Jacen blinked against the wind as Alette flew higher, zooming over the treetops as they searched the lands for any sight of their friend. As usual Alette had tucked him into her top for the flight, and the only sound echoing above the wind and the buzz of her transparent wings was the clinking of the handful of bottles tied around her waist, potions which could increase Jacen’s size from that of a bug to that of a doll temporarily.

“The farmers said they last saw Siskei going in this direction,” Alette said, hovering in place and scanning the forest below.

“She never stays in one place for too long,” Jacen muttered.

“That’s probably because she starts so many fights she can’t,” the fairy laughed. “Hey, there’s a tavern a few miles from here, do you think she’d-“

“If they serve strong spirits, then she’ll at least stop by,” Jacen said, “let’s go!”

…

Allison took a deep breath, buckling Jacen’s sword to her side as she stared at the tavern, my first time entering one as an adventurer, not just the bar wench! She thought with a grin. The tavern was further into the wilderness, away from the main roads, and unlike the merchants that often visited her and her mother, this one was known for a rougher crowd. Just act like you belong, she thought, lifting her nose in what she hoped was a disdainful look as she stepped in.

The sound of a piano being played hit her as she walked in, and she coughed at the thick cloud of tobacco smoke in the air.

Mother would have made them smoke out back, she thought, shooting a disapproving look at a pair of men with pipes at the bar. Clearing her throat, she made her way up, taking a seat next to them. The barkeep turned around to her, and she struggled not to squeak in fright. He was a broad shouldered man, with a long white scar across his face and a knife at his belt that was practically a short sword. He unsheathed it, and her eyes went wide. She breathed out a sigh of relief a moment later as he hacked a lime in half on a nearby cutting board.

“Well?” he growled, “Gonna order a drink?”

“One tea,” she said, sliding a copper across the bar. She chewed her lip as the two smokers glanced at her curiously, and she cleared her throat, making her voice as gravelly as she could, “ with milk.” The barkeep took the copper, clearly fighting a laugh at her as he walked to a small kettle behind the counter, black and rusting at the edges. “I’m also looking for information,” she began.

“Oh this’ll be good,” one of the smoking men laughed, turning to her.

“Hey!” Allison scowled, “D-Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, I’m a real dangerous swordswoman!”

“Did you have something you wanted to ask?” the bartender asked in a bored voice.

“I’m looking for Sir Jacen,” she said loudly, standing up and getting the attention of the whole room. “I’m a friend of his, and-“

The wood creaked as a massive red skinned woman got up out of her chair. With a groan she lay down a massive bottle of liquor, trading it for a spiked iron war club that made a scratching sound as she dragged it behind her across the wood floor.

Oh gods, Allison thought, gulping as she rested her hand on the sword pommel.

The woman was at least seven feet tall, wearing little more than a tanned animal hide across her ample chest and another across her waist, exposing her muscular physique in full. A pair of red horns poked up through a mane of snow-white hair that grew down to the woman’s neck, and she brushed a bit of it out of her eyes as she scowled down at the terrified girl.

“I’m Siskei,” she growled, “and that’s Sir Jacen’s sword,” she said, nodding at it.

“I-I’m trying to bring it back to him!” Allison insisted.

“We should talk,” the oni muttered.

“Sir Jacen?” a man in the corner shouted, “He busted our smuggling ring!” a group of five men stood up with him, cracking their knuckles and angrily approaching Allison.

“Hold on, Sir Jacen?” Another man shouted, “He saved my mom during the floods last year!” the group of men with him got up as well, eying the first group angrily.

“That holy bastard sent me to jail for a year!”

“He helped me fend off a pack of wild dogs!”

“Everyone!” the barkeep called, “we all have an opinion on Sir Jacen, but can we please just calm down and-“

A chair flew through the air from one faction to another, so quickly that Allison couldn’t tell who had done it, and there were shouts as the tavern erupted into a massive brawl. The pianoman picked up the music, increasing his tempo as the Barkeep shouted for order.

“Heh, let’s talk about Sir Jacen later!” the red skinned Oni grinned, grabbing Allison by the arm, “this looks like fun!”

“W-Wait, I don’t-“ Allison gave a final squeal as the Oni dragged her into the melee.

…

Alette buzzed down over the tavern’s stables, wincing as she heard the raucous fighting going on inside. Jacen poked his head up out of her top, grimacing with her as he saw a man stagger out the front door, bruised and bloodied before collapsing to the ground with a moan.

“Well, it’s always been a rougher type of place,” Alette muttered.

“WHO WANTS SOME!?” a booming woman’s voice bellowed from inside.

“That’s her!” Jacen said excitedly.

“Yep,” Alette sighed, “We should probably wait out here until she’s finished up in there.”

“Agreed,” Jacen sighed, “as much as I’d like to go in there and restore order, I don’t think it would be wise to do so at this size.”

Alette giggled, “It’s fun to imagine you trying though.” She plucked him out of her bra, leaning back against the straw rooftop and putting him next to her feet. “Let’s have another of those massages,” she said, wiggling the giant toes as he walked towards them.

Jacen gripped the sides of her soles, slowly pressing against the smooth skin firmly as the fairy sighed happily. Her feet were remarkably smooth, likely as a result of flying everywhere, and like the fairy herself had the slightest evergreen scent to them that he couldn’t quite place, something close to cedar but not quite.

Fairy smell, he chuckled to himself. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you like me this size,” he said, looking up at her.

Alette grinned, leaning up, “It’s nice to be the big one for a change, yeah! Now you know what I’ve had to deal with during all of our adventures.”

“I don’t recall ever asking you to rub my feet,” he retorted.

“No, you never asked me for anything, but every other big person messes with me, especially when we get captured by bandits or something,” she said, crossing her arms.

“I don’t think it’s fair that I should get punished for that,” he chuckled.

She smirked, pressing her foot flat over him and pinning him to the rooftop with a grunt. Slowly her soft foot rolled over his naked body, and as it rubbed across his manhood he was suddenly very aware of just how velvety soft it was.

Is he hard!? Alette thought, her face flushing. She bit her lip, stifling a giggle. “You know when you’re small people just play with you all the time,” she said, slowly bringing her foot across his body with each word. “Us fairies, we’re just too cute to resist I guess…” Her heart picked up as she felt a strange boldness coming over her, “I’ve got to admit, with you pinned under my foot like that? I’m starting to get it.” She pushed her foot across his body again, the satiny soft soles of her feet sliding over his erection as he groaned. Her toes came up on either side of his head, and she pinched it between them playfully for a moment, giving him a whiff of that crisp evergreen scent again.

“Alette-“ he grunted, “If you’re not careful you’re going to make me- that is to say I’ll-“

“Why didn’t you ever try anything with me though?” She wondered, leaning up and placing her fist under her chin. She looked him right in the eyes and scrunched her foot against him roughly, causing him to spasm and buck his hips against her sole, spraying his seed across the bottom of her foot with a low groan. “Oops!” she said sweetly. I might be the first fairy to ever have a human cum underneath MY feet, she thought, a smug grin coming over her face.

She waited a few minutes, letting his breathing slow as he was caught up in the post orgasm haze. He dimly looked up at her, a mixture of embarrassed, excited, and enthralled. She lifted her foot off of him when he’d calmed down a bit, flexing her sole and admiring the small dribbles of goo he’d left. Idly she traced a finger up the bottom of her foot, collecting it all and popping it into her mouth, sucking for only a second and slurping his seed down.

“That was…” Jacen began hesitantly, unsure of what to say.

She leaned down, wrapping her fingers around his body and bringing him up to her looming cottage sized face, “Jacen,” she said slowly, “we’ve been traveling together a long time now. You’ve always treated me like your friend, not like a pet, or a familiar, a tool, or a toy to be played with.” She took a deep breath, it was easier to talk to him like this, but it was still hard. “Maybe, when this is all over, I’d like to know if you’d like to be more than friends.”

“Alette, I-“

“You don’t have to answer now,” she said quickly, “and even if the answer is no, I’ll still help you get back your size, just… think about it, okay?”

He nodded weakly, and with a sigh she brought him back up to her chest, sliding him up against the cup of her bra. She felt giddy, and a goofy grin came over her face as she fluttered down towards the tavern.

…

The oni laughed as she held two flailing men in headlocks under each arm, rocking her head back to slam into the skull of a third man that had tried to sneak up behind her.

“Come on Allison!” she shouted, “these guys are wimps!”

Allison shakily held a wine bottle she’d grabbed off a table, and with a squeal of fright broke it over the head of a charging ruffian. She blinked, watching the man fall with a groan, then grinned.

“I did it, I got one!”

The floorboards creaked behind her, and she turned around to see a massive man with mutton chops and a curly beard looking down at her with a scowl.

“Oh dear,” she muttered, holding her hands up weakly, “Listen, sir, can we just-“

“I don’t fight girls!” the man declared.

“You sexist asshole!” Siskei shouted, “If I wasn’t already fighting four other guys I’d-“

“That’s very understanding of you!” Allison said, grinning eagerly, “Very chivalrous-“

The man just grinned, “That’s why my wife always comes drinking with me!”

He stepped to the side, and an even larger figure appeared, a barely feminine form who was if anything even burlier and hairier than her husband. The woman grinned, raising her fists as Allison paled.

“Oh dammit!” the oni howled from somewhere, “I wanted to fight that one!”

Allison just weakly raised her fists, gulping and trying to square herself up against the other woman, “I-I must warn you,” she stammered, “I-I’m very tenacious when cornered-“ From somewhere in the brawl a bottle spun through the air, shattering on the back of Allison’s head, and she fell to the floor unconscious.

“Fuck,” Siskei growled, “she was just about to kick some ass!”

*BOOM*

The gunshot rang out, stopping the remaining brawlers as they looked to the source of the noise. The bartender was up on the counter, one smoking flintlock pistol in his hand, and a wide mouthed blunderbuss cocked and loaded at his hip.

“All right,” he bellowed, “Fight’s over!” He sighed angrily, looking over the devastation, broken tables, chairs, and a portrait that had been torn from the walls and smashed over a man’s head. “New bar rule,” he declared, “no conversations about Sir Jacen, no talking about how you love him, you hate him, or anything in between!”

Under the baleful gaze of the barkeep, the patrons slowly started picking up the mess, muttering apologies, curses, and veiled threats to one another as they righted the tables and chairs that hadn’t been smashed. Someone produced a broom from somewhere and began the job of sweeping up the broken glass.

Siskei sighed, walking over to Allison and scooping her up, tossing the unconscious girl over her shoulder, “Tough luck kid, your first bar fight never goes quite the way you want it to.” She started towards the stairs, when the familiar buzzing of wings got her attention. She turned to see a blue haired fairy zip into the tavern, making a beeline for her with a grin on her face.

“Alette? Good to see you, where’s-“ she shot a glance at the still angry bartender, “That guy you hang out with?”

Alette raised an eyebrow, “Jacen? He’s-“

“I heard that!” the barkeep shouted.

“We’re going up to my room!” Siskei scowled, waving Alette towards the stairs.

…

“What on earth is Allison doing here?” Jacen muttered, watching from Alette’s top as the oni lay the unconscious girl on the bed.

“Fairy, you might shooting some blue sparks into this girl’s skull?” Siskei asked, jerking her head at Allison, “she got hit in the head pretty bad.”

“Sure,” Alette said, buzzing over to Allison. She concentrated, sending waves of a simple healing spell over the girl’s forehead. While Alette wasn’t a skilled healer, by the time she was done she was confident that Allison would wake up with no more than a bad headache.

“Now, where’s Jacen?” Siskei asked, sitting down on the bed and crossing her arms.

“He’s right here!” Alette said. She reached into her top, and Jacen didn’t resist as she produced him. He gave his best grin, waving up at the mountainous red woman, who looked down at him in stunned shock.

“Wow,” Siskei muttered, squinting and looking closer, “I can barely see you! This is some pretty crazy stuff…”

“It’s an enchantment from a crystal, blessed by the gods,” Jacen explained. “I was wondering if you could break it?”

“Let me take a look,” Siskei muttered, standing up, “Alette, keep holding him upright…”

Alette shivered, “fine, but don’t touch any of my magic!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Siskei smirked.

Jacen involuntarily tensed as her fingertip came towards him, a massive red pillar stretching through the sky and slowly pressing into him. The ridges of her finger rubbed against his face, and a moment later the immense digit pulled back, a bright yellow ethereal thread attached to it like a string.

Siskei’s people can interact with raw magic itself, Jacen thought, but has she ever handled a divine spell?

Siskei grabbed the yellow thread with a grunt, pulling at it like she was in a tug of war, “Definitely stronger than anything I’ve ever seen,” she gasped, “Let me see if I can pull it out…” Her muscles bulged, and the veins on her arms popped as her grip tightened and she took a step back. She pulled with all of her might, swearing under her breath in a language Jacen didn’t recognize. A moment later the thread seemed to thicken, then glow brighter. Siskei’s eyes went wide, and there was a crisp ozone smell in the air.

“Aw fuck,” Siskei had time to mutter.

There was a snapping sound, then the oni was thrown against the wall, hitting it with a *thud* and cracking the drywall as she groaned. The thread vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving Jacen still tiny.

“Are you all right?” Jacen asked as Alette hovered down to her, holding him in her hand.

“Ugh, that’s a tough enchantment,” Siskei groaned. “I think one of the clan heads back east might be able to do something with it, but there’s no way I’m undoing it on my own.”

Jacen sighed, “I suppose we’ll need to keep looking for a solution then…”

Siskei stood back up, looking down at the fairy and the bug sized man, “Hey, I do have something I can give you though.”

“What’s that?” Jacen asked.

Siskei chuckled, “My blessing, it’ll make you stronger, more durable! At that size I think you’ll need it!”

Jacen’s eyes went wide, “That sounds great, what do we need to do?”

“You’ve got to wrestle me to my satisfaction,” she said.

Alette rolled her eyes, “Really? How’s that supposed to work when I’m a fairy and he’s… well look at him!”

“I’ll go easy on you,” Siskei said with a shrug.

“Go easy on-“ Alette scowled, “she’s just messing with us, like she always does!”

“When have I ever messed with you two?” Siskei asked defiantly.

“When we first met you told us your whole clan was killed off by your evil half-sister, and you were on a quest through the western lands to find her and avenge them,” Alette said incredulously.

“Indeed, it was almost a disappointment that there was no justice to be done,” Jacen muttered.

“Look, it’s way more interesting to say you’re on a quest for vengeance instead of telling people you just got bored in your homeland and wanted to know what was beyond that hill,” Siskei grumbled. “Now, are we wrestling, or what?”

“Is it really necessary?” Jacen asked, looking up at the mountainous oni.

“Yeah, it is,” Siskei said, her grin widening, “I don’t make the rules guys.”

Alette sighed, “Okay, let’s do it.”

…

The small clearing behind the inn was far enough that they wouldn’t be seen or interrupted, and Siskei slowly traced a ring in the dirt with her club as Alette buzzed down to the ground.

“Clothes off,” Siskei ordered, tearing off her clothes with a grin.

Alette balked, “What!?”

“Like I said, that’s the rules,” she grinned, flexing her arms playfully as she walked into the center of the dirt ring. “Come on fairy, Jacen and I are already in the buff!”

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Jacen chuckled, “no modesty at the size of an ant, I suppose.”

Alette reached behind her back, unlacing her short dress, grumbling about Oni rules under her breath as it dropped. She stepped out of it, her wings twitching slightly in annoyance.

“There, naked, happy?”

“Not yet,” Siskei grinned. “Now remember, you don’t have to win, you just have to make the match satisfying! Ready?”

“Here goes,” Jacen grinned.

With a shout he ran across the vast dirt field, not sure what he had in mind, but determined to charge at her with everything he had. The mountainous red skinned woman looked down at him in amusement, crossing her arms as he raced towards her like an angry ant.

Siskei simply lifted her foot, and Jacen looked up in shock as her toe blocked out the sun. A moment later it came down, knocking the wind out of him as he was pressed into the ground by the massive red digit.

“Annnddd pinned,” Siskei chuckled, grinding her toe into the ground.

“Jacen!” Alette gasped. With a growl she launched herself up the Oni, zooming through the air like a bullet and giving herself every bit of speed she could.

“Ow!” Siskei shouted, her hand flying to her cheek as the fairy made impact.

Alette grunted from the force herself, falling to the ground with a small thud. She groaned for a moment, blinking her vision back, only to see a massive red foot raised over her. The force of the stomp wasn’t too hard, but she definitely felt it as the smug oni ground her into the dirt.

“I’ll give you points for the sucker punch,” Siskei chuckled, “but you’re going to have to try harder than that!” She stepped back, letting her two miniscule opponents have a moment to recover.

“This is impossible,” Alette muttered, grumbling as Jacen walked over and stood next to her foot.

“No, we don’t need to win,” Jacen reminded her, “Just wrestle her to her satisfaction. ”

Alette frowned, “What are you thinking?”

“What you said earlier, about being small, about how people like to play with you,” Jacen said with a devious grin. “Being at this size is making me think about things a little differently, we need to make our actions count a lot more…” He looked up at the naked Oni in the distance, a determined look coming over his face. “We’re not going to hit her where it hurts… but where it feels good. ”

Alette followed his gaze, then sighed, “Oh come on…”

“Siskei is a slave to her love of spirits, conflict, and most importantly, lust,” Jacen said excitedly, “if we bring her to-“

“Jacen,” Alette said, cutting him off, “If I help you do this, I get to do the same thing to you whenever I want.”

Jacen blinked a moment, “I… You really only needed to say the word Alette.”

She stared at the tiny man, “You’ve always been such a prude,” she muttered, “Even when girls threw themselves at you!”

“The Order’s rules don’t say we can’t engage in lustful encounters,” he said with a smirk, “Only that they must not be harmful to those we do them with… Most of those girls would have fallen in love with me, and been crushed when they couldn’t have had me. Siskei is no problem in that regard.”

“And I am?” Alette asked, casually lifting her foot over the ant-sized knight.

To his credit Jacen didn’t flinch, “Yes,” he said firmly, “if our relationship soured…” he shifted uneasily, “Would either of us come away unscathed? You’re a rock I build my tower on, the solid stone I trust to withstand the storm of life’s tribulations! Who would risk such a close companion for carnal pleasure? Alette, you’re the foundation I can always fall back on!”

Alette blinked a quick tear out of her eye, “How the hell can you say that to a woman and not know how it sounds?” she said, shaking her head and steadying herself.

“It is just how I feel,” Jacen said. He noticed the tear, and looked away a moment, “I… Maybe I’ve been foolish.”

“Oh, you think!?” Alette growled.

“Hey, tinies, I’m waiting for my wrestling match!” Siskei taunted.

“Right,” Alette sighed, “just so you know, if you’re making me do this with her, you’re doing it with me at some point.”

“Looking forward to it,” Jacen smirked.

“Well, here goes,” Alette muttered, reaching down for him. “Stay close, we don’t want to get lost in there...”

She fluttered her wings, hovering up and approaching the gigantic Oni, who looked at her skeptically, “So what’s next?” Siskei chuckled, “gonna fly around and try to make me dizzy?

Alette just breathed out slowly, taking aim and increasing the speed of her wings, readying herself for a burst of movement.

“Okay guys,” Siskei shrugged, “I don’t think you’re going to be able wrestle me to anything I could call satisfaction, and the magic will know if I’m lying, so why don’t we just call this whole thing-“

There was a whoosh as Alette rocketed forward, becoming a blur as she flew straight towards the Oni’s womanhood, completely exposed beneath a small mat of curled silver hairs. Alette felt herself make contact with the tight slit, her momentum forcing her up inside the Oni’s already wet tunnel. She hugged Jacen tight to her chest as the slick flesh slid against her, and her wings folded against her back as they slid completely inside.

Siskei grunted, “O-Okay, didn’t expect that line of attack,” she panted, “but every muscle on my body is highly trained, including that one!” she grinned.

Alette squealed as the walls of the red woman’s pussy pressed against her from all sides, tightening around her and preventing her movement. Jacen slipped out of her grip she was battered by the other woman’s inner walls, and the tiny knight grunted as he was pressed hard into the skin of Alette’s thigh.

The heat and the pressure were overwhelming, and the earthy scent of the Oni’s musk stung his eyes and saturated his tastebuds, with every labored breath her scent invaded his lungs. As the squeezing motion let up, he panicked, trying to make his way back up to Alette’s hands in the humid darkness.

I’m not going to last if I can’t get some kind of shelter- His hands traced upwards, and he realized he’d been forced between the fairy’s legs, right up against her own intimate area. There was a rumbling thunder overhead as the Oni’s heartbeat picked up, and Jacen realized she was about to squeeze them again. Well, she wanted me in here at some point…

Alette gasped, feeling a tiny set of hands exploring her lower lips as she squirmed feebly against the impossibly strong muscles, JACEN!? She bit her lip as his head slipped inside of her, and a moan escaped her throat as Jacen pulled himself up into her in full.

Safe at last, Jacen thought, pulling himself deeper into the fairy’s sensitive nethers. Alette’s womanhood was wet too, but with a sweeter taste, and where the oni’s pussy seemed eager to crush them, the fairy’s seemed to mold around him, eagerly accepting him and cradling him inside.

Alette suddenly felt herself relax as the tiny man began to move around within her, and involuntarily she started buzzing her wings. She couldn’t actually extend them of course, they were pressed against her body, but they vibrated nonetheless, thrumming as her pleasure rose.

“I’ll knock the two of you out with a kegel,” Siskei chuckled, preparing to bear herself down on them again. She froze as the buzzing sensation of the fairy’s wings started slowly spreading through her. “Oh…” she muttered, stumbling to a nearby tree for balance, “Oh gods that’s good…” The buzzing picked up in intensity as the fairy’s orgasm neared, and the unstoppable vibrations were quickly disrupting Siskei’s efforts.

“Oooohhhh fuck,” the oni groaned, hugging the tree and humping against it, “Got to… focus-“ she gasped, unable to bring herself to squeeze the tiny pair within her.

Alette let out a mewling squeal as the tiny human brought her to orgasm, and her wings squirmed and tried to buzz on one final thrum of movement that caused the Oni to shout her own pleasure to the sky. With a dazed expression she let go of the tree, tumbling back and falling to the ground in a motion that shook the entire world for the fairy and her human companion.

Alette gasped for fresh air as she slid out of the oni’s pussy a moment later, looking up at the felled giant in awe. She shivered as Jacen repeated the same journey, slowly sliding out of her own womanhood and into her waiting hand.

“It worked!” Jacen said, grinning as he wiped her cum out of his eyes, “Quick, pin her!”

“Pin her?” Alette asked, “Uh… okay.”

She took a minute to buzz her wings in the open air, letting them dry before taking off. She made her way up to the top of one of the Oni’s massive breasts, holding Jacen in one hand as she waved for the dazed Oni’s attention.

“Hey, Siskei,” Alette said, “One, two, three. I win, right? Unless you’re still not satisfied?”

“Nope, I’m pretty damn satisfied,” she whistled, “I haven’t cum like that in years… Now hold still.” She held her hand over them, muttering a spell under her breath. A light enveloped them, and a tingling feeling came over their skin as the Oni’s blessing flowed through their bodies.

“There,” Siskei sighed, laying her head back again, “you’re both going to be much more durable now, you’ll heal faster too. It should last until the next full moon.”

“You have our thanks,” Jacen said with a grin. “Will you join us in our quest to end this curse?”

“Nah, questing isn’t really my thing,” Siskei sighed, “but if you guys have a fight on your hands, give me a call.”

“Until we meet again then,” Jacen said, waving farewell as Alette hovered over to where she’d left her clothes.

“Sorry she couldn’t help you with the curse,” Alette said softly.

“We gained her blessing, so it wasn’t a totally wasted effort,” Jacen said, “I think it’s time we visited… the countess.”

Alette scowled, “I don’t trust her.”

“She’s reformed-“

“She’s a vampire Jacen!” Alette snapped, “and I don’t think she’s totally on the side of good either.”

“Countess Alina has earned the trust of the villagers who once feared her,” Jacen retorted, “and she’s repented her wicked deeds and even received a pardon from the emperor himself!”

And it’s all because she wants to fuck you, you gorgeous idiot, Alette thought bitterly. Jacen’s desire to see the best in people had evidently blinded him to the fact that the vampiric countess’s redemption had largely had a lustful motive, and like all vampires she was very patient… she had all the time in the world after all.

“Countess Alina knows much of forbidden and forgotten magics,” Jacen said softly, “she may have a solution that we haven’t thought of.”

Alette sighed, “Fine, but if she tries anything fishy, I’m grabbing you and zipping us out of there.” She took off, getting her bearings and beginning the long flight to the witch’s castle.

Jacen frowned, “I can’t help but feel I forgot something…”

…

Allison bolted upright in the inn’s bed, raising her fists in preparation for the long finished fight. With a scowl she looked around the room, realizing what must had happened. She stretched, sliding out of bed and grabbing Jacen’s sword, buckling it back to her belt with a sigh.

All adventurers have setbacks, she told herself, I’ll do better next time.

…

Tanara and her men approached the tavern, “This place always has the best info on any kind of underworld stuff going on,” she told Bernard with a grin, “if the fairy and the knight have been by here, someone will know.”

With a roar Tanara kicked the door open, storming into the tavern as the occupants all looked up in surprise.

“I’m looking for Sir Jacen,” she said loudly, “and I’ve got-“

There was loud mechanical *click* as a flintlock blunderbuss was cocked, and Tanara’s face went pale as the barkeep leveled the gun at her and her men. With an angry scowl he jerked his thumb at a fresh handpainted sign that hung to one side of the bar.

“Gentlemen, what’s the newest rule?” he barked.

“No talking about Sir Jacen,” the entire bar muttered at once.

“But-“ Tanara stammered.

“Did I fucking stutter?” the barkeep growled, “Get your asses out of here!” Tanara held up her hands, slowly backing out of the bar with her men, letting the door close behind them.

“What the fuck was that about?” she muttered, blinking.

“Don’t worry boss,” Bernard said with a shrug, “we can ask around somewhere else, so long as we’ve got the crystal Sir Jacen’s going to stay tiny, right? So it’s just a matter of time before we catch him.”

“I will take that as admission that you have my crystal,” a deep man’s voice called. The brigands turned to see a man in gleaming white armor strutting towards them, salt and pepper mustache framing his face in a way that made his grim expression look like it was carved from stone.

Tanara chuckled, pulling it from her pocket, “Yeah, what of it? I’ve already used the wish, and I’ll be using the next one!” She drew her pistol, leveling it at him. The knight simply waved his hand, and Tanara shouted in pain, dropping her pistol as the grip went white hot.

“If you draw those weapons they’ll rust away to flecks in your hands,” Lord Tannenburg growled, “my blade will still be sharp.” He stopped, looking to the crystal with a frown, “You say you’ve used the crystal already? What did you wish for girl?”

Tanara gulped, “I-I wished to defeat Sir Jacen in battle, but I’m not done doing it yet, I’m still trying to find him and finish him off!”

Lord Tannenburg studied her a moment, and Tanara’s heart skipped a beat as he drew his sword. Her men tensed, ready to jump to her defense in spite of the man’s warnings, but with a frown he sheathed the weapon again.

“Killing you would do no good,” he mused, “if you are currently using the crystal, your wish must be finished before it will grant another…” He looked to the men, then back to her, “You are all working for me for the time being,” he declared. “We will find Sir Jacen, kill him, and then I will take the crystal.”

Tanara suddenly found her fire, “Now wait just a minute-“

“If everything goes well, I’ll even let you all live,” Tannenburg said icily.

Tanara shuddered, “Y-Yeah, deal…”

“I’m glad we could come to this understanding,” the knight growled, “Come, we must return to my retinue and begin the search.” He turned to go, his white cloak billowing dramatically behind him.

Tanara stood up, debating simply bolting for the forest, but somehow she doubted the escape would work. With a resigned sigh she followed after the knight, and her men didn’t hesitate a moment before following after her.