Bard to the Bone

by Cid Banks

  “When does it depart?”

  “Morning after next, at Amalia’s first kiss.”

  That must mean sunrise. Now what?

  Amy and I had plans to meet, but I had nothing to do while I waited for my trip. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be hard to convince her to go to the Ancient Isle with me.

  I really liked Amy. If we both escaped, maybe we’d hang out. This place wasn’t good for anyone. It had damaged her memories. When Amy talked about this world and its history, she was confident. Talking about her past life only brought her confusion and pain. Escaping had to be the cure for memory loss.

  She had to come with me.

  With plenty of time to kill, I decided to visit the market. The counter in my vision flashed with 109 gold.

  I’d received a level up from my questing with the rebels but hadn’t dealt with it yet. I glanced over the new options in my character menu.

  Level Up! You have reached Level 4!

  HP+2 Willpower +1 MP +2

  Add one point to the attribute of your choosing!

  (May not boost the same attribute as previous level)

  That was underwhelming. No new songs or spells. Boring. I would’ve placed my stat point in willpower, but I chose it last time. Increasing my charisma felt lame, but I was done with fighting. As long as I wasn’t killed before I got to the Ancient Isle, I’d be fine. Conversations would still be necessary, so I picked Charisma. It raised to 8.

  I waved away the character menu and strolled toward the heart of the town.

  Goldbridge was a series of interconnected islands joined by bridges. Some were made of weathered, moss-crawling stone. Others were wooden and swollen with water. The most significant bridge was designed as an arterial road but was now clogged with homes and storefronts. Apartments clung to the edges of the deck.

  An overpass crossed the bridge. Mansions with giant windows and ivy growth across their facades towered over the supports. Their tiled roofs glistened in the sunshine. Buildings closest to the sky were more beautiful and more structurally sound.

  It was crowded in the market. A trio of town criers stood at the entrance, screaming over the din.

  “—offers generous pay to any able-bodied person for a tour of service in the city guard! Stand with your kinfolk in defense of our free city!”

  “—the finest jewels and spices from The New World! Rare and never before seen—”

  “—ambassador for His Imperial Eminence, Vicard the Bold, visiting with our newly elected High Consul to discuss establishment of economic partnership in the face of—”

  Like the rest of the throng, I marched past them without paying much attention. The market was huge. Stores piled over stores, as though reaching for the bridges overhead. I wandered, poking into stalls offering interesting items.

  A smith sold heavy plate armor wrought from steel and exotic, colorful metals. A tailor specialized in wizard’s robes. Polished bows swung from a storefront, advertising poison-tipped arrows. There was a vendor that sold high-quality hammers of every shape and size. Wheels of cheese sat on plates as a boy handed out samples.

  I found the quest board in the thick of the action. It was gigantic, wrapped in overlapping layers of notices. Most were above my level. Some were for level 25 players.

  A woman with long, dark hair squeezed through bartering men. She turned into a shop. Her expression was stormy. A brief flash of recognition hit me.

  Was that Naomi?

  I followed the brunette into the shop. A painted sign of a book wreathed in purple flame hung over the door. I ducked inside, stepping into a room packed with overflowing bookshelves. Scrolls covered a table in the center, where a robed merchant attended the hourglass sorceress.

  It was her.

  I’d recognize those rosebud lips and triple D boobs anywhere. They nearly fell out of her corset as she leaned over the counter to pay. She was deep in conversation with the merchant.

  Did she remember me?

  I’d thought of her many times, her face floating in my memory like an old photograph. Seeing her again was a breath of fresh air. Warmth seared my veins as she glanced toward the door, her striking blue eyes almost skipping over me.

  She stopped. “James.”

  Stay cool.

  I lowered my voice. “Hey.”

  “It is you.” A smile broke her melancholy. “Fancy meeting you here. The bard who goes hard.”

  “I prefer the handsome rock star.”

  “What, are you stalking me now?” Naomi teased, sounding more playful than annoyed. “How did you find me?”

  “Luck.” I approached her, heart beating fast. “I was browsing the market and saw a pretty face. Couldn’t resist saying hello.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  “Want to catch up?”

  “Sure,” she said, beaming. “Give me a moment. I need to finish shopping.”

  Naomi returned to the vendor as I browsed piles of literature. A UI screen appeared with a vast selection of spellbooks and magical scrolls. The books could be studied or carried and would boost different magic. Scrolls gave a one-time chance to cast any spell, even if it wasn’t learned. Each item paired with a spell. I read their names, fascinated.

  Diamondskin. Siphon Soul. Mute. Mind Blast. Bladewind. Reanimate. Giant Growth. Radiant Beam.

  I selected the awesome-sounding Scroll of Flame Wave.

  Scroll of Flame Wave

  Level 28 Scroll

  Grants a single cast of Flame: Level 4, a directional wave attack that does Fire damage and has a chance to inflict Burn status. Requires minimum Willpower of 28.

  Cost: 350 gold

  Figures. It was outside my budget and eons beyond my current level. I dismissed the store UI. Nothing useful here would be affordable.

  Naomi selected something, and the shopkeeper handed her a book. The sorceress pocketed the worn tome and joined my side. We stepped into the buzzing marketplace, catching up as we shopped. An old woman with papery skin sold turtles that breathed smoke and blue rabbits with feathery wings.

  Naomi dragged me from the stall. “It’s adorable, but you’d regret buying it. I promise.”

  But I liked bunnies. “Fine.”

  “So tell me about Marshtown. What happened after I left?” Naomi blurted. “I recognized your face on those wanted posters.”

  “That was a huge misunderstanding. See, I accidentally cast Song of Seduction on some guy’s daughter—”

  “How the hell did that happen?”

  I launched into the story.

  Naomi listened, interrupting only to groan or laugh. When I finished, she blew a sigh. “It’s your first week, and you’re already a perverted menace to society. Well done.”

  “Hide your daughters.” I grinned. “Here comes James.”

  “Next time, read the description of your powers before using them.”

  “Sage advice.” I followed her along a row of vendors. “If you’d stuck around longer, you could’ve offered it earlier. What have you been up to?”

  “Oh, you know.” Naomi tucked her hair behind her ears. “Hunting down plus five willpower boots. Finishing easy quests. The usual.”

  “Easy quests?”

  “I take nothing at or above my level.” Naomi sucked in a deep breath. “Can’t risk dying.”

  “Yeah, you mentioned that before.” I wished I wasn’t taking reckless risks, but sometimes impulsive decisions paid off. Naomi stopped at a railing overlooking the water. Impassive, she stared at waves lapping the island.

  I watched her. Naomi’s silence said more than her words. I felt pulled into her gaze, like a tractor beam drawing me forward. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. It’s just hard. I go days without talking to a real person. I’ll long for it, and as soon as I meet someone, I want them to leave. Sometimes it’s easier to pretend everything’s all right.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but I’m not going anywhere.” I slid against her. “You’ll have to blast
me with those magic hands.”

  Her lips curved. “Why are you so nice? I wasn’t exactly a peach when we met.”

  “Because you’re the only real person I met.” I grinned, and she swatted my shoulder. “What? It’s true.”

  “You’re such a flirt.”

  “Can you blame me?”

  “Keep it up.” She patted my back. “Maybe I’ll turn you in.”

  “Then you’d be deprived of my amazing company.”

  “Don’t worry,” Naomi teased. “I won’t do it. You aren’t worth my time.”

  “Ouch. I might be small potatoes, but I’m absolutely worth your time.”

  Naomi chuckled, her neck flushing. “Does your game match your talk?”

  “Want to find out?” A rapid pulse throbbed in my neck as she parted her lips, her dark gaze searching me. Temptation blazed through them.

  She wanted me.

  “Honestly…yes.” Two pink patches burned her cheeks. “You’re not like most guys in here.”

  “Well, I hope to God I have more personality than the NPCs.” My mind was exploding with the fact that this sexy sorceress wanted me.

  A smile curved into her cheek. “Let’s walk.”

  Holy crap. This was happening.

  “Okay.” I squeezed her hand, psyched. “Where to?”

  She guided me to an open-air vendor selling racks of exotic garments. The silver-bearded merchant gestured to his ware. “Velcome.”

  Without releasing my hand, Naomi swiped through the dresses. “These are just decorative. Armor values are almost nonexistent, and they don’t have special bonuses.”

  I chose a sheer dress that was more like lingerie than clothing. “You’d look awesome in this.”

  “You mean my tits would.”

  “Yep,” I agreed. “And I’m guessing it’d lower the willpower of anyone who saw you.”

  Naomi snorted, finding a shirt with green sleeves. She held it out for me. “You’re the one who needs a new outfit.”

  “What’s wrong with mine?”

  “I grabbed them off a dead guy.”

  That was a good point. “But he had great fashion sense. Would you rather see me with no clothes?”

  “You’re real smooth, but I’ve already seen you naked.”

  “If I recall correctly, you liked what you saw.”

  Naomi laughed. I followed her into a quiet courtyard with stone benches and potted flowers. Bed sheets hanging on clotheslines rippled like sails. We walked through the swaying cloth. Naomi stood, silhouetted against a sheet. I swept it aside, trapped with her.

  Framed against white, she was a vision. I plucked a wayward strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. She touched my palm, cheeks darkening. Then I caressed her delicate face. Her watery gaze locked on mine; she stepped closer.

  Naomi was close enough to taste. Warmth blew across my mouth with her desperate, shuddering breaths. I wanted to tell her it was okay. That she was safe.

  Then her lips crashed against me.

  Damn.

  Naomi’s eager body squeezed into mine. I took her waist, her boobs mashed against my chest. I returned the kiss, feeding the aching desire that raged inside me. My hands couldn’t get enough of her. I dove into her hair, trailed down her elegant neck to her sharp collarbone and full boobs.

  She sighed into my lips. I tugged her dress, her tanned breast spilling into my palm. Blood rushed to my groin as I backed her against a wall. Naomi wrapped her leg around me, grinding her nails into my scalp. She didn’t care that I nearly pulled her top off—she needed this as much as I did.

  We broke apart, Naomi biting my earlobe. “I have a room a block away…in case you didn’t want to give everyone a free show.”

  “Too far.” I kissed her smile. “I want you.”

  I made a trail of kisses down her throat, feeling her throbbing heartbeat. My lips burned a path to her perfect cleavage, to her perky boobs and pointed nipples. Everything on my mind vanished. There was only Naomi’s warmth. Naomi’s flawless skin.

  I unlaced her dress, which teased the most wonderful tits I’d ever seen. Naomi gasped as the deep neck of her cleavage widened. She jerked my head, her tongue slipping into my mouth. The corset gave way.

  A roar thundered, shaking the wall. A drop pelted my head. And then another. Rain fell thickly, chilling us to the bone.

  I glanced skyward, cursing the dark clouds. “Do you have to do that right now?”

  Naomi’s eyes widened. “That’s not a normal storm—”

  A devastating crack flared across the sky, rocking the ground. In the distance, war trumpets blared.

  Fourteen

  Naomi tied her dress as we hurried toward the commotion. It was pandemonium. Panicked merchants wheeled their goods from the marketplace, grabbing what they could and running. Tomatoes from a broken cart were crushed underfoot as people stampeded the streets. Violent winds ripped through the square, tearing flags from their poles.

  “Shit.” Naomi blanched as lightning struck a tower. “He’s invading.”

  I was lost. “He?”

  Bells tolled, clashing against the trumpeting horns. Crows screeched in protest from the cacophony, circling overhead. Another bolt zigzagged, setting the tower’s roof ablaze.

  “This is the Storm King’s calling card.” She squeezed my hand. “We have to go!”

  My mind raced. I couldn’t leave the city without Amy. “We have to defend this place. It’s the stronghold of the rebellion.”

  “Who cares?” White light gleamed over Naomi’s terrified face. “This is not a battle you’ll win.”

  If the Storm King was invading, she was probably right. “I can’t take off. There’s someone I need to find.”

  “Do you know where they are?”

  No, but I didn’t have to look far. We rushed to the main bridge, stopping in front of a small skirmish. Amy’s red mane glistened as she traded blows with an armored knight. She parried his attacks and knocked him back into the water. She swept her brow, cherry hair wild in the gust, and spotted me. “James!”

  She pointed behind me. I whirled, spotting three soldiers in black armor. Panicked citizens ran past, screaming. The soldiers charged, swords coated with blood.

  A nexus of flame whirled in Naomi’s hands, engulfing them in a fireball. Two soldiers crumbled, but the fire rolled off a bubble-like shell around the third. The mage blasted frozen shards at Naomi.

  A 4 and 5 burst into view as Naomi fell. Enraged, she spat hair from her mouth and blazed a hellish vortex that melted the stabbing ice.

  Teleport

  I reappeared, flanking the mage. I whipped out my crossbow and fired. The bolt struck his hips, and he only took 5 damage.

  “I see you, bard!” The mage faced me with a beam of frigid magic, which missed me by inches.

  “Don’t you dare!” Amy’s bloodcurdling shout pierced the air. She cleaved him with her greatsword, and the man barely had time to scream. Amy left it buried in the mage’s body. Eyes blazing, she grabbed me in a fierce hug. Her rapid breaths blasted my ear as she squeezed. “Thank God.”

  “I’m fine.” I looked over Amy’s shoulder, at Naomi. “Are you okay?”

  Naomi stood, looking merely annoyed as she dusted herself. “Yes.” Her curious gaze swung like a pendulum between Amy and me.

  “Naomi, this is Amy.” I disengaged from her embrace, and Amy faced the sorceress. “Amy, Naomi. She’s the one who saved my ass when I started this game.”

  Amy grinned, shaking her hand. “You too, eh?”

  A cautious smile tiptoed across Naomi’s face. “Yeah.”

  “Starting to think he’s more trouble than he’s worth.” Amy winked at me, returning to me. “Just kidding.”

  Amy’s possessive arm snaked around my waist as she stared at Naomi. The taller sorceress returned the glare with interest.

  This wasn’t the time for a catfight. “Amy, what happened?”

  “I don’t know!” Amy flinched as thunder
shook the bridge. “I couldn’t find my people, which was odd. It’s like they vanished. Then I went to the safe house, and it was empty. Blood and scorch marks covered every surface. There was a black rose. I-I think they were assassinated. James, I was so worried. I thought you might’ve been there—”

  “No, I never made it.”

  “This is all his fault.” Tears stung Amy’s eyes as she turned them skyward, where lighting forked across the crowds. She released me to grab her sword. “I’ll kill that fucker!”

  “Amy, wait!”

  Amy didn’t want to wait. She wanted to kill.

  Screaming her name, we chased her over zigzagging stairs and up a narrower bridge that afforded a better view of the metropolis. Naomi sprinted after me as I followed Amy. The warrior girl skidded to halt. She leaped to a higher ledge. I scrambled to join her when her scream of rage tore the air. I paused, panting, and looked where Amy pointed.

  A scene of utter devastation met my gaze.

  Goldbridge’s main causeway and its central boulevard swarmed with the Storm King’s soldiers. Rooftops burned. Smoke billowed from neighborhoods engulfed in flames. Thousands of them breached the walls and smashed through the ruined gates. Bursts of colorful magic blasted holes from buildings as mages battled across the skyline.

  “Holy shit.” I expected a few battles with a handful of troops. We couldn’t fight off an army.

  Lightning illuminated a man. He stood on a burning tower, pulling a winged helmet over his head. Amy screamed a warning. The wind carried her voice, but he was too far away. He twirled a glowing lance and dropped down, impaling two soldiers with one strike. Crossbow bolts glanced pinged off his breastplate. The cloaked soldiers reacted like an ant swarm. They piled on him, stabbing. There were too many. He stumbled backward, over the bridge. His body crashed over the stones.

  “Oh my God!” Amy trembled beside me. “It’s horrible.”

  “Look, he’s getting up!”

  The lancer staggered to his feet. A troop filled the bridge, inching closer to him. He thrust with the spear. Enemies fell as he slashed through their armor. Then he leveled his weapon, screaming something indistinct.

  “What’s he doing?” The enemy soldiers parted, making way for a hulking figure armored in gold.