Solstice 2

by Harrison Shaw

  After all, it doesn’t really matter what she says or thinks. I knew that wasn’t a good way of feeling, but that’s what was on my mind. The truth was, I didn’t really give a shit about her desires or wants. She was an enemy. She had tried to overthrow my queen. A dark part of me wanted her to suffer, to bow to my will. To know the same fear and doubt we had known, the minute she had come into our boundaries with her husband and armies.

  I stood in front of her, putting my hand on her throat. I tilted her head back, seeing that defiance in her eyes. Enjoying it in some way. She licked her lips briefly, looking straight at me, refusing to back down.

  But it would only be a matter of time before she was mine.

  “You think you can play games, but that’s not how this works,” I told her. I slid my thumb over her lips, half expecting her to try to bite.

  Instead, she parted them slightly, allowing me to put my finger inside. I watched as she sucked gently on my finger, her eyes still firmly set on mine. Was she teasing me? Surely she was.

  I felt my cock starting to swell in my pants. She knew the effect she had on me. And it worked.

  I saw myself with her there in my room, naked and bound, perhaps taking a flogger or a crop. I wanted to make her feel the pain...and pleasure...to know she was mine, bound and taken and fucked. Ruled. Dominated.

  Lystria would be owned in a way my other women hadn’t been, so far.

  I took her armor by the front and tore straight down the middle, ripping it open. She gasped in surprise as I freed her from it, exposing her bare skin. She wore a small, tight-fitting garment that kept her breasts protected, some kind of barbarian bra. I looked at the full mounds underneath, pleased at their size and shape. I turned to gaze into her eyes again, leaning in close, my breath hot on her face.

  “You’ve been hiding a very nice body under here, it seems.”

  She simply gazed back at me, breathing hard, still defiant.

  “I’ll make you mine by the end of the night, Lystria. Soon you’ll be begging to do whatever I want, to take my seed, to let me use this hot little body of yours...”

  I put my hands to her breasts, tugging the fabric down, exposing her nipples. I sucked hard on the left one, making her suck in a breath. She leaned forward just slightly, pushing her breast into my mouth instinctively. I knew that for all her willful display, Lystria was attracted to me.

  And just to verify...

  I reached for the front of her skirt, unbuckling the heavy belt she wore, letting it fall. I slowly slid my fingers inside and down her front, feeling inside her panties. Sure enough, her folds were soaked.

  She was horny for me. Turned on. Wanting me.

  But she didn’t want to admit it. She tried to squirm out of my grasp but I didn’t let her. I reached for the back of her neck and gripped her.

  “You want this, my little barbarian queen. You want to be fucked by the conquerer who tamed you. The one who is now in control of your life, your destiny. You will be mine now, my pet, my property. Isn’t that what you want, deep down?” I chuckled. I was enjoying this way too much.

  Her eyes flickered with resistance, with denial. But deep down, I knew that yes, she did want this.

  Her wet pussy on my fingers was proof enough.

  I leaned in close, like I was going to kiss her. She parted her lips for me and I knew she would kiss back, if I had given her that. But I refused.

  Not now.

  I released her. Her breasts still invited me, full and moving rapidly from her breathing, her nipples hard and begging to be sucked. But I had to stay in control. I had to refuse the temptation of Lystria’s body, of taking her right here and now. What I wanted was to slowly delve into her mind, to twist and control her very thought patterns, to the point that she would eventually succumb to me willingly.

  “I’ll be back later,” I informed her. “And when I am, prepare to be used.”

  I had plans for her that night, no doubt about it.

  But right now, I had other objectives in mind.

  ****

  Elysa was waiting for me as usual as I headed to the castle entrance. There were still several straggling barbarian troops around. I knew that we had to deal with them, one way or another.

  “Let’s go,” I told my elven companion. “We have a lot of work to do.”

  “What are we doing?” she asked curiously.

  I mostly wanted to gain some experience, do some killing, level up... Hell, I wanted to grind. I had the urge to fuck, my sex drive racked up thanks to Lystria, but I refused to give in to that temptation right now. I could have taken Elysa aside and used her instead, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to fight and increase my strength and power — and that was only accomplished through the roughness of battle.

  We rode out to the field where there were several warriors still doing battle. I thought these bastards surrendered, I thought. Apparently they were so sworn to the cause of their leader — who was still in prison at Isabella’s castle — that they were willing to give up their lives for him.

  I’ve got to figure out what his hold is on them. Why do they follow him so blindly? As if there’s no thought to their own safety, at all?

  I had to respect that, deep down. I wanted to inspire loyalty in people that way.

  But could I? Was it even possible?

  I didn’t have an army. I didn’t even have a kingdom. I had... me, and Elysa, and the women I’d met, but I didn’t have loyal followers.

  I wondered if the game had some kind of mechanic for acquiring your own township and castle that way. After all, I was supposedly Bloodborne, and important in some manner, somehow destined to become someone of worth and notice.

  It’s time for me to figure out my next step on that path. I needed to continue gaining experience and strength, but also to determine what was next on the road to my kingship.

  Elysa seemed to sense my thoughts. She came up beside me as we stood on the battlefield, watching the last stragglers valiantly die for their chief. “You wonder how you can be like him, don’t you? You want to do what he did, to have a legacy like that. And soon, you will. But for now, you have to focus on one thing.”

  “What’s that?” I turned to look at her.

  “The most important thing of all. Your heritage. Your blood.”

  “Does my blood have some kind of special power?”

  “Yes. And when you truly tap into the power inside you, you will naturally gain followers and loyalty of this kind. People are drawn to born leaders, after all.”

  “I feel like there has to be some kind of trial. Something I’m missing.”

  She nodded. Opening the map, she pointed to a curious position — a section that had been outlined in purple color, as though someone had taken a marker and circled around it.

  “Where is this?” I asked.

  “Our next destination. Kolarith.”

  “You know we’re supposed to go there?”

  She grinned. “I know everything, Nikar. Why don’t you just learn to trust me?”

  I smirked. “Fair enough.” She hadn’t led me astray yet, so I had no reason to doubt her.

  When we had finished capturing the remaining warriors — or killing them, if they opted only for death — I set off for Kolarith.

  The ride took us through forested areas, the growth dense and thick, trees hanging heavily overhead. The bushy undergrowth gave way to dense pine trees.

  The rocks surrounded us, craggy mountains that became tall and imposing. Before long, I started to think we’d be closed in on all sides. And sure enough, we were.

  Carved into the rock faces were strange symbols. Triangles and circles, and paintings of some kind — wild animals, apparently on some kind of hunt. Or being hunted, perhaps...

  “Who did these?” I asked Elysa.

  “It’s hard to say. There are many ancient tribes who live in this area. I would guess one of them...perhaps one of the hunting clans.”

  I nodded. I wanted to linger
and enjoy the paintings, but I knew we needed to get to our destination.

  Kolarith had been circled in purple on the map for a reason. The moment we entered the zone, a thick purple haze encircled us. Strange, I thought. Is it magic?

  “The air here is tainted.” Elysa spoke up, explaining. “Unlike most of the places you’ve been so far in Solstice, Kolarith was once the site of battle between an ancient undead mage clan and a human cult. When they came together, fighting, they actually caused an uprising that was so intense, it charged the air with magic.”

  “So this is magic, around us? This purple smoke?”

  “Yes,” she said, nodding. “It is both helpful and harmful if you stay in it too long. While it can boost your magical capability, should you be able to wield magic... it can also drain you of your energy if you are exposed to it for longer than two or three hours.”

  I nodded. “I’ll keep note of that, then. We’ll try not to be exposed to it longer than we need.”

  That was easier said than done. I noticed that as we moved through the area, winding our way along the rocky, dirty path, the purple haze got thicker. It wasn’t until we were almost to the town center that it finally started to ease up.

  And the town center.... well, to say the place was in chaos was an understatement.

  Townspeople were milling about, going to and fro about their daily business. But they did it in a frantic, hurried way. Everyone we passed seemed to be running to something — or from something.

  “Let’s find out what’s going on,” I said to Elysa. She followed close, and we made our way to the mayor’s office.

  The mayor was a bulky, burly sort of fellow with thick shoulders and a big beard. He was also not in the greatest mood, making me think it would be unwise to piss him off.

  “Excuse me, sir. I think something’s wrong with your townspeople.”

  He looked at me, frowning. “What?”

  “Everyone seems to be running away from something. Are you under attack?” I asked.

  He stared at me like I was from another planet. “What are you talking about?”

  Well, that’s weird. Does he just not notice how everyone is all freaked out?

  Chapter 3

  “Look,” I said, pointing to a nearby noblewoman who held her robes aloft, allowing faster movement as she walked quickly down the dirty streets. “Why is she in such a hurry? There has to be a reason. And him...”

  I pointed to a man passing by her. The man was equally rushed, almost bumping right into the woman — and yet, neither of them seemed to see the other. As if there was some kind of field preventing it...

  Something unseen, totally invisible.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the mayor snapped. “Now please, leave me alone. I have accounts to work on.” And with that, he turned his back to us and went back to the ledger at his desk.

  “Did you see that?” I asked Elysa as we stepped to one side of the room.

  “What, him brushing you off, or the people?”

  “Both. Isn’t this all a little weird?”

  “Yeah, it is,” she agreed. “Something about this place creeps me out.”

  “Same here.”

  Together we left the mayor’s office, deciding we weren’t going to get very far with him. While we walked down the streets, the same strange energy pervaded the air. As if no one here actually saw us. Everyone completely in their own worlds.

  I suddenly saw a little “quest” dialogue box pop up on my viewpoint. Find the source of confusion, read my instructions. It wasn’t very specific. It didn’t tell me exactly what to do, unlike some MMOs, which explained clearly what your quest was. In this case, I was left wondering.

  But maybe that’s the point, I realized.

  Confusion was exactly what this place teemed with.

  It was my job to determine its origin.

  Elysa and I continued down the street until we found a local tavern. I guessed it was a tavern, anyway, from the little ale marker on the sign above. There was no name, nothing to signify what it was called. It was like someone had been in this town, started to create it, and then just left before it could be fully finished.

  The inn itself was completely abandoned. I looked around. I heard the sounds of clinking, of ale tankards crashing together and laughter... but there was no one inside.

  “Okay, that’s really weird,” I said. Elysa nodded at my side.

  She stepped in past me. “Look, I think there’s something here. A clue, maybe.” I saw what she was indicating, a little piece of paper on one of the tables nearby. She started toward it — and then suddenly vanished.

  What the hell? I wondered.

  “Ely?”

  I carefully approached the spot where she’d poofed into thin air. That was weird... where’d she go? I looked around. There was no sign of her at all.

  “Ely?” I called again. “Are you here?” Maybe she’d cast some kind of spell I didn’t know about. Still, it seemed like she’d tell me before she did something like that.

  That was bizarre. I hope I can find her again...

  I wasn’t sure where to look. Or where she’d gone. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. This whole place was really damn screwy.

  But I did have that note on the table. I picked it up and inspected it.

  If you’re reading this, you’re in the Kolarith tavern.

  Let me tell you, this place used to be a bubbling font of life and excitement.

  Now it’s a ghost-town.

  No, I mean, it’s literally a ghost town.

  You need to understand something...

  Kolarith was once an incredible spot.

  Very beautiful. People came from all over. There were no magical force fields, no destructive mayoral campaigns, no weird people walking around like they were in some other world, some place no one else could see. (Oh yeah, and you’re probably wondering why they do that. Well, I’ll tell you. It’s the same reason your companion just went missing.)

  Er, what?

  How did the person writing this note know that...?

  “And now you’re just freaked out, so I’ll tell you all of this stuff in person.” A grinning, beautiful woman suddenly flashed into existence behind me.

  Her hair was a deep orange-red color — almost persimmon. Her eyes matched. And at her butt, which was small and cute but perfectly shaped...

  She sported a small, fluffy fox tail.

  A ciarn, I realized. Like Kiara.

  Only this one looks like a big handful of trouble.

  A sexy handful of trouble, at that.

  I noticed the look she was giving me. Dressed in skimpy, ornately-decorated bikini-style leather armor that barely covered her generous assets, this ciarn appeared very interested, curious, and a bit mischievous. Her eyes moved over my body; she wasn’t just looking me over with casual intrigue. She had a definite flirtatious gleam in her eye.

  “Yep. There’s a lot of magic in this town,” she said, her voice musical, soft, and cute. The ciarn walked up to me and extended her hand. “I’m Nell.”

  “Nell?” I took her hand and shook it. Her skin was warm and soft with a light dusting of fur.

  “Yep. That’s my name. Magic is my game. It has to be, living in this crazy place.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “You’d think one stupid curse wouldn’t make the whole place go insane, but that’s what happened.”

  “The whole place is insane?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure you’ve noticed the weird people outside. The mayor, who’s totally crazy. Well, this didn’t just happen. There was a reason for it.”

  She sat down with me at the table. Or should I say...she sat me down, and then climbed into my lap like it was the most normal thing in the world.

  With her arms wrapped around me and her breasts resting against my chest, Nell went into detail. “There was a dragon, a long time ago. The dragon fell in love with a woman from this town — the old mayor’s daughter. Turns out she was alre
ady betrothed to someone else, and the mayor refused to give her up to a dragon.”

  “That’s kind of stupid. If a dragon wants something from you, you’d better give it to them.” Even I knew that.

  “Exactly,” she said, wiggling her butt gently, making my crotch throb. “So, this dragon got really mad. And as a consequence, he put a curse on the town. He was a powerful magic user, himself.” She got a far-away, dreamy look in her eyes for a minute, and I wondered just how close she and this dragon were.

  “Anyway,” she said, clearing her throat to continue, “He put a curse on the town, making everyone kind of crazy. This magical haze that you see through all of Kolarith? Well, it’s intensified here. Basically, it makes it so no one can see anyone else — not beyond a superficial level — and they think they’re in a ghost world, a world of their own creation.”

  I blinked. “That’s weird. Kind of inventive and cruel, but definitely a new one.”

  “The idea was that rather than just making the king suffer, he’d totally take away everything he knew... and claim his daughter in the process.” Nell looked away for a moment, and strangely, her eyes started to glow yellow at the edges. I chalked it up to more magic that I had no real understanding of.

  “When he did, the town totally changed. The king eventually died, going mad in his castle alone, grieving the loss of his daughter. The townspeople were doomed to become these ghostlike versions of themselves, and the town itself... well, you’ve seen it. Places like this building, which seems unfinished.”

  “They’re all like that?”

  She nodded.

  “Is there any way to lift the curse?”

  “Probably, but no one knows what it is. If you figure it out, you should try to undo it...”

  I raised a brow. My hands had somehow found their way to her hips and were gently squeezing. “If I find a way to undo it...”

  She leaned in close, her lips just a few inches away from mine. “Mmmhm...I know you could, if anyone could. After all, you’re a hero.”

  As she shifted in my lap, straddling me, I felt my cock swelling to full. This hot little ciarn was wiggling on me, her pussy barely protected by the thin strap of cloth along her panties. It was going to be hard to resist taking my cock out and sliding inside her right then and there.