by Mia Archer
I looped my arm in hers and pulled her along. She followed, but she wasn’t as enthusiastic as she had been earlier in the day. Pity. I figured she of all people would be able to appreciate this move.
“Why don’t you just tell me what the big surprise is?” she asked.
“Well I don’t want to spoil too much, but let’s just say I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite movies and how they deal with thieves and rebellions.”
“They deal with thieves and rebellions with executions,” Anna said. “Seriously. If you’re planning something just tell me. I’m not going to be mad at you. It’s all in the game, after all.”
I sighed. She wasn’t going to let this go and let me have my fun.
“Fine. We’re almost there anyways,” I said, heading up a set of stairs to the second level of the castle and going through a door that led out onto the castle wall. “I’m eliminating the Thieves’ Faction with some permadeath weapons. I figure it’s the only way to be sure no one will try to do something stupid like rescue you.”
I almost hated that I had to do this. Almost. I knew in an academic corner of my mind that it was all part of the game. Hell, Anna had just agreed with me. That didn’t make it seem any less sleazy to take out an entire faction, though. Nothing like this had ever been done before.
Still. It wouldn’t do to have an entire group revolting against me with no consequence. I was walking a fine line between wanting people to be rebellious enough to make the game interesting but no so rebellious that I was in danger of losing my cushy position. I figured once word got out that the queen had gone soft it would be nothing but work trying to keep everything together.
“Impressive,” Anna said. “I take it you want to remind everyone who’s the boss?”
“Something like that,” I said. That guilt was still nagging at me. I almost called it off.
Anna was right about one thing. The field my guards had set up was damn impressive. They’d set up the entire Thieves’ Faction in rows with a guard beside every one of them. It would’ve been even more impressive if we had wooden stakes to tie them to or something like that, but it would’ve been overly dramatic and it’s not like there was time to get anything like that out there anyways.
Down below the camera crew was filming everything, but the guy running the crew looked nervous for a change. At least his usual irritatingly persistent smile wasn’t there. I wondered how they were going to spin a mass execution of players into a positive PR thing, but in the moment that wasn’t my problem. They were the ones who gave us a blank canvas with their game, after all.
Though I couldn’t shake the feeling there might be a rule against this sort of thing after I pulled it off.
“You even put Colin out there. Your friend isn’t going to be too happy about that,” Anna said.
“She’ll have plenty of time to see him in the camps after the gaming is done for the day.”
I glanced at Anna. I figured she’d be totally defeated, but instead she was smiling. No, she wasn’t just smiling. She was grinning from ear to ear. Definitely not the reaction I was expecting to my little demonstration of power. That nagging voice in the back of my head that was telling me there was danger was getting louder, but I viciously stomped down on it. There wasn’t any way I was in danger here. Not with her cut off from her spells.
“Shouldn’t you be frowning or something? Your faction is about to be eliminated. I’m about to win.”
“Says you.”
17: The Execution
I looked out at the people from the Thieves’ Faction. They were my people. I didn’t really want that responsibility, but I suppose I’d taken it on yesterday when this was all still fun and games and I took over their faction.
I mean it was still fun and games today. This was all part of the game and I’m sure some of them were stoked to be taking part in such a huge event even if it did potentially mean their time in the field was coming to an end, but still. I was the reason they were out there.
My eyes caught Colin’s, though he had a smile on his face. Probably looking forward to this evening and getting to see Erin’s friend. I wondered what happened in Erin’s trailer the night before that had him so happy about the idea of getting knocked out of the game, but that didn’t make me feel any less guilty.
I looked beyond the people in my faction. A crowd was gathering around the castle. The other faction leaders and their retinues, some huge and some pretty small. Based on how popular their faction was, no doubt. The people in that crowd were milling around and they didn’t look too thrilled about what Erin was about to do.
It was all very silly and dramatic at the same time. Which pretty much summed up the Alternate Realms experience. I’d have to mention that to one of their increasingly nervous looking PR guys down at the castle gates when this was all over.
“You’re seriously not going to admit defeat?” Erin asked. She looked incredulous, but also impressed. I’d expect nothing less from her.
I looked down at my phone. My magic spells were all grayed out. She was still running that spell that prevented me from using any of them. What she didn’t know was that I could swipe to the right and bring up a new panel. A list of very impressive physical attacks from my equally high level Assassin. Something I spent far too much time leveling up for a situation just like this.
I was glad I took that time now even if I had felt crazy at the time.
“This really is your last chance, Erin. I’m not going to let you hurt them.”
I hoped something in my look conveyed just how serious I was. She looked into my eyes and I shivered. I’d never get tired of the way she looked at me, even if she was pulling a melodramatic stunt in game. She hesitated. For the space of a breath it seemed like she actually might heed my warning.
Someone broke free from the crowd beyond. Came puffing in amongst the guards who looked between him and Erin with confusion. Clearly wondering if they were supposed to do something.
The rotund figure jogged right up to the castle wall and Erin looked down with an equal measure of confusion even as I stared down in shock. It was none other than Mike aka Melvar, former leader of the Thieves’ Faction. Had he come to defend his people? He certainly looked angry enough, his face multiple shades of red and purple, though I suppose that could just be from the exertion of jogging for more than ten feet.
His finger shot out towards me. “Why aren’t you killing her too? If anyone deserves a permadeath it’s the one who started this!”
I could see the hesitation draining from Erin’s face as he spoke. Damn it Mike aka Melvar. Why’d you have to be such an asshole?
“Don’t worry about the queen’s affairs,” she said. “I’ve already come up with a more than fitting punishment for the ringleader.”
“Fitting punishment? If she’s still in the game it’s not fitting!”
I was relieved to see that my people down there seemed more annoyed by Mike aka Melvar’s posturing than anything. Jessica rolled her eyes and Dave was shaking his head. Clearly being captured and having their characters put to death wasn’t enough to sway their loyalty back to their former leader. I wondered if that said more about his leadership style or the astounding success I’d enjoyed in the past twenty-four hours.
“I assure you that I will be keeping this rebel in personal bondage to the queen,” Erin said. “And that’s more information than a deposed faction leader deserves.”
I blushed. I had a pretty good idea what “personal bondage to the queen” meant, though hopefully she was being oblique enough that other people wouldn’t catch the double meaning in that statement.
That didn’t appear to be enough for Mike aka Melvar though. He pulled out his phone and his face went from reddish purple to completely purple. Spittle flew from his lips as he screamed at Erin.
“Fine! If you won’t do anything then I will! Thanks for disabling the bitch’s magic!”
Erin nodded to one of the guards. His thumb fell on his
phone and Mike aka Melvar’s phone turned bright red and a completely different death notification rang out over the field. An ominous voice that shouted “death stalks you!” Mike aka Melvar looked down at his phone in disbelief.
“You killed me! You took me out! I paid good money for this week and you took me out!”
A couple of Royal Faction guards moved in on Mike aka Melvar, but he seemed to realize what was happening and he bolted. Well, it would be more fair to say that he walked off the playing field at a brisk pace. I didn’t think it was possible for a man that size to sprint for any appreciable length of time without suffering a coronary as his pumping blood smacked up against a solid wall of plaque built up from a lifetime of fast food.
“Behold the price for defying the queen!” Erin said, her voice sonorous. She turned to me and winked. Oh yeah, she was enjoying this. That moment of hesitation where I almost got her to stop was gone.
She raised her hand. Down below the guards arrayed next to my thieves pulled up their tablets. Erin held her hand in the air as the guards below held their thumbs over their phones and tablets, no doubt preparing to unleash one of the attacks that would permanently pull someone out of the game. Usually that sort of attack didn’t come out until closer to the end, ARealms didn’t want to ruin people’s fun in the first couple of days, but apparently the great and powerful queen had access to those weapons earlier than other people.
Erin used her other arm to pull me against her. She held me there like a conquering hero, looking down at me with a rakish smile that really was quite invigorating. It was certainly getting my blood pumping feeling her against me like this and watching her smile gleefully like that!
It was a pity I was going to have to put it all to an end.
“Let the world know the price for defying the queen!” she said, turning to shout out over the field. Loud enough that she could be heard even by the ever growing crowd beyond that was looking even more rebellious.
“Y’know this whole dark queen thing you have going for you is actually kinda hot. Almost makes me sorry I have to do this,” I said.
That distracted Erin just long enough. I couldn’t have her giving the order to take my people out, after all. She turned to me and smiled, and that’s when I swiped right and hit the attack for my most powerful assassination spell. Something that required me to be right next to the target.
How convenient that Erin pulled me right up against her in her moment of triumph.
The tablet turned red in Erin’s hand. A metallic “schwing!” sound erupted from my phone as her tablet let out a gurgling noise as though someone had just been stabbed by something very sharp and pointy. Erin looked down at her tablet in astonishment.
“How did you?”
“I told you that was your last chance,” I said.
Erin lowered her hand. I held my breath. None of the Royal Guard down below made a move to kill anyone in the Thieves’ Faction. They all stood down there watching. Waiting. I looked down at my phone. Swiped left to see that all my spells were back. And what’s more, there was a notification in the top right corner.
I looked up at Erin again. The disbelief was still there, but she was also smiling.
“Looks like we did figure out who was the better player. How the hell did you have a melee attack high enough to take me out in one shot like that?”
I shrugged. “Just because I’m good at magic doesn’t mean I can’t also be good with the swords.” It was an echo of a conversation I’d had with Colin a few days ago. I glanced down and he was grinning and giving me a thumbs up. I wondered if maybe the reason he didn’t seem so worried earlier was less because he was looking forward to spending time with his lady friend and more because he knew I wasn’t going to let him get killed off.
He had been on the receiving end of my devious plans often enough to know when one was in the works, after all.
“Well go on your majesty,” Erin said. “Click the notification. See what ARealms has in store for you.”
I felt giddy as I thumbed the notification in the top right corner of my screen. Partly I was giddy because after what happened with Mike aka Melvar the day before I had a pretty good idea what was about to happen. Mostly I was giddy because Erin wasn’t mad. She wasn’t going to let a little thing like me killing her character and deposing her get in the way of whatever was budding between the two of us.
The more I learned about this girl the more I thought I was falling for her. There was a four letter word that came to mind, but I was afraid to say it so soon.
The notification popped up. Something very official looking from ARealms with the header “The queen is dead! Long live the queen!” No sooner had I opened it than the program switched to a new panel that had all sorts of fun goodies that were only open to the queen of the realm. Only open to me. I was the queen of the realm.
Damn. I knew I’d been boasting about pulling something like this off, but somehow I never thought it would actually happen.
“Congratulations, your majesty,” Erin said. “Now could I get a resurrection spell?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “That depends.”
“On?”
“Are you planning on committing some regicide as soon as I bring your character back to the land of the living?”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“Regicide. That just sounds weird. You’re a queen after all. I always think about that in terms of kings, I guess. Is there even a word for killing the queen?”
“Y’know I never really thought of it. Is there a word for killing the queen?”
Oddly enough it was that conversation more than anything else that clinched a resurrection for Erin’s character. The way we quickly devolved to chatting about vocabulary and definitions made me think there wasn’t anything devious on her mind. Sure it was entirely possible she was pulling some elaborate ruse to put me at ease, but there was only one way to find out. So I hit a resurrection spell and brought her character back to life. Though now she was just her character, just Erin, and not the queen.
That was more than enough for me! So I hit the spell and brought Erin’s character back to life. Her screen went from glowing red to the usual colors.
Most importantly she didn’t make any move to try and kill my character. No, she jerked her head out towards the field where the thieves and the Royal Guard were still standing. Well, the thieves were still standing. The guard were all down on one knee staring up at me as though waiting for something. Erin plucked the crown off her head and set it down on mine, then took my hand, something that still set my body aflame, and held it up.
“Long live the new queen!”
“Long live the queen!” the guards shouted back. Even some of the thieves joined in. Colin, Jessica, and Dave in particular.
Damn. I guess I really was the best player in the game. It was a good feeling, but that good feeling had nothing on how good it felt to be standing up here holding Erin’s hand.
18: Long Live the Queen
Huh. The Alternate Realms crown was sitting on another woman’s head. One hell of a beautiful woman’s head. I always figured when this moment came I’d be screaming and trying my best to get it back. Even though I griped about how boring the game got, I felt like I’d earned that crown fair and square.
Now I’d lost it through sneaky subterfuge and plain allowing myself to be outgamed by a master. It felt good. And so more than anything else I felt relief. Relief that I didn’t have all the responsibilities anymore. Relieved that the fun wasn’t going to be sucked out of the game anymore. Relieved that I wouldn’t have to worry about being the poster girl for Alternate Realms advertising.
Besides, if they wanted a hottie as their poster girl they’d have to search long and hard to find someone who equaled Anna. Seeing her in that crown made me want to fulfill that concubine fantasy from the other side of the equation. Fuck was she hot! And the hottest thing of all was how damn good she was in game.
Talk about the ultimate aphrodisiac!
“Huh. This feels weird,” Anna said.
I grinned. “Being top dog? You never really get used to it.”
“Well that too,” she said. “I was thinking more that it’s weird no one has tried to kill me in the five minutes I’ve been queen.”
“Oh don’t worry about that Anna. You’re going to have plenty of people gunning for you now that you’re the one in charge. Welcome to hell.”
“I’m going to regret doing this, aren’t I?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Besides, you’ll have one advantage that I didn’t have when I became queen.”
“What’s that?”
“A sexy adviser who’s willing to show you the ropes.”
“Adviser, huh? You think you’re going to get adviser after all the stuff you pulled?”
“Well what did you have in mind?”
Anna pulled me against her and grinned. It appeared it was her turn to play the rakish conquering hero, which was just fine with me. I allowed myself to be pulled into a kiss. A kiss that had some of the guards and thieves down below cheering for us which was kind of nice. The kiss was delicious, but far too short.
“It occurs to me that the royal concubine position recently opened up,” Anna said. “Besides, I need someone to show me how to use all these fun new toys.
I shivered at the obvious double meaning there as well as the new job offer I was definitely going to take. Concubine was definitely a role I could get behind! “I can be a concubine and show you the ropes.”
Anna turned to the gathered crowd and raised her hands. “As my first order as queen I demand that you release the thieves!”
Anna turned to me and muttered under her breath. “How do we handle that anyways? I’m head of the Thieves’ Faction and the Royal Faction now. Seems like that would be a conflict of interest or something.”
