by Eden Redd
“Please don’t leave,” Lorn pleaded.
“You lured me out here!” Lance said, disgusted with himself.
“No, I didn’t! I really am here for you,” The troll begged.
Lance not sure what was happening, simply turned and rushed back to the house. The troll stayed on his knees looking on as the white knight rushed toward the ensuing explosions.
***
The dwarf aimed at Revar, pulling the trigger as something moved behind him. The wand gun exploded with fire light. Jayson watched as the fire ball bounced off the flat side of Revar’s sword. A black cloak billowed as a blade appeared. There was a slash as the armored dwarf took hold of the cloak. Feverdream was pulled and thrown. Jayson dropped his blades, rushed and caught the falling knight. Revar was charging at the smiling dwarf.
The armored dwarf pulled up his battle axe when his smug smile faded and he fell to one knee, eyes wide.
“Poison,” The dwarf said simply when he noticed the small cut on his neck.
Feverdream was on her feet, her own smile turning smug, “I didn’t call myself Feverdream because I liked the name.”
The golden dwarf dropped his axe and held his wand-gun to his chest, “I came for the troll. Hand her over and this doesn’t get any messier.”
Jayson had retrieved his swords. Sonja was through the door, her own sword at the ready. Revar edged closer, sword ready to cleave.
“Who sent you?” Jayson asked.
The dwarf barked out a laugh, “Boy, no one sent me! I’m here to retrieve the troll and collect the bounty. Hand her over and we all walk away.”
“Troll?” Feverdream said as she stood at the ready.
“The troll is never leaving my side,” Jayson growled. “And if I have to hack you all to pieces, then so be it!”
The dwarf kept his smile until a white knight burst from the woods, rapier up and pointing.
“Remember this face! Jarn Ironboots never gives up on a bounty!” The dwarf shouted as he pulled the trigger again and again.
The wand gun exploded to life as fireball after fire ball burst forth. Revar pushed forward, fireballs exploding against his blade. Jayson, Sonja and Feverdream dodged away from the incoming fire bolts as they hit the ground and exploded. Lance rushed forward, blade at the ready when he noticed the dwarf pulling a stone from his belt. The white knight was nearly on him when the dwarf activated the stone. The air vibrated for a moment before the dwarf disappeared in a flash.
When the smoke settled, the knights stood, looking to each other. Revar turned to Jayson, sword still in hand but his lips were not smiling. Feverdream moved to his side, her sword still drawn, her face a serious mask. Jayson was about to sheath his swords when he noticed that Revar and Feverdream looked to him with firm expressions.
“You have one of the Rose Seers,” Revar said simply
Jayson said nothing as he stood, short sword in each hand.
“We’ve been hunting you for some time,” Feverdream said with a soft but dark edge.
Nine
The air was calm as the knights all stared at each other. Moonlight beamed down on the five knights as they held their swords to their sides, eyeing each other like the world had stopped. No crickets sang as the knights stood motionless, but gazed at one another, uncertainty filling their hearts.
“Hunting me?” Jayson asked simply, afraid where this was going to go.
“Not you specifically but hunting knights who have stolen pink haired trolls,” Revar said with a stony expression.
“We are allied with the trolls and pledged to help them regain their rightful place as masters of Lukken,” Feverdream said with quiet conviction.
“Why were you in that dungeon?” Lance asked, taking a step forward.
Revar turned his eyes toward the white knight, “To find out more of their history. The trolls told us of it and how they had lost control of their guardian years ago. We agreed to clear the way so they could reach their sacred texts.”
“So, you’re their soldiers, doing what they want before they betray you,” Jayson said with an edge.
Revar smiled, “Allies, we are their allies. They could have sent trolls with us but my wife and I work better on our own. As for betrayal, the dragons have betrayed all the races of Lukken. They conspire to drive everyone to their lustful wants.”
Jayson kept his stance relaxed but the grip on his blades tight, “It appears as though we’ve chosen conflicting quests. What happens now? I’m not giving her up.”
Feverdream stepped forward, sheathing her short sword, “We like you, all of you. Instead of this getting ugly, let’s consider this a pass. We fought for each other and now we’re even.”
Revar stepped forward, sheathed his blade and put an arm around Feverdream’s shoulder, “We had meant to recall to our keep but enjoyed your company and wanted to see where this would lead. My wife is right, this makes us even, but next we meet….” The large knight let the sentence hang in the air.
Jayson eyed them for a long moment before sheathing his swords over his shoulders, “Agreed.”
“It was nice to travel with you all,” Feverdream smiled.
The three knights remained silent.
Revar pulled out a recall stone. With a final nod, he activated it. The air vibrated and with a flash, they were gone. Jayson let his shoulders relax. Sonja and Lance moved in closer, a somber expression filling their eyes. The three knights walked back into the house.
“Where were you?” Jayson asked Lance in a low voice.
“I was clearing my thoughts, just walking around. I heard the explosion and came back as fast as I could. What happened?”
Jayson let out a sigh, “That dwarf was a bounty hunter. It seems the trolls are enlisting players and monsters to hunt us.”
“I didn’t know players were siding with the trolls,” Sonja said, her eyes locked on Jayson.
“I’ve seen it on the forums. There are groups following all three factions.”
The knight turned to his friends, “That is why I wanted to talk to you when we had a private moment. I wanted to tell you what happened after you both died.”
Jayson told them what happened. He spoke of the carvings, seducing the hydra and what happened between him and the troll commander, Rujin. Lance and Sonja were silent until the knight finished.
“Rujin is your nemesis? I’m not sure if that’s cool or just over the top?” Lance said with interested eyes.
“The patches and updates are making the game contain a lot more adventure and story lines. As for the pink haired trolls, I think they are part of a bigger story line or maybe the main story line.”
Sonja crossed her arms, “So, they’re going to keep coming after us until they capture Oksuna or kill us. I thought Lewd Knights was more about the sex with adventure second?”
“I don’t think they ever put it in that order. I think they made the game for all kinds of players. If we never defended Lady Slytha and taken on Oksuna as a concubine then we may have just been on normal adventures.”
Jayson was silent before speaking again, “I know the game is meant to be fun but if….” Lance cut him off.
“Shut up. Don’t go all valiant knight on us,” Lance grinned.
“We’re in this together,” Sonja smiled and touched Jayson’s cheek.
Jayson curled his fingers around her hand, “Thank you.”
“What should we do now?” Sonja asked as she pulled her hand away.
“I don’t know about you two but I’m beat. How about we get some rest before starting out,” Lance said as his mind went back to his draining encounter with the troll in the woods.
Jayson and Sonja glanced at each other. They didn’t include him and they were both spent from their moment together. It appeared to everyone that they were all tired and another day of adventuring was on the horizon.
“How about we actually get some rest before starting out again,” Jayson said with a disarming smile.
Lanc
e and Sonja agreed almost too quickly, nodding their heads in unison. The knights made their way to the bedrooms and for the first time in a long time, they each took a separate room. Jayson stepped into a room but left the door slightly ajar, thinking one or both would follow him. Instead, he heard one door close shut and then another.
The knight closed his door and stepped to the bed. Touching his chest, armor and clothes disappeared. He crawled into the bed and lay on his back, eyes staring at the blank ceiling. The strangeness of the situation was not lost on him. Sonja was a player but she was having fun. Lance was feeling left out of the relationship that he thought too much about. The web between them grew tangled and Jayson wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. The game had become terribly complicated but as far as he was concerned, it did make it exciting. A glimmer of doubt lingered, thinking his friends my not stay for the journey.
It was a few hours until sunrise. The player was glad he could get some sleep while still in game. The time with Sonja and the fight took everything out of him. He wanted to be rested before they moved on with their quest.
Closing his eyes, Jayson fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
***
Journey Road stretched out to the west. The three knights had been travelling since sun up. With thoughts weighing heavy, they travelled in silence. Their virtual environment, however, was light and warm. The sun shined bright in the sky. White puffy clouds glided on a sheet of glass. Birds flew, singing their song to one another.
Jayson was first to notice the spires in the distance.
The knight smiled, “I think that’s the Middle Kingdoms in the distance.”
Sonja and Lance looked up, shielding their eyes from the bright sun.
Jayson turned around with wide eyes, “We made it! We made it to the Middle Kingdoms!”
Both, the blue and white knight smiled, looking to the spires in the distance.
Jayson turned and began walking, “We should be there soon. We just….” The knight stopped short when a 2D transparent screen appeared before him. Sonja and Lance made their way over and when they were by Jayson’s side, 2D screens appeared before them. Words began to scroll from bottom to top and Jayson began to read.
Hello Traveler!
Welcome to the Middle Kingdoms.
Due to the graphic and varied nature of kinks and storylines, this is a warning for all knights entering the kingdoms. Some kinks may be too intense and some storylines can trigger negative personal responses. To avoid any negative impact in your time here, we ask for knights to choose the level they wish to interact with. Please choose one of the three choices below and you may continue on your journey to the Middle Kingdoms.
Yes, I’m aware of the kinks and storylines and wish to proceed.
No, please keep kinks and storylines vanilla for my enjoyment.
No thank you, just passing through, no storylines for me.
Jayson looked up from the screen and turned his head to the left and right of him. Sonja and Lance finished reading and turned to their fellow knight.
“I heard that it’s pretty intense in the kingdoms,” Lance said with a sly smirk.
“I don’t know how much more intense it could get? We have been fighting and fucking our way across Lukken for months,” Sonja said with a grin.
Jayson eyed the choices, “I know what I want but are we doing this together?”
“Just because I said it was intense doesn’t mean I don’t want to go through with it,” Lance hovered a hand next to the 2D floating screen.
Sonja lifted her hand up to the 2D screen, “We’re in this together, through all of it.”
Jayson nodded, “I love you both and I will fight for you both, till the end.”
Hearts soared as the three knights nodded in unison. With a press of their fingers, they touched the first choice. The screens went blank and new text scrolled into view.
Thank you!
Please provide a safe word. It will be used by you to stop anything you may find uncomfortable should your experiences become too intense.
Safe word is required before you continue.
Jayson rubbed his chin, “Hmmmmmmm.”
“It should be something we don’t often say,” The blue knight stood, brow creasing.
“Banana?” Lance smirked.
Jayson and Sonja smiled but shook their heads.
Standing on the road, the three knights pondered on what words or phrases they could use should the experience become too much, not that any of them thought of actually using the words but it helped keep all players safe. Jayson pondered and thought of his studio apartment. He tried to think of anything there he could use as a safe word. An image of the book he found at work flowed into his thoughts. Remembering the title, the player smiled to himself.
“How about ‘Shadow Hearts’?”
Lance and Sonja turned their heads to the player.
“I like it, where is it from?” Lance asked.
“From a book, I found at my job. It’s a story of a forbidden love between a priest and a woman from his congregation.”
“Forbidden love, I like that,” Sonja smiled.
“Sounds like ‘Shadow Hearts’ it is,” Lance said as he began typing.
Jayson and Sonja followed suit, tapping away at the virtual keyboards. When the words were entered, the 2D screens faded from view. The three knights took a step forward, renewed excitement filling them at the possibilities in the middle kingdoms. They managed a few dozen steps before a nagging thought crawled around Jayson’s mind and spiked down to his heart.
The knight stopped walking, eyes lowering. “I think we should save here.”
Lance and Sonja stopped walking and turned to their friend.
Jayson continued, “When we were in the dungeon, we may have had a better chance if I had been showing my concubines some attention. I don’t want to run into that problem again. I have to go back and care for them. After that, I will need some rest back in the real world.”
Lance nodded, his eyes looking away. Sonja stepped toward the knight and ran her hand along his cheek.
“Is it about the concubines or is it about the three of us?” Sonja asked.
Jayson shifted his feet and couldn’t bring himself to look up, “It’s a lot of things. Everything has been so heavy lately. I’m excited to explore the middle kingdoms but I need to clear my head.
Lance watched as Sonja continued to caress Jayson’s cheek, “I think you’re right. We should….take a break.”
Sonja pulled her hand away, fingers forming a fist at her side, “Guys, are we alright?”
“I’m okay,” Jayson said with a half-smile.
Lance simply nodded but a gloom filled his eyes. A breeze passed over the trio of knights.
Jayson looked to his friends and lovers, making his smile broader, “We are all fine. Maybe we all need to clear our heads a little. I have another day off the day after tomorrow. We can meet and power on to the kingdoms.”
Lance and Sonja gave small smiles.
“Day after tomorrow works for me,” Lance said simply.
“I have a few days off so that works. I might be able to get some things done,” Sonja said softly.
Jayson stepped forward, arms open, taking a knight in each arm. The three pressed their heads together, a deep sigh falling from their lips. Even in the virtual world, the bond was there, snaking from one heart to the next with love and a dash of concern.
Jayson broke the hug first and looked to his friends. Raising a finger, he drew a symbol, anchoring his save point. Sonja did the same and Lance followed. When the glowing symbol disappeared, each knight pulled out a recall stone.
“See you the day after tomorrow,” Jayson said but was startled by how quickly Sonja activated her stone.
The blue knight faded away with a smile on her lips. Lance held his stone but took a step forward, pressing his lips to Jayson’s. The knights lingered for a long moment, lips locked and tongues swirling. When
Lance pulled away, he activated his stone and faded from view.
Jayson took in a deep breath. Mixed emotions rolled on as the player asked himself deep questions about his life, game life and love. Holding the stone, he squeezed it. The world around him turned to trails of light, something like light speed in a Star Wars movie. Before the player could relax, he appeared before his keep.
Looking around, the feeling of home washed over his senses. The main stone arch stood, connecting to a half wall that surrounded his mansion/castle keep. He was back on the east coast of Lukken, home of the human cities. Walking toward the large double doors, he glanced up as dark clouds filled the sky. Lightning flashed as the heavens threatened a downpour. The thought of rain was comforting. The player could spend time with his concubines and enjoy the sound of rain before transporting back to the real world still covered in snow and ice.
Taking hold of the latch, the door gave easily and the knight stepped into his keep. A second later, rain drops the size of bullets came down, tapping against stone and quickly forming puddles.
Closing his eyes, he let the sound caress his ears. When he opened them, several monster women emerged with smiles on their faces. Dalya was first, running toward her lord and jumping through the air. The knight raised his arms, braced himself and caught her. Hands cupped her around bottom as her tail swished from left to right and back again. Ears pointed and eyes locked on her lords, she pressed her lips hard against his. The knight relaxed, letting the concubine force her tongue into his mouth. Bliss rose up as did the concubines temperature. Claws digging into armor, the kitra wanted nothing more than to force her lord down and please him any way she could.
Jayson pulled his lips from the kitra and gently let her down, “Good to see you too.”
Dalya looked up with innocent eyes, “Are you here for a quickie or are you staying?”
Behind the kitra stood the elf twins, a green skinned dryad, Gorganna and now Kara and Nara, their heads bowing to their new lord. Jayson kept his hands on Dalya‘s waist as he looked to all of them. Their eyes told their story. They all missed him and it showed as they waited for his answer.