Handbook of Erotic Fantasy: Encumbered (Patreon)

Several things had happened in rapid succession. In the first place, Fighter had made her Strength check. The chains binding her to the stone had shattered (along with a few of her teeth).

At the same time, Ranger and Horsepower burst into the dragon’s lair. It was only a minor coincidence that, having survived 6-8 resource-draining encounters, they arrived at this ultimate challenge in the nick of time.

Shortly afterward, the dragon guarding the princesses succeeded at its Wisdom (Perception) check. The dragon did not roll in the open, so we'll just have to trust him. What’s definitely true is that it roared a challenge to these interlopers.

Finally Elf Princess, catching sight of her beloved charging to the rescue, fell dead away into a swoon. It likely had something to do with the wild mane streaming out behind, the definitely-human hoofbeats pounding a tattoo upon the stone, or the look of equally stony determination upon his exceptionally long face. It was all very romantic. Fighter wasn’t having any of it.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” said Fighter. “Who faints? What kind of stereotype girly-girl, fragile, wilting-violet-delicate-flower passes out in the middle of a combat encounter?”

And then an arrow caught the dragon in the eye. Horsepower reared. And Fighter saw, sitting upon his back, the strong-silent-type profile of her hero. Fighter could suddenly hear the blood pounding in her ears. Somebody had cast darkness around the corners of her vision. Likely these effects had something to do with the sculpted musculature of an archer’s torso, the flare of a blue cape in the wind, or the sexy, sexy piercing damage off of a critical hit to a dragon’s eye. But regardless of the reason, the result was the same: Fighter too fell dead away in a swoon.

There on the other side of sleep, Fighter experienced an uncanny nightmare. Dragon fire poured down around her. The fun-hating meddler known as Horsepower had come to rescue her. The party of four was separated two-and-two in the chaos. And worst of all, Ranger had disappeared from view, damsel-carrying whats-her-name to safety.

“I wanna get carried!” pouted Fighter, still half asleep inside her dream.

“As Her Highness commands,” said Horsepower. And with those words came a deeply uncomfortable sensation at Fighter’s chest. And then, returning to wakefulness, the real nightmare began.