Byron shook off the help of his girls and scrambled over to cradle Xana's head in his lap. "Baby, are you okay?"
Xana coughed and rolled bloodshot eyes up to his. "I-can't-feel--"
General Deth chuckled. "Oh, that was wonderful. Far better than I expected. I got a proper rise out of you, and I only had it on the lowest setting. At this rate, you'll be giving me your life story by the time the Tower hits twenty percent."
Byron whipped his head around to glare at the general, and took a step towards him.
Deth held up his tablet. "Not to give away any trade secrets, but on its low setting, the Tower applied small electric charges to every nerve ending in her skin. It causes excruciating pain, as you can imagine, but will leave her without sensations for a few minutes. Since we don't want her to miss out on the next phase, let's say we throw you all in the brig for a while? It'll also give you a chance to think it over, eh? I might even allow you to confess before the next phase."
Byron wanted to leap across the room and strangle Deth, but the Death Troopers seemed to sense his intentions and moved to form a wall between him and the general.
General Deth flicked his hand. "Right, off you go. Put him with the others."
The soldiers seized Byron and the other three girls and forced them off down the hallway. Scarlett and Chetaara had to hold Xana by the arms and help her walk, since she could barely lift her legs.
Byron paused before he let them take him, and kept his eyes locked on General Deth's. "I just want you to know that I will kill you for this. And Lady Necralia after that."
Deth's smile spread across his face. "Oh, my dear boy, I've done far worse things than this, and will do more very soon. We have less than four hyper-hours before we reach Necros, and I intend to extract every ounce of suffering I can from you before Lady Necralia finishes you off. But I'll save you the trouble of thinking up ways to kill me."
He took a step forward so he could look right in Byron's eyes. "Right now, we're in a massive battleship, and it's bound for hyperspace. There's nowhere to go, nowhere to run. Just you and me, and thirty thousand of my finest warriors. Kill me? My dear fellow, you won't ever get the chance to touch me."
Deth took a step back and spread his arms. "As for Lady Necralia, better men and women than you have tried and failed. Welcome, Byron Jones, to your own personal hell. Enjoy your stay."
NEW MISSION: ESCAPE THE PRISON
REWARDS: 10,000 XP, 25,000 CREDITS
Chapter 2
CAPTAIN DETH couldn't hold back a smile as he watched Byron and his female companions shoved into their cell and the door slammed shut. He wanted to sing, and as he walked away, began crooning an ancient Necrosian battle hymn that he'd always been fond off.
Lieutenant General Magott walked alongside him with a troubled look on her face. "You seem to be in a pleasant mood, General."
"I certainly am, lieutenant general. I finally have the troublesome Byron Jones in my hands." He clenched his gloved hand into a fist. "That man has been a thorn in my side since the day he dropped into the Galaxy, and I look forward to watching him suffer and die to make up for it."
Magott folded her hands behind her back, ignoring the screaming and yelling of the prisoners they passed. "I must say, you haven't been your usual self. Do you truly believe this Jones is the so-called Outsider?"
"Absolutely. I'm not a superstitious man, but I trust my own eyes, and I've watched Jones do things no man should be able to do." He came to the elevator and pressed a button.
"Could it not be a trick, sir?" She raised her eyebrows. "Perhaps someone is helping Jones to make him appear to be the Outsider. The Resistance would certainly have an incentive to make it appear he's their savior."
The elevator doors slid open and Deth stalked into the car. "Indeed, and that's another reason I'm relieved to have him aboard my ship. I can observe him and see his true skills. I would actually welcome if he turned out to be a fraud."
He closed the elevator doors, leaving Magott behind, and stood in silence as he rode up to the bridge.
He still felt some uneasiness over the whole affair. He had fought ruthlessly to gain Lady Necralia's favor, and placed himself at her side because he saw how powerful and ambitious she was. She had conquered much of the Galaxy in the time it took most planets to conquer their own solar system.
Her strength and skill at combat hadn't been seen directly in years, but he still reviewed the footage of the early days when she had first appeared on Necros. Watching footage of her leaping and slicing and shooting, single-handedly slaughtering all the Emperor's armies on the battlefield kept him from underestimating her.
While on the throne, her charisma and beauty inspired a fanatical loyalty to her troops like nothing he had ever seen. She had become a god-like figure, and convinced her soldiers to happily give their lives in battle for a utopian afterlife where they would have an endless erection and a thousand virgins to service them for eternity.
Deth found the whole religious aspect rather juvenile, but he knew power when he saw it.
Secretly, he hoped to reach the point where he could assassinate her and take control of the Empire himself, but he knew that was a long way off. Still, if she were killed by someone else or died of natural causes, he would be in a good position to seize power as well.
After all that, to find someone who seemed more powerful than Lady Necralia unnerved him, especially since Byron Jones seemed dedicated to bringing peace and justice to the Galaxy instead of chaos and war. Deth thrived in chaos where he could slip between the cracks of law and order to find an advantage. If Jones succeeded in ending the war and dismantling the Necralia Empire, Deth would lose everything he had built.
The slow hum of the elevator drew his attention to the cramped space of the car. He hated confined spaces, and had lobbied hard to build larger elevators in the NSS Vanquish. The engineers refused. He just had to take slow breaths to calm his heartbeat until the end of the trip.
When the elevator doors slid open again, Deth strode out onto the bridge where men and women in uniform worked before a huge window looking out into space. The swirl of colors outside told him they traveled through hyperspace, bound for Necros.
Deth headed for the captain's chair while raising his hand. "Get Lady Necralia on the comm."
The captain nodded his head. "Aye, general."
The communications officer turned to look up at the general. "Lady Necralia is already hailing us, sir."
Deth swept his cape off his shoulders as he faced the holographic projector. "And for once, I welcome her. On screen."
Particles of light swirled in front of him until Lady Necralia's disembodied head appeared. Her beautiful angular face turned to him as her white eyes blazed like fire.
"Enough of your excuses, Deth," she snapped. "I sent you to bring me Jones. Where is he?"
He smiled even broader, relishing her anger. "Of course, Your Majesty, and you know I always follow your orders to the letter. I'm happy to report that Jones is in the brig, and we're headed to you as we speak."
She broke into a smile that reminded him how gorgeous she really was when she wasn't being cruel. "You're sure you have him this time?"
"Most assuredly. I gave one of his whores a taste of my Torment Tower."
He could see a flash of pleasure in her eyes at the thought of the torture as she said, "Very good. This almost makes up for your incompetence."
He swallowed down the anger swelling inside of him. She often lobbed insults at him, and he had learned to just stand and take it. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
She raised a finger tipped with a long claw. "However, I do take issue with your actions so far. Reports from Nikor say that the Firestorm protocol was engaged, and the planet along with Jones were almost burned to cinders. I was told that you ordered the Firestorm engaged. Is that true?"
He raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise. "Me? Why on Necros would I engage the Firestorm? Your orders were quite specific to bring
Jones back to Necros, and you know my loyalty is without question. I would ask Skarr to find out the source of the order."
Lady Necralia's eyes narrowed as her smile melted away. "Skarr has apparently been killed, along with his captain, and most of the commanding officers. The natives have seized control of the camp, and they seem to have damaged the computers and the records as well."
He almost smiled at his good fortune, but managed to turn his expression into something resembling sorrow. He had indeed ordered the Firestorm, hoping to wipe out Byron and everyone with him, in direct conflict with Lady Necralia's orders. If she had found out, he would have been a dead man, Jones or not.
"What a shocking development, Your Majesty. It seems we may never know what led to the engagement of the Firestorm then."
He could see that she didn't believe him, but they both knew all evidence of his mistake had been either killed or destroyed. "Very well, Deth. We can deal with it later, but I expect you to take more care with Jones this time. You can soften him up a bit, but I don't want him permanently harmed, and I don't want him killed."
Deth bowed. "Of course, My Lady. Your wish is my command."
A smile returned to Lady Necralia's face. "If you succeed in this, you will truly be in my favor, and that has many benefits."
He clasped his hands together. "The only benefit I seek is to further your goals of galactic domination, my lady."
Lady Necralia vanished from the air.
Deth allowed his smile to collapse as he turned to the ship's communications officer. "I need the Torment Tower operating at full capacity. Get me Doctor Morg."
The officer bowed her head. "At once, general."
After a moment, the hologram formed again, this time with a bloated Necrosi male. Machinery had replaced much of the face, including the eyes that now held black lenses, and silver piping jutting from his head instead of hair.
The face looked at Deth and spoke in a raspy voice like a hissing serpent. "What is it now, General? I am very busy."
Deth took a deep breath. They had to go through this every time they spoke. "I'm sure you're busy with one of your hideous experiments, but I have a more important job for you."
Doctor Morg's eyes and drooling mouth widened, "More important? My so-called hideous experiments have given Lady Necralia the most powerful ships, weapons, and soldiers this Galaxy has ever seen. My work on genetic engineering and cybernetics are on the cusp of creating the ultimate soldier. And, I might add, my experiments have led to your beloved Torment Tower."
Deth rolled his eyes. "Doctor, I do not need reminders of your activities in the past. I merely called you to ask if the enhancements to the Torment Tower were completed."
Morg's black eyes narrowed. "I am as dependable as I am brilliant, general. The Tower is fully operational. Your suggestions took a mere fraction of my time to complete. And I am not your personal engineer, Deth. If you need further assistance with it, consult with one of your pathetic technicians. The Torment Tower was already a waste of my time. I swear, if it weren't for the abundance of raw material you provide, I would never have agreed to be stationed about your filthy vessel."
Deth gave him his broadest smile. "Always a pleasure to speak to you, too, doctor."
Morg hissed before melting away.
Deth swept his cape in a circle as he marched off to the elevators again. "I should be out conquering worlds, not babysitting some pathetic human."
As he headed to his private quarters, Deth considered the man he kept prisoner below him. It felt like the whole universe had been torn apart by Jones. Deth couldn't wait to make the Earthling suffer for all the trouble he caused.
***
When the bars of the cell slammed into place, Byron watched General Deth and his Troopers walk away. He wanted to chase after them and tear Deth's arms and legs off, but couldn't.
Glancing around the cell, it couldn't have looked more generic. Smooth gray walls surrounded him in a room barely large enough for Byron and his crew to sit down. The cell had no beds or chairs or even a toilet.
He reached out to grip the bars of the cell, but a voice called out, "Woops, nope, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
He looked over at the cell across from his. A beautiful alien woman gave him a warm smile through the bars. She reminded him of Margot Robbie with her wide and sensual mouth, and looked human with some differences.
She had the insect-like appearance of the Acarid aliens he had met before, but with yellow skin instead of gray. Compound eyes glittered like jewels in her bright face, and long antennae rose out of the golden hair flowing down her head.
She wore torn shorts around her waist and some strips of ragged cloth wrapped around her chest, which let him see the major difference between her and human women: three small breasts in a row straining her top.
The golden-skinned woman giggled. "Well, I mean, you can do it, but you'll totally fry your hands which I don't think you wanna do, right?"
Xana looked up from the floor where she hunched. "It-it's true. The bars give off a field of polarized nano-particles that would burn you if you touched them, and kill you if you kept holding them."
Byron took a step away from the bars and nodded at the woman. "Thanks."
The alien woman giggled again as she shrugged. "No biggie. Just didn't wanna see what happened to the last guy in that cell happen again. Yuck." She stuck her tongue out and made gagging noises.
He turned to crouch and take Xana into his arms. "How're you holding up?"
She shivered against him. "It was...horrible. The pain...I can't describe it. It felt like hot needles sticking in every inch of my body, but somehow worse. And that was on low."
Chetaara ran her hands over Xana's green skin. "I see no burns or injuries."
Chetaara held out her palms and a shimmering light poured off them. "I can use my healing power on you. It will help."
Xana winced as the light flowed through her. "I-I'll be okay. Thank you."
Scarlett leaned her shoulder against a wall and heaved a sigh. "Well, we just left one cell and ended up in another. I believe in you, Byron, but we gotta turn this shitshow around."
Byron nodded, thinking of how they had just escaped from a brutal labor camp on Chetaara's home planet and immediately run into the Necrosi battleship once leaving orbit.
The golden girl across from their cell stepped closer to the bars again. "Oh, sorry to see you in there, but it's awesome to have someone new to talk to. I'm Kiki, by the way. What's your names?"
"Uh, I'm Byron. This is Scarlett, Chetaara, and Xana."
Kiki's smile grew as she leaned closer. "Wow, cool names. And you're so handsome, and you girls are so hot."
Scarlett's face brightened with a flirtatious smile. "Well, you're a beauty yourself. Like the three tits."
Byron cringed, thinking that Kiki might be offended by Scarlett's blunt statement.
Instead, Kiki's smile became even wider as she reached up to cup two of her breasts in her hands. "Wow, thank you! You're so sweet, you really are. Yeah, they aren't that big compared to some in my family, but I'm pretty proud of them. Comes with being an Acarid. I like your two boobies, though!"
"Acarid." Byron raised an eyebrow and whispered, "I thought Acarid were gray?"
Scarlett smirked. "What, you think humans are the only ones in different colors? She's Southern Acarid. Personally, I think they're way hotter."
Kiki apparently could hear them because she giggled again. "Well, yeah, you got that right. It might be a little racist to say this, but I think golds are better than grays. You know what they say, once you go gold, you'll fuck 'em till you're old. So what're you guys in here for?"
Byron grinned, despite their grim surroundings. He loved her bubbly attitude. "They, uh, think I'm the Outsider."
Kiki's mouth dropped open as her antennae straightened. "Oh, no way. I totally love the Outsider. I used to dream about him when I was a little grub, and you look really buff and handsome just li
ke I thought he would. And you're a level twenty five, how awesome is that?"
That made Byron tap his bracelet to check her stats.
KIKI
MARINE - LEVEL 18
STR: 65
DEX: 5
NRG: 0
HEALTH: 120/120
Her stats surprised Byron since he wouldn't have guessed Kiki as a marine class, and her strength stats were really high.
She cooed, "Wow. I have never, ever met a level twenty-five before. You wouldn't lie to me, though, would you? Are you the Outsider, for real?"
With the confidence given to him by the game's programmer Otis Accolade, Byron nodded. "Yes, I am."
Kiki squealed and bounced up and down, making her boobs jiggle. "Yay! Oh, that's so awesome! You're supposed to be saving the whole universe, right? That's so what we need right now with that bitch Lady Necralia running around. Hey, Oversoul, you hear that?"
"I did, indeed," a man called back.
A woman's voice called out, "Kiki, don't believe everything you hear."
Kiki rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be such a sour puss, Coldsteel."
Byron leaned as close to the bars as he could without touching them, and saw a human woman down the hall in the cell next to Kiki.
She had long, wavy auburn hair that ran down her back to her waist, and a square-jawed but elegant face. She wore a ragged jumpsuit torn off at the sleeves, showing narrow hips and small breasts, along with a long scar on her right arm. She also had a glowing red star over her head, the sign in Venus Online that someone was a real player and not a non-player character.
The woman looked up at the star over Byron's head with a nod. "Oh, you're real. That's a pleasant surprise. Haven't seen a new player in a minute. I'm Coldsteel. Why you going around the game with your real name? And telling people you're the Outsider?"
Byron grinned. "The answer to the first question is because I feel like it. The answer to the second, because I am. Kind of a long story."
Death's Revenge: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure (Venus Online 5) Page 2
