He couldn't fight them like this. They carried more weapons and had better armor than he did. He had to outthink them. He didn't know if the soldiers had night vision, but maybe they didn't. If not, then as long as no one shot, he couldn't see anything but neither could they.
Well, he could see one thing. The enemy health bars. They glowed in the darkness, floating over two crates while occasionally shifting position. Byron wondered if the soldiers could see his own health bar. If not, he had an advantage.
Byron slipped his rifle back into place as he drew his pistol with the other hand. He checked the ammo. Only five bullets. He would never be able to even get through their armor with that.
It occured to him that, if Venus Online worked like other FPS games, then a headshot did more damage. If he could get close enough, maybe the five shots could do the job. He just needed a distraction.
"Wait!" he yelled, "Hold your fire! I want to surrender!"
He crawled on his hands and knees out from behind his crate, headed for one of the other soldiers. He couldn't see the soldier, but could see the health bar and hear the soldier's deep voice call out.
"No surrender! Your death is the will of the Goddess!"
He moved quickly towards the source of the voice. When he drew close, Byron jumped up and fired. By the muzzle flash, he saw the soldier almost right in front of him. The soldier faced away from him, but seemed to be turning towards him.
Byron brought the pistol right up against the soldier's helmet and emptied his gun into it. As he hoped, the point-blank range punched through the helmet, dropping the enemy health bar to zero. The soldier tumbled back into the darkness.
+75 XP
100 CREDITS
HEADSHOT BONUS +25 XP
175/10000
Byron heard the Necralia trooper's rifle clatter at his feet. He reached down and tried to pick it up, but it felt like it weighed a ton. He kept trying until the game popped up another message.
NECRALIA PULSE RIFLE
LEVEL 10 REQUIRED
"Great," he snarled.
He checked his pistol. It flashed "zero." Out of ammo.
Byron holstered his pistol and flexed his fingers. Time to try out his level twelve strength.
He headed for the last remaining soldier. The enemy soldier fired into the darkness in all directions.
"Where are you, heretic?" the soldier roared.
Crawling on the floor, he circled around to where he hoped the soldier would be facing away. With a final burst of speed, Byron dashed out. The enemy trooper whipped around and fired. Byron felt the laser bolts slam into his chest but let the momentum carry him forward.
-40 HP
HP: 35/100
Byron grabbed hold of the enemy trooper's helmet and twisted as hard as he could. The soldier's head whipped around as a loud crack rang out. The soldier went limp and collapsed as its health bar dropped to zero.
+75 XP
250/10000
100 CREDITS
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED
The room flooded with light. Scarlett stood across the room, one hand on a switch.
"Why didn't you turn on the lights?" She froze, looking around. "Holy shit, you killed three Death Troopers in the dark? What the fuck?"
Byron collapsed onto the floor.
Chapter 8
THE WORLD spun around Byron as he opened his eyes. He could barely find the strength to lift his head and look up at Scarlett leaning over him. She kept her eyes focused on a white box in her hands, tapping buttons on its surface.
"Don't move," she murmured. "You lost a lot of health. I'm using a medpack to restore it."
The medpack beeped as she pressed the medpack into his chest. It shrank like melting ice as it entered his body, but he felt no pain. As it merged with him, he could see the blood and holes on his armor fading away, and strength and energy flooded through him. When the medpack vanished, he felt better than ever.
HP: 100/100
He propped himself up on one elbow and ran his hands over his healed body. "Wish it was that easy in real life."
Scarlett tapped him on the forehead. "What were you thinking? That was crazy. Attacking three Death Troopers with level three weapons was suicide."
He shrugged. "It worked out."
"Yeah, and I still can't figure that out. You are, like, totally fucking OP, dude."
Byron braced his hands on the floor and eased himself up onto his feet. The crates and dead bodies of Necralia Death Troopers still surrounded him, but someone new had shown up.
He recognized the woman from the distress signal. Even though his new body was taller than his old body, this feline alien still towered over him, smiling down with sharp teeth. The stripes on her face and neck ran all the way down her body. Her clawed fingers played with the straps of her bikini decorated with intricate metalwork and a necklace of tiny bones. He couldn't help lingering on her rounded breasts that strained the fabric of her top. Her long legs ended in small feet with clawed toes, and a long tail twisted and flicked in the air behind her.
He also couldn't help drawing his pistol and aiming it at her head. "You set us up."
The Nikora female dropped to her knees and laid her torso flat with her hands on the floor. "A thousand apologies for the deception, most handsome and noble warrior. The Death Troopers threatened to destroy the freighter and all on board if I had not played along. My sincerest hope was that you would prevail against them, as you have. You are truly a great warrior sent by the gods."
Byron sensed her desperation, and the view of her ass from above also helped him to forgive her a little bit. "Well, I don't know how we can trust you now, after that."
Scarlett widened her glowing eyes. "I can scan her heartbeat to see if she's lying."
He nodded. "Okay, do it."
As the Nikora sat back on her heels, Scarlett walked up to the alien and kissed her. The Nikora quivered a little in surprise and confusion, but the robot held the back of her head with both hands, keeping their lips together. It didn't take long for the Nikora to relax and even lean into the kiss. They moaned softly into each other's mouths as they pressed against each other.
When Scarlett finally drew back, both of them panted and looked deeply into each other's eyes and Byron was rock-hard.
Scarlett smiled. "She's telling the truth."
"Thanks." Byron lowered his pistol. "Was the kiss really necessary to scan her?"
Scarlett wiggled her metal eyebrows at him. "Not at all."
The Nikora touched her own lips with her fingers. "You are strange people. But we thank you for the rescue. You may call me Chetaara."
"I'm Byron Jones. This is Scarlett. You said you were afraid the empire would destroy everyone on board. Who else is on the freighter?"
Chetaara rose up and bowed. "I will show you, honored Byron Jones."
She turned and walked away with graceful steps, and Byron followed with his pistol at the ready.
She led the way through the ship, down bare metal hallways, until she reached another airlock. This one had a keypad where she typed in a code. The airlock popped open with a hiss and she swung the door open.
On the other side, hundreds of Nikora women stood or sat in a huge containment area, all naked and hauling chains around their wrists and ankles. Hundreds of pairs of naked breasts stared back at him, along with wide and frightened eyes. The air on the other side smelled sweet but humid.
"What is this?" Byron pointed. "I thought the Necralia soldiers said they were here for cargo."
Chetaara held out her hands with the palm up towards the women. "This is the cargo, Byron Jones. We were captured into slavery, bound to be sold to the highest bidder for hard labor or sex or both. The captain of our vessel took pity on us and helped us escape onto this freighter. He forged our codes to try to hide our escape, but Lady Necralia's spies found us. We were sure we were bound for punishment and harsh labor but you have saved us. We are in your debt."
The Nikora women al
l dropped to their knees and bowed until their foreheads touched the floor.
Byron shook his head. "This-this is so wrong. Even for a game."
Chetaara frowned. "Game? This is no game, Byron Jones."
Scarlett leaned over to him and whispered, "Most of the NPCs are programmed to think this is reality. Even if you try to talk them out of it, they won't listen. Just play along."
Byron nodded. "Okay, well, I'm freeing all of you. Can we take this freighter somewhere and drop them off?"
"Sure can. Aegis is only a few sectors from here. There's an outpost for the Republic of Beriza there where they can be given asylum."
"Let's do it."
The women all burst into cheers. Some rose up and hugged each other. Others wiped away tears. A few even clasped their hands together and whispered prayers. It made Byron feel so good.
Chetaara moved close to him and wrapped her long arms around him. Her soft body felt like velvet against him as she hugged him close and whispered in his ear. "Byron Jones, I am forever in your debt. My mother, my sister, they are on this ship. Please, allow me to form the Ritual of Bonding with you and I will remain at your side for the rest of my days."
Byron didn't need much convincing to have the beautiful alien woman near him. "Absolutely."
"Good." Her eyes narrowed. "Come. I will take you to perform the ritual."
She took his hand in hers and walked away, pulling him along behind him.
He looked back at Scarlett, who just grinned and made thrusting motions with her hips. It seemed like she knew more about this "Ritual of Bonding" than he did. Was the Ritual just a fancy way of saying "sex?"
The sound of laughter and cheering grew more distant as Chetaara and Byron made their way through the freighter. After passing through narrow metal corridors, they found a long hallway with doors alongside its length. Each open door showed a small cabin inside it. This seemed to be the living quarters for the freighter.
Chetaara ignored all of them, headed for the very end of the hall with a much larger cabin. The sign on the door said, "Captain."
She turned back to him and looked down at him with heavy eyes. "Here, where the freighter's captain once tried to force me to perform the Ritual of Bonding with him when we came aboard. I choose to perform the ritual with you."
He looked behind them down the hallway. "Sure the captain won't mind?"
"No, he will not. I killed him."
A lump formed in his throat at the calm way she said the words. "You did?"
"Of course. Attempting the Ritual of Bonding with an unwilling Nikora is punishable by death. I ripped his throat out with my teeth. I killed all the freighter's crew because they tried to take advantage of us. But fear not, Byron Jones. I will not kill you."
He swallowed the lump. "Uh, good."
She leaned down to rub her nose against his. He breathed in her earthy scent like pine cones as she whispered, "I ache for you, Byron Jones."
His cock swelled at the touch of her body against his. "I ache for you, too, Chetaara."
She took his hand and yanked him into the captain's quarters, surprisingly strong enough to almost pull him off his feet. When they were both inside, she slammed the door, locked it by swiping a keypad and turned to face him with hungry eyes.
He really hoped the Ritual of Bonding involved something sexual. He was picking up that vibe but part of him wondering if the ritual was just about praying together or something. He considered the fact that she was taller than him and covered in stripes, but that only made her seem more exotic.
Her hands slid up her stomach, over her breasts, and up her neck until they reached a knot on her bikini top. She pulled the string and the top fell away. Her breasts came into view and they were beautiful; plump and heavy with large nipples. He reached out for them, keeping an eye on her to see if it was okay. He still wasn't sure if he had misread her signals.
When he finally pressed his hands against her breasts and she moaned, he knew this was going down. He leaned in to kiss and lick her rounded flesh while she rolled her head back and cried out.
"Yes," she moaned. "Make me yours."
She arched her back, forcing her breasts deeper into her mouth, all while whispering something in a language he didn't understand. His hands stroked the flesh in circles while he planted kisses over their soft curves. The nipples grew firmer between his lips and she cried out.
"Oh, that feels so good. Don't stop." She followed with a whisper of chants in an alien language that sounded like a cross between a cat purring and meowing.
She pulled his head up to kiss him, and he felt her urgent need as she pressed against his lips. Her fingers traced along his neck, grazing his skin with her sharp claws but never cutting him. The sensation made goosebumps spring up on his neck. She continued to trace a path down to his collar.
"Remove these coverings," she whispered into his ear.
He obeyed, reaching down to unzip his jumpsuit. She helped it off his shoulders and down his arms until it slipped down and pooled around his legs. Her hands eagerly went to his boxer briefs. He let her slip them down, and she had to kneel to reach his ankles.
Her almond eyes looked up at him. "You are so handsome, Byron Jones."
As she knelt, her eyes dropped and widened at the sight of his throbbing member. It hung at eye level for her, and he hoped she would get the idea of what to do with it. She did, lunging her head forward to eagerly take it into her mouth.
"Yes, suck it," he groaned.
He gasped as her lips closed over his thickening shaft. It felt amazing, even though the sharpness of her fangs on his skin made his balls tighten. Yet she took him in gently and kept her teeth only grazing the length of his cock.
He rested his hands on the back of her head as it moved up and down, and her triangular ears flicked through his fingers. She worked her way along his shaft, leaving it wet and gleaming from her tongue and cheeks, and he couldn't hold back another groan.
"Oh, yeah," he gasped. "That feels so good, Chetaara."
She released him from her mouth and slowly rose to her feet. "I want to make you feel good. I want you to claim me by filling my body with your seed."
As she spoke, her fingers tugged the knot on her loincloth and it fell away, revealing glistening wetness between her thighs. She kissed his cheek and neck while crawling onto the bed next to him and settled on her knees and elbows. She looked over her shoulder at him with a coy smile.
"Take me, Byron Jones," she whispered.
He obeyed, coming up behind her and admiring the full roundness of her ass presented to him. His thickening cock didn't need any help finding its way into her and he groaned at the tight velvety grip as it surrounded him. He placed his hips on her hips and began to thrust.
Once again, his mind spun at how amazing his life had become. Once practically begging for just a date with girls he didn't even feel that attracted to, he now had two women throwing themselves at him within the space of a few hours. He wished he could find that old man from the subway and give him a kiss in gratitude. If he had known how amazing Venus Online was, he would have been willing to do anything to log into it.
Since she had longer legs than him, Byron had to thrust upwards to enter Chetaara, but that only made it feel so much more incredible. Her back arched to meet him and she let out soft groans with each movement to fill her depths.
"Yes," Chetaara gasped. "Make me yours forever, Master."
His whole body tingled when she called him Master. He'd never thought he was into that sort of domination, but the way his cock went rigid told him he probably was.
He ran his hands along the curve of her back to cup her breasts from behind as they swung below her.
She shuddered as his fingers played with her nipples, and he felt them stiffen under his touch.
She seemed to draw him ever deeper. She whimpered and twitched, savoring every inch of his manhood.
Her eagerness and incredible body made his arousal go sky-h
igh, and he felt the climax building inside himself. She seemed to sense his growing pleasure and pumped her hips faster to meet him, fucking him instead of him fucking her. Her energy and hot pussy slamming onto his dick let his climax peak. He thrust his final hard strokes deep into her until he finally came.
She let out a roar like a lion as her body began to spasm along with him. His legs went weak until he had to lean against the bed to keep standing as he shot his load again and again. When the final drops came oozing out of him, he let himself collapse. She laid her body down on the bed, rolled over, and took him into her arms.
Venus Online (Volume 1): LitRPG Sci-Fi Harem Page 6
