Demons of the Dark Online Part 1

by Derrick R Williams

  Contents

  Title

  Derrick R Williams Copyright Notice

  Story

  Demons of the Dark Online

  Copyright © 2019 by Derrick R Williams

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Everyone in this story is 18 or older.

  Chapter 1 ***

  Roxy wet her trembling lips as she lit the last black candle on the coffee table. Casting a glance toward the basement door, she picked up a leather-bound tome and opened the yellowed pages. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to calm her thrumming heart as she started the incantation.

  Just as she was about to cast the spell, the door swung open, slamming into the wall with a thunderous roar which vibrated through the dank room.

  "Mom! Dad!" She said, snapping the book closed as color filled her cheeks. "Why are you back so soon?"

  Her parents were scheduled to stay at a friend's house, leaving her to her own devices. They were supposed to return tomorrow morning, not tonight.

  "What's this?!" Her father bellowed, gesturing around the room.

  Roxy held the large tome in her slender fingers and stayed on her knees by the small table as a large black candle flickered. The ominous candle had strange inscriptions on it and seemed to spread darkness throughout the dim room.

  On the floor was a chalk-drawn pentagram with black candles circling it. The tiny flames danced in celebration of the malevolent energy which pulsed through the basement.

  "How could you do this!" Her mother's shrill voice was like an ice pick in Roxy's ears. "We've raised you better than this!"

  Roxy opened and closed her mouth as frustration tensed her shoulders and neck.

  Why were they home so soon? This was my only chance to summon a demon, my next chance won't be for six months. I shouldn't have done this at home. How could I have been such a fool?

  Her father stormed inside the circle, smudging up the star, kicking the candles over and shouting as he flailed his large fists in the air.

  "There will be no demons in this house!"

  Her mother grabbed the books and ripped them to shreds. The look of revulsion on her face and the fury in her eyes made Roxy retreat from the basement to the sanctuary of her room, where she locked the door.

  How dare they! I'm eighteen! I'm in college and studying ancient history! Maybe I needed those books for my studies. That's what I should tell them!

  She slammed herself down in her chair and touched the computer screen. There was a pleasant ring which filled the air and in no time, her friend's face appeared.

  "What's up?" Sandra said, as she noted the fury written on her face. "What happened?"

  Roxy told her everything that had occurred. Her friend gasped in outrage and rolled her eyes when she heard what her parents had done.

  "You're kidding!"

  "No. I'm not!" Roxy hissed, wishing they hadn't stopped her. She was so close to attaining a demon minion.

  "I have an idea. You want to gain control over a demon? Why not join Demons of the Dark Online?" Sandra said, leaning her elbows on the desk's edge.

  "That new VR MMO? I thought it was still in alpha?" Roxy was interested at this revelation.

  "No." Her friend shook her head. "They're about to release it and are looking for Founders to pre-populate it with."

  "Open up!" Her father's voice bellowed as he pounded on the door.

  "Meet me in the library on campus after your courses tomorrow." She said.

  "Why?"

  "Open this door right now, young lady! Did you hear me?" He roared.

  Her door rattled as if it would burst open under his blows. Roxy rolled her eyes and with a sigh, she rose, walked to the door and opened it.

  "Why were you dabbling in the dark arts?" Her father yelled like a bull who had felt a hornet's sting.

  "Daddy it was just a joke." She shrugged her shoulders as she turned around and sat on her bed.

  "It's no laughing matter." He told her as stern as any preacher.

  She clenched her fists, but kept a pretend smile on her face.

  He'll calm down. Let him rant about this and when he gets it out of his system, he'll forget all about it.

  Now she just had to wait until the storm blew over.

  "If you ever do that again, you're out of this house! How could you do this to your mother?" Her father shook his head.

  "I won't. I've learned my lesson." She reassured him in a honey-sweet voice.

  "You have learned nothing! You're just saying that!" He turned around, shaking his head as he walked from the room.

  He turned back around and bored his eyes into hers.

  "By the way, you're grounded. You are forbidden to leave this house unless you are going to college and you'll return here to stay. You won't have any social life with those scumbag friends of yours!"

  That's what you think, pops. Roxy knew Sandra had something to tell her. It was important and she wanted to find out what it was.

  He slammed the door behind him and stormed off.

  "So, what's so important?" Roxy slid into the chair and looked at her friend.

  "You know that game I told you about?"

  "Yes, I looked into it some more." Roxy said, wondering what this had to do with summoning demons.

  She'd love to control a powerful demon and gain fame, wealth, along with more power than she could ever imagine. Roxy craved adventure from the restrictions of life. She needed to feel she could choose her own fate and live her destiny.

  "Good. Then you know it's a VR MMO game that has two factions battling each other."

  Roxy nodded.

  "I saw the advertisement for it and it explained a little about it. It's good and evil battling each other for control over a large land mass." Roxy said, tapping her fingers on the table. "It won't be out for another six months, though."

  "Not if you're a Founder. Did you see all the classes you can play?" Her friend had a mysterious smile on her lips.

  "They only talked about the good side classes and their functions." Roxy said. "To be honest, it was quite boring." She yawned.

  "I know the evil classes and one of them is a warlock. They summon and control their own demons. But they're not telling the public that yet. It's all hush-hush."

  "Really?" Roxy arched her eyebrow, suddenly much more interested in this game.

  She'd have to move out of her parent's home. Then she'd be free to absorb herself in it.

  "My uncle knows someone looking for Founders who they can put into the game. Permanently."

  "For real?" Roxy leaned closer to her friend. Her heart thundered between her ears.

  Could it be true?

  Sandra nodded, pulling something from her purse. She showed her the CD for the game, which wasn't supposed to be out yet.

  Roxy looked at it with her mouth agape. She suddenly got a faraway look on her face. She couldn't breathe and there was nothing she wanted more.

  Her in a VR game? She'd live her own life and become a powerful warlock controlling legions of demons!

  Leaning back, she dreamed of what it would be like to be a powerful warlock fighting against the forces of good.

  What would it be like to be a Founder? Would they have hidden quests? What about the demons she'd control?

  "Earth to Roxy. What are you thinking about?" Sandra snapped her fingers in front of her eyes.

  "I'm thinking of how it will feel to be a Founder Warlock. Can we speak with one of the devs?" She asked.

  "I thought
you'd say that." Sandra clicked on her phone.

  Roxy wondered how many Founders would be in the game. She nibbled her lip, studying her friend anxiously. Could she really get her in?

  Chapter 2 ***

  Roxy leaned back on the plush, leather couch, trying to relax. Sipping her drink, she took a deep breath, not wanting to tremble or show any excitement.

  "Sandra tells me you want to be a warlock. Interesting choice. Do you have any goals in the game?" They wanted to run this past Sandra's father. He knew one of the devs.

  How could she explain to him that she wanted more than just a simple peasant's life in the game? Visions of power and greed danced in her mind. She didn't want to simply be another warlock. She wanted to be THE warlock. She wanted the type of power that came when the entire world feared to speak her name.

  Should I reveal this? Can I trust him?

  "I think it'd be fun to experience the game in its pristine form before players enter the world. How does it feel to be one of the first players in a VR game?" She asked, trying to lie her way into the game. "I haven't thought about any goals. I need to develop my toon and become immersed into the game world before I decide."

  "That's good. Do you know how many Founders will be in the game?"

  "No." She hoped there would be a lot of Founders, at least fifty.

  Had they reached capacity? Now she fretted that she might not get in.

  "I think there's ninety five and it's filling up fast." He opened his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys so fast she could barely follow. With each frown, her heart sank further. With the last one, she almost gave up completely. She was right, this was too good to be --

  "Rick!" He flashed a smile as the image of a middle-aged man with pale blue eyes coalesced before them.

  "Hey! What's up?" Rick said.

  "About that game of yours..."

  "Yeah?"

  He looked at Roxy, who held her breath, then turned his attention back to the dev.

  "Can you squeeze in one more? As a personal favor."

  A Dev! Was he really speaking to a dev of one the most anticipated games of the year? Roxy tried to swallow, but found she couldn't.

  Rick stroked his beard in contemplation.

  "How many Founders have you selected so far?" He followed up as Roxy danced from one foot to the other.

  "We do need one more."

  Roxy's heart bottomed out, then soared.

  "This crazy lady is demanding to be a Founder." He continued, running his fingers through his thinning hair. "She wants to be an anti-paladin. But do you know how many of them we already have?"

  One more? Roxy dared hope. Her heart pounded faster, to the point she thought it was going to jump out and run away.

  "Probably too many." Sandra's father guessed.

  Rick nodded. "Exactly. However, we do need one more on the evil side." Rick said, looking as if he didn't want to deal with this. "But no one wants to be evil. Everyone thinks they can save the fucking world."

  Roxy's heart leaped and she felt pumped. She might have a chance after all!

  "I'll be evil! I've always wanted to be a warlock." She blurted out.

  Rick arched his bushy eyebrows as he peered at her. His solemn expression made her squirm.

  She knew she shouldn't have interrupted, but it was perfect. His eyes bored into hers and for several, long moments Roxy felt as if he were looking into her soul.

  She shivered, then blushed, as she realized that all her naked ambitions were fully exposed to him.

  He arched an eyebrow and finally spoke. "You do realize warlocks are the hardest class to play?"

  She nodded. "Yes. I don't care!"

  "And we live by a very strict motto." He continued, as if not even hearing her.

  She waited for him to continue, tendrils of fear and doubt creeping up her spine.

  "With great power, comes great responsibility." He steepled his fingers, his eyes boring into hers.

  "That's perfect! I can agree to that." Roxy nodded.

  "To become a Founder, you must give up your 'real' life. Once you enter the game for the first time, the decision cannot be reversed."

  "Okay." She said, almost too fast. It wouldn't be a problem.

  "All Founders get to choose any piece of property in the game as long as it isn't in or near a city." He explained.

  Owning her own place would be nice, instead of working for it.

  "Do I build my own place? Or are the structures already built?" She smiled.

  "The ticket is for the land only. With it, you can place your home anywhere in the game. You can also build a city or town where other players can open shops and pay you rent." He took a sip of what looked like coffee.

  "Is there PVP? How about instances? When can I summon my first demon to command?" Roxy had a million questions and feared they wouldn't be answered in time.

  "PVP starts at level 10 and is optional. Same with instances, except level 15 for those. You start out being able to choose your first demon the moment you enter the game."

  "Are there any PVP or role playing servers?" Roxy asked, growing more excited. She couldn't believe she was learning about the game straight from one of the devs.

  "No. There are twenty servers, each named after capital cities. For PVP, you gain honor and reputation, plus special mounts you can't get anywhere else."

  "What about instances and raids?"

  "It says here," Sandra interrupted, reading from the player manual. "We are pleased to cater to the causal player along with advanced players. If you like to adventure solo, but need help with certain instances, you can hire NPC's who will come with you and split the treasures as if they were normal toons in the game. However, if you'd like to venture into treacherous dungeons with other players, you can use the instance finder to quickly and efficiently put together a group."

  She was eager to go. It sounded like a fun game and she wanted to experience it. At last, a way to get away from her parents!

  "Again, this is a permanent decision. During maintenance, you'll be alone with other Founders, but odd things may occur."

  Roxy furrowed her brow. "What happens if you need to turn off the servers. If this is permanent, do we just...die?"

  "We've made a backup copy where everything will continue as normal and you'll be able to keep playing." He explained.

  "That sounds good." Roxy nodded, though she did wonder what type of weirdness they'd see during maintenance.

  "Good, we'll see you in the game soon. Stop by our offices when you're ready."

  Her cell phone startled her out of her reverie as she saw the ID.

  "Fuck!" She whispered under her breath and rolled her eyes.

  "Who is it?" Sandra said, peering over at her cell. "Oh, it's mommy and daddy looking for their little baby girl."

  Roxy grumbled as she flicked open her phone.

  "Hey Dad! Just going over my notes. The professor's very chatty today."

  "I want you home, young lady." His growl could be heard throughout the room.

  "No. I'm not coming home." She stated flatly, looking at her friend for support.

  "What?" He screamed and she had to pull the phone away from her ears.

  "You heard me! Don't try to find me. I'm leaving home forever." Roxy spat, venom spewing from her mouth.

  "How Dare You! After all we've done for you. This is how you repay us? Your mother and I have done our best to teach you right from wrong. Not only that, but I'm paying for your studies! I'll cut your funds and then you'll come crawling back for forgiveness!"

  "Bye dad. Tell mom I love her. You're never seeing me again." Roxy flicked the cell shut and ignored it when it rang continuously, then blocked the number.

  "I'll find you and bring you back, young lady! Do you hear me?" Roxy shivered at her father's last text. She knew he meant it, too.

  "Do you know where I can stay the night?" She turned to her friend. If she knew her father, he'd be knocking down their door within the ho
ur.

  Sandra nodded. "Yes, I know just the place."

  "Thanks." Roxy turned away as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

  Chapter 3 ***

  "Are you ready?" Rick asked.

  She sat in the chair and felt him lower a VR helmet over her head. Her thoughts were on the game and how much fun she'd have. There was sadness at leaving her mom and dad, but that faded when she realized that she was now free.

  Roxy felt her body flying at high speed as she saw the cinematic of Demons of the Dark. She found herself in a spacious meadow with a gurgling brook weaving through it.

  "Wow!" Roxy muttered looking into the clearest sapphire sky she'd ever seen.

  A warm summer breeze caressed her face. It felt so real. How did they do this?

  She looked off into the distance and saw a small town with smoke drifting lazily into the air.

  "Welcome to the game, Demons of the Dark Online. Please select a character." A soft feminine voice chimed, drawing her away from her stunned wonder.

  A list appeared before her eyes and she slowly looked through it. There were Savage Humans, Deep Earth Dwarves, Trolls, Shadow Elves, High Elves, Common Elves and the Wolf Men.

  They showed both sexes of each race. Roxy studied each with careful consideration. If this was going to be permanent, she wanted something she could relate to.

  The humans were too plain. They only had tattoos on them. It wasn't anything special.

  The Wolf Men were nothing but big, furry beasts. She shook her head. Playing a monster race wasn't her idea of fun.

  She took her time looking over the choices. She'd always had an affinity for Elves. The Common Elves had nice bronze skin and golden eyes, but that didn't suit her style.

  Maybe the High Elves would be better. They were tall and slender. Porcelain white and large, doe-like eyes made them look so innocent. They didn't look evil enough to her.

  "Aha!" Roxy smiled when she spotted the Shadow Elf. "A Founder-only race." It said in bold, red letters.