back. Or tried to. Something hard prevented him to fully turn around. Now he remembered. The key in his back. A stark reminder of what he had become. Moreso than the unfamiliar curves on his body or the strangeness of the weight of his new breasts. He could feel the key turning. But it soon strained against the bed below him and it turned a little painful.

With nothing else to do Emilio stood up. Surveying the room he had ignored the previous night. Just like the city, the furniture's function was evident and familiar.yet they just looked so different. He was used to massive wooden cabinets. However, these were made out of thinner wood, metal, and plastic. Whoever housed him must be rich, Emilio concluded.

His examination came to a stop as he noticed a particular smell. One so familiar it hurt. He followed it out of the room and found the kitchen. There, a mature lady was cooking. Scrambled eggs and bacon if Emilio's nose could be believed.

"Take a seat, my dear," she said as she noticed Emilio. "You must be starving. Dolls do eat, right?"

The loud growling of his stomach answered for him. Earning him a chuckle from the lady.

"I haven't eaten in-" Emilio broke off. For him, it had been a day. For the world, nearly nine decades had passed. "A very long time."

"Claire told me," the Lady said with a nod. Then she started to load the plate in front of Emilio with food. "I am Nadine. Claire's mother. And you my dear?"

By now Emilio had dug into the eggs and bacon with abandon. So he needed a moment to free his mouth for speech. "Emilio Vannelli." Then he added a shy "thank you for the meal".

Nadine took a seat opposite of Emilio and started on her own plate. But not for long. "Vannelli. That's an Ifarian name, right?"

Emilio nodded. "My family immigrated here when part of Verrencia sank into the sea. My grandpa lost his shop this way and decided to move due north."

"Such a small world," Nadine remarked. "My daughter worked on an exhibit about the sinking city before- The one that brought us yourself."

"Did the city ever stopped sinking?" Emilio asked as he finished his plate.

"Sadly, no," Nadine said with a sigh. "I always wanted to visit the city, but by now almost all of it was claimed by the water. Do you need more food, my dear?"

Emilio nodded. His stomach still feeling like a bottomless pit.

"Claire will be back soon," Nadine told him as she stood up to fill his plate. "She had to do some paperwork at the museum. Expediting the release of the second doll-"

"I wasn't the only one?"

"Sadly, no," Nadine confirmed. "According to Claire, the police found two of you. However, this detail is rather unknown. The public only knows about you."

Stunned, Emilio leaned back. Only to being stopped by the key in his back hitting the backside of the chair. This was getting annoying real fast. "We have to get her out of there!"

"We will Emilia, we will."

Emilio opened his mouth to correct her about his name, but then saw her look. It seemingly said: don't kid yourself. You are a woman for now. Deal with it.

With a sigh, Emilio let it drop.

"When my daughter comes back you two can head to the library," Nadine decided.

"Library?"

"Well, you changed classes, right? You might be stuck in it for a while. So understanding it should be a goal of yours."

"Right," Emilio agreed as he finished the second plate. "I should get myself dressed." The police had given him some standard respawnee clothes. Courtesy of the respawn center next door. They mostly fit him, but they had to cut a hole into the backside of the shirt. To make space for his key.

"Oh don't go for those unsightly rags," Nadine said while holding him back. "Follow me, Emilia. I can do better than that."

With a lack of options, Emilio decided to do just that. Nadine was leading him down a staircase and through rooms full of textiles. Neatly stacked in open shelves and rags. Then they stepped into a shop filled with different articles of clothing.

He could spot a few outfits from his time period. Other styles looked as foreign as what everyone was currently wearing outside. Then again he saw dresses and clothing predating his era of birth by a century or two.

"You are a seamstress?" Emilio asked aloud.

"Yes," Nadine confirmed. "But not of the common kind. I tailor period pieces. For movies, theatre, and such. Even for the museum if needed. I fear that was what had Claire obsessed with being a curator. I often dragged her along on my deliveries to the museum."

Emilio took a few steps around. The sheer variety of outfits made his head spin. Here he was supposed to find something that should fit him? Never had he spend much though on clothes. Always finding it bothersome. Now he was even in a body not his natural own.

"Let's try this one," Nadine said and Emilio turned around to see her holding something long and near black.

"You want me to wear a dress?" he asked confused.

"This is not just a dress," Nadine corrected him. "This lovely piece is a replica of the anthracite evening gown the actress Charlene Sawer wore on the day she earned her first best actress award. It is very form fitting, how much we will find out when you wear it, and formal. The good thing, my dear, is that it is backless. So we don't need to cut a hole for your key. To a degree, it will adjust to your bust. Neither of us, me or Claire, have much up top. I doubt our brassieres would fit you. So something meant to be worn without one is ideal my dear."

Finally, Nadine stopped talking and Emilio used it to point something out as eloquently as he could. "B-But it's a dress."

"Oh, get over it," she waved him off. "And get into this changing room. We don't have all day. I made this dress to measure and I am sure I have to adjust it slightly."

Reluctantly he complied. "I am stealing someone's dress?"

"Nonsense," Nadine chided him. "All my clothes are off the rack. Most keep them, but some return them so I can display them. This one had been made for a girl doing LARP. When she got pregnant she couldn't bear this dress gathering dust in her closet. So she too returned hers."

Nadine had pooled the dress at Emilio's feet and waited for him to shrug off the borrowed pajamas he was wearing. As he stepped into the dress he couldn't help but wonder aloud. "What is LARP?"

There was a deep sigh. "Don't worry about it, my dear."

Emilio shivered slightly as Nadine pulled up the dress. The fabric practically gliding over his soft skin. Even if he had the impulse to deny it, the feeling was magical. Even as the shoulder straps settled it felt a little too loose on him. "I feel like it might fall off me any moment."

"Give me a twirl," Nadine ordered him and he hesitantly complied. Even after a few spins, the dress clung to him. "See? All good. I have an eye for it. That's what over twenty years in the business gives you."

Emilio gave her a shy nod, but he couldn't give up. "Isn't it a little too bare? I understand why the back has to be free for me. But the decollete is so low. Half my b- Things are bare."

"Breasts, my dear," Nadine chided him. "They are called breasts. And they are perfectly normal. Well, yours are a little on the big side. For the dress- The only thing I need to adjust is around the waist. Yours is tiny. Even with the double helping of breakfast."

Emilio blushed, but Nadine didn't care. Already stripping the dress off him. She left him naked in the changing booth. As he peeked out he saw her putting the dress on a workstation. Probably to adjust the waistline for him. Then he noticed the big window-front of the shop. The whole interior could be seen from the outside. So could be his nude form. He stepped back into the booth at once. Making sure the curtain was shut tightly on both sides.

Then he had to wait. Caught in the small space he couldn't avoid the one feature of the booth. A tall mirror. In it, he saw a reflection that made him gasp. He was indeed beautiful. The body in the realm usually reserved for those with a Succubus class. But those were focused to maximize the allure of the body, his own was different. It was hard to describe. The contours of his body were more dainty and elegant. Not meant for sex appeal, but sensual sophistication.

One of the many features that bothered him was his hair. He had his mothers hair color up to the day he changed classes. A deep brown. But now it was lighter. Not quite blond. The hue reminded him of honey. Of course, his focus was soon drawn to his eyes. They stood out by far. Gone were the muddy brown eyes of old. His new eyes shone in a blue so deep that he could have sworn a master jeweler had fitted pure sapphires there.

His small soft mouth contrasted deeply against his skin. It was not that his lips were too red. More like a dark pink. It was his skin that was so pale. At least compared to before. Below his new features were equally fine chiseled as his face. His collarbone so dainty it hardly stood out. Then his hands found their way to his chest. His breasts big, but not obscenely so. When he cupped them with his hands he slightly covered more than half of them. But even without the support, they stood proudly and perfectly perky on his chest.

"Are you done groping yourself?" Nadine asked as she drew back the curtain. She held a piece of fabric under his nose. "This pantie should fit you somewhat." Emilio hastened to pull it up his legs. By the time he was done Nadine held the refitted dress ready for him. As it slid up his skin he noticed it was tighter. Especially around his hips. This time the fabric clung more snuggly around his waist.

"Perfect!"

The exclamation was neither by Nadine or from Emilio. Claire had returned without both of them noticing.

"I am so sorry," Claire remarked as she stepped up to Emilio. "My mother likes to steamroll people into being dressed up by her. Believe me, I know. As her primary victim. But look at you. I am glad she did. You simply look amazing."

"She wants me to go out like this," Emilio whined.

It drew out a snicker from Nadine. "If anyone can pull that off then it's you girl." She looked at her daughter. "All she needs now are shoes and you are good to go."

"Her feet are a little smaller than mine," Claire remarked as she looked down. Then she snapped her fingers. "The kitten heels from my prom. I was still a little growing back then. They might fit. Be right back."

"Why do I even have to go outside? And to a library no less?"

"Because it is important Emilia," Nadine chided her. "You switched into a class you know nothing about. Or do you?"

"I know that I hate the key in my back," Emilio admitted. "Pulling it half out paralyzes me. And I guess removing it completely puts me into a sort of hibernation sleep."

"Okay. You know a few things," Nadine relented. "But so far all of these sound like drawbacks. Class makers introduce them to make other traits more powerful. Aren't you curious what those are."

"Not really. I wish I could change classes and be done with it." Then Emilio gave a deep sigh. "But I have no money to my name. I guess I am stuck like this for a while. Don't even know how to earn money now. For how much do good class stones go these days."

Nadine shrugged. "Give or take two hundred thousand?"

"Two hundred thou-" Emilio staggered back. "That price is crazy."

"It's not that bad," Nadine assured him. "You forget the inflation of money in the last decades. It is a lot, but not as much as you fear."

"Found them!" Claire yelled as she came downstairs. She placed them in front of Emilio. Hesitantly he slipped into them and was relieved that they only had a modest heel. However, they were made of some black shiny material that drew the eyes. He took a few steps and found that he could walk in them.

"See? Everything is fine," Nadine remarked. "Now off you go." The mature lady practically herded her daughter and Emilio out of her shop.

All too soon Emilio found himself outside and it frightened him. It started with the cars. They looked so much curvier and like a single blob than the cars he was used too. Some might say elegant and sleek, but Emilio couldn't agree. They looked menacing. Especially around the radiator and headlights. It reminded him of an angry face.

"Don't worry," Claire said while making him slowly walk along the sidewalk. "I am with you."

Emilio could already feel all the eyes on him from other pedestrians. At first, he tried to tell himself that it was just his imagination. But quickly deducting that he was kidding himself. As a beautiful woman walking along in a very risque evening dress in broad daylight he was, of course, drawing attention. What irritated him more was that he could somehow tell exactly how many people looked at him.

"So what is your class called?" Claire asked him. "I never heard of a class that changes one into a doll."

It reminded Emilio that he hadn't looked at his stats window yet. It was a fundamental part of the magic and the world around them. Every sentient being could call upon a sort of window that only they could see. There they saw a summarization of themselves in neat stats. Emilio always like this aspect of the world. It was one of the reasons he had pursued mathematics and more specifically statistics at the university.

He called forth his stats window and nearly fell. Momentarily his concentration had slipped and even the small modest heel of his shoes proved too much to handle. Thankfully Claire caught his arm and steadied him. Looking around he spotted a bench nearby and walked towards it. Not risking more multi-tasking.

"My class is called 'Bisque'," Emilio read aloud. Then he fell silent as he took in his stats. Those were oddly high for someone of his new build. Normally a body reflected ones own stats and vice versa. But his new physical stats were higher than before his class change. That struck him as rather curious.

Meanwhile, Claire was musing out loud. "Bisque? That's the name of a type of porcelain. I am not sure, but it could be that it is used for making dolls. Maybe that was the inspiration for the class."

Emilio gave a distracted nod and focused on the next part of his stats window. "'Key powered', 'attention sense', and 'universal weapon aptitude' are my class traits," He volunteered. "'Key powered' is self-explanatory. Thanks to that I have that bothersome thing sticking out of my back. I have no idea what 'attention sense' means. And why would a doll need a trait related to weapons aptitude?"

"I don't know," Claire said with a shrug. "That's why we are going to the class library."

Emilio nodded and made his stats window disappear. It was time to find out what he was in for. As he was utterly broke Emilio reasoned he might be stuck in this class for a while. "Then let's go."

* * * * * * * * * *

They had been searching in the library for two hours when the librarian found them. "Are you looking for a specific class?" she asked.

Claire eyed Emilio who shrugged. "Ever heard of the 'Bisque' class?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," the librarian admitted. "That means you won't find a book about this class here. But there still might be information out there. Let me look on my computer."

Emilio couldn't help himself and had to ask. "What's a computer?"

Claire and the librarian looked at him like he had grown a second head. Then Claire chuckled. "Sleeping beauty here is new to this century. She missed a few things."

The librarian opened her mouth to ask something but then thought better of it. She waved for them to follow and walked to her desk.

"What was the class name?" she asked after taking a seat. "Was it 'Brisk'?"

"Bisque," Claire corrected her. "Like the porcelain." Seeing the librarians confusion she spelled it out loud.

Emilio meanwhile was fascinated by the gadget the librarian was handling. It was some kind of information device. It reminded him of his own stats window. "What is that?"

"That's a computer," Claire explained. "I'll give you a crash course once we get home."

"Found it," the librarian piped up. Then she frowned. "There is not much information here. The database says the class is extinct." She eyed Emilio. "Obviously that information is now wrong. Looks like the class was never popular. It wasn't very widespread and vanished around two hundred years ago. The class maker was Duchess of 'Bannow Hill'."

Claire gasped and Emilio moaned in annoyance. "The wife of the Duke of perverts," Emilio exclaimed. "That explains a lot."

Everyone knew of the Duke of Bannow Hill and his wife. They were the stuff of rumors and legends. And not in a good way. They both were into a lot of sexcapades. Made worse by the wife who was a class maker. All her classes were known to be related to sex in one way or another. No scholar ever researched any of these classes in detail. Opting instead to immediately placing them on the undesirable classes index. The Duke and Duchess attracted some followers, fellow perverts, until one day their neighbors had enough. They raised an army and slaughtered the Duke and his whole court.

"Sorry," the librarian said honestly. "I wish I could help more, but that is all the information that I have. If you find out more about this class please return here and share your information."

With a foul mood, Emilio and Claire left the library. This was not what they hoped to find out here.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Emilia?"

Emilio still cringed when he heard the shout with his feminized name. He was slowly getting used to it, as he was getting used to his body, but still, he felt as he was a man. Just in the wrong body. But Nadine had been relentless. Always calling him Emilia or using the female article for him. It chipped away at his resolve to seeing himself as a man. However, as he was essentially a freeloader he couldn't just tell her off.

With a sigh, he put the computer in standby mode. It was a marvelous invention that he had spend nearly the whole last week in front of. There was still a lot he didn't know of, but he was determined to catch up. Of course, there were those few breaks in between when Nadine 'needed' his help. He reasoned her shout now was another excuse to either get him away from the computer or to make him do something feminine.

With a sigh, he stood up and brushed off the folds in his skirt. Nadine used the very fact that he was broke to dictate what he was wearing. So far pants hadn't been part of his wardrobe.

He found her downstairs in her shop. It was still early and the shop wasn't open yet. She was busy with a mass of fabric. He thought those were skirts but wasn't sure.

"There you are," Nadine exclaimed as she saw Emilio. "I need your help."

Of course, she did. Emilio stifled a sigh. Yesterday he had helped her find a 'very special bale of fabric'. Which was buried so deep, that he had to tidy up the half stockroom to find it.

"I just finished this historic dress, but I need to see it on a living person," Nadine opened up. "Normally I get Claire to be my model, but she is already at work. Could you help me out?"

Emilio eyed wearily the pile of fabric. Something told him that this wouldn't be done in just five minutes. But there was the fact that he was a freeloader. That alone made him give into a lot of her requests.

"Sure-" he agreed. Stretching that one word out like it was bubblegum.

If Nadine noticed his hesitance she didn't let him know. "Great. Strip. We have a lot ahead of us."

Now Emilio sighed for real and headed to the changing booth. He stipped down to his underwear, another thing he hadn't gotten used to yet, and made a neat pile of his daily wear. The long loose pink skirt he had been wearing and the white ruffled top. Both way too feminine for his taste, but beggars can't be choosers.

"All of it," Nadine corrected him as she popped in for a moment. Just to leave a white dress inside.

He doubted that this simple garment was all of it. The dress was simple, tight fitting, and white. Reaching barely down to his knees. It looked more like something to sleep in then to go out.

"Great," Nadine exclaimed as she dragged him out. "And with your narrow waist, you don't even need a corset underneath. Just perfect. Now for the crinoline-"

He wondered what she meant with crinoline only to make bug eyes as Nadine pulled out some monstrosity. It was a type of cage made of fabric and wood. She made him step into it and he wondered what exactly he had agreed to. As she pulled the 'crinoline' up it took shape below him. A glance in a nearby mirror showed him that everything under his waist was trapped in a bell-shaped form.

"That looks highly impractical," Emilio remarked out loud.

"By modern standards, it is," Nadine agreed. "Well, by old standards too. This was what noble women a few centuries ago had to wear. At least for high society functions. Their normal daily wear crinoline was a little smaller. Now hold still while I affix the petticoats."

To his dismay Nadine's use of Plural was correct. Three layers of ruffled petticoats soon weighted down the crinoline. Next came the dress and it was a monstrosity. At least to Emilio. It was made from some stiff layered fabric. In fact, the top was so rigid that Emilio thought the statement by Nadine that he wouldn't wear a corset was a lie. The top was not only tight fitting around his chest. The sleeves of the dress clung to his arms from shoulders to elbow where they ended in a lot of flared lace. The same lace was generously framing the deep plunging neckline and framing his breasts. Those were pushed up and out for all to see. Below, the dress flared out and covered most of the petticoats. Safe for a part up front.

With the dress complete Emilio felt like a bull in a porcelain shop. Every step he made caused the crinoline to sway with him. Threatening to brush against everything around him.

Nadine meanwhile was fretting around with details. Inspecting how the layers of fabric interacted with each other. She made notes of small details that needed to be corrected. And to his embarrassment, Nadine made a lot of pictures. He still was amazed at how small modern cameras had become. Less so that nearly all the pictures taken in the household were now of him.

Her administrations were interrupted by the ringing of the phone upstairs. With a "be right back" she left him standing alone in the shop. Suddenly Emilio felt how exposed he was. Everyone could see him from the outside. Especially since Nadine removed the center mannequin from the display the day before. With the big crinoline, Emilio couldn't even seek refuge in the backroom or in the small changing cabinet. And he knew when someone looked at him. Even in passing or when his back was turned.

Suddenly he cracked up. Laughing out loud. In a way it was ridiculous. Him being afraid of a few people looking his way. It is not like they could get into the shop and harass him. His eyes fell on the dais in front of the large shop window. The back of his mind whispered a dare to him. To be proud and to step up onto the center stage. Showing the world he wasn't afraid.

As he set foot on the first step of the small stairs to the dais doubt crept into his mind. Was this really a good idea? As he stepped onto the central spot his heart was beating a mile a minute. He had done it, but now he was open to anyone to see. Then a fear crept into his mind. He had taken the place of the mannequin that had stood here. In all but one way. He could still move. But if someone pulled his key out a little he would be as unmoving as the mannequin he had replaced.

There was a sudden clicking sound. All movement left Emilio. His heart speeded up for a moment before it too stopped completely. His fear had become real. He was stuck and couldn't free himself. Now just another mannequin in the shops display.

It took a while for his panic to die down. When his logical thinking returned the answer why he was stuck came to him. Dolls of the Bisque class must have the ability to unhinge their key with their own thoughts. Why they needed the ability eluded Emilio. But he was now sure that the thinking of the possibility that it could happen must have triggered the reflex for real.

The fact that he wasn't alone also calmed Emilio down. Any moment now Nadine would come downstairs again. She would pop in his key and he was free again. All he had to do was wait.

And that he did. Meanwhile, pedestrians noticed him. A few even stopped and stared. Emilio couldn't see them all clearly, but still, he felt their stares. Knew exactly where they looked. Not just on him, but the whole display. Maybe that was what the class trait 'attention sense' was for. To feel what caught the attention of those close to him.

Unsurprisingly most men's gaze was drawn to his breasts. No wonder with them 'proudly' displayed and propped up by the dress. Not that Emilio could help it.

Women were different. Their gaze drifted more. Taking in details. Despite that Emilio was amused how often they too stared at his breasts. All too soon his analytical mind took over. Noting patterns in their attention focuses. What drew the eye in the display and what didn't. Statistics, that was his world. For a moment it made him forget in what situation he was stuck in.

"Emilia?" Nadine's shout made him snap out of his trance. Reminding him that he was trapped. "There you are? Enjoying the spotlight?"

Emilio wanted to stomp in frustration as Nadine failed to notice his lack of motion.

"Come on down," she said with a sigh. "I still got a lot of work to do."

After a minute of increasingly frustrated comments, he finally felt Nadine's attention fall on his key.

"Your key stopped spinning. Is that your neutral state that Claire and you mentioned?" Nadine asked. Of course, Emilio couldn't answer.

Now was the time Nadine had to recognize his plight and pop his key back in. Any moment now.

"Ah I see what happened," Nadine piped up. "You like the attention you garner there. I knew you were. Just shy about it. So you somehow unhinged your own key. Tell you what. I grant your wish. You can spend the day in the display, but I need to get you up to my standard."

Emilio wanted to howl in frustration. Of all the conclusions Nadine could draw why had it to be this? Every reasonable person would pop his key back in and ask him if that is what he really wanted or if it had been a mistake. But by now he should have known that Nadine wasn't exactly normal.

To his dismay, he found himself poseable. All Nadine was to do was to use a little pressure on a joint and it became moveable for a moment. Just not by Emilio himself. That's how he came to hold up a folding fan. It was just one of a few props Nadine had in mind for him. His hair was styled and decorated. Jewelry found its way onto him. Most embarrassing of all a necklace that plunged deep and rested between his breasts. Drawing, even more, stares at them. At last, she applied makeup. Painting his lips, applying blush, and gluing long fake whimpers to his natural ones.

The whole time he wanted to curse her out. To remedy her error in judgment. But he was silent as just a doll can be.

Once again he was left alone in the shop's display. Only his own thoughts and the stares of the pedestrians broke the monotony. With time his fury settled and once again his analytical took over. Noticing details of those that looked at the display. He wondered if they were aware of their own gazes. To others, it might be a quick glance. For Emilio, it was a telltale story of focus points. Not even an hour in he could tell that he was by far the main draw of the display. That was hardly surprising. Yet other details sprung forth. The mannequin to his left did poorly. He couldn't see what that one was wearing, but it was a turn off for the pedestrians. The mannequin on the right did better, but stood at an angle most didn't like. Those that wanted to see more had to step closer and look from the side. Maybe the mannequin had a detail on the backside that was partially hidden.

The ringing of the entry bell of the shop broke his concentration. Nadine was opening her shop. So it must be already close to ten in the morning. That meant he had lost two hours in his trance and barely noticed the time flying by.

Then Nadine got out of her shop. Just to take a few quick pictures of Emilio decorating her display. It reignited Emilio's fury. Then again nothing had changed. He was still unmoving and unable to complain.

Now something else broke his monotony. Some onlookers were intrigued enough to come into the shop. It made him feel oddly proud of himself. As if he personally lured them in. From what he could overhear he wasn't that far off.

Emilio struggled with his own nature. He knew himself well. Others take breaks and relaxed. He was a doer. Always busy with something. That's why he had been glued before the computer. Learning nonstop. But now he couldn't do anything. He was alone with his thoughts only. Unable to do anything but hear and feel. However, that turned out as a surprise as well.

He had known about the rumor that taking one sense would heighten others in time. Never would he have thought it possible that the absence of the ability to act would do the same. He had to do something. His nature dictated it. The only thing he could do was to channel it into his new heightened senses. Gathering details about the display he was standing in, the street in front of him, and the shop behind him. With Nadine going about her daily life.

It was a shock and a rush at the same time when an epiphany hit him. He was a man - just not now - of mathematics and statistics. It had always been difficult to gather reliable data. Yet now his senses floated him with a wealth of information. More and more details blossomed around him. Like a maelstrom with him in the center.

"Oh, Emilia." Nadine's voice broke his inner reflection. "Sorry I forgot about you. I know I promised you the whole day, but you've got to get hungry, right?"

He felt Nadine's hand on his waist and then the other on his key. There were a push and a click. Then he could finally move again. He nearly dropped the folding fan he was holding. To go from object to person so suddenly was rather strange.

"Come now," Nadine urged him. "We need you to get out of the dress. Otherwise, you won't be able to come upstairs to eat."

A little baffled Emilio turned around. In the corner of the shop was an old weathered grandfather clock. Mostly hidden by costumes, the display was still visible. Telling him it was already two in the afternoon. Nadine's usual hour-long lunch break.

"I don't feel hungry," Emilio admitted aloud. Slightly baffled by the fact.

Nadine raised an eyebrow. "So you wanna stay in the display? Be my guest. You worked wonders. Twelve walk-ins and three of those left orders. A record in itself. And in the morning no less."

That reminded Emilio of something that was long overdue. "I didn't mean to do it!"

"Do what?"

"Unhinge my key," Emilio admitted.

"Then why did you get inside the display?"

"It was a dare. Sort of," Emilio defended himself. "One that backfired. I panicked and then my key-"

"Sorry honey. I hadn't known. Let's get you out of the dress."

Whatever fury was still racing through his veins left him. Nadine had this disarming charm about her. He wanted to be angry at her, but instead, he stepped down without saying a word. It took another ten minutes to peel him out of the dress, petticoats, and the crinoline.

To say the lunch break was awkward didn't do it justice. Emilio was at a loss for words to describe the experience of the last few hours. He only poked at his food. True to his statement he wasn't really hungry. Even though his breakfast was over eight hours ago. Maybe his class trait "key powered" messed with his body when unmoving. A sort of light hibernation he reasoned. Just one he was aware of this time.

After lunch, he returned to the shop with Nadine. Something had bothered him and he had to fix it. With determined steps, he walked to the display dais.

"You need to dress up before I let you go for another round," Nadine taunted him.

Emilio turned around with a blush blossoming on his cheeks. "T-that's not it," he stammered. "It is just- This is driving me crazy." Before Nadine could reply, Emilio stepped up to the mannequin that had stood to his right. He dragged it two feet towards the center and turned it slightly. Exposing more of the lace that had drawn the gazes of pedestrians.

"What are you-" Nadine started, but Emilio cut her off.

"This dress was the main draw besides - Well. Me," Emilio explained. "People strained to see the detailing in the back. And this one-" Emilio turned to the other mannequin. He pointed at the frumpy brown dress. "This one isn't doing you any favors. People lose interest as soon as they see that one."

"I guess I find another one," Nadine relented.

Emilio was about to go back upstairs when Nadine found her footing again. Taunting him from behind. "You know there is only one way for you to know if your suggestions work."

The implication was clear. She wanted him to go back on display. And for a moment he was tempted. All those details, the clarity of his mind, and the resulting calmness. It was intoxicating. Alluring. The very thought of going back made him blush harder. Yet he shook his head. This new side of his frightened him. Emilio didn't dare to face it again so soon.

As he walked to the backroom and upstairs, he felt not only Nadine's gaze on his back. He could have sworn he could feel the grin on her face. Not quite malicious. More like a fox who knew, in the end, it would outsmart its prey.

* * * * * * * * * *

Emilio was glad to get out of the house. Ever since the incident with the shop's display he had to avoid Nadine. She didn't offer him to go back. At least not with words. But he could feel her gaze. As if she knew it was only a matter of time before Emilio would give in.

When Claire suggested they meet for her lunch break a few days later Emilio jumped at the chance. Not only to avoid Nadine. The friendship with Claire had been strained lately. It wasn't her exactly that put Emilio off. Her work pushed a wedge between them. Emilio had a hard time reconciling the fact that Claire was going ahead with the exhibit. Buds Melone had taken everything from him and now - for his infamy - he was rewarded. At least that's how it felt to Emilio.

He was waiting at a nearby cafe for Claire when a young voice started him. "Doesn't that hurt?"

Emilio turned to see a young girl pointing at the key in his back.

"Don't worry, it doesn't," he assured her.

"Can I touch it?"

The question made him flinch and scoot a little in his seat. "Better not."

The mother of the girl finally showed up and herded her away. Apologizing as she went.

"You don't like children?" Claire asked as she slipped into the chair opposite Emilio's.

"No," Emilio admitted. "I just never know how to handle them."

"Me neither. Then again the opposite can be as daunting. How are you handling mother?"

"Still trying to get me to be her mannequin," Emilio volunteered. "I wish she would ask me with words. Her silent, but knowing looks unnerve me."

"Believe me I know," Claire said with a roll of her eyes. "I grew up with that. Then again I can understand where she is coming from. It was a very good business day when you played mannequin."

"I guess," Emilio admitted. Thankfully a server arrived and took their order. He used this to change topics. "So, how is your work going?"

"Slower than I thought," Claire admitted. "It is hard to judge what would be interesting to visitors. We had test audiences and let's just say that my judgment on the topic was a little biased. For me as a curator everything is interesting."

Then Claire snapped her fingers. "Oh, right. Before I forget. I finally made some strides in getting the second doll to us."

That got Emilio's attention. "Why is that so difficult anyway?"

"Well," Claire started and then took a moment to gather her thoughts. "You were in a normal evidence warehouse of the police. That was already a bureaucratic hassle. But the other doll. Apparently, some of the evidence was shipped to a government site. Some old mine or so that had been repurposed. It is the state's top facility to store dangerous items. Like known unstable class stones and weapons they can't simply destroy. Why some of Buds Melone's case files and evidence was transferred there is still beyond me. Anyway. They located the second doll and her key." Now Claire rolled her eyes. "But since the site is oh so secret they are shipping her here instead of waking her there. She should arrive in a few days."

"I want to be there," Emilio threw in. "I know how it feels to be - Out of your own time, you know? Maybe I can help."

"I hoped you would," Claire admitted. "Speaking of- How are you coming along with adjusting to the present? Whenever I come home you are still in front of the computer."

"Slowly, but steady," Emilio replied. "I found a school where I could catch up on my academics. Turns out my previous education isn't worth a lot anymore. But I am still lost about what to do for money. I don't want to be a freeloader forever."

"It's a shame you don't want to be a mannequin," Claire mused aloud. "I bet there is money in it-"

"I doubt someone would pay me for that," Emilio dismissed her idea. "And even if they did it wouldn't be for much."

"I think you underestimate your worth," Claire corrected him. "Sure, Mother sold a lot the day you were on display, but that could be a fluke. What wasn't were your suggestions. She told me your suggestions resulted in more walk-ins. Maybe your future lies in marketing."

Emilio nodded thoughtfully. Still, he didn't think that was it. Part of him was still scared of being without motion. It was a feeling of helplessness he couldn't shake.

Thankfully their lunch arrived and Emilio used it to drop the topic.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lately, Emilio joined Nadine down in the shop. Sitting in the corner and reading a book. Being alone all the time upstairs slowly got to him. Of course, that was a two-sided blade. Here he had to deal with Nadine.

Her giggling broke his attention and he looked accusingly at her.

"Don't you dare give me the stinky eye," Nadine jabbed. "If you could see yourself then you would grin too. Oh, wait. You can."

Emilio flinched as Nadine held up her digital camera. She slandered over and sat down on a box next to Emilio. Pushing the camera into his hands. Frowning he looked at the pictures she had taken. It was him staring off into the distance. If he wouldn't have known then he would have thought it was a girl looking longingly at her crush from afar. Of course, Nadine didn't have to point out where he looked. The dais of the window display. Instead, she thumbed through the pictures she had taken. Always of him and always looking forlorn and lost. Staring at the display. Dozens today and even more the day before.

"You know, Emilia, that you can't fight it forever," Nadine said in a rather somber tone. "If you like it or not, the doll is part of you. Soon or later you have to face it. There is one question you should ask yourself. What are you really afraid of?"

Nadine jumped up before he could answer. Riffling through her own collection of dresses. While she was distracted Emilio tried to answer her question to himself. But he just couldn't put his fears into something more concrete than "I am afraid that I'll be stuck like that."

"That's bullshit and you know it," Nadine hollered from the other end of the shop. She pulled out something blue and sparkly. Then she made her way back. "The first time I admit it I was a little dense. But do you really think I wouldn't pop your key back in? And even if I was unable to, Claire would. So, again. What are you afraid of?"

As Emilio found himself speechless he saw Nadine spread out the garment in her hand. Emilio was no expert, but he thought it was another evening dress. It was dark blue, but it was sequined in many different shades of a lighter blue and dark silver. It gave that dress the feel of fish scales but artfully arranged. Fitting to the motive was the long mermaid tail skirt.

"Just for an hour or two," Emilio agreed.

Nadine quirked an eyebrow. "I close in about four hours."

"Fine," Emilio grumpily agreed. "But you pop my key back in as soon as you close shop."

"I promise," Nadine vowed. "Now go take off your clothes."

With a sigh, Emilio slinked towards the changing booth. "You have definitely too much fun dressing me up."

"Silly you," Nadine waved him off. "There is no such thing as too much fun when it comes to dressing someone up."

Emilio turned around just to roll his eyes at her. Then he drew the curtain shut. On Nadine's behest, he stripped down to his panties. Then she handed him the dress. Try as he might to ignore it, stepping into it felt special. The dress was obviously made with much care for detail and must have taken hours, if not days, to complete. As he pulled it up to his shoulders Nadine helped him to zip the backside up. At least as far as this key allowed. Nadine assured him the zipper would stay put even if it wasn't all the way to the top. Especially as he wouldn't move much. Or at all.

As always looking in the mirror was a strange sight. Even with him now living close to two weeks as a woman. But the view now made him gasp. He so much looked like a model or some big actress on the red carpet. There was just this one little detail that bothered him. His waist was too small. It looked unnatural to him and was a reminder of how unnatural his whole new body behaved.

Before he could dwell on it Nadine pushed something around his hips and pulled it up to his waist. It was a metallic midnight blue sash that she used as a belt. "There. Now I don't need to adjust the waistline. A little trick. Just between us girls."

Emilio rolled his eyes again and Nadine promptly jumped on it. "You know the only time I am tempted to pull your key is when you roll your eyes. Maybe stuck mid-roll would make you aware how ridiculous it looks on you."

"You wouldn't dare!" Emilio gasped.

"Don't test me, missy," Nadine shot back. "Now out with you. The display awaits your presence."

Emilio barely suppressed another roll but sighed loud instead. With small steps, he walked over. Fearful that a longer stride might lead to an accident that would lead to him falling on his face. As he took the last step on the dais doubt overcame him again. But before he could dwell on them Nadine arrived. Deftly she grabbed his hips and used it to lead him to the center spot. Then directing him how to pose.

Eventually, she stopped and stared at him patiently. Emilio couldn't bear the silence for long. "Aren't you unhinging my key? That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Nadine gave a long overacted sigh. "My dear, I can only give you the stage where to confront your fears. But stepping up to do it you have to do yourself."

In other words, he had to unhinge the key himself. And willingly too. Why couldn't she just say that? Then again if he called her out on it he would hear from her something along the lines of "But that makes me special". He reasoned imaginary Nadine was right. Without her eccentricities, she wouldn't be the Nadine he knew.

Mentally Emilio steeled himself. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. As soon as he was ready he reasoned all he had to do was to think about his key unhinging and-

There was a click and Emilio froze on the spot. Which was in a way good. Nadine wouldn't witness him cursing like a sailor. On the other hand, his fears appeared to be reasonable. His unhinging reflex really was on a hair trigger.

"I am proud of you," Nadine commented and drew Emilio's concentration away from his anger. "Let me apply the finishing touches and then the stage is all yours."

Her "finishing touches" turned out to be makeup and styling his hair. Of course, she would wait for him to be defenseless. Emilio wasn't a fan of either. Thankfully the makeup part was short. She only applied lipstick and some blush. But to his horror, she did go all out on his hair. He couldn't see it, but from what he felt, she was creating some kind of updo. Piling his hair and pinning it in place.

When she was done Nadine ran outside and took a few pictures of him. Then she reopened her shop for the afternoon. Which meant that Emilio's display time officially started.

All too soon Emilio wanted to move again. It was in his nature to do something. To stay busy. Yet there was nothing he could do. His horror deepened when this trance he experienced before didn't kick in. Maybe it was too early in the afternoon and not enough pedestrians moved by to trigger it.

His first real audience was a flock of high school girls. Probably on their way home. Not only did they look at him. They stopped and stared. Pointing out details to each other.

Conflicting emotions swirled within Emilio. He didn't like being center stage to their interest. But it also felt exhilarating. His "attention sense" trait made him feel their roaming gazes. It was like sensual long brushes with a feather along his body. Slowly, it calmed him down.

Now his mind started to work again. He wondered what those girls saw in him. Just a mannequin? A pretty one. He wished he could hear them or read their lips. But all he had was their gazes and gestures. Emilio wondered why they spend so much time in front of him. Maybe they imagined how it would feel to wear such a dress. He could feel it clinging to his curves. Highlighting every feature that made his body so female. That thought bore fruit in another one. Maybe they didn't want the dress, but his body? He knew that his body was perfect in so many womanly ideals. Did they feel jealousy? Would any of these girls wish for a body like his own? Was he the personification of their ideal female image?

But that couldn't be, right? He was no woman's idol as he still was a man. But only on the inside where no one does see it. How would anyone recognize this fact? Maybe through his behavior? Yet he couldn't lie to himself. Probably not. Nadine had commented on it. How he naturally walked like a girl. Behaved like one. Was that part of the class or was it him? So what defined him as a man, beside him clinging to the thought of it? Emilio's mind drew blanks. It wasn't defined by his body or his gestures. So what was it?

A new thought blossomed in his mind. What about his preferences? He preferred a male body and the male social expectations, right? But thinking about it made his belief crumble. How was he to define his male preferences? That he was attracted to women? In today's age that was less and less an issue. All throughout time, there were examples of people preferring a sexual partner of their own gender. It was even enforced by the rules of the universe. So that can't be it. What else? Maybe it was defined by the clothes he was wearing? He liked to dress as a man. Or so he thought. Emilio had to admit, in the loneliness of his own mind, that the thought was bullshit. A lie to himself. If he truly preferred male clothes shouldn't he have put up more a fight as Nadine dressed him only in girly clothes? Yet he didn't. If he was honest, he didn't even mind that much. The only hassle was the brassieres and even those he slowly got used to. And then there were the dresses. He definitely felt something when he slipped into one. Not that Emilio would admit it to Nadine, but every time he stepped into one, felt the fabric glide over his body, his heart skipped a beat. At least when his heart was allowed to beat in the first place.

So his clothing preferences weren't it too. What was left? Maybe his activities? There must be typical guy stuff he liked to do. But even here he drew blanks. Everything he liked to do could be easily done by a woman and no one would raise an eyebrow. So what was left? There was nothing. Not a single shred was left that should make him cling to being a man. So why couldn't he accept himself as a woman? To embrace his female side. He was a woman now and shouldn't hide from it. Yet it felt so hard to do.

"Soon or later you will be mine, Sugardoll. Body and soul."

The whisper tore Emilio out of his inner reflection. Buds Melone. He was here. Coming to claim him.

Panicked Emilio's eyes returned to the street, but no one was there. The schoolgirls had left. When? Emilio wasn't sure. Still in panic, Emilio concentrated on his new sense. If Buds Melone was here then he must feel his gaze. But there was nothing. Now and then he felt Nadine's gaze on his back. Every gaze on his front he could attribute to a pedestrian he could see. There was no Buds Melone. He was being paranoid.

The image of Buds Melone undressing came to mind. The hungry, slimy, and the utterly disgusting gaze of need as Buds looked towards Emilio. As epiphanies go this was an ugly one. Emilio had found his demon. Not Buds Melone. He was dead. Probably for a long time. But accepting himself as a woman was to accept that others saw him as one too. Nadine tried him to embrace it because she thought this would help Emilio. But others would want him to embrace it for a different reason. He was no Succubus, but his body was womanly. Many would long for it. Try to have sex with him. That was what it means to be a woman and accept it, right? But Emilio wasn't ready. Not even close. All the could think was the helplessness he had felt. His class robbing him of his freedom of movement screamed to him that he always would be the victim. Once his key was unhinged there was nothing Emilio could do and any villain could do anything to him. That scared him. More than he could admit. Even to himself.

The arrival of new pedestrians who stopped before him caught his attention. What he saw confused him and thankfully drew his mind away from brooding. There was one woman with a bigger chest than Emilio. She had a few years on him. Maybe in her thirties. What made Emilio stare was her body. As if it was molded by sin itself. Definitely a Succubus or a sub-class of one, Emilio reasoned. Yet she didn't dress like one. Looking more like a strict governess or secretary. Somehow she made that look work for her. And in a sexy way. Emilio even was a little jealous of the fact. The woman also had a tail slowly swishing behind her and small horns poked through her dark brown hair. While the Succubus drew his attention first, her companions were an equally alluring sight. This one must be on steroids or black market potions because she was bulging with muscles. Tall, fit, and beefy. She looked like an Amazon if it hadn't been for two details. She too had horns, but her real feature was enormous breasts. How they staid upright and perky was beyond Emilio. While pretty, the third woman was clearly overshadowed by the two older woman. Yet she too had an aura of some kind on her. She dressed strangely too. A mixture of robe and dress in black and pink.

Emilio lost sight of them as they entered the shop. He could only hear murmurs until they reached Nadine. From the voice alone Emilio guessed it was the Succubus who spoke up first. "The woman on display is magnificent. How does she stay so still?"

"How did you know Emilia is alive and not a mannequin?" Nadine asked baffled.

"I saw her health bar floating above her. It's a thing of my class," the Succubus explained. "So how does she do it? And why?"

"Emilia is- My marketing consultant. She has a rather uncommon class, but she is trying her best to make it work," Nadine explained.

"Is that why she has a key stuck in her back?" The question came from a younger voice. Probably the girl in black and pink Emilio reasoned. Maybe she was the daughter of the other two.

"Correct," Nadine admitted. "It is- Rather weird I admit."

"Oh we know all there is about weird," a deeper female voice chimed in. "Our whole family is seeping with it."

"So what can I do for you?" Nadine asked.

"Sexy Mom here has her first social event as department head in a few days," the younger woman explained. "A dress like the 'not-mannequin' might be fine."

"Oh, she is a doll," Nadine corrected her. "By class I mean. They call it an undesirable one, but I just love the look of hers."

"Undesirable?" the Succubus asked. "We know all about them. You either hate them or learn to love them."

"Or you fall in love with someone who has one," the bodybuilder added.

"Sexy Mom is an Empusa and Beefy Mom is a Heylin," the daughter explained.

"And you?" Nadine asked.

"Oh, I don't have an undesirable class," the girl admitted. "I am a Necromancer. But my future girlfriend has one. She's a Majune."

"Future?"

"Well, she is only six years old for now."

Before Nadine could question her, the Empusa spoke up. "It's some strange game they play. Majune can get rid of some stats and regain them. Somehow that equals to years to them."

"I see what you mean with your whole family is weird," Nadine admitted. "I hope your future girlfriend grows up soon."

"I think a month or two and she'll be ready," the daughter clued them in. "I wouldn't mind seeing her then in one of these dresses."

"Speaking of-" Nadine said to change topics. "How about we talk more about the dress for your mother."

Emilio lost interest as the talks shifted to fabric and cuts. His mind preoccupied with a rather strange concept. Could someone fall in love with a class? An undesirable no less? In the quietness of his own mind, he had to admit that he hated his new class at first. But now more and more redeeming points made itself known. The question was if it would ever be enough to offset the glaring drawbacks. But as strange as it was knowing that others found peace with their class gave him some hope.

* * * * * * * * * *

Claire cursed as she ended the call on her cellphone. First, the bureaucracy would do everything to delay the delivery. Now, it had arrived early. Not long after she had left work. The museum's directorate had opted to not inform Claire of the arrival of the second doll. It was late and one day delay might not hurt the person stuck in hibernation sleep. But then a bunch of policemen showed up. They called Claire and reluctantly she agreed to come back. Now she had called her mother who would send Emilia along her way.

She frowned as she arrived at the employee entrance to the museum. Anthony, the guard, wasn't there in his booth. Maybe he was inside with the police officers. Claire used her spare key to let herself in.

As she came close to her workshop Claire heard loud arguments. The big sliding door was slightly ajar and she was about to push it open when the sight from the workshop stunned her. There were Anthony and the museum's Directorate. Along with three policemen who had drawn their guns on them. This was definitely not normal.

While two officers held the hostages at gunpoint a third was busy opening crates. In one Claire already saw the second doll. She was unlike Emilia. Equally refined in beauty, her body suggested a more mature age. Maybe in her fifties, but still looking amazingly good for her age. She appeared to be sleeping. Her closed eyes framed by ebony hair.

"Found it!" one officer yelled. Holding up a large key. He proceeded to step close to the second doll. He pushed the key in and Claire heard a click, before hastily bringing space between himself and the doll.

The doll's eyes fluttered and sprang open. She appeared to sway, nearly losing her balance, before catching herself. Then the doll looked around her. Not in a panic, like Emilia had done. Instead, her eyes were cold and calculating. Her focus came to rest on the policemen. "Pigs," she hissed.

The officer who animated her raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Scarlet Wind," he said and repeated it a few times.

Those two words clearly surprised the doll. "Those keywords belong to one of my lieutenants-"

"My grandfather," the officer threw in.

"I take it some time has passed then," the doll mused aloud. "Why do you wear the skin of my enemies."

The officer stripped his jacket with haste and so did his two accomplices. "We infiltrated the police in order to get to you. They kept you in a high-security facility. A frontal assault was improbable so we tried infiltration. But that is now mood. There is no need anymore. You are finally free and the families of your lieutenants await your command, Mister Melone."

Claire gasped. That was the reason why no one had ever found Buds Melone. He must have had a second class stone of Emilia's class. Cornered in the raid Buds must have used it as a way out.

"What about them?" Buds Melone asked. Pointing at the hostages.

"Insurance for if we had run into problems," the dirty cop admitted.

"You didn't." A cruel smile crept onto the dolls face. "Prove to me that you are loyal and not some undercovers. Kill them."

There was no hesitation. The corrupt cops opened fire. The slaughter made Claire gasp. This was wrong. She needed to get help.

"Someone is at the door!" Buds yelled.

But Claire was already gone. Running down the hallway as fast as she could.

* * * * * * * * * *

Emilio's hands trembled with nervousness. Not a few hours ago he had fought with his inner demons. There was progress he admitted, but the fight was far from being won. Now he was supposed to help a second doll come to terms with her new reality. Emilio hadn't figured out yet how to do just that. He himself wasn't used to his new reality yet.

As Emilio wasn't sure where the side entrance of the museum was. Claire said to meet her there or that someone would get him from there. But as he saw a cop near the main entrance Emilio decided to head in there.

"Hello. My Name is Emilio Vannelli," he greeted the officer. "I am here for the second doll. To comfort her or something."

"Right, the real Sugardoll-"

"Please don't call me that," Emilio snapped.

"I apologize, Miss. Please follow me."

The officer held open the door for Emilio who entered with a nod. He found himself in a big atrium. There was a ticket booth to the side and hallways that lead to different parts of the museum. Emilio was impressed. The building being bigger than he imagined.

A hand landed on Emilio's shoulder. "Let me show you where you-" Whatever the cop meant to say was cut off by a cry of pain. Turning around, Emilio saw him falling against the door. A dagger was buried deep in his shoulder. What was strange was that the officer already had drawn his weapon. A vicious looking short sword.

Someone grabbed Emilio's hand and dragged him with her. "Run!" By instinct and despite confusion Emilio complied. Only a few paces down Emilio's mind caught up. It was Claire's dagger in the cop's shoulder and she was dragging him along.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked between huffs as he and Claire sprinted into a big hall.

"Corrupt cops. The locked down the building. I tried to escape through the side entrance, but they already had a guy there. Fortunately, most of them don't carry guns."

"Are they here to steal something?"

Claire stopped at the junction leading out of the hall. For a moment she hesitated with the choice where they should run to.

"No, they are here to break someone out. Emilia-" Claire caught his eyes. "Buds Melone is here."

"He is?" Emilio staggered a few steps back. "The second doll. We have to save her. We can't let Buds do the same things to her that he did to me."

"Emilia! Buds Melone is the second doll!"

"Right you are, girl."

Claire and Emilio turned around towards the voice. It was a man that had stripped most of his clothes. He had drawn a gun, yet held it gingerly to the side. With menacing steps, he crept closer. "Really girl? Did no one ever tell you to not bring a knife to a gunfight?"

Emilio just had enough time to glance at Claire to see her hand clutching her dagger with knuckles turning white. Then she spun into action and all Emilio could see was a blur. Then there was a heavy thud and Emilio found the villain had fallen over. Claire's dagger buried deep in his eye socket.

"Is he dead?" Claire asked. "I never killed a man before."

"That was awesome," Emilio blurred out. "Talk about critical hits-"

Nervously, Claire stepped forward and freed her dagger. Yet before she could step towards the gun loud clapping drew their attention.

Not sixty feet away a woman and two men arrived. Something about her looks spoke to him and by instinct, Emilio recognized what she was. A doll of the same class as him. Which meant that this was- "Buds Melone."

"What a surprise," the woman purred. "My Sugardoll. Here to welcome me back. I missed you. Even though the time flew by in a heartbeat."

Claire started to back away and Emilio did the same a heartbeat later. "I want nothing to do with you," he spat back. "You ruined my life!"

"I am sorry," Buds said with a shrug. "Truly am. I didn't know. All these years without a key. They were supposed to make you fall in love with me. I did know a lot about the class we both now share. But I did not know that without our key we cease to be awake. Now I have a second chance. Soon you won't need someone else. You will have me."

"Never!" Emilio shouted. As if it was a signal his shout broke the lull of the moment. Claire and him broke out into a sprint. Hot on their trails was the reincarnated gangster and his goons.

As they rounded a corner, Claire grabbed him and pulled him into a narrow corridor Emilio had totally missed. Their hunters ran past them and they were safe. But only for the moment.

"What are we gonna do? We can't outrun them forever." Claire was pacing the narrow gang. "They have us surrounded and we can't get out."

"Can't you call the cops?" Emilio suggested. "The real ones. With that tiny phone, you carry with you."

"Would if I could. I lost my purse when I tried to escape through the side entrance. Damn it, Emilia. I don't wanna die. In theory, I know I'll only lose two years of memory as the price for respawning. But I don't wanna lose anything. What are we gonna do?"

Emilio's gaze roamed the area and his eye settled on a glass case framed in red. "We fight," he proclaimed as his fist connected with the glass. It shattered into thousand pieces and made a lot of noise. Not that Emilio cared as he grabbed the fireman's ax. "We find a weak spot and breakthrough. Then we contact the authorities."

Claire gave a hesitant nod. "There is a second side entrance not far away from here."

"Lead the way," Emilio urged.

Together they snuck through the exhibits. Trying to stay low and out of sight. They knew they came closer as they followed the emergency exit signs. But their hearts sank as they found the doors chained shut.

"I always told my men the best traps are those you build around bait."

The girls scrambled to turn around. There, Buds and his goons waited for them. "Guys. Be so dear to get my doll. Kill the other one. And lose the guns. Always hated them."

Both goons looked at each other and shrugged. They holstered their guns and drew short swords.

Emilio spared a glance towards Claire, who looked pale but had her dagger ready. He knew one shouldn't dismiss her. She had told him once why she carried daggers. In her childhood, she had been clumsy with her hands. Low dexterity stats in her fingers. When she had graduated her mother had surprised her with a class stone. One for a dagger-wielding dualist class. A class with a boost to dexterity stats in her hands. She probably could hold her own against one of the police trained goons. But two?

It made him grip his fireman's ax even tighter. Emilio had never been a fighter. Preferring studies over physical activities. Yet now there was no other choice. He spared a glance at his weapon. The edge of the head was small, but the shaft was long and gave him some reach.

Then the goons arrived and deeper thoughts eluded him as a skirmish broke out. Emilio swung wide and use his reach to keep his opponent at bay. It worked, but only for a moment. As soon as Emilio's assailant figured out how heavy and unwieldy the ax was he lunged between swings. Emilio barely blocked his foe's blade. With the head of the ax no less. He then spun the ax and hit his attacker with the shaft on the hand. Making him drop his sword. But Emilio wasn't done. Twirling into the reach of the adversary he used the momentum to bury the ax deep in the chest. His opponent fell to the floor unmoving. No matter how many hitpoints one had, a carved in heart was always lethal. How Emilio came up with this combination attack was beyond him, but he had no time to spare to contemplate it. He spun around to help Claire, only to see her too sinking her weapon into her enemies heart.

Claire looked worse for wear, but he could see no critical hits on her. Which left Emilio to glare at the only other person around. Buds smirked as he saw Emilio stare at him. "Bravo, my doll. Very impressive. But then again I knew what this class could do."

Emilio meanwhile hefted his ax. "You know what, Claire? I am tired of running."

He didn't look back as he charged Buds head on, but his old foe was faster. Sprinting through hallways and exhibits. It ended of all things near a display of bronze age farming technics. It was there that Buds slowed down and waited for Emilio to catch up.

"My doll, didn't you ever wonder why I gave you this class?"

"You wanted someone you could abuse. It wasn't enough to make me a woman. I had to be helpless so you could take advantage of me. That's why you gave me a class made by none other than the Duchess of perverts."

Emilio recoiled as Buds laughed out loud. "No, my doll. Not at all. I admit I got sidetracked, but you were supposed to be my bodyguard. Someone to defend me against all threats."

"Stop talking nonsense. What good is a bodyguard that can't move?"

"Oh, you haven't figured it out yet? We can unhinge and rehinge our keys at will. All we need is a little training. And who would be better as bodyguards? We look non-threatening, right? Yet our physical stats betray our outward appearance as fake. That's how the Duchess of Bannow Hill envisioned our class. The superior fighter everyone would dismiss as weak. Or simply as an object."

"But there is one more detail that you are missing," Buds added. He stepped towards the display and lifted a bronze scythe of a wax mannequin. Despite it being a tool for farming Buds gave it a few test swings. With each of those lunges, the movement was more fluid. "You see our biggest strength is that we can master any weapon in record time." Then Buds gave him a nasty grin. "And, my doll, to us everything is a weapon."

"Are you done trying to intimidate me?" Emilio shot back. "If everything you say is true then the same counts for me. I am done being afraid of you."

"But you really should be." There was a glint of pure murder and madness in Buds' eyes. It looked so very strange on his beautiful feminine face. But it didn't last as Buds charged him.

There was a flurry of attacks. Emilio might have been impressed how anyone could wield a farming tool as a deadly weapon if he wasn't blocking each and every lunge with a counterattack of his own. For a moment it appeared they were evenly matched, but it didn't last. Slowly Emilio was pushed back. Buds was stronger and more experienced. It showed.

There was a final heavy attack and Emilio lost grip of his weapon. His ax skittered along the marmor flooring.

"Do you really think I came to were I am today by relying on a class?" Buds taunted him. "You have a lot to learn, my Sugardoll."

Buds took a step forward only to stumble two back as a silver blur pierced his skin right between neck and collarbone. It was Claire's dagger.

"I am done running too," she declared. Searching for Emilio's eyes. "We either live together or die together. Friends protect each other."

"Then die!" Buds screamed in a howling fury. Pulling out the dagger despite leaving him bleeding heavily. Then he threw it back at Claire who fell to her knees as her own weapon buried itself in her tight. "Damn! I aimed for her heart."

Emilio scampered for his ax, but as he felt the shaft underneath his fingers he saw that he was too late. Buds was standing above Claire. Pressing the sharp edge of the scythe on he throat.

"First, I kill your friend," Buds declared in a dangerously low whisper. "Then I'll kill you. But don't worry, my doll. I will find you. And we will do this over and over again. Until one day, you give in."

Emilio's eyes found Claire's. They were full of fear. It was his actions that endangered her and he knew that he had to end it. But Buds was right. He was faster, stronger, and more experienced than Emilio. And he knew every strength their shared class possessed. All Emilio had experienced was the weakness of the class. It made him look up at Buds Melone in a new light.

"Fine. You win," Emilio pressed out through gritted teeth. "Let her go and I submit willingly." He threw away his ax. "I'll be the Sugardoll you always wanted."

Emilio saw the hesitation in Buds eyes. To make his intention clear he stepped back a few paces. Then he sat down and leaned back as far as he could. Until the key in his back scraped against the floor. Then she spread her legs wide. "Come take me. Like you always wanted."

Emilio cringed as a nasty smile appeared on Buds' face. It was another truth that Buds was right about. Their bodies looked divine and innocent. Womanly and weak, but in moments like these the truth came out. Behind the facade, a monster could hide. One who stepped away from Claire and towards Emilio. He even threw away his scythe. So sure that he had won by breaking Emilio. He crouched down and crept close to Emilio. Like he wanted to hump him with equipment that was now missing anyway.

"I knew you would come to your senses Sugardoll," Buds whispered while pushing an errant strand out of Emilio's face.

"Of course I would," Emilio agreed. "You know all the strength of our class." Now all hints of submissiveness left Emilio and a grin appeared on his face. "But I know a few things too. And I want to share them." Before Buds could react Emilio used his legs to cling to him and hook into each other behind Buds' back. "First. My name is not Sugardoll and it never will be. It is Emilia Vannelli and I am proud of it."

Now Buds started to fight her and tried to dislodge Emilia, but she held fast. "Second, you may know all the strength of our class but I know our weaknesses. I protected mine. Did you?"

Understanding blossomed in Buds eyes along with desperation and fear. Emilia's key was buried under them. Trapped against the floor. But Buds was out in the open and Emilia finally reached her goal. Her feet had shimmied up enough to latch onto Buds key. "And at last I want you to know this: I won!"

Emilia strained against Buds and she succeeded. Not only unhinged she the key. It shot out of its socket and flew through the hall. It landed with a crash and the sound of broken glass. Not that Emilia cared. With disgust, she rolled Buds' lifeless body off herself. Then she limped towards her friend.

Claire was bleeding, but not heavily. The dagger in her tight also plugging the wound. Tiredly she looked up. "We won?"

"Yeah, we did," Emilia agreed with her own tired smile. She helped her friend get up who winced in pain as she tried to stand on her injured leg. "Sorry about you getting hurt."

"Well, it was a fight worthy of a few scrapes. I mean you-" Claire stopped as she looked up and down at Emilia. "Are you kidding me? There is not a single nick on you."

Now that Claire mentioned it Emilia had to agree that it was a small miracle. Or there was even more to the class than Buds suspected.

"So, it is finally Emilia now?" Claire asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," Emilia admitted with a tired sigh. "I am done running. From him or myself."

"Good for you," Claire agreed. "What about this murderous doll? Can we kill him now?"

Emilia shook her head. "I fear not. He only would lose his memory. And I always want him to remember. That I won and that I will never be his."

* * * * * * * * * *

Emilia stared at the street. Unmoving, yet at peace. Once more standing in the display window of the shop. Behind her, she could hear Claire, who repeated every detail to her mother for the tenth time. How the cops had found them shortly after beating Buds Melone. This time the real ones. They had responded when a few museum's employees respawned all at once. None had their memories, but it took no genius to figure out where something did go amiss.

Between respawn and the police arriving not even a quarter hour had passed. Yet to Emilia the frantic escape and then the fights felt like a small eternity. But that was in the past. Now, Emilia was ready to look into the future. Or rather still the street. Not that she was really seeing any of it. Her mind was within her. She might hate Buds Melone, but he had said things that put things into perspective. And with it came a new goal. One she trained her mind on.

In her back was her key. For the longest time a mark of her slavery to her own class. A weakness. Something to be feared. And at the moment utterly at a standstill. This was where Emilia concentrated her focus and will for the last few hours.

There was a click and the key began to spin. Movement returned to her and expressed itself as a proud smile on her face. Slowly she turned around to face Nadine and Claire. Both staring at her in shock.

"But your key was unhinged," Nadine pointed out.

"It was," Emilia agreed. A serious look on her face. "But now I have control over it. Now, this class is not a burden to me anymore. I am Emilia Vannelli and I am a Bisque doll. And proud to be so. Pity those that stand in my way." Then a sheepish smile broke through. "I am not feeling this dress. Can I try another one? Maybe the green one?"

Laughter broke the tension and Emilia join in. There was still a lot of uncertainty in her life. But she had found friends who would help her. With their strength not only didn't she fear the future anymore. She welcomed it.

// 1 // -

It was a quiet morning and Gabriel took a moment to enjoy the sun rising above the waves. Around him, he heard the familiar murmur of the ocean lapping at his boat, and the half-sunken houses around him. The same whisper of the water helped him to fall asleep every evening and greeted him in the mornings like this one.

A grumbling of his stomach reminded him of the tasks at hand. As he looked in his secret stash, Gabriel had to suppress a sigh. A half loaf of bread, by now nearly hard as stone, and some cheese. Along with an apple that had seen better days. All liberated from a dumpster behind a supermarket. Still, he ate better than what he got in the orphanage he had escaped off. Not by a lot, but since he started fishing himself, Gabriel slowly managed to gain some weight. He hadn't much to show yet, his rips could still be seen prominently under his skin, but he knew it was there. Felt it as his body had more energy to spare.

After eating half of his stash his focus turned to his boat. Or 'large canoe' as he often joked. It was about four meters long, one meter wide, and in bad repair. Still, Gabriel was proud of it. With hard work he earned it and it was the only real possession of his besides the clothes he wore on his body. It only took a few moments to check his fishing nets and then he cast off.

He joined a dozen other boats slowly making their way out to the Verrencia Bay. As always the journey made him shake his head in sadness. Around him, half-sunken houses formed channels and artificial islands. Officially uninhabitable, they offered meager shelter to Gabriel and others like him. The further he rowed the more submerged the houses appeared. It was only a matter of time until they would disappear beneath the waves. Joining the rest of Verrencia.

Out in the bay, he saw Black Rock castle. Standing proudly on a small rocky island of basalt. The dark shape against the horizon was a bleak reminder of Verrencia's former glory. The city had been build on a half-island that stretched into the ocean. Up to Black Rock castle and beyond. But that was in the past. Every few decades a part of the half-island broke off and sank into the sea. Taking a chunk of the city with it. Scholars blame everything. From tectonic shifts to the very soil underneath the city. But the truth was that no one knew why. After each calamity, the officials launched an investigation. They all concluded that the rest of the city was safe. The foundation underneath strong. But it happened again and again.

It didn't take long to reach his destination. Underneath the waves, he could see the outline of an alley. The buildings lining the street, those that had not crumbled, topped merely two meters below the surface. As such, Gabriel had little trouble finding a spot for his anchor. Then he braced himself for what came next by splashing water over him. While Verrencia laid in a warmer region of the planet, the ocean cooled down considerably during the night. In a few hours, it would be warm enough for the tourists on the beach south of the city. But Gabriel couldn't wait.

A last deep breath and he rolled overboard. It took him only a moment to orient himself and to surface near his boat. As he grabbed it Gabriel gave his body a few more minutes to get used to the water. He couldn't risk making mistakes. And starting his workload with an unprepared body was a big one. Potentially deadly.

Thinking himself ready he grabbed one of his nets. A last look around revealed no patrol boat of the Black Rock Clan nearby. They didn't like people who used the Verrencia ruins as a fishing ground. Yet there were too many like Gabriel to effectively forbid the practice. Still, the clan patrolled the water. If they spotted one with fish they cast dark glances but didn't bother to act. Yet if someone dived for some treasure they might as well sign your own death warrant. Black Rock strictly forbids the removal of anything from the ruins. Even if it was so much as a stone. The strangest thing of all to Gabriel was the fact that the Black Rock Clan was a criminal organization. Why they would care was beyond him. Then again this city, that was falling apart, was their core territory. Even the government knew to not push them around these parts.

With the coast - and water - clear of goons, Gabriel took a deep breath and dived straight down. His goal was the opening to a small passage breaking off from the submerged alley. With the buildings blocking most of the paths for fish they tended to follow the only spaces free. The former streets and roads of the city. Openings like the one he was heading to act as a funnel. Making them an ideal spot for placing his net. After a minute of fiddling, he was done and swam to resurface. While he cleared out his lungs his eyes drifted to the nets on his boat. One done and five more to go. With a sigh, he got back to work.

// 2 // -

He was drenched in darkness as Gabriel dived into the submerged shop. Not daring to swim in too deep without a light he fished out a chem stick from his little diver's pouch. A little snap broke the barrier inside and two chemicals mixed within the stick. Soon a soft glow emerged and cast the flooded building in an eerie green light.

Now, the dangerous part of Gabriel's day started. Setting up his nets was useful, but a distraction. The real money was not in fish but buried treasure. If he got caught by the Black Rock Clan he was as good as dead. Of course, he was bound to the local respawn stone. So he wouldn't truly die as he would be resurrected. Yet it came at a price. Two years of memory gone in an instant. Gabriel hoped he would never find out how it felt to wake up with part of one's memory gone.

Casting his worries aside he looked around the building. Most of the furniture was rotten beyond recognition. Yet a few pieces were less damaged. As Gabriel eyed them he knew he had hit a potential jackpot. Judging by the broken glass and debris he reasoned this must have been a shop of the high-end variety. Maybe even one for jewelry. However, he tried to stay calm. He probably wasn't the first scavenger to visit these particular ruins.

Gabriel dropped his glowing stick a few feet into the shop and turned around to resurface. Managing his own air was crucial. As was to be careful when exploring ruins. One wrong decision and he might be trapped under a chunk of shifting debris. Even a delay of a few seconds could change his fate to being a victim of drowning.

With each dive, he systematically explored the interior. Only examining two or three square feet in each go. His search was hindered by a lot of small things. Sand drifted in by the current, aquatic life that settled around here, and sharp debris like the shards of broken glass.

He was close to writing this store off when something caught his eyes. A small stone. Too evenly formed to be a natural occurrence. As he picked it up he saw faint lines of a symbol. Maybe a runestone. A magical device charged with a spell. If so, it could be worth more than a few bucks.

With his treasure clutched tightly, Gabriel swam out and to one of his nets. They all had a reinforced edge and here he had sewn in a hidden pouch. The stone found its place inside. He wondered what other treasure he might find, but first, he had to go for air again. With strong strokes, he made for the surface.

// 3 // -

"Hey, you!"

The shout woke Gabriel up from his little nap. He could do only so many dives before exhaustion set in. Frequent breaks were a must. Now he sat groggily up and looked around. He nearly cursed out loud as he saw the big black boat pulling up alongside his own. A patrol by the Black Rock Clan. Gabriel scrambled to stand up and hoped he could talk himself out of whatever came next.

"Fishing is forbidden in these parts," a black-clad man shouted over.

Gabriel eyed the man wearily. He didn't like those fellows with their condescending tone, but he hardly could do something against them. They weren't the government, but around these parts, they controlled it like a marionette. All he could do was to play dumb. "But I am not the only one fishing here." To emphasize he waved around himself and noticed the area nearly deserted. Either his fellow fishers had seen the patrol coming or had already been kicked out of the area.

"I don't give a shit," the goon cursed. "Get packing."

"Can I at least retrieve my nets?"

"Of course, you will. No littering with your garbage."

Suppressing a curse Gabriel gave a short nod. Then he jumped into the water. Gabriel had to retrieve his nets before they lost patience with him. Today's catch was meager. Only a few smaller fish had been caught between the double-layered nets. Gabriel hardly cared. His true catch of the day was well hidden.

With each net retrieved, Gabriel had to show what fish he had caught. "You better not fish for black eel. They are endangered and under protection," the man reminded him.

Gabriel nearly sneered at the notion. He had only come close to a black eel once and it scarred him for life. Ugly bastards those eels. However, the real frightening feature of them was their maw and needle-sharp teeth. Ever since he saw that eel he had nightmares of being attacked by them. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said aloud.

"You better," the goon said. "Now get out of here."

Gabriel hadn't to be told twice. He draped his nets over the side of his boat, so the fish could survive and started to row home. Or what counted as such.

// 4 // -

Gabriel licked his fingers clean. He was still hungry, despite eating three of the smaller fish he had caught today. They probably wouldn't have earned him much on the market anyway. Peeking past his improvised campfire he saw his boat and the nets. One was still draped in the water and contained three bigger fish. Selling them alive will bring in a little more money.

Then his eyes fell on the small bump on the edge of one of his nets. The runestone he had liberated. Nervously he looked around. No one appeared to be in the small building he called home. He was on the second floor as the ground floor was flooded. The walls around him rickety and partially caved in. It was unlikely he was observed by anyone, but he walked around just to be sure.

Satisfied that he was alone, Gabriel made his way over to the net containing his contraband. It felt good to have the cold surface of the stone in his hands. Hastily he made his way back to the campfire to inspect his prize. His first thought turned out to be right. The shape was too evenly to be anything but manmade. In the shine of the fire, he made out delicate red lines. Partially obscured by dried up gunk from the ocean floor.

As he scrubbed off the dirt he gasped. The revealed symbol was too intricate to be a rune, which meant this was a class stone. To say he had hit the jackpot was an understatement. Previously he had estimated the worth of up to a thousand. Maybe even a little over. Now he looked at a stone that might be worth in the lower six figures. A wealth so abstract to him that he hardly could imagine it.

Ideas blossomed in his mind. With so much money he could rent an apartment. Go to a good school. Get a normal job. No more pangs of hunger would plague him. He could even leave this cursed city. But then little voices of doubt and reason made themselves known. He had no clue which class might be contained in the stone. Even if he found out, who would buy it from him and for how much? In a downtrodden city like Verrencia, everyone would assume he had stolen the stone. So he had to go to a black market dealer. Their fee would be a good chunk of the profits. If they didn't steal the stone outright. Gabriel cursed at how close he was to personal wealth, yet it remained out of his reach. To top it off he had to act fast. There was no honor among street kids around here. He had been robbed before, so liquidating the stone as soon as possible was his only option.

Or was it? The stone glinted in the shine of the fire and Gabriel studied the symbol of the stone further. Hoping to glean inside what class it would contain. Because there was a fundamental truth: a class stone could be stolen, but no one could steal Gabriel's class. If he used the stone then there would be no payday. That sucked. But a class change might offer other rewards. If it was a melee class then he had good chances to get a job in the security business. Even without having experience in the field. If it was a crafter class someone might take their chances and take him in as an apprentice. And a decent sorcerer class? There was big money on the horizon. Those were always in demand.

The question was: should he risk it? He had no way of knowing what he'd end up with. Like everyone else, Gabriel had stories of classes gone wrong. About strange physical or mental changes that no one in their right mind wanted. Those classes have been deemed undesirable. Then again what are the chances a shop, sunken or not, might display an undesirable class stone prominently?

There definitely was a risk, but Gabriel was a risk-taker. Running away from the orphanage, buying his boat, and diving for treasure in forbidden areas. All risks he had taken and so far they paid out for him. Would this too? There was only one way to find out. Grabbing the stone tight, he channeled some of his mana into it. Light erupted from within his clutched hand. Then a warmth spread through his body that steadily increased until it crescented in uncomfortable heat. Then a sudden lurch in the world. As if the reality around him had a hiccup.

Then there was nothing. Warmth and light were gone, as well as the stone in his hand. But not everything was as before. He felt different. The possibility of physical changes came back to mind. Gabriel took a deep breath and looked down.

A string of curses escaped him. This couldn't be. Impossible. He scampered towards the edge of the building. There, in the shine of the fire on the ocean, he saw his new silhouette. "I am a freakin' girl!"

It was too dark to make out details of his reflection, but what he saw unmistakable. Somehow the class had made him a woman. He had never heard of a class stone doing that, but he had to admit that his knowledge of classes, in general, was lacking. After shaking his head to clear his mind, Gabriel stumbled back towards his campfire.

As he slumped down, reality set in. If a class changed his gender then only another class might change it back. The chance that he had a second windfall of finding another class stone was as likely as being hit by lightning twice. He was stuck. Truly and royally stuck. He coped in one of the best ways mankind had invented. Cursing until his breath gave out.

As his mind found fragile calmness Gabriel wondered what else he was in for. To find out he drew upon the ancient magic of the status screen. It was an integral part of this world. Every being - be it man, animal, or monster - had stats. Numbers that represented their overall health, as well as physical and mental attributes.

For some time now Gabriel had been proud of his stamina value. Despite being a street kid and half-starved, he had managed to raise it significantly. After all, he needed stamina for his diving excursions. It was the first stat he checked. Fearing it might have dropped due to the class change. To his surprise, it was even a little higher. He had lost a little strength and-

"Holy shit!" Gabriel exclaimed as he saw his dexterity value. It was through the roof. He knew a few street kids that earned their daily bread by picking pockets. They relied on high dexterity, yet Gabriel was sure none was even close to his new value. A pleasant surprise, but hardly one to make up for suddenly finding himself in a female body.

Below his stats, he found the sparse information for his class. First among them was the name: "Alundare Siren". Gabriel had never heard of this one. Not that he had researched classes before. Always chalking a class change up to be out of his reach.

The name was followed by the class traits. 'Voice Of Alundare' was the first one and made Gabriel wince. "Don't tell me I am stuck in a bard class. That would suck." The next trait made him groan more. "Great. 'Art Of Water Dancing'. Sounds like a dance routine of a stripper." At last was 'Aquatic Living', which kind of confused him.

Just having the names of the traits didn't provide much to go on. Gabriel knew he had to visit the library of classes. It focused on gathering information specifically for classes. His new one might be there too. Technically it was an institution free to the public. But Gabriel knew the truth. Street kids like him are chased out of there unless he could provide a small "donation". He didn't have much money and the visit was sure to eat everything up.

"Stuff to figure out tomorrow," he told himself. After extinguishing the flames he laid down on the ratty mattress he had found and hoped to wake up the next morning with everything gone back to normal.

// 5 // -

Gabriel woke up parched and itchy. Scratching off dry skin all over himself. That, of course, quickly reminded him of his new body. In the spur of the moment, he decided that having breasts sucked. Especially as they itched like hell. The curse he was about to mutter died on his lips as his throat was dry and raw.

He grabbed for the dented container with his freshwater. Not much was left and he eagerly swallowed everything. Yet, it was not enough. Desperate to quench his thirst he resorted to the very thing everyone warned against. Drinking out of the ocean. The water was salty, but not as harshly as Gabriel remembered it. That threw off his last inhibition and he clamored to scoop more seawater into his mouth.

With the monster of thirst pacified, Gabriel noticed something else. His hands, a moment before painfully dry, welcomed the water as eagerly as his throat. The itching finally stopped, but only on his hands. Gabriel knew what he had to do. He jumped and cool water surrounded him a moment later. Soothed his arching skin. For a divine moment, his worries drained away.

But it didn't last. With a few strokes, he returned to the building he occupied. There was work to be done. New freshwater was only one of the things he needed. So he tossed three empty plastic bottles into his boat. He was running low on food too, but with the intended visit to the class library, the fish he had caught would have to do for today's meal. Gabriel hid the net containing the still-alive fish in the flooded basement of the building. At last, he took out the few coins he had from his hiding place.

Then it was time. Like every morning he cast off when the sun was barely above the horizon. However, today he rowed against the stream of fellow street-kid fishers. Heading into the direction of the new town's center. The old one lost beneath the waves for over a century. The further he came the less decay he encountered. The buildings less crumbled and still mostly looking good. This was the area of the last breakaway. Not that Gabriel remembered. It happened around the time of his own birth.

He arrived at a makeshift dock. Run by street kids like him. His boat would be safe here, provided he had the coin. He was about to lay down the usual fee when one of the street kids grabbed his arm. "Pretty daring, chicka. Stealing a boat and floundering it here."

Gabriel's mouth reacted before his brain. "Stolen? That is my boat."

"I think not. Belongs to Gabriel. Fishing boy outta the southern ruins."

Now it clicked inside Gabriel's head and the revelation made him nearly snicker. Honor among thieves. Who would have thought it exists. And at the very moment, he didn't need it. "It's mine. I bought it off him."

"Bullshit. The boat's his pride. He wouldn't split."

Gabriel had to think fast. He needed a story and slowly one came together. "He would. If the price is right."

"You telling us you are loaded?"

"Nah. I got connections. He's working on the fields now. So, he got no need for a boat, so I took it off him. For a few coins."

Another youth jumped off a crate he had been sitting on. "That boy a farmhand? With his scrawny build. Should have picked me. Look at these guns!"

Gabriel rolled his eyes as the boy started to flex his barely-there muscles. In all fairness, it was more than Gabriel had called on its own. The little wannabe bodybuilder had at least five more points in strength. In the higher fifties or lower sixties. Not that Gabriel cared about those things much.

"It's not about that," Gabriel continued. Now that he had started his tale, he couldn't stop. "He treated me right, so I did him a favor."

The first boy let go of Gabriel's wrist and gave him a charming smile. "Chicka, we can treat ya better. Right boys?"

The boys in question hollered their approval and cheered louder as Gabriel felt a hand deftly grab his butt. Gabriel spun into action and a moment later the boy was on the ground. The offending hand and attached arm painfully locked behind the boys back by Gabriel.

"How did you do that?" It was a good question, by the boy that thought he had muscles to flex, and Gabriel had no clue how to answer it. Even to himself, it wasn't clear what happened.

"Never mind how I did it," Gabriel pressed through his teeth as his own shock wore off. "You better worry I don't do the same to you too." Bold words. Gabriel hoped he could back them up.

The youth before him took a few steps back. "Alright. No stress, kay? Tell ya what. You let Mario go and everything is fine."

"My boat-"

"We'll dock it for free. This time."

Gabriel had his doubts but pushed himself off the boy nonetheless. With a calmness that he didn't really feel, he walked a few steps away and brought some distance. Any moment now the boys would realize that they could easily gang upon him. Yet they all looked wary at him. His sudden defeat of the boy Mario must have been more impressive than he thought. It was time to capitalize on it. "I'll be back in a few hours. If my boat is gone you all will learn how to swim with broken arms. Got it?"

A few murmured confirmations were all Gabriel got. Not daring to push for more, he turned around and walked away. Wondering if he just abandoned his boat for good. Soon or later the boys would shake off their shock. Then do stupid things to boost their own morale. In the end, Gabriel might have to fight them off, just because they want to make a statement about how they are not weak. Because that's what boys do. Gabriel knew so because he was one of them. Or was, not long ago. The whole incident left a bitter taste in his mouth. Now he knew why girls living in the street bound together in their own little groups.

//6 // -

Gabriel cursed as he saw the entrance to the class stone library. Its doors were still shut. A look from up close confirmed his suspicion. It was still closed. Apparently, some people could afford to not get up at the crack of dawn. As he looked to a public clock he knew he had to wait a few hours. Wasted time, as he could have gone fishing in the meantime.

He found a nice sunny spot and looked around. The library was located at a big plaza. In the center, it had a big fountain, yet it had still enough space to house a big weekend market. He saw a few tourists making their rounds, but not many. That would change in a few hours.

Gabriel quickly grew bored. There wasn't much to do besides watching tourists and a few city workers. So it was a welcome change to see a procession of Black Rock men enter the plaza. They wore utility clothes, but no one would mistake them for city officials. They made their way over to the fountain. There they unplugged a canister and proceeded to dump its content into the water of the fountain. Some nasty oily stuff so dark that it appeared to eat every ray of sunlight falling on it.

He wondered what that stuff might be, but didn't dare to get a closer look. Getting the attention of the Black Rock Clan was always a bad thing. As he looked on he noticed someone who dared. An old grandma slowly made their way over. A few feet before the goons she stopped and pointed her walking stick towards them. Gabriel couldn't hear what she was saying, but he saw the annoyed look on the Black Rock fellas faces. They said something and the granny waved again her stick. One of the bigger men stepped forward and shouted loud enough that even Gabriel understood him. "The same as always! It's to prevent algae! We already told you this a hundred times Miss Cavetti!"
The old woman waved her stick again and walked off. Apparently, she bought the explanation.

Not long after, Gabriel grew bored again. The Black Rock goons packed up their things soon enough. Leaving Gabriel once again alone with a bunch of tourists. He ignored them but had trouble ignoring his growing thirst. All too soon his last reserves of water vanished down his throat. To blame was the bright sun shining down on him. It had never bothered him before. At least not to this extent. Must be in part that he had a new body. Once again he cursed himself for turning female.

Longingly he gazed at the fountain water. Promising cool relief. But Gabriel knew better than to walk over and drink from it. Now, that he had witnessed the Black Rock goons, more than ever. His eyes instead spied a public drinking fountain. It was time to fill his bottles and quench his thirst. There was already a small line waiting. Tourists who weren't used to the temperatures. He muttered a few swear words under his breath. With his new body, he might as well be one of them.

Eventually, it was his turn. Greedily he gulped down the water. To the dismay and groans behind him, Gabriel started to fill his bottle. As it was half full a new thought came to him. His skin was already dry again and started to itch. In the spur of the moment, he pulled his bottle out of the water stream and emptied it over his head. For a few seconds, he was in heaven.

He snapped out of his daze and started to refill his bottle when angry fingers poked his shoulder. Annoyed he turned around only to see every eye on him.

"Young Miss. Do you have no decency?" an older woman snapped at him. She earned a few head nods in response. As she saw Gabriel's confusion she added: "The way you dress and this little stunt of yours. Shame on you."

Confused, Gabriel headed away. Only to stumble as his gaze rested on the mirrored reflection of a big window. There was an older teen, a young woman really, dressed just like him. Of course, Gabriel knew it was his own reflection. But now, for the first time, he saw all the details as if he was looking into a mirror. She was beautiful, the girl that stared wide-eyed back through his reflection. Not quite model standards but close. She had the deep tan all the local had and a mane of raven black hair. The contours of his face were close to his original but definitely female. But what drew his eyes most was his chest. Of course, he had breasts. But they were on the small side. Nothing to look at. But thanks to Gabriel's mistake, everyone had a good view of them. His t-shirt wasn't white, might have been years ago, but his stunt of pouring water on himself still made it almost completely transparent. He might as well walk around naked.

Instinctively hiding his breasts beneath his arms, Gabriel hurried to a side alley. Behind him, he heard a few snickers and further outraged exclamations. Making him blush in shame. There was a lot he had to learn about being a girl and he cursed the very fact that it was relevant now.

// 7 // -

The moment Gabriel saw a librarian flip the closed sign to open, he was on the move. His skin was already itchy again with dryness. Not wanting to repeat his mistake at the drinking fountain he vowed to go inside, find what he was looking for, and then take a swim in the bay as quickly as possible. The light jog over to the library building was everything but pleasant. His belongings painfully jumped around in the net he carried on his back, but it distracted him from that up in the front on his chest something else shifted with each step.

He sighed in relief as he made his way inside. Sending a silent prayer to whoever had invented AC. The moment of bliss was interrupted as he saw the scornful look of an older woman. Probably the librarian on duty. Gabriel straightened up as best as possible. It wasn't much but every little thing might help in the negotiation.

"I'd like to research the class Sir-"

"A mutt like you?" the librarian sneered. "Don't make me laugh. Out. Now. Before I call the cops."

To be honest Gabriel hadn't expected anything else. It was time to say the magic words. "I have money."

The librarian's hand stopped from reaching for the phone. "A street rate like you will only bring filth inside. Cleaning it up will be expensive."

The meaning was clear. She expected a big bribe. It was time to negotiate and slowly Gabriel managed to lower the bribe to just barely within his budget. What remained of his coins was so little he couldn't even buy a half loaf of three days old burned bread.

"Every visitor needs to sign in," the woman he now despised informed him. She spun around a big guest book and pushed it in his direction. For a moment Gabriel's thoughts went into hyperdrive. It was a bad idea to sign with his real name. Especially if your name was clearly male and the body was not. That he didn't know his family name was an additional detail that gave him pause. He had to come up with a fake name, but his mind refused to come up with one. His gaze roamed around in the hope of finding inspiration. It came in the form of a picture calendar hanging behind the librarian. The current month showed a bunch of yachts anchoring at wooden docks. The whole picture was captioned with "Marina di Sabatini". Gabriel gave a shrug and went with it. First name Marina, last name Sabatini, and in classes of interest he wrote Siren.

The librarian pulled the book back and studied his entry. After giving him a critical look she sneered at Gabriel. "Sirens are in the undesirable class section. It's back there. Take your time."

Gabriel wanted to thank her but stopped as she already was grabbing for her phone. Clearly, he was dismissed. "Back there" was a fitting description. He found the shelf for undesirable classes in the furthest corner. Location and name both an ominous sign that this class wouldn't work out for him.

After looking through the row of books he found only one book about Sirens. He hoped his class, "Alundare Siren", was included in it. One of his fears was proven right. Sirens were bard classes, but they had a specialization that surprised him. The control of male minds through singing alone. It was good to know, but Gabriel doubted he wanted to ensnare any men. The trait, according to the book, was called 'Alluring Voice'. Yet his own trait was named 'Voice of Alundare'. He reasoned it must be an upgrade to the normal trait. Maybe his ensnaring singing was stronger or something along those lines. Paging through the book he couldn't find a single mention of his second trait. So, 'Art of Water Dancing' remained an even bigger mystery than his first trait.

Looking for his third trait he finally hit pay dirt. A whole chapter was dedicated to 'Aquatic Living'. It was aptly named too. He whistled silently as he read the highlights. Apparently, he could breathe underwater as if it was second nature. His body also was adjusted to living long-term underwater. No wrinkly skin due to water ever again. But the drawback was that his skin dried out fast if he was outside of water too long. As he already had noticed. Other details were more on the cringe-worthy side. His stomach was modified that he could eat fish raw. Skin and all. Not that Gabriel wanted to but now he could. At last, was something more interesting. Apparently, all classes that have the 'aquatic living trait could talk to each other telepathically. However, they had to be submerged in the same body of water.

Before he knew it Gabriel arrived at the end of the book. He was just about to close the book when something caught his eye. On the last blank page, he saw a bunch of eraser marks. His curiosity caught, he tried to read what had been erased. It wasn't easy, but whoever had written it in the first place applied plenty of pressure and faint lines of handwriting remained scratched in the paper. Gradually he could make out a few words. Maybe a third of the overall text.

"To those th….after me….Siren…cursed class, because…hunted by…clan!"

It made him frown. More and more he felt stupid for activating the class stone the night before. First, he turned into a girl, and now he was cursed? There must be more information, but looking over the bookshelf again revealed no new book about Sirens. Maybe the librarian knew more. Couldn't hurt to ask.

Just as he stepped into the main aisle he could see the librarian letting in two men. Big and burly build. Most of all they wore the marks of the Black Rock Clan. "It is her," the librarian hissed loud enough that even Gabriel could hear it. Just to make sure she also pointed at him. The men nodded and slowly advanced towards Gabriel.

Several puzzle pieces revealed themselves to him. The librarian dismissive sneer as she saw what class Gabriel was interested in. Her insistence that he should take his time. The immediate phone call. And at last, the Black Rock Clan showing up. Now the erased note made sense and he knew who hunted Sirens. The epiphany just came five minutes too late.

At once Gabriel ducked behind the shelf. Thinking furiously about how to get out of this mess. Then instinct took over. He ran along the shelf to the backside of the library. There he hoped to outmaneuver the goons. He saw a clear path to the reception desk and the entrance behind. With a flickering of hope, he made for a mad dash. But Gabriel was cut off by one henchman that anticipated this move. Unable to stop, Gabriel barreled full throttle into him. The ensuing grapple was short and somehow he managed to slip past his adversary.

'High dexterity stat' whispered his mind, but Gabriel pushed the thought aside. There was no time to get distracted. In the periphery of his vision, Gabriel saw the partner of his foe coming for him. Scampering to his feet he made a dash for the receptionist desk. Pushing the traitorous librarian aside he faulted over the desk. Only to get his foot caught on something and to painfully crash down on the floor. His pumping adrenaline urged him to bite down the curses already on his lips and make a break for it. Once again he sprinted for his life as he headed for the entrance. Pushing out into bright sunlight.

// 8 // -

The plaza was full of tourists. So much that Gabriel had trouble avoiding them all as he ran for a street that would lead him to his boat. He heard curses and outcries behind him, but Gabriel ignored them all. The only thing that counted now was to get away as fast as he could. Not just from the library, but the whole cursed city of Verrencia. If the Black Rock Clan was really after him then he had to get as far away as possible. That meant not just skipping town, but probably leaving Ifaria behind too. He had no clue how to live in another country. At least he would be alive.

The crowd thinned out considerably as he left behind the areas most frequented by tourists. Instead, he saw the downtrodden people of Verrencia going about their daily business. Barely glancing at him despite him running through the streets as if the devil was after him. Hope filled his heart as he was close to the makeshift docks. Only to be crushed by the harsh reality he found as he rounded the last corner. The boys running the docks laid bloodied on the ground. Big burly man towering above them. No doubt about them. The Black Rock Clan was already here.

Gabriel pulled himself back around the corner a split second before one of the men turned in his direction. His heart was hammering and his mind was racing. The very fact that the clan was already here proved they'd go all out to catch him. But for what? Was the Siren class so powerful that they feared it? Or was there something else at play?

A new plan formed inside of Gabriel. If this class got him into trouble it might also get him out. The trait 'aquatic living' might be his ticket out of here. If he managed to get into the bay he could swim out. Dive right past every patrol boat they might have.

Loud voices told Gabriel they closed in around him. With a plan in mind, he started another sprint. He stuck to small and narrow back alleys. It slowed him down, but he was harder to spot. Eventually, he saw the blue carpet of ocean water. Daring him to dive in. However, running towards it proved to be a mistake. The narrow back street opened to a small plaza. As he entered it he noticed the goons already waiting for him. In a flash, they had cut him off from both escape routes. The water and the way he came from.

"Miss Sabatini. Marina," one man spoke up. "I can call you Marina, right? We just want to talk."

For a moment Gabriel was confused until he remembered that this was the fake name he used not five minutes ago. Apparently, news traveled fast. Reminding him why outfits like the Black Rock Clan earned the name organized crime.

"I don't think all this is just so we could talk," Gabriel said to buy himself some time. Meanwhile, he was thinking furiously. There must be a way out. Just as the leader of the goons wanted to reply Gabriel cut him off. Not with words, but nonsense verbal sounds sang aloud. He sure hoped his new class would come through. His voice was supposed to mind control people. Only male ones, but that shouldn't be a problem. He counted five guys and one woman. If he could disable the men he had a chance. Either fighting the one woman or running past her. With this thought in mind he tried to channel one meaning into his singing: stay away from me.

Gabriel was singing his nonsense syllables for thirty seconds when he noticed one goon stepping forward. A dirty grin on his face. "Sirens. So predictable." The man fished out a medallion from underneath his shirt. "My men and I are charmed up against mind control little songstress. Chiara! Cuff her."

Instead of continuing to sing Gabriel shifted to muttering curses under his breath. What good was a mind control trait if everyone was immune to it? Now he was really done for. Dejected he let his shoulders drop and waited to be lead away. A glance told him the woman had already pulled out some handcuffs, but she made no move to get to him. Instead, she eyed him like Gabriel might pull out a secret trick at the last minute.

"Damn it, Chiara. Get a move on!"

Now the woman shook herself and steadily got closer. At last, she was close enough to grab Gabriel's arm and poised to snap the cuffs on him. But it never happened as Gabriel's world exploded into a flurry of motion. It didn't even last a minute and ended as cool water rushed around him.

Shaking his shock, Gabriel looked around. He was in the bay and submerged houses boxed him in. There was a clear path out along the former street that was now a few feet underwater. Instead, Gabriel decided to try going for some narrow pathways that hopefully shook of pursuers. He frantically swam for a few minutes and was glad that at least one trait of his class worked as described. There was no burning feeling in his lungs as the air was running out in his lungs. He really was able to breathe underwater.

As he judged to have enough distance Gabriel dove into a submerged cellar. Here no one should be able to find him. It gave him a much-needed break and time to figure out what just happened. First, he felt down his body to check for wounds. Gabriel found none, but something else that surprised him. As he pulled up his shirt he saw that his skin had parted over his ribcage in four slim slits on each side. Pulling them apart revealed gills. Strange, but not important enough to occupy his mind for long.

Instead, he thought back to the moment he had been cornered. The woman was just about to cuff him when he had acted on instinct again. Now his mind had time to process what had happened. He remembered grabbing the woman's arm. Just for a moment to have a pivot point. His left leg had shot up impossibly high and somehow managed to nook itself around the woman's neck and collarbone. In one fluid motion, Gabriel used this foothold to vault himself up and over the woman. Not only did he manage to roll off her on the other side, but he used the momentum to throw her into another goon. A split second later and Gabriel had rolled further and jumped the next goon in the line-up. Who didn't last much longer, as a punch in the solar plexus brought him down to the knees. The rest of the men had started to react. Taking fighting stances and eyeing Gabriel wearily. Clearly, he was more dangerous than they had thought.

Gabriel hadn't given them much time to think. Or himself. The whole fight was on autopilot and driven by instinct. Which lead him to charge at one goon, but as a faint. A twist and fluid sidestep and he had been close to another one. The punch intended for him became the next foothold for a throw. It had been enough to create a small opening between the goons. One that Gabriel had used a moment later.

Gabriel shook his head. There was no time to figure this out. He couldn't stay in the submerged cellar forever. In his mind he already envisioned divers coming around the corner with harpoons. To avoid such a fate he had to act. Once more he started to swim for his life.

//9 // -

Gabriel had slim pickings in his escape routes. The submerged houses formed small channels. Would he have fled by boat, Gabriel would have no chance at all. To escape Gabriel had to be clever. Not daring to swim out directly, he turned back to Verrencia. The part of it yet to be claimed by water. Here he hoped to be able to swim along the fault line of the last breakaway. Then heading out of the city in a direction the clan wouldn't suspect.

Already Gabriel could see the rock face of the underwater cliff. As he swam near Gabriel frowned. It was a lot less solid than he expected. Hundreds of small tunnels dotted the rock. He couldn't even judge how far those buried into the stone as the light appeared to be swallowed. Somehow, it gave Gabriel the creeps.

Wearily, he swam closer. To his relief, he found what he was looking for. The sunken house right beside the rockface leaned away from it. Giving way to a small gap that Gabriel might be able to use.

As he came close sudden movement made Gabriel's head snap around. Eyes stared at him. Slowly emerging from one of the tunnels. It was as if the darkness itself came out to eat away more of the light. Only as it opened its maw Gabriel recognized the truth. It was one of those blasted black eels.

Suddenly the eel shot out and past Gabriel. Yet he had no moment to calm down. More eels emerged from the tunnels. First a few in singles, then small groups and soon so many that they blocked out the sun above.

They were gone as suddenly as they had appeared. Yet Gabriel found himself rolled into a ball and unable to let go of his fetus position. It took minutes to calm himself down.

"Endangered species my ass," he finally exclaimed aloud. Just how he was able to speak underwater distracted him for a moment. But not for long. He still had to escape, yet the small gap between sunken houses and rocks looked now less than inviting. Even from afar, he could see more tunnels buried into the rock there. Were there more eels? Gabriel vowed to not find out.

He rather took chances with the clan than those forsaken eels. Soon he could see those already searching for him. It was only their patrol boats silhouette up above on the surface. Now he gave a small grin as he dived deep below one of the dark silhouette of a patrol boat. This class has given him so far nothing but trouble, but now it just might help him get away.

Strange shadows appeared on the ocean floor and it made Gabriel look up. What he saw made his eyes widen and swim frantically to become faster. Around him, nets sank down. Pulled below by heavy weights. Something got hold of his leg. To his dismay, he saw one foot caught in a net. He must have kicked into it by mistake. Now it held him in place. It only took him a moment to free himself, but it was one too long. Pinned down another net descended right above him.

Like a curtain, it fell all around him. As the sides hit the floor the opening scraped against the ocean floor as it was pulled shut. Gabriel could only stare in horror as the net started to be pulled up. Along with himself.

Gabriel cursed as he hit the boat's planks hard. It elicited laughter from his captors. He glared at them and to his shock, Gabriel spied the same man that had tried to capture him in the plaza.

"Miss Sabatini. Nice of you to join us." The man gave Gabriel a nasty grin. "You must be new around here. I let you in on a secret. Here, no one escapes the Black Rock Clan. Now, you are ours."

With those words, the man raised an oar. Then there was a pain. He saw stars. And then. Blackness.

//10 // -

Gabriel bobbed in and out of consciousness. Each time a black silhouette grew against the horizon. Black Rock Castle. He had seen it often enough. From far it looked like an unusually wide tower. Round with a diameter of maybe a hundred meters. It also reached for the sky. Easily thirty floors tall. How engineers of the past managed this feat in medieval times was beyond Gabriel. And even less the fact that it endured breakaway after breakaway of Verrencia without being dragged beneath the waves as well.

They arrived at roughly sculpted basalt rocks forming a dock. Here they heaved Gabriel out of the boat. Not that they bothered to fish him out of the net first.

"Here our path split, Miss Sabatini." The goons dropped him before doors of blackened wood. "But with your beauty, I wouldn't be surprised to see you again. After all, the clan owns a lot of strip clubs and brothels."

Gabriel stared daggers after the guy as he jumped back into the boat. As they cast off the ocean started to churn for a moment. In between waves, Gabriel swore he could see those blasted black eels again. Not intending to remain here any longer, he started to pull on the net's webbing.

His struggle didn't last long. The creaking and tortured squeal of a door in desperate need of oil alerted him that he hadn't been abandoned. Hooded figures emerged. Their faces hidden behind textiles tinted so dark as if it consumed the light around them. They simply grabbed the net and dragged it behind them.

Soon Gabriel was alternating between begging and cursing. In between the webbing, his new sensitive skin was exposed and dragged over the basalt stone. He even offered to walk wherever they wanted if they just let him stand up. Yet, they ignored him.

They dragged him deep down into the fortress. Down a few flights of stairs. Gabriel was sure he was now below the surface level of the ocean. The hallways looked all the same. Black basalt that had been lazily been chiseled into rough parodies of bricks. The floor below uneven and ragged. Either cutting or bumping into his skin.

It all ended in a room that could be from a horror movie. Stacks of large cages were scattered around. Here, Gabriel found his new home. In a cage flaked with rust. They didn't even bother to retrieve the net. Just throwing Gabriel in and locking the door. Without a word, they walked out. Leaving Gabriel with a rather ominous feeling.

The room was cold and wet. Water dripping from the ceiling. And as scary as it all was Gabriel eventually managed to calm down. He knew he was in deep shit. His first action was to rattle his cage. Despite the rust, it was study and neither bars nor lock gave way. Then, Gabriel looked for things to pull into the cage from the surrounding area. Maybe he could find an improvised weapon or a means to stem the cage open.

But nothing was there. Eventually, he slid down on the cold ground. Despair threatened to overtake him. If only his class wasn't so useless. The mind control through singing was an absolute bust. What good was it when everyone wore a protective ward around their neck?

Aquatic Living was an equal failure. Sure, Gabriel could breathe underwater. But did it help him? No in the least. He was a faster swimmer, but not fast enough to escape those boats. They must have used some magic or technology to spot him underwater. The capture than had been embarrassingly easy.

Surprisingly, the only thing that worked out was hand combat. Or rather hand and legs combat. On the small plaza, Gabriel had shown moves he didn't even know he had. It had been some kind of martial arts shit that made him bob and weave like-

Gabriel's eyes grew wide. Of course, it had to be the trait of the Art Of Water Dancing. All of his moves had been smooth like water. Flowing and forceful. He hadn't known that classes could provide complete martial arts styles. Then again, what did he knew of classes in general? Not much.

A new plan formed. A desperate one. When they came back, Gabriel had to fight his way out. It wasn't a good plan. It meant relying on a skill that he had barely for a day and only used once. Twice if he counted the small ruffle with the dock boys. Not to mention that his head still hurt and rang from where he had been hit by that oar.

Gabriel prepared himself to jump up at a moment's notice. As soon as they would come to get him he would be ready. But no one came. For hours, he was alone. Until sleep claimed him.

//11 // -

Gabriel didn't know how long he had been dozing. Now and then waking up. Always he had been alone. The room was unchanged. Drenched deep into shadows, as the one light bulb that was on barely managed to push back the shadows.

This time, it was different. The door to the room opened. Not fast and no goons stormed in. Instead, two shadows inched into the room. Trying to be as quiet as possible. Only as they closed the door after them Gabriel recognized what they were. The two persons wore those creepy black robes that swallowed nearly all light.

They came closer until both stood not a foot away from the cage.

"You are Marina, right?"

Gabriel was stumped. First, the goons knew all about his fake name he came up with and now they acted in doubt. The person who spoke, clearly a woman, sounded hesitant. And young to boot.

"Maybe," Gabriel gave back. "Who wants to know?"

"We don't have time to play games-" the woman hissed.

Meanwhile, the second person spoke up. "I am Argeo and this is my sister Cinzia."

"Argeo! Be quiet," Cinzia cut him off. Then she gave a sigh.

She pulled her hood back and revealed a young woman's face. Not much older than Gabriel himself. Maybe even younger. The second robed figure, Argeo, pulled his hood down too. He looked remarkably similar to the young woman. What Gabriel struck as odd was their look. Both had Ifarian names, but they looked from a country more to the north. Pale skin, blue eyes, and blond hair. A rather rare mixture around these parts.

"You want to get out of here?" Cinzia asked. "Then answer my questions."

Gabriel hesitated only for a moment. This could be a ploy. To win his trust or something. Then again, he had nothing to lose if he played along. Especially if he repeated lies. "Yes, I am Marina."

"And you are a Siren, right?" Argeo ventured forth.

"Yes," Gabriel admitted. After all, that was known to the clan already.

Cinzia nodded. "And this means you can breathe underwater."

"Not that it did me any good last time," Gabriel admitted.

"Okay, listen, Marina," Cinzia commanded. "You want to get out of here. So do we. If you help us then we help you."

"You are prisoners of the Black Rock Clan too?"

"Clan?" Argeo asked.

"Not exactly," Cinzia admitted. "It doesn't matter. Will you help us or not."

"It does matter," Gabriel insisted. "This could be a ploy. I don't know for what, but you both are acting strange."

Both robed teenagers gave each other a look and it was Argeo who spoke up first. "Tell her. Our time is running out."

"Fine," Cinzia agreed. "We grew up in this cult and-"

"Cult?"

"Yes, cult. Don't interrupt me," Cinzia shot back. "It's like this. The youths in the cult have only one duty. To raise their stats. Strength, Dexterity, and so on. Once we turn eighteen we are raised into the ranks. Which is bad. Really, really bad."

"They kill us," Argeo volunteered. "Then they bind us to a respawn point and kill us again."

"Each time we lose memories until nothing is left," Cinzia continued. "No memories means no personal connections. A blank slate. Growing up we only had one thing that helped us survive. Each other. I don't want to lose my brother."

"My sister is all I have," Argeo added.

Gabriel closed his eyes and gave it some thought. He couldn't lose much by playing along. Even if it was a setup.

"Fine," Gabriel agreed. "What's the plan?"

"Yes!" Argeo exclaimed but fell silent as he saw his sisters glare.

"Right now it is in the middle of the night," Cinzia explained. "Only a few patrols in the hallways, but all the exits are guarded. At least all the regular ones. Under this keep are submerged tunnels. They are a labyrinth, but we know the ways out."

"And you want me to drag you out?" Gabriel asked. "I am not a very fast swimmer. Even as Siren. Not even sure if I can share oxygen with you."

"There is another way," Cinzia insisted. "The cult has a treasure room not far from here. They confiscate every class stone they can get that relates to water and living underwater. We can't get there because there is an armed checkpoint, but there is an underground connection you can use."

Gabriel thought about for a minute and then nodded. "You want me to steal two class stones for you so you can swim out yourself. And as thanks, you show me the way too."

"Yes," Argeo said with a nod.

"I only see one problem," Gabriel admitted. He had one ace up his sleeve and that was his martial arts skills. Thanks to his trait 'Art Of Water Dancing'. But he was reluctant to reveal it now. "You said there are still patrols. Fewer, but I doubt I can overwhelm them."

"Just use your voice to mesmerize them," Cinzia pointed out.

Just as Gabriel was about to say it was futile, Argeo pulled out dozens upon dozens of necklaces from his robe. Gabriel recognized them. The one goon that had caught him boasted that they were charms to ward against Gabriel's voice.

"We raided the armory," Argeo proclaimed proudly. "Probably didn't get all, but most of them."

"I see you thought of everything," Gabriel admitted. "Well then. Shall we?"

The sister produced a key out of her robe and a moment later Gabriel was free. At least of the cage. To escape the keep was a different venture altogether. The siblings led him out into the hallway, but not for long. Ducking into another room that looked like an alchemical laboratory. Just like they promised there was a big pool of water and a submerged tunnel that led into the darkness. Just the sight reminded Gabriel of his itchy skin and the relief the water promised.

Argeo handed him a chem stick. Those, Gabriel was familiar with. With a twist, the stick started to glow. Meanwhile, Cinzia explained the way to the treasury.

When all was said and done it was for Gabriel to do his part. A last deep breath and he jumped into the pool.

//12 // -

The water was cold, but at the same time, Gabriel felt a little more at home. It was as if his skin took a deep breath and sighed in relief. But as good as it felt, Gabriel knew time was short. Looking around, he saw brother and sister looking down on him from above. Around him was the black rock known as basalt. It made orienting himself troublesome. The three tunnels leading out of the pool barely stood out against the rest.

Diving into the right one got Gabriel into a long winding tunnel. Clearly, this one wasn't made for humans. Yet, Gabriel couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't natural either. As he swam around a turn his heart nearly skipped a beat as one of those slimy black eels swam past. Gabriel really was done with those. Stupid creepers of the ocean. Endangered or not, Gabriel would sleep easier if he knew they weren't around anymore.

He encountered a few more and every one of them made Gabriel cringe. But it was nothing compared to the underground grotto he swam into. The very walls were covered in withering eels. From top to bottom those cursed fish took every inch of space. Above was the pool Gabriel had to exit. All he had to do was to swim past a shitload of eels. Those siblings clearly had withheld a few pieces of information.

Slowly, Gabriel swam up. Trying to avoid any fast hectic movement. Least he would startle those beasts around him. He never felt so happy breaking through the surface and pulling himself out of the water. Pointedly ignoring the fact that on his way back, he had to take the same route.

Looking around, Gabriel spotted alchemical laboratory equipment. All scattered around the pool of water in the middle of the room. Gabriel didn't remain long. The room giving him the creeps too. As did everything he knew about the Black Rock Clan. Or cult as the siblings said. The many bones and conserved organs in this room didn't elevate the feeling.

Carefully opening the door, Gabriel saw a long corridor that led into a wider hallway. Just as the siblings had said. Making sure he was alone, Gabriel rushed along. Only to stop at the corner and peek around. A few doorways led off the hallway and to Gabriel's relief he was alone. Counting down the doors, Gabriel took the fourth one to his right.

The treasury the siblings had mentioned didn't look like one. It appeared more like a small storage room. On one side, Gabriel found two sturdy-looking crates made out of metal. He tried to open them, but couldn't find out how. Only noting that they would be shipped to a Black Lotus LLC in another country.

With the crates a bust, Gabriel looked around. The other side of the room was dominated by a large apothecary shelf. No writing, only signs marked the individual drawers. One by one Gabriel opened them all. Only to find them empty. Maybe they put them all into the crates? To Gabriel's luck, he found two class stones behind a drawer with a fish-tail drawn on it. He stashed them both. To his dismay, he didn't find more. Gabriel had the vague hope to find a class stone for him to change into. Maybe even a male-only class to reclaim his lost gender. At least extra class stones would have meant money.

The tortured squeal of the door behind him made Gabriel twist around. A woman stood in the doorway and two men behind her. Gabriel reacted on instinct. Pushing himself off the apothecary shelf lunched him halfway to the woman before she could even register him. An artful jump not only enabled him to roll over her shoulder but also connected his knee to her face. Giving a satisfying crunch.

The small smile left his face as he tumbled into the hallway. He was surrounded by robed figures. Had the siblings set him up? A quick glance showed him two pallet jacks. Probably to get the big crates. Bad timing it was.

"Ward yourself," one goon shouted out. "Don't let her ensnare you."

A few of the men got out necklaces, but not all. Maybe half. As a good half of the cultists were women, Gabriel could potentially ensnare a quarter of all. Not enough to win, but maybe enough to distract. Gabriel began to sing. No words could be understood, but he layered in a meaning nonetheless: protect me.

Chaos broke out and not the way Gabriel had intended. All the women jumped on the men. Even the one whose nose was broken by Gabriel. Defending him.

"She's an Alundare!" One goon shouted out. "Put your wards on the women."

Gabriel was baffled. Was that what it was? His voice worked only on women? It would explain a lot. But Gabriel pushed the topic aside. While a battle raged in the hallway, he sprinted for the corridor leading to the pool. Thankfully, it was empty. Arriving in the alchemical lab, he leaped into the water. It disturbed the eels around him, but Gabriel ignored them. Swimming for the tunnel that would lead back to the siblings.

// 13 // -

"Do you got them?" Cinzia asked.

Gabriel slipped out of the pool. Once again, his t-shirt was wet and clung to his frame. Showing his breasts beneath. If the siblings did mind they didn't show it. Gabriel reached for his pants pocket and tried to fish out the two class stones he stole. Being wet, the pants were nearly welded to his skin.

"I got two. Not sure what class they are. The rest was packed up I think."

"Give me!" Cinzia urged and greedily took them once Gabriel managed to free them. She gave one stone to her brother. "On three."

Not wasting any time, both started to count. Not that Gabriel minded. The tower was alarmed by his break out and soon guards might swarm everywhere. They had to get out of here and fast.

"Three!" Both siblings exclaimed. Bright light erupted from their fists as they channeled magic into their class stones. The light spread to the rest of their body in a flash. Forcing Gabriel to look away.

When Gabriel could see again - blinking away the stars in his vision - the view was strange. Cinzia hadn't changed much. That was until Gabriel saw the long fish-like tail sticking out of her robe.

"Apparently it was some kind of mermaid class," Cinzia mused out loud. Opening her robe and inspecting her body. The tail and scales climbed up to her waist. There was no sign of normal human legs. Gabriel could make out faint lines of closed gills beneath her breasts. Aside from those details, she looked normal.

"And women only," added a new female voice.

Gabriel and Cinzia both looked over to Argeo and immediately did a double-take. His change had been more pronounced. Looking very much like his sister now. Not just the fishtail and gills, but overall.

"You're a girl," Cinzia pointed out the obvious.

While Gabriel caught onto something else at the same time. "Now you look like twins."

"We were twins before," Argeo admitted.

"Well, now you look like identical twins," Gabriel corrected. Apparently, Fate hadn't just for him planned a gender change, but for Argeo too. Yet, Gabriel didn't point it out. There was no use doing so now. Not when more important things were afoot. "Anyway. Check yourself out later. We've got to get out of here. They know I am loose and they might show up any minute."

Cinzia nodded and practically rolled into the pool. Leaving the robe behind. As well as scraps that might have been panties and shoes. Argeo had a harder time as he had been further away from the pool when they changed classes. Gabriel had to awkwardly help him roll into the pool.

Jumping into the water revealed the twins learning to use their new tails fast. Soon they used strong strokes to dart from one wall of the flooded cave to the other. Gabriel soon lost every ounce of recognition of which twin was which.

"Stop fooling around. Time to get out of here."

"How can Marina talk underwater?" Cinzia asked. Or was it Argeo? "Wait, how can I talk underwater?"

Gabriel tried not to be annoyed, but it might have crept into his voice. "Most classes for living in water have a trait for that. We have to get to the exit. Now!"

The twins nodded to each other and then darted to an exit. Leading him through a labyrinth of long winding tunnels distributed with grottos full of those blasted black eels. Gabriel had long since lost count of how many there must be. Above a thousand for sure. Every few paces the twins had to stop and wait. Gabriel, with his human legs, wasn't as fast as those two. The tunnels proofed to be too narrow to be dragged by a twin. In a single file was all they could manage.

"We are close," one twin promised. A moment later, the tunnel widened. She ducked under a rusty open gate and was out in the ocean.

Just as the second twin tried to swim through, the gate started to lower. Rusty dorns scrapped the mermaids tail, leaving a trail of blood in the water, but she got through. Not so Gabriel, who arrived just as the gate closed shut. He could see the twins and freedom beckoning just behind some rusty bars of steel. It might as well have been a mile away.

"There is another exit," Cinzia promised. "Argeo is wounded and I have to take care of him, but we will wait there."

In quick words, she outlined the way to the next exit. Gabriel did his best to not look defeated. There was a chance for him to escape. But it was a small one. He had to be quick.

Once again, Gabriel braved the dark tunnels. Only illuminated by the stick of chemical light. This time, they appeared even more ominous, as Gabriel traversed them alone. In his mind always repeating the directions given to him. Clinging to them with all his might. Soon there would be the last turn and then-

Gabriel cursed. The second exit was already tightly shut too. Peering through the steel bars, he couldn't even see the twins. Have they left him behind? Maybe it had been a mistake to rely on them from the start. Still, time was of the essence and Gabriel needed a new plan. If going underwater wasn't an option, then above ground was the next best idea. Somewhere they had to have doors or windows, right?

Pumping himself up, he swam to find one of those pools where he could exit. Once again cursing the eels when Gabriel found one. Just what was it with the clan and eels. Or cult? He shook his head. Those questions weren't important right now.

Slipping out of the water, Gabriel recognized the room. He had been here before. The room close to the class stone storage he raided earlier. Peeking out of the door revealed an empty corridor, but he knew this impression was treacherous. He could hear people running. Not having another choice, Gabriel rushed out.

He needed to find stairs. Anything to go up. Picking a direction at random, Gabriel started to sprint. Taking turns at random. He knew he was close to panic, but couldn't calm himself down. Eventually, he saw the stairs before him. But his bad luck struck again. Four guards had taken a position around the exit he longed for. They saw him just as Gabriel spied them and he knew time was running out.

"I can take four," Gabriel assured himself. "And that plaza there were more."

He hoped the 'Art Of Water Dancing' would help him once more. Of this cursed class, it had been the trait most helpful. Still, maybe he could shift the skirmish to his advantage. Once again, Gabriel started to sing. The syllables he sang had no discernable sense, but they carried a meaning. Magic that enforced an order: protect me and kill anyone who wishes to harm me.

For ten seconds Gabriel sang. Then twenty. He was about to give up when one of the cloaked figures stepped forward. Readying a polearm. Gabriel knew it hadn't worked and stopped singing. Maybe the twins hadn't stolen enough wards anyway and they all were immune to Gabriels songs.

Suddenly, the robbed figure spun around. The polearm burying deep in another cultist's face. Blood shot out and splattered everywhere. The surprising outburst of violence stunned everyone but the cultist who headed Gabriel's siren call. The woman skewered another cultist before they could react.

That left one who finally readied himself, but so did Gabriel. Running full speed, he jumped the last cultist. A tumble later and Gabriel practically threw him on the polearm of the cloaked figure he had ensnared.

As Gabriel clamored to his feet, he noticed the devastation the short skirmish had done. Blood everywhere and were those entails poking out of one of the bodies? Feeling nauseated, Gabriel turned around. Only to come face to face with the person he charmed. Beneath the dark hood, the youthful face of a woman in her early twenties stared back. Her eyes had a vacant look to them. Not really focusing on anything. The effect of Gabriel's siren song. But how long would it last?

Shouts alerted Gabriel that they wouldn't stay alone for long. A moment later cultists filled the corridor that Gabriel had come from. Too many to fight. It was time to go, but he needed more time. Once again, he sang. Hold the position and fight anyone off, but me. That was the meaning Gabriel imbued in his voice while going for the stairs. Still singing even as he left the room behind and as the sound of combat broke out.

Until Gabriel reached the top of the stairs and his voice left him. Two dozen pairs of cultist's eyes laid upon him. They had been waiting and they were ready for him. Not even giving him time to start another song, they immediately rush Gabriel.

He would have gone down in a second if it hadn't been for his martial arts prowess. Jumping, kicking, and spinning brought Gabriel through half the crowd. But then a hand managed to grab one of Gabriel's ankle. Stopping his motion dead in the tracks. More hands started to pin him down. Stopping his desperate attempt to break free.

"Oh shit. Not again," Gabriel managed to press out just before a club connected with his head. Throwing Gabriel once again into the abyss of oblivion that was unconsiousness.

// 14 // -

Gabriel woke to the screaming of a man. The tortured squeals of pain echoed in the room and underlined Gabriel's own. The mother of all headaches made him wince and grimace. Couldn't he go back to sleep?

The criss-cross of iron in his back reminded him that he wasn't in the small rundown hideout in the outskirts of the half-sunken city. Memories rushed back and a quick pat of his chest confirmed that Gabriel was still female. A siren. And worst of all still in the clutches of an evil crime syndicate. Or cult. Which might work out even less if that was possible.

Opening his eyes was a mistake. The light around him was dim, but still blinding to Gabriel's tortured self. Every time he tried to open them new pain shot through his head.

At least the cries of pain were cut off. Too abrupt, but Gabriel couldn't spare the energy to find out why. All he could do was to wait for the headache to recede.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

New shouts filled the chamber and made Gabriel wince. He knew he should fight through the pain and find out in what dire straits he was in now. As he managed to open his eyes long enough he saw a high arched ceiling beyond the confines of a rusted cage.

His feeble attempts to turn around made the cage start to swing. Which clued him in that the cage was suspended. As Gabriel managed to turn to the side, he could see it confirmed. It was a large room. Spanning at least eighty meters in diameter. It was also tall, as Gabriel's cage swayed high in the air. A fall from this height might break a few bones, if not kill him outright.

Through the rusted steel of his cage, Gabriel saw nightmarish things. An altar of black basalt. It glistened with fresh blood. Trails of blood and water led to pools of churning water. Now and then a black eel surfaced and then vanished beneath the inky liquid again.

Not far was a stone ark of the same dark stone. Within was pure darkness. As if there was a hole in the universe in itself. A small possession of cultists was dragging a person back towards it.

"That is their respawn stone," a raspy voice remarked.

Gabriel turned around and saw a ragged old man in another suspended cage not far from his own. The geezer pointed towards the arc and Gabriel looked back.

"Watch closely. That is our future."

The cultists pressed the man's hand on the arc and incanted a spell. A black mist appeared around the hands and then seeped into the stone.

"They bound him again to the stone. There is no escape in true death."

The victim was dragged to the altar and strapped down. All his begging was ignored. Which turned into screams as one cultist brandished a long ceremonial dagger. Pleas for mercy fought in intensity to surpass the chanting of the cultists. Then the begging was cut off as a dagger found its way into the poor man's heart.

From high up, Gabriel witnessed blood pouring out and slowly turning black. The cultists were ready and caught the blood in a vial. Now turning to an oily blackness. Just as the vial was closed the water in the pools around them started to explode. Long slimy tentacles wound out of the black water. Their thickness easily riveling the chest of a man.

"Behold," the old man whispered in the cage next to Gabriel's. "Their dark god appears."

As the appendages wound themselves to the altar the sacrifice's corpse started to twist and turn. Before Gabriel's eyes, it darkened. Changed shape and texture. Becoming slimy, black, and sporting rows of needle-sharp teeth. Gabriel gasped as the convulsing mass separated into four black eels.

They slithered off the altar and tried to reach a cultist who had stepped away. Gabriel spotted the vial with the inky black liquid in the cultist's hands. The man or woman walked briskly to a large tank Gabriel hadn't noticed before. In it, more of the oily liquid. It reminded Gabriel of the vile stuff the Black Rock goons had poured into the fountain. Was it the same? Gabriel didn't know but saw the eels back off once the vial was emptied into the tank.

"And now it repeats itself," the old man commented.

Gabriel could see that he was right. The darkness of the stone arch wobbled and out stumbled the same man that had been sacrificed not long ago. His futile attempt at an escape was stopped by the robbed figures. Once again, he was bound to the stone. Then dragged screaming to the altar.

"Every time killed that poor sod will lose memories. Two years' worth. Again and again. Until there won't be any left. Then he'll be a blank slate. Ready to become part of the cult."

Gabriel turned away from the grisly display and towards his fellow prisoner.

"We have to escape."

"Oh, girl. There is no escaping. Our fate is sealed."

Part of Gabriel wanted to agree. The situation was dire. Suspended in air above a cultist's place of worship and sacrifice. Nursing bruises and a wicked headache from fights lost. Stuck in a body, gender, and class not his own save for a few days.

But Gabriel was a fighter. Always had been. And he refused to give up now. But if he really wanted to escape he needed all the help he could get.

"What's your name? Mine is Ga- Uhm. Marina."

The old man gave a hysterical laugh. "What does it matter? Tomorrow it is my turn. They will rob me of name and memory. I'll be whoever they want me to be and I have no say in it. And so will you."

With those words, Gabriel knew he was alone. Not everyone was a fighter. Some preferred to give up. But, Gabriel didn't. Spending the time he had left searching for any detail that might help him escape later.

// 15 // -

Two days later, Gabriel's cage was lowered. He knew what was coming now, but still hadn't a plan beyond trying to fight his way out. Apparently, it wasn't a very original plan, as double the cultists were around today. Most likely they expected him to fight. Gabriel wondered if he even could. When had he last drunk or eaten? His body felt weak and riddled with half-healed bruises. At least his headache was manageable today.

The cage shook a last time as it sat down on the ground. Gabriel knew this was it. He readied himself for the last fight. So did the cultists. As soon as the cage was opened, Gabriel burst out. Forgoing singing outright, he tried to barrel past the cultists. His goal was one of the big windows that lined the room. Beyond, he could see the ocean. The room was high up. Jumping out, he would either die or survive more bruised than ever. But it was better than being turned to eels. Or becoming a cultist.

Despite his weakness, the first cultist was downed quickly by Gabriel. Then a second one. But then the circle closed. His strength was waning as more and more cultists pushed close. It was futile, but Gabriel didn't give up. Not as they grabbed his arms and legs and neither when they dragged him towards that cursed arc. The respawn stone.

All he needed was another opening, Gabriel told himself. Even as they pressed his hands on the stone. Chanting eldritch words to bind Gabriel's soul to the respawn stone against his will. Even dragging him to the altar it was not time to give up. He could still escape. Find another respawn stone. Regain his freedom.

Then the leather closed around his wrists and weld him to the altar. This was it. Gabriel had lost. All his fighting had been in vain. The pain and struggle still had been futile. They would plunge a dagger in his heart. Right between the breasts he still found hard to accept as his own. Would he even care? Once they killed him enough and not a single memory remained of ever being a boy.

Gabriel looked past the chanting cultists and towards the respawn stone. He would stumble from that arch more confused than ever. Two years less of memories would make him less a danger for his captors. He probably would forget all about his new class and gender. An easy target.

He frowned. Before his eyes, the darkness in the arch that was the respawn point started to wobble. It had been activated. But by whom? A moment later, a woman stepped out. She was old, her hair gray, but the body was strong. Scars told the tale of battles fought and she walked with a confidence that showed it. Not even minding her nakedness.

Or her lack of a warding necklace. A desperate song left Gabriel's throat as he spotted the last chance he might ever get. "Protect me by any means," he sang over and over. Even as a cultist raised the dagger to end Gabriel's life.

A flash of bright light blinded Gabriel. Painfully blinking tears and stars away. Gradually, his vision returned and made him do a double-take. Cultists were scattered all through the room. Between them still a few flashes of lightning jumped between them. A few managed to raise magical shields but were steadily pushed back. The source was the older sorceress. The not only freshly respawned one but also freshly ensnared one by Gabriel's voice.

It was the break Gabriel had hoped for, but the tides were turning swiftly. More cultists managed to get up and shield themselves. Either attacking the sorceress or Gabriel. None of the spells made it through to him, as a mage shield was raised around him too. But how long would it last? Or the sorceress.

A glance behind her showed the solution. More people stumbled out the respawn stone and women immediately listened to his song and obey the order. Gabriel didn't know if more people died where the old sorceress came from or if a few cultists here didn't survive the first attack. He didn't really care either way but knew he had to exploit it. His song shifted. Added more commands. To concentrate on killing people who hadn't respawned yet and for one to finally free him. Gabriel was sick of being bound to an altar to an ancient eldritch god.

The irony made Gabriel nearly break his song. The one trait from his new class he had rated as his worst might actually save him now from a fate worse than death. Once free, Gabriel clamored to find safety behind the women - cultists - who he had ensnared. Here, he could finally try to find a way out. And fast. More cultists arrived from the floors below. Those defeated simply respawned in the same room. It was just a matter of time before attrition would collapse Gabriel's side.

His eyes roamed the room. There had to be something he could use to escape. Certainly not the stairs where still new cultists arrived. The windows? That would be an option. A desperate one. Death or grave injury a given chance. Still, Gabriel made his way over to one. His escort shifted with him. But then, halfway to the nearest window, he spied the one puzzle piece he couldn't account for. There was this strange tank filled with the tar-like liquid. The same one the cult used in the fountains of Verrencia. Why was it here, in the middle of their sanctuary?

Gabriel didn't know, but he reasoned if it was threatened, it might create a diversion. Once again, he altered his song. At once, the battle shifted. Gabriel could not just feel the panic but heard it in voices shouting their protest.

"This will kill us all!" a woman beside him gasped. Still, she attacked with magic, while other women under his influence tried to reach the tank with picked up weapons. Desperation started to permeate the large room. A few cultists actually jumped into the way of thrown weapons or flung spells. Everything to protect this unholy liquid.

It was a lone javelin thrown in a high arc. Gracefully arching over the raging battle and hastily thrown magical shields. Crashing from high into the tank. For a moment, the battle stopped. Frightful eyes towards the tank. As more and more cracks appeared in the glass, Gabriel had
for a moment doubts about his plan. Just what was he about to unleash?

All it took was one piece of the tank falling away and in a cascade, the tank splintered open. Dark ooze clashed down and swept through the ranks of the cultists. A split second later the pools of water at the edges of the room exploded with motion. The black eels launched themselves out of the water and towards the dark liquid. In a bloodied frenzy they squirmed like snakes towards their prize. Snapping at everything that stood in their way or was covered in the liquid. Chewing on ankles and stone tiles alike. Their needle-sharp teeth digging into everyone and everything with ease.

"We have to get out of here!"

The shout broke Gabriel out of his stupor. In the commotion, he had stopped his song but now renewed it. Now was the time to head for the stairs or as a last measure to a window.

Gabriel had barely taken two steps when the floor started to vibrate. Then tremble. What felt like an earthquake shook the room. Sending him and a few others to the floor.

The tower groaned as if it was under great stress. Fissures broke into the floor, walls, and ceiling. A crack appeared in the stone arch of the respawn stone. The darkness within ceased to be and shortly after the arch broke apart. No cultist would respawn there again. All those that had been bound to it now facing true death. As was Gabriel.

Not trusting himself to stand up, Gabriel crawled towards the nearest window. By now the glass had splintered and the way out was within grasp.

The groan and grinding of stone nearly drowned out the screams as the room tilted. The whole tower started to lean. All around him, people lost their footing. Rolling together with the last of the pools water to one bloody mess of black liquid, screaming bloodied cultists, and frenzied eels feasting on everything.

Gabriel barely managed to hold on. Maybe his high dexterity saved him, but he hadn't time to think about it. Whatever shook the tower got worse and worse. By now, he was desperate. Grabbing the frames of broken up windows. Not caring that the last pieces of glass cut into his skin.

Looking over the edge showed Gabriel that the tower had now a lean over thirty degrees. It wouldn't stand much longer. The water below was churning with eels but also was his only hope. He had to jump to get clear of the building and pray he would hit the water. That the very jump wouldn't kill him.

Despite the trembling of the tower, Gabriel managed to stand up. Gripping the windows frame harder and harder. Now was the time to-

Gravity suddenly claimed Gabriel as the tower beneath him sacked away. It felt like a fall from a second-story floor when the tower came to a rest. Gabriel would have fallen further if he still hadn't the window frame in his grasp. There was hardly a moment to take a breath when the tower moved again. Titling to a new side and doing so faster and faster. Pulling Gabriel along with it.

The churning surface of the water came closer and closer. With a last desperate afford, Gabriel pushed away from the tower. Freefalling for just a second.

Then he crashed into a wall of water.

// 16 // -

A sharp pain woke Gabriel as something tore into his foot. The relief of being alive fleeting as the pain started to overwhelm him. Whatever tore at him clamored to get more and Gabriel kicked at it with his good leg. The hit was on something squishy and slick. And as Gabriel looked down, he saw needle-sharp teeth bury itself into his flesh again. He was attacked by one of those blasted black eels.

Another kick and Gabriel gained some space. Desperate to escape Gabriel clamored to swim away. With each stroke, pain flared and he left a trail of blood and something dark. The liquid from the tower? It was no wonder then that the eel came back for more. Worse, Gabriel could see more and more shapes in the murky water coming towards him.

Like sharks smelling blood more and more of those blasted eels made for him. Slowly making their appearance out of the murky water. Meanwhile, he still struggled to get away from one of those. Scared out of his mind, Gabriel swam in the next best direction. The water was darker than usual. Despite the sun shining through the surface not a dozen feet up. Dust and debris, he realized.

More eels broke out of the dark murky water. At that moment, something large jetted through the ocean to his right. Causing a ripple in the thick soup of dirty water. Momentarily disrupting Gabriel escape and the eels in their case. Two heartbeats later a second object did the same to Gabriel's left. At the edge of his vision, the large shapes turned and Gabriel knew they would come for him. Desperate, he turned around and strained against the water to make headway. Not even caring where he was heading, as long as it was away.

Struggling against pain and exhaustion, Gabriel fought for every push. Kicking with both legs, despite one being a bloodied mess. Stabbing into the water with his hands to gain just a little more-

A sudden yank on his arms and Gabriel speed up. The water was rushing by and he strained to keep his eyes open. The further he was pulled came the clearer the water became. Until it was the usual crystal clearness he grew up with.

"It's you!"

Each of his arms was held by a mermaid. They strained to keep up the speed. To pull him out of the danger. Away from eels and cultists. From black liquid and eldritch gods. Two faces smiled at him. Both exactly alike.

"We promised we'll wait for you, right?" asked one of the twins.

Gabriel smiled back. It was a tired smile. One pained by exhaustion. But he held it as long as he could. Until unconsciousness claimed him again.

// 17 // -

Warm rays of sunshine woke Gabriel. But as he opened his eyes they were distorted by a wobbling surface. He was underwater. Not far. Just a foot deep or two. Below his back, he could feel fine sand. Was he close to a beach?

A moment later the memories flooded back. The tower. Eels. His ravaged foot. Worried, he sat up. Which made him break the ocean's surface. There was a beach close by, but Gabriel ignored it. Only the foot was important. It was a lump of black. So dark it swallowed the light. Strangely it didn't hurt. Pulling it close revealed why. It was a bandage. Made with the same cloth all those cultists have worn. It was the only thing he wore. The rest of his clothes missing.

"Marina! You're awake."

Gabriel spotted one of the twin mermaids to his left. She was swimming slowly. Probably because the water was shallow close to the beach. She stopped with a concerned look on her face not far from Gabriel. He blushed as he noticed her naked too.

"You had us worried. When you fainted we didn't know what to do."

"Still alive. Thank you for that. Saving me- Yesterday?" Gabriel guessed.

"You were out for three days. Sis and I feared you wouldn't wake up at all."

"Where is she? Your sister? Sorry, who of the two are you?"

"Cinzia is out fishing. I am Argeo."

Gabriel nodded and with the gesture, an awkward silence settled over the siren and mermaid. He did his best not to stare, but in the end, Gabriel had to know.

"So- Say. Why are we naked?"

"Because clothes are such a drag underwater," a new voice added. To his right, Cinzia drifted close. In her hand a wooden makeshift speer that had a skewered fish on the tip. "I mean literally. We can swim so much faster without them."

"I guess that makes sense," Gabriel admitted. Now that both twins were here, he knew it was time to get serious. "Thank you. Both of you. You saved me back there."

"It is only fair," Argeo argued. "You saved us first. We owed you."

"Yes, there is that," Cinzia agreed. For a moment she looked embarrassed to the side. "But to be honest, there is an ulterior motive."

Gabriel frowned in bemusement. What could he give them? He had lost everything he had ever owned. The few possessions he had were gone. His beloved boat now a memory. But their loss paled to what he really missed. His old body. The gender he grew up with.

A wry laugh broke through his throat. "Sorry, but I have nothing to give. I would say I have nothing left but the cloth on my body. But look at me, I am naked."

If the twins shared his amusement, then they didn't show it. They even looked serious. Cinzia swam close and took Gabriel's hand in hers.

"Look. You've got a lot. Things we miss. We never set a foot out of that tower-"

"Technically we still didn't," Argeo threw in. Giving a pointed look to his or rather her flippers.

"My point is this," Cinzia continued after a short chuckle. "We don't know the outside world. But you do. You grew up in it. We've hoped you could show us the way. Guide us a little."

"Maybe even show me how to be a girl," Argeo admitted. "I doubt Cinzia knows much how to behave like a girl either. Not here on the outside. And I think I don't have a choice but to get used to being one. Get used to these." For emphasis, Argeo grabbed his breasts and gave them a slight squeeze.

"Stop doing that or-"

Cinzia didn't came any further as Gabriel started laughing. In fact, he was in hysterics. Voicing his amusement all over the beachfront. He only stopped as Cinzia punched him on the shoulder.

"It's not funny. We didn't know the class stone would do that. And Argeo has a point. I don't think I can teach him - well, her - much. She needs guidance. We both do."

"It's not that," Gabriel pressed out. The laughter had left him wheezing. Only after catching his breath, he could continue. And not with a straight face. It was too much. Now and then interrupting himself with small chuckles.

"Of all the people you have to ask me? That is so funny and you don't even know why. I am not a girl. Well, now I am I guess. My name is not Marina. Made that one up. Not a week ago I was a boy. I grew up as one. Heck if I know how to be a girl. Since turning into one all I have been doing is running away or trying to escape something. I couldn't be a worse teacher. Still trying to figure things out myself."

Before the silence could get awkward, Cinzia looked to Argeo.

"See? Just make a girly name up. Marina did too."

"It's not that easy," Argeo said with a pout and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's the lesson you take from this?" Gabriel asked.

Cinzia shrugged. "Why not? So, you are in the same boat as us, Marina. Or do you have a way back to being a boy? The question is: do you want to figure it out alone or together?"

Gabriel looked between both twins. The look on their faces serious, but patient. It was time to make a decision. "I guess I have to face it. I am Marina now. And a girl. Guess it might be of advantage to have you two to remind me."

"Yay! We have a new sister," Argeo shouted before burying Marina under her. Turns out mermaids are heavier than they look. Thankfully the hug didn't last too long and that Marina could breathe underwater.

"All right. All right. We stick together," Marina promised. "But not here. The tower might be down. Maybe even the cult. But there is still the Black Rock Clan. The criminal syndicate they build on the outside. We have to leave Verrencia. Maybe even leave Ifaria for another country."

"That's fine with me," Argeo admitted.

"Nothing is holding us back here," Cinzia added.

"It is decided," Marina announced. "We leave. As soon as- I need to eat something. My stomach is a hole!"

"That's why I was fishing!" Cinzia held her conquest up.

"You can eat it raw," Argeo added. "I think. We have that trait through our class."

Marina gave a wry smile. "Well, I always wanted to taste Sushi."

// 18 // -

A few hours later, Marina was treating water. On the horizon, she saw the rubble of a once-mighty tower of black stone. Beyond a city that had been his home. But now, she was not just ready to leave those behind.

Diving under the ocean surface, she found the twins waiting for her. They were her new start in life. Maybe even a family. Something Gabriel never had. But for Marina, it was in her grasp.

"You ready?" Cinzia asked.

Both twins held out their arms. Marina didn't hesitate. Grabbing both of them firmly.

"Let's get out of here."

As both twin mermaids sped up they pulled Marina along.

To a new life.

A new family.

A new start.

And at that moment, Marina wouldn't have it any other way.