Dagger of the Assassins

by Cat Wilder

  DAGGER OF THE ASSASSINS

  Battle for Glory Adventure #2

  By

  Cat Wilder

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Smokin' Hot Press

  Copyright 2018 by Cat Wilder

  Cover by Willsin Rowe

  Cover Art by PGandara

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and locations within either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All characters in this story are 18 years old or older.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  List of Cat's Other Titles

  About the Author

  Welcome to the world of Battle for Glory! It is a full-immersion Virtual Reality MMORPG. This series is in the same world as my Gamer Girl series, where Carly's curse and entrapment in the game caused the glitch that trapped others.

  Dagger of the Assassins

  Battle for Glory Adventure #2

  By Cat Wilder

  I stopped and looked around. Something didn't feel right.

  "What wrong, Cormac?" Elky asked. The Amazon warrior licked her greasy fingers and lips. Street food tended toward messy in that city and we'd shared a sausage moments earlier. "Are you having another one of your paranoid episodes?"

  I scowled at her, but that made her grin. Wonderful feelings of bliss threatened to overwhelm me. A smile started to spread across my face. The blonde beauty had that affect on me. But then a hot little brunette strutted by and claimed my attention.

  Elky's eyes flashed. "Eyes straight ahead, MacDaddy." She caught and held my eyes. "Keep your love magic focused on me."

  That made me laugh. She was right, though. I had a curse of sorts. A single glance could turn any random woman's heart my way. I had to be careful about catching women's eyes.

  That tingle between my shoulder blades returned.

  "It's not paranoia," I said, covertly looking around for trouble.

  Okay, it could be paranoia. For the last three days, a feeling someone was watching me came and went. And it only happened out and about in the streets of Tartha. But the street looked completely normal, filled with mostly human commoners, with enough chickens, goats, cows, and dogs mixed in to make me careful where I stepped.

  I found no one watching us.

  "Stop worrying, Cormac," she said, waving my concerns away with a dismissive gesture. "Anyone who wants you dead is at least a thousand miles away."

  After rescuing Kahlan from Lord Quinton and the Red Knights, we'd ridden hard almost every day for six weeks. Technically, that should've put us more than a thousand miles away, if we'd ridden in a straight line. We really had no idea where in the world we ended up in relationship our enemies.

  I stepped toward Elky, eyes locked on her lips, when a dog raced out of the alley and between us, stopping me in my tracks. A split second later a crossbow bolt flew between us and slammed into the wall.

  I gawked at the blood red bolt.

  "Get down," Elky shouted, tackling me to the ground seconds before another bolt passed through the air where I had stood.

  "Where is he shooting from?" I asked.

  The street crowd provided cover, but they quickly and loudly scattered. Lots of screams and shouts filled the air, but not a soul calling for a cop. That might be a good thing. Tartha's City Guard wasn't a group I wanted looking at me and mine too closely. They tended more towards protection racket than protect and serve.

  Neither Elky nor I had been wearing our swords. I pulled my blade out of inventory, making it appear sheathed on my hip. Even as I unsheathed it, hardened black leather armor appeared over Elky's snug red tunic, as well as a straight sword, belt knife, and daggers. A black Corinthian helmet with a red plume appeared on her head. I wore a brown leather vest, black heavy cotton trousers, and boots. My black hair fell to my shoulders. Hey, I'm a barbarian warrior.

  "Follow me," I said, and took off toward the closest alley.

  I did a little zigzag, varying my speed, and good thing I did. Bolt after bolt barely missed me. Elky followed fast on my heels, but no one shot at her. I tried to figure out who in town I pissed off enough to want me dead. It was a short list, but there was a list.

  "I bet it's the baker, Abe," Elky said after we turned into the alley. "I told you to stay away from his wife."

  "I tried," I said. "She's obsessed with me."

  "Whose fault is that?"

  "Marian's! I did my best to avoid eye contact, and I absolutely did not touch her first."

  My curse might make every woman I make eye contact like me, but skin-on-skin contact made them want me. Like in a biblical way. My girlfriends constantly pressed me to wear more clothes because of that.

  "Besides, Abe's too mean to kill with a crossbow." I continued to lead her down the alley. We had to get out of it before my would-be murderer reached the other end. "He's more of a twist the knife in your heart while looking you in the eyes type."

  "Maybe he hired an assassin," she replied. "Or, have you slept with the wives of any rich merchants or nobles?"

  "No comment."

  Wrong answer, I know, but it was better than the alternative: Wanna list?

  "Son of a bitch! I ought to kick your ass right here and now."

  "I'm sorry! You know I try my best, but – "

  "Yeah, yeah, I know," she snapped. "You're cursed."

  I heard the frustration in her voice. I felt it every day. I tried to control my problem more than Elky, Kahlan, and Meike gave me credit for, but it's almost impossible to avoid repeated contact with women when we spend more than a day in a city. And we'd been in Tartha for over a month.

  A bolt flew out of the alley as we turned right onto the street. That put extra pep in our step. Home waited just ahead, and my would-be assassin was about to have a rude awakening. Meike's magic would tear him a new asshole. That redhead had a temper.

  We lived at the edge of a very poor part of town. Those narrow streets twisted and turned worse than any I'd ever seen. Few of the half-timbered structures had over two-stories, and most were just a single floor. The thick press protected us from the assassin's bolts.

  "Duck through Ikar's shop," Elky said.

  Ikar worked in a covered area in front of his shop. Smoke billowed up from the smithy, showing him hard at work. I spotted one of his apprentices working the billows, getting the fire super hot. Then I saw the smith himself. Ikar was a huge half-ogre, but his facial features tended more toward human.

  "Hi, Ikar!" I shouted as I ran past him and into his shop.

  "Bye, Ikar," Elky said when she passed by.

  His family lived upstairs, so we did
n't disturb them. Hell, I'd been chased by so many angry men that Ikar barely looked up. Ikar's creations filled his shop. All for sale: pots, pans, eating utensils, etc… I headed for the back door, and burst out into a dark, empty alley. We ran up that for three houses, and then turned into Vars' and Nillie's back door.

  "Not again," Nillie said, shaking her head as I raced by. "Keep it in your pants!"

  I liked the elderly elf, but she could be a little judgmental.

  Our home stood across the street. I paused in Nillie's doorway before crossing the street, because the assassin might've circled around to wait for me to expose myself like that if he knew where I lived. The magic shop's doors and windows stood open to let in the light breeze. I could see movement inside, but couldn't tell if it was Meike, Kahlan, or a customer. Meike's potions and Kahlan's healings brought in all of our family's income, which didn't amount to much.

  As players trapped in the game, Elky and I spent our time sparring and trying to earn XP to level up any way that we could. I worried that my two NPC lovers would soon tire of doing all of the work, but Elky and I were designed to be warriors. We didn't have the cyber-DNA to work in a shop.

  "We need to find a better neighborhood," Elky said, pressing up close and wrapping an arm around me. She kissed me on the cheek. "And keep you locked up."

  "Tied atop the bed?"

  "In my perfect world," she replied and giggled.

  A young woman departed our home, trailed by a pair of toddler boys. She looked very pregnant, so didn't visit for a birth control potion. Could Kahlan help a pregnant woman? She was a cleric-healer. Sorceress Meike only healed with her potions.

  "The coast is clear," Elky said. "I'll go first, then you race past me while he's distracted."

  "You think the assassin is waiting for me?"

  "No, but I enjoy playing on your fears to control you." She playfully punched me in the ribs. "Time to man up, Cormac mac Brocc. You're a level 33 Barbarian warrior, so reach down between your legs and if you find a set of balls… Act like it."

  The Amazon stepped out into the street and casually walked toward the opposite door. My breath caught, expecting a bolt out of the blue to strike her down. Nothing. Yeah, I felt stupid. Heat flushed my face, and I stepped out to follow.

  And a crossbow bolt struck my left bicep. It hit and pierced the bone, stopping the bolt before it reached my chest. I instantly knew I'd live, but damn that hurt!

  I tried to pull the pitch black bolt out, but found it lodged too tightly in the bone. So I took off running for the door. Elky covered me by pulling her bow out of inventory and sending a dozen arrows in the general direction of my wannabe assassin.

  "What happened?" Kahlan cried as she raced to my side.

  The dark-haired priestess seized the bolt, it began to glow, and she slowly pulled it out. Then she wrapped both hands around my arm and closed her eyes. Intense heat flowed out of her hands, and swirled around my wound. I felt the bone tickle and burn, as she healed me from the inside out. When the entry wound healed, I knew my arm was back to normal.

  While Kahlan healed me, Elky moved inside and took up a defensive station in the right window, and Meike defended the left window. The door remained open between them, so all three of us could attack anyone brave enough to enter.

  Kahlan wore her white priestess gown, while the elfmaid Meike wore a leather apron over a plain blue dress. The priestess only wore that dress when ministering to a patient; otherwise, she hung out around the house in a lightweight cotton tunic.

  "What did Cormac do?" Meike asked.

  "Hey!" I cried. "That's not fair."

  "More like who did he do," Elky said. "We don't know, but I suspect Abe hired an assassin to take him out after…"

  "It's not Abe," I shouted. "I didn’t do anything to warrant hiring an assassin."

  "Wanna bet," a female voice said behind me.

  I felt the tip of a blade press against my back, right over my heart. I couldn't breathe for a long moment while everyone else gawked at the newcomer.

  Chapter 2

  Cormac

  "You won't live to collect your fee," Elky snarled, eyes narrowed as she started creeping towards us. "We're two warriors, a sorceress, and a priestess."

  "I beg to differ," the assassin said. "As for the fee – "

  I threw myself to the left with all my might. She reacted instantly, thrusting for my heart. I proved faster, and even though I took a hit in the back, it was a minor wound. If I'd gone straight forward, I'm sure she would've killed me. But my main concern was pushing Kahlan out of harm's way at the same time.

  Spinning around, I pulled my sword and fighting dagger to confront her. The assassin dropped into a defensive stance, sword held in both hands. Then the sword vanished, only to be replaced by a crossbow. I noticed the blood red bolt. You know she pointed it at me.

  The assassin looked to be about Elky's height and athletic build, wearing all tight black leather. Indeed, I noticed the sheen of grease, so capturing her would be harder than catching a greased pig. A hood shadowed her eyes, while a mask hid the lower half of her face.

  "Stereo-typical assassin," Elky sneered. "No imagination at all."

  I had no way to discern the assassin's skills. Non Player Characters didn't display levels above their heads, like players did. I saw Nun-assassin over her head. Probably some kind of religious zealot, too.

  "You can't kill me, assassin," I said. "I'm a player. A renner."

  She cursed under her breath. Her brown eyes darted left and right. Looking for a way to escape? That crossbow remained pointed at me a second longer, before she moved it slightly to threaten Kahlan. I quickly pushed the healer behind me.

  Since she was a woman, and the Heart of Aphrodite within me gave me crazy Charisma with women, I tried to ensnare her with my curse. I needed to lock eyes with her. Every time we locked eyes, she'd like me more and more. If I could get skin-on-skin contact, she'd start to develop romantic, even lusty, thoughts toward me. With enough contact, I could wear her down.

  The assassin's ever moving eyes never looked above my shoulders. In the Virtual Reality MMORPG game Battle for Glory, mob fighters of every stripe were taught to watch a foe's shoulders during a fight. The shoulders would betray a fighter's next move. Being a player, I didn't really understand if that was true or not.

  "I'll still be able to collect the commission by returning the Epic Sword you stole," she said. "Give it to me."

  Now we knew who put the hit on me. Why only me? Why not Elky?

  "No."

  Elky and Meike switched places, with the Amazon slowly moving up behind the assassin and the sorceress ready to throw fireballs at her flank. I suspected the only reason Meike hadn't already thrown them was a fear of burning the house down. That prospect worried me as well. The assassin gave my ladies a wary look, then turned hostile eyes on me. "You'll drop the sword when I kill you. Give it to me. I'll return it for the reward, and everyone will be happy."

  I didn't trust her. Besides, why should I give up an Epic Sword? I won it fair and square. Losing the sword was Lord Quinton's punishment for enslaving a Priestess of the Pure Heart. He deserved far worse.

  I tried to trick her into looking into my eyes. "Do I look like a bad guy?"

  Again, her eyes never rose about my shoulders. Did she know about my curse?

  "I am not a paladin-assassin, so I don't care about good and evil," she sneered.

  The Amazon and sorceress creeped a little closer, taking her full attention away from me. The closer Meike got, the less likely she'd miss and burn the house down. The assassin had to understand that. Plus, the assassin didn't know Elky was a level 40 Amazon warrior. She was so out-gunned.

  "And Elky or Meike will drop you before you can claim the sword," I said.

  "I won't die alone."

  "Wanna bet?" Elky sneered.

  Even that didn't shake the killer nun. Was it faith in her god? Or the promise of a glorious afterlife if she faced death
bravely? Of course, she could be bluffing?

  "Help!" a woman screamed as she burst into the shop. She carried a bloody little boy. "My son is hurt!"

  Kahlan rushed toward the woman and child. I tried to stay between her and the assassin, while Elky and Meike lunged at our foe. The assassin went after Meike, kicking the sorceress in the chest. She ducked under Elky's attempt to decapitate, then turned on me and grinned.

  Yeah, she shot me. Right through the heart. I clutched at the red bolt embedded in my chest, dropped to my knees, and the darkness consumed me before I hit the floor. And then I sat up in my bed upstairs.

  Players respawned instantly back in our respawn sites when slain.

  "Dammit!"

  My inventory had emptied upon death. I had dropped the Sword Ring of Kiantor and all my money, only keeping my basic kit: furry loincloth, sword, and boots. The bedroom overlooked the street, so I rushed to the window and jumped out. Landing in the middle of a herd of goats, the mean little beasts immediately attacked me. The shepherd shouted angrily – at me – while his goats bleated and head-butted me, over and over while I struggled to keep my balance and get back inside the shop.

  It sounded like World War III exploding inside the shop. Finally plowing through the goats, I raced through the door to find Elky and Meike running toward the back door, and Kahlan with the mother and child across the room. The contents of my dropped inventory sat in a pile where I'd died. No nun-assassin to be seen.

  "What happened to the assassin?"

  I lay hands on the inventory, and it all vanished into my inventory: money, swords, daggers, even a jug of beer. I felt the Heart of Aphrodite be absorbed back into my body as well. Yeah, I'd dropped that as well.

  "She escaped through the back door," Elky said. "Hurry! She took your sword ring."

  I couldn't allow her to keep that Epic Sword. It was mine by right of battle. So I ran back out the door, spotted the black-clad assassin racing away to my right. Meike came out next, and threw a fireball at her. She cut left into an alley before the fireball hit.

  "I'll follow her," I said. "Meike go around to the left. Elky you go right."