by Cat Wilder
"It must suck being an NPC sorceress," I said.
She stopped and cocked her head. "An N… What?"
"You don't know you aren't real?" I asked, which really took her aback. "Poor thing."
I thrust my blade straight through her heart. She had such a sad look that I felt bad about killing her. My sword stayed inside her even after the drow was all the way dead. I didn't trust magic users, since I had a mage heal his mortal wound when I pulled out my knife too soon. I had to kill him twice.
"She dropped something," I cried. The average NPC didn't drop anything in Battle for Glory, but most of the magical beings and spellcasters did. Emeraude dropped a silver ring with a flame-red stone. I picked it up, and Ring of Fire appeared over it for a second. "Sweet."
I put the ring on my left middle finger, balled my hand into a fist, and pointed it at the stone wall. A fireball shot out to explode against the wall. I now had a magical weapon.
"I bet even Artimus burns."
I picked up my dropped sword, and checked both Gortrix and Emeraude for anything useful. Both had purses of coins that I combined and kept. Emeraude's magically summoned weapons vanished with her death, but the first goblin I killed had a spear. I took the spear and headed up the stairs.
"Time to mete out some wrath of a woman really pissed off," I grumbled as I hurried up the stairs to the next level up. I found the liches milling about, waiting for some idyllic young adventurer like me to show up. They didn't look the least bit worried when I appeared. "Hi, boney boys. Miss me?"
"Get her!"
I pointed my left fist at the lich commander, and send an eldritch fireball into his chest. The lich exploded, all of his bones flying away and continuing to burn. I swept my clenched fist around in a semi-circle, shouting, "BURN!"
The Ring of Fire lived up to its name. A torrent of super intense flames shot out and burned the liches into crispy critters. I left nothing but bone ash behind, and a lot of super-heated scimitars and burning shields.
"Bring it, Artimus," I cried. "I'm ready to take on anything you can throw at me!"
Continuing up the stairs, I found a closed door at the next level. The stairs didn't continue, but I knew the keep was taller than that. They never make it easy. So I eased up and opened the door just enough to peek inside.
"Okay, maybe I’m not ready to take on everything," I whispered.
That floor was one large chamber. Worse, it was a barracks for orc warriors. There had to be hundreds of them. They were all sound asleep, but not in neat rows of cots. That would make too much sense. The orcs, being the ultimate barbarians, all slept on the floor and closely packed together for warmth.
That is taking this brotherhood thing way too far, I thought. I paused to listen to their snores. I swear every single one of them had to be snoring to make that much noise. No wonder they didn't hear my fights on the floors below. I can barely hear myself think.
I spotted another door on the other side of the room. It opened into a stairwell. My problem was getting to that stairwell without awaking any of them. I tried to find a path through them, but didn't find any that would end at the other door.
Time for my spider magic.
Sheathing the sword, I slipped into the chamber and closed the door. Then I climbed halfway up to the ceiling, twenty feet above. And then I started the long, boring task of crawling sideways halfway around the chamber. Any sounds I made were easily drowned out by all that thunderous snoring.
I was probably violating the Gamer Code of Honor by avoiding that fight, but really, what chance did I have against hundreds of orcs? Maybe I'd come down and die fighting the orcs after I've killed Artimus. I'd gain experience points, probably level up in sword fighting, and get a quick free trip back to my respawn site in Ankor.
Winning all the way around.
Then I remembered Artimus designated a new respawn site for me.
Halfway around, icy coldness flowed through me and everything became dim for a second. I barely stayed up on the wall. When it passed, I looked all around, but couldn't see anyone or anything casting a spell on me. I didn't feel any different. I was too young for hot flashes, and that was a cold flash.
When I couldn't see a threat, I continued onward. It took a long time, leaving my arms and shoulders burning and weary. I really could've used a healing potion, but what's a girl to do? I soldiered on and closed the door. And locked it. Artimus wasn't going to get any help from those orcs.
I went up the stairs. The next level up was divided between a huge dining chamber and an armory. There were no magical weapons, so I stuck with what I had. After glancing out an arrow slit window, and seeing it was almost sunrise, I determined I was probably one or two floors from the top.
"Artimus better be up here, or I'll be royally pissed."
The top of the stairs ended in a closed door. I took a deep breath, and opened the door enough to check out what awaited me. The hinges screeched so loud I jumped and cursed a blue streak. When I looked onto that floor, I spotted a dozen orc warriors, all glaring at me.
"So much for the element of surprise."
Chapter 10
"I don't suppose we can be friends?" I asked all sweet and innocent.
The orcs' answer was to pull their swords and the nearest warrior attacked. He charged my position with a wild battle cry. I didn't hesitate. I slammed the door shut and looked for a way to lock it. Unfortunately, all of the castle's doors locked on the other side. They were designed to stop invaders.
Pressing myself against the wall, right next to the door, I waited and wrapped my hand around the hilt of my sword. The orc opened the door and rushed through, stopping to look around for me. I pulled my sword in a great arch, pulling his eyes over to me at the zzziiipp sound. Too late for him, because my keen-edged blade chopped down into the crook between his neck and shoulder, slicing down to his heart.
I kicked him off my sword as copious amounts of blood spurted out. And then immediately slammed the door shut again. Another orc came through seconds later. I thrust my sword through his heart before he spotted me.
"Two down," I shouted. "Ten to go."
Instead of closing the door, I passed through and dropped into a fighting stance.
"The only thing worse than your butt-ugly faces is the stench of your unwashed asses," I taunted.
Two more broke off and charged across the short distance. That's when I noticed they were guarding a door. A bright and fancy coat of arms was painted on that door. It took a second, but I recognized it as Artimus' personal coat of arms. He liked to paint it on anything he claimed. It was also in the center of his black flag.
I used my Crawl Like a Spider spell to scamper up the wall, and then across the ceiling. The two orcs followed far below, calling for me to come down and fight like a man.
"I can't. I am a woman," I shouted. "Are you blind or something?"
I lured the pair away from the main body of door guards, and suddenly dropped down atop them. I landed between the two, dropping low to cut left and right with my sword. I took one orc's leg off below the knee, before ducking and rolling past the other. I rolled to my feet, and moved in under his guard.
"Here I am," I snarled, before thrusting my sword up under his chin, the silvery blade exploding out the top of his head. "Ouch. I bet that hurt."
Of the remaining eight, four of the orc warriors broke off and came toward me. Those four had learned the lessons of their predecessors. They weren't taking me lightly.
"About time someone showed me a little respect."
When they reached me, I balled my left hand into a fist, and pointed at the middle of them. As expected, they split to avoid my arcane attack. They weren't my targets. I sent a dozen quick fireballs into the other group of orcs. I hit every one of them and then hit them again. Hell, I even hit the door and left it burning.
"Ha! Idiots," I shouted. I attacked with my sword, only to duck under an attempt to decapitate. I hit him in the side with a fireball. "You c
an't escape my wrath!"
The remaining three came after me. I turned and ran for all I was worth, running past the staircase and then past Artimus' door. They proved to be a lot faster, so I ran up the wall about ten feet, and launched myself backwards. I flipped over them and landed in a perfect three-point stance.
Pain lanced up into my feet, legs. Note to self: don't do that again.
I sent a fireball into the chest of another orc, reducing their numbers to two. That pair looked at me, and then at each other. I hoped they'd run away, but when they turned back to me they looked even more determined.
Dammit. I was tired.
They attacked when I tried to check my HUD. I barely escaped death, and only by throwing myself backwards onto the floor. Rolling to the right, I avoided a death stroke that clanged against the floor. The other orc tried to stomp on me, but I regained my feet and took off running. They were fast on my heels.
I slanted a worried look over my shoulders as I ran. They were way too close, and gaining. And then I tripped over one of the dead orcs.
"Uggh!" I grunted when I hit the floor face first. My sword went clattering away. One of the orcs leapt atop me, smashing me even harder against the floor. "Ooff!"
"Bind her arms," the other orc said. "We'll take her downstairs for her final punishments!"
"What the hell is going on out here?" Artimus demanded from his door. He looked at the fire consuming said door, waved his hands, and the door was restored to its original condition. Then his eyes landed on me. "You?"
"I told you I'd kill you," I replied, wagging my brows. "I'm looking at a dead wizard walking."
He looked at the two orcs holding me, then at all of the dead bodies. The wizard shook his head, but looked impressed.
"Your wrath is mighty, Carly," he said. "But my power is greater. You're about to die again, but this time a lot slower and more painfully. When you respawn, I want you to seriously consider whether or not it was worth a slim chance of actually killing me."
He looked a little too smug and self-confident. So I wagged my brows, and grinned.
"I killed Emeraude," I said, loving the look of shock on his face.
"No. Impossible," he said. My grin widened as I nodded. "Bitch, she was a mob, so won't respawn."
"Oops. My bad," I sneered. "So not sorry."
"You will be."
I struggled, but not to break free, I just needed to point my left fist at the wizard. And as soon as it was, I unleashed hellfire. A fireball hit Artimus center of mass, though a little lower than I wanted. He cried out, falling back. The two orcs were stunned, and I was able to break free.
"Feel my wrath, wizard!" I shouted, shooting another fireball into him.
I had to duck under a sword, roll away, and come up running. Both orcs chased me, but I managed to snatch up my sword without slowing much. And then I stopped and turned.
"Burn!" I cried, sending a fireball into one of them.
As he fell away, I attacked the last orc. We traded sword strokes a moment, before I hit him with a fireball. Artimus was shouting spells, trying to stop arcane fires that didn't want to be extinguished. I could see the flames were dying, though, so I raced up behind him. Placing the edge of my sword across his neck, I pressed my lips to his ears.
"Feel. My. Wrath."
And I sliced his throat to the bone, and before he toppled over, I spun around and took his head complete off. It rolled across the corridor, leaving a trail of blood.
I smiled. Victory felt good.
I looked at his corpse to see what magical treasure he dropped. The body was already fading away, as only players did. He left a nice pile of items, but I heard a male voice cry out inside the room being guarded.
Looking through the door, I saw it was a bed chamber. Artimus sat up in the bed. He looked shocked, and then turned baleful eyes on me.
"Your respawn site is your own bed?"
"Convenient," he said, rolling off to the floor. "For me, but not so much for you."
His body and clothes were completely restored upon death and respawning. I scowled at him. Every time I killed him, Artimus would just respawn and attack me again. Would burning up his bed, his actual respawn spot, end that evil cycle of life and death?
A sword appeared in Artimus' hand as he raced towards me. I dropped into a defensive stance, but was still pushed back by his brutal assault. He forced me slowly away, before I ducked under a cross-stroke, and sliced open his ribs.
"Son of a bitch," he cried. A short spell healed him. "Don't you wish you were a wizard like me? I took that away from you, Carly. I made you a cheap slut."
"I'm not that cheap," I said, and thrust into his thigh.
"Aaaiiieee!" Artimus cried, and fell to one knee.
I shifted behind him, and immediately took off his head. And again he cried out as he sat up in his bed.
I ran into his room. "I'm going to burn you and your filthy bed to cinders!"
"No!" he said. He threw at hand out at me, and shouted, "Bitch tamer!"
A glowing pink ball of flames hit me in the lower belly. It didn't burn me. But I bent over double and screamed as the grandmother of all orgasms blasted my body and soul.
"Aaaggggh!"
I dropped to my knees, body being ravaged by that monster climax. I trembled and groaned as I released my weapons and pressed my hands to my quivering belly. Pink flames danced all over my body and limbs, as that orgasm continued to scramble my brains and insides. It was the most powerful, yet amazingly wonderful sensation in the history of womankind.
"Bitch tamer!" he cried, and hit me with another.
"Ooooooh," I cried, head whipping back and forth. "Yes! Yes! YES!"
I rolled and writhed on the floor, kicking and bucking as wave after glorious wave washed through my oversexed body. One hand clutched my throbbing sex, while the other ripped off my top to pinch and roll my sensitive, erect nipples.
Artimus stood over me watching, grinning. I don't know how long that super-charged orgasm lasted, but by the time it started to fade away, I was face down on the floor at the wizard's feet, arms and legs thrown wide and limp, and butt sticking straight up in the air.
Embarrassing, I know. Still, after that pair of Big Os, I didn't give a shit. I just basked in the glory of it all. After a few more minutes, I recovered enough to croak out a few words.
"Please," I whispered. "Do it again. Please, I'll do anything you ask, just do it again."
"Amazing," he said, squatting beside me and starting to rub circles around my slick sex. "Your virtue is a lot easier than I thought."
"Please, just one more before you kill me."
"First, I get mine. Then I'll give it you," he said, slipping a finger deep into my pussy. "Deal?"
"Deal. Anything you want."
Artimus dragged me to my wobbly feet by my hair. It hurt really good. I smiled up at him, bit my lip, and then offered my lips. He leaned down and kissed me like a boss. I swear, I felt that kiss in my bones. Maybe it was the aftershock of two bone-deep orgasms, but he had me for real. I pulled my skirts off, took him by the hand, and led the wizard to his bed.
"I'm yours, baby. Anything you want," I purred. "Just do me right afterwards."
The wizard's dark robes vanished with the wave of a hand. He wasn't as skinny as the robes made him look. Artimus had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and six-pack abs. And he had a really big cock.
"If I'm not big enough for you, I have a spell to make it a lot bigger."
"I think I love you," I whispered breathless, while wrapping both hands around his thickness. Two hands, and still more cock. "This is going to hurt so good."
I rolled my tongue around the tip a few times, before sucking that bulbous head into my mouth and sucking like crazy. I gave him the most intense head I could, making the wizard cry out and gasp over and over. I then licked him from head to base, sucked on his balls a while, and then went down on him like there was no tomorrow.
He stood beside the
bed, with me kneeling on it. That gave Artimus the perfect angle to shove it down my throat. And shove he did. I grunted and groaned, but thank the holy programmers for taking away my gag reflex.
"Ugh!" he cried, shooting his thick seed down my throat. "Wow, you're even better than Emeraude, and that's saying a lot."
"She probably still had a little virtue," I replied with a sultry look.
"No. Emeraude was a drow. Evil. I don't think she ever had any virtue whatsoever."
"Cool. I don't feel so bad about killing her now."
Artimus muttered a spell, and a circle of light swept down his body, from head to toes. He sighed and grinned at me.
"That restored me to one hundred percent," he said. "Sexually speaking. I'm ready to go again."
I was pushed back to the middle of the bed, and Artimus started kissing and nibbling his way up my leg. For a second I got all tingly, thinking he was going to give me some oral, but he worked his way past without stopping. Dammit. Maybe next time.
"I don't know if you realize it, but a little earlier both you and I were disconnected."
"What does that mean?"
"Our bodies were disconnected from the game. The fact we are both still here, playing the game, means we are trapped inside forever."
I remembered the cold flash down in the orc barracks. My blood ran cold. I'd failed. I'd never return to the real world.
"So my body is dead?"
"Probably not," he said, shrugging before he lowered his face into my cleavage and motorboated my tits. "I think we were split in two, and are alive out there and in here."
Mind blown. Could that really happen? And was I still me if so, or was I someone completely new? And which one was the real me?
"Could I run into myself in the game?"
"Yes," he said. "Watch out, though, you can be a real bitch."
"Aaaaiiieee! You bastard. If I'm a bitch, it's because you made me one."
"I know. I'm good," he said, and smothered my tits with kisses. It didn't take long before I was gasping and writhing, clutching him desperately. That evil bastard was good. I wondered if it was another kind of magic.
