Conquering Her
(LitRPG Fantasy Story)
Rachel Blinkman
THE STORY
When the shy, bookish and beautiful Hannah Liston (a professor of Ancient History) receives a strange game from one of her students, she didn’t think much of the gift.
But, while at home playing the Medieval Fantasy, she experiences an electric shock so powerful that it renders her unconscious…
When she awakes, Hannah finds herself transported into the game world – where she now exists as Princess Helene. And although her love life on Earth may have been lackluster, if not non-existent… her in-game character is all too tantalizing and appealing, especially to the three men who covet her affections – and a whole lot more!
Hannah takes on challenges and obstacles she never thought possible, and all the while learning about what she’s been missing out on in the world of passionate encounters!
**The final scene features a ‘choose your own adventure’ twist, in which the reader will decide the fate of Hannah!**
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TEMPTATION TALES
Shipped to Him
The General’s Mate
The Chapters
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER ONE
Hannah opened her eyes with a start. A groan escaped her lips and she stared up at the low ceiling. The unmistakable sounds of a creaking bed and the couple making love on it made her sigh deeply as she reached for her cell phone. Five in the AM. Didn’t her next door neighbor, Clara Pickets, and her lover ever sleep? She had gone to bed at around midnight with the lusty sounds of their moaning vibrating through the narrow walls that separated her apartment from Clara’s. And there they were, still at it five hours later, and even more intense than before.
She sat up and stretched her slender limbs. No use going back to sleep, try as she might. Her alarm would go off at six anyway, and in two hours after that, she would be heading to work. She liked her job, teaching Ancient History at the local university. Six years now, Hannah had been lecturing at her Ancient History class. A meager job, with a miserable pay, but at least she was doing what she loved. Ah, had she been teaching Modern History, now that would be a more lucrative career for her and her lifestyle. But for Hannah, the wonders of the Ancient ages, the worlds where myth and fact were mostly blurred, always had that special appeal.
She had some time to spare, being woken up this early, so a long hot shower would be nice. Only if the water wasn’t so darn freezing. Alvin Rand, the building super, was never up before seven, so it was a cold bath until then. But otherwise Rand was quite a well-natured and decent fellow, and she often felt comfortable with him. But only just. Ever since she hit puberty and boys were no longer those nasty little booger-monsters anymore, Hannah found a new interest in them, but along with that interest came a fear she did not understand. She never made friends with one, or been on a date, or even shared a seat with one on the bus, ever. So at twenty nine, and an accomplished professional educator, she was still a virgin.
And of course, all that sexual clamor at night from her next door neighbor did more than rub salt on her wounds, it made her even more frightened about men and sex. But that would soon have to change, Hannah knew it, for more and more every day her mundane sterile life was threatening to bury her down an inescapable hole. Oh, she did have a special place to escape to, into her precious world of books, especially those about ancient history, sagas and myth. But of late, even those were becoming as dreary as the reality she chose to hide from.
The sounds from next door had often raised her own temperature the first few times she heard them, and she had dared to touch herself then, wondering how it would feel to have someone else, a man, touch her. She felt a longing at such thoughts, but along with those feelings came the dread she always had. Hannah found pleasure at times, a guilty pleasure she gave herself, and at times she felt sad and even wept. And of late, after all this time, she grew indifferent, and those sounds which had excited her once, and even saddened her, were no more than an irritant and she found herself often wishing the ceiling should come down on them.
“Oh, what a horrible thought.” Hannah said with a strange gleam in her eye as she got dressed for work. “But imagine… no more of all that racket anymore.”
She shook her light haired head and picked up her satchel. Locking the front door, she passed Clara’s apartment and resisted the temptation to kick against it. The twenty-three year old waitress and wannabe actress would know it was her. No one else was there down that corridor. The four other apartments on her floor in this cheap apartment building were vacant. It was the best Hannah could afford, with her meager earnings. It wasn’t too shabby a place, but if she could, she would find better. And then there was Alvin Rand, the superintendent, and he made living there tolerable. A nice man, maybe about forty, but Hannah was content with him just doing his job. There was that one time when she had to let him into the apartment to fix some electrical fittings, and she was so terrified the whole time to be in a room alone with a man. Rand had surprised her by just doing his job and wishing her a very good night before he left. Since then she felt somewhat, if not completely, at ease with the tall, broad shouldered blond man.
The Eight O’clock bus was right on time and Hannah got off at her stop a half hour later. As usual, her Ancient History class was the first one of the day, at Nine in the morning. A good time, she felt, for most of her students were still half-asleep to bother her with too many questions or be too annoying, especially those beastly jock types on a sports scholarship. Yes, ancient history was a preferred subject for them, being an easier one than Modern History, or so the Board of Education felt. Nothing could have been further from the truth in her opinion, but then she was just a lecturer for a second choice subject.
“Good Morning, Miss Liston.” A deep and yet cheerful voice made her look up.
Hannah couldn’t stifle a gasp as she found herself staring into the most radiant blue eyes she had ever stared into. The face that came along with those dreamy eyes was no less appealing. A wide smile, sharp nose and strong chin on a well tanned face told of a very active outdoor life. How old could he be, eighteen or nineteen? Not a freshman for sure, and not quite a senior.
“Good Morning, Derek.” She replied in her usual subdued manner hastily looking away.
“You look great this morning, ma’am.” Derek Kane grinned wide. “What are we going to study today…? The secrets of the long lost city of Troy or the story of Romulus and Remus?”
“Neither.” She said as she shuffled some papers on her desk aimlessly. “We’re going to look at some Norse and Celtic… um… myths.”
“Cool!” The tall young athlete brushed his hand though his rich dark hair and nodded at her before making his way to his seat in the front row.
She watched him furtively as he sat down. Of the dozen or so students she had in her class, only Derek Kane seemed to show some interest and enthusiasm in the subject. She had never thought anyone, especially a sports jock like him, would even care what the class was about. It was just a standard checklist subject for most of them to get their college degree.
She had noticed him staring at her before, almost every day since he joined a month ago. But he seemed genuinely interested in the lesson, though it felt strangely good to have a man’s attention on her, even one ten years her junior. Most of the others in her class preferred to sit low in their seats and say nothing at all. She even heard a few of them snoring every now and then and had to tap the blackboard with her marker to get their attention.
This day
was no different and it seemed no one but her, and Derek, were interested in what the Norsemen and Celtics were doing thirteen hundred years ago across the Atlantic. The two hours breezed by for Hannah as she regaled her students with her deep understanding of a world long gone. She closed her book as the distant bell sounded. Her students began to shuffle out of the room just as they had shuffled in, like zombies. She smirked and put away her teaching tools just as a shadow fell across her desk.
“That was very interesting, Miss Liston.” Derek said as she looked up at him. “Have you often wondered how it would be to actually exist in those places… in that time of simple and yet such savage life?”
“Uh, no, Derek.” She lied. “I haven’t.”
“Really?” He laughed softly. “Aw, come on. The way you talk about it all the time… I mean, I’m sure you’ve thought about it, some time…”
“Don’t you have another class… or sports practice?” She looked around nervously.
“No, not for another hour…” The young man said as he offered to carry the heavy book she had borrowed from the library for her class. “I really am interested in this stuff, and I think you’re the best person to talk about this.”
“There’s nothing much… it’s all just old stories and myths.” She tried to hedge, feeling a little alarmed at this student’s persuasive nature.
“Look, Miss Liston.” He said in a serious tone. “I know you’re not the kind that likes to talk to people much… and I won’t bother you if you say so… but I know you are interested in this stuff as much as I am, and maybe more. And I… I want to really ace this paper… that way I don’t need to bust my guts with the other two papers… so if you can help me with this a little more… ”
“Okay, all right.” Hannah sighed deeply. “And, you’re right… I apologize for before. Yes, I am interested and I do think about life as it was in those eras of time. And since you are so sincere, I’ll help you with getting an A+ in this paper. But you have to work hard.”
“I will.” The handsome youth nodded eagerly.
“When do you think you can…” Hannah asked as they walked down the corridor.
“Right now. Why don’t you join me for a cup of coffee in the cafeteria?” Derek looked very sincere with his offer. “… and we can discuss more about the ancient world of wonders.”
“Over a cup of coffee?” Hannah struggled not to blush. This was almost her first official date, and that too with one of her students.
Of course it wasn’t a real date. And as she took her seat while Derek fetched the coffee, she wondered why a sports jock like him would have any kind of interest in ancient myths and folklore. But then she was glad to find someone else who shared her passion, if at all that was the right word to describe her lifelong interest in it.
“I hope you like the coffee; this brand’s all they had.” Derek said as he placed two hot cups of Java on the table and sat down.
“That’s good enough.” She told him and looked around the cafeteria. No one she knew was there and she felt relieved for it. Not that she cared what anyone would think or say about her sharing some coffee with one of her young students. It still felt a bit weird for her never-the-less. “So then, what is it that you need help with?”
“Everything… about ancient history.” The young man grinned and took a sip of his coffee.
“There is a quite a bit, you know, depending on what one considers history or not.” Hannah nodded. “I suppose we could begin with what fascinates me the most and work our way through.”
“Excellent!” Derek exclaimed. “I knew you were the right person…”
“Well then, I’ll put down a list of books and sources for you to go through and you’ll have a paper well enough for two A-pluses.” She told the boy with conviction that even surprised her.
His dashing smile made her heart skip a beat and she felt a diffusion of heat behind her ears. She checked herself. He was one of her students, and she wouldn’t want any kind of trouble with her job. Despite these new feelings and emotions coursing through her, Hannah pushed them away to let her fears and inhibitions manifest over them. Her rational mind knew it best not to encourage what she had suppressed for so long. Hannah shook her head and cleared her mind, then went to work listing all the resource materials that Derek would need from the school library.
He quickly returned with all the books and material she had listed and they poured over them together, exchanging views and opinions. An hour passed by and she barely knew it. The fact that she could share what she liked with someone else was a pleasure she had never known before, and now she would sorely miss that once Derek left for his next class. She looked at him as he leafed through the books she had recommended. The obvious joy in his eyes filled her heart with warmth and happiness.
“All of this… it’s so awesome.” The dark haired youth said breathlessly. “I’m going to ace that paper… thanks to you, Miss Liston.”
“Well, that is my job.” She gave him a brief smile and looked away quickly.
“It’s more than that for you, I can tell.” He grinned and closed the book he was reading. “You said you have often wondered how it would be to actually be there, in these long gone eras of time…”
“Well, I have sometimes wondered… but its wishful thinking mostly.”
“You could try the next best thing, Miss Liston… you know.”
“What ever do you mean?” Her eyes went wide at him.
“You could play these awesome MMORPGs, it’s all the rage.” He nodded back with enthusiasm.
“Em-em-oh-arp…?” Hannah didn’t hide her confusion.
“Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games.” The younger man said as he leaned closer over the table.
“Games? Oh, goodness… no, I couldn’t.” She could have laughed out loud at the notion. “I’m not good at any of those things… I even suck at Snakes and Ladders.”
“These games are anything but Snakes and Ladders… and I know you’re going to love them.” Derek grinned encouragingly. “Fact is, I’ve got one with me here that’ll be right up your alley, Miss Liston.”
“What?” She sat up with a jerk.
“Here.” He brought out a laptop computer from his satchel and placed it on the table before her bemused eyes. “This game’s called ‘Finder’s Journey’ and it’s the best medieval fantasy based game online right now.”
“But I’ve never…” She stared at the sleek device Derek set before her.
“It’s easy once you’re broken in. I’ll show you how.” The young man replied and activated the game on his laptop computer. “I’ll show you my account and character first and then help make one for you.”
“Oh, I don’t know… what if…” Hannah bit her lip and looked around the cafeteria.
“Relax, Miss Liston.” Her student replied in a calm voice. “This will be fun… just what you’ve been dreaming of, only it won’t be real, just a virtual world to play in and live out your heart’s fantasy.”
“Uh… when you put it that way, uh… okay, what should I do?”
“Right.” Derek nodded and gestured at the screen as a colorful display filled it. “Here… this is my character, Kanelan, a rogue and adventurer. You can choose what type of character you’d like to be in the game and enhance what skills you want, then go on quests and perform tasks. As you complete tasks, you level up and get better. My character here is in the advanced stage… level 25 now. This game is set in a kind of medieval and fantastical time… just what you and I are so fascinated about.”
“Hm, it does look very appealing…” Hannah had to admit as she felt her interest increasing. “…and so life like. Do I get to… live there, I mean, virtually… like in an alternate life.”
“Yeah, it’s a great escape, like reading a book, except everything is not just in your mind and you can literally live though it… in a virtual sense of course.”
“Oh, Derek… it is fascinating.”
“Cool.�
� His grin filled her with confidence. “Okay then, I’m going to create an account for you, and set up a character, and you’ll be adventuring in ‘Finder’s Journey’ in no time.”
She nodded in excited silence and watched as Derek set up an account for her in the game. He was a wiz at this, she could tell, and as she watched, a strange yet pleasant sensation coursed through her… sort of like the anticipatory thrill one felt as a child during Christmas time. Hannah stared at the screen as her character came into being. Derek chose a female model as close as he could to resemble her. Light sandy hair, blue eyes, about five seven in height with the right about of litheness and curves to make her look feminine yet agile and strong. She was wearing a form hugging gown of blue shimmering silk and carried a small scepter in her hands. Derek chuckled as he keyed in her character attributes. Headstrong, willful and courageous, kind and caring yet never yielding.
“There you are, Miss Liston.” The young man exhaled and rubbed his hands together. “Princess Hélène, of the kingdom of Dras-Ornel. Once you enter the game, your quests will be made available to you… follow the tutorial and you’ll find you way around. This game needs…”
Hannah jerked up as her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. “Oh, I’m getting a text message… excuse me, Derek.”
‘Thank you for your interest in the Fellowship of Ancient Historical Studies. Please meet me at your convenience, anytime today before 6pm. Head of Department, Garth Hollander.’ Hannah stared at the bold text on her phone screen for a few minutes. She had applied to the fellowship just two days ago and did not expect this prompt a reply. Her heart began pounding, if she could find a seat in the fellowship, she could get somewhere in this otherwise dismal life she had been living so far.
“Anything serious?” Derek’s voice broke her reverie.
Conquering Her Page 1
