Then she glided toward them.
Holly raced to Zack’s side. “These things can only be damaged by magical weapons and spells.” She activated the Fire Mage spell Incendiary, sending a huge wall of fire blasting toward the approaching specter.
The flames didn’t touch Zack or the others, as the game lacked friendly fire damage, unless a duel was activated like it had been with Anita. Zack raced through the flames, using Commanding Taunt to pull aggro off Holly.
Reaching the specter, he smashed it with Demon Strike, then Devastate.
Inflicted 6 damage
Damn, only the lighting enchantment on his Enchanted Sharpened Steel Longsword inflicted any damage. Thank the gaming gods they had a Fire Mage around, or this might have been an annoyingly slow fight.
The ghostly hands of the specter grew long tendril claws. Her face twisted and warped, until it looked like a hideous skull with empty eye sockets filled with darkness. The claws slashed at Zack, scraping across his shield. She slashed again, this time raking along his sword arm.
Zack screamed as icy pain lanced through him.
136 damage
“Rahaaa,” the specter wailed, slashing at him again and again, filling his body with ice.
Zack used Shield Block, reducing the damage, feeling Missy throwing out her ‘oh shit’ heals on him. Even with his defensive ability, the cold was still enough to paralyze him.
Inflicted with Frozen Blood
Movement slowed by 50%
Lasts until body temperature has been normalized
Zack began to stagger under the unrelenting spectral frenzy. He fell to his knees, gripping his shield tight, inflicted whatever damage he could.
The specter wailed as Holly blasted her with Firebolts, then Fire Blast. Anita went to town on it too, but found her attacks only inflicted small amounts of damage like Zack’s.
Somehow, through the torrent of fire and spectral claws, Zack managed to keep his head. The specter started to try to attack Holly, the apprentice having gotten threat.
He used his taunt to drag the specter back on him, then followed up with another Devastate, reducing the specter’s resistance to damage. The Devastate ability worked to buff all types of damage, so even though he could not inflict much damage himself, the ability aided Holly in her attacks.
Zack’s health got dangerously low, so he sneaked in a quick health potion between attacks, restoring him to near half health. Then he thought of his shield’s special ability, and used it. Long, spectral arms spilled out of the item and attacked the woman, tearing at her with long ghostly fingers.
Inflicted 46 damage
At least his shield could hurt her.
Missy tossed Holly a mana potion, as the apprentice ran dry. Holly drank it, then resumed her attacks.
Soon, the spectral woman was near death. She floated away from Zack, arms raised in the air, a halo of green light building around her. Bolts of energy shot out from her, blasting the ground with gouts of ectoplasm that sizzled and popped like acid.
“Get back,” Zack roared, trying to run away from the AOE. His movement was slowed, and he wasn’t able to keep up with the others as they raced behind a pillar.
Missy screamed as some splattered into her hair, inflicting some nasty damage on her.
Companion suffered -162 damage
Ectoplasm smothered his back, his armor smoking as it burned the metal. The fumes made him feel lightheaded. His health was draining fast, 10hp per second. Even splattered on his armor, the ectoplasm still caused damage to his flesh beneath.
Anita glanced at him from around the edge of the pillar. Then she raced out of cover, taking damage from the shooting ectoplasm. Reaching Zack, she lifted him off the ground and threw him over her shoulder. She carried him to cover and put him down, covering him with her own body.
Green musical notes floated around Zack as Missy healed him. The specter continued to scream, the whole room almost completely covered in the spectral goo.
Then the scream stopped so suddenly, Zack could hear his own heart pounding in his ears.
After several long seconds, a new sound filled the air. The cry of a woman in the throes of grief.
Grim Banshee has died
+1000xp
Item Acquired: Spirit of the Deep pet. Enjoy!
Zack slowly made his way out of cover, the stupid Frozen Blood debuff slowing his movements. At least it hadn’t slowed his speech. Kneeling on the ground where the specter had been was a naked ghost woman. This one looked like a real woman, rather than the hideous banshee.
She looked up at him as he approached, his companions coming up behind him. Missy’s healing magic still coursed through his body as he stopped and spoke. “Who are you?”
The woman’s body was ethereal, the ectoplasm covered ground behind her visible. “You saved me from my torment.” She stood, her face no longer twisted by pain.
A sense of peace settled over him as she smiled. “Long have I been trapped inside my cage of torment, reminded of the past, of what happened to my people. But now I am at peace and can soon ascend to my final rest.” Her soft, gentle voice echoed off the ancient stone marble of the temple.
“For setting me free, I grant thee a sacred item that once belonged to this temple.”
A list of items appeared before Zack. Anita came up next to him. “I like that ring.”
She could see the list of rewards too.
“You can both pick an item,” the ghost woman said. “But only the two items.”
So, only the two players would get an item while Missy and the NPC apprentice got nothing. Zack reckoned that was unfair. Missy had struggled to keep them alive, while Holly had done most of the damage.
Nothing he could do about it, though. Some of the items were of use to Missy, but the one that interested him most was the one-handed sword.
Infantry Commander’s Sword of Fallen Glory
Belonged to a long-dead infantry commander in Ifphoral’s great armies who died in the epic battle for the Obsidian Gates.
+87ap
+13 Dark Damage
That was a nice upgrade and would help him build threat quicker than with the current weapon he was using. Anita had already grabbed the ring and equipped it.
Zack chose the sword and unequipped his old one, replacing it with the new. He held it up and grinned. “Nice.”
He glanced at Anita’s ring…
Heavy Infantry Ring of Dead Ifphoral
Worn by Holy Knight Turkis during the battle of Obsidian Gates. Wounded, he fell from the wall and was devoured alive by the Black Veil. Only this ring remained of his blessed armor.
+3 Strength
+2 Dexterity
+2 Endurance
+20hp
Sheathing the new blade, Zack asked, “Is there anything else we can do for you?”
The ghostly woman glided over to a shattered altar. “Not for me, but for the goddess of this temple.” Placing a hand on the altar, the woman turned back to him. “The servants of a greedy aristocrat long ago came here and murdered my fellow priestesses and I. They stole the sacred Platinum Devi belonging to my goddess and took it with them to the Fallen City of Azinore, the once proud heart of Great Ifphoral. These evil men wished to research its magic and steal it for themselves.”
Her face grew darker. “It was the greed of the ruling class that brought the Black Veil down on this land. Now the Karzel and its minions rule here.”
“Azinore,” Holly said. “That is where we are heading.”
How convenient. This temple really was a way to bottleneck players so they would get this quest. Maybe other quests beyond his one to cure his disease would bring players down into this part of the Deep. Perhaps, all of them would also have to pass through this temple and have to fight the Grim Banshee who would then give them this same task.
“What would you have us do?” Zack asked.
A quest text appeared in his mind’s eye.
QUEST
&nb
sp; Objective: Travel to Fallen Azinore and into the great senate building at the center of the city and retrieve the Platinum Devi statue, then return it to the fallen temple.
Rewards
An item each for you and your two present harem members
+8000xp
+100 food
Zack accepted the quest. They were heading to Azinore anyway and would have to return this way.
The ghost woman smiled. “I shall leave now, and never return. Bring the Platinum Devi back and restore the sanctity of this temple. Only then will my sisters and I truly be at peace.” Her robes fluttered, as if blown on a light breeze. “One last thing, heroes. Rest here in this place, as there will be nowhere out there in Azinore that is safe. Here, nothing will harm you and you can rest easy.”
With that, the woman faded and was gone.
Chapter Nineteen
Hot Orc Chick
Even though the ghost had said they were safe, Zack and Anita were not willing to let their guard down. They found shelter in what had once been the high priestess’s chamber and shut themselves in and ate dinner (-4 meals). The orc woman kept watch at the entrance, while Zack, Missy and Holly rested in the bedroom. He would sleep for half the night while Anita kept watch, then he would replace her and let her rest.
Missy sat in Zack’s lap, strumming her guitar as she stared into the magical flames of Holly’s fire. The fire burned inside a ceramic bowl and unlike a campfire, didn’t smoke. It had been lit to restore Zack’s body temperature to normal.
“When we arrive at Azinore, we must travel along its Great Aqueducts,” Holly said, scanning the pages of the notes she took back at the library at the Bottomless Well. “The streets are dangerous, as an enclave of Deep Ones have made their nest there.”
“Where is this item I need for my cure? Better yet, what is it?”
“I would love to tell you, but Malghana gave me specific instructions not to until we get where it is located.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “I know. Look, I will do everything I can to keep you alive. If she is so worried about you, why not send more apprentices with us? Or, hey, she could have come down here herself.”
The apprentice stared into the fire a moment, then looked up at him. “I have no idea why she does the things she does. I never would have come down here, had she not offered me access to her secret archives.” Holly’s eyes fluttered. “People call me power hungry. And I am, I know I am. I would do anything to be able to learn the powerful spells only the witch herself knows, to learn of the hidden secrets of the Underworld.”
Missy stopped strumming her guitar and put it on the ground beside Zack. “Power is a difficult tune to perfect but is it worth dying for?” She glanced toward the door. “This place is dark, hot and filled with evil. Your quest for forbidden power could be silenced at any moment.”
Holly made herself comfortable. “I’m willing to take the risk.” She lay down and closed her eyes. “Good night.”
Shaking her head, Missy looked up at Zack. “I miss Amy and Betsy.” She snuggled against him. “It’s not the same without them here.”
Zack kissed her forehead. “I miss them too.” He shook his head. “Thing aren’t half as fun without them around.”
Missy closed her eyes. “You should go speak to Anita. Settle her raging spirit, temper her music. She will be with us for a long time.”
He stared at her. “I hope she’s not with us for too long. I want her gone once we have Amy and Betsy back.”
Missy had already fallen asleep.
Staring into the flames, Zack thought of Anita. Did he really want her gone? She was a great DPS’er and it could be useful having a second player around. But, man was she a bitch. Maybe she had calmed down a bit since he had beaten her in the fist fight, yet still, the way she spoke to other people would lead them into trouble they might have otherwise been able to avoid.
He gently lowered Missy to the floor. She stirred but didn’t wake.
Zack crept away and entered the main room and was surprised to see Anita in her small clothes. She really had meant it when she said she wanted to strip down to cool off.
Anita looked up as he approached. “Nothing to report, male.”
The door to the high Priestess’s chamber was thick bronze and it was doubtful anything but a giant or an army could break it down. He took a seat on the ground near her and leaned against the door. “I can’t sleep,” he said.
She shifted her weight, not looking at him. “Fucking Ivan, all he ever did was sleep. Back when we were near naked when we were first exiled into the Underworld, I woke him to take second watch so I could get some sleep. I hadn’t even closed my eyes before I heard him snoring.” She brushed back her brown hair and finally looked at him. “You’re nothing like him.”
Zack shook his head. “No one is like Ivan. The dude is a piece of work, that’s for sure. The horror stories I’ve heard of his tanking.” Zack grinned. “Let’s just say, I am glad I have only ever played a tank and not had to run a dungeon with him.”
She spat off to the side. “Like all the other soy boys, he tried to suck up to me in the hopes I would sleep with him. As if I’d want a dweeb like him anywhere near my womanhood.”
“What do you want?” Zack asked the question before he could stop himself.
Anita’s eyes narrowed. “I want to get out of this shitty place and kill the male pigs who sent me down here.”
Thinking of his mother and the resistance, Zack said, “I do too, though I want more than that. I want an end to everything out there in the real world. I want things to go back to the way they used to be, before… Well, before they took power.”
“Men, always with their head’s shoved up their own asses. There is nothing for us women back in the old days. Just the same shit with a different smell. The patriarchy never dies.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “Things weren’t that bad, you had all the rights us men did and—”
“Shut your mouth, fool. Nothing turns me off more than talking of the past.” She took off her shirt, her breasts spilling out, her muscular body glistening with sweat.
“What are you doing?”
She removed her nose ring, then slid over and shoved him against the door. “I said shut your dumb male mouth.” Next thing he knew, her lips were pressed hard against his, her tongue slipping into his mouth.
He froze at first, then grabbed her hair and pulled her face to him. She ripped her lips away. “Get your armor off.”
As soon as he had unequipped everything and put it in his inventory, she almost dragged him to the ground. “I won’t do this on the bottom.” She stroked his shaft with her hand, holding it in a tight grip.
“Climb on top then, I don’t care.” Zack loved the feel of her calloused hand squeezing his length. The logical part of him was screaming, ‘WTF are you doing, you idiot?’ the male part was screaming, ‘oh, yeah, bring it on.’
The male part won out.
He was rock hard when she lifted her leg over him. “Let me control this,” she said. “I’ve never done this before in game, and I don’t know how it’s going to feel.”
“I reckon it feels a lot better than the real world.” Zack watched his shaft sink slowly inside Anita’s pink, sweet bliss.
Once he was in halfway, she started rocking back and forward, her lips slightly parted. He reached up and cupped his hands over her large, rounded breasts. She moaned, grabbing his arms and squeezing, rocking ever harder until he was most of the way in.
“Does it feel good?” He lifted his butt off the floor so he went even deeper.
“Shit yeah.” Her nails dug into his arms as she closed her eyes. “Now shut up and let me enjoy myself.”
Staring up at her, Zack let her do her thing, making sure he came nowhere near exploding inside her. She could pleasure herself on him all she wanted, but when he was ready to burst, he was going to make sure she was in the same orgasmic stupor Amy, Betsy and Missy were left in when he was done
with them.
As he thought of Missy, he wondered if this is what she had meant by tempering Anita’s music. Perhaps it was.
Anita’s body quivered and she covered her mouth as she screamed in pleasure. Zack grabbed her and pulled her down to him, tearing her hand away and bringing her lips to his. She held him down, her tongue shoved into his mouth, thrusting her pelvis back against him, her liquid come gushing out of her, twice as hard as it did Betsy.
Zack wrapped his arms around her, loving the feel of the warmth spilling between his legs. Maybe female players had their own version of craziness when they came.
She lifted her face from his, then started kissing his cheeks, his nose and his eyes, her breath hot on his skin. Grabbing one of his hands, she brought it back to her breasts. He squeezed it, feeling the sinews inside, his masculine desires filling him with the desire to throw her onto her back so he could screw the ever living shit out of her.
But she had wanted to be on top, so he kept himself in check.
Anita grabbed his hair. “Fill me up, male.”
She thrust so hard against him, Zack almost wanted to ask her to ease up. He let go of her breasts and lifted her up and down so he sank in and out of her to a wet squelching sound.
As he neared climax, he held her to him, then lifted himself from the floor and let his thick, toxic masculinity burst inside her. Anita moaned, her eyes fluttering open. She stared down at him, her pointed ears drooping, face flushed with bliss.
His field of view bugged out and he saw double of her for a few long moments. A hot and sweaty, big breasted orc chick, with muscled arms, a delightfully warm and wet pussy and a hate boner for anyone born of the opposite sex.
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