by Cat Wilder
"Ha!" I shouted using my Loud Speak, shaking my sword at the last two carpets. "I'll kill you all!"
They gained on me when I rose up over another waterfall. The river remained rapids for a few miles, through that thick forest. I passed by a few farming villages along the shore, and noticed fishermen out throwing nets into the few pools of calm water. I weaved back and forth, from shore to shore. Fireballs and lightning bolts filled the air, but no one could score a hit. The mages also controlled the carpets, so their minds were as divided as mine.
The human mage turned toward us and flew over while he rained fireballs down upon us. One of them hit almost dead center, burning a perfectly round hole through the carpet. The carpet lost 12 points. Izzy dropped to hands and knees and patted the fire out. Amazingly, the carpet continued to fly, so I dropped lower to the water and flew as fast as I could as the goblin attacked with lightning bolts that poked a few more holes in the carpet.
My carpet began to slow after it lost 22 percent from the hits.
I threw six fireballs up into the bottom of his carpet. I watched the alerts to see how effective my hits crippled him. The HPs scrolled off behind him like a red smoky banner.
-3 -5 -1 -3 -6 -2 -2…
His arcane shield weakened with each strike, until the sixth punched a hole through and struck the rear third of the carpet. That knocked off two orcs, who plummeted into the water as the goblin extinguished the flames with magic and veered away.
Suddenly, the goblin took a shortcut over a bend in the river and came straight down at me as I round the corner. I pulled my Fire Whip and went after him. Snap. Snap. Snap. Each strike put a flaming rent in his carpet, and HPs from -2 to -5 scrolled away. When he veered away, I continued to attack with the whip, which grew in length to reach them.
Snap! And that did it. That last strike cut the goblin's carpet in half, and killed its enchantment. Carpet and passengers all went splashing into the rapids below.
"Wahoo!" I screamed as Izzy and I hugged. Then with Loud Speak, "Are we having fun yet?"
The last mage flipped me the bird. Yeah, he was the other player.
I grinned at him. "In your dreams."
My mana bar flashed again, at 299 with a warning I had dropped below 300.
The last enemy carpet turned and came after me with a vengeance. It took all of my concentration and meager flying skills to avoid his fireballs, until I didn't. He flew under me, so I didn't see it coming. The back half of our carpet burst into flames. Izzy pressed against me, too afraid to even try putting the fire out.
"I'm taking you down with me," I growled and used the last of the carpet's magic to turn right and downward.
My carpet stopped flying a second later, and me, Izzy, and the flaming carpet fell straight down into the middle of the human mage's carpet. I still had the Fire Whip in hand, so started lashing at them on the way down, slicing several long cuts into it. One of the orcs fell through a slice, so I only had three to deal with upon landing. I called up my bracer sword, and swung it at an orc warrior. He parried, giving Izzy an opening to shove him over the side. And then I turned to attack the mage flying the carpet.
I pounded at his defenses. Hits scrolled away, and then his health bar appeared as he dropped below 20 percent. In a panic, he jumped up and tried to defend himself.
"A-ha!" I cried, thrusting my sword through the human player's heart.
My timing sucked, because he was flying straight at the shore. So I grabbed Izzy's hand and jumped off the flaming carpet, pulling the shrieking drow princess down with me. We did belly whoppers in three feet of water. The remaining orcs didn't jump off in time, and died upon impact with a big tree.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Izzy cried.
"I love this game," I said. "Sometimes."
Pulling up my HUD, I checked my stats.
I hadn't leveled up on anything, not even Carpet Flying. What was up with that? I thought I did pretty damn good for my first time. With all carpets destroyed, it might be a while before I had another chance to work on that Skill.
"Damn, Health, Stamina, and Mana are all down," I said. "I've used up almost half of my mana. That's not good."
Health showed me at 67 percent, with Stamina at 75. Mana looked bad at 292. Nothing like a bitch fight with other spellcasters for sucking away the mana.
I dug into my inventory and pulled out two healing potions each as I tramped out of the water. Soaked to the bone and aching all over, all exposed flesh on the front of my body stung like crazy. Izzy immediately sucked her potions down. She looked so cute. I drank my first potion. It took away the sting, and some of the deeper pain. The second left me feeling amazing, as I paused to watch my health bar begin to tick back up. Each one would restore up to 20 points, so ten minutes should find us both back at 100 percent.
I decided to wait for the healing potions to finish before I took a mana restoring potion, but that would only restore 50 points.
I looked up at the still burning carpet twenty feet up in a tree. I didn't see the mage's body, but I spotted the three orcs limply draped over limbs. None of the bodies fell all of the way to the ground, though most of their mundane weapons did. Then I heard the thump of something falling to the ground further into the trees.
Moving toward that sound warily, I found a few more weapons. Dagger. Sword. And a white crystal, which glowed with inner light.
"Awesome. The mage dropped something," I said.
Heart of Thunder. Throw bolts like a God.
I hurried over to pick it up, and immediately felt magic flow into me, filling me up. And then my body "absorbed" the crystal.
You have the Heart of Thunder. It costs 50 mana for every bolt you throw, and the shield costs 5 mana per minute of use. Use wisely.
I could throw thunderbolts! And it also provided a shield against all kinds of energy bolts. That power would remain mine until I died, when I'd drop the crystal to reward my slayer.
We lived in a brutal world.
Izzy claimed the sword and dagger, buckling the sword belt around her narrow waist. She looked so sexy in that skimpy brothel outfit and a sword. Kind of like me in my stupid little slave girl outfit.
"Carly, you rescued me from slavery," Izzy said, looking at me with a new light in her lovely purple eyes. Was she falling in love with me? I could only hope. Then she looked around in wonder. "You look like an elven goddess, but fight like a demoness." She paused, held my eyes, and licked her lips. My breath caught. "You killed them all and saved my life."
She helped, but I didn't mention that. Why diminish her adoration of me? But she was correct. We'd managed to kill most of them, if not all. We'd escaped our pursuit.
Raax is going to be so pissed off.
A thrill rippled up my spine, now truly free to live my life again. No more orc king's harem for me. Though, I would miss the good food and hot sex. I kind of got used to it in a sick way. And, honestly, I didn't think I'd miss being Queen of Gotari either. That job had quickly become a gilded cage, too, a different kind of enslavement.
I checked my HUD's map of the area. I zoomed in, and then zoomed out, before deciding on where to go. I determined the best path for us: follow the river for a week; put a lot of distance between us and the city of Got. Then we could turn north and head for Laavik. Izzy would have to decide what she wanted at that time.
"Maybe I can make a dungeon crawl out of it," I said as I trotted easily along a game trail.
The map did show a few dungeons, but while zoomed out it only showed the biggest, toughest dungeons. To see small, more manageable dungeons I could tackle with Izzy I had to zoom in pretty tight. I didn't see any in our general vicinity, so I continued on.
"What is a dungeon crawl?" Izzy asked, fast on my heels. "I'm a princess. I don't crawl. Don't even think about asking me to crawl. And I don't like dungeons. They are cold and wet and scary places."
"Different kind of dungeon," I said. I glanced back and smiled wickedly. "As for crawling, I’d cr
awl for you anytime."
She held my eyes with a cruel smile. "And you will. I'll make you grovel and beg for my touch, Carly. And you will love every second of it, too."
I stopped on the trail, unable to breath for a long moment. "I know. Oh, how I know."
I saw a large V-formation of flying carpets. There had to be at least thirty. I only got a glimpse of them through the forest canopy. Those sightings spurred me into moving with purpose until just before sunset.
Chapter 6
The forest came alive at night, sound wise. During the day, I only heard songbirds and some animals scurrying around in the middle distance. When the sun went down, it sounded like every insect, frog, and other small slimy creature came alive with their songs of love. I knew that the closer to the river we got, the louder it would become.
"Why are you stopping?" Izzy asked, looking around with big worried eyes.
I pointed up. "Elves see great in the dark. I thought drow did as well."
Izzy's eyes turned upward, following the sky-high massive oak on the edge of the game trail. I smiled when her eyes widened.
"Elven treehouse," I said. I looked up. The treehouse looked old and abandoned. "I'll go up first to ensure it's sturdy and can hold our weight."
"Ewww," Izzy replied. "It's so creepy. Couldn't we find a nice cave to spend the night?"
"Eww. Nothing is creepier than a cave," I said. "Besides, there are no caves around here. It's too close to the river, so any cave would flood."
I knew nothing about caves or if they flooded, but it sounded good to me. Besides, a cold dark cave was the last place I ever wanted to go.
I used Crawl Like a Spider to shimmy up the oak in a flash. The dilapidated treehouse hung on about fifty feet above the ground, which looked pretty damned high in my opinion. I couldn't imagine any predator catching us unaware up there.
The lower platform encircled the trunk, and spread across three thick limbs branching out in different directions. The actual treehouse hugged the tree another ten feet above the main deck and provided some overhead shelter. The lower deck's hatch door had been torn away long ago, so we couldn't secure that entry. And even in the dark I could tell most of the decking had rotted away. I prayed the actual, smaller treehouse above held up better.
I used Levitate to rise up to the door in the side of the house. I didn't see any hatches in the floor, or stairs to the house's door. I suspected they used a ladder that had long since rotted away. I found a single room with no furnishings, though lots of dead leaves and other forest debris like snake skins.
After quickly using my feet to "sweep" the room clean, I smiled. "See? Not creepy at all."
I jumped up and down inside, and it proved quite sturdy. The roof had mostly rotted away, but I saw no sign of foul weather approaching. It would do for an overnight stay.
I used Levitate to glide down slowly. I saw a flash of awe, and maybe a little envy, in Izzy's eyes. The drow then frowned up at the treehouse.
"From your smile I guess you found it in good condition."
Yeah, she didn't sound happy at all. I grinned and nodded.
"You bet your sweet butt I did, baby." I pressed up close, wrapping my arms around her in a very intimate hug, our lips just inches apart. Hers parted so sweetly, begging to be kissed. Her arms wrapped around me, holding me tight. The way Izzy's head tilted showed her eagerness to kiss. Instead, I wagged my brows.
"Let's go up."
Before Izzy understood what I planned, I used Levitate to lift both of us up toward the treehouse. She cried out in surprise, arms tightening around me. We rose slowly. I didn't want to frighten her so much that Izzy refused to stay. My aim was good, and we rose up through the open hatch.
"Hold my hand," I said. "This deck is pretty treacherous." I led her over to a spot under the house door, and once again wrapped her up in my arms and lifted her up and into the treehouse. "There. We'll sleep here tonight."
"It's moving!"
"That's just the natural sway of the tree in the wind. It's fine. This treehouse has survived for decades without any problem."
Izzy immediately hurried over to a window and looked out. The oak stood on high ground, with shorter surrounding trees, so we had an amazing view for miles and miles. The river flowed before us, blocked by the forest, but we could see the opening in the trees through which it coursed. The moonlight gave the scene a misty, ethereal feel.
"So dark and beautiful," Izzy whispered. She pressed into me, gave me a little kiss, and held my eyes with the most wicked look I'd ever seen. I got excited and scared at the same time. "So, Carly, my beloved pet, I know you love a challenge."
"Always," I said breathlessly, and kissed her.
When she didn't resist or pull away, I kissed her again, and let it linger. I opened her mouth with mine, and thrust my tongue in. Izzy giggled and met me, and our tongues danced in her mouth. She moaned. I groaned. And a moment later I untied her top.
"You're so beautiful," I whispered, enthralled by her beauty as that top fell to the floor. Her large, firm breasts rode high. Her darker, rubbery nipples swelled up, hard and erect. "So beautiful."
I brushed her long, silky white hair back over her shoulder, and then kissed my way down her neck. Izzy gasped and giggled when I nibbled and kissed up and down her neck, and across her shoulder. She took the opportunity to remove my top. And then I smothered her boobs with kisses, before motorboating her tits.
"Aaiiee! You are worse than a man," Izzy laughed. "Kneel and submit, my pet."
"Don't be that way, Izzy," I begged. She just arched a brow.
"Remove your skirt and boots. Put all of your weapons away," Izzy demanded. "Make yourself helpless and vulnerable. And then kneel and beg to please me."
I stared incredulously at her. Was she really going to force me to beg and grovel? A cloud moved, and a beam of moonlight struck her snow-white hair. That glorious mane glowed in the night. She looked like a dark angel of lust and passion. Her purple eyes beamed out strength and confidence.
With a groan of frustration, I inventoried all of my weapons. I tugged a knot on my left hip, and the skirts fell to the floor. After kicking off my boots, I dropped to my knees before the gorgeous drow. Her full lips curled into a smug, satisfied smile as she spread her feet wide.
"Mistress, I am yours," I purred. "I beg to please you in the most intimate ways." A wicked little grin spread across my face. "My skill in Sex is 96 after all."
"You renners are all obsessed with your stupid skills and levels," she said. Izzy untied her skirt and tossed it aside. "It's all talk. Show me. Start at my feet, kissing and licking your way up."
A thrill rippled through my overheated body. My sex began to throb and ache so sweetly. I held her eyes with a sultry gaze for a long moment, before I dropped to all fours and pressed my lips to the toe of her shoe. And then I began licking and kissing, fondling and stroking her feet and shoes. Soon, I worked my way up to her delicate ankle, and began to nibble and nuzzle as well. I heard her breath catch, which sent erotic sensations deep into my quivering belly.
"I don't want you to leave me and go to Laavik," Izzy purred. "I want you to take me home."
"Please, baby, can't we talk about this in the morning?" I begged. "Let's just be one with each other tonight. Heart to heart."
"I don't want you to leave me," she insisted. "Stay with me. Make me happy. Taking me home will make me very happy, Carly. I'd love you so much if you did that for me."
Her words vibrated through my being. Did Izzy have magic I didn't know about? Or did the slave collar's compulsion kick back in? Either way, I wanted to obey. Izzy's pleasure, wants, and needs meant everything. I wanted to please her more than anything, but to abandon my dream, my goal seemed so high a price to pay.
"H-How far away?"
"Not far," she said, her face lighting up. How could I refuse her when agreeing would give her so much joy? "Just on the other side of the Dragon Realms."
"Dragon Realms?" I
repeated, other thoughts and ideas coming alive in my head. I remembered Garikarous. Were dragon-shifters all like him? Big. Hunky. Gorgeous dragon-shifters. And then I remembered his warning about a dragon gone bad. A dragon collecting an enormous treasure to plunder. "Maybe. I hear there be dragons. Big, beautiful dragons."
"Yes, dragon-shifters are big and sexy, and so passionate," Izzy purred. "I can't imagine how much fun we'll have passing through the Five Kingdoms."
I captured her eyes, rose up high on my knees, and pressed my lips to her hot, wet sex. After a hard, slow lick, I wagged my brows. Izzy breathlessly waited.
"I live to serve you, my love," I said. "I'll take you home."
"Yes!" she cried. Izzy dropped to her knees and threw her arms around me. "Thank you, Carly. I love you so much."
"Prove it," I replied, and pushed the drow beauty onto her back.
I pushed her thighs wide, and went down on her. I kissed, nuzzled, and licked her into a frenzy. My right index and middle fingers thrust into her sex, pumping in and out, even as my left hand found her clit and started rubbing it vigorously. In a flash I had Izzy bucking and gasping. I didn't relent until her back bowed up and she screamed in orgasmic bliss.
I crawled over the huffing and puffing drow princess, all a-tingle at what I'd accomplished. When we lay face to face, I kissed her long and hard, and then held her eyes.
"You're welcome," I said. "Now it's your turn. Do me."
Chapter 7
Morning came way too early. I'd leveled up both as a Wench of Easy Virtue and in Sex, now both standing at Level 97. Three more levels, and I'd be a Master. God only knew what that would entail, but Masters usually got some pretty epic new Skills and Abilities.
I watched Izzy a moment. I remembered how easily she had manipulated me the previous night. She used sex and that damned compulsion against me, and now I had to help her return home. That could add weeks or months to my journey home.
