by Nolan Fury
My brow knitted, perplexed. “Like what?”
“I will decide after I have given you the information you came for.”
“That doesn’t seem totally fair.”
“Who said life was fair?”
I couldn’t argue with that statement.
“Take it or leave it?”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll pay your price.”
Tyler had a grave look on his face.
Lady Vanya looked into the bowl of water. She saw a montage of images depicting the last few days, culminating with Ruby’s abduction. The images stopped on Severin’s face, then faded.
Lady Vanya gazed up at me with her big lavender eyes. “Severin is a formidable opponent indeed. And you are a mere—”
“I know, I know. I’m a nobody.”
“You are a nobody who has an interesting destiny.”
“Can you see my future?”
“The future is never concrete. I can see possible outcomes. Success or failure, happiness or despair, is completely up to you.”
She reminded me of a fortuneteller back on Earth. And I wondered if she was going to continue speaking in riddles or if she was going to give any concrete information. “How can I succeed?”
“You will need three things in order to defeat Severin. Without them, you will fail. And you will need to acquire them in the order that I specify, otherwise you will fail. Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“First, you must acquire an antidote to the venom of the Velnox.”
“What the hell is a Velnox?”
“Something that you should pray you never encounter. I’m sure the robot can tell you all about them.”
I gave a glance to Tyler.
“I’ll tell you about them later,” he muttered. I could see the fear on his digital face.
“Where do I find this anti-venom?”
“Capricorn 9,” Vanya said. “There is an apothecary in the city of Tuluv. Find Brikum Raal, he will supply you with what you need.”
[Quest: Aquire Anti-venom.]
“Sounds simple enough. What’s next?” I asked.
“You need to take possession of the Dagger of Adynio. It is located in the Tomb of Netrak on 3 Orion Cephei. But beware. The tomb is cursed. None who have entered have ever returned.”
[Quest: Acquire the Dagger of Adynio.]
I frowned. “Now that sounds a bit more complicated.” I wasn’t superstitious, and I certainly wasn’t one to believe in curses. But a few days ago, I wouldn’t have believed an alternate dimension existed either. “Go on.”
“The last thing you will need is the Stone of Elavia. It will allow you to draw power from other supers and mimic their abilities. As long as you wear the stone around your neck, you will possess the same powers as the supers in your proximity.”
“Now that sounds pretty bad ass.”
“You will find the stone in the caves of the Rodul Moutains on Draconis Minor 6. The Tarvin monks will show you the way.”
“What’s the catch?” I asked.
“The Velnox, of course.” A diabolical grin curled on her lips. “One sting from the creature’s tail will paralyze you. Keep the anti-venom handy.”
[Quest: Acquire Stone of Elavia.]
I took a moment to let the information sink in. What the hell did I get myself into?
A mischievous twinkle glimmered in Lady Vanya’s lavender eyes. “I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, and now you shall fulfill yours.”
“What do I owe you?” I asked with trepidation.
“Your seed.”
My eyes widened.
“My seed? Like, you want me to knock you up?”
“You will give me a child, and he will become a great super.”
My face twisted. “But, I’m not a super. Why do you want my jizz, I mean, seed?”
“You carry a rare recessive super-gene.”
“Really?”
She nodded.
“So, how do you want to do this? The old-fashioned way, or do I have to jerk it in a cup?”
A lascivious grin curled on her luscious lips. “I prefer the old-fashioned way.”
I glanced to Tyler, and he subtly shook his head.
I shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
Lady Vanya stood up and walked around the table. She took my hand and pulled me out of the room. I looked back over my shoulder at Tyler’s grim face. I mouthed “What? She’s hot?”
He continued to shake his head and a grim expression played on his face.
15
I couldn’t imagine what could be so bad about bumping fuzzies with Vanya? I mean, she was young, hot, and sexy. I’d soon find out her terrifying secret.
I didn’t have to worry about STDs. Ruby told me there were no STDs in the Ultraverse.
Yay free love!
I figured Ruby would understand. This was all for a good cause. We had barely time to get to know each other, let alone define the parameters of our relationship.
Vanya’s bedroom was dark and Gothic like the rest of the castle. She had a black four post bed with a plush red comforter.
“This place is cool and all, but don’t you ever get tired of the darkness?”
“No. I make my own light.” A naughty twinkle flashed in her eyes. She reached her hand behind her back and untied her dress. The sheer fabric went slack. She let it fall away, revealing her creamy breasts. She had perfect, erect nipples. It fell down her toned thighs, pooling around her ankles.
Her porcelain skin was flawless. Her mound was smooth and slick. She stepped over the garment and flung her arms around my neck. Her full lips pressed against mine. Her hair smelled great.
I put a hand in the small of her back and pulled her petite frame against me. My other hand found her breast and caressed her milky flesh gently. Our legs intertwined, and our hips ground against each other.
She traced her hand down my stomach and grabbed a handful of my hardness. She stroked me over my clothes. It didn’t take too much of that to convince me that I needed to peel off my suit.
Before long I was buck naked, my soldier saluting. I tossed my clothes, my trench-coat, and my plasma pistol onto a nearby chair. By that time Vanya was on her knees.
She licked me like a lollipop, then wrapped her full lips around my girth. She took me inside, easing over the ridges and veins. She cupped my balls and stroked my shaft and worked me like a pro. Nothing was going to top the blowjob that Ruby had given me. But I didn’t have any complaints about this one either.
Her head bobbed furiously, and I thrust my hips. After a moment, she looked up at me with big eyes and glistening lips. “That’s enough of that. I don’t want you depositing your seed in the wrong place.”
She stood up, twirled around, and sauntered to the bed. Her tight ass swung from side to side. She crawled on the bed like a cat and arched her ass into the air. Her beautiful pinkness stared at me, dripping wet.
I moved behind her, standing by the edge of the bed. I grabbed her hips and rubbed myself between her ass cheeks. Then I took hold of my root and positioned my head against her opening. She grabbed her ass cheeks and spread herself open. I pushed inside her tight core, and she moaned with pleasure. She gripped me like a glove as I pulled her hips against mine. She was warm and juicy. Our bodies slapped against one another as our thrusts grew more powerful.
I grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled her head back and smacked her ass gently. Each time I did it, she got wetter and moaned. She clenched tight around me.
I closed my eyes for a moment as I lost myself in the ecstasy of it all. What I saw when I opened my eyes was terrifying.
The hair that I was holding in my hand wasn’t vibrant shimmering blue anymore. It was scratchy, withered, and stringy gray hair that felt like steel wool. Vanya’s once pert ass had fallen, and was now withered and wrinkled like a raisin, sagging from frail bones. Her creamy skin was spotted and wrinkled like the cracks of a dry lake bed. I could see the knots of her spine and the humps of
her ribcage. She had green mold growing on her skin.
She looked half dead.
She probably was half dead!
I pulled out, and my soldier slumped.
She spun around and snarled at me—thin lips, craggy teeth, crooked nose and all. She had a large mole on her face with a black hair curling out of it. “Finish the job!”
Fuck that!
I desperately wanted to take a shower and wash her from me. No way in hell was I going to put myself back in that craggy thing.
“A deal is a deal,” she muttered.
“Um, I’ll take a rain check.”
Her breasts hung to her bellybutton. I saw what looked like a roach crawl out of the rats nest that was her hair. I shivered in disgust. From here on out, I was certainly going to heed Tyler’s warnings.
“Get back here and fuck me!” she demanded.
I grabbed my clothes and barreled into the hallway. The withered monster chased after me, but she couldn’t move all that fast in her old age. I assumed she only had power to transform herself in two a young hot thing for so long.
I raced down the steps and found Tyler in the sitting room. “It’s time to roll!”
He looked at me with wide eyes, then zipped into the corridor.
I fumbled with my clothing, hopping down the corridor as I tried to step into my pant legs.
“I told you,” Tyler said.
“No, you really didn’t.”
The big blue alien blocked the exit and growled. His roar echoed through the cavernous castle. He flexed his muscles like a bodybuilder doing a crab pose, and the veins in his neck bulged.
I grabbed my plasma pistol and took aim at the big oaf. I lined him up in the reticle of my holo-sight and squeezed off two rounds. Blistering bolts of plasma rocketed down the hallway, but the blue ogre created an energy shield that blocked the plasma. The bolts dissipated on impact, and his energy shield illuminated with each hit.
The alien was a super, and his power was energy manipulation. He formed a ball of glowing blue energy in his palms. It illuminated the corridor and under-lit his face, giving him an even more ominous appearance. He wound his hand back and heaved the ball of energy toward us.
It rocketed through the air like a swirling galaxy.
I had been hit with an energy ball before, and once was enough. This time I wouldn’t have the protection of Glow and Ruby to dissipate the energy. If this ball of energy hit me, it was going to kill me. There was no doubt about it.
16
This was going to hurt like a mother fucker. I dove out of the way and narrowly avoided the blistering ball of energy. Tyler had lightning fast reflexes. He evaded the charge with technical precision. It wasn’t even a challenge for him.
The decrepit Lady Vanya hobbled around the corner just in time to meet the energy ball head on. It smacked into her with a blinding flash, knocking her on her ass, sending her sliding against the tile.
The blue alien’s eyes went wide, and he gulped. He knew he had fucked up big time. He raced toward Vanya, ignoring us. His heavy steps rumbled the castle. His bare feet slapped against the tile. He knelt at her side and looked devastated.
We took the opportunity to get the hell out of there. Tyler and I hit the door and plunged down the rocky staircase toward the portal. I could see the snowy landscape of the Ultraverse on the other side. But we didn’t have time to spare. We needed to get to the portal before Vanya used her magic to close it. If she was still alive.
The uneven steps were difficult to navigate. I almost lost my footing several times. Tyler breezed ahead of me and rocketed toward the portal. The edges began to fade, and the portal started to close.
I ran as fast as I could. My chest heaved for breath. One slip up and I’d hit the dirt and be trapped in this godforsaken dimension forever.
The opening of the portal shrank smaller and smaller. By the time I reached it, it was less than 3 feet wide. I dove into the air and threaded the narrow opening just as it closed. I tumbled to the ground and rolled to a stop. I pushed myself off the rocky, snowy ground and looked back at the portal. It was now closed. I could no longer see into the other dimension.
I staggered to my feet and brushed the snow off my clothes. I breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a thankful glance with Tyler.
This was only the beginning of the journey and I was lucky to still be alive. I began to have serious doubts about my ability to complete the rest of the tasks. But I was never one to dwell on the downsides. I had seen plenty of combat situations that seemed hopeless. What did I have to lose, anyway? I was already supposed to be dead. Every day after was just a gift.
Tyler and I made our way down the mountain. I glanced back, and the portal was open again. The big blue alien bounded through, snarling. His sharp fangs glistened.
“I think we better hurry,” I muttered and broke into a sprint, running through the forest.
Tyler zipped alongside me.
We blazed past the tall evergreens. I could hear the big alien’s thunderous footsteps behind us, gaining ground.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a large hairy beast racing toward me. It had red eyes, sharp claws and long fangs. It was mostly a blur. Its guttural roar echoed through the forest.
I snatched my plasma pistol from its holster and took aim. My finger squeezed the trigger, blasting off as many rounds as I could. Plasma bolts streaked through the forest, slamming into trees. Wood and bark splintered. Sparks showered. Smoke billowed from the blackened impact craters. The blasts had weakened some trees and they began to fall. Sounds of popping wood and cracking branches filled the air.
The ferocious Rygok dodged the blasts and took a new course. His attention turned to the blue alien barreling down the path. The Rygok charged him instead.
I kept running as fast as I could. I didn’t look back to see what happened, but I heard the big ogre throw an energy ball. It raced through the air and smacked into the Rygok. A yelp and a groan filled the forest. I heard the beast’s heavy carcass slam to the ground.
We made it to the clearing and dashed up the Warbird’s entry ramp. My fist mashed a button on the bulkhead and the ramp raised. Hydraulics whirred, and the hatch slammed shut and sealed.
I raced to the cockpit and slid into the pilot’s chair. The Warbird’s hull rumbled as the blue alien pummeled it with energy blasts as he emerged from the forest.
I powered up the craft and skipped the preflight checks. We didn’t have time. I didn’t know how much damage the alien was capable of doing to the ship, but I didn’t want to stick around to find out. I engaged the vertical thrusters, and the Warbird lifted from the meadow.
I throttled the rear thrusters and we blasted into the sky, leaving the angry ogre behind. The engines rippled, and the bulkheads vibrated. I pulled on the controls, nosing the craft skyward. Soon we had achieved a low orbit.
I leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. “No more trips to other dimensions. This one was difficult enough. And why didn’t you tell me she was a hag?”
“I tried.”
“Next time, try harder. What if she put a curse on my junk and it doesn’t work anymore? She was half dead, what if it withers and falls off?”
Tyler shrugged.
He programmed in jump coordinates for Capricorn 9. I engaged the jump drive, and a quantum wave washed through the ship, twisting my stomach again. Each time it seemed to bother me less.
About halfway to Capricorn 9, we realized we had forgotten to pick up another oscillator. I crossed my fingers and hoped this one would hold out.
17
The oscillator hung on by a thread. We emerged from quantum space at Capricorn 9 in the nick of time. Way too much energy was flowing through it, and I was surprised it hadn’t melted yet. We had to find another part while we were here, or we’d be risking disaster.
I plunged the Warbird into Capricorn’s atmosphere and headed for Tuluv. As we approached the sprawling mega-city, a voice crackled over the comm s
ystem. “Unidentified aircraft, please state your destination and identify?”
Tyler responded. “This is the SS Savage Storm. Request permission to land?”
There was a long pause. “State your business?”
Tyler and I exchanged a glance. I shrugged.
“Tourism,” Tyler said.
There was another long silence. “You’re cleared to land at the Central Terminal, Bay 123. I’m sending guidance coordinates now.”
The nav display lit up as it received the coordinates, and the auto-pilot took over.
I leaned back and let the ship do all the work. We glided through the towering skyscrapers—mega-structures of steel and iron. Traffic buzzed on the streets below. A light rail system winded through the city.
The Warbird landed on the tarmac in Bay 123 without so much as a shudder. It felt like landing on a marshmallow. That type of guidance system would be nice for carrier landings at night back at home.
I unbuckled my safety harness and climbed out of my seat. Tyler and I descended the ramp and were greeted by a robot. “Welcome to Tuluv Central Spaceport. The docking fee is 500 credits per day.”
My eyes widened. That seemed expensive. But I didn’t know how much a credit was worth in this universe.
Tyler wirelessly paid for the transaction out of Ruby’s account.
“Thank you for your business,” the port bot said. “Please let me know if you need any additional services. We have a full maintenance team and the largest selection of supplies and parts in the galaxy.”
“We need another quantum oscillator,” I said.
“I’ll have one of our maintenance tech’s look at it. How long do you intend to stay in Tuluv?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Not more than a day, I would expect.”
“I’ll contact your service bot with an estimate.”
“Thanks.”
We left the bay and weaved through the spaceport. People and aliens from all across the galaxy scurried through the facility. My eyes flicked about in awe, taking in all the various life forms. There were blue aliens, green aliens, red aliens, orange aliens. Some had tentacles, some had multiple appendages. There were eyes of every shape and color. I saw a cyclops, and I saw another alien with so many eyes I wouldn’t know where to look when speaking to him. Or her. I couldn’t tell.
