by Jason Cheek
[Two-leg, I thank you for the vengeance of my children, but your spells cannot heal me. Death has its fangs deep in my throat, and it will not let me go]
“Dude, are you okay man? Do you really think you should be healing that thing?” Yun nervously asked behind me.
“I can’t heal her, man. She’s dying.” I said looking back at my team sadly. “If not for her help, we would’ve wiped.”
“What can I do…” My voice trailed away as I looked helplessly into the Silver Dire Wolf’s golden eyes.
[Save my whelp and put me out of my misery] The voice explained further seeing the confusion in my eyes. [I cannot birth my last unborn child. You must help]
“Dude, give me a hand,” I said urgently to Yun. Jumping to my feet, I went to the open gash that had been ripped into the Silver Dire Wolf’s side and stuck my hands in to search for the last whelp.
“What the fuck man? It’s not like I’m a vet.” Yun said nearly gagging as he watched me reach my hands deep into the gaping slit. Turning away holding his mouth closed, he waved urgently for his wife to come over. “Startum needs your help, Hon.”
“What do you need me to do?” Sarka asked kneeling beside me.
“Just hold her belly open.” I gasped while trying to hold my breath elbow deep in internal organs as Sarka helped me remove the last surviving whelp. As I cupped the whimpering, silvery-pink newborn to my chest, a pop-up window appeared before my eyes.
Do you want to soul-bind Silver Dire Wolf whelp?
Accept: Yes / No
My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head as I hurriedly read the prompt before selecting ‘Yes.’ My thoughts were racing as I made my way back to the Silver Dire Wolf’s head. There was no question that I was going to keep the whelp. That was a no-brainer. What I did want to know was what the hell had I exactly acquired? Was this some sort of non-combat pet? A combat capable familiar or tamed beast? How long did it even take for a newborn whelp like this to grow into the size of her mother? No matter which it was, looting something like this had to be super rare.
Congratulations! You are now soul-bound with a Silver Dire Wolf whelp!
Congratulations! You have acquired a Combat Mount. Please enter a name for your new mount:
Freakin’ A! I thought the whelp was just a pet or an animal companion, but not ever a combat mount. For a second, I didn’t know whether to be excited or annoyed. I didn’t know anything about the growth of creatures within the game, but seriously, how long would it take for the whelp the size of my palm to grow large enough actually to be of use in combat or as a ride? The negative thoughts momentarily put a damper on my excitement, but looking down at the tiny puppy in my arms, I realized all those things didn’t matter. At the end of the day, whether or not the whelp was a pet, animal companion or a combat mount, she was still cool as hell. Besides, if this little lady were even half as badass as her mother when she was fully grown, she’d be more than worth the wait.
Focusing on the flashing prompt before my eyes, I immediately chose the name, Neysa. The name had always carried a special significance for me ever since the first time I’d read the Piers Anthony book Split Infinity. I guess the idea of having a shape-shifting unicorn/girlfriend for a companion and a mount had made an impression on me at a young age because Neysa was the name I always used from then on out for my animal companions and pets in my games. Cuddling the puppy to my chest, I couldn’t help but smile. This time I felt a much closer bond to the little ball of silver fur then I’d ever had before in any other MMORPGs.
Congratulations! You are now soul-bound with Neysa!
Combat Mount: Neysa (Silver Dire Wolf)
Level: 0
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 1
Spirit: 1
Agility: 1
Stamina: 1
Charisma: 1
Attack: 0-1
Speed: 0.5
Weight-Carrying Capacity: 0
Special Abilities: None
Shared Experience: 10% (up to a max of 50%)
Additional Information: Your mount is bound to your soul. Unlike regular mounts, this mount can participate in combat alongside its owner like a summoned creature or tamed pet. At each fifth level, combat mounts can choose additional feats. To access the feats available for your combat mount, open the properties of your pet to choose from the available selection. Should your mount be slain in your service, your mount will lose all of its current level experience and remains unsummonable for the next twenty-four hours.
In MMORPGs players constantly searched for special drops such as this. Even after all of these years, I still remember my first Crimson Whelpling dragon pet in World of Warcraft that I’d found by accident in the Wetlands when I was still in my level 20’s. It was only the second or third day of gameplay when swarms of the little red monsters attacked my low-level warrior. I’d fought a running battle across the marsh trying to escape the fury of the little flying bastards, but their aggro radius had been immense for my low level. In the end, I’d managed to escape, but not before I’d looted a rare Crimson Whelpling egg from one of the corpses.
I can still remember the amazement I’d felt when I clicked on the egg and my very own Crimson Whelping had popped out to hover next to me. Even if the little dragon couldn’t fight, it was awesome to have the whelpling dragon following me around as an in-game pet. It was one of those special drops that made a player standout, especially since I was one of the first to get a dragon pet on the server. Before that, people had thought having a tabby cat, or a falcon was something special.
Kneeling in front of the Silver Dire Wolf, I held the small silvery pup before her golden eyes. Immediately, I saw the relief in those golden orbs as once again the mental-link bled additional feelings and emotions between us. With her baby safe, I felt a touch of the physical agony she’d been forced to endure as the beast’s thought’s filled my head.
[Release me from this agony]
Setting the whelp on the ground in a large shirt from my backpack that I’d looted from the barracks, I sadly lifted my hand axe above my head and slashed down with a powerful two-handed blow. The Execute instantly chopped through the Silver Dire Wolf’s neck, ending its life in one quick strike. For a long moment, we all just stood staring at the Silver Dire Wolf’s corpse, when Sarka spoke out behind me.
“What the hell was all that about?”
“Sorry guys, but-“ I paused wiping the tears from my eyes. “The Silver Dire Wolf had the ability to mind-link. She spoke to me and asked for my help. It’s the only reason we were able to take out Cralo Gutripper. I don’t know if this whole thing was part of the final Boss battle or not but the mind-link was pretty intense. A lot of the sick stuff that the Goblins did to her bled through the link.” I said rubbing at my burning eyes.
“That sounds pretty intense man,” Yun said, giving me a reassuring clap on my back.
“By the way, thanks for the save back there, Startum. That beats a corpse run any day of the week.” Tinyr said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. “And that Boss gave me the boost I needed to reach level 16.”
“Awesome Tinyr. Now, how about we check out the loot, get these prisoners unchained and get the fuck out of here.” I said, forcing myself to laugh with the rest of the team.
“Yea, I’m ready to call it a night, but not before we get these prisoners back to town,” Sarka said with a yawn.
We quickly got to work. Tinyr, Sarka, and Unalia focused on gathering up the loot while Yun and I were on prisoner duty since no one else wanted to deal with a bunch of naked, Gnome miners. Looting the keys from the Slave Masters belt, I headed towards the archway passing by the rows of cages. As soon as the Gnomes saw us, they began urgently calling out to to be freed as I held up my hands trying to calm everyone down.
“Just give us a second guys. We’ll get all of you guys out of there, but first we need to get the guards in the hallway freed first.”
“Why are we freeing th
e guards first?” Yun asked under his breath. “You trying to get another peek at Miya?”
“Really man?” I asked Yun giving him the look. “Did you forget about the room full of Goblins just down the hall?”
I would have laughed at the look of horror that appeared on Yun’s face if I didn’t feel the same way. Besides the exhaustion weighing down my limbs, there was no way we could take on that room full of Goblins and live. Our best chance at survival now was getting those guards released and geared to help us fight our way back to the entrance of the dungeon because we had to be running out of time by now. I pushed the unpleasant thoughts away with a shake of my head. As soon as I stepped out into the corridor, I saw Miya Faelwen’s incredulous look as her head jerked around to stare at us in surprise. As I rushed to her side, she hissed under her breath.
“I can’t believe you guys survived! Did you catch the Slave Master sleeping or something?”
Ignoring the Sub-Leader’s obnoxious comment, I did my best to focus on the task at hand as I went through the large iron ring of keys as quickly as possible. It was almost impossible to concentrate with Miya’s massive breasts all mashed together and held out as if on a platter in front of my eyes as she held her manacled wrists out to make it easier for me to work. I could still clearly remember how good she’d felt in my arms when I’d pulled her into my lap to reattach her arm earlier.
The internal conflict and guilt that I felt for getting turned on in such a disturbing situation nearly made me sick to my stomach, which for some reason only turned me on that much more. It wasn’t that I remotely thought she was interested in me or wanted anything like that. I wasn’t an idiot like that. No, it simply was because I was a horny guy and beautiful Elf girls with massive breasts were obviously my thing, besides the fact that this was the most action I’d gotten in the last four months. Still, every incorrect key just made the entirely-wrong, emotionally-charged situation that much worse, since her nipples would graze my hands every time I tried a new key. I just prayed she wouldn’t stab me in the eye once I did set her free.
“Are you sure that’s the right key ring?” Miya bitingly asked starting to get annoyed as I reached the halfway point and still hadn’t found the correct one needed to unlock her shackles.
“Really? Are you starting that shit now? How about waiting until I run through every key in the ring first before getting annoyed.” I snapped back refusing to even look at her as I did my best to hurry. There was no way I’d be able to meet her eyes with her chest puffed out the way it was. Even more annoying was the mass sausage fest I suddenly found myself in the middle of as the naked Elf guards surrounded me anxiously waiting to be released. I was just about to lose my cool when the lock suddenly snapped open. Breathing a sigh of relief, I was popping her other wrist open when Miya blew her lid.
“You bumbling idiot, how dare you speak to me like that after ogling me like some piece of meat. I ought to-“
“How about we do not do this here in the middle of the hallway since we’re right next to the room where all the Goblins are that were planning on eating you and your men?” Yun hissed under his breath cutting the Sub-Leader off.
“While you’re at it. How about giving us a break? We save your freaking life, reattach your amputated arm and now are doing our best to get you and your people out of here alive. I mean seriously, Startum is doing better at this than I am.” Yun said looking away as he waved his hand towards the Sub-Leader’s chest. “I mean seriously, I can’t even look at you like that.”
No one said a word after that as I unobtrusively knelt down to release Miya’s leg irons. The uncomfortable silence was so thick you could’ve heard a pin drop, which made the rattling chains just that much louder as I popped the manacles open. “Okay, you’re good to go Sub-Leaderrr…“ I said looking up as my voice instantly died away dragging out the ‘r’ to Leader.
Honestly, I’d just wanted to let Miya know I’d removed the chains when my eyes locked onto her heaving chest once again. For some reason looking up at them from this angle just made them stand out that much more prominently. Tearing my gaze away from the amazing sight, I gulped as her fuming eyes locked onto mine. Quickly turning away, I dug into my backpack and pulled out the first shirt and pants my searching hand found. One-handed I held the items out behind me not daring to look back as Miya angrily snatched the clothing away from me.
Without saying I word I began working on Sergeant Traovudd manacles as the rest of the guards hesitantly stepped back turning their heads uncomfortably. The rustling of clothing stopped just as I finished up the Sergeant’s locks with four quick pops. Giving the Elf another set of clothing from my rucksack, I moved to the next guard speaking over my shoulder.
“Sub-Leader, if you’ll work with us, I believe we have a plan for our escape.”
“We have a plan?” Yun asked, looking at me in surprise as I punched him in the thigh. “Oh yea, that plan!”
Moving to the next guard in the line, I heard a heavy sigh blow out from behind me. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed a much calmer Miya Faelwen surveying the situation. The woman’s beauty was still overwhelming, but at least with her now wearing some clothes, I could at least look her in the eyes without feeling guilty. Seeing her thoughtful gaze flick in my direction, I looked away quickly to finish unlocking the guard I was working on. Asking him to continue freeing the others, I uncomfortably stood to face the Sub-Leader, and her now dressed Sergeant.
“Thank you for rescuing my people and not simply leaving us in the hands of these brutal savages.” Miya officiously said, stepping out in front of me. As I gave a slight bow, her tone suddenly turned mocking. “Now maybe you could explain this amazing plan you have for our escape from the mines?”
Doing my best to ignore the heavy sarcasm, I mentally counted to ten before answering. “As you said, if not for us your people would even now be dining with your Goblin hosts,” I said in no uncertain terms meeting the uncomfortable gazes of the Light Elves around me. “I think it behooves you to listen to what I have to say no matter our levels.”
No one said a word as the Sub-Leader thoughtfully studied Yun and me. Her eyes quickly flicked over our armor and weapons, when after a moment the set of her stiff shoulders suddenly dropped as she returned my nod gravely. “Tell us.” Seeing that the last of the guards had been released, I collected the ring of keys and the chains while handing out the remaining clothing I’d scavenged.
“We have lots to do and little time to do it in,” I said, quickly heading back towards the Slave Master’s chamber waving for everyone to follow. “While we’re getting the rest of your people freed and healed up, I need everyone else to start gearing up the best you can from our leftover equipment. Also, as soon as possible, I want two guards watching the hall for patrols. Once we are ready to go, we’ll move out as one prepared to fight.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just cut and run before they know we’re free?” Miya Faelwen asked as I handed out the keys to the guards as everyone began releasing the prisoners from the cages.
“Yeah, we could do that and run the risk of being caught by sixty battle ready Goblins with everyone unarmed and near death. How far do you think we’ll get if that happens?” I asked with a frown. “In these tunnels, the Goblins can only send so much of their forces against us at one time. I’d rather we be as prepared as possible ahead of time. At least then we’ll have a fighting chance if trouble finds us.”
“Ma’am, you know those beasts will never willingly let us go. To be honest, I’m surprised they haven’t come looking for us already.” The Sergeant agreed, grimly meeting the Sub-Leader’s hard gaze. “If I’m going to die, I’d rather it be on my feet fighting as an Elf than chained on my knees slaughtered like cattle. I’m sure the rest of the boys feel the same way, Ma’am.”
Studying my face intently, Miya’s emerald green eyes held mine as she weighed my words, before nodding in agreement with the Sergeant. “Then we’ll heal up and fight our way
free or die trying.” Miya said holding her hand out to me.
“We fight our way out or die trying.” I repeated clasping her wrist as I met her unwavering stare. Before either one of us could blink, an excited high pitched voice called out excitedly next to us.
“Sub-Leader Faelwen … Sub-Leader Faelwen! It is so very good to see that you and your soldiers are alive and well.” The little naked Gnome said appearing before us in the blink of an eye. Reaching its tiny little hands out the Gnome gripped my fingers and shook my arm vigorously as it blathered away. I’m Minny Bigrirry, but you can call me Minny for short. I’m just the Assistant Digger, but I just wanted to say from all of us, thank you so much for coming to our rescue. Honestly, we can’t thank you enough.” Releasing my hand, Minny turned to the Sub-Leader excitedly.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard yet, Sub-Leader. These nice Elves came to our rescue when we were held by the Slave Master. Yes, very nice indeed. Of course, this all happened after the Goblins took the lot of you away. Did these Elves save you too? They must have if you were waiting outside the room until the battle was over. My goodness, that was quite an amazing battle. I’d tell you about it, but there’s just no time.” Turning back to me, Minny urgently gripped my hand as she began leading me towards one of the now open slave cages.
“While I must say we are all very grateful for your help, and we truly are. Spog Addreonnyn, our Lead Digger. He’s quite unwell. I was hoping. I mean, can you please take a look at him?” The anxious look the little Gnome gave me made my heart break as we stopped at the door of a cage near the entrance. “I hope it’s not too much to ask, but I saw you heal your friends and … I’d do anything if you would just help him.”
