《The Irdean Chronicles》


 Chapter One

    As Lilith woke, the first thing she felt was cold stone pressed against her face. She groggily pushed herself up, her arms trembling slightly, and looked around, blinking as her vision slowly adjusted to the dim light. As she noticed her sister lying nearby, Lilith also noticed she was seeing in shades of black and white, making her momentarily wonder if she¡¯d been hit in the head. A quick assessment of herself put that fear to rest ¨C she felt no aches or pains, just the stiffness of lying on cold rock.


    She moved to her hands and knees, crawling to her sister¡¯s side, feeling the stone pressing against her bare skin. Lilith ignored the discomfort and knelt as she reached Liana¡¯s side. Her sister was nude, the same as Lilith, and the young woman quickly appraised Liana for injuries, nodding when she found nothing obvious. Lilith sat in a seiza position and looked around again, this time studying their surroundings more closely.


    The twins appeared to be in a cave. There was only dim light, from glowing rocks of some sort. Lilith could see both stalactites and stalagmites, and she could also hear dripping water nearby. She changed to a crouching position, then grinned as she reached over and pinched her sister¡¯s nipple, twisting it. Liana¡¯s eyes flew open and she slapped at Lilith¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Goddammit, Lil! Why the fuck did you¡­ hey, why are we in a fucking cave?¡± Liana blinked and Lilith noticed her sister¡¯s pupils shift as her vision apparently adjusted. ¡°Hey, something''s wrong with my eyes. I can only see black and white.¡±


    Lilith shook her head as she stood and held out a hand to her sister, pulling her to a standing position when Liana took the offered hand. For the first time, Lilith noticed her skin color was different, much darker than before. ¡°No, I¡¯m seeing the same as you, Lia. And our skin is much darker now, also. We¡¯ve changed somehow.¡± Lilith held on to her sister¡¯s hand, lifting it along with her own to show her sister.


    Liana studied their joined hands, then let go of her sister¡¯s hand and stepped back. She examined herself, running her hands over her body, then looked at Lilith and examined her closely. Finally, she reached over and poked her sister¡¯s left breast. ¡°Your boobs are bigger, Lil. You gotta be a C now.¡± Liana cupped her own breasts and sighed. ¡°Guess I¡¯m still in B territory.¡±


    Lilith laughed and gave her sister a quick hug. ¡°But that¡¯s only because you have practically no fat on your body. At least you have abs.¡± She gently smacked Liana¡¯s stomach, feeling the outline of her abdominal muscles. ¡°That means whatever changes have taken place apparently didn¡¯t change anything other than our appearance.¡±


    As she spoke, Lilith noticed two bags lying on the ground. They hadn¡¯t been there before, she knew that much. Somehow they had appeared between the time the twins had woken up and now. Lilith narrowed her eyes and looked around again to see if they had company. Liana, noticing her sister¡¯s shift in attitude, clenched a fist and also began examining the area.


    Again seeing no one else, Lilith took the two steps needed and picked up the first bag, or tried to. As she lifted, the bag felt as if it weighed a ton. She frowned and let go, then tried the other bag, which lifted easily. Lilith snapped her fingers to catch Liana¡¯s attention, then pointed at the bag on the ground.


    ¡°See if you can lift that bag, Lia.¡± Lilith watched as her sister moved next to her and crouched, easily lifting the bag, then looking at her. ¡°Interesting. I couldn¡¯t lift it at all, not even budge it. See if you can lift this one.¡± Lilith out the bag in her hand on the ground, and Liana tried to lift it, grunting when it didn¡¯t budge.


    Lilith picked it up again. ¡°It seems this bag is mine and that one is yours. Since we¡¯ve miraculously changed in some ways, I¡¯m going to hazard a guess and say the bags are magically tied to us.¡± She reached in her bag and froze as a flood of information entered her brain. Somehow, she instantly knew everything in the bag. She focused on one of the items, a pair of pants, and pulled them from the bag.


    Liana had done the same, also freezing for a moment, then pulled out a long dagger. ¡°This reminds me of a magic bag from games and stories, Lil. Like a dimensional bag. It has all this stuff in it but barely weighs anything.¡± Liana examined the dagger carefully, then put it back in the bag. She looked at Lilith. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re on Earth, or at least not the Earth we knew. We¡¯d better get dressed and see what¡¯s up.¡±


    Lilith nodded and the twins began dressing with clothing from the bag. They each found pants, shirts, and boots in the bag, as well as gloves. The clothes were well-made of a material that seemed durable but light, and they fit the twins perfectly. Liana giggled.


    ¡°At least there¡¯s no fucking bra to deal with, right?¡± Lilith laughed at her sister¡¯s statement, nodding in agreement. Neither of them had much regard for those torture devices.


    They finished dressing, then Lilith removed a shirt of chain mail from her bag and showed it to Liana. ¡°I¡¯m going to guess that if this is in the bag, I¡¯ll probably need it?¡± She put the bag down and began putting the shirt on, with Liana helping after she tied her own bag to her belt. The chain shirt fit Lilith snugly, but it was heavy, as she would expect. She took out a pair of greaves and metal gauntlets, putting them on with Liana¡¯s help.


    When she finished, Liana stepped back and whistled. ¡°Damn, Lil, you¡¯re rocking that armor. You look great.¡± Liana walked around her sister, examining her, before slapping her on the ass once, hard, and making Lilith jump. ¡°That was for twisting my nipple, bitch.¡±


    Lilith grinned. ¡°I needed to wake you up in a hurry, we might have been in danger.¡± As she spoke, Lilith tied the bag to her belt, then took a sheathed sword from the bag and fastened it to the opposite side of the belt, fiddling with it. ¡°I guess doing that HEMA stuff while I was sleeping with Brandy was worth it after all.¡± Lilith removed a shield from the bag and slid her left arm through the straps.


    Liana grinned as Lilith finished preparing. ¡°It worked out pretty well for you. At least I didn¡¯t have to mess with it to get to fuck her, so thanks for taking that bullet.¡±


    Lilith laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think she intended for you to have a turn, Lia.¡±


    Liana shrugged. ¡°She wasn¡¯t complaining. And I might have let her think I was you coming back for round two. Well, I just didn¡¯t bother to say anything when she was screaming your name.¡±


    Lilith drew the longsword, testing the weight as Liana spoke, then sheathed it again. She raised an eyebrow as Liana stood watching her. ¡°Are you going to get ready? Or just check out my ass?¡±


    Liana nodded and began removing items from her bag. A pair of short curved blades that Lilith recognized as kukris, a pair of long daggers, and a bandolier of throwing knives came first. Lilith raised an eyebrow as her sister then removed a hand crossbow and a case of crossbow bolts, followed by a suit of dark-colored studded leather armor.


    ¡°Damn, what are you, a ninja?¡± Liana laughed and began suiting up, fastening the kukris and long daggers to her belt, followed by the bolt case and hand crossbow. The bandolier was last as Liana fastened it over the suit of leather armor.


    Liana chewed her bottom lip as she considered the question. ¡°Good question. Maybe? But what about you? Are you just a warrior? Can we learn magic here, wherever this is? I mean, you¡¯re not weak, but you¡¯re not a muscle-headed brute. Oh, let¡¯s check something out.¡±


    Liana took a torch from her bag, then a tinderbox. She lit the torch, getting the hang of using the flint and steel after a few tries. The twins both blinked as their vision shifted and examined each other. Now that they could see color from the torchlight, they realized they had dark brown skin. Lilith, upon examining her sister, reached up and touched Liana¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Lia¡­ we¡¯re fucking dark elves!¡±


    Liana touched her ear, feeling it taper off to a point, then examined her sister¡¯s ear as well, then grinned. ¡°No wonder your boobs got bigger, Lil.¡± Liana squeezed her sister¡¯s breast once, then nodded. ¡°Definitely bigger than before.¡± Lilith shook her head and sighed; Liana had a thing for boobs in general, and always had.


    ¡°Okay, so we¡¯re definitely changed from human. Now we need to find out where we are and what else is different.¡± A soft cough came from the side as Lilith said that, and both twins spun, hands reaching for their weapons.


    A woman stood there, hands at her sides. They recognized her as a dark elf, now that they could see by the light of the torch. The woman flicked a finger at the torch and the light went out. ¡°We don¡¯t really need that, now that you¡¯ve seen the new versions of yourselves. We¡¯ve all got excellent darkvision, after all. You should be able to see up to forty yards or so in the dark, as long as it¡¯s not pitch black.¡± She winked. ¡°And if things work out, we might even be able to fix that for you.¡±


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    Lilith raised an eyebrow, her sword partially drawn. ¡°And who might you be? Apparently you know who we are, since you seem to know we weren¡¯t originally dark elves.¡± Liana had both of her kukris drawn, but she¡¯d always been quick on the draw.


    The woman smiled slightly. ¡°You¡¯re correct, I am very familiar with your shared history. My name is Malis, and if you both successfully complete the ¡®quest'' I am about to give you, then I¡¯ll tell you more.¡± She sat down on the cave floor. ¡°For now, to answer the earlier question, yes, you can both learn magic. But the way you learn it depends on what you want to do.¡±


    Liana frowned. ¡°What do you mean? Like how we study?¡±


    ¡°No, no. There are three types of magic on this world. Divine, innate, and arcane,¡± Malis said, smiling. ¡°Divine magic, such as priests and druids use, requires that they worship a deity. Arcane magic can be studied from a book. And innate magic is¡­ different. But each method has advantages and disadvantages.¡±


    Lilith decided it was safe to be seated and sat down, Liana mimicking her a moment later. ¡°And divine magic is where healing magic lies, I suppose?¡±


    Malis raised a hand and tilted it from side to side. ¡°Mostly, although innate casters can learn some healing magic. But they can only learn a few minor ones.¡±


    ¡°So if I want to use divine magic, and I¡¯m sure I will, then I¡¯ll need a deity.¡± Lilith tapped her chin as she thought about it. ¡°And I¡¯m willing to bet you¡¯re one of the choices.¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged, as they say on Earth.¡± Malis chuckled as she looked at Lilith appraisingly. ¡°But for you, I¡¯m the only choice. I¡¯ve got exclusive rights, which I¡¯ll also explain if you finish my quest.¡±


    Malis stood up. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll grant you a few spells, Lilith, no strings attached.¡± Lilith froze for a moment as the knowledge of several spells entered her mind. ¡°As for you, Liana, you¡¯re an innate caster.¡± Malis tossed a scroll to the girl, who caught it deftly. ¡°You can learn those for now. Once you complete the quest, I¡¯ll give you a larger list to choose from.¡±


    The twins stood up as well. Liana began studying the scroll as Lilith looked at Malis. ¡°And what is this quest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. There¡¯s a fortress a week to the west of this dungeon. Get out of the dungeon and to the fortress alive.¡± She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a test to make sure you¡¯ve got what it takes. If you make it, I¡¯ll give you more information. And as a bonus, I¡¯ll tell you both who your mother really is.¡±


    Liana¡¯s head snapped up as Lilith¡¯s mouth fell open. Malis waved, then vanished. The twins looked at each other in disbelief.


    ¡°You think she means it, Lil?¡± Liana looked a little uncertain. Lilith shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°Guess we have to get out of this¡­ wait, did she say we¡¯re in a dungeon?¡± Lilith grimaced. ¡°Well, better get those spells ready, Lia. We¡¯ll probably need them.¡±


    Liana tucked the scroll in her bag. ¡°Already done. It was like picking from a list, then they just appeared in my mind.¡± She snapped a finger and a flame appeared at the end of one finger. ¡°That¡¯s really cool. We have magic!¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re in a fucking dungeon. We¡¯d better get moving, Lia,¡± said Lilith as she readied her shield, then drew her sword. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯s a beginner dungeon we can handle as a duo.¡±


    Liana drew both kukris. ¡°I¡¯ll scout ahead. That armor will give you away.¡± Liana moved away silently, quickly vanishing into a tunnel. Lilith went over the spells she had been granted, making sure she knew how to use them. After ten minutes, Liana returned from scouting.


    ¡°Some giant rats in the next room, sis.¡± Liana jerked a thumb over her shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s two tunnels leading out from that room. And I found a trap and had to disarm it, that¡¯s what took so long.¡±


    Lilith eyed her sister. ¡°How did you know there was a trap?¡±


    Liana scratched her head. ¡°Um, I just sort of had the knowledge of how to spot them in my head. Sort of like the magic stuff.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m moving a lot quieter than I could before, like something telling me how to move and where to step.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. I¡¯d almost say there was a ¡®system'' at work, but we don¡¯t see blue boxes popping up.¡± Lilith pondered that for a minute. ¡°But it¡¯s possible there is and we just don¡¯t get boxes like they do in the books and anime.¡±


    Nodding slowly, Liana chewed her lip. ¡°We¡¯ll have to think about that. And see what other abilities we might have implanted in our heads. I bet you have a good understanding of sword and board skills, maybe not like a warrior, but better than before.¡±


    Lilith paused at her sister¡¯s statement. She¡¯d fooled around with the HEMA stuff, just doing it mainly because she wanted to sleep with that girl Brandy. She¡¯d never really been good at it, but considering what Liana said, she realized that she did actually feel like she was somewhat skilled, probably at the level of someone with basic proficiency . ¡°Now that I think about it, you¡¯re right. I feel like I¡¯ve had basic training with sword and shield, and some other weapons, as well.¡±


    Liana wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°Then let¡¯s go test out some magic and weapon skills on some dog-sized rats.¡± Liana motioned for Lilith to go first.


    Shaking her head and smiling slightly, Lilith led the way. ¡°Quit staring at my ass, Lia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not staring at it, but that¡¯s because it¡¯s covered in chain mail.¡± Lilith laughed at that, then jumped slightly as Liana¡¯s hand smacked her on the ass. ¡°Get a move on, tank person. I want to kill something.¡±


    Lilith walked a little faster, thinking. She was pretty sure that neither she or Liana would have a problem with killing. Back on Earth, both girls had been diagnosed as psychopaths when their ¡°father", Edgar, had made them go to see a psychiatrist. Of course, he had moved out a few months later when Liana threatened to castrate him and feed him his own testicles ¨C she¡¯d caught him staring at Lilith, who had been wearing a bathing suit at the time.


    Lilith wasn¡¯t overly aggressive, especially compared to Liana. She wasn¡¯t afraid to hurt someone if needed, but she preferred manipulation. Liana, though, loved to fight. She had a way of provoking someone to throw the first punch, then she¡¯d beat them without mercy. Of course, if there were no witnesses around, she¡¯d happily start the fight herself.


    It only took a couple of minutes before the twins were at the next room, studying the two giant rats. They were almost the size of mastiffs, Lilith noted as she gripped her sword and shield tighter. She pondered using a spell, then decided she might as well try it out. Quietly chanting, she felt a small burst of power leave her body, then felt what she guessed was the effect of the spell settling over her and, she hoped, her sister.


    Liana confirmed it by looking at her and grinning, then muttering her own spell. Lilith watched as Liana nodded towards the rats. Turning to look, Lilith saw what appeared to be a duplicate of Liana appear, then it began to run. The rats, noticing the movement, turned and leaped at it. Lilith took the chance and rushed towards the rats as quietly as she could, muttering an attack spell this time.


    As one of the rats bit ¡°Liana", the duplicate vanished. Shaking its head and sniffing, the rat started to turn when a blast of black energy crashed into it from above. The energy splashed onto the other rat as well, making them both squeal in pain. As they finished turning, Lilith arrived, her shield bashing the one on her left as her sword bit into the shoulder of the one on her right.


    Liana hadn¡¯t been far behind. She was right on her sister¡¯s heels, swerving to the right as Lilith swung her sword. Liana had been casting her own spell and finished it as she flanked the rat Lilith had cut. The rat squealed and shook its head, missing the bite attack it had aimed at Lilith.


    The older twin hadn¡¯t been idle, casting the same spell again. It hit the rat in front of her, but she had apparently knocked the second rat out of the area of effect when she slammed it with her shield. Cursing quietly, she swung at the rat with her sword, but it ducked the blow, then headbutted her in the stomach. The chain mail absorbed some of the blow, but Lilith still felt it and knew she¡¯d be sore later.


    Liana had gone to work as Lilith cast her second spell, her blades slashing into the rat. When she saw the rat headbutt Lilith, she growled and began stabbing faster. The rat turned and snapped at her, but she dodged to her right, away from the teeth. She began casting the same spell again, but the rat appeared to shake it off. Liana grimaced, but wasn¡¯t too upset. They were still newbies and couldn¡¯t expect everything to work.


    The second rat had recovered from being stunned and was getting to its feet. Lilith bashed the one in front of her, stunning it, then readied her shield for the second rat''s attack. She braced herself as it leaped at her, but still took two involuntary steps back as the weight of the giant rat slammed into her shield.


    Liana stabbed the first rat one last time, the weight of the rat''s body pulling it off of her blade as it died. She pointed a finger at the other rat, casting the cantrip that had been implanted into her mind. The rat hissed, but kept attacking Lilith, claws scratching at her shield. The metal of the shield made a noise like nails on a chalkboard, making the twins wince.


    Lilith blasted the rat with another spell just as Liana¡¯s second spell went off, making the rat screech. It paused for a moment, as if deciding which of the two it wanted to attack. The twins struck at the same time, taking advantage of the rat''s hesitation. Lilith¡¯s sword sunk deep into the rat¡¯s shoulder, piercing its heart, as Liana leapt on its back, driving her blades in deep and severing its spine. The rat collapsed and the sisters stepped back, looking around to make sure the room was clear.


    Lilith was panting from the exertion, not used to fighting in heavy armor. She looked at Liana, who was also breathing hard, although she didn¡¯t seem as winded. That made sense to Lilith, since her sister had a pretty strict workout routine she had followed for a few years. Lilith exercised, of course, but not like her sister.


    Liana walked over and put an arm around Lilith¡¯s waist. ¡°You did great, Lil. You looked like you knew what you were doing, for sure.¡±


    Lilith finally caught her breath and smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s like you said, the knowledge and muscle memory were there. What about your attacks?¡±


    ¡°Eh, sort of? Some of it I knew from before, learning the martial arts and stuff,¡± Liana said as she wiped off her blades on the rat''s fur before sheathing them. ¡°Some of it was different, since I didn¡¯t train with these, but not much. The magic thing was all new, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that illusion was really cool. Was that the spell or was that your idea?¡± Lilith looked at her sister as she asked the question.


    Her sister blushed slightly, although it couldn¡¯t be seen with darkvision. ¡°Well, the image was my idea, the spell lets me create whatever I think of as long as it¡¯s only up to a certain size. And I can make it move, so it seemed like a good distraction.¡±


    Lilith nodded in agreement as she followed her sister¡¯s idea and cleaned her sword on the rat¡¯s fur before sheathing it. ¡°Definitely was. It gave us the initiative in the fight and probably made it much easier for us.¡± She looked at the tunnels, then at her sister.


    ¡°Well, you pick. Which way do we go?¡±


    -----------------------------------

 Chapter Two

    Liana shrugged. ¡°Always go left, isn¡¯t that the saying?¡± The younger twin drew her weapons and headed for the left tunnel. Lilith chuckled and settled in to wait, doing some squats and other stretches to keep her muscles warmed up, expecting more fighting. After a few minutes, Liana appeared from the tunnel and nodded to her.


    Lilith readied her sword and shield and moved over to her sister, who gestured. ¡°Tunnel is clear to the next room, or at least I didn¡¯t find any traps. There¡¯s three little green guys in there with daggers, just wearing loincloths. Sharp teeth, too, so probably biters.¡±


    Lilith tapped her chin as she considered Liana¡¯s report. ¡°Bites may cause infection, too. We don¡¯t have a way to cure that, so we¡¯ll have to be careful.¡± She shrugged as she looked at her sister. ¡°I can heal, but it doesn¡¯t seem like the spells fix disease or infection. Maybe they rank up with use?¡±


    Liana nodded ¨C it sounded reasonable. She sheathed her blades, then wiggled her fingers a few times. She looked at Lilith, who raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°What? Some spells require precise finger movements.¡± Liana paused a moment. ¡°Probably.¡±


    Lilith smirked and walked towards the tunnel. Liana shrugged and drew her weapons, following her sister. She¡¯d been doing that for as long as she could remember, she thought to herself. But she didn¡¯t mind. Lilith was the only person she cared about and she¡¯d do anything for her, including killing someone. Maybe I am fucked up in the head, Liana thought, but she¡¯s my sister and if she wants someone dead, then I¡¯ll find a way to make it happen.


    Lilith walked down the tunnel, unaware of her sister¡¯s train of thought at the moment. She would have known if she had seen her face, but she was concerned with her own thoughts at the moment. For one, how did they get here? And they still didn¡¯t know where here was. Another world, apparently, or so she believed from how Malis had said ¡°this world". But was it the same universe or dimension or whatever?


    It was a lot to puzzle over, but she pushed the thoughts aside. Knowing the answer wouldn¡¯t help them survive this dungeon and the trip to the fortress. And if they wanted answers, that¡¯s what they had to do. At least they had weapons, armor, and magic, as well as the willingness to use them. To Lilith, that was the most important part ¨C having all that didn¡¯t matter if you weren¡¯t willing to use any of it. They¡¯d both proven their willingness to use violence on Earth, and they weren¡¯t going to back down on this world.


    She focused as she arrived at the room, crouching down. Liana arrived a few moments later, crouching next to her. Lilith looked as Liana pointed out the enemies ¨C goblins, perhaps? Whatever.


    Liana leaned close and whispered in Lilith¡¯s ear. ¡°I didn¡¯t see an exit earlier, so this may be a dead end. But we don¡¯t want to leave any enemies behind us.¡±


    Lilith nodded, then looked at her sister and raised an eyebrow, wiggling her fingers slightly. Liana shook her head, raising her nose with a disdainful look on her face. Lilith grinned, getting the meaning ¨C Liana didn¡¯t want to waste the spell on these.


    Lilith gripped her sword and shield, then walked a few feet into the room. She sheathed her sword and began casting; the sound of her voice alerted the goblins, as the twins thought of them, and they began hooting and running towards her. She finished her spell and a blast of negative energy streamed from above one of the creatures, striking it and making it shriek as it fell.


    Lilith ignored it and set her shield even as she began another spell. She caught a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye as Liana stepped forward, casting her own spell at the goblin in front. The goblin stumbled and babbled as the spell connected, but recovered and continued charging, although it was now trailing the third goblin.


    That goblin reached Lilith just as she finished her spell, stabbing at her with its dagger. She deflected with her shield as her spell went off, striking the goblin she¡¯d hit previously ¨C it was getting up, making it an easy target. It gurgled and fell over, lying still. Lilith stepped back, keeping her shield between herself and her attacker, frustrating the little creature. It wasn¡¯t frustrated for long, however, as Liana moved behind the distracted monster, stabbing it in the back of the neck. Blood poured from its mouth as the creature fell to its knees, then facedown onto the cave floor.


    The last goblin hesitated, dagger pointing forward as it considered its options while facing the dark elven twins. Teeth bared, it hissed as it slowly backed away from them. Liana looked at her sister, who shrugged at her. She turned to look at the goblin, then sheathed her blades. Liana drew her hand crossbow, loaded it, aimed, then fired at the retreating creature. The bolt flew across the short distance and imbedded itself into the goblin''s right eye. The creature fell backwards, the dagger it held slipping from nerveless fingers.


    Liana returned the crossbow to the holster on her belt as Lilith walked over to her. ¡°That crossbow is pretty handy, Lia.¡±


    The younger twin nodded in agreement. ¡°I guess I could have used a spell, but I wanted to test my aim. Dark elves are supposed to be good shots, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve read, yes.¡± Lilith drew her sword and walked over to where the first goblin had fallen. She stabbed the body in the chest and it yelped, then fell still again. ¡°Thought I saw it move; guess I was right.¡±


    Liana chuckled, then pointed to the back of the room. ¡°Looks like a camp or something. We should check it out, might be some loot.¡±


    The two dark elves walked to the small camp, holding their nose as they drew closer ¨C the smell almost overpowered them. Grimacing, Lilith used her sword to dig through the trash and filthy bedding, finding nothing of value. The two teenagers hurried away from the site after that was done, barely breathing until they were at the entrance of the room.


    ¡°Fuck me, that was disgusting.¡± Liana gagged a little, then took a mouthful of water from the waterskin in her bag and rinsed her mouth. She spat the water on the ground. ¡°Too bad we don¡¯t have magical air filters.¡±


    Lilith nodded in agreement, deciding to follow her sister¡¯s example. Finishing up and spitting the water out, she took a drink, then capped the waterskin and put it in her bag. ¡°Goblins or not, those weren¡¯t much of a challenge. Even the rats seemed tougher.¡± She thought for a minute. ¡°I bet they¡¯d be devastating in a huge group, though.¡±


    Liana capped her own waterskin and returned it to her bag. ¡°You¡¯re probably right. Swarm tactics are a valid strategy unless you¡¯re fighting a spellcaster with AoE spells.¡± She drew her blades one at a time, wiping them clean with a rag she made from a shirt in her bag. ¡°I hope I get some AoE spells, even if they¡¯re point-blank range or whatever. I bet you will, if you decide to be a priestess or whatever they call them here.¡±


    ¡°Maybe? That white mage job had the Holy spell, but I doubt I¡¯d be much of a white mage,¡± Lilith said, making Liana giggle. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some sort of priest class or job or whatever here I could do. Malis said she¡¯d accept me, so there¡¯s that to consider.¡±


    Liana crouched. ¡°Yeah, you always did like the divine classes the best. I¡¯d like to be a magic assassin or whatever the equivalent is here. But if this world is like it was on Earth, I think the closest would be a bard or some other hybrid caster class. I wonder how my singing voice is? Oh, or I could be a dancing bard!¡±


    Lilith laughed as Liana stood up and twirled around, arms out wide, then did a backwards flip. ¡°Okay, that flip was cool. Maybe you should be a kung fu master or something.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that might actually be cool, if they have powers like the monks in games.¡± Lilith rubbed her chin thoughtfully. ¡°How fucking cool would it be to punch a dragon and knock that bitch out?¡±


    Lilith pondered that for a few moments, considering that image, then nodded. She could see her trying it, anyway. ¡°I could see you doing that. Maybe you should consider it as an option.¡±


    Liana straightened up, a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°I dunno, magic assassin sounds pretty fucking awesome. Even if I¡¯d have to be a bard or something, but I could make it work. I¡¯m pretty awesome.¡± She turned and started walking down the tunnel. ¡°Meet me at the other tunnel? I¡¯ll scout.¡±


    As Liana ran off, Lilith had to agree that yes, her sister was pretty awesome. She smiled to herself as she jogged down the tunnel, reaching the entrance to the other passage after a couple of minutes. Lilith stretched, noting that while she was a little sore, it wasn¡¯t much more than after a hard workout. She attributed it to the fact she hadn¡¯t done much actual fighting, relying on spells more than anything else.


    It took longer for her sister to return this time, but just when she was about to start down the tunnel, concerned she might be hurt, Liana exited the tunnel. ¡°Sorry it took so long. I found the exit and took a look around outside.¡±


    Lilith raised an eyebrow. ¡°The exit? Not much of a dungeon if there were only two rooms.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought the same thing, but this is basically a newbie quest, right? So it sort of makes sense ¨C get a little combat experience, try out some magic, then a little exploration,¡± Liana said, nodding. ¡°When you look at it that way, it¡¯s perfect. We have a few days of travel, so we¡¯ll probably have some more fights along the way to the fortress.¡±


    -----------------------------------


    The last room was clear, as Liana had said. Liana pointed out signs of recent movement, but nothing appeared before they reached the exit. The dark elves crouched at the dungeon exit (or maybe entrance, they thought) to again see if anything was nearby.


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    Outside the dungeon, a small clearing, maybe twenty feet across by thirty feet wide, surrounded the entrance. The grass in the clearing was tall, reaching up to almost their knees. Past the clearing was a forest, with overgrown brush along the edges, although the twins could see a path leading away through the trees.


    Lilith considered their options as she took a compass from her bag. She handed the compass to Liana, who took it and checked it, then pointed in the direction the path led. Liana had done a survival training course a few years earlier because she thought it was interesting, and afterwards she¡¯d taught Lilith some basics. Lilith had gotten interested in plants from that, and spent some time learning uses for different herbs and plants.


    Of course, that might not apply here, she thought, frowning. They were on a different world, or that¡¯s how they would treat it until they confirmed one way or another. We¡¯ll have to go with the worst-case scenario, as if our training won¡¯t apply. Lilith turned to her sister, who was keeping watch while Lilith thought things over.


    ¡°For now, we¡¯ll go with the compass heading, but we need to find someone we can interrogate to confirm it¡¯s right.¡± The word interrogate made Liana¡¯s eyes brighten, and Lilith suppressed a giggle. Her sister had a lot of ideas on how to make people answer questions, and none of them were pleasant. ¡°Let¡¯s go slowly until we get an idea of what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    Liana nodded, drawing her hand crossbow and loading it before checking the sky. It was beginning to grow dark, which would suit the dark elves perfectly. Their dark skin would be a bonus then, as would their darkvision. Liana led the way, scouting ahead, as the twins set off.


    -----------------------------------


    The twins had no way of knowing that they were technically in enemy territory. While they were located on Slaosi Island, which was controlled by Malis'' church, the section they were in was overrun with bandits. The bandits were left alone, for the most part, as long as they didn¡¯t interfere with church business or attack church property.


    The forest surrounding the dungeon was ¡°claimed" by a group of bandits and slavers calling themselves the Scars. They were a small group, currently with eight members. They had a small group of six slaves with them, freshly captured from a raid on a nearby village. The village was comprised of mixed races, mostly beastkin but also some wood elves. The slavers currently had five beastkin and one wood elf as captives, with plans to sell them to the church.


    The twins had been traveling for almost two days when Liana spotted the slavers. They had been traveling at night and resting during the day, taking advantage of their dark skin and ability to see at night. They had run into a few goblin patrols, two or three to a group, but other than that, they had encountered no issues.


    They had discovered a few things about their new bodies. For one, they didn¡¯t really sleep. They discovered they could meditate for four to five hours, after which they would feel completely rested. They had tested this and found that they were still able to react to outside influences, such as an alarm. This made it easier, and they were able to travel much faster, using an alarm spell to let them meditate at the same time.


    Both twins were also naturally more dexterous now, which didn¡¯t surprise them, as that was common belief on Earth. It did make them wonder how much of the elven lore back home was actually fact, and if the basis for the many games came from this world. They experimented and found that armor did in fact restrict their movement, with the chainmail Lilith being more restrictive.


    After more experiments, they sat and discussed their findings, and finally agreed the world seemed to be modeled after a very popular tabletop RPG they had played, albeit online at a virtual tabletop website with a large number of games available. As they were both familiar with the game, that would give them a huge advantage if they could confirm it as true. Which would hopefully be in the next few days, when they believed they would arrive at the fortress.


    They had found a solitary home the morning after leaving the dungeon and, donning hooded cloaks they found in their bags, stopped and confirmed they were headed the correct direction. They didn¡¯t mention the fortress, just that they were looking for a village to the west, and that they wanted to make sure they hadn¡¯t gotten turned around. The husband and wife confirmed they were headed in the right direction, and that there was a village a day or two farther along. The couple also warned them about the bandit gangs in the area of the village.


    After a short discussion, the twins decided they would check out the village. It could be a useful resource, especially if they ever needed to return to this area and needed supplies. It would add a few hours to their trip, but gaining information would be worth it. And they might be able to acquire or steal some mounts ¨C they had some gold in the bags they¡¯d been given.


    They arrived at the village, which they were told didn¡¯t have an official name, about three hours before dawn. They were able to see it easily due to several houses being on fire. The dark elves approached closer, but didn¡¯t enter, instead choosing to watch from a distance.


    The scene in the village was chaos. A group of men stood in the center of the village, surrounded by what the twins guessed to be villagers, all kneeling on the ground. They could hear shouting from the men before one, who they picked out as the leader, drew a sword and stabbed one of the villagers. As the dark elves slowly circled the village to do reconnaissance, they found something unexpected.


    Hiding at the edge of the forest was a group of younger people, mostly children, with two young adults. They were mostly beastkin, with two elves, and they were all trying to remain as silent as possible. The two young adults looked to be in their late teens or early twenties, and were both female, with one being a catgirl and the other an elf. Liana poked Lilith excitedly when she saw the older catgirl, making Lilith grin ¨C Liana had a thing for catgirls.


    Lilith leaned close to her sister and whispered directly into her ear. ¡°Thoughts? If we help, we might be able to get some information, or even servants if we play it correctly.¡±


    Liana nodded, pointing at the catgirl, then herself ¨C of course she wanted the catgirl ¨C then the elf, before pointing at Lilith. Lilith didn¡¯t have a thing for elves like her sister did for catgirls, but from what she could see, the girl was attractive, and Lilith didn¡¯t want an ugly servant. She nodded agreement to Liana, who quietly approached the group, then picked up a pebble and tossed it, gently striking the catgirl on the shoulder.


    The young woman jumped and spun around to see a hooded figure beckoning her, while also gesturing for her to remain silent. She tapped the elf on the shoulder, pointing to the hooded figure pointing at the two of them and repeating the ¡°come here" motion. Frowning, the elf looked at the catgirl, then shrugged and nodded. The two young women moved towards the stranger after bidding the other youngsters to remain quiet and stay put.


    Liana led the two a few feet away, still in sight of the children, to where Lilith waited. When the three arrived, the dark elves crouched down, and the two villagers followed their example.


    Lilith spoke quietly. ¡°Bandit raid?¡±


    ¡°Slavers,¡± the elf replied, her voice almost musical even though she spoke softly. She had black hair that hung to her waist. ¡°They¡¯re here to capture the younger people, but a hunter was returning late and spotted them, then warned everyone. The older villagers stayed to give us time to hide.¡±


    Lilith nodded, looking back towards the village, where another male villager had apparently been killed. ¡°We can help you, but there¡¯s a price for it. Or we can continue our journey and leave you to remain in hiding and hope the slavers don¡¯t have a tracker. It will be difficult to hide the tracks of a group this large.¡±


    ¡°Also, why didn¡¯t you fight? There¡¯s only eight of them, and over twenty of you.¡± Liana was genuinely curious, as she would never have let the men push her around.


    The catgirl answered that question. ¡°T-the slavers all have combat Paths, and one is a spellcaster of some sort. Everyone in the village that has a Path follows a non-combat Paths. Analie¡­" She gestured to the elf. ¡°Analie and I know what Path we want, but the elders are against us choosing them, so we¡¯ve refused to take one at all.¡± The catgirl looked defeated.


    Liana nodded. She¡¯d have done the same, refusing to select something she didn¡¯t want, but she¡¯d still have picked up a weapon and stabbed as many of those fuckers as she could before they took her. ¡°Okay, so basically the people in the village are pussies who are afraid to fight, got it.¡± Analie and the catgirl looked at her, shocked, while Lilith just grinned.


    ¡°What? We¡¯re all thinking it. You two don¡¯t have training or whatever, I get it. First time is rough. But they¡¯re all older and probably been in this situation before, and they laid down like fucking sheep rather than fight.¡± Liana grimaced. ¡°So yeah, they¡¯re pussies. And if you want us to help, like my sister said, it¡¯ll cost you.¡±


    Analie glared at Liana, who just stared back at her before lowering her hood. ¡°We¡¯re not a fucking charity. We didn¡¯t have to stop, or even offer to help for a price.¡±


    The two young women froze when Liana lowered her hood, recognizing her as a dark elf. Lilith lowered hers as well, now that they were revealed. ¡°My sister is correct. We¡¯re not going to harm you or force you to agree, but we do require payment of some sort. Two against eight is manageable, but we are still risking our lives.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re new to this world, and we have a lot to learn, but being paid for services rendered is common on our world.¡±


    The two villagers looked at each other, then back at the dark elves. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not from this world?¡± Analie studied the twins for a moment, then looked at the catgirl. ¡°Cara¡­ I bet they¡¯re Fated!¡±


    Cara, the catgirl, just stared at them, her mouth open, before finally speaking in a hushed tone, awe evident in her voice. ¡°Is¡­ is that true? You were summoned to Irdean by one of the gods?¡± Her voice began to get a little louder towards the end and Analie hurriedly clamped a hand over the catgirl¡¯s mouth.


    Lilith shrugged, not knowing the term. ¡°We were brought here by a goddess, yes, but we don¡¯t know the term Fated. Is that what you call people summoned here?¡± Liana tapped Lilith on the shoulder, gesturing towards the village. ¡°Right, we can play the question game later. Do you want our help? If so, our price is simple ¨C we want you two to become our servants.¡±


    The villagers looked at the dark elves, apparently considering the offer. Finally, Analie nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll never get to follow the Path I want here, anyway. But I don¡¯t want to be just a servant ¨C I want to learn to fight and grow stronger. I¡¯ll do whatever you want, be whatever, even warm your beds, if you promise me that.¡±


    Lilith nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll agree to that. Neither of us will force you to service us in bed, but the rest is agreeable. How about you, Cara?¡± Liana leaned forward slightly, crossing her fingers. She wanted the pretty catgirl to go with them, and she¡¯d gladly murder every one of those slavers four times over to make it happen. Lilith smirked as she glanced at her sister, seeing the eagerness in her body language.


    Cara bit her lip and looked at Analie, then the dark elves, as she considered the situation. Finally, she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, but the same terms as Analie. And I want to be able to visit once in a while, to see my little sister.¡± She pointed at one of the other villagers, who seemed a year or two younger than Cara.


    Lilith nodded her agreement. ¡°That is acceptable. We won¡¯t agree to a schedule, but we¡¯ll try at least once a year if we¡¯re able.¡± She looked at Liana, then back to the villagers. ¡°We¡¯ll see if there is some sort of magical contract when we get to our destination. For now, we¡¯ll trust your word, but if you try to renege on our deal once we kill the slavers , we¡¯ll kill everyone in the village and take you anyway. Except that way you¡¯ll be slaves, not servants.¡±


    The two villagers nodded their understanding quickly. Lilith stood, drawing her sword and shield as her sister readied her crossbow. They took a few moments to stretch, then headed toward the village. As they walked, Lilith looked at Liana, who had a sadistic smile on her face. She chuckled, almost feeling pity for any of the slavers who might be unlucky enough to survive.


    Or, she thought, any of the villagers who might try to stop them from claiming their prize when this side quest was finished.


    -----------------------------------

 Chapter Three

    The slavers had split up by the time the twins struck their agreement with Cara and Analie. Two slavers remaining with the gathered villagers in the center of the village, while the other six split up in pairs to search the houses and surrounding area. One pair, apparently finding tracks, was heading towards where the gathered children were hiding.


    The twins conferred and decided to ambush the two slavers when they got closer to the forest. Liana climbed a tree just inside the forest, while Lilith moved to a position to lure the slavers. A few minutes later, the first slaver came into view and Lilith cast a spell, blasting the slaver with a burst of dark energy. The man, a human, staggered, then looked to where Lilith stood waiting and charged. The other slaver was a few steps behind, and the dark elf took the time to cast another spell, targeting the same slaver. The man avoided most of the second spell and Lilith braced herself, bringing up her shield just as the man arrived.


    He crashed into her shield, forcing her back a step with his greater bulk. She pushed back, stabbing with her sword and missing, but forcing the human back to avoid the strike. He brought up his sword and struck at Lilith, the blade striking her armored arm and making her grunt. They began exchanging blows, deflecting and parrying the strikes of the other.


    The second slaver arrived a few seconds behind the first, readying a club to try and subdue Lilith while she was distracted. He didn¡¯t notice Liana as she dropped from the tree above him, blades drawn. She landed on his back, her kukris driving down into the space between his neck and shoulders. The man yelped, falling to his knees and then his face as Liana¡¯s weight drove him into the ground.


    Liana released the hilt of the kukris and drew her daggers as Lilith parried a strike from the other slaver, then pushed him back with her shield. Liana sprang forward, driving her daggers into the man¡¯s back, the blades piercing the man¡¯s kidneys. He cried out in surprise and pain, then Lilith¡¯s sword stabbed into his throat, silencing him.


    The twins cleaned their weapons after making sure both slavers were dead, then quickly searched the bodies, finding a few silver and a couple of gold coins. Lilith put the coins in her bag, then glanced at her arm where the slaver had struck her. The armor didn¡¯t seem damaged too badly, but the dark elf suspected there would be a nasty bruise later.


    Liana sheathed her daggers and kukris, then drew her crossbow and loaded it. ¡°There¡¯s two more about fifty yards that way.¡± She pointed towards a house on the left, near the edge of the village. ¡°Probably looting instead of searching for this group. I can lure them out, I think, and maybe take one out, or at least wound one, before we engage.¡±


    ¡°I can hit him with a spell if your crossbow doesn¡¯t finish him. That should make it two on one again, but we¡¯ll have a bigger risk of others hearing the fight. Especially if they yell.¡± Lilith considered the options for a minute. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have another way of doing it. Even trying to lead them away risks them yelling for backup.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my guess, too. We¡¯ll have to take them down as fast as we can, and expect them to get reinforcements.¡± Liana grinned. ¡°If they do get reinforcements, I have a spell that should even the odds. It¡¯s a damage and debuff combo.¡±


    Lilith grinned. ¡°You know, back on Earth we wouldn¡¯t have tried taking on eight men with just two of us, even with guns. Magic is a huge equalizer.¡±


    Her sister nodded enthusiastically. ¡°It really is. With the right spells, if they have them on this world, I think I could take on three or four of these guys by myself. Not in a straight fight, unless they just really suck ass.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going before they decide to kill more villagers. Not that I really care. Our agreement says to kill the slavers, not save villagers.¡± She grinned and looked at her sister. ¡°Don¡¯t break the catgirl, Lia.¡±


    Liana shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to break her. I¡¯ll admit I want to fuck her, but maybe it¡¯s time to turn over a new leaf. Maybe it''s time to try an actual relationship, and why not with a cute catgirl?¡±


    Lilith blinked, somewhat shocked. Liana had never expressed an interest in relationships before, always just sleeping with the girls she developed an interest in, then ghosting them when she grew bored. Lilith had been the same, but her libido had never matched her sister¡¯s, who rarely went more than two nights without sex. But maybe she was right about making some changes. They were on a new world, after all.


    Shrugging, Lilith filed that train of thought away and motioned for Liana to lead the way. The dark elves moved towards the house Liana had indicated, and when they drew closer, could see one of the slavers standing outside. The human was turned away from the twins, watching inside the house. They could hear occasional sounds of things breaking, probably from the other slaver searching the small home.


    Liana leveled her crossbow and aimed carefully, then fired. The bolt sped towards the bandit, but unluckily for the dark elf, the man turned to look towards the gathered villagers just as she fired. The bolt struck the man in the back of his right shoulder instead of his neck, and he yelped, making Liana curse quietly. Lilith, true to her word, released the spell she¡¯d been holding, and a familiar blast of dark energy struck the man from above.


    Liana quickly reloaded and shot the man again, this time striking him in the chest as he turned around. The slaver fell forward, dead, as the other slaver exited the house, sword in hand, to see what was going on. Spotting his dead companion, he yelled.


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack! Hurry! Bjorn is dead!¡± Answering cries sounded from the center of the village, and the twins rushed the lone slaver, who fell back towards the village center.


    Lilith cast her spell again, but the slaver dived to the side, avoiding most of the attack. Liana drew a throwing knife and hurled it, forcing the man to throw himself to the side instead of getting to his feet. That gave Lilith time to reach him, swinging her sword down at him, and slicing into his thigh. The blade nicked the artery in his leg, and Lilith pressed the attack, forcing the man to move and causing him to bleed faster.


    He died shortly after, but Liana had already spotted two other slavers, the last of the three search groups. She cast a spell at the one in the lead, making him grunt and stumble as pain spiked his brain. The other man held a longbow with an arrow nocked, and he fired at Liana. She twisted aside, causing the arrow to strike her in the left shoulder instead of the chest.


    The dark elf broke the shaft off close to her skin and tossed it aside; she knew enough to not pull out the arrow entirely, from stories she had read. Her left arm was mostly useless to her now, but she could reload her crossbow, and she did, firing at the archer. The bolt missed as he dodged, but spoiled his attempt at a second shot.


    Lilith took that chance to rush the two slavers. She closed in, blocking a strike from the man Liana¡¯s spell had damaged with her shield, then triggered a spell she hadn¡¯t had a chance to use yet. A circle of dark energy burst from her body, striking both slavers. They both staggered, and the dark elf shield bashed the archer, taking a blow from the other man on her side. This one pierced the chainmail and stabbed into her side about an inch. Lilith growled, but another spell from Liana struck the man, finishing him off before Lilith could retaliate.


    The twins quickly finished off the archer, who had fallen after being smashed by Lilith¡¯s shield, and regrouped. The other two slavers hadn¡¯t shown up, as they expected, believing they wouldn¡¯t leave the villagers being held prisoner. Lilith examined her sister¡¯s shoulder, frowning.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s going to hurt when I take it out, Lia.¡± Lilith carefully probed the area, making her sister hiss from the pain.


    ¡°Fuck it. Just do it and heal it up. We still have two more left and we can¡¯t do it if my shoulder is fucked.¡± Liana grimaced. ¡°Especially if one is a mage.¡±


    ¡°All right, one minute.¡± Lilith went inside the house, returning with a piece of leather. ¡°Bite down on this.¡± She held the leather up and Liana bit down hard. Lilith took a dagger and made a cut, then yanked hard on the broken arrow shaft, pulling it free. Liana¡¯s face grew pale as the wound began bleeding profusely, and Lilith could hear the leather creaking before she quickly cast a healing spell, sealing the wound and removing most of the damage.


    Liana spat the piece of leather out. ¡°Fuck! That hurt, and that leather tasted nasty.¡± She rubbed her shoulder, then gave her sister a quick hug. ¡°Thanks, Lil, that feels much better now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Lia.¡± Lilith pecked her sister on the cheek and ruffled her hair. ¡°Now, how do we want to handle the last two?¡±


    Liana crouched, rubbing her chin. ¡°It¡¯ll depend on how close they are to the prisoners, and whether we can lure them away. The mage definitely needs to die first¡­¡± Liana thought about it. ¡°Maybe the way we fought those rats?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I like that idea, if we can make it work.¡± Lilith cleaned her sword on the tunic of the dead archer. She paused for a moment. ¡°Do you ever get the feeling that this world is our real home, and Earth wasn¡¯t? It seems like the memories of the time before we came here¡­ like it wasn¡¯t real.¡±


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    Liana took a piece of jerky from her bag and bit into it, chewing while she thought about her sister¡¯s question. ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, I do feel at home here. Even being changed to a dark elf, it¡¯s like being a human was the lie.¡± She finished her jerky, then took her waterskin from her bag and drank from it before putting it back. ¡°Anyway, we can ask Malis about it. Let¡¯s kill these fuckers.¡±


    Lilith chuckled, but her sister was right. They wouldn¡¯t be able to get answers here, at least not the ones they wanted. They moved towards the center of the village, moving from house to house. The last two slavers stood there, waiting, one of them with his eyes closed. As they watched, that one, dressed in a robe, opened his eyes and turned in their direction, pointing at their hiding spot.


    The other man, wearing armor similar to Lilith, stepped forward. He was tall, over six feet, and muscular. He carried a greataxe in his right hand, resting it over his shoulder. He looked at them after the other slaver pointed them out.


    ¡°Well, what do we have here? Dark elves? Interesting. I thought your kind were all on the main continent in hiding.¡± He scratched his beard. ¡°Why are you interfering with me and mine?¡±


    Liana mumbled under her breath. ¡°Fucking mage. So much for that plan.¡± Lilith giggled, then walked out to face the men as Liana reloaded her crossbow.


    ¡°We were hired to kill you. Nothing personal, but the offered payment was too good to turn down.¡± Lilith readied her sword and shield. ¡°We would offer to let you run away, but that would violate the terms of our contract ¨C we¡¯ve got to kill all of you to get paid.¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°And what if I have this man here use a spell to kill the villagers when you attack?¡±


    Lilith shrugged. ¡°Contract says to kill all of you. Nothing about keeping them alive. Help yourself.¡±


    ¡°Huh. You really mean that, don¡¯t you?¡± The man roared with laughter. ¡°I like you. Unfortunately, I¡¯m going to have to kill you, since you''ve apparently killed my brothers. Too bad. You¡¯d make a good bed slave.¡±


    Lilith could sense her sister¡¯s anger when the man said that. ¡°Well, that was a poor choice of words.¡±


    The man readied his greataxe and charged as Lilith began casting. As he charged, a black bear rushed out from between two houses to intercept him. The slaver spun, swinging his greataxe and striking the bear, only for it to disappear. He cursed loudly. ¡°A gods damned mage!¡± The distraction gave Lilith time to finish her spell, and a crimson line formed between her and the spellcaster. The mage visibly weakened and fell to his knees.


    Lilith rushed the spellcaster as she heard Liana¡¯s crossbow fire. The bolt struck the mage in the shoulder, making him cry out in pain and fall over on his side. The slaver with the greataxe spun towards Lilith as she ran past him, swinging his axe, but she rolled forward to dodge the attack. She got back to her feet and kept running.


    Liana wasn¡¯t idle after shooting her crossbow. She began casting a spell she hadn¡¯t needed yet, deciding this was the best time for it, with one of the slavers being a literal tank. Liana focused on the armored slaver as she cast, pushing the magic at the man.


    The slaver felt something slide into his mind and he yelled as his body was wracked with pain. Then the whispers began, and he suddenly grew very afraid. What kind of magic did these dark elves have? He decided it was best to flee and began running away as fast as he could go, all thought of battle temporarily forgotten.


    Lilith reached the mage and began attacking as he tried to crawl away. Her sword pierced his back, severing his spine, and he collapsed, crying out as he lost all the feeling below his waist. The dark elf stomped on his back, driving him into the ground, then stabbed into his shoulders to disable his arms. Dismissing him as a threat, Lilith turned to see the slaver with the greataxe returning, his face distorted with rage. She grimaced and cast a spell, calling a protective barrier into being around herself. This was going to suck.


    Liana drew her kukris and waited for Lilith to engage the slaver. She dashed forward as he reached Lilith and swung the giant axe at her. Lilith deflected the blow with her shield instead of taking the hit directly, correctly guessing the axe would penetrate it. She assumed a defensive stance as she saw Liana running to attack, dodging or deflecting the slaver¡¯s strikes. She fell for his feint, though, deflecting the axe but not seeing the kick. The man¡¯s boot struck her in the chest, knocking her onto her back.


    The slaver howled with victory and began to raise his greataxe for a finishing blow on the dark elf when he felt someone land on his back. A pair of slender legs wrapped around his chest from behind, and then a pair of daggers sunk into his eyes, blinding him. The slaver yelled out as the weight dropped from his back, then he felt the daggers slash the backs of his legs. He collapsed to his knees as the tendons were cut, his legs no longer able to support his weight.


    Liana kicked the now-blind and crippled slaver in the back, knocking him onto his face. She stepped on his right wrist, then leaned down and hacked off his fingers. ¡°You think you can turn my sister into a sex slave? Fuck you! I¡¯ll make sure that¡¯s something you never worry about again, fucker.¡±


    Lilith stomped on the mage''s hands, breaking his fingers, then walked over to where Liana was peeling the armor off of the slaver she¡¯d blinded. She watched, amused, as her sister kicked the man in the crotch several times after tossing his armor aside. After finishing with that, Liana looked up at Lilith. ¡°Hey, Lil. The mage taken care of?¡±


    Lilith nodded, gesturing towards the man, who lay curled up on the ground, whimpering, hands held against his chest. ¡°He won¡¯t be a problem. You going to educate this one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to cut off his balls. Fucker.¡± Liana kicked the man in the ribs. ¡°Well, maybe not. Just going to kill him since there¡¯s no others left to send a message to, and we¡¯re in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°Very true. Let¡¯s finish these two, get our payment, and get moving. Only a few hours until daylight and I¡¯d like to travel a few more miles, at least.¡± Lilith stabbed the slaver in the chest a few times, finishing him. ¡°You kill the mage and search him, Lia, maybe he¡¯s got something good.¡±


    Liana grinned and nodded, jogging over to the mage. She crouched down and grabbed the man by the chin. ¡°You want to live, scumbag?¡± The man looked up at the dark elf, hope in his eyes. ¡°Too bad.¡± Liana stabbed him in the eye with a dagger, letting his head drop. She searched through his pouches, finding a couple of gold coins and little else. Liana stood up, muttering.


    The twins walked over to where the villagers were still gathered. Lilith looked them over. ¡°Okay, the slavers are dead. You¡¯re free to do¡­. well, whatever villagers do. One of you can go tell the ones in the forest it¡¯s clear, I guess.¡±


    One of the villagers, a wolfkin male, stood up. ¡°Who exactly are you? And why did you help us?¡±


    ¡°Names aren¡¯t important, but you can consider us mercenaries. And we helped because Cara and Analie hired us.¡± Lilith sheathed her sword and slung her shield over her shoulder, getting a slight twinge of pain from the wound in her side. ¡°Once we get our payment, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±


    As the rest of the villagers stood, a male catkin stepped forward. ¡°Cara and Analie hired you? How? They can¡¯t possibly have the coin to afford mercenaries.¡±


    Liana looked at him. ¡°None of your fucking business. If they want to tell you, they can. We don¡¯t divulge details of business deals.¡± She began checking her gear, making sure her blades were cleaned and sheathed and her crossbow was secure as the male catkin fumed.


    A few minutes later, the group from the forest returned. Cara and Analie looked around, noting the bodies of the slavers nearby, then looked at the twins as the dark elves walked over to them.


    Lilith looked at villagers watching them, then turned to Cara and Analie. ¡°You have a choice. Leave with us tonight, or be at the fortress to the west in one week. Which do you prefer?¡±


    Cara and Analie looked at each other, then walked away a few feet and spoke quietly. The other villagers watched, with some of them appearing as if they wanted to join the two, but Liana¡¯s cold stare as she rested her hands on her weapons kept them in place. After a few minutes, the two girls walked back over to the twins.


    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to go tonight. If we wait, the elders may try and prevent us from leaving,¡± Analie said, gesturing to a group of older villagers. ¡°We might not agree with them, but we don¡¯t want them killed.¡±


    Lilith nodded. ¡°Very well. Gather whatever you want to take with you, then arm yourselves from the weapons the slavers had. We¡¯ll wait where we met for one hour.¡± The dark elf looked at the elders. ¡°We¡¯d better not have to come find you when the hour is up.¡±


    Lilith tapped Liana on the shoulder and the two dark elves walked towards the forest as the villagers gathered around Cara and Analie.


    -----------------------------------


    Cara¡¯s father, Jor, hurried over to his daughter. ¡°Cara! What were you thinking? And what did they mean that they¡¯ll wait one hour for you?¡±


    ¡°Analie and I hired them to kill the slavers, and for payment, we agreed to be their servants,¡± the catkin girl explained. ¡°We didn¡¯t have much choice. Either we let the whole village be enslaved, or we work for them. The two of us for the village.¡±


    Jor shook his head. ¡°They might not have found you all, and you could have run away.¡± He put his hand on his face, sighing. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re not going. They won¡¯t dare come back here ¨C they¡¯re outnumbered.¡±


    Analie laughed. ¡°The slavers were outnumbered, too, and yet two outsiders had to kill them. And do you honestly think anyone here can stop them? Even with weapons? They¡¯re Fated, Jor. Who wants to face a pair of Fated?¡±


    The villagers began muttering as Analie finished speaking, and finally the mayor, Linos, spoke up. ¡°Fated or not, we can¡¯t fight them. No one in this village has a combat Path, and the dark elves have weapons and magic.¡± He frowned as he spoke. ¡°Even if we drove them off, they¡¯d either come back when we slept or bring reinforcements from the fortress. It¡¯s likely they serve Lady Malis, if that is their destination.¡±


    Silence settled over the villagers at that statement. The fortress was the headquarters of the Hand of Night, the church of Lady Malis, goddess of Evil, and no one wanted to cross her people. Linos nodded as he saw the villagers understand what he was saying.


    ¡°Cara and Analie have to go. They made a deal, and from what the dark elf, they¡¯re prepared to come back and get them. And probably kill anyone who tries to stop them,¡± the mayor said. ¡°You two go pack and get weapons, like she said. No one here will interfere.¡± He waved for them to go, and the two girls nodded and hurried away to pack.


    Linos turned to Jor. ¡°It¡¯s better this way. Neither of them were ever going to give in and follow our rules. They¡¯d have ended up leaving or being banished at some point. At least this way, they will have a chance. And serving a Fated is a great honor, even if they are evil.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want my daughter serving evil, Linos! I don¡¯t care what those damn dark elves said, they¡¯re not taking her!¡± Jor turned, and as he began to walk away, Linos gestured to some of the other men, who quickly grabbed him. ¡°Damn you! Let me go!¡±


    ¡°Not until they¡¯ve been gone for at least a day, Jor. I¡¯m not letting you risk the village for something that girl wants to do.¡± Linos motioned at the men holding Jor. ¡°Take him and tie him up. We¡¯ll let him go tomorrow after sunrise.¡±


    The men dragged Jor away and Linos took out a pipe, then filled and lit it, smoking as he looked in the direction the dark elves had gone. ¡°Two Fated, eh? And already gathering followers, too.¡± The mayor shook his head, walking off as he smoked his pipe.


    -----------------------------------

 Chapter Four

    Liana had a dilemma facing her. She felt inadequate during the slaver battle. On Earth, she had never faced any true challenges, as she was just beginning to realize, and that left her with a feeling of being weak now. Yes, it was likely that her opponents had fought using their weapons for longer than she had, and had actual combat experience.


    Killing the men also made her realize that she and Lilith weren¡¯t in a game, even if the world had some game-like elements. There hadn¡¯t been a health bar when she was struck by the arrow, and Liana was forced to face the reality that she could have died. That was unacceptable, because it would leave Lilith alone without Liana to watch her back.


    I need to be stronger. That was the simple reality. Armor, magic, whatever, none of it mattered if she died from a single hit. That meant durability, which meant a Path that could mitigate damage. Liana wanted magic, yes, but did it have to be flashy, throwing fireballs and lightning? No, she¡¯d take whatever magic she needed to keep herself and her sister alive.


    She looked at Lilith, who was sitting and staring up at the sky as they waited, lost in thought. Lilith was beautiful, more so than Liana. Maybe they were identical twins, but Lilith had grace and composure that Liana didn¡¯t. That¡¯s what made her so beautiful, whereas Liana was just pretty. She didn¡¯t have the grace or composure, and that was fine. She was an ¡°in your face" kind of girl, a sadistic thug, and she accepted that.


    First she had to assess her own strengths. She was strong for her size, but she was built for mobility and speed, not being an armored tank. It would likely be possible to train for that, but too much muscle would hamper her speed. It would stay on her list of options for now, though.


    What sort of Paths would rely on avoidance over mitigation? And was there one that combined the two, some sort of avoidance-based Path that had some mitigation ability? Monk was the first Path that came to mind. Again, it was all theoretical until she could get hard facts, but in theory, at least some monk training for dodging, then into something else for offense and utility. Wizard came to mind first, since they normally eschewed armor. And, again depending on how Paths worked, likely had more, and better, spells to choose from.


    ¡°Hey, Lil?¡±


    The older twin turned to look Liana. ¡°You called, little sister?¡±


    Liana flipped her sister off. ¡°It was two fucking minutes, Lil.¡± She let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°You think this Path system has multiclassing? Or multi-Pathing, I guess I should say.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s possible, but we¡¯ll have to ask a native. We could ask our new servants, but I have a feeling that some of their knowledge will be incorrect.¡± Lilith tapped her chin. ¡°We¡¯ll need someone older that has a Path, or a good library. Ideally we¡¯ll have access to both, so we can study on our own, then ask questions.¡±


    Liana mulled over her sister¡¯s words. Lilith was always like that, studying something on her own, then finding someone who actually did it to see how it truly worked. She was also a lot like a robot, not allowing stupid emotions to cloud the issue. Lilith didn¡¯t show any emotion, except towards Liana, unless it benefited her.


    Liana shelved her thoughts on Paths for now. She¡¯d have to do like Lilith said and read the fucking help files, or player guide, or whatever the fuck they had on this world. Right now, they had a quest to complete. She looked towards the village, muttering when there was still no sign of her new catgirl servant. They needed to hurry the fuck up ¨C how much shit did they have to pack, anyway?


    -----------------------------------


    Lilith was also thinking, but her thoughts were in a different direction. She had already filed away the shock of almost losing her sister, but there no longer any danger, so it was something they¡¯d have to address when they reached the fortress. They had no way of shoring up weakness now, so thinking about it was pointless.


    No, she was considering long-term plans and what sort of goals they¡¯d need to set and achieve to ensure their survival. Yes, picking a Path was high on the list, but it required more information. Lilith could likely select priestess now and be satisfied, but she was not one to leave things to chance, so she would wait. And they had no way of knowing if the choice would incapacitate them while it made changes, so it could even be detrimental to do so. She had armor, weapons, and magic available, and she would have to rely on those for now.


    Why had they been summoned here? Were they specifically targeted, or was it by random chance? That could make a difference in their future plans. Lilith pursed her lips. It was best to presume they would need to acquire power whether they were targeted or not. That would give them the best chance to succeed. The dark elf nodded slowly. She¡¯d discuss it with Liana first, but was sure her sister would agree.


    Again, it all came down to why they were here, and that was something they had to complete this ¡°quest" Malis had given them. Lilith had been tempted to take her sister and leave the two village girls, but something had made her stay. While the two villagers were an unknown commodity, Lilith had a feeling they¡¯d be important to their success. And it wasn¡¯t as if the twins couldn¡¯t just release them of their oath if they didn¡¯t work out. Or kill them. Whichever gave the most benefit to the sisters.


    Movement from the direction of the village drew the dark elf''s eye.


    -----------------------------------


    The dark elves both stood as Cara and Analie approached. They had watched the two to make sure they weren¡¯t followed and hadn¡¯t seen anyone. Liana had set an alarm spell, as well, so they were reasonably sure there were no surprises.


    As she approached the waiting dark elves, Analie admitted she was nervous. Offering her service as payment had been a spur of the moment thing. She hadn¡¯t actually believed they would take her up on it, and would help without payment when they saw the desperation.


    And then she had watched as they ruthlessly killed the slavers without hesitation, confirming every story she had heard about dark elves. Violent, aggressive, and powerful. True, they were off-worlders, but they fit the mold of what her parents had described to her. It made her a bit frightened, all told, especially considering they didn¡¯t have a Path. Or so she believed, since the blood moon was so recent and they seemed ignorant of how things worked.


    The elf sighed inwardly. She wanted a combat Path and she¡¯d never get that in the village. Analie had no combat experience, just skill with a longbow from hunting. The elf had no illusions that servitude would be easy, and once the contract they¡¯d agreed to was signed, they be little better than slaves. She was a bit worried about what she¡¯d agreed to, flushing slightly. She¡¯d basically agreed to give them her body if they wanted it.


    Cara, walking side by side with the elf, was having similar thoughts, and was likely even more nervous. The catkin had always been shy, but the thought of Analie, her best friend, leaving her alone in the village and going off with the dark elves, had made her agree to serve them as well.


    The villager was not afraid of hard work ¨C that wasn¡¯t the reason for her nervousness. Cara was nervous because she was afraid one, or both, of the dark elves would want to be intimate with her. She wasn¡¯t against being with a woman, as same-sex relationships were common on Irdean. But she had grown up reading books and had the dream of being romanced, like the women in those stories.


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    It was too late to back out now, and like Analie, she had watched the dark elves kill the slavers without hesitation. That was reason enough for her to not even try and back out, because she did not want to be the target of the twins. Especially the one in the leather armor, who had tortured the leader before killing him. The thought of being tortured made the catkin shiver with fear.


    The dark elf wearing the chainmail nodded to them as they walked closer. ¡°All set?¡±


    Analie nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re ready. Um, before we get started, can we ask your names? Or what we should call you, at least?¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course. I am Lilith, and my sister is Liana. For now, just use our names. We¡¯ll consider if we want something formal later, but we¡¯re in a rush.¡± Lilith gestured to the west. ¡°Any idea how far it is to the fortress west of here? That is our destination.¡±


    Cara took that question. ¡°W-with loaded carts, moving slowly, it¡¯s about t-three days. But t-that is walking slow. Two d-days, at most, depending on how fast w-we move.¡±


    The catkin froze as the dark elf named Liana stepped up close to her, reaching up to take her chin in her fingers. The catkin stayed very still, not resisting as the dark elf examined her, gently moving her head, then letting go of her chin and carefully touching her ears, which made the villager shiver slightly.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Liana said in a soft voice ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming. A real, live catgirl.¡± She stepped away from Cara as Lilith giggled quietly.


    ¡°Pardon, but on Irdean they¡¯re called catkin.¡± Analie coughed lightly as Liana looked at her, then nodded and gave Cara an apologetic look.


    ¡°Sorry. We call people like you catgirls back home.¡± Cara flushed at the apology, giving a quick nod of acceptance.


    Lilith gave a quick glance at her sister, somewhat surprised at the semi-apology. The older twin chalked it up to Liana probably wanting to bed the girl and decided not to worry about it. ¡°Right. You¡¯re both armed?¡±


    Lilith checked the two village girls over. Analie had grabbed a longbow and quiver of arrows, probably from the slaver. She also had a shortsword strapped to her belt and a dagger hilt sticking up from her left boot. Cara had a shortbow and quiver of arrows ¨C Lilith guessed it was hers, since she hadn¡¯t seen any of the slavers carrying one. The catgirl, or catkin, also had a shortsword and dagger, both attached to her belt.


    The dark elf nodded, turning to her sister, who was also checking the villagers over, her gaze lingering on Cara. She¡¯d have to talk to Liana about that when they were alone, but for now, it was time to move. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lia. We¡¯ll camp at sunrise, please keep an eye out for a good spot.¡±


    Liana nodded and gave a casual salute, then turned and headed west, the others following behind her.


    -----------------------------------


    The rest of the trip to the fortress was uneventful. It took all of the next night and a few hours past sunrise before the group arrived at the fortress. The walls surrounding the fortress were massive and appeared to be seamless, with Analie mentioning that spellcasters likely sealed the walls with magic when Liana made a comment about it. The gates were as tall as the walls and made of what appeared to be iron. A smaller portcullis was set in the wall near the gate, covering a door. Four guards in chainmail stood at the portcullis, armed with spears, shortswords, and shields.


    The twins led the group towards the guards, while the guards, who had been talking, stopped what they were doing and watched the group warily. As they drew within ten feet, one of the guards stepped forward and held up a hand.


    ¡°Halt! This is the fortress of the Hand of Night, the church of Lady Malis. State your business.¡±


    Lilith and Liana stepped forward. ¡°My name is Lilith, and this is my sister Liana. We were given a task to come here by Lady Malis a few days ago.¡±


    The guard rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get Sergeant Rothin to confirm before I let you in. Wait here, please.¡±


    The guard turned and jogged back to the other guards, gesturing at one. That guard, in turn, jogged to the portcullis and pulled a rope, apparently some sort of signal. The door opened, the portcullis remaining in place. The guard seemed to speak to someone inside, then the door closed and the guard returned to stand with the others. The twins walked back to Cara and Analie to wait.


    Fifteen minutes later, the door opened, followed by the portcullis raising, and a dwarf stomped out of the fortress. He stood about four feet tall, and almost as wide, with dark gray skin, white hair, and red eyes. He walked over to where the four young women stood, then stopped and looked them over.


    ¡°Ye got here a bit earlier than we expected, lasses. The guards weren¡¯t told to watch fer ye, since ye weren¡¯t expected until tomorrow at the earliest.¡± The dwarf spat on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m Sergeant Rothin, in charge of training. Ye¡¯ll be seeing a lot of me over the next few weeks, mebbe longer depending on yer Paths.¡±


    Rothin studied the group for a bit, stroking his beard. ¡°So, we were only expecting the two of ye. Picked up some stragglers?¡±


    Lilith grinned at him. ¡°They offered themselves to us as servants in exchange for us killing a group of slavers attacking their village east of here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, aye, I know where ye mean. Not much out that way. The pacifists, aye?¡± Rothin nodded. ¡°So ye got some servants. Ye need them fitted for servant outfits, then?¡±


    Liana laughed and shook her head. ¡°They¡¯ll be fighting with us, once we get them contracted.¡±


    The dwarf nodded in understanding. ¡°We can get that set up fer ye here, lass. Priest Xavos is a wizard, a powerful one, and if he don¡¯t know a ritual, it ain¡¯t been invented yet.¡± The dwarf turned and walked towards the fortress, waving for the group to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s get ye settled in, lasses. Ye want them in their own room?¡±


    Liana looked at Lilith first, who shrugged, before she answered. ¡°Might as well, if you have the space.¡±


    Rothin paused to let the twins catch up, then walked with them, taking two steps to their one. ¡°We have the room, lass. Only one living in the tower at the moment is Xavos, and he¡¯s not been here more than once a week until the blood moon. Guards live in the barracks, which there are three of, and tower servants have a building as well. Rest of the slaves stay in the pens. You¡¯ll get a tour of the place eventually, though.¡±


    The dwarf led the group into the tunnel, the portcullis sliding down with a loud clang behind them before the door was closed and barred from the inside. They walked across the courtyard between the wall and the tower, which the twins suspected was at least a quarter of a mile in distance. The guards at the door saluted the dwarf before opening the door of the tower to allow the group inside.


    On the outside, the tower looked tall, but they hadn¡¯t truly appreciated how large the radius was. The entryway was large, about fifteen feet on a side, with an even larger room beyond that. They gave up trying to guess the measurements as the dwarf stopped, snapping his fingers at a servant wearing a black metal collar.


    ¡°Set up two of the single rooms on the ninth floor, boy. Grab some others to help ye, and be quick about it.¡± The servant bowed quickly and ran off down a narrow hallway, and the dwarf gestured. ¡°That hallway leads to the servant room. Laundry, sewing, things like that get done there. Ye ever need a servant, should always be at least one on duty there at all times.¡±


    Rothin led the group to a different hallway, then stopped, motioning for the village girls to stay put. ¡°Ye wait here, lasses. Xavos wants to see Lady Malis'' Fated, and only them. I¡¯ll have a servant show ye to yer rooms when they¡¯re ready and ye can wash the road dust off and change.¡±


    Cara and Analie nodded as Lilith and Liana followed Rothin down the hallway, which was close to twenty feet long. At the end of the hallway was a door. The dwarf knocked once on the door, then opened it at a muffled command from within. He motioned for the twins to enter, pulling the door closed behind them.


    Inside the room sat an older human male with graying hair. He stood as Lilith and Liana entered, waiting quietly as they looked around the room before turning to face him. The man nodded to the dark elves.


    ¡°Please, be seated. You must be tired after your journey here.¡± He motioned to a pair of cushioned chairs in front of the desk he stood behind. ¡°My name is Xavos, and I am the current leader of the Hand of Night. I will not speak long, as someone else wishes to speak with you, and I don¡¯t want to make her wait.¡±


    Xavos walked around to the front of the desk, standing in front of it and facing the twins. ¡°I just want to say that I am honored to meet you both. Tomorrow, after you¡¯ve rested, we can have a discussion about Paths, and I can show you the information we have on them, which is quite detailed. For now, I will take my leave, as Lady Malis wishes to speak with you both alone.¡±


    The man bowed and left the room, closing the door behind himself. The twins watched him leave, then looked at each other. Their heads spun to face the desk as a familiar voice spoke.


    ¡°Well done, girls. You performed admirably on my little task.¡± Malis sat in the chair that Xavos had vacated, right leg crossed over the left, smiling at them. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to fight the slavers, and securing the services of those villagers was an interesting bonus. And well thought out, also. You¡¯ll need people to aid you. No matter how strong you, you can¡¯t be everywhere at once.¡±


    The twins listened quietly, and Malis paused, waiting for them to speak, then continued. ¡°So, you¡¯re sure to have questions, about why I summoned you and for what purpose. But the answer is complicated, so we will first start with what a Fated is, and why they are so special.¡±


    -----------------------------------

 Chapter Five

    ¡°So, Fated. In Earth terms, Fated are Irdean''s version of summoned heroes. Or villains, as the case may be.¡± Malis gathered her thoughts for a bit. ¡°On Irdean, we have the Path system, where those who follow a combat Path grow stronger than those who don¡¯t. Not everyone has the drive or desire to follow a combat Path, and many who do don¡¯t advance far, as they don¡¯t put in the work. There are non-combat Paths, all for artisans, and the majority of people follow those.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Xavos explain the Path system to you both later, along with your new pets. It¡¯s not important to our discussion. Now, as I said, those on combat Paths are stronger than those who aren¡¯t. And then, there are the Fated. If a person on a Path is twice as strong as a normal person, then a Fated is twice as strong as the person on the Path, given the same training and progression. That¡¯s not exact, but you should understand what I mean.


    ¡°Fated are extremely rare, as they can only be summoned when the blood moon rises. That only happens every few thousand years, and it is always a sign of great upheaval on Irdean. Every time a blood moon has risen, a great war has followed shortly after. And Fated are always involved. That is why they are summoned, to act as proxies for the gods. Fated gather armies and do battle, and the winning side ascends.¡± Malis closed her eyes, frowning slightly, then muttered under her breath. ¡°I did not expect that¡­¡±


    The goddess opened her eyes. ¡°This time, there will be a war, but you two will not be involved. I have something more important for you to do, but as you probably expected, you¡¯ll need to be much more powerful. To that end, Rothin will be training the two of you, along with the village girls. That will start the day after tomorrow, to give you time to rest and select your Paths.¡±


    Lilith had been listening intently, making a mental note of what Malis said. ¡°I won¡¯t question you on the task, since it won¡¯t do us any good yet, but I am curious ¨C why us? Is the summoning random, or did you choose us specifically?¡±


    Malis laughed softly. ¡°You were chosen specifically, to be reunited with your mother. She is alive and well on Irdean, you see. When you¡¯re ready to hear about her, and the story behind your birth, then I will tell you. It will sound impossible, but it is true, and I will make an oath on my power as a goddess to that effect when the time comes.¡±


    Liana chewed her bottom lip, biting hard enough to draw blood. She was tempted to push for the information, but after looking at Lilith, who shook her head, held the question. The dark elf had grown up believing her mother was dead, as it was told to her by that fucking Edgar Frye. To find out she was alive and on this world was a shock, but she realized her sister was right. They needed to be ready before asking, and there was too much going on to add something else on top of it.


    Liana did have a question, though. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we freaking out about all of this? Did you fuck with our heads?¡±


    ¡°I did not, but when a Fated is summoned, the magic of the summoning calms the mind of the ones who are summoned. Otherwise, their minds could irrevocably shatter, making them useless. It will wear off over time, usually a few months, but you should be adjusted enough to suffer no mental trauma by then.¡±


    Liana nodded, going silent, so Lilith chimed in with a question of her own. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that I plan to be a priestess, and you¡¯ve already said that you¡¯re my only option as a deity, which I have no problem with. But I do want to know, before I decide for sure, are there any types of magic you won¡¯t allow, or can¡¯t allow?¡±


    ¡°That is an interesting question, and the answer is no, there isn¡¯t any magic I won¡¯t allow.¡± Malis held up a finger before the older twin could speak. ¡°There are qualifiers to that. As my priestess, since I am the goddess of Evil, some types of magic I cannot grant you. For example, I cannot grant spells that fall under the Light sphere, because I hold no power over it. But most spells have an opposite version, so keep that in mind.¡±


    Lilith frowned. ¡°Does that include healing magic?¡±


    The goddess shook her head. ¡°Healing magic is available for all deities to grant their followers. It was deemed unfair, by divine law, to restrict it.¡±


    Liana held up her hand. ¡°Um, do you have paladins? Or their opposite, whatever that is?¡±


    The goddess grinned. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t call them that, of course, but yes. My followers on that Path are called antipaladins, and have the same spell restrictions as my clergy. They don¡¯t get as many spells, but they¡¯re also much stronger fighters.¡± The younger dark elf grinned, Malis'' answer settling the dilemma she had been thinking through.


    Malis sighed and stood up, walking around the desk to stand by the twins, putting a hand on the shoulder of each girl. ¡°For reasons of my own, I wish I could stay longer, but there are matters I must attend to. I will leave you with one last piece of information as a parting gift, though.¡±


    Malis looked at the twins, smiling coldly. ¡°You still have a chance to kill Edgar Frye, who is not your biological father. He is here, on Irdean. Train hard, serve me well, and I will give you the chance to kill him.¡±


    The goddess laughed at the look of surprise on the faces of the dark elf twins, then vanished. A moment later, Liana¡¯s voice echoed down the hallway. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±


    -----------------------------------


    An hour later, the twins were settling into their new home, or at least their home for the foreseeable future. They had serious training to do, plus they needed to orient themselves to their new world.


    Lilith had many more questions she wanted to ask, such as why they were so calm about being on Irdean. For now, she was chalking it up to magic. Summoning someone and having them suffer a mental breakdown seemed like it would be contrary to what their summoner would want. If it was her, she would definitely build some sort of safeguard into the system to prevent that.


    Liana was also acting a bit strange, at least in Lilith¡¯s opinion. She seemed more focused than she had been on Earth, where she¡¯d been very impulsive. The events in the village came to mind, for example. Maybe it was an anomaly, but Lilith had fully expected Liana to castrate that slaver before she killed him. Something was on Liana¡¯s mind, and it needed to be addressed before it became a detriment to one of them.


    Lilith waited until they were soaking in the tub before she brought the matter up. ¡°Lia ¨C what¡¯s bothering you? You¡¯ve been acting strangely.¡±


    Her sister sighed heavily. ¡°I almost died during that fight, Lil. It made me realize that I can¡¯t treat this like a game. What happens if I die? Do they have rez spells here?¡± Liana sank down in the water a bit. ¡°If I die and can¡¯t be raised, who is going to watch your back?¡±


    That made more sense to Lilith. Her sister was worried about her; she¡¯d always taken it upon herself to do all the fighting, not wanting Lilith to be hurt. ¡°I understand. But we¡¯ve got to face the reality that we both have to fight here, and we¡¯re both probably going to be wounded.¡± Lilith ruffled her sister¡¯s hair. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to make sure we¡¯re better than anyone we fight. I¡¯ll cover the healing, since I¡¯m going priestess for sure. Have you decided what you¡¯ll do?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m going to go tank. What did she call them? Blackguards?¡± Liana nodded. ¡°Heavy armor and a big fucking sword, with magic? Definitely my choice.¡±


    Lilith smiled happily. ¡°So we¡¯re sticking with the same pattern, then. Good.¡± The older twin stretched, enjoying the feel of the hot water. ¡°What do you think we should do with Analie and Cara? I¡¯m not sure they have the right mindset to do us any good.¡±


    That made Liana sit up, a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they don¡¯t. We¡¯ve either got to kick them to the curb, or else change their mindset.¡±


    Lilith raised an eyebrow; that was surprisingly thoughtful coming from Liana. ¡°How do you propose we change their mindset?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. Murder everyone in their village and pin it on slavers getting revenge for the ones we killed. Either they¡¯ll go dark, or they¡¯ll break.¡± Liana shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll need to make sure we save Cara¡¯s sister and let her stay here in the fortress. It¡¯ll build her loyalty towards us and bring Analie on board with her.¡±


    Lilith stared at Liana, mouth open in shock as the younger girl laid out her plan. It took her a few seconds to recover, then she analyzed the plan before nodding. ¡°That should work admirably, Lia. It¡¯s an excellent plan. Now, we just have to acquire resources to execute it. Maybe Xavos will loan us some guards, so we can make sure the sister escapes.¡±


    Liana nodded, then closed her eyes and relaxed, giving Lilith time to think again. She had always been the one to make plans, then discuss them with Liana before they agreed on a course of action, but maybe she should start having her sister come up with a plan on her own, then they could compare. Liana had always been devious, but she¡¯d never been one to plan on her own. Lilith was definitely going to try and encourage her sister more ¨C they would need all the tactical thinking they could get.


    After soaking for a while, the dark elves washed thoroughly - they hadn¡¯t bathed since they¡¯d arrived, and even if they¡¯d grown used to their own smell, both girls much preferred to be clean. They also made sure to add searching for a spell to stay clean to their to-do list. It seemed logical that there would be one. Nobles would probably like to have access to a way to stay clean when not in a place with bathing facilities.


    They ate the lunch that had been brought up by servants, and after they finished, the servants quickly cleaned up, then left the suite. The twins were tired, and after sitting around making small talk, turned in early. There were two bedrooms in the suite, and each twin took one.


    -----------------------------------


    The next morning, Lilith woke to find Liana in her bed. It wasn¡¯t a shock, as her sister always had trouble sleeping alone in a new place. She shook her head and got out of bed, putting on the clothes she¡¯d worn after bathing. There was no point in putting on fresh ones, since she¡¯d only worn that set for a couple of hours before undressing for bed.


    To the dark elf¡¯s surprise, after summoning the servants to bring breakfast, she learned their new world had coffee. She had them bring a full pot, as both of the sisters drank coffee ¨C Liana joked about it stunting their growth, especially their breast size. The smell of the coffee apparently woke the younger twin, who stumbled out of Lilith¡¯s room, still nude, her eyes barely open with her hands outstretched and making grabbing motions.


    Lilith just watched her sister drink her first cup of coffee, amused. She sipped her own, and didn¡¯t bother speaking until Liana finished her first cup and poured the second.


    ¡°So, something I¡¯ve been wondering, and maybe you have as well. Why did we turn into dark elves when we got here, instead of remaining human?¡± Liana looked at her sister, eyes narrowed as she thought about the question. ¡°Did Malis change us, I don¡¯t remember having the choice to pick a new race. Just the bright light and circle, then waking up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. Maybe Malis did it?¡±


    Lilith thought about that. ¡°Maybe, but why? Or maybe it¡¯s because she summoned us, so the summoning magic changed us to the same race as her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I can buy that, if it¡¯s fucking with our heads, why not our bodies?¡± Liana finished her coffee and placed the cup on the tray. ¡°And what do you think about our mom being here? And why is it such a big fucking secret who she is?¡±


    ¡°As much as I am interested in knowing who she is, Malis is right ¨C we¡¯re not ready. We¡¯ve got enough to deal with already, and there¡¯s too many questions about why she left us and why she¡¯s here.¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sure there is a reason, and it might even be a good reason. We¡¯ll worry about it when we get there.¡±


    Liana stood up. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to get dressed, then we can go talk to Xavos. We¡¯ll go alone at first and discuss our plan before we bring the others in.¡±


    -----------------------------------


    A servant led the twins to Xavos'' office and knocked, opening the door at the priest''s summon. The twins entered the office and the servant closed the door behind them, leaving them alone with the older man.


    Xavos greeted the twins, motioning for them to be seated. ¡°What can I do for you, honored Fated?¡±


    Lilith looked at her sister. ¡°It¡¯s your plan, Lia, you do the honors.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. We¡¯ve been discussing the two villagers, and we¡¯re not sure they have the right¡­ mindset to work with us. That¡¯s a problem for us, and we decided we have two options.¡± Liana looked at the priest, who nodded that he understood. ¡°So we can either send them packing, or we can change their mindset.¡±


    ¡°We need people to work with us, which I¡¯m sure you understand, Xavos.¡± Lilith leaned forward. ¡° So Liana came up with a plan to forcefully change their outlook, as well as to build loyalty towards us.¡±


    The younger dark elf nodded. ¡°We want to use some of the guards here to pose as slavers seeking revenge for the ones we killed, to eradicate their village. We¡¯ll need two or three survivors, one in particular ¨C Cara¡¯s younger sister.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll ¡®escape¡¯ the attack and probably come here, as there is nowhere else they can go. Analie and Cara will naturally want revenge, which should twist them the way we want.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll take in the refugees, give them protection and work, which will make them grateful towards us.¡±


    Xavos listened to the twins describe their plan, then chuckled. ¡°That is a good plan, yes. You¡¯re certain they won¡¯t do as you ask without it?¡±


    Lilith closed her eyes for a moment, calculating the odds. ¡°I would say it¡¯s a ten percent chance they won¡¯t balk at the things we will likely require them to do.¡± Liana nodded in agreement.


    ¡°My impressions of their nature match yours, not from speaking with them, but because they¡¯re from a village of pacifists.¡± Xavos sat back in his chair. ¡°I will arrange what you need. To be safe, we¡¯ll allow all the catkin children to escape ¨C there shouldn¡¯t be many.¡± The twins nodded ¨C there had been only a couple other than Cara and her sister.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the guards kill the other villagers and make it appear to be a retaliation, as you ask. Do you have a specific timeline?¡±


    ¡°Give us a week of hard training before proceeding. That should wear them down mentally from fatigue and make it more likely for the grief to warp their outlook.¡± Lilith leaned back, crossing her right leg over her left. ¡°For the men who do the deed, if there¡¯s no objection, they can keep any coin they find. Any items of precious metal or jewelry need to be melted down or destroyed, to remove the evidence.¡±


    ¡°I will make a note of it, and instruct the commander accordingly, Lilith.¡± Xavos smiled slightly. ¡°Now that we have that done, what else can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Now we should get the others and let you explain Paths with us, if you have time. We have a lot of work to do.¡±


    Xavos stood up. ¡°Certainly. I will send a servant to bring them to the library and we can meet them there.¡± The priest muttered a spell, then walked from behind the desk to the door. ¡°I¡¯ve sent a message. Please follow me and I will show you to the library.¡±


    The dark elves stood and followed Xavos, who led them to a set of double doors on the third floor. He opened the doors and walked inside, the twins close behind. The library was large and filled with bookshelves. A large table was placed in the middle of an open space, with three chairs on either side.


    Lilith walked over to the nearest bookshelf and studied the books. Most of the titles were in a language she didn¡¯t understand, frustrating the dark elf. She moved to the table and sat down next to Liana, who hadn¡¯t bothered scanning the books.


    The three of them waited silently, and ten minutes passed before a female servant escorted Cara and Analie into the room. Xavos waved at the servant to dismiss her, and she bowed before backing out of the room, pulling the doors closed. The villagers joined the twins at the table, seating themselves without a word.


    Xavos walked to the head of the table. ¡°Excellent. Now that you¡¯re all here, let me teach you about the Path system of our world.¡±


    -----------------------------------