by Dante Steel
At long last, they reached the door that would lead them to the room that contained the Runed Ruby.
“Everyone ready?” Gary whispered.
The ladies all nodded.
A part of him wished he could kiss each one of them, just in case he wouldn’t be able to survive this, but no. That was a defeatist attitude, and he would never ever give into despair. Well, maybe another day. He couldn’t deny that most likely he would battle depression for as long as he remained in the game.
"Everyone knows what to do?" he asked.
Along the way through the mountain, they went over all kinds of scenarios, and eventually, they settled on one that might allow them to be able to survive with the Runed Ruby in their possession.
Again, the ladies all nodded.
“Then let’s do this,” he said grimly.
Olivia entered first. She was supposed to fly and scout and determine all of what was in the room waiting for them. They figured that Smaug would be there, but they couldn't be sure until they had eyes inside.
A minute later, she returned. “No monsters. None. No dead ones either.”
“Smaug?” Gary asked.
No way could they just stroll in, grab the stone, and try to leave the mountain with all of those monsters on their tail. That alone would be a nearly impossible task, but what if the monsters followed them all the way out of the mountain? What if they had to kill them all to maintain the Runed Ruby? That dragon looked intense and not in a good way.
“He’s lurking in the shadows,” Olivia said.
“Which means he hasn’t taken the Runed Ruby,” Nicoletta said. “Damn him for being that cunning!”
Elena scowled. “He’s hoping that the monsters will take us out!”
“Simple enough,” Gary said. “We grab the ruby and put it on him.”
“That’s risky,” Nicoletta protested.
“A huge risk. Do you know how close you would have to get to him to pull that off?” Elena shook her head.
“I could try to fly over him, but with his wind, I might not get close enough.”
“So, now what?” Gary asked, frustrated. That Smaug was waiting for them to snatch the ruby rendered the rest of their plan useless.
Nicoletta rubbed the back of her neck, clearly mulling things over. A slow, sadistic smile crept onto her face, and Gary found himself smiling just because he’d seen hers.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” she said.
The others all agreed to her plan. Once more, Olivia went in first followed by Elena and Nicoletta. Gary brought up the rear, the only part of the plan he didn’t agree with considering he had to wait a full minute after Nicoletta entered. His cheek was damp from the quick kiss she’d given him. Elena had squeezed his shoulder, and Olivia had patted his cheek. All of them meant so much to him, and he was forced to admit to himself that he must mean something to them or else they wouldn’t be willing to risk their lives for him on this quest. Then again, they were only risking their avatars.
Damn it. Why couldn't Gary ever think positively? Why couldn't he accept that they might have feelings for him, too?
Because he didn't want to mess up the comradery they had. He didn't want to pick and choose only one of them. He didn't want to hurt any of them. Maybe it was selfish, but he was drawn to each of them for different reasons. The more he got to know about them, the more he wanted to dig deeper, to burrow his way into their lives beyond just the game.
But that was impossible so long as he was stuck in the game. Who knew if he would ever be able to come out? What if he would have to die in here one day, even if only from old age? That would be terrible.
Not that he was going to die anytime soon and certainly not today.
Head down low, crouching, Gary inched his way into the room. Olivia wasn’t easy to spot, which was a good thing. She was flying above them, maintaining her height in the shadows. If he hadn’t known to look for her, he might not have seen her.
Elena was perched by the other doorway. She had placed her gloves back on to hide her metal fists. At all costs, they didn’t want to be flashy or easily visible.
As for Nicoletta, she was also in the shadows but along the wall. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the podium that held the Runed Ruby aloft.
Gary gulped. Once he grabbed the Runed Ruby, he was going to have only seconds to move out of the way if he didn't want to risk getting burned. Nicoletta was supposed to light up both the pillar and Smaug. She claimed she could handle it, and Gary had full faith in her, but that look in her eye… Fire still scared her, but maybe one day, Nicoletta could overcome that fear. He hoped she could. Maybe the game was somehow trying to help the gamers to become stronger versions of themselves, to help them overcome their fears. It remained frightening that the developers had somehow been able to determine everyone's fears in the first place.
Refusing to focus on fears, Gary surveyed the place again and again. It took him several times before he spied Smaug. He nearly blended into the shadows so perfectly that he was hardly visible where he stood directly in line with the podium. He would only have to blast a gust of wind at Gary to try to dislodge the ruby from him.
Gary wouldn’t allow that to happen. He hoped.
Five steps to the podium. Four. Three. Two. One. Gary's fingers curled around the Runed Ruby, and a strange, alien warmth coursed through his fingers and arms. He shuddered, recovered, and jerked away from the podium.
Twin bursts of fire flicked away from Nicoletta. One set the podium on fire, but Smaug wasn't on fire. Yes, he was coming after Gary, but he was not running on the ground. No, he was running in the air.
Somehow, he had become a strong enough wizard that he could use his wind ability to cause him to fly. Ingenious, really, but it also meant that the fire flickered and danced beneath him.
Gary rolled away and shoved the Runed Ruby into Elena’s hand. Then, he grabbed his shield and held it up just in time to take the edge of the wind blast their foe sent his way. Gary’s feet slid backward, but he maintained his position for the most part, and he risked glancing upward without lifting his face.
There was Olivia. She nodded to Gary and gave a shriek as she fell down, kicking and screaming, landing on top of their foe. While he blasted her away, Elena slinked toward the exit she had been scoping out.
While Olivia had been falling, she had been pouring out some ale, and she dashed out of the way. From where she was standing, Nicoletta tried to send fire to burn the alcohol, but she was too far away. Olivia dashed over to her, grabbed her hand, and dragged her along.
At the same time, Gary was pretending to still have the Runed Ruby. He slashed and hacked his way through some of the animals and beasts that had descended into the room. Elena was almost to the second exit now.
A fair amount of the creatures realized he wasn’t the one they wanted, so he had to keep up with them, still fighting them, doing his best to ensure that it appeared as if they were still fighting him.
The other human sent out blasts of fire, all geared toward Gary’s weapon, but he managed to keep his blade moving the entire time. The last thing he could afford was to replace a perfectly good sword.
Elena had just reached the exit when something long, thin, and rope-like slithered down and curled around her throat. She yanked down hard on the tail again and again, and eventually, the owner of the tail appeared.
The dragon.
The dead giveaway that Elena had the ruby and not Gary.
Gary rushed toward Elena, but the wizard had already made this determination. The dragon prepared to blast Elena, having coiled her in place, but Elena dropped the ruby and kicked it toward Gary.
Smaug used the wind to pull the ruby up into the air and toward him, but Olivia swooped down and snatched it. With her back toward Smaug, she tossed the ruby at Gary, her body blocking the wind. Gary caught it just as the wizard and the dragon bellowed fire.
Thankfully, Nicoletta had run over, and she was trying to use her fi
re to stall back their flames. She wasn’t having an easy time with it, but she was trying, and besides, the fire shouldn’t hurt her too badly if at all. At least physically…
Elena seized the dragon’s tail and tied it tightly around its snout. Olivia grabbed Nicoletta to bring her fire farther back to cover Gary’s retreat because he was booking it.
Up ahead, several two-headed bears and nine-tailed foxes blocked his path. Gary shoved the ruby into his pack, brought up his sword, and did his best to hack his way through the mess of enemies. It wasn't long before the girls were right there beside him, fighting back to back to cover them all from each side. Gary wasn't sure if the wizard and the dragon were chasing them still, and he couldn't spare even a second to look back.
Somehow, they made it out of the Mountain of Eternal Gloom. All of them were alive. They possessed the ruby. Everything was wonderful.
Of course, that only lasted for a few seconds.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gary was enjoying a massive group hug with the girls kinda rubbing against him and getting him all hot and bothered when a tremendous roar sounded behind them. Actually, the sound was more of a groan, the complaining of rocks when forced apart, and a hole appeared in the side of the mountain as the dragon burst out. Its tail had been untied from around its stout and, even worse, was the sight of the wizard riding on its back.
Out here in the open, the wizard's wind didn't have as huge of an effect as it had in the confines of the cave. In fact, the wind produced from the dragon's wings was more of a problem.
Gary glanced all around. There was nowhere to hide, so he held up his sword. Without a ranged weapon, Gary would have to wait for them to come to him, and by that point, the dragon's fire could end him quickly. Still, he held his ground.
One by one, the ladies stepped in front of him. Olivia picked up Nicoletta and flew her above the dragon. She rained down fire on them. A blast of wind from the wizard hit Nicoletta, and she tumbled to the ground.
Already, Olivia was swooping down to pick up Elena. Gary couldn’t see where Nicoletta landed, and he only half paid attention as Elena landed on the dragon’s back behind Smaug. He dashed over to where Nicoletta had fallen and helped her to her feet.
Just then, the dragon gave out a tremendous roar. Elena tumbled off the side, her metal hands bright red as if on fire. The wizard urged the dragon higher, and the two flew off.
“Uh, is it just me, or does he have a pet dragon now?” Olivia asked.
Elena was sweating and shivering. Gary handed her a potion, and she drank it greedily.
“We did it, guys!” Nicoletta said. She had a new bump near her temple, but she seemed mostly unfazed by her drop out of the sky.
“We really did.” Olivia grinned.
“Yeah, well, I, for one, think we should try to head back to town in case they decide to come back,” Elena said.
“Always the voice of reason.” Gary grinned at her.
All of them were smiles and jokes as they marched back toward town. They even laughed as they hacked through the basic enemies on their trek. Gary caught himself looking over his shoulder for signs of the wizard or his dragon, but neither of them appeared. He wasn’t the only paranoid one. Elena and Nicoletta glanced back too. Only Olivia didn’t, the eternal optimist.
When Olivia caught Gary surveying the sky, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “He won’t attack a town.”
“Are you sure about that?” Gary muttered, but the other two relaxed, and he forced himself to follow their lead.
When the town came into view once they reached the height of a tall hill, Gary paused and examined their prize. The Runed Ruby was about the size of his fist. Runes were carved into each and every facet of the jewel. He placed his finger along some of the symbols, tracing them, but nothing happened. The gem didn't glow. It didn't do anything, and he most certainly didn't acquire any power.
Before he could get upset about it, Nicoletta was handing him some ale. He stared at her, curious. “How did you get this?”
“Simple.” She grinned. “I bought it before we left on the quest.”
If the others noticed that he was the only one drinking in the game, they didn’t seem to care. Olivia said she was drinking whiskey back home, and Elena was drinking some Long Islands. When Gary asked Nicoletta what her poison was, she just winked.
Maybe it was the heat from the day, the desperate fighting, or the fatigue of the whole ordeal, but it did not take long for Gary to start to feel the effects of the drinking. He sat on the grass while Olivia massaged his shoulders from behind. Elena was half in his lap on his left side, Nicoletta on his other side, and he couldn't be happier. He might be stuck in a video game, but he was happy, happier than he had been in a long time.
Soon enough, Olivia pulled his head back and kissed him full on the lips. “Got to go,” she muttered, and she was off.
Elena groaned and rolled her head onto his chest so that she could nuzzle his neck. “I should go too,” she said. “I have some new recipes I need to try in the morning.”
Gary’s head was buzzing as she then kissed him before logging off.
“And then there were two,” Nicoletta said. She laid her head on his shoulder.
Gary couldn’t maintain his balance, and he ended up on his back, dragging Nicoletta with him. She popped up, an elbow on his chest as she stared down at him, her dark hair framing her face.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek.
“I don’t look like this, not quite.” She rolled her eyes and tried to pull away.
“I know what you look like in real life.” He wrapped his arms around Nicoletta’s waist and drew her on top of him.
Don’t you dare rub against her. Don’t you—
Too late. He already was. Her eyes widened, and Gary hesitated. If she pulled away, he wasn’t going to groan or complain or try to get her to change her mind.
For a moment, she just stared at him. Then she closed her eyes and kissed him. It wasn’t a simple, quick peck like the other two ladies had given him. No, this kiss had moving lips, roving hands on both of their parts, and dueling tongues. She was the one to start removing his armor and clothes, and then he returned the favor. Maybe it was because he was drunk, but he could’ve sworn she was there with him, not her avatar, and when she started to ride him, he realized just how real this game could be. In fact, he almost told her to stop because he didn’t have a condom, but then he remembered she couldn’t get pregnant because she wasn’t really here.
Maybe she sensed this as she ran her fingers across his chest. “Don’t think so much,” she said with a groan. “Just feel.”
Oh, he could feel all right.
“But what… about you?” he asked. Oh, fuck was she tight. How was he able to do this? How could he be this hard? How was any of this possible?
"I said don't overthink," she admonished, swatting his chest.
He reached up and cupped her face. “You…”
“Don’t worry.” She grinned. “I’m using one hand on you and one…” Her gaze dropped to their joined pelvises.
He hadn't realized that she was touching her clit. Maybe in real life, she was only doing that or fingering herself or even using a dildo or vibrator. The mental image of her playing with herself combined with her riding him hard was enough for Gary to come. He squirted deep inside of her, and her eyes widened. Had she felt that? He wanted her to. He needed her to know the effect she had on him.
“Oh, Gary,” she whispered, slowing her movements and shuddering.
“Did you come?” he murmured as she collapsed on top of him. He rubbed her back slowly, lazily.
“Yes.”
She nuzzled against him, and Gary smiled, holding her close to him. A perfect ending to a glorious day. What more could he ask for? At the moment, he didn't even care that the Runed Ruby hadn't granted him a power. All that mattered was the woman in his arms, but as he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help thi
nking about the other two, Elena and Olivia, and he hated himself for it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The sun’s ray blinded Gary even while his eyelids were closed. With a groan, he opened his eyes and realized that it was actually still dark out. A comet trailing through the nighttime sky had been the source of light.
As if the depressing darkness wasn’t enough, Gary was all alone. Nicoletta had left him. A pang seized his chest, and he tried not to feel hurt. What had he expected her to do? To lie down with the headset and gloves on so they could sleep together? That was ridiculous, but his arms did feel empty without her there for him to hold.
With a groan, Gary sat up and winced. His head was throbbing. Great. Just what he needed. A hangover. Could this get any worse?
He was just about to lie back down and try to settle to sleep again when footsteps sounded on the grass. He peered through thin slits to see absolutely no one. Maybe he was hearing things.
After ten minutes of tossing and turning, Gary knew he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. Maybe he should head back to town. Gary had gotten used to sleeping in the barn. It was possible he could sleep there.
Instead of getting up though, all Gary did was take out the Runed Ruby again. He could hardly see it. When his fingers brushed against some dirt on the surface, he rubbed the ruby against his bare chest. Oh. Yeah. In his delirium and hungover state, he hadn’t realized until now that he was still naked. No wonder he couldn’t get comfortable enough to fall asleep.
Before he could rectify that, a blinding red light burst out of the Runed Ruby and engulfed Gary. When it blinked away, a menu popped up. Finally, Gary had some power points that he could use, and even better, he had all of the ones he should’ve had all along. The glitch was fixed!
Okay. Hmm. Mind, body, generation, or enhancement. Gary wasn't even sure what his power was precisely, but he had points in mind already, so he dumped them all there.
