Lewd Paladin: Dread of Night: A Virtual Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Book 2)

by Eden Redd

  Jon slowly stood up as Thorrin held his hammer out, giving the fellow paladin a nod. Renner aimed his crossbow bolt at the Bone Queen as she stayed on the spiral staircase, dead eyes drinking them in. Wyrm pulled out a potion and drank it. Devvil heaved as he tried to get back up. Sybil stirred on the stage as Skullz moved an arm and little else.

  Thorrin kept his hand on his neck and pointed his hammer at the dead eyed woman on the staircase, “Give us the trolls and walk away.”

  The Bone Queen gazed down upon the paladin with contempt, “No paladin, it is you who will surrender. Bend a knee.”

  A pale hand lifted up as dark energy curled around open fingers. Thorrin kept his hammer steady as he fired off his last lightning bolt. It streaked through the air just as energy blazed, countered by a thick black lightning bolt surging from the Bone Queen. Eyes watched in horror as the black lightning engulfed Thorrin’s attack. Black and white energy surged before the white energy was snuffed out. Thorrin just managed to stumble to the side as the black lightning bolt hit the floor and blasted it to cinders. Vass looked down at the hole a few feet away, the sound of rushing water a few feet below.

  Renner aimed, smiled and pulled the trigger. The crossbow bolt launched into the air. Time slowed down as the Bone Queen’s eyes turned to the bolt mid-flight. An arcane circle appeared over her shoulder as a ghostly gauntlet stretched out. Renner’s smile slowly faded as the hand snatched the bolt from the air, a foot from the Bone Queen’s face. The arcane circle bled away as a shadow knight appeared at her side, holding the bolt. Then another appeared at her other side. The shadow knight turned the bolt in his hand and threw it down at the rogue. Renner spun away as the bolt struck the wall and exploded. Shards of wood flew up, striking and knocking the rogue off balance as he crashed to the floor.

  Arcane circles appeared all over the main floor. Thorrin, Vass, Jon, Ro and their mysterious savior put their backs to each other as ghostly knights rose up from dead mystical circles.

  “We can’t win this,” the mysterious woman said with a light French accent.

  “I think she’s right,” Vass said as she looked to Renner lying on the other side of the room, unmoving.

  Undead knights stood, swords in ghostly hands and hollow eyes staring out at the living. The stench of death rolled through the room, mixing with the sound of rushing water below them. The Bone Queen gazed down at the small group, outnumbered five to one.

  “I control life, death and lust in Moon Haven. Kneel and we can discuss how you will repay for your transgressions.”

  Thorrin looked to the shadow knights as he spoke, “Stay close and fight our way to the staircase. We can bottleneck them there.”

  “I’m with you,” Jon said with a nod.

  “Burn the dead!” Ro spat as she flexed her oversized metal hands.

  “Fools! We can’t win this,” the masked woman growled.

  “Vass. You and our friend here should try to rescue Renner and get out of here. We can meet up later,”

  Vass bit her lip, “What about you?”

  Thorrin eyed the undead knights and let out a sigh, “We run, they will move the trolls somewhere else, and we may never see them again. We have to push forward, it’s now or never……” Thorrin never had a chance to finish.

  A black lightning bolt streaked through the room, slamming into the side of Thorrin’s face. The world spun as magical energy dazzled his eyes. Chaos bloomed as Ro and Jon charged into the knights. Arcane staff flashing, a knight shattered to pieces after one blow. Ro leapt into the air, her armored gauntlets smashing into a knight, white energy arcing and cracking their ghostly form. Time slowed as Vass watched Thorrin knocked off his feet, stumbling and reeling from the black lightning bolt. The masked woman looked up to see the Bone Queen smiling with a sardonic glow. Vass’s arms reached out to grab the paladin when a ghostly blade sank into her side. Fingers shuddered as she missed taking a hold of Thorrin by inches.

  Shadow Knights crowed in on the group, blades raising up and slashing down. Jon smashed an undead knight to pieces before swords jammed into his body. Ro dodged and slammed her giant mechanical fist into one knight and then another before a sword point penetrated her leg. The goblin didn’t cry out as she pulled the blade out with one giant metal hand and punched with another. The cloaked woman bended at the knee and launched herself through the air. Vass grunted as another blade stabbed her, draining her hit points. She watched as the mysterious woman moved through the air toward Thorrin.

  The paladin just managed to regain his balance when a sword point sank into his lower back. Thorrin grunted and turned to fight when the cloaked woman soared through the air directly at him. Arms unfolding outward in the last moment, she grabbed and crashed into him. Thorrin was knocked off his feet as he fell to the wood floor, his head directly over the hole in the middle of the room. Before he could act, the woman curled fingers along the neck of his armor and pulled. The paladin was lifted and thrown down the hole to the black waters below. Striking the black water, the paladin sank like a stone into the murky depths and wild current.

  Vass watched helplessly as the cloaked woman dived into the hole, not looking back. Ro held her oversized fists over her as ghostly blades rained down. Jon was slashed across his leg once and then twice before he fell to his knees. Vass coughed up blood as a knight pulled his blade from her body and back handed her across the face, sending her spiraling to the floor.

  Renner managed to open his eyes as Vass fell. Summoning his strength, he tried to get up until Wyrm stepped to him with a manic grin. The dark paladin lifted up a boot and slammed it into Renner’s face, causing the rogue to freefall into silent darkness.

  Seven

  Black water swirled as Thorrin looked up at the dying light. Body sinking, A meter appeared in his display indicating how long he had before he drowned. The meter lost a blue bar and soon another as he sank to the murky depths. A long moment passed before he hit bottom and debris bloomed around him. With a sliver of light from above, he tried to sit up and get his footing. Standing up, he kicked off the mud only to rise about a foot before he sank back down.

  Panic began to set in. Hit points were already down to less than forty. He still had the Bleeding Wounds status effect and his Wisdom stat was low. A strange sensation took over as he felt he was breathing but the blue bars disappeared one by one the longer he was down there. He was in a virtual environment and though he would not drown, his character would if he stayed down any longer. Looking down at his armor, he realized the weight was keeping him down at the bottom of the river. Tapping a finger to his breastplate, it vanished. Tapping the armor on his arms and forearms, it faded from view. The player felt lighter as he kicked off the river floor and swam upwards.

  A skeletal hand reached up and took hold of his ankle. Thorrin stayed calm as he looked down. Even in the dim light, he could see the boney skulls of the dead rise up from the mud. Skeletal hands reached up, clamoring to take hold of the living thing and drag it down, snuffing out its light. Thorrin kicked and fought. Pointing his hand, a golden ray flashed down and shattered a skeleton with holy light. Thorrin tried to swim up but more boney hands took hold of his boots. Hammer in hand, it didn’t have the reach to swing down and smash skeletons. Looking up, his oxygen was at less than half and he had only moments before he drowned.

  A dark silhouette against the light appeared. Arms and legs kicked as a figure swam down toward him, cloak billowing behind. Thorrin fought as the dead reached up and dragged him down. The figure swam down past him and pulled a baton from her belt. Even under water, she lashed out as if the weight had no effect on her. The metal baton smashed one skull after another. Skeletons burst into light, illuminating the dark river waters. Thorrin watched, captivated as the woman in tight wraps kicked and shattered skulls. When the last arm holding him was shattered, the woman turned and swam up. Her arm curled around the paladin as his arm curled around her. They both kicked furiously until finally they reached the surface.<
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  Instinct took over and Thorrin gasped for air. The woman took hold of his shirt and dragged him through the water. Around them were thick wooden pillars holding up part of the Foxfire Inn. Swimming just past it, the current took hold and swept the paladin and stranger down the river.

  The current was strong as it dragged the two players along. Slipping under another set of buildings built over the river, Thorrin reached out and took the stranger’s hand and pulled her with him to the glowing shore. Boots touched muddy, shallow bottom and they stalked out of the water collapsing on wet ground. Above them was a building and they were surrounded by pillars. Faint glowing patches illuminated the darkness. Different colored moss gave the wooden pillars a neon light against dark shadows.

  Thorrin sat on his rump, sinking an inch or two in the mud. The stranger sat by him and let out a relieved sigh. The paladin turned his head to her, eyes taking in her cloak at her shoulders, tight body wraps and black mask covering the lower half of her face. Her eyes looked on before she sheathed one of her batons to her belt. Thorrin noted he was at sixteen hit points and had only regenerated a few wisdom points.

  “Do you need any healing?” Thorrin asked his savior.

  The hooded player shook her head, “No, heal yourself.”

  Thorrin pressed a glowing hand to his neck. Light filled the area for a moment as healing energy cascaded over his wounds. Some closed but not all. Wisdom spent, he would need a few hours before he was at full strength again.

  “Thank you,” Thorrin said.

  The masked woman turned her eyes to him with an annoyed flare, “A real thank you would have been to heed my words before.”

  Thorrin nodded, “I had to try.”

  The paladin stood up in the mud and checked himself before looking down at the cloaked figure, “I need to save my friends.”

  The woman shook her head again, “You will get yourself killed. You’re in no condition to fight dark paladins and that necromancer.”

  Thorrin was silent as he mulled it over. She was right, he was in no condition to keep fighting but he knew he couldn’t abandon his sister and friends. Cruel frustration lashed at his heart as he tried to come up with a plan.

  The hooded woman looked up, seeing the conflict behind his eyes, “I have been studying the Bone Queen and her minions for the last few nights. I might be able to help.”

  Thorrin remained silent as the figure continued.

  “The Bone Queen doesn’t like to stray far from the inn. The reason being, she is not only conducting her slaves there but she has a cache of magical weapons. That is why she has taken those dark paladins into her service. She gives them some of the weapons and allows them to have any slave they want. In return, they help protect her.”

  Thorrin kept his eyes steady, “You know this because you were going to steal the magical weapons.”

  The figure’s demeanor didn’t change as she looked to him, “You going to hand out holy justice on me?”

  “Stealing from evil creatures is not a crime,” Thorrin smirked.

  The hooded woman eyed him for a moment before reaching up and pulling down her cloth mask and then pulling back her hood. Thorrin’s eyes widened a hair as her beauty blossomed. Long wavy blonde hair spilled down past her shoulders. Bright green eyes looked up. High cheekbones and smooth skin nearly glowed in the moss light. As his eyes adjusted, the player couldn’t help but gaze upon her. Her outfit was like a cat suit made of black mummy wraps. It could barely contain her sensual curves as he managed to see her fully. Back at the inn, she was agile and quick which explained why she wore such a skin tight outfit. The woman’s thin waist held a belt with a small pouch and two batons against each hip. Eyes looking away, Thorrin couldn’t help but notice raised nipples from her ample chest.

  The woman let a small smile slip as Thorrin tried to be polite, “My name is Deidra Chalice, rogue.”

  “Thorrin Rivers, paladin,” Thorrin looked to her and smiled.

  Deidra stood up and brushed mud off her legs, “I’m willing to work together if I can take some of the weapons. They are worth a lot of coin.”

  “I could never ask you to….” Deidra cut him off.

  “You’re not asking, I’m offering. I know most of the layout of the inn and have an idea on where the weapons are. We can save your friends first and then attempt to take the loot. Neither one of us can do it ourselves so we should work together, partner.”

  Thorrin eyed the mystical beauty before nodding his head. It would be suicide if he went in alone but with the aid of Deidra, they would have a fighting chance.

  “I need time to regenerate my stats and hit points but until I’m back to full strength, there is something I have to do first.”

  Before she could say anything, Deidra watched the paladin as he turned and stepped through the mud. The rogue followed close behind, lifting her mask to her nose.

  ***

  Renner opened his eyes and let out a groan. Taking in his surroundings, he noticed a pair of trolls chained to the wall across from him with black sacks over their heads. Turning from side to side, he saw Vass to his right and the two paladins to his left. Jon was chained to the wall, his head tilted forward. The goblin was also chained to the wall, a ball gag in her mouth. She was wearing normal clothes with no sign of her armor. The rogue then noticed that Jon didn’t have his staff and with a quick glance to Vass, she didn’t have her bandolier of daggers. The rogue let out a tired sigh as he looked down and saw he didn’t have his weapons either. Vass turned her head to him with tired eyes.

  “We’re getting real bad at this,” Renner smiled.

  “I think the more I hang around you, the more I get captured,” Vass said and stuck out her tongue.

  “This is only our second time. You don’t like our dates?”

  “I prefer our dates naked in fancy rooms with lots of wine,” Vass grinned.

  Renner looked to the goblin as her eyes fluttered, “Why was she gagged?”

  “She’s normally shy unless she is fighting evil. Then she can’t help herself. She continued to mouth off as they captured and chained us up here,” Jon said in a low tone.

  Ro’s eyes opened and she looked around. Her chains rattled as she pulled a few times before she relented. Large pointed green ears flexed as she listened, ignoring everyone around her.

  “I can hear them too. They are at the bottom of the stairs, whispering about something,” Vass said.

  “Probably who they are going to torture first,” Jon said softly.

  “Well we can’t stay here. Vass, do you have any lock picks hidden away?” Renner asked.

  The elf shook her head, “No, they took everything. I’m surprised I still have my clothes on.”

  Renner pulled up his inventory and saw that it was empty, “Me too.”

  “If you’re planning an escape, can you include us? I can reward you once we are free and away from Moon Haven,” said the larger male troll.

  Renner looked to the hooded troll, “How much?”

  “Renner!” Vass hissed.

  Renner smiled, “I meant, yes we will help you anyway but how much?”

  “I have gold stored in several locations across Lukken. There is one close to Merlor. I am willing to part with some of it if you take me and my companion, Sora, to the seaside town.”

  Renner grinned, “It’s a deal.”

  Vass shook her head, “Okay genius, how’re we even getting out of here?”

  Renner looked to the dark haired elf and winked, “We have luck on our side.”

  Vass let out a groan, “You always say that. Can you think of something else to say instead of ‘We have luck on our side’,” Vass deepened her voice at the last part to sound like a goon.

  “It’s my catch phrase. You don’t like it?”

  Vass tried to hide her smirk by looking away, “Just get us out of here.”

  “As luck would have it, the plan is unfolding as we speak,” Renner grinned.

  Vass, Jon a
nd Ro let out groans as Renner smiled.

  Outside, a golden fairy peeked over the side of the roof to the windows under her. Some had lit lanterns while others were dark. Gylda fluttered along the edge, looking for a way in. All the windows were closed and she guessed locked but one window was partially open. The luck fairy hesitated to fly down as she noticed shadows moving to a steady rhythm.

  Knowing her partner was in danger; the fairy climbed down and hung her tiny head at the edge of the half open window. Looking in, she could see a lantern glowing and a man and woman in a lover’s embrace. The woman moaned as the man lay on her, driving his hips between her parted legs as if to break her in two. She seemed to be enjoying it because her hands squeezed his ass, urging him to continue. Past them, the door to the room was slightly ajar.

  Gylda waited as the woman’s eyes stared at the ceiling, her mouth open and gasping, urging her lover on and on. The fairy knew she would be spotted as soon as she flew in. Waiting and waiting, she could see the woman was getting close. Her breathing increased and her body began to shudder. Eyes closing, she let out a wail as she trembled.

  Gylda bolted in and zipped through the small room to the door. Slipping over the top, the woman opened her eyes and clutched at her lover, whispering for him to keep fucking her.

  The golden fairy flew up and stood on the doorway edge. Looking down, the second floor area was empty except for a door in the corner. A woman with straight hair and a large man with a Mohawk stood, the door next to them slightly open. They murmured to each other, the big one with a blank stare and the woman giving him a crazy gaze.

  Trying to not bring any attention to herself, Gylda moved along the edge and hopped to another door edge. Making her way closer, she could hear what they were saying. The fairy kept her eyes wide open as she hopped closer and closer.

  “You can have the elf but I want the goblin,” Sybil demanded.

  “You can have the men but I want the women,” Skullz said in a low tone.