Jonathan A Countyman
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Chapter CIII Why is Everyone Naked? Wait! Why am I Naked?
🕑 Added 2021-02-02 15:14:11 +0000 UTCOvi’ta hadn’t noticed the landing, but here she was in a nice looking room. Standing in front of her, the crazy goddess was talking with a strange elven man. It did not seem to be anything of consequence though, mere pleasantries, and introductions.
Those slipped past her when she realized that the strange man was entirely naked. She could see everything including his thing, but she had no idea if it was small or big. It seemed to be of a decent size though. He had a muscular, but not overly so, body that seemed to be sculpted. He put many of the men she had seen to shame.
Looking away, she noticed the crazy goddess was also standing in the nude. She instantly noted the goddess’s figure. She had very healthy skin, and some muscle tone. What she noted most was that her breasts were easily a size larger than she had thought, but did not look out of place on her.
That seemed odd, and looking further around she noticed a number of naked women in the room. Some young, others not so young, but none of them were truly old. All of them were elves though. “Why is everyone naked!!?,” before anyone answered she noticed something else, “Wait! Why am I naked!?”
Crazy Arlie giggled, and it was the strange man who answered, “This is a nude island. None are permitted to wear clothes here. Trying to wear clothes here will only get you cursed. Be glad your patron removed yours before the five minute time limit was up.”
“Huh?”
Arlie looked over, “I know you aren’t comfortable without your clothing, but Yiran is not wrong. There is a curse that afflicts those who wear clothing for more than five minutes here. One not so easy to dispel. I could do it, but you could not afford my price. Not even in a thousand years.”
The strange man who was apparently called Yiran, spoke up, “I guess that should be expected of a primordial goddess. I wasn’t aware anyone could dispel that curse.”
As the goddess and the strange man started to banter about a curse. She started to think. If she stayed on this island, she would either have to stay nude or end up cursed. It might be better to just leave, but she found herself wondering something.
“Would wrapping a towel or blanket around me trigger this curse?”
Both stopped their friendly banter and simultaneously answered, “that depends. Why are you wrapping the towel or blanket around yourself?”
Great, it was one of those curses. Slumping and with a sigh she replied, “Let me guess those are only okay if I genuinely am trying to keep warm for the night in the case of the blankets, and with the towel I am trying to dry off.”
Yiran responded first, “Basically right, but in the case of the towel it’s a bit different. Given the whole water aspect.”
Naturally. She turned to Arlie, “Can we go. Perhaps a different island?”
Arlie gave her a look. “You need rest, and it is only one night. It’s not going to kill you. Although if you have that much of a problem with this, there are ways I can help you.”
Yiran commented, “a bit of mind magic no doubt.” Then he turned to a young girl, “Prepare a couple of rooms for our honored guests, and have the cooks prepare dinner. Something suiting for an occasion like this.”
The girl nodded happily and rushed off to do the task. Ovi’ta however had caught the quiet comment about mind magic. Letting someone even a god root around in your head was rather intimate. She could think of nothing more intimate than that, in fact. There was no way she was going to let anyone into her mind. Much less change anything about her. The idea of spending the night here naked, however, was no less welcome. It was a prospect she was very much not comfortable with. A part of her wondered if it was worth just risking the curse. Even though she knew not what it did. Perhaps the curse would be worth the price if she could just wear something. The half-celestial just wasn’t comfortable being naked in public, even when everyone else was. She even avoided bath houses because of this discomfort.
Arlie sighed, “Well mind magic is the preferred solution, but since you don’t like that idea, drink this.”
From nowhere she produced a bottle containing a swirling blue, purple and orange liquid that glowed slightly. She had never seen anything like it. Curiously she opened the bottle, and remembering what she had heard from a few alchemists waved the scent towards herself. You never sniff an unknown liquid, you waft it.
The smell that came to her was sweet, fruity, and smelled faintly of alcohol. “Is this some kind of alcohol?”
Arlie smiled, “Alchemically treated alcohol. It’s called Clarity of Mind. Unlike normal alcohol that clouds the mind, this one does the opposite. It gives you perfect clarity of mind.”
“How does that help?”
Yiran interjected, “Yeah that would work. It will indeed make you more comfortable with the island’s rules. At least until it wears off.”
She looked back at the strange fluid. Everyone seemed to think it would help, and she wasn’t sure about the other options. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided it was worth the risk, and downed the entire bottle. It went down smoothly, and quickly.
At first nothing seemed different, but after a moment her discomfort did not seem so pressing. The world seemed so different, her problems small and the solutions simple. A night spent in the nude did not seem so bad now. That stuff was certainly potent.
After a moment or two, the winged woman flew away, leaving behind her brother’s bleeding body. She did not know what compelled her, but young Darious approached him.
She kneeled down before his broken body and felt him. He was still warm, but she knew no magic could save him. Normally it took days for a soul to leave the body, but her training as a priest told her that her brother’s soul was already gone. Taken by the servant of a goddess, and soon he would be delivered to that goddess to be judged, to be punished. Never to be seen again, unless the gods set him in her path again.
She knew she needed to get back to town, but she did not leave his body there. Darious could not bury him, but leaving him was no option either. Instead, she started to gather broken wood and fallen leaves. At least she started, but before she could gather more than a few sticks, someone showed up.
She had looked up from the ground after gathering an armful to see an immodestly dressed young woman emerge from the trees. She was very cute with lovely auburn hair that fell halfway to her waist, and was kept in a nice sidetail. Her modest chest was wrapped in a thin piece of fabric that stretched tightly over her mounds, hiding nothing. The only other thing she wore was a dreadfully short skirt that did nothing to hide what was beneath it.
Her red eyes, and her silver horns gave away what she was. A demon, what kind Darious did not know, but given the area and her dress this woman was likely a lust demon in service to the dungeon. She froze, not sure why she was here, and afraid that she was about to be adopted by a demon. Even if she knew logically that a demon would best be able to help her now. Best able to care for her, even if she felt she could still care for herself. The reality that she did not want to accept was that she needed a caretaker, someone to teach her. There was much about succubi she did not know, and only a lust demon could truly teach her. Something the goddess had told her, but she was not ready to truly accept that.
The demon glanced at the sticks, in her arms, and then at the body of her brother. She sighed, “Trying a funeral fire? You’ll need more than a little campfire for that. Bodies don’t burn to ash easily.”
“I know that!” shouted Darious, but she could not use magic. Nor did she have the tools to bury her brother. Sticks and leaves were all she had. She didn’t have the much-needed accelerants that would aid the burning. This was not the first body she had burned. Funeral pyres were a common rite for sanctifying the dead. It was said that the dead must be sanctified lest they be raised as servants of the demon lord. Not something she ever fully believed, but like any priest, she was versed in the practice.
The demon shook her head, “well we can’t leave that dead man to rot.” then she sighed again, “I might as well help you. Then we can head back to town. On the way, you can explain to me a few things, like why you stayed out this late, and where your parents are young lady.”
The help was appreciated, but the strings that came with it were not so welcome. Already she could see where this was going. She did not have long to think up a few lies, and hope that she could give the demon the slip. If she failed that, she knew what would happen. It would mean getting adopted by the demon in front of her, or worse the dungeon. Perhaps if she ran now? Then again that might not work, she had the level and stats of a child. The demon before her was grown.
“I guess,” she mumbled in reply, while wishing she could use Analyze. It would tell her much of what she needed to know about the demon in front of her. Important things like her level, her exact race, and while not important to Darious it would also tell her the demon’s titles.
Seeing no opportunity at the moment, she ended up assisting the demon girl in building a small funeral pyre in the forest. It was not the kind of ceremony she would have liked for her brother, but it was the best she could give him. Even knowing what fate had in store for his soul. She prayed the goddess would show him mercy, even if she doubted the goddess would. Not that there was any point worrying about the fate of his soul. She had other more immediate things to worry about, like her next meal, and being adopted.
