Chapter 23: 23. The Fickle Finger of Fate

 

It's evening before we're actually capable of leaving the fox lair.

I'm the most clear headed that I've been in days. It definitely helped that after the third time Kerda drove me to orgasm (a rather energetic bout of scissoring), the penalty on my Intellect was finally removed. But also, I don't feel horny anymore. I can actually look and talk to people without thinking about having sex with them. I'm guessing this means I have my Arousal Potency down to zero, finally! 

Which is a good thing both for my ability to think, but also, I need every point I can get since my max-out limit was reduced.

When I was stupid and blisteringly horny, I wasn't able to figure out if a kink was a good thing or a bad thing. But it is most certainly a bad thing. If Katie built in an arousal points system into the game, and apparently she can manipulate our intelligence through her interface (serious, what the heck!), I don't want her to ever give me some weird sexual obsession.

With everyone feeling better, and most of us sexed to satisfaction, we decide to leave despite night coming on. We figure we can walk through the night and hopefully reach the dungeon before this time tomorrow. We'll substitute sleep for the food the fox-people have given us, and hopefully make it there without any encounters with lustfully diseased people or orgasm inducing snakes. Or anything else weird, really.

And this was pretty well the case until about eight hours in, when we spot a campfire not far from the path we're taking. We debate whether to investigate or bypass it, and finally settle on checking it out. Even if it leads to a battle, most of the party (myself included) don't want to miss whatever possibilities this encounter may offer.

As we near, we notice that a human woman is wrapped in a cloak and sitting by the fire, eyes shut in sleep. She stirs at the noise of our approach.

"Who's there?" she says.

Astra calls out, "We are travelers passing through these woods. We saw your fire."

She stands and beckons to us. As she does so, her cloak falls open revealing that all she wears beneath it is a pair of panties. "Come. Sit by my fire and give me some company," she says.

She doesn't seem like too much of a threat. Detect reveals that she's an NPC and human, and I can clearly see she's about forty and unarmed. Her hair is a medium-brown and falls halfway down her back. She's no beauty but she's not ugly either. Her face is one of those you'd soon forget if you passed her in the street.

We settle down in a semicircle across from her and pull out some of the food we have. We offer to share it, but she's eaten already.

Astra asks her, "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm a poor traveler like yourselves. I'm on my way to Orally for work."

"What is it you do?"

"I'm a fortuneteller. I've been touring from town to town in Fellatia for years. I would be happy to read any of your fortunes for 5 silver a reading."

This seems like a waste of money to me. Even if you believe in psychics in real life, how the heck would that work in a virtual environment? Katie might be running the game, but even an AI can't see into the future.

But Kerda says, "Cool! I love this stuff. We should all get a reading."

When a few of us balk at spending our money, she pulls out her purse and pays for everyone. After her work in the brothel, she has the most money of any of us, and doesn't even blink handing the coins over.

"Me first," Kerda pleads.

The woman unrolls a deck of tarot cards from a long silk scarf and places the scarf on the ground. "These cards have a long legacy. They were my mother's and my mother's mother's. They not only foresee the future but help shape it. Some will have their fates revealed. Others will have opportunities opened or luck made manifest. Be prepared to be astounded and have your futures shown to you!" She deals out six cards, and says, "One for each of you."

We shift our seats so we can see the cards without the fire blocking our view. She instructs Kerda, "Turn over whichever card you feel drawn to."

Kerda hesitates, pressing her lips together as she considers the choice. She's taking this silly thing far too seriously. After over a minute of contemplation, she turns over the card on the far right.

The card is yellow with a lady standing in a garden. The fortune-teller says, "Ah! The Nine of Pentacles. This symbolizes a sweet enjoyable life." She places her fingers to it and closes her eyes, concentrating on sensing something unseen. "Before the day is out, you will be coated in honey and licked clean."

Everyone seems a little taken aback by the specificity of this prophesy, even Kerda.

She says, "Um... okay. Wasn't what I was expecting, but can't say as I'd mind. Who will do the licking?"

"That I cannot see exactly. But there will be two tending to you."

Kerda says with enthusiasm, "Cool! Who's next?"

Bronte comes forward. "I was kind of curious, but..." I can tell that after the first revelation, she's no longer so certain she wants to do this, but she does it anyway, flipping over the card to the left of Kerda's pick. It has an angel on it.

"Temperance. Symbolizing the right mix and devotion." The woman goes through the same routine of touching the card and shutting her eyes while looking blindly heavenward. "Before the next full moon, you will use the skill Chokkala bestowed upon you on five different species, pleasing your goddess greatly."

Bronte shrinks back, looking a little horrified.

Astra asks, "What's the skill?"

"Eh. Er. Nothing. I mean... it involves healing. Nothing important." It's clear to everyone she's hiding something, but no one pushes her on it. I would have guessed that Morgan would have teased her, but they're busy turning over one of the cards in the middle of the four still face down. It shows a woman tied up and blindfolded, surrounded by swords dug into the ground around her. Unlike the others it's upside down.

"Hmm! An excellent card. The Eight of Swords in the reverse position. This symbolizes lack of fear. For the next..." she pauses trying to find something behind her eye lids. "For the next four days, you will feel no fear and no inhibitions."

"Oh!" This is another surprise for everyone since it's not so much foretelling as a declaration.

Bronte asks them, "Is it true? Are you fearless now?"

"I don't know. I don't feel afraid. But I didn't before I turned the card over either."

Kerda asks, "How about the other part? Strip for us!"

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"I'm not just going to take my clothes off because you ask," they say indignantly.

"What if I eat your pussy? Would you do it then?" Kerda says in a sultry voice.

Morgan shrugs. "I guess so." Then, they go over to her and opens up their little kimono robe revealing their bare body.

Bronte screams, "Whoa! Whoa! Put that stuff away. I don't want to see you naked."

"What's the big deal. It's not like this is the body you watched my grow up in." They says this with their hands on their hips and the robe still open.

Bronte shakes her head. "Doesn't matter. I don't want to see you naked and I don't want to see you getting oral sex."

"What's the big deal?"

Astra jumps in, "Okay. So, I think we can safely say that these cards have some kind of magic powers. Morgan cover up and sit down." They groan like a child told to go to bed early. "We're a party. Let's try and keep sex private. At least, when it's possible to do it. (Because Lord knows it's not always possible.) Now, I propose that since the effects of the cards could cause problems for us, we should stop this now."

But the fortune-teller says, "You may stop the reading, but the coins have been paid, and the cards have been dealt. Those who do not choose will receive all remaining fortunes."

"What!?!" Astra says startled. "What do you mean we'll get the remaining fortunes?"

The woman nods solemnly. "All three of the fortunes still hidden will befall each of you. They might not manifest exactly the same way for all, but these remaining fortunes will become the fate of all who have not picked."

Astra, Vladimir, and myself look at each other suddenly very worried. I think of how troubling the three fortunes already read have been. What if I got all of them: I'd feel no fear and have no inhibitions for several days, get honey licked off of me by multiple people, and have to constantly use some embarrassing skill. No matter how different the ones on the face-down cards were, getting them all would suck. I really didn't want to select a card, but one horrible fate was better than three.

Astra must have come to this same conclusion because she quickly flips the other center card over as though it's electrified. It shows a woman in blue robes sitting on a throne.

The fortune-teller says, "The High Priestess, symbolizing supreme intuition. For the next nine days, you will have unwavering intuition and find the correct choices as though through divine intervention."

Astra looks shocked. "That's actually not terrible. In fact, it's pretty good."

Although, the woman has more to add, "But beware. Even though your choices will always benefit you. They may not benefit others you care about."

Still, of everything. It's the only one that doesn't have to do with sex. Assuming Bronte's has to do with sex (which I do assume). This leaves the card on the far left and the one three places over from it.

Vladimir makes a motion with his mouth as though trying to draw some moisture into it. He says to me, "You pick."

My hand dances in the air over the last two face down cards. I have no idea which to choose. I try listening to my gut, but the only thing there is the acid tinge of dread. I glance over to Astra. Her eyes dart to the one in the middle of the exposed cards. She's supposed to have perfect intuition now, so this could be the better option. I rub my fingers together, then very carefully turn it over.

It features a young man holding a golden cup.

The fortune-teller says, "Interesting. The Page of Cups. This symbolizes emotional offerings." She stares at me for a little too long, and I start to think she's waiting for me to say something, but then she puts her fingers to the card and consults her inner self.

"Sometime in the coming month, you will become married."

"What!?!"

Vladimir releases a held breath and laughs. "Oh, thank God, I didn't pick that one." There's an implied "sucker" left unsaid at the end of his sentence. Or maybe I just think that because I feel like a sucker.

I repeat, "What!?!"

The fortune-teller asks, "Was the reading not clear?"

I sputter, "How? Why? Who?"

"The details are foggy, but this is your fate. And it is a good one."

"Maybe for you! I don't want to be married off to some... Gah!"

Astra comes over to comfort me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. Kerda does the same on my others side. 

Astra says, "Maybe it'll be someone you love? Maybe you'll want it when it happens?"

Kerda says, "And if not, maybe the sex will be good at least." Astra shoots her a glare, and I sink deeper into my sense of dread and despair.

"That just leaves you, Vlad," Bronte says.

He moves with uncommon speed and reveals the card without looking at it. There's a bravado to his movement, but I see it's barely hiding his fear.

This one shows a man lying on a bank of a river pierced with a multitude of swords. It does not look good.

"The ten of Swords, symbolizing a sudden end. Sometime in the coming month, you will die."

Kerda slaps my bicep gently. "See. Being married isn't so bad after all."

 

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