Merethyl bowed to me, and said, “I will repay this debt in time.” Then she turned, and walked as proudly as one could when they were naked, sweaty, and covered in men’s seed, and left the room. Watching her go, I shook my head. It was a nice view, after all.
With that, I turned to the last occupant of the little dungeon. “You are Mirelth the Adorable, are you not?” That name got a couple gasps from the ‘natives’ in the room, as well as VERY worried expressions from the new slaves. Seems not everyone knew who (or what) they were dealing with here.
“Yes, I am. What is it you wish of me, mortal? You wish me to be a messenger too? Or are you going to keep me locked in this form, so you can say you had your way with a dragoness like the last incubus?”
“No. I wish your vow that you will take no action against me, or against those under my protection. And, some day, I may have need of a favor.” Cheeky, but when dealing with dragons confidence is best (unless you get cocky).
“And in return you’ll grant to me my freedom?”
“Indeed.”
“HAHAHA! You are an interesting mortal. One who would throw away advantages to make his life more interesting, and dares to ask dragons for favors! Very well, I, Mirelth the Adorable, Mistress of Ice, Taker of Life, and other names do swear upon my power that I will not harm Zayn Darkmore, or those under his protection.”
“Very well.” I reached up, and unlocked the dragoness’s collar. Suddenly, a wave of suppressed power surged forth, and there was no question that this was a dragoness, despite her currently human form. But I was surprised when the dragoness leaned forward and kissed me upon the mouth.
“I give you my blessing, mortal! Entertain me well!” And with a flash of light, she was gone.
You have been marked by a powerful entity! This mark allows the entity to scry on you and observe your progress. It can also serve other purposes.
Current Marks: Mirelth (Dragon Goddess)
You have gained a title!
Dragonfriend
All dragons start at Indifferent or better towards you.
+20% to social skills vs. Dragons
You have gained a title!
Dragon Consort
A dragoness has chosen you as her consort. All creatures with draconic blood can see this as a mark in your aura. The effects of this title change depending on the relationship of characters to the dragon in question.
Chapter 23 – Gepheart Village
“Now, will someone kindly tell me what the FUCK just happened here? Quimmy, how did you scrubs get your hands on a fucking DRAGON? And who is this Mirelth?”
It was Aravae that spoke first. “The histories tell that, back before the Scourge, there were those who knew of its coming, and took measures to ensure that sentient beings could survive it. One such group were the Great Dragons, the eldest and most powerful of their kind. The other was the Areth Imperium, whose magical supremacy was unmatched by any save the dragons and the elves of the Wyrmwood.”
“Areth used its magical might to combat the coming Scourge, and created the Rites of Passing and Preservation. What lands they could not conquer outright, they used the Rites to force people into accepting Arethan rule.
“The Dragons, some of whom it is said lived through the previous Scourge, knew their own ways to safeguard themselves and others from the Scourge. Back then, the dragons were not all as hostile to the young races as they are now, and some sought to share their knowledge with the same peoples that the Arethans sought to dominate.
“This caused the Dragons and Arethans to come to conflict, and during this conflict, Mirelth, who had been called Adorable for her beauty when she took human guise, and was also said to be fair even amongst her own kind while in her true form, was attacked by soldiers of Areth. In her rage, she turned upon the nearby kingdom of Luzan, and killed many of its people. Harrowdale, the most prosperous port city in Luzan, was destroyed with fire and ice, and all the people there were killed.
“But it was in Luzan City that she showed her true wrath. Dragons are beings of immense magic, and when they use rituals, they can do great and terrible things. Mirelth cursed the land with a terrible blight. The people withered but could not die, and the city was drowned in water and became the Gloomspell Lake. Even today, the people of Luzan remain in their deathless, twisted forms, unable to die and unable to leave their drowned city. They have become twisted and evil in madness because of the curse, and few who venture there live to speak of it.”
As she paused for a moment, I nodded slowly. I’d had a feeling something like that had happened given the dragon’s titles, but seriously, you had to hand it to the makers of this game for the detailed history! “And what happened to Mirelth after she drowned Luzan?”
“It is said that a company of heroes under the goddess Loviatar sought vengeance for Mirelth’s rampage. All, it is said, lost kin in the cities of Harrowdale or Luzan. A full hundred and twenty of the strongest warriors, mages, hunters and priests converged upon her lair in the White Mountains. For a day and a night and until noon the next day the battle raged, but in the end, the heroes defeated Mirelth, but had not the strength of arms remaining to finish her, so brutal was the battle, and so many lives had been lost.”
“Fearing that she would regain her strength, and bring ruin upon them all, the heroes used a divine artifact, the Captive’s Torment, given to their leader by Loviatar herself for his piety, to bind Mirelth as a slave and kept her in human form. After that, she passed out of the histories, until now.”
“And what were the names of the survivors?”
“Only four out of a hundred and twenty survived the battle. Kasr Lightshadow, a mage of power even amongst his incubus kin, but known more for mixing light and dark magics than your own… interesting brand of magic. Satheani Hornjaw, mistress of battle and unmatched with her waraxe and shield. It was said that with a sweep of her axe, legions of goblins would fall. Shihon Tehice, master thief and known for hands so nimble that he could pick a god’s pocket without their noticing, or slip a dagger in their ribs before they could react. Their leader, Voghan Shieldweaver was a cleric of Loviatar known for his cruelty and his dedication to vengeance. None slighted him but that they regretted it for the rest of their lives.”
Oh, I could see where this was going now. “And what came of them?”
“Little is known from that time. This was still a hundred years before the Scourge, when all the free peoples had to go into hiding in their thaigs. Much knowledge was lost over that time. But if the Shieldweaver line continued, even by another name, then ownership of Mirelth would have continued with each new heir taking the reigns of her bondage.”
I turned to look at Quimmy. “Well, where did you get the dragon, girl?”
She sighed. “We caught a noble sop from Vozhall in Yzma’s honeypot, like the blademistress. He was a fool, and talked about his ‘guardian’ like she was a toy. They didn’t know what they had. But we couldn’t let that information get out until we were ready to sell her. She’d make us a target for any crew larger than ours. So after enslaving the noble and making sure the dragon was properly ours, we killed him, and left him for the beasts in the woods. That was, oh, about a year ago.”
“And you hadn’t been able to unload her in all that time?”
“Finding a buyer that is willing and able to pay the right price takes time. Doing so discretely so we don’t bring down hunters on ourselves takes more. Now it doesn’t matter, since you freed the bitch.”
“You do realize you’re only alive because you’re under my protection, yes?”
“Yes, damn it!”
I smirked. “Good. Just reminding you. Come on, we’ve taken everything here, I believe. Let’s return to the caravan.”
(Later)
Six days later, we made it to Gepheart. Having extra slaves walking with us slowed us down, even if they kindly ‘volunteered’ to take the place of the dead horses drawing the Paladin’s wagon. Well, two of them were, at any ra
te. Brennan and Knobpolish had been sold to the Paladin for a hefty price of fifty gold. Quimmy and her two former subordinates stayed in my wagon.
The process of breaking the three women actually got me a thousand XP. Go figure, right? Besides that, the monster attacks we dealt with near constantly got me to level 13! Anyways, by the time we reached Gepheart, Kitten and Pony had been turned into obedient slaves, eager to please. Quimmy wasn’t quite there yet, but she still had the hope of my promise to tide her over, I guess. She still thought she would go free before I got to Wyrmwood. Poor fool. I almost pitied her. But, well, I didn’t.
Gepheart was a crossroads city. The Vermillion Road continued on to Wyrmwood in the East, but the Trade Way ran through the city, connecting the capital in the North with the ports in the South. As such, Gepheart was a bustling city in its own right, even though it was still called a village. Near the marketplace, we said goodbye to the Paladin and the Merchant, delivered the furs to the leatherworker right next door, and I watched as a couple windows popped up.
Quest Completed: Merchant Escort
Merchant Silas Horneby requests an escort for his wagon from Fathon to Gepheart on the Vermillion Road.
Silas and his cargo of slaves safely made it to Gepheart
Rank
E
Success
Silas Horneby and his cargo make it safely to Gepheart
Failure
Silas Horneby dies or cargo lost
Rewards
50 GP
Because of your attitude and the fact you took new slaves while Silas watched, you gain the Slave Trader title.
Quest Complete: Becket’s Furs
Hunter Becket has a load of 10 furs that needs to get to Gepheart on the Vermillion Road.
You successfully delivered the furs.
Rank
F
Success
Deliver 10 furs to the leatherworker in Gepheart.
Failure
Do not deliver the furs.
Rewards
50 SP
Consequences
10 GP Fine
Relationship with Fathon decreases
New Title Unlocked!
Slave Trader
Some people merely own slaves. Some people train them for a living. You actively seek out new slaves for the purpose of buying and selling them at a profit, and have done so under the eyes of a seasoned slave trader.
Buying slaves from fellow slave traders costs -10%
Selling slaves to fellow slave traders gains +10%
Selling slaves to non-slave traders gains +30%
Well, that had its uses, certainly. I’d get the best benefits by selling Kitten and Pony to someone who wasn’t a slave trader, but I’d have to do the work of finding buyers myself. That would be a bit of a pain to do. Oh well, I’d consider it while we did our shopping.
I sold all the weapons, armor, and gear we took from the bandits and their hideout, and split it between me and the princesses. All told, I got 200 GP for my share. A respectable amount, considering the level of the dungeon. I didn’t sell any crafting materials, though. When we got someplace we could rest for a while, I was going to grind my crafting professions along with the girls. I spent the 200 GP immediately, though, buying a Magic Bag that had increased carrying capacity compared to my Inventory.
Since I didn’t intend to keep Kitten and Pony after leaving town, I sold their clothes and made them hold signs saying that they were for sale. In this way, I was able to sell both girls. Kitten went to a nice brothel to begin her new life as a whore. I actually traded Pony to one of the instructors at the Mage Guild in return for gaining some rings that increased magic defense. They were basic rings, only granting +5% resistance to the various types of magic, but I managed to get five of them, four for me and my pets, and one to break down and learn the enchantment for myself.
OK, so at this level, that was really a pretty damn good deal. My various titles and abilities synergized nicely. Also, the instructor was clearly a lonely old man and was visibly drooling over Pony’s body. He said he needed a ‘servant’, but we all knew why he wanted her.
After that, the rest of the shopping was fairly simple. I purchased supplies for our continuing journey, since I decided we were going to continue on the next day, and bought a couple Charm spells.
Charm Magic
Cupid’s Arrow (Level 1, 0%)
Fires a magical bolt at the target, causing them to fall madly in love with a person the caster designates. Does not dictate the victim’s actions. May cause intense jealousy if the victim sees the target of their desire with others of their sex. Duration improves with level. Can be removed with Dispel type magic if the dispeller is more powerful than the caster at time of casting.
Range: 50 feet
Duration: 24 hours
Cost: 50 MP
Dispel Magic (Level 1, 0%)
This relatively simple spell attempts to dispel magic cast on a target or area. A vigilant caster may also be able to counter spells as they are being cast. Dispelling a spell is a contest between the two casters, typically won by the one with the highest relevant Atrribute (INT for most magics, WIS for divine magics, CHA for some magics). At higher levels, provides a bonus to effective attribute for the purpose of dispelling only.
Range: 30 feet
Cost: 100 MP
Seal (Level 1, 0%)
This spell seals the target’s magical abilities, preventing them from casting any spells for the duration. Spells already in effect are not cancelled. Duration goes up with level.
Range: 20 feet
Duration: 30 Seconds
Cost: 100 MP
When we were safely in a room at the local inn, I pulled out the two slave collars from the bandit cave, and identified them.
Slave Collar, Improved
Type
Collar
Rank
Uncommon
An improvement on the basic slave collars found across the world, this collar shows fine craftsmanship, and is made from steel, rather than copper or iron. When in use, it displays the Master’s personal or familial crest, showing who the slave belongs to.
Cannot be used on creatures that are over level 50 at time of capture.
+10 CHA
+200 HP
Enchanted: Return From Death – Once per month, the slave wearing this collar may return from death at the cost of losing a level.
This was the collar that the blademistress had been wearing. It was actually a pretty neat item. The Return From Death ability was clearly something designed for NPCs, since a Traveler would have that ability anyways, making this a very nice toy to use on important slaves.
The Captive’s Torment
Type
Collar
Rank
Unique – Artifact
A divine artifact made by the Goddess Loviatar. This collar has the ability to enslave any being it is placed upon, even gods. This unique item cannot be replicated by mortal hands. The Goddess Loviatar may scry on the wearer of this collar and the surrounding area, no matter what protections may be in place.
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Form Lock – Locks shapechangers into a form of the master’s choosing.
Enchanted: Seal – All magic powers are sealed while the collar is worn unless the master gives their express permission to use those abilities.
Yeah, so I expected it after the story, but this was definitely a divine artifact. And NOT one I was going to be showing off any time soon. It was like in the old Pokemon games. When you get the Master Ball, you wait until you find a real badass legendary pokemon to use it on. So I’ll toss this in the bottom of my inventory and leave it there until the opportune moment.
As I was thinking that, another window opened, displaying a system message that was shown to all players in the game.
World First!
The first Traveler guild has been establ
ished in Fathon! The guild ‘Scions of Torgan’ gains 500 Guild Fame! Guild Leader Zephara Void gains 500 Fame!
And then a second window appeared in front of just me.
Guild War!
The guild ‘Scions of Torgan’ has declared war on Zayn Darkmore and his allies! Parties at war may attack eachother without gaining infamy, but may still be subject to local laws.
I sighed. “I guess Zephara got some friends to buy her out of slavery. And it looks like she and her friends have declared war on me.”
Yukiko was giggling. “Still, the Scions of Torgan? Maybe Zephara was one of your fangirls in WoD?”
“You mean like you were, Yukiko?”
“A-heh…”
Rules-Free VRMMO Life: Volume II - Beginning the Journey Page 8