“Focus, Jim. Feel it cycle through you.” Thea whispers in my ear. Sweat is beading on my forehead as I struggle to concentrate. Thea decided that I needed to practice my mana control while I drove. The result had led us to nearly crash more than once starting out.

“I’m fucking trying.” I growl between gritted teeth. “Why is it so hard to do this now?” I ask as my mana slips through my ‘fingers’.

“It was so much easier back there.” I complain as I start to reach for the power again.

“Well of course it was.” Thea laughs in my ear. “I told you. When your body is in a heightened state of excitement, it's easier to call to the surface. Like when you are fighting or when you get excited in other ways.” She says in a low growl in my ear. Her hand starts to trace over my thigh, stopping just short of my now raging erection.

“Well, you could always give me a hand.” I wink at the elf. I take her hand in mine to pull it closer to my aching cock.

“Please don't!” Shiva exclaims from the passenger seat. “It's bad enough the whole truck smells like the two of you.” She grumbles as she stares out the window. I give a loud sniff and smile, even though I can still smell our earlier fun. The smell is not overpowering, especially with the windows rolled down.

“It's not that bad.” I say as the truck rolls down the dark road.

“Maybe not to your human nose, but mine is sharper. I can smell it like you two are still going at it right now.” Shiva complains as she gives me an angry glare.

“She is right, though.” Thea lets go of my thigh. “You need to practice manipulating your mana without outside influence.” She says while leaning back. Lifting up in the seat, she pulls my shirt down lower causing her chest to nearly pop out of the top. With another groan, I force myself to focus on the road. I try to clear my mind as I work on controlling the mana inside of me again.

An hour later, I feel like my control has gotten better, but I have no frame of reference. All I know is by focusing it on one part of my body or another, it flows freely where I want it too. After some practice, I realize that if I focus it on one part of me, I can improve the function of my body. I discovered that quite by accident while focusing on my eyes. One moment, I was staring at the cones of light from the headlights. The next thing I know, the road ahead was in vibrant color. As if it was midday. Looking down at the gas gauge, I sigh and pull the truck off to the side of the road to shut it off.

“Why are we stopping?” Shiva looks around. “We are almost to Sacren now.” I hop out of the truck as she grumbles.

“We are down to almost half a tank of gas.” I grab the full can out of the bed. “Better to fill up now so we don't have to worry about it later.” I pull the spout out. While I’m filling the tank, Shiva walks around watching me.

“So the fuel goes in there?” She asks, pointing to the gas cap. I look at her and nod.

“Yeah, the tank is under the truck. This is where you fill it, then a line takes it to the engine.” As the can empties, I collapse the nozzle and put the cap back on it. “There's a lot more to it than that, but it would take too long to explain.” I say as I set the empty can back into the bed. I grab the mostly empty can beside it.

“I wouldn't use that one.” Shiva points to the can in my hand. At my confused look, she continues. “The enchanter will need a sample of the liquid. In order to make an enchantment that can replicate it.”

“Ok, then.” I nod to her as I put the can back in the bed. “I guess we should keep going.” I say as I slide back into the truck. Thea grabs my hand as I start to turn the key.

“Can I try?” She motions to the wheel. I raise my eyebrow at her and grin, causing her to blush.

“You did say you would teach me to drive your truck.” She looks up at me from under her hair. Scooting back in my seat, I pat my lap. Thea gives me an evil grin before sliding into my lap as Shiva gets back in the truck.

“Please tell me you aren’t planning on fucking right in front of me.” Shiva says with a groan.

“If you want to watch, you just have to ask.” Thea grins at the cat girl. “No, Jim is teaching me to drive the truck.” She tells the now blushing woman.

“Can we just go?” Shiva asks, banging her head on the dash.

“Ok. Now look, there are three pedals.” I pull Thea’s attention back to the truck. “Far right is the gas, that's how you control speed. Middle is the brake, that's how you stop.” I push both of the pedals as I explain their function.

“What about the left?” Thea stares at the clutch. Chuckling, I start to explain.

“The gear shift here.” I wobble the knob in my hand. “It is connected to the transmission. It has five forward gears, and one reverse. When you put it in gear, it you push in the clutch. The transmission has these fine toothed gears inside it, smaller ones followed by bigger ones. The bigger ones are the higher gears, third through fifth.” I pause, making sure she is following along.

“So why not just start in the big gears?” She looks at the diagram on top of the gearshift.

“Because the truck can't handle the sudden jump in speed. It's like going from laying down to traveling fifty miles an hour. That wouldn't feel good would it.” I smile at her. The conversation reminds me of the one my dad had with me when he was first teaching me to drive.

“So push in the clutch and the brake.” I tell her. After a moment, her feet reach out and she pushes both pedals in.

“Good, now turn the key.” Taking her hand in mine, I wrap it around the knob. “Now gently work through the gears, but keep the clutch pushed in.” I start to guide her through the gears.

“First, second, third, fourth, and fifth.” I continue to guide her hand. “Keep doing it till you can tell where they are at without looking.” I tell her as I take my hand from hers. She works through the gears, mumbling each one over and over.

“Now what?” she turns her head slightly towards me.

“Now, put it in first.” I say with a smile. Thea wiggles her ass in my lap which causes me to groan as she pulls the truck into first. “Now slowly let out on the clutch. When you feel the truck start to creep, pull against the brake. Let off the brake and give it some gas. When it starts to roll, come all the way out of the clutch and give it some gas.” Thea starts to follow my instructions until the truck lurches forward and stalls.

“What?” She goes stiff in my lap.

“You were too quick letting out the clutch.” I laugh quietly. “Its fine, just push the clutch back in and start the truck again.” I say in a calm tone, soothing the elf in my lap. After a few more false starts, Thea finally gets the truck rolling.

“I did it!” She exclaims, bouncing in my lap and I start to laugh again.

“Good job.” I tell her as I wrap my arm around her waist and set my chin on her shoulder.

“Now, pay attention to this.” I use my left hand to point at the RPM gauge. “When the needle gets just a little over twenty five hundred, you push in the clutch and shift to second.” I keep an eye on the road as I point to the spot on the gauge. Thea goes to shift with her tongue poking out of her mouth as she concentrates. She misses second and curses out loud.

“Shit!” Grabbing her hand, I move the gear shift to second.

“Just let out on the clutch.” I tell her. She does as I say and lets the clutch out quickly. The truck gives a sudden lurch. Looking at me worriedly, I comfort her as best I can.

“It’s fine.” I turn her head back to the road. “It just takes practice.” I tell her in a gentle tone. “The transmission can handle a little abuse. You’re not going to break it.” I start to rub my hand over her stomach.

“I thought I messed up bad.” She says in a small voice. Shiva snorts at her words, causing me to shoot her an angry glare.

“Trust me. You are doing great.” I tell the elf and she wiggles happily in my lap. “When I first learned to drive a manual, I tore three clutches out of dad’s truck.” I push down a groan as she wiggles her ass against my hard cock. She has to be doing this on purpose. I think to myself as she drives.

“Now, third.” I glance down at the dash. Thea manages to slide the truck into third smoothly this time. “Good job.” I tell her as the truck rolls down the road.

“Just keep an eye out for any deep holes or ruts. While the truck can handle them, it's best to avoid them.” I tell her as I look out the windshield.

After a few minutes, it becomes apparent that Thea is getting the hang of driving. She follows my instructions as I tell her them while working the gears up and down, slowing and speeding up smoothly. It's almost annoying how quick she has picked it up, especially seeing as how long it took me to master the same skill as a teen. The biggest problem is her constant wiggling on my lap which is driving me crazy.

“Pull over here.” I bite back another groan as she wiggles on my lap.

“Is something wrong?” She pulls the truck to a stop. Lifting her hips off my lap, I scoot into the middle seat.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just want you to try without me sitting right behind you.” I pinch her ass, making her yelp.

“No fair!” She exclaims as she rubs where I just pinched her.

“Oh, and you’re constant grinding on me was.” I say smiling at her. “Now, come on. I think Shiva is getting mad at how long it is taking us to get there.” I shoot Shiva a smile as she huffs.

“We are not far now.” Shiva looks down at the map that she unrolled on her lap. “We will have to find someplace to hide the truck and change your clothes before we get there.” She looks over at me.

“What's wrong with what I’m wearing?” I say with a smile. Letting out a loud groan, I can tell Shiva is starting to get annoyed.

“In a bigger city, nothing. Out here, you stand out like a sore thumb.” She says before shoving my shoulder hard. “You can keep your weapons. If anyone asks, just say they are a dungeon drop.” She tells me as Thea starts the truck moving again.

“Dungeon drop?” I ask, visibly confused.

“They didn't have dungeons in his world kitty.” Thea giggles. “His world didn't have magic, remember?”

“I’ll explain.” Shiva lets out a loud sigh. “Dungeons are found in places of high concentrations of natural mana.” She begins rotating the map to show me a large red X on the top left corner. “This is the Labyrinth. It's one of the largest and most deadly dungeons ever found. We don't know a lot about them, but we do know there is some kind of intelligence controlling them.” She pauses, seeming to think about something.

“Inside a dungeon, monsters spawn at random. The walls will change from day to day in some of them. That's how we know something is controlling them. The main point is magic items are found in them quite frequently, especially in the older and more dangerous dungeons.”

“Most adventurers spend some time in one dungeon or another. You can gain a lot of high level equipment and experience fighting monsters quickly. In the last hundred years or so, a lot of the dungeons have started dropping more and more strange items.”

“Like what?” I ask, feeling myself get drawn into her story. It reminds me of an old RPG I used to play with a cousin. A group of adventurers would dive into dungeons and clear them. We would collect loot and high level equipment as they went. Later, we shifted to online mmorpgs that followed the same vein. Even though I left it behind after high school, I still enjoyed playing from time to time.

“Strange bows with the arch formed to a long stock like your rifle. They are incredibly powerful and able to pierce plate mail. Boxes full of gears that play music when you turn the handle. Things like that. They are weird, but your weapons won't stand out too much in comparison.” She rolls up the map.

“Crossbows and music boxes.” I mumble to myself. Obviously, there is something adding in more advanced technology to this world. I can't understand how or why, or even how these dungeons are doing it.

“What's that?” Shiva turns in her seat to face me.

“Oh, it's nothing.” I say, trying to brush it off. “Just in my world, we created bows like that. We also had music boxes that were quite common. It just struck me as weird is all.” I turn my attention back to Thea. From the corner of my eye, I can see Shiva thinking about what I said.

“What else did your world have?”

“More than I could hope to tell you in one sitting.” I say with a laugh. “The guns I have arent even the most powerful or deadly. We have some that are capable of shooting hundreds of rounds a minute, piercing through armor and feet of walls. We have vehicles bigger than this truck that run on tracks instead of wheels. They are capable of crushing trucks like this underneath it without slowing down.” I see her wide eyes.

“We even learned how to fly without magic. These large metal planes, like birds, flying thousands of miles up in the sky. You can travel thousands of miles in just a few hours.” I chuckle, remembering the one time I actually flew.

“Course, then you have to deal with crowds of people. All having as bad a day as you are. We built cities with buildings hundreds of stories tall that are made of steel and stone with thousands of glass windows on every wall.”

“That sounds amazing.” Thea says, distracting me from my story.

“It is quite a sight to see that’s for sure. I was never a fan of it, though. I always wanted to live far away from that mess.” Seeing her confused expression, I continue. “Imagine, thousands of trucks like mine. Full of people going everywhere; work, school, shopping. Everybody in a rush to get where they are going. Tempers flaring and fights breaking out. Everyone piled in on top of each other. Living ten feet from your neighbor and hearing every fight they have through the walls.”

“I was raised away from all that in a small town of less than three thousand people. Close enough to the city that we could get anything that we needed. Far enough away our neighbors weren't up our ass all the time. When I moved out, I found a small town to live in. I bought a house with a couple of acres of land and neighbors a mile away. It was a nice place.” I smile at the memory. “Too bad I’ll never see it again.” My mood turns dark as I remember that fact.

We rode in silence for a long time after that, no one seeming to know what to say. Thea keeps glancing at me as she drives, giving me a worried look. I know she is worried about me, but I don't know how to comfort her. On one hand, I wish I had never been dragged into this world. If I hadn't, she would still be enslaved to Magnus and that thought bothers me. I don't know what to call this thing building between us. It's too early to call it love, but there is a deep affection I’m feeling for her.

I know I am always going to miss my world, my family, but I can't say that I wouldn't have came on my own. While the last few days had been tinged with sadness, I can honestly say they have been some of the most exciting and happiest I’ve had in awhile. Waking up with Thea in my arms had felt so right, her scent has started to feel like home. Could I make a new home in this world. I wonder as I glance at Thea. She smiles weakly at me, making me feel warm inside. Yeah, I think I can. I think to myself, giving her a smile in return.

“How much farther?” I ask, stretching in the seat. Looking through the windshield, I can see the sky starting to brighten. Daylight isn't far off and we have been driving most of the night, all except for the part where Shiva had yelled about us being inconsiderate. She then tried for two hours to clean the smell out of the truck.

“After this next curve, we need to hide the truck.” Shiva shakes her head. I suddenly realize she had been nodding off. “We are about a mile and a half from Sacren. We can walk the rest of the way.” She starts scanning the treeline.

“Pull in there.” I tell Thea, pointing to a small break in the trees. She guides the truck through the thin underbrush. The thick scrubs scratch against the side as she maneuvers between trees. Finding a small opening between trees, she lets the truck roll to a stop and shuts it off.

“No one should see it from the road here.” Shiva hops out her side. I follow her out the door as Thea slides out the drivers side. Looking around the truck, I notice most of the trees are evergreen. They block most of the light and lower the field of vision past a couple yards. Nodding my agreement, I whistle to Sarge which causes the big dog to jump from the bed. He starts to circle the truck, nose down smelling the immediate area.

“Anything near by boy?” I ask him, but he shakes his head. His antics make me laugh as he continues to search the trees.

“Here, put this on.” Shiva throws a rough brown shirt at me. “I had to guess sizes, but it should be pretty close.” She digs in the bag she brought from town.

Giving a shrug to Thea, I strip off my plate carrier. I enjoy the relaxing feel of the cool morning air on my bare chest as I examine the shirt. It's some kind of cotton and feels coarse to my hands. Two buttons are at the top near the hole for my head, giving it a relaxed look. Pulling it over my head, I can't help but notice the clean smell to it. It’s like sunshine, with a slight smell of some lye based soap underneath. It's a little big with the tail of the shirt falling below my waist. Other than that, it's good.

“Thanks for the shirt.” I tell Shiva, swinging my arms to test how much room the shoulders have. “I’ve been pretty rough on my clothes since I got here.” I glance at Thea as she walks over and runs her hand up my chest.

“It looks good on you.” Leaning in close, she whispers in my ear. “I think you would rather see it on me, though.” She nibbles on my ear as she starts to pull back. Stifling a groan, I start to wrap my hands around her waist.

“Nope. Not right now.” Shiva says, pulling Thea from my arms. “I got you clothes too. So put them on before you get distracted.” She shoves a bundle of clothes into her arms. Looking down into the mass of clothes, she looks back up at me with a smile.

“What do you think? Want to give me a hand.” She winks and gives me a large grin. She licks her upper lip which lets me know exactly what she is thinking.

“For the love of Ava, just hurry up! You two can fuck in your room all day if you want to!” Shiva yells from the rear of the truck.

Giving me a pouty look, Thea starts to unbutton my shirt and shoves the clothes into my hands as I start to stare. Seeing my mouth open, she drops my shirt and turns halfway to her side to show off her whole body. Thea runs her hands down her side and over her ass. I nearly dropped the bundle of clothes in my hand as I start to reach for her.

“Clothes first, then you can take them off me later. Ok?” She says with a giggle. I sort through the bundle of clothes in my hand and realize it's a robe similar to her usual one. It feels rougher in my hands. Mixed in with the robe is some form of bra and a pair of soft delicate looking panties. Giving Thea a grin, I kneel down on the ground at her feet and lift the first leg, then the other to pull the panties on. I pull them slowly up until they are resting on her hips. The thin matirial barely covers her sex.

I kiss her inner thigh from where I am kneeling and my nose is filled with the smell of her. The smell makes me want to rip the thin garment from her body and dive into her. Grabbing a handful of my hair, she tilts my head back. Staring into my eyes with a promise of things to come, she pulls me to my feet. She kisses my mouth with a hard kiss and grabs the bra from the bundle of clothes. She pulls it over her head and settles it into place.

“Later.” She promises before pulling on the robe. It settles on her body, covering all of her luscious curves. I growl low in my throat. Spinning her, I pin her against the truck and kiss her. My hands are roaming over her body, causing her to arch into my touch.

“GODDESS DAMMIT! THREE FUCKING MINUTES. YOU TWO CAN’T KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF FOR THREE FUCKING MINUTES?!” Shiva's shriek pulls me back to reality. It causes me to growl like a threatened dog at her interruption.

“Mind your own business!” Thea yells back, gripping me close. “, you are the one who brought me such revealing panties. So you basically started this.” She smirks at the now blushing cat girl.

“I didn't, I mean they only. Fuck you!” Shiva stammers, stomping around the truck. Her reaction causes me to laugh and my body relaxing against Thea.

“So all panties aren't like these?” I ask, my hand running up her thighs.

“Oh no. These are quite revealing.” Thea says with a laugh. “I have a theory she wanted to see me in them.” She leans up to bite my ear again. Groaning as I think about what she said, I feel slightly uncomfortable with her words.

Trying to place the feeling, I realize it's jealousy. I can't remember the last time I had been jealous about anything. Even when my ex had talked about other men or flirted in front of me, I hadn't felt jealous. I was just angry at the way she didn't seem to care about me. Of course, that relationship went to shit less than a week later. Shaking my head to chase away that particular memory, I lean in to kiss Thea again. Moving her head to make me miss her lips, she puts a hand on my chest.

“Where did you go?” She looks into my eyes. I opened my mouth to lie, but it dies on my lips. Whatever we are, I can't lie to her. It would be a betrayal I wouldn't recover from.

“Just something you said made me feel something I don't remember feeling before. That caused me to think about an ex. Which made me remember the breakup. It's alright though, I’m back now.” I say giving her a smile.

“Good. Make sure you stay with me now.” She gives me a peck on the lips before slipping from my arms. “I don't want you thinking about women from your old world. Not when I’m working so hard to keep your attention.” She says with a backward glance. As soon as she is sure she's holding my attention, she lifts the edge of the robe. It gives me a good look at her now pantie covered ass. As good as it looked naked, somehow it looks better with the nearly see through fabric that barely covers her ass.

“Oh, I’m staying right here.” I open the truck door again. Looking over the scattered gear in the truck, I think about our next step. No matter which way I look at it, the M1a stands out too much. The same with the AR behind the seat, they both are too forign in this world. With a sigh, I start to strip the extra mags off my plate carrier. It seems like I have switched my loadout every couple of hours since I got here. Pulling my keys from the ignition, I swing up into the bed.

“What are you doing now?” Shiva asks as I open the toolbox.

“My normal rifle will stand out too much. So I’m switching it out.” I pull out the soft gun case. Unzipping it, I pull out the Henry laying it to the side. I stow the bag and dig out two dump pouches from the mess inside. These are just empty pouches, slightly bigger than my hand, but they can attach to my vest the same as the mag pouches. Sorting through the ammo cans, I find and open the one full of 45-70 ammo. I load four rounds into the rifle before chambering a round and topping off the tube.

“You going to take much longer?” Thea leans against the truck bed.

“No, not long.” I tell her as I fill the dump pouches with loose rounds. Finishing up, I lock the toolbox before loading all the ammo cans into the jobsite box.

“Grab the rest of the rifles from the cab. I don't want to leave them unsecured.” I say to Thea, who quickly moves to hand them to me. Securing them in the gun case, I lay it on top of the mess in the jobsite box. I lock the box before I hop out of the truck.

“It still looks odd.” Shiva says, eyeing the rifle. “But it shouldn't draw too much attention.” She gives me a nod. Taking that to be an approval of my choice, I pull my plate carrier back on. I fasten the dump pouches onto the spaces the mag pouches used to take up. Picking up the length of paracord I had used to bind Shiva’s arms, I notice the cat girl staring at it in my hands. Shrugging it off, I thread it into the sling mounts. I double the loop and tie a taut-line hitch to secure it at the length I want.

“What else do we need?” I sling the rifle over my shoulder.

“We need a pack, so we dont look suspicious just showing up with no gear. Other than that, we need money. Everything else we can get at the trading post.” Shiva digs through the bed and comes up with the pack she brought with her when she showed up with Grizz. She tucks the bread and cheese inside, along with a few of the bottles of water.

“Are you ready yet!?” Asks Thea with an exaggerated huff. The cat girl gives her a death glare before sliding the pack on her shoulders.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess it was me who decided to try and fuck against the truck just ten minutes ago.” She replies with a snarky grin.

“That's enough.” I cuff off Thea’s response before she can get Shiva any more riled up. Grabbing the smaller of the two bags of coins from the truck, I secure it to my belt. Locking the doors, I let out a sigh as I hear Thea starting to pick on Shiva again. I shut the doors and pull the sword belt from the bed. Figuring it might help me blend in, I start to fasten it around my waist. God knows I need all the help I can get blending in. I think looking down at my plate carrier and pistol belt.

“I think that’s my position.” I say calmly after turning around. Shiva has Thea pinned to the ground with the elf struggling in her grip. Neither seems to notice I spoke, so I take a moment to admire the view. Shiva’s taunt ass is jiggling like a cat about to pounce. Her tail whipping back and forth. Thea on the other hand is still struggling against the grip of her captor. Her robe riding up higher and higher as she moves. As I stand there appreciating the view, Sarge comes over to sit next to me.

“I don't think they are listening to me.” I say, scratching Sarges head. “How about a little help?” I ask him, tilting my head at the women as he looks up at me. Without a sound, he walks up behind the two as they continue to struggle.

“Ready to give up and behave?” Shiva asks.

“No, I'll get free in a second.” Thea responds, causing Shiva to laugh. Before the redhead can respond to her, Sarge makes his move. He barks loudly behind the two which causes Shiva to jump at the sound. Before she can recover, Thea wrestles her to the ground and pins her to the ground.

“See! Told you I would get free.” She smiles down at Shiva. She looks back at me and I can't help but smile.

“Well, you have her, how about letting her up so we can go?” I raise my eyebrow at her.

“Don't let her fool you. She likes it.” Thea says before Shiva bucks her hips knocking her off her.

“Stupid elf.” She grumbles while standing and dusting herself off. Walking over, I pull Thea to her feet and dust her off. Maybe taking a little longer than necessary on her ass.

“I don’t remember you having trouble getting bucked off earlier.” I whisper in her ear, causing her to blush.

“I’m pretty sure I had a better ‘grip’ then.” She runs her hand down to cup my crotch. My hand reaches around, cupping her ass and pulling her tight against me.

“Maybe we can go for round two in a bed.” I lean down to kiss along her neck, making her moan and squirm against my body.

“Technically round three.” She giggles as she rolls her neck under my kisses.

“OH FOR THE LOVE OF…. CAN YOU TWO PLEASE FOCUS!” Shiva screams, causing us to break apart. Shouldering her pack again, she turns towards where the road is and starts to walk off before calling over her shoulder. “Are you two coming or not?”

“I was trying to, but you keep interrupting us!” Thea yells to Shiva which makes the catgirl freeze.

“Come on we should probably follow her.” Thea runs around the truck and comes back after she grabs her belt from the corner of the bed. Putting it on, she checks that the pistol and dagger are sitting where they should. Once she is sure everything is in place, she takes my hand and leads me after Shiva.

It takes a little longer to get back onto the road, but walking is always slower than driving. Soon, the four of us are walking down the hard packed dirt road. The sky finally brightening as the sun begins its trip across it. Sarge is running ahead to check every bush and tree for threats. Shiva keeps glancing over her shoulders at me. I thought I was imagining things at first, but after the fourth time it became apparent she was doing it on purpose.

“What?” I ask her after catching her looking again. She seemed to stiffen when she realizes she has been caught.

“Nothing. I’m just hoping you don't stand out too much.” She replies before picking up her pace to put some distance between us. Thea comes in close to me, bumping my hip with hers.

“It's the sling you made.” She pulls my arm around her shoulders.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It's the same rope you used to tie her up.” She looks up to me and raises an eyebrow.

“So?” After a moment, it becomes apparent she wasn't going to go on. With a sigh, she leaned her head against my side as we walk.

“You really are dense, huh.” That's the last thing she says for a long time as we walk. At one point, she shakes her head, laughing quietly. When I asked what was so funny, she just smiled at me and shook her head. As we start up a gentle rise, Shiva falls back to walk with us again.

“I need you to pay attention to what I’m about to say.” She makes sure she has my attention. When I nod to her, she begins to speak again. “Sacren is just a waypoint, but we are still going to be there for three days. The main thing to remember is not to draw attention to us. That means keep your mouth shut and don't get involved in any altercations. Do you understand?”

“Keep my head down and mind my own business.” I wrap my arm around Thea’s waist. “So are you trying to say keep my hands to myself when we get there?” I raise an eyebrow. Shiva starts to blush then clears her throat.

“No. As a matter of fact, if I had my choice you two would stay in your room the whole three days.” This causes Thea to laugh.

“I’m good with that.” Thea giggles.

“Anyone who sees the two of you will just assume she’s your new plaything.” Shiva says. I feel Thea stiffen against me at her words which makes me angry.

“Don't say that again.” I warn her. I remember what Thea had said about what Magnus used her as. I know being referenced as that made her to react the way she did and I don't like it.

“I’m not saying that's what I think, but others will. Honestly, it's the best cover we could come up with. Now that you two can't keep your hands to yourselves at least.” She says, raising her hands in front of her.

“Still. Don't do it again.” I say with my voice coming out more a growl than anything else.

“Fine!” Shiva yells out, throwing her hands in the air. “Look, I know so far you have been lucky. The first people you met in this world have risked a lot more than you can know to help you. The people here though, they aren't all like that. So if you slip up, we can all be caught and enslaved. Now, I know I still have a collar on, but do you really want to join me in one?” She yells at me, causing me to take a half step away from her. Dropping my head, I realize I was in the wrong. She was just trying to help and I acted like an ass.

“I’m sorry.” I try to make sure she understands and to not think I was being sarcastic. “You and Grizz risked a lot helping me and I’m very thankful. I’m just still getting used to this all.” I look into her eyes.

“I’m going to mess up, I know this. Hopefully, you will stick around long enough to straighten me out when I do.” I offer her my hand. After a moment, she takes it in her own and gives it a shake.

“Just so we understand each other.” She breaks her grip. “When we get to Sacren, Grizz has a contact. She owns the local tavern. We meet up with her and get our rooms. From there, we should get some sleep then regroup to make any plans for the next few days.”

“Rooms, plural?” Thea asks. Shiva groans before responding.

“Yes, pluralish.” Seeing my confusion, she explains. “Slaves are to be kept in their masters control at all times. Either in the room at night or kept in a slave pen outside.”

“Slave pen!?” I am shocked at her words and the image they pull up in my mind.

“It's not as bad as you would assume most of the time.” Shiva rubs her hand over her arm. “For most places, it’s an old barn. You at least get some privacy.” The way she talks makes me realize she has spent a lot of time in one pen or another.

“I’m sorry.” I reach out to try and comfort her. She pulls away from me before my hand reaches her.

“Not your fault, not your problem. Besides, Chloe has double rooms available. We can skirt the rule, if only just barely. You two however, you have to share. Not that I think that will be a big issue.” She says snarkily. Just like that, the defensive woman I’m used to is back, but I can't forget the way she looked speaking before.

“Have you checked that thing lately?” She asks, pointing to my status plate.

“No, why would I?” I look down at my forearm.

“Seriously?” Shiva says with a sigh. “You did some kind of major magic attack at the goblin cave. Thea then spent all night helping you learn to ‘channel your mana’, and you didn't think that might change something? I’ve been waiting to see what that attack was called and you are just oblivious to the whole thing.” Shiva makes quotation marks in the air at channel your mana. She throws her hands in the air at the end, making her seem like shes throwing a fit.

Chuckling, I look down at my arm and focus on the words beneath the ones on display. For a moment, it looks like nothing has changed, so I scroll down the list. There at the bottom, something is different.

20- Parting Blast - Unable to use unless actively dying. All remaining mana inside your body is channeled and amplified. Resulting in a force blast outward that pierces all defenses.

“The fuck?” I say to myself. I feel a chill run down my back as I realize how close I came to dying, especially if the skill could only be activated if I was actively dying.

“Well, don't keep us in suspense.” Says Shiva as she gives me a shove. “What does it say?” Reading off the words from the plate, I feel Thea stiffen at my side.

“That's a hell of a skill.” Shiva says in a quiet voice. “I’m not sure how to react to that honestly.”

“Yeah, me neither.” I focus on the road ahead of us. Thea holds onto me tighter as we walk. I hold her tighter, trying to comfort her and try to make her feel safe. Deep down, I know it’s not doing enough for her. Honestly, it's not enough for me either, but her arm around my waist is comforting.

Shortly, we can see a handful of buildings on the road ahead of us. Most of them seem to be along the right hand side. The front of the buildings catch the early morning sunshine with open aired stalls scattered along the road. The farthest building from the center has a heavy cloud of smoke coming from a wide chimney with the loud dings and bangs coming from it at regular intervals. I assume it is a blacksmith's shop. Sitting in the center of the town is a large stone well. Its slanted roof casts a wide patch of shade around it. It’s taken up by a small brown dog.

“Easy, Sarge.” I say as the dog stands, bristling at Sarge.

“Scraps, get back in here!” A loud voice calls out from a small cottage near the end of the street. At the loud words, the dog takes off running for the house.

“Quiet place.” We are almost in the center of town. Besides the blacksmith’s hammering and one person yelling for a dog, I haven't heard anyone.

“Adventurers tend to drink long and heavily. Doesn't really lend itself to early mornings.” Says Shiva as she steps onto the porch of a tavern. Looking up, I see the sign. Not that I can read it. There is a faded painting of a busty woman carrying a tray of drinks on the sign.

“It says ‘The lusty wench’” Thea sees where I’m looking.

“Hell of a name for a bar.” I say with a laugh. Pulling her into my arms, we walk into the tavern behind Shiva.

I try to blink and adjust to the dim light inside as Thea and I enter. I’m caught by surprise when something is driven heavily into my gut. As the air is driven from my lungs, I struggle to maintain my balance. Shoving Thea behind me, I kick out with my right foot. My boot connects with something soft which drives it away as it makes contact. Struggling to pull air into my lungs, I draw my pistol,waving the gun wildly in the air ahead of me.

My eyes finally begin to adjust to the dim light inside the tavern. Turning my head quickly to scan the room, noting that the only ones there are Shiva, Thea, and me. That can't be right though as something hit me when I walked in. A soft groan pulls my eyes to one of the round tables in the center of the room. Half hidden under the edge is a young boy, no older than ten.

“Good job, dumbass. You just kicked a kid across the fucking room.” Shiva deadpans, shaking her head at me.

“How the fuck was I supposed to know!” I yell as my lungs are finally filling with air again. “I couldn't see shit, then he hits me in the gut like a damn train!” I shove my pistol back into its holster.

“Hey kid, are you alright?” I step closer to where he is laying under the table.

“Yeah ….. I think so.” Comes a weak groan.

“Thea, can you take a look at him?” I ask as the elf moves around me.

“Don't worry, I have you.” She says calmly, helping the boy sits up on the floor. As he comes into view, I’m shocked when I realize he has blue hair. Not the electric blue of a cheap dye job, but the light sky blue of a clear day. Shiva grabs my arm, dragging me away from Thea and the boy.

“This is bad.” She says with a hiss, looking back at the boy. “You really fucked up this time.”

“What, it was an accident.” I say, trying to shrug off her grip.

“No, you don't understand.” Shiva starts to pull me outside. Before she can reach the door, a bloodthirsty scream echoes from behind the bar.

“Who the everloving fuck is making all that Goddess damned noise so early in the morning!” At the sound of the voice, my head snaps to the rear of the tavern. Through the set of swinging doors leading into the back, walks the biggest woman I have ever seen. She has to duck her head to keep from hitting the door jamb, making me place her around seven and a half feet tall. Her shoulders are nearly as broad as the doorway. With a neck so thick, I don't think I could wrap one arm around it.

She’s dressed in a simple green tunic, barely concealing her chest with tight brown pants tucked into calf high black boots. Her boots aren’t laced up which makes me think she pulled them on, but didn't stop to tie them. She’s not an ugly woman by any means. Her body is slim, but muscled like a star athlete. Her curves sit in all the right places, just more so to match her giant frame. Bright blue eyes scan the room from under pale blue bangs. The same shade of blue as the boy I just kicked.

Shit! I think and hope it is just a coincidence, but knowing I’m not that lucky. The woman's eyes fall on Thea, whos running her glowing hands over the boy.

“Sean, are you ok!? The woman asks, crossing the room to kneel by the boy and Thea.

“I’m fine mom. It was just an accident.” He uses the table to pull himself to his feet. At the word mom, I feel my heart drop. Somehow, I know that I am not going to get away from this without something happening.

“What happened?” She growls, forcing her son to look her in the eyes.

“I was running out the door and I wasn't looking where I was going. We had people coming inside and I ran into him. It was an accident, but he couldn't see where he just stepped inside. So he ended up knocking me back, but I’m ok mom. I promise, I’m ok.” The boy says quickly, gripping his mother's hand. Her head spins around to look at me with pure hate filling her eyes as she glared at me.

I stumble backwards under her glare, trying to make room between us. In the blink of an eye, she is up and within arms length of me. Letting out a wordless shriek, she drives an elbow into my face.

Fuck she is fast! I think as I go sailing through the doors behind me. Her strike drives me into the street. My body hits the dirt road like a ton of bricks. It hurts to move, more than it ever has before. Forcing my head up, I see her start to walk through the doorway.

“Hey, everybody!” Yells a man sitting on the porch of a rundown house at the end of the street. “Chloe’s going to beat another one!” At the man’s words, I notice windows and doors start to open. By the time Chloe reaches the street, there is a crowd forming. All the onlookers are staying well clear of Chloe, but are still jostling for a better view. Reaching down, I struggle to wrap my hand around the but of my pistol. For some reason, my hands don't want to work right.

“You have two options.” Chloe says as I struggle to push myself to my feet. “Drop your weapons and take your beating like a man.” She cracks her neck before glaring at me again. “Or two, you try and pull them, and I make you eat them. Then I beat the hell out of you. One way or another, your catching a beating.” She pops her knuckles.

“Don't suppose I can say I’m sorry and we start over?” I ask, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Looking down, I can see my hand is covered in blood from the brief contact. Whatever is bleeding, it’s bleeding fast and hard. Fucking headwounds. I think to myself as I spit out a glob of blood in the dust.

“You hit my son and accident or not, you are catching a beating.” She says, kneeling to tie her boots. For half a second, I think about attacking while she’s distracted. Seeing the excited looks of the men and women surrounding me, I don't think it would be a good idea.

“Now what is it going to be, you dropping your weapons or am I taking them from you?” She asks, straightening back up to glare down at me.

Of everything that has happened in this world, I haven't been sure of many things. I’m standing in that dusty street, surrounded by people turning out to watch a fight. Shiva, Thea, and the blue haired kid peeking out from the doorway. In that moment, I’m sure of one thing.

“I’m about to get my ass kicked by a blue haired amazonian.” I mumble under my breath. I can't help but feel trapped under Chloe’s bright blue eyes. Yup this is going to suck. I think to myself.