The Fantasy Trove

Sheldon Lance grinned at the hideous monster before him. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he taunted the ogre. He swapped hands with his sword, and then back again. This promised to be fun.

“Mmm, yummy!” Drool splattered from the ogre’s open maw as it bellowed. The thing was just as ugly as the rest of its kin; with a brow that hung far over its deep set eyes, and a complexion that would make even the most acne riddled human teen blanch. It towered over Sheldon, or Eldon as he preferred to be called, by almost ten feet. Its biceps were bigger around than Eldon’s waist. The ground shook as the thing took a step towards its prey.

“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance,” he told the dumb monster. Technically he was only here to stop the beast from hurting visitors, on Aunt Lysa’s orders, but Eldon wouldn’t lose any sleep if he had to put one dumb ogre down. He’d killed before.

The ogre swept a meaty palm at him, trying to smash him, but he deftly moved aside. The thing was fast and tried to backhand him, but Eldon was faster. He stepped in and prodded one of the huge fingers with his sword.

“Owie!” the ogre bellowed, pulling its hand back and sucking on the injured finger.

“Are you going to keep attacking visitors?” Eldon asked, giving the sword a flourish.

“Would you quit twirling me around like that?” his sister demanded. Shelly, his twin sister, had formed herself into the sword he held and was able to speak by creating vibrations in her blade. Sometimes when she transformed she made a mouth, but considering the places he was going to be sticking her, he couldn’t blame her for not using a mouth this time. “You’re going to make me sick. Bad enough you’re going to shove me into that disgusting creature! And quit taunting it. Let’s get this over with and get back home.”

“Sorry, Shells,” he replied, using his pet name for her. “I’ll try to make this quick.”

“Yummy visitors!” the ogre bellowed, coming for Eldon again. He almost felt bad about having to kill such a dumb animal. Almost.

“Eldon, behind you!” Shelly screamed.

Eldon didn’t hesitate. He trusted his sister without reservations. He dropped to his knees, and then shoved hard against the ground, dodging to the side.

The maneuver saved his life. Another ogre, one he hadn’t seen or was even aware of, picked itself off the ground right where Eldon had been. This one was bigger than the first by a couple feet. Eldon would have been crushed if not for Shelly’s warning.

“Yummy,” the second ogre grinned, licking its lips. Dirt still clung to its rotund belly where it had landed. The thing had tried to do a belly flop on him!

“Something’s not right,” Shelly muttered. “That ogre literally just appeared right behind you.”

“No problem,” Eldon tried to grin. He couldn’t let his sister know how shaken he was from that near miss. “As long as you’re watching my back, I can take on two ogres. Three might be trouble, but I can handle—“

“Duck!”

Eldon rolled, again dodging to the side and out of the way. And again, his sister’s timely warning saved his life.

“What the hell!” he exclaimed as he came back up to his feet. “How did two ogres sneak up on us?” The creatures were huge and lumbering. They didn’t know the meaning of being quiet.

“I don’t know, but this is more than we can handle,” Shelly informed him. As if he didn’t already know that! “Ouch, you’re squeezing my head too hard!”

“Sorry,” he said, loosening his hold. “It’s not my fault you put your head as the grip.”

“I’d rather have my feet plunged into one of those smelly monsters, than my head,” she retorted.

Eldon dodged to the side as the third ogre swung an uprooted tree trunk at him. Dirt from the roots splattered him. He had to squint his eyes to keep it out.

“Dodge back,” Shelly said and Eldon obeyed.

“Another one?” He asked, looking around, but it had only been another attack by the third. This one was the biggest by far, easily five feet taller than the first. “We’re in some serious trouble,” he muttered, as the second ogre took a swing at him.

“Lysa, are you there?” Eldon called, barely avoiding another blow from the tree trunk. “We could sure use some help right about now!”

The wind was silent in response.

“We’ve got incoming,” Shelly warned.

“Shit, just what I need!” Eldon swore. “Another fucking ogre!”

“You know Dad wouldn’t approve of you swearing,” Shelly said, but it was obvious that she was just as rattled as he was. “This isn’t an ogre.”

“Who?” Eldon had just enough time to ask, before he saw her. Long black hair flowed out behind her as she ran. Long, darkly tanned legs flashed beneath a skirt made of some type of black furred animal skin.

“Looks like you could use some help,” the stranger offered, brandishing two large daggers.

“Sure,” he quipped, trying to flash her a smile. It was ruined by having to dodge an attack from the original ogre they’d been sent to stop. “Lemme just clean up this refuse, and we can talk—oomph!”

Eldon was a bit too slow dodging the next attack and it struck him in the gut. He recovered quickly, rolling back to his feet and brandishing his sword.

“Focus! If you’re done being cocky, maybe you could actually fight,” Shelly chided him.

The stranger looked around trying to identify where Shelly’s voice was coming from.

“Yeah, yeah,” Eldon said, feeling his cheeks flush from embarrassment. He should have been able to dodge that one. Maybe he was wearing out.

“I’ll take the big guy, if you think you can keep the other two off my back,” the strange woman told him. Before he could respond, she dodged getting smashed by the tree trunk. His jaw fell open as she jumped onto the tree and began running up it at the massive ogre.

There are a few things I’d like to do with that backside, he thought, watching her move. The second ogre reached for her and Eldon remembered her request. With only two ogres to worry about, he had enough time to attack. He stepped in, bringing the sword around and severing the tendons in the ogre’s wrist.

“Yow, yow, yowie!” the beast bellowed, yanking his arm back.

Eldon stepped forward to shove his blade into its heart, but the first ogre took a swipe at him. He had to move fast, to avoid getting crushed by the thick palm.

“Ger off me,” the biggest ogre bellowed. Eldon didn’t have time to look as the first ogre used its speed to reverse its attack.

He dodged to the side again, but this time he took a swipe at the monster’s hand, leaving a long gash.

The ground shuddered from something as he followed up his attack, and this time his sword sank up to the cross guard in the ogre’s chest. His sword slipped free of the mortal wound as he pulled it out. He spun on the spot, facing the last standing ogre.

“Shelly! Spear!” he commanded, pulling his right arm back. The weight in his hand shifted. With all his strength, he threw his sister at the ogre, aiming for its chest.

Just before the spear impacted, Eldon saw the other woman climb onto the ogre’s back. Her daggers flashed as she slit its fat throat and the spear buried itself in the ogre’s chest. Between the two of them, the monster never stood a chance.

“I’d call that one and a half for each of us,” the girl said as she cleaned her daggers off on a filthy piece of what the last ogre had considered clothing. “Of course, I took down the biggest one, so I think that puts me ahead.”

“I killed one, while facing two,” Eldon replied, trying not to laugh at her bravado. “I think that brings us back to even.”

“Yuck! I’m never going to get this stink out,” Shelly complained as she extracted herself from the ogre. She’d changed back into her true form. Shoulder length brown hair was matted to her head with sweat and blood. From her waist down, she was covered in ogre gore. “I hate when you throw me like that!”

The stranger spun on her, daggers out and ready. “Where did you come from?”

“Relax,” Eldon told her, holding an empty palm out to show he meant no harm. “She’s with me.”

The girl’s blue eyes flashed between them for a moment. After a few tense seconds, she grimaced and put away her daggers.

“Damn, you’re taken. I was hoping to get some cock after that fight. Something about killing monsters gets my blood going, but I don’t mess with men who are taken.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Eldon said. “It’s not like that! We’re siblings! Eww!” The thought of getting it on with his twin sister did not appeal to him.

“Your sister?” the girl asked. “I don’t see any resemblance. You don’t even have the same skin color.”

Eldon looked down at himself, and recalled changing his shape to that of a body builder. It was his favorite form to fight in. His arms were dark and matted with hair, whereas his sister was fair toned. It only took a moment of concentration to shift into his natural state.

“So, you’re a shape shifter, huh?” she asked, and then glanced at Shelly. “Both of you?”

“Kind of,” he replied. “I—“

“Something like that,” Shelly interrupted him. “Who are you?”

Eldon knew that look on his sister’s face. She didn’t trust this stranger.

“Shells, relax. She saved us. Don’t be rude. Dad wouldn’t like that either,” he told her, getting back at her for her comment about him swearing.

“It was rather convenient,” Shelly responded. “How do we know she didn’t bring the other ogres?”

“You’ll have to excuse her,” Eldon told the other woman. “She gets grumpy when anyone attractive is around.”

“No, I get grumpy when I don’t know what’s going on,” she shot back. “Eldon, those ogres appeared out of nowhere. We were sent to fight one, but suddenly there were three. This was a trap.”

“Well, if she meant us any harm, why did she save us?” Eldon shot back. “She could have stayed back, and watched us become their ‘yummies’!”

“Okay,” the other girl interrupted. “You have me convinced. You’re siblings. You can quit squabbling now.”

Eldon’s cheeks burned at the laughter in her voice. Turning to look at her, he saw her holding her sides, trying to keep her laughter down. He realized what he had at first taken for a good tan, was actually her natural skin tone.

“Look,” she said when she could get enough air, “I saw someone in trouble, and thought I’d help. No big deal. You can go on your way, and I’ll continue on mine.” She turned to walk away, but Eldon called after her.

“Wait! What’s your name?”

“Jessica,” she called over her shoulder. “Jessica Angel.”

*    *    *    *

“Tell me again,” Aunt Lysa said to the twins after making their report. “How did they appear out of nowhere?”

“I don’t know,” Shelly said. “One moment we were facing one ogre, then another one appeared out of thin air and tried to make Sheldon a pancake. The third one was the same, only it appeared with most of a tree in its hands.”

“You don’t think ogres have learned how to teleport, do you?” Eldon asked the Pillar of Air. Technically, she was the twins’ sister, not their aunt, but with her position of power, and being over twenty years older than them, they preferred to think of her as their aunt. Of course, she didn’t look any older than them. She’d been brought into the world as a full grown adult, while Shelly and Sheldon had to grow up the hard way.

Sheldon didn’t mind his childhood. He’d had a few other siblings to play with, as well as a world of magic to explore with their mother. Becky, one of their step-moms had taught them most of what they knew, when their mother wasn’t serving their dad. Their dad wasn’t around much, but not because he didn’t care. He was an important man in his own right. As the father to one of the Pillars of the Shadow world, and married to another one, he was the perfect person to act as the ambassador to the Earth governments.

Over the last fifteen years, regular humans were slowly being allowed to enter the Shadow World. This broke a law over a millennium old, but their dad fought hard to get the change made, along with another of his wives, Becky. They’d argued that the two worlds needed to work together, so societies like the Paladonic Knights, or what was left of them, and the Daughters of Respite wouldn’t be so strong.

There were a few deaths in the beginning on both sides, but every one that travelled between the worlds knew that there was a risk. For many humans, it was a chance to experience magic. For many of the more ancient supernatural creatures, it was an opportunity to return to the world they were born in.

“Of course they can’t teleport!” Shelly scolded him, bringing Eldon back to the present. “Not even the Pillars can teleport, though they can move incredibly fast through their own elements.”

“No, this has to be something else,” Lysa said. Eldon could tell that she was getting agitated, by the way the air was constantly moving around them. They were outside, but the power of the Pillar of Air was a tangible thing when she was getting worked up. Lysa was the youngest and newest of the six Pillars. Even after twenty-two years, she still didn’t have complete control over her powers. “What about this girl you mentioned? What was her name?”

“Jessica Angel,” Eldon said with a smile. She really had been a looker. And those moves! Why had Shelly had to go and be rude to her?

“Hmm, I don’t know of her. Do you think she was human?” Lysa asked.

“She didn’t seem to use any powers or abilities that I saw,” Shelly offered.

“Other than the way she moved,” Eldon added.

“Of course you’d notice that!” Shelly back-handed his chest.

“Well, I am my father’s son!” Eldon grinned. When they looked into a mirror, it was easy to see that they were twins, though obviously not identical. Their personalities on the other hand were something else entirely.

“Hmm, she didn’t try to stick with you, so I doubt she was the one to spring this trap,” Lysa said. “Yes, Shelly, I agree that this was a trap of some sort, but who would want to kill you?”

“The Knights or Daughters,” Eldon said without hesitation.

“Maybe,” Lysa offered, “but I doubt that. Everyone who comes here is heavily screened, and all the portals are watched. One of their order hasn’t been able to pull off an attack since that bomb twelve years ago. Still don’t know what they were thinking, trying to kill a fire elemental with an incendiary bomb.”

“What do you think it is, then?” Shelly asked.

“I don’t know,” Lysa replied. “But until we figure it out, I want you two to be careful. I’m not sending you on any more missions alone, either.”

“We can handle ourselves,” Eldon tried not to sound like he was complaining. He knew it wasn’t the case, but he felt as though they were being punished. “There’s nothing Shelly and I can’t handle together.”

“Except three ogres at once,” Shelly muttered.

Eldon grimaced, but he couldn’t argue with her. If Jessica hadn’t shown up when she did, those ogres would have been fighting over Eldon pancakes.

“Get some rest, you two,” Lysa told them. “And I mean it, Eldon. Don’t do anything foolish!”

Aunt Lysa faded into the air, leaving the twins. Their rocs were waiting behind them, to carry them home, and to their respective baths. Eldon wasn’t as filthy as his sister, but he still stunk from the battle with the ogres, and claiming his spoils afterwards.

He pulled out a small vial from his pocket and grimaced. It held some of the blood of the biggest ogre in it. Enough to allow him to change into the monster’s shape and form with the most accuracy.

*    *    *    *

What Eldon was about to do was foolish. He knew that, and his sister knew that, but he was still going to do it.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Shelly asked. She was cleaned up, and sitting on a bench by the forest that sat behind their house. They’d made their residence in the Pillar of Earth’s domain, with her blessing of course.

“We never know when it might come in handy,” Eldon said.

“I know, but what if you can’t control yourself?” she worried. “What if we have another incident? I wasn’t able to stop you last time. I can’t stop an ogre on my own, either. The last time you tried something like—”

“This won’t be like that. Ogres are at least humanoid in shape,” he told her. But inside he shivered as he remembered the last time he’d tried to take on a form that was too different from his own. The closer to his normal form he tried to stay, the more of him remained. If he tried to change himself too much, he would lose who he was, until he changed back after so much time had passed. The time needed to change back differed, depending on the form. He could stay in any shape as long as he wanted, but had to concentrate to keep it. If he let his mind go, then he would change after so much time. Chaining him up wouldn’t do much good against the strength of an ogre.

“If you try to attack me, I swear I’ll turn into a bear trap and cut off your leg,” she warned him. Why didn’t she have the same restrictions on changing her form that he had? She could take the form of any nonliving thing she touched, as long as it wasn’t too complicated. He could only replicate living things.

“Well, here goes,” he said. Before he could stop and think better of it, he popped the top of the vial, and tilted its contents into his mouth. He wanted to gag as the vile stuff hit his throat, but he forced himself to swallow.

The first change was always the worst. He had no control. It happened the instant whatever he used as a catalyst entered his body.

Agony split through his limbs as his muscles grew and bunched into inhuman proportions. His arms and legs lengthened, shredding his clothing, and the shape of his head changed. Even his teeth became loose and jagged.

The worst part, however, was his mind. He actually felt himself growing dumber. Fog seemed to seep into his thoughts, slowing them down or hiding them entirely.

When it was done, the man that had been Eldon Snow lifted a huge head and looked around. Something smelled delicious nearby and his tummy rumbled. He sniffed the air some more to try and pinpoint what smelled so good, and found it in front of him. His eyesight wasn’t the best, but he made up for it with his sense of smell.

“Yummie,” he grinned as the frightened creature started to back away. Fear made it smell better. It tried to talk to him, but the words were too fast and complicated for him to understand. “Yummie,” he repeated.

Suddenly his food’s scent changed. It no longer smelled yummie, but sharp and painful. He backed away, confused by the sudden change.

Shelly, the thought floated through his muddled brain. The emotions that accompanied that thought were too complicated for the poor beast’s intellect. He tried to flee, but didn’t know where he was, or how he’d gotten there. He was in a small depression in the ground with a few trees around him, but that was all he knew. He wanted to smash something. That sounded like fun. But he still smelled that dangerous thing, and didn’t dare smash it.

I’m Sheldon, another thought floated through his mind. This one seemed to stick a bit better. He almost understood it. Something in the way it applied to him.

“Sheldon?” the word reached his ears, and he backed away.

“No!” He bellowed. “I Sheldon!” That’s right. He was Sheldon. Not this yummie in front of him. Why would she call herself by his name? Where had the dangerous thing gone? “You, yum—um. . . Shelly?”

Slowly his human mind started to push its way out of the fog. “Me Sheldon. You, Shelly,” he repeated over and over again, until he felt sure of himself. “Wow, ogres are dummies!” He exclaimed, happy with how intelligent that sentence sounded.

“Are you back, Sheldon?” she asked him. She stayed back and wouldn’t come near him.

“I’m me,” he said proudly, thumping himself in the chest with his massive fist. It felt good to do so, and he did it again. Then he thought to bring his other hand into it, and beat against his chest with both fists. “This fun!” he bellowed, laughing.

“I think it’s time to change back,” she told him, ruining his good mood.

“Okay,” he stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. It only took him a moment’s thought to switch back to his true form.

Shelly rushed over to him with a robe. His clothes hadn’t survived the transformation and he was stark naked. She was the only woman that he ever allowed to see him this way in his true form. He was too ashamed of his deformity to let another woman see him.

Eldon had to blink a few times, trying to get accustomed to being able to see again. His sense of smell felt numb, no longer able to pick up all the aromas that were around them.

“Is your I.Q. above fifty?” she asked him. Eldon knew she was upset, and wondered if it was because he’d wanted to eat her.

“Yes, Yummie,” he teased her. “I mean, Shelly. I’m back to my awesome self.”

“That’s not funny,” she pushed him away from her as she spoke. “You really had me worried for a moment.”

“What was that you changed into?” he asked her. His memories were a bit fuzzy, but remembered smelling something dangerous, even if he hadn’t been able to see it.

“I told you I was going to turn into a giant bear trap if you threatened me,” she told him. “I was curious if you were going to try and eat that, also.” Did she have to say that with such a straight face? “Come on,” she sighed. “Let’s go in and grab something to eat.”

“Something yummie?” he couldn’t help but ask. The back of her hand hitting his chest was answer enough.

*    *    *    *

For the second time that night, Eldon was doing something foolish. He was sneaking out. Well, night was a bit misleading. It was never night where the twins had set up their home in the Shadow World, but it had been a long day, and Shelly was already snoring in her room. Not that she’d ever admit she snored!

After the battle that morning, he was too wound up to just lie down and rest. He couldn’t understand how Shelly could be sleeping when she knew someone had set a trap. The trap might not have been meant for them, but there was no way to tell. The twins weren’t the only ones working for one of the Pillars to keep some sort of balance between the two realms, so there would have been no way for someone to know who would have been sent to take care of that ogre.

It was only a fifteen minute walk to his destination. An oak tree in the middle of a field of flowers. Eldon glanced around to make sure no one was watching. He couldn’t see anyone.

He waved his hand in front of the oak tree. Its bark split to reveal the inside of an elevator.

“Are you going to go and do some perverted things in the human world?” a female voice called out a little too loud. Eldon jumped, and spun where he was. It took him a moment to locate the sound of the voice.

“What are you doing here, Areth?” he demanded. Of all of his step-moms, she was his favorite, while also the most annoying. She was always playful and whimsical, but she could be painfully blunt and inconsiderate at the same time. He didn’t know why his dad put up with her, even if she had helped save both worlds twenty-two years ago. He didn’t think he could handle being with a fairy for twenty minutes, much less twenty years. It wasn’t that he disliked his other step-moms, but Areth was fun to be around in small doses.

“Lysa sent me to keep an eye on you. She was afraid you were going to do something foolish.” The four inch golden pixie grinned as she fluttered up to his face. “You are going to do something foolish, aren’t you? Or did I stay quiet all this time for nothing?”

Eldon burst out laughing as he realized that she wanted to come with him. Fairies were always looking for entertainment.

“Where’s dad?” he asked her. Normally he kept her on a tight leash. Only when he was visiting the Pillar of Fire, or going somewhere the water fairy couldn’t travel, did he let her out of his sight.

“Playing with Fire,” she told him, flitting back and forth. “Your mom went with him this time. I think they’re going to do a lot of perverted things.”

“I don’t want to hear that!” Eldon complained.

“Why not?” she asked, all innocence. “It’s a lot of fun to do perverted things. Why, the night before Lyden left, your mom and I—“

“I don’t want to hear it!” he cut her off. Given the chance, she’d go into great detail about what her and his father did. “Look, I was just going to pop over to Earth and hang out. Try to get my mind off of today.”

“And have perverted fun?” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t know,” he told her. “Can I go now?”

“Well, Lysa only said to watch over you. She never told me to stop you.” Areth thought it over for a moment. “Okay, let’s go!”

He wasn’t in the mood to point out that he’d rather go without her. Knowing the fairy’s nature, she’d probably use her magic on him and keep him here in the Shadow World. She might be small, and it might not be raining, but she was the most powerful magic user he knew, short of the actual Pillars themselves.

“Are you going to stay like that?” he asked as they got into the elevator.

“No, silly!” she laughed. A moment later, there was a four foot woman standing next to him. Her petite body was clothed in a golden leather jacket and tight golden leather pants. “How’s this?”

“You’ll definitely stand out,” he groaned. From past experience, he knew better than to try and convince her to wear something other than gold colored clothing.

The elevator dropped down, and eventually opened up into a parking garage. His dad’s old car, the Orange Bubble, was there. It was called the Orange Bubble because it was an ancient Volkswagen Beetle, and . . . well, it was orange.

At least, that’s what it looked like from the outside. Inside was a whole other matter. It was bigger on the inside. Big enough to fit a massive bed, two sets of couches, a wardrobe full of clothing, and even a fountain with a little pool in it.

His step-mom went straight to the pool, while he climbed into the driver’s seat. With the spacial distortion between the inside and outside, it was next to impossible to actually drive the car manually. It was easy enough for Eldon, or any of his dad’s wives and few other children to mentally tell the car where to go, and it would obey.

But where did he want to go? For that matter, he didn’t know what time it was, much less what day it was. The biggest hassle between travelling from one world to the next, was that time operated differently in each realm. You could spend a day here on Earth and a whole week might go by, or only a few minutes. It was random. You never really knew. He hoped this trip would be the latter, rather than the former. Shelly would kill him if he wasn’t there when she woke up.

But she’s not my mother, he thought. She may act older, but I was born first.

Eldon reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a cell phone he kept there. There was more than one in the glove box, but he only knew the password to unlock his. He waited for it to boot up and sync with the local time.

It was Wednesday night, a little after nine. It was ladies’ night. Only, how was he going to ditch his step-mom?

He told the car where to go, and chewed on the problem as it drove. Compared to all the other cars on the road, this one was beyond ancient, but Eldon wouldn’t trade it for the world. It had features that the other vehicles would never have.

Magic was slowly being learned here. It was still uncommon to find someone professing to use it, much less actually knowing how to use it. There were a few religions that were pushing hard to outlaw the use of magic, but they weren’t doing very well at it. Magic and technology could do a lot of the same things, but magic tended to be easier to use, and people knew it.

He still didn’t have a solution to ditching Areth when they pulled up to the club. The place had a huge billboard over it, showing a beautiful redhead modeling a nice swimsuit. It was neither slinky, nor modest, which he was thankful for, since the woman was his step-mom, Brooke.

He knew the bouncer outside, and walked right in. This early in the night, only a bit after ten o’clock, there weren’t many people here yet.

Eldon cursed himself for a fool as he realized how he was going to get away from Areth. It was going to be too easy. He waited until the club was bustling before he made his move.

Areth was already on the dance floor, shaking her golden tush and having a number of guys drooling over her. Eldon knew she was hot, but couldn’t look at her as anything other than one of his step-moms. Every time a guy tried to dance close to her, she would look them in the eye and announce, “Dancing only. I won’t do anything perverted.” Usually she was loud enough, that the guy walked away embarrassed. One of the things Eldon liked about this club, was that the music wasn’t too loud. It was one of the few places where you could go to meet someone, and actually have a conversation.

“Dancing onl—“ she said as Eldon came up, and then cut herself off when she realized it was him. She hugged him, which only embarrassed him, but he noticed a lot of jealous glares from the other men. “Thanks for bringing me here tonight. I’m having lots of fun.”

“So are they,” Eldon grinned, nodding to a group of men staring at them.

“That’s just because they’re perverts, and I’m hot stuff.”

Eldon laughed at her attitude. “I’ve gotta use the john,” he told her, trying not to be too loud. “I’ll be right back.”

“Remember not to sprinkle when you tinkle!” she called after him, making his face burn.

“Ow, hey watch it!” a man yelled at him as Eldon bumped into him.

“Sorry,” he muttered, and headed for the bathroom. Once inside a stall, he pulled out the hair he’d yanked from the man’s head. The bigger the change from his normal self, the more substance he needed from the person. To change into another human required nothing more than a strand of hair. Sticking out his tongue, he laid the dark strand on it. He felt the change take place as his mouth absorbed the catalyst.

He walked out of the stall, and looked at himself in the mirror. This time his clothes had changed with him. Eldon never knew when he would change with clothes or not, so he’d chosen a man with the same general build as his true self. Eldon stood just over six foot, but this man was a few inches taller. He had shoulder length brown hair and a rugged looking face.

The most important thing was that Areth wouldn’t recognize him, and he could get out of here. Hopefully he wouldn’t run into the person he was copying on his way out. He couldn’t use any of his other human disguises, because he didn’t know which ones Areth knew.

“Good timing, baby!” a cute little redhead said as she came out of the woman’s bathroom. Before Eldon had a chance to say or do anything, she grabbed the back of his head, and shoved her tongue down his throat.

He could taste the alcohol of whatever sweet drink she’d been drinking as he recovered and started to kiss her back. It didn’t matter that she was another man’s girl. She was cute and kissing him. That’s all that mattered. He grabbed her ass, and picked her up into his arms to kiss her better.

“Oh, baby! You’re being wild tonight. I like it!” She was wearing a mini dress, and as she wrapped her legs around his hips, her panty covered crotch started to rub against him. She pressed her lips back to his. He kissed her back with abandon.

“Wow, you’re a better kisser tonight,” she moaned into his ear when they separated for breath. “Want to get out of here?”

“Yes,” he whispered, a little hoarse. It’d been a long time since a woman kissed him like that.

“Megan?” another male voice rang out.

Uh-oh! In the heat of the moment, the fact that his appearance was that of another man became unimportant.

“Bobby? What the fuck?” the girl in his arms pushed him away and landed on her feet, staring between the two images of her boyfriend.

“What are you doing. . . .” he trailed off as he got a look at Eldon. “What the fuck?” He shook his head, and anger filled his eyes. “You must be one of those magical freaks. How dare you try and steal my woman!”

“What are you talking about?” Eldon said, trying to think fast. “Who are you, and why do you look like me?”

“Megan, step away from him,” Bobby said, holding out his hand.

“Don’t go near him,” Eldon said. He needed to get out of here, and already people were starting to stare. A quick glance at Areth showed that she was absorbed with dancing on the dance floor.

“I don’t know which one is you, Bobby,” Megan complained. There was real fear in her voice. Eldon felt bad about that, but she’d been one hell of a kisser.

“Who kisses better, baby?” Eldon asked, trying to think of something.

She hesitated for only a moment before saying, “You do. Bobby?”

Then she had to ruin it with the only way Eldon couldn’t answer.

“Where were we when we first met?” Megan asked.

Eldon hesitated, and he saw her start to grow suspicious.

“Time to go,” someone said and snatched his arm. Whoever had a hold of him was strong. Eldon was hard pressed to stay on his feet, instead of being dragged behind.

He heard Megan cry, “Bobby!” in an excited tone, but then lost track of her as he tried to see who had him. All he could make out was dark hair.

It wasn’t until he was dragged all the way outside that he got a good look at her.

“You!” he exclaimed, recognizing the woman immediately. “What are you doing here?”

“Looks like I’m saving your ass again!” Jessica snorted. “What were you thinking trying to make out with that man’s woman? Don’t you have any standards?”

“Well, I. . .  um. . . .” he trailed off, realizing he didn’t have an excuse. Feeling low, he changed back into his true form. He hadn’t been the one to kiss Megan at first, but he hadn’t stopped her either.

“What time is it?” she asked, glancing at the sky.

“What do you mean?” he asked, thrown off balance by her change of subject. “And how did you find me in there, or even know where I was?”

“Where the hell did he go?” Eldon heard Bobby yell behind him. He turned to see the man staring up and down the street, trying to find his duplicate.

“Hey, man!” Eldon called to him. “Your twin ran off that way!” Eldon pointed in the opposite direction Jessica and he’d been walking.

“Thanks, Bro!” Bobby yelled back. “I’m gonna kick his ass!” He took off running in the direction Eldon had pointed. Megan stepped out of the club. Eldon saw her tracing her fingers across her lips, before he turned and walked away. He really should have stopped that kiss.

“We need to get off the streets,” Jessica told him. “Can your guardian make it back on her own?”

“Wait!” Eldon snapped, stopping in his tracks. “How do you know so much about me, or where I was?”

“There isn’t time for that right now,” she told him, looking up at the sky. The city was too bright to see any stars, and the moon wasn’t visible with all the tall buildings around. “We should get back to our world. Where’s your car?”

“I’m not going anywhere, unless you tell me—“ Eldon cut himself off as Jessica grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and Eldon knew she didn’t need to. Her tits were faultless. Round and firm looking, topped with two round, perfectly shaped nipples. They were just the right size for her athletic frame as well. He truly couldn’t find a flaw in them, unless you count the fact that they weren’t in his hands, or in his mouth.

All too soon, she dropped her shirt. “Like I said, we need to get off the streets and back to your world.”

Eldon blinked a couple times, trying to sort things out. “O-okay,” he said after a moment. Damn it! He was still worked up from kissing Megan, and having Jessica flash him those awesome breasts had him thinking with the wrong brain. “This way.”

He led her to the Orange Bubble and held the door open for her. “What the. . . .?” he heard her gasp as she looked inside.

“It’s my dad’s car,” Eldon said, getting some of his thoughts back in the proper place, “but he lets me take it whenever I want.” He stepped in behind her and ordered the car to go back to the garage.

She was frozen, staring at the bed in the back. Eldon placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping to turn her around, and see how good she was at kissing.

She moved with lightning speed, pulling away from him and standing near the fountain. Eldon stumbled forward a step, his lips still outstretched for a kiss that wasn’t going to happen.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to recover. “I thought this is what you wanted to do.” He gave her chest a significant glance, wishing he could get another peak at her mammaries.

“I did that just to get you off the street,” she told him. “And it worked.”

Eldon was suddenly angry. She’d tricked him! How could she do that to him? Why would she do that?

“Just like you tricked that other girl?” she asked him.

“You can read my mind,” he growled. Well, that would explain how she knew which of the fake Bobbys was him.

“Not very well,” she admitted. “Just surface thoughts.”

“Are you a succubus?” he asked, suddenly wary. Not all of them were as benevolent as the Pillar of Fire, and it would explain why her ta-tas were so perfect.

The question made her angry. “No!” she shouted, startling Eldon with her vehemence. “Never one of them!”

“Why was it so important to get me off the streets?” he demanded, going back to his earlier question.

“What time is it?” she demanded, as though that were answer enough.

Shaking his head, Eldon pulled out his cell phone and glanced at it. “A little after 11:40.”

She started shaking. “We need to hurry and get back to our world.”

“We’re not going anywhere, until you answer my questions,” he told her, mentally telling his car to stop.

It kept moving. His dad had once told him that the Orange Bubble will do whatever he wanted it to do, unless it knew better than him what was needed. Especially when his life was in danger.”

“What are you?” Eldon demanded.

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know when we get back,” she told him. “Until then, shut up. I need to concentrate.”

He considered her for a moment, trying to decide what he was going to do. If his life was in danger, and she and the car knew it, then it was best that he get back. He might be able to fight off whatever was coming, but then again, maybe he couldn’t. Besides, he was supposed to use his abilities as little as possible while on Earth. None of the Earth governments wanted big monsters roaming their streets, so Eldon usually kept things low-key while he was here.

“Fine,” he groused after a few moments. He noticed her shaking was starting to increase. “Do you need to lie down?” he asked, walking over to her.

“Don’t touch me. Stay away from me!” she growled. Eldon did as she asked. The girl was starting to make him worry. What was wrong with her?

“What time is it?” she asked him again when the car stopped. Her voice was just above a whisper.

“11:56,” he told her.

“Hurry,” she said, still keeping her voice down. He got out of the car, and offered to help her, but she only glared at him. He’d never noticed how dark her eyes were before. Hadn’t they been blue this morning?

Eldon left his phone behind, before they moved to the elevator. The doors opened as soon as she pressed the button. She moved to the furthest corner away from him as they rode it up.

“What’s wrong with you?” Eldon demanded. Now that they were this far, he expected some answers.

She shook her head, her long black hair shining in the false light of the elevator. She was hunched over and holding her stomach. Eldon hoped she wasn’t going to get sick. Gaia would make him clean it up, if she did.

When the doors finally opened, she blurred as she moved outside at unnatural speeds.

Eldon had to blink as the bright light of the Shadow World’s daylight hit him full in the face.

“Oh, that feels better,” Jessica moaned in an almost sexual manner.

“Does that mean you’ll answer my questions now?” He was tired of waiting.

“Sure,” she grinned at him. “But wouldn’t you rather we not talk?” she asked and pulled her shirt off. Her attitude did a complete three sixty.

Eldon’s mouth went dry at the sight of her wonderful breasts free again. His cock strained hard against the front of his pant, demanding he take her up on her offer.

“I want answers,” he said through a throat that didn’t want to cooperate. He wanted to feel those tits. Oh, the things he wanted to do to them. But there was too much he didn’t understand, and his cock didn’t rule his life. Wasn’t there something about his cock he was supposed to remember?

“Fine,” she pouted, putting her shirt back on. Eldon couldn’t stop from groaning as her chest was once again hidden from view. “What do you want to know?”

“How did you know where I was?” There were a lot of things he wanted to know, but that one seemed the most important right then. Especially because of the trap he’d narrowly escaped that morning. He remembered his sister being suspicious of her, and now he was too.

“I was following you,” she said.

Eldon moved to a defensive position, and prepared to change into something she might have a problem fighting. He knew how handy she was against an ogre, but maybe he could—No! He promised never to try that one again. Not after last time.

“Relax,” she told him, but he ignored her. How was he supposed to relax, if she’d been following him.

Wait. . . . “How could you have followed me? After fighting those ogres, we left on rocs. Can you fly, too?”

“No,” she laughed lightly. How could she be so calm right now? He was a raw bundle of nerves, the least reason of which because he really wanted to play with her Grand Tetons. “I can’t fly, and I haven’t been following you all day.” She grimaced slightly before continuing. “I didn’t know it when I saved your ass, but apparently you have friends in high places. Very high.”

“I was holding my own,” he told her defensively.

Her look conveyed her opinion of that statement. “I guess you mentioned my name to the Pillar of Air, and she went looking for me. She asked me to keep an eye on you, since I handled myself pretty well with those ogres. Said something about you likely doing something foolish, and she was worried. She also mentioned that the other person she’d sent to watch over you, wasn’t exactly ideal.

“Well, when one of the Pillars asks a favor of you, you don’t say ‘no thank you.’ She told me where I could find you, and I arrived just as you were leaving. By the way, who was that fairy?”

“My step-mom,” he told her, before thinking better of it.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him closer. “Wait,” she muttered. “You couldn’t be. . . .” Too late he realized his mistake. “The Pillar of Air asks me to look after you personally, and you have a fairy for a step mother. She was obviously free from being attached to anyone. And that car . . . You’re one of Lyden Snow’s kids!”

Oh great. Here it comes, he groaned internally. There was a reason he didn’t advertise who his dad was. He was famous in both worlds. Earth knew him as the ambassador to a world of magic and dreams. The Shadow World knew him as their savior. Well, those that didn’t hate him for fighting against the Outsider. King Aecus was still out there somewhere with his Myrmidons.

“Look, I’m sorry if I upset you back there,” she told him, hands out in front of her and fear in her eyes. “I didn’t realize who you were, or who your family was. I’ll go ahead and leave you alone.”

“What?” Eldon asked, confused by her behavior. Most people started fawning over him, as though he were the celebrity. When he was a kid, he’d enjoyed the attention. But as he grew up, he realized all they were after was getting to meet his dad. They didn’t care about him. “Well, I was angry, but I’m not now. And you haven’t answered all my questions.”

Her eyes darted to both sides, like she was trying to find an escape route.

“How about this,” he told her, trying to put her at ease, “I’ll promise three times not to hurt you, or let my family hurt you, as long as you don’t try to hurt us.” When she nodded warily, he made the requisite promise. “There, that better?”

“I didn’t bruise your arm when I pulled you out of that club, did I?” she asked.

It took him a moment to realize that she was worried that she’d already hurt him. “No, I’m fine,” he reassured her. She relaxed. “Okay, so you followed me, and saw me getting into trouble and pulled me out of there. Why did we have to hurry back?”

She hesitated for a moment before answering. “Let’s just say that bad things can happen when I’m somewhere that has a midnight and I cross that time. If we went back now, I’d be fine. As long as the time shift hasn’t altered things so that it’s still before midnight.”

That wasn’t enough of an answer, but he wasn’t going to push it. He understood having secrets. Talking about the time shifting though, brought his mind to that. “Any idea how long we were away from here?” he asked her.

“Sure, let me just look at the sun and judge what time it is,” she arched one eyebrow at him. “Oh, wait, there isn’t a sun here.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, feeling foolish.

“I’m messing with you,” she laughed. “It’s been about five hours.”

Eldon blinked in confusion. It had been a dumb question, that shouldn’t have had an answer. “How do you know?” he asked.

“I just do,” she said. “Only when it’s around midnight, do I have a hard time knowing what time it is. Otherwise, I always know.”

There was that midnight thing again. He was dying to know what happens to her at midnight, but remembered how his car hadn’t stopped for him. Only when his life is in danger will the Orange Bubble ignore him. Had he been in danger from her? Looking at her pretty face, it was hard to believe, but then he remembered how she’d taken out those two ogres. She could move! And she could be quite dangerous.

“What else would you like to know?” she asked. Eldon noted a bit of hesitancy in her tone, but figured she didn’t want to talk about whatever happens at midnight.

“I guess that’s all that’s important,” he gave her a half smile. “Sorry Lysa dragged you into all that.”

“Don’t be,” she said with a small frown. Why was she frowning? “Is that all you want to ask me? Are you sure?”

Eldon wracked his brain, trying to figure out what she was getting at. “Yeah, I guess so,” he finally gave up and said.

“You didn’t want to see these?” As she spoke, she lifted her shirt again, and this time took it all the way off.

Eldon’s jaw rested on his collarbone as he gaped at her. He recovered quickly and stammered, “Y-yeah. T-that works too.”

“You know, I’m still pretty horny after taking out those ogres this morning, and haven’t been able to find a suitable release. Do you know how I can take care of this?” His eyes watched as her fingers traced circles around her breasts.

“Um. . . I guess I could help you out with that,” he tried to act cool, but those tits were mesmerizing.

“I thought you’d never ask,” she grinned. “Why don’t you come over here and replace my hands?”

He didn’t have to be asked twice. Eldon couldn’t move as fast as she could, but he certainly tried, making her giggle at his alacrity. That giggle turned into a throaty moan as he finally got to touch her perfection. Each breast was more than a handful and very firm. There was no sag to either one, despite their size and weight. The nipples were hard, and she moaned again as he ran his thumbs over them.

Because his eyes were locked on her mammaries, he didn’t see her hand go to the back of his head. She pulled his face to hers, and as their lips met, she put Megan’s kiss to shame. If he hadn’t already been hard, his cock would have been there in record time. As it was, while her tongue ran along the inside of his lips, his cock was trying its hardest to bust out of the front of his pants.

His cock? Why should that bother him?

“Mmm, that girl was right,” Jessica moaned as she pulled away for air, “you are a great kisser!”

Eldon grinned foolishly at her compliment. He’d tried to give as good as he got, but her skill was enough that he’d actually forgotten her breasts in his hands. Yes, she was that good!

“Now, why don’t we check out what’s making your pants so tight. Shall we?”

Eldon wasn’t even finished nodding dumbly before she was on her knees in front of him, opening his pants and freeing his cock.

“Holy fuck!” she exclaimed, pulling back from him.

Too late, he remembered one of those secrets he kept from everyone else. Only his mother and sister knew, and Shelly only because of when he lost his clothing after transforming.

His cock was deformed. Only when he took another person’s form, did he have a normal looking phallus.

“Shit!” He exclaimed, trying to cover his deformity. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Let me change into someone else and it will be normal.”

He started to go over every form he knew, thinking of which one had the biggest cock.

“Wait,” she said softly. Something in her voice cut through his sudden panic. “Don’t.” He looked at her, not sure he understood. Did she not want him to try because she was turned off by his prick, or something else. “Let me see it, please.”

It took him a moment to understand her request. Why did she want to see it? So she could laugh at it, and make fun of him? Even as he covered himself, he felt himself shrinking down and growing soft. He shook his head at her, unwilling to speak in his shame.

“Please,” she asked again. She was still on her knees, and it almost felt like she was begging him. “I won’t laugh. I promise. I promise. I promise.”

He looked into her eyes, light blue now and saw how sincere she was. It helped that she’d promised three times.

Eldon slowly pulled his hands back until she could see. Her hand moved forward, and he covered up again. She only looked up at him, waiting. There wasn’t a trace of laughter or ridicule in her eyes. Finally, he nodded, and forced his hands to his sides.

Her hand moved towards his groin again, going slowly. Her fingertip touched the tip, large even while flaccid, and it jumped startling her. He almost covered up again, but she moved too fast for him, and grasped his manhood in her hand. It was big enough, that part of it hung over her hand while she squeezed it.

“It’s huge,” she said.

“It’s gross,” he replied, his cheeks burning in embarrassment as he started to get hard again in her grasp.

“No it’s not,” she told him, her voice soft. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen one like it.”

“You’ve seen a lot?” He knew the question was a mistake as soon as he said it.

“No, but you get a sense for these things. Once you’ve seen one, you get an idea of what they’re supposed to be like. But not yours.” His knees almost buckled when she leaned forward and kissed the bulbous tip.

“It doesn’t bother you that it’s not straight?” he asked. Now that he was fully hard again, his cock was slightly corkscrew shaped.

“No,” she breathed. This time when her head moved forward, he felt her tongue slide across the sensitive bottom.

Eldon moaned in bliss. No one had ever played with his deformed cock before. Even though he was ashamed of it, her attitude was turning him on more than even her perfect tits had.

“What about the texture?” he asked when he could find his voice.

“The bumps?” she asked, sliding her hand around the curved length. Her fingers couldn’t touch around its girth. His prick had numerous hard lumps in it. He’d heard of humans inserting things just under the skin of their cocks to make them similar to what he was born with. “I’m just thinking about how good this will feel inside me.”

“It’s too big,” he said next.

“Maybe,” she said. “Maybe.” She dove forward then, and tried to shove the bulbous head between her lips. There was an audible ‘pop’ as her lips stretched around it and it slipped inside.

Eldon was sent over the edge as he felt her tongue swirling around the sensitive skin. He didn’t even have enough time to warn her, as he started firing into her warm, wet, mouth.

“Wow!” she said with a grin, as he softened enough to slip from her mouth. “I think you cracked my jaw when you blew. Warn a girl, next time, okay?” She scooped up some of his errant cum with one finger, and slipped it between her lips.

“I’m so sorry,” he told her. “I usually last a lot longer, I swear.”

“First time a girl’s ever touched you, while you were in this form, huh?” He nodded, still feeling mortified. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t mind swallowing. You tasted pretty good too, which helps. Besides, I think we can get that back up and continue where we left off.”

The way she grinned at him! She wasn’t angry or disappointed. He’d never met a girl like her before.

“I’m afraid you won’t be doing any more perverted things to him,” a voice rang out in anger. Eldon felt mortified all over again. Areth had found them, literally with his pants down. He couldn’t remember ever hearing her angry before.