This story contains depictions of characters growing larger, becoming more masculine, and having sex.
If that is not your cup of tea, turn back now.
*****
For Lady Mara of the Silver Coin, adventuring in the name of her deity was not about excising monsters from forgotten keeps, or fighting for just causes, but was instead all about acquiring wealth for her church and herself. Clad in the finest armor money could buy, armed with the most powerful weapons she could attach enchantments to, the female paladin was one of the greatest warriors in the realm and she commanded a high price for her services.
Many nobles had halved their coffers to have the half-elf serve as a member of their honor guard. As such, she was known in every court of the realm. Not only for her battle prowess, but also her breathtaking beauty. Her silver hair, a symbol of the deity's benediction, was the envy of ladies in every court. She had been blessed by her mother's lineage with all the fine features and grace of the Eastern Wood Elves, but she was also built like her father of the northern tribes. Many a cocky knight had found himself thrown, armor and all, for insulting her honor.
Despite her celebrity, it as not unusual for the paladin's parties to include those who might be less savory than the normal adventurers. Those outside the law had lots to loose for equally big gains and they were just as willing to pay her toll.
This time however, she was working for free. She had teamed with up a pair of goblin rogues from the Upper Rim after they came to her with a request she could not afford to pass up. They swore they had stumbled upon ruins that were the lost Elven city of Gelanthas while fleeing after a raid of the Dwarven mining city of Karadun. The pair were the only survivors of their party after huddling in the remnants of what they claimed was an Elven vault. They had brought coins bearing the sun sigil of the High Elves that once lived in the Swallowed City.
It had taken weeks to get to the cave they said led to the ruins, but she was eager to explore.
"You are positive this leads to where you found the coins?"
"Yes, pretty lady," the one called Uji said.
"Very sure," the one called Lju added.
They led on through the gloom with their uncanny eyes. She could see them, as she could all creatures considered evil, but her Elven heritage had not provided her with their own magical vision. She drew her enchanted dagger to use the flames to light her path and the found herself awestruck. There in the dark were the crystal walls of her ancestral home, their structure capturing the fire light and refracting it between towers. Only a few seconds passed before the whole cavern was lit with the ghostly blue flame of her blade.
"Pretty lady make ruins beautiful!"
"Pretty lady is so awesome!"
Mara found herself blushing at the goblin's earnest praise. Most everyone else only gave her accolades in hopes of getting a discount, but there was something about the two diminutive thieves that stirred something within her. "Lead on, you two, we have a treasure to find..."
The trio picked through the tumbled buildings and roadways. Most of the city was settled into a bowl-like crater, with the walls encircling the highest point. She tried to recall maps of the lost city, but even the landmarks she remembered proved useless as so much had been moved by the cataclysm that had made the city vanish below the earth. Finally, the little goblins led her to their hiding spot. She had to lift a huge slab of petrified tree the pair of thieves had simply slipped under but it was worth it. As she entered the room, the light of her blade shimmered on a dragon's horde of silver coins.
Whispering a prayer of thanks to Sivmera, she swept her makeshift torch around to see if anything more substantial remained. Which is when she saw the doors at the end on the hall. Stretching from floor to ceiling, the sun sigil was embossed on the dust covered surface.
"It wouldn't open," Uji said as they came to stand before it.
Lju nodded. "The door needs elf blood to open."
In the time it took the statement to register, the goblins were already on her. They tore at the straps of her armor, peeling her out of her burnished plates. Her chest plate and gauntlets clanged to the flagstones. Flailing to get away, she nicked both herself and Uji with the dagger before Lju knocked it out of her hand. The flaming blade sailed through the air to stick miraculously in the crack of the door. A loud boom made all three of them stop fighting.
There was a cascade of clicks as the sun sigil began to glow blue as well. Then the sound of grinding gears as the vast metal slabs began to swing open. Mara took the opportunity to grab her companions by their throats and hold them at arms length.
"We're sorry!"
"We just didn't know what else to do!"
"The runes in the books were old..."
"We weren't trying to kill you, honest!"
"We love the pretty lady."
