by Garth Ono
"Free cyber sex and violence?" Tom said. "I'm in." He rubbed my shoulders, which felt divine. "So, Ari, you want to make this a lot more interesting?"
My warning flags went up. Charlie slanted a curious look back. Tom's shit eating grin worried me.
"What did you have in mind? Some kind of wager?"
We frequently had wagers during our games. Simple things, like loser pays for lunch.
"Yes. If either Charlie or I defeats the dungeon and wins the free session, then you, Ariana Alvarez, will spend the entire night with the victor in real life."
That hit me like a gut punch. Cyber sex in virtual reality was one thing, but in real life? There could be consequences. RL sex would play with another set of emotions that I usually kept well-guarded. One-on-one real life sex was scary dangerous between friends. Yet, what the hell did they know about vampires? I was practically an expert on the subject.
"Okay, I know what you guys can win," I said. I showed them a whole lot of badass attitude. "What do I get if I win?"
Tom's grin intensified. "You can choose either one of us, or both of us."
I laughed. It was a no lose situation for them that Tom described. Either way, one of them would nail my ass. And if I won, I would choose one or both of them. I always collected on my bets, even if doing so scared the bejesus out of me.
"I'm not only taking that bet, I'm going to win," I said. Lair of the Vampires sounded right up my street. My kind of dungeon, especially in that sex-charged game. But magic worked in virtual reality, and vampires had very powerful magic. "I have a feeling this dungeon will either make virtual life worth living, or break me."
Chapter 11
To prove my badassness, I led the way. The street leading straight up to the front door was wide by that town's standards, but barely as wide as a two-lane street back in the real world. The castle walls pressed right up to the street. No one had a front yard in that virtual world.
The castle was separated from other structures by a narrow street around its curtain walls. As best I could tell the inner bailey was just as narrow as the streets. The central keep almost filled the circle of walls and towers. There was no moat.
People were coming and going. They mostly wore black, along with shades of purple, blue, and red. There were enough hot babes in all black leather to make Charlie's day, but I couldn't tell if they were vampires or humans. Well, actually, the Goths weren't all human. I saw elves, drows, goblins, and a couple of nymphs just out in the street. The fact that two out of three were female had to make the boys happy.
"Elf Goths just makes sense," Tom said.
"Drow Goths make more sense," Charlie replied. "But I'm game for either."
A drow beauty in all black, with deep purple accents and decorations, turned and looked us over. I saw her fangs when she smiled. Undead drows? That dungeon might prove harder than we thought.
We worked our way through the crowd. Except for that one undead drow, I couldn't tell the living from the vampires. Theoretically, any fantasy race could become a vampire. Vampire trolls. Vampire ogres. Yeah, not romantic in the least. But a fanged elf? Right up my street. But they did have one thing in common. They were all gorgeous, living and undead.
Except for the goblins. Well dressed, but none of them rang my bell.
There were no guards at the door. The doors were about ten feet tall, elaborately carved, and made of very thick wood. I walked up like I belonged and entered. Tom and Charlie followed me inside. The front door proved to be the front gate, so there was a narrow bit of open space before we passed through another set of ornately carved double-doors.
"Wow," Tom said, gawking. "I wasn't expecting this."
The interior looked more like a mansion or palace than a stark castle. The floor was white marble, with the walls various colored marble and plasterwork. The ceiling was painted with scenes of beautiful men and women enjoying an orgy in a forest meadow. There were no less than three wide, sweeping stairs. One went down, with the other two leading up into separate towers. Since the main keep had three large towers I knew there had to be another set of stairs deeper within.
I spotted three pairs of heavily armed orcs. They stood at attention in dark corners, ready to be called into action. I also spotted a few armed liches, but they kept even deeper in the shadows. So the vampires weren't without protection, though I doubted they needed bodyguards.
Tom drew the most attention. My all black outfit blended in well, as did Charlie's drow mage in black and silver robes. The elven ranger's soft leather outfit of sunny day greenness drew everyone's eyes. My friend didn't like being the center of attention any more than I did. I enjoyed watching him squirm.
"That's how I feel ninety percent of the time in real life," I whispered to him. "Fun, isn't it?"
"Let's spread out," Charlie said softly. "Ask around to find out who is who, where things are, and stuff. Meet back in a few to discuss how we want to proceed."
I wanted to split up right then, but agreed to it. He was right. Getting a little intel would help, though I wasn't used to doing shit like that in any MMORPG I played. I was used to killing every NPC I encountered. And it was the same in the PvP games. To actually speak to, interact with, and, well, do other interesting things with others was new and novel, and friggin’ awesome.
We moved out in different directions. I moved slowly through the crowd. A beautiful servant offered me a glass of wine off a golden tray. I accepted, even though it was red wine. I didn't usually drink red wine, but it seemed appropriate in a castle called the Lair of the Vampire.
Passing many small groups, I covertly listened in on their conversations. As I suspected, most of them were Goths in RL, and played the game to meet and be seduced by a vampire. None of them were on a quest to win the treasures of the Lair. One and all would find victory in defeat, being the captured, magically bound, servant and plaything of a vampire. I actually heard many of them lament that a vamp hadn't bitten and dragged them away yet.
I did learn place of residence for the vampires was important to them, and the Goths who adored them. The Queen's Tower was in back, and was the largest, and apartments in it were the most coveted. The Wizard's Tower and Champion's Tower were the two the upfront stairs accessed. I also learned there were five levels below ground, called the Crypts. And that was where the rest of the vampires slept during the day.
Spotting a tall, slim elf in black leather head to toe, with a long blonde braid halfway down his back, I paused to stare longingly. A bevy of beauties followed him, hanging on every word, their eyes full of adoration. He moved with such grace and power, chatting up one group for a moment before moving to another. I spotted his fangs when he laughed. Yes, I was in lust.
I veered to my right so we'd cross paths. His penchant for stopping to speak with anyone and everyone made it difficult. Several members of his entourage of beauties noticed me. They gave me dirty, suspicious looks.
"Hi, I'm Ari." I caught and held his eyes. "Be gentle. This is my first time."
He took my hand and gave it a gentle kiss on the knuckles. Despite myself, I goose-fleshed all over as a thrill rippled through me. My first kiss on the hand ever. I'm not sure why I found that so exciting, other than, you know, vampire lord.
"Hello, Ari." His smile was warm and dazzling. That line in the movies finally made sense. He definitely had me at hello. "I am Lord Nieven, Left Hand of Queen Vanessa."
I'd never heard that "Left Hand of the Queen" thing before, but deduced the Right Hand was the Queen's top advisor or lieutenant. That would make the Left Hand the number two guy. Not the King, but Lord Nieven could rule my night.
His tilted, violet eyes looked me up and down twice, before a smile spread across his handsome face. My breath caught when his eyes locked onto my neck. It would be so amazing to be bitten by him. How many times had I panted while reading how the vampire lord claimed his lady, the book's heroine, by biting her on the neck? Of course, it would be best if I waited for another ses
sion to play the plucky damsel.
I had a wager to win.
Getting my neck bitten, and ass dragged to bed, wasn't in a winning game plan. If I let the elven vamp have his way with me, then either Tom or Charlie would get to have their way with me in the real world.
My skin goose-fleshed with that last thought.
I couldn't decide if I was excited or frightened by the prospect of getting my ass banged by one of my friends. What would it be like to have a friend with benefits? Or would we become boyfriend and girlfriend? Or would I have to sleep with my other friend to keep it "fair" in their boy world rules?
All of the uncertainty in this virtual world and the real world made every decision more important. It was exciting and scary, and I really liked it.
"So this is not your castle, my lord?" I asked. "I'm surprised. You are so regal."
He looked past me, eyes narrowing. Anger radiated off him like fire. I couldn't tell who or what enraged him, but he returned to the perfect gentleman in a flash as he turned back to me. Lord Nieven caught and held my eyes, and then I felt his dark magic flow into me. It was cold, yet seductive.
"I have other business to attend to, Ari," he whispered and he bent down to my face. He kissed the corner of my mouth, and then ran his nose up the side of my neck. He breathed my scent in deeply. I turned my head, offering him my throat. Instead, he whispered in my ear. "Do not leave the castle until after I've enjoyed your company."
"I won't," I replied in a breathy whisper.
And then he was gone, his gaggle of Goth girls trailing behind. I really wanted to join the gaggle. I could follow him around all night. Several minutes passed before I recovered my wits. Maybe longer. That vamp did a number on me.
"There you are," Tom said as he strode up. Charlie was close behind. "What have you learned?"
I stared at him, trying to remember what I'd heard. I shook myself out of my daze. Tom and Charlie watched me with suspicious eyes.
"Have you already had sex with a vampire?" Tom asked.
"No. Don't be ridiculous," I replied. Did getting mind-fucked by a vampire lord count? "We haven't been here long enough to even get out of this outfit. I think a vampire hypnotized me or something as he walked by. It's complicated."
We discussed what we'd learned, which was exactly the same thing. Queen's Tower. Wizard's Tower. Champion's Tower. Crypts. It was decided that all three of us would take the Queen's Tower after we split up and checked out the other areas. Charlie got the Wizard's Tower, Tom the Champion's Tower, and I chose the crypts. Yeah, I chose first and best.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Tom asked. "Some kind of altar, or artifact? Or do you think it is the Queen we have to fight and defeat?"
"Has to be Queen Vanessa," I said. "She's the biggest, baddest vamp in the house. Beat the Queen, conquer the dungeon, win the ultimate prize." I grinned. "Don't worry, boys, I'll be gracious in victory. Shall we begin?"
Chapter 12
I waited until I saw Tom vanish up the Champion's Tower stairs, and then Charlie sneak up the Wizard's Tower stairs. No one was obviously watching them, or following. While I was waiting, Lord Nieven cross the room and went down into the Crypts.
"Oh my. I'm not sure if that is good or not."
Probably not.
At least that annoying gaggle of Goths didn't follow. They were all adoring another vampire, who happened to be a blood red orc. The undead orc had to be eight feet tall and thick as an oak with muscles. I just couldn't get over the fact that he had fangs and tusks. How did he bite a girl's throat sexily with tusks?
"Not my fantasy," I muttered, turning away. Besides, I'd already gotten my orc freak on that night. Moving toward the stairs into the Crypts, "Time to get down with… I mean go down after Lord Nieven."
Doing my best to purge sexy vamps from my thoughts, and settle down my libido, I headed down the stairs as if I belonged down there. No one challenged me or even gave me a second look. The sounds of the party above quickly faded away. The first level was dark and cold, with flickering oil lamps barely lighting the way. It was nothing but stark, bare stone floor, walls, and ceiling. There was no sign of Lord Nieven, or which way he went.
It looked like the Crypts were carved out of solid stone.
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, I studied each of the three passages. One went straight ahead, with corridors to my left and right and curving around. My guess was they made a circle and met on the other end of the central corridor. I could see doors lining the hallways. The switchback stairs continued down, as well, with another set of stairs visible at the far end of the passage straight ahead.
"That would be the Queen's Tower," I said.
I started to continue down the stairs, but a scraping sound came from the Queen's Tower corridor. There wasn't a living or undead soul to see, but the sound came again. I pulled my sword and started down that passage. I tested each of the doors, but they were all locked. They were spaced pretty close together, which meant tiny rooms. Since I was in the Crypts, I thought it safe to assume there was a coffin in each of the rooms. That meant the vampires could spend their daytime hours inside locked rooms.
"Wow, I never imagined there could be so many vampires here."
If there was a vampire for every room, and there were five levels… Yeah, a lot of vampires. It wasn't a lair, but an assembly hall of the undead. It didn't give me the good feels for success. If I was lucky, Lord Nieven would be the vamp to catch me.
Halfway down the corridor, I stopped when a door opened behind me. My breath caught, heart thundering, as I slowly looked back over my shoulder. The first door was swinging open. Then I saw another, and another. Vampires did not step out. Liches did. Each one was armed with a sword or cutlass, and they had glowing red flames in their dark eye sockets.
"Holy crap!"
In a heartbeat a dozen skeletal liches were charging me. I gawked a second longer, before charging back at them. I couldn't have them chasing me all over that castle, so had to deal with the problem. Permanently.
"I," I shouted, taking off the head, right shoulder, and arm of the first lich with a savage stroke. "Hate." I kicked the next lich in the chest, before dropping low and sweep the legs away from four more surrounding me. "Liches!"
A vicious backstroke took the jaw of another lich, stopping him long enough for me to duck under the trusting sword of another. Then I sliced through the backbone of the first, before bashing in the head of the second.
"Ooff!" My breath whooshed out when another lich ducked his head and placed it in my solar plexus. He drove me to the ground. Two more grabbed my arms and lifted me back to my feet. Another rushed up to thrust his sword through me. I barely had the time and wits to kick up and around, connecting with his wrist and sending the blade spinning away harmlessly. "Let go of me!"
Kicking left and right, I shattered their boney legs. The liches hung on, so I spun around and used them to bash aside their comrades in undead servitude. After I shed them, I picked up a dropped cutlass and started smashing in heads, not stopping until all of their glowing red eyes went out.
While I was bent over, huffing and puffing, congratulating myself on that little victory, more doors started opening. I grabbed my sword and took off running back the way I came. The stairs back up into the castle was blocked by twenty liches. More were charging in from both side passages, so I rushed down the stairs.
"This is more like it," I thought. "More like what I expected."
Problem was I only had a sword. I usually had better weapons to fight with. Virtual reality was a little too real sometimes.
"Zombies?" I cried upon reaching the next level. "Really?"
The creepy bastards turned toward me, lifted their arms, and started shambling in my direction. I could hear the clacking boney feet of the liches coming down behind me. They made a god-awful racket. And something was coming up from below.
"Tom and Charlie tricked me somehow into choosing the Crypts." I looked all around for
a way, any way, to escape my predicament. "I'll get them for this."
The zombies were less scary than the unknown below, and the liches above. I charged them, swinging my sword like crazy. Arms, hands, heads flew in every direction. I gutted one zombie girl, so that she and four others slipped in her entrails. Ducking, dodging, and cutting left and right, I cut a jagged path through them.
One of the stinking bastards ripped my left sleeve off, while yet another bit my right leg. Boot leather saved me from joining the undead, but not for long. I had to get out of there.
"My next avatar is going to be a mage, and I'm going to come back and burn you all to crisps with hellfire!"
They were unimpressed with my threat. Go figure.
It was a bloody, gory fight all the way down that central corridor. I found the stairs up into the Queen's Tower blocked by liches, so turned downward yet again. The fact I'd eventually have to fight my way back up to win this wager occurred to me, but staying alive was my first priority. I'd definitely lose the bet if I let my sweet ass get killed.
The next level down was full of liches. If the first and third levels were liches, I had to assume level four would be zombies again. Actually, I expected a different kind of creature on each other. And not so many of them, too. I was starting to understand why it was considered a "very difficult" dungeon.
"I wonder if anyone's ever succeeded here?"
Liches and zombies were coming down the stairs after me. The zombies were mostly so slow they got in the way of the liches, who weren't exactly sprinters. The level three liches lifted their cutlasses and swords, preparing to attack. I lifted my sword high and shouted.
"For the glory of Shannara!"
I got nothing.
"What? Am I the only one here who reads fantasy?"
Turning on a heel, I rushed down the stairs. Zombies were coming up to see what all the commotion was about. I plowed into them. Mostly kicking them back down the stairs, I tore through them like a tornado of swords. The objective was to keep moving. Don't stop to engage or they would swarm me. Zombie dog-piles never end well for the lovely rogue characters.