Chapter 18
Temple Firefight
Toni led the three units of Amazons with Bethany and Sophie, they marched down from Cybele’s temple and entered the darkness of Erebus' portico. In their units the Amazons were ready to make a shield wall, having their Aspis shields equipped. The Amazon archers kept their recurve bows hidden, holding the traditional Doru spears and a few javelins.
:Rahab, will you change my voice please, let’s make Giant Dick think Cain is out here.:
[Enoch tells me Cain and his miscreants are in location, ready to do the Cartwright manoeuvre. Such a foolish plan it is, but eliminating thirteen players in one action by jumping down on them make sense, well sort of,] Rahab said. With her voice changed by Rahab, Toni shouted to Giant Dick.
"Hey, Dick are you in there? I thought I’d bring a few friends. Those who you and your retarded colleagues harassed around town. Do you want to come out and talk about it?" Toni shouted. Cain was looking through a gap in the wall around the balcony,
^C^ Shield now. ^
"Shield," Toni shouted. Before the word was out of her mouth, the Amazons had raised their Aspis’, making a solid overlapping wall. Four javelins flew out of the darkened doorway, harmlessly bouncing off the Aspis shields.
"Now, now Dick the last time I saw you, you knelt waiting to get between my legs, with that tiny pathetic excuse for a prick. Joseph here satisfies me with his penis, way more than your tiny prick could ever have done," Sophie shouted from behind the shields. "I can see you thanks to the torches burning inside Hemera's temple."
"You are a whore! Nobody in the game has a dick as large as mine," Giant Dick roared. A pulse of dark magic followed his words. The magic tried to make the women come into the temple and join the men. The pendants the Amazons now wore, easily resisted the dark magic of mind control. Their Aspis shields held firm against six fireballs fired out of the temple, seconds after Dick spoke.
"Now, that’s not nice Dick. There you are send out your cloying magic which fails to work, then sending fireballs no larger than fireflies at us. What if we had reacted to the magic's dark seductive call? Those fireflies would have singed some of my new women friends. Would you like to guess how many of them I’m taking to my bed after we’ve finished here?" Toni said.
"All of us," the Amazons outside the temple roared. "All of us," Cain hoped they were joking as Lesley whispered, "It looks like you’ve going to have a busy night ahead of you, husband." Six more fireballs flew out of the open doors of the temple, splashing harmlessly against the shields.
"Hey, Dick, I know your secret! Would you like me to share it with everyone? All my new women already know, shall we tell those few acolytes in there with you?" Toni shouted. Then messaged the Amazons to ready their bows.
A stronger wave of dark seductive magic washed over the shield wall and the women behind. If not for the pendants the Amazons wore, or the bond to Cain through their marriage for the DreamBabes, each female would have run into the temple to be killed by the men.
"Whoa, that tingled! What was it supposed to do, make us wet our knickers? Our husband, Joseph makes it happen, he is a god in bed. Whereas, you are such a pathetic worm," shouted Bethany. The roar of men from inside the temple echoed out under the portico, but they stayed beyond the white line. Shadows dancing through the open doorway, cast by the torches lighting the inside of the temple, played under the portico.
As six more fireballs splashed across the shields, the archers readied their poison arrows. When the last vestiges of flame extinguished casting the portico into darkness again, nine poisoned arrows shot into the dark doorway, eliciting screams as each arrow found their deadly mark.
Three seconds later nine more arrows leapt through the darkness of the portico into the temple, more screams echoed in the interior. As the arrows passed the shield wall, the Amazons raised their shields, and held their Doru ready. Toni tried counting the pings which accompanied notices, though they did not pop-up.
{[Seven deaths and eleven poisoned. So far, your plan is working,]} Rahab and Enoch said in unison. {[Perhaps you could taunt them again, see what response you get]}.
"I hope that wasn’t you Dick, I want to deal with you face-to-face. My women love seeing me fight and destroy my opponents. Ask those who tried to stop me and my first wife when we rescued my other wives yesterday. What is that, you don’t know how many I killed? Shame on you Dick for not keeping an eye on your players, your puppets. Four Dick, I killed half while Natasha killed the other half. We share things Dick, our bodies our wives. Do you know what it is like Dick? Sharing a woman with your first wife, both at the same time. Pleasuring them until they cry out in the throes of passion. I bet the cry you hear Dick is when your pathetic excuse for a prick gets blisters from too much hand use," Toni shouted.
Two larger fireballs and a large push of dark magic hit the reformed shield wall. Toni realised if they had not married Cain and the Amazons had not received the pendants from Athena, they would have all be either dead or sex slaves.
^C^ Toni, they don’t have any shields, how can they be so stupid? What they have though is they have taken three doors down and are using four large tables turned on their sides. They set them up across the temple; they are hiding behind them. Time for fire arrows. I, well Enoch, did a head count there were forty-eight, less the nine killed by the poison. ^
^T^ C, I think we should throw the dozen javelins next. Let them think the poison arrows are all used up. We will take three steps heading toward the doorway before we throw. xx ^
Toni whispered to Sophie who gave the command to take a forward step of three then throw their javelins in two waves.
"Step" Sophie shouted. The Amazons took three steps under the portico and stood outside the entrance. "Throw," added Sophie. Nine javelins flew over the shield wall and entered the temple. Counting to five, Sophie shouted again, "Throw," the last of their javelins followed the first nine.
Cain looked over the balcony, the eighteen javelins made the hastily erected barricade look like a hedgehog. He would have ducked back down, but noticed Giant Dick as he moved behind the others encouraging them to fight. Cain heard him say,
"They can’t have any arrows left, they are weak women, you are strong men. We can overcome them, this is an unprovoked attack on Erebus and his temple."
Cain told Toni, where Dick was standing and asked her to goad him by aiming at his position. Agreeing with Cain, Toni shouted to Dick, telling him Cybele and Athena doubly blessed him. He could pick out his priestly body from the others inside the temple.
The first normal arrow flew over the barricade and hit the rear wall, ten feet to Dick's left. Cain watched and let Enoch tell Rahab who informed Toni where to correct her aim. The next arrow hit the man standing beside Dick, wounding him in the shoulder.
"Was I close then Dick? It sounded like it, how about this one?" Toni said, as she fired a flaming arrow. It hit the top of the barricade, in-line with where Dick had moved.
Toni’s arrow was the signal for the Amazon archers to open fire with their enchanted fire arrows. Forty-five arrows later, the barricades were well ablaze. The men and Dick unable to extinguish the flames had to stand against the side walls out of direct sight.
As the barricade burnt down, Toni had the Amazons step into the temple, stopping two yards from the deadly white line. As the flames died down, and the smoke cleared. Dick noticed a wall of shields across the doorway, inside the temple.
Changing Hands
"No," Giant Dick shouted. "This is Erebus’ temple, I do not allow you in here; leave now or you will become my sex slaves," A spell of darkest magic washed over the shield wall, yet the women all stood strong. Sophie began a chant; the Amazons followed her words.
We don’t care what little dicks say,
We don’t care what little dicks say,
We’re Joseph’s wives in every way,
We’re Joseph’s wives in every way,
We squash little dicks, throw them
away,
We squash little dicks, throw them away,
We’re Joseph’s wives here to stay.
We’re Joseph’s wives here to stay.
Sound out,
one, two,
Sound out,
Three, four,
Who are Joseph’s wives here today,
We are Joseph’s wives, here to stay.
Sophie bashed her shield with her gladius and shouted, "Hurrah." The Amazons copied her, nineteen shields hit with gladii and a loud hurrah filled the temple with a deafening roar.
Three of the acolytes rushed the shield wall at the insult to their high priest. They died as eleven Doru pierced their bodies as they collided with the shields. Their bodies falling across the white line. "Back two," said Bethany. The Amazons smoothly stepped backward, now filling the doorway, pillar to pillar.
Seeing the shield wall retreating, six men rushed the Amazons. As they crossed the white line, they did not hear the command "Funnel," The men noticed a gap appear in the shields and headed for it like bulls being forced down a bull run. As the men entered the shield wall, the gap closed behind them.
They managed to wound Bethany and four Amazons, but the players easily died in their pointless attack. Sophie cast her new AOE, Area of effect, heal spell. All those little aches and niggles, the little wounds caused by the fighting cleared in the ten seconds the AOE spell ran for.
Cain kept a close watch on Giant Dick as he walked around the outside of the men, encouraging them on, telling lies that the six had killed Joseph and two of his wives. Enoch relayed the news to Rahab. Toni heard and had Rahab change her voice back to her own.
"You bastard Giant Dick. You have seriously wounded our husband and killed one of my sister-wives. If you dare try that again we will enter and kill each of you," Toni shouted in her own voice.
Bethany commanded the Amazons to take an extra step back, which they managed with keeping the shield wall tight as they stepped over the dead bodies. They knew what was coming each woman drew her gladius ready to rush the temple once Cain killed Giant Dick, for the second time.
^C^ Toni can you shoot one volley of poison arrows, followed by a single volley of fire arrows over to the left side of the temple. Once you have fired those and when Rahab tells you, shoot a final volley of the explosive arrows. Aim them into the ground around four yards beyond the white line, the explosions will bunch the group up near the balcony. Love you, be down soon, xx ^
Toni arranged the Amazon archers, one volley of poison followed by a volley of fire over to the left side of the temple. Each of the archers nocked an explosive arrow, waiting for Toni to say loose. Rahab said "Now," to Toni, who ordered the Amazon archers to loose.
Nine explosive arrows hit the ground throwing pieces of the granite flooring around as shrapnel. As the first arrows hit Cain led the two squads of Amazons, along with Lesley and Daphne over the balcony; dropping five yards onto the disoriented and stunned players.
Cain dropped on Giant Dick, saying, "Say, bye-bye Dick," as he pinned Dick to the floor with the left hand Gladius. Looking Dick in the eyes, Cain removed his head with the right hand gladius in a single swipe.
The two units of Amazons, Daphne and Lesley each killed one player they landed on. The only injury was to one of the Amazons, who broke an ankle landing on the head of the player she killed. Lesley eventually healed her after everyone in the temple was dead.
^C^ Dick is dead. ^
"Charge," yelled Toni and the fifteen Amazons rushed into the temple, as three units. The shield bearers knocked those men over who tried to stand against them, the three sword fighters in each unit hacked and slashed at them once they were on the floor.
Two minutes after the first explosive arrow hit the ground all the players inside the temple were dead. Bethany and Sophie looted each body, leaving Giant Dick, Sir Hardy and Speedy Pete to Sophie. Cain and Toni took Myrina and searched Erebus’ temple. Since Myrina had been here previously, she knew where the high priest’s office and rooms were. Their way barred Cain used his right leg and kicked the door, breaking the modern lock on the high priest's rooms.
In entering the office, they searched for any information Giant Dick may have left lying around. Toni emptied the waste bin and found two scrolls informing him of a push by the centaurs to close the main road permanently, between Agiasobele and the city of Pappabele.
On a hunch, Toni had Cain help her move the bed out of the way. On the floor under the bed was a foundation stone. On reading the text Toni noticed the original name of Hemera, someone had scratched it out and they had crudely scratched Erebus’ name above.
Cain suggested they take the stone to Athena and offer her the vacant temple. With everything looted, all the dead had disappeared. Lesley healed the one injury and checked that everyone was fit and happy. Toni led the five units of Amazons out into the night, and marched them over to Athena’s temple.
They reached Athena’s temple, her high priestess stood in the doorway and welcomed Cain like he was Athena’s champion. The Amazons stood guard outside the temple while Cain and his wives entered and walked to the shrine at the far end.
"We have removed the cursed high priest of Erebus from Hemera’s former temple. We offer this foundation stone as an offering on behalf of our Amazon troops. We thank you and give you praise for equipping our troops with your mark, your pendent. They saved those newly blooded Amazons on more than one occasion, all to your glory," Cain said.
The high priestess took the foundation stone from Cain, and placed it on the shrine. A bright light shone around the foundation stone, which grew in intensity as the high priestess continued to pray to Athena. After her prayers ended the bright light ceased, the foundation stone was remade. Athena's name carved and inlaid with gold on the stones pristine surface.
The high priestess called for two acolytes, who took the stone and walked from the temple. Five minutes later the acolytes returned. The high priestess led Cain and his wives outside. There they watched as Athena’s temple changed before their eyes. The two buildings merged becoming one large temple, nearly the size of Cybele’s at the top of the citadel. Toni led their Amazon troops, Cain and her sister-wives back to Cybele’s temple as they had completed their quest to cleanse Hemera's temple.
Chapter 19
Operation Stomp
The twenty-five Amazons billeted in the temple their room down the short corridor, near Cain and his DreamBabes, settled down to sleep. Cain and his women returned to their room, blockaded the door and entered Bounty. Cain, then Toni gave everyone hugs and kisses and headed for the bed, it was around three in the morning.
"Me thinks we all need our beauty sleep and we have a lot to get through in the morning. Our twenty-five warriors have to face off against seventy-five of their sisters. We need to be on our toes, don’t you think?" Toni said. The others agreed with Toni, though Sophie stuck her bottom lip out, then laughed as she stripped for bed. Five minutes later the lights in Bounty dimmed, Cain and his women already asleep.
{Cain, we have a problem. Cain, we have a problem,} Enoch woke Cain.
:Err, what, what is the problem?: Cain said rubbing his eyes as he sat up in bed.
{John tells me he thinks Jason, or his men are trying to track down Bethany. He is uncertain if they have found her yet, though he believes they are getting close. They have accessed the game servers and are sorting through all the death events from the time segment when Bethany died. Fortunately for us we know when she died.
{There were 79 female player deaths, in the one-minute time segment when Bethany died. John thinks they are using a wider time segment of ten minutes, which returned 1,384 female player deaths. He has seen the results of them running a bot program on the SPQR servers; it is checking each players profile against what they know about Bethany.
{They have eliminated fifty-one of the female players from their list. It takes their program twenty-eight real time seconds to carry out one search. The probability of Jason
finding Bethany within six hours is high, within eight hours is almost certain.
{John told me you have three real time hours before Toni, Daphne and you need to leave the game. Rahab came up with a good idea to cover your avatars sleeping. Once you wake, have your 25 finish their fight, then move on and kill the spiders. Collect all your bonus troops, set about training them, while doing so hire or buy several covered wagons.
{The wagons can be the first goods train from Agiasobele to Pappabele. Toni, Daphne and you hide in them for the first part of the slow journey, your avatars resting while you are back here rescuing Bethany. Lesley, Sophie and Bethany along with the first twenty-five Amazons, can train the newer Amazons as they all travel.
{If they train for six hours, then travel for six hours, resting overnight. It will give you ten RTH, real time hours, to rest while they make their way slowly toward Pappabele. Rahab has plotted the game map of the island; the main Centaur camp should be reached in three RTH after you return,} Enoch said. Cain agreed as he laid back on the bed and promptly fell asleep.
Lesley was the first to awake she was facing Daphne, she stroked her face and gave her a gentle kiss to wake her. Daphne's eye opened and she responded and put her arm around Lesley, pulling her close for a hug. Their movements started a chain reaction, six minutes later they'd all tumbled from the bed and hit the shower room.
Forsaken 337 BC Page 23