The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Reality

by J. Darksong & asianpersuasion

Contention

“WHAT?!?” Kyle yelled, furiously. “How? How could something like that even happen? Kêr-Is is supposed to be a sanctuary, a safe place!”

“I know, I know,” J.D. replied grimly, hands still clenched tightly at his sides. “I created it after all. It was supposed to be Bonnie’s refuge, a place to keep her safe and secluded, where she would see and experience all of the Reality within the confines of her home. No one should even be able to FIND it, let alone storm in and attack its occupants!” He shook slightly for a moment, before closing his eyes and forcing himself to calm down. “Suffice it to say, the program controlling the sanctuary’s parameters has been hacked. Someone altered the protections making it a kill zone. And aside from myself, there are only a handful of people with the ability to do so.”

“Look, I don’t give a damn about all that!” Kyle snapped. “All I want to know is what we can do to help Calypso! I mean... with her condition. She was never a normal PC, so what does it mean for her to be ‘killed’ in the game?” He glanced up at Jeffrey’s face, and suddenly went pale. “Oh god... please tell me she’s not... that she didn’t... in the real world...”

“As far as I can determine, she is in a coma,” JD stated with a sigh. “Her body and mind are still attached to the system, but without a character file to attach her to, it’s like she’s been shifted into limbo. And before you even ask, yes, I tried bringing her original character back, creating a new character, and everything in between. But I can’t reach her. It’s like she’s asleep and nothing I can do will wake her!”

Honor and the others let out a sharp gasp of horror. They had, naturally, all been concerned and upset at the news of their friend being slain. But until now, it hadn’t really clicked on how serious the situation was. Honor especially felt a deep coldness in the center of her being. Not so long ago, she too had been ‘killed’, experiencing death in the game, having her character erased and removed, being forced to start over again at the beginning. It had been the most traumatic thing she’d ever experienced. But in the end, it had all been just a game, a persona portrayed in a fictional world. She, herself, the woman known as Patty Johnson, had remained alive and well and untouched.

But poor Bonnie... for her, this isn’t just a game. This computer simulation is her life support machine. And now... now she’s... gone. This... it’s not fair. It just isn’t right!

“I’m going to kill him,” Kyle growled, eye flashing red, as his blood began to boil. “I’ll rip his goddamn head off—”

“No, son, you won’t,” JD said gently, placing a hand on Kyle’s shoulder. Kyle gasped, a strange tingle running through him, as his werewolf blood immediately cooled and calmed, leaving him momentarily dazed. “And that goes for the rest of you,” he added, glancing into the angry and saddened faces of the women at his side. “I know how badly you all want revenge against Marion. But as cliche as it may sound, you have bigger concerns to deal with right now. Kyle, Leila, Honor, Serena... you all have a tournament to compete in, and a final relic to claim when the Tower goes active, which will be any time now. And don’t forget Nora—Marion doesn’t seem to have her here with him, but you can be she’s nearby. You can’t do anything that will jeopardize your chances of rescuing her and the relic.” With that, he turned away.

“Oh really? And just what the hell are YOU going to do, then?” Leila shot at him, causing him to turn.

“Me? That’s simple,” he replied, ripping off his usual brown tunic, revealing a full plate of dragon styled armor. “I’m going to utterly destroy Marion, and his little cabal of soldiers, so completely that not only won’t he ever even THINK about returning to Axaelle, he’ll be scared to even turn on his computer!”

“But... but what about what you just said about jeopardizing the mission?” Serena pointed out. “What about YOUR responsibility to protect the relics from falling into the wrong hands?”

JD laughed bitterly. “I also had a responsibility to look after and protect Bonnie, and I evidently did a piss poor job of that.” He held up a hand forestalling any comment. “No. Don’t bother. No matter how much she was a part of your group, it was always MY responsibility to look after her. And I failed her. Miserably.” He shook his head grimly. “The only thing left now is to punish the one responsible for what happened to her. And by thunder, I intend to rein down the full wrath of god upon Marion’s sorry ass!”

Kyle blinked, frowning as he realized what JD intended. “You know if you do this, the Admins will be able to lock in on you, right? They’ll finally have you right where they want you. If you let your true nature show you won’t be able to hide from them again.”

“I’m done hiding,” he snarled, eyes flashing a brilliant gold, pupils narrowing to slits. “I’ve played by the rules for the past thirty goddamn years, and look where that got us? So now I’m playing by MY rules!” He paused one last time. “Kyle... I’m leaving the rest up to you. This was never my story. You’re the hero here, kid. No matter what happens from here on out, don’t let those relics fall into the wrong hands. Marion is just the public face of this conspiracy. There are others out there ready and willing to take his place once he’s dethroned. Keep that in mind.”

* * *

James Windsaber stared in sadness and disbelief at the blackened smoking crater that was once the cove of Kêr-Is. The entire cave and side of the mountain had been blasted away, completely obliterated. Traces of fire still raged in some places, melting the everpresent snow and turning it to steam. Numbly, he gestured with a hand, sending forth a blast of wind, snuffing out the fires as he approached. He made his way through the wreckage even as he knew the outcome—there was no way anyone had survived the attack.

But... if there’s a chance, any chance, he told himself, sifting through the debris, even the slightest chance she survived, I have to try!

It was more than ten minutes of searching before he found it... the three-pronged trident that Calypso carried for combat, the special enhanced weapon Uncle Jeffrey had created for her. It still carried her scent and was covered in blood. Meaning whoever had attacked here, she’d managed to put up a hell of a fight before she’d been overwhelmed. Tears ran down James’ cheeks. Calypso... Bonnie. She was gone. Really gone. And the person or persons responsible had gone, departed, no doubt teleported away to safety, out of his reach—

Wait. No.

James turned sharply to the west, dragon senses flaring as a scent on the wind caught his attention. Familiar scents, yes... of war and blood and... he grimaced tightly, of sex, from a small party of adventurers, nearby. And... he sniffed again, growling, eyes flashing brightly as another scent registered, one all too familiar, and one that he’d thought he would never cross again. No... no way. It can’t be, he thought furiously even as he summoned a furious wind around him, sending him upwards through the air. Streaking across the sky, he soon spotted the party he’d sought, and with a flourish, he landed down in front of them with a loud ‘THOOM’.

“RAY!” he bellowed as the all too familiar man strode forth, wearing the same smug expression he’d worn the last time they’d face each other. “So... it is you!” James muttered grimly. “But how? I’d heard... I thought you were...”

“Dead?” Raymond Faraday replied with a smirk. “What can I say? Some people are sooo difficult to kill, no? And who knows that better than you?” For an instant, a bit of repressed rage flashed across his face, only to be again masked by his smirk. “But yeah, you almost killed me back then… by literally bringing down the sky over my head.”

“You killed my parents!” spat James.

“And you almost killed me,” Ray repeated with a shrug, “so I guess that makes us even, eh?” The man behind Ray took a step to him, and James scowled at the familiar green and silver tunic, of the Viridian Suns guild. So... Ray was working with Marion?

“Sir,” the squad captain stated, “we should really go. We have the package we were sent to retrieve,” he stated, gesturing to the unconscious form of a girl James recognized as the young healer, Nora Snowfallen! “We’re far enough from the ruins now. The men and I should take—”

“Shut up!” shouted Ray, causing the man to take a step back in surprise. “Can’t you see we’re talking here? And this conversation certainly doesn’t concern you.” He chuckled. “And I somehow doubt he’s just going to stand idly by while you take off with one of his friends. But if you want to, feel free to go ahead and attack him—not that it would matter, he could take on all of you 5 times without breaking a sweat.” The captain noticeably swallowed, backing away. “So,” Ray replied with a nod. “Where were we again?”

“I was about to point out the obvious,” James spat, gesturing with his chin. “So working with Marion and Amanda now? Reduced to being a hired flunky? I thought you were better than that, Ray.”

“Hmph! Working with them? That buffoon bustard knight, and his mistress the snake? I’d rather join you!” said Ray, losing his cool for the moment. “I mean, at least you and that Kyle kid have some fucking honor! With guys like you, a person knows where they stand.” He sighed softly. “No, this is all just a means to an end. I am just here to deliver them the girl.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing here?” spat James, he took a step towards them. He would have continued on, but there was something... something in the air around Ray that his instincts told him to hold back ….to not charge in enraged. “Are you after the dragon relics too?”

To his surprise, Ray actually laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous,” said Ray, smiling at his bewilderment. “I have no interest whatsoever in those trinkets. I prefer to grow stronger by my own work and efforts.” His grin turned evil, and his eyes flashed. “Oh, and as for the frequencies those relics give the wearers, well Si Jalyur Tepoha Astahi he stated formally, grinning wider at the look on the boy’s face. “And it’s all thanks to you, kid! I took away a little something from you in our last altercation... long story short, I now have a bit of your dragon blood running through my veins now!”

James frowned. That was disturbingly bad. If Ray had somehow managed to decipher enough of his avatar’s code to replicate his dragon abilities, and could effortlessly use Dragontongue, then he was suddenly a lot more dangerous. And he’d been nearly more than he could handle before all of this!

“Yes,” said Ray aloud, as if reading his mind. “I became a dragon just like you. So, to answer your earlier question: Why am I here? Why I’m here... For you!” James blinked at that. “You see,” he continued, “before you, I’d never lost a battle in my life. Not here, and not in the real world. I was always stronger, smarter, fitter, and simply better than everyone else! Always. Hell, I was even stronger than YOU when we fought,” he said, scowling. “But I could not defeat you. Even after breaking your whole body, you still somehow stood up. You defeated death itself when you defeated me and I had to spend 2 whole years in an ICU, breathing out of pipes.” He shook his head, ruefully, as if somehow the outcome actually amused him. “And now, if Amanda wins and gets hold of those frequencies, the free world we know of will be gone. So here we are—if the world ends tomorrow, then I want to fight you one last time,” he said, raising his fists, adopting a fighting stance, “to beat the only man who bested me!”

With a roar he charged forth his fist covered fully with flames Inferno Incendii Eius Pugnus and James countered Ventus Draco Palma, Lunar Requiem as wind engulfed his own fists, and they clashed. The air itself exploded from the intense heat as both of them were thrown back, incinerating everything in its path, burning away several of the men behind Ray.

James hastily created a protective circle around the unconscious Nora shielding the girl and saw another protective spell activate around her as well. “Heh. Got a little carried away there,” Ray admitted, hand glowing. “I can’t let her die. She is my mission after all. And I don’t intend to fail... even something as tiresome as playing errand boy.”

James glanced down at a sudden pain in his hands, and saw them scorched, greatly shocking him. During his training among the dragons, in order to gain immunity against the elements James had to endure being burned by their fires only to be healed again, over and over, to the point that normal fire could not harm him anymore. On top of that, his own attack created a vacuum that could shut down fires. And yet it was the extreme heat of Ray’s attack that had caused the damage.

He prepared to attack again, only to dodge as Ray punched the ground where he stood a moment ago scarring and incinerating the place. “Come come, Windsaber, put your back into it!” mocked Ray as James planted a solid uppercut only to be punched down himself. Shit he cursed silently, spitting blood. He had enough physical strength to outmuscle rock giants, yet Ray took his uppercut full on without being staggered and had returned the blow.

“I can take down 5 Kormak Greensteels,” said Ray musing aloud, “and I am not even using full power. You’ll have to do better than that!” He rushed towards James, who tried to parry his blow and was thrown back several feet, feeling his bones crack. Ray took a deep breath and let out a humongous fiery breath Rugiet Et Inferno. James countered with his own breath Ventus Draco Rugiet, Lunar Requiem, The two attacks connected and exploded into a huge fiery tornado completely melting way the ice and snow, and destroying the nearby forests.

Panting slightly, James took stock of their situation. The blows he’d taken had done some damage here and there, nothing debilitating, but he was definitely injured. Ray, however, seemed to have barely a scratch.Their attacks seemed pretty evenly matched, but James knew better, he was losing. Fearing for Nora’s safety, he could not go all out and without his full power, he had no chance of winning. He didn’t want to let the Viridian Suns simply leave with her as their captive, but it seemed to let them escape might be the only way he had a chance of stopping Ray.

“Fine,” he said aloud, glancing over at the captain and the other few remaining Suns. “Take the girl and clear out. I’ll let you leave.” He smirked slightly. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll be coming to take her back from you anyway, once I’m done here.” With that, the guard captain signaled his men, who withdrew their teleport crystals and vanished with Nora in tow. Raymond chuckled aloud.

“When you finish up here, huh? Someone’s awful confident,” Ray snarled, suddenly charging in. Faster that James could blink, he was down on the ground, blood dripping from his mouth. He hadn’t even seen the attack that had downed him. “Stupid move on your part, boy. With the girl gone, I don’t have to hold back either! Now I can show you my true power as well!” With a gasp, James stood back up, only to falter and fall as three rapid-fire punches slipped past his guard, sending him once again to the ground.

“Tut, tut, that won’t do, kid,” said Ray shaking a finger. “That won’t do at all. You’re still holding back. I want to fight the old James, the one who fought for his life, the wild raging unstoppable BEAST that was capable of the impossible. The you I’m fighting now... you’re not even trying!” He delivered a snap kick that lifted James off the ground before slamming him back down again. When he placed a hand down to force himself back up, Ray stomped a booted foot down hard, smiling savagely as the youngster let out a scream to the sound of shattering bones. “Haha! And just like that, your left arm is broken!”

He peered down at the youngster, who was panting heavily and shook his head. “Pathetic. I get it though... your heart’s not really into this. Too much going on right now for you to focus on me...” Ray said, tapping his fingertip lightly against his chin. “Ahhh... What you need is the proper motivation! Well, try this on for size.” He raised his hand and made a seal ‘Infernum, Iram—Arvum Adustum’. A huge explosion rocked the ground nearby, leaving a black and burned out crater... one eerily familiar in size and shape to another crater he’d seen earlier today. James’ eyes went wide as he made the connection.

“Ah. you’re finally getting it now, boy? Your little mermaid friend,” said Ray grinning. “You’ve seen the ruins of her little paradise island, eh? She and the little healer put up quite a fight. They were actually holding their own against Marion’s stupid little flunkies... until I stepped in.” His smile widened as James surged back to his feet. “I’m the one who hacked the cove’s protections, stripping them away. I’m the one to designated the place as a kill zone. And I’m the one who stabbed your little blue friend through the heart with her own trident!” He laughed aloud. “And let’s just say that afterward I got a little hungry and decided on a little ‘fish fry’—”

“Rrrrraaaaargggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” James let out a monstrous roar, and without thought, without inhibition charged, instincts raging. He had snapped, his dragon side taking over completely. He had known it, sensed it, had felt Bonnie’s magic disappear, and now he could no longer deny the truth. His head felt like it was about to explode. Bonnie is dead… Bonnie is... she... Bonnie... she won’t come back… she won’t heal him again. Ever... won’t laugh. Won’t talk. Won’t chide him or scold him, or tease him... she was gone… dead. Lost… forever.

WHAM!

His fist connected with Ray, pushing him back hard, his eyes wide with shock. The boy’s arm was broken. He’d heard and felt the bone snap. Yet he was still fighting with it. Further, Ray had seen James crush metal as strong as tank armor like a tin can before, but that was nothing… nothing …compared to the power behind that last punch! “YOU!” James raged, punching him again with even more force, staggering him back. “YOU! WHAM! KILLED! WHAM! MY! WHAM! SISTEEEEERRRRRR!! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Ray stumbled back unsteadily, nearly off his feet, for the first time actually feeling the hurt. But James was not stopping, chanting faster than comprehension he was making hundreds, thousands of magical circles all around Ray, minimizing air resistance in effect increasing his own speed and power. In a blink he moved to Ray, his punches too fast to be seen with the naked eye, raining down on Ray, giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Ray’s stamina and defense were at an insane level, having programmed his avatar specifically for this altercation. He’d bent the rules of the game in his favor, making himself practically invincible. Yet James’ attacks were all hitting the mark, actually DAMAGING him, quickly draining his hit points down to yellow within a matter of seconds. Aaaaahhh... fuck! he groaned inward. That little shit... thinks he can beat me again... like before? Well no... not... this... tiiimmmmee!! With an angry bellow of his own, he let out a huge blast of fire and heat, throwing James back, giving himself an opening. With no other choice, he let loose with his strongest attack. “Infernum, Iram—Arvum Adustum!” he yelled, punching the earth, his inferno heat coursing through it causing the entire area to explode as if in a volcanic eruption, taking James with it.

Exhausted from the expenditure of energy, Ray sank to his knees. He ached all over. His jaw felt like it was broken, and he knew several of his ribs were. Heh. Incredible. That kid really is something, he mused to himself. Even with all the rules stacked in my favor, he STILL put a serious hurting on me. He laughed aloud, spitting out a broken tooth. Yes, boy. This is EXACTLY the kind of epic fight I’ve been relishing! He stood up, his rapid healing finally kicking in, as his wounds vanished and his life essence was restored.

Just beyond the crater, James managed to force himself back to his feet. The shock of the explosion had snapped him out of his dragon rage, and now he was able to take full stock of his situation. Several of his bones were broken, and he was badly burned over most of his body. He was definitely hurt. Not that he much cared. If he died in the process of taking out the bastard that had killed Bonnie, he would have kept fighting to the end.

But... I don’t think I can beat him, he realized with dread. Not as I am right now. I need time to recover. And... if he truly has managed to copy my dragon abilities and add them to himself, then I am going to need help. Dammit... I need to retreat for now...

“Come on, Windsaber!!!!” shouted Ray, grinning maniacally. “I know you’re still alive. I can smell you! This isn’t over just yet! This won’t be over until one of us is dead!” He stared ahead as the ash and smoke cleared, only to scowl as there was no one there. Huh. He teleported away. Smart move. Still... it’s just a matter of time. He’ll be back once he’s healed. He has every reason to seek me out... and I’m not going anywhere.

Raymond Faraday brushed away the dirt and ash from his armor then settled down to wait. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, boy!” he called out into the wind. “And make sure you bring your ‘A’ game when you return! Our next clash will be our last one. So don’t disappoint me!”

* * *

“That’s a very good question, Erin,” Marion said idly, pretending to ponder deeply in front of the camera as he was being interviewed. “I don’t mean to sound overly confident, but my team and I have been training strenuously over the past several months, so yes,I am quite confident of sweeping the Cup this year.” He chuckled softly, rubbing idly on the gold-colored bracer on his wrist. “You could say that I have an ace or two up my sleeve, just waiting to be released when the time is right.”

“Ooohh! I sense a juicy secret here, folks!” Erin replied with her trademark smile. “And just what would that ‘ace up your sleeve’ happen to be, Marion? Anything you’d like to let your adoring fans know?”

Marion merely laughed. “Well, now, Ms. Halifax. It wouldn’t be much of a secret if I simply let the cat out of the bag on international television, now would it?” At the blonde news anchor’s pout, he waved a finger. “Now, now, I promise you’ll all see very soon. Just make sure that your viewers keep tuned in to my matches. I promise you, they’ll definitely be entertaining—”

“MAAAARIIIIOOONNN!”

The Viridian Suns guildmaster paused in midsentence, turning along with several others as the man who’d just bellowed stomped his way towards the pavilion where they were standing. Frowning, he stood idly, eyebrow raised as the strangely armored man approached him. “You’ll have to excuse me, Ms. Halifax,” he said smoothly, “I seem to be rather popular today.”

“Um, yes, of course,” Erin replied, frowning slightly, moving to step away. “Well, good luck in your next bout,” she stated, gesturing to the cameras to follow her, only to blink as they remained stationary, turning to focus on the approaching man.

“No, stay right there,” JD replied grimly, gesturing to the news crew. “You’ll all want to see this.” Turning back to Marion, he glared, pointing a gauntleted fist towards him. “As for you, you BASTARD of a bastard knight... I’ve come for your head!”

Rather than be put out, Marion sighed. “Really... how droll. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to take a crack at the future Obelisk Cup champion, you’ll have to get in line with the rest of them—”

“FUCK the Obelisk Cup!” JD snarled, causing Erin to gasp, gesturing frantically to the camera crew to activate the language sensors. “I could care less about this little contest! No, my problem is with you specifically!” His eyes flashed yellow once more. “I know what happened in Kêr-Is. And I know that you were responsible!”

“Ahhhh...” Marion replied, smirking. “So, you must be one of Shadowchaser’s little friends,” he mused aloud. “Well, fine. Accuse me if you like. Blame me for the misfortune of your friends. Whatever makes you feel better. But I’d advise you to tread carefully with the threats,” he said, nodding towards Erin, “especially with the eyes and ears of the world glued to us right now.”

“Oh, I want them to see and hear this,” JD growled, “to watch me utterly destroy you. And by them, I mean all the system administrators, and your ‘best buddy’ slash partner in crime, Amanda Faraday. I want every single one of them to watch me take you apart, slowly and painfully, so that they know that they’ve been backing the wrong horse all this time!”

Marion blinked, the smile fading from his face at the mention of his hidden partner’s name. Erin, however, picked up on it immediately. “Wait. Wait a moment. Amanda Faraday, the CEO and owner of the Reality?” she asked, stepping forward. “Are you insinuating that the guildmaster of the Viridian Suns has some kind of personal relationship with the CEO of Faraday Universal?”

“I’m not insinuating,” JD replied with a smirk of his own, “I’m saying it outright!”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Marion growled, snapping his fingers, as two burly pikemen wearing Viridian Suns tunics stepped forward. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, threatening me and tossing out unfounded accusations like this, but it ends here and now! I have a match to prepare for... and you, friend, have a one-way ticket the hell out of my sight!” He gestured to the two men, who stepped forward, each grabbing JD by the arm.

«LOREAT!» he growled in response.

In the blink of an eye, both men vanished, their bodies shattering as if made of glass. Erin and the camera workers screamed, and Marion took a step back, drawing his war hammer as a reflex in shock. Where the men had stood, a black swirling skull icon now rested, signaling both men had been slain instantly, and permanently.

“Wh-wh-what-what the HELL?!?” Marion stuttered, staring at the strange man wide-eyed. “Edwin... Malak... they’re gone?!? That’s impossible! How? There’s no way... you didn’t even attack them... you didn’t even move!”

“It’s called ‘Rub’,” JD remarked calmly, rubbing his arms where they’d grabbed him. “Instant death. It’s from Final Fantasy 1, a very old game. Very hard, too. I’m talking old school. All it takes is a touch.” He shrugged. “Feel free to send the rest of your cronies down. Just know the exact same thing will happen.” He smirked. “Word to the wise, if you ever meet a sorcerer in THAT game, don’t even try to fight. Just run.” He cracked his knuckles. “So, Marion... are YOU going to try to run?”

Marion just stood, gaping. This... this can’t be happening! That thing... that... whatever he did just now. I recognized the word just uttered. He spoke dragon tongue—he just said the word ‘Die’. But how the HELL could that kill someone? Nora and Vale, both of them are completely under my power, and if I told them to die, they’d take the closest blade and stab it into their hearts without blinking an eye. But the word itself can’t make them simply cease to exist! So... who the hell IS this guy?

JD’s smirk widened as if he somehow knew what he’d been thinking. “Finally starting to sink in? I wasn’t making a threat. I wasn’t boasting, or bargaining, or making a proposition. I was stating a fact. I said I’ve come for your FUCKING head,” he said, finally drawing the sword at his side, “and I damn well mean to have it!” He advanced forward once again, causing Marion, Erin, and everyone nearby to retreat several feet.

“Uncle! Uncle Jeffrey!”

JD paused as a worn and weary-looking James sprinted towards him. He couldn’t help but notice the blood splatters on his chest. “James? What in the hell happened to you? What’s going on?”

“I ran into some trouble,” he said with a scowl, still favoring his side slightly. “An old enemy. And I need your help. You have to come with me, now!”

JD raised an eyebrow. “Really? Someone you couldn’t handle? I didn’t think that was possible.” He sighed, turning back to the crowd before him. “At any rate, I’m a little busy right now. Something’s happened to Calypso. I’ll give you the details later, but I’m about to take care of the person responsible—”

But James shook his head. “No, Uncle Jeffrey. The one that killed her... his name is Ray Faraday. He’s the one that ambushed me!” JD whirled around at the mention of that name. “He’s a former system Admin, and he’s extremely dangerous. But he’s challenged me, and I have to face him.”

Jeffrey nodded slowly, his mind racing. Faraday... another fucking Faraday! Goddammit! In hindsight, I should have guessed it. All this time, I’ve been so focused on dealing with Amanda, and keeping her out of the loop that I forgot all about her psychotic half-brother! Rooting around in her personal computer even told me that he was still alive, that she had her people scouring the planet for him... but I never even considered the idea of him actually working with her after all the bad blood between them!

Glancing back at Marion and the others, JD considered briefly which one was the bigger threat, he or Raymond. Then, grunting, he turned back to his nephew. “You’re right. Let’s go. We don’t have a lot of time left anyway, so we’d better put it to the best possible use.”

For his part, Marion felt equal parts relieved and irked—happy that he wasn’t going to have to face down this stranger with his unknown ‘instant death’ powers, yet upset that he was suddenly being ignored as if the boy’s news had suddenly rendered him unimportant! He was being snubbed, something he absolutely did not tolerate, yet he was wary of provoking the man and having him focus his attention back to him once more. In the end, his pride won out, and he stepped forward. “So, what? After all of your big talk, you’re just going to rush off?” he challenged. “Who the hell are you anyway?”

JD walked several feet away before turning, his body beginning to glow with a soft yellow light. “Jeffrey Danzig was the name I was born with. And feel free to mention that name to the CEO when you confer with her later. I only wish I could be there to see her face,” In a flash, however, his human form vanished, and cries of alarm rang out throughout the entire coliseum as his true form emerged, that of a colossal golden scaled dragon!

::But you may refer to me as Ferrod’Daar, the king of the Dragon Gods:: the dragon spoke, his voice shaking the entire area as his massive wings. He bent his head downward, and James climbed up on his neck. With an ear-shattering roar, he snapped his wings and surged up into the air, hovering for a moment before flying off into the distance.

* * *

The four members of the Pantheon stood staring out at the sight before them from their raised pavilion overlooking the colosseum grounds below. No one spoke for a long moment until East Graywind let out a deep loud sigh. “So... that was apparently a thing,” he drawled, moving back to his seat, sitting down.

“You could put it that way, yes,” Stein replied with a smirk. “And I hate to say I told you so, but... well, actually, no, I rather take great pride and delight in saying it.” East said nothing, merely raising the middle finger of his left hand. “So, Kornak, I take it we’re all on the same page now?”

The armored Juggernaut frowned, shaking his head lightly. “And... what we all saw just now.. that was real? Not an illusion or conjuration of some kind?” he pressed.

Stein shook his head. “No, that was one hundred percent real. You just saw a real-life Dragon God fly off in a huff. And you’ve been in the Reality even longer than I have, Kornak, so you know how rare actual dragons are in this world. Trust me when I saw that that was the real deal.”

“And it only further proves what we’ve been telling you all along,” Anadriel chimed in, “that Marion is every bit the threat we’ve been telling you! That the Dragon relics he’s obtained are absolutely real and do exactly what we claim they do! Hell, you just saw a very pissed off Dragon God laying into him about it!”

Kornak sighed heavily, turning away to stare out at the view for a moment. “Fine. You’ve all made your point. Marion has, somehow, done the impossible. He’s obtained a legendary power in this game that allows him to literally usurp the wills of anyone who dares oppose him. The bigger question is, what do we do about it?” He turned to face them once more, his expression grim. “I’m agreed with you all that Marion needs to be stopped before he can unleash whatever it is he has planned, but how do we go about doing so? By your own admission, if we confront him, he could very well place all of us under his sway!”

“Not necessarily,” Dri said, considering. “There are seven relics in total. Right now he only has three. So he only has partial control over his Dragontongue. Of the four of us, I would be the only one truly at risk.”

“It only affects women, eh?” East mused aloud. “Yeah, I can see how that would be useful in some places, considering more than two-thirds of the Suns are women.” He sighed. “Still, from what you guys said before, he CAN control men as well, just not as completely as he can women. If we just go charging in, willy-nilly, he could use that power of his to distract us long enough to move in and overwhelm us. I’d say we need a proper strategy before we face him.”

“With luck, we won’t actually have to face him,” Stein pointed out. Kornak sniffed in derision.

“You mean your friend, Shadowchaser?” Kornak retorted. “You really think he can stop Marion and his group armed with dragon relics?”

“Kyle has some dragon relics of his own,” Dri pointed out, scowling, slightly miffed that her Master and love was being doubted. “And he’s already proven to be more than a match for Marion in a fair fight!”

East, however, laughed aloud. “A fair fight? Do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth right now, Lady Shalandearl? No offense to you, Kornak, but your brother doesn’t know the MEANING of the words ‘fair fight’. After his first dust-up with the boy, he tried to hire me to assassinate him, to kill Shadowchaser in his sleep.” He half shrugged. “I’ve never liked Marion, so I declined his generous offer and merely assigned one of my promising students instead. In hindsight, I’m actually glad I turned him down. I’d hate to think where we’d be right now if I’d actually gone after the boy myself...”

“What I’m wondering right now,” Kornak grumbled, still staring out over the crowds, “is why more people aren’t running around in a panic down there! A real live dragon just appeared in the arena and flew off. You’d think there would be more of an uproar.”

“Actually, I’m not surprised at all,” Stein interjected, causing everyone to turn and face him. “Think about it. JD pretty much declared that the CEO of the company was part of some kind of cover-up, that she and Marion were involved in some kind of illegal or at best immoral dealings. At a worldwide global televised event, no less. It’s no surprise that Ms. Faraday would have her people intervene almost immediately, no doubt spinning this all as some kind of hoax or publicity stunt.” He sighed heavily. “All the world’s a stage, after all. And we, lady and gentlemen, are merely players.”

Anadriel frowned. “So you’re saying... what? We have to keep quiet about this? You’re actually suggesting we go along with whatever propaganda nonsense Faraday decides to use to cover up what just happened?”

“Really, what’s the alternative?” Kornak pointed out, rejoining the discussion. “Shut down the Monument Cup? Postpone it? Amanda would never let that happen. There is simply too much time and money invested in this. We all know how many multi-million dollar businesses and companies are involved in this tournament, and how much they all stand to lose if this contest is pulled. As the Pantheon, we’re the Reality’s ambassadors. We have a duty to the company—”

“What about our duty to the people?” East countered, to everyone’s surprise. “Yeah, yeah, I get how that sounds coming from me. And that a money-grubbing assassin has to remind a goddamn paladin that the welfare of the people is more important than his job show you just how fucked up this situation is!” He sighed dramatically. “Look. The situation sucks. And I won’t point out that we COULD have stopped things from getting to this point by taking down Marion long ago...” he said staring pointedly at Kornak who glared back. “But... it is what it is. Shadowchaser might take him out... or he might not. But if he doesn’t, we are all screwed. Don’t you think we owe it to people to warn them of gigantic ass sword dangling above their heads?”

Kornak nodded grimly. “Very well. You’ve made your point. We’ll spread the word. But... we have to do so in a calm and coordinated manner. I’ll have Jonias inform the White Sage, and have them slowly spread the word. I suggest you all do the same with your guilds.” He took a deep breath. “As to the rest... I suppose I had best contact Ms. Faraday and inform her of the situation.”

“Really?” Anadriel asked, incredulous. “You’re planning to tell the CEO that we’re warning everyone about what could happen, even knowing that she herself is a part of the cover-up? The last time someone tried to go to the head of the company and convince them to do the right thing at the expense of possibly billions of dollars, it didn’t turn out so well. The giant gold dragon that flew off a moment ago is a testament to that fact!”

“Worse than that,” Stein added. “I can confirm the JD’s insinuation that Amanda Faraday is indeed in bed with Marion. Er, figuratively speaking, that is,” he added, sheepishly. “I had my people do some digging, quietly, without raising too much of a fuss, and it was confirmed. The reason he was able to gather the relics and advance to far in his pursuits is that Faraday is backing him, giving him her full support and resources.”

“Besides,” East finished, “I would assume that she is fully aware of what’s going on. I just got a ping that she’s holding a televised conference right now to explain what just happened... a rather quick response considering that she’s not actually logged in and it all happened less than five minutes ago.”

“Hmmm. You may have a point,” Kornak mused aloud. “Perhaps we’d better tune into the interview first and see what she does. Then we can decide ultimately how to handle things...”

* * *

“...was quite the surprise to all of us, as you can guess,” Amanda Faraday replied with a small grin. “But, well, you do what you can with the options laid out before you. I do wish to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and well wishes to the families of my company’s board of directors who died in that tragic airplane crash.”

“Yes, indeed,” Steve Banks replied with a solemn nod. “A true tragedy. And we’re all grateful that you decided to travel back from the summit by private jet instead, else you might have shared their fate.”

“Yes,” Amanda replied with a knowing smile. “How lucky for me.”

“So, Ms. Faraday, since I have you here,” Steve said conversationally, “I think we should address the elephant in the room, so to speak. I take it you’re aware of what just occurred moments ago here at the coliseum?”

“Ah, yes,” she replied smoothly. “You’re of course referring to the ‘Dragon God’ appearing during the interview with the Viridian Suns guildmaster. I may only be logged into the system through a virtual reality construct from my computer instead of an actual full connection like the rest of you, but I am quite aware of everything that is happening during this tournament.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Yes. You know, Ms. Faraday, I admit, I’ve always wondered about that myself... and I’m sure many of our viewers have as well. Why is it that you and the former board of directors have never logged into The Reality in all of these years?”

Amanda merely chuckled. “Oh, it’s nothing sinister, I assure you. The simple fact is that I and the others are simply too busy to spend our time locked away in virtual reality. While much of our business can be handled in virtual space or over the phone, there are several other things that can only be handled in person in the real world. For example, while I am speaking to you here, I’m also handling the arrangements for the funerals for all my former board of directors, as well as directing plans for a certain ‘special project’ that is nearing the final stages of development.”

“Okay, that explains it,” Steve concluded. “At any rate, back to the previous topic. You said you were aware of the supposed Dragon God showing up earlier, and everything that it said...”

Amanda sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “Yes, yes. I’m quite aware. They went a bit off script with that last bit I think... but that’s what comes from giving your IT team full creative license.”

“Creative... so you’re saying that was nothing more than a publicity stunt?” Steve asked, incredulously, “a show for the crowds?”

“Wow, can’t slip anything past you, can I Steve?” Amanda quipped, chuckling softly for the cameras. “But seriously, what else WOULD it be? This is the thirtieth year celebration of the day the Reality first came online. What better way to celebrate such a monumental anniversary than having one of the gods of legend show up... and what better audience than at the Obelisk Cup?”

Steve chuckled softly as well. “You make a very good point. Still, it was a rather dramatic show. Lord Marion himself seemed utterly surprised by the dragon’s appearance. I’m guessing he wasn’t let in on the surprise beforehand?”

“Forgive me for saying so, but the Suns guildmaster, as talented as he may be, is not much of an actor,” she replied. “If he’d known beforehand what was coming, the lack of surprise would have been evident to everyone else as well.”

“And what about the accusations the ‘dragon’ spouted,” Steve asked pointedly, “that you and Marion were involved in some kind of conspiracy? And obviously, not that you and he were working together for this surprise appearance of the dragon itself, which, you just admitted Marion knew nothing about?” Steve smirked slightly. He might have been reduced to little more than a sensationalist reporter these days, but he was still a reporter, and his instincts told him there was a definite story here. “I believe it mentioned a name, too, just before it flew away... a Jeffrey Danzig? My sources tell me that that was the name of—”

“One of the former programmers and creators of the Reality,” Amanda cut in, a bit of irritation showing past her mask of serenity. “Yes, I know. I was just a child back in those days, not even in my teens, but I still remember the... controversy and terrible tragedy surrounding how they all died. I personally think invoking his name for the sake of a publicity stunt is in bad taste,” she said, wrinkling her nose, “but again, I gave the IT team complete creative control over the project.”

“So you’re denying any personal involvement in what happened to Mr. Danzig and his fellow programmers?” Steve pressed.

Amanda paused, considering. “Let me be frank with you, Steve. I remember my dad talking about how things went down during that time. There was a big blowup with the lead programmer about the project... creative differences or something. The day afterward, that programmer died in a car accident on a bridge. He had absolutely nothing to do with it, but of course, the other programmers all screamed foul play.” She sighed softly. “My dad... he was never the most tactful person. When they started shouting accusations at him, he simply fired them all, claiming slander and character assassination. It wasn’t the most prudent or sensitive choice, considering that they’d lost a friend a coworker. And of course, the news media of the time lambasted us over it. But my father stuck by his guns. And well, the Reality is what it is today because of it.”

Steve merely nodded. The CEO was good. He’d hoped that his questions might have caught her off guard, or flustered her at least slightly. Yet, even when relating the part about her father, she was as calm and composed as ever. Even then, the delivery was almost too good... as if she’d expected the question and had rehearsed her answer beforehand. If there is something weird or strange going in with her, she’s certainly covering it up well.

“Well, Ms. Faraday, I think that’s about all the time we have for today,” Steve concluded, forcing his trademarked smile back on his face. “The opening ceremonies have officially concluded and the tournament matches are about to commence. Is there anything else you’d like to say to the billions of people tuned in and watching right now?”

“Why yes,” Amanda said, turning to stare directly into the camera screen. “Everyone, stay tuned in. The tournament is about to begin. And you can expect a lot of thrills and chills, and excitement to come... as well as a surprise or two thrown in at the end.” She grinned. “So.... don’t touch that dial! The best is yet to come!”