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Description

    I, Rulf Drake, was not a questing adventurer.
  My father was, that was for sure. He had explored many places, conquered many lands, and saved many lives. Even when he settled down with my mother, his drive for adventuring never died. He would always sneak away from the house, for a day or two, to explore some new discovery. My mother knew about it, of course, and I think she secretly envied it. Exploring was in her blood too.
    I did not share their love for exploring, a fact that my father detested. He tried to force me to love his passion. He would bring me to swordfighting and archery lessons. He would give me horse riding lessons and then ride with me in vast areas of open land. He would send me on random trips to other Lords’ homes, hoping these journeys would inspire me to see more of the world.
    They did not. I loved the quiet life, the peaceful life. Reading, writing, arithmetic, those were what I enjoyed doing. I was fascinated with learning and with knowledge. And so, even though I grew up physically weaker than the others around me, I grew up stronger in mind.
    One day, my father had enough. He decided to forcefully send me on my own far off quest, in hopes that a real expedition would kindle my exploration spirit. I tried to protest, reminding him of my lack of physical strength and experience, but he gave a rebuttal to my claims, explaining they would be no hindrance. He informed me that it was only a trip to Crystal Tower. There would be nothing dangerous about it.
    I had learned about Crystal Tower. It was a large tower that had became a beacon for explorers far and wide. They would meet there and exchange goods and tales of their past adventures. I guessed if there was any place that would change my mind about being an internal intellectual, it would be there.
    It was calculated that it would be a four days trip. My father quickly saddled up my horse, named Frederick, with food for survival and money for shopping when I arrived at Crystal Tower. Frederick looked at me with worry. I looked back at him, observing his skinny physique and nervous postiture. He was as unsure and physically unequipped for this journey as I was. We were two birds of a feather.
    After some reassurance from my father, my mother agreed to allow me to be forced on this trip. My parents waved goodbye to me as I left, as all good parents do. I wondered if I would get in trouble if I would just visit one of my friends for the next week. The plan would easily be spoiled though if my father asked to see what I had gotten from the other adventurers. Oh well.
    A couple hours into the trip, I double checked what exactly my father had sent with me. Some dried meats, some bread, some water, all would be necessary for living since I doubted that I would ever successfully hunt anything. For protection, a lightweight set of iron armor was packed along with a iron sword and a bow. I struggled a bit as I put the armor on. It would have more use on me then packed away.
    I tried to practice some swordplay. My movement was slow and clunky and my swings were shaky and ineffective. I tried taking some practice shots with my bow. The results were similar. These were not promising signs for my survival if I was ever attacked.
    Looking once more through my bags, I found a simple pendant resting at the bottom. I instantly recognized that it was Explorer’s Pendant. It was supposed to bring luck and safe keeping for any explorer on an adventure. I guessed that one of my parents had slipped it in for me. I decided to wear it, slipping it underneath the breastplate of my armor. I failed to notice that it had started to glow.
    The traveling for the first day was surprisingly dull. All I had to do was follow the road signs that told me the way of the Crystal Tower. Didn’t need to use the knowledge of the surrounding lands to help guide me where to go. Eventually, the sun had set and I needed to create a campsite by the side of the road. I decided to stop with Frederick right outside one of small towns we had encountered on our way. We were properly equipped for camping and I didn’t want to deal with trying to find room at a town's inn.
    After dismounting, I started to unpack some food from Frederick’s bags. I paused for a moment as I noticed something peculiar. Had Frederick grown? Where one could have seen hints of his rib cage were now covered with muscle. In fact, the skinny physique he was known for seemed to be gone. Instead, he looked more like he had an average physique. Could a horse really gain that much muscle mass in one day?
  What made it even stranger was, when I observed myself, it seemed like I too had gained some muscle mass. Now that would just be impossible. All I did today was ride on a horse. There was no way that I was gaining any strength from simply doing that. It must be my tired eyes playing tricks on me. All I needed now was to get some sleep.
    I awoke the next morning with the feeling that I had a strange dream. I tried to rekindle the dream’s events, but I simply could not. Passing it off as nothing, I groggily checked my bags again to see if there was anything I was forgetting to do this morning. My hand felt a razor. Realizing that I hadn’t shaved in awhile, I checked a nearby pond to see how bushy my face had gotten. Shockingly, it was hairless and smooth. I doubled checked this strange circumstance by rubbing my hand across my face. It was indeed smooth. Seeing that I didn’t need to shave, I quickly packed up my bags and set off upon Frederick. No need to stay around here anymore.
    While going through a small patch of woods, something caught my eye. There seemed to be a single rabbit right by the side of the road. It failed to notice me. I could easily hunt it. I paused a bit, surprised with my own confidence in being able to hit any sort of shot with a bow. Not seeing any harm in trying, I managed to balance myself and equip my bow from on top of Frederick. I aimed, and let a shot fly.
    It was a direct hit. I sat there, stunned. I quickly dismounted and prepared my kill for the upcoming journey. I knew what I would be eating tonight.
    At the end of the forest, there was a group of blossoming trees with flowers that shown brightly with beautiful colors. On a random impulse, I directed Frederick towards them and pick off a few of the flowers to observe. I brought them up to my face and smelled them deeply. The smell was as perfect as their looks, bringing a giant grin to my face.
    As a began to travel through a series of low plains, I thought back to my flower encounter. I wasn’t sure what had exactly prompted me to do that, but I had no regrets. In fact, all it had done was put me in a happier, chipper mood. Everything seemed better. The fresh air of the fields seemed to almost tickle me as I continued down the path towards Crystal Tower. I found myself laughing more and being giddy. I guessed this is why people liked traveling outdoors.
    Night came quicker than I expected, leaving me to camp once again beside the road. As I slept, my dreams became more clear than they were a night ago. I dreamt of me having a practice sword fight with a friend. My mother came over to me, stating that this wasn’t proper. I argued, saying that this was what I wanted to be. My mother scowled and stated that I was an insult to the family and all my kind.
     I awoke suddenly, trying to piece my dream together. It made no sense for my mother to be disappointed in me for swordfighting. The parents I knew would encourage such acts. What bothered me the most though was how the dream felt so real, like it was a memory. I pushed the thought aside. I needed to focus on the trip ahead. I was already halfway there.
    I stopped at a nearby stream to bathe. As I cleansed myself, my dense hair settled on my neck at a length that I had never kept it at before. My joyous attitude from the previous day returned to me, causing me to start singing to myself. The song-like qualities of my tune were much more giddy and high pitch than anything I attempted to sing before. I wasn’t much of a singer, and now hearing my rich, lovely voice, I wished I had shown off my talent more.
    These feelings felt peculiar, but only a little. A smoldered sense of panic told me that these feelings were wrong, and that I should be gravely concerned. The cool water countered this sense though and removed my anxiety. When I got out of the stream, I toweled gradually, marveling at how slender my waist had become. My legs and arms were well-toned, sleek, and smooth to the touch.
    While practicing some swordplay, I discovered that my swings were now more powerful, more precise, and more quick. This improvement quelled any other worries I might have had.
    I mounted Frederick once again and noticed that it seemed like he was in a good mood too. He caressed my hand when I moved in besides his face. There seemed to me more of a spring in his step as he galloped down the path. His chipper attitude only made me more giddy. We were both in the best of moods.
    When we reached the top of a hill, I gazed down at the sights below me. To the left, there was a tall mountain with smoke bellowing from the top. To the right, there was a dark forest with warning signs plastered on the outside. Right next to that, I could see the sight of a far off desert, with ancient statues and pillars. I had the sudden urge to explore them all, though I knew that I couldn’t. I was on my own adventure already, going to Crystal Tower.
    Along the journey, I stopped more often to see the scenery that was around me. This was sometimes prevented by the sudden interruption of the wind throwing my long hair into my face. I used some extra string that I had in my bags as a band to keep my hair at bay. I couldn’t do much about the sensitivity that had started to appear in my chest, caused by it rubbing against my breastplate. I was pretty close to just taking it off completely.
    I let Frederick guide me down the pathway for my mind was elsewhere. It was formulating possible adventures I could have around these parts. Why had I not wanted to explore before? I could not remember. I now regretted turning down invitations to explore with my father and having a negative attitude when he forced me to travel. Maybe if I would have been more embracive, I would have seen the glories of exploring earlier.
    Night fell once again. I was delighted to see that we were less than one day's trip away from the Crystal Tower. We would be there soon. I quickly fell asleep with a smile on my face. Everything was going well.
    My dreams were perfectly clear now. In them, my parents were both noble intellectuals. They were smart, though boring and dull. They were happy with their small content lives and had no drive to see the great world around them. And they tried to raise me, their only daughter, in a similar fashion. They wanted me to be proper and ladylike, to sit around all day and do nothing but study and look pretty.
    I would have none of that. I taught myself to swordfight and how to use a bow. I went on small adventures around town. They were either self-created or just tasks given to me by local townsfolk. My parents were appalled by my actions. They threatened to cut me off from their inheritance and from my position as their daughter if I kept this up. I knew I couldn’t stop doing what I loved. And so, to save them any more misery, I had gotten upon my horse and fled towards Crystal Tower, where all adventurers were welcomed.
    When I awoke, my dreams were still more clear to me than any of my other memories. I tried to imagine what life was like with my parents being adventurers and me being the intellectual. I couldn’t. The thought itself seemed like a dream to me. And besides, if I was an intellectual, why would I be out here instead of home? I couldn’t think of a reason. My current situation seemed to back up my life as a rebellious adventurer more.
    Deciding that this indeed was the case, I traveled to a nearby stream to bathe again. I wasn’t sure how badly I smelled, but I knew if I was going to be in contact with new people soon, smelling horribly would be a quick off-putting aspect.
    Using some of the soup that I had brought with me, I began to cleanse myself in the stream. My silken hair dripped past my waist and teased at my rising, full hips. I giggled in a softened, lighter tone at current state of hair, which was completely enveloping me. I enjoyed the silken feel of my skin, which was without the blemish of rough hairs anymore. I knew, if I had wanted to, I could have been one of those beautiful noble ladies with this body. The drive in my heart for adventuring, however, prevented that from ever being a possibility.
    As I put back on my armor, one reminder of my possible beauty came from a sensation that occurred whenever I put anything against my chest. Thankfully, I had a modified breastplate so that it could live along the two large bumps that had taken residence in my chest. I remembered that I had gotten this suit of armor made by the local blacksmith when I had collected materials for him. He had thanked me by building a suit of armor that took in account that I was a daughter, not a son.
    Walking over to Frederick, I noticed that his form looked slightly different. I studied him, until I found out underneath that I was mistaken. I was studying her. While making a mental note that I would need to create a new name for her, I corralled my long hair into a form that kept it out of my way. I saddled up, and set off on the final day’s journey on my new mare.
    After a while, the familiar feeling of my groin resting against the saddle slowly changed without my realization. And with it changed, the last connection of my supposed past life disappeared. There was nothing left of a timid boy who could only think of books. There was only an intrepid woman who was arriving at Crystal Tower.
    As I strolled up to the Crystal Tower, I saw that there was a large wooden fence surrounded the outside of the tower. There was a large gate that was guarded by two large men who stared at me as I approached.
    “Halt lady,” one of the guard told me sternly. His face softened when he saw my equipment and my armor. I could see that he had already figured out why I was here.
  However, due to the rules he was given, he was forced to ask me anyways. “Please state your name and occupation.”
    “My name is Rachel Drake,” I said boldly, making a heroic pose on top of Faerydae, who neighed excitedly. “And I am a questing adventurer!”

Description

    I, Rulf Drake, was not a questing adventurer.
  My father was, that was for sure. He had explored many places, conquered many lands, and saved many lives. Even when he settled down with my mother, his drive for adventuring never died. He would always sneak away from the house, for a day or two, to explore some new discovery. My mother knew about it, of course, and I think she secretly envied it. Exploring was in her blood too.
    I did not share their love for exploring, a fact that my father detested. He tried to force me to love his passion. He would bring me to swordfighting and archery lessons. He would give me horse riding lessons and then ride with me in vast areas of open land. He would send me on random trips to other Lords’ homes, hoping these journeys would inspire me to see more of the world.
    They did not. I loved the quiet life, the peaceful life. Reading, writing, arithmetic, those were what I enjoyed doing. I was fascinated with learning and with knowledge. And so, even though I grew up physically weaker than the others around me, I grew up stronger in mind.
    One day, my father had enough. He decided to forcefully send me on my own far off quest, in hopes that a real expedition would kindle my exploration spirit. I tried to protest, reminding him of my lack of physical strength and experience, but he gave a rebuttal to my claims, explaining they would be no hindrance. He informed me that it was only a trip to Crystal Tower. There would be nothing dangerous about it.
    I had learned about Crystal Tower. It was a large tower that had became a beacon for explorers far and wide. They would meet there and exchange goods and tales of their past adventures. I guessed if there was any place that would change my mind about being an internal intellectual, it would be there.
    It was calculated that it would be a four days trip. My father quickly saddled up my horse, named Frederick, with food for survival and money for shopping when I arrived at Crystal Tower. Frederick looked at me with worry. I looked back at him, observing his skinny physique and nervous postiture. He was as unsure and physically unequipped for this journey as I was. We were two birds of a feather.
    After some reassurance from my father, my mother agreed to allow me to be forced on this trip. My parents waved goodbye to me as I left, as all good parents do. I wondered if I would get in trouble if I would just visit one of my friends for the next week. The plan would easily be spoiled though if my father asked to see what I had gotten from the other adventurers. Oh well.
    A couple hours into the trip, I double checked what exactly my father had sent with me. Some dried meats, some bread, some water, all would be necessary for living since I doubted that I would ever successfully hunt anything. For protection, a lightweight set of iron armor was packed along with a iron sword and a bow. I struggled a bit as I put the armor on. It would have more use on me then packed away.
    I tried to practice some swordplay. My movement was slow and clunky and my swings were shaky and ineffective. I tried taking some practice shots with my bow. The results were similar. These were not promising signs for my survival if I was ever attacked.
    Looking once more through my bags, I found a simple pendant resting at the bottom. I instantly recognized that it was Explorer’s Pendant. It was supposed to bring luck and safe keeping for any explorer on an adventure. I guessed that one of my parents had slipped it in for me. I decided to wear it, slipping it underneath the breastplate of my armor. I failed to notice that it had started to glow.
    The traveling for the first day was surprisingly dull. All I had to do was follow the road signs that told me the way of the Crystal Tower. Didn’t need to use the knowledge of the surrounding lands to help guide me where to go. Eventually, the sun had set and I needed to create a campsite by the side of the road. I decided to stop with Frederick right outside one of small towns we had encountered on our way. We were properly equipped for camping and I didn’t want to deal with trying to find room at a town's inn.
    After dismounting, I started to unpack some food from Frederick’s bags. I paused for a moment as I noticed something peculiar. Had Frederick grown? Where one could have seen hints of his rib cage were now covered with muscle. In fact, the skinny physique he was known for seemed to be gone. Instead, he looked more like he had an average physique. Could a horse really gain that much muscle mass in one day?
  What made it even stranger was, when I observed myself, it seemed like I too had gained some muscle mass. Now that would just be impossible. All I did today was ride on a horse. There was no way that I was gaining any strength from simply doing that. It must be my tired eyes playing tricks on me. All I needed now was to get some sleep.
    I awoke the next morning with the feeling that I had a strange dream. I tried to rekindle the dream’s events, but I simply could not. Passing it off as nothing, I groggily checked my bags again to see if there was anything I was forgetting to do this morning. My hand felt a razor. Realizing that I hadn’t shaved in awhile, I checked a nearby pond to see how bushy my face had gotten. Shockingly, it was hairless and smooth. I doubled checked this strange circumstance by rubbing my hand across my face. It was indeed smooth. Seeing that I didn’t need to shave, I quickly packed up my bags and set off upon Frederick. No need to stay around here anymore.
    While going through a small patch of woods, something caught my eye. There seemed to be a single rabbit right by the side of the road. It failed to notice me. I could easily hunt it. I paused a bit, surprised with my own confidence in being able to hit any sort of shot with a bow. Not seeing any harm in trying, I managed to balance myself and equip my bow from on top of Frederick. I aimed, and let a shot fly.
    It was a direct hit. I sat there, stunned. I quickly dismounted and prepared my kill for the upcoming journey. I knew what I would be eating tonight.
    At the end of the forest, there was a group of blossoming trees with flowers that shown brightly with beautiful colors. On a random impulse, I directed Frederick towards them and pick off a few of the flowers to observe. I brought them up to my face and smelled them deeply. The smell was as perfect as their looks, bringing a giant grin to my face.
    As a began to travel through a series of low plains, I thought back to my flower encounter. I wasn’t sure what had exactly prompted me to do that, but I had no regrets. In fact, all it had done was put me in a happier, chipper mood. Everything seemed better. The fresh air of the fields seemed to almost tickle me as I continued down the path towards Crystal Tower. I found myself laughing more and being giddy. I guessed this is why people liked traveling outdoors.
    Night came quicker than I expected, leaving me to camp once again beside the road. As I slept, my dreams became more clear than they were a night ago. I dreamt of me having a practice sword fight with a friend. My mother came over to me, stating that this wasn’t proper. I argued, saying that this was what I wanted to be. My mother scowled and stated that I was an insult to the family and all my kind.
     I awoke suddenly, trying to piece my dream together. It made no sense for my mother to be disappointed in me for swordfighting. The parents I knew would encourage such acts. What bothered me the most though was how the dream felt so real, like it was a memory. I pushed the thought aside. I needed to focus on the trip ahead. I was already halfway there.
    I stopped at a nearby stream to bathe. As I cleansed myself, my dense hair settled on my neck at a length that I had never kept it at before. My joyous attitude from the previous day returned to me, causing me to start singing to myself. The song-like qualities of my tune were much more giddy and high pitch than anything I attempted to sing before. I wasn’t much of a singer, and now hearing my rich, lovely voice, I wished I had shown off my talent more.
    These feelings felt peculiar, but only a little. A smoldered sense of panic told me that these feelings were wrong, and that I should be gravely concerned. The cool water countered this sense though and removed my anxiety. When I got out of the stream, I toweled gradually, marveling at how slender my waist had become. My legs and arms were well-toned, sleek, and smooth to the touch.
    While practicing some swordplay, I discovered that my swings were now more powerful, more precise, and more quick. This improvement quelled any other worries I might have had.
    I mounted Frederick once again and noticed that it seemed like he was in a good mood too. He caressed my hand when I moved in besides his face. There seemed to me more of a spring in his step as he galloped down the path. His chipper attitude only made me more giddy. We were both in the best of moods.
    When we reached the top of a hill, I gazed down at the sights below me. To the left, there was a tall mountain with smoke bellowing from the top. To the right, there was a dark forest with warning signs plastered on the outside. Right next to that, I could see the sight of a far off desert, with ancient statues and pillars. I had the sudden urge to explore them all, though I knew that I couldn’t. I was on my own adventure already, going to Crystal Tower.
    Along the journey, I stopped more often to see the scenery that was around me. This was sometimes prevented by the sudden interruption of the wind throwing my long hair into my face. I used some extra string that I had in my bags as a band to keep my hair at bay. I couldn’t do much about the sensitivity that had started to appear in my chest, caused by it rubbing against my breastplate. I was pretty close to just taking it off completely.
    I let Frederick guide me down the pathway for my mind was elsewhere. It was formulating possible adventures I could have around these parts. Why had I not wanted to explore before? I could not remember. I now regretted turning down invitations to explore with my father and having a negative attitude when he forced me to travel. Maybe if I would have been more embracive, I would have seen the glories of exploring earlier.
    Night fell once again. I was delighted to see that we were less than one day's trip away from the Crystal Tower. We would be there soon. I quickly fell asleep with a smile on my face. Everything was going well.
    My dreams were perfectly clear now. In them, my parents were both noble intellectuals. They were smart, though boring and dull. They were happy with their small content lives and had no drive to see the great world around them. And they tried to raise me, their only daughter, in a similar fashion. They wanted me to be proper and ladylike, to sit around all day and do nothing but study and look pretty.
    I would have none of that. I taught myself to swordfight and how to use a bow. I went on small adventures around town. They were either self-created or just tasks given to me by local townsfolk. My parents were appalled by my actions. They threatened to cut me off from their inheritance and from my position as their daughter if I kept this up. I knew I couldn’t stop doing what I loved. And so, to save them any more misery, I had gotten upon my horse and fled towards Crystal Tower, where all adventurers were welcomed.
    When I awoke, my dreams were still more clear to me than any of my other memories. I tried to imagine what life was like with my parents being adventurers and me being the intellectual. I couldn’t. The thought itself seemed like a dream to me. And besides, if I was an intellectual, why would I be out here instead of home? I couldn’t think of a reason. My current situation seemed to back up my life as a rebellious adventurer more.
    Deciding that this indeed was the case, I traveled to a nearby stream to bathe again. I wasn’t sure how badly I smelled, but I knew if I was going to be in contact with new people soon, smelling horribly would be a quick off-putting aspect.
    Using some of the soup that I had brought with me, I began to cleanse myself in the stream. My silken hair dripped past my waist and teased at my rising, full hips. I giggled in a softened, lighter tone at current state of hair, which was completely enveloping me. I enjoyed the silken feel of my skin, which was without the blemish of rough hairs anymore. I knew, if I had wanted to, I could have been one of those beautiful noble ladies with this body. The drive in my heart for adventuring, however, prevented that from ever being a possibility.
    As I put back on my armor, one reminder of my possible beauty came from a sensation that occurred whenever I put anything against my chest. Thankfully, I had a modified breastplate so that it could live along the two large bumps that had taken residence in my chest. I remembered that I had gotten this suit of armor made by the local blacksmith when I had collected materials for him. He had thanked me by building a suit of armor that took in account that I was a daughter, not a son.
    Walking over to Frederick, I noticed that his form looked slightly different. I studied him, until I found out underneath that I was mistaken. I was studying her. While making a mental note that I would need to create a new name for her, I corralled my long hair into a form that kept it out of my way. I saddled up, and set off on the final day’s journey on my new mare.
    After a while, the familiar feeling of my groin resting against the saddle slowly changed without my realization. And with it changed, the last connection of my supposed past life disappeared. There was nothing left of a timid boy who could only think of books. There was only an intrepid woman who was arriving at Crystal Tower.
    As I strolled up to the Crystal Tower, I saw that there was a large wooden fence surrounded the outside of the tower. There was a large gate that was guarded by two large men who stared at me as I approached.
    “Halt lady,” one of the guard told me sternly. His face softened when he saw my equipment and my armor. I could see that he had already figured out why I was here.
  However, due to the rules he was given, he was forced to ask me anyways. “Please state your name and occupation.”
    “My name is Rachel Drake,” I said boldly, making a heroic pose on top of Faerydae, who neighed excitedly. “And I am a questing adventurer!”