“What a dick,” said Nanaya.
I plopped down on the cot beside her and ground my teeth in frustration.
“What are you thinking?” Nanaya asked as she took my hand in hers.
“I’m thinking that corporate just messed with the wrong quadriplegic.”
Chapter 6
“Sam…we’re sorry.” Anna’s voice floated through my dreams.
I awoke to find my girls all standing around me. Nanaya stirred beside me, and Trinity offered her a scowl.
“It’s not your fault that Megulla tricked you into getting her pregnant,” said Kit.
“We should have been more understanding,” Ember added.
“It’s all good,” I said. “I’ve got bigger concerns right now.”
I told them about the demons having my mage powers and my special ability, and I reiterated what Dr. Marks had said.
“What a dick,” said Trinity.
“That’s what I said,” Nanaya told her.
“Where do we go from here?” Anna asked.
“I like Nanaya’s idea of using the demon army,” said Ember. “Might as well use it to our advantage.”
“First, I’ve got to get ahold of Megulla,” I said. “Nanaya thinks that she can get through to her using Frig, but not while we’re in here.”
Cecilia tapped on her interface. “It’s almost been twenty-four hours.”
“What about practice?” said Trinity. “We still have to interview alternates.”
“You guys take care of that. I trust your judgement,” I told them. “I’ll talk to Megulla, see where we stand, and you guys find our new guildmate. We’ll meet up afterword to start practice. Lord knows that we need it.”
The dwarven NPC guards released us shortly after, and I went with Nanaya to an apothecary shop to get the things that she needed to try to contact Frig in the Underworld. We went back to Cecilia’s place and set up in her apartment above the pub. It took Nanaya about a half hour to get everything ready. The demon trap that she was using to catch Frig was a lot like the one she had used before, including two steaming hot pizza pies.
I sat on the couch and drank a beer as she performed the spell, and soon her ancient words were doing their magic. The pentagram that she had drawn on the floor began to glow, and the writhing, screaming little imp poofed into existence at the center of the symbol. As soon as he did, the many points of the star glowed bright, and an energy dome hummed low.
“Awe man, not you again,” said Frig. But then he saw the pizza and he blinked heavily, suddenly looking to the succubus affectionately. “I mean, ohhh thank Baal, it’s you!”
“Cut the act Frig. I need to speak with Megulla,” Nanaya said impatiently.
“You give me the pizza, and I tell her you wanna talk, is that the deal?”
“Nope, you get her, then I give you pizza,” she countered.
“That’s bullshit!” He stomped and kicked the ground.
“That’s the deal!” She howled right back at him.
He cowed like a beaten dog. “Fine, fine, jeesh. You don’t have to get nasty.”
“Just hurry the fuck up,” she told him.
“You know that you’ve got to let me out so that I can—”
“Do I look like I was born yesterday I know that you can communicate with her using your feeble little mind,” Nanaya told him.
“That won’t be necessary,” came Megulla’s voice.
I leapt up out of the couch and whirled around to find Megulla pouring herself a drink at Cecilia’s extensive private bar.
“Megulla,” I said as my eyes roamed over her sultry form. I remembered our long sex session and suddenly needed to adjust myself beneath my robes.
“Hello Samson,” she said in that deliciously husky voice.
“You’ve changed,” I said, noticing that her level now had a question mark by it. Power emanated from her like heat from a stove, and she glowed with faint green light.
“It’s only been a week,” she said with an alluring grin. Then she glanced at Nanaya and strode toward the succubus. “I should have known that I’d find you here with him.”
“Fuck you very much Megulla,” said the succubus without a hint of fear.
A part of me hoped that they would start wrestling, and I found myself wishing that I knew a spell that would make a little pool full of Jell-O appear.
“Do you have anything that you want to tell me?” I asked Megulla.
She looked at me quizzically, then the snarky, flirty look on her face disappeared and was replaced by fury. “You told him already, didn’t you?” she angrily accused Nanaya.
“Oh please. Give me a break. Don’t act like you wanted to tell him yourself,” Nanaya said lazily.
“I did want to tell you myself,” Megulla said to me. Her hands suddenly began to glow and she glared at Nanaya. “But this bitch had to ruin it.”
“Megulla, stop,” I said evenly. She looked like she was going to blast Nanaya into next week with the spell building in her hands. “Nanaya, can you give us a minute?”
“Sure, but don’t let this bitch fool you.”
“Bye-bye,” said Megulla tauntingly.
Nanaya rolled her eyes and left the room.
“Beat it Frig,” said Megulla, and with a wave of her hand the imp was gone.
She turned her gaze my way, and I could tell that she wanted to do more than talk.
“Were you really going to tell me, or are you just bullshitting me?” I asked.
“Of course, I was going to tell you, Sam.”
“When?”
She shrugged and walked slowly toward me. I tried to remind myself that she was an NPC as she wrapped her arms around me and stared into my eyes. In her pupils I saw the bursting volcanos of the Underworld, the lakes of lava, and her palace rising high above it all. A serious case of tunnel vision afflicted me then, and the small image provided by her pupil grew bigger.
The next thing I knew, I was standing on a ledge overlooking the city of Hellgrind. It was a familiar sight, though it had undergone some changes under Megulla and no doubt Nanaya before her. The chamber was so vast that it had its own cloud system, and the crimson sky shimmered as though it were made of billions of distant rubies reflecting the light of the burning lands below. Long jagged crystal formations protruded from the shattered earth, yet there was beauty in it. There was beauty in the fires as well, and even in the chorus of misery echoing across the land.
When I beheld my demonic children, however, I saw a terrible beauty that left me shaken.
They hovered in the air above the city like golden gods on gilded wings. Their shiny skin reflected the fires burning all around them. Long, flowing sand-colored hair blew in the hot breeze, and as they drew closer their beauty only intensified. Glowing eyes regarded me curiously as they gathered near the ledge and hovered there, one-thousand strong.
“My children, this is your father, the great and powerful mage that I have told you so much about,” Megulla declared proudly. “Come and pay homage.”
I found that I was nervous, for the magnificent creatures floating toward me couldn’t be my children. They were the size of grown men, with muscular forms that looked to have been sculpted by the most skilled craftsmen. But as they drew closer still, I saw a look of adoration in their fierce, sunburst eyes.
“Hello father,” they said in one voice, and I was taken aback by their uniformity.
“Do they share the same mind?” I asked Megulla.
“In a sense,” she said with a smile.
One of them floated down to the ledge and landed gracefully. He wore only a loincloth of silk, and when I saw his title and level I nearly fell over.
Gilded Son of Samson
Fire Mage
Level - 75
“Hello father,” said the gilded demon, who was a twin to his brothers. “We have waited long to meet you.”
“Uhhh, hi,” I said a bit too awkwardly. But he only grinned and cocked his head to the
side, studying me.
“We have conquered the Underworld for you, father. We are powerful, just like you.”
“You conquered the Underworld for me?” I asked him and glanced at Megulla.
My son unsheathed a long, golden blade and took a knee. “We live only to serve you, Father.”
“Soon they will be the most powerful beings alive, not only here in the Underworld, but one day, on the surface as well,” Megulla stated proudly.
“Can I speak with your mother alone?” I asked the kneeling demon.
He was still smiling at me, practically gushing, and I didn’t know whether to be proud or terrified of what I had created.
“As you wish, father.” He leapt into the air and turned back to his brothers, and together they resumed circling the distant tower.
“Megulla, you can’t invade the surface world with my children.”
“Why not?” the beautiful demoness asked, looking truly perplexed.
“Because I forbid it. They say that they serve me, and if that is true, then they will heed my commands.”
“Ah, but they serve me as well,” she informed me. “You have only just met them, please, do not bring strife to our family so soon.”
“Family?” I said, perhaps a little too harshly.
She frowned. “I thought that you would be happy to see what we have created together. With our children behind us, we could conquer the world.”
“I don’t want to conquer the world,” I said with growing frustration.
“You don’t? But that is what you said to me. You said that you wanted to become a king, to own vast stretches of land. You said—”
“I know what I said, but I didn’t mean that I wanted to conquer the world as a dark lord.”
“You confuse me, Samson Sullivan.” Megulla was growing frustrated, so I tried a different approach.
“Listen, is there any way that you can stop the golden demons from leveling so fast?”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Because, the programmers are—”
“The what?” she asked.
“The programmers,” I said, but realizing that she had no idea what I meant, I spoke in words that she would understand. “I mean the gods. They aren’t going to allow your…our children to reach an infinite level. I fear that the gods will strike our children down out of fear and jealousy.”
She scoffed at that. “The gods should be afraid, for once we have conquered the Underdark and the surface world, we shall conquer the heavens.”
I realized quickly that I wasn’t going to change her mind about world domination, she was an NPC after all. She may have been an advanced form of A.I., but she had still been programmed by someone to play her part, and I didn’t know if she could change. I needed to speak in a language that she would understand.
“Listen,” I said, glancing around conspiratorially and moving in closer. “If we are going to do this, then we’ve got to do it right. We’ve got to be pragmatic. We’ve got to be prepared. Before we can conquer the surface world, I’ve got to attain more power. Unlike your children, I still have a cooldown.”
“Not in the Underworld you don’t,” she said with an alluring purr.
“You need to trust me on this, and you’ve got to be patient. Haste will only bring about our demise. Do you understand? The programmers… I mean the gods, can shape reality as they see fit. They can snuff us out with the wave of a hand.”
“You give the feeble gods too much credit.” She scoffed and waved me off lazily.
“You don’t give them enough, Megulla. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. It was they who gave me the orb to banish Kincaid, and that is just a taste of their incredible power.”
For the first time fear showed on her face.
“Can you stop the children from leveling?” I asked.
“I cannot take away their special ability,” she said. “But I can forbid them from fornicating for a time.”
“Good,” I said with a sigh of relief.
“But how long, Samson? How long until we can unleash our spawn unto the world?”
The need for destruction that I saw in her eyes gave me a serious case of the heebie-jeebies, but I smartly hid my emotions from her.
“Does it matter how long it is if in the end we stand over the dead bodies of the gods?”
That put a devilish smile on her face, and she grabbed my crotch and licked her lips.
“Tell me more,” she said with an orgasmic shudder to her voice.
I pulled her in and laid a passionate kiss on her that left her panting. Then I backed away, acting as though I was trying desperately to control myself.
“Patience, my dear. Before we can act, I must gain more power in my own realm. How can I take the side of the most powerful demoness in the Underworld if I am but a lowly guild leader on the Surface? No, you deserve nothing less than a king of men. Will you wait for me?”
“I would wait until the end of time for you, Samson. For it was you who have given me such powerful children. It was you who slew the great Kincaid.”
“Yeah, I’m kinda dope,” I said with a wry grin. “Tell the children that you forbid them from having sex, will you do that for me?”
“As you wish, my love. I have seen the wisdom of your words. I shall wait until you have gained more power. Until then, please take this token.” She handed me a talisman that was a perfect miniature replica of our golden children. When I took it, a notification appeared on my interface.
Talisman of the Gilded Demon
Allows the bearer to summon an army of Gilded demons
Duration – Until Dismissed
“Holy shit!” I blurted as I read the words floating before me.
“They are your children as well as mine,” Megulla said sweetly.
“Thank you, Megulla.” I took an enchanted gold chain from my interface and attached the talisman to it. I handed it to Megulla, and she put it around my neck.
“I look forward to seeing you again soon, brave Samson,” she said. There was a flash of light, and the next moment I was standing in Cecilia’s bedroom.
“Sam!” Kit screamed with surprise and relief.
“Where the hell were you?” Trinity asked as they all gathered around.
“Oh, you know, just in the Underworld meeting my army of golden demon children and hanging out with Megulla. She wants to take over the world with me. What have you guys been up to?” I plopped down on a nearby couch and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“She wants to take over the world?” said Tweak.
“With you?” Anna added.
“What’s that on your neck?” Kit asked curiously.
“Oh this?” I said with an ironic laugh. “This is a talisman that allows me joint custody of our demon kids. Well, they’re not kids at all. They’re full grown Greek god-looking bad ass demon mages”
“You can summon them with that?” Ember said with intrigue. “Like summon them to the surface world? Sam, that’s fucking huge.”
“Right?” said Cecilia. “With that kind of army, we could take over a kingdom with ease. Screw the Guild Wars.”
“Are you nuts?” I asked them, and seeing that the other three women agreed, I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m not using a demon army to become a king.”
“Why the hell not?” Nanaya asked.
“Says the succubus.” Tweak rolled his eyes and shook his purple head.
“Listen,” I told them all. “I convinced Megulla to forbid her children from leveling until I gain more power on the surface world. I need to get ahold of Dr. Marks and see what he thinks—”
“Seriously?” said Anna. “The doctor basically told you to piss off.”
“Yeah,” said Kit. “Didn’t he tell you not to bug him anymore with your in-game problems?”
“This isn’t just my problem, it’s everyone’s problem. If Megulla lets her children level infinitely, they’ll take over the entire game.”
“Sam, this
is a fantasy game,” Ember reminded me. “Someone is always trying to take over everything. That’s kinda how the genre works.”
“So what are you saying?” I asked. “It might as well be me?”
“What I’m saying, is that you have a savior complex,” the drow assassin told me.
“You kinda do,” said Tweak.
“And you suggest what? Just ignore this threat? Just go with the flow?”
“She means that you don’t have to save everyone all the time, you know?” Cecilia informed me.
“Fine, what about another alternate? Did you guys find someone?” I asked, wanting to think through everything on my own before debating it with them.
“Yup,” said Kit happily. She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. Everyone looked to the door, and I followed their gaze. It suddenly burst open, and in strode a red-headed female dwarf warrior.
“Sam, meet Stormy,” said Kit with delight.
The dwarven women, clearly a real-world player, strode into the room with a sway of her hourglass form. Her silver armor was tight fitting and curved upward from a lean waist and over large breasts, which spilled over the top of her metal bustier. She had a cute, freckled face and a horned helm from which two long pig tails protruded and draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were green and sparkling, and she exuded self-confidence.
“Hello, Stormy,” I said, extending my hand.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Samson,” she said, shaking my hand. “And I must say, now that I’ve met you in person, I can’t wait to level.”
Chapter 7
I had a lot of shit on my mind, but Stormy had been promised a ride on the magic stick by the other women, and dammit, I had a responsibility to my guild. Besides, my cooldown was up, and I never turned down an opportunity to level.
My guildmates left Stormy and I alone in Cecilia’s place, and I went to the bar to pour the dwarf a drink. I knew that if the girls had chosen her, then there must have been something special about her, and I was excited to distract myself from my current problems getting to know her.
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