Gearing Up

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “The gate is just down there,” Kuro said, pointing down the road in the direction they had been going. “It lies beyond a number of strange buildings and vehicles like yours.”

  “That’s likely where Jarvis was leading us,” Alvin said.

  “We can go through the portal and rest in the Queen’s camp tonight,” Kuro said.

  “No,” Becky said. “We’ll go after we’ve rested, so we’re in shape to speak with whoever we need to.”

  “As you wish Matr… Gothy,” Kuro said.

  “Get her the Contracted Power,” Alvin reminded Becky as he got into the Humvee.

  Once she was back inside the Mustang, Becky held out her hand. “Jarvis, pad me.” It took a moment, but the store pad appeared in her hand. The pad was already on the Contracted Power, so she handed it to Kuro. “Tap the button that says buy.”

  Kuro did as she was told, wondering what the object she now held was. “Gothy, what is this item?”

  “That’s a kiosk pad,” Becky said as the Mustang started up and began to follow the Humvee on its own. “In this world, we use XP to buy items and Powers,” Becky started to explain as the vehicles continued toward their destination.

  They drove past a couple of small campgrounds before they finally reached the Kennedy Meadows Resort. The first few cabins were damaged, so Alvin drove past them right to the store and eatery building at the end of the road.

  Getting out, he looked at Becky and Kuro. “Is she set?”

  “Yes,” Becky said.

  “Did you explain what she has to do, at least for tonight?” Alvin asked.

  “I was explaining this world to her,” Becky said.

  “Well, she needs to be pledged if she’s going to come with us,” Alvin said. “You better explain it, ‘cuz I don’t think she’ll believe me.”

  “Kuro, what is your full name?”

  “Kuro Lightskin,” Kuro said, her face flushing as she looked away from the couple.

  “Repeat after me,” Becky said, fixing Kuro with her gaze. “I, Kuro Lightskin, offer this Binding Pledge to you, Alvin Leon Lambert. I will slay your foes and care for your allies, as you see fit, for my entire life. I will follow your commands, no matter what they might be, and never harm you. Only Rebecca Alina Woodrow will come before you.”

  Kuro said the words a second behind Becky, her eyes puzzled as she finished speaking. Before she could question the vows she was speaking, Alvin spoke up and sealed the pledge.

  “I, Alvin Leon Lambert, accept your Binding Pledge, and I will honor it in word and in deed. Kuro Lightskin, you will obey only Rebecca Alina Woodrow over me.”

  Eyes going wide, Kuro finally understood that she was binding herself to Alvin. “Wait,” she tried to say, but a thick black collar had already appeared on Kuro’s throat, containing both Alvin’s and Becky’s initials.

  “You pledged your soul,” Becky said, getting right into Kuro’s face. “Did you lie?”

  “No, Matri… Gothy,” Kuro said, backing up a step.

  “Then be quiet until I speak to you again, and follow me,” Becky snapped, then turned bright eyes to Alvin. “We’re ready.”

  Alvin looked at Kuro, who wore an expression of shock. “Try not to break her tonight. You said you would help her complete her mission.”

  “Oh no, I’m going to have fun with her,” Becky’s smile was manic. “Can we go home now?”

  Wondering if maybe he had made a mistake, he looked at the dark building and triggered the base button. The front door became a portal to the base, and Alvin motioned them toward the door. “Ladies, after you.”

  Becky gave him a quick kiss as she went past him. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll join you in the shower, okay?”

  Alvin raised an eyebrow, but gave her a simple nod. When Becky went through the door, Kuro followed her with slow steps. Her wide eyes found Alvin’s, panic clear in them. “Always be careful what you wish for, you might just get it,” Alvin told her just before she vanished into the glowing portal.

  He grabbed the other items he wanted to store in the base, like the set of swords off the other elf Kuro had killed in the duel, before following the women into the base. “Jarvis, identify the new stuff for me, please,” Alvin said as he piled all the new loot onto the table.

  The sounds of a flogger hitting naked flesh hard brought his eyes to the archway that led into the dungeon. “She’s obviously not wasting any time,” Alvin murmured.

  “Indeed she is not, sir,” Jarvis said. “There have been a number of requests to be able to see into any given room in your base, and not just the one you happen to be in.”

  “Oh, really? If that happens, I would hope our viewers are even more generous with their tips,” Alvin said pointedly.

  “I’ve identified all the items,” Jarvis said.

  “I’ll get to them after my shower,” Alvin said, then added, “or more likely, in the morning. I think Gothy is going to be pretty wound up.”

  “I would say so, sir,” Jarvis coughed. “I hope you survive until morning. Have a pleasant evening.”

  “I’m sure it's going to be interesting,” Alvin said as his clothing vanished, leaving him in just his undergarments. He stripped those off as he walked to the bathroom, the sounds of muffled screams and the flogger following him.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Scrubbing his hair, Alvin wondered how much longer it would be until Becky joined him. Rinsing the shampoo out, he gasped as the sensation of a mouth sucking his cock almost made him open his eyes. “I really hope that’s you, Gothy,” he moaned.

  A happy moan was the only reply from whoever was enthusiastically sucking him. Finally finishing the rinse, he looked down to find Becky before him. “Good, I wasn’t ready for handlebars yet,” Alvin panted as he leaned against the wall and let Becky pleasure him.

  A couple of minutes into the intense blowjob, Alvin finally tangled hands in her hair and pulled her away from him. “Hang on a moment, you’re making my knees weak,” Alvin told her as he got them positioned so he could sit on the bench in the middle of the shower. “Now you can continue,” he told her, releasing his hold on her.

  Not pausing, she engulfed his stiff cock again, deepthroating him easily. A happy moan vibrated up his length from her. Alvin relaxed and enjoyed the moment, until his breathing began to quicken and his hips began to meet her downward thrusts.

  Grabbing her head, he pushed her all the way to the base as he exploded into her eager mouth. Spurt after spurt was swallowed greedily, until she suckled the last few drops from him. Finally releasing his now waning cock from her mouth, Becky licked her lips.

  “Thank you for everything, Hero,” Becky said as she rested her head on his thigh.

  “Is she still alive?” Alvin asked, raising his head to look at her.

  “She is safe and secure for the moment,” Becky snickered as she got to her feet. “I need to clean up, I’ve been a very dirty girl.”

  “Turn on the rain head and grab the body wash for me,” Alvin told her as he got to his feet. “I’m going to make sure you’re cleaned good and proper.”

  “Mmm. Yes, Hero,” Becky said as she complied with his demands.

  Alvin made her sit absolutely still on the bench as he cleaned her, only letting her stand so he could get her ass and legs. Cleaning Becky was a long affair, as Alvin took his time making sure every inch of her was gone over three times. When he finally deemed her clean, he bent her over the bench and took her.

  Guttural moans echoed in the bathroom, as Alvin forced her to come over and over again before he finally came a second time. Once they were cleaned again, Alvin led Becky from the bathroom. Frowning when he didn’t see Kuro, he looked at Becky, who looked away from him.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s safe,” Becky said while not meeting his gaze.

  Looking into the dungeon, Alvin didn’t see the dark-skinned elf, nor was she under the bed or in the kitchen. “Did she run away while you were cleani
ng up?” Alvin finally asked. Becky was biting her lip, and shook her head instead of answering his question. “Are you going to tell me?” Alvin asked.

  “Not unless you make me,” Becky said softly.

  Alvin caught the flush to her face and the breathlessness of her words. “I see. Someone needs to be reminded of who’s in charge here. You are to go into the dungeon, secure your ankles and one wrist to the Saint Andrew's Cross, and wait for me.”

  Hand going to her neck, Becky nodded. “As you wish, Hero.”

  Alvin watched her go then searched the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen again, still not finding Kuro anywhere. Finally making it into the dungeon, he secured Becky’s other arm and frowned at the empty room.

  “You will tell me what you did to her, Gothy,” Alvin said as he pulled a cane from the wall. “I’m going to play hard with you until you tell me. Once you tell me, and I verify your words, I’ll take you to bed. Until then, you’re going to feel pain.”

  “Yes, Hero,” Becky whispered as she waited for the first strike.

  Alvin paused every few strikes to comment on her condition and touch her tenderly. Each time he asked if she would tell him, Becky would only shake her head and look at the cane pleadingly until he started again. A part of him wondered if giving her what she seemed to crave was the best course of action, but a deeper part of him asked if perhaps he continued because he wanted it more than she did.

  Alvin was again impressed by Becky’s fortitude. Her ass and thighs bore a multitude of welts by the time she finally cried out, “The suitcase.”

  Stopping the strikes, Alvin looked around the room again. “Where?”

  “Under the big padded bench,” Becky panted.

  Finding a suitcase under the bench where one hadn’t been before, Alvin pulled it out. It was surprisingly heavy. A muffled grunt came from inside of it when Alvin set it flat to open it, and the zippers were only partially closed. Opening the case, he saw Kuro, bound with rope and gagged inside. The elf appeared to be sleeping peacefully and had a smile on her face, which surprised Alvin.

  “Gothy, what is this?” Alvin asked as he stood over Kuro’s body.

  “She needed it,” Becky panted.

  Leaving Kuro where she was, Alvin went back to Becky. “Explain, please?”

  “While I flogged her, I made her tell me all of her secrets,” Becky said. “She has always felt unwanted and unloved. Kuro craves some of the same things I do; to have a powerful figure controlling her. She sees me as I see you, but she hates you. All men, actually. When I told her we were going to sleep with you tonight, she refused. I offered her her own place to sleep—cramped, dark, but entirely hers—and she accepted.”

  “So you zipped her into a suitcase?” Alvin asked as he unlocked Becky’s ankles from the cross.

  “I tied her up slowly, explaining that the ropes represented my arms holding her all night,” Becky shivered. “I told her the gag was to make her speak no ill of you. Then I put her in the suitcase. She looked at me with wonder, Hero, just like I look at you when you’re making me do what you want.”

  Lips pursed, Alvin sighed softly, “You need to make sure you don’t go too far, Gothy. Just like I do for you, if you want to keep her around.”

  “I know,” Becky sniffled. “It felt so natural to hurt her and break her. I didn’t feel awkward like when I try to dominate you at all. I want… need, to keep her.”

  “I won’t stop you from keeping her unless you start to go too far,” Alvin said, uncuffing her wrists. Holding her against the cross as her legs buckled, Alvin leaned in so he could whisper in her ear, “I’ll be watching. If you go too far, I’ll make her leave. Understood?”

  “Yes, Hero,” Becky murmured.

  “Let me get you into bed, then I’ll put your toy back into her case,” Alvin said as he scooped her up like a princess.

  “You’ll hold me tonight?”

  “Like I do every night,” Alvin said. “You need to check on her first thing in the morning. Give her a medkit if she has trouble moving.”

  “As you wish, Hero,” Becky murmured. The murmur became a hiss of pain as her welts touched the bed.

  Alvin rolled her onto her stomach. “I could fix these right now, but I think you want them to stay until tomorrow.”

  “Please,” Becky said sleepily.

  Not sure which it was, Alvin opted to leave them. He got water for them and went back to check on Kuro, finding her still smiling in her sleep. Carefully zipping the bag almost closed, he left her there. Shaking his head, Alvin was glad the game was a game, otherwise Kuro would have serious issues tomorrow from sleeping like that all night.

  Crawling into bed with Becky, Alvin carefully snuggled up next to her snoring form. “Goodnight, my broken lover.”

  Chapter Forty

  Stretching as he woke, Alvin found himself alone in bed. Becky wasn’t in the kitchen, either, prompting him to go looking for her. The suitcase was sitting empty in the dungeon, so Alvin headed for the bathroom. Stopping at the door, he heard running water and Becky’s voice, though the words were indistinct, along with muffled moans that had to be coming from Kuro. Shaking his head with a grin, Alvin headed for the kitchen.

  “Might as well let her have some fun alone, first. Don’t want her thinking I’m eager for the elf,” Alvin mumbled as he put on the apron. “I don’t know what kind of dietary restrictions she might have…” Shrugging, Alvin rounded up the usual suspects of bacon, eggs, and cheese. Adding a couple of potatoes to the pile, he pulled down the food processor and got to work.

  Alvin managed to put the two women out of his mind while he cooked. Taking the cooked bacon off the stove, he diced it fine and added it to the shredded potatoes. Dropping the mess onto the griddle he’d just used, he waited for the potatoes to brown. “Happy little hash browns it is,” Alvin chuckled.

  “What are happy hash browns?” Becky asked from behind him.

  “It’s a recipe I had found years ago on a site called Cooking Comically,” Alvin said as he watched the hash browns. “It was a parody of Bob Ross’ thing about there being no mistakes, just happy little accidents.”

  Flipping over the shredded spuds, Alvin motioned to the coffee pot. “Coffee is ready if you need some, but it sounded like you’re well awake.”

  “Oh, I’m very awake,” Becky said, slapping his ass, “but I’ll take some coffee.” Leaning in, she whispered, “She was fine this morning, and was excited as well.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Alvin murmured back softly. “Maybe see about getting her a small cage we can keep beside the bed.” Raising his voice, he turned his head to address Kuro, who was blushing furiously, “Any dietary issues I should know about? Meat and eggs are okay?”

  “They are fine. Why wouldn’t they be?” Kuro snapped as she kept her eyes off Alvin.

  Becky turned to face Kuro, her voice syrupy sweet, “Kuro, do you want to rephrase that?”

  Looking at Becky with uncertainty, Kuro nodded quickly. “I meant to say, those should pose no problems.”

  “Hero is basically god, as far as you’re concerned,” Becky stated firmly. “Be glad if I don’t make you lick his feet later.”

  “Not one of my fetishes,” Alvin snickered as he added eggs to the hash browns. “Food will be done soon.”

  Pouring coffee for herself and Kuro, Becky set them on the table before refilling Alvin’s cup. “You didn’t come join us in the shower…” Becky let her words trail off, but her questioning tone was clear.

  “Thought you might want time alone with her,” Alvin murmured. “Sharing is caring, but I figure you get to break her in before I touch her. She is your toy, after all.”

  Arms going around his chest, Becky squeezed him. “Thank you. I know it's not true, but I keep thinking you’re going to want her over me.”

  “Insecurity is a bitch to deal with,” Alvin said, patting her arms. “But I’ll never set aside my gothic temptress, who is perfect for me in so many ways.”

&n
bsp; Rubbing her cheek against his back, Becky nodded. “I’m going to need to hear that a bit more.”

  “I’ll say it and show it,” Alvin murmured. “Now let go of me, so I can get the food off the stove.”

  Letting go of him, she retreated to the table. Alvin plated up the food, serving the women first. “Bon appetit,” he smiled, then grabbed his own plate and joined them.