Chapter 4

"Yes, I suppose that is an interpretation of an adventure. We can pick a planet, maybe even the type of adventure, but at some point it is going to take over and become a world of its own, our world until we can return. That bring me to another question I didn't see an answer to in the rule book. How do we determine if the adventure is over? Maybe a better question is who decides if the adventure is over?"

From what I can determine based on the information I have there aren't any portals on the worlds we can visit. We are going to be using a transporter of some kind. Beam me up Scotty. I need to get more details from Ellen. Speaking of Ellen, since I don't know anyone else, it will be just her and I going on this adventure. Okay, I guess I've delayed as long as I can. I've gotta decide where I'm going and see if Ellen is going with me.

I thought back over the three real choices I had. The first two were not choices at all. One of them was the dinosaur planet, not just no but fuck no. The second was a water planet, again no, mainly because Ellen would not be happy or comfortable there. That leaves Prairie which is a planet at about our late 1800, again though no firearms. We could go as novice wagon train guards or we could go as novice guardsmen for a sea voyage with pirates and or exploring. Again, a water environment isn't much of a choice for Ellen. There is a desert world, again we could go as novice guards, me for the caravan and Ellen for the harem. At least there isn't any chance she could drown there. And last but far from least is my personal favorite, and the worlds name literally boggles my mind with the possibilities after just a few seconds of thought. Camelot. The more I think about it the more my mind has visions of King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, the Queen and many others in the legends. Then there is Merlin. One of my all time favorite legends, Merlin.

I have a world that I can go to that is named Camelot. The folder said no firearms, edged weapons only and a WARNING that magic works very well on this world and that the usual precautions should be taken in regard to protected species and endangered species. This leads me to suspect that there is a lot more that can happen here. The warnings bring to mind dragons, trolls, pixies, unicorns fairies and hippogriffs. Not that I'll likely find Merlin since he's been dead for hundreds of years. But as to the protected species, they are in the Crossroads rule books, why would they be in those books if they didn't exist? So that leaves but one other possibility, they do exist.

As I continued to sit at my desk a pair of arms circled me from behind and a soft cheek placed a pair of even softer lips next to my ear and then whispered, as I took a deep breath and inhaled her fragrance, "Where would you like to eat Dallan? We can have it here or at the table."

"At the table would be better I think, that way we don't have to disturb the files spread out all over the desk." With that I stood and drew her to the table and and assisted her to sit down. It is the gentlemanly thing to do. "Would my lady need anything else?

"No kind sir, I am fine." As I turned to sit in my chair she then said, "For now." She then placed a couple more files on the table out of the way of our meal.

I turned to look at her as I sat down and she just returned my look with a huge smile and then an air kiss.

We talked of many things as we had our meal, none of it of any consequence, just small talk to allow us to enjoy the meal. As we finished and the dishes disappeared Ellen took my hand in hers and said, "Dallan, we need to discuss a couple of thing. Would you like to do it now or after we go over your choice for the Adventure?"

"Are you okay? Does it have any bearing on the Adventure?"

"I'm fine, it is just what I learned earlier and I was just told a little more that I want to tell you about. And no, no bearing on it at all."

"In that case, after will be fine."

She picked up the files she had set down on the table earlier and we moved back to the desk. "Ellen, my first choice is Camelot. Although I'm not sure what we could do there. My second choice would be Sandstorm. Unusual name for a planet but based on the information in the folder, very appropriate. Although this might be the better choice for a first Adventure. Since we are not, let me rephrase that, I am not really experienced with edged weapons, even with the bit of fencing I did in college, I would be a novice guard. However with your skills and strength you could very easily be a full guard and have access to protect any women on a caravan. I would think these are big pluses. I'm a bit out of shape but I think I could hold my own for awhile with the right blade. What do you think? The other choices are not choices at all, at least not at this stage of our development."

"Dallan, I am not allowed to help in your choice of an Adventure. It is VERY explicit in the rule book that the Caretaker not help or offer advise to the Adventurer. All she can do is provide as much information as is available to help you make your choice. Once he makes a choice, the Caretaker can offer advise and help in any and every way possible. She must then decide if she will accompany him on the Adventure. After that you can make a choice of a companion. If the companion accepts, he or she is brought here. Because of the variety of adventures, environments, weapons and all the other variables that are involved we will then have up to three weeks to prepare for the adventure. You could decide to leave in one or two days, it is entirely up to you but the maximum delay is three weeks. The next morning we depart and it will be morning when we arrive on the planet of choice in the area of the adventure. Until you make your choice I can say not more."

As I looked into her eyes I wanted so much for her to assist me. With all her expertise as a former Guide on Val tracking and hunting, not to mention her having trained for this job since puberty with various weapons and hand to hand skills she would be able to assist me immensely. Fencing is not really a combat skill. At least not the little I had in college with the points system used. After all, I was only a beginner, it takes years of practice to become proficient enough to be willing to risk your life on it. So for all intents and purposes I have no combat skills. So, exactly what skills do I have? I'm good with people, able to lead a team of people to get jobs done. My analytical skills are second to none, with my body language reading abilities and people skills I'm usually able to see what is going on early on. I'd be able to handle horses, not likely I'd forget how to do that with my time on the ranch in the summer. I've thought through all these thing before, many times but now it boils down to in which Adventure should I start, which gives us the greatest chance to complete and survive. Dinosaurs are out. Water worlds are out. Without any real combat type experience with firearms, hunting rabbits and squirrels and shooting at cans don't really count, then the western world is out. As much as I seem to be drawn toward Camelot we don't have any magic users, I have no real sword skills, my hands are pretty quick but I'm no thief. Plus I'm a bit big for that too. I guess that kinda leave Sandstorm. Well hell, here goes nothing.

"Ellen, it will be Sandstorm. I figured you would make up your mind based on each planet choice. Have you decided if you will go with me to Sandstorm?" She gives me a heart stopping smile, as she pulls me to my feet and wraps her arms around me in a hug and then kisses me with enough enthusiasm to re-start it.

"Oh Dallan, I will follow you no matter which planet you would choose. I'd even go with you to the water world or the dinosaur world. I told you before, I'm your Caretaker, I go where you go, no matter what, as long as I am able."

I started to ask her what she meant by that last little comment when she interrupted my thought by handing me the folder on Sandstorm and asking which of the three Adventures I wanted to go on. Staying in a town didn't appeal to me so that kind of took the first one out of the running. The second one was going into the deep desert to look for a lost city, that has possibilities. The third was the caravan from one town through the mountains to a city. Complete with harem women for the King and many valuables. With the way Crossroads can manipulate time I can take one of these now and still enjoy the other one at a later date. With all the valuables and women on the caravan it looks like an open invitation for trouble with a capital T, so I think I'll take the deep desert Adventure at least I hope it will be the more quiet of the two and allow me to get some experience.

"Ellen, let's go on the search for Aldaríon. You can go as a guard and I'll have to be a laborer or maybe as your apprentice. Yes, that might work, that way you could give me more help with my blade work. Does that sound feasible?"

"That sounds very feasible and a good idea too. Now I only have one question for you. What about a companion?"

I was startled by the question. "I don't know anyone that I could ask to be a companion. Besides, didn't the rule book say something about a companion was allowed to have sex with the Adventurer? I thought with you being with me that you wouldn't like me having sex with another woman with you around."

'Oh my Dallan, sometimes the things you say leave me all mixed up and confused. Other times, like right now, you say the most wonderful things and my heart could just burst with pride. Do you remember the conversation we had about the word you used, jealousy?" As I nodded my head yes she continued. "We don't have such a word, it would be so foreign to us that it just isn't possible for me to even think about it. We need babies on Val Dallan. If you were to have a companion from Val that would allow us a double chance of have a baby. Only those of us considered sterile are allowed off planet. Which bring me to the other subject I mentioned earlier to you."

"While I was getting the newer files for you I was also looking up as much information about your Great Grandfather Patrick Ryan as I could. I thought if I dug a little deeper than I did last time I might get a little more. I didn't have to dig very far to get the information I needed. What it started though was unintentional. When I asked for the data I had to type in the reason for the request. Shortly after doing that I had 3 supervisors and an administrator standing next to me. They wanted to know if the information I had put into the computer was true. I told them yes and then showed them the analysis of the ring you wear. That got their attention real quick! Ten minutes later it was all over Val. They broke into the normal entertainment channels for a special bulletin. He was a great Adventurer as I told you before and I recognized the name but I couldn't remember why. He was a living legend on Val. He fathered more children than any other man in our history. And they wanted to remind the entire planet who he was and what he did. That is why I was how did you put it, so flustered when I returned. It was broadcast that I am the Caretaker to the Great Grand Son of Adventurer Patrick Ryan. He fathered seventeen children in his almost twenty five years of Adventuring, all of them companions from Val, all of them considered sterile. He is talked about with great reverence and he is considered the greatest Adventurer of all time. I'm also so embarrassed that it took me so long to connect the name with the deeds."

I held her close but my head was spinning from that tidbit. The whole planet? Broke into the broadcasts to talk about me? Now is the time me thinks to downplay that to keep her mind on what is ahead of us so I told her, "Ellen, you have had a lot on your mind for the last little bit of time. You have been taking care of me and providing the information I need to be an Adventurer. It happened over seventy five years ago, don't worry about it, you can deal with it when we get back."

"Dallan, ahh, we, ahh, we have"

She was stammering, something was bothering her so I interrupted her, "Tell me Ellen, whatever else you're having a hard time about telling me doesn't matter. Just tell me and we can get back to business. All right?"

"Yes. Getting back to the companion, Chris wants to be your companion on this adventure."

"What? How can she be a companion she was my Hostess?"

"She resigned as a Hostess and requested to be allowed to be your companion. It has never been done before. No one has ever resigned before. They have always done the time needed to fill a vacancy and then moved on to another job, either up as a promotion to Supervisor or out to another vocation. A Caretaker is the only job that is permanent so to speak. We have it for what is considered for life. Either yours or mine or both. Very few Adventurers overall quit coming through the portal or retired. There isn't a rule to stop her from the request so it will be up to you if she can be your companion."

"Let me make sure I have this straight. You will not mind if she comes with us as a companion?"

She looked very amused as she answered, "No."

"You will not throw it up to me at a later time that I wanted two beautiful women to accompany me on an Adventure?"

Her smile get bigger, "No."

"And if I tell you that you have a beautiful body, mind and spirit will you hold it against me?"

"Oh yes Dallan!" As she nearly tackled me and held me close as she started to softly cry into my shoulder.

"Ellen, I didn't mean to make you cry I'm sorry for that last comment. I was only trying to lighten the mood a little bit. I thought you might find it amusing."

"My Dallan, remember a little bit ago when I told you that you sometimes say the most wonderful things? What you just said to me was one of the best! Thank you so very much."

I kissed the top of her head as I hugged her tight. "You're welcome. But now I'm mixed up and confused."

She started laughing and said, "Good, now I don't feel so bad."

As I laughed with her I told her she should probably go get Chris so we could all prepare together.

She squealed in excitement, "Oh yes, yes! I'll get her right now. Thank you again Dallan you have made us BOTH very happy." With that she pulled me down and gave me a searing kiss and tried to play with my tonsils. Before I could get back at her a bit she kissed me quick on the lips and she was gone toward her door.

Oooookay, now what am I going to do? Two beautiful woman, either of which could probably kill me in a heart beat, needless to say kick my ass. I don't know how I'm going to take care of both of them. Oh shit! Are they both going to get in my bed? How do I try to choose one without hurting the other? Oh shit, shit, shit. If Chris bends over and gives me an eye full again, grrrrrr. I'm just going to have to ask them. As level headed as Ellen is, and the way she talked, I think that is the only way to handle this. Just throw myself at their mercy and ask what THEY want me to do. Yea, that's the ticket.