Chapter 3: Hello World ❤️

Annita slowly began to rouse. Her face scrunched up as she felt the cold in her limbs. Not a bad feeling necessarily, but a bit cooler than she liked it. Slowly, she opened an eye, bleary and apparently unaccustomed to the surrounding light. She was lying on a snowbank in what looked like a completely wrecked room. No one else was there, at least for now. She sleepily remembered that Orenous had said she’d wake up when someone friendly was near. Guess they were a bit further away than she thought they might be.

Sitting up, she reached up, stretching her stiff back and arms as far as they could go. She noticed that they felt lighter and more responsive than they had in her dream state. She pulled them down to admire her new body, turning them this way and that, admiring the perfectly tanned skin and sharp nails. Looking down, she ran her hands over the rest of herself, pausing briefly as a jolt ran through her when her fingers brushed her nipples. They were definitely more sensitive than they used to be. “Goddess of Love, huh? I bet you had a hand in some of these changes.” She muttered as she kept examining herself. She felt strong, stronger than she had ever been as a human. It felt good as she stood up and went through a few stretches she learned during her time practising martial arts to try to stay fit.

Then she got to the part she was trying to avoid noticing. Her hands wandered between her legs and brushed up against her new anatomy. A shock of unfamiliar sensation jolted through her and elicited a surprised gasp. “Ah, wow, that’s really, really sensitive.” Her hand slowly rose as her God, wait, no, Gods, that was going to take some getting used to, cock rose the more she felt it. Flushing, she continued to run her fingers up and down the member as it continued to grow until it reached its full, proud length. “Oh, oh, that feels so good.” She took a minute to admire the thing that was now attached to her pelvis. It was thick, long, decidedly human, and had a slight upward curve. Despite being so incredibly huge, it seemed sleek, the veins that traced its length subtle, being mostly colouration under the rock-hard flesh. As she did, she heard a swishing behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her tail swinging side to side animatedly. Normally, she would have wondered at this, but her mind was somewhat preoccupied. Turning back to the matter at hand, she delicately traced the thin blue lines of her veins with her fingertips, exploring her new member cautiously.

More by instinct than experience, she closed one hand, then the other, gently around the flesh. It was almost too big to fit her hands around, but she managed. Carefully, slowly at first, she pulled her grip down the shaft, feeling the friction between her palms and cock. It sent a shiver down her spine as she repeated the motion back up her length. Annita quickly fell into a rhythm, and her hips eventually joined the symphony of new experiences. A moan escaped her lips as she began to feel a pressure slowly building in the pit of her stomach. Her movements became erratic, desperate as she writhed on the floor, pleasuring herself. Suddenly, she brushed up against the underside of the swollen head one last time, and her world turned white. Her muscles contracted, spasming beyond her control, and thick white jets of cum sprayed forth from her with a loud moan. She kept her hands where they were, almost scared to move them lest they elicit more of this intense sensation.

Slowly, panting, Annita collapsed on the floor, looking over at the sticky mess of cum that painted the floor. The melted snow clearly showed how much she had exploded. “That’s… oh, wow. That’s a LOT.” She mumbled to herself.

“Oh, I, er, I guess I should give ye some privacy. Sorry.” A sudden voice from the direction of the door snapped Annita out of her post-orgasmic bliss with the force of an ice bucket being thrown on her. Whirling her head to the sound, she saw a woman peering in, long brown hair hanging down over her chest and what looked like a well-used set of leather armour.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Annita scrambled to cover herself with her hands, finding them completely inadequate for her new proportions, and recover some of her completely ruined modesty. “I… I didn’t know anyone was still here. I’m so sorry. I just. Oh man.” She felt her cheeks and ears burning, which brought a whole new realm of feelings, as the burning in her ears wasn’t on the sides of her head, but up top.

“No, no, maybe I was rude not to knock? Ye, eh, finish up whatever yer doin’, and we’ll be downstairs.” The woman turned and left, but not before she glanced down and over at the mess Annita had made.

“I’m such an idiot.” Annita groaned as she buried her face in her hands. First thing, waking up from a five-thousand-year nap, she had masturbated and embarrassed herself in front of someone. How was she supposed to keep living if this was how she was going to start? Stupid stupid stupid! After wallowing in self-pity for a few minutes, she shook herself, took a deep breath, and stood again. As she did, she noticed a trickle running down her inner thighs. Cocking an eyebrow, she bent down and wiped it up her thigh. Following it to the source, she gasped as she brushed against familiar flesh. “Well, at least you’re still here, old friend.” She straightened and took a step toward the door.

A cacophonous crunching rang in her ears, and her reflexes launched her into a deep crouch, bracing for something to crash into the room. After a few seconds of nothing happening and her new hackles begging to fall back against her neck and back, she relaxed. “What was that?” She took another step, and the crunching roared back again. “Oh, oh God, Gods, I can hear that?” she gasped as she took another step. Annita stood still, stiller than she ever had, and listened. She could hear the soft rush of air as she breathed, the gentle swish of her tail as it moved on its own, the sound of snow shifting on the roof above, some skittering creatures under the floorboards, and, in the distance, murmured words. She felt her ears twitching from side to side, tracking each of the noises by pure instinct. It was the strangest feeling not having control over some part of her body. “How the heck did I not hear that woman coming?” she mused before concluding that she was just lost in orgasmic bliss and wasn’t paying attention. “Ugh, this is going to take more getting used to than I thought. Couldn’t have had a normal body, noooo.” She kept griping to herself as she left the room, following the sounds of conversation down the stairs and to the opposite side of what seemed to be a massive mansion.

Easing up to the large doors at the end of the hall, she realised she didn’t even need to press her ear to the door to overhear what was being said on the other side.

“Come on, Kat, you are being awfully cagey about this.” A male voice said with an annoyed huff.

“Like I said, she’s fine. She’ll be fine. She’s probably going tae be down here shortly. Since when were you such a gossiping ninny, Bren?”

Ah, the woman. Seems like she had a friend with her. Annita’s nerves flared. She was already severely humiliated, and now she’d be meeting two people, buck naked, in a new body she wasn’t even used to. She walked around in a couple of panicked circles, looking for something to make her feel better, but the bare walls and empty hall provided no comfort. “Well, this is the best I’ve got. Orenous, if you’re listening, clothes would have been really nice.” She whispered to the void. “This’ll have to do.” She took her tail and tucked it between her thighs and up over what she could cover of her nether regions. “All right. Hello world.”

She knocked softly. The hushed conversation stopped immediately, and she gently pushed the door open, only slightly surprised that it was unlocked. Ducking her head under the eaves, she stepped into the room. The woman and a shorter man were sitting next to a cosy fire in the hearth. They had equipment pushed off to the side and a couple of recently used bedrolls they were sitting on. “Uh, hi?” Annita grinned as disarmingly as she could. At the sight of the flinch from the other two, that didn’t seem to work.

“Lordie, you’ve got a set of chompers on ya lassie.” The woman gasped before collecting herself. Annita was surprised to hear the accent had survived the few thousand years, but tucked that question away for later. “Well, go on and take a sit girlie. Take me blanket, might allow you to keep… some modesty.” Annita gratefully took the blanket. It covered some, but she had to settle for it covering her lower body. Taking a moment, she rubbed her cheeks and felt large canines instead of her normal human teeth. She really needed a mirror.

“So, what brings ye to be nappin’ out here in the no-man’s-land? Er, pardon, the name’s Katlyn. This nervous wreck here is Bren.” Katlyn gestured to the timid-looking man seated next to her. Taking a good look at the two of them, Annita almost thought them siblings, but for two distinct differences. They both had chocolate brown hair, pale skin, and similar eyes. The disparity was in their ears and eyebrows. Katlyn had pointed, long ears that trailed out a couple of inches back from where a normal person’s ears would stop, while Bren had typical human ears. Bren had very bushy eyebrows that didn’t really fit his more slight build, while Katlyn had sharp, thin streaks interrupted by a scar on each.

Bren was a slight man with a nervous look in his eyes. Clearly not someone who was used to hard physical labour, but active enough to be lean and healthy. He sat beside some heavier, robe-looking clothing, but was currently in light breeches and a loose shift. He met Annita’s eyes and quickly turned away, blushing furiously.

Katlyn had a fighter’s build. Strong arms and core visible even under her loose shirt. The armour she was in was tossed to the side, but kept close at hand. Annita thanked Orenous for that since it also gave her a good look at the woman’s well-proportioned chest. It fit her body and build perfectly, not large, but shapely and perky.

“Ye like what ye see?” Annita snapped back to reality as she was teased.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I mean, sorry?” The heat in her cheeks rose further and further.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about, girlie. Bit rude to be oglin’ without givin’ your name, though.” A cheeky Katlyn’s face as she grinned up at Annita. “And take a seat. Ye look nervous as a cat in a room full o’ rockin’ chairs.”

“Right, um, I’m Annita. Annita Kronforst: Nice to meet the two of you.” Annita sat cross-legged, covering her lap with the blanket. As close as she was, she got a better look at the other two. Bren had sparkling blue eyes that shifted into a light grey toward the edges. They almost seemed to change colours with the light through various shades of blue and grey as he continued his attempts not to look directly at Annita. Katlyn, on the other hand, had captivating icy blue eyes, like the underside of an iceberg just rolled over. Annita had to pull her gaze away before she was stuck staring again.

“So, back to the question, what are ye doin’ all the way out here with what looks like no gear, no food, no clothes? Not exactly normal circumstances if ye catch my meanin’.” Katlyn sat back on the palms of her hands, looking over expectantly.

“Well, I.” Annita paused. She hadn’t really considered what she was going to tell people about her origins. Orenous had told her that telling other people that she was a being out of time would probably be a bad idea, but she couldn’t really explain her situation all that clearly. What would these two think if she lied, or if she was honest? The anxiety crawled in her gut as she thought, before deciding her course. “I’m… not really sure. I don’t remember much before waking up here. I was walking, I’m not sure why, and when I was tired, I found this place and passed out in the room upstairs.”

Katlyn’s eyes narrowed. Annita tried to remain confident, but it was increasingly difficult under the scrutiny of the blazing gaze. Bren, to his credit, had also turned to listen and took his time contemplating her response more thoughtfully.

“It is not unheard of,” Bren spoke slowly, clearly still thinking over his response. “But usually it is caused by some sort of trauma to the head, causing damage to the brain and memory loss. Usually, magic can heal that with time, but you do not appear to have any such trauma. Would you mind if I examine your head for a moment?”

Annita looked at him and then at Katlyn, wordlessly asking a question.

“He’s a healer. Got some defensive magic to ‘im too. If there’s something medically wrong with ye, he should be able to suss it out right quick,” Katlyn offered, shifting to put her elbows on her knees, hunching forward as she continued to scrutinise Annita.

“Oh, um, ok. Go ahead.” Annita sat stock still while Bren moved around her, his prior hesitance quickly fading as he began his examination. Even with his almost clinical attention, she had to admit his fingers in her hair felt nice.

After a few minutes of prodding and mumbling to himself, Bren retook his seat on his bedroll. “There is nothing that I could find that could be causing this. It might be magical in nature, however, that would require an Arcanist to determine.”

Katlyn seemed to relax slightly at the words. “All right then. Guess we won’t be gettin’ those answers here. So, Annita, ye got yer Path yet? Wait, no, stupid question. Bad memory. Sorry. Take a second. Focus on somethin’ flat like yer palm. Think about yer Path. It should show up there if ye’ve got one.”

“Like this?” Annita held her palm up in front of her face.

“Aye, that’ll do. Now just breathe and think.”

Annita focused. Orenous had described Paths like a game’s class. She took the assumption and ran with it. Focusing on her palm, she tried to project something onto it. Anything. After a moment, she saw a shimmering silver window appear in front of her. It followed her hand as she moved it around, catching Katlyn grinning at her out of the corner of her eye. Blushing, she read the text that appeared before her.

Name: Annita Kronforst

Age: 23

Race: Lupine (Warped)

Path: Unknown

Title: Chosen of Orenous

Racial Skills:

Cold Resistance: Reduced damage from cold effects. Comfortable in colder climates.

Keen Hearing: Able to hear sounds from greater distances with greater clarity.

Natural Weapons: Claws and teeth are considered weapons for any skills that would affect weapons.

Endurance Hunter: +2 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Stamina

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one’s progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer’s Path.

Additionally provides +3 to Faith.

Strength: 12

Intellect: 10

Dexterity: 15

Faith: 13

Stamina: 15

Mind: 10

Endurance: 10

Resilience: 10

“Aye, looks like ye’ve got it. Keep in mind, while we can’t see what you see, ye do look mighty silly goin’ all bogeyed at your hand.” Katlyn flashed a bright grin. “Some things yer maw and paw shoulda told ya: That there is a gift from the Gods. Helps us figure out what to do with our lives, but isn’t all telling. Ye can start over, sets ya right back to the beginning, but it takes a lot of work and commitment to do so. Big changes take big effort. Second is that it’s generally considered private information. Normally yer parents woulda been the first ye’d share this with, but seein’ as yer brain is puddin’, that’s gonna have to be skipped.”

Annita kept staring at her screen. The racial skills seemed pretty nice for her current situation, and the skill that Orenous seems to have given her was absurdly powerful. She started to wonder how it could improve from there. Statistically? Or would there be more effects? “She wasn’t kidding when she compared it to a game.” She mumbled to herself.

“What was tha’?” Katlyn cocked an ear, the long point bouncing slightly. Annita was taken off guard by how surprisingly cute the motion was.

“Oh, uh, nothing. Don’t worry about it. Thanks for the information. I, well, I don’t know what a lot of this means. It doesn’t look like I have a Path quite yet. Does everyone have a set of stats like this?” Annita dismissed the sheet and returned to focusing on the room and the people she was with.

“Oh, aye. That’s the basics. Strength and Dexterity are what ye think they are. Not much to explain there. Ah, except that both Strength and Dexterity will increase how fast you can move, just in different ways. Bigger muscles, faster movement, bigger jumps, that kinda thing. Dexterity-focused Paths are more about the reflexes, generally quick to act and react.” Annita nodded along, trying to retain this information as best she could while Katlyn continued. “Stamina and Mind are kinda two sides of a coin. Stamina is just how long you can be up and exerting yerself. Mind is the limit of yer magic. A whole bunch o’ nuances there, Bren here could probably get into, but I don’t give a toss about. Same shit with the Intellect and Faith stat. Magic of different kinds. Don’t ask me, never cared to get into it. Endurance and Resilience, well, you get what I’m about to say, yeah?”

Annita nodded. “Yeah, physical toughness and magic resistance, right, Katlyn?”

“Atta girl. At least there’s somethin’ left in that gourd of yers.”

“Heh, thanks. So I guess all that’s really left is my Path, which is showing ‘Unknown’ right now. How do I go about getting that?”

Katlyn sighed, looking over at Bren, who nodded in some unspoken understanding. He sat forward while Katlyn took a back seat for the next part. “Well, that is going to be the interesting portion. Generally, a person’s Path is discovered over their life. People who grow up farming will generally gain a Path that helps them with what they know. To be frank, you not having acquired a Path at your age is extremely rare. Rare enough that it is likely we will need to force the issue. Our journey back to the outpost and further, likely back to Graven Keep, will be somewhat dangerous. I do not wish to be rude; however, you would be a liability on this trip.”

“Hey, we can look after ‘er,” Katlyn chided.

“Can you really say as much after what happened to Artyom?” Bren raised his voice for the first time in this conversation. “We are all trained, we have our paths, and he still died.” Katlyn’s ears drooped at his response. Her fierce features faltered into something that looked like shame.

“No, no. I understand,” Annita blurted. Something had clearly happened, and she didn’t quite like the look on Katlyn’s face. She’d seen that hurt. This wasn’t the time to be prodding that trauma. “So, how do we ‘force the issue’?”

Katlyn tossed Annita an appreciative look before sitting up again. “That’s the easy part. Gotta get some experience under yer belt. Speaking of, here.” She rummaged in her pack for a minute before pulling out a belt, what looked like a sheet of canvas of some sort, and a spare blanket. “Give me a minute. Can’t have ye walkin around all nekkid.”

Using her knife and some spare strips of leather, Katlyn managed to fashion a rough, open-backed halter top from the blanket and used the belt to affix the canvas to Annita’s hips in a makeshift long skirt. Once in place, she cut an opening through which he fed Annita’s tail. “Ye don’t seem to mind the cold, so at least we don’t have to consider that. How’s it feelin’?”

Annita took herself through the same series of stretches she did upon waking up. The cloth kept tight to her, slightly restricting her chest when she bent over backwards, but the rest allowed for a full range of motion. “It feels great. Thank you, Katlyn.”

“Ah, call me Kat, all me friends do, and I feel like that’s gonna include you soon. Come with me. We’re gonna spar a bit.” With that, she turned and left the room, clearly expecting Annita to follow.

“Kat, got it.” Annita briefly waved at Bren, who responded with a dismissive wave of his own before hurrying after Kat.