“We’re more worried about our safety in the real world,” I said. “If Kincaid is as dangerous as I’ve heard, then nowhere is safe.”
“He won’t touch you in the real world,” said Cecilia with a wave of her furry fox hand.
“You sure about that?” Trinity asked. “From what we hear, he sounds like a complete psycho.”
“What have you heard?” Cecilia asked with intrigue.
“That he tortured someone so badly in game that they died in the real world,” said Ember.
Cecilia let out a sigh and sipped her booze. She seemed to be contemplating her next words very carefully.
“Is he really Arthur Gains?” I asked.
“That’s the rumor,” said Cecilia.
“Then why are you so sure that he won’t come after us in the real world? Seems to me he’s determined to wipe out everyone who gets in his way.”
“You’re still standing,” she said, and I had to admit that she had a point.
“We didn’t pose a real threat to him until now,” said Kit. “But you brought us here to keep us safe. So that must have changed.”
“I brought you here so that I could level with Loverboy here. Talking to you lost me a level, and my pub. Do you know how much that place cost?”
“Did you have in game insurance?” I asked, half-jokingly.
“Sure, but I’ll never get back everything I lost. Some of the stuff in there was irreplaceable.”
“There’s a madman out there killing players and blowing up whatever he wants, and all you’re concerned about is leveling?” said Trinity with a scowl. “We need to report these rumors to the police, and we need to do it now.”
“We can’t,” said Cecilia, “Not yet.”
“Why not?” said Ember.
“Because we have no proof. And when it gets back to Kincaid, he’ll make your gaming experience a living hell.”
“Then what do you suggest?” I asked. “Just do nothing?”
“Of course not,” she said with a sly grin. “I suggest that we get the proof we need. Get him to admit it and show the whole world. But first things first. You owe me a level.”
Chapter 15
I walked through the beaded curtains and instantly a waft of jasmine incense found my nose. The room was full of draped fabrics, soft chairs, elaborate throw rugs, and most notably, a large round bed covered in pillows and furs that looked like it could sleep at least ten comfortably.
Cecilia was intent on testing out my special ability, and I did owe her one after all. I had gotten her into this mess, and I supposed that the least I could do was help her recover her lost level.
“Oh, Loverboy,” she sang from behind a silk screen that had a colorful dragon design on it.
I closed the door behind me, and instantly the torches burning on the walls dimmed and soft classical music began playing from somewhere in the room. Cecelia emerged from behind the makeshift wall, well, one of her long red and white legs did anyway, and her tail, which curled around it alluringly. She stepped out slowly, gracefully, teasing me with her sultry curves held firm by black lingerie.
“Ever been with a fox lady before?” she asked with a grin.
“Nope, unless Kit counts.”
“She’s a kitty cat, silly.” Cecilia said, then she suddenly leapt across the room, clearing the fifteen feet between us in a single bound, and landed on top of me. I caught her and staggered back, tripped on the edge of the bed, and fell into the ocean of thick fur blankets.
Cecilia pulled open my black and green trollhunter robes and scratched a long line of red across my chest in the process.
“Ouch, damn woman, try not to kill me!” I said as hot pain seared across my chest.
“You’ll live, honey,” she said, before slowly licking my wound with her long tongue. She traveled down my chest, playfully clawed at my abs, and ripped my trousers open.
An hour later I limped out of the bedroom, down the hall, and came out in the sitting room where my guildies waited.
“Sam!” Kit yelled and leapt to her feet.
“I’m fine,” I said raising a staying hand.
“Your health is at like 75%,” said Trinity. “What the hell did she do to you?”
“Nothing he wouldn’t do again,” said Cecilia from behind me. She slapped my ass as she passed and moved to the bar to pour a drink, still wearing the black lingerie.
“You poor thing,” said Kit. She raised a hand and buffed me with a spell called Nature Healing, and I instantly began to feel my dozens of scratches and scrapes begin to heal.
“He’s level 15 now,” said Ember. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”
“Alright, enough screwing around,” said Trinity. “What’s the game plan? How do we get Anna back and get this asshole to admit to torturing that poor player to death?”
“It's not going to be easy,” said Cecilia, “but I think it’s possible. All you’ve got to do is infiltrate his guild’s lair and allow yourselves to be captured.”
“Captured?” said Ember.
“Yes, captured. Then he will no doubt attempt to torture you, which he seems to like to do, then all you have to do is get him to admit everything that he has done.”
“First of all,” I said. “I’m going to be the one who tries this, and I’m doing it alone. But even if he doesn’t just kill me right off, and even if he does admit to everything that he’s done, how the hell do we show the public?”
“We record his confession,” said Cecilia. “With this.”
She held up a small gold necklace set with a single ruby and offered me a sly grin.
“What is it?”
“A new relic. They’re rare now, but they’ll be available to everyone sooner or later. They’re basically video cameras. The creator named them GoPwns, cute right?”
“I imagine that Kincaid is familiar with all the new tech, and that kind of bling on a dude kind of stands out,” I said.
“Don’t worry about that. It can be made completely invisible with a single spell word,” Cecilia ensured me.
I thought about it for a moment. The plan wasn’t half bad, even though it entailed me getting my ass kicked, maybe killed, and definitely tortured. But what was torture to a man who had spent a year without any feeling?
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll do it.”
“Excellent,” said the foxy lady.
“Hold on,” said Trinity. “What if something goes wrong? What if you end up wherever Anna is?”
I shrugged. “Avenge me?”
“That’s not funny,” said Kit. “She’s got a point. You won’t be helping anybody if you get yourself caught and tortured to death. I’d never be able to live with myself.”
“Yeah,” said Ember. She tossed her long silver hair back from her ebony face and leveled me with a steely gaze. “We’re a team, a guild, hell, we’re a family, and if we do this, we do it together.”
“Now that makes even less sense,” I said. “What if we all get put in the same place as Anna? Then we’ll have really failed. No, if something happens to me, then you guys work with Cecilia to bring this fucker to justice.”
“Why don’t we just keep leveling?” Kit suggested. “Then we can just kick his ass and beat the confession out of him.”
“He’s got access to the mainframe computers,” Cecilia said shaking her head. “He can potentially do whatever he wants in this world.”
“Then why’s he only a level twenty-whatever?” Trinity asked as she absent-mindedly combed through her long blonde ponytail with her fingers and eyed the bodyguards standing on the balcony.
“He’s smart. Patient,” said Cecilia. “He doesn’t want to be caught by the programmers or the bots that watch for cheaters. But if he thinks he can get away with changing a little something here and there, then he’ll do it.”
“Alright, so fighting him is out of the question,” Ember said as she walked to the bar and helped herself to another glass of liquor. “I don’t see many other
options besides what Cecilia suggested.”
“I think I can get him to talk,” I said. “Unless anyone has a better idea?”
Trinity and Kit glanced at each other and shook their heads.
“Good, that’s settled.” Cecilia rose from her seat, tail wagging, and motioned for us to follow her. “Come on, we’ve got some potions to make.”
“Potions?” I said. “For what?”
“To kill the pain when you get tortured.”
I spent a few hours with Cecilia in her lab cooking up bubbling and stinking potions. The work was tedious, but in the end, we managed to create two strong potions that would help numb the pain that I was sure to face.
It had been a long day, and after a meal cooked by an NPC butler that Cecilia said came with the tower, I retired to one of the many bedrooms with my guild mates and took some much-needed rest.
I awoke the next morning to Trinity, Ember, and Kit giving me an enthusiastic BJ, and by the time we emerged for breakfast I was a level 16, and the ladies had all leveled as well. While I ate my eggs and toast I brought up my interface.
“Damn, my health points and mana really gone up since level 10,” I noted. “I’ve got like 12,800 base points for both.”
“Rub it in, Loverboy,” said Trinity. “I’ve got a few levels to go until I get there.”
“Yeah, well don’t be too jealous. Who knows how many levels I’m going to lose due to Kincaid.”
“Oh my god,” said Kit as she dropped her fork on the table and put her hand over her mouth. “What if he just keeps killing you right down to level zero? You’ll be done for good.”
I hadn’t thought about that, and I glanced at Cecilia for support.
“I doubt he would bother,” she said with a wave of her fire-red hand. “He’ll probably just torture you and heal you, then rinse and repeat.”
“Man, that makes me feel so much better,” I said with a hefty helping of sarcasm.
Cecilia got up from the table and pushed back her curly red mane. “I’ve business to attend to, but this is the safest place for you right now, so just sit tight until I get back.”
“What business?” Trinity asked with a hint of suspicion.
“Namely, I need to visit my associate. His name’s Tweak.”
“The hacker?” I said.
“Yup, we’re going to need him if we’re going to broadcast your GoPwn’s feed to the world. There’s a blasting range down the hall if you want to practice while I’m gone, or you can work on your alchemy or whatever in the labs.” Cecilia turned toward the archway leading out into the bright sunshine, but then stopped amidst the flowing curtains. “I’ll be back in about twelve hours, make sure that your girls don’t tire you out too much, Sammy. I’m going to want to level tonight.”
With that she turned and walked into a swirling portal, and with her went the two bodyguards.
“That’s bullshit,” said Ember after Cecilia had left. “You didn’t owe her two levels, Sam.”
I shrugged. “She lost the pub because of me. Seems to me like I owe her bigtime.”
“And all she wants is to help bring down Kincaid?” said Trinity. She glanced at the NPC butler washing dishes at the old-fashioned sink and motioned us all in closer. “What if it’s a setup?”
“Of course it’s a setup,” said Ember.
I thought I saw the butler stop for a moment and turn his head ever so slightly to the side, but as I watched he continued to scrub pots and pans.
“Why did you agree to Cecilia’s plan then?” I hissed under my breath.
“Because we’re basically prisoners here, and I was waiting to see what happened.”
“We’re not prisoners,” I told her.
“Then let’s leave,” Ember countered.
“This is what I think,” said Trinity. “Cecilia is negotiating with Kincaid as we speak, but she is also putting in motion the plan we outlined last night. If she doesn’t get what she wants from Kincaid, then she’ll help us take him down. If he gives her what she wants, she’s going to sell us up the river.”
“I don’t know…” I said. I liked the foxy lady, and she hadn’t given me a reason not to trust her yet.
“Oh, my, god,” said Ember, and her thin silver eyebrows frowned into a sharp V. “She’s got you wrapped right around her furry little finger. No offense Kit.”
“None taken,” said the cat lady pleasantly. She was popping grapes in her mouth and piercing them with her sharp canines while she watched us with intrigue.
“You’ve been too busy getting your knob polished by her to give this any real thought,” Ember concluded.
“Yeah,” Trinity huffed and imitated Cecilia’s voice. “I’ll be in the mood to level tonight.” She rolled her eyes. “What a skank. She’s just using you, Sam.”
“I can’t believe that you slept with her in the first place,” said Ember, looking a little jealous. “She’s not part of the guild.”
“What was I supposed to do?” I asked, arms wide.
“Uh, say no,” Trinity put in.
“She probably gave you like, a digital STD or something,” said Kit with her little pink nose all scrunched up.
“That exists?” I said, absently scratching by balls beneath the table.
Kit nodded excitedly, Trinity rolled her eyes, and Ember scoffed and waved me off.
“Look, I’m sorry that I slept with Cecilia. I’m just trying to do what I’ve got to do to get Anna back,” I explained.
“We know,” said Kit. She rubbed my arm and offered me a kind smile.
“Well, you’re our man, and we don’t like to share with women outside the guild,” Ember informed me.
“I second that,” said Trinity.
“Alright, alright.” I glanced at the NPC, who was still hard at work cleaning up the kitchen. “Let’s test your theory and see what happens when we try to leave.”
I pulled out the heartstone that would bring me back to the Aeorock Mountains and indicated for the ladies to do the same. Then I began silently counting down with one hand.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
I activated the heartstone.
Nothing happened.
The butler stood up straighter, and slowly turned to regard me with a quizzical smile.
“What’s your name?” I asked him.
“I am Benjamin,” he said with a small bow. “Benjamin Butler.”
“Catchy,” I said. “Hey Benji, how do we leave? Our heartstones don’t seem to be working.”
“Leave, Sir?”
“Yeah, you know. Bounce, boogie, beat feet...we need to go somewhere.”
“I’m sorry, but that isn’t possible,” he said, and turned back to his work.
I got up from the table, indicating for the women to wait, and walked up beside him.
“We need to leave, now. Can you deactivate whatever it is that is keeping us from portaling back to Aeorock?”
“Those wards are there to keep you safe,” he said without looking at me. “You cannot be kept safe if you leave.”
“We’ll worry about that,” I said as I backed up a few steps. “Now I want you to deactivate the wards.”
“I cannot do that.”
“Cecilia just left. So it isn’t impossible, and I doubt that she is the only one who can lower the wards in and out of here.”
“You must remain here until she gets back,” said Benjamin Butler.
“Wrong answer,” I said and began to conjure a fireball. The NPC cocked his head at me like a curious dog, and I unleashed the spell at the center of his body mass. The fireball exploded against him, knocking him back a few inches, and the girls attacked with spells of their own.
Shackles suddenly clamped around my wrists and ankles, and I was yanked back with my guild mates and slammed into the wall hard enough to drop my health by 50%.
“Please remain calm,” said the butler as he turned back to his work. �
��Cecilia will be back shortly.”
“Fuck you!” I yelled as I struggled against my chains.
“Let us out of here you prick!” Trinity joined in.
We struggled against our bonds for a few minutes before realizing that it was pointless.
“Now what?” Ember asked, but before I could answer, Dr. Marks suddenly shimmered to life in the center of the room.
“Ah, there you are,” he said affably.
“Doctor!” I yelled. “Man, am I glad to see you.”
“Halt, intruder!” the butler yelled, and chains erupted from the walls and snaked toward Dr. Marks. But to my surprise, they went right through him.
Dr. Marks tapped on the interface that only he could see, and a moment later Benjamin Butler froze.
“That’s better,” he said.
“You’ve got to get us out of here,” I said. “We—”
“No can do, Sam. you know the rules. I’m not here to save you.”
“What?” Trinity asked. “Why not?”
“That is against company policy,” the doctor explained. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you, Sam, but this place is heavily enchanted. I know the guy who designed it, brilliant man.”
“Why have you been trying to get a hold of me?” I asked. “Don’t tell me that my parents want to visit again.”
“Not so much visit...Sam, there’s been...something has happened. Here, I’ll let your mother explain.” He held out his open palm and from the crystal within a beam of light shot out to create a hologram of my mother five feet in front of me.
“Sam…” she said, her eyes moving over me, over the girls, and then to the chains that held us pinned to the wall. “Are you in prison again?”
“It’s a long story, Mom. What’s going on? Did something happen. Where’s dad?”
“He’s alright,” she said, putting on a brave face. “There was an accident, a hit and run. Your father was banged up but he’s alive and doing well. I just thought you should know.”
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