The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Okay. We’re ready to leave,” Kyle replied, glancing at the anxious and nervous faces watching him. “I’ve gone over the plan with you all a few times now, but let’s do one more just to make sure we’re all on the same page, okay?” The others nodded silently, holding back their comments. Kyle sighed inwardly. No one was enthusiastic about this plan, but this was the way he’d decided to go about it, and enthusiastic or not, he knew the others would follow his lead.

“Vale and I teleport into the Viridian Suns territory, about a mile or so away from Marion’s Castle. There we travel by foot through the forest, avoiding the nightly patrols as we make our way to the secret entrance,” he said, glancing sidelong at Vale Stormsinger, who merely smirked, nodding. “From there, we’ll be relying on the map our visitor has so graciously provided to make our way unseen and unnoticed from the lower dungeon areas to the upper levels, and on to Nora’s room. At this time of night, she should be resting, and hopefully asleep, so with any luck I can reach her without any difficulty. Once I have her in tow, we’ll make our way back down through the hidden tunnels down to the dungeon, back out the secret entrance, and once we clear the castle, we teleport directly back here. So... any questions?”

“Why do you insist on going alone?” Honor asked immediately, as if she’d been holding back blurting it out until just now. “I get that you want to move quickly, and stealthily. Believe me, I understand. But this is right up my alley. Even if my class and my stats are different now, I still have tons of experience doing this exact kind of thing! I should go with you—”

“I know, Honor,” Kyle said wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “and again, I thank you for the offer. But we have the best chance of success if we do this as a two man team, with just Vale and myself. Every person we add increases the chances of us being seen or caught.” He gave her a wry grin. “Besides, if anything goes wrong, I’ll be depending on you to sneak in and rescue me.”

“That’s not funny,” Honor grumbled, turning away, crossing her arms at her chest. When Kyle went to her, she resisted for several seconds out of pure spite before melting into him, to drive the point home. When he lifted her chin to his, and kissed her, she managed a soft sigh of protest. “Okay. We’ll do it your way... Master,” she said with resignation, “but just know, if you DO get caught and tortured, I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ first.”

“Nope. Sorry, Honor,” Serena replied with a smirk. “I already called dibs on that. You’ll have to settle for being second.”

“Third, actually,” Leila quipped, grinning sardonically. “I got second right after Rini.”

Kyle sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Fine. So, anything else, or are you all done with the comedy routine? Seriously you guys... I’d kind of hoped for a bit of encouragement from you...”

“Sorry, Master,” Calypso replied with the others, nodding. “We do all wish you success in your mission. It’s just... difficult having to sit here and wait for you to return, knowing you’re heading into the lion’s den all alone with no help at all—”

“Um, hello? Excuse me?” Vale cut in, irritated. “He’s got me, remember? The hot sexy Snow Elf serving as tour guide?”

“As she said, with NO help at all,” Anadriel replied, shooting the glowering blue skinned archer a dirty look before turning to Kyle again. “Still... I thank you for doing this. You have no idea... no... idea... how much this means to me...”

Kyle pulled her into a soft gentle hug, kissing her lightly. “Yes, actually, I do,” he murmured back, making her smile. “Just remember, Dri... it’s not JUST as a favor to you. I made a vow to rescue Nora, and I intend to follow through. She’s a good kid, and she doesn’t deserve to serve as Marion’s obedient slave. I’ll find her and bring her back to you.” Vale sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, yer the big hero,” she said, causing everyone to turn and glare daggers at her yet again, “but if you don’t hurry it up, we’ll miss our chance. We’re on a tight schedule. Even then, we need to be prepared for the unexpected. And since you’re still refusing to give me a weapon of my own to use,” she added with a scowl at Kyle, “I’m basically depending on you to protect me.”

“Exactly,” Kyle replied back with a nod. “You depending on me to keep you safe, and me depending on you to lead me down the correct path. It’s a perfect symbiotic relationship. Now then... let’s be off, shall we?”

Taking his offered hand, Vale followed him out of the caverns into the night air of the Hinterlands. “Heh. Still don’t trust me after all this, huh? That’s fine. Once we make it to Nora’s sleeping chambers, you can decide whether or not I’m trustworthy.” With that, the two teleported away in a brief flash of light.

“Ah, Ms. Faraday,” Jim Pritchett, the Chairman of the Board of Directors stated as the young attractive CEO waltzed into the meeting room approximately an hour and fifteen minutes late, “so good of you to join us. We were just about to send out a search party for you. We all hear daily on how much you value punctuality, so it was naturally a bit troubling for you to show up so late.”

Rather than take the obvious affront as a slight, Amanda merely shrugged, walking to the head of the table. “What can I say? I had a very busy night, and an early morning. But please... don’t let me hold you up. Do go ahead with your little meeting,” she said, gesturing with her right hand as her left one dug around in her purse. “Just let me know when you get to the part that pertains to me personally.”

“Of all the... this entire meeting pertains to you!” Janice Stewley, the Board Secretary snapped shrilly. “We’re here to discuss that fiasco that occurred at the Research and Development department the other day! The one that YOU personally took part in that resulted in the destructions of several billion dollars worth of equipment and caused several injuries of company staff!”

“Oh... that,” Amanda replied in a bored tone, frowning slightly, opening a side pouch on her purse, searching. “Damn... where the hell did I put that thing,” she muttered, shaking her head, before grinning, removing a small silver circular disc. “That was just a minor mishap, nothing more. A problem with faulty equipment, and a minor flaw in the design specs. Rest assured, the next prototype will not share the same issue.”

“Ms. Faraday, that is complete and utter bullshit!” Jim shouted, getting to his feet. “I have it on good authority that the prototype and all the equipment on site was in fine working order until you arrived on the scene! There was not even supposed to BE any test scheduled that day—you took it upon yourself to run an unscheduled test fire, made unscripted changes to the settings, even shut down the safety systems with some kind of virus, which YOU introduced by using a data card from an outside source!” He shook his head. “You’re not talking your way out of this, girl. This event was a disaster of unprecedented proportions, costing this company BILLIONS, and the blame rests solely on you!”

Amanda glanced around at the faces of the board members, each of them muttering softly in agreement. She had no friends here; their disdain for her was palpable. “I see,” she said loudly, closing her eyes for a moment. “So... that’s the way you wish to play this, then. And you all seem to be in agreement?” She opened her eyes and stood up, facing them all. “Let me see if I get this straight. You’re basically saying that I, the CEO, owner, and primary shareholder, deliberately sabotaged my own pet project, the project that I have personally overseen since I took over the position from my father a number of years ago? That I purposely destroyed my family’s life’s work, the final piece of technology that will solidify my place as the most powerful person on the planet, and in short, sabotaged myself? Is THAT what you are all claiming?”

“Um... I... er, I mean... that is,” Jim said, sputtering, at a loss for words. Despite the facts in the case, the woman made a very good point. Her actions over the past few days had seemed the most insanely counterproductive she could have possibly made. “Ms. Faraday, for whatever reason you had for your actions, you ARE the one responsible for all of this. And I think you owe this board an explanation.”

“You know what, James? You’re exactly right,” Amanda replied, taking up the silver disc she’d removed from her purse earlier. “So, how about this one? The so-called accident at the R&D the other day was indeed the product of sabotage... but not of my doing. I submit instead that it was the doing of THIS VERY BOARD!!” she shouted, slamming a fist down on the heavy oak desk, causing several of the members to gasp in surprise. She pressed the small button on the disc, causing it to glow, emitting a holographic three dimensional picture for everyone to see.

“Fact one. Only someone with intimate access and knowledge of the prototype could have effectively sabotaged it, and done so in a way to clearly point the finger of blame at a certain person,” Amanda replied firmly. “Here we have a picture of Dr. Edmonds meeting with you, Jim, several days before the incident, holding what appears to be a restricted and classified dossier of some kind,” she pointed out, using the disc to zoom in on the folder held in the picture. “And if I’m not mistaken, that folder contains the specifics about this special project, does it not?”

“That... that’s beside the point,” Jim replied, flustered, face reddening. “I asked the good Doctor for an update on the project, and he brought the file with him to help explain the technical jargon! There’s nothing incriminating about that at all!”

“If that was the only thing, then yes, I’d agree,” Amanda replied smoothly, bringing up another picture, “but here we have another little private pow-wow with you and Dr. Edmonds again, taken... oh! Look at the timestamp there... two hours and ten minutes after the incident. Now... I wonder why, after such a traumatic and trying experience, after losing years of his work and hearing about the injuries of so many of his friends and colleagues—which I point out, he was mysteriously absent from the site at the time it happened—he decided to come straight here to meet with you again in private.”

The other board members began murmuring again, this time voicing their own concerns. Ahah. Apparently Jim hadn’t told the rest of them everything, Amanda mused silently. I smell dissention in the ranks. That’ll make this even easier.

“Okay, okay!” Jim said finally, loudly. “So, Edmonds came to me... to voice his concerns about the accident. He said he didn’t know who he could trust, but we go back a few years. But that still doesn’t paint me as the head of this ‘conspiracy’ you’re trying to spin this into! I had absolutely no reason to sabotage this project! Hell, everyone on this Board of Directors stood to make billions in profits with its success!”

“As did I,” Amanda pointed out, coolly, shutting down his argument before it had begun. “The difference here is that if it had been a success, I would have been in charge. Me. I would have been the undisputed ruler of the world. Yes, all of you, my oh so loyal friends,” she said, voice dripping in sarcasm, “would have shared in that rule, each of you given an entire country of your choice to lord over. But you would gave all still been beholden to me.” She paused, as if considering, before letting the other shoe drop. “So... maybe the point of all of this was to remove me from the running, by dismissing me, discrediting me for this failure, and removing me as CEO so that one of YOU could assume the helm instead!” Silence. “That WAS the point of this little meeting after all, wasn’t it? You planned to vote me out for gross incompetence for the incident, right?” She clicked the disc, bringing up another picture, showing Jim Pritchett sitting down at his desk in his office.

“And then, out of nowhere—a miracle,” she said dryly, zooming in on the desk, focusing on a piece of paper on the right corner with a list of complicated formulae written on it. “Somehow, our Board Chairman would ‘miraculously’ discover a copy of the frequencies thought destroyed in the R&D explosion. He’d then restart the project and he and his best pal Dr. Edmonds would recreate the emitter and use it to take over the world.” She shut off the holographic generator, and sat down in her chair, leaning forward, eyebrow raised. “So. Jim... anything you’d like to say in your defense?”

Red faced, the balding man walked slowly across the room, pausing in front of the main window. “Well, I have to give it to you, Amanda,” he stated, using her first name, “you’ve got a very good imagination. And good work on the props as well, those doctored pictures really help to sell it. But the bottom line here is, you were responsible for what happened. You’re an arrogant, snotty, self-important, self-absorbed bitch, and everyone around you hates your stinking guts! But you were right about one thing. This meeting was for one purpose—to vote you out of office as CEO strip away control of this organization from you. And seeing as how you have no friends here, and have generally made everyone’s life a living hell, I suppose you can guess how the vote is going to go!”

“Oh, I don’t need to guess,” Amanda replied smoothly, still completely unflustered, as she removed a data drive from the disk, retrieving a second one from her purse and sliding it into the holographic drive. “I’m pretty sure I know the outcome,” she stated, switching it on, projecting a slideshow of pictures... pictures of the various board members in very telling situations. “Just the same way I know that you, Janice,” she said, glancing at the suddenly pale Secretary, “have a rather handsome and strapping young lover that you meet with every weekend when your husband is out of town on business.”

“I... no! How! How did you get this!” Janice demanded angrily.

Ignoring her, Amanda clicked to the next picture, “It’s not as bad as Clayton’s rather strong fetish for dressing up in women’s lingerie,” she said with barely repressed laughter, though several other members did indeed laugh at the elder man’s expense. “Certainly not something that your children, both of whom are running for public office, would care to see exposed to the public eye.” She sighed softly, clicking again. “Still, it’s not nearly as disturbing as our Chairman,” she stated, bringing up a picture of Jim Pritchett, standing on a street corner, in a hat and trench coat, handing a brown envelope to a man in passing. Jim said nothing, but he went noticeably pale. Amanda grinned at his expression.

“Nothing to say Jim?” she taunted him. “I happen to know exactly what that payoff was for, and who it was going to. But I’d imagine you’d rather I kept quiet on that little fact for now.” She sighed heavily, shutting down the projector. “Suffice it to say, I have something on each and every one of you. All of you have dirty little secrets, things that you’d rather never saw the light of day. So, let me make this simple for you. Go ahead and have your vote. Each one of you that votes against me will have their secret exposed and released to the world, and you’ll get to deal with the consequences of it.” She smirked, leaning back and putting her heels up on the table. “You have me in your crosshairs, ladies and gentlemen. But I’m holding a grenade. Feel free to take me down if you want. Just know... you’ll all go down with me.”

Katherine Gracie watched intently from her perch as the two individual made their way swiftly down the forest path. One hand rested idly on the side of the tree she rested in, while the other rested on the hilt of the dagger strapped to her right thigh. A small plume of breath flowed forth from her mouth, the only sign that she was actually alive and not a pale white statue placed in that spot long ago.

For the assassin known as Leila, it had been a while since she’d hunted this way. Her mentor East Greywind had insisted on it, making her keep her skills sharp, regularly testing her with surprise attacks to make sure she stayed at the top of her game. Her Master, Kyle, however, had had no use for such skills, placing more value on her as a person rather than a tool. It was sweet, and she loved him dearly for it... but it also meant that she was wasting her most important skill set. This situation with Vale, however, put her in the unique position of putting those same skills to good use.

A motion to the far left caught her attention, and she frowned, narrowing her eyes. A three man patrol of Viridian Suns was creeping stealthily through the brush, moving quietly and stealthily, definitely NOT a usual patrol, apparently tracking her Master and his so-called guide. Damn. Just what I was afraid of. That fucking bitch Vale... she’s leading Kyle directly towards them. Either she’s a fucking traitor like I thought, or she’s a fucking imbecile. Either way, I’m not just going to sit here and watch, she mused, drawing the dagger from its oiled sheath silently, without even a hint of sound. Just as the trio drew into range, she let it fly, taking out the rearmost Sun with the strike, transforming the player character into a respawn token.

Heh. Never knew what hit him, she thought, grinning wickedly, drawing two more daggers, holding back for the moment when the other two realized that their companion had fallen behind. The leader turned, then blinked in surprise, spotting the rotating respawn token where his teammate had been moments earlier. Before he could react, however, Leila release her weapons, striking the two soldiers directly in the heart, critical strikes that slew them both, leaving behind two more respawn tokens. Hmmm. Not bad. Guess its like riding a bicycle... you never really lose the skill.

Just in time, however, as Kyle and Vale stepped forward, making their way down the path where it would have intersected with the three would-be ambushers. Kyle paused, however, frowning, glancing around. “Huh? What is it?” Vale asked, pausing to look around as well. “Did you hear something?”

“I thought I had,” he murmured softly, glancing around before slowly raising his gaze up to the treetops, focusing for a moment on the tree in which Leila hid, though she knew she was too camouflaged and hidden for him to spot her. With a sigh, he glanced away, shaking his head. “Guess I’m just being paranoid. Never mind. Let’s continue on.” Vale nodded, glancing back over her shoulder before moving on.

Only once they’d left did Leila let out a soft sigh of relief. This was the third patrol she’d interceded with so far tonight. She was a bit unnerved that Kyle had stared up at the tree in which she’d been hiding, as if he’d known she was there all along... nevertheless, she’d managed to keep her presence a secret. Kyle had told them all to let him do this alone, and she couldn’t disobey him. But... she also couldn’t simply stand by and let that... damned blue skinned floozy lead him into an obvious trap.

Even if he is angry with me for interfering... I just... I can’t let him... can’t let anything happen to him... she thought grimly, her hand shaking slightly at the thought.

She took a deep breath, and forced herself to relax. Truth be told, it was her own personal hang-up that had forced her to go to such lengths to protect Kyle this way. He’d already proven himself capable of looking after himself. Hell, after going toe to toe with one of the guardian dragons, taking out a simple three man patrol squad would have been a piece of cake. No... the issue was her own insecurity.

Kathy Gracie had serious abandonment issues. Having lost both her parents at a young age, she’d been taken in by her Uncle Kevin, a much older man in his late fifties. With no children of his own, he’d done his best to care for her, and provide a safe and loving environment, though admittedly not always with success. He’d been a relative stranger to six year old Kathy, and it had taken a long time for them to truly connect. And then, just when she’d finally begun to accept him, to think of him as a father figure, someone she could lean on... he died. Cancer, inoperable, left undiagnosed for far too long to even begin anything resembling treatment. He’d declined rapidly, and faded, going from his normal healthy self with an annoying cough to dead and buried in a matter of weeks.

And then, coming to the Reality, eking out something of a name for myself, I was taken in by East, trained up as his new protégé, she mused silently, dropping down lightly from her tree, landing deftly without a sound. Another mentor, a father figure, someone to put all my trust in, all my hopes and dreams... and then at my graduation, my first solo mission, I fail... and he discards me. She sighed softly at that. Not that it was all bad. That ‘failure’ was the best thing that could have ever happened to her. Failing to kill Kyle Shadowchaser and becoming his enthralled slave had been like winning the lottery. Finally, she was with someone who truly loved and cared for her, without restrictions, and without expectation, as he’d made abundantly clear to her the night before.

But its also why I can’t bear the thought of losing him, she realized then, having a moment of epiphany. Shit... my therapist was right. Not dealing with my screwed up past really is shaping the rest of my life. Still... it doesn’t matter. I don’t want Master to die... to leave me like every other important person in my life has. That’s why I have to keep him safe. Even if it pisses him off, even if he punishes me for disobeying him... at least he’ll be around to punish me. I might not be worth much... my talents are pretty limited, but the least I can do is guard his back. Nodding to herself, she took off, sprinting through the dark forest path, keeping to the shadows as she made her way towards the castle looming in the distance...

“So, what do you think about it, Dri?” Calypso asked, swimming over to the edge of the pool where Anadriel and the others were lounging.

“Hmm? Think about what?”

“About Master starting his own guild,” she replied, coming up next to them, shedding her tail in favor of human legs once more. “Honor brought it up a while back, and we’ve been arguing over the pros and cons.”

“Starting a new guild,” Anadriel mused, considering. “Personally, I think its a great idea! I think Kyle would make a great guildmaster! And with all the talk about him right now in the media, it wouldn’t be hard to recruit members.” She sighed, smirking. “I actually think convincing him to go along with it would be the hardest part.”

“That’s certainly true,” Honor replied with a sigh. “I’ve been kind of pushing the idea, off and on, for a few weeks now, and while he hasn’t exactly vetoed it yet, he hasn’t exactly been very enthusiastic about it, either.”

Anadriel nodded softly. “Well, we have had a lot going on for the past several days,” she pointed out. “Maybe once things settle down and we have a chance to all sit down together, we can convince him that it is a good idea.”

“But have you thought about what that will mean for you if he does create his own guild?” Serena asked. “I mean, you’re the Guildmaster of the Sylvan Order. Your first loyalty will have to be to your own team. They might not look so kindly on their leader fraternizing with the ‘enemy’,” she said with a smirk, “even if you broker a treaty with him like you did with the Lynx guild.”

Dri nodded again. “I know that. And that’s why... I’ve decided to resign from the Sylvan Order.”

“WHAT?!?”

“I’m going to quit,” she repeated tersely, staring down at her feet. “I mean... yes, being able to be with Master, to join HIS guild, it’s a big part of it. But really... I’m doing this for me, too.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Ever since I was a child, my parents always instilled in me this... this need... to be the best. I always had to have the best grades, the highest marks... had to win every contest, every competition. And I always, always, had to succeed, no matter what. No matter who I had to step on, or use, to achieve my goal.” She opened her eyes again, turning to look at her friends. “I’ve carried that drive with me my whole life. It’s what lead me to join the Sylvan Order. And I worked hard to become Guildmaster, and make it one of the top Guilds in the Reality. I trained and practiced and focused, becoming the top mage adept in the entire game, and earned my place on the Pantheon. I fought and clawed my way to the very top. And not for a moment of that have I felt even a tenth of the happiness I feel just being here, with all of you, and with Kyle.”

“You know, Master will want you to do what makes you happy,” Calypso said gently, hugging her friend, “but are you really and truly sure this is what you want? You have worked so hard to get where you’re at. Are you sure you want to just... throw it all away like this?”

But Anadriel shook her head. “I’m not throwing it away,” she insisted. “If Kyle goes through with this and creates his own guild, he’s going to need help running it. It’s not easy starting from scratch, building something like this from the ground up. I’ll give him every ounce of my wisdom and experience to help him succeed, and to help him make the very vest guild in all of Axaellel!”

“Here, here,” Honor replied with a grin. “Me too! Rini and I have years of guild experience as well! I’m sure we can be of help. And... um...” she said, frowning, glancing around. “Hey, wait. I just noticed... aren’t we missing someone? Where’s Leila?”

“Um, she’s gone,” Serena replied with a shrug. “She left a little while ago.”

“Huh? When? I didn’t notice her leaving...”

“It was just before Master left with... that woman,” Calypso replied with a sigh. “Most likely, she was planning to tail him and keep an eye on them.”

“Yeah... of course she did,” Honor muttered with a roll of her eyes. Dammit! Of course SHE gets to go off all John Rambo, and follow Master to keep him safe while the rest of us have to stay put like good little girls! I was a burglar, dammit, she fumed silently, one of the best... though, actually... I guess my skills and stats aren’t as impressive in my current class. Hell, I didn’t notice her sneaking out. Maybe Kyle is better off without me tagging along...

A loud beeping sounded, coming from Anadriel’s wrist. “Ah, hell,” she muttered, opening her menu before sighing. “Well, that’s it. I set an alarm this afternoon before logging in. My time here is officially over for now. I have to go back.”

“Back?”

Dri nodded. “To the Order. As mush as I’d love to stay, I have duties I have to perform, and a mountain of paperwork that I’ve been neglecting.” She smiled sadly. “Even if I am planning to leave, I still have to fulfill my obligations while I’m with them. And... I need to talk to Rald about all this, tell him face to face what I’m feeling. I owe him that.” She shook her head. “Besides, I need to meet with Stein, Kormak and East. The tournament is in less than three days now, and the Pantheon needs to coordinate and go over the details.”

“Ah, the perils of being a big shot,” Honor replied, nodding in sympathy. “Well, hurry back when you can. And I promise I’ll contact you just as soon as Master returns with back with Nora.” She grinned. “And don’t worry about a thing. You know Kyle. He’ll bring her back safely.”

“Thank you, Honor,” she said gratefully, nodding once as she walked to the entrance and vanished.

“Okay... looks like we’re clear,” Kyle said softly, as he and Vale stepped out from behind the underbrush and approached the side of the moss covered castle wall. The last patrol had walked by only moments before, but the way was completely clear now in all directions. “All right. It’s your show now. Where’s this hidden passageway of yours?”

Vale stepped forward, a smug look on her face. “All right. Time for me to shine, eh? Well, watch closely,” she said, walking over to the solid stonework wall, placing her hands palm down against it. “Finding it from inside the castle is child’s play. The real trick is knowing how to open it from the outside. If you think about it, any good castle keep would have a secret way to escape, in case of a siege. It would be something fairly easy for the person escaping to find... AH!” she said, pressing a pair of seemingly random bricks, causing them to slightly indent, before moving down to press a third slightly lower brick, causing a loud grinding sound to ring out momentarily.

With a flourish, the Snow Elf pulled, causing the wall to split apart along a hidden seam, revealing a large but narrow opening into the castle. “As I was saying... easy to find, but only if you knew what to look for. From the inside, I could tell which ones to press... but from the outside, a casual observer would have no idea anything was even there! Clever, huh?”

“Yeah, clever,” Kyle mused as he stepped inside along side her, then watched as the entrance slid back closed once again. “And we’ll be taking the same path back down here once we have Nora in our grasp, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vale replied dismissively, glancing around the darkened chamber, as if looking for something. “Once we come back with little Miss Priss, you and she can scamper back off to your little hidden love nest. And I’ll disappear, out of your life for good,” she stated, with a bit of a huff, “just the way you and your slaves want.”

Kyle sighed softly. “Okay, what’s with the attitude?” he asked pointedly, causing her to turn. “I thought this was what you wanted. Getting your revenge on Marion by taking away his most valuable asset, showing him what a mistake it was to try and get rid of you? That was the plan, right?” Vale’s soft grunt of reply spoke volumes, however, and Kyle sighed again, and he grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to face him again.

“Disappear, huh? You’re not really planning on going away, are you?”

Vale’s eyes widened. “I... er, I mean... you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Kyle shook his head. “I think you do. You’re planning on going back to Marion when all this is over,” he said confidently, causing Vale to blush heatedly. “Despite all your big talk, you still care for him... still want to be by his side. And you somehow believe that after this—after betraying him, being responsible for him losing Nora, you think he’ll welcome you back with open arms?”

“Gah... tssshh,” Vale bristled. ”You don’t know what you’re talking about!” she hissed angrily, mindful of their stealth mission. “Marion loves me, dammit! This is all the fault of that little fucking Healer slut! Everything was just FINE before she showed up. And it will be again once she is out of the picture!”

Seeing the fire in her eyes, Kyle merely closed his mouth, letting the argument die. The girl was deluded, but stubborn in her belief. She actually reminds me a bit of Leila and Rini, and their devotion to me. The sad thing is, she’s always been this way, without any Dragonspeak or mental manipulation. She’s simply undyingly loyal to a truly nasty uncaring man. And when this is all over, he’s going to blame her, and punish her by doing what she fears most—turning her into his mindlessly obedient slave.

“Okay, if that’s over with,” she said, catching his attention once more, “we need to move.” She pulled on an iron ring and twisted, causing the wall to slide back, revealing a passageway out into what appeared to be the dungeon and prisoner interrogation cells. “The guards should all be upstairs, preparing for the shift rotation,” she whispered, leading him carefully up the stairs, “so if we move quickly and quietly, we can make it past them into the castle proper.”

“No problem,” Kyle replied softly. “Lead the way. Worse comes to worse,” he added, patting the pouch at his side, “I think I can persuade them to forget we were even here.”

“Yeah,” Vale replied back, signaling a momentary halt just before a tall man in a green Viridian Suns tunic walked past. “Good thing you decided to bring along your trinkets. Probably not a good idea trying to fight your way through every single soldier in this place on your own.”

Nodding in agreement, he followed his blonde guide through the winding twisting halls of the castle keep. There were several near misses, and a few close calls, but Vale managed to keep them from being spotted. Her route, however, seemed to be a confusing mishmash of backtracking, hidden passageways, and indirect paths. Despite Vale knowing her way, Kyle had to check the map she’d created for him regularly to keep track of where they were.

“We’re here,” she whispered quietly as they came around a corner, pausing in front of a long grand hallway lined with banners on the top floor. “Marion’s room is right down there, at the far end. And little Healer-bitch is in the room just before his, on the left hand side...” As Kyle opened his mouth to speak, Vale shook her head, “Sorry, sorry. Right hand side. Its on the left hand side when I leave my room coming from further down the hallway. We wouldn’t want to stumble into the wrong room by mistake, huh?”

Kyle nodded, sighing softly. “Well, Vale, you managed to get me here without us getting caught. I... well... honestly, I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it. I kept expecting you to pull an alarm or signal a guard or something. But you didn’t. You gave your word, and you kept it. I’m actually impressed.”

Vale’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Gee. I honestly can’t tell if I should feel complimented or insulted by that. But yeah, surprise, not EVERYTHING that comes out of my mouth is a lie.” She sighed, softening her expression. “You know, Kyle... this wasn’t... well, I mean... it was actually not so terrible hanging out with you like this. I could see us doing this again sometime... not, like, on a regular basis or anything,” she said quickly. “I can’t STAND those uptight groupies you hang out. But, yeah... I could stand doing something like this with you again.” Her grin turned wicked. “And maybe a bit of the ‘other’ part as well. I wouldn’t mind taking that cock of yours out for another test drive.”

“Um, ye-yeah,” Kyle replied blushing slightly, as they made their way to Nora’s door. “I’ll keep that in mind. And Vale? Just before we go inside, I just wanted to say thanks again. You were actually a big help tonight. Thank you.”

Vale shrugged, trying to play it off, but her lips twisted slightly into a small smile. “Heh. Well, yanno... whatever. Anything to get Marion off my ass... and get you into mine. Now then, let’s get this over with,” she said reaching for the doorknob.

“Oh, Vale? One last thing? Vdri! Hamdri Belon Miir!/”

Vale blinked. “Huh? Sorry, what did you say?”

Kyle shook his head. “Nothing, never mind. C’mon... let’s not keep Nora waiting.”

The door opened, revealing a large darkened room. A wide partition sat in a far corner next to the clothes dressed, secluded in shadow. Only a dim light shone in through a small split in the curtains of the far window. A large human shaped lump lay on the bed, however, bundled up under the covers. “Nora,” Kyle whispered softly, walking softly towards the bed. “It’s Kyle. Don’t cry out or anything. I’ve come to rescue you.” He stretched out a hand towards her carefully. “Nora, wake up. It’s me, Kyle... I’m here to... to... ahh, fuck,” he groaned aloud, taking a step back as the bed’s occupant suddenly threw back the covers, and sat up, grinning at him with a sadistic grin.

“Hello, Kyle Shadowchaser,” Barena greeted him, pointing her spear at his chest. “We meet again. And, oh, no no no, don’t bother going for your sword,” she cautioned him, as he hand started to move down to his side. “I’ve got my weapon trained on you. And at this distance, it doesn’t matter how fast you are. I can turn you into a pin cushion before you even manage to grab the hilt. And if, for some reason, I actually managed to miss,” she added as the partition opened loudly, and thirty armed soldiers filled the room, cutting off Kyle’s escape, “rest assured. They wouldn’t. Face it, kid. This time I have you dead to rights.”

Kyle growled softly, his left hand twitching, inching ever so slowly towards the pouch on the other side... when suddenly, it was snatched away, removed from his person. “Oh, and you won’t be needing THIS either,” Vale Stormsinger jeered maliciously, taunting him as she danced nimbly out of his reach, rejoining Barena and the guards. “Sorry Kyle, but you won’t be talking your way out of this one after all.”

“VALE!” Kyle growled, hands clenching into fists. “What the fuck?!? You’re siding with them? You pick NOW to turn traitor on me?”

“Traitor?” she replied in mock astonishment. “No, no, no, you have me all wrong! I didn’t betray you Kyle... I was never on your side to begin with!” She laughed gleefully at his expression. “That’s right. This was all a scam! From beginning to end I’ve been playing you like a long necked didgeridoos!”

“Then everything you said... it was all a lie?”

“No, not everything,” she admitted with a sigh. “Back in the Otaru Desert, I was definitely on Marion’s short list. I realized I needed to try something risky if I wanted to get back in his good graces. So I came up with this idea to lure his competition in the search for those relics here to the castle. I knew you were in tight with the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE, oh, excuse me, Anadriel Shalandearl,” she said with a snicker. “And after what happened with her cousin in the duel, I knew she’d do anything to get her back... and that YOU would do anything for her! All I needed to do was to get ingratiate myself to you, get in your good graces, and make the offer to lead you here.”

Kyle’s expression darkened. “So when you met us at the beach, you were just acting? You weren’t really hurt?”

Vale winced slightly. “Let’s call it method acting. I knew makeup or dye wouldn’t fool you, it needed to be real blood. So I told Marion to have Barena attack me for real, to not hold back, and go all out. And she did... in spades.”

“Not that I needed much encouragement to wail on Snowy,” Barena admitted sourly. “But neither of them bother to inform ME that this was all some stupid plot! I thought she really HAD broke camp and run off, and was trying to actually kill her! It wasn’t until I returned to get reinforcements that Marion told me the truth—that this was all some harebrained scheme to lure you here with those stupid relics in tow.”

“True enough,” Vale said, laughing. “Barefoot Bertha over there has the acting ability and subtlety of a rampaging rhino.” Barena growled, clenching her spear tightly. “At any rate, she did her part. By the time I reached you, I was in serious trouble, looking very much the part of a damsel in distress. And I knew you, Kyle... exactly the kind of person you are. You’re SUCH a noble, goody-goody hero type that I knew you couldn’t just stand by and let a helpless woman be slaughtered in front of you... even if it was someone you personally didn’t like. Even if it was someone you held a grudge again.” She laughed again. “I was risking a lot, betting that you would save me from Barena... but you didn’t let me down. You played the part of the hero, just as I’d hoped. The rest was just a matter of tempting you with the idea of playing hero again in rescuing the little Healer Brat.”

“Nora,” Kyle said with a heavy sigh, shaking his head. “She was never here to begin with, was she?” he said, glaring at Vale.

“No, I wasn’t,” the healer in question answered, causing him to whirl around as she entered the room. “I was actually down the hall in Barena’s bedroom.” She shook her head. “It was very foolish for you to come here, Kyle. Brave, and noble... but foolish. Now my Master has everything he needs to further his plans.”

”Enough of this shit,” Barena barked, stepping forward. ”We have what we came for, Let’s just dispose of this jerk and hand these relics over to Marion. It’s past my bedtime... and I’m cranky all day if i don’t get my full eight hours!”

Vale laughed again, holding out Kyle’s stolen inventory pouch, taunting him. “And the award for the best actress in a dramatic role goes to... ME! So sorry, Kyle. I guess you should have listened to your brainless little slave girls after all. It really was a mistake to come here all by yourself.”

Suddenly, Kyle’s expression changed to a smirk. “Ah, Vale. Whoever said I came here... alone? Leila, now!”

Suddenly a brief flash lit the entire room. Several of the Suns cried out in alarm, as a thick cloud of dust rose from the explosion. In the midst of the dust storm stood Leila, clad in her usual brief dark leather brassier and skirt and boots, a small white mask covering her lower face. The soldiers, still disoriented from the flash, moved to surround her... only to groan and gasp in surprise, finding themselves paralyzed, unable to move.

“Gaahah... what is this?”

“Can’t... move...”

“My arms... feel like lead... weights...”

Nora gasped in surprise, recognizing the symptoms immediately. Damn! T’kir gas! It has the others paralyzed. No matter, I can disperse the gas and counter the effects easily enough— As she raised her staff and prepared to chant, however, Kyle acted, moving over to her, a small thin stiletto clutched in his hand. Eyes wide, she tried to jerk away as he brought the dagger down towards her vulnerable neck, and winced, feeling it pierce her flesh. She stumbled back, staring at him in horror.

“You... stabbed me...” she said, eyes fluttering, as a wave of dizziness swept through her. “I... I feel... you...” she mumbled before collapsing, caught in Kyle’s arms as the troov weed poison the dagger had been soaked in did its job, sending her into a deep deep sleep. Lifting her up over his shoulder, he glanced back at Leila.

“I have Nora—we need to go! That paralytic gas will wear off in just a few seconds. We’d better be gone before it does, and someone raises an alarm, or we’ll have to fight our way out through every single Sun in this place!”

“Go, Kyle! I’m right behind you!” Leila shouted, drawing her spear. Once he’d left, she sighed heavily, walking over in front of Vale, who stood shaking, struggling futilely to move despite the paralysis. “Nice try, Snowy,” she said idly, drawing back slightly, holding the head if the spear directly in front of Vale’s face, causing her gasp in panic. “You almost pulled it off. But, well... you’re not QUITE as good an actress as you thought. You didn’t fool Master,” she said, gesturing to the pouch still held in Barena’s hands. “That’s just some costume jewelry made up to resemble the real thing. The actual relics are back at the cove.” Her eyes narrowed. “And you didn’t fool me either. Remember what I told you that night at the entrance to the cave? I said that if you betrayed us, or put my Master in harm’s way, I’d kill you?”

Vale’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as Leila’s spear ran straight through her chest, impaling her. Paralyzed, helpless, unable to defend herself, it was a critical strike. “Just so you know, I always keep my word. Its a habit I picked up from Kyle.” Leila stated, turning to walk away as Vale’s life line ran down, going from green to yellow, to red, and then to black. Sprinting down the corridors after her Master, she grinned, remembering the look on the disbelief on the Snow Elf’s face just before she faded away to be replaced by a respawn icon. You’re just lucky this damn castle is a no-kill zone, she thought fiercely. The next time we face each other out in the open, I promise you, you won’t be so lucky!