The moment Peaches saw Rouge burst into flame she knew something was off but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Yet.
Her own back was already to the bedpost. The oak jabbing her back harsh and knobby. Her bright green minidress of elven silk should of been more protective against physical and magical dangers than it looked like it should be. Just because it looked thin and stretchy soft, that it was so fine it was translucent at the right angles, showing her ruby heart bra top and panties, and even them at the right angle, were translucent, all to distract those rapeholic orc bastards …
But she shouldn’t feel every dent and bump of the bedpost along her back.
Nor should she feel so hot and sweaty. Enough to smell her own peachy stink, as much as Roo loved that smell, and teased her endlessly about it, and sigh, she even liked how he liked it, unlike those stuffy stupid elf guys.
But this minidress and its gloves and thigh boots had protective pentacles woven in the insides. The pentacles not only strengthen the material and the protectiveness of her own skin to a crazy amount, they should keep them both clean and fresh, but also should of keep her from being too hot or cold, for the most part.
Her rosy pink minidress now stashed in her hidden bra pocket sacrificed all that in order to boost her magical reserved to the absolute max, but honestly, that boost was overrated in most situations.
The light coming from the window right behind Roo was far too bright.
It was brighter than the fairies in the black iron lanterns. The lanterns were rocking far too far too. Enough to panic the poor fairies inside them. Sent them crashing everywhere inside, and there was nothing Peaches or Sunshine could do about it.
Sunshine!
Sunshine was still beside Peaches but she had fallen to her knees. Gasping. Trembling.
Roo was gasping too. But not trembling. He smelled of the cherry-stinking flame that ruby dragon that tried to swallow him and got its tongue ripped out for its trouble. A dragon that, while transform back to some busty redhead known as Rouge, fell outside the window.
But where was her scream once she fell outside?
The lanterns were swaying but the floor, the walls, they weren’t moving. Shaking. Nothing.
Just still.
Like a serpent about to strike.
And Roo was barely about to stay on his feet.
Sunshine was already all but down.
Rouge was definitely playing them. She was far from defeated.
“Roo,” Peaches said, “I’m your loyal familiar, remember? Get over here and–”
Sunshine gasped. “What?”
Then whimpered. Clearly unable to – oh no. Her eyes.
They had gone blue serpent again. Rouge possessed Sunshine once again.
“Roo!” Peaches said, “Sunshine’s my best friend! And she–”
Sunshine grabbed Peaches’ thigh. Squeezed so tight it hurt.
Snarled.
Her teeth now fangs?
More than possessed now.
Peaches cried. “Roo! Save Sunshine! Please! I can’t kill my best friend …”
Genie Sunshine now and Rouge would bear the brunt of it.
“The Amber Death,” Sunshine said, “Turns out ssso pathetic, it hurtsss to look at you, but this tassty leg meat …”
Sunshine licked her chops. Drooling.
“No worriesss,” Sunshine said, “This body shall do nisssely. Better than my last one. I’ll take good care of it, but for daring to defy a dragon, the boy mussst die. And so mussst you.”
“Roo!” Peaches said, “If you ever really loved me, please! Help! I–”
“Ha!” Sunshine said, “He cannot hear you. The serpent curssse shall end him. Turn him into my obedient dragon dog. A fitting end to his terrible line. Camilla always said that loossse end needed to go. Breaking the mind twisssters grip on you … oh no. I said too much. How could I? Now you need to die. Forever. Too bad. I sssso enjoyed our death matches. NOT.”
“Mind twister?!” Peaches said, “Then …”
“Your elders needed a jussst little help convincing their youngers to die pointlesssly,” Sunshine said, “Even thisss stupid girl, she never hated humans until, well, the right mind twisting and her frustration at those awfully picky elf boys, perfect to stir into rage toward poor ssstupid humans.”
Roo … he took a stumbling step toward them! Even if he was slumping horribly low and wobbly.
Gotta keep Rouge-possessed Sunshine occupied. It was her only hope. Sunshine, her soul was being consumed by Rouge. No rebirth if Sunshine died like that. Even if Peaches killed her right now, Sunshine was too far gone.
She’d truly be gone forever. Rebirth now would only complete Rouge’s possession.
Forever.
Till the next body.
Next set of lives.
“Sunshine doesn’t have as many lives left as you think,” Peaches said, “Actually, I have a few more lives. Five compared to her three.”
“Lies,” Sunshine said, “She has … no, true. Possessing you … would be wissser, but fusssing you both, gaining all your lives, that would be wisssest. Now sstay still, or your massster shall die a horrible dea–ack!”
Dug deep in Sunshine’s chest was now a golden dagger similar to a tricross?
Sunshine gagged. “Too … late … I …”
She grabbed at the tricross. Whimpered.
But Peaches slapper her hand away from it. Kneed it hard. Shoving it in deeper.
Sunshine gasped. “No! Your friend. She’ll–”
“Better genie than dead,” Peaches said, and winked with a smirk.
Then Peaches kneed the tricross in even deeper.
A crunch.
Sunshine gasping again. “No! Never! Death over sla–”
Her eyes suddenly light up bright glowing blue.
The tricross sunk into her.
And Sunshine fluttered her eyes.
“Peaches, I …” Sunshine said, “I’m a genie? This … oh. I ... wow. I … really, well, like that boy, and oh no. You like him too. And but I–”
Peaches patted Sunshine’s head. “I understand. It’s …”
“A genie’s ssstupid love obsession,” Sunshine said, “With her massster. Am I … I going to ssstay a serpent too?”
Roo was in front of Sunshine already? No hint of stumbling or wobbling either.
“The healing can only do so much,” Roo said, “You’re an elf with some serpent mixed in now, but that serpent possessing you should of taken the brunt of the curse. I–”
“Love minion me,” Sunshine said, and offered him her hands.
That jolted Roo almost as much as it did Peaches, which was the only good bit about that nonsense.
But Roo took her hands. “As long as Peaches–”
“No!” Peaches said, “I …”
Sunshine stared at Peaches like some poor fox pup denied its mousey treat.
“Pleeeassssse?” she said.
Roo grimaced at Peaches?
“She’s your friend,” he said, “It’s not fair to her to–”
“I know,” Peaches said, “I … just … this is too much too soon. Sorry. I’ll … okay. I just … have you sleep with any girls? I want to be your first but now … it’s like your collecting a harem of pretty girls and I’m just one of your sexies. All because that mind twister thing got to me and …”
Roo sighed, and smiled sad.
“It got to all elves,” he said, “Camilla can’t let us live now. If anyone else found out, it could change the war.”
“Really?” Peaches said, “There’s been so much death … would it really end? So many humans died and they don’t get revivals and–”
“Breaking the will to fight,” Roo said, “Is the usual way to win a war, and break the grip of those mind twisters and the elves will ensue for peace.”
“But Roo,” Peaches said, “Humans … most humans, I mean, aren’t that forgiving, or understanding. They’ll want revenge and call it ‘justice’ and–”
“Don’t forget this is a three way war,” Roo said, “And the darkspawn faction is winning. There’s no doubt about that. If lightspawn unite with the other races against the darkspawn … we all stand a chance then. At least a better one. It’s after the war that the elves might have to worry about, but by then there’s would be time to work out something better than what’s going on now.”
Peaches sighed. “Yeah … but …”
Sunshine side-hugged Peaches and Roo and giggled so dainty naughty.
“Some sexy elf girl time for the human fighters,” Sunshine said, “And those human guys would forgive us. Especially if we go smutty elf girl and beg for forgiveness for falling for those mind twisting … what are mind twister anyway?”
Peaches didn’t know if she wanted to slap Sunshine or hug her back just a dainty naughty, but Sunshine … moments ago wasn’t … she was alive and different but alive and ... sigh.
“Good question,” Peaches said, “I only have legends to go on, and none of them actually say how to identity their physical form, only how to recognize if others might be trapped by them.”
Roo nodded. Side-hugged both Sunshine and Peaches far to smug and happy for smutty elf girl dream going all too true and sigh.
“That and where are we?” Roo said, “Not in Appleharth. There’s no castles in Appleharth. Not for miles and miles and way too many miles. We can’t be in Camilla’s Castle. She wouldn’t be that stupid.”
Peaches huffed at Roo. “How can you be so sure this is a castle?”
“I … don’t but, what else could it be?” he said.
A door squealed open and … they all looked and …
Peaches gasped. “Bishop Hagert?”
The bishop grumbled. His glare fiercer than any dragon.
“What are you three doing in the consummation chambers?” he said, “A week of you missing since the knights drove off that horde of darkspawn and you’re here of all places?! This bedroom is solely for consummation of holy and proper marriages between … I take it you want me to marry you to this other elf girl as well.”
Sunshine perked up. “Oh yes! Please!”
Before Roo or Peaches could stop him, the bishop married Sunshine to Roo.
“There,” Bishop Hagert, “If you idiots are going to live in sin, at least it will be in less sin. Now you have an hour to consummate and get out! I suggest you report to your superiors that you did manage to genie that other elf girl. Capturing both elf girls might be enough to keep that emblem on your chest, but that’s a big maybe.”
And he left. Slamming the door behind him.