Cyber Viking Box Set

by Marcus Sloss

  I rotated through the available options until I found a male model.

  Sixty-nine pounds of zinc, with a resale value of sixty-five pounds. I rationalized that the body would be fun to take home, assuming I didn’t get it melted in a lava pit or something. I wanted to say go big or go home, but this angelic being had a foot and a half long dick, so I was definitely going big!

  I gleefully jammed the accept button. There were only a few outfits to pick from and all were free. The pay to win aspect seemed to be in the body, not the gear. I selected a tunic and a free-ranging kilt, so my massive schlong could dangle freely. When your dick was this big, pants simply wouldn’t work anyway. No sense in hiding the mighty hammer of awesomeness.

  With my kilt and tunic applied, I spawned in a training area.

  The timer in the corner reset and added two minutes. I guess the fights before ours were taking more time. I had ten minutes to learn how to fly.

  These golden wings felt heavy on my back, causing me to hunch forward; my shoulders were pulled down and back, making me want to arch back against the dragging weight. I flapped my wings hard by torqueing the muscles between my shoulders. The reaction was instantaneous; I shot off the ground and went soaring high into the air. I countered an initial desire to flail by my clamping down with my mind to keep calm. Additional flaps of my sixteen-foot wingspan brought me into a tight flight pattern around the training arena. After a few laps, the sensation felt almost natural, as if there were assisted measures helping my mind transition to control this strange body. When I flared my wings, I was able to slow my speed and dropped to the sand with both feet, shifting smoothly to a rapid walk.

  “Yes!” I said with dual fist pumps. “That was amazing!”

  My self-congratulations at not only surviving my first flight, but excelling at it, was interrupted when two bodies on platforms descended from the roof. Time to see what the ladies had picked.

  On the left was a humanoid ladybug. Her back shell even had dots on the large casings. She wore a kilt and tunic similar to mine. This was probably Willow. The bug-ladies’ eyes opened, and she danced around, having a difficult time keeping herself stable while just standing; too much unfamiliar weight on her back was my guess.

  “What the fuck,” Willow squawked. She latched onto my arm while learning to walk again.

  I inspected the other body.

  Everly had picked a dark green panther that was easily twice the size of any large cat on Earth. I remembered seeing that beast as the cover for the second-tier models. I was a bit shocked she chose four legs and no arms. How would she fight besides her natural weapons? When her eyes opened, however, she bounded past us at speeds I could barely track. I guess she wouldn’t need a laser pistol.

  “Ugh! This body sucks. There was a turtle-like option I should have chosen, some Theorin species. I spent nine pounds of zinc on this body, but it sucks. Can I swap?” Willow asked and

  “We have four minutes,” I shrugged, “so, maybe?”

  Her eyes rolled back into her head and a platform descended with a claw suspended from the bottom side. Willow’s bug lady was snatched up and carted off. Weird alien stuff was … weird.

  A panting panther zipped around me, still going full speed. I decided to fly above my Crixxi lover and we had a bundle of fun testing our new bodies.

  The timer was down to sixty seconds when a new platform descended. On it, I saw a male Mounamine … umm, what the hell?!

  “By Odin’s sweaty ballsack! I ran out of time. I panic picked this small penised thing,” Willow said with a grunt. She reached down to scratch her nuts or maybe readjust her new package. “Fuck,” she muttered, “we should have waited and spent more time preparing.”

  “How’s it hanging bro?” I snickered and she growled a snarky retort that came out as a series of angry squeaks.

  Everly and I were roaring with laughter when an extra-large platform showed up. When we stepped onto the big round disk with its short railing, it rose into the air. It seemed we were underground; the lighting was fake. I would have never known it. We soared high, gaining speed until the tunnel we entered spit us out above the arena.

  “What am I supposed to do now?” Willow asked when my laughter had died down.

  We were being showcased to the assembled arena. The stands were three quarters filled, with a majority of the crowd paying close attention to the two combatant’s discs as we flew slow laps around the arena. Meanwhile, new arrivals continued to pour in. The increased attendance was probably for this event. I, of course, shifted to check out the other team.

  The first of our foes was a Wolfaroo, pretty much a high jumping dog man, six feet in height with some decent mass to him. I noticed I did not have to name this guy, meaning that Humans had fought them before at some point. He looked like he could probably leap onto a house with those muscular kangaroo legs and tail.

  The next competitor was a lizardman, except it had the head of a frog. The torso was grossly bloated. This must have been a cheap pick; it did not seem agile, limber, or deadly.

  When I laid eyes on the last of our opposition, I could barely contain my excitement. I really wanted to jump up and down while pointing out the dinosaur we would face. No humanoid torso, two thin arms. Just a Baryonyx type dinosaur. Yes! I wanted to get some for my army.

  “I’m so going to fucking die,” Willow whimpered. Everly and I shrugged. Willow slugged me on the thigh and it felt like Mary or Jasmine had hit me. “You’re not reassuring me.”

  “What do you expect, Willow? They’ve got a ten-foot-tall dinosaur with claws longer than your arms. Can you outrun it? Nope. Can you kill it without a weapon? Not a fucking ice-cream’s chance in hell.” Everly’s panther chuffed softly. “Honey, I love you, and this is probably my fault, but Willow, we’re here on Koor to learn and experience the joys of a megacity,” I said, yanking her closer to me with an arm around her synth’s small shoulder. She mean-mugged me but softened. “That’s my girl,” I chuckled, “I’m sure you will die a fine death.”

  “Yes, die an honorable death, sister-wife. I doubt it will feel real,” Everly said, scratching Willow’s calf. Willow shrieked and squeaked in anger. “I take that back. I will be hiding from you when we get home.”

  I chuckled, stepping between the two. Introductions were over and now we were being asked to select weapons. As we rotated above it, the arena populated with ravines, cliffs, and plateaus in a desert theme.

  A menu pop up gave us ten options for weapons.

  Without hesitation, I said, “Pick melee.”

  “Fuck melee,” Willow said, irritated. “Oh, you’re serious. Why?”

  “If we don’t pick soon it picks for us,” Everly said, limiting our debate.

  I selected an axe, sword, and mace. “I am serious because we will win a melee battle. Easily. They will not.”

  “Can’t you just fly up and … Oh,” Willow paused and selected her items, “you would be an easy target up in the air. I get it. Shit, this means I am so going to die.”

  “Yup,” I snorted.

  “Dammit, Eric, fine. I love you, at least you still pamper me when I am in Queenie mode,” Willow said, straightening her back and tilting her nose to the air. “Oh snap. The dumbass dinosaur picked a mace. I can’t even hold a mace.”

  “Then hide, where do you want me, Eric?” Everly asked.

  A chime indicated that the time for the audience to place their bets was starting, now that the weapons, terrain, and combatant characteristics had all been revealed.

  Uh… A notice hit my retina display. I read that Longoria had wagered a hundred pounds of zinc on us. I glanced up to our booth to see my Fairy damsel sitting in my throne-chair like a queen. She wore an elegant formal dress more suited for a ballroom than a death-match.

  Interesting. Toth sent me a quick note of reassurance that it was allowed when I tried to call him. We had to win now. Jevon would give me shit if we lost, even without the gambling, but if it cost us a company’s
worth of mech suits, the shit I’d catch from my friend would be exponentially worse.

  Everly was purring in anticipation of the impending fight. I rubbed the spot above her tail and she gave me an odd look. When I stopped, she sashayed her hip to snap her tail like a whip to smack my hand. I smiled down at her hungry eyes and explained, “I need you to kite the Wolfaroo and possibly kill the frogman when the dinosaur eats Willow.”

  “Wait, I thought I was hiding?” Willow said, tilting her head up at me in confusion. At least she wasn’t whining.

  I gave her a shrug and a pat on the shoulder. “That is a dinosaur dear, they have an amazing sense of smell and you’re a stinky mouse.”

  The platform shuddered when it touched down on the ground; betting time was over.

  Willow visibly deflated, knowing it was time to fight.

  A chime announcing the impending battle rang through the arena and a roar erupted from the crowd. Three maces rose through the sand. I scooped one up with ease. Willow could barely lift hers. I felt awful for her but she was being a trooper. Willow struggled with the weapon as she ran for the nearest ravine.

  A few flaps into the air and I was able to glean a lot of details. The frog lizard thing was a Frozard. The Frozard and the Wolfaroo were arguing and I couldn’t see the dinosaur. When I finally spotted it, I was startled.

  The dinosaur was lightning fast compared to Willow’s slow trudge with the heavy mace. The prehistoric, ten-foot-tall monster lifted its snout every dozen feet or so and sniffed for Willow, hunting rapidly across the bleak terrain. I smirked, knowing that decision was a mistake. I pulled my mace back high over my shoulder as I built up momentum for a throw. With all my might, I hurled the mace at the speeding dinosaur which zipped straight towards its Mounamine target. With my weapon gone I knew what I had to do.

  My wings cracked the air with the force I put into them as I built up my speed. I noticed my mace had buried itself deep into the shoulder of the reckless dinosaur. It now staggered a bit as it came after Willow and one arm hung useless at its side, but on it still came. My wings beat furiously, rapidly closing the distance to collide with the dinosaur stomping towards Willow. The Mounamine shrieked as I diverted slightly and stole her mace.

  The alien operating the dinosaur realized too late its mistake. I had the high ground and suddenly, another weapon. The dinosaur leaped to catch me in its open mouth of frightening teeth, but a single flap of my mighty wings put me beyond of the reach of its snapping jaws.

  When the awkwardly shaped predator felt gravity’s pull you could see the terror in the operator’s eyes, knowing they had failed. The dinosaur crashed back to the ground, sending a plume of dust into the air.

  I dove for my wounded and now winded prey. An overhead swing of my mace caved in the cranium of my foe with a bone-shattering crack.

  Gore showered the area as the creature spasmed in death.

  With the biggest threat eliminated, I ran for the mace that protruded from the dinosaur; Willow’s little Mounamine legs pumped as she sought to rearm herself. I plucked the heavy weapon out of the saurian corpse before she could, though, and sped away, my wings clawing for altitude as I looked around for Everly.

  When I had a chance to reassess the situation, I found Everly was kiting the Wolfaroo and swiping at the Frozard when she could. A few quick snaps of my wings gave me a great angle on the Frozard who spun to avoid another swipe of Everly’s claws.

  Diving from above the arena, I hurled my spare mace at the distracted lizard frog, letting gravity keep my aim true. I followed my mace down and we both sailed towards my unwitting target, in case I needed to finish the job. There was no need. My first shot was a money shot. The bottom half of the Frozard’s body exploded; the pitiful scraps of its lower extremities that remained were attached to its bloated torso by a few strings of sinew.

  I banked my turn to find Everly had been caught by our last opponent.

  The Wolfaroo was dramatically hoisting my Crixxi lover’s panther over his head. I think he planned on breaking her back with a double kick. I wasn’t sure, however, and neither I nor the crowd ever got to find out.

  I used both arms to hold my mace before me like a knight’s lance. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself exploding through the Wolfaroo’s chest, just like in the movies. Physics dictated otherwise.

  Divebombing your opponent at blurring speeds with a metal weapon that suddenly impacts your foe in the back does set a few things in motion, while rapidly decelerating others.

  For one, the Wolfaroo’s spine and chest exploded outward in a sickening sound, followed by a spray of gore. I didn’t go heroically soaring through the body drenched in blood like I’d imagined it. I actually careened off the body and down into the rugged terrain. My blow sent bone fragments from the Wolfaroo’s ribs up through its body and into poor Everly.

  The good news was that both she and the Wolfaroo died instantly. The bad news was that I was sent tumbling across the jagged landscape. Eventually, I managed to stand. I patted down my epic angelic body and removed chunks of Wolfaroo remains which were embedded in my skin. Gross. I was covered in gore and figured I must be bleeding, a lot.

  The best news was that the splattered red mess consisted, mostly, of my enemy’s blood. I was drenched, nonetheless, and had to spit out what was probably a chunk of lungs.

  Uncaring about the mess, I raised my arms into the air victoriously. Oddly, there was no roaring adulation at our amazing victory. Well, semi-amazing. Hands pointed at the Frozard crawling for the arena exit. Half his body was missing, his entrails stringing out behind him.

  “I got this!” Willow said, screaming her most ferocious mousey battle cry.

  She had, at most, at a two-pound rock in her hands. With her little legs, she raced to the downed enemy. I felt bad for the Frozard, he had been useless.

  Willow tried for a swift mercy killing, but I knew how this was going to play out. That little rock, wielded by that mouse body, was so pathetic it was comical. The Frozard pleaded for its life, but Willow kept running around the flailing arms trying to keep her at bay, to smash her rock against its head. The creature gave up, desperate to end this death by a thousand taps that was incrementally bludgeoning it to death. When it turned its head and the eyes closed, Willow stepped forward and bashed the soft spot until its brains squeezed out of the head.

  The huzzah of the moment was immediate when the gong rang three times and the victory platform landed. Willow was still in brain smashing mode, and I had to yank her back off the puddle that was the Frozard’s head. She panted raggedly, with a sparkle of joy in her eyes, and a grin that was pure evil.

  “Darling, you not only survived, but you earned a kill. Nancy will be jealous because the Mounamine will find endless courage from your actions,” I told her proudly.

  She accepted my embrace. As set the mace on the sand, Willow said, “Thanks for saving me. How did Everly die?”

  “Err… I’m afraid I killed her.” At my shrug, Willow’s eyes widened. “Sort of? She was in a cheap body. Hopefully, our one and a half percent of the take is enough to get her a new body,” I said with a chuckle.

  Willow blushed and whispered, “You just want to fuck us with that monstrosity of a cock.”

  “Guilty! We are so getting synthetics for fighting and training, and then buying sex toys to fool around in,” I said, grabbing her little hips. I wanted to smack my crotch to her little butt but hesitated. She was in a male body. No thanks! “I can do some major domination with you in such a petite little body … just pick a girl next time. Weirdo.”

  “Ha! I know, right? It was a desperation pick. Next time I want a tail, oh wings, and well, there are plenty of options for my Master’s desires.” Willow said, snuggling against my blood soaked leg. I grimaced, “For the record, all this blood spoiled the mood. But for future reference,” she grinned cheekily up at me, “I definitely want us to get some play bodies.”

  “Yeah, I’ll ask the siblings to find a good solu
tion or we can go shopping for one ourselves. I don’t mind using them at home, but in combat, even for defense, it will be a hazard. I am getting a prompt to pay for a clean and repair. How about you?” I asked Willow.

  “A small cleaning fee for mine. I am going to accept. See you in our bodies on the disks, my king.”

  Her body went limp in my arms. I approved the repair and the cleaning fee for my angelic synth before being sucked down into blackness.

  ∞∞∞

  When I returned to my disk back up in our booth, I was greeted by three people I most certainly did not expect to see. General Ryan, Linda Growlen, and Sammie. I opened my mouth and … closed it. I stuck my finger up in the air, paused for a moment, then stuck it through Sammie who squeaked when my hand went through her chest.

  Okay, that was a fair reaction. The group spun, seeing us return.

  “Master Eric, I was glad to make it in time to witness your victory,” Sammie said and I saw her wearing a Koovorin collar, which meant she was here in the flesh. Her curtsy was flawless, as always. “I brought these two,” she indicated Growlen and her pet general, “with me.”

  “Oh really, why are you here?” I asked with a raised brow.

  Sammie fidgeted when Everly held a hand up to speak first. “I am proud of you, King Eric. My body was cheap, my foe was dispatched quickly, and you secured our victory. Thank you for letting me bring honor to our home and another victory to my tally.”

  Longoria fluttered her wings happily and said, “And your winnings can free a few hundred more Mounamine, if you want them. Personally, though,” her gaze positively smoldered as she licked her lips, “I want that angelic body to toy with.”

  “Yeah, those synths are like drugs. We will get to your shopping here soon enough.” I turned back to my cute little mouse-girl. “Sammie, why are you here?”

  “Longoria needed more zinc. She was about to purchase the last of the equipment when someone siphoned off a bunch of her funds to purchase a fancy body,” Sammie said, almost cringing as she anticipated a negative reaction to her sassy quip.