Elven Accord

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Once she was free of the jacket, Becky grabbed Kuro on her way to the bathroom, leaving Alvin alone. Willing his clothing onto his body, Alvin got to his feet and stretched. A soft knock brought his attention to the door.

  “Sir, I will be starting breakfast,” Jarvis informed him through the door.

  “We’ll be along,” Alvin replied.

  Another minute ticked by and Alvin glanced toward the bathroom. Heading that way, he heard the shower just before he got to the doorway. He stepped into the room and could hear Becky and Kuro talking softly, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. After using the facilities, Alvin left them to whatever they were up to.

  Heading into the main room, he nodded to Jarvis and went to the kiosk room. When he was finished there, Alvin had a comfortable outfit selected, comprised of running shorts and a shirt with a logo he mocked up with the help of the store. While he was there, he purchased the first outfit tab as well, which then let him see the price of the next one would be fifty thousand XP.

  Willing the majority of his clothing away, Alvin put on the new outfit and a screen popped up before him. Reading it over, he snorted and accepted the pop up.

  Clothing Ensembles can be accessed via your UI.

  Any non-armor clothing can be found under your clothing UI.

  Would you like to add this as a set?

  Having accepted the outfit as a set, another box asked him to name it. He typed relaxed house into it and the screen vanished. He switched back and forth between his armored set and the new clothing a couple of times and nodded.

  Walking out to the main room, he saw Kuro and Becky sitting at the table with coffee. When Becky looked at his shirt, she smiled.

  “For us?”

  “Seems appropriate,” Alvin chuckled. The shirt sported a simple design of a nighttime mountain range, in front of which sat one of the Apocalypse Gates. Ruffian and the Humvee were parked just in front of it. “I was messing around and got this to come out, so I figured why not,” Alvin smiled.

  “I wonder if we’ll get a cut of proceeds?” Becky asked the air. “You know that’s going to be something our fans will want, right?”

  “Hadn’t thought about it, but possibly,” Alvin nodded. “Are you two always going to wear those outfits when we’re home?” His eyes drifted over both of them, taking in their clothes from last night.

  “You don’t like them?” Becky asked.

  “I think I’ll get distracted,” Alvin replied with a smirk.

  “That is the intent,” Becky snickered.

  “I would like to see about getting a couple of different sets, if that’s okay,” Kuro said hesitantly.

  “We’ll look into it,” Becky said.

  “Why don’t you two go ahead and go check out some more clothes? You can save things into a wishlist, and buy them later on.”

  “You have time,” Jarvis said from the kitchen. “At least another ten minutes.”

  “Gothy, please?” Kuro asked.

  “Alright, Mousie,” Becky replied as she drained her cup and got to her feet.

  Alvin watched them go, shaking his head as his body stirred with just that small stimuli. “Jarvis, anything we need to talk about?” Alvin asked, pouring himself some coffee from the pot on the table.

  “Not that I’m aware of, sir,” Jarvis replied. “You will likely have an audience with Queen Night today. I did find out that there is a restriction on what I can watch from here. I can watch you and any of the people within a few miles of you, or any of the settlements you are tied to. I cannot watch anything other than that, so I can’t give you updates on other players.”

  “Fair enough,” Alvin shrugged. “I figured something like that was going to be implemented. What would stop us from just hunting players down otherwise?”

  “Exactly,” Jarvis nodded. “I wonder if you have an idea yet of where you are likely to go once you leave here, sir?”

  “Probably head back to Beatty, then Green River, before heading east,” Alvin shrugged. “Also might head south from Green River into Arizona or New Mexico. Nothing is concrete right now.”

  “I shall keep that in mind,” Jarvis said as he picked up something from a counter near him.

  “I know you can’t give me any advice without suffering a penalty,” Alvin said, “which is why I’m not going to ask.”

  “I do appreciate that, sir.”

  “It’s been relatively boring since crossing into this world, besides the whole army thing.”

  “This part of it is,” Jarvis nodded. “If you go away from the capital, you would find the more dangerous places…” Jarvis froze in place.

  Alvin went to the kitchen and discovered that Jarvis had been making hollandaise sauce. Frowning and not sure what he should do, he stirred the sauce and hoped Jarvis wouldn’t be frozen for long.

  Jarvis came to after a few moments, and took the whisk back from Alvin. “Sorry, sir.”

  “No problems. I hope the sauce is okay.”

  Jarvis pulled it off the heat, checking it. “It’s fine. It might not have been if you hadn’t helped.”

  Going back to the table, Alvin looked in the kiosk room and saw Kuro and Becky still there. Shrugging, Alvin sipped his coffee and waited for breakfast.

  “Breakfast,” Jarvis called just as they were coming out of the kiosk room.

  “What are we having?” Becky asked, refilling her coffee cup.

  “Eggs Benedict,” Jarvis said. He brought out a loaded tray and served everyone. Once everyone had food, he retreated to grab his tea before joining them at the table.

  Breakfast was as delicious as Alvin expected, and a food buff appeared when he was finished eating. “Two points to Personability?”

  “It is the best I can do at this time, sir,” Jarvis said. “You are likely to meet with the Queen today, and it seemed like the best idea.”

  “Good thinking, Jarvis,” Becky grinned.

  “Thank you, miss.”

  Alvin looked at Becky and Kuro and couldn’t help noticing that both of them looked even better than they had before breakfast. “Huh, so it’s not just being convincing. Part of it is how attractive you are to look at.”

  “Indeed, sir.”

  Kuro glanced at Alvin before quickly looking away. Becky looked from one to the other, nodding. “I see it now. Mousie normally looks amazing, but now she’s super model amazing.”

  “You’re even more beautiful,” Alvin added.

  Shaking her head, Becky smiled at him. “Bullshit, but thank you.”

  “To me, you are,” Alvin said as he got to his feet and switched his clothing over to his gear. “You two ready to go?”

  Both of them stood, their outfits also switching over to their standard gear. “Ready. I’m kind of looking forward to leaving. Outside of the army, this place has been boring as hell compared to Earth,” Becky said.

  “Jarvis says if we keep going past the capital, we can find some excitement,” Alvin told her.

  “The woods,” Kuro said softly. “It’s a very dangerous place to go.”

  “Maybe we can go sightseeing,” Alvin grinned.

  “If it’s a forest, we might not be able to take the cars,” Becky said, lips pursed.

  “Which will make it much more interesting,” Alvin nodded.

  “Let’s see what the Queen has to say first,” Becky smiled. “Who knows what will happen from there?”

  “Fair enough.” As Alvin turned to go, he looked back at Jarvis. “Can I still summon the vehicles in any settlement?”

  “Any of the settlements in your own network is how it now stands, sir.”

  “Good to know,” Alvin shrugged. “Let’s take them, just in case.”

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Parking where they had last night, the three of them got out to find a dozen guards watching them.

  “Problem?” Alvin asked.

  Without answering, the guards left the stable yard where they were parked. Alvin watched them go, bu
t still felt eyes on him. A surreptitious look around failed to help him find who was staring at him.

  Following Becky’s lead, they walked into the inn. “Hero, did you feel someone watching us?” Becky asked softly as they got inside the main room.

  “It’s likely one of the Queen’s Shadows,” Kuro told them in an equally quiet voice. Seeing Alvin’s raised eyebrow, she added a bit more. “They are the eyes of the Queen. It is unknown how many of them there are.”

  “Her secret police, or spies,” Becky clarified.

  “Probably just wants to get a read on us,” Alvin said. “At the moment, all she has is Skyfall’s story.”

  “What’s the plan until we’re called?” Becky asked Alvin.

  “Go take a look through the city?”

  “I can show you around,” Kuro said.

  “Sounds good,” Alvin said, turning on his heel to head back to the door.

  “Are you heading out?” the Elf behind the counter asked.

  “Yes,” Alvin said bluntly.

  “Where can we send the guard to find you?”

  “Somewhere in the city,” Alvin replied.

  The Elf blinked, shocked at how flippant Alvin was being about a potential summons from the Queen. Unable to shake the shock off before they left, the woman turned to the door behind her, informing the owner that their special guests had just left.

  Kuro took the lead as they exited the inn. Alvin got a good look at the street; stone buildings lined the paved road, which was even wider than the ones in Alinaholt had been. As they followed their guide, Becky and Alvin took in the construction, which was different than anything they had seen on Earth.

  “They like curves,” Becky murmured.

  “Who doesn’t?” Alvin chuckled as his hand slid over her ass.

  “I was talking about the buildings,” Becky replied, her lips curling into a smile as she bumped him with her hip.

  “Matriarch Gothy, would you like to see some of the clothes from this world?” Kuro asked, looking back at them.

  “That sounds fun. We can at least get you to model some for us,” Becky smirked at her.

  “If that is your desire, Matriarch,” Kuro said, leading them toward a building across the street.

  Alvin frowned. He hadn’t seen any people during their small walk so far. Looking around, he did notice someone quickly shift behind their curtains. “Right, we’re demons,” Alvin nodded.

  “Well, if you ask the people we’ve killed, we definitely are,” Becky added.

  Stopping in front of a shop, Kuro pointed out the display items in the window. Alvin’s lips thinned a bit more at the modern twist to the way the crafters here acted. He had not expected to see such clothing made and on display in a world that looked way less tech savvy than Earth. They went in, Alvin the last one through the door.

  The inside was what Alvin had expected: a small reception area with a counter, behind which a light-skinned male Elf stood. Eyes widening, the Elf took a step back when he saw Becky and Alvin. “Demons…”

  “Human,” Alvin sighed. “We would like to see about some clothing.”

  Visibly trying to calm himself, the Elf nodded. “Please wait a moment while I get the mistress for you.” Without waiting for a reply, he went through the door behind the counter.

  “I’m tired of being a demon,” Alvin grumbled.

  “I’ll always be a demon,” Becky murmured as she eyed Alvin.

  “I know that you’re a succubus,” Alvin snickered. “Gods know you drain my life force as often as possible. Not to mention Mousie’s life force, too.”

  Becky’s smile grew wider as her eyes sparkled. “You say the sweetest things, Hero.”

  The door opening behind the counter got their attention. A midnight skinned Elf walked through, dressed in silks and trying to project calmness, but her eyes widened when she caught sight of the two Humans.

  “Welcome to my shop. My servant said you wished to purchase some clothing?”

  “Depending on what you have, or can have ready shortly,” Becky said.

  Blinking, not expecting the demons to answer her directly, the owner licked her lips. “You speak our tongue? My servant didn’t tell me this. I thought I would be dealing with your servant.”

  “We’re not the demons you think we are,” Alvin said. “Kuro and Gothy are both interested in some new clothes.”

  “Not you, Hero?”

  “Nothing I’ve seen looks interesting. All the men we’ve seen are wearing just normal pants and shirts, nothing flashy. The women have been wearing some interesting blouses and dresses. You two have fun,” he hooked a thumb at a chair. “I’ll just have a seat and wait.”

  Becky seemed a little disappointed, but nodded. “Okay. We’ll just have to put on a fashion show if possible, then.”

  “I’m not sure I have anything that would be suitable for you,” the tailor said slowly, her gaze on Becky. “I have a few things already made that might fit your servant.”

  “Let’s see what you have first. If I like any of them, we might commission some others, since we might be here for a few days. We don’t know when the Queen will want to speak with us.”

  The owner of the shop stood a little straighter. “You have an upcoming audience with the Queen?”

  “Yeah,” Alvin said. “Is that a problem?”

  “Let me bring out my best items,” the owner whisked out of the room before anyone could move.

  “She hopes to have her clothing on display before the Queen. It is an honor to be able to say so,” Kuro told them.

  “We should at least get you something, then,” Becky said, taking a seat next to Alvin.

  Kuro bowed her head. “As you desire, Matriarch.”

  The next hour was Kuro trying on a half dozen outfits and Becky looking them over. They settled on a white dress with side slits up to Kuro’s hips. It had a sharply plunging neckline, displaying Kuro’s high breasts. Alvin thought it was very red carpet-esque, and agreed that it looked amazing on Kuro.

  They had to spend another hour explaining what the tailor’s dream had meant, and why the crafter was having difficulty making clothes now. Alvin handed over another book to make it easier to understand. Once the tailor fully understood how crafting worked now, she promised them any clothing they needed.

  Becky commissioned a simple black dress that would support her ample chest while giving a very good view of her cleavage. The dress would flow down to just above her ankles, with side slits up to her knees.

  They wanted to get Alvin an outfit as well, but he shook his head. “I’ll pick up a suit from the store. That is the most I’ll do for putting on finery. I’ll need to grab a shoulder holster for the handgun, too. The gloves will have to stay.”

  “Mine will go with the dress nicely,” Becky grinned.

  “I have my new dress in my bags, and Matriarch Gothy’s will be ready tomorrow,” Kuro said as they were leaving the shop.

  “What’s next?” Alvin asked.

  “Excuse me,” an alto voice caught their attention. Just to the side of the building, a regal looking woman in grey clothing stood in a relaxed pose. “The Queen will be seeing you tomorrow evening. I’m to give you a crest to make it easy for you to enjoy your time in the city.”

  Kuro bowed deeply to the Elven lady. “We have heard the Queen’s command, and shall be ready for her.”

  “Very good, Kuro Lightskin,” the lady replied, gliding forward as if skating. She was holding a hand-sized metal disk, and passed it to Kuro. “Take this. If they have need of anything at all, this will let the crafters know that it will be paid for by Her Majesty.”

  Accepting the disk, Kuro bowed deeply again. “As you say, Champion Wintersbreath.”

  “Very good,” Champion Wintersbreath smiled. She examined Alvin and Becky slowly, not trying to hide it. “I look forward to seeing them before the Queen; it shall be a very interesting day.”

  “See you soon,” Alvin said when Wintersbreath’s eyes me
t his.

  A momentary flicker of surprise crossed her face. “They speak our language? Skyfall had said so, but many doubted it. It has also been said that you are responsible for the slaughter of most of the King’s initial army. Is that also true?”

  “It’s a damn bad idea to upset us,” Becky said simply.

  “I shall remember that,” Wintersbreath smiled at her. “I hope your stay is pleasant. Until we meet again.”