by Eden Redd
“Your disrespecting manner leaves much to be desired. My legions will overcome even the light of that mystic lamp.”
Jayson could see they were reaching the home stretch, “We’ll take our chances.”
Riktess leaned over the edge, eyes watching as the party moved past his tower, “Will you now? I see fools walking to their doom. There is a reason the throne is hard to reach. Its power is too much for anyone to wield. Not even dragons could touch the power of the Sormir. I have studied them for hundreds of years and they will bring nothing but madness and chaos to Lukken.”
The dread lord looked to his nails on one hand as if it was interesting, “Too bad you won’t survive the gate. I actually could care less for your company. You all have proven what a bore you really are. Pity, I had such high hopes that you would be remotely entertaining. Now I will have to wait here for you to all run back. I do wish you the best but I know we will be seeing each other shortly.”
The group picked up the pace as they saw the edge of the city. The pace changed into a jog and then a full run. The lantern bounced around as Thorrin held it up high. Light splashed against skeletal things in the dark, illuminating them as they backed away for the comfort of darkness. Riktess laughed in the background and the group pushed on until they reached the city edge.
Labored breathing filled the air as they slowed down but continued to move, trying to put as much distance between them and the dead city as possible. Jayson could feel that it was much too easy and hoped it was the lantern that kept the undead army at bay. The group gave tired smiles and moved on into the mountain pass.
Orange light painted the high mountains as they walked. The sun was setting but the last rays of light shined on like a glowing beacon before the coming shroud of night. Glancing behind, the tall broken spires of Nekross were crowded out by the high mountains as the pass narrowed. Soon they were walking single file with hard stone and earth to either side of them.
Thorrin lowered his hand but the lantern light painted the rocks white as they walked on. The pass grew uncomfortably narrow as shoulders touched both sides at some points. Claustrophobia took hold until the pass finally opened up. The tension bled away as an area widened before them. The last rays of sunlight caused the sky to turn a yellowish orange and then to a deep reddish orange in mere moments.
Jayson took a few more steps before he stopped in his tracks. The area widened into a circle but opposite of the party stood a spiked metal wall with two doors. Runes covered the massive doors where two statues stood, one on each side of the entrance. The party spilled into the open area while eyes took in the wall, doors and statues. The statues were made of some kind of metal. They carried the appearance of trolls with thick shoulders, slightly pointed ears, pointed nose and powerful muscles but there were some differences. The group stepped closer, seeing lines on the troll’s necks and webbed hands clutching at giant metal tridents.
Renner looked to Kai and then back at the troll statues, “A distant cousin?”
Kai stepped closer, looking up at the thirty-foot-tall statues in awe, “No idea.”
Jayson and Sonja stepped closer, looking at the runes covering the metal doors. It looked completely sealed. Glancing at the sides, Jayson thought even if they somehow scaled the sheer surface of the mountains, they wouldn’t make it over the wicked spikes covering the top.
Lance turned to Batty and pointed up. The Corva nodded and spread out her leathery wings. With a burst of strength, she was in the air, flapping her bat like wings. Sunlight painted her body as she pumped her arms and rose higher and higher into the air. She was above the spiked wall and could see everything beyond.
“My lord, I see it! I see a structure in the ocean. There is a bridge that leads from the road to it! I can fly to it!” The Corva said excitedly.
“Don’t!” Lance shouted.
Batty dove forward, flapping her wings to keep her airborne. Spikes along the top shifted and pointed at the descending Corva. Lance drew his sword but it was too late. Spikes fired like pointed cannon balls. The Corva dodged to the right and then left before a spike slammed into her hip. Batty spun through the air as several more spikes fired. Lance grimaced and the whole party watched as several more spikes penetrated the corva’s thin frame. Sardyna made an impossible leap into the air, catching the falling corva in her arms. With a thud, the hellhound held the corva and turned to Lance.
The white knight stepped forward as Batty struggled to breath. Arms out, he picked her up and held her close. A silence fell over the group as Batty struggled to breath, a spike in her chest.
“I’m…sorry…..my…lord…..” the corva gasped.
Lance held her closer, darkness under his eyes, “We will see each other soon.”
“You….promise….” Batty seethed.
Lance nodded.
“I….love….you….” Batty said before cracks of light appeared along her body.
Lance let his arms fall to his sides as she burst into shards of light.
Sonja moved to his side, “She will resurrect.”
Lance let out a sigh, “I know but from what we know, she may be different. I don’t know if she was one of the awakened and I don’t want to think about it. Let’s keep going on the quest. I can see when she resurrects in ten days.”
Jayson looked to his friend and a pit opened up in his stomach. Eyes turning to Oksuna, real fear took hold that if she died, she would come back different. She would revert to her basic personality and the being she had become would be different, alien, hollow. More than anything, he wanted to keep her as she was, protecting her from a virtual death she and her kind could endure. Keeping to the quest, he hoped this would be the end and she could lead a long life in a digital game.
Renner patted Lance on the shoulder before stepping past him. Standing before the rune covered door, the rogue gave it the once over before putting his fingers to his chin in deep thought. Jayson and Sonja stepped over and stood to either side of the rogue as his eyes moved from rune to rune.
“How bad is it?” Jayson asked, never taking his eyes off the door.
“Tough but manageable,” Renner said as Gylda appeared next to his head and fluttered about.
“What does that mean?” Sonja asked.
Renner let his hand drop and took a step closer to the doors, “I have seen variations of these types of combination locks. I saw one similar in a dragon’s castle. I have to touch each rune in the proper sequence to get the door to open.”
Renner kept his eyes forward as he pointed a finger at one of the metal troll statues, “Those statues are most likely guardians. If I get it wrong then there is a big chance they will come to life and try to kill all of us. Thankfully, I have nearly maxed my Open Locks skills and thanks to this beauty right here,” Renner pointed at the golden fairy hovering next to him, “We might have a better than average chance.”
The rogue called up a 2D screen and tapped away at it, working out his chances and adding all of his bonuses. After a few flicks of his wrist, he swiped the screen away and cracked his digital knuckles.
“Whatever happens, just remember the Alamo,” Renner grinned.
The group looked on with eyebrows raised. Renner turned his head to see the look of confusion in their eyes.
“How old are you guys? You know the Alamo, right?”
Jayson gave a light shrug, “We know what the Alamo is. I just don’t understand the context?”
“We’re not someplace where we can defend against the statues, if that’s what you mean,” Lance added.
Wynter looked to Vass, “Does he mean we should bunker down?”
Vass shook her head, “I don’t know half the things he says sometimes. He told me once to ‘stay golden pony girl’ and I had to bug him later to explain it. I had no idea it was from an old movie called the ‘Outsiders’.”
Renner gritted his teeth as he turned his head to the side, “I mean, fight like hell if those things start to move!”
&nbs
p; Wynter held her staff and shook her head, “I still don’t understand. Couldn’t you use a saying closer to our situation? You could have said ‘Stay Frosty’ or ‘Nuke the site from orbit’.”
Vass smiled, “Oh, Aliens is my all-time favorite movie.”
Wynter smiled at Vass, “Mine too!”
Jayson put up his hands as he and the rest of the group nodded and chuckled, “Let’s focus on the door for now.”
Renner turned back to the door. Jayson turn back to the rogue’s side and watched as he wiggled his fingers.
“Can you run us step by step on what you’re going to do?”
Renner kept his eyes focused as he talked, “My skills will show me a few options on combinations. It’s up to me to decide which one will activate the door. The better my skill, the fewer choices I have. My luck skill will help push me in the right direction but it won’t give me the answer.”
“And if you pick the wrong one?”
Renner let out a sigh, “Then there is a chance those statues will come at us with everything they have. The sun is almost down and we need to get through these doors so stay back and be ready.”
Jayson and Sonja stepped back to join the semi-circle of players, and concubines gathered. Weapons were drawn and spells held at the ready. The last rays of light flashed across the sky as the sun sank below the horizon. Night stretched across the sky, bringing her dark shroud across the heavens. Stars blinked into existence as the air took on a cool chill.
The light of the lantern illuminated the area as Renner stepped forward. Using his skill, combinations appeared and disappeared in rapid succession. Waiting patiently, he watched as the skill cycled through until four sets of runes appeared before his eyes. They glowed with deep reds, greens and blues as they hovered, the rogue the only one who could see them. Percentages appeared and cycled through until they too had stopped. Renner eyed the phantom runes. Two of them had the exact same 72%. The rogue’s brow furled. He never had two combinations show up with the same exact percent.
Gylda fluttered down onto his shoulder, “You don’t normally take this long.”
“Something is different,” The rogue said as he studied the floating runes.
“Should we panic?” Gylda smiled.
Renner shook his head slightly, “No. Just hold your breath.”
The golden fairy zipped into the air as Renner stepped up to the rune covered door. The rogue lifted up a hand and began tapping away at runes. Fingers moved in a blur as the party waited with baited breath. When the final rune was touched, the rogue took a step back and held out his arms.
“Open says me!” Renner bellowed.
Nothing happened.
Eyes slid sideways, waiting for anything to happen. Renner’s arms slowly dropped as the doors remained shut. Looking at the combinations floating in his vision, he scratched his head as he wondered why the doors didn’t open. Unsure if the combination took, the rogue started pressing the same runes again exactly like he did before.
Metal creaked and stone shifted. Eyes turned to the statues as they vibrated. Eyes opened as metal arms moved. Tridents clanked upward as the troll statues turned their attention to the rogue between them.
“Renner,” Jayson said as each statue lifted up a foot from their base and planted it on the ground.
“Yea, we’re in trouble,” Renner said as he looked at the floating combinations once again, arms crossed.
“Do something, anything,” Vass said with controlled urgency.
“I’m thinking,” Renner said as he continued to stare at the floating runes.
The statues lifted up their tridents and aimed the points down on the exposed rogue. The knights prepared techniques as everyone else readied to unleash every spell and ability on the statues. The hands reached up to their zenith as the tridents pointed at Renner.
The rogue’s mind lit up and he smiled to himself, “I know what’s wrong.”
“No!” Jayson shouted as the tridents came down.
Renner’s hand moved in a blur, looking at the second combination with the same percentage. The tridents came barreling down until the rogue tapped the last rune. Red energy flared along the door. The world seemed to stop and the party stared at the rogue, two trident points’ inches away from his head. Gylda fluttered down on top of his head, eyes looking to one trident and then another.
Renner turned around on his heels and stepped forward as the statues pulled back their tridents. They moved to their stone bases and retook their previous positions. Eyes closed and they no longer moved, still as a frozen lake.
“It was a two-step combination. When I redid the first one, it activated the guardians. I just had to input the second rune string,” Renner said as he stood by Jayson and threw his arm over the knight’s shoulder, “Piece of cake.”
Jayson shrugged him off, eyes on the doors as they parted. The party moved forward, looking out onto a wide-open space, the sounds of waves in the distance. The hint of white spires poked up from the edge of the land. The player stepped through, thinking there must be cliffs just before the ocean as he followed the road for about forty feet and stopped. Tall grass covering the land swayed in the small breeze. The last glow of the sun had faded away and a clear night filled the sky, stars twinkling in the purple heavens.
Sonja moved to Jayson’s side with eyes wide, “We made it.”
Lance moved to Jayson’s left, “I can’t believe we actually made it to the edge of the western coast of Lukken. We’re actually here.”
Jayson contained his excitement as he turned to the group, “We will set up camp here for the night. First thing in the morning, we see what lies just beyond those cliffs.”
The party nodded and began pulling out tent supplies. Jayson turned back to the small pointed spires in the distance. Arms curled around him and the knight felt trapped between a blue knight and a white one. Lifting his arms up under theirs, he tried to hold them as well, basking in the warmth.
“I still can’t believe we made it,” Sonja said as she pressed her face to his neck, a tear forming.
Lance held them close, his head leaning on Jayson’s head, “It just doesn’t seem real.”
“I feel like we have climbed a mountain and we’re almost to the top. I couldn’t think of anyone else I would have gone on this adventure with.”
A shadow fell over the three knights. They broke their embrace and turned to see Oksuna smiling but her eyes were on Jayson. Before he could act, she stepped forward, took hold of him and drew him in close. The knight steadied himself as he grabbed her waist. Lips touched as they embraced each other. Lance and Sonja held each other and watched with loving eyes as the knight and troll kissed deeply, their hearts beating as one.
Nineteen
Lips pressed hard, Jayson held onto Oksuna’s waist as he pushed as deep as he could go. Bodies writhed and the pink haired troll lay with eyes closed and soft moans pouring from her open mouth. The knight drove his hips again and again between soft inner thighs, keeping the rhythm. The troll’s body trembled as her breasts brushed against the knight’s face. Jayson bit down on a pointed nipple and suckled as his cock thickened. Oksuna let out a deep cry as mini explosions went off, one after the other. Jayson let go of her nipple and watched her as she writhed and cried to invading thrusts. Drinking in her beauty, he couldn’t turn away. Seeing ecstasy roll through her, she could barely contain herself as her thighs trembled. As each orgasm began to die down, she squeezed her knight and lover, eyes opening and a sultry smile spreading into her cheeks.
Jayson could not deny himself any longer. Cock bulging, white seed burst from the tip, filling her valley. The wild urges whipped at him as he continued to pump and push every drop of his love into her. Oksuna let out pleasing moans as she held her lover closer, basking in his warmth. When the last drop dripped from the end of his manhood, the knight collapsed on the troll. Oksuna held him close, running her fingers through his hair, cheeks pink against her light blue skin.
&nb
sp; The knight stayed in her arms, wanting nothing more than to spend the day just like this. The player told himself they should rest. Clearly after a few hours of sleep, Oksuna was not going to follow his suggestion. The knight woke up to her pleasing him, lips around his cock and playfully moaning. Unable to deny their desires, they spent the last hour taking every position they could to get out lustful passions.
Jayson turned his head and could see the glow of morning against the tent walls. Pushing up, the knight stayed inside the troll as she gave him bedroom eyes. An alert passed across his vision and the knight’s brow furled.
??? is at 99%.
Oksuna looked at her knight as he blinked it away. The troll moved her hips slightly, trying to egg him on for another round.
“Let’s keep going, my love.” She said in a perfectly seductive voice.
Jayson watched as the words faded away from his vision, looking down at the mischievous gaze of the pink haired troll, “Again?”
Oksuna nodded.
“I can’t argue with that,” Jayson smiled as his cock slowly hardened again.
***
Breaking down the camp was done in short order. An air of excitement filled the party as they finished putting out the fire pit. Tents were rolled up and put away in inventories. The party was dressed in their armor, with a final check on their weapons. The sky was clear as they stood in the shadow of the mountains, the first rays of morning peaking over the pointed tops.
Sonja moved to Jayson, her smile apparent, “You didn’t get much sleep. I can see it in your eyes.”
Jayson smiled, “I still can’t believe stuff like that shows up in the game.”
Sonja nodded, “Yea, and hearing Oksuna kind of gave it away.”
The knights grinned at one another.
Lance stepped over and put an arm around Sonja’s shoulder, “We had fun too this morning.”
Sonja laid her head on the white knight’s shoulder, “When this quest is over, we all need to spend a few days together, just the three of us.”
Jayson and Lance nodded, a warm feeling passing between them.
