by Eden Redd
Jayson and Sonja advanced as the remaining three trolls put their backs to each other. Lance followed as they faced the monsters hunting them.
“We may die but our kin will take back what was stolen!” A troll roared.
“Where is your commander? I want to speak to the troll leading this hunting party,” Jayson shouted.
A troll let out a gruff laugh, “Gone. Off to fight another day!”
Jayson eyed the troll, “We will let you go but only if you go back and tell your masters to stop hunting us, or a worse fate awaits.”
The thick necked troll simply smiled, “No. Oksuna belongs to us. More of our brothers and sisters will come. They will hunt you to all four shores of Lukken. Humans will be slaves and the dragons will be no more. Be sure to tell any dragon you see that the Masters are coming.”
Jayson was about to say something when all three trolls charged. The knight side stepped a club as it came down hard, sending dirt in the air. Sonja ducked a mace once and then twice before she whipped her blade out. A ghostly sword slashed through the mace and the troll’s chest. The mace head fell off to the right while the top part of the troll slid to the left before bursting into light. Lance let the troll charging him raise his weapon. The white knight took one step forward, driving the point of his rapier deep within the troll’s chest. Activating his technique, the rapier flashed seven times. The troll fell in large chunks before shattering.
Jayson let the troll make several swings, dodging each one. With his ice sword, he slashed up, cutting the club in half and driving the point of his fire sword into the troll’s meaty thigh. The monster grunted and then became silent as the ice sword touched the edge of his neck.
“Last chance,” Jayson winked.
The troll roared and reached out with large hands. Jayson slashed sideways, sending the troll’s head spiraling in the air before bursting into light. Coins and gems littered the ground while the knight sheathed his swords over his shoulders. Lance surveyed the area while Jayson and Sonja bent down and began scooping up gems and gold coins.
“This is a pretty good haul. I was planning on buying the girls a bunch of gifts,” Jayson smiled.
“I thought you would buy me a gift with it?” Sonja grinned.
Jayson instantly felt a pang of regret, “Uh…I mean…yea. I totally would buy you a gift first. I just….”
Sonja let out a giggle, “Easy, I was kidding.”
Jayson looked away as he stood up, his cheeks burning red, “The five trolls watching our camp may be on their way back. We should leave them a message.”
“Can they even read?” Sonja asked with a smirk.
“Don’t know but we should do something so they can remember us by.”
“You guys try to come up with something. I’m going to check the tents for any extra loot,” Lance said and turned to a nearby tent.
Jayson watched as the white knight stepped into a tent and disappeared from view. The abruptness of it caused the knight to wonder.
“Is there something going on with Lance?”
Sonja stood by her fellow knight with gems in her hands, “He’s been a little moody lately. We were talking before and he kept changing the subject when I asked how he was doing.”
Jayson kept his eyes on the tent for a long moment before turning to the blue knight, “When we’re finished here, let’s talk to him together.”
Sonja put the gems in her inventory and nodded.
The white knight stepped deeper into the large tent. A table took up the middle with a large map. Several beds lined the sides of the tent and a chest stood silently in the corner. Making a beeline for the chest, the knight stopped short when the lid lifted half an inch and closed again. Drawing his rapier, the knight stepped closer, eyes sharp and wrist loose. The lid slightly bounced open again. Lance gritted his teeth as he moved in front of it, hand reaching down.
Lance took hold of the lid and wretched it open, rapier pointed. The knight’s eyes widened as he stared down at a small troll curled up, his hands covering his head and sobbing. The knight kept his gaze on the troll as it uncovered its head and looked up with sad eyes.
Four
“Please, don’t kill me,” the troll pleaded.
Lance saw that the troll was unarmed and dressed in a simple loin cloth. Instantly he remembered before they moved in for the attack that the troll in the chest was one of the two pleasuring the larger trolls.
Taking a step back, the knight motioned with his sword, “Get up.”
The dark blue skinned troll stepped out of the large chest and fell to his knees, hands clasped before him and eyes on the ground.
“Please don’t kill me. I’m simply a lover.”
Lance eyed the troll for a span of seconds, unsure what to do next. The troll appeared harmless but considering they had been chasing him and his fellow knights for months now, the white knight didn’t want to take any foolish chances.
“Please let me go. I will do anything if you just let me go,” the slim troll looked up with oval eyes.
A shadow touched the side of the tent. Lance kept his eyes on the prone troll and his lip curved down. The knight motioned with his rapier toward the back of the tent. The troll on his knees stared, unsure what to do. Lance growled and motioned again. The barely clothed troll looked to the back and nodded. Rising to his feet, the blue skinned troll scurried to the side, lifted the bottom edge of the tent wall and crawled out. The flap fell into place just as Jayson stepped in.
“Everything okay?” Jayson asked with kind eyes.
Lance turned to the fellow knight and nodded, “Yea, I was just checking the chest.
Jayson watched as Lance stepped over to the open chest and reached down. Standing up, he held a book and scroll in one hand. Jayson stepped over as Lance placed them on the table.
Lance opened the book and leafed through the pages, “It looks like a journal.”
Jayson picked up the scroll and unfurled it, “This is a map. Seems to be for a location not far from here, maybe a day’s journey.”
Lance continued to leaf through pages. “It looks like the map is to a dungeon. The commander of the hunting party was keeping notes. He writes a few times that there is something important in the dungeon, something that will aid all troll kind. I can’t make out what these symbols are.”
“Let’s take it with us,” Jayson smiled as he put the scroll in his inventory.
Lance brought up a 2D screen and added the leather-bound journal to his inventory, “Did you leave a note for the hunting party?”
Jayson nodded, “Yea, Sonja found a quill and some parchment paper. She wrote ‘Don’t follow or you will suffer the same fate’ and signed it Three Knights. She’s been really getting into the game.”
Lance let a small smile slip before gazing off, the smile gone.
“Are you okay? You seem down.”
Lance shrugged, “I’m okay. Real life has been a little busy. I have to fight for time just to log on.”
Jayson knew that all too well. The work at the coffee shop had been demanding and carving out time to play had been set back a few times.
Lance bent down and reached into the chest once again. This time his hand came up with a few gems. “I shouldn’t be spending our time moping around. We have a quest to complete.”
Jayson smiled just as the tent flap opened. Sonja stepped in, eyeing her two men, “We should be leaving. Find anything good?”
“Lance found a journal and a map to a dungeon, plus a few gems.”
The white knight let out a sigh before speaking, “I’m sorry if I’ve been moody.”
Sonja walked up to the white knight and let her fingers glide over his cheek, “We worry about you.”
Lance curled his fingers over her hand, “I worry about both of you too.”
“Let’s talk more after we head out. Those trolls may be returning and I’d rather wait till morning before getting into another fight.”
Jayson walked to the ed
ge of the tent and lifted the entrance flap. Sonja followed but Lance lingered, eyes glancing back at the tent edge where he let the small troll escape. Turning, he walked to the entrance. Jayson clasped a hand on the white knight’s shoulder as they exited into the camp firelight.
***
Dawn touched the sky with hints of blue. Stars faded as the morning light glowed brighter with each passing second. Three knights trudged through the dark forest, senses alive and scanning shadows for any hint of monsters. Jayson led the way with Sonja in the middle and Lance taking up the rear. The knights spent the last hour moving through the thick forest, taking a long-curved route so they could avoid the trolls on the road. When the sun peeked over the horizon, the knights changed their course and made their way toward the road.
“I think we travelled far enough. We should be well past our fake camp site,” Jayson said as he led on.
Sonja stretched her arms as she walked, “Is there a town close by? I could use some quality time with my men.”
Jayson called up a 2D map with a flick of his fingers. “No but there is an inn and a few cottages before the next town,” Jayson said as his eyes wandered along the virtual map. A quest marker appeared in the forest. “There is that dungeon. We could investigate it.”
Sonja let out a long sigh as she arms dropped to her sides, “Another dungeon? I’m starting to think you guys don’t want to spend time together.”
Jayson glanced back but continued to walk, “You know that’s not true. But this dungeon could help us shed some light on the threat to the west.”
The blue knight stopped in her tracks. Lance stopped walking, eyes on the blue knight as her fingers curled into fists.
“Jayson, the threat is only a quest. We don’t need to rush into the next battle when we can lay curled in each other’s arms!”
Jayson continued to walk, “But this could be important. We need to…” the knight was cut off at the sound of boots coming toward him.
The knight turned around just as Sonja launched herself in the air and slammed into him. Jayson was knocked off his feet and landed on his back, the blue knight on top of him. The two stared at each other. Sonja’s mouth curled into a playful smile and Jayson mirrored it. A moment later, lips pressed and arms held each other.
Lance walked over as the knights made out. Crossing his arms, he stood patiently as the two knights continued their impassioned kiss. Lips pulling away, Jayson found his fingers gliding through Sonja’s long blue hair.
“I thought you didn’t like quality time in the forests or by the road?” Lance scratched at his temple.
“Normally I don’t but I really miss both of you. It feels like the last few weeks, both of you have been preoccupied. Are you getting bored?”
Jayson barked out a laugh as his hands slid over Sonja’s round ass, “Are you kidding? I dream of us together when I’m not in the game. If I didn’t have to eat or work, I would love you both sun up and sun down.”
Sonja pressed her ample cleavage to Jayson’s armored chest, “Then maybe we need to find a place so we can spend time together.”
Lance frowned, “Or we can talk about our relationship?”
Jayson and Sonja looked up at the white knight as he stood over them, arms crossed. Uncurling their arms, the two knights slowly rose to their feet, concern written in their eyes. Lance continued to frown before turning away and looking up into the blue sky.
“I love you both. It’s all I ever think about, in and out of the game.”
Jayson and Sonja remained silent as Lance continued.
“I have never known a love like ours before. I don’t know what to do. I think about us together and I want it all the time. But this is a game. I don’t even know your real names. I don’t know where you live. I don’t know anything more than how we are here, fighting monsters and loving each other until we’re exhausted.”
Jayson felt a pang of regret. Sonja remained quiet, blue eyes on the white knight.
Lance turned around, his frown melting away and a touch of sadness in his eyes. “I know Lewd Knights makes everything about us anonymous so we can’t find each other. I tell myself that we are here to have fun and nothing more but sometimes….”
Sonja glanced at Jayson, “The feelings become real.”
Jayson glanced at Sonja and then back to Lance, “Too real. I have to admit, I’ve had those same questions but was afraid to bring them up. I thought it might destroy what the three of us have.”
“What do we have?” Lance nearly whispered.
Sonja stepped up to the white knight, gazing into his eyes, “A deep friendship.”
Jayson walked over and put his arms around Sonja and Lance, “A friendship I never thought I would ever have in a million years.”
Lance looked to Jayson and Sonja before looking away, “Where do we go from here?”
The three knights were silent. A swirl of emotion filled Jayson’s belly. How he thought of the three of them together. The magic was always there, nothing he had ever experienced before. Part of it was the fantasy but deep down, he knew this situation would happen, sooner or later. Their time together only drew them in deeper, bonding until the roots went so deep, they could never be pulled out.
Lance pulled away, “I’m sorry. The game is meant to be fun and I hate that I’m bringing us down.”
Sonja moved in close, pressing her lips to his. When she pulled away, she stared at the knight, “You’re not bringing us down. I think you’re saying what we’re all feeling.”
“How do you feel?” Lance whispered.
Sonja’s eyes stared down at his armored chest, “It’s complicated. I want to say what I really feel but I don’t know how to say it.”
“Maybe we should take some time to think about it?” Jayson said with his heart heavy.
The two knights turned to their friend. A small breeze flowed over them, rustling nearby trees. Unspoken questions lingered in their minds. The virtual world seemed to become too real as emotions swirled. Memories flooded Jayson’s mind as he replayed how the three of them met. How their perversions didn’t result in repulsion but in wondrous acceptance. The player never wanted to let that go but the love they felt could not be ignored. Their hearts simply couldn’t take it anymore.
Jayson smiled as he hugged his friends, “How about we come back to those questions when we reach the Middle Kingdoms? It will give us some time to think about it. We can investigate the dungeon and then spend some time together. Afterwards, we can take a break and talk about it.”
Lance eyed his fellow knight and nodded, “I’m okay with that.”
Sonja pulled away with a small smirk on her lips, “I’m okay with it too.”
Jayson nodded. Turning, the knight led on. His fellow knights followed. The player wanted nothing more than to profess his heart but the nagging doubt in his mind seemed to bloom bigger with each step. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything with certainty and that bothered him the further they walked.
***
The fellow knights spent most of the day walking silently, keeping their thoughts to themselves. They turned from the road and made their way through the northern side of the road. After a few hours, they reached the clearing before the mysterious dungeon.
A stone entrance stood ominously against the base of a mountain. The clearing before it was covered in tall grass. The sun dipped low in the sky, turning orange as stars struggled to shine their light through the hues. The three knights were at the forest edge, knees bent and eyes taking in their surroundings. Jayson kept his eyes sharp, drinking in the cracked stone and ivy vines covering the entrance. Focusing, he could see where some of the vines had been cut and mud covered some of the tall grass.
“I think there might be players here,” Jayson whispered and used his tracking/hunting skill. The skill glowed green with a positive result. Information funneled into his thoughts. “Two people have been here. One is short and light, the other big and heavy. They came through here abou
t an hour ago.”
“Should we be worried?” Sonja whispered as she scanned the area.
“I don’t know. They could be players but they could also be on the same quest.”
Lance sat with his back against a tree, legs crossed. He leafed through the journal, reading each of the passages in turn. “I’m starting to think whatever is down there could be very important. Commander Rujin writes about how he has two missions. Find the knights who stole the Rose Seers and reclaim lost knowledge. If he cannot do either, he is ordered to slay any who get in their way, and to destroy all knowledge of the seers.”
Jayson’s eyebrow went up, “Rose Seers? Is that what Oksuna is?”
Lance read on. “He doesn’t go into great detail. Also, I think these symbols must be some troll code. We should get this fully translated.” Lance leafed to the last page. “He ends it with a declaration of war on those who do not return what is rightfully theirs.”
“They already declared war on us,” Sonja grinned.
“Did it really say ‘Rose Seers’ as in more than one?” Jayson said in a low voice.
“Yea, they did.”
Jayson turned around and sat down. “So, there is more than one pink haired troll. They’re not saying it clearly but I can’t believe I have the only one.”
“That means whatever is down there can help us figure out why she is so important to them,” Sonja smiled. “The plot thickens.”
Lance closed the book and put it back in his inventory, “We have to go down there.”
Jayson nodded, his heart skipping a beat. His beautiful troll held so many secrets but all she wanted was his company. Warmth flowed over the knight’s mind as he thought about her. She had become his favorite out of all of his concubines. Now he was a step closer to finding out her mysterious past.
Sonja rose to her feet and began walking from their cover. Jayson reached out to hold her back but missed her by an inch. The blue knight continued to stroll until she stood in front of the cracked stone entrance. Jayson and Lance were to their feet and following until all three knights stood before an ancient gloomy opening.