I walked through the headstones towards Dad's car. It was my car now after that accident. I was walking away from the double funeral for Mark and Carol Arrowstone. It was less than a week ago that I had come home to the cops sitting in my driveway to tell me that Mom and Dad had been in a car accident. The drunk driver that hit them was dead too.

Standing next to the car was Mike Larter, Dad's lawyer. He was handling the reading of the will and the distribution of my parent's assets. I knew we didn't have much. Both cars were paid for, even if one was totaled. The house was rented so I wasn't sure what would be done there. I thought Grandpa Joe had left me something way back when he passed, but I wasn't sure what. The reading of the will was to be done later today.

"How are you holding up, son?" Mike's voice was gentle and full of concern. Dad had known Mike for fifteen years now and he was like an Uncle to me.

"Well, all things considered I am doing OK. It is still a shock that they are gone. I mean I was used to them being gone on business for days at a time, but I always knew they would come back. Now ... Now they will never come home again." I choked on those last words, catching myself before I started crying again.

"Come on. Let us just go to my office and we can get the reading over with now instead of later. We will get everything settled so you can start rebuilding your life. Are you still going to college after graduation?" He went around the car to climb into the passenger side.

I slid into the driver's seat, closed the door, buckled up and started the car before answering Mike. "I want to. You know how Mom and Dad were on education. I feel I would be letting them down if I didn't go. I am still not sure what major I will take though." I drove slowly out of the cemetery, not looking back at the now deserted gravesite.

The ride the Mike's office was silent but not strained. My mind wandered, jumping from the last time I saw my parents to the last session at the dojo. I thought about going tomorrow and do a meditation routine, I was pretty sure that would be what Sensei would order anyway.

I was something of a loner, but not by choice. With Dad's military career we moved a lot, not really settling down in one place long enough for me to make many friends. Girlfriends were completely out of the question. I would finally work up the courage to ask a girl out and it was time to pack up again. We had been here for two years now; one of the longest stints yet. Most of my hobbies revolved around a lack of friends. I studied Tae Kwon Do, read at lot of sci-fi and fantasy stories and surfed the net for porn to jack off to. I have been reading online erotic stories almost since I first learned that pulling on my dick felt good. Thanks to a very sexual girl I wasn't a virgin. One night of almost non-stop fun then I found out we were moving the next day. She had been my first and only. We pulled into the parking lot of Mike's office.

We still didn't talk as we went from the car to conference room where the reading would be done. There were two men waiting for us. Mike nodded at them and then took a seat at the table; no introductions were made. He picked up a folder waiting for me to sit down.

"Well, Jacob. I am not going to sugar coat it. At this point the only thing really going for you is that your 18^th birthday was last month. That way you do not have to be a ward of the state and can take full control of all assets owned." He then proceeded to list all the assets in question. Between a life insurance policy and a college trust fund I had ninety-five thousand in the bank, the car outside, and all the things in the house. The house was paid until the end of the month, but the owner's would not rent to me. It was a military setup so I didn't really expect them too. Throughout the entire process the two mystery men had sat quietly watching. When Mike finished, the older of the two leaned forward.

"Mr. Arrowstone, my name is Jason Kirk. I was your grandfather's attorney. I am here to read the portion of his will that pertains to you."

"Grandpa Joe died several months ago, why are you doing this now?"

"The stipulations of Mr. Rooks' will were that you must be twenty-one but with the death of your parents you are now on your own." He opened the folder in front of him. "Your grandfather's grandfather built a cattle ranch in West Texas. He worked it up to a profitable spread. Then his son took over and expanded even more. By the time Joseph was born the family owned over a hundred thousand acres with tens of thousands head of cattle annually. When your grandfather's brother passed away he sold the ranch and moved to a house in Northeast Texas. He left that house, all of its contents and all of his wealth to you with only two stipulations."

"What are the stipulations?" I asked. I had not known that Grandpa Joe was rich, but I did know about the house in Texas. We had visited once or twice when I was much younger.

"Joseph's will states that if you do not choose to live in the house, you only get a percentage of the inheritance, with the bulk of it going to maintain the house to pass on to your offspring. The second one is that if you do take the house you must sign an agreement to never have the house demolished or completely rebuilt. You may add on to it but you may not change the core building."

"I knew Grandpa Joe loved that house, but not that much. Do you know why he doesn't want it changed or destroyed?"

"Well it was your grandmother's family home then when she passed away giving birth to your mother he kept it almost as a shrine to her."

Yeah, that sounded like Grandpa Joe. Mom always called him the last true southern gentleman and tried to instill the same manners and attitudes in me. She succeeded for the most part. I was always kind and courteous to the ladies, just never confident. I thought about moving to Texas. I had been born there, closer to Houston than Grandpa Joe's house, but never spent much time living there. With no house here, a paid for house there, it didn't really seem like that difficult of a choice. I didn't have any friends here, no further ties to this place. Plus Texas would be a permanent house, a place to start new. I couldn't pass that up, but I had a habit of always studying anything from multiple angles to find the entire story. I turned to the other guy who had remained silent this entire time.

"So, who are you and what is your business here?"

"I am just an impartial witness to both readings, nothing more. This is my office, I am loaning it to both gentleman since their practice is out of state." I knew Mike worked out of San Diego so that made sense.

I sat there and thought about it for some time. There was no reason not to take the house. Even if it was in some poedunk town it was still a house; a permanent residence. Decision made, I started the process to take control of the house and Grandpa Joe's wealth. I also made arrangements to have the money moved to an account I would set up at the new town. After the meeting I just went home.

Once there I started making calls to get my stuff moved to my new house. I looked over the paperwork Mr. Kirk gave me. It was a modest two story house with three bedrooms and two baths sitting on about five acres of land. The map provided showed that it was about three miles outside of the nearest town and that town was twenty miles northeast of Nacogdoches. After researching the area I found that Stephen F. Austin State University and a small town college called Panola were both within an hour's drive from my new house. Both offered a wide variety of courses, but Panola offered a study course for Tae Kwon Do. It would take some more study. Both looked like good colleges but I still didn't know what I wanted to major in. SFA offered an undecided major that was just all the basic classes most degrees needed for the first year, but I could not find a good dojo in the area. I held a red belt but was close to testing for black. Each sensei was different, so every time I moved it messed up my advancement. By this time it was getting late, I made a simple supper and turned in.

Monday morning came early, I still had two weeks of my senior year to do and my bereavement days were up; so back to school. I won't detail those last days because none of it mattered. After graduation I finished up the arrangements to get all my stuff to Texas. I still hadn't decided on SFA or Panola or just doing online classes. I had been in contact with Jake the caretaker hired to maintain the place. Grandpa Joe had a computer setup with high speed internet.

It took me two days to drive down there. With the GPS navigator I was able to get to Garrison. The caretaker's directions lead me right to the front door. Mr. Kirk was sitting on the front porch with another guy, obviously waiting for me. Mr. Kirk introduced the new guy as Jake the caretaker. Jake pulled out a ring of keys and led us inside the house. It was a typical setup; living room on the right, dining room on the left, kitchen behind the dining room, a den/office/library behind the living room with the downstairs bathroom in between. Upstairs was the bedrooms. The master bedroom took up one end of the house and the other end was split between the other two rooms. The master bedroom also had the master bath. It looked like it had been recently renovated, with a large multi-head shower and a whirlpool type tub big enough to hold six people. The master bath kind of surprised me because of Grandpa Joe's stipulation to not change the house.

After the tour of the house we went into the office and Jake handed over the keys, shook my hand, then left. Mr. Kirk handed me a packet containing the deed to the house and a letter from my grandfather. He also departed after a handshake, leaving me alone in my new house. I quickly unloaded the clothes and other stuff I packed in the car, the rest should be here within a day or two. Once everything was stored away in the master bedroom, I went back to the office to take a look at Grandpa Joe's letter.

I closed the letter and sat at the desk thinking. If my grandmother did not want the house changed, why did Grandpa Joe renovate the bathroom? Across from the desk was a full size painting. It showed a man holding an old flintlock rifle wearing pre-Civil War clothing. He was posed leaning on the rifle, one hand on top of the other. He was wearing a ring with a blue stone in it. Behind him was a single story house. The front looked familiar. It looked like the same porch as the front of my new house. That's when I realized that the second floor of this house was an add-on. So that was why Grandpa felt he could change it. Portrait paintings were not really my style. Looking around I decided I would start in here to redecorate. I went straight to the painting meaning to take it down. It wouldn't budge off the wall. After several more attempts I decided to leave it there and deal with it later.

I spent the next several days getting settled in. From the get go I started hauling out the furniture I didn't like, rearranging the stuff I did like and ordering new stuff online. Grandpa Joe had a sweet setup when it came to the internet and cable. He never was like most men his age; he liked the new technology and dived right into it from the first. As such, the living room had a large entertainment system with surround sound, big flat screen TV and even a blu-ray player. Each bedroom had a flat screen mounted to the wall with DVD players as well. The one in the master bedroom was almost as big as the one in the living room. His computer was the latest at the time of his passing.

Time passed fairly quickly. After two weeks in the house it was completely redecorated. I turned one of the extra bedrooms into a workout studio. The other was my meditation room. I had explored the land finding trails I could walk or run as part of my workout. It finally came time to tackle that painting in the office; it was the last thing on my list. I studied it again. The frame was at least half a foot taller than me, making it six and half feet, and was three feet wide. It also stuck out of the wall for at least five or six inches. As I had seen before, the frame looked built into the wall. It looked like I would have to cut it out of the wall to move it. In the process of examining it, I felt a piece of the frame move. Looking closer I saw that a section had swung open. Inside a shelf three inches tall and about two inches deep was a folded up piece of paper and a ring. Pulling them out, I looked over the ring. Holding it up to the painting reveled it was the same ring. Unfolding the paper showed a short note.

Swing the canvas open. Put on the ring. Step through the doorway.

Just those three short sentences. Looking back at the hole in the frame I saw how I could slip a finger in and tug on the canvas itself. I quickly reached in to do so. When it swung open all I saw was the wall behind it, nothing more. I looked at the note again; put on the ring. I had read about magic portals and matter transmitters in my fantasy and sci-fi books, but I had never believed in them. I was firmly grounded in the reality of the here and now. Even to this day I can't tell you what made me decide to put on the ring and try to step through, but I never regretted doing so.

A bright flash of white light blinded me as a sense of distortion swept through me. As my body returned to normal I thought I was still being blinded by the white light, then I realized I was in a small room painted all white; floor, ceiling, and the walls. A quick turn did not reveal a door. I took stock. I still had the ring on my finger, but my watch was gone, as was my wallet and everything else in my pockets. A hiss off to my side startled me. I turned, there was a door sliding up. I walk to it quickly, not knowing if or when it would close. In the next room there was a coffee table, two chairs, and an elegant older woman in a classy business suit. Her pale pink clothes were the only spot of color in the white-on-white motif.

Her features looked liked a mixture of several races, all accumulating into a stunning whole. She looked to be in her sixties. Strands of gray and white ran through her blond hair. Bright green eyes still held a quick wit and firm resolve as they weighted me, taking in my every feature and stray thought. Her body looked to be in firm shape. All in all, even though she was old enough to be my grandmother, I found her to be striking and mildly alluring. A frown graced her lovely face as she gestured me to sit in the remaining chair.

"I am Elaine Caretaker Supervisor and Hero Greeter. To whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Her voice was low, rich, and very cultured. She had the kind of voice you would imagine the Queen of England having.

"My name is Jacob Arrowstone. May I ask where I am and what is going on?"

"Well Mr. Arrowstone, welcome to Crossroads, though I am not sure why your portal let you through. Would you care from something to eat or drink?" When I shook my head she continued. "You seem a little young to be a Hero on Chaos. How old are you?"

"I am eighteen." I was a little miffed at her condescending tone about my age, but Mom taught me to be polite and Dad taught me to be study everything before making a decision. I was curious about what was going on, I decided to play along, answer her questions and see where it led me. What followed was three hours of the most intense interrogation I have ever been under; all in the manner of polite conversation. She drew everything out of me, from my hobbies to my school studies, from my parents' death to my first sexual encounter. In the process I learned that I was supposedly on another planet that had portals connecting to Earth, her planet of Cassandra and a third planet called Chaos. Men from Earth came to Crossroads to enter Chaos and rescue Damsels in Distress. After returning to Crossroads with said Damsel in tow, I would be rewarded and then sent home, to return not less than three days for another mission. Her talk of reward was filled with innuendo so I assumed it was sexual in nature. I decided I had enough to start asking questions of my own.

"We have been talking for a while now, do you mind if I get that drink you offered?"

"Sure, what would you like?"

"Cold Sprite, but no ice if you can?" I had never been much of a coffee drinker and I like my own ice tea so I figured they can't mess up a soda from a can.

"One Sprite, no ice and a cup of Earl Grey, two sugars no cream." Elaine spoke to thin air, but within moments of her asking it appeared on the table between us. I was shocked. The green can of soda sparkled with condensation. I grabbed it; it felt like it just came out of an ice box. Popping the tab, I took a sip. It tasted like every other Sprite I had, so I gulped it down. I looked at Elaine as she sipped her tea. I decide it was time to get some answers to my own questions.

"So, at the beginning you stated that I was too young to be a Hero. Why would you say that?"

She took another sip while looking at me over the rim of her cup. Setting the cup back in the saucer, she placed the both on the table. "Well, to be honest I don't think you really have what it takes to be a Hero. The world of Chaos can be a very dangerous place. Life expectancy is short and death is often brutally administered at the hands of someone stronger than you. The people there are as likely to kill you as just beat you up to rob you."

Call it reverse psychology or teenage stubbornness but the more she said I couldn't the more I wanted to prove I could. I sat and listened as she told tales of Chaos life. Of the trials that Heroes have to go through to get the Damsels. Through it all I was more and more determined to go into Chaos to prove myself. Sitting there and listening to her I realized that since Mom and Dad's death, I was without purpose. I didn't know which direction to take my life. This sounded like something I could do, something I could spend my life doing, here was a purpose worth risking everything for. As she wound down her reasons why I couldn't be a Hero, I interjected one thing.

"All of your reasoning is sound, but you forget one crucial detail." I sat back and waited to see if Elaine could spot that detail. She spent several minutes thinking. Finally she looked at me and asked.

"And what might that detail be?"

"The portal let me through." I waited as thoughts flashed over her face. I could see that she wasn't entirely convinced but she knew she would have to let me have my chance. I saw her give a heavy sigh.

"Very well, I need the folders of the three pre-selected Caretakers, the Hero Manual, and the Hero's Companion Manual." Two fairly decent size booklets appeared on the table along with three file folders. Picking up the two booklets she continued, "Here, these are the rules to live by. Read them in great detail. These," she held out the three folders, "are your potential Caretakers, study them thoroughly, your life depends on your choice. If for any reason you cannot decide on one of these three when you come back I will give you three more to choose from until you pick one."

She stood up, beckoning me to join her. With the folders in one hand and the booklets in the other, I followed her to the door I came through. It opened at her approach. She stood to one side.

"You cannot come back for at least three days, but I hope you take your time to fully study the rules and carefully pick out a caretaker. You are right, I cannot stop you from taking a chance at being a Hero, but I beg you to take every precaution you can." She placed a hand on my shoulder, smiled at me, kissed me on the forehead and then shoved me through the door. Her move caught me off guard and I stumbled as I stepped through. When I caught my balance I turned to ask her why when I realized I was back in my house. Remembering her saying something about only fifteen minutes passing no matter how long I spent on Crossroads or Chaos, I went to see if it was dark. I don't remember when I stepped through but I knew we spent several hours talking. The time that passed would have put me well into the night here but it was still daylight outside.

Looking down at the folders and booklets in my hand I thought about all of my life up to this point. Even before my parents' death, my life was going nowhere. I did not have any plans for the future; I was drifting from moment to moment. Now I had something I could really shoot for. With new found energy I began reading the Hero's Manual. The rules it portrayed were simple and straight forward. On entering Chaos I was to act in a Heroic manner. It went on to detail what was considered a Heroic manner. It also stated the rules of fighting, summed up simply as 'to the winner goes the spoils'. The winner of a fight was entitled to any and all possessions of the loser; money, weapons, clothing, horses, etc. So I could get money and anything else I needed by winning fights, but I could not just start a fight to get that money. I could live with that. The rules for Hero's Companion were a little unusual. They had to come from Earth like me. On Crossroads they were subject to the orders of my Caretaker, but on Chaos they were responsible for my needs. It never fully defined what it meant by needs. I decided that a Companion was something to pursue at a later date.

I turned my attention to the three folders of potential Caretakers. The Hero's Manual had hinted at the importance of choosing the right Caretaker. Opening the first folder I began to read. Tanya was a master chef at a major restaurant. She stood 5'5", weighed 105 pounds and was 34 years old. The file went on to list her hobbies and other pertinent information. One thing stood out, she helped out with a group designed to prepare Damsels for life on Chaos. At the back was a high gloss full frontal photo of her nude. Her blonde hair fell just past her tanned shoulders, her breast perched high on her chest with perky nipples. A slim waist flowed into flared hips followed by strong thighs and well turned calves. Her pubic hair was well trimmed and showed her to be a true blonde. I was surprised at the photo being included in what was apparently a resume for the job.

I opened to next file and flipped to the back. There was another nude photo, this time of a brunet with a dusky skin tone. Her breasts were bigger than the blonde's and showed some sag. Her pubes were shaved to a thin strip. Over all less muscular than the first applicant but still very pretty. Flipping back to the beginning I read over Ashley's qualifications. She stood 5'6", weighed 118 pounds and was 27 years old. Of her jobs and hobbies only one stood out; she interviewed Damsels, collecting their stories into books for others to read.

Turning to the last file, I decided to read it from the beginning like the first one. Kara was 22 years old. She already had a degree in Chaos History, with a minor in Military Theory. She was currently working towards another degree, this time in Chaos Culture. Her hobbies included a Karate-like martial arts with training in sword and staff. Even without looking at her picture I was sure that she was the best choice of the three, but when I turned to her photo I was stunned.

I had my fantasy girls over the years. From prominent stars to the current Playboy playmate of the year, but this girl put them all to shame. Her bright red hair fell in shimmering waves to the small of her back. She had an elfin face and a voluptuous body. She wasn't fat, but she was definitely soft and curvy in all the right places. Just sitting there looking at her picture had my pants uncomfortably tight. The thought of working closely with her set me to daydreaming. I wondered if it would always be a professional relationship or if I could work it into something more personal as time went on.

Having made my choice in Caretakers I went back and re-read both manuals. To make sure I covered everything, I spent the next week reading and re-reading the manuals. Between studying the manual I redecorated the house, researched the two colleges, and worked out. After finding that ARMA, Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, had a location in town, I signed up for classes at SFA. Not really having a degree in mind, I picked and chose classes that would help someone survive in a medieval society, equestrian sciences being prominent. At seven days to the minute, almost, I had the ring back on my finger and was stepping through the portal.

Again there was the flash of light and I found myself in the white room. The door opened quicker this time. Elaine was once again sitting in her chair waiting for me. I walked over and sat down in the open chair, putting the booklets and paperwork on the table as I did so.

"So you took my advice and really studied before coming back. I am glad. So did you pick a Caretaker?"

I didn't want to seem eager so I stalled. "You said last time that if I did not like any of these choices I could choose from three more."

"Did you not like any of the ladies?"

"Well it wasn't that. Could I keep one of them and send the other two back for different ladies? I want to make sure that I am picking the absolute best choice for me."

She sat there quietly for a moment. Then she got up with a murmured "pardon me" and left through another door. I sat there alone for at least fifteen minutes before she returned. She sat back down, requested her cup of tea and a Sprite for me. She took a sip before she spoke.

"That was a good suggestion for a good reason, but it will not be allowed. You must choose from these three or get three more, but you will not leave Crossroads this time without picking a Caretaker and taking your first mission."

Well it was a nice try I guess, but I would have probably taken Kara anyway. With that in mind I picked her file up and handed it to Elaine. She took a few moments to look it over. I noticed the other ones disappear from the table though the manuals remained.

"It looks like you have made an excellent choice here. Wait here one moment and I will send her in to take over from here. It was very nice to meet you; I wish you the best of luck. I shall be watching over your adventures." She stood up, shook my hand and walked out of the room again. Almost as soon as the door closed it opened again and there she was. She was even more beautiful than her photo. The green dress she wore covered everything from her shoulders to her ankles but left nothing to the imagination. It clung to every single one of her curves as she walked slowly too me. Her file said she was 5' 11", so when she stopped in front of me we were nearly eye to eye. Her green eyes held a spark of mischief that a picture can't show.

"Welcome to Crossroads Hero Jacob, thank you for selecting me as your Caretaker. I will work to make sure you never regret your choice." Her voice had the same lilt and cultural cadence that Elaine's had, but it was lower, richer. The hard on that her entrance made became like steel with her first words. "Please, let me show you around the apartment." She stepped back, turning to a blank white wall. A door opened as she approached. Stopping at the door she looked up. "Command, give Hero Jacob, Hero level access." A digital voice responded.

"Please give voice print for recognition."

Kara turned and told me what to say. After giving my name and planet of origin the computer responded as confirmed. Kara then continued the tour. She showed me the healer tank, the portal to Chaos, a living room style area with a table, a huge bathroom and then the bedroom. Following her through the apartment had done nothing for my erection. Watching her ass bunch and flex under her dress had me on a hair trigger already. I was hoping she would give me some time alone so I could fix my problem. Walking through the bedroom door, I noticed it was the same white on white. As soon as the door swished shut behind me, Kara turned to me.

"Now for the part I have been dreaming of for my whole life. Please, Hero Jacob let me help you relax before we do anything else." I was speechless as she reached behind her neck and undid something. Whatever it was caused her entire dress to drop to the floor.

I was stunned. Here was the goddess Aphrodite standing nude before me. This vision of loveliness walked toward me and I could not make myself move at all. She started unbuckling my belt. Once that was loose she started working on my pants. I stood there, still as a statue as the woman of my dreams undressed me. When she grabbed my cock, I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to me as I kissed her. I didn't kiss her; I ravished her mouth with mine.