After the creation of the two Starsight Gems, Anya collected the two jewels with a promise that her acolytes would mount them on something appropriate for each adventurer so that the gems could be easily — and consistently — worn without any fear of losing the goddess-given treasures. This done, the high priestess escorted the three adventurers out of the small chamber into which they had appeared in the wake of the Starseed’s teleportation spell.

As the foursome walked through the sprawling temple complex, Lexi stared in amazement at the architecture, the whole thing being filled with enormous marble columns and gracefully domed ceilings that reminded the paladin of the kind of Romanesque architecture she associated with the Italian Renaissance. They came to a stop in a large chamber that had, on one end, a wide staircase leading up into a sunny veranda, and another stair leading down into a torchlit corridor that appeared to stretch for some distance below the ground floor which they had occupied thus far.

“It is here that we will part company until the feast tonight,” Anya said. Looking to Samantha, who yet held Gretel’s tightly wrapped remains, the high priestess opened her arms invitingly. “If you would trust me with your friend, I will ensure that her body will be given as much care as we are capable of while you complete your quest.”

It was a sobering moment for all three of the adventurers, handing Gretel’s lifeless body off to the high priestess. Lexi felt, in that moment, like a thread in her story’s tapestry had just been cut, and that until the stray thread was re-knotted everything would run the risk of unraveling entirely. Rather than discourage the paladin, however, this sense of her party’s incompleteness only served to inspire Lexi. Come hell or high water, she would get Gretel back.

“If you three will follow the other staircase,” the high priestess gestured to the sunlit stone courtyard visible through the large arched passageway at the stair’s top. “You’ll find acolytes prepared to escort you to the temple baths. Please enjoy yourselves and accept all the hospitality which we can offer to you in thanks for having returned so sacred of a relic to us.”

“Thank you,” Lexi said, wondering briefly at Anya’s emphasis on the word “all,” but shrugging it off. The paladin turned to Danica and Samantha as the high priestess descended down into the crypt below. “Well, we’re all pretty fucking disgusting right now, so how about we head on up?”

Disgusting was hardly an exaggeration. All three girls were covered nearly from head to toe in blood and grime, with the two humans having additional splatters of dried cum intermingled with the gory patches of goblin blood. The elf, with her emphasis on ranged combat and her luck in having escaped the more rapey of the tentacles, was the cleanest of the three — but even her small form had barely any spots which were unmarked by some evidence of the gruesome combat in which the adventurers had so recently engaged.

“Agreed,” Samantha said with a soft sigh. “I can scarcely recall the last time I was in more need of bathing. The temple baths are actually quite famous throughout the entire region, but are incredibly exclusive. So, we should be in for quite the treat.”

The monk actually winked at Lexi when she emphasized the word “quite,” which again had the paladin wondering if there was some kind of subtext in Anya’s offer that she was missing — something everyone from Astyanax would know about the baths that she, as an outsider, was totally ignorant of. Her train of thought was broken by an unabashed squeal of joy issuing from Danica.

“Yaaayyy!” the elf cried, striking an absurd looking victory pose with her fists raised in the air triumphantly. “Bath time for Danica!”

Stifling a laugh, Lexi mussed the elf’s hair affectionately. “C’mon squirt, lets get a move on before you burst out of your clothes right here.”

“You’ve got to understand,” Danica rattled excitedly as the trio ascended the stairs. “Elves love love love bathing. It’s a big thing with us. I don’t know anything about these baths, but back in my village we have a really nice outdoor bath that everyone uses, and it’s so nice, probably even better than what they’ve got here at the temple, since elves are so super particular about cleanliness and all, but—”

For once, the elf’s chattering was cut off not by the interruption of her comrades — or by a large hand clamping over her mouth — but by the sheer awe which overwhelmed the young ranger when the three adventurers crossed the threshold into the temple baths. The effect was hardly limited to Danica either. Both Samantha and Lexi goggled, mouths agape, at the wondrous place at which they had arrived.

Whatever Lexi might have been expecting, this was certainly not it.

The large courtyard into which the archway led was open to the sky, allowing the sun’s warm rays to bathe the trio as soon as they stepped out of the cool marbled halls. In the very center of the courtyard was set a rectangular pool, with steps descending on all four sides into the pristinely clear waters within. A number of patrons lounged already in the water, reclining against ergonomically designed pieces of marble scattered about the pool, enabling each individual to fully relax within the cool water without having their heads submerged — almost like a kind of stone pool chair.

On all three sides, apart from the one that through which the great stair from the main temple complex led, the courtyard was lined with vast covered areas, supported by neat rows of enormous marble columns. Set at regular intervals within this ring were large arched doorways which from the waft of steaming and scented oils emerged. In truth, everything Lexi was seeing now made her realize that this was much less what she would have considered a “bath” — in other words, just a place to bathe oneself — and more like a spa or resort. That explained completely why Samantha and Danica were so extremely keen on visiting.

You know, a spa day is actually EXACTLY what I could use after all the shit I’ve been through over the last few days.

Almost as soon as the trio of adventurers — looking entirely out of place in their grimy and blood-spattered road attire and armor — entered into the temple baths, Lexi noticed a gaggle of nervous looking young men and women all clad in matching white togas. At their head was a decidedly confident young woman whose severe ginger ponytail gave Lexi an almost immediate impression of bossiness. She had apparently been relaying some instructions to the group of a dozen or so underlings that she faced, but as soon as the adventurers advanced into the courtyard proper, the girl turned to greet them.

“Welcome!” she said. “Anya alerted me that your group would be arriving. My name is Heather, the priestess responsible for overseeing the temple baths today.”

“Well met, Heather,” Lexi said, smiling at the priestess. Bossy she might be, but her lean and athletic frame filled out that toga nicely. And, despite everything Lexi had been put through today — or perhaps because of it — she found herself wondering how this Heather might look with that toga on the floor. “I’m Lexi,” the paladin said, suppressing the urge to undress the priestess with her eyes. “And this is Samantha and Danica.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all,” Heather replied, smiling warmly at all three of the adventurers. “When Anya told the other priestesses that your party had set out to retrieve the Starseed, we were all quite taken aback. Naturally, given how deep into the greenskins’ territory the gem was said to lay, many doubted whether or not it could be regained at all. That you were able to do so is nothing short of a miracle. And,” the priestess lowered her voice so that her staff could not hear. “The fact that you were subsequently granted an audience with Xoth herself, and given a special quest by the goddess is…like nothing that’s happened in my lifetime.”

Lexi found herself warming to the priestess in more ways than one. Heather grew more and more animated as she spoke, her face filling with wonder and excitement at the mere mention of Xoth. The effect this had on the battle-weary, but apparently unstoppably horny, futanari was taking the shape of a distinct thickening of the cock hanging between Lexi’s legs — not enough to make a noticeable bulge yet, but enough that Lexi herself was aware of what was happening. She wondered though, at what kinds of magical means of communication these priestesses had to communicate such rich detail to one another almost instantly.

After all, it’s not like they have cell phones or anything.

“It’s a bit short notice for us,” Heather continued. “But, we’ve had private chambers prepared for each of you, with both healing and cleansing ointments provided. And, I’ve selected my acolytes who are most skilled in the massage arts practiced in the temple baths for the three of you to choose from.” She gestured then to the group of apprehensive looking young men and women. “Please, each of you, take your time and select the attendant who you find most suitable, and enjoy yourself to the fullest extent.”

There is is again! Lexi wondered. Is my brain just — for whatever fucking reason — too horny to NOT read into that, or is there some definite sexual innuendo being put out that I’m EXPECTED to get?

Heather stepped to the side, giving the three adventurers a clear view of the acolytes from which they were supposed to choose. It was a veritable smorgasbord of eager young faces. There were representatives of all the so-called goodly races — humans, elves, halflings, and even one dwarf. And, while the acolytes were largely young women, two of the humans as well as the lone dwarf were quite clearly men. The togas worn by the acolytes were significantly less elaborate than Heathers, and left even less to the imagination. Whatever might be in store for the futanari paladin behind those spa doors, Lexi wanted to make sure that she picked out a suitably cute attendant. She could be totally off base about all the presumed innuendo, but it never hurt to be prepared!

Before Lexi could even take in the entire gaggle of acolytes, Danica had leaped forward, claiming one for herself.

“Let’s go!” the small elf cried gleefully as she grasped the hand of an extremely curvaceous human girl with pillowy breasts larger than Danica’s head. The shy looking brunette tittered nervously, putting a hand over her mouth, but graciously accepted the elf’s hand.

“P-Please follow m-me,” the girl stuttered, as she led the bouncing little elf towards one of the sauna-like doors exuding perfumed steam.

With a gleam in her eyes beneath her shaggy white bangs, the muscular monk strode forward next. Wordlessly, Samantha took the hand the largest, most heavily muscled man in the group. Although, as big as this ebon-skinned human was, his physique still paled in comparison to the monk’s rippling musculature. The man’s eyes lit up, a broad smile showing a mouthful of pearly white teeth that gleamed in contrast to the intensity of his skin’s blackness.

“This way, my lady,” the man gestured. Samantha simply gave him a nod of acceptance, and followed behind him — clearly looking him up and down as the pair walked off.

Well, guess that just leaves me to play catch up. Here goes nothing!

Scrutinizing the remaining ten acolytes, Lexi’s gaze was caught by a small elven girl, her frame even more petite than Danica’s. She had enormous eyes that were actually purple — an eye color Lexi had never yet seen — each one looking like a pool of liquid amethyst. The elf girl’s hair matched her eyes perfectly, the loose curls of pastel purple framing the heartbreakingly pretty little face just perfectly. The girl was so timid that she could scarcely even make eye contact with Lexi, her long pointed ears quivering nervously while her face turned as red as a tomato.

“Could you escort me to the private bath, my dear?” Lexi asked the elf girl.

“M-Me?” she squeaked, gulping audibly.

Lexi nodded, throwing the girl a wink and a wide disarming smile. A matching grin spread across the anxious elf girl’s face as she took Lexi’s hand, leading the futanari paladin towards the steamy entrance to her private spa chamber.