Dungeon Mistress: Session 3

Email traffic after the last session was a lot more

significant

, this time.

It began almost immediately, when Monica sent an email the day after our session.

---

Subj: Decision for next session

Greetings, intrepid heroes!

Having licked your wounds and gotten Meldrin back in fighting shape, you all are ready to prepare to get your revenge upon the Night Queen. Or to try, at least.

That's going to mean showing up with more strength than previously, and that means allies. And thanks to Cedwin's persuasive work with the Daughter of Blades, she seems amenable to joining the fight. But you know that the Daughter alone won't be enough. You'll need more than her and the Hemlock Sisterhood by your side.

Two other options present themselves:

● The tribe of forest dryads that Enna parlayed with on your first trip into the Night Queen's lands were friendly enough towards you, and certainly seemed to loathe the Night Queen. They could be mobilized as powerful allies, if you'd like to go visit them.

● The sanctum of Arcanatrix Ravenna, Meldrin's old rival, also borders the Night Queen's domain. As you all well-recall, she isn't a friend, exactly -- but you know she loathes the Night Queen. Perhaps the enemy of your enemy is your friend?

I need to know the party consensus on which of these potential allies to pursue first. Of course, you'll want to visit both eventually, but I need to know where to focus next session.

Your Dungeon Mistress,

Monica

---

By the time I had finished reading it, Mike had already replied.

---

WE SHOULD GO TO THE ARCANATRIX'S SANCTUM. WE'VE GOT UNFINISHED BUSINESS THERE. MELDRIN'S BACK, BABY!

-

M

---

This kicked off an argument -- Liz and Erin on one side, and Mike on the other -- that went ten or twelve replies deep. Evidently things had gone very, very badly the last time they tangled with Arcanatrix Ravenna. Apparently when they'd gone to her tower, they'd all gotten separated. And then Enna's pet wolf had ended up disintegrated, or something? Lucia had apparently spent a brief period of time polymorphed into a pigeon? And then, to their dismay, Meldrin had somehow been persuaded that it wasn't a big deal. The details were unclear to me, but the back-and-forth over the Arcanatrix was rapid fire and

incredibly

heated.

But I stopped following their exchanges closely after that...because I got another email.

It was from the same throw-away email account that had sent that email right after the end of the last session. The one about Cedwin's 'tower'.

And, like that email, this was sent to only me.

---

Subj: Forest dryads

Weigh in and say you want to visit the dryads first. If you don't, then the next time Cedwin ends up touching my character -- and we both know he will, the way Monica runs things -- I'm going to make a big scene and ruin the game.

You won't like the Arcanatrix's sanctum anyway, Mike is gonna be weird about it. Maybe we can figure out a way for Meldrin to be unconscious again for that session.

---

I blinked, slowly, reading it. Was I really getting

blackmailed

by one of my friends in order to...change the direction our role-playing game went in?

At least this meant it presumably wasn't Monica, who could've just declared that she was prepping for us to go to the dryads. And I doubted Mike, an extremely straight guy, had sent me that first email about

Cedwin's tower

anyway. So that just left Liz or Erin, extorting me into swaying the party vote in their favor.

I paused.

Unless it

was

Monica, using this as an opportunity to make me

think

it was Liz or Erin...

I shook my head, trying to keep myself from spiraling.

I didn't care much about what we did next anyway; it sounded like we'd do both eventually. I dropped a note into the thread saying I thought we should go to the dryads, that if the if things had gone badly the last time, it would probably be easier to convince the Arcanatrix to help us if we already had other allies already in hand. With three party members against one, Mike acquiesced. Grumpily.

My phone pinged a moment later with another note from the unknown sender.

---

Re: Subj: Forest dryads

Good job. Maybe I'll give Cedwin's tower a reward next session...

Also, now I know you're reading these. Hi there.

---

I waffled on whether or not to reply to...well,

whoever

this was. I was tempted not to. But I decided to play ball.

I kept my reply simple:

Who is this?

The response, a moment later, was equally straightforward.

---

Don't worry about it. See you -- and that tower I like so much -- next session.

-your secret admirer

---

My secret admirer?

I didn't know how to respond to that. So I didn't.

Things were quiet again until a few days before our session, when Monica's more typical pre-session email came through.

---

Subj: This week's session

Greetings, intrepid heroes!

You've decided to visit the forest dryads and persuade them to your cause! A few notes:

● As a reminder, we agreed on a Saturday afternoon session this time around. Show up on the right day, and don't be late!

● Please come in costume, but bring a swimsuit! My apartment's rooftop pool and hot tub area just opened for the season, the weather's nice, and it's early enough in the season that it won't be too crowded. I've got a river scene in mind if you all convince the dryads to be helpful.

● Chris, show up early; I'll have your costume ready again.

● Erin, please show up early also, if you can. I'm done making adjustments to the dress you wore last time, so you can wear it this time. I think you'll like it!

Your Dungeon Mistress,

Monica

---

Swimsuits? Well, my imagination ran wild with that.

The next day, I got another email.

---

Subj: Another thing for the session

You've got a little present in the mail for next session that should arrive today. Bring it. Wear it. I want to see Cedwin in it.

And just to be clear, if you don't wear the present I'm sending you...well, I won't like it.

-your secret admirer

---

Well, I didn't know what to make of that. But sure enough, later that day a package arrived, addressed to me. I hesitated a moment before opening it, staring at the contents.

It was a pair of black swim trunks.

They weren't a speedo, exactly. More like...briefs. They were cut shorter and tighter than the board shorts I'd ordinarily wear. I pulled them on and stood in front of the mirror, staring at the way they...well,

put me on display

. Even soft, there was a prominent bulge.

If I got erect in these, there would be no hiding it. Which I supposed was the point.

---

I decided to bring both the skimpy swim briefs, and my more normal board shorts. I could decide which to wear based on how I felt, how things were going.

It dawned on me just how complicated this session was going to be.

There was Monica, who clearly enjoyed teasing and playing with me.

And Liz and Erin, both of whom certainly didn't seem to mind a little physical, sexually-charged contact with their roleplaying.

Mike was joining for the first time, and while I didn't know

exactly

what Monica had been doing with him, it was easy to imagine that he'd been getting a similar treatment to what I'd been getting.

On top of all that -- one of them, probably Liz or Erin, was clearly both flirting with

and

blackmailing me via email.

The lack of clear boundaries, the confusing deceptions between me and my friends, it all should've bothered me. Not to mention the fact that Monica wasn't just toying with me, she was toying with

us

. I should've found the entire situation fucked up.

But mostly, I was excited by it. The last session had included the hottest -- albeit, also the

briefest

-- sex of my life. I wondered what Monica would be dressed as; what Erin and Liz were bringing for swimsuits; what the hell this 'secret admirer' was going to do.

So, with trepidation, feeling guilty but mostly excited, I headed over to Monica's place early, just like she'd asked.

---

Monica opened the door. "Hi, Chris. Come on in. Erin's already here."

The last time I showed up, Monica had still been getting ready.

This time, she was in costume. And the transformation was dramatic. I did a double-take.

Green fabric wound its way up her body, starting just above her knees. The effect it gave was something like vines or twisting branches, wrapping around her, twining up her legs to her torso. Strategically placed, overlapping leaves of fabric covered the essentials, extending from thigh to just below her belly button, and across her breasts. But even there, glimpses of skin peeked through, suggesting what the vines and leaves covered -- the full, round curve of a breast, pale smooth inner thigh, and more.

Her eyes were green, now. It was a startling, unnatural, mint-green -- presumably the result of cosmetic contact lenses. And she was wearing another wig -- her hair, instead of her natural black, or the blonde of the Daughter of Blades, was now a pale, silvery white, like the bark of an aspen tree. Her lips -- curving into a smile -- were painted with a glossy red lipstick, so fiery that it was almost orange.

The overall effect was arresting. Her pale skin, the white hair, the bright green eyes, the bright lips, all combined to transform her with an alien beauty.

Except for the knowing grin that slowly formed on her face as I stared, silently at her. That was all-too-familiar.

I blushed. "I, uh...hi, Monica."

Her smile turned sly. "I wondered what you'd think of this one." She was whispering -- maybe so that Erin couldn't overhear her. "I mean, you couldn't contain your excitement over the Daughter of Blades..."

I reddened.

I remembered what it had felt like to have her underneath me. The scene had replayed itself in my mind dozens of times since our last session.

The way I had thrust into her, how impossibly overwhelming she'd felt around me.

I was getting hard now, reliving it in my mind.

"It'll be interesting to see how it goes for Cedwin when he meets the dryads." As I watched, she ran one one finger over her body, lazily tracing down her shoulder, in along the swell of her breasts, along the edges of the leaves that formed the neckline of the dress.

"Hi, Chris!" Erin called from further inside the apartment, cheerily. "Remember to bring your swimsuit?"

"H-hey, Erin...yeah...I didn't even realize Monica's apartment had a pool..." I mumbled the words out.

"I know, right? She's always got a surprise up her sleeve!" Erin was all exuberant agreement.

Monica, silent, blew me a kiss. My gaze was locked on that alluring orange-red of her mouth, the way her lips moved. Then she turned to walk inside.

I adjusted myself in my jeans and followed her.

---

"God, Monica, that must've taken you like, an hour to get on. Is it sewn around your body? I don't understand how everything stays in place..." Erin was staring -- with what seemed to me to be a combination of disbelief and envy -- at the way that Monica's outfit hugged her assets. To be fair, I was staring too, just with different emotions.

Monica glanced up at Erin from where she was finishing applying a temporary tattoo of the Tower to my arm. "Yeah, there are a bunch of tricks to it. Okay, Chris, you're all set. Your costume is in my bedroom; why don't you go get into your outfit and I can show Erin the changes I made to her dress in the bathroom."

I nodded. "Okay, see you guys in a bit." I headed into the bedroom to change.

My outfit was set out on the bed, just like last session. Tight leather breeches, loose tunic. The only difference was that the crescent moon pendant -- set neatly on top of the the folded clothes -- had a little notecard underneath it, on which ornate, sweeping script read as follows:

Cedwin,

I am pleased with the way you've ingratiated yourself to these adventurers. The betrayal they feel when you reveal that you serve me will be utterly crushing. I am rewarding your loyalty with a new boon.

Simply touch my pendant to the skin of any light-dwelling tree-lover, and they will become charmed by you, will thoughtlessly do your bidding. My dark influence is especially effective against their weak, guileless woodlands minds. I'm sure you'll find exquisite uses for it.

Your Dark Mistress

P.S. Druids are certainly guileless light-dwellers, too. You might wish to see how it works on Enna.

Is...that what I was doing? Ingratiating myself, only to turn on my friends? It felt a little like siding with Monica, over them.

And I wasn't sure what that postscript implied. Had Monica...told Erin how to respond if I touched her with the pendant? What would she have said?

I spent a long time staring at the note before stripping my clothes off and pulling on Cedwin's outfit.

As a result, I was only just finishing dressing, putting that pendant around my neck when there was a knock at the door.

"Chris? Are you decent?" It was Erin's voice.

"Yeah, c'mon in..." I hastily fumbled the notecard into the pocket of my jeans and folded them on the bed.

"I still can't get over the outfit Monica came up with for you," Erin giggled. "You look so

swashbuckling

."

I turned, a joke on the tip of my tongue about Enna wanting to buckle Cedwin's swash.

I never made the joke. I was staring at Erin instead. She had already looked great in the brown dress she'd worn last time.

But Monica had made some significant alterations to it.

The scoop neckline that the dress had initially was the same...except in the center, she had removed a triangular section of fabric. The neckline now dipped between the swell of her breasts, revealing the soft, freckled curves of her cleavage.

At Erin's waist, there was just...well. A lot less dress than there had been. Monica had removed fabric, exposing a the skin of her trim waist, accentuating the way her hips flared out from it.

And down at the bottom, she'd added a slit that went all the way up, exposing one of Erin's long legs.

Before, the dress had simply highlighted Erin's figure. Now, it was extremely revealing.

Erin was wryly watching me give her the up-down. "What do you think?"

"Uh...pretty different from what you used to wear to my sessions, huh?" I tried not to say the words bitterly. I was feeling a now-familiar surge of jealousy.

Years of me having an unrequited crush on Erin, but Monica has her playing sexy-dress-up in just a few months of sessions?

"C'mon, seriously. Monica changed it a lot, I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it does seem like something Enna would wear..." Erin was

self-conscious

, I realized.

I pulled myself together and cracked a smile. "You look great, Erin. Although it certainly looks like Enna will be a lot colder while we're traveling."

She slapped my arm playfully, laughing. "Shut up, Chris. Cedwin here has so much upper chest showing he'd catch the flu the first time the temperature dropped below 50. C'mon, Liz and Mike both just got here."

It was impossible not to wonder if Erin was the unknown sender who had been sending those emails. But she seemed...just like her usual herself.

Liz was in her Lucia outfit from last session, and grinned at me when I followed Monica out of the bedroom. "Bring your suit? I tried to bring one I thought Lucia would wear..." She held up her hand, a black monokini dangling from it.

I stared at it. It did not look like sufficient fabric for a human body.

Erin pouted. "That's so smart! I just brought my favorite bikini, I didn't think about what Enna would wear at all..."

I swallowed hard -- and not just at the thought of what Liz's butt would look like in that bathing suit. Was

Liz

the one sending the emails, with all the talk of swimsuits?

But my train of thought was interrupted by Mike sidestepping around her and giving me a bro-fist. "Dude! Finally we get to play together! And hey, Monica, what gives? You helped him with a

way

more badass costume than mine. How come he gets to look that good, but I look like Gandalf's younger, less dapper brother?"

Mike's was wearing grey robes, belted at the waist, and had an honest-to-god floppy, wide-brimmed, pointy wizard's hat on. He had always been short and stocky to my lanky leanness -- and the voluminous robes weren't doing him any favors. But the hat had some cool sigils woven into it with gold thread, and so did the robe at the lapels and belt.

He didn't look

bad

, exactly. He just looked like...well, a portly wizard.

Monica looked serious. "You're right, Mike. What a serious oversight on my part. Chris, remind me what Cedwin's charisma is, again?"

"Uh...19, I think?"

She turned to Mike. "And what's Meldrin's?"

He let out a good-humored laugh, waving a hand in acquiescence. "Okay, I get it, I get it, Charisma as a dump stat has consequences."

Monica nodded, smug. "Now. Drinks for everyone and we'll get started?"

We chattered with each other, getting caught up as we started setting up at the table.

---

"The dryads live in the deep forests that cover the western border of the Night Queen's kingdom, only accessible by several weeks of hard trekking along game trails. The trees are dense, crowded, and it's slow going. This isn't by accident. While not warlike, the dryads have been resisting the Night Queen's encroaching power for years, and it is by their will that the woods they live in are now an impassable, overgrown tangle. By the time you arrive at the edges of the meadows where the dryads live, you're all exhaust--

yes

, Erin?" Monica trailed off, a little irritated at the interruption to her opening monologue.

Erin had raised her hand about halfway through this speech, had started waving it two-thirds of the way through, and was now practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "I have a class feature that lets me navigate through difficult terrain caused by plants with no penalties to my movement. Can I like, lead the party, scout ahead, and so on to make our progress less taxing?"

Monica considered, then nodded. "I had forgotten about that. Yeah, okay. The party

would've

arrived exhausted, but with Enna's leadership, the unfamiliar, difficult terrain becomes at least somewhat more navigable. It still takes a long time -- precious time during which the Night Queen is undoubtedly rallying her own forces and allies -- but the party is

not

exhausted when they arrive, so no penalties to checks or anything."

Erin pumped her first triumphantly.

Monica had us make a few rolls to see if anything else came up during traveling, but nothing major did.

Monica steepled her fingers. "Okay. You arrive to the familiar sight of the vast meadows the dryads dwell in -- well, familiar to all except Cedwin. The dense undergrowth abruptly gives way to tall grasses, open spaces dappled with flowers and sunlight. It is as you remember -- beautiful tree-spirits, wild and free, unencumbered by the burdens of civilization. There are perhaps a few dozen of them. Some frolic; others collect flowers, weaving them into crowns; still others are petting or speaking quietly with some of the animals that roam freely about the meadow. The sounds: quiet laughter, murmurs of conversation, small animal noises. All of them take note of your approach, but don't engage with you -- except for the one you recall as their leader, Diphylla. She rises from where she has been petting a baby fawn, and walks up to you all."