by Eden Redd
The crowd stopped their seductive embrace immediately. Bodies untangled as patrons and wait staff stood up and cleared the room. Thorrin watched as nearly the entire room emptied except for two cloaked figures in one booth and a lone cloaked figure in another. Turing around, he eyed the other men standing in the corners as they took a step closer and stood in the lantern light.
Sybil shook her head and leered, “And this is the part where you hand over your hammer to us and walk away.”
Thorrin stood his ground, “I thought we had a deal?”
The woman in leather let out a hideous cackle, “Did you really think your story would convince us, Thorrin Rivers.”
The paladin’s eyes narrowed. Mentally he called up his inventory and prepped his armor.
“You must have a rather large pair to come here and think you could steal what we have rightfully taken. Your kind are so fucking optimistic!”
Thorrin eyed the men surrounding him as ghostly weapons flared from their hands. One man with wide eyes grinned with a ghostly sword, the edge serrated on one side. Another one stood, bald with a tattoo of a smiling devil covering the right side of his head, a barbed whip glowing to life. The large man with the Mohawk lifted up a hammer similar to Thorrin’s except it was made of ghostly purple energy and the handle was much longer. Rocky stayed close to the entrance, his arms folded and his stony gaze on the lone paladin.
Thorrin drank in the scene around him as Sybil flicked her hands and ghostly fans glowed to life in each one. Standing up, she moved her arms with practiced ease and held one of the fans to her nose, covering the lower half of her face. The player knew what they were and braced himself.
Sybil took a menacing step forward, “Hand over the hammer and walk away or we will have to do terrible things to you.”
Thorrin’s gaze was steady, showing no hint of fear as he spoke, “Is your mistress here? I would like to meet her before I smash all of you into shards of light.”
Sybil stared as the ghostly fan covered her mouth, “You are not in a position to ask for anything. Either you give us the hammer or we loot it from your dying corpse, your choice.”
Thorrin wondered why they hesitated. They could have simply attacked and if they were powerful enough, they could kill him and take his hammer from him unless he did have an advantage. Glancing to the two robed figures in a booth, he saw the shine of large almond shaped eyes staring back from the shadows of the hood. The other figure held a staff and gave a small knowing nod.
Thorrin looked to Sybil and smirked, “For a bunch of dark paladins, you seem pretty skittish.”
Sybil’s brow hardened but a voice from the spiral stairwell floated down.
“They do not attack because I have told them not to attack,” a woman in a black robe took each step down until she reached the middle of the spiral staircase.
Fingers curling around the rail, she looked down at the paladin as he turned to her. She had long black hair and a runic band across her forehead and over her hair. Her eyes were lifeless as she stared down, her mouth nothing more than a thin slit. Thorrin recognized her as the woman with three men. Glancing to his sides, those men were surrounding him.
Thorrin looked back up to the pale woman and smiled, “The Bone Queen I presume?”
The woman kept her frozen gaze, “You are correct, paladin. I have asked my followers to stay their hand and give you a chance to give us your powerful hammer. The Foxfire is my establishment and it wouldn’t do well to fight on the property, it brings the value down.”
“And if I refuse?”
The Bone Queen’s face remained a frozen mask, “Then they shall kill you and loot it from your corpse. Then they will kill your friends who foolishly came here to fight at your side.”
The cloaked figures stood up from their booth. Jon pulled back his hood to reveal his smiling face. Ro pulled back her small hood and brushed away the cloak from her shoulders to show the white bracers with a blue gem on each. Her small frame was exposed with the strange white armor gleaming in the lantern light. Her little green hand reached up and brushed away a lock of her purple hair as determination filled those large eyes.
Thorrin kept his smirk, “For a bunch of NPC’s, you guys have a nice racket going on here. Let me guess, you loot magical weapons to arm your hidden army, or do you sell them to fund some diabolical plan to conquer Lukken?”
Sybil let out a giggle as the other men grinned from ear to ear.
“We’re not NPC’s. We’re players,” Sybil giggled harder.
“Fucker doesn’t even know we can fuck his shit up and take everything from him,” the man with the wicked sword laughed like a mad hatter. “We should snare him at death’s door and take turns fucking him!”
“Shut it Wyrm! You’re giving me too many ideas,” said the man with the devil tattoo.
“You shut it, Devvil! I want him to squirm!” Wyrm laughed.
Thorrin turned around to see the mad gleam in their eyes. He thought for sure this was an NPC story line but now it had shifted into something darker. The player knew PVP areas could go down that dark road. With the heat of battle coursing through a player’s veins, the need for sexual gratification and violence were often one of the same. Rape was not condoned among actual players but certain things skirted the rules such as fairy dust and certain abilities and spells. A player could opt out at anytime but they would be leaving their virtual self behind to be treated any which way by the victor. In a realm where 90% of the game was consensual, there was the abyssal ten percent that danced on the fence. Thorrin’s heart hardened as he saw he was among some of that ten percent and a chill ran up his spine.
Sybil lowered her ghostly fan, eyes on the paladin, “We can make it so much worse than death. Hand over the hammer and you will leave, untouched.”
Rocky stood by the entrance, watching the show. Thorrin’s hammer hanging from his belt, the large man smirked with contained amusement as he readied for the fireworks to come. Just then, a person stepped through and stood at his side. Rocky turned to see a man in a black cloak and leather armor gazing into the main room. His hair was dark except for a small dark blonde curl on his forehead.
“What are we looking at?” the man asked.
Rocky gave the man a hard stare, “Nothing. You should leave.”
The man continued to stare, “It doesn’t look like nothing. The woman on the spiral staircase seems important, like she’s the leader. The three guys and girl seem like her minions and with their weapons out, it looks like a party is about to start. Do you sell popcorn here?”
Rocky turned and glared down, “Leave or you will be removed.”
A second player, this time a dark haired elf, strolled up to Rocky’s back and stared out to the room, “What are we looking at?”
The man with the blonde curl shrugged, “I think there is going to be a fight. That guy that is surrounded seems like he’s in trouble. The short goblin and tall man to the side might be there to help the guy in the middle. I don’t know that other cloaked figure in the booth but they are just staring, maybe waiting for the fireworks?”
Rocky turned incredulously from the man to the elf and then back, eyes filling with rage.
The first man looked out at the paladin in the middle, “Hey! Is this the party?”
Thorrin turned his head and a smile crept into his cheeks, “Yea, it’s the party. Did you bring anything?”
Renner nodded as Rocky lifted up his oversized hands, “Yea! I brought the magic!”
The rogue’s hand moved in a blur, drawing a dagger from inside his cloak and driving it upwards. Rocky’s eyes went wide as the blade slid into his stomach and twisted. Rocky’s big hands came down and touched Renner’s shoulders just as he pulled the dagger back. An arcane word fell from the large man’s lips and energy surged into his hands. Renner pulled back only to be blasted with a dual lightning attack. The rogue’s face wrinkled in pain as he was hurtled back and crashed into a wall.
Bedlam ensue
d as bodies twisted and weapons flashed. Thorrin’s gray and gold armor appeared over his body as he activated his Holy Protection. Sybil charged the paladin, glowing fans flashing. Thorrin stepped back, arms up as ghostly fans slashed at his aura and bracers. The player went into the defensive, stepping back as the dark paladin screeched and slashed.
Wyrm rushed to Sybil’s side. Vass unhooked Thorrin’s hammer from Rocky’s belt and charged into the heat of battle. Rocky turned and whispered arcane words until something stabbed at his side and caused the spell to fizzle. Rocky looked down at a crossbow bolt in his ribs and then looked up to see Renner leaning against the very wall he hit and reloading, humming a tune. The mage was about to unleash another spell when the bolt in his side glowed with runes.
“Yea, it’s gonna hurt,” Renner said as he finished reloading and turned his attention to the chaos blooming in the middle of the room.
The runes sparked and then exploded, hurtling the giant mage into a wall. Renner lifted up his crossbow and looked to aim as two more bodies joined the fray. The large man with the Mohawk turned to see two paladins rushing him. Jon was there first, staff up and blocking his incoming hammer. White sparks flew as the paladin moved in closer, shoving the hammer away and spinning his staff around, striking the opposite end at the dark paladin’s jaw. The dark paladin stepped back and shook it off, eyes cold as he stalked forward. Staff and hammer clashed as Jon tried to keep the enemy at bay.
“What’s your name, enemy of my friends?” Jon grunted as his virtual muscles strained.
The man continued with his unfeeling gaze, “Skullz.”
“How original,” Jon quipped.
Skullz lifted a heavy boot and slammed it down on Jon’s knee. The paladin shifted, unable to use his strength to hold the dark paladin back. Skullz lifted his hammer and brought it hard across. The paladin’s aura flared as he was lifted up and thrown into a table, splintering it to pieces.
Ro was already airborne as Jon let out a grunt and tried to get back to his feet. The goblin was flying at the dark paladin, mouth open into a roar. Arms out, the blue gem on each bracer glowed to life. The white and gray bracers began to shift as metal parts slid and extended. Skullz pulled back with hammer in hand, watching the female goblin barreling toward him. White metal bent and changed to engulf her tiny hands. The armor over her chest and arms crawled with energy, magical pistons working as they pumped mana and faith. Giant oversized mechanical hands engulfed the goblin’s green hands, metal fingers opening for a moment before closing into large fists. Skullz whipped his hammer hard across but the goblin was already twisting in the air. An oversized metal hand clamped on the incoming hammer. Using it to pull herself closer, she let go of the hammer and wrapped her legs around the dark paladin’s throat. Skullz’s little eyes widened as Ro brought an armored fist across his face from the left and then struck from the right. Skullz stumbled back as the goblin rained down fist after fist while roaring like justice unleashed.
Thorrin could barely keep up as the two dark paladins rained down attack after attack. Bracer’s sparking; he managed to glance past them to see Vass running through the room with his hammer in hand. Wyrm laughed as he tried to slice downward only for his wicked blade to be knocked away. Thorrin threw his weight forward at Sybil. The dark paladin ducked low and slashed. Thorrin grunted as some hit points drained but pushed on to grab her by the shoulder. Activating his Holy Touch, golden energy flared. Sybil screeched as she stumbled back, trails of smoke rising up from her shoulder. Thorrin pressed his attack but grunted as a blade stabbed into his side.
“Stick you like a pig,” Wyrm cackled before dark energy flowed from his hand and along the wicked blade.
Thorrin felt the sharp sting as darkness penetrated his armor and into him. A “Disease” status effect blinked, draining some of his stats. The paladin lifted his arm up and whipped it across; slamming his bracer into the dark paladin’s laughing face. Wyrm stopped laughing and stumbled off, pulling his blade out of the paladin. Thorrin took a step forward and a ghostly fan sliced at the side of his neck. Another status effect appeared, “Bleeding Wounds”. The player lifted his hand to his neck, trying to staunch the flow of digital blood. Sybil capitalized on the attack and slipped closer, her fan slicing at his leg. Thorrin’s hit points slowly drained as he backpedaled. At this rate, he would be dead soon.
Vass pumped her legs until a ghostly whip struck out and splintered the wooden floor at her feet. Stunned, she looked to Devvil as he curled the whip in the air and lashed it at the hammer in her hand. The elf spun away as the whip cracked at the air, missing the hammer. The rogue’s free hand slipped to her bandolier and pulled out a small white dagger. As Devvil’s whip curled back for another strike, the elf flicked her wrist. The white dagger darted through the air. Devvil growled until a sharp pain blazed from his leg. Looking down, he saw the white dagger imbedded between two plates of armor covering his stomach. The dagger flared white hot and the dark paladin screamed his dismay. Reaching down with his free hand, he grabbed the hilt of the blade and another scream roared up from his open mouth. Pulling his hand away, black scorch marks covered the inside of his palm and fingers.
Vass was to the dark paladin, booted foot slamming into his stomach and bending him in half. The elf lifted her leg up and axe dropped it down on his head, sending his face crashing into the floor. Devvil rolled to his side, eyes confused before a menacing glare took over. Dark energy swirled into a black aura as he slowly stood up. A hand curled around the white dagger and it flared for a moment before its light died and turned to ash.
“We are going to take turns fucking that pretty mouth,” Devvil said as he lashed his ghostly whip in the air.
Vass ducked down and then moved to the side as the whip flashed across and down. Chunks of floor blasted upwards as the dark paladin made the elf dance. Vass looked over to see Thorrin barely holding his own as the leather clad Sybil pressed her attacks. Wyrm stepped closer to join the frenzy. With one arm, Thorrin could barely keep them at bay, unable to heal himself. Bodies moved with kinetic rhythms as Vass could not get a clear path to throw the hammer.
Wyrm laughed and laughed and laughed as he continued to hack at the paladin. He was so engrossed in his attacks; he didn’t see the cloaked figure move behind him. Cloak splitting open, pale hands drew two metal staves from the darkness of the cloak. A feminine body bent at the knee as the two batons were held at her sides. Hood up, she took a sharp intake of breath before exploding forward. Wyrm’s eyes went wide as a hard stave struck the side of one knee and then the other. The dark paladin never had a chance to turn around as metal rods blitzed spots where there was no armor. Hit points drained as he tried to turn his attacks. Reeling, he turned around only for a baton to strike him across the face three times in rapid succession. Clutching at his ruined face, he fell backwards.
Vass danced as she dodged Devvil’s attacks until a bolt slammed into his shoulder. The dark paladin looked down as runes glowed along the shaft and exploded. The dark paladin stumbled back, clutching at his shoulder. Vass turned to see Thorrin barely standing as Sybil pressed on. With a whistle, Thorrin looked up to see Vass already letting go of the hammer and it spinning toward him. The paladin planted his feat and threw his shoulder into Sybil. The dark paladin spun away and slashed across. Thorrin grunted as his hit points drained rapidly. Hand outstretched, fingers curled around the handle and took a firm grip.
Sybil gave a manic leer as she charged the paladin with his back to her. Thorrin turned just as she was within two feet, hammer charging with mystical energy.
“Sit down,” Thorrin said as a lightning bolt exploded and slammed into Sybil’s chest.
The dark paladin screeched as her black aura blazed. Body hurtling through the air, she crashed onto the stage and rolled into the curtain, trails of smoke rising from her body.
Thorrin clutched at his neck. He knew he couldn’t stop the status effect but he began to heal himself. Draining hit points slowed, giving
him a fighting chance as he turned to the room. The cloaked figure turned to the paladin, eyes drinking in his form. Thorrin looked to his savior and nodded, noting the wrappings covering her entire body from her neck to her feet. Renner reloaded and aimed at the big dark paladin. He was still struggling as Ro pounded his face. Renner aimed, making sure not to hit the little goblin when something glowed to his right. Whipping his crossbow, he pulled the trigger just as it aimed at the fallen Rocky. The giant mage’s hand was outstretched as arcane words bled from his lips. The bolt struck him in the throat and Renner blew a goodbye kiss. The spell fizzled and the bolt glowed before it exploded. Rocky’s body shattered into shards of light, scattering across the damaged floor.
Skullz reached up and took hold of the goblin. Ro clamped an oversized hand over his head, holding on as the dark paladin tried to pull her off. Foot kicking up, she kicked him in the throat three times before the dark paladin let out a muffled roar and slammed a dark fist into her side. Ro’s eyes went wide as unholy energy surged and clashed against her aura. Holding on for dear life, she attempted to crush the dark paladin’s skull when another dark fist rammed into her side, sending her flying and crashing onto the floor. Jon was to his feet and rushing to her aid when Skullz closed the distance and brought his hammer down in a berserker rage. The strikes were so powerful; Jon fell to one knee as the hammer came down again and again. A lightning bolt arced and slammed into Skullz’s back. Tiny eyes widening, Jon spun his staff and brought one end straight up under the dark paladin’s chin. Skullz’s body went straight up and he fell backwards onto a table, splintering it to pieces.
Jon slowly stood up as Thorrin held his hammer out, giving the fellow paladin a nod. Renner aimed his crossbow bolt at the Bone Queen as she stayed on the spiral staircase, dead eyes drinking them in. Wyrm pulled out a potion and drank it. Devvil heaved as he tried to get back up. Sybil stirred on the stage as Skullz moved an arm and little else.