Adel woke up in a cold sweat, his body became off-balanced as he rolled off the cot he was in. Crashing into the wooden floor he tussles with the blanket to gain his footing. Free from the blanket he notices that his hands, which lay on the floor for support, have black velvet fur lining it from his fingers down to his forearm. He continues to look, and his biceps are bare but his shoulders have the same fur. His tan chest and abdominals are bare as well and that continues downward. It's then that he becomes anxious as his son is now significantly smaller than he remembers. Only his feet and ankles have fur. He also saw that his finger and toenails are claws and not nails. His palm and the balm of his feet have calloused pads instead of skin. His heart races at all the new stimuli around him as he approaches the nightstand with the mirror on it. In the mirror, he sees not his grizzled and mature face, but instead a soft, young face. His beard is more of a chin strap with a goatee and not a full beard. The difference from his feminine face to his beard causes him to wince. His ears do not appear human, instead, they are rounded like those found on a Panther.
"What the fuck is goi… aagh!"
As Adel's mind spins, he screams from the agonizing migraine piercing his forehead. He stumbles back and lands back on the bed clutching his head.
"Aaagh!"
As he writhes and screams memories start to flood his brain. Memories of the young man who he now inhabits. This man's name is Matthew Tequiti, the first-born child of the Jaguar tribe's leader. As this information begins to flood in, the door at the far end of the room swings open. A woman with speckled leopard-like hair, in a long flowing nightwear comes in. She has a plunging collar that comes down to her breast. You could make out a tattoo on her left breast but half of it was hiding under her clothes. She stands around 5'6'', her voluptuous form only slightly hidden by her clothes. Her hazel honey eyes were trembling, watery, and relieved. She wore her hair in two thick braids which accentuated the two round ears similar to his own.
"Matt!"
The woman screams and runs to hug the confused young man. Her arms wrapped around his head as she drives him into her valley.
"You are finally awake…"
He feels droplets of tears falling on his head while he sorts out his thoughts. Then his blood runs cold, he starts to put all the pieces together.
Ever since his wife and he divorced, his son became more introverted. Adel could tell Jack had a hard time relating to women and he spent more time gaming and reading. When Jack turned 14 he asked his dad to buy him rated 18+ games. As a father he felt pride of his son's interest in something, so he did so, thinking it would help him recover from the divorce. After half a year he started showing Adel the games he played. They were mostly visual novels and RPGs around men having their lovers stolen with the aim to win back their love. Jack liked one game in particular and showed him all the different variations and endings.
The game was called "War of Hathor" an RPG, open-world game where you travel to fight the newly formed Rewera Alliance. The alliance is made up of races that prey on other races; vampires, orcs, undead, demons, and more filled their ranks. You venture through this game with champions who were given an insignia over their heart. During this game, if you focused on defeating the alliance and not on the side quests or NPC subplots you lose your harem's affection to your male companions. It starts pretty early and if you aren't careful by the time, you reach the midpoint of the game you don't have enough opportunities to win back the heroines. There is one time skip early on that matches the scene he is in now. After a run-in with an orc company, Matt jumps into the fray and activates an agro skill that allows his team to recuperate and strike a finishing blow but not before Matt is beaten half to death. Matt's intended combat style is as a tank, but the player is allowed to play him with any class they choose. Once they recover after the battle, they drag Matt to the Comfy Stump. A traveler's inn near the Vale Forrest.
Elizabeth or Beth, the busty childhood friend and healer of the party takes care of Matt for two weeks as he recovers from his coma. His party takes a break from adventuring, while they enjoy hunting and relaxing during Matt's recovery. It is during the coma when characters start romances with other champions if the player has not built up enough affection points with the heroines. Elizabeth in particular finds comfort with the party's wizard Calen Rowan, an elf noble. A few days from now Matt will come across an event where he visits Beth's room to discuss their next destination and finds her on her knees. Calen's member was deep in her valley while her pouty lips kiss and suck the top of his glands. Stunned, the cutscene shows the main character simply staring as his childhood best friend sensually licks and encases another man's cock in her mouth. He then leaves and is determined to win her heart after realizing his emotions toward her.
Adel inwardly shakes his head at the idiocy of the main character. However, he has no right to be mad. As far as he is aware and from the memories of the main character, he has not started any romantic relationships with the heroines. You cannot cheat if you were never in a relationship. This is something he told Jack, to which he responded,
"It's still a BETRAYAL!"
"Matt?"
Beth's sweet voice whispers as she is now staring at his face, their noses inches from touching.
"Are you ok I heard some noises, and you were screaming. Are you… hurt somewhere?"
Her moist eyes, which moments ago reflected relief, were now filled with anxiety. Her sweet scent of earth tones and lavender drifted by and seemed to intoxicate his body. He felt himself become more excited looking at her vulnerable and worried expression.
Matt sighs in response,
"Honestly, I am not sure. How long was I out? Also, can you fetch me some water I feel dehydrated."
Beth continues to talk while she heads toward the carafe on the nightstand and fills a wooden cup of water.
"You were unconscious for 4 weeks basically an entire month, you are only a few days short of one."
He stared straight at her in shock and thought 'Is this not the event I thought it was?'
'Hmmm… a month. Could it be that it just takes longer to recover, was it a different event? No, I remember fighting the same enemies that were in the cutscene.'
Before he could continue to contemplate on his position and whether this whole situation was some dream induced after his death, he heard Beth gasp. Her hand trembling as she asked…
"Matt, where is your Jaguar Crest?"
She was touching his left breast.
"It was there when I cleaned you up this morning…."
Matt interrupted dumbfounded.
"Crest?"
She then nodded and exposed a portion of her upper chest her pink areola peaked through as she explained.
"Yes, you and I had the same Champion Crest. Every Champion has a crest that denotes what race they are from. We received these Crests when we were 13. D…Don't you remember?"
Her voice still trembling she looked at him concerned over his words and behavior. He then remembered that in War of Hathor all champions gained their crest at the same time. Then the pope of the human country, the Heilig Kingdom, announced that he received a prophecy. It said a group of champions with crests over their hearts would gather to fight in a war that would determine the balance of the races. It was said that the demi-humans, elves, and humans should unite against the growing threat in the shrouded lands. 7 years later the Rewera Alliance announced its formation and declared a war of demon supremacy over the other races. Their goal was to create a dynasty to rule over the world for centuries to come.
Beth suddenly blushed and covered her breast with both arms.
"So…Sorry… I showed you something indecent… do you not remember?"
Matt took another deep breath, then he wondered if cigarettes appeared in the world.
"My memory seems to be shaken, if you wouldn't mind Beth, could you please leave me be for now? I need to gather myself."
Beth then noticed he was only wearing boxers and once again turned red up to her forehead. She could see his son somewhat anxious at her overall figure pressing against the fabric. If her ears didn't have fur, he would imagine they were rosy as well. His body was littered with fresh scars from the battle they had, contrasting his small, lean stature and his soft face.
"Sure, I'll go tell the others you are finally up. Perhaps tomorrow morning if you are up to it, we can meet downstairs for breakfast to discuss this."
Matt drank the water in his cup savoring the chilled liquid as it flowed down his throat.
"Sounds good, I'll leave it to you."
Beth turned around and went through the door but before she closed it Matt heard her say.
"I am glad you're feeling better."
Matt stood up and lit the candle holders placed throughout the room with some matches he saw on the small dresser. He took his claws and scratched his stomach roughly to see if the pain would wake him. Instead, only red marks were on his skin.
'I am not sure what is really going on but at least I am alive and conscious, that's a start.'
He also noticed his thinking and speech were everywhere. His tenor voice was now lower nearer to a bass which again did not match his appearance. Instead of speaking directly and shortly he couldn't help but feel the Chief's education Matt received. Matt influenced the way he acted and thought. The entire time Beth was in his room he could smell her scent, and observe the small waves of her breathing. Her figure was definitely an hourglass shape. Perhaps her curves were so defined because of the training she went through. When he was in her embrace, he felt himself heat up and start to feel waves of emotions long since forgotten.
He then started to stretch and get a feel for his body. Instead of being tall, he was now at most 5'5''. He wondered why such a man would serve as a tank. Matt hadn't grown since he was 13 his strength and overall abilities increased but his stature and build never did. Matt then retracted his claws revealing what looked like a hand with fur gloves instead of a jaguar claw.
"Interesting, it seems I could make a regular hand and a claw when needed. Still, what do I do from here on out, and what happened back home?"
....
Beth walked downstairs to the main dining room and bar where her party was eating dinner.
" Yahooo! Beth! Come join us!"
A 5'8'' dragonkin was waving at Beth to join their table. Ava Silverscale wore black leather armor; her bracers were made of adamantite finished in a dark grey color. Her trim figure and modest breasts were outlined and accentuated by the design of her armor. Aluminum-colored scales covered the tips of her ears, and an all-white pixie cut accentuated her feminine jawline. In contrast to her monochrome color scheme, her irises were bright blue with black vertical pupils. She had a bow on her back, a short sword and a dagger sheathed on her waist. Her grey cloak was missing, perhaps in her room upstairs. Seated at the table next to her was Emily Astley.
Emily is the 3rd child of the Astley Dukedom from the Heilig kingdom. Her fire-red hair fell over her shoulders in waves. She wore a scaled armor chest piece with the dual curved sword insignia of her family on her chest piece. It was the same insignia that manifested on her body as her champion crest. Emily was a robust woman, she stood at 6'2'' her breast were smaller than Beth's but would not lose in gaining attention from anyone. Her legs and arms were more muscular than any of the other women in the party, she had clear definition but was not overly masculine. A balanced athletic body forged through years of sword training. Her mail skirt reached her knees with metal grieves and gauntlets to complete her armor set. Two curved swords resembling scimitars were sheathed on her back.
"So, how was your nap Lady Beth"
Emily said to Beth as she took a seat at their table. All around them patrons were drinking, playing card games, or listening to the bard to the side of the inn as he sang and played guitar.
"Well, I was asleep, but I woke up to check on Matt and he woke up"
At the news, everyone's eyes grew wide. A large pounding on the table broke everyone from the daze they were in.
"So the bastard is finally up huh? He didn't have to make us worry so hard."
Kyle Louet a wolf Demi human said with a relieved smile.
"Watch your mouth as you refer to Sir Matthew."
Emily warned as she glared at Kyle. He placed his tankard on the table and raised his hands as he jokingly said.
"My bad, I didn't mean to offend everyone's noble sensibilities. Please forgive the commoner of the group for speaking crudely."
When he finished, he sent Emily a wink and she turned her head to her drink. Kyle was an enchanted swordsman, using his mana he could grant his straight sword an affinity. He wore full plate armor without a helm. He thought it limited his mobility too much. Kyle was the tallest man in the group standing at 6'3'' with brown fur, dark brown eyes, and a full lumberjack beard.
Calen the wizard of the group clasped Beth's hand under the table so no one would see and asked
" Well, is everything ok?"
Calen wore a royal blue leather tunic with elegant embroidery and gems decorating his chest. The gems were catalysts that augmented his casting time and increased the potency of the spell. He wore steel grieves, gauntlets, and a circlet to accompany his mithril staff. His blonde hair was tied in a ponytail revealing his elven ears, his eyes were a deep green with purple pupils. Beth pulled her hand away with a soft blush on her cheeks as she replied.
"I wouldn't say everything is ok but he said if he feels well he will join us for breakfast tomorrow so we can discuss everything."
Ava then burped after drinking from her tankard and asked.
"What's not ok? What's wrong with the lil guy?"
Everyone's attention focuses on Beth again.
"Well…his memory seems to be a bit shaken and …"
She looked down as the waitress brought her a plate of chicken and vegetables with bread on the side.
"Aand what?" Kyle asked.
"Well, it seems his champions crest is… it's gone…"
Silence permeated the table. Even the rambunctious Ava and Kyle turned serious.
"Is that true? What you just said of Sir Mathew?" Emily asked.
Her voice rarely ever held emotion, but her eyes were screaming with concern.
"Ye…yes, there is no mistaking it. The crest was there this morning when I tidied him up but was absent when I went to see him. It... it's like it just vanished…."
Calen spoke up "This is very disturbing news, but nothing can be done right now. Let us be patient and await his recovery tomorrow morning. Perhaps we can find some clue from Matthew when he comes down for breakfast."
"Yea, what the pretty boy said" Kyle agreed.
"I guess it can't be helped, let's enjoy our dinner and save these worries when we speak to him tomorrow," Ava added.
They began to eat and drink but the heavy atmosphere did not leave the table.
....
Back in his room, Matt was wondering what to do. Not only did he not have his crest, but it took much longer to recover than initially set by the game developers.
"Also why is Beth giving me such sexual tension when she is obviously sucking off that blonde bastard by now?" He sighed "Maybe it's just been too long since I've been laid."
Ever since he divorced his wife he never dated again, he focused on raising Jack and growing his small business.
"Well, this isn't the end of the world, even in the game there is a solo route."
In War of Hathor, you could choose to ignore all romantic interests and focus on soloing the game. If you grow the character enough you can use his resilience and natural tank stats to fight most bosses. The hardest boss is the Vampire Lord Armand and Lich King Ulysses if you don't take a class that can use holy damage.
"Perhaps I should just get out of this shit show of a party and focus on ending the war. That way maybe I can retire in peace."
As a former soldier, Matt knew that when you are in a squad, cohesiveness and trust were key. How could he trust a party that is riddled with drama and romantic interest? How ridiculous was it to have sex in the woods when you are traveling in enemy territory? It was clear to Matt that the developers cared more for romance than viability and realism.
"If only Jack were here, he could tell me what to do…" as Matt thought of his son something came to him.
Jack mentioned that during a gaming expo the developers revealed the reason the MC was small and cute compared to the other males in the game series was that as a child his maturity ritual was disturbed due to the appearance of the crest. This ended the rite early to see if he had a crest and when they found out he did, Matt traveled to the Heilig Kingdom for the emergency conference. During the rite, a sealed portion of the Vale Forest which holds deadly beasts is opened and a maturing cub would enter and survive for one month alone. Matthew only lasted two weeks when all of this happened, and it stunted his growth.
Once the Cub Rite is completed it cannot be done again but the developers mentioned that in a planned DLC you can have Matthew take a Survival Rite so that he can challenge his father Ross Tequiti for the right to be Chieftain of the Jaguar tribe. If you complete the Survival Rite you can morph into a more beast-like Jaguar. Once you complete the DLC you can keep the form into a new game plus. Matt looked at the young man in the mirror and decided what to do next.