She Demon

by A P Gore

  “My loot?”

  “Yes, this bow didn’t drop for me. Any rare or unique item will drop with the name on it, so it can only be picked by the person who it belongs to.”

  “It does? I didn’t know that.” He had so much studying to do.

  “How can I repay you?” Her face flushed a reddish pink.

  Noah considered his options. “We are companions, right? Take it as a gift from me.” Noah smiled faintly, wondering if he should have asked for something else, like a kiss from those cherry red lips. From the moment he saw them, he had the desire to taste them, which wouldn’t go over well even if he tried.

  Damn you Noah. Don’t think about her lips. She isn’t human.

  “A companion?” Her voice dropped low, like an erotic purr. Her breath quickened, and she locked eyes with him. There was something inside those lavender eyes, something Noah hadn’t seen before. Something so sensual that Noah’s cock jumped.

  “A friend, I mean. A friend who shares things with friends.” The word companion must have some different meaning here. If not, Rihala’s reaction would have been normal.

  “A friend, you mean. Aha!” Her voice returned to its usual pitch. “Yes, we are good friends now, Noah.” She winked.

  Congratulations! Demonstrating the capacity to share, you have gained +10000 reputation with Rihala. New level of reputation: Friend.

  “Let’s sleep.” Noah started clearing away the bones and stuff, making some room for them. Thankfully, with one thought the game had dissolved all the rats into the meat pieces, otherwise their corpses would have smelled rotten in the open air.

  Rihala pulled a small tattered bedroll from her bag of holding and offered it to Noah. He declined politely, but Rihala insisted, so he set about collecting a bunch of small branches from outside trees and made a makeshift bed for himself. When she was assured he was okay, she went to sleep on her bedroll.

  The morning brought a dull sun and a chilly wind. At first, Noah didn’t recognize where the hell he was and why was he sleeping on a few tree branches sticking into his body through his light shirt. One particular branch had made its way inside his pants and scratched his butt painfully as he turned to sit up. He pulled his pants lower to pull the nasty stick out.

  Sweet laughter echoed around him. Damn! Rihala was awake, and he was flashing his ass at her.

  Ashamed to his core, he turned to her with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “No worries, Noah. Let me help you.” She jumped to her feet in a fraction of a second and approached. And then she did what she was famous for: she tripped on something and fell flat on him.

  Her lips once again were mere inches away from his, inviting him to taste them. He knew how they would taste: chocolaty. She smelled like dark chocolate, and her lips would taste like it.

  “I might not be able to stop myself from kissing you if you do this again.” His tongue betrayed him, and he regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. He was damn attracted to the she demon, but that didn’t mean he had to say it.

  She stared in his eyes for a moment, then pulled away from him, cheeks flaming red. He’d expected a slap, but instead he only got a blush.

  They walked back to the town of Sumara in silence. He caught her looking at him now and again but kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t sure if she liked him too, or if she was offended.

  When they were few miles away from the town’s gate, Rihala turned to him. “We’ll meet again, Noah. Our paths don’t end here.” She flashed him a heartwarming smile before departing.

  Noah watched her round ass vanish into the forest. With a heavy sigh, he turned toward his town, wondering what she meant. Their paths don’t end here? Was it a hint or something? Was he getting into something weird?

  Noah had entered through the south gate as usual, so the sacrificial grounds were on his way to the inn. He was supposed to stay away from it, but he went to the alley anyway. He was there for a reason, and as soon as he went closer to the sacrificial grounds’ gate, he smelled it. Coffee. The sweet aroma of the coffee plant was coming from of a bunch of small plants that had grown at the foot of the sacrificial grounds’ wall. He was half relieved to find it outside of the walls instead of inside the sacrificial grounds. Technically, he would be plucking it from outside the grounds and not entering them. A property appeared next to the leaf he plucked from the plant.

  Teccino: A plant used for instant stimulus. Used in stamina potions.

  So, there were stamina potions present in the game as well. Good to know. If only he could make potions, he could have felled all the skellies in the zombie house quest. He would have to keep buying them for now, but considering the cost of a health potion he could only imagine what a stamina or spirit potion would cost. An arm and a leg, maybe. Or a kidney. Whatever!

  Before stealing a glance at the sacrificial grounds, Noah picked all the teccino plants he could. He would put them through the same process of tea making: plucking, drying, rolling, and so on. He needed to learn a couple of steps in the latter stages from Roderich.

  Just before turning back, he raised himself on his toes to steal another quick glance of the sacrificial grounds. His heart flipped inside his chest and his eyes nearly popped out of his eye sockets. He recognized the site. It was where was he’d been slain by the demon the other night. No, not slain. Sacrificed.

  A goblin female was currently being sacrificed. Noah recognized her as the archer he’d seen with the hooded demon couple a few days back. But today the demon doing the killing wasn’t wearing a mask. In the bright daylight, High Mage Roderich was sacrificing the goblin female.

  Roderich’s knife descended before Noah’s poison orb hit him. It pierced her neck. A stream of blood sprayed out of the wound, and the goblin died on the spot.

  The poison orb hit Roderich’s knife hand, and he dropped knife. But the deed was done; the goblin archer was dead. Noah jumped over the wall and ran toward Roderich, shooting as many poison orbs he could with both hands.

  Roderich conjured a force shield around himself, deflecting Noah’s poison orbs, but Noah wasn’t ready to give up, not yet. He knew who was trying to kill him again and again, and today he would take revenge.

  Even if Roderich killed him today as well, he would come back and find a way to take his revenge.

  Roderich didn’t do anything of the sort. He waved his hand, and a force of air lifted Noah up. A twister of wind formed around him, whisking him a few feet away.

  “I’m sorry, Noah. But I have to do this. To save us all.” He picked up the knife and carved out the goblin female’s organs and then scattered them around the center pole. His whole body was covered in blood by the time he was finished, and he looked like the villain from the classic cable TV show, Texter.

  The twister tossed Noah unceremoniously out of the sacrificial site, throwing him on the ground. His bones cracked when he made impact, and a red notification appeared mentioning the damage.

  You have been hit by a level five twister. Damage taken: 200.

  Noah coughed up blood. He slowly rose, balancing himself on the wall, but by the time he could look back over it, Roderich was gone, leaving the dead goblin body behind.

  17. Curse Acceleration

  The weather was damp and rainy as Noah walked back to the inn with mixed feelings—mostly furious and betrayed. The female goblin occupied his mind the whole way back. Suddenly, the sky started spitting out huge rain drops. He quickly took cover under a large pine tree that grew on what should have been a house some decades back.

  The drops mixed with the black soil, spreading an intoxicating wet earthy fragrance everywhere. Noah loved it. He used to love it when he was child. His dad's farm was located on a rain-deficient planet, so it only rained sparingly; whenever it rained, he would watch it for hours, enjoying the water and the fragrance of the wet soil. And when the rain was done, he would run to watch the drops hanging on the bushes of the farm’s trees. His dad used to
produce seasonal fruits in their farm, and Noah felt the fruits tasted better after every rain. But today, even the memory of his childhood couldn’t bring a smile on his face.

  How could he smile after the man he trusted betrayed him? Roderich was one of the first demons he’d felt a bond of friendship and respect with, but the same man was betraying him behind his back and killing him in a disguise. He’d even gone to great lengths, using magic, to prove himself innocent.

  But today, you proved me wrong, Roderich. Damn wrong. Damn you Roderich!

  Noah quickened his pace when the rain stopped. He needed to talk to Mathial. The rain had wet the soil, making it more difficult to traverse with his fur shoes. Small water ponds had formed everywhere, and he accidentally put his foot in one of them, muddying the shoe. He would soon need a level up, or he’d have to wash his shoes as well. This game sucked!

  Mathial and Thia were playing in front of the smithy when he arrived. Thia, as usual, jumped on him and licked his face. Her smile removed all of his worries.

  “Daddy. Play.” Thia demanded, with the face of a four-year-old stubborn child and her hands resting on her waist. Well, she was a four-year-old child, but she’d never demanded something like this from him. She was acting like a small girl today, and he gave in to her demands. A daddy’s job included giving in to his child’s demands now and then, which he was doing, even in the game.

  The game of hide and seek loosened all of his tension and frustration. By the time they were done playing, his mood was back to normal, and he was looking forward to a nice comfy afternoon sleep.

  They were saying goodbye to Mathial when Thia suddenly collapsed, unconscious. Her body went into a full body spasm, and white drool leaked from the corner of her mouth.

  Noah’s heart fell. Thia wasn’t moving. Not at all. Her life was land sliding.

  “Mathial, what’s happening?”

  Mathial was already checking her pulse. “It’s the curse.” He frowned.

  “Damn!”

  “Run to Roderich. Get the medicine.”

  “We can’t.” A chill shook Noah’s heart. He couldn’t go to Roderich. Not now. Then he remembered something important. “I have the antidote.”

  “Then give it to her. Fock the goblins!” Mathial straightened Thia with force. Her body was resisting, trying to curl back up.

  Noah froze. He had the antidote. But should he give it to her, now that he knew Roderich was up to no good? What if it hurt her?

  “Come on human! Give it to her, quick!”

  Noah hurried forward, pulling the antidote out of his bag. Without giving it another thought, he poured it in Thia’s mouth.

  Thia’s movements eased as the liquid entered her mouth. Her life stabilized at 20%.

  Mathial poured a health potion in her mouth, bringing her life back up to 60%. “That was close.”

  “It was.” Noah wiped sweat from his forehead with back of his sleeves. It was damn close. He nearly lost his daughter, and to save her he’d had to trust his own killer. Damn! It was close. “Can you take her up to my room, please? I’ll be back soon.”

  He walked out of the inn without waiting to see if Mathial would do it. He knew Mathial would. The greedy blacksmith liked Thia.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  The goddess walked through a door that wasn’t there before, but Noah was used to it now. “Coffee please.”

  “No. First tell me the cure for my little girl.” Noah stood there, stubborn and unmoving.

  Sumara’s eyes turned red, dark red, and she bit her lower lip. “You can’t fucking negotiate with me. I’m a goddess, and no one demands anything of me.”

  A blue orb formed on her palm and flew at Noah, hitting him for 100 damage. Another swiftly followed, hitting him for another 100 damage. Then another 100 damage. She continued until he was only left with 1 life.

  His body was shuddering in pain by then. He was on the ground with burned skin and shattered bones. The crazy goddess bitch had left him incapacitated. But his brain still worked, relaying and amplifying all the damn pain he was experiencing.

  Damn! Why did I sign up for this? How am I going to save Thia?

  “Coffee may save your life today,” she said, leaning over his body, staring in his eyes. Her eyes had gone back to normal.

  Noah willed six cups of coffees for the bitch. The green and white cups appeared on the table, and the goddess cheered happily.

  She waved her hand and a stream of red light zapped through his heart. His health filled to full, erasing his pain and agony. “Come to me when you have the coffee recipe.” She picked up all the cups and vanished through the door.

  Noah was left behind with nothing but a notification of a buff.

  Congratulations! You’ve been healed by a goddess. 10% extra life for the next 2 hours.

  He would have felt happy in any other scenario, but today he only had one word for the goddess, the crazy bitch.

  18. Seducing Demon

  The inn smelled of ale and tea when Noah got back. He checked inside the kitchen and found the tea and milk boiling in a pot. Mathial wasn't there, but a new demon with a huge tummy sat next to the fire, stirring it with a large wooden spoon.

  Noah turned away as the demon game him a wary look. He headed outside, and around to the back of the inn. Mathial was there, working in the smithy.

  “Where is Thia?”

  “Upstairs. Have you seen Roderich? That fool went on vacation, and I had to hire a replacement cook.” Mathial sounded annoyed. He hammered the metal plate on the anvil. A dent appeared on the plain sheet of metal, but that would vanish soon, and the plate would turn into strong metal armor. Or something else.

  Noah didn't answer. He knew why Roderich went on vacation.

  “Do you have any armor I can buy?” Noah changed the subject, he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell the story of Roderich to Mathial. There were too many dynamics in the demon town, and he didn't want to get caught up in them.

  “Yes, but it needs repair and I don’t have time for that.

  Noah nodded and bought it, anyway. It only had 10 durability left, but something was better than nothing.

  After Mathial put away the money, Noah asked, “Mathial, do you trust me?”

  Mathial paused, hammer raised to resume hitting the metal plate. He lowered the hammer and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a clean white cloth. “Why do you ask that?”

  Noah took a deep breath. “Roderich is the one who has killed me multiple times now. I know he ain't on any bloody vacation.” Noah clenched the armor in his hand.

  Mathial almost dropped the cloth he was holding. “What?”

  “I saw him today, sacrificing a goblin female in the sacrificial grounds. It was the same alter where he sacrificed me a few days back.”

  “Fock the goblins!” Mathial spun, hitting the hammer and sending it flying toward the wall. It dropped with a thump after hitting the wall of the smithy, landing on Mathial’s foot. A hint of pain passed over his face. “Are you sure about this, human?” he asked, bending to check on his now bleeding toe.

  Noah blinked at the red spreading below Mathial’s foot. “Yes. When I tried to save the goblin female, he attacked me. He sliced her throat and then carved out her organs.”

  Mathial froze in shock, then ran to the front door, leaving a trail of blood behind.

  Thia walked into the smithy and jumped on Noah’s shoulder, licking his ears. “Daddy. Uncle? Blood?” She pointed at the red trail.

  “I don’t know, sweetie. But something happened, and he just took off. Must be some urgent work.” Noah wrapped his hand around her, adjusting her on his shoulder.

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Noah and Thia put the coffee alternative through the various processes. Once he was done, he got a notification for +1 in cooking and a 6 day timer to complete the herb masala he was making. It was coffee powder for him, but the game wasn’t calling it that. Thia too got a +1 in cooking. That was unintentional, but who cares?
They had a blast along the way. They dropped on the bed a little too exhausted that night, but the day left a memory in both of their minds—a memory of father and daughter’s time well spent. The system too gave him +2000 reputation with Thia as proof. When sleep took over him, he was deep in thought about the reputation system of BlackFlame Online. It was absurd.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  The next morning, Noah kissed Thia and left the inn. Mathial was back at the counter, but he didn’t look too pleased. Noah didn’t ask him why he’d run off the day before; sometimes everybody need to be left alone, even digitized NPCs.

  Rihala was waiting for him at the border of the expansion site below a large tree capable of holding two tree houses, if he decided to make one. She was dressed in tight gray pants and a white shirt along with a brown leather jacket showing a bit of her cleavage. Noah briefly looked at it before turning away; he didn’t want any distractions today. But she looked too damn hot to not admire.

  “Your armor looks battered. My mom says, ‘wear something that looks good on you,’” Rihala said, moving closer to him, touching his armor.

  She smelled like some exotic flower today, a flower he could continue staring at forever, without getting tired. She was just inches away from him, and her warmth was entering his body, distracting him. The touch of her hand, even over the armor, sent lightning waves across his body. He stepped away from her, looking at the tree. “Yes, it needs some work. Mathial will patch it up in a couple of days.”

  She moved next to him, spinning around, showing every side of her figure. “How do I look today?” Her taut ass left a seductive impression in his mind. Her tail was too close to his waist today; it even wrapped around him as she stood close. Affection was clear in her actions.

  “You look awesome, but...” He paused. The collar around her neck looked odd with her otherwise sexy attire.

  “But what?”