by A P Gore
Roderich conjured a force shield around himself, deflecting Noah’s poison orbs, but Noah wasn’t ready to give up, not yet. He knew who was trying to kill him again and again, and today he would take revenge.
Even if Roderich killed him today as well, he would come back and find a way to take his revenge.
Roderich didn’t do anything of the sort. He waved his hand, and a force of air lifted Noah up. A twister of wind formed around him, whisking him a few feet away.
“I’m sorry, Noah. But I have to do this. To save us all.” He picked up the knife and carved out the goblin female’s organs and then scattered them around the center pole. His whole body was covered in blood by the time he was finished, and he looked like the villain from the classic cable TV show, Texter.
The twister tossed Noah unceremoniously out of the sacrificial site, throwing him on the ground. His bones cracked when he made impact, and a red notification appeared mentioning the damage.
You have been hit by a level five twister. Damage taken: 200.
Noah coughed up blood. He slowly rose, balancing himself on the wall, but by the time he could look back over it, Roderich was gone, leaving the dead goblin body behind.
17. Curse Acceleration
The weather was damp and rainy as Noah walked back to the inn with mixed feelings—mostly furious and betrayed. The female goblin occupied his mind the whole way back. Suddenly, the sky started spitting out huge rain drops. He quickly took cover under a large pine tree that grew on what should have been a house some decades back.
The drops mixed with the black soil, spreading an intoxicating wet earthy fragrance everywhere. Noah loved it. He used to love it when he was child. His dad's farm was located on a rain-deficient planet, so it only rained sparingly; whenever it rained, he would watch it for hours, enjoying the water and the fragrance of the wet soil. And when the rain was done, he would run to watch the drops hanging on the bushes of the farm’s trees. His dad used to produce seasonal fruits in their farm, and Noah felt the fruits tasted better after every rain. But today, even the memory of his childhood couldn’t bring a smile on his face.
How could he smile after the man he trusted betrayed him? Roderich was one of the first demons he’d felt a bond of friendship and respect with, but the same man was betraying him behind his back and killing him in a disguise. He’d even gone to great lengths, using magic, to prove himself innocent.
But today, you proved me wrong, Roderich. Damn wrong. Damn you Roderich!
Noah quickened his pace when the rain stopped. He needed to talk to Mathial. The rain had wet the soil, making it more difficult to traverse with his fur shoes. Small water ponds had formed everywhere, and he accidentally put his foot in one of them, muddying the shoe. He would soon need a level up, or he’d have to wash his shoes as well. This game sucked!
Mathial and Thia were playing in front of the smithy when he arrived. Thia, as usual, jumped on him and licked his face. Her smile removed all of his worries.
“Daddy. Play.” Thia demanded, with the face of a four-year-old stubborn child and her hands resting on her waist. Well, she was a four-year-old child, but she’d never demanded something like this from him. She was acting like a small girl today, and he gave in to her demands. A daddy’s job included giving in to his child’s demands now and then, which he was doing, even in the game.
The game of hide and seek loosened all of his tension and frustration. By the time they were done playing, his mood was back to normal, and he was looking forward to a nice comfy afternoon sleep.
They were saying goodbye to Mathial when Thia suddenly collapsed, unconscious. Her body went into a full body spasm, and white drool leaked from the corner of her mouth.
Noah’s heart fell. Thia wasn’t moving. Not at all. Her life was land sliding.
“Mathial, what’s happening?”
Mathial was already checking her pulse. “It’s the curse.” He frowned.
“Damn!”
“Run to Roderich. Get the medicine.”
“We can’t.” A chill shook Noah’s heart. He couldn’t go to Roderich. Not now. Then he remembered something important. “I have the antidote.”
“Then give it to her. Fock the goblins!” Mathial straightened Thia with force. Her body was resisting, trying to curl back up.
Noah froze. He had the antidote. But should he give it to her, now that he knew Roderich was up to no good? What if it hurt her?
“Come on human! Give it to her, quick!”
Noah hurried forward, pulling the antidote out of his bag. Without giving it another thought, he poured it in Thia’s mouth.
Thia’s movements eased as the liquid entered her mouth. Her life stabilized at 20%.
Mathial poured a health potion in her mouth, bringing her life back up to 60%. “That was close.”
“It was.” Noah wiped sweat from his forehead with back of his sleeves. It was damn close. He nearly lost his daughter, and to save her he’d had to trust his own killer. Damn! It was close. “Can you take her up to my room, please? I’ll be back soon.”
He walked out of the inn without waiting to see if Mathial would do it. He knew Mathial would. The greedy blacksmith liked Thia.
♦ ♦ ♦
The goddess walked through a door that wasn’t there before, but Noah was used to it now. “Coffee please.”
“No. First tell me the cure for my little girl.” Noah stood there, stubborn and unmoving.
Sumara’s eyes turned red, dark red, and she bit her lower lip. “You can’t fucking negotiate with me. I’m a goddess, and no one demands anything of me.”
A blue orb formed on her palm and flew at Noah, hitting him for 100 damage. Another swiftly followed, hitting him for another 100 damage. Then another 100 damage. She continued until he was only left with 1 life.
His body was shuddering in pain by then. He was on the ground with burned skin and shattered bones. The crazy goddess bitch had left him incapacitated. But his brain still worked, relaying and amplifying all the damn pain he was experiencing.
Damn! Why did I sign up for this? How am I going to save Thia?
“Coffee may save your life today,” she said, leaning over his body, staring in his eyes. Her eyes had gone back to normal.
Noah willed six cups of coffees for the bitch. The green and white cups appeared on the table, and the goddess cheered happily.
She waved her hand and a stream of red light zapped through his heart. His health filled to full, erasing his pain and agony. “Come to me when you have the coffee recipe.” She picked up all the cups and vanished through the door.
Noah was left behind with nothing but a notification of a buff.
Congratulations! You’ve been healed by a goddess. 10% extra life for the next 2 hours.
He would have felt happy in any other scenario, but today he only had one word for the goddess, the crazy bitch.
18. Seducing Demon
The inn smelled of ale and tea when Noah got back. He checked inside the kitchen and found the tea and milk boiling in a pot. Mathial wasn't there, but a new demon with a huge stomach sat next to the fire, stirring it with a large wooden spoon.
Noah turned away as the demon game him a wary look. He headed outside, and around to the back of the inn. Mathial was there, working in the smithy.
“Where is Thia?”
“Upstairs. Have you seen Roderich? That fool went on vacation, and I had to hire a replacement cook.” Mathial sounded annoyed. He hammered the metal plate on the anvil. A dent appeared on the plain sheet of metal, but that would vanish soon, and the plate would turn into strong metal armor. Or something else.
Noah didn't answer. He knew why Roderich went on vacation.
“Do you have any armor I can buy?” Noah changed the subject, he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell the story of Roderich to Mathial. There were too many dynamics in the demon town, and he didn't want to get caught up in them.
“Yes, but it needs repair and I don’t have time fo
r that.
Noah nodded and bought it, anyway. It only had 10 durability left, but something was better than nothing.
After Mathial put away the money, Noah asked, “Mathial, do you trust me?”
Mathial paused, hammer raised to resume hitting the metal plate. He lowered the hammer and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a clean white cloth. “Why do you ask that?”
Noah took a deep breath. “Roderich is the one who has killed me multiple times now. I know he ain't on any bloody vacation.” Noah clenched the armor in his hand.
Mathial almost dropped the cloth he was holding. “What?”
“I saw him today, sacrificing a goblin female in the sacrificial grounds. It was the same alter where he sacrificed me a few days back.”
“Fock the goblins!” Mathial spun, hitting the hammer and sending it flying toward the wall. It dropped with a thump after hitting the wall of the smithy, landing on Mathial’s foot. A hint of pain passed over his face. “Are you sure about this, human?” he asked, bending to check on his now bleeding toe.
Noah blinked at the red spreading below Mathial’s foot. “Yes. When I tried to save the goblin female, he attacked me. He sliced her throat and then carved out her organs.”
Mathial froze in shock, then ran to the front door, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Thia walked into the smithy and jumped on Noah’s shoulder, licking his ears. “Daddy. Uncle? Blood?” She pointed at the red trail.
“I don’t know, sweetie. But something happened, and he just took off. Must be some urgent work.” Noah wrapped his hand around her, adjusting her on his shoulder.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Noah and Thia put the coffee alternative through the various processes. Once he was done, he got a notification for +1 in cooking and a 6 day timer to complete the herb masala he was making. It was coffee powder for him, but the game wasn’t calling it that. Thia too got a +1 in cooking. That was unintentional, but who cares? They had a blast along the way. They dropped on the bed a little too exhausted that night, but the day left a memory in both of their minds—a memory of father and daughter’s time well spent. The system too gave him +2000 reputation with Thia as proof. When sleep took over him, he was deep in thought about the reputation system of BlackFlame Online. It was absurd.
♦ ♦ ♦
The next morning, Noah kissed Thia and left the inn. Mathial was back at the counter, but he didn’t look too pleased. Noah didn’t ask him why he’d run off the day before; sometimes everybody need to be left alone, even digitized NPCs.
Rihala was waiting for him at the border of the expansion site below a large tree capable of holding two tree houses, if he decided to make one. She was dressed in tight gray pants and a white shirt along with a brown leather jacket showing a bit of her cleavage. Noah briefly looked at it before turning away; he didn’t want any distractions today. But she looked too damn hot to not admire.
“Your armor looks battered. My mom says, ‘wear something that looks good on you,’” Rihala said, moving closer to him, touching his armor.
She smelled like some exotic flower today, a flower he could continue staring at forever, without getting tired. She was just inches away from him, and her warmth was entering his body, distracting him. The touch of her hand, even over the armor, sent lightning waves across his body. He stepped away from her, looking at the tree. “Yes, it needs some work. Mathial will patch it up in a couple of days.”
She moved next to him, spinning around, showing every side of her figure. “How do I look today?” Her taut ass left a seductive impression in his mind. Her tail was too close to his waist today; it even wrapped around him as she stood close. Affection was clear in her actions.
“You look awesome, but...” He paused. The collar around her neck looked odd with her otherwise sexy attire.
“But what?”
“The collar...” He paused once again to gauge her reaction. “It doesn't match your attire.” He held his breath, hoping that she wouldn't just run away like last time.
She stayed, but her face fell like he’d poked some sensitive nerve. “That’s the ring of an owner.”
“An owner?” Noah’s chin lifted. “What do you mean?”
She sighed—a deep sigh of regret and misery. “I think I can tell you the truth. You have turned out to be a good friend.” She locked eyes with him, and he saw how much pain those beautiful lavender eyes held.
Noah was overwhelmed by the sheer pain that was present there. He took a seat on a large stone lying near the expansion site border. Rihala sat next to him, looking defeated. He rubbed her shoulder.
“You might not know this,” she said, “but in the empire of Zedusania, we demons have tiers of citizens. I belong to the lowest tier of demons. In fact, my whole family is owned by the high priest of the city of Madurai, capital city of the Zedusania Empire.” She paused for a moment before speaking again. “This ring is the symbol of my house, the House of Jethro.” She slipped her fingers inside the ring and rotated it around her neck.
That was a shock. Noah had thought it was some sort of demon fashion statement, but it wasn’t. “Are you a slave?” He remembered her mentioning the word buy when he first mentioned the collar, but he hadn’t paid attention to it.
“Kind of.”
“Kind of?”
“I’m free, right now. But I’m not allowed to roam outside of the walls. I do it anyway, because I want to adventure and gain some levels.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I thought... But you just said you are free, right?” Noah was confused now.
“Yes, but for not long. I turning twenty-next year, and that’s when the children of the current slaves are bid upon. I want to be free. Free from all the slavery trades. Free from the men that would buy me next year. Free from the laws and troubles imposed by King M—” Her mouth twisted, and she fell to the ground, her body spasming as if she were having a seizure. Black vapor came out of the ring around her neck. Noah recognized it. It was a curse.
He dropped to his knees and checked her pulse. She stilled, and her face returned to normal after a few more seconds. Only her sobs and tears remained.
Noah pulled her in his arms. Her breasts pressed against his chest, but now he wasn’t getting any pulse of desire from it; he was there to ease her heart.
Her weeping stopped after few moments. She cleared her throat and pulled out of his embrace.
“Thanks for that. But if anyone sees me in the arms of a human, I would be killed on the spot. I'm not supposed to be here, but for…” Pain lurked in her eyes. “It was stupid of me to come here. I got carried away by stupid emotions after you asked me to be your companion. I’ve never had a friend before, nor was I ever given a rare gift by anyone.”
“Relax. I won’t do anything that would harm you.” Noah gave her the most reassuring smile he could conjure. She was quite attractive, and he would have thought about pursuing her if he wasn’t on a strict timeline. Why not? She had seductive big lavender eyes, a perfectly curvy body, and beauty that could rival any he had seen anywhere.
It had been a long time since he had thought about any woman that way. Maybe forty-two years. He hadn’t gotten his memories back yet, but he was sure his only focus had been Tia.
“Thank you, Noah. You are a man I would want to find in a demon, one day.” She smiled, an innocent smile that touched his heart.
“Can you walk? You can tell me about your society while we walk. But only if that curse won’t hurt you again.”
She looked at him with wide eyes. “How did you know it was a curse?”
“I had that feeling. I’m a Cursemancer after all.” The moment he saw her mouth twist and the black smoke appear, he knew it was a curse.
“It won’t happen unless I say something about the king. Which I won’t.” She stood, and they both started to sprint toward the goblin town. “I’ll give you a brief overview of the demon continent. We had four big empires: Empire of Sumara, which is red
uced to a town now, Empire of Kastura, Empire of Zenong, and Empire of Zedusania. These all are god’s names that used to govern the empires. Every empire consists of lots of towns, and they’ve been battling over territory since the dawn of time.”
“That’s an interesting take. How do humans interact with this? I heard they are quite close to the area.”
She stopped in her tracks. “Who told you that? I don't know much about them.”
“The head demon.”
“Hmm. He might know about it. I think the fall of Sumara's empire may have something to do with it. Even the town I currently stay in belonged to the Empire of Sumara, but our king annexed it in a battle. Your town only exists because of the curse,” she paused, “Sorry, but I can’t talk much about Goddess Sumara. She is known for cursing people of other towns too.”
He cursed the goddess bitch silently. His last encounter with her had left him in pain and agony. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask her about it myself. I have a long chat coming with her.”
“Do you really have an audience with her? When I saw the title, I was shocked because no demon has ever seen her. I mean, no living demon.” She sighed. “Anyway, I was talking about demon culture. There are four tiers in every city. The top tier is the regency, appointed by the king to rule that town. The second tier are the nobles, which govern various job types in town, like trading, security, and so on. The third tier are high slaves, the ones who work directly under nobles. Though they have access to many important things, they are still slaves. The fourth tier is made up of us. Slaves who are born of low-level slaves. Every slave child born under tier 4 is put up for auction when he or she turns 21. If any of them are bought by a noble, they get a chance to work with nobles, and can become a high slave themselves someday. But a woman like me gets the short end of the stick. Even my mom doesn’t say anything about the fate of the likes of me.”
“That’s bad. How can they sell someone? That’s just total bullshit. Can’t you resist it?” This was a bad practice. Sure, it was a game world set in medieval-like times, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that they were selling real people.
