Chapter 8: Chapter Eight

(Whoo, yeah! Chapter eight, yay! I’m really having fun writing this, and I hope you’re all having as much fun reading it! I have a Patreon now, by the way, feel free to support me if you can! Also, I’ve fallen down the grimdark, sword-filled rabbithole that is Elden Ring! This humble Tarnished is making her way through the Lands Between and being pulverized on every alternate step, but damn it if I’m not having a blast!)

As the immense silver dragon announces that we should look to the sky, everyone cranes their head back, staring upwards. Far, far above, a star glints, sparkling and shining, a rich shade of purple… wait wait wait. A star? It’s mid-morning!

Another, and another, dozens and dozens of them, in shades or green, red, blue, yellow, orange, every tone imaginable. And, as the crowd stares in silence, the stars slowly…begin… to fall.

A mild panic ripples through the assembled players, but Tanwen’s calm demeanour reassures everyone. Asteria and I have regrouped, and I shyly reach for her hand. Her fingers interlock with mine, and I feel warmth in my chest as she squeezes gently.

The stars rain down, growing closer and brighter, falling and falling, the quiet sound of rushing wind turning into a roar, as the meteors swarm down upon us.  A few screams ring out as the comets descend, but… instead of impacting the earth or some unlucky soul, the shooting stars stop, hovering before each and every one of the massed adventurers, spinning in place at chest-height. They aren’t chunks of space-debris, though. They’re eggs! Every single egg has a shell the same colour as the radiance they’re emitting, and hover before their selected partner, having chosen based on some unknown criteria.

Tanwen booms, “These monster eggs contain your first pets. Not even I can tell what each of you will hatch them into, but they will take a form based on your behaviour and personality. If you are honest, loyal, forthright, brave, and compassionate, you may hatch something such as a Steelwing Griffon. These beasts are fiercely intelligent and faster than an arrow in flight, with beak, claws and steel feathers. They will only bear their bonded partner willingly, but defend them to the death.”

Turning its head, the dragon continues speaking. “On the other claw, if you are a murderer, a thief, a traitor, a liar, or of that ilk, then you may end up hatching something on the other end of the scale. Say… a blackdrake wyrmling. These creatures are vicious, venomous, and utterly ruthless, and they chafe at anyone attempting to control them. Succeed, though, and you will have a creature at your command that will eventually become a full-grown black dragon.”

Tanwen’s glowing cat-pupiled eyes fix on each and every one of us. “Also, the people of this world are special. Unlike you, they will NOT revive at a chapel, temple, shrine, or other place of worship. If they die, and a resurrection spell is not cast on them within the hour, they will be permanently deceased.”

Several players react with consternation and apprehension, with one young boy looking like he’d just found out he’d committed murder. As Tanwen crouches, the dragon’s huge wings unfurl, beating downward and lifting the mighty creature’s body off the ground. With strong, regular wingbeats, Tanwen ascends, calling out, “WELCOME... TO AEGIS ONLINE! ENJOY YOUR STAY!”

 Asteria’s stream ends shortly after, as she gives a quick run-down to her viewers about what to expect in your first couple of hours, and, with a little coaxing, I join her on-stream, without giving my name or showing my status window. Luckily, Asteria does the same, only referring to me as ‘her little rose-petal’, before signing off.

The next two days flow past in a slow, lazy crawl, Asteria and I spending the hours shopping, browsing the markets, having light lunches and teas, and cuddling each and every night as I ask her countless questions about everything it means to be transgender, even branching and learning about the other types of identity that fit under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. She insists on giving me a makeover, brushing my long, silver hair, painting my nails with a shimmery gold polish, putting on lipstick and eyeliner.

 Not just applying the cosmetics, but teaching me how to apply them myself. She even took me… lingerie shopping… it was kind of embarrassing, but I did reluctantly accept her purchasing me some bras and panties, I guess, since I needed them. I had to be firm about the limits of exactly HOW skimpy I was willing to go, though, much to her chagrin.

 She also bought herself a few sets, straight-up modelling them for me to see. Gods, her body was like something carved by an artisan. Not a single curve or ounce of fat out of place, and that confident, flirtatious smile… it did things to me.

That night at dinner, Asteria produces a scroll, waving it at me. “Callex?” I look up, swallowing the last mouthful of pudding, licking raspberry sauce off my lips. “Have you any idea what thiiiis is?” she teases, stirring her spoon through the remnants of her chocolate torte.

I shake my head, and she tosses the small, tightly-bound scroll into my hands. “I didn’t know if you still wanted to use the name Callex, so this’ll allow you to change it by magic. Some transgender people like to pick a new name, since their ‘deadname’ can have… painful connotations.”

Unrolling the scroll, I blink as a small, pre-inked quill pen topples out and rocks slightly. The scroll is blank, but shimmers, a faint magical sheen undulating across the parchment. Slowly, I reach out and pick the quill up and bring the nib to the pale paper, and carefully inscribe a few slow, careful letters onto the pristine vellum. The scroll rolls up, then floats from the table and careens into my chest, sinking into me and causing my hair to flash rainbow colours. Checking my status window, I smile and shiver in excitement.

Asteria bounces eagerly in her chair. “Ooh, ooh! Did you choose a new name?!” I nod, and she squeals, “Eee! What did you pick?!” Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I blush, making my status window visible, rotating it so she can see. She reads my new name, and her grin widens. “Kettrin? It’s beautiful! I love it, it suits you!” Impulsively, I lean over and kiss Asteria on the cheek in gratitude, before blushing and spluttering as she squeals with laughter, her cheeks flushing a pretty rose-pink.

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During those two wonderful days, I’d felt more alive, more…whole, and complete, than I ever had before. Asteria treated me like a real woman, and I’ve never been happier.  However, something happened that reminded me of the real world…

It happened on the third day. Asteria and I were wondering through the marketplace at Tillberry, pausing at the occasional stall to browse, when I heard a voice behind me.  “Hey, Callex! Is that you?!”  A hand clamps down on my shoulder and spins me around. I flinch, and look up into a pair of green eyes. The handsome blonde human male is one I recognize, a tall, broad-shouldered physique, his own white wings rising over his back. Another Skyborne?  It’s roughly the same build and appearance he uses in every single game we’ve ever played. It’s one of my friends from school. The name he uses in-game is Harvenhaight and he…

“Oh! I’m sorry, miss. I thought you were my friend. Someone said that the saw a guy named Callex around here. Have you… have you seen him? We were supposed to meet up and play together, but I can’t find his name in the ‘active players’ list…”

I swallow, and stammer an apology, secretly relieved. It looks like he can’t identify me like this. Asteria interposes herself between us, looking Harvenhaight up and down. “Can I… HELP you, dude? It’s pretty rude to lay your hands on a stranger, particularly a lady! Are you getting weird with my friend Kettrin? I’ve already killed one guy for getting on her case for no reason.”

Harvenhaight backs up a little, hands up. “N-no, I just thought she might have been my classmate, but he’s a guy, not a girl! It was an honest mistake, I promise!”  My fingers pinch Asteria’s elbow lightly, and I nod. “H-he’s telling the truth. He thought I was… someone called, um… Callex, I think?” Asteria’s nostrils flare in alarm for a second, and she slowly relaxes.

“Ah, sorry about that. I’m kinda protective of her, so I jumped to conclusions. If we see your friend, we’ll let him know that his classmate’s looking for him, okay? We’ve got a quest to do soon, so we’d better get going. Good luck finding them!”

Harvenhaight nods and apologizes once again, before taking off, jogging through the market square, still looking for, well… me. Too bad he wouldn’t find me without realizing his mistake. I wasn’t proud of it, but… I had no idea how he’d react when he found out, or whether he’d accept me or not….

The rest of the day fells like there’s a pall of dark mist hanging over me, despite Asteria’s best efforts to rouse me from the strange malaise I can’t shake. After about an hour or so, she nods sagely, calling it… ‘Dysphoria’.  Having a name for what I’m experiencing is a relief, but it still sucks. Unfortunately, the automated alarm kicks in, giving me a ten minute warning to log out before I’m booted from the game, followed by a message from Houseworth. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but your friend Jeffrey from school has called you several times. He seems very insistent that you contact him!”

Asteria holds me close, stroking my hair, and murmurs, “I’ll send you a friend request on your system, and we can talk outside of game, okay sweetie? I’m here for you anytime, I promise. You can always message or call me if you need help, or wanna ask anything about how to be you!” she presses a kiss to my forehead as she leads me back to the guesthouse to log out. That way, my body would be safe until I could log in again.

As I come to consciousness in my own body, the hissing of the battered, military-surplus pod’s cooling systems and the humming of its power-source cycling down replacing the gentle sound of Asteria’s voice, a wave of nausea and despair almost flattens me, and I stumble from the confines of the metal eggshell. No, no, NO! This isn’t ME, this isn’t my body! I need to get out, to run away, to escape!  Someone, anyone! Help me, PLEASE!

As my heart pounds, a drumbeat in my ears, my gasping breaths lost behind the pounding rhythm, a cool, calm voice, somehow radiating concern, breaks through the claustrophobic fog in my brain. “Are you quite alright, master Kyle? My sensors detect irregular heartbeats, heightened oxygen intake, and elevated stress levels that just peaked as soon as you emerged from your pod. Should I run a diagnostic?”

 Houseworth. Of course. Just Houseworth. From my crumpled heap on the floor, I slowly sit up, my eyes weirdly damp, and wipe my face before I can totally lose it and start crying. “No! No diagnostic, thanks Houseworth. Just… I need a moment… I… I learned some things about myself while in-game…”

As I compose myself, Houseworth waits patiently, until I can gather my thoughts enough to continue. “Houseworth, have you ever heard of ‘being transgender’? Well… I met someone in-game who knew someone who was born a boy, but was actually a girl on the inside. They were born Dane, but were actually Dana… and, well… I’m the same. I’ve always hated being seen as male, and my body… but this person treated me like a girl, and it felt… right. I felt like I was finally myself… “

Houseworth goes silent for a few moments, before responding. “I see. Would you like me to update my settings for you? I see no problems with doing so, young mistress.”

I squeak as Houseworth calls me ‘young mistress’.  It clears the fog in my brain, and I nod. “Yes, please. I’ll be using the name Kylie until I figure out which name is actually mine.  Thank you, Houseworth, this means so much to me…”

Houseworth’s voice takes on a pleased tone as I slowly rise to my feet. “It’s my pleasure, mistress Kylie. Will there be anything else?” I shake my head and then pause. “Actually, yes. Can you place an order online for a complete set of women’s clothes in my size? Underwear included? And please don’t keep a record of it once it’s been delivered. I… I don’t want my parents to find out. At least, not yet…”

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