Herevor grumbled as he dragged the last of the bodies back out into the sunlight, laying the corpse out next to the four others. He looked down on the pale, lifeless features of Lianan, the elf drunken master, his thin face surprisingly peaceful. Herevor noted that Lianan was sober now, for the first time in the three years the two had adventured together. The orc Harmak, the dwarf Bronn and the tiny pixie sorceror Nidwin were all laid out next to Lianan, each of them pale and cold. Herevor stood back up and grunted from the effort.

Three years they had been together. Three years of hardships, adventures, glories and defeats, monsters and treasure. And now they were all dead.

Finally!

Herevor felt almost giddy. He was a tall, deeply tanned half-elf with very dark brown hair which seemed constantly bushy and spiky. His face was usually inscrutably neutral, but right now he seemed surprisingly calm. Even happy. It had taken him this long to actually succeed, but he was sure his plans were finally coming to fruition now. He gathered up the possessions of his companions, and slowly and with great effort pulled their bodies into a makeshift circle. Lighting a small fire, his mind was racing with the possibilities.

Stripping off his heavy leather overcoat, he began walking around the bodies, softly chanting an ancient ritual in the sylvan language. He had almost succeeded in getting his friends killed before, but usually one or two of them had survived, and he couldn't go through with his idea when that happened. So most of the time he had been resigned to help the other survivors drag the bodies back for resurrection, or an application of raise dead. But this time, in the tomb-vault of King Theodred the Mad, the luck of his friends had finally ran out. Herevor had heard things about the tomb, and strategically avoided passing that information on. So when the trap triggered to envelop Harmak and Nidwin in a deadly gas, instead of rushing to their rescue he had stood back. And much like he expected, a second trap had triggered as Lianan and Bronn had rushed in, catching them both in a vise of sharp blades.

He had been disgusted, he did admit that as he kept walking and chanting. He liked his friends, he really did. He was doing this out of affection, really, and it had been very hard to stand back and let them die. But he had managed to keep his nerve until he was sure they were all dead, and then slowly avoided both traps to recover the bodies. He liked the mismatched band that they were, but he had always felt it could be... better. That things would work smoother between them if things were... different. He smiled and kept chanting while he picked out a few jars from his pack. Carefully, he applied the ritual oils and pigments to the cold bodies of his dead friends as his prayer continued. It would work. He knew it would work. He had prepared too long, studied too hard for it to fail now.

He finished the ritual chant, and stepped back. The wind rustled the leaves of the small glade outside the wide, yawning mouth of the tomb complex. For a few moments, Herevor thought he had done something wrong. That maybe his friends didn't WANT to come back. He shuddered with at the thought, picking his coat up and donning it again. He looked down at the pale, stiff bodies again. What if he had been wrong? He had doomed himself and his friends. He had...

The wind turned into a sudden gust, tossing dried leaves around the forest floor. There was a faint prickling at the druid's neck, as if an unseen presence flew past him, and vanished once more. Then a faint, silvery glitter began to form around the bodies of his friends. At first it was just small sparks, like those created by a Will-o-the-wisp, but soon they intensified, and increased in volume. Soon each form was suffused by light, their faces illuminated by the silvery glow. Then the glow grew into a burst of light that made Herevor shield his eyes with his gnarled hand, and he heard a cacaphony of odd noises.

He felt a rush of excitement. It was working! It was working! There was a sound as if from water filling a clay jar, and a weird murmur as if by ghostly voices, and then the glow faded, and Herevor dared to look again. His heart skipped a beat. There were four new bodies lying on the dirty ground, each one next to the corpse of one of Herevor's dead friends.

Next to Harmak's tall, muscular form was the short, perky-looking body of a gnome girl, her neck-length hair a pleasant almost-white blonde. She had a cute, curvy figure for her short height and an open, expressive face. Her eyelids were closed as if she were sleeping. Herevor's eyes roamed over to Lianan, and next to the elf's dead form was another elf, this one obviously also a female. The woman was taller and much fuller than Lianan's pale frame, with a large bosom and wide hips. Her skin was black and her long, back-length hair pure white. Her fine facial features and gently pointed ears proved she was a drow. Herevor suppressed a sudden tightness in his pants and looked over to where the pixie Nidwin lay. Next to him was the MUCH larger form of a female orc with a mohawk of dark red hair that trailed off into a ponytail. She was quite muscular and fit, but surprisingly attractive in a feral sort of way. Finally, Herevor looked at the body that had materialized next to the dwarf, Bronn. Next to the short, stout bard with the enormous bushy beard was a slender, elegant-looking girl with tanned skin and a cascade of hair that resembled a veil of dark green leaves.

Almost beyond himself with self-absorbed joy, Herevor walked over the the drow girl and bent down over her. He felt the faint warmt of breath from her lips, and saw her speactacular chest heave a little. She lived! As Herevor rose again she moaned a little, looking as if she might wake up any moment. Grinning, the druid busied himself by dragging off the dead bodies of his friends and stripping them of clothes and equipment. As he was busy pulling the heavy armor off of the orc Harmak's body, he heard a voice behind him.

"Herevor? What happened?" The voice was soft and feminine, filled with confusion. He turned around to see the gnome girl had awakened, and now sat up. "What happened to me?"

"Harmak?" Herevor inquired carefully. He had no idea if his spell had worked as planned, or even who was in which body. To his relief, the gnome girl nodded. "Sorry old friend" the druid responded. "You died. You all died. I had to bring you back. There was no way to get your bodies back to town on my own, and I couldn't leave you." The lie felt so smooth and convincing he almost believed it himself.

"No!" Herevor heard a feminine scream from behind him. He turned around and saw the slender female who had appeared next to Bronn sit up and examine her body, pawing desperately at her soft chin. "No no no no! Herevor, what have you done!" she yelped.

With the racket, soon the other girls woke up as well. The drow lass shook her head, unused to being sober, and miserably asked for a drink before noticing the odd weight on her chest. The orc was totally disoriented,  trying and failing to get used to her altered body size and structure. Herevor tried to look as concerned and helpful as he could, going between his friends and explaining once more what he had done. He noted that not all of them seemed to accept his story at face value.

"My beard!" Bronn complained, waving her slender arms at the druid as if he could snap his fingers and restore her dwarven form.

"...can't believe it, you utter bastard..." the orc shouted, ranting about how Herevor had betrayed their mutual trust.

"I really need a drink" the drow said miserably, sitting on the ground and running her fingers through her newly discovered mass of white hair.

"How am I supposed to prove my strength now? How? Answer me that you miserable weak-jawed pointy-eared treehugger!" the gnome girl shouted at the top of her lungs, almost jumping up and down and occasionally aiming a kick at Herevor's groin.

"Ladies!" Herevor began, but at the angry scowls he received he cleared his throat and corrected himself. "Friends. The important part is that we're all alive again, and we can continue our adventures. The most powerful magic is said to be able to restore even someone who lost their original body, so if we just stick together..."

"You're just saying that because you love that we all came back as... women" the orcess grunted.

"You always were a horndog, Here." the drow said, with a hint of Lianan's old cheerfulness.

"I won't contest that the view is... nice" Herevor chuckled. "But the important thing is that you're all alive and healthy. But first..." He looked over to the gnome girl, who was struggling in vain to don Harmak's leather armor. "...I think we need to get you new gear."

***

They arrived back on the outskirts of the capital after a few days of relatively awkward trekking through the wilderness. Through switching around some of their old clothes, the party members had assembled some very basic makeshift clothes to at least protect them from the elements. Bronn was now wearing the boots Lianan had worn on his original body, and Harmak had squeezed a few of Nidwin's old pixie clothes over her small frame. Out of all of them, Lianan seemed to take the whole thing the best, chuckling and making lighthearted jokes over the situation, something which seemed to only make Nidwin and Harmak more annoyed.

Nidwin in particular had decided that Herevor had planned all this from the start so he could have some attractive forms to ogle during his travels. Of course, that was the truth, but that didn't mean herevor was in any hurry to admit it. Fortunately Lianan and Bronn seemed to believe his insistence that the reincarnation ritual was totally random, or at least not caring that much over the result. Herevor had a feeling Lianan's tune may change once they hit populated areas, however. As a high elf he had enjoyed a modest amount of derision from some other races, but as a drow...

Their small amount of bickering and thoughts were broken off as they exited the forest onto the paved road leading to the capital, surrounded by farming communities. From their vantage point they could already spot the towers of the capital in the distance.

"Right, now remember" Bronn whispered. "Everyone act as if this is your natural form. The more we seem like we're not what we seem, the more suspicion we'll get."

The others nodded sullenly.

"Can we stop for a drink frist?" Lianan asked hopefully.

"After we shop" Herevor shrugged. "Otherwise we'll never have time to find what we need." The drow girl seemed dejected, but nodded.

The oddball group started down the road towards the city. They only attracted a small amount of attention from other travelers and farmers working their field. Adventurers traveling down the King's Road was not even remotely uncommon. Lianana's drow form, only poorly concealed under a hooded cloak that was far too small, got the most stares, and more than a few angry glares. Herevor noted there were quite a few catcalls and whistles after the group as well, and frequently had to restrain Harmak from charging one of the young farmers who had made a lewd suggestion at the group.

As the party continued, morning turned into afternoon. They arrived at the new city gates, set in the makeshift new city wall which had already grown too restrictive to contain the sprawling ramshackle buildings spilling out of the city proper. The guards gave them a brief investigation, but their signed adventuring and reclaiming license seemed to allay their concerns.

"What did you whisper to him to make him grin that way?" Nidwin asked Herevor suspiciously as they left the gate and headed into the crowded streets of the city.

"Oh nothing" said the druid airily.

"Spill the beans, or I'll break your kneecaps" the gnome growled.

"I merely said that he needn't worry, because you are simply my concubines"

There was a muffled laugh from behind him, while Harmak growled angrily and Nidwin went into a very profane rant. Nevertheless, Herevor managed to make the group keep moving before they caused a scene. After about an hour of searching through the streets and alleys, they came upon their target - a stout building with a large storefront window and a plethora of signs all over it. Over the door hung a sign which proclaimed "The Wyvern's Arsenal - adventurer equipment and fashion". As they neared it, the company saw a plethora of weapons, outfits on dummies and assorted knickknacks in the window.

"Fake gold coins" Bronn said in an amused voice. "And that sword is just a prop as well. Oh and hey, this big staff her is just an illusion! You can see it flicker if you look at it from this angle... good trick."

"I guess they're not dumb enough to leave valuables that easy to steal" Lianan nodded, and the group entered the store.

The sore was surprisingly roomy inside, with lots of shelves and display cases stretching into the back, and a rickety stairway leading up to a second level. A number of assorted adventurers were browsing through the store, and a few briefly looked over as Herevor and his group entered. As they closed the door, a pretty young blonde girl rushed over to them, smiling and curtseying.

"Welcome to the Wyvern, how may I help you?"

Bronn opened her mouth to speak, but Herevor cut her off. "The ladies had their wardrobes ruined while out in the field. They all need makeovers." he said smoothly, having practiced the line in his head as they walked there.

Before any of the girls could protest, the saleswoman clapped her hands. "Oh of course! You poor dears, you look like you've been through a lot. We'll have you taken care of so quickly you won't even know what happened!" She clapped her hand again and two more girls appeared at her sides. "Come with us, please" she said, and Harmak, Nidwin, Bronn and Lianan were swept away by the saleswomen, with Herevore strolling behind.

Despite loud protests, the group soon bustled into a section surrounded by dummies displaying women's clothes and armor, with dressers and displays showing off various models and cuts. Herevor regarded a chainmail bikini with a grin while his friends were pushed into changing rooms by the two saleswomen. The blonde who had greeted them walked up to Herevor and cleared her throat.

"What style would your friends like, do you think? We have the gamut, from very mundane and practical to quite extravagant."

"Hmmm" Herevor tapped his chin. This was an opportunity too good to pass. "Make sure they're each very fashionable. My girls do love to look pretty. But don't tell them I told you that" he winked conspiratorially.

"Of course sir!" she whispered. "We'll make them all shine!" And she hurried back towards the dressing rooms.

Herevor chuckled, and sat down to wait.

***

The inn was crowded and noisy, as was common for popular adventurer drinking holes in the evenings. The party were relaxing at their table, though the tension between them had in no way abated. In fact, some of the girls were even more livid after their shipping experience, and Herevor was again trying to pretend he was as shocked and surprised as they were.

"This is ridiculous." Nidwin mumbled, sipping red wine from a glass. The orc had been give quite the makeover, with her long dark red hair now washed and carefully collected into a dreadlock braid. She wore a collar around her neck, and a clingy pale vest which left most of her midriff bare, as well as giving her a plunging neckline. A tight bottom of the same creamy color covered her groin, amounting to little more than a bikini, but sprouting a skirt that covered her rump and the back of her legs. The outfit was accessorized with boots and armbands, as well as a pair of purely decorative bands around her thighs which accented their shape. She fidgeted a little, not used to the outfit yet. "I don't see why this is any better than a proper robe..." she muttered.

"Come on, you look lovely" Herevor tried to sound encouraging as he sipped his mug of ale.

"That's easy for you so say!" Harmak snarled, thumping her tankard into the table so hard that their empty dinner plates jumped. The gnome had also been cleaned up considerably, with her hair brushed and styled into a cute bob. She was dressed in a leather harness with a built-in bra, connecting into a belt which kept a furred loincloth in place. Her thighs were bare under it, but she had a pair of fuzzy boots and fingerless leather gloves. "You still have your dick" she growled.

"It's not so bad, Harmak" Lianan slurred. The drow was now comfortably drunk again, which had made her even more laid back towards her current situation. She had even managed to not attack a pair of raucous half-orcs who had shouted very offensive racial slurs after her earlier. Like the other two, Lianan's long silver hair was now clean and adorned in a few thin braids. She was dressed in a form-fitting one-piece which wrapped around her neck, then covering her breasts before diving between her legs and up her back. A generous amount of dark skin was displayed by a cutout, and she had a simple silver necklace (scavenged from Lianan's old gear) complement her eyes and hair. She had long, fingerless gloves which reached up to her biceps, and thigh-high tight-fitting stockings which ended in loops under her bare feet. The entire monk outfit was adorned in pleasant spiraling patterns. "I'm actually loving feeling the breeze on my..."

"Lia!" Nidwin snapped, but the drow simply giggled and continued drinking her wine.

"You guys still have it better... She insisted I show off my... erm... assets. Or so she said." Bronn blushed a bit. Her green leaf-like hair contrasted her deep green eyes, but her outfit amounted to little more than a leaf-styled top wrapping tightly around her breasts, and a skimpy bottom  in the same style. The ex-dwarf seemed a little awkward about it, but mostly just touched her utterly smooth chin as if she hoped her former beard may sprout back out. At least she had downed most of a huge tankard of dwarven ale with no ill effects, proving her slender new form was not entirely useless.

Herevor leaned back. He could not have been happier with the work of the salesgirls, even without much input from him. Of course he had encouraged the girls as much as he could, even though he had been unable to convince Harmak to go with the metal bikini the salesperson had offered.

"'ow musch for the dark elf, brother?" The party turned around as one as a somewhat pudgy, red-faced human in ill-fitting plate armor stumbled against their table, holding the edge to keep himself steady. His nose had evidently been broken at least once, and he carried himself like he may have been a competent fighter in his younger days. Or at least more sober days.

"Excuse me?" Harmak said with a dangerous tone to her voice, edging in her seat.

"Sorry luv" the man slurred. "Not into shortstuff." He leaned further in, giving a drunken smile to Lianan, who looked at him with a mixture of puzzlement and amusement.

"We're not for sale" Bronn sighed. "See I knew this would happen..."

"What about hire?" The man slurred. "I got gold!"

"No" Nidwin growled. "Now piss off before I cut your dick off and stuff it down your throat."

"Alright, alright" the man grumbled, stumbling off the table. "No need to get pissy. Buncha stuck-up co-" The man never finished the sentence, as Herevor had risen and punched him squarely in the jaw. The sinewy strength of the druid was more than enough, and the man crumbled to the floor.

"Don't ever insult them." Herevor said. He noticed that several people were getting up from a table at the far end of the room, looking angry. "Friends of his I guess" he mumbled to the girls.

"You'll... regret that..." the man on the floor said, flopping over and pulling a sword clumsily.

Suddenly there was another rush as the approaching men were intercepted by a group of well-armed and formidable-looking guards. The barkeep, a massive muscular man with a bald head and a gold earring, approached the man on the floor and glared down at him. "No weapons" he growled.

But the fallen man didn't take the very obvious hint, and swung clumsily at the bartender's legs from a lying position. The bald man easily avoided the swipe, but the friends of the drunk had started a fistfight with the guards, and soon the entire room was erupting into pandemonium.

"Good time to make our exit?" Bronn asked, noting that their presence had been forgotten already. The others nodded, and quickly headed up to their rooms as the row intensified below. Herevor entered his sole room, slamming the door behind him and sighing with relief. He thought they might have been in danger there, and had surprised himself by defending his friends that way. He had for some time wondered if his manipulation meant he'd only cared about their bodies, but he suddenly felt sure that he did indeed care about them as friends. The attractive exteriors were merely a bonus. He pulled off his jacket and boots and slumped back on the rather comfortable bed, stretching after the long day's journey.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Herevor walked over to the door. He expected it to be one of the inn staff, out for restitution for starting a fight in their establishment.

"Liana" came a soft voice. "C'n I come in, Here?" Somewhat confused, the druid opened the door, allowing the drow monk to enter. Despite being slightly tipsy, she moved with the absolute grace and style of a master martial artist. "I just... wanted to thank you. For defending my honor." She giggled a bit at the bizarre situation.

"Uh, you're welcome, friend" Herevor chuckled, sitting back on the bed. "Not that I don't think you could have taken that schmuck down easier, quicker and with more style. But yes, you're welcome."

The drow laughed. "Oh, but it was the first time I ever saw you do something like that. You really do care about us, don't you?"

Herevor considered the question silently for a moment. "Yes. I guess I do." he admitted, and knew it was true. The drow girl walked closer, and before he could react, she had leant in to kiss him gently on the cheek. "L-Lianan what...?"

"I've always liked you" the elf whispered. "Always knew there was a decent man hidden under all that selfishness and perversion" Her slender arms reached behind her neck and unfastened a clasp, making her one-piece outfit peel off her large, soft breasts.

"L... Lianan, you're drunk, we shouldn't..."

"I'm not drunk out of my wits, Here. I'm not that easily affected by alcohol, which you should also know. But ever since we... died... I've felt... well. An attraction. And I know you have too."

"M-maybe so" Herevor suddenly felt very self-conscious, blushing through his deeply tanned skin and feeling a familiar push against his leather trousers.

"I know you made us come back as women intentionally, because you liked it" Lianan continued, peeling her onepiece off completely and dropping it on top of Herevor's coat. "And I don't care. I like it." Herevor knew there was no point in claiming otherwise now, Lianan had always been perceptive like that. As he watched, she peeled her gloves and tall stockings off, standing completely naked before him once again. "What happens tonight... is a long time coming" she said. "Nobody needs to know."

He nodded, and began removing his clothes, still unable to grasp that this was really happening. She approached him, and leaned in to kiss him again, her soft body pressed against his. He half expected her to spring back and shout "GOT YOU!" as the others burst in laughing at him, but it never happened. Instead their kiss seemed to last forever.

"To friendship" he said.

"To friendship" she smiled, pushing him back into the bed, as the sound of the downstairs scuffle trickled through the floorboards.

It was a night to remember.