"Ten seconds," Larina whispered. I turned back to Lopo and opened my eyes. Oh yes, just a few more seconds. "Go!"
I shot up like an arrow and launched myself off the floor. In midair, I gulped down a health potion and the all the buff potions I could. Dineth was just getting up to my right, with his health bar at a measly quarter of its maximum capacity. The attack must have hit the man really hard. On my left, my girls were still scattered around. Two of them had been electrocuted and twitched around. One of them was Scarlet, so no healing for now. I cursed again just as I came within striking distance.
Lopo crunched his teeth together and swiped with the same arm just as when we began. No, I wouldn’t fall into his trap again. I braced myself and used both claws to deflect his swipe. His arm moved past me and struck a stone pillar. The long nails on his hands pierced the outer layer of stone and embedded themselves deep inside, immobilizing him. I grinned and stepped in.
"Now you die, monster cock!" I yelled and slid in between his legs. With a thought, I started my only combo and assailed this creature’s reproductive organ. Yes, even if we died, at least he’d never have the pleasure of fucking that witch again.
The tips of my metal claws slid through the soft tissue and ripped it apart at the base. Lopo screamed and howled, jumped up and down furiously as he tried to free his right arm. I wouldn’t have any of it and jumped on his back. The pointy tail struck my back and dealt some massive damage, leaving me at barely twenty percent health. I popped a health potion and bit down, regenerating another twenty percent. Enough to last for one or two hits, at least.
I jumped down again and stomped on the tail. With both claws, I ripped at the tailbone and anything that was connected with him, dealing damage left and right. Blood and gore covered all of my body, but I didn’t care. This monster needed to die.
An arrow struck the right arm’s elbow, followed by another, and another. The joint popped under the powerful attacks giving me an idea. I left the half ripped tail behind and twisted past his massive body.
"Fire again at the joint!" I ordered in group chat. Two more arrows struck, with another missing by a few inches. Ten seconds until I can use my combo again. I’d use it to soften up the meat, I thought and dug in.
With a bellow, Lopo ripped his claw free from the pillar and struck out with his left. Dineth caught it on his shield and deflected it down into the stone as more vines enveloped the lizard. A flash of lightning struck the creature and stunned him briefly. I grinned. Renee had given him a taste of his own medicine. I loved it.
"Now you die, Lopo," I said and activated my self-buffs and combo of Double Slash, Rending Claw and Death Stalk. My movements were fluid and far too quick for him to keep up. I slid underneath his left arm and moved to his side, where my Vampiric Bite finished him off once and for all. He slumped to the ground in a heap of skin, muscle and bone. His face was contorted in rage and disbelief, not in fear. At least I had to give him that: he wasn’t afraid of dying.
"Poor wicked soul. You should have kept your tool hidden away and played with the witch, not taken us on," I said and leaned in to loot the corpse. To my surprise, a similar item like the one that Scarlet had looted earlier was in the window in front of me. I looted the item, and a message notified me that I had two of three hidden items. I frowned and opened the loot box on Lopo again. There was nothing.
"What’s wrong?" Renee asked as she clasped her arms around me.
"He dropped another of those ingredient items," I replied and looked around the cavern, trying to spot Larina. She sat in the corner, huddled in a ball. To a murmur of protests, I walked up to her and put an arm around the woman. She shivered in fear and from the cold as I pulled her up.
"Are you going to hurt me?" she asked in a weak voice. The hairs on her skin stood upright as if sensing danger, her ears were flat and tail was still.
"No," I replied with a sigh. "But you’re going to tell me how to get to that witch. What’s more, you’re going to tell me all about her, what she’d done to me, and why you helped me.
Larina’s eyes darted around as if searching for an escape route before she settled against my body and spoke up.
"Can I tell you in private? I doubt you want the others to hear what I have to say."
"No! Absolutely not!" Katya interrupted and forced Larina to look her in the eyes. "The three of us are his women, and that big guy is a brother of sorts. The Dryad is a sister in law or something, so there’s no hiding things from us!"
Larina pulled away her hand and looked up at me. I shrugged and nodded.
"Go ahead, please."
"Very well. I’ll give you the short story first, and if you decide you want to hear the long one, we can do that afterward." When no reply came from any of us, she sighed and sat down atop of a mushroom looking tree growth.
"Go on already," Katya murmured and crossed both arms across her chest. Larina gave her a look and then looked back at me.
"That ‘witch’s’ name is Vera. She’s more or less something you could compare to death. She worship’s pain and demise, lust and power, torture and humiliation. Vera is a demonic creature that uses and discards others. I have no idea where she hails from, but one day during my darkest days, she saved me from a group of ravagers. We became like sisters. Soon, however, I found out her true nature."
"And you stayed with her even though you knew?" Scarlet asked, her right eyebrow raised, hands on her hips. Larina shrugged.
"I had nowhere else to go. In any case, as to what happened with you, that’s something along the lines I described her with."
I narrowed my eyes on the woman and stared intently.
"Go on," I said and stared at her. The hair on my back stood up straight, as I had a feeling she was about to tell me something really bad.
"She tortured you to near death seventeen times, and then she used you… sexually."
The gasps and curses were audible in the near silence. I found my heart beating like the drums of war and a cold sweat ran down my brow. I looked down at my chest and traced where I’d dreamt some of the cuts had been made.
"She wanted your seed so she could procreate. Create a creature even more powerful than her or you combined. I don’t know if she succeeded, but after the seventeenth time, Vera said she had enough and to heal you up again. Time ran differently when she had control over the village. Inside, weeks passed, whileonly a few hours passed outside. That’s why you never knew that something was wrong with him."
"I see," I managed to whisper and stumbled back against the pillar Lopo had almost taken down. "So, what now? You had a change of heart and want to help us kill her?"
"Yeah. I will tell you how to get to her. If you promise to take me in. As in let me be part of your group."
"Oh, and just why would we do that?" Katya snapped. "You just admitted your own wrongdoings against him!"
"I-I… Yes! I healed him over and over again so he could get tortured by Vera, but I never laid a finger on him!"
"Oh, pray tell, then, just why it is that you want to join us! Why do you want to be part of his group?" Renee yelled in her face, spittle showering the rabbit doctor. She was right, but truth be told, I’d known her only for a few hours… or days, or whatever. Why was she getting so worked up over me?
"Be-because… I--"
"Speak!" Katya growled again.
"I can’t! It’s too embarrassing to admit!" Her eyes found my crotch and lingered there for a moment too long. I looked down and up at her again.
"W-w-wait! You want him because of his penis?" Renee asked with a stutter that resembled a machine gun.
"Yes!" Larina cried out and buried her face in her palms. Her chest heaved and she started to SOB uncontrollably. I had no idea how to react to this situation, except than to pull Larina out of the women’s clutches. I looked back and let them know now to follow me before I stopped a good thirty feet from them. Larina wasn’t looking at me, and I could see that her cheeks were flushed with crimson.
>
"Shit," I cursed and paced around her, though I had to admit that her body looked much more interesting to me now she admitted she wanted my cock. No more and no less. Her body was perfect, with a slim waist, wide hips and large, perky breasts. Why hadn’t I noticed this before about her, I wondered.
"Shit?" she asked, her voice weak.
"No, I mean…. Never mind. All right, I’ve decided," I said and stopped pacing. "Swear your allegiance to me, your undying loyalty, and you can become one of us. But only after Vera is taken care of… dead and buried in the rot she’s released on the land."
Larina looked at me curiously and frowned.
"The death plague? Oh no, that’s not her doing. The land is dying and the druids can only postpone the inevitable. This world cannot be saved."
"Oh, now that’s quite the turn-around. Well, whatever. One thing after the other. Now, please tell me all about how to beat that witch and how to get to her."
19
"So basically, we need to jump into the center of this lake, swim through a narrow hole and hope we end up somewhere?" Katya asked angrily. Her arms were all over the place, which made it even more comical, but I saw where she was going with it.
"That’s a lot of trust to put in a former enemy," Dineth added. "I mean, we could just as well drown in there and die. Maybe Larina’s words aren’t to be believed."
"Let her go first!" Scarlet hissed. "If she drowns, good riddance!"
"And if she doesn’t? Will you accept her?"
All three girls looked at each other. Katya bit her lower lip, Scarlet tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear while Renee clasped both hands and held them at her chest.
"I-I…," Katya stammered. "Just what are we to you? Meat?"
"No! I never say such a thing!" I said with more force than I wanted. "Look, all three of you are special. And you know what you were getting into. All of us need some solace, some happiness and a place to call our own. Besides, with no way back, we need a sense of belonging, no?"
"It’s not about belonging or a place to call our own! It’s about sharing you!" Scarlet interjected. "Do you remember how I felt and what we’ve been through when Katya joined us? Then all of a sudden there’s this cute, sweet little girl Renee riding you like she belonged atop of your cock! And today, a fucking rabbit chick wants to join us as well?"
I wanted to yell and reprimand her, but she was right. Everything was getting out of hand, and there wasn’t much I could-- no, I would do about it. It felt great to be wanted, to be needed. Why would I throw that away?
"How about you just take only her in as addition, and the next one that wants to join, can instead become my babe?" Dineth offered. Monica slapped his shoulder and glared at him.
"Idiot!" she yelled.
"Hey! What did I say? I mean, I would do it only for the greater good, the group’s survival and all, you know?"
"Oh dear god, please rid me of these idiots. Oh, wait, don’t. They have their use after all," Katya groaned. I sighed and first looked at Larina, then at my three mates.
"So, what’s it gonna be?"
"Whatever," Scarlet said, then rounded on me. "You better fill her tight pussy well, because you ain’t getting mine anytime soon!"
"I’m game," Katya said and winked at the newest member.
"My vote doesn’t mean anything at all anyway, as I just became part of your group a couple days back. But I guess she can join, since she can heal and mend and all that stuff."
Larina’s face beamed with happiness.
"Sisters!" she exclaimed happily. "I will do everything I can to be of service to you first, and then him! I promise!"
"Don’t touch me so freely," Scarlet murmured and pushed Larina off her.
"Enough of this for now, please," I said and got in between her and the others. "Tell us how to get to the witch and of any weakness she might have."
Larina frowned and looked at me as if I’d taken away a precious toy.
"At the center of this lake," she started and pointed at the large pool of water, "is a whirl. It takes you deeper into this cave, to Vera basically. About weaknesses? I have no idea. She never let me see any. She’s a master at casting curses and ranged magic, but that’s about it."
"And we took her in for that little info?" Scarlet asked incredulously. "Really?"
I held my hand up for her to be silent, but she wouldn’t have any of it. To my luck, she was our healer, and not a damage dealer, or her fist that connected with my face might have hurt badly.
"Scar!" I yelled. "Fucking hell, woman! Once we’re out of here, you can yell and throw a tantrum as much as you want, but for now, we need each other, all right?"
"Shit man, I don’t envy you at all," Dineth sent over a private message.
"Tell me about it. The next three go to you."
"Pffft. No thanks."
"Get your ass in gear, you’re up first."
"Ladies, can you buff us up? I’d like to go ahead if you don’t mind," Dineth said in group chat and winked at Monica. She stared at him intently, but cast what she had and gave him a furious hug.
"Be safe," she whispered and planted a kiss on his lips.
"Whatever you say, dear," he replied and turned to the water. "See you on the other side."
"Oh come on already," Renee groaned. "Get your ass in there so we can follow." With that, she pushed him into the water. I followed without a look back at my girls. I didn’t really feel like getting all emotional, we could do that later.
The water was cold as it enveloped my body. A pressure slammed in from the sides and tried to push me out again. I swam against the hard current, following Dineth who didn’t have much trouble with his high strength. How would the girls fare, I wondered.
A faint light from up ahead lit the lake bottom up. The swirl’s light blue and white currents called to us, as if we were long lost lovers.
"Shit, even portals have the power to influence emotion, huh?" I said to no one in particular.
A shiver ran down my spine, like someone had traced their fingers down my back. I twisted around, afraid someone was behind me, but there was no one and nothing except the water and the high pressure against my body. I turned back and saw Dineth disappear through the portal, then followed him moments later. The dull ache was replaced by lightheadedness. There was no scent, no flavor to my surrounding except… nothing.
Absolute darkness. The sound of shuffling feet and the sound of a grinding stone at work. A vicious slap sent me flying and brought color to my vision. Dineth’s frame stood over me, not three foot away.
"The fuck?" I cursed. "What was that for?"
"Idiot. You were caught in a debuff. You’re that weak against women, are you?"
I looked past him and noticed another presence, dark and wicked. Her pitch black eyes stared back at me, her teeth showed from a wide grin.
"We meet again," she said.
"Vera," I hissed and took Dineth’s offered hand. He turned toward her and brought out his bulky shield. From behind, he looked like a stalwart giant. Proud and strong. Damn was I glad Sylvia had sent him our way. Sylvia? Oh damn would she get an earful from me once we got back.
"Aiden, my dear subject. Oh how I loved our time together. All seventeen of them."
I felt nauseous. I had a hard time breathing and my heart beat fast and loud in my ears. A heat rose from my toes to my head as pain shot all over my body.
"Remember?" she asked, her voice seductive and laced with venom.
"I-I--"
"Goddamn it man, again?" Dineth cursed and slapped me once more. "Shit. She’s got some kind of hold over your idiot ass. Sit down and let me at her."
I didn’t have the strength to protest, so I lay there, still and unmoving. I looked up and saw my friend turn a bright red as he replaced his shield with theax and grinned. It would be interesting to see him go at it with her.
Dineth stormed her with both axes raised high. She smirked and stayed unmoving. Only her wings spr
ead out and spikey growths exited the sides. I frowned. What the hell were they?
"Be careful of those growths. Maybe they’re some kind of pro--"
I hadn’t even finished speaking when she swung her wings and the sharp, dart-like protrusions shot his way. Dineth brought down his axes and put them up sideways in front of him, but three of the projectiles struck home. His health dipped slightly, but he brushed it aside and raised his axes anew.
"If that’s all you got, I’m severely disappointed!" he growled and charged. Halfway there, he pulled his right hand back and threw the wicked looking battle ax. It struck the demoness in her right shoulder. She grunted and slammed against the wall, her arm bent the wrong way. A low rumbling laughter left her mouth as she got up and pulled the ax out. Right before our eyes, the wound closed over, though her health had dipped only by a hair’s breadth.
I popped a health potion. It didn’t do anything to my health, but I felt slightly better. At least enough to stand and move.
"Oh shit," I cursed and jumped behind a large rock. Not a moment too soon, his ax crashed just above my head I grabbed it and jumped out of my cover. "Catch!" I called and threw the weapon back to Dineth, then inspected the witch. We needed to know what we were dealing with. The same type of unique information window popped up just like with Lopo, and I had to say, I was disgusted with what I saw.
"Oh, this ain’t good at all," Dineth said. I’d shared the status with the party since we were in the same zone and we could share information.
"Yeah, tell me about it. We need to keep her busy and attack from both sides."
"Can you move?"
"I guess. I’m feeling better now, so yeah, count me in."
Dineth charged the Succubus, allowing me the chance to move out behind the rock and get in closer. More spiky growths flew our way, and one struck me in the left shoulder. I bit through the pain and moved ever closer. Dineth’s axes came down from high above, but she stepped out of range and deflected them with her wings. One of the axes flew far and wide, but he managed to hold on to his main weapon.
Hazard Online 2: Revenge Page 11
