by Dante Steel
Honestly, I don’t care about much right now.
If she responded, he didn’t hear it. His focus had to be more on maintaining the shield. He wasn’t sure if he could continue this for much longer. The weight of the sabre-toothed tigers fighting against him was wearing him down. His strength was waning.
Olivia tried to stab some of the shifters through the forcefield, but she nearly lost her hand for her trouble. Instead of trying that again, she flew up high and then back to the ground fast, building up momentum as she sliced into a sabretooth through the roof of its mouth all the way through and out the bottom of its chin.
“Through their eyes is easier,” Elena called.
Olivia nodded and went back to work, flying up and down, slicing them.
“See? You are powerful,” Gary mumbled. When she didn’t reply, he shrugged. Maybe she hadn’t heard him, or maybe he hadn’t said that out loud after all.
Finally, he had enough. “Guys, I need help keeping them at bay.”
Elena’s attire was more red than silver. Olivia’s hair was chaotic and a mess from her mad dash flights. Nicoletta looked ready to collapse herself.
“I fucking hate fire,” she said.
“I know. We can fly away,” Gary suggested.
“And go where?” Elena asked. “The moment we land, they’ll be all over us again. What do you want to believe these fuckers can climb trees?”
Olivia glanced around. “Why aren’t there any mountains?” she complained.
“Maybe there are past the jungles. I don’t know.” Gary shrugged. “Why don’t these worlds come with maps?”
“They might,” Elena said. “We’ve just been doing the bare minimum to get by. Coasting along.”
One spot in the forcefield was particularly weak. He tried to reinforce it and dropped to one knee.
Nicoletta held out her hands. The palms were burned. “Stand back,” she snapped.
Gary attempted to stand and fell. Elena caught him. “Nicoletta,” he said, “don’t. Please.”
“I have to. You need help. You said so yourself.” With a cry, she blasted fire just like she had that one time against Smaug. Olivia helped to turn the firecracker in a circle so that the fire created a tall wall between them and the sabre-toothed tigers.
“Now, let’s fly away,” Gary said. He tried to lift himself and Nicoletta but couldn’t.
What the fuck? Was he that weak?
He attempted to fly by himself. Again, he couldn’t.
“I don’t think—” Olivia shook her head, and they all linked arms, but she couldn’t fly them all.
Nicoletta held out her hand. A spark, some smoke, but no fire.
“I’m out,” she mumbled.
“Olivia, get Nicoletta out of here,” Gary commanded.
“No. I’m not leaving you two!” Olivia said.
“Damn it, just listen to me for once!”
The sabre-toothed tigers had jerked back at the sudden appearance of the fire. Now, through the dancing flames, Gary could see them start to move. They were walking. Not running. Not away. In a circle and they were picking up speed.
"They're trying to create enough wind to blow out the firewall," he said. "Will you take her and go, Olivia? Please?"
“Not without everyone,” she cried, tears in her eyes.
They were stuck, trapped, on the ropes.
Maybe it was adrenaline, but Gary yanked out more of the saber-like teeth and armed everyone with two. Then, he tried to kill as many as he could, reaching through the fire, willing to risk getting burned to slay them. If they could force the circle to widen instead of being right up against the firewall, maybe it would help to keep the protection going longer.
But the sabre-toothed tigers merely climbed onto the dead ones.
“No respect,” Nicoletta commented.
Olivia flew up by herself and slowly, gently blew at the very top of the wall. Curious, Gary watched. At first, she blew out some of the flames, but then, she separated fireballs out and threw them at the shifters. Since the sabre-toothed tigers were nearly one on top of the other, she was getting two or three with each fireball.
After throwing five fireballs, though, Olivia dropped back to the ground. She couldn’t even land on her feet. She stumbled and almost fell onto her ass, but Elena caught her.
“How are you still standing?” Olivia mumbled. “You’re like a metal Superwoman.”
Elena laughed. “I’m exhausted,” she said, “but I don’t want to die here.”
“You won’t.” Olivia motioned for them to link arms again.
She tried desperately to fly again. Gary attempted to help too, although he didn’t think he assisted her any. They got their feet off the ground but could go no higher.
Worse, the firewall was slowly being blown out.
Gary knew they were forgetting something, and then it dawned on him. Potions. He handed some out, drank, and waited.
Nothing happened. He didn’t feel any better. If anything, he was even more worried, anxious, and frightened now.
“Anyone feel refreshed?” he asked, trying to hide his anxiety.
The girls all shook their heads, even Olivia.
“That fucker,” Gary growled. “He must’ve tampered with the game. Potions don’t help us any!”
“We’re doomed,” Nicoletta murmured. “I don’t… I don’t want…”
He hugged her tight and reached out to hold both Olivia’s and Elena’s hand in his one free hand. If this was the end, they would go down together.
Just then, a howl of agony sounded. Through the flames, Gary spied ten sabre-toothed tigers go down at once.
The ground shook, trembling, cracking. A crater formed all around them, and the sabre-toothed tigers, one and all collapsed into the hole. A few moments later, the earth closed up against, sealing the shifters in a tomb of soil.
The firewall completely dissipated, and the four stared at their hero.
Yuna.
“Come now,” she urged. “Let’s move quickly away from here so you can freshen up and recover, yes?”
A full thirty-six hours had passed, and Gary still didn’t feel fully recovered. Olivia had logged off once they arrived at a new town so she would know where they were. Even back home, she was exhausted. She hadn’t returned to the game yet, but Gary had full faith that she would soon.
Elena fared worse than she had let on. The extreme heat from the firewall had caused her arms to twist and warp some. Yuna had been trying to fix her and was working on that currently in another room.
Gary lay in his bed, resting but not sleeping. He and the girls all had separate rooms. Right now wasn’t the time for them to be worried about kisses or hugs or feeling each other up or down or the full monty.
Yes, they had potions, and they had drunk them. Even after Yuna had tried to fix the hack job, the potions remained ineffective.
A knock sounded at his door.
“Come in.”
Nicoletta came in and shut the door. “We need to talk.”
The poor girl was trembling. He sat up and waved her over. She sat beside him, and he held her. Neither said anything, yet a lot was said just the same.
“I’m sorry that happened,” he finally said.
“I was so scared.”
“I know. I was, too.”
“I… How have you done it for so long?”
“Fight while in the game?”
“Does it get easier?”
“Not really.”
“But you always seem so composed.”
“Seemed is right.” He kissed her forehead.
“I’m sorry about my outburst a while ago,” she blurted. “I didn’t regret sleeping with you or when we… the time with Elena.”
“I know you didn’t regret it. Or at least I was pretty sure you didn’t.”
“No regrets,” she murmured.
“None.” He hugged her even closer. “I’m sorry, too.”
“Oh, yeah? You don’t ev
en know why you upset me in the first place.”
He opened his mouth and then shrugged. “I’m not going to lie, so, yeah, I’ll admit it. I don’t know what I said that was wrong, but I hate that I seemed to have hurt you.”
“I… I’m just so overwhelmed by being here.”
“That’s completely understandable. It’s one thing to know and accept that some of us are here, trapped in the game. It’s another thing entirely when you’re the one trapped, too.”
Without warning, the door burst open, and Olivia rushed in. “Nicoletta, there you are.”
“Is something wrong?” Nicoletta jumped to her feet.
“Jorge came over. Your cousin. Of course you know he’s your cousin. Anyway, he came over looking for you. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to tell him or not since I think you said he knows about Gary being here, so I didn’t tell him, but he did tell me his news.”
“And?” Nicoletta asked impatiently.
“He’s engaged.”
Chapter Sixteen
Gary was floored. He could hardly believe it. Jorge engaged? Jorge who liked to be with a lot of women because he tended to get bored? Although he did not date multiple women at once. One right after the other, though.
Yes, Jorge had been with this chick for the longest he had ever been in a relationship, but that wasn’t saying much. He hadn’t even been with her for a year yet!
"I can't believe this," Nicoletta whispered as she sat back down on the edge of the bed. "He's so blinded. Has blinders on. One hot chick and what? He marries her?"
“One hot chick?” Olivia repeated. “He’s ridiculously hot. No offense, Gary.”
“Hey,” he said.
“My point is that I would’ve thought he would’ve had a ton of girls falling all over him.”
“He does. Did. Probably still does.” Nicoletta shook her head several times, staring straight ahead. “I don’t get it. Why her? Why the rush?”
“He really is moving super fast for him,” Gary agreed.
“Do you not like the chick?” Olivia asked.
“I only met her a few times for a couple minutes.” Nicoletta shrugged. “I don’t know her.”
“I did get to meet her. She seemed really into him, but it was also like she might’ve been trying to change him. Maybe. I don’t know.” Gary rubbed the back of his neck.
“Change him how?” Nicoletta asked.
“She’s not a fan of video games. It’s part of why he stopped playing Superheroes Online.”
“Oh, he was just being a baby about being a mage. He thought it was ridiculous that a superhero game would have that as an ability.” Nicoletta waved her hand. “Because no superheroes ever have been able to cast spells. Look at Scarlet Witch. Dr. Strange. Constantine.”
"He was ridiculous," Gary said. "I wish he kept up with playing."
Olivia smirked. "Do you now? Because I don't think all of the hanky panky would've been going on if that cousin was around all of the time."
Nicoletta’s face turned bright red.
Gary opted not to comment on that. “Do you think it’ll last?”
“I hope so,” Nicoletta said, “but I don’t know. Jorge’s never been serious about any one girl.”
“One of those social butterflies who flitters from girl to girl?” Olivia assumed.
“Basically,” Gary said.
“Hmm. Sounds like me.”
“Do you think it’s possible that he could know she truly is the one after a few months?” Gary asked. “I mean, it has to be possible, right? He’s dating around so much that he has to know by now what he wants and he doesn’t want.”
“You would think so. They say that when you find love, it’s like bam!” Olivia clapped her hands loudly. “How would you say it was for you, Gary?”
Nicoletta eyed him, and Olivia was clearly interested in his answer, not quite smirking, her face mostly blank actually. Only her green eyes revealed her eagerness to hear his answer.
“It was fast,” Gary said after a moment. “With all of you, it was fast. I never meant to fall—I never intended a lot of things. Never intended to get stuck in the game. Never meant to fall for my best friend’s cousin. Never meant to also find two more lovers in the game. Life’s crazy, so maybe I shouldn’t be so shocked for Jorge.”
Olivia nodded but didn’t comment on his declaration. His cock had hardened when he said “lovers” but both she and Nicoletta ignored his erection.
“If it’s any consolation,” Olivia said, “he seemed really happy.”
“That’s good.” Nicoletta exhaled. “Did he mention a date?”
“No, but I got the impression he doesn’t want to wait long.”
“That’s Jorge. Impulsive to the nth degree.” Nicoletta shook her head ruefully.
“It might work out for him,” Gary said. “You never know.”
“Or you do know,” she said sadly.
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“A few years ago, Jorge dated one of my friends. I was thrilled. They seemed to really hit it off right away, and I could already imagine being their maid of honor. So perfect.”
“What happened?” Olivia asked gently.
“He cheated on her,” Nicoletta spat out.
Gary furrowed his brow. “I never knew he did anything like that.”
“Maybe it was a one-time thing. I don’t know. I thought I forgave him for that, but… They always say once a cheater, always a cheater.”
“People can change,” Gary argued. “Just look at me. Am I the same guy you first met?”
The Hispanic hottie gave him a once-over. “No,” she admitted.
“People typically cheat for a reason,” Olivia said, her tone quiet and reflective. Because she had experienced it? Or because she was falling back on what she had learned for her psychology degree? Gary couldn’t be sure.
“I don’t care what the reason is. Once that trust is gone, it’s gone.” Nicoletta shook her head.
“I really do think people can change,” Gary said. “I’ve talked to him about the girl. He’s gone over her.”
“But if he’s such a player,” Olivia started.
“No. I don’t know. I love Jorge. I do, and I want him to be happy…” Nicoletta rubbed the back of her neck. “What do you think are the chances we’ll be out of here in time to go to the wedding?”
“That depends on how quickly he wants to marry her.” Gary shrugged. “With him moving so fast, what if he changes his mind and elopes?”
Nicoletta’s eyes opened wide. “You don’t think it’s a shotgun wedding, do you?”
“That she’s pregnant? I don’t know.”
Olivia shook her head. “If she’s pregnant, Jorge doesn’t know. That boy does not know how to stop talking.”
“How did he look?” Nicoletta asked. “He’s like a brother to me. That’s why I was able to forgive and forget about the whole cheating thing for a bit. Why I want him to be better than that. I want him to be happy. If that means this chick, great. But I don’t want him to make a mistake.”
“He looked good. So happy. I wouldn’t mind…” Olivia wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Olivia!” Nicoletta playfully shoved her.
“If you two are gonna start rating guys on their hotness factor, I’m out,” Gary said.
“Aw, don’t you want to know your rating?” Olivia teased.
“I think I know my rating.” He winked.
“Where are you off to?” Nicoletta asked.
“I want to see Yuna. See how things are progressing.”
After the disaster with the sabre-toothed tigers, Yuna had flown them all to the town nearest where her supplies had been stashed. Every day, she would leave to work. Every night, she would return. She didn’t spend a lot of time with them anymore, outside of checking to ensure they were still healing.
Gary had gotten so used to the potions that healing the old-fashioned way frustrated him to no end. He was convinced Smau
g made sure the potions still worked on him. The fucker.
“Give Yuna my love,” Olivia called.
“Try to find an ETA for getting home,” Nicoletta begged. “I really want to be there for Jorge.”
“You want to go off on him,” Gary said to Nicoletta while ignoring the stab of jealousy he felt toward Olivia’s comment. “Rant and rave and curse him in Spanish.”
“No,” Nicoletta protested. “I am capable of having a civil discussion with someone I’m upset with.”
“So you are upset.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s silly, but we’re so close. I would’ve thought he would’ve talked to me first before proposing.”
“You aren’t there,” Olivia pointed out.
“I know,” Nicoletta said glumly. “So if this does turn out to be a mistake, I’ll feel like it’s all my fault.”
“It might work out.” Olivia patted her shoulder.
“Everything might work out,” Gary said. “Clearly, Yuna is working a lot harder than Haru ever did. She does seem to know what she’s talking about. She’ll get us out of here as quickly as she can. Don’t worry.”
He hugged the girls and kissed Nicoletta on the lips. When he went to kiss Olivia, she laughed and turned her head to the side, so he kissed her cheek.
“You’re a damn tease,” he whispered in her ear.
She patted his bulge. “You love to be teased.”
He groaned. “I hate it.”
Olivia winked. “You hate that you love it.”
“Something like that.”
Gary left the girls in his room and peeked in real quick on Elena. She was sleeping, so he didn’t disturb her. Last night, her soft sobs had woken him. He spent the night in her bed, holding her. She hadn’t had much time to grieve her mom yet, and she was religious to some extent. She believed her mom was in Heaven. Coming so close to dying here in the game had Elena afraid she wouldn’t be able to go to Heaven and be reunited with her parents.
In his arms, she had settled and slept easier, but the crying clearly had taken a lot out of her. Being here in the game was taking its toll on all of them.
He left the town and headed toward a secluded hillside that appeared to be ordinary and lackluster. Hidden within was a slight technological base. Yuna had shown them how to access it, but she had not taken them inside.
