Staying on Cloud Nine (Tanya & Elora MCTF) (Patreon)

Hi folks!

Phew. Well winter has certainly arrived over here - good lord is it cold out. I hope eveyone's wrapped up and staying warm, wherever you may be. Not much news to deliver from my side of things - I'm still writing away until my break next month, and hopefully I'll be delivering good stuff.

Hope you all have a fun December - and enjoy today's story, as a pair of familiar adventurers enjoy a life changing stay at the inn...

-

“I cannot thank you enough.” The matron of the orphanage clasped the paladin’s arm tightly, her eyes brimming with smiling tears. “Were it not for you, the children – no, the whole city could have been completely consumed by those monsters…!”

“It was nothing ma’am, really.” Tanya brushed a long lock of smooth blonde hair back over her shoulder, her cheeks red with proud embarrassment. “Anyone would have done the same.”

“Oh no, I don’t think just anyone could have brought that statue down on their leader, Miss Knight! I’ve never seen anyone swing their shield quite like that.”

“A-ah, well, that’s just an old trick I was taught by Grandmaster Etolis over in-Hurk!”

Alas, before the Paladin could explain, an arm looped around her neck and hoisted her off to the side, where an irritated red headed elf was impatiently waiting.

“Tay,” said Elora, the sorceress having quite firmly reached the end of her tether, “I have spent the past week being chased by cultists through filthy alleyways, crawling through unspeakably foul waterways, and getting lost in the ridiculous maze of tunnels underneath the city streets. I have not slept in three days. And if you insist on waiting around here to pull the old ‘Galant Knight in Shiny Armour’ flirt routine…”

“I’m not flirting with anyone!” The blonde protested.

“I know what flirting looks like!” The sorceress hissed. “Even if you’re doing it with all the grace of a sloshed cyclops! And if you keep it up without giving me a chance to rest, wash my hair, change my clothes, and not look like something that got caught in a drain pipe, I am going to start setting things on fire. Do you understand me?”

Tanya considered her potential responses. A lot of them ended in flames. Still, she couldn’t help but smirk as she gave her friend a quick nod.

It didn’t help. “I feel like you’re not taking my mood seriously, Tay. Do I need to start making examples?”

“No! No, I mean, it’s not that. I am taking you seriously.” One did not doubt the anger of an elf having a bad hair day. “It’s just I know where we’ll be staying tonight.”

“Huh?” El blinked, her pointed ears twitching. “What do you mean?”

The paladin’s smirk was downright smug, and just asking to get scorched. “Come on, El. What city are we in?”

“Oh, as if I remember the names of your ugly human backwaters,” the sorceress muttered – since she was still in a foul mood, and really hadn’t enjoyed her time visiting this place at all.

Tay didn’t take offense – instead, she just chuckled. “Really? You seemed to know the name pretty well when you heard we were travelling here. I’ve never seen you so excited to pack for a trip before.”

Elora grunted, annoyed. “Well that was because I thought we’d be staying at-”

The sorceress paused. Then, with a shocking display of strength for a spellcaster, she wrenched her paladin around to face her, hands gripping her collar.

“The Ninth Cloud?!? We get to stay at the Ninth Cloud? I thought they were fully booked! They told me they were fully booked!” She started shaking her friend. “I tried every bribe under the sun and they still told me they were fully booked!”

“Well…” Tay looked even smugger than before. El didn’t like the look. “Turns out that when you do the city a favour or two, the mayor can get them to move a reservation or two around…”

“…” El took a moment to process these new facts. Then, abruptly, she released her grip, dropping her paladin to the floor. “Very well then. I shall allow you to continue flirting for a little longer, while I get cleaned up.”

“I’m not flirting!” Said paladin still protested – but, of course, by this time her partner in adventure had already begun wandering off, looking for a quick way to wash up and straighten herself out – she refused to look like a mess when arriving at such a prestigious location.

Tay just rolled her eyes – and accepted the hand up from a concerned looking orphanage matron.

“Are you okay?” The woman asked, hazel eyes sparkling with concern.

“I’m fine,” the blonde nodded with a bright smile. “Sorry about her. She gets a bit… surly, sometimes, if she goes without her creature comforts for too long.”

The matron, despite being nowhere near as old as her title might suggest, looked unconvinced by Tanya’s candour, running her fingers through her dark hair nervously. “For someone who is supposed to be your friend, she treats you very callously. Like a merchant treats their pack mule. Are you sure that that’s… fine?”

Tay smiled. “Trust me, Elora is… Well, she’s stubborn, and maybe she whines a bit sometimes, but she’s a true friend. There’s no one I’d rather have at my back in a fight. Besides, the reason she’s so grouchy is because she followed me into that adventure – if she was that bad, she would have left me to it. She’s earned the right to complain after everything’s done.”

“Well, if you say so.” The other woman sighed, before nodding. “… So, what was that she was saying about flirting?”

“Ah. W-well, um…” The blonde rubbed the back of her neck. “Now that would just be her over-active imagination. You know, she flirts with people all the time, so… It’s just not really a very- Paladins aren’t allowed to, you know…”

The matron giggled, a hand pressed up to her mouth. “I understand. Of course, you must go where the people need you most!” A slight quirk of the lip peeked around her fingers. “It’s a shame though. Still, if you ever need a place to stay, and our world-famous inn isn’t moving a few reservations around, do pay a visit. I’m sure I’ll be able to find somewhere to put you up for the night~”

Tay’s blush grew worse. “I- I’ll do that! But, uh- I should… I should go make sure El doesn’t actually set anyone on fire…”

She darted away, the dark-haired woman waving her off with a smile. Ah, it was good to know that there really were heroes out there, fighting the good fight. Even if one of them was perhaps a little on the brusque side, and the other was clearly hopeless with matters of love, it was clear that the two of them had certainly earned a reward tonight. The matron hoped the inn didn’t disappoint.

-

The Ninth Cloud was an inn with a fascinating reputation – one so strong it had, indeed, spread throughout the free nations, and likely had been spoken of even in the faint whispers of the dark cities beyond the Ashlands, or in the echoes beneath the crystal caverns. For such a humble seeming business, perhaps that was a rarity, but there were few who could provide quite the service that the Ninth Cloud boasted – and, according to every person who stayed the night, delivered.

To put it simple, the Ninth Cloud was known for one thing, and one thing only: Perfect service. But such simple words didn’t truly convey what the inn offered.

No, even the most grudging guest was firm to clarify – their rooms were perfect right from the beginning. From the second they entered the suit they were given, each visitor would find themselves in a room perfectly suited for them individually. Weary travelling merchants would find food made just as their mothers had made it so many decades ago, in lands impossibly far behind them. Deposed Kings would see tapestries of their reign and messages of support from their loyal followers. Elven bards would discover ancient books of songs and dance long thought forgotten by even their kind.

From there, every need would be met, every request pre-empted, every complaint nipped in the bud. The inn offered service that just couldn’t be matched by any competitor. Each guest agreed that they’d experienced the best night of sleep they’d ever had at the Ninth Cloud, surrounded by the lap of luxury tailored perfectly to themselves, and gone out rejuvenated, ready to take on the world.

How did a simple inn accomplish such things? That, the staff said, was a family secret. It must have been magic, but no spell could possibly do everything that the Ninth Cloud’s legend claimed. Yet the results spoke for themselves…

Thus, the place was, quite possibly, the most desired, most exclusive, and most stylish place to stay in all of the Free Nations – and perhaps, in fact, in the entire world.

Elora couldn’t wait. In fact, she was practically vibrating as she neared the front doors, small orange glowing sparks circling around her hands. She’d managed to wash the muck – as little as there was – out of her red wavy locks, and had obviously spent a good chunk of her purse on a new dress – a flowing red number that would have looked well at home at the noble’s court – in the time since Tay had told her of their invitation.

“You probably want to turn those off,” the paladin whispered to her as the blonde reached for the door – nodding subtly to the sorceress’s hands.

“Eh? Oh. Oops.” The elf chuckled nervously as she shook her palms, the sparks winking out. “Sorry. Mana build up.”

Tanya grinned, patting her friend on the back before pushing the door open, and then stepping aside to allow her friend through, ever the paragon of chivalry. And El, ever the woman-who-was-happy-to-take-whatever-the-dumb-code-of-honor-her-friend-was-all-obsessed-with-would-give-her, stepped through, already smiling.

“Ah, ladies!” The pair were greeted at the front desk by a blue-eyed woman with chestnut hair. “You must be our new guests! Welcome to the Nineth – we hope you enjoy your stay.”

“I’m certain we shall~” Elora said, leaning on the counter and giving the receptionist a smile. “Especially with someone as cute as you on the front desk. Tell me, do you handle the room service too?”

Tay’s arm swept in front of her as the paladin smoothly bumped her companion to the side, and gave the woman a much less hungry look. “What my friend means is, thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here. Do you have our keys?”

Fortunately, the receptionist seemed more amused than offended. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m flattered,” she giggled, plucking two sets of keys from a set of hooks on the back wall. “Though I’m afraid we don’t do room service here. Everything should already be provided in your rooms. You have suites 18 and 19, just across the hall from each other! They’re just up those stairs,” she pointed, “and then take a left to the end of the corridor.” She held the keys out. “Enjoy your stay on the ninth cloud!”

Tay reached out and took her keys with a nod, while El took hers with a wink, before both adventurers set off up the stairs to follow their guide’s directions, taking their bags with them. Naturally, both women travelled light – a necessity in an adventurer’s lifestyle – so there wasn’t much to carry. Or, well, in El’s case her bags just floated behind her – magic was fantastic, thank you for noticing!

It wasn’t until they reached their rooms that any problems cropped up, the pair following the directions easily – but when they got to their destinations, oh yes, problems made themselves apparent. Specifically…

“What the hell is this?” All of Elora’s eager good cheer, fuelled both by getting a free night in such a luxurious accommodation, and by a week’s worth of harrowing adventure exhaustion catching up with her, vanished in an instant as she pushed open the door to her room. “Tay, do you see this? What the hell?!”

The paladin looked over her shoulder, frown lines already creasing her brow from the quick glance she’d gotten of her own room – but it wasn’t until she was Elora’s that her eyes truly widened. “Oh. Uh. Huh.” She glanced at her companion, and then back at the room. “Is that… your perfect room? I had no idea your tastes were so… rustic.”

“NO!” The sorceress’s eyes flashed. “This isn’t- What is this?!”

‘This’ was a room with walls of sturdy grey stone, seemingly carved directly out of a single mountain chunk. The floor was the same, though occasionally covered in matts of straw and hay. There looked to be a stone trough over at the far wall, and a stone bed with a mattress that looked firmer than a plank of wood balanced on it to the side. Other than that, and a chest at the foot of the bed, it was all rather… basic.

“Uh. Good question.” Tay had to admit, this room didn’t suit El at all. “Maybe they switched our keys by accident?”

The redhead squinted at her. “What, you think this cave suits you?”

“Well… No…” The paladin admitted. “But I think what I got was probably more your thing than mine.”

The pair turned to look into Tanya’s room – and El had to admit, she could see what her friend meant. The room on the other side of door number 2 was… sophisticated? In a way? Even elegant, if you squinted. Though even so, it still wasn’t quite the sorceress’s style. Perhaps it was the drapes that hung over the curtains, coloured as black as pitch. Perhaps it was dark spell sigils that decorated the walls, pulsing with foul magics. Perhaps it was the towering bookcases, loaded with ancient tomes, which, y’know, just looked tacky to the elf. Whatever it was, the room definitely wasn’t hers.

The swinging candelabra overhead was a nice touch though. And the bed was definitely a step up from the one she got, all queen sized and lined with red silk sheets. But…

“No…” Elora shook her head, stepping back. “No, this isn’t… Hm.” She found herself looking back towards her own room. The one with labyrinth-like walls and straw for a floor. Despite herself, despite every ounce of sense and style in her head, there was a strange pull to it. A curiosity she felt a need to sate.

“Should we…” Tay had the same look on her face, staring into the gothic den she’d been offered. “Should we go back to the front desk? Let them know we got the wrong rooms?”

Both women thought about it. Both found the idea oddly repulsive. It just wouldn’t be right. They’d been offered these rooms for a reason, hadn’t they? Maybe they just needed to give them a chance.

It was a strange thought, and normally the two adventurers would have examined it closer, but… Well, it had been a long week. A long, exhausting week. Tiredness was starting to seep into their minds from every angle, and the pair were ready to collapse into bed any second. In that state, was it any surprise that they just accepted their thinking at face value?

“No… No, it’s okay…” El said slowly, as if the words were still shaping themselves in her mind as she spoke them. “I… I suppose we can try this out. It’s just for one night, right?”

“Yeah…” Tay’s tone was equally ponderous. “Yeah, just one night. My room looks pretty cozy…”

“Mine looks…” The sorceress’s brain stalled as it struggled to come up with something nice to say about her accommodation. “Basic.”

Sure. That worked.

“Good night Tay.” El slipped inside her room.

“Good night El.” Tay did the same.

The doors shut, and locked, the sound echoing down the empty corridor.

-

In her room, Tanya felt uncomfortably out of place, but the feeling of displacement was fading fast. After all, this was a luxury suite, and as a traveller used to only the basic amenities, of course she felt strange here. It was nothing to worry about.

What was worth worrying about was how tired she was! El may have been the one complaining about it, but Tanya felt every bit as exhausted. Finding time to relax in the middle of a death defying adventure usually meant getting a dagger thrown at your face, so it had been a long time since she’d last had anything but a fifteen minute nap while standing upright. She was looking forward to enjoying that big, soft looking bed over there.

But first, she had to check the amenities! There was no way she was going to sleep without getting washed first, at the very least. And, to her delight, the attached bathroom was just as fancy, if… macabre… as the rest of the room. A silver bathtub, already filled with warm, scented water awaited her, with plenty of beauty and makeup products resting on a mirror cabinet not far away. After the week the paladin had just had, it looked heavenly.

“Y’know, maybe they got this place right for me after all,” the blonde giggled, slipping out of her armour and preparing for a soak.

-

“This can’t be right…” Elora wasn’t having nearly so pleasant a time. Her first point of call had been the wardrobe – which was, at least, a walk in – only to find, to her horror, a collection of massive denim overalls and style-less cloth tops. They offended every single one of her senses.

“Who would even wear these?” She’d asked, legitimately confused as she held one of the tops up against her own chest, finding herself thoroughly dwarfed. “It boggles the mind. Are these even real clothes, or did someone make them as a joke?”

Things had gotten even worse when she’d found the bathroom. It wasn’t, as she’d feared, just a hole in the floor, but it still wasn’t anywhere near even the lowest of her standards. The ‘bath’ was a wooden washtub, and the only mirror was a cracked one dangling at an angle on one of the walls. Next to it, a simple brush – not even a hair brush, more like the kind you’d use for an animal’s fur – hung on a hook.

The elf was legitimately starting to suspect this was all just some big prank on her. Oh har de har, the fancy sorceress liked pretty clothes and makeup, let’s take all that away!

Ugh, or maybe it was even worse – maybe whoever ran this place thought she needed to learn a lesson about the true nature of beauty ‘being on the inside’ or whatever. Well screw that, she was plenty beautiful on both her sides, thank you, and she planned on keeping it that way!

Hmph. She’d show them. She could make herself look good whatever the circumstances. If this was supposed to be some kind of teaching moment, or a laugh at her expense, then they’ll be teaching/laughing on the other side of their faces once she emerged from her room tomorrow morning, more beautiful than the sun’s first rays on a crystal clear day!

Firmly, with a glare at her reflection as if daring her to say something snarky about the situation, she seized up the brush and started fixing her hair. It was a difficult, but not altogether unpleasant experience.

“Mm,” she muttered, finding herself liking the shiny gloss her red hair took in the mirror. “Who needs all that fancy city junk anyway?”

-

When the paladin finally laid down in her bed, after a long, luxurious soak that had left her skin pink and tingly, sleep claimed her almost instantly. She barely had time to close her eyes before she felt herself sinking into a peaceful doze, her mind slipping free of her body and drifting into another realm of fantasy.

The dreams that found her there were a little strange, though. Instead of the warm embrace of the light that she often felt when she slept, or recollections of past battles that frequently replayed over her sleeping minds eye, she found herself standing somewhere new. A dark room, lit by flaming torches. And in front of her, stood on the inside of a complicated looking spell circle, was a purple skinned succubus.

Normally, the sight of a demon – no matter how firmly bound – would have set Tanya on instant guard, but right now, she felt oddly relaxed. Confident. The knowledge that the beast before her wasn’t a threat resounded through her head.

The succubus looked keen to disagree, though. “You dare to summon me, Mortal?” She hissed, a forked tongue dancing over shining white teeth. “You believe your meagre magical talents can hold me? I will forge your soul into a piercing I will wear through my teat to show off to my sisters, and to warn other foolish warlocks what happens when you overstep your place!”

“You’re cute, Borelea,” Tanya found herself saying, a smirk dancing on her dream-self’s lips. “All that power you’re so proud of – I can’t wait to make it mine~”

Huh. This was a very strange dream. Oh well – her sleepy self was content to be carried along with it, even as the demoness, ‘Borelea’, snarled, black eyes flashing. “You think you can take my power? I’m an archdemon, fool! You couldn’t comprehend the power I hold in my little toe, let alone my full strength!” A hand with dark black nails, as sharp as talons, reached out and pressed against the wall of light containing her, straining against it, forcing it to buckle. “Allow me to show you just how strong I truly am!”

It was a dazzling display of might, Tay knew, somewhere in the back of her mind. For a demon to break free of a spell circle just on their own strength was an incredible feat – and an incredibly dangerous thing to witness. Yet still, her confidence didn’t waver.

No, instead her smirk grew even wider. “Very impressive. And now, it’ll all be mine.” She raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.

Instantly, the runes under the demon lit up with sickly green light, and Borelea looked down in surprise. “What?!?”

Then, before she could react, purple energy began to leech from her form, flowing through the air as streams of light. They passed through the spell circle wall with ease, twirling around Tanya in graceful lines, then seeping directly into her. Immediately, her body reacted – filling with a sense of, of strength. Of knowledge. Of power. It felt good.

Borelea roared, her fists pounding against the walls of the spell circle around her – but even as she tried to break free, she was shrinking. In moments, her towering form was eye to eye with her captor, and a few moments later she had to look up to glare at Tay’s face. Her muscles, sleek and smooth, melted away as the strength in them dissolved, her dark eyes starting to dull, even her sharp talons were losing their edge.

And all the while, just as the demon was shrinking, Tanya was growing. Power flowed into her, and her body changed to accommodate it, the blonde laughing with manic glee. Only, she wasn’t blonde for long. That was one of the first things to change, the dark power dying her hair black as pitch, the colour spreading from root to tip. Then her figure, too, began to shift…

Her armour proved to be of no hinderance, melting into nothingness as it was touched by the dark power. She had no need of it anymore. Instead, she was robed by soft, velveteen darkness, woven into a wonderfully stylish dress. One with a plunging neckline, needed as the curves she’d stolen from the succubus began to make themselves known. Her bust swelled, growing out from the proud hills she’d sported before to magnificent mountains, squeezed tight by the flack fabric. Her ass wasn’t far behind, growing nicely round and plump beneath her skirt.

For a few last touches, black lipstick spread itself over wonderfully thick lips, and dark eyeshadow around piercing green eyes that had been blue a second ago. And a wicked gleam was dancing in them, glittering with knowledge that she’d syphoned from the demon’s head, the dark essence she’d taken sinking into her at the deepest levels, staining her very soul the colour of midnight.

By the time the spell was done, the former paladin cast a magnificent figure, crackling with power and black lightning. And in the spell circle before her, where once an archdemon succubus had stood, simmering with magic and might…

… Now knelt little more than a purple imp – a small runt, barely bigger than a medium sized dog, with small horns poking out of her dark hair. The only sign of her former power and status, a pair of tits on her chest that were nearly half her size.

“Wha… What happen?” The imp’s new voice was shriller than her old one, lacking all the control and wisdom she’d once possessed. It was easy to see from her dazed, vapid gaze, easy to hear from her slurred, broken words – it wasn’t just her magic that had been stolen, but her mind, too. She’d been reduced from one of the most powerful beings of the underworld, to one of the most pathetic.

And the dreamer wasn’t done with her yet. “Just getting you prepared for your new existence, dear~” The sorceress cackled, before snapping her fingers again. This time bright red chains burst out of the glowing runes on the floor, wrapping around the imp tight. “In the name of the dark, I bind this one eternally to my service. Forever and a day, she will obey my every command, and grant my every wish. I demand it, cast aside the remnants of the self she was before! I seal her to this oath, and name her… Booboo~!”

The Imp squealed as the chains tightened, sinking into her on a spiritual level, binding, reshaping her entire essence into a mere familiar, branding her new name into her soul – and then it was over. The magical chains, runes and spell circles disappeared in a flash of light, leaving just the sorceress standing in the dark, with her new minion at her feet.

Slowly, unsteadily, the newly minionized imp rose to her feet, eyes glowing with permanent red light. Blinking once, Booboo looked up, and saluted, gigantic tits bouncing. “What Mistress want me to do?”

The sorceress smiled, already sliding out of her new dress. “Oh, I have a few ideas~”

And from there, a flood of carnal pleasures and dark delights carried the dreamer even deeper into fantasy – so deep that even reality seemed like no more than a fading dream. Until even that much faded forever…

-

Elora had been expecting a difficult night, given that her bed was possibly even less comfortable than just sleeping on the ground – but she was asleep the instant she gingerly laid her head down. Had she not been unconscious, she might have joked that she’d knocked herself out on her pillow.

Instead, though, she drifted, falling easily into a pleasant, restful slumber. And when the dreams came, she greeted them gladly. She was the type who had almost never experienced a nightmare in her life, and thus accepted the offerings of the quiet night without question or hesitation.

And at first, it seemed she was right to! The red haired sorceress found herself dancing with any number of hazily remembered crushes in her favourite tavern, the Crimson Spark. The night was young, the music fast, ale was flowing freely, and every attractive person in the city seemed to be present. If Elora was asked to give form to paradise, this was likely it. Her heart soared as she danced the night away.

Yet…

Something felt off. Without her even really noticing it, the music became unpleasant, stinging her pointed ears. The crowd grew disorganised and rowdy, the cute people she’d been spending her time with vanishing into an ugly morass. Even the ale turned foul on her tongue, the sorceress spitting out the latest mug given to her in disgust.

Slowly, she staggered from the party, her head in a haze. Without understanding where she was going, her feet guided her away, one step in front of the other. First, out into the city streets (So dark and claustrophobic, how could she ever truly rest here?), and then into suburbs beyond (So crowded, so uniform – who could enjoy being the same as everyone else?) without stopping.

It wasn’t until she had wandered beyond the city limits that she felt even the slightest measure of peace, and even then, she still felt unsettled. There was something out there that she needed, her dreaming self knew – something that was calling to her. She needed to find it. And so her feet continued to trudge, one in front of the other.

And as they did, a change began to come over the elfin sorceress. Small, at first, but growing larger with every step. First, it was just her muscle definition. As an elf – and more than that, as a mage, a woman who fought with magic rather than muscle – she’d always been a lithe creature. Sure, she’d put on her fair share of muscle walking the wilds as an adventurer, but it would be hard to qualify her as anything more than merely fit. That was changing though – her arms and legs were growing stronger, her muscles growing bigger, tougher with every second. Soon, her limbs were thick with power, her stomach firm, abs defined. It was like she’d just gotten the most effective workout in history.

But that was just how it started. Next, as she rounded a misty corner, and the city vanished from view behind her, her body continued to change. Her legs lengthened, her back grew tall. Inches, even feet were added to her height, and soon she towered over what she had not long ago been. And with that growth, her chest grew too – swelling larger and larger, her clothes splitting and giving way without a fuss, falling away as mere ribbons of dreamstuff, forgotten and irrelevant.

By the time they’d finished, Elora’s breasts were the size of melons on her chest – far larger on her frame than before, even with her growth. But it looked right on her bulkier, stronger form. Felt right. A stronger self should have a stronger bust. Dream logic whispered into her pointed ears, and drew a smile on her dazed face.

It was all a slow, gradual process, time losing meaning as she walked the country roads, the open sky and flowering fields her only companions. Until, at last, she found herself stumbling into a quaint village. A small place. Simple. Basic. There was something to that that warmed her heart.

As she wove deeper in, her ears tingled, shrinking, rounding, losing their elfin points and becoming more floppy, lidded. Her nose pushed out as her face grew longer, becoming broader, flatter, a hiss of steam emerging as she snorted. A thin, faint fuzz began to spread over her skin, reddish-brown fur growing all over her body as her hair shortened and turned the same colour, looking more like a thick mane than carefully styled locks, a pair of horns just starting to poke through the thickest part. Even her feet were getting in on the shift, bare soles hardening into solid hoofs, her toes shrinking back into her rounding ankles.

Once she reached the edge of the village, it was hard to mistake her for anything but a powerful minotaur. There was no trace of the graceful elf she had been at the start of her journey.

Then, finally, she reached her destination, a surge of joy in her heart informed her. It was a nice, rustic looking farm, with a house, a barn, and wide open fields for cattle. She was home, something inside her said. A smile crept over her face.

She reached for the door, and as she did, everything faded into slow motion – or, rather, her mind began to slow down. Like her muscles, her thoughts thickened, firmed, hardened. Memories of her old life vanished from her head, her time in the cities, her travels over the world too vast and too complicated to hold in the mind of a simple farm girl. Her education was churned, turned mushy and liquid, and drained out of her head, fattening her tits just a little more as milk. Anything that wasn’t needed for a simple farm cow was discarded.

One last touch, as she crossed the threshold, was her clothing. Blue denim overalls stitched themselves around her bulky frame, a loose cloth top barely managing to hold in her massive chest. The simple country bumpkin minotaur smiled to herself. It was a simple life, to be sure – but it was a darn sight better than any of that fancy city junk, as far as she was concerned.

Smug, stupid satisfaction rolled over her, swallowing her whole as the dream massaged her form into her soul, and any last vestige of Elora the sorceress faded like morning mist…

-

It was morning by the time the doors to rooms 18 and 19 opened. And when they did, it was a very different pair of women who emerged.

From room 18, rather than the noble paladin who had entered last night, now strode a confident woman in a black dress, wearing a smug smile. Her clothing was blatantly designed to show off her figure, and with good cause – her bust filled her incredible wide cleavage window to the brim, and her ass bounced with every strutting step. Dark mana thrummed around her like an aura, and sparked behind her sinister gaze.

From room 19, there was no sign of the charming, if blunt, elven sorceress. Instead, a towering minotaur stepped out, dressed in a farm hand’s overalls, and possessing perhaps the only breasts in the city that dwarfed the woman across from her’s. Her eyes were thick and dull, as many stereotypes of her kind expected, and she didn’t seem to entirely notice the woman in black until she bumped into her.

“Hey! Watch it, you big oaf!” The warlock stumbled backwards, glaring. Behind her, hidden in the shadows, her familiar glared too.

“Huh?” The minotaur looked down, blinking. “Oh. Sorry. Didn’t see ya’ down there, lil’ gal.”

The dark haired woman’s eyebrow twitched. “Excuse me? Do you not know who you are talking to? I,” she gestured to herself proudly, “am Elizabeth Nightcaster. Not ‘little gal’.”

“Uh.” The minotaur rubbed her neck. “That’s nice? I’m Daisy. Daisy Redmane.”

Dark eyes narrowed. “I didn’t ask, you oaf. You can’t seriously expect me to believe you’ve never heard of me? I’m one of the most powerful mages who’s ever lived! You should be kneeling in my presence, quite frankly.”

“Oh, uh. Sorry.” The minotaur shrugged. “Dunno much about that magic stuff, or whatever.”

“Rude,” Elisabeth’s shadow whispered. “Needs taught lesson!”

The warlock certainly seemed to agree, folding her arms over her impressive chest and looking Daisy over with pursed lips. “Hmph. I need a better apology than that. You know, I have been looking for a good pack mule. Someone to carry my luggage and the like around. Judging by the size of you, I think you can handle that. I’ll allow you the honour.”

Daisy just blinked. “Well I don’t think I’ll be doin’ that. Sorry, Miss, but I got a farm to get back to.”

“Heh. Oh, I’m sorry.” The witch looked smug as she raised her hand. “Did I give you the impression you were getting a choice?”

She snapped her fingers, and red swirling lights appeared before the minotaur’s eyes. They pulsed and turned, forming tight spirals that filled her vision before she could even think to look away. A single gasp was all the reaction she managed.

Daisy was not a complicated soul. She didn’t have a resilient or well defended mind. The spell took less than a second to erase her will completely. By the time it was done, she was slumped over, arms limp at her sides, mind blank, her face now finally level with the dark caster’s, allowing her to see the red spirals taking shape where her pupils were supposed to be.

“That’s better. Now.” The warlock reached up and stroked her new pet’s mane. “You are my slave. You belong to me, heart, mind, and soul. Understand?”

“Yes Mistress.” The words were small and simple, and slipped straight into Daisy’s core without issue.

“You shall serve me happily, as my servant and pack mule, without complaint.”

“And sex slave!” An eager giggle came from her shadow.

Elisabeth raised an eyebrow, and then smirked, once again assessing Daisy’s body – especially her chest. “And sex slave, yes. Those look like a lovely pair of pillows I’d just love to snuggle up on. In fact…” She glanced towards the hallway clock, grinning. “It’s early yet. I don’t have to check out for some time. Why don’t we return to my room and give you a proper introduction to your new role in life?”

“Yes Mistress,” was the minotaur’s hollow reply, Daisy smiling happily as she obediently followed her new owner back into room 18. The pair would, indeed, be some time before they made it to checkout.

-

Under the counter at the front desk, the reservation book lay open. On its last page, a pair of names lay crossed out, replaced with ‘Elizabeth Darkcaster’ and ‘Daisy Redmane’. Just visible under the scribbled ink were the names ‘Tanya’ and ‘Elora’ – the last trace of the adventurers who had booked in last night left in the world.

They’d be much happier as a dark warlock and her mesmerised minotaur slave. And the mayor, one of the last remaining members of the cult the pair had ruined over the course of the week, would be much happier with the two scrubbed out of history.

The Ninth Cloud always gave their customers the perfect rooms for them, it was true. But, as a duo of heroic adventurers had failed to learn, one really needed to pay attention to just who the inn considered their customer to be…