Emily, Naked in Thessolan

[student]

Thank you for the latest chapter. It's a nice Christmas present. Pirates, now. Since Emily is up in the air, her shell stone will be a hazard to pirates. Where are you going to go when the ship's on fire? Emily just proved that water isn't a problem for HER, but what's a rum-sodden pirate going to breathe?

[WingDing]

Calling them Pirates is rather judgemental, isn't it? They're just showing some ethnic pride. They seem to be Thesselonians of piratical descent. I'm sure they just honest fishermen.

https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic. ... e=20171129

[FinchAgent]

Emily and the Pirates

Separated from Caelum, Emily now found herself naked and dripping on the deck of a pirate ship, surrounded. The pirates leered shamelessly at her, some licking their lips in anticipation. Terror gripped Emily's heart, and she worried she might pass out from fear.

But the Stoneshell was warm against her chest, a reminder that she was not entirely defenseless. Quite the contrary, in fact. The pendant's firepower may have been useless against King Trilato, but now she was on the surface, breathing the salty air, aboard a highly flammable wooden ship.

Her features set with determination, Emily spun her hips around into a sitting position, quickly bringing her knees up to her chest to give the pirates as limited a view of her body as possible. Two of the pirates began to approach her, hands outstretched, practically drooling. She closed her eyes.

Holding her right hand out to her side, Emily ignited a glowing ember in the Stoneshell and directed it to her palm. With a loud whoosh, a great fire erupted from her hand. The pirates cried out in astonishment, taking a collective step back.

Reopening her eyes, Emily smiled as she took in the newly terrified gazes of the pirates. She glanced around at the wooden ship and made the fire in her hand grow larger, keeping it suspended in the air. The pirates exchanged curses.



"Right," Emily said, letting the word hang in the air for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "As you may have noticed, I just came from the depths of the ocean. Breathing underwater isn't a problem for me, and neither is the heat of this magical fire. Both of those things, however, are going to present problems for you if you come any closer."

The pirates' eyes widened in horror. "Spare us!" cried out a short man with an eyepatch and a knobbly cane.

"Gladly," said Emily, surprised at the immediate power of her threat. "But I have a few conditions. First off, none of you are going to touch or otherwise harm me. Second, this ship is going to take me where I want to go. And third, you are going to bring me something to wear!"

The pirates huddled together and murmured amongst themselves for a long time, stealing occasional furtive glances at Emily, each of which was met by an increase in the size of her fireball. A few pirates scurried below deck and returned. Emily waited, clasping her knees to her chest tightly with one arm, drying in the heat of the fire.

Finally, a large, stocky man with a red headband and a fuzzy brown beard stepped forward while the other pirates shrunk back. He looked Emily in the eyes, his face free of emotion. "I am First Mate Gideon and I grant these demands on behalf of the crew of the Sea Serpent." Then, to a couple of pirates just behind him, he said, "You heard the lady, go fetch some clothes!" The pirates scurried below deck, almost tripping over each others' feet in their hast.

Emily smiled and slightly reduced the size of the flame in her hand. She hadn't expected the pirates to cave so quickly and had been steeling herself to burn at least a small part of the ship. The whole thing was a little suspicious, and she briefly wondered if she was walking into some kind of trap. Was the first mate just trying to get her to let her guard down? She would have to keep her fire ready.

Perhaps she would be better off diving back down and seeing if Caelum had managed to fight off their pursuers.

The two pirates soon reemerged from the hold carrying a bundle of leather and cloth, which they deposited on the deck a few feet away from where Emily sat, placing it down and hurriedly retreating as though they were leaving steaks out for a tiger.

The appearance of actual clothes made Emily's mind up. She would stay on the pirate ship for the moment. Whether Caelum had been captured or not, she could be of no use to him at that time—strong swimmer or not, she would soon get lost trying to navigate the ocean herself, and of course, the Stoneshell's fire was of no use down there.

Emily's first priority had to be reuniting with Aria and continuing her training in the Stoneshell's magic, now with Zephyr's book to aid her. Finally acquiring an adequate and non-enchanted outfit, while not wholly essential to that aim, would make her feel a lot more comfortable in its pursuit.

Clothes! Emily gazed lovingly at the pile in front of her, already imagining how nice the fabric would feel against skin that had been exposed for too long. The pirate stood around her in silence, maintaining a respectful distance, waiting for her to take the clothes.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Could I get some privacy here? I'm not going to get dressed in front of you all."

"Certainly," said the first mate, motioning for the rest of the crew to leave the deck. Once they'd departed, he turned his back to Emily. "Cough when you are done."

Emily crawled towards the pile of clothes and rifled through it. They were all men's clothes but in small sizes. She pulled on a pair of brown trousers that came all the way to her ankles, far bigger than the gnome britches she'd been given by the traveling merchant, and secured them around her waist with a ratty old belt.

A billowy white shirt with ruffled sleeves was next. It was enormous and quite shapeless, hanging off Emily like a tent, and most of its buttons were missing. Clucking her tongue with annoyance, she pulled the shirt's tails together and knotted them firmly. The ensemble left her midriff exposed and framed the Stoneshell with a fair bit of cleavage. But she was decent, and right now that was enough. Perhaps she would ask for another shirt later.

Emily pulled on a pair of socks and brown boots, not dissimilar to the ones she'd had at the start of her journey. In the absence of a mirror, she would have to imagine what she looked like, but she quickly decided that sexy pirate was a look she far preferred to naked fire-witch.



It felt amazing to be clothed once again. Finally, the intimate parts of her body were concealed and with no evil magic at play. Emily spun around with glee, boots thumping against the wooden ship deck. Properly dressed and empowered by the Stoneshell, she felt she could face whatever this strange world might throw at her next. She knelt down and picked up Zephyr's book, tucking it in the crook of her arm.

First Mate Gideon cleared his throat, and Emily coughed. Before he turned around, she had already summoned a small flame back into her hand, where it flickered around her fingertips. "Thank you, Gideon."

"At your service, Miss...?"

"Emily," Emily replied. In lieu of a surname or title, she flared the flame in her hand dramatically.

"Well, Miss Emily, on account of your... credible threat, we are only too happy to accede to your demands. You have your clothes, and you have my word that no member of my crew shall touch even a single hair on your head on pain of drowning. There remains only the matter of where, exactly, you would like us to take you."

Emily opened her mouth to respond but then realized that she hadn't actually thought that far. Of course she wanted to reunite with Aria, but she had no idea where the beach on which they had parted was. Did it have a name? A set of coordinates? Emily found herself missing GPS technology.

Well, she may not have a phone with GPS, but she did have the Stoneshell, as well as Zephyr's book. The power of the statue curse linked Aria to the Stoneshell, so perhaps it would be possible to locate her through that link. Emily would just need to figure out how.

"Miss?" asked Gideon.

Emily blushed, realizing she'd totally zoned out and not answered Gideon's question. "Uh, right. Where do I want to go? Well, the thing is... I kinda still need to figure that out."

Gideon snorted. "Aye, thou art a woman, of that I have no doubt."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily asked, scowling. The flames on her fingertips grew in size.

Gideon turned pale. "N-nothing, ma'am. Just that it is the prerogative of a lady to... take her time in making a decision."

He had a point, Emily had to admit, and the flames receded.

"Perhaps you would prefer to tell your destination to the captain. A meal has been prepared for you in his cabin, and he humbly requests the pleasure of your company."

Emily's stomach growled. Between her conversation with Zephyr and her disastrous audience with King Trilato, she had not had time to sample any of the Coral Gala's banquet. Adrenaline and fear had kept her from thinking about food, but now that Gideon had mentioned it she felt famished. Joining a pirate captain in his cabin was something to be wary of, but between her fire magic and wonderful new outfit, Emily felt invincible.

"Sounds good, I'm starved!"

"Right this way then." Gideon led Emily across the deck towards the stern of the ship, the deck wobbling and creaking beneath their feet. Fortunately, Emily had never been greatly affected by seasickness.

A few pirates glanced warily at her as she passed, but were quick to avert their gazes if she looked at them. They descended a narrow staircase, the wooden steps groaning under their weight, and navigated through a dimly lit corridor lined with doors.

Finally, they stopped in front of a sturdy oak door, reinforced with iron bands. Gideon knocked firmly.

"Enter," came a voice from within.

Gideon opened the door and gestured for Emily to go ahead. "Captain Richard will see you now," he said.

Heart pounding, flames flickering on the ends of her fingers, Emily stepped into the cabin, her face set in a resolute expression. She found herself face to face with the pirate captain, who raised an intrigued eyebrow at the sight of her fiery hand.

"A sea spirit who commands the power of fire," he said. His tone was haughty, consciously more refined than the rough speech of the other pirates. "A mermaid on two legs. What wonders the ocean shows us."

The captain bowed deeply, his watery blue eyes fixed on Emily's. "Captain Richard Stoneheart at your service, Miss Emily," he said, before straightening up and pulling out a chair at the table behind him. "Please, take a seat."

Richard was a ruggedly handsome man with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His deep-set eyes seemed to hold all the depths of the oceans within them. His face was rough and scarred, weathered like those of the other pirates, but he held himself with a bearing that spoke of thoughtfulness and breeding. He wore a weathered captain's coat and a pair of worn leather gloves.

Emily took the seat offered her, allowing the flames in her hand to go out and placing Zephyr's book on her lap.

Richard sat down opposite her. "I am sorry we could not provide any better clothes than those. They are hardly fit for a lady of such great beauty." His eyes flicked briefly across Emily's seated form, undoubtedly savoring the loose fit of her shirt and the copious skin it exposed.



"They're quite wonderful," Emily replied, taking a moment to savor the almost novel feeling of fabric against her skin. "Though a shirt with a few more buttons would be welcome."

"I will have the crew see to it," Richard said, smiling and meeting Emily's eyes once more. "Though buttons are hard to come by on the open sea." He had taken off the captain's coat to sit, and his own tattered white shirt appeared to be missing a few buttons near the top, where the side hung slightly open, showing a scarred and hairy chest. While not as muscular as Caelum, Richard was clearly a man of action.

So here was her pirate captain, just like in the book she'd been reading before this all started. She didn't trust him, of course, but it was nice to meet a man who hadn't already seen her naked. And if he pressed his luck, well, she had a fireball with his name on it.

The meal on the table was a simple affair, consisting of ship's biscuits, salted meat, and a type of fish that Emily didn't recognize. It had probably been caught in the same net she had, she mused. Richard poured out two glasses from a bottle of red wine, which glowed faintly in the cabin's dim light.

Stomach still growling, Emily wolfed the food down quite indiscriminately. The biscuits were a little stale and the meat quite hard and chewy, but the fish was delicious. To her surprise, she also greatly enjoyed the rich and full flavor of the wine, though she was usually more partial to white. Across the table, Richard ate slowly, using a knife in his gloved hands.

"My crew tells me that you seek passage with us," Richard said. "We are happy to grant this request and would have been so even without your threat of burning the Sea Serpent. It will be my greatest pleasure to see you safely to your destination."

Emily's eyes narrowed and she adopted a skeptical expression. "That wasn't my impression from the way your crew looked at me."

"Please forgive them. They have been at sea for a long time, far from their wives and sweethearts. After such prolonged deprivation, the mere sight of a lady can make a man mad. Especially one so beautiful as you, in all her natural splendor."

Emily blushed momentarily but quickly returned her face to a hard expression. "Then you will have to forgive me for keeping my fire handy. A gal's gotta have her defenses against men who might lose their minds in her presence."

Richard laughed and took another sip of wine. "Of course, of course. But please rest assured that no man on this ship would be permitted to indulge his madness against a lady's wishes. I will not allow it."

Emily raised an eyebrow, not quite believing him. She glanced at her nails, allowing a tiny flame to flicker across them.

"But let us come to the point," Richard said, waving a gloved hand as if to dismiss the previous subject of their conversation. "Where is it that you seek passage to?"

Emily pondered her response for a moment, biting her lip. "A beach. One not too far from here... I think. It's a few days' walk from... House Odonata. My traveling companion will be waiting for me there."

"There are many beaches on the shores of Thessolan," said Richard, raising an eyebrow. "And I'm afraid I have never heard of this House Odonata you speak of. Is there a port nearby this beach?"

"I... I'm not sure."

"Then we have arrived at a difficulty. My crew and I will gladly escort you to the port of your choice, but we must know which port it is, or we cannot help you."

Emily thought of the book in her lap and of Aria's link to the Stoneshell. "I have a way of locating the beach," she bluffed. "Through magic."

Richard's eyebrow raised higher still. "Ah yes, you are a mage. Well then, cast the spell, and we shall follow where it leads."

Emily's throat felt dry, so she took another sip of wine. "Right. Yes. I'll do that. I just... need some time to prepare."

"Of course, naturally. My crew and I will be happy to aid you with preparations to the best of our ability, though I must warn you that the Sea Serpent is not well stocked with alchemical ingredients."

"That should be fine. I don't think I'll need anything like that. Just some time to prepare."

Richard took another sip of his wine, regarding Emily with a curious gaze. As he put his glass down, he said, "That is an interesting piece. Your necklace. I have rarely seen jewelry made of stone."

"It was a gift from a friend," Emily replied, experience having made her wary of saying too much about the Stoneshell to anyone she didn't fully trust. "My traveling companion, actually. She's a... talented sculptor."

"I can see that," Richard said, now leaning forward slightly to examine the Stoneshell. "A beautiful piece. It must be very special to you."

"Oh it is," Emily gushed. She was feeling lightheaded—the wine was beginning to affect her. Better not have any more, she thought.

Richard stood up from the table abruptly. "Come, let us retire to the parlor," he said, gesturing at a couch on the other end of the cabin. "I will play for you."

Emily took Richard's proffered hand, the leather of his glove cold to the touch. He led her across the room, where she sank into the brown leather couch, surrounded by overstuffed cushions. It was very comfortable, and the wine had made her a little sleepy.



Richard then turned to a corner of the room where a violin rested on an aged stand. The instrument was polished to a shine, its wood glowing warmly in the lantern light. He lifted it reverently and turned to face Emily once more.

As he positioned the violin under his chin and drew the bow across the strings, the first notes floated through the air, ethereal and haunting. The melody was melancholic but quite beautiful. Emily found herself drawn into the music and allowed herself to sink deeper into the couch as she listened. Everything around her seemed to fade away as the violin's song filled the space. There was a powerful sadness in the music, which contrasted starkly with Richard's unmoving, unreadable expression.

The piece slowed and finally came to a halt, with Richard grinding out the last few notes and then standing immobile for a moment, frozen in the act of playing. Then he lowered the violin, looked Emily in the eyes, and bowed. Emily smiled and clapped. "Bravo, bravo!"

The violin was placed back on its stand, and all at once Richard was sitting on the couch next to Emily, staring into her eyes. She could smell the wine on his breath and felt a weight resting on her knee.

"Richard..." she began, fighting the drowsiness of the wine and the dim cabin lights, and the oh-so-comfortable couch.

"Emily," he replied, still holding her gaze. It was the first time he'd used her name. "I want to show you something," he said, removing his hand from her knee before she could do it for him.

Richard set his lips in a hard line and screwed up his eyes, gazing intently at a spot just below Emily's eye level. His left hand reached out to the side and he made a grasping motion with fingers, seeming to pluck something out of the empty air.

"W-what are you doing?" Emily asked.

He had pulled slightly away from her and seemed to be looking not at her, but past her. Then he drew his hand back, and Emily felt a sudden jolt against the back of her neck. Before her eyes, the Stoneshell pendant was floating, suspended in midair.

Richard drew his grasping hand in front of himself and the Stoneshell moved in unison. He grinned toothily at Emily, waggling his eyebrows.

"W-what is this? What are you doing?" Emily stammered.

"Sea spirits are not the only beings with a command of magic, darling," Richard said, his eyes twinkling. From a gentle twist of his fingers, the Stoneshell spun around a few times, braiding the ends of the chain together.

"Stop that!" Emily cried. The Stoneshell began to glow orange, tendrils of smoke rising from its surface.

Richard's eyes widened. "What's this? I'm not making it do that!"

"I am," said Emily. "And I'll do much worse if you don't stop this at once."

"Quick with the threats, aren't we?" Richard twisted his fingers more forcefully, causing the Stoneshell to spin around a few more times. The chain tightened to the point where it pressed into Emily's neck.

Fire exploded from the shell as Emily swatted Richard's hand away. Flame touched the leather glove and Richard cried out in surprise as it ignited. He leaped from the couch, frantically waving his hand in the air and then blowing on it.

Emily felt a little bad watching the spectacle. Perhaps she had overreacted. Sure, Richard was being a little creepy, but all he'd really tried to do was impress her with a magic trick. How was he to know she would take such great offense to him moving the Stoneshell around?

The fire had now been reduced to a cloud of smoke and the smell of burning leather. Richard didn't appear to be in any pain, so Emily reasoned that the glove had taken most of the impact. Without that, she might have severely burned his hand. "Are you alright?" she asked, biting her lip.

Richard scowled at her and she made an apologetic expression. Her gaze traveled from his face to the charred remains of his glove, which were clinging loosely to—

Emily gasped. "Your hand!"

Blackened, smoking strips of leather fell away to reveal a rough gray surface which instantly brought to mind Aria and the other statues of Castle Elid. Captain Richard's left hand was made of stone.

He sighed. "I suppose my secret's out. No point trying to hide it anymore." With this, he removed the intact glove from his right hand and rolled up both sleeves to the elbow, then held both arms out for Emily to examine.

Each hand was a granite statue in the likeness of a human hand, finely carved but maintaining the natural coarseness of the material. There was a slight mechanical nature to the way Richard moved his fingers, and as he waggled them for Emily, she noted the same look of concentration that she'd seen when he moved the Stoneshell. In retrospect, his violin-playing seemed even more impressive. Each hand terminated in a thick cuff below which Richard's arms appeared normal.

"What happened to you?" Emily asked. She wondered if the way his hands had been turned to stone was in any way similar or applicable to how Aria had been turned to stone. Could he be of use in her quest to restore Aria to flesh?

Richard sat back down on the couch, looking tired, regarding Emily with an unreadable gaze. "You are not disgusted?"

"Some of my best friends are made of stone," Emily replied, smiling gently.

Richard's eyes flashed for the briefest moment before resuming their inscrutable expression. "I was born without hands," he said, regarding his stony fingers. "I grew up in a workhouse, abandoned by my parents without ever knowing them. The other children mocked me. I was constantly berated for being slow and clumsy in my work, deprived of rations, and given the worst of everything."

Emily could feel the bitterness in his words and it made her shudder.

"Anger at my treatment fueled me. It made me strong, cunning, resourceful. Over time, I learned to use my stumps, to overcome my limitations, to bend the world to my will." Here, the fingers of Richard's right hand clenched into a fist. "I transformed from an object of ridicule into something to be feared, once they learned that a stump could punch just as hard as a fist. The mockery stopped, was replaced with cold silences when I would enter a room."

Richard stood up from the couch and began to pace across the room. "The masters of the workhouse noticed my effect on the other children. They called me cruel and arrogant. I suppose they were right. To punish me, they gave me harder, more solitary jobs, culminating in a week's hard labor breaking rocks in the quarry."

Richard's eyes locked on Emily's. "I could not have asked for a greater gift." He curled and uncurled his fingers, and a small, smooth stone jumped from one of his coat pockets and hung suspended above his outstretched palm.

"Oh, it was difficult at first! The other boys were twice my size, and there I was, trying to swing a pickaxe between my two stumps. It was hopeless, really. After dark on the first day, I stood before the same rock I'd been trying to split all day, worn out and bruised. And I stared at it with such hateful intensity that it just... broke."

The stone hovering in the air exploded into shrapnel, and Emily ducked reflexively, burying her head in the couch.

Richard laughed. "Do not worry, Emily, I would never do anything to hurt you."

Emily tentatively raised her head. Small shards of stone hung suspended in the air, one mere inches from her face. Richard closed his hand, and they flew together again, reforming the smooth, round stone.

"I immediately repeated the feat with another rock. And another. Until I was absolutely certain that I could break through solid stone with the power of my mind. It took a few days before I discovered that I could move it as well, even reshape it."

The round stone floating in the air between them reformed into a cube, and then a pyramid, and then a many-pointed star. Emily gazed upon it in wonder, her own training with the Stoneshell's fire powers in the back of her mind.

"Once I was confident in my abilities, I left the workhouse. They gave chase, of course, but with a flick of my fingers, the road rose up to meet them." The many-pointed star flattened out into a thin slab before twisting and roiling like a wave, and Richard grinned devilishly. He had been slowly edging back towards the couch throughout his story, and now took a seat once more, staring intently into Emily's eyes.

"You understand," said Richard softly. "I can see it in your eyes. And of course you would! You are a mistress of fire, I a master of stone. We have been set aside by fate for special purposes, great and terrible destinies."

Emily felt the touch of cold stone on her fingers.

"We are two of a kind, you and I." Richard's fingers coiled around Emily's, firm and rigid, and she felt his other hand against her side. "Conduits for the elements, brought together by fate."

Before she quite knew what was happening, Richard's lips were pressed against hers, and then his whole body was on top of her. He smelled of rum and burned leather. Emily went stiff with panic, eyes wide and staring.

Richard seemed not to notice—he held her firm in his arms. She felt the Stoneshell move against her chest and watched in horror as it began to change shape. As it flattened out, five tendrils of stone emerged from it, forming the shape of a hand. A pained scream echoed across Emily's mind—the Stoneshell was in pain.

Then the hand stumbled forward, its stony fingers stabbing at her upper chest, moving lower, then prodding the softer flesh of her breasts. Richard grunted with pleasure. The tiny hand moved lower until its fingers were on the knot that tied the two bottom corners of her buttonless shirt together. With surprising dexterity and speed, it undid the knot.

That was enough. As if waking from a dream, Emily turned from rigid shock to squirming, trashing terror. "Get off!" she screamed, tearing her face from Richard's and pushing against his chest. The Stoneshell glowed orange, still responsive to her thoughts in its altered state, and a ball of fire exploded between her and Richard for the second time that evening.

All at once, the weight was off her. Richard screamed in pain and stumbled backward, then tripped and rolled across the floor. At once, Emily was off the couch, on her feet, eyes flashing with anger. Her open shirt billowed around her, but she barely noticed. Plumes of flame hovered above both of her outstretched palms and she readied herself to strike.

"I wouldn't do that!" Richard growled, scrambling to his feet. Smoke rose from his coat and beard, but he appeared mostly unharmed. "You'll burn this whole ship up!"

"So what?!" Emily spat. "I don't need your ship, you creep!"

"You may not, but your friend does." Richard chuckled darkly, meeting Emily's furious gaze with a smug look.

Emily's anger was softened by confusion. "My friend?"

"Stone lady," Richard continued. "Met her on a beach, not too far from here. She told us she was waiting there for her friend, a girl who had gone to visit the merfolk. Fiesty one, she was. There was a brief struggle. But she was made of stone. Fatal weakness."

Emily felt sick to her stomach. "What did you do to her?!"

"She's an honored and cherished guest aboard the Sea Serpent, just like yourself. Though we had to take precautions—can't have her killing my men, now can I? No matter how much they'll pay for a specimen like her in Altwern."

"P-pay?!"

"Yes, pay. I was thinking of giving you a share, before that little outburst."

The flames in Emily's hands grew, filling the cabin with light. "You bastard!"

Richard cocked an eyebrow. "We are pirates, love. And again, I'll warn you to be careful with that fire of yours. The wooden frame of this ship is all that stands between your friend and an eternity at the bottom of the ocean. I know a thing or two about stone and I can assure you—it doesn't float."

The fire in Emily's hands went out and her arms slumped uselessly at her sides. The stone slab, which had been sitting on the dinner table, lifted up and flew towards her, hitting her in the wrist and knocking it back. Emily cried out at the sharp pain.

Another stone slab zoomed out of a set of shelving and hit her other wrist. Then both slabs began to reshape, encircling her wrists and moving them towards each other. The slabs connected, firmly pinning her hands behind her back.

Richard stepped towards her, smirking in triumph. His eyes slowly traveled up and down her body, reminding Emily that her top had come undone and now hung loosely at her sides, exposing both breasts. With her hands firmly secured behind her back, there was nothing she could do to cover them.



"I think it's about time for a reunion," Richard said, grabbing Emily's upper arm. "I'm afraid you'll find the holding cell a lot less comfortable than this cabin, but you must understand that I reserve this ship's few comforts for guests who are a little more... pliant."

Richard stared pointedly at Emily's uncovered breasts and she scowled up at him. "That knot was just begging to be untied, you know. Don't you think it was clever how I turned that shell—ho, what's this?"

Richard's attention had moved from Emily's breasts to the stone pendant that hung between them. It was shaped, once more, like a seashell.

"So this is a magical necklace, then?" Richard asked. "The glow made me suspect it might be, but this confirms it. It would certainly explain why you were so defensive of it. And perhaps..." Richard took a step back and swept up the small book that Emily had left lying on her chair. "The Stoneshell," he said, flipping through the pages. "Hmm... fire powers. How interesting."

Richard took a step towards Emily, lifting a stone palm towards her. He clenched his fingers, and Emily felt a sharp pull at the back of her neck. Then there was a small, metallic snap as the chain around her neck unclasped.

Like a piece of metal drawn to a powerful magnet, the Stoneshell shot into Richard's palm. He grinned toothily as his fingers closed around it, covering it entirely. "I'll hold onto this for now."

Emily tried to summon the Stoneshell, but she could feel a force working against her will. The Stoneshell's influence on her mind, usually a calming, focusing effect, felt panicked and frightened.

"Haha, that tickles!" Richard said.

Emily spat in his face.

"Mule!" Richard cried, yanking her arm so hard it felt like he was trying to dislocate her shoulder.

Emily stumbled forward as Richard marched her out of his cabin and into the hallway. He forced her to walk ahead of them through the hallway and down narrow stairs. The lighting was dim, provided by sparsely placed lanterns, but this did little to conceal Emily from view.

A few times, they passed members of the crew. The solitary ones would leer at her chest, intently watching the movement of her breasts as Richard forced her ahead of him. The groups would catcall and make crude comments to each other.

"Been at sea so long I'd forgotten what those looked like."

"Buoyant-looking, aren't they?"

"My turn next, Cap'n!"

Richard ignored them, his face firmly set in a stern expression. Emily wished she could be half so oblivious, but the best she could do was stare at the floor, hiding her blushing cheeks.

As they descended further into the bowels of the ship, the air grew colder and damper, and Emily could feel goosebumps rising on her flesh. The sound of dripping water came to her ears.

Finally, they reached their destination—the ship's holding cell. Richard pushed open the heavy iron door, hinges squealing in protest, and shoved Emily inside, deliberately pushing her off-balance. She tripped and her body slammed against the cold, hard stone floor.

The door slammed shut. Emily rolled over, wincing as pain shot through her shoulder. Her chest heaved from the rapid march, and her hair fell in front of her face and obscured her vision. The stone restraint still held her wrists firmly in place behind her back. Emily blinked back tears, refusing to break down.

"Who's there?" someone asked.

The voice was unfamiliar and spoke with an accent Emily had not yet heard anywhere else in Thessolan. It was female and very high-pitched.

"Please," continued the voice, weak and mournful, "can you do anything to help my friend? She's not moving."

With a grunt of effort, Emily rolled over again and hauled herself into a sitting position. With a bit more effort, she managed to stand—this was no easy feat with her hands stuck behind her back. She gazed into the darkness, and the outlines of shapes began to form as her eyes adjusted.

The speaker was a woman whom Emily took to be around the same age as herself, though about a head shorter. She had jet-black hair and dark brown eyes. More noticeable were her pointed ears and her skin, which was a light shade of green and criss-crossed with patterns of leaves. And there was quite a lot of green skin on display, for she was entirely naked.



The green woman gestured towards a tall shape in the corner. Emily recognized its silhouette immediately. The shape was Aria. And with the Stoneshell separated from Emily's person, she was completely frozen. From the look on her face, she appeared to have been in mid-sentence.

Tears welled up in Emily's eyes, and this time she couldn't contain them. She fell to her knees, her whole body wracked in sobs, her throat twisted with cries of deep anguish.

Then she felt arms wrap around her and the warmth of another body against hers. The green girl's skin was extraordinarily soft and smooth, and her hand made slow, soothing motions up and down Emily's back. Emily wanted to return the embrace, but her arms were still immobile. So instead, she buried her face in the green girl's shoulder.

This position was maintained until Emily felt all cried out, which took a while. She had a lot to cry about, after all—her displacement from everything and everyone she had ever known, the dangerous encounters she'd had with strange and evil people, the enormous burden that adopting the Stoneshell had laid upon her, her guilt at allowing Aria to once again become an immobile statue and the constant discomfort and shame of being naked in front of so many.

Maybe this green girl could empathize with her on some of those counts. Certainly the last one. She pulled away from the girl's shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

"What's your name?" asked Emily, her throat hoarse from crying.

"Talyndra of the Moss-Whisperers," said the girl.

"I'm Emily. And as to whether I can help Aria, well, I do at least know what's wrong with her."

Talyndra's face lit up, and she hugged Emily again. "You are Emily! How wonderful! Aria has told me so much about you." She pulled away and looked searchingly at Emily's chest. "But where is..."

"He took the Stoneshell," Emily replied bitterly. "Richard, the pirate captain. He has some kind of magical power over stone."

"Yes, yes, he cornered me on a stony beach," said Talyndra. "That is the last time I venture so far from the woods. And he has prevented Aria from using her hands." She gestured to Aria, whom Emily now noticed had her arms crossed over the front of her body, with the sleeves of her gown drawn up over her hands. It looked like she was wearing a straitjacket.

Emily and Talyndra shared their stories with each other, though Talyndra knew much of what had happened to Emily from Aria's telling. Talyndra was a wood elf from a common family who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wood elves were not often caught by human slavers, a fact she admitted with great shame. She had been caught long before Aria. In fact, she'd been on the ship for so long that the leaves of her outfit had rotted away. "This is not usually a problem for us, as we seldom leave our woods, and can refresh our outfits as often as we need to."

"I know exactly how you feel," said Emily, smiling sympathetically. "I've had a lot of trouble with clothing since I got to this world. Heck, this is, like, the second most complete outfit I've had in weeks, sad as that is." She pouted as she glanced down at her exposed front.

Momentarily, Emily thought of asking Talyndra to tie the ends of her shirt in a knot again but then felt guilty about it. How could she ask Talyndra to help her preserve her modesty when the poor girl had nothing to wear herself? Instead, Emily voiced another thought that had just occurred to her. "How come your hands are free and mine and Aria's aren't?"

Talyndra smiled devilishly and gestured at a coil of rope piled in the corner of the cell. "I held my wrists slightly apart when they first captured me so that the rope would be loose. They have tried to tie my hands a few times since, but they have no appreciation for the suppleness of wood elf wrists."

"Brilliant! Wish I could have done something like that against Richard's stone magic, but these are stuck tight." Emily grimaced as she made a futile attempt to move her wrists inside the stone restraints.

"Could you not use your own magic against him? Aria told me of the Stoneshell's powers."

"I..." Emily's voice dried in her throat. Richard had caught her off-guard when he mentioned Aria, filled her mind with terror at the destructiveness of her own power. So much so that she had given up without a fight. Maybe she could have done better.

"N-never mind," Talyndra said hastily, placing a comforting hand on Emily's shoulder. "I'm hardly one to talk. A majestic wood elf, captured by brutish, lumbering humans—no offense."

Emily cracked a smile. "But tell me what you really think."

Talyndra and Emily talked long into the night, exchanging stories of their worlds, each of which was equally strange and fantastic to the other. Every now and then, Emily cast a sad glance at Aria, standing motionless in the corner, and wondered if she could hear them. Whatever it took, she would get the Stoneshell back.

When their yawns finally overtook their words, Emily and Talyndra retired to a pair of dirty, threadbare mattresses that lay at one end of the prison cell and attempted to sleep. With her hands still stuck behind her back, Emily had to lie on her front, which didn't help matters. But eventually, sleep overcame her.

[FinchAgent]

The next morning, Emily was awoken by jeers. The voice that spoke to them was cruel and coarse. "Eat up, curr! Get your face in it, you filthy animal!"

Staying motionless, careful to give any indication that she was awake, Emily peered carefully through the lids of one eye. In the center of the cell, Talyndra crouched on her knees, a ceramic bowl on the floor a few inches in front of her. She appeared to be making the best of a highly undignified position.



The source of the voice was a pirate who stood at the door, watching her intently. "Come on, eat! Let me hear you chew! Get that butt up in the air!" Talyndra flinched a few times but did not otherwise react to his taunts.

"The stone bitch is real quiet today, why is that?" the pirate asked. "The new girl too... what did you do to 'em, Elfy? Some woodland devilry, I've no doubt."

Talyndra made no response.

An indistinct voice from somewhere above them shouted incoherently and a slightly panicked expression crossed the pirate's face. "Can't get a bloody moment," he muttered under his breath before turning tail and slamming the cell door behind him.

Once the bolt had been drawn on the door and the pirate's footsteps had disappeared, Talyndra arranged herself into a cross-legged sitting position. Balancing the bowl on her ankles, she reached for a discarded spoon. Then, looking Emily straight in the eyes, she said, "Ah, you're awake. Sorry you had to see that."

Emily sat up on the bed, trying to stretch before being instantly reminded that her arms were still stuck behind her by stone restraints around her wrists. Her arms and shoulders hurt considerably.

"Come sit here, I'll feed you," Talyndra said, picking up a second bowl and waggling the spoon.

Being spoonfed by Talyndra was a little weird for Emily, but it seemed preferable to sticking her face in the bowl like an animal. The bowl's contents were some kind of thin and bitter gruel, quite unlike the dinner she'd shared with Richard the previous evening.

"I hate that man," Talyndra ranted. "He's always making me do these sorts of humiliating things for his amusement. Maybe next time I will try to be asleep as well."

"But aren't you afraid he might..."

Talyndra scoffed. "Oh, he is too afraid of the captain for that. All the crew are. And too superstitious about wood elves. Humans believe some crazy things about us. But in this case, it is to my benefit."

Emily was prevented from asking about what any of those crazy beliefs were by a spoon of gruel slipping into her mouth. "Ulp!"

"We must figure out some way of summoning the Stoneshell, Emily," Talyndra said. "Not only will it bring Aria back to us, but it is the key to our escape. You told me last night that you have summoned it to you in the past—that this is some special property of its Mer origin."

"Yes," said Emily. "I tried to summon it back after Richard took it from me, but his magic was too powerful. And now it is so far away... I don't even know where it is!"

Talyndra looked Emily sternly in the eye. "Do not speak with such despair. You are the Stoneshell's bearer. I know little of magical artifacts—we wood elves have no use for them—but I know that the chosen bearer of an artifact has a special connection to it, one that transcends time and space. Emily, it is clear to me that you were called out of your world by the Stoneshell. And if that is so, then to summon it from another deck of this ship should present no challenge."

Emily frowned. For Talyndra to express her ignorance of magical artifacts and then confidently make wild conjectures about them in the same breath was quite absurd. But she wasn't confident enough in her own knowledge of this world's magic to offer any kind of rebuttal. If only she'd been able to read some of Zephyr's book before it was taken from her!

"I will help you," said Talyndra. "If you can see the Stoneshell, perhaps you will be able to move it. So I will help you to see it."

"But how?"

"Watch."

Talyndra closed her eyes and began to hum a simple melody. She raised her hands and started to trace lines through the air. Green light followed her fingers, and a picture began to form as the lines joined together. Then the picture began to grow, taking on a life of its own, as Talyndra's humming increased in intensity. It took on the shape of a ship's cross-section, with all the decks, corridors, and rooms detailed. Little points of light moved across the decks and through the corridors, while others sat motionless.

Emily's eyes expanded to take it all in. "Wow, Talyndra, that's amazing!"

"Mapping has always been a strength of mine," Talyndra replied, having stopped humming for the moment. "Now, look closely, and tell me if you can see the Stoneshell. We are here." Talyndra pointed at two glowing dots near the bottom of the ship.

Emily screwed up her eyes and peered at the map, trying to recall where the captain's cabin was. After a moment, she felt her eyes being pulled towards one particular spot on the map, a room containing a single glowing dot—the captain's cabin. "There," she said, using her chin to point at the spot.

Immediately, silvery light in the outline of a seashell appeared at that spot on the map. Emily gasped.

"That wasn't me," Talyndra said. "But I think you've got it."

"What about the captain?" Emily asked.

Talyndra glanced at the glowing dot next to the shell. "He's asleep."

Emily exchanged a skeptical glance with Talyndra but was met with only a reassuring nod.

"The map contains subtle details that only elf eyes can appreciate. Now, see if you can move the shell."

Focusing on the silvery light, Emily held an image of the Stoneshell in her mind and willed it towards her. At first, the shell seemed not to react. But as Emily continued to stare, she thought she saw it move. It was almost imperceptible at first, but then undeniable.

"Haha, yes!" Talyndra cried, pumping a fist in the air. "Bring it here!"

The silvery shell outline slipped from the captain's cabin and into the hallway. Emily maintained focus on it as she moved it along a winding route, across corridors and down staircases. Every time it came close to one of the moving dots, she froze, her heart jumping into her throat, and waited for the dot to move a safe distance.

Sweat beaded on Emily's forehead, and she could feel that the effort was draining her, but she persisted, thinking of the stone statue behind her. It was amazing to her that she was even able to use the summoning power from such a distance.

Finally, after what felt like many hours and far too many close calls with pirates, the Stoneshell reached the door of their cell. Emily's breaths came in short gasps, her energy nearly spent. But the sound of the Stoneshell clattering against the wooden door energized her and with one last mighty pull, she drew the Stoneshell up from the floor and through the bars in the window at the top of the door.

The stone pendant sailed into the cell, chain trailing behind it, and clattered onto the wooden floor just in front of where Emily had fallen to her knees in exhaustion.

"I did it," Emily gasped, her eyes glued to the familiar stone pendant, hardly believing it was here with her again.

With a wave of one hand, Talyndra dispelled the map. She scooped up the Stoneshell and, beaming from ear to ear, brought it to Emily's neck and fastened the clasp behind her. The familiar weight felt good against Emily's skin.

The moment the Stoneshell's chain clasped around Emily's neck, Aria's stone form shuddered. Particles of dust fell from Aria's frame as she moved, stumbling forward, eyes wide and rapidly blinking.

"Aria!" Emily exclaimed, rushing to her friend's side.

Aria looked around, confusion giving way to recognition. "Emily? Is that really you?" Her voice was weak but filled with relief. "Talyndra? What happened?"

Emily attempted to wrap her arms around Aria but was quickly reminded of the stone restraints that bound her wrists. "Long story short, I've been captured by pirates, just like you two. But I'm so happy to see you again, Aria."

Aria blinked a few more times, still clearly disoriented. "How was your meeting with the Merfolk? Did you learn anything useful?"

Emily told Aria the story of everything that had happened to her in Aquius, and all that had transpired since, with Talyndra chipping in at the very end.

"We have to get that book back," said Aria. "As long as the captain has it, he knows more about the Stoneshell than we do. From what you've told me, he sounds like a formidable mage. I shudder to think of what use he might put such knowledge to."

"Well it's not going to matter, because I've got the Stoneshell back now," Emily said defiantly. "And I'm definitely not going to let him trick me again."

"Are you hoping to distract him with your breasts?" asked Aria.

"What? Oh!" Emily glanced down, reminded for the first time in a while that her shirt was hanging open. "That... I didn't mean to wear it like this. It was his doing. I just can't fix it with my hands tied behind my back."

"I see," said Aria, winking. "It is nice to see you mostly dressed, Emily. I almost didn't recognize you."

Emily blushed. "I'm, err, hoping to make a habit of it."

"Oh Emily!" cried Talyndra. "Why didn't you say anything? Here, let me fix it for you."

Talyndra pulled the two bottom corners of the shirt in her hands and tied them together, much as Emily had done in the first place. Emily breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her. "I felt bad asking you, considering you're, well..."

Talyndra glanced down at her body and shrugged. "Can't be helped. I'll find something when we escape."

Emily cocked an eyebrow and cast Aria a meaningful look. "When?" she repeated.

"You have the Stoneshell now," Talyndra said, pointing at the pendant. "Use its magic and get us out of here."

Darkness clouded Emily's brows. "It's not that simple," she said. "The Stoneshell creates fire. It's... difficult to control. If I start throwing fire around indiscriminately, I could burn this whole ship up. You would drown, and Aria would be trapped at the bottom of the ocean!"

Talyndra nodded solemnly. "I understand. But can you not use a small amount of fire? A few controlled blasts. Just enough to burn through the door and take out any pirates who get in our way."

Emily bit her lip and exchanged glances with Aria.

"You have been developing more control in our recent sessions," said Aria. "I'm sure you're capable of what Talyndra suggests."

"Maybe," replied Emily. "But it's difficult even in a no-pressure training situation. This is way higher stakes. And what's more, I don't know how I'm going to blast pirates out of our way with my hands stuck behind my back." She wiggled her fingers for emphasis.

Aria's eyes widened and she started muttering to herself. "Oh my. This whole time... why didn't I think of that? What a silly mistake..."

"What are you talking about, Aria?"

Aria laughed her musical, wind-chime laugh. "Oh Emily, I've just realized that we've been training all wrong! No, no, don't give me a look like that, it's a good thing!"

"How is it a good thing?" Emily yelled.

"Up until now, I've been instructing you to summon fire from the Stoneshell into your hands. But that's not the only way you can use the Stoneshell's power. You can summon its fire anywhere on your person, you certainly don't have to use your hands!"

Emily gasped. "You mean... wait, okay, I have an idea. Stand back, Talyndra."

Talyndra did as instructed while Emily turned to face the door of the cell. The Stoneshell felt warm against her skin as she began to summon its flame. With a series of deep, deliberate, and carefully measured breaths, she drew the flame from the Stoneshell and into her chest, into her lungs, and up, up, up. Warmth surged up through her throat.

Then she breathed out.

A jet of bright orange flame burst from Emily's mouth, aimed directly at the door. Talyndra jumped even further back, putting a forearm in front of her face to shield it from the heat.



Once the breath had fully left Emily's lungs, the fire stopped. There was now an enormous, smoldering hole in the middle of the door. Emily smiled back at the other two, tendrils of smoke rising from her nostrils. "Never thought I'd take up smoking."

"I'd advise against it," said a stern, very familiar male voice. "The ashes get everywhere."

Standing just beyond the destroyed cell door was Captain Richard, smiling haughtily and holding a book in his right glove. He lifted his left and opened his palm towards Emily.

This time, she was ready. She felt the Stoneshell rise from her chest but stopped it from moving further by focusing on it, bending her knees, and rooting herself to the floor.

Richard grimaced, made a straining noise, and then gave up, allowing the Stoneshell to fall back against Emily's chest.

"You're not doing that again," Emily snarled.

"Perhaps not," Richard replied. "But, as we discussed earlier, it would be terribly tragic if you allowed your little necklace to destroy this ship. The statue and the elf certainly wouldn't survive, and you'd have only yourself to blame."

"Shut up!"

Richard raised the book in his hand and flipped through its pages. "I've been doing some reading about this Stoneshell of yours. A powerful and special artifact it is. In the right hands... well, the possibilities are endless. And did you know it was a betrothal gift?"

"What's this got to do with anything?" Emily didn't like the funny look on Richard's face.

"Oh, it just means that to unlock the true power of the Stoneshell, the bearer must... consummate. Then the Stoneshell's power will extend to both."

Emily deepened her stance and narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say, exactly?"

The book snapped shut and Richard bowed his head to step through the hole in the door. With a small shriek, Talyndra jumped behind Aria, covering herself with her arms. Emily readied herself for a fight.

But instead of attacking, Richard got down on one knee. "Dearest Emily, I want to give you the world. Together, we could rule an empire. I feel a powerful bond with you, and I know you feel it too. Emily, would you offer me your hand in marriage?"

Emily's jaw dropped.

"Oh! How foolish of me!" Richard said. "How can you offer me your hand when... let me fix that for you."

With a small gesture from Richard's chin, Emily felt the stone restraints holding her wrists behind her back crumble into dust. She sighed with relief and brought her hands in front of her, rubbing the stiffness out of each wrist in turn.

"Now, let me try that again." Richard pulled off his leather gloves, exposing his granite hands.

"Your hands!" Aria exclaimed. Talyndra peeked out from behind her back.

Richard ignored the other two, having only eyes for Emily at that moment. He reached out and grasped her hands in his. "Emily. Would you be my wife?"

A burst of flame exploded between them, knocking Richard back against the wall.

"Does that answer your question?" Emily wondered how many times she would need to do this before Richard finally got the message.

Richard drew himself up and dusted off his clothes. He gazed at Emily blankly, but soon cracked into a smile. "I suppose that is to be expected. I'm disappointed, of course. But I have a second proposal."

Emily had already summoned fireballs in both her hands.

"So feisty! I do love a feisty woman. And I'm sure you'll love this."

"Out with it, then."

"I'm a sporting man. I may be a pirate, but I live by a code of honor. I treat my crew well, and they will die fighting for me. You will sooner burn down this ship than get them to surrender." He emphasized this final sentence with a pointed look at the fire in Emily's hands. "I don't think you're a killer, Emily. I've met killers."

Emily hardened her expression. She couldn't let him see how much he was getting to her.

"So let's not do anything we may live to regret. Instead of attacking me and destroying both my ship and your friends, I propose we fight a duel. Magic, of course."

"A magic duel!" Aria repeated. "It has been many years since I last witnessed a magic duel."

Richard cast Aria a fleeting glance before turning back to Emily. "Well, aren't you lucky? Here are the terms of our duel: a one-on-one battle between myself and you, Emily. If you win, I will give you and your friends your freedom, and control of my ship. You will become the new captain."

Emily allowed the fireballs to dissipate slightly as she considered this.

"If I win, you will give me your hand in marriage."

Emily scoffed. "What? You're joking."

"I never joke about matters of the heart. Consider it, Emily. Win or lose, your friends will survive. Reject the offer, and... well, it won't be pretty for any of us."

"I c-can't believe you're just asking me to burn you to a crisp," Emily said, a crack in her voice betraying the smug tone she was going for.

Briefly, Richard looked confused, then stated matter-of-factly, "Lirethel rules, of course."

"That means the duel ends after one combatant falls over," Aria interjected.

Richard's eyes sparkled. "I wouldn't want to do anything to spoil my prize, now would I?"

Emily made a face.

"On the contrary, think of it as friendly sparing. We'll go multiple rounds, to avoid either of us winning or losing by fluke."

"How many rounds?" asked Talyndra, poking her head out from behind Aria. There was a look of excitement in her eyes.

Richard smiled impishly. "That's the best part. A little addition I just now thought of, inspired by you, my green lady." He steepled his fingers, chuckling at his own brilliance. "The loser of each round will remove an item of clothing. The duel ends when one is fully naked."

Emily sighed deeply, clasping the bridge of her nose between her fingers. Of course that was Richard's brilliant idea, something involving nudity. Her luck in this world seemed to run in a single direction.

"The crowd is going to love it." Richard clapped his stone hands together with a loud bang. "I'll give you some time to think it over. Have an answer for me when I return."

With that, the captain turned on his heel and climbed out of the cell through the hole in the middle of the door, whistling a jaunty tune.

Once he was gone, Emily exchanged a long, thought-laden glance with the others.

"Emily... you don't have to—" Aria began.

Emily raised a hand for silence and turned her face away from her friend. She had already made her decision.

[student]

Reading the last two chapters reminded me of how much I missed Emily's story. Thanks for this magical tale of a bookworm caught in Thesolan.

[FinchAgent]

Emily and the Duel

"We need to resume my training, Aria," Emily said. "There's no time to lose. If I'm going to win this duel, I'll need everything you can teach me."

Aria smiled sympathetically. She attempted to place a hand on Emily's shoulder, but her arms were still straitjacketed to her front by Richard's magic. "Emily, are you sure—"

"Of course I'm sure. It's the only way out of this."

"But what if you lose?"

Emily bit her lip. "I won't lose. Aria, do you think the Stoneshell's fire can get hot enough to melt stone? If I can just figure out how to do that, he'll be no match for me."

"Think carefully, Emily," Aria begged, her stone eyes turning misty. "Captain Richard has years—no, decades—of experience on you. He is a formidable opponent."

"And that's why I need to train. Please, Aria." The Stoneshell had begun to glow orange, and Emily was frantically undoing the laces of her boots.

"I'll never forgive myself if you marry this man just to protect me," said Aria.

"And I'd never forgive myself if I let you sink to the bottom of the ocean, like all those statues I saw in the Labyrinthine Pool." Emily shook the memory out of her mind as she tossed her right boot across the room.

Aria had no reply.

"What are you doing?" asked Talyndra, as Emily pulled the knot in her shirt apart.

"Getting ready for practice," Emily said, shrugging the shirt off her shoulders. "Fire is hazardous to clothing."

Talyndra nodded sagely. "It will be an honor and privilege to observe."

That last word stuck in Emily's craw as she stood barefoot, barechested, with hands resting on her belt buckle. She could hardly believe she was voluntarily taking off her clothes, again, in front of someone else she barely knew. It helped that Talyndra was naked herself. And it certainly beat the prospect of accidentally burning her clothes again. Especially now that each item could represent the difference between continuing her quest and... having to marry Richard.

Emily unbuckled her belt. Then, with a deep breath, she let her borrowed trousers fall in a heap about her boots. She quickly stepped out of them and kicked them over to where the rest of her clothes lay, lest she have second thoughts.

"I didn't know humans grew hair over there," said Talyndra. "It looks itchy."

Emily immediately brought both hands in front of her crotch, blushing deeply. "It—uh—you—no. It's not."

"Beneath the hair is a fine organ, healthy and strong," said Talyndra, her eyes traveling appraisingly up and down Emily's body. "May you birth many strong sons and agile daughters. But not for the pirate captain."

"Talyndra," Aria said gently, while Emily blushed even deeper and appeared to be dying of embarrassment, "something I should have told you about humans before is that they don't like comments, even complimentary ones, on areas of their bodies that are normally covered by clothes."

Talyndra looked perplexed. "From what you've told me, no part of Emily's body is normally covered by clothes."

"Not by choice!" Emily snapped. "The sooner we get started, the sooner I can get dressed again. I like being dressed." While she spoke, Emily gathered up her hair and slipped the hair tie from her wrist onto it, making a tight bun with a few quick maneuvers.

"Quite. Let us begin. Talyndra, you may want to stand back."

Talyndra obediently sequestered herself in a corner of the cell, sitting cross-legged and observing as Aria guided Emily through her magic practice. Emily was focused and Aria patient, but signs of irritation clouded her face when she attempted to move her trapped arms to demonstrate a particular movement.

Sometime later, their practice was disturbed by the sound of footfalls on the creaky deck. "Captain's coming!" Talyndra cried, peering through the hold in the door and folding her arms across her chest.

Emily shrieked as she jumped from a very open warrior pose to a huddled crouch, scrambling for her clothes. She managed to retrieve her white shirt and wrap it backward around herself just before Richard stepped through the hole in the door, preserving her decency but showing a lot of leg.

"Ho ho, I do hope I'm not interrupting anything," Richard said. "What lovely strong legs you have, Emily. I look forward to caressing them. That is... if you have decided to accept my proposal...?"

"I'll fight you," Emily replied flatly. "Name your time and place."

"Excellent! We will duel tomorrow at sunset, on the Sea Serpent's main deck. Lirethel rules, with the forfeit being one item of clothing, and the duel ending when the first combatant removes their final item. We will count boots and gloves as single items each. But I see you have already been practicing the forfeit part. If you want to lose so badly, dear Emily, you have only to reconsider my first proposal."

Emily blushed and stammered, pushing her back further against the wall of the cell and holding the shirt tighter to herself. She could feel the rough wood pricking her backside and had to suppress a pained yelp.

With heavy stone footfalls, Aria stepped between Richard and Emily. "Emily has accepted your proposal to duel, now leave us be. We will speak again when the time comes, but no sooner."

A heavy, tense silence followed as Richard glared at Aria. "I... do not appreciate being given orders aboard my ship. Especially by a being I have total control over. Speak to me in that manner again, and I will do much worse than tie your hands together." A heavy crunch sounded through the cell as Richard made a fist of his right hand.

"'Twon't be your ship for long, pirate!" Talyndra said, smirking at Richard. "Or did you forget the terms of your own duel?"

Richard cast a sidelong glance at Talyndra, who held his gaze steadily, secure in her mostly concealed position. "Perhaps that is true," he said. "I am a man of my word. May the best mage win."

With that, Richard turned tail and exited the cell through the hole in the door.

Once he was out of sight, Emily relaxed and stepped away from the wall, rubbing her pinched bottom. "Let's continue, Aria," she said, allowing the shirt to fall at her feet. She glanced at her wrist, though it had been bare of a watch since before she'd arrived in Thessolan. "I've got a little over twenty-four hours to get better at magic than Richard. No pressure."

"We may have to skip forward a little, in that case," Aria replied.

"J-just be careful where you aim that stuff," Talyndra said, already bringing her arms up to shield her face. "Nobody likes the smell of roasted wood elf."

Emily blushed, then set her mouth in a determined line, kicking her discarded shirt into the corner with her other clothes. "I'm ready to learn, Aria."

The training lasted for the rest of the day, with a short break to scramble for clothes when the pirate from that morning came to bring them an additional meal. An attempt at making Talyndra assume a degrading position was cut short by a dirty look and a palm of flame from Emily.

"Not disarmin' the prisoners no more, what's this place coming to," he grumbled as he slunk off, leaving Talyndra and Emily to eat in peace.

By the time training was finished for the day, Emily was so exhausted that she immediately collapsed on the threadbare prison mattress and didn't move again. At Aria's direction, Talyndra fetched her white shirt from the corner and laid it over her.

"Don't know why she likes these stiff, fibery things. They've none of the silky caress of a good set of goldapple leaves." Talyndra sighed and sat down on her mattress. "I do miss the feel of the leaves. And the smell of them. And the forest. The sounds of the birds and the animals. Wood elves were not made for the ocean, nor for living in a warped tree carcass such as this. Once Emily wins the duel, I'll ask her to take this ship right back to shore as fast as the winds will carry it."

"That is our intention as well," replied Aria. "We were on our way to Lirethel, which is far inland—we will make port posthaste."

"Lirethel? Why'd you want to go there?"

"It is a city of great learning, home to Thessolan's most gifted magical minds. We are hoping to find someone there who might be able to tell us how it was that Emily came to be transported to our world in the middle of her bath, and how she might return to it."

"And to turn you back!" Emily muttered, her voice slurring with fatigue.

Talyndra raised an eyebrow. "You want to be human again? Interesting. They don't live very long, humans. No magic in their bones."

"A life of stone is hardly a life at all, should it last millennia or till the end of time. I want to touch and feel, to swim, jump and skip, without being laden down by every step. I want to cry real tears again, smell the air, and taste good food and drink. And I would also very much like to try on a different outfit."

"Wish my outfit were... stuck on... zzzz..." Emily was fast asleep.

"You and me both, Emily," said Talyndra, curling into a ball on her mattress and closing her eyes.

The next morning, after breakfast, Aria took Emily through a light training session, mindful not to use up too much of her energy before the fight. Aria emphasized mindfulness and calm, repeating the importance of Emily not letting her emotions dictate the use of her magic.

"You will need to remain at peace and retain a deliberate and analytical mindset no matter what the circumstances," Aria said.

"Even if Richard has you down to just your boots and the whole pirate crew is whooping and hollering at your fleshy behind!" Talyndra added.

The fire in Emily's palms immediately went out and she placed her hands between her butt and Talyndra's gaze.

Aria sighed. "That is precisely the wrong approach. Richard wants you to react like that. That's why he proposed this style of duel. He is trying to use your shame against you."

"W-well, I—it's embarrassing, okay?! Just the thought of all those pirates leering at me..."

"If you remain focused in the early rounds, that may not come to pass. Fight well enough, and Richard will be the only one exposing himself."

Emily relaxed slightly.

"But you have to be prepared for all eventualities, and that includes a close fight or even one where he gains an initial upper hand. What is your order of loss?"

"Boots, socks, belt, shirt, trousers," Emily said. "I just wish I had more clothes. A jacket or a hat or something. Maybe three jackets, that would be nice. And a bra and panties, while we're at it."

"The Stoneshell also counts," Aria said. "Of course, should you need to remove that, the duel will truly be over."

"Knowing my luck, it'll probably get down to that," Emily said, looking down at her body. "At least it will be familiar."

"What's a bra?" Talyndra asked.

As Emily pulled her makeshift pirate outfit back on, she explained modern ladies' underwear to her two Thessolanian friends.

"That would be strategically convenient for this duel," Aria said. "A pity you weren't transported here while wearing such things."

Emily pouted, imagining how different her adventures would have felt if she'd arrived in Thessolan with her clothes on. "Tell me about it."

Lunch was served by the same pirate from before, who had become decidedly taciturn and deferential to the prisoners, even averting his eyes from Talyndra. Emily ate as much of it as her nerves would allow, and the girls passed the rest of the afternoon in conversation, avoiding the topic of the upcoming fight. Emily spoke more of Earth, her friends and family, and Talyndra of her life in the woods. Aria asked many questions of both.

"And that's when I walked in on my roommate—"

Emily was cut off by the appearance of the usual pirate at the hole in the door. "Beggin' your pardon, ladies, but the sun will soon be setting."

Her story instantly forgotten, Emily felt as though she had swallowed a stone. All the nervousness and doubt that she had tried to distance herself from came roaring back, and it took everything she had to thank and dismiss the pirate.

"Are you ready, Emily?" Aria asked.

"Not really," Emily squeaked, standing up on shaking limbs.

Talyndra enveloped her in a hug. "We believe in you. Come now, let's go win a ship."

The feeling of Talyndra's bare back as Emily returned her hug reminded her that Talyndra would be walking with her and Aria to the deck of the ship. She had sworn to stand and watch the duel, even though she remained completely naked, and Emily could certainly not spare her anything.

"Of course, I'll watch," Talyndra had said, suppressing a crack in her voice. "Fight well, and I'll be the only naked one."

If Talyndra could do that, Emily could summon up the courage to fight Richard. And the courage to win.

The sun had dipped low on the horizon when the party arrived on the ship's deck, casting long shadows. Emily led the procession, her gaze steely with resolution. Talyndra walked behind her, covering herself with her arms, and Aria brought up the rear. This did little to stop the scattered crew members from whooping, hollering, and whistling.

But Emily's focus was on Richard, who stood in the middle of the deck, grinning cockily at her. He had on his full captain's uniform—boots, trousers, shirt and jacket, and his gloves. There was even a tri-corner hat perched jauntily over his dark locks.

"Aren't you a little overdressed?" Emily asked, extra-aware of the wind across her bare midriff.

"I don't believe the terms of our duel specified anything about that," Richard replied. "But I wouldn't want to be accused of playing dirty." With a swift movement, he shrugged off his jacket and lobbed it to one side of the deck.

"That's still—"

"Enough talk! The sun has already begun to set." Richard clapped his gloved hands together and two large stone blocks rose from the deck behind him.

"He's started using magic!" Aria exclaimed. Then she whispered in Emily's ear, "That means the duel has begun. There's no going back now. Be careful—Richard will use every underhanded trick in the book to win."

Emily gulped as Talyndra and Aria stepped away from her to join the spectators. Richard stared at her intently, the stone blocks hovering menacingly behind him. Emily noticed that different-sized pieces of stone were scattered all across the deck, ready and waiting to be wielded by Richard's magic.

With his gloves and hat, Richard had at least two more rounds than she did, but she could conjure fire out of nothing. Hopefully, that would prove advantageous enough.

The second Emily summoned a fireball into her upturned palm, one of the stone blocks came whizzing for her head. She dove to the side, landing heavily on her shoulder, and the stone crashed into the deck behind her, splintering the wood.

"Round one to Captain Stoneheart!" shouted First Mate Gideon. "Will the loser please observe the forfeit?"

"What?!" Emily exclaimed, rubbing her bruised shoulder.

"The round ends when one combatant falls over!" Aria shouted from the sidelines, failing to hide the distress on her face. "Don't let him make you lose your footing, Emily!"

Hardly believing how quickly she had lost the first round, Emily sat up on the deck and looked herself over. The boots would have to be the first thing to go, that was the order of loss. Grumbling and avoiding Richard's smug expression, she undid the laces on her boots and pulled them off. Then, looking at her feet, she decided to take her socks off as well. There would be no point in subjecting herself to another unnecessary fall because of slippery footing.

The pirates whistled appreciatively as Emily tossed her socks and boots to the side and stood up again. She crouched in what she hoped was a sturdy position and pressed her toes against the deck.



"In a hurry to lose it all, hmm?" asked Richard. "If you'd like to resign now, you have only to say the word."

"Never!" Emily growled, her fists exploding into flames.

The pirate crew cheered raucously.

"As you wish," Richard said, shrugging. "My crew will certainly appreciate the show."

Richard crouched low and made a sharp upward-reaching gesture with his right arm. As he did so, the deck beneath Emily's feet rumbled and shook. There was a great cracking, splintering sound as three large conical stones launched from below deck like rockets, tearing through the wood and tossing Emily up into the air.

Emily screamed and blasted fire in random directions. As she began to descend and the deck rose to meet her, she blasted a concentrated pillar of fire below her. Suddenly, she wasn't falling, but hanging suspended in midair.

The audience gasped. Emily's fists were rocket-powered.

Her mind reeling with the possibilities of this discovery, Emily recalled the training she'd done with Aria to summon fire from places other than her hands. With careful focus, she transferred the locus of the Stoneshell's firepower from her fists to the soles of her feet.

It worked. Emily drew herself up into a standing position, hovering several feet above the deck. She looked down at Richard, who was scrambling to summon a slab of stone from the far end of the deck.

Taking a deep breath in and out, she blasted him with fire from her mouth.

With a surprised cry, Richard jumped out of the way of the pillar of fire and directly into the path of the oncoming stone slab. It connected with his ankles and he cried out and crumpled on the deck.

The pirate crew was deathly silent, but Aria and Talyndra more than made up for it with their enthusiastic cheering. "Yes! Emily! Hooray!"

Talyndra jumped for joy before some low whistles from the pirates made her realize what she was doing, and she demurely returned to a concealed cross-legged position by Aria's side.

"Round two to Emily Stoneshell Bearer!" shouted Gideon. "Will the loser please observe the forfeit... Captain, sir."

Scowling and wincing in pain, Richard climbed back up to his feet. He cast Emily a dirty look as he flung the tri-corner hat from his head. "Beginner's luck. Let's see how well it holds when I bring out my real power."

Emily slowly reduced the power of her fire until she dropped gently to the deck. She could fly! That would make this duel a whole easier. Though it was quite tiring to hold a steady stream of fire beneath her feet, and she hoped she hadn't wasted too much energy figuring it out.

Richard circled the deck, making elaborate gestures with his hands. Small blocks of stone started rising from all over the place and joining together in long, segmented trails. They moved with snakelike quickness and grace, coming straight for Emily.

Blasts of flame did nothing to deter the stone snakes, and soon one was wrapping itself around Emily's waist, and another around her ankles. The snakes spun her around until she was dizzy, then pulled her feet out from under her. Before she knew it, she was down on the deck.

"Round three to Captain Stoneheart!"

Emily pouted and undid the buckle of her belt. An enormous cheer rose from the audience but faded once it became clear that Emily was removing only the belt, which she tossed to one side of the deck. It rallied slightly as her trousers slipped a little, catching on the widest part of her hips and exposing the tops of her hip bones.



Richard licked his lips but wasted no time in launching his next attack. Extending his arms out in front of him, he pointed two gloved fists at Emily. With a small pop, they detached from his arms and shot directly at her.

Emily blasted one off-course with a burst of flame, but the other connected with her solar plexus. The force was not great enough to injure her, but it was quite enough to wind her and knock her from her feet.

"Round four to Captain Stoneheart!"

Lying on her back on the deck, Emily groaned deeply, partly in pain and partly because she had been dreading and hoping to avoid what came next. Now that her boots and belt were gone, her shirt had to be next.

"Here, let me help you," Richard said. She felt the leather-encased fingers of his stone hand pull at the knot between her breasts.

The pirates cheered as the hand undid the knot and flicked away the sides of the shirt, exposing Emily's breasts to the salty sea air. Emily wanted to die.

"Come now, stand up and complete the forfeit," Richard said after some minutes had passed with Emily lying motionless on the deck. "Let's get this over with while there's still light enough to see your lovely body."

Eyes shut tight, Emily climbed to her feet and shrugged the shirt off her shoulders, dropping it to the deck. She quickly crossed her arms over her front, but that wasn't enough to stop the pirates from letting out another loud cheer or to suppress the chill of the wind across her bare torso.

The trousers that barely clung to her hips were now the only item of clothing standing between her and total nudity. Of course, she would still have to lose the Stoneshell before the duel was actually finished, but every lost item of clothing was another blow to her confidence. She would need to release her arms so she could use them to fight... with every eye on the ship focused solely on her.

If she lost now, then at least... at least Aria and Talyndra would be okay. She would persuade him not to sell them into slavery. Surely Captain Richard would respect the wishes of... of his wife.

Emily blinked open her eyes. Immediately, she caught the desperate glances of Aria and Talyndra. "Don't give up, Emily!" shouted Talyndra, her arms also folded tightly over her chest, as they had been since she arrived on deck. "It's not over yet!"

Emily glanced from her friends to Richard, who had a detestably smug look on his face. His eyes were glued to her chest, clearly waiting for her arms to drop. Blushing and biting her lip, Emily's first instinct was to cover up more, to somehow maneuver her arms to hide both breasts. But then she had a second thought. A fiery thought.

At the same instant as she dropped her arms, twin columns of flame burst from Emily's chest, connecting directly with Richard. He screamed as the flames licked at him and dropped to the floor, rolling around furiously.



"Round five to Emily Stoneshell Bearer!"

That was more like it.

Richard stood up, smoke rising from his torso. He pulled away the charred remains of his shirt, revealing heavily scarred flesh and a bronze band around his left bicep. "Still want to play, eh?"

"Yes," Emily said, crouching down to pick Richard's stone hand off the deck. "Let's continue."

With a blast of fire, she launched the hand in a high arc which sent it sailing over the edge of the deck.

Richard cursed as he summoned two large stone slabs in front of him. "I rather liked that hand, you know. But I don't need it."

One slab blasted towards Emily and then another. With a burst of fire from her feet, she easily cleared both. Emily smiled with satisfaction as they cleared the deck and landed in the water with two successive loud plops. Throughout the fight, Richard had been violently launching pieces of stone off the ship and into the ocean. His supply, while large, could not be infinite.

Emily wondered for a moment why a man with the power to control stone would become a ship captain. Then she launched herself at him, flaming heel first.

Emily's heel merely grazed Richard's cheek as she shot passed him, but the glancing impact was enough to knock him onto the deck.

"Round six to Emily Stoneshell Bearer!"

Richard pulled off his boots, revealing two large, hairy feet. He and Emily were both down to their trousers, but he still had his belt. Emily's were riding perilously low and she had to maintain a wide stance to keep them from falling.

There was a glint in Richard's eyes as the two surveyed each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Emily deepened her crouch, and Richard circled his forearms rhythmically. Without his shirt, the absence of his hands was painfully obvious, making Emily a little guilty about sending them overboard.

But before she could dwell on that too much, she felt something tighten around her ankles. She glanced down to see a coiling snake of segmented stone drawn tight around her ankles, snapping her legs together. Her trousers lost their tenuous grip on her hips, and she fell on her bare butt.

"Round seven to Captain Stoneheart!"

The cheering from the pirates was deafening. Aria gasped and Talyndra hid her face in her hands. Emily's cheeks burned with shame. The stone snake released its hold and slithered away across the deck. Richard offered her a mocking stump.

Eyes blurry with tears, Emily took the stump in her hand and allowed Richard to pull her to her feet. He forced her forward, out of the trousers that lay pooled beneath her, and let out a low, appreciative whistle. "Just one more round, my dear," he whispered in her ear. "One more round, and we can enjoy each other in another way."

Emily ran from him to the farthest corner of the deck. She stood as far from Richard and the leering audience as she could get, facing away. Once again, she was naked. Only the Stoneshell stood between her and total powerlessness and defeat. This was it. Whatever happened next, she could not fall again.

Gathering up all her strength, Emily turned to face Richard. It took everything she had to position herself in a low crouch, fists raised and ready to fire. The pirates cheered again and Emily tried to ignore them.

While her back was turned, Richard had been assembling something out of stone. A crude humanoid statue made of many stones of different shapes and sizes. now staggered towards Emily, its paw-like hands flailing in front of it.

A blast of fire took the thing's head off, but it kept advancing.

"Good call!" shouted Richard. "That was an unnecessary detail. It will be much faster now."

And indeed, the thing was gaining on Emily with surprising speed. She blasted two more jets of fire at it, but both missed. Leaping out of its way at the last moment, Emily stumbled across the deck, just barely keeping her footing.

The thing turned around and came back towards her. At the same time, Richard advanced from the other end of the deck, his eyes wide as saucers, taking in every detail of Emily's naked body. Strands of hair stood up from her head and fell in her face, and she was covered in sweat. Bruises marked spots on her arms and back where she had fallen on the deck in previous rounds.

Before either the statue or Richard reached her, another blast of flame from the soles of Emily's feet propelled her into the air. Richard cried out in surprise as he collided with his rock golem, splitting it apart. He lost his balance and fell on the deck.

"Round eight to Emily Stoneshell Bearer!" came the distant voice of Gideon, reaching Emily's ears from far below. She had flown high above the ship, and for just a moment, she looked out at the expanse of sea around her in wonder. In the distance, she could see the outline of a shore.



Her journey in Thessolan had given her so many incredible, unbelievable experiences, and exposed her to so many things and people she had never even dreamed of. Mild-mannered Emily was becoming a powerful mage. She just wished the exposure didn't have to be quite so literal all the time.

When she returned to the deck of the ship, Richard had already discarded his belt and was gathering up what remained of his stone. Seeming to have exhausted his more creative attacks, he settled for lobbing giant hunks of rock directly at Emily's head. These she deflected with blasts of fire or managed to sidestep. She had been fighting for a long time now and felt her coming exhaustion. But the stakes, so keenly felt in the wind that whipped across her bare skin, kept her senses razor-sharp.

Richard was depleting his stone stockade very quickly now. With every intercepting blast of fire, Emily made sure to knock another slab into the ocean. If she could just keep this up for a little longer, and not fall again, she could win!

As Richard ran for another pile of stones, she sent fire blasts at his feet. He yelped in pain, slipped, and fell over.

"Round nine to Emily Stoneshell Bearer!"

Wincing in pain as he regained his footing, Richard scowled at Emily. "A dirty trick, firing at a man's feet while his back is turned. But I understand. Your lust for me is clearly uncontrollable. And I am only too happy to comply." With this, Richard forced his trousers down and let them fall at his feet. Underneath, he wore a loose pair of drawers.

"Underwear!" Emily exclaimed. "No fair!"

"Please, my lady, contain yourself. You will have all the time in the world to appreciate my gifts right... after... this!"

An enormous slab of stone thumped into Emily's back. She gasped and fell forward, landing face-first on the deck.

"Round ten to Captain Stoneheart!"

The world swam before Emily's eyes. The pain in her back faded in the light of her sudden defeat. Already naked, her final humiliation would be to remove the Stoneshell, rendering her utterly helpless.

Richard knelt and stroked her cheek with a smooth wrist stump. "Rise, my betrothed."

Slowly, Emily got to her feet. She tried to ignore the feeling of the many eyes across her bare and battered frame and to suppress the aches and pains that were now coming to the fore with the ebbing of her adrenaline. The only mercy was that the sun had fully set, giving her the cover of darkness. The wind whipped up, stronger now than ever, making her shiver. Loose strands of hair fluttered in front of her eyes, obscuring the face of the man who was now to be her husband. Casting her eyes down, Emily reached for the chain of the Stoneshell necklace.

The wind was strong, but only a few strands of hair blew in Emily's face. Something pulled at the back of her head—it was her hair tie! Hope surged in Emily's chest, and she let the chain of her necklace fall back on her neck. She brought her hands up to the black elastic band, the only possession she'd brought with her from Earth. Smiling through tears, she pulled it away and let her hair fly free.

"W-what?!" Richard stammered. "Y-you—that's—damnation!"

Aria and Talyndra cheered from somewhere behind Emily. Heartened, but keenly aware that she now truly had only one thing left to remove, Emily shot a fireball at Richard. The process had become automatic, like a reflex.



Still raging and spluttering, Richard only just managed to dive out of the way of Emily's projectile, landing hard on the deck.

"Round eleven to Emily Stoneshell Bearer!"

Richard grimaced as he pulled himself back up to his feet. Tendrils of smoke rose from the side of his beard, where Emily's fireball had grazed it. Smiling toothily at his opponent, he unceremoniously dropped his drawers and kicked them to one side. "Now we're even," he said, flexing his left bicep beneath the bronze band.

Emily hadn't noticed it before but saw now that the band had faint images carved into it with thin lines. They looked like mountains. It was strange that Richard would remove his drawers before removing this odd piece of jewelry—perhaps he wanted to shock and distract her. Or perhaps, when telling the story of his powers' manifestation, he had left out one key detail.

A small piece of stone sailed past Emily's ear, reminding her that now was no time to get lost in thought. She summoned up another fireball, which Richard deftly dodged, before propelling another stone at her. This was the last stone on deck, but Richard appeared to realize this fact, quickly pulling it back to himself when it missed Emily the first time.

The two combatants circled the deck in wide-legged crouches, keeping each other in view, alert for the slightest sign of an attack. Richard's body was covered in cuts and bruises, and Emily could feel that she had a few of her own. Both were tired and breathing heavily, and both were one round from losing it all. The duel would be over soon. Emily mostly avoided looking down at Richard's crotch, while Richard allowed his eyes to roam hungrily over what he believed would soon be his prize.

The thought of waking up next to Richard's smug face was unbearable. The thought of him deriving more power from intimacy with the Stoneshell Bearer was worse still. But she was tired. Emily knew she had one shot left in her before her energy was depleted. It would need to count.

The soreness in her body, her exposure to the elements, the jeers and taunts and leering eyes of the watching pirates, Richard's unconcealed lust, and the rage at all the evil people who had done her wrong, at Elara and Trilato and Richard, the pure anger and frustration of her lack of control over the visibility of her own body, Emily channeled it all into the Stoneshell, feeding the fire, the heat, her vision tinting red, then white, then a deep blue.

Stone and fire shot across the deck in the same instant, colliding spectacularly. The stone was the size of Emily's head, a smooth sphere of packed granite. The ball of flame was a deep blue.

Emily readied herself to dodge, but the stone never reached her. As the blue fire went out, a light dust of ash fell to the ship's deck. The audience gasped.

"What?!" Richard screamed, frantically moving the stumps of his arms to summon another stone. But there were no more stones on the deck. They had all been shot overboard or turned to ash.

Emily met Richard's panicked gaze, smiling to herself. The terror in his eyes gave her renewed energy, enough to lob a small fireball at him. Richard jumped back, dodging it, but another soon followed. He was on the back foot, chased by Emily's fireballs, still glancing around frantically for any stone he could find. Sensing his desperation, Emily placed a protective hand in front of the Stoneshell, though the heat emanating from its surface prevented her from touching it.

Just then, Richard's eyes seemed to fix on something behind her, and that old confidence returned to his expression. "A most unladylike posture," he said to Emily, staring directly between her wide-splayed legs. "Here, let me find you something to cover up with." Richard's stumps turned in complicated swirls, then made a beckoning motion.

Caught off-guard and blushing, Emily placed her free hand over her crotch. There was a scream from behind her, and she twisted her head around just in time to see a mass of rock flying right at her. But this was different from the granite she had warded off before—this was white marble.

The marble slab collided with Emily, then wrapped itself around her. But for the stability of her unladylike stance, it would have knocked her over. The marble wrapped around her body, pushing her arms against it and covering everything from her thighs to her neck. The Stoneshell felt warm to her touch but did not burn her palm. Loud complaints and sighs of disappointment erupted from the watching pirates.

The marble had of course come from Aria, who stood, shell-shocked, next to Talyndra. Richard had separated the gown from her body and used it to trap Emily, leaving her as a nude marble statue. Aria appeared too surprised to even think of covering up, and a few appreciative pirate glances turned towards her.



When Aria had first offered Emily her gown, this is not quite how Emily expected it would happen. She looked back at Richard, who was advancing towards her. "I just couldn't stand to have my betrothed suffer such indignities any longer," he said. "I'm sure you feel much better now."

Now face-to-face with Emily, Richard removed a chunk of the marble gown's neckline so that the hand grasping the Stoneshell was visible. Sweating with exertion, he formed the chunk into a crude hand and brought it onto the stump of his right arm before reaching out to pry Emily's fingers from her pendant. "Let's spare both our dignities and finish this."

Emily looked resolutely into Richard's eyes. "Let's." Then she kneed him in the crotch.

Richard grunted, eyes filling with tears, and promptly fell on his side.

The pirates gasped in unison. For a long time, no one dared to speak, and the only sounds were Richard's pained whimpers. Then, finally, a high, musical, and triumphant female voice declared, "Round twelve to Emily Stoneshell Bearer! Emily is the winner!"

Aria and Talyndra rushed forward to Emily's sides, embracing her over the marble gown, both heedless of their states of undress.

Richard staggered to his feet, still massaging his crotch. He looked at the three women with an expression of pure hatred and raised both stumps.

Emily felt the marble gown squeeze her ribcage and cried out in alarm. Richard was trying to kill her!

Talyndra met her eyes and instantly knew what was happening. Her green skin turning red with rage, she cried out, "Cheat!" and fell upon Richard. Within seconds, she had removed the bronze band from his upper arm and held it triumphantly aloft, bringing Richard down with a second knee to his crotch. Aria stepped in to hold him down, clearly relishing the newfound freedom in her arms.

The pressure on Emily's ribcage instantly released. So did the entirety of the marble gown. As Emily watched, the gown fell away from her body and magnetically returned to Aria, wrapping itself around her in its original configuration. Once again, the statue was clothed, and the girl from Earth, naked.

Aria breathed a sigh of relief, but exchanged a sympathetic glance with Emily. "I understand some small part of how you must often feel, now."

Two pirates lifted Richard from the deck, naked and defeated, the source of his powers removed. He scowled at the three women as he was dragged below deck, presumably to take their place in the prison room.

First mate Gideon presented Emily with Richard's pirate hat, placing it on her head and bowing before her, his eyes closed. "Per the terms of the duel, my crew and I are now yours to command, Captain Emily. Richard will be held in confinement."



Emily smiled adjusted the hat, which was a bit big for her, and looked out at her new crew, who stared intently back at her. Remembering her nudity, she blushed and covered herself with her arms. "My first command is for you all to go below deck while Talyndra and I get dressed!"

The crew beat a hasty retreat, and Emily, Aria, and Talyndra were left standing in the middle of the deck. Suddenly hit by the exertion of the duel, Emily collapsed into her companions' arms.

"Does it hurt?" Aria asked, rubbing Emily's back.

"Yes," Emily whimpered, feeling every ache and bruise. "But it was worth it."

After a long, quiet, and tight group hug, the three women separated, and Emily and Talyndra gathered up the discarded clothes from the deck. Talyndra put on what had been Emily's outfit, and Emily put on Captain Richard's clothes, to go with her new hat. His shirt had been too badly burned to be of much use, and the drawers were too gross to think about, but Emily was able to wrap herself comfortably in his jacket, which provided a welcome respite from the wind, and to wear his trousers with the legs slightly rolled up.

For her part, Talyndra looked relieved to finally have something to wear, but a little uncomfortable in human clothes, scratching herself every so often. "This'll do for now, but I'm finding a goldapple tree as soon as we get to shore," she said.

Emily hugged herself in the loose-fitting captain's outfit, sighing with contentment. Then, remembering something, she scanned the deck for a small black circle. There it was! Emily scooped up her faithful hair tie and placed it back on her wrist with a satisfying elastic snap. She gave it a small kiss, thanking it for helping her win the duel and captaincy of the pirate ship.

The pirate crew was permitted to return to the deck, and Gideon reported that Richard had been safely restrained in the ship's prison. Emily took up residence in the captain's cabin, and two more cabins were cleared for Aria and Talyndra, though Aria insisted she didn't need one, not needing food or sleep. A course was set for the port nearest to Lirethel, and Emily and her companions retired for the night.

Before they parted, Talyndra handed Emily Richard's bronze armband. "You won this," she said. "I just retrieved it for you."

The armband was heavier than it looked, with a lot of finely carved detail. After examining it for some time, Emily placed it beside the bed in her new cabin. She thought about placing it on her arm, though it appeared far too big to stay on.

The small table Emily placed the armband on was also adorned with Zephyr's book. Though Emily's body was exhausted, her mind was full of thoughts and questions, buzzing with plans and possibilities that her victory in the duel had brought to her. After disrobing—for there were no nightgowns to be found in Richard's cabin—she slipped under the bedcovers and started, at last, to read Zephyr's book. The Stoneshell had saved her so many times, but still, she knew so little about it.



The book started with the Stoneshell's origins, which Emily already knew the outline of, but filled in a lot more detail. Thurseus Irontail had first laid eyes upon Evangeline as she roamed a beach collecting seashells. She was so focused on her task that she didn't even notice Thurseus until their hands touched reaching for the same shell—this would become the model for the Stoneshell pendant.

The pendant was made of cooled and hardened lava from a flow beneath the deepest trench in the ocean. Irontail, who was greater still as a mage than as a warrior, imbued it with complex enchantments, carved as runes into onion-like layers beneath its plain surface. Through a process derived from careful study of mermaid alkayi magic, he bonded it to Evangeline. This ensured that she could use its powers without harm to herself and would also be able to summon it from great distances.

Zephyr's margin notes indicated that she did not know whether Irontail ever intended for the Stoneshell to be used by anyone other than Evangeline, or that he knew of its fire powers. In any case, these only manifested on land.

The powers Irontail intentionally imbued the Stoneshell with were largely protective. It was given the ability to calm and reassure its wearer and to protect her from extreme environmental conditions—heat, cold, strong winds, and rough seas. It granted the ability to breathe underwater, as Emily well knew. And it had some healing properties, though Zephyr admitted not much was known about these. Reading this, Emily noticed that her bruises felt less painful, and some of the cuts on her skin had already closed.

The next section of the book covered what Zephyr termed the "unlocking" of the Stoneshell. Upon the consummation of Thurseus and Evangeline's marriage, the Stoneshell's powers would extend to him, and be greatly increased in strength. Just as it allowed Evangeline to breathe underwater, it would allow him to walk on land. Thurseus had said once that it would remove both their weaknesses, making them one and whole in each other.

By the time of the Stoneshell's creation, Thurseus had already united the merfolk of Thessolan under a single empire, but he had still greater ambitions that were to be fulfilled with Evangeline by his side. Together, they were to rule a vast kingdom that spanned both land and sea.

This never came to pass, as Thurseus was murdered the day before the wedding, in the culmination of a plot by an alliance of former nobles who remained loyal to the heir of one of the old kings that Thurseus had vanquished. The united Mer empire fell to infighting and split apart shortly afterward, mostly along the lines of the old kingdoms.

The next section of the book covered Evangline's life after the death of Thurseus. Her heart broken, she roamed the sea and the land seeking vengeance on the ones who had killed her one true love, and on anyone else who, in her estimation, allowed jealousy and personal greed to drive them to sabotage men and women with noble intents and great visions. The Stoneshell's power made her a formidable and highly feared figure, but the grief of losing Thurseus ultimately undid her sanity. Towards the end of her life, she appeared to choose enemies without rhyme or reason, imposing extreme and disproportionate punishment on random individuals for minor slights.

Evangeline developed many magical powers in addition to the Stoneshell's fire and protective wards, but the mystery shrouding her later life made it unclear whether these were related to the Stoneshell's powers or independent of it.

By the end of this section, Emily's eyes had become heavy with sleep. She closed the book and placed it down on the table—right next to Richard's bronze armband.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Emily picked up the armband. Sitting up in bed, she examined its intricate patterns closely, which blended naturalistic, apparently snow-capped mountains with simple geometric shapes. It felt heavy and solid, but also slightly warm. Before she knew it, Emily had slipped it over her left arm, just to feel what it was like.

At once, the bronze band contracted to fit snugly around her upper arm, producing a gasp from Emily. The weight of it seemed to disappear, or rather, spread through her entire body, making her feel solid and grounded. Stone of the earth was now hers to command.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" said a bitter voice from the doorway.

Emily shrieked and pulled the blanket up to cover her chest.

"Come now, it's nothing I haven't seen before." The voice belonged to Richard, who stepped forward into the dim lamplight. He was still naked and made no effort to hide it.

Emily clutched the blanket in one hand and summoned a fireball in another. "How did you escape?"

"If you'll recall, there was a hole in the door."

Emily cursed her new crew.

"They may be your crew now, bound by your orders, but some retain a certain sympathy for me."

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now," Emily said, surprising herself at the viciousness of her words.

Richard held up his stumps in a gesture of surrender. "That would hardly be sporting, now would it? Emily Stoneshell Bearer, master of fire and newly of stone, wielding her enormous and lethal powers against a poor, naked cripple."

"We're both naked!"

"I noticed. And I had hoped it would be under more genial conditions."

Emily remembered the hate in Richard's eyes when he had pressed the marble of Aria's gown into her sides. "You tried to kill me!"

"My temper got the better of me," Richard admitted. "I'm not accustomed to losing."

Emily was getting rather annoyed with his smug tone, not to mention his intrusion on her privacy. Grasping the blanket closer to her chest, she asked, "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"I wanted to offer you a last chance," Richard said, dropping his arms. "You've read the book by now. You know that I can help you to unlock the Stoneshell's full power. Between that and the powers of the Bronzeband, you could be the world's greatest sorceress. Greater even than Evangeline herself."

Emily was speechless for a moment. Of all the ways that men had tried to get into her pants, this was surely the most creative. "I don't think so. Turn around while I get dressed, and I'm marching you right back to your cell. And this time, I'll find a big stone to put in front of the door so you can't get out again."

Richard dutifully turned around but continued speaking. "As I said before, some of the crew retain my loyalty. And I won't tell you which ones. With me on this ship, you will never know who you can trust."

Emily paused. He had a point.

"But I can solve that problem for you. If you refuse to let me help you fulfill your destiny, at least allow me to leave this ship. Give me the Bronzeband and rowboat, and I will depart at once."

"You've shown that I can't trust you with such power." Emily again recalled the marble pressing down on her ribs.

Richard turned to face her and held his stumps up to the light. "Then how am I to row?"

A sudden sympathy seized Emily, looking at Richard's pathetic figure. "Come here," she said, steeling herself as Richard stepped towards her.

Allowing the blanket to drop to her hips, she reached out and took Richard's stumps in her hands. She rubbed them, making gentle, circular motions and channeling the Stoneshell's healing power. A soft, heatless green flame appeared beneath her palms, and Richard's stumps started to grow.

Richard's eyes grew wider and wider as he watched flesh and bone extend from the ends of his arms, shaping under the power of Emily and the Stoneshell's restorative magic. Slowly, carefully, she drew out two perfectly proportioned hands, bright pink and hairless.

When she was done, Richard marveled at his new hands. Tentatively at first, but with rapidly increasing confidence, he moved his fingers and thumbs and swiveled his wrists, experiencing for the first time sensations that most people take entirely for granted.

"I think that... should allow you to row," said Emily, sweating, panting and now truly, finally exhausted.

Eyes welling with tears, Richard placed his new palms together in a praying posture and bowed deeply to Emily. "I... will not forget this great kindness, Emily Stoneshell Bearer. Truly, you are magnanimous in victory, and I am satisfied to hold to my word and call this your victory. You have given me a great and precious gift, something I have longed for all my life."

Richard took a few steps towards the door, picking up his violin on the way out. But before leaving, he turned his head to look back at Emily and said, "But do not think you have seen the last of me. The Bronzeband is mine, surely as the Stoneshell is yours, and I will be back for it. So long, Emily... for the moment."

The cabin door shut behind Richard's hairy form. Sometime later, Emily heard a distant splash. Before going to sleep, she got up and locked the door to prevent further disruptions to her reading. But she was asleep before she could read even a single word further.

[student]

That was quite the wizards' duel. It reminded me of Disney's Sword in the Stone.

[Horn-eman000]

This is such a fantastic, creative and enjoyable story. And I love all the ways in which Emily ends up naked again, lol. The pictures are awesome too, especially the ones with naked Emily, which are gorgeous. And based on how she looks, I hope the story ends with her shedding her modesty and deciding that she loves being nude, lol. She’s got no reason to be ashamed and embarrassed. This story also reminds me of all the women I play as in PC games, exploring dangerous environments without any clothes on, with the only difference being that they choose to do so, haha. Anyway, can’t wait for more!

[FinchAgent]

Emily and the Seamstress

Over the next few days, Emily read Zephyr's book cover-to-cover multiple times, making her own notes with a quill pen and parchment. Learning to use the quill and inkwell was a challenge, and she ruined several sheets of parchment in the process, but eventually she got the hang of it. How much easier it would have been, she mused, if she had been transported to Thessolan just after coming home from work—she always kept spare ballpoints in her bag. And, of course, she would have been fully dressed.

But Emily's clothing troubles seemed finally behind her. She may have had to display herself to the entire pirate crew while fighting Richard, but she'd won, and now she was the captain of the Sea Serpent, which had on board as many spare clothes as she could want. They were all men's clothes, shapeless and ill-fitting, and often quite worn, with holes and patches and missing buttons, but after everything she'd been through they made her feel dignified, human again. Entering the storeroom to pick out a new outfit, she felt like a wealthy heiress with a walk-in closet.

The ship was headed for the port town of Turon. Emily and Aria had sat down with First Mate Gideon and a map to make sure they set course for the port that would bring them closest to Lirethel, though it was an inland city and they would still have a long journey ahead.

Between the availability of extra clothing and Emily's increased skill with the Stoneshell, she and Aria decided that it would be safe for her to practise with clothes on. But Emily was still careful not to dress in anything with loose ends that might catch a wandering flame. She adopted as her standard training outfit a sleeveless undershirt and a relatively tight-fitting pair of trousers. This did not deter idle crew members from watching every practise session.



After finding Richard's emergency rock stash, Aria and Emily incorporated the Bronzeband into her training. Emily had found a few books about magical artifacts among Richard's things, some of which were even referenced by Zephyr's Stoneshell notes. The Bronzeband appeared a far less storied artifact than the Stoneshell—it was one of a few hundred, made by an unremarkable mage only a few decades ago. Its enchantment was quite simple and when not employed in levitating rock, it lay dormant. There was none of the psychic connection Emily felt with the Stoneshell.

It was also far more difficult to use. Emily gained a new respect for the things Richard had shown her after her first few practise sessions produced little more a couple of spinning stones. "It would be less effort to just pick these stones up with my hands than it is move them with magic," Emily said, collapsing to the deck and wiping the sweat off her brow after a particularly taxing session.

"Then you see Richard's advantage," Aria replied. "For him, that was not an option."

Emily thought back to sight of hands growing out of Richard's stumps. She had not told Aria or Talyndra about the events of that night, as she still wasn't sure she'd done the right thing. Richard was out there somewhere, without his magic perhaps, but strong, able-bodied and crafty. Also naked. But that had never stopped Emily so far, and he seemed far less shy about it. Men just didn't have the same hangups about their bodies, she supposed.

"I don't know why you humans love these artifacts so much," Talyndra chimed in, emerging from below deck. "As soon as someone takes it off you, all your powers are gone."

She was dressed in brown shorts and a short-sleeve white shirt. Her feet were bare. As human clothing was irritable to her skin, she preferred not to wear too much of it.



"Humans are not intrinsically magical beings," said Aria. "We require artifacts to use magic at all."

Talyndra smirked, making green lights dance around her fingers. "I think you lot just don't try hard enough. Magic's easy!"

"Says the elf who was captured by human pirates," Emily returned, a little annoyed by Talyndra's flippancy after she had spent an hour trying unsuccessfully to reshape a pebble. "And who was rescued by the Stoneshell Bearer."

"I just... don't perform so well at sea," Talyndra said defensively, stumbling as the ship crested a wave. "Get me back to the deep woods and then you'll see."

"Well, what is a forest, then, but a really big artifact?" Emily asked. "I don't think we're so different after all."

Talyndra muttered to herself and returned below deck, scratching a spot on her side.

Aria glided across the deck and, with a bit of effort as she was not accustomed to the position, sat down in front of Emily and looked her in the eyes. "What troubles you?"

Emily let out a deep sigh. "It's... well... everything!"

Aria cocked a stone eyebrow. "Try to be more specific. I am here to listen."

"Up until now, we've been on the move, busy with training, busy fighting all these terrible people who want to take the Stoneshell from me," Emily began. "And I've been naked a lot, which makes it difficult to think of much else, worrying that people will see, and just feeling insecure and vulnerable all the time. And between walking miles every day, training in magic, I haven't had a lot of time or energy to really process things. Until now. These last few days. Sure, I've been busy with the Stoneshell research, and our training, but we haven't been walking everywhere, and I've been properly clothed. So I've had time for... contemplation."

"That sounds like a good thing."

"It is! I'd much rather be the captain of the pirate ship than a naked girl in the woods. But it's a lot to process! Everything that's happened! A month ago, I was just Emily Corlett, junior book-keeper at Greenville Auto, living in a rundown apartment with a flighty roommate. And now I'm Emily Stoneshell Bearer, heir to Evangeline, with this incredible magical power and all that comes with it! I'm trying to outrun people who want to use my power for evil, trying to figure out how I can help you and the other statues turn back into humans, trying to figure out what my purpose in this world is supposed to be!"

Emily clasped the Stoneshell pendant between her fingers. "And I know it's an important one. But I'm not sure if I'm up to it. I'm a nobody! Before coming here, I struggled to even make rent every month. But I managed, and I was studying. And I had friends, and family, and they must all think something terrible happened to me! I have to get back to them, I have to!"

As if to punctuate this, a column of flame burst from the top of Emily's head, blending with her chestnut locks.

"It sounds like you're not really sure about that," said Aria.

Emily looked down at the deck. "I was a nobody before. Here, I'm somebody. Here, I have a purpose. But back there, I have a loving mom and dad. I have a world I know and understand. My life wasn't constantly being threatened. And I got to wear clothes a lot more often, I guess. That was good too."

"Are we not going to Lirethel so as to find you a way back home?" asked Aria. "You will see your family again."

"We're going to have to make a few detours first. For your sake, and the other statues. I promised I would help you, and I'm not going anywhere else until that's done."

"Detours?"

"It's all in Zephyr's book. After Evangeline disappeared—nobody's sure if she even died—the Stoneshell turned up hundreds of years later as a prize artifact of the Order of Mages. It had the potential to hold far more enchantments that Thurseus Irontail gave it, and so over the years, the mages added their own. The final enchantment Zephyr records, presumably made just before the Stoneshell was placed in the center of the Labyrinthine Pool, was the one that turned you and the others into statues."

Aria nodded gravely. "I still remember the day it happened. Arctulus, tapping the necklace with his wand, and my whole body stiffening in the same instant."

"The first part of that enchantment was broken when I put the Stoneshell around my neck," said Emily. "And that only because I was the Stoneshell Bearer. That was the strongest part, what rendered you almost immobile and closed Castle Elid to the world. But the second part, that turned your skin and hair and garments to stone, that must be broken separately. According to Zephyr's research, the only way to do it is to travel to a place called Paja Abbey. It's a monastery to the east of Port Turon, Gideon showed it to me on the map."

"Paja Abbey... I think that's where the mage Arctulus studied," said Aria, a faraway look in her eyes. "It's a miracle that it still stands, so many years later."

"There's a ritual we need to perform there, Zephyr doesn't know the details, but the monks should be able to help us. The most important thing is that the statues of Castle Elid should all be there."

"I will send a carrier pigeon with the message as soon as we reach land," said Aria. "The statues need neither food nor rest, and will be able to march nonstop to this Paja Abbey to meet us. They may even arrive before we do."

Emily smiled. "Great. For the next few weeks, Paja Abbey is our focus."

"And then? Once the enchantment is broken?"

"One thing at a time. If I can just focus on saving you, Aria, then I don't have to think about any other decisions just yet."

"Perhaps that is wise," Aria said, but her expression betrayed her doubts. She placed a marble hand on Emily's upper arm, just above the Bronzeband. "Please know that I will remain by your side and give you the aid I can, whatever decisions you make."

"Thanks, Aria," said Emily, pulling up into a hug. Though Aria's stoney surface was just as cold and hard as ever, Emily found it comforting.

Strong winds over the next few days brought the Sea Serpent and its crew swiftly to Port Turon, and they docked with little trouble. The pirate flag had long been stowed away, so as far as anyone knew, the Sea Serpent was nothing more than a merchant ship.

Heads turned in the lively harbor as Emily disembarked, decked out in full, ill-fitting captain's garb and accompanied on one side by a scantily clad wood elf and the other by a living statue. First Mate Gideon followed behind them, unnoticed.

It had already been decided that Emily would sell the ship. The crew would receive their pay from the proceeds, and were free to stay on with the new owner or find other work—there were few better places for this in all of Thessolan than Port Turon. Aria led the way in engaging potential buyers, which presented little challenge, as everyone in the area was eager to speak with the trio.

They soon found success with the servant of a wealthy merchant who assured them that his master would pay handsomely for such a fine vessel as the Sea Serpent. "I will fetch my master immediately," he said. "After he has looked over your fine ship—a mere formality, if all you've told me is true—we shall rendezvous at the Mariner's Respite, a tavern not far from here."

The servant was a small, obsequious man with a nervous twitch in one eye and a red fez on his head, who had difficulty keeping eye contact with Emily.

"Excellent," said Gideon. Then, to Emily, "Captain, you must be quite sick of ship's biscuits and watered-down rum. The Mariner's Respite serves fine ale and hearty meals—as the name implies, it is a fine place to rest after a long voyage, and certainly a better place to wait than this dock. I would recommend you ladies go on ahead, and I will wait here for this man's master and show him around the ship. Then we'll meet you at the tavern."

Emily's stomach growled. "Yes, that does sound like a good idea. Thank you, Gideon."

Gideon bowed.

"Come along then," Emily said, motioning to Talyndra and Aria. "Where is this tavern you mentioned, Gideon?"

"Ah, the Mariner's Respite, I know it well," interjected the servant. "It's just down the main road, about in the middle. There's a whole lot of trees around it and a big sign with a mermaid, you can't miss it."

"Thank you," said Emily.

"I'll catch up with you shortly," said Aria, as Emily and Talyndra turned to go.

Emily cocked an eyebrow, to which Aria leaned in and whispered to her. "Someone has to make sure Gideon secures us a fair deal on the ship. I know he's been trustworthy so far, but it never hurts to be careful. Besides, I don't need food or drink, and I must also send word of our plan to the statues of Castle Elid. Go, I will see you and Talyndra soon."

Accepting this explanation, Emily bid farewell to Aria and she and Talyndra headed for the tavern, which was a short walk down the town's main road.

The tavern was a large building, constructed of stone and weathered wood. "Mariner's Respite" was carved into the sign above the door in large, flowing letters, and adorned on one side by a simple illustration of a mermaid with welcoming smile and long tresses of hair flowing down her torso. Emily blushed in remembrance of the last time she'd entered a tavern, sans pants. Luckily, she was well covered this time with even a sea captain's hat and coat.

"Are those...? They are!" Talyndra exclaimed, pointing excitedly at one of the trees surrounding the tavern. "Goldapple!"

Emily recognized the green-yellow leaves and dangling golden fruit, but was quite puzzled by Talyndra's excitement.

"Come on," shouted Talyndra, pulling at Emily's sleeve, "let's pick some!"

"I don't know if the owners would appreciate that..." Emily said.

Talyndra rolled her eyes. "What they don't know won't hurt them. Anyway, we'll go round the back—it looks like they've got a full orchard."

"Okay, okay, fine!" said Emily, stumbling forward as Talyndra pulled her towards the trees by the sleeve. "But what's so exciting about goldapples? I'm sure they'll have better food inside."

"Who cares about the apples? I'm after the leaves! Then I can finally lose this itchy fabric!" Talyndra scratched furiously at her neck as she said this.

Behind the tavern, there were even more goldapple trees, planted in neat rows. Talyndra made a beeline for the first one, wrapping her arms around it and rubbing her face against its bark. "Oh trees! How I've missed you so!"

Emily smirked at this new and very literal definition of the term "tree-hugger" and watched as Talyndra gently shook the trunk, causing a shower of green-yellow leaves to fall about her. Then she released the tree, and green sparks of magic appeared at her fingertips.

The leaves that she'd just shaken free, as well as many other leaves from all over the orchard, flew up into the air, as if blown by the wind. They converged in a single spot in front of Talyndra, spinning together in a green-yellow blur. More and more leaves joined the spiraling column, until it was half the height of Talyndra herself.

Emily watched in awe as the flurry of leaves slowed, resolving into the shape of a small, sleeveless dress. With intricate finger movements, Talyndra shaped the garment, moving between different cuts of both bodice and skirt until she settled on a design she liked. Once she was happy with the dress, she lowered her arms, leaving it suspended in midair.

Talyndra then slashed at the bark of the goldapple tree with the fingers of one hand. Her nails were sharp and cut deep into the bark. With her magic, she drew out a stream of tree sap, which she expertly wove around the floating dress, presumably using it to keep the leaves together. When she was one, she lowered her arms once more.

After a quick check that no one was watching them, Talyndra seized the hem of her top. "Good-bye, itchy human clothes!" she exclaimed, violently pulling the top over her head and flinging it towards Emily. Her shorts quickly followed, both garments smacking Emily directly in the face.

"Hey!" Emily shouted.

"Sorry!" Talyndra replied sheepishly, blushing all over before plucking the dress from the air and pulling it over her head.

Talyndra was radiant in her natural garb. She jumped for joy and spun around, a new spark in her eyes and lightness in her feet. Needless to say, the dress was far better constructed than Emily's own prior experiment with goldapple leaves. It may be prove very useful to have a companion who could make such fine clothes from nature's bounty.

The two companions returned to the front of the tavern and entered. The interior was dim, and they quickly found an empty table near the back. Emily sank into the plush, comfortable seating and immediately pulled out Zephyr's book and the parcel of parchment that was her own notes. Talyndra went to order the pair's meals. She soon returned bearing two large tankards of frothy ale, one of which she slammed down in front of Emily.



"To adventure!" Talyndra exclaimed, sliding into a seat across from Emily and raising her glass for a toast.

Emily lifted her own glass and clinked it against Talyndra's, spilling the foam from the tops of both and protecting her precious notes with her other arm.

"Where to next, cap'n?" Talyndra asked, after taking a hearty swig of her ale.

Emily pulled out a map she'd taken from the ship and indicated the road from Port Turon to Paja Abbey.

Talyndra's eyes lit up and she jabbed a finger at a copse of trees along the path. "That's wood elf territory, right there. The village of Wourd. Not my home, but I have some cousins who live there. Be good to see them again."

Emily examined the space around Talyndra's finger. "Very well then, we will travel together. You may part from us there if you wish."

Talyndra shrugged. "I must get word of my safety to my family. But I am also curious about your quest, and these statues you've mentioned. There's a part of my that wants to see it through, and to help you however I'm able."

"That's very kind," Emily replied, taking a slow sip of ale. "You're most welcome to stay, but I don't know what awaits us at Paja Abbey. Or on the road there, for that matter. A lot of powerful people are after the Stoneshell."

Talyndra waved a dismissive hand. "An old crone, a fish and a man without hands, you mean. I think we can take them."

Emily bit her lip. But before she could advise caution, a familiar stone figure appeared at her side. "Aria!"

Aria smiled serenely and gestured to two men at her side. One was familiar, the servant with the fez, and the other, presumably, was his master.

The servant piped up in his high, reedy voice, "Captain Emily, may I introduce my master, Baron Kotoon!"

The merchant, Baron Kotoon, was an imposing man with a large belly. He was decked out in fine clothes, all silken whites and royal purples, and his broad grin showed numerous gold-capped teeth. His eyes were small but alert and active, and they sparkled with energy. "A pleasure to do business with you, Captain," he said, taking Emily's proferred hand in his own and kissing it lightly. His hand was rough, with large rings on each of his fingers, and his lips large and moist.

He took a seat next to Talyndra, pushing her to the edge of the bench and dominating Emily's vision. "Your maidservant drives a hard bargain," he said. "Perhaps her firmness in negotiation is down to her stone exterior. I would love to have such a servant in my own employ. Alas, she did not accept my salary offer."

Kotoon laughed heartily at this, and Emily exchanged a glance with Aria, who leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I managed to drive up his price with some negotiating tactics I learned from talking to the crew. I rather think I'm getting the hang of this money business."

The servant reappeared with a tankard of ale for this master and a sheet of parchment and quill, which he placed before Emily.

"I believe you'll find these terms quite agreeable. It's more than I would usually pay for such a vessel, but I do consider myself a gentleman. To good business, then!" Kotoon raised his tankard, and Emily and Talyndra clinked their own against it.

The contract's wording was quite simple: Baron Kotoon agreed to purchase the Sea Serpent and all its contents for the sum of two-hundred and fifty gold coins, paid immediately after all parties had signed.

Emily thought back to her disastrous encounter with the traveling merchant Brevin. He had charged four silver, eight copper for the outfit she'd wanted. The exchange rates, she'd since discovered, were twelve copper to a silver and sixty silver to a gold. The price of the ship, therefore, could fetch hundreds of dresses and cloaks, with enough left over for anything else they might need on their journey. With such riches, Emily would never want for clothing again.

Talyndra and Aria leaned over and read through the contract themselves, and the three made a show of conferring in hushed voices. "It won't do to seem too eager," Aria whispered.

After a few minutes of pretend deliberation, Emily took up the quill before her, dipped it in the inkwell and signed the parchment. Baron Kotoon dipped one of his many rings in the ink and stamped his personal seal next to her signature, and then Aria and the servant both signed as witnesses. Emily looked Baron Kotoon in the eyes and firmly shook his hand.

"Excellent," he said. "Jahar, the payment."

The servant produced a brown bag from somewhere in his cloak and dumped it on the table, allowing it fall open and coins to spill out from the top. Emily's eyes widened at the way the coins shone in the dim tavern light, but she did her best to keep her expression neutral, lest Kotoon think her inexperienced with such sums. She took a single coin between her fingers and brought it up to her mouth, biting it in a show of testing whether it was real gold, though she had no idea how to actually do that.

Then there was a loud popping sound, and a captain's hat appeared on top of Baron Kooton's bald head. A very familiar captain's hat...

Emily's own head was suddenly bare. And, as a nervous glance down soon confirmed, so was the rest of her.

"Eeek!" she screamed, blushing and covering her breasts. "What the hell?"

Baron Kotoon's grin widened. "A binding contract is a thing of wonder, is it not? I have a mage who enchants them for me. Charges too much, but it's all worth it to ensure I get my money's worth. Come along then, Jahar." With that, the Baron downed the rest of his ale and rose from his seat. His servant stood by, arms laden with the clothes Emily had just been wearing, as well as the ones Talyndra had discarded.

"B-but what am I supposed to wear?" Emily stammered, blushing deeper and sinking behind the table. She hoped no one else in the tavern had noticed her sudden state of undress.

"There's more than enough money there to buy something," said Kotoon. "Pirate rags are hardly fit for a lady of your beauty in any case."

Keeping one arm in front of her breasts, Emily pulled a handful of gold coins out of the purse and offered them to Kotoon. "Please, give my clothes back!"

A look of annoyance briefly clouded the man's face. "Can't do, I'm afraid. The exact terms of our deal are magically guaranteed. And while I'd love to draw up another lucrative contract with your ladyship, I've other, urgent business to attend to presently. Good day, Miss Emily. And might I say, that's a beautiful necklace."

With that, Baron Kotoon and his servant Jahar bowed to the party and left the tavern. Emily sunk deeper into her seat, defeated. How could she end up naked like this, yet again? This world was out to get her.

Talyndra and Aria sat down on each side of her, sympathy etched across their faces. All across the tavern, eyes flitted towards their table and the patrons whispered amongst themselves. A few enterprising young men got up from their tables to spread the word beyond the tavern.

Emily sank even lower, almost falling under the table. On the pirate ship, she'd had enough time to adjust to the normality of wearing clothes all the time, so being naked once more took on a fresh shock. The suddenness and her very public surroundings only compounded it.

"I can make you something to wear with leaves," said Talyndra, pointing at her own new outfit.

"Or I can take some of this money and go buy you a dress," said Aria, placing a hand over some of the stray coins on the table. "When I went to send a pigeon message to Castle Elid, I saw a dress shop not too far down the road."

"Whatever we do, it has to be quick!" Emily said through gritted teeth, pushing herself further down into her seat and hugging her body tighter with her arms. "People have already noticed, and soon they'll be coming over here to have a closer look!"

Twin death glares from Talyndra and Aria diverted the first few comers, but the tavern seemed to be getting busier and rowdier by the minute.

Emily looked at Aria, then at Talyndra. She didn't want either of them to leave her now, but one would have to go if she was to have any hope of having something to wear. It would probably be quickest for Talyndra to go outside and make her a leaf dress, but that would still take time. In the meanwhile, an elderly woman was getting dangerously close to the trio's table.

Emily averted her eyes from the woman's gaze, bracing herself for a scolding about her immodesty. But instead of this, the woman produced a large, multicolored blanket and handed it to Emily, a kind and sympathetic look on her face. Emily took the blanket gratefully and wrapped it around herself.

"Sorry to intrude," said the woman, a slight creature who wore her silver hair in a in loose bun. Her face was dominated by an enormous pair of circular eyeglasses and her stature greatly diminished by a severe hunchback. "I overheard your conversation, and, well, I could see you were in need of something to wear. I am a seamstress, the proprietress of a dress shop nearby. Perhaps you could accompany me to my shop and find something to your liking? I'll include this blanket with any purchase."



Emily nodded, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. The woman had clearly also taken notice of the bag of gold coins on the table and was angling to get her own share of them. But then, Emily had been intending to spend her first money on clothes anyway. It had just become much more urgent now.

The seamstress introduced herself as Maribel. Talyndra gathered the stray coins into the bag and went off to settle the tab. She returned shortly with a mischevious grin, saying, "You should have seen the look on the bartender's face. Don't think they see many gold coins here."

"A reason to be vigilant," Aria said, drawing to Emily's side as the latter carefully rose to her feet, clasping the blanket tightly in her hands.

Emily was reassured by the weight of the Stoneshell against her chest and the cold, new feeling of the Bronzeband around her upper arm—the merchant's spell had allowed her to keep that, as well as the parchment she'd used for her notes. Perhaps she should have written things on her clothes as well. She stuffed the notes into Zephyr's book and gave it to Aria to hold. Apart from the other indignities, nudity meant never having anywhere to put things.

They followed Maribel out of the tavern, avoiding the looks of longing and disappointment on the countenances of many of the patrons. Emily blushed at a couple of wolf-whistles, increasing her pace.

Outside the tavern, several people stopped to look at the strange group as they made their way down the road to Maribel's dress shop. They seemed to be, in equal parts, marveling at sight of a living statue and a wood elf in her natural garb, and trying to figure out whether Emily had anything else on underneath her blanket. The cobblestones were hot against her bare feet.

Maribel ushered the trio into her small, sunlit shop. A bell chimed above the door as Maribel opened it. The shop's walls were lined with bolts of cloth in numerous colors, and a subtle scent of lavender suffused the air. Assorted mannequins displayed everything from drab cloaks and tunics to elaborate and colorful dresses.

"Let's get started then," Maribel said, once the door closed behind the group. Her eyes sparkled and she rubbed her hands together with excitement.

The sight of so many different outfits in one place, and the knowledge that she likely had enough money to buy any of them was intoxicating to Emily. Under normal circumstances, she loved a good clothes shopping outing just as much as any woman. After spending the last few weeks alternately naked and poorly dressed, she felt like a wanderer in the desert who had just discovered an oasis. Her whole body decompressed, releasing stress from muscles she hadn't realized were tight, and she smiled dreamily at the beautiful array of fabrics before her.

After a short period of deliberation, Emily decided that she would start with a dress. A colorful dress consisting of purple, brown and blue fabric near the back of the shop caught her eye. "I'd like to try that one, please," she asked Maribel, sticking an arm of her blanket to point to it.

Maribel's eyes traced Emily's pointing arm and settled on the dress. She regarded it briefly, and then looked back at Emily's blanket-clad form. "An excellent choice. Fairies!"

Maribel clapped her hands twice in quick succession, and the air was alive with whooshing and buzzing. Emily watched in a amazement as the dress was lifted from its rack by a pair of tiny gossamer wings and began to float towards her. "Oh wow!" she exclaimed.

Then she felt a tug on her blanket. "Whoa!" Emily cried, as the blanket was whipped away from her frame, leaving her standing naked in the middle of the dress shop. But before she had time to say anything else, a mass of fabric descended over her face. "Mmph mph!"

There was a flurry of buzzing and fluttering as the dress descended, finally pulling free of her face. Emily felt and saw only the rapidly flapping wings of impossibly tiny fairies as they moved around her, tugging different parts of the dress into place and lifting her hair out of the back. Though the whole process was quite efficient, Emily quickly decided she would have preferred putting the dress on herself in the privacy of a dressing room.

In seconds flat, Emily was dressed, and Maribel ushered her in front of a full-length mirror. "What do you think?"

Emily looked herself up and down and bit her lip. "It's... lovely. But there, uh, seems to be a piece missing."

The dress had sleeves of purple, tipped with blue and skirt with tan, blue and brown sections, reaching down to floor length. The brown bodice was tight against Emily's midsection. It all appeared expertly tailored and felt wonderful against her skin. But just above the bodice, Emily's rosy-nippled breasts were on full display, the Stoneshell hanging just above them.



"I think it goes quite well with your necklace," said Maribel, as if this was a perfectly normal dress.

Emily cast questioning glances at Aria and Talyndra. Was it the fashion in some parts of Thessolan for ladies to go around in dresses that exposed their breasts? She certainly hadn't seen anyone else doing it so far.

"I think Emily would prefer something with a higher cut," Aria said diplomatically.

"Yes!" Emily confirmed. "This is lovely, but I think it's, uh, the wrong size for me."

"Oh no, it fits you perfectly," Maribel said. "This style is all the rage in the wealthy neighborhoods of Lirethel, you know."

Aria and Talyndra looked skeptical.

"There are some things I won't do for fashion," Emily replied, looking down at her bare breasts.

Maribel nodded and clapped her hands, and the fairies took to the air once more. "Lift your arms, dear," Maribel said, as wings descended onto the shoulders of Emily's dress.

"Wait, don't you have a changing room?" Emily asked, already feeling the fabric tug upwards.

"Afraid not, rent is dear in such a highly visible location as this."

"I—wha—really?" Emily's protestations were cut short as a group of fairies seized her cuffs and, with surprising strength, pulled her arms up by them. Then, all at once, the dress was sliding back up her head.

Emily shivered at the sight of herself in the mirror, already missing the sensation of fabric against her skin, incomplete as it had been. The large windows behind her, at the front of the shop, made her incredibly nervous.

But it wasn't long before the fairies had another outfit hanging above her head, ready to fit. Emily lifted her arms obediently and allowed them to slide it down her body.

The new dress was far more satisfactory, with an expanse of soft pink fabric that encased her bosoms and ruffled, multicolored sleeves. Below this, the fabric tapered off to a thin strip that went down the middle of Emily's stomach, covering her belly button while leaving her sides exposed. Such a cutaway design would have been at home on a modern runway, she mused, but felt at odds with what was, essentially, a medieval dress shop.

Still, this was an improvement on the last design, and Emily said as much. Maribel smiled with satisfaction and thanked her, and Emily turned to her companions for their appraisal.

Aria and Talyndra shared blank expressions, and there was a hint of blush on Talyndra's cheeks. "Look behind you," Aria said.

Emily glanced over her shoulder at the mirror and gasped. She had felt and seen that the dress was backless, but only now realized the full extent of that feature. For the gap in the dress's fabric extended from just below her shoulder blades to beneath the swell of her bottom.



Emily's jaw dropped and both sets of cheeks went red. She scrambled to cover her butt with her hands.

"Not a fan of backless?" asked Maribel, her words betraying no emotion. "Odd, clients who don't go for the other dress usually prefer this one."

Emily shook her head vigorously and the fairies began to flap once more. She was starting to wonder just what the hell kind of dress shop this was, anyway?

The next outfit fixed both faults of the previous ones. Its chest piece came all the way up to Emily's neck, concealing the Stoneshell from view, and it came with a long blue and purple cape that almost trailed on the floor and hid her from behind.

However, the fabric of the top stopped entirely below the chest, leaving Emily's stomach and legs entirely bare. "Are you sure this is the whole thing?" Emily asked, staring in disbelief at her reflection.

"Of course," said Maribel. "Don't you think it highlights your legs? Not many dresses do, you know."



The definition of dress, Emily thought, was being stretched to breaking point by this bizarre garment. She frowned and pulled the cape around herself. "I'd like something that... covers a little more skin."

"Fairies!" Maribel shouted, clapping her hands again.

Emily shut her eyes and surrendered to the undressing and redressing process. Surely Maribel had to have a normal dress somewhere in this shop of hers. Perhaps she was just a little eccentric, like many fashion designers back in Emily's own world. If Emily humored her with these strange, incomplete outfits, maybe they'd get to something normal afterwards.

When she opened her eyes, Emily saw that her request for something with more coverage had been granted. She was wearing a long, flowing dress of red and green that covered her from shoulder to toe. But only on the right side of her body—her left was entirely bare, with only a red string that went around the cinch of her waist to hold the dress in place.

Emily sighed. "This would be perfect if the left was the same as the right," she said flatly.



"That's certainly not what the desinger intended," Maribel said. "Asymmetry is all the rage lately, you know. But I suppose it's not everyone's cup of tea. I'll find you something different." She clapped her hands again.

The next outfit was a full-length skirt hung loose around Emily's hips. Again, Emily asked if part of the outfit was missing and Maribel looked confused. "This one's the same on both sides, like you asked."



Aria, who had been watching the proceedings with increased distress, intervened at this point. "My dear lady," she said to Maribel, "I'm afraid that these outfits are wholly impractical for the long journey we have ahead of us. Let us leave off dresses for now and look at some traveling clothes for Emily."

Maribel's eyes lit up. "Ah! I have just the thing." Once more, she clapped for the fairies. "Practical attire for the traveling adventurer!"

The long skirt was swiftly replaced by an ensemble with hardy boots and gloves, as well as a long, warm scarf. "Good, strong boots made of dragon leather," Maribel said. "And finest sheep's wool to keep you warm on the road."

The "outfit" did not include anything else. Emily frowned at her reflection. From the right angle, the scarf might briefly cover a nipple and most of her crotch. Standing perfectly still right now, the other end covered her buttcrack.



"Don't you have any normal clothes?!" screamed Talyndra, who had been rolling her eyes and scowling at the back of the dress shop for some time. "I'm no expert in human garb, but surely no one wears things like this!"

Maribel staggered back, placing an offended hand to her chest. "Well I never! To be insulted in my own shop by a green woman dressed like a compost heap!"

"What did you call me?" Talyndra asked, the menace in her tone barely concealed. Aria had to place a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from lunging at the frail old dress shop owner.

"The scarf is very nice, Maribel," said Emily, desperate to defuse the situation. "And I love the boots, and the gloves too. But surely this outfit comes with some trousers? A tunic? A cloak? And surely some of your dresses cover everything from the neck to the feet? I'd like to try those on, please."

Talyndra rattled the bag of gold coins. "We're not paying a single bronze until all Emily's bits are covered. Properly covered. If you can't get that right, we'll take our business elsewhere." She made a show of walking towards the door, and Aria followed.

Emily took a tentative step forward, but quickly remembered what she wasn't wearing. The blanket she'd entered the shop with was nowhere to be seen. Realizing this, she exchanged pleading glances with Talyndra and Aria. The last thing they needed was to be thrown out of this woman's shop, without even an inadequate outfit like the ones she'd been trying on.

"Will you now?" asked Maribel. "I don't think Miss Emily's in much of a state to take her business anywhere. Not that that's stopped her before." Saying these words, Maribel's voice had lost the warm, sing-song quality of the kindly old woman and taken on a severe tone, hard enough to cut glass.

The old lady drew herself up to full height, and locks of pitch black spilled out from under her silvery wig.

"Elara!" Aria gasped.

The woman who was not Maribel pushed her glasses down her nose to reveal a pair of golden eyes, flashing menacingly. "I'm hurt that you didn't recognize your old friend sooner, Aria," she said.

With a loud whoosh, Emily summoned twin fireballs into her palms, instantly destroying her gloves.

"You haven't changed at all, young Emily," Elara said disdainfully. "Still destroying your clothes so that you can shamelessly flaunt that nubile body of yours. Enjoying every bit of the attention, of course. When I heard the murmurs about a naked woman in the tavern, I just knew it had to be you."

"What?" Emily asked incredulously. "I was naked in the tavern for all of fifteen minutes before you appeared!"

"Port Turon is also quite far from House Isolde," Aria added.

"Don't think I haven't been tracking you since you spurned my hospitality," Elara replied. "The Stoneshell gives off a powerful magical signal, easy enough to find if you know what to look for. The difficult was in narrowing it down. I knew you were on this coast, but if not for Emily's compulsive exhibitionism I wouldn't have been able to find your exact location."

Emily blushed and stammered, unsure if she was more angry than embarrassed or embarrassed than angry.

"I'm very proud of this little dress shop ploy," Elara continued. "There really is a Maribel, you know, and this really is her dress shop. It was terribly kind of her to lend the place to me, was it not? Though I don't know that she'll approve of the alterations my fairies made to some of her stock."

"I knew those weren't real outfits!" cried Talyndra.

"The fairy thing did seem a little odd," added Aria.

"Forgive me for having a little fun playing dress-up," said Elara. "For such a shameless little strumpet, you do squirm and blush an awful lot, Emily. All side-effects of your arousal, I'm sure."

Emily's eyes widened as she realized the significance of wearing clothes given to her by Lady Elara, and she yanked the scarf from her neck and threw it violently to the floor.

Elara sneered. "Is even that too much modesty for you? Or are you worried that I've enchanted these outfits? Worry not, for even a witch of my skill would not have had time to enchant a shopful of clothing."

Emily blushed and squirmed in her boots, briefly contemplating putting the scarf back on. But her hands were once again full of fire, and she dared not let her guard down in front of Elara. "What do you want?" she growled.

"You know very well what I want. The Stoneshell. Give it to me, and I will leave you and your friends alone. I'll even let you leave with one of these dresses—one that my fairies haven't altered. Maybe without such a dangerous magical artifact around your neck you'll be able to avoid burning it."

Emily launched a fireball at Elara's head.

The shop immediately exploded into motion. A deafening buzz permeated the air and all around the women were gossamer wings, flapping furiously. Emily could feel her hair whip around her as if blown by gale-force winds as the fairies converged into a shimmering wall between her fireball and Elara's expressionless face.

The air was filled with high-pitched screams as the gossamer wall took the full impact of the fireball. A smell like burning rubber permeated the room and Emily felt as though she would be sick.

"Murderer!" Talyndra screamed, her green face turning red.

Emily's blood ran cold for a moment, before she realized that Talyndra's considerable anger was directed at Elara.

"You forced them to do that! A binding enchantment! I can smell it!"

"But of course, Leafy. They are my fairies, to do with as I please. I would encourage you to prevent your friend from killing any more of them."

Emily was staring at her empty palms, the fairies screams still echoing in her mind. "K-killing..."

In a few bold strides, Elara closed the distance between herself and Emily. She laid a cold hand on Emily's bare shoulder. "Did you think this was some kind of game? Flinging balls of fire at people who were mean to you, just to get them to stop? Did you not realize the incredible destructive power of the cursed artifact around your neck?"

With her free hand, Elara took the Stoneshell pendant between her thumb and forefinger, lifting it and rubbing it gently.

Emily sniffed loudly, wiping tears with the back of her hand. She could feel an increased tightness against her left upper arm, where she wore the Bronzeband.

"I can free you from this responsibility," said Elara, caressing Emily's shoulder gently, her fingers lightly brushing against the Bronzeband. "Free you from this curse. All you have to do is let it happen."

"Don't listen to her!" shouted Aria.

"Of course Aria would want you to keep wearing this thing—she never lets you wear much of anything else, does she? Hush, listen, child." Elara stared into Emily's eyes, holding fierce eye contact. "Do you not think it possible that our Lady Aria did something to deserve her current predicament? It is not just anyone who becomes cursed to live forever as a statue, you know. Did you ever consider that she was using you? What kind of person meets a poor, naked girl far from home and immediately asks her to embark on a dangerous quest? Ah!"

Elara released the Stoneshell pendant, as it had suddenly become too hot for her to touch. Emily smirked, her tears subsiding. "I'm not going to take this from the woman who tried to enslave me." The Bronzeband had begun to shift, slowly spinning around her upper arm. She could also feel the Stoneshell vibrating against her clavicle.

Elara frowned. "I was hoping we could put that behind us. But if not, well..."

In the next moment, several things happened at once. Elara made a grab for the Stoneshell pendant. Aria dove towards Elara to stop her. Emily expelled a fiery breath she'd been holding in. The fairies soared into action all around them, their collective buzzing combining into a deafening roar.

And then floor of the shop collapsed.

As the floor gave way beneath her, a scream escaped Emily's lips. The world turned upside down, and her stomach lurched painfully. Darkness swallowed her whole, punctuated only by the brief, terrifying glimpses of the crumbling shop interior. Rolls of fabric unfurled like ghostly specters, mannequins plunged beside her, their limbs flailing in silent agony as they disappeared into the abyss.

The others screamed as well, and Emily cried out for Aria and Talyndra as she continued to fall. Her hair whipped around her face, and the cold air whooshing past her bare skin chilled her to the bone.

Fear gripped Emily in a cold iron vice. Every second seemed to stretch into eternity as she fell. Every fiber of her being longed to grab something, to cling on, to save herself, but she was surrounded only be empty space. All was dark and the air was growing warmer. The smell of earth and musty dirt filled Emily's nostrils.

As she continued to fall, Emily felt the Bronzeband spinning faster around her upper arm. At the same time, her descent slowed, almost imperceptibly at first. Stone hands seemed to reach out from the emptiness all around, their touch surprisingly gentle against her skin. It was a bizarre sensation—soft as silk yet unyielding—slowing her fall until she was drifting downwards like a leaf on the breeze.

The Bronzeband was protecting her.

Emily's descent continued to slow, gradually, until she found herself not falling, but sitting on a mound of smooth stone, her feet dangling at its sides. Her descent had slowed so gradually that she hadn't even noticed the transition from air to ground until the stone mound started making her butt feel cold.

Emily lit a fire in one hand and saw that she was in a large cavern. A blue scarf lay sprawled beneath her. Emily dismounted the mound and picked up the scarf. With a bit of creative knot work, she fashioned it into a highly immodest outfit, covering just the essentials. It wasn't much, but it was more clothing than she'd had the last time she'd found herself alone in a dark cavern. At least this one was above water.

The cavern stretched out before her like a gaping maw, its walls slick with moisture that reflected the faint light from Emily's fire, casting eerie, dancing shadows. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like ancient chandeliers, dripping slowly onto the uneven stone floor below. The air was thick with the scent of earth and stone, a mineral tang that filled her nostrils and reminded her of rain-soaked soil.

There was no sign of Aria, Talyndra, or even Elara. She called out the names of the first two, but there were no replies beyond the echoing of her own voice against the cavern walls.

Emily held the fire in her right hand up to the Bronzeband. It had stopped rotating now, but a new carving had appeared in its center, dominating the geometric mountain shapes below it. It was a seashell.

On an unspoken, intuitive level, it was clear to Emily that the Stoneshell, her magical protector, had now formed a bond with the Bronzeband, and both had worked to protect her from Elara. Why they had done so by plunging her into this deep cavern and separating her from her friends was a question she did not have an answer for.

Emily longed for a word of reassurance from Aria, or a rowdy cheer from Talyndra. They had fallen too. But without the Stoneshell or Bronzeband to protect them, would they be okay? A horrifying vision of shattered marble appeared in Emily's mind's eye and she shook her head vigorously to dispell it.

The others were fine. She had to believe that. And she had to find them.

Up ahead, the cavern narrowed into a tunnel the size of a hallway. Emily adjusted her scarf and walked towards it, guided by the flame in her hand.

[student]

One step forward and get shoved two steps back. At least Emily has her naughty bits covered enough to feel confident. If Emily would accept perpetual nudity, that's one less thing to worry about and one fewer weapon that can be used against her. Why does Emily allow herself to be humiliated when she wears less clothing than she has been conditioned to regard as "decent?" Emily is decent even when completely naked. When others attempt to shame Emily, it is because the others fear Emily's naked beauty will somehow take away the others' power and status. The horn-dog males may not even really lust after skinny Emily's body--but must pretend to do so in order to keep their station among their peers.

This is a very interesting story and entertaining as well.