The morning of the first day of adventure was a dewy affair. The temperature had dipped quite a bit in the night, though by the time the four adventurers converged, their excitement kept each of them plenty warm. The rising sun promised to chase away the cool before any of that excitement could wear off.

Michael and Hera had gathered at the meeting place, and spotted Viv and Ella approaching. Viv and Ella were kitted out with fancy backpacks and bags and pouches strapped to themselves, and Viv was pulling Ella along by the wrist, enforcing a fast walking pace.

"Hey!" Viv shouted, grinning ear to ear.

"Here we go," Michael said wryly to Hera.

"This is everyone who didn't chicken out. So how about-"

"Ella?!" Michael asked, staring at the woman behind Viv's flank.

Ella chuckled. "In the flesh. You must be Michael?"

"Yeah," he said, a little stunned. "You're coming with us?"

"Sure am."

"I'm sorry," Hera said. "I'm not familiar with you. I'm Hera."

"I've seen you around!" Ella said. "I'm Ella, I'm happy to finally make your acquaintance."

"That's the mayor's eldest kid," Michael pointed out.

Hera smiled to Ella. "Oh. Nice to meet you too. I remember seeing you running around once, but that was way back ten years ago?"

She giggled. "Well, there we go."

"And you two already met?" Viv asked. "Can we get going?"

Michael looked out at the road leading out of town, as if the border of town itself held some force that would tear him out of existence for crossing it. He let out a deep breath and put on a smile.

"Walk and talk?" he said.

The adventure started, and Michael was the one to lead them out of town. He was dressed in protective leathers, a fine set that was dyed in gentle, warm colors. He'd scrounged it up, along with a simple sword, and it was a good fit for him. It wasn't going to give any indigestion to most predators who'd be hungry for someone his size, but it was realistic for his budget and his ability to travel long distances with. He'd cut his dark hair down to a few inches recently, and it was still sticking up a bit, in a cute way.

Hera had a breezy green skirt covering her horse torso, reaching down to her knees. It was delicately woven and very pretty. By contrast to it, and to Michael's light armoring, her armor was a little aged and simplistic, but still perfectly capable of stern negotiation with any weapons that were intended for the human part of her body. Unsurprisingly, she was carrying the largest packs out of anyone in her party, with two large bags attached to either side of a harness she wore over her back. A dependable, very clean spear was strapped to her side, and a longbow and a bundle of netting sat ready behind her human torso. Her long, blonde hair ran down her back, as neat and light as her skirt.

Viv dressed the same as she always did, neglecting the thought of armor completely, in favor of her usual open-midriff style. The packs strapped to her back and her thigh were new, but any of the other preparations she'd made for this journey were either mental, or packed up in the bags Hera was hauling. Her dark eyes sat under a smattering of naturally multi-colored hair, bronze with tints of green and purple, roughly Michael's length.

Their last member was wearing the cute, utilitarian sorts of outfit that Viv had always remembered her wearing. A simple pair of shirts, comfortably embracing her curvaceous shape. A sturdy pair of trousers underneath, ready for any amount of outdoor activity. Viv knew that Ella had packed up a lot of her pretty clothes to dress up in later, but didn't think Ella was any less eye-catching in her tomboy clothes.

"So now you know why I didn't bring anyone to our last dinner," Viv told Michael. "Ella was saying goodbye to family. Didn't need to risk her dad coming out to the tavern and making everything weird. And Hera met up with her friends."

"Fair enough," Michael said.

"I went out with Michael's friend circle last night," Viv explained for the others. "Ella, I cheated on you and kissed Michael last night."

With a snort, Hera gently called out Viv’s name to scold her, while Ella giggled and stared at the two, keen for details.

"Oh," Michael said, looking back. "You two aren't actually together, are you?"

"I'm not standing in your way," Ella said, and looked at her mistress, allowing her to decide how much to confess.

"Oh, I never introduced her?" Viv joked. "This is my slave, Ella."

"Viv?!" Hera said again, giving Viv an imperious side-eye. Michael turned to check the others' expressions, and saw Ella smiling and looking at the ground, brimming with pride.

Viv shrugged as if beyond reproach. "I used to play with her a lot. As kids, I mean. We taught each other all the different things we learned about the world, and it turns out she's obsessed with giving all her control away. She promised like a year ago, to belong to me whenever we started our adventure. And look where we are.”

Michael and Hera both spent a few moments staring at Ella, considering her, seemingly for very different reasons.

"It's true," Ella said simply.

"She was always a good girl growing up. Never got in trouble. Did all the schooling and made all the friends she was supposed to. Heck, she’s better at studying than I am. Heh, especially when the topic is histories of obedience or enslavement, right Ella?"

"Mistress..." Ella whined, and snorted in amusement.

"So. Uh. That seems really convenient for you?" Michael told Viv.

"Well. Anyone could have claimed her if they knew how. I feel like I was the first who had the vocabulary to talk about what she wanted, and I was actually bold enough, so I earned her devotion. It happens all the time in the real world, you’ll see."

Hera pursed her lips in worry and watched Ella for a few more moments, but the contentment on Ella's face kept her from making any objections.

"So... how far are you okay with going with that?" Michael asked Ella, in earnest curiosity.

"As far as Viv wants me to," Ella said, blushing. "For example Viv and I were talking, the other day. I'd personally like to feel like a member of this party and make it as far as everyone else does on this adventure, but if she needs to sacrifice me, or use me as bait, or sell me in a pinch, then, mm. She's allowed to use me like that."

"Or if I think Michael deserves a treat," Viv told Ella, "Then I should order you to just feed yourself to his cock."

"That too," Ella said quietly, meeting Michael's eyes in a mixture of fear and excitement. He wasn't able to look away.

"Don't worry," Viv said, her canines pressing both sides of her lip as she smirked. "No way in hell can he fit you in yet. Not without some serious elasticity magic."

"Hah, well," Michael said, letting all the air out of his lungs as he did. "We don't have to worry about that. Not that I wouldn't be, um. Overjoyed."

"Vivie," Ella said, snickering uncontrollably. She stepped forward to grasp Viv's wrist and take comfort. Viv grinned, unrepentant.

"I'm just making sure everyone knows all about each other, my pet."

A natural lull in conversation came over the party. They made their way out, to where the road was marked by worn ground and grooves in the dirt, rather than cobblestone. The rising sun continued to beckon morning's comfort into the world.

"We should make a quick prayer," Hera said.

"I was thinking that," Ella said.

Michael was surprised when even Viv nodded her agreement. "I guess it wouldn't hurt," he said.

Viv caught his look and replied to what he'd left unspoken. "I used to say we should all live our lives in spite of what any god thinks, I never said we shouldn't take what they’re offering or acknowledge how strong they are."

"We're going to be leaving Aran's domain," Ella explained to him. "Me and you lived our whole lives under his blessing. Well, him plus all the other gods who've contributed to our society. Even if you never prayed for it, it's implicit to everyone here who lives according to the laws. Even Viv, probably."

"So we want a new blessing?"

"Well, as adventurers, we might get noticed by Roleigh. God of Adventure if you didn't know. And it's not that we need a blessing, per-say, it's just that if Roleigh hates you, every path suddenly leads to danger."

Viv grinned. "A bit of a double-edged god, honestly. Cause if Roleigh loves you, every path leads to glory. Which also implies danger."

"Right," Ella agreed. "And in general if you pray to a particular god, begging them to lead you to something that they’d like you to find, it doesn't hurt your chances of getting there. But at the very least, adventurers ought to ask Roleigh to not do anything unfair. So you should look into your heart, say that you're proud to be an adventurer, so please don't mess with the roads and make them all lead straight into a dragon's nutsack or anything. Amen."

"How serious was she being?" Michael asked Hera.

"I’m sure Ella knows more about religion than me, and that was technically a real prayer. I don't need to comment on the irreverence, but to give Ella the benefit of our doubt, Roleigh is a god who isn't picky about that kind of thing, and he or she is probably amused by it."

"Yadda, yadda, nutsack," Viv said happily, prostrating her arms into the sky.

"You guys are definitely going to be the death of me," Hera deadpanned.

They continued walking, and Ella spoke again. "Roleigh loves the thought of adventurers exploring love freely with each other. Which could explain why there are all those rumors about adventuring parties and orgies. And Aran loves really committed couples, hence, you know. The norm. Anyway, I'm definitely okay with Viv and Michael kissing. I mean, she definitely didn't mind any of the flings I had when she wasn't around."

"I heard a joke," Michael said. "Adventurers get on with each other like that, because when a few of them get eaten, the two that survive will still have someone."

Viv giggled. "Who would you rather survive with, Michael? Ella or Hera?"

"Well, I don't want any of us to get eaten," he said, trying not to think about it too hard.

"Let's say that meant you were my new owner," Ella suggested. "Does that help you decide?"

"I... do not need to offend anyone this soon into the journey."

Hera covered her mouth and giggled at him.

"Even better," Viv said, "If you could melt any of us in your balls, who would you choose? Assuming you could fit any of us, even Hera."

Michael smiled bright, blushing plenty, and shook his head side to side.

"I'm not falling for this."

"Hm. Well, I'd eat you, if I had to choose," Viv told him.

"Great. So can I ask, where are we going exactly?"

"For now, we're going to Fort Sands because they might have some work for us. The end goal is to reach Praedbridge and do some questing. But who knows, that's months from now. Hera and I picked out a few stops along the way, but we'll keep ourselves open to any good shifts in the wind."

"Gods," he said, shaking his head at the enormity of the journey he'd plunged himself into. Viv stepped close, slung an arm around his shoulder, and whispered into his ear.

"I hope you're praying that all of our paths lead to prey we can feed your cock. If you want the name of a god, try Mella. With a little luck, a little grace, you'll get to taste all kinds of things between here and there."

He didn't respond, though his cock did. His erection strained against his pants for a few moments, unobserved by the rest of the group.

"I keep my promises," Viv said. "Hey, want me to try to catch any critters I see as we go? How much do you think you can fit inside?"

Michael gulped, and for all the thoughts that must have been in his head, responded in just one word.

"Uh, claws."

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't want one escaping that way. We'll figure it all out somehow."

For better or worse, their conversations turned toward less embarrassing topics for the rest of the morning. Viv's three friends got to know each other a little. They all chattered over adventuring tips that they'd heard in the past. They even speculated on the best ways to get rich or famous, and what they'd each do with fame and money.

They passed plenty of carts and pedestrians on their way. Most were human, but they crossed paths with some elves, a halfling, and a pair of bunny people, all friendly. Ella mentioned traders who followed the Highwind Code, the strict covenant outlined by the trade-loving god Merch, could expect remarkably good chances of safe travel between towns. Viv claimed she'd been under that covenant's protection in her earlier travels, and that this was her first time traveling after renouncing it by declaring herself an adventurer.

Before they reached Fort Sands, they stopped for lunch and had the sandwiches and fruit tarts Ella had bought. They agreed to take a long break. After eating, Hera excused herself to roam around on her own. Viv got up to explore the surroundings too, quickly followed after by the two humans.

"All good so far, right Michael?" Viv asked.

"Yeah. Well, we're not really out of human lands yet."

"Yeah, true enough. Are you glad you came? You're not going to chicken out, are you?"

"No, we're... really doing this."

"I can't believe we couldn't get any of your friends to come with."

"You know that's not the kind of choice most people make overnight."

"That just means I have room to learn how to be more convincing."

Michael laughed, taking it as a joke. "Maybe you didn't wiggle your butt enough."

"Yeah? You think?" Viv asked, looking behind herself and swaying her hips. "Well, I guess you're the only one of them who gets to look at my butt anymore."

Ella flashed him a quick grin, and her gaze snapped back to Viv's rear. Michael couldn't resist looking either. Viv laughed when he did, and kept walking between the trees.

"So," Michael said. "What's going on between you two, exactly?"

"Tell him, Ella," Viv ordered.

"Well, she's my owner," Ella said quietly. "We usually make out a bit and then she tells me to masturbate. We haven’t really gone much further than that."

"Oh. Wow," Michael said.

"Also when I say make-out, imagine the daintiest, clothes-on kids-story making out. Don't get it confused for a real make-out."

Viv turned her head toward Ella, and smirked at the merciless jab. She didn't seem ashamed by the accusation.

"So if you're jealous or anything, don't be,” Ella told him.

"Ooh, that looks good," Viv said, and ran over to a tree. She picked a small plum from it and bit into it, then wiped the juice from her lips with her forearm.

"Yum," said Ella, and went to pick her own.

"Oh, Michael," Viv said. She paused to chew the rest of the meat from the fruit, and tossed the remains to the ground.

"What?"

She grinned and plucked another fruit from the vine. "Have you ever tried this?"

Her free hand pulled at her bottoms, and with a few good shakes of her waist, they slid off her. She brought the plum to her pussy and pressed on it firmly. A moment, a squat of her hips, and a good bit of pressure were all she needed for it to pop inside and disappear.

"Ooh," Ella praised.

"Ha, well," Michael said. "Wow. No, I haven't."

Viv stood up and grabbed another fruit from the tree. She tossed it to him, then reached down to put her clothing back on.

"What," he said, and glanced behind himself. "Right now?"

"Do you want to?"

He looked between the two women a few times, and his answer was clear, even before he reached down to pull his cock out.

"Ella, do it with him," Viv ordered.

An odd laugh escaped Ella's mouth before the words, "Yes, Mistress," did. She hastily undid her trousers and kicked them off, then sat back against the plum tree. She bit her lip happily in Michael’s direction, and spread her legs.

Michael was every bit as eager, and soon had his cock out of his loosened trousers to join her. It was swollen with arousal, either girl's guess as to whether Viv's show, Ella's show, or his own desire to put on a show had gotten him so thick and hard. Unsure of exactly what to do, he brought the plum against the tip of his cock, staring at and mirroring Ella doing the same thing with her pussy.

Both of them rubbed the fruit against their needy openings, inadvertently demonstrating how soft and malleable their flesh was. Viv peered openly at both of them, greatly pleased that they were playing along with her little indiscretion.

"Viv, have you unbirthed anyone before?" Michael asked.

"No, never," said Viv. "The most I've done it with is some bigger fruit. And one chicken egg. I haven't brought myself to try anything more than that."

"An egg?" Ella asked, laughing.

"Yeah, I was curious."

"Alright," Ella said. "I'm going to do it."

She pressed hard and her face was pink, and at some point her pussy came to recognize the plum as food. It shifted. The undefeatable resistance vanished; it opened wide to accept the gift pressing up against its slick, powerful lips. As each inch of her vagina grew to accept the fruit further, in a slow swallowing motion, a further first-time sensation of bold, taboo pleasure spilled through her.

Michael watched, amazed at Ella's pleasure, and enviously pressed his own plum against his cockhole. It didn't go anywhere; it just teased him.

Viv and Michael spent a moment enjoying the way Ella was responding to the pleasure, then Viv rounded on him to see why it wasn't working.

"Do you think you can't even fit that?" she asked, surprised.

"How would I know if I'm doing it right?"

"I heard cocks have two different kinds of being turned on? As in, there's one where you want it inside someone, and there's one where you want someone inside it."

"Then I'm not sure."

"I wish I had a cock so I could understand better. I guess horniness and hungriness can make each other stronger, but you can accidentally have too much of one that you have trouble with the other? I know that sounds like a paradox, they just say this is more intuitive with a cunt."

"I guess I'm happy for you," Michael joked. "My dick is more stubborn."

Viv hovered near him, staring down at the struggle. "Hmm. There's always elasticity. Or absorption, even? I'm sure there are a ton of spells that could help. I can work something out. Someday. I just need some time."

The promise of magical aid helped curb some of his apparent frustration. The sight of a shuddering Ella, covering her mouth tightly and staring up at him, her hand still covering her pussy after feeding it that plum, was a further distraction.

"Then again," Viv said, laying hand on his back and stepping close. "This is a nice sight. I want to watch you keep trying."

Michael rolled the plum firmly against his glans, though the fruit in his hand seemed more like an awkward toy to him than a meal to be swallowed. Viv leaned against him and stared down, undyingly curious about every aspect of his anatomy. She captivated herself with the texture and motion of his cock, while he himself stared at Ella and observed each of the stages of her pleasure.

"Vivie," Ella moaned through her hand.

"It's good?" Viv asked gently.

"Yeah. Fuck. And you barely felt it when you did it. How?"

"It felt alright for me. I've just had practice, and our bodies are different."

Ella rocked her hips and moaned into her palm a few times. "Michael, want to watch me?" she asked quickly.

He nodded, transfixed. "What's it like?"

"Very invasive, but very good." The sensation became too much for her and she dropped her hand from her face to the ground, arcing her back. Her mouth was open wide. Her fingertips jumped up to her clit, vibrating back and forth to give her pussy everything it asked for. The last part of the process, the one that felt simplest and most natural of all, melted the plum into a splash of cum. It gushed out in a few discrete bursts, and both her fellow adventurers saw her pussy twitch in ecstasy for several moments afterward.

"Good girl," Viv whispered, though so quietly Michael supposed he was the only one who heard it. One of Viv's hands came down and touched his belly, just below the edge of his shirt.

Michael held still and eyed Ella's underside for a few moments longer, then finally looked down at Viv's hand. His gaze traveled up to her eyes, and he shot her a quizzical look.

"Oh," Viv said, pulling her hand back with a giggle. "Whoops."

"S'fine," Michael whispered. "I didn't mind."

"Viv, is this the first time you've seen a dick?" Ella shouted, making fun of the tension between Michael and Viv, now that she noticed it.

"Sort of, yeah," Viv said simply. "It's the first time I've seen one in action."

Ella laughed at her master, loudly. Michael's dick leapt.

"Viv," Ella asked. "How did you not make a mess?"

Viv shrugged. "I don't feel the need to cum yet."

Ella laughed. "How?"

"I just don't. I feel it filling me, but it doesn't feel bad. I’ll get it out later."

Ella closed her legs, and got to her feet. She gave a friendly smile back to Michael and put her pants back on. Michael, still idly holding his plum against his painfully hard cock, looked at Viv and held a quiet silence with her for a moment.

"You look horny," Viv said, stating the obvious.

"Right, I mean. Who wouldn't be?"

Viv snickered. "That's the spirit. What do we do now? Are you sure you can't get it in?"

He looked down and pressed hard, hard enough to make the skin of the plum fail in one spot and bubble out a small amount of juice.

"Feels like I can't."

"Do you want me to try?"

"Gods, yes." He handed the fruit to her, and watched her slender fingers close around it. She looked as excited as he did.

"Just relax and enjoy, then," she said. The faint bit of tension in her voice was something Michael had never heard from her before.

Viv got to her knees, and Michael found a tree to lean back against. He watched her hold the sappy plum in the air near his straining cock, and her other hand reached toward him slowly. Her fingertips made first contact, tracing the length of his shaft from tip to base. They wound their way around him, then clutched firmly.

"This is weird to watch," Ella said.

"Because you're jealous?" Viv guessed.

"Sort of. Yeah."

"Sorry," Viv said, and pressed the fruit against Michael's tip. "Heh, are you and Michael going to compete for me?"

Ella snorted and looked up at Michael's eyes. "I really would."

Rather than having the cold, jealous stare Michael was expecting, Ella's eyes seemed mirthful. Inviting.

"Sorry, what?" Michael said, and he couldn't help but feel giddy and laugh. "I don’t want us to have any hard feelings. Isn't this what adventurers do?"

"No hard feelings," Ella agreed. "It's friendly competition."

Michael, being unsure what a friendly competitor ought to say to that, turned his attention back down to Viv. Ella did too, and stepped very close to Michael so that she could watch.

"Hmm," Viv said, frowning at the plum. She set it down and took a closer look at the head of his cock.

"Sorry, I guess I can't even do that," Michael told her.

"Can you at least fit in a finger?" she asked.

That was seemingly a rhetorical question, because she reached toward him with her slightly-sticky pointer finger, and slipped her fingertip right into him. She wiggled and pushed, and he gasped, his whole torso shuddering once.

"That's super intense for you?" Viv asked.

"Very!"

He drew deep, labored breaths, and felt Viv worming her way inside successfully. A few seconds of insistent experimentation had her pointer finger completely engulfed by his cock, which in turn was held in the fingers and thumb of her other hand.

"Good, so at least we found your limit," Viv said.

"That is the freakiest thing I've ever felt," he said, voice airy and tinged with laughter.

"Hot," Ella told him, leaning ever closer.

"It's gripping me pretty good," Viv said, playfully putting up resistance to show that her finger was stuck. "If you were a real good predator, I'd probably be at your mercy right now."

Michael looked down at her face, and felt his dick shift, pulling hungrily at her. Viv giggled.

"You feel exciiiited~. Do you like that idea?"

"Yeah," Michael whispered.

"Then try your best to eat me right now," Viv said. "I’m all yours to churn if you can get me inside in the next couple minutes somehow."

His cock shifted greedily against her finger over and over, trying to swallow. The sensation was clearly intense for him. His hands clutched his thighs tight, he bellowed out a series of long, low moans, and his body twitched all over in reaction.

"Now that Hera isn’t here, you should tell us which one of us you'd most want to eat," Viv teased.

"Probably you," Michael confessed.

Viv giggled. "What about you, Ella?"

"I'd eat Michael. No offense."

"It's hard to be offended by that right now," Michael said, laughing.

Ella giggled. "I'd have the same problem. You'd never fit. Not that I'd do it to you for real."

Michael groaned with pleasure. He spent a moment considering the two attractive women within arm's reach.

"If this is how we help each other practice, you can ask me to stretch you out, Ella."

"Ooh." Ella ran her hand through his hair. "I'll take you up on that."

Viv let the two of them converse, and kept her focus on his cock. Her stroking hand grew bolder and tested the firmness of his meat, and the malleability of the flesh coating it. It sucked so powerfully on her finger. The warmth of it and all the different ways it moved around, even on its own, spoke volumes about how much desire it held. Viv fantasized about playing more with it in the next few days, to really get a sense of it.

She pumped boldly, feeling her forcefulness reciprocated by its clutch on her trapped finger. At some point, she glanced up and saw that Ella was kissing him, sharing a half-embrace, each resting one hand against the other's torso. Viv simply smirked and ignored them. If her slave was helping her out, so much the better.

Viv and Ella were rewarded with the sudden series of moans he made, even while still taking on Ella's sloppy kiss. His cock veritably blossomed around her finger in a surge of pleasure. Though for the first time Viv felt like she could easily escape, she continued fingering his opening, releasing as much of his pleasure as she could.

The pressure on her finger changed direction. She first felt his cum arrive and flow along her finger, then his whole organ rejecting her intrusion and pressing her out. She took long, silent breaths, satisfied, and pulled out of him. Her hand around his shaft kept kneading for a while, as his spurts of cum shot out onto the ground.

Viv considered the cum on her finger, and sucked it clean. She stood and considered his tired-looking form. Ella pulled away from him, too.

"Mm. Slave, lick him clean."

Ella looked at Viv in surprise, then seemed happy and proud to crouch down and offer that to him. He held his hips out toward her, very interested, and stared at her sucking at his sensitive tip.

"Wow," he said, voice breathy.

Ella giggled uncontrollably. She stood up and wiped her mouth on her sleeve.

"Huh," Viv said. "That was more fun than I thought."

"You're telling me," Michael said. "I didn't expect to feel you inside me.”

"Well, you need the practice." She eyed his softening cock as he stuffed it back into his pants.

Michael let out a laugh. "Well. Thanks, both of you."

"That was definitely new for everyone," Ella said.

"A good first day," Michael said. "Though I hope Hera isn't lonely."

Ella giggled. "I wonder how much she heard."

Viv smirked. "We took it farther than I was planning on going with that, but it's fine if we don't take too long. Let's grab a few for the road, and get back to it."

After gathering enough fruit to serve them for a couple days, they went back in the direction they'd left Hera. Ella pulled Michael back as if to privately ask something, but when he glanced at her in askance, she just looked forward, down at Viv's butt, and smiled. He gave a knowing look, and walked beside her.