The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Reality

by asianpersuasion & J. Darksong

Choices

“Come on. We’re going,” Kyle said after a moment, heading to the entrance of the cave.

“Wait, what??” Honor asked, incredulously. “Don’t tell me you’re actually choosing to go after Ms. Hoity Toity, and save her butt yet again after everything that’s happened?”

Kyle sighed deeply. “No. I’m choosing to keep my promise to Serena and Leila right now. There’s nothing else I can do,” he replied, staring down at his boots, his hands clenched into fists so tightly his tendons were distended. “But Honor, don’t talk that way about Anadriel, okay? Yes, she has issues. Yes, she’s arrogant, and prideful. And yes, she broke my heart a few dozen times. But the heart wants what it wants. Even knowing that she’ll probably break it again given half a chance, when I’ve helped Leila and Serena I STILL plan to go to her!”

He growled, slamming a fist against the cave wall. “But… goddammit, you’re right. I can’t help her right now by going to her. Even if my teleport crystal wasn’t still recharging, and I could just teleport directly into the middle of their fight, I’d only complicate things.” He glanced to Calypso, who merely nodded silently. “They’re in a duel. Two on two. If I interrupt, then all bets will be off, and Marion will be able to pull every dirty trick in the book. No… I have to let Dri handle this herself.” He sighed heavily, adding silently, and just hope she survives so that there is something left for me to care for afterwards…

Honor nodded, chagrined. She’d known of course about Kyle’s feelings for the elven girl, had talked to him a bit about their past, but she’d never realized just how deep his feelings for her ran. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that revelation. Sure, she’d said from the beginning that this thing between her and Kyle didn’t have any specific ‘rules’ to them. She had no problems sharing Kyle with Serena and Leila if it came down to that. Hell, she and Serena were already lovers before Kyle had come into the picture, so technically, she’d be sharing Serena with him. Still… for some reason, the idea of Kyle still having such strong feelings for Dri made her feel… what exactly? Angry? Sad? Jealous? Maybe all of the above.

Calypso sighed softly, having many of the same thoughts as Honor. Wading over to the far end of the pool, she pressed her hand lightly into a small indentation on the wall. A loud rumbling sounded, as a section of the cave wall near the entrance slid back, revealing an opening. “I have opened the entrance to the crypt for you, Willowfang,” she stated. “I trust you are prepared for what you will face within its depths?” The group nodded. “Very well. I will leave the exit open for you until you return. And Willowfang, once you reach the central chamber, look for a dragon mark, a sigil, or an imprint. You’ll know it when you see it. When you find it, you must place your hand against the mark and speak the words ‘Evnek wer houpetor rasvim’. Then, what you seek will be revealed.”

Kyle nodded. “Got it. Thank you, Calypso. And don’t worry. We’ll be back. But, um… could you do me a favor?”

Calypso smiled sadly. “Of course, I shall keep watch on the battle between the Sylvan Order and the Viridian Suns. I am afraid watching is all I can do, but I shall inform you of what transpires when you return.”

Not satisfied, but resigned with his choice, Kyle stepped forward, leading his team forward into the deep dark and foreboding caverns.

* * *

“Nora, please!” Anadriel pleaded with his bewitched cousin as the timer on the duel menu continued to count down mercilessly. “You can’t do this! You’re stronger than this! Don’t let him control you this way! Please! You have to fight!”

Nora laughed in reply. “Fight? Oh Dri, sweetie, rest assured, I intend to fight all right… with every last bit of skill and training I’ve received over the past several days.”

Anadriel sighed heavily, closing her eyes. Okay. Fine. I can’t talk her down. So be it. I only have to defeat Marion anyway. Maybe once he’s gone, his spell over Nora will break, and she’ll go back to normal. And all Rald has to do is hold him off for five seconds… just five seconds, and I can end this farce of a battle.

The timer finished counting down with a beep, signaling the start of the duel. Opening her eyes, Anadriel focused her mind, and summoned her mana. As predicted, Marion charged straight at her, but Rald intercepted him, blocking his attack with his shield, and countering with a slash of his own sword. One. Marion drew back, frowning, rubbing the side of his face where he’d been cut. Two.

Nora stepped forward, her staff glowing with a pale bluish light. “Sanabit!”, she uttered, pointing the staff towards her Master. A dim flash of light enveloped him, and the small scar healed, as he regained full health. “Defendere! Confirma! Tueri! Augendae!” she chanted, a brief flash of light accompanying every word. Three.

Anadriel gaped in shock, barely able to comprehend what she was seeing. By the gods… Nora… she is casting complex spells so fast, so flawlessly, without pause. That should be impossible! I’m a master-adept, and even with my advanced training it still takes me five seconds to cast my strongest spell! Shaking off her momentary lapse, she focused her mind, chanting softly under her breath, feeling the power continue to build inside her. She wasn’t going to hold back this time. Marion was about to pay the ultimate price for his treachery, and if any hapless Viridian Suns standing around or behind him got caught in the blast, so be it. Four.

“Gaaaahhhh!” Rald cried out, staggering back as Marion struck back with a flurry of quick hammer strikes, catching the knight off guard, and knocking him back with force. Despite the strength and speed of each blow, the stalwart knight managed to hold onto his shield and keep his footing digging in, and holding his position. He knew well his duty—protect his lady Anadriel, even if it cost him his life. That bastard! His speed is incredible! How on earth can he possibly swing those heavy metal mallets with such speed and deftness? Still… I must only hold him at bay a few moments more…

Five.

“This ends now!” Anadriel cried out, her hair waving wildly in the wind stirred up by the unleashing of her spell. “Hydram!” she intoned, gesturing, as an enormous fountain of flame erupted beneath Marion’s feet. The flame scorched the ground, burning through the bedrock, leaving a blackened crater surrounding the Bastard Knight. Several Viridian Sun members screamed and stumbled back, fleeing from the spectacle, many of them catching fire even from a distance. Momentarily drained from the expenditure of power, Anadriel sagged, leaning lightly against her staff as the fire and smoke swiftly faded, revealing Marion.

Standing. Completely Unharmed.

“What?” Dri cried in alarm.

Rald, expecting the battle to be finished, likewise gaped, startled, as his opponent sprinted towards him. Unable to raise his shield in time, he took a critical hit, grunting in pain as several ribs shattered. Falling back, grunting past the pain, he pulled his sword, preparing to strike back.

Tenere!” Nora called out again, this time her spells focused on Rald. The knight gasped aloud as his body went stiff, caught in a holding spell, unable to move his limbs. Grunting, he drew from his own meager magic supply, channeling his energy to counter the spell and break free, but again, faster than he could anticipate, Nora struck again. “Infirmare! Exarmet! Vertiginem!” she chanted again in rapid succession. Rald groaned, helpless to fight the effects as the strength and energy seemed to seep out of him. His blade slipped free from nerveless fingers, and he groaned, closing his eyes as the world seemed to tilt and spin crazily on its axis. When Marion’s blow struck him, sending him to the ground a moment later, it was almost a relief. He grunted softly as his life meter turned red, signally critical damage. Paralyzed, helpless, he was out of the fight.

“RALD! NOOO! DAMN YOU!” Anadriel cried, launching a barrage of smaller magic attacks at her armored foe. Fire, ice, lightning, even bolts of pure force, rained down on Marion’s form, yet each seemed to somehow fizzle out before striking true, doing no damage whatsoever. Finally, panting, staring in disbelief, unable to comprehend how her magic was failing her, Anadriel slid to her knees. No! NO! This can’t be happening! My powers… every spell I used was powerful enough to kill him a dozen times over! And yet there he stands, without a scratch! As Marion approached her, she growled, clutching her staff tightly. She was clearly outmatched, but she wasn’t about to go down without a fight!

“So, Lady Anadriel,” Marion said cheerfully, “You now seem to be at a distinct disadvantage. Your protector is down. If I so much as spit in his direction, he would perish. The odds are now two-to-one in my favor… but really, since your magic seems to be about as effective as a barrage of spitballs, what say we make this a more… fair fight?” He gestured to Nora, nodding, and she stepped forward.

Renunito,” the young healer said softly, drawing her own dagger from her belt. She grinned evilly at her cousin. “So, Dri, looks like you and I get to decide this battle. Master was willing to give you an out, called for this duel to be to quarter, but you opted for a death match.” Lashing out suddenly, she struck the elf a deep cut across the upper arm.

“Well, cousin, it looks like you’ll get your wish. If you want to win,” she replied, taunting, lashing out again and again, catching the mage again and again, slowly whittling down her meager life points, “if you want to LIVE, you’re going to have to fight back!”

“Nora! Stop it!” Dri cried out desperately, trying to block of deflect her younger cousin’s assault. But the girl, the healer, was attacking her with a skill and ferocity she would never have believed. Her menu beeped at her, flashing yellow as she dropped to below half health. “Nora please! Don’t do this! I’m your cousin! We’re family! I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Hurt me?” Nora replied with a laugh. “You stupid arrogant bitch! Hurt me… you’re going to have to KILL me otherwise I’m going to kill you!” She rushed forward, as if to attack with another swipe. Dri brought up her staff again, to blow, but the attack was merely a feint, as Nora zipped behind her, cutting a deep gash in Dri’s side in passing. She whirled around, only to stagger back Nora followed up with a brutal kick to her abdomen. Her life bar dipped again, this time into the red. Nora grinned, holding up the dagger.

“This is it, cousin,” she murmured softly, taunting. “You’re at the edge. Two good slashes… or maybe only one… and you’re done. Everything you’ve worked for all these years—gone in an instant. Erased out of existence.” She laughed, a harsh humorless sound. “And all at the hands of your sweet gentle little cousin… the ‘charity case’ you thought to bring into your guild because she was too pathetic to make it on her own! Well, Dri, after you’re dead and gone, maybe I’ll take your place as the head of the Order. I’m already more popular than you ever were—“

“Stop it!” Anadriel yelled, eye blazing, power channeling through her hands. She was panting, quivering, on edge. “Nora! Damn you…. Why are you doing this?”

“Oooh… looks like you DO have some fight left in you after all,” she commented idly. She tossed the dagger idly, reversing her grip. “Can you do it, Dri? Can you kill me to save your own skin?” She took a single step towards her, and Dri backed up, eyes wide in panic. “Can you do it?” Nora asked again. “Can you kill your sweet younger cousin, the only person in the world you ever felt any real connection with, the one person who respected you and looked up to you?” She took another step towards her, dagger flashing in the light. “Can you kill me? Or will you stand there and let me kill you?”

“No! Nora, please!”

“It’s one or the other,” Nora continued on, heedless. “You or me. Life or death. You can’t have it both ways. You have to pick… and choose now.” She brought the blade to the ready, preparing to strike. “Ut oh. Times up. Guess this means I get to choose for you!”

“NOOOOOOOO!” Anadriel cried out, closing her eyes, hands out in front of her. Instinct kicked in, her will to survive, and she uttered a quick “fulgar!”, unleashing a powerful bolt of electric energy at the healer. Nora flew back, flung to the ground from the sheer force of the discharge, as he life line ran from green to yellow, to red… and finally to black.

Nora Snowfallen was dead.

* * *

“Finally! It’s dead,” Serena replied, panting lightly, wiping the beads of sweat from her brow.

Standing over the reanimated corpse as it slowly disintegrated into dust, Leila smirked slightly. “Technically, it was already dead long before we got here. Still, that last attack did a number on it all right. Looks like you called it—fire and holy attacks are the way to go.”

“Right. Let’s keep moving,” Kyle said, frowning deeply as he led his team deeper into the catacombs. Ever pressing forward, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had just happened to Anadriel. It was nothing concrete, nothing he could have put into words exactly. It was just a feeling… one that brought him up short and made his heart feel like it was being squeezed in a vice.

“Stop,” Honor said, placing a hand on his shoulder. She frowned, kneeling down, picking up a small rock. “My spidey sense is a’tinglin’” she said with a grin, tossing the rock forward a few paces down the corridor. The large pebble rolled and skipped a few times, but on the third skip it vanished, seeming to fall through the floor, which shimmered slightly before reforming into a seemingly solid mass once more. “Ah. Clever trap. It’s a false floor. Very strong illusion magic. It probably leads to a spiked pit or maybe a chamber filled with acid or lava.” She threw another rock a bit further down the hallway, and it bounced on solid ground again. “Not too bad. Looks like it’s only about a five foot square that fake. We should be able to make it past without too much trouble.”

Kyle smiled. “Good job, Honor. I’d completely forgotten about that one.” Kyle sighed inwardly. He was distracted. Very distracted, and in a place where they couldn’t afford to be distracted. Despite everything they were facing, his mind kept drifting back to Dri, wondering if she was safe, whether or not his going to her would have made a difference… wondering if she had died. He sighed aloud this time, leaning against the cave wall, the very thought more than he could bear—

“MASTER! LOOK OUT!”

Jerking up, he turned to find Leila, literally, flying at him. She tackled him, shoving him aside as a large granite stalactite dropped from the ceiling right for where his head had been a moment ago. She let out a sharp dry as she hit the ground, clutching tightly at her shoulder, and the large chuck of flesh gashed out of it from the stone.

“Leila!” Kyle yelled, moving back to her side, using his meager healing magic to cauterize and close the wound. The others rushed to her side as well, but as Kyle’s magic did its work, she sighed, relaxing, the pain fading to something akin to a dull roar. Finished, Kyle shook his head ruefully, pulling the young assassin into a tight hug. “Leila… you crazy… you could have been killed yourself! Why did you do that? Master or not, your under no obligation to risk your life for me. I never commanded you to do that.”

Leila stared at him for a moment, before laughing aloud. “Sorry, Master,” she said after a moment, “but Honor was right… you really ARE clueless.” Kyle frowned, rolling his eyes as Serena and Honor both burst into giggles. “You don’t understand that Serena and I, we’re more than just mindless brainless zombies. Whatever spell you cast on us changed out outlook, our world view, but not who we are inside.” She sighed softly, looking away. “Well… not in Serena’s case anyway. I have to admit, I have changed. A lot, really. But not because of the spell.” She turned back to face him then. “If I’ve changed for the better, then it’s because of the way you’ve treated me, Master… like I’m a person that matters, that you actually care about.” She got back to her feet, and dusted herself off.

“You never commanded me to protect you or safeguard you,” she replied, drawing her twin daggers, “but you don’t NEED to be told to protect and safeguard someone you truly care about.” She nodded to Honor. “I’m good. Let’s keep moving.”

* * *

“What in… my Lady!” Rald cried, stirring Anadriel from her stupor. “Look! Lady Nora’s icon… it’s not a skull! She still lives!”

“Huh?” Dri managed, lifting her head to stare in confusion at the spinning red fireball icon rotating slowly where her cousin had fallen. Her eyes went wide in recognition. A respawn icon… meaning Nora wasn’t truly dead! She would return alive and well in a few hours’ time. “But… but how?” she whispered aloud, sitting up on the ground. “I used lethal magic… we were in a duel to the death! She should be… I don’t… she… she…”

“Are you truly that stupid?” Marion said arrogantly, walking over to the Sylvan Order guildmaster. “Do you TRULY think I’d risk my most valuable asset if I wasn’t completely, one hundred percent sure of victory?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “Nora Snowfallen is a true healer, a class that hasn’t existed in the game for more than a quarter of a century! At every level increase, she gains a new and special ability that has never even existed in this game.” He smirked wickedly. “On a recent training mission, the last level she achieved gave her access to a particularly useful spell, one that she used on both me and herself at the start of this little engagement. It’s the Transmute Death spell.” He slid his twin warhammers back into their sheathes and opened his menu.

“That spell allows a person, once a day, to automatically respawn when dealt lethal damage from an attack. So you see, Anadriel, dear, there was never ANY CHANCE that you would come out victorious here today! Between your less than effective magic,” he said with particular relish, “and my dear Nora’s superior healing abilities, I was never in any danger at all.”

Anadriel and the others gasped audiably as their menus displayed the results of the duel. “What? A forfeit?” Dri yelled in disbelief as Marion nodded smugly. “You’re giving up? By why? You have me beaten. My protector is down… and you’ve already shown your ability to deflect my spells.” She sighed bitterly. “You could end my life with a single swing of your hammer, and there’s nothing I could do about it.” Or, even, want to do about it, she added silently, staring hard at Nora’s spinning icon. “So why surrender? Why not finish me off and be done with it?”

“Why spare your life?” Marion repeated, haughtily. “Because I don’t NEED to kill you to defeat you! You were beaten before this battle even began. You let your emotions cloud your judgement. You went off half-cocked and demonstrated here, to the world, that you are a pitiful excuse for a leader and guildmaster.” He snapped his fingers, and as a group, his guild members turned and filed back into their hall. “Oh. And just to be clear,” Marion added as an afterthought, “the deal was that if you beat me, your cousin would be free to return to you. As it stands, your commander’s attacks were less than nothing to me, and your magic was completely ineffective. And as you are both down to critical life, and I’m at full strength, the outcome if the battle continued is more than apparent. I’ve obviously won… but I thought I’d be generous and call it a ‘draw’. Nevertheless, your cousin, once she returns, is still mine.”

Barena walked over to the fallen guildmaster, sneering at her in contempt. “We’ll give you a few minutes to pick yourself up out of the dirt, and come to terms with what happened here. But I expect you and your guild members to vacate our lands soon afterwards. If you’re still here within an hour’s time, we’ll be back to kick you out personally. And don’t expect the same generosity and mercy the next time we meet!” Laughing wickedly, she turned and followed her leader back into their keep.

Rald, released from the holding spell, made his way over to his friend and Mistress. “Lady Anadriel,” he said softly, reaching down to help her up. “Come. We must head back to our lands. We need time to recover, and rest… and plan what to do next.” When she failed to respond, he sighed deeply. “My lady, it is okay. This is only a minor setback. Marion has the upper hand for now, but only because we did not know what we were facing! With time to plan a strategy, a method of attack, I am certain we could be—“

“No,” Anadrield said simply, shaking her head. She made her way silently back to her steed, who stood waiting patiently for its Mistress. “No, Rald. I can’t do this right now. I can’t.” She shook her head violently, but the image of Nora, enraged, coming at Dri in a frenzy only to be blasted away by Dri’s own magic refused to leave her. “I just… I can’t.” Tears began to stream freely from her eyes, down her cheeks, wetting her tunic. “I killed her, Rald. My cousin. The only person in my family who ever truly gave a damn about me… she was being used, manipulated by Marion, and not only did I not save her, I almost wiped her out completely!”

“But you didn’t!” Rald insisted. “She will respawn. Her spell guaranteed that. You didn’t truly kill Nora.”

“But I was going to!” Anadriel screamed, causing everyone to fall silent. She sank to her knees again, sobbing. “I… when it came d-down to it… to her or m-me… I c-chose myself. I w-was s-selfish… and Nora… she paid the price!”

And suddenly it hit her. The way she’d lived her life up to this point, using others like a stepping stone, to get to the top. And she thought of Kyle, the young, foolish, impetuous young man, so trusting, so loyal, like a dog, always there to help her when she’d needed it. He’d told her he loved her, and she’d felt flattered, but she’d never truly felt anything for him. He’d simply been a means to an end, a protector to guard her as she grew stronger then discard when someone better and stronger came along.

And yet, despite the way she’d treated him, the way she’d used him, and knowingly hurt him so many times, he’d STILL shown up again when she’d been in danger. And now, sitting on the ground, surrounded by her entire guild, loyal men and women who would follow her without questions… it was Kyle’s presence she missed, that she needed, most of all…

* * *

“Serena! Behind you!” Kyle yelled out, lashing out with a fire spell, incinerating the ghoul creeping up on her right flank. The savage turned, dodging deftly as a gray scaly skinned geist swung for her head. Growling fiercely, she countered with her spear, the holy enchantment placed on it by the shopkeeper making short work of her undead foe.

“Thanks, Master,” she said with a sigh. “Oh, and on your left,” she added, hurling her spear at him like a javelin, pinning the pair of ghouls sneaking up behind him to the nearby cave wall. Kyle whirled, frowning slightly as he dispatched them neatly with his blade. He bloody well HATED undead with a passion. His enhanced werewolf senses helped him keep track of his surroundings and sense the movements of his opponents… under normal circumstances. Undead, however, did not register as true living beings (obviously), which confounded his enhanced senses and make them difficult to track.

“Okay, I think that’s the last of ’em,” Honor said, panting slightly, stepping over the remains of a yet another geist. “All things considered, that wasn’t so bad…”

“Unfortunately, that’s not the end of it,” Kyle remarked grimly. “We’ve yet to reach the main chamber. And that’s where the boss fiend of these caverns will be lying in wait.” He glanced over at Leila, who was rubbing lightly on her side, of which he noticed a sizable dent in the armor underneath her tunic. “Leila? You okay?” he asked, walking over to take a look at it. “Geez! You must have taken one hell of a hit to do that kind of damage! Are you all right?”

Leila merely shrugged. “It’s fine. The armor took most of the impact for me. It’s just a scratch really. Besides, Master, I didn’t want to slow us down. We’re almost there, right?” She sighed softly, wincing slightly from her injured side. “I’m afraid I’m not really much good at this kind of thing. As an assassin, my forte is killing people. Against things that are already dead,” she said with a smirk, “I’m kinda at a disadvantage.”

“Har de har har,” Kyle replied with a frown, gesturing to her tunic. “The armor. Take it off. I want to take a look at the wound.”

“Ah. c’mon,” Leila protested weakly even as she obeyed, sliding off her tunic. “It’s just a scratch. I’ve had worse in practice.” When Kyle merely stood there waiting, she sighed heavily, and unbuckled her armor. Kyle winced, hissing loudly at the sight of the ugly purple bruise along her side.

“You call THAT a scratch?” he exclaimed, placing a hand gently against her side. Using a healing spell, he treated her wound, shaking his head in disbelief. “Really, Leila? I can tell just by looking at it that that had to be hurting you just to move around, let alone keep fighting! Why didn’t you say something?”

Leila glanced down. “I just… I didn’t want to be a burden, yanno?”

“A burden?”

Leila glanced up at him, her expression determined. “Master, I may not be the best person to this kind of battle, but I sure as hell intend to do everything I can to help you. You already made it clear that this is important to you, finding the relics of the past left behind by the Dragon gods. I know full well what you’re sacrificing in choosing to do this for Serena and myself rather than going after your friend.” She sighed, shaking her head. “If I can’t be a benefit to you in this quest then the least I can do is not be a burden to you.”

Kyle shook his head in amazement. While the injury wasn’t serious or debilitating, it was certainly painful, and in a tender spot. Yet she was so focused on not slowing them down that she was able to keep quiet about it and continue on without protest, merely because she wanted to do her best for him. Sighing softly, he pulled her into a deep embrace.

“Leila,” he said softly as she melted into him, “you’re not a burden. And I’m sorry to you—and you too, Serena,” he added, glancing at her as well, “if I made either of you feel in any way that you were. Yeah, my attention is kinda pulled into two directions at once right now. Yes, I am worried about Dri. But you, and Serena and Honor… you’re all just as important to me as she is. And yes, finding a way to stop Marion once and for all is an important goal, and hopefully solving the mystery of the Dragon gods will give me the ability to do that. But, again, that’s no more important to me than helping the two of you. I need to find a way to free you from this enslavement… to give you both your lives back.”

Leila nodded softly, sliding her armor and tunic back on as Kyle released her. Fully dressed again, she glanced at him sidelong and sighed. “Well, Master, since you’re bound and determined, I guess I have no choice but to go along with it. But… um… will freeing us from being your slaves… will it make us the way we were before? Because if so, then I’d rather stay your slave.”

“Huh? Why’s that?” Kyle asked, frowning. “Do you actually enjoy being my helpless obedient thrall that much? I’m offering to give you back your freedom, your life, your ability to choose! Why would you possibly want to give that up?

“BECAUSE I’M A MUCH BETTER PERSON THIS WAY!!” she shouted, her frustration so evident that everyone stopped to gape at her. Taking a moment, she turned away, composing herself even as she tried to find the words to explain. “You have to understand what I was like before this. I was East Greywind’s number one apprentice... his top student. His protégé. I’m a killer. I’m a living breathing weapon, just like my teacher wanted me to be.” She sighed, looking down, unable to look anyone in the face.

“I’m an expert assassin, trained by the best of the best. I’ve killed players before—actual PDK’s, not respawns—as part of a team, but you, Master, were to be my first solo job. And I was looking forward to it... tried to make a game out of it to make it interesting. And do you know why?” She glanced up then, and Kyle and Serena started, seeing Leila’s cheeks wet with tears. “Because my life was empty,” she continued in a soft voice.

Honor and Serena glanced at one another, not sure what to say. Kyle, stunned as well, walked over to her, taking the girl again gently into his arms. “Okay. So you took on the role of an assassin. Fair enough. But it was just a job, the role for your character. It doesn’t mean you’re not a good person inside.”

Leila smiled sadly, shaking her head. “Thank you for saying that. But you’re wrong. You don’t know the whole story yet. You see… I had no one else to help me when I first started playing the Reality. No friends, no comrades, no guiding hand to help me figure things out. In the town where I started out, there were a group of older players that were the town bullies. They used to mess with me all the time, showing up anytime I was trying to level up, taking great delight in tricking me, making me fail. I got beaten so many times back then,” she said bitterly. One time, they waited until I entered this cave to try and find the Feather of Renewed Dawn, and they purposely set off a trap as soon as I walked by. I died, then respawned, just as they set it off again.” She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “They did this to me thirteen times, said they had nothing better to do with their day, and hearing me cry and scream and beg them to stop just egged them on!“

“Fuck,” Kyle hissed in sympathy, and true anger. People like that gave regular players a bad name. There were millions of people logged in to The Reality at any given time, but only a small number of them actually played the game competitively. Most used it for entertainment, or to connect and talk with old friends, like an interactive version of ‘Facebook’. Some used it for business purposes, for the world economy, and even some as a way of establishing governmental control. And then there were the jerks like the ones who’d bullied Leila, using it for kicks, for a way to mess with other people weaker than them to make themselves feel better.

“Yeah,” Leila continued after a moment. “Well, they eventually got tired of their ‘game’ and wandered off, and I got to retrieve the treasure I’d been after. I was...not really okay after that. You know what I mean? This game… it’s connected directly into your head! The e… experience of d-dying like that... over and over again... h-helpless to do anything about it...” She shuddered. “Anyway, I got my treasure,” she continued a moment later, as if completely glossing over the trauma, “and decided then and there that I wasn’t going to be pushed around anymore. I went to the DEATH guild, and met East. I offered him the feather I’d retrieved as a bounty if he would agree to kill those guys who’d bullied me for so long.” She shrugged. “I had no idea what he charged for a job. I didn’t know if I was offering too much, or too little, if he would laugh at me, or simply slit my throat. But he took a look at what I was offering, then took a long look at me, and agreed.”

“I’ll take the job,” he’d said, handing my prize back to me, “but this treasure won’t cover the price. You want me to eliminate the people that hurt you, then you agree to work for me. You join my guild, and you learn to fight, to kill, to eliminate those around you that DARE to stand in your way. You learn to become strong, to be feared... and after a year of two of service, I’ll consider the price paid.”

“So I did. I joined him. I found out I actually had a talent for it.” She shrugged. “And, well... I didn’t have much empathy for the people I was sent to eliminate. I didn’t have much empathy for anyone, period. None of the people in my town had bothered to lift a finger to help me when Joran and Devo were torturing me. They all thought it was funny. So, yeah... I embraced the life of an assassin. But my heart was never in it. The day East killed Joran and Devo for me, eliminated them from the game, forcing them to start over from the beginning, was the first time I’d smiled in the Reality. But vindication isn’t happiness. I haven’t felt true happiness at all... until now.“

She caressed Kyle’s cheek gently, leaning in to kiss him. “Whether it was intentional or an accident, you gave me purpose. You gave me a reason to exist beyond simply killing for the sport of it. Yes, I’m still an assassin, and yes, if it comes down to it, I can eliminate anyone who gets in my way. But it’s not ALL that I am now. I know that because of you, when I fight, it will be for a purpose. For a reason. So this,” she said gesturing to her healing side, “is nothing in the grand scheme of things if it helps my beloved Master achieve his goal.”

“And I feel the same way,” Serena replied, stepping forward. “I loved being a member of the Lynx Guild, not because of the wild parties or the quests or anything like that. I loved it because I belonged to something greater than myself. At least… I thought I did,” she sighed, looking at Honor, who nodded sadly. “Even in a virtual reality community, people tend to treat you differently if you’re not like them. I was treated with respect and with deference because I was Honor’s friend and her chosen second-in-command. But behind my back, I was the ‘outsider’, the non-Seripin tagalong, the Guildmaster’s charity case. I was never truly a part of them, and at the trial, when there was the slightest bit of doubt that I might have been the one behind Honor’s death, they all turned on me.”

She smiled sadly. “Strange as it may seem, Master, being your slave, your ‘helpless thrall’ as you call it, is infinitely better than being by myself, alone.” She laughed softly, ruefully. “When I first started following you, I did so with the goal of eventually joining a party with you. I’d wanted to worm my way into your good graces and team up with you, though I hadn’t exactly imagined it quite like this. And yet, like Leila, I can honestly say I am content right now with my lot in life.”

“Well, there you go, Kyle,” Honor replied gently, adding in her perspective as well. “They’re happy as they are. And even if you do find a way to break the ‘curse’ on them and restore their free will, I doubt anything will change. You’re a good guy, Kyle. They know it, and I know it. There are worse things than being the slave to a good and honorable man like you.” She chuckled softly. “All things considered, I wouldn’t mind If you used that spell on me and added me to your harem!”

“You’re joking right?” Kyle grunted, shaken by Honor’s admission. “Please tell me you’re joking!”

“Yep. I am,” she said brightly, tapping her chin lightly, as if considering. “But only half-joking. I’m not asking you to work your voodoo magic on me and turn me into a slave. But really, in all sincerity. Kyle, I don’t think I would mind overly much if you did. We’ve already established that we care for each other. And from listening to Rini and Lei, that apparently doesn’t change. If anything, the only downside for me would be that I’d be forced to listen to you when you tell me to stop or slow down,” she said with obvious amusement, “and let’s face it, babe, I’d probably be better off in the long run with someone able to reign me in now and again.”

Kyle chuckled as well. “Well, I can’t argue against THAT comment,” he admitted. “Okay. You’ve all made your points. But first things first. For now, we need to actually reach the inner chamber. Once we’ve dispatched the guardian, and found the relic, we can talk more about what happens next.”

* * *

“Gentlemen,” Stein replied, glancing at the other two members of the Pantheon, “thank you for coming. We have a situation. I trust we all know what just occurred on the Farundi Plains. After all this time of playing from the shadows, Marion has finally showed his hand, and in a big flashy and public way.” He sighed deeply. “Lady Anadriel Shalandearl was defeated in battle by Marion before the eyes of the entire world.”

“I’d say so,” East Greywind replied drily, shaking his head. “Damn fool crazy headstrong… what the hell did she think she was doing going after him that way?”

“I wasn’t entirely her fault,” Stein replied grimly. “Marion played her. He deliberately provoked her into attacking him. He set the stage, handed her the script, at sat back as she played the part. He obviously had the deck stacked heavily in his favor from the get go. Poor Anadriel had lost the match before the fight had even began.”

“Very true,” Kormak Greensteel muttered, scowling. “But my question is, why did he let her live? At the end, he could have easily finished her off and eliminated her once and for all. If he wanted her place in the Pantheon so badly—“

“That’s just it,” Stein cut in. “He didn’t want to take Lady Anadriel’s place. He wants to take down the entire Pantheon itself—all of us. He’s been planning this for months, and it would appear he is finally ready to make his move.” He grunted, slamming a fist against the table. “This fight with Dri—it was a statement, plain and simple. A public statement, saying that he is capable of going toe-to-toe with any of us, and more than willing to do so.”

“Huh. Speak for yourself, Stein,” East retorted, using a knife blade to clean his fingernails. “I wish that little twerp WOULD come after me that way. I’ve been looking for a new decoration for my mantelpiece, and I think his decapitated head would fit the spot perfectly.”

“Calm down, Greywind,” Kormak said with a grimace. “I think we need to take this threat seriously. What he did earlier today was quite impressive. Make no mistake—Anadriel might be younger than the rest of us, and a bit headstrong, but she more than earned her place as one of us. I once saw her obliterate a thousand angry trolls with a single spell casting. She is definitely no push over. And yet, her magic had absolutely no effect against Marion in their duel. How is that possible?”

“Huh, you make a good point,” East grudgingly admitted. He too had witnessed the feat Kormak had spoken of; point of fact, he had been the one to suggest actively recruiting her to become the Pantheon’s main damage dealer alongside him. “So… what was it? Did that girl, that healer, have something to do with it? Some kind of antimagic field spell, perhaps?”

“Perhaps,” Stein said slowly, frowning, his mind racing as he thought back on the fight, “but I don’t think so. Dri’s magic was the only one affected—the healer continually cast throughout the entire battle, healing and boosting Marion while weakening and debilitating Rald. And in the end, it hadn’t saved her when Dri cast a spell against her directly, killing her and forcing her to respawn.” He shook his head at that. In a duel to the death, the girl should have been eliminated permanently, not saved as a respawn token. I’d certainly like to know how Marion pulled THAT one off, he thought grimly. The audio feed hadn’t allowed them to hear the dialogue between the combatants, as no one wanted to get too close to an angry sorceress of Anadriel’s level during a fight. The only ones who likely knew how he’d done it were Marion, Anadriel, and the healer herself.

“Anyway,” he continued, “I think it was Marion himself that was able to block or negate all of Dri’s magic attacks. Remember at the beginning of the duel? He received something from one of his lieutenants, the savage, Berana. Some kind of bracelet.” He frowned deeper, considering. “For the past several months now, Marion has been all over the map, literally, searching ancient ruins and dungeons, sending his guild members to every remote area in Axaell. I’ve been trying to figure out what he was up to, trying to find a rhyme or reason to his madness, and that clue would seem to be the missing piece of the puzzle.”

“A mystical relic?” Kormak said, dubiously. “You think Marion has been searching high and low for a magic bracelet that lets him block magic? Stein, we’ve all been on epic quests in our younger days, have liberated any number of artifacts and treasures from horrendous beasts in the depths of a dungeon. In all that time I’ve never heard of anything that could possibly do what you claim this bracelet of his does. And if it were true, if he HAD somehow stumbled upon something that powerful, that overwhelmingly useful—why would his minion Berana be the one holding it? If I were him, I’d hold onto something like that myself!”

“I don’t know,” Stein admitted. “I don’t have all the pieces. This is just a working theory for now. But there is something else you all need to know. Marion has acquire something a bit more potent than just a few ancient relics. I believe he has also discovered a new type of magic—the ability to brainwash and control people’s minds.”

“Mind control?!?” East exclaimed. “Oh come on! Okay, Stein, you had me on the fence with the ancient artifact of doom… the idea that he MIGHT have found an amulet or something that nullifies magic. But mind control? C’mon man… we’re all in a video game simulation here! Any so-called ‘magic’ that could control your actions and make you do what someone else tells you to, would have to affect not only your avatar, but the person controlling it as well! And I can’t believe the system admins would allow something that would allow a person to hijack another person’s avatar that way.” He harrumphed, crossing his arms. “If anyone could simply snap their fingers or chant a few words and make anyone do whatever they wanted, this place would be pandemonium. Worse, it would put me out of business! Why bother hiring an assassin to take out an enemy when you can simply order them to kill themselves?”

“East’s job security aside,” Kormak said with a grin, “what makes you think Marion has this power? What kind of proof to you have?”

“Well, for starters,” Stein replied with a sigh, “that girl that helped him? That healer? Her name is Nora Snowfallen. She’s Anadriel’s real life cousin.”

“WHAT?!?” Both men exclaimed in shock. “Her own cousin turned on her?” East replied, incredulously. “Damn. That’s cold.” He glanced at Kormak, who sat stone still, grim-faced. “Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean she was being controlled. Family members sometimes squabble. Sharing blood doesn’t always guarantee that two people will get along—“

“That’s ENOUGH, East,” Kormak barked, growling deep in his throat. The assassin nodded, closing his mouth. “Is there anything else, Stein?” he asked, his voice void of emotion.

Stein grimaced. “Other things, little things here and there, too numerous to mention. Other eyewitness accounts of him and his people demonstrating their control over their own female members.” He paused, considering, He wanted to keep Kyle’s name out of the discussion for the time being. “This was all brought to me by a friend. A reliable source. Kormak, I know this is difficult for you, but you have to face the facts. Marion is not just crossing the line here, He’s erased it completely. He has to be stopped, now, before things go any further.”

“And what do you expect me to do, Stein?” Kormak asked, furiously, glaring at his comrade. “Gather a mob together with torches and pitch forks and hang him by the neck til he’s dead?” He shook his head. “The man’s a pest. He’s a troublemaker. But nothing he’s done violate any actual LAWS in The Reality. The duel he had against Dri was perfect legal, without any tampering. If he’d done something illegal, the system would have flagged it immediately. Anadriel set the stakes herself, and willingly accepted. And Marion even surrendered at the end, calling it a ‘draw’, even if he was a total dick about it.” He shook his head. “No, Stein. Until he makes an overt obvious move against us, we have to let this play out. The Pantheon is supposed to be above petty bickering and bullying. And as annoying as Marion is, he is still beneath our notice.” Saying nothing more, Kormak ended the conversation by teleporting away.

East and Stein sighed heavily. “Well, that went well,” East grumbled, pulling his own teleport crystal from his pocket. “Guess I dug a bit close to home with the whole ‘family’ comparison remark huh? It must not be easy having a guy like Marion in your family.” He shrugged, then paused, considering. “That stuff you said before though… about mind control? You really think it’s possible?”

“I like to think anything’s possible, East,” Stein remarked with a wry smirk. “But in this case, yes… I’d be willing to bet the farm on it.”

“Damn,” the DEATH guildmaster grunted softly. “That certainly changes things, then. This world just got a lot more interesting. Well, old friend, I’ll take to you later. Watch your back.”

“Yeah,” Stein replied as his comrade teleported away. “You too, East. You too.”

* * *

“HONOR! Don’t look! Close your eyes!” Serena yelled out.

“Gaahh… noo… too late… I… can’t…” Honor moaned softly, caught in the vampire’s gaze, feeling herself fading. The red glowing eyes seemed to fill her entire vision. Not a true hypnotic trance, she was left foggy, stunned, as if she’d just had another drinking contest with the dwarves again, and lost. Her mind was fuzzy, and her limbs were like lead, unresponsive. Even when the vampire smiled, revealing its sharp fangs, preparing to bite her and drain her life away, all she could see was it’s red glowing eyes…

“Back off, ugly!” Kyle roared, lashing out with a strike from his sword, channeling fire through it. The vampire hissed, releasing Honor, who stumbled back, shaking her head to clear it. Kyle moved to strike again, but the vampire moved with its uncanny grace, dodging, coming up behind to strike Kyle’s unprotected flank. “Uughhhn!” Kyle grunted, stumbling back, dropping to one knee. His menu flashed yellow, signifying a significant drop in his HP. True to form, the boss monster guarding the grave site was truly ‘epic’, dealing far more damage than any vampire he’d even fought before. Worse, their best attacks while causing damage, were not getting the job done. He had taken everything they had, but was still on its feet. Kyle rolled aside, narrowly dodging a follow up attack.

“Hang on, Master, I’m coming,” Leila yelled, making a leap attack, bringing her spear down towards the vampire’s heart. Unfortunately, the undead Master caught the spearhead with its hands an inch from the target. Smirking, it backhanded Leila, hard, sending her sprawling to the ground. Reversing his grip on the spear, he moved to strike her down with her own weapon, but Kyle slid in at the last second, blocking the attack the only way he could.

With his own body.

“GaaaaahhhhH!” he yelled in pain as the spear pierced his shoulder, managing to find an open spot not covered by his cuirass. Wincing, he dropped to both knees, his menu flashing red now. Grunting, he glared up at the vampire, feeling his anger and rage begin to overtake him, his werewolf side begging to be unleashed—

Only to pause and gape instead at Serena, who had somehow beaten him to the punch.

“RRRRROOOOAAAAARRRRRRRHHHAA!!” Serena roared as she changed, her delicate womanly features melting away as she went full weretiger. Her delicate feet widened and spread, forming huge paws equipped with razor sharp talons. Her skin sprouted thick orange and black stripped fur, and her mouth widened, as two long curved fangs erupted into being. Most amazing of all, behind her, her tail, lashing out wildly in her anger, split apart, forming NINE identical tails, each covered in a blaze of magical fire.

“Holy shit,” Honor exclaimed in awe and pride, “she’s a nine tail!” She laughed gleefully, as Serena unsheathe her claws and charged. “I’d kind of wondered who would end up with that after I died!” Honor Crayfellow had been the former nine-tailed werebeast, a symbol of her power and prestige, as there was only ONE nine-tailed creature in The Reality at any one time. The most powerful of its kind, the spirit of the nine-tailed beast inhabited the most worthy recipient, passed on from player to player since the game’s inception. Despite the seriousness of their plight, Honor found herself spellbound, content merely to watch her friend and lover go to town, getting to see the experience of a nine-tail’s battle rage from the outside this time.

Kyle, likewise, could only watch in awe as Serena attacked the vampire. Too fast for his own enhanced reflexes, the weretiger was moving and attacking so fast and fluidly, it made the undead creature look like it was standing still in comparison. All too soon, an inhuman cry issued forth, and with an explosion of fire and dust, the vampire crumbled, fading away to nothingness.

“Master?” Leila said sitting up, rubbing her head. “Did I get hit on the head harder than I thought, or did Serena just go berserk and finish off the uber-vampire with her bare hands?”

“No, I saw it too,” Kyle replied in stunned disbelief. “I never would have believed it, but yeah. It actually happened.”

“And you, Master? You’re a werewolf?” she asked, running a hand along Kyle’s still fur covered chin. Blushing slightly, he nodded. “When this is all over, either you or Serena need to bite me. Seriously.”

“Hehhehe. Me first,” Honor added, walking over to her friend who was slowly returning to human form. “Rini? You okay, hon?” she asked, somewhat concerned. “I know what it’s like the first time you experience the change,”

“Y-yeah, I’m ok-kay,” she replied, panting a bit. “Not quite sure… what happened. I kinda blanked out. That vampire attacked Kyle, and I saw red, and…” She blinked, suddenly remembering. “Kyle! Master, are you okay?” she asked, moving over to him, helping to gently carefully remove the spear lodged on his shoulder. “Oh no, you’re critical! Let me heal you! I have some small healing ability as well—“

“No, Serena, thank you. I’m okay,” Kyle replied with a grimace, getting back to his feet. “Save your healing magic for yourself and the others. We all took some nasty hits in this last fight. As for me, I have just enough healing magic left to get me out of the red and back to yellow,” he added, suiting word to action. “Besides, we’re done. That was the last obstacle. The treasure chamber is right through this door,” he said, placing a hand against the imprint in the small enclave, causing the seal around the door to shatter. “The danger is gone. There’s no one left to fight now. All we have to do is enter the chamber and, if Calypso is right, speak the words to reveal the hidden treasure.” He pressed lightly against the stone door, and spoke the words that Calypso had given him, causing the door to slide open seamlessly, as he and the others stepped inside. “Nothing to worry about now. And no… more… surprises?” he faltered, drawing to a stop.

A very familiar man in a long brown cloak with the hood down, sat on a large rock, eating. He had shoulder length brown sandy hair and a long thin mustache, and was eating what appeared to be a bag of Dorito’s! He nodded, waving at them. “Hey guys,” Jeffrey Danzig said around a mouth full of chips. “Sorry. I got kind of hungry waiting for ya to show up. Guess that vampire took you a bit longer to defeat than I thought.” He gestured, and the bag disappeared, replaced by a long wooden staff. ”So… questions anyone?”