The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“YOU!” Kyle growled, hackles raised as Marion and his group approached.

The Viridian Suns guildmaster merely sighed loudly, shaking his head. “Yes, Shadowchaser. It’s me. You seem surprised to see me here. Did you think I’d let you have the last dragon relic all to yourself? I can’t help but notice that your party is a bit... short,” he smirked, glancing briefly over at Leila and Serena. “And I’m not referring to that poor unfortunate little shapeshifter from the Hinterlands.”

Kyle and Serena both tensed, moving into an offensive stance, but Leila placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “He’s trying to provoke us into attacking,” she said tersely. “He has us outnumbered, and a fight now would just serve as a diversion to him slipping into the Tower while we’re busy fighting.” She let out a small breath of relief as her Master and friend both relaxed. “As for why we there are only three of us,” she said aloud, wearing a smirk of her own, “it’s because we were given a heads up on what’s needed to enter the Tower.”

Marion blinked in surprise. “Wait. What do you mean by that?” he barked. “Are you saying that there’s some special trick needed in order to proceed?”

“Exactly,” Kyle replied, calm and composed once again. “Think about it. The Ivory Tower has been one of the central landmarks of this world since its conception. In all that time, there has never been any mention of anyone being able to set foot into it. You don’t think they’d let just any fool off the street waltz in and walk away with the prize, do you?”

“And I don’t suppose you feel like sharing that knowledge, do you?” Marion groused, considering his options for a moment, before grinning again. “No matter. I’m quite sure I can learn the answers,” he said, stepping aside as a familiar blonde girl in a green and silver tunic stepped forward, “from my recently reacquired Healer.”

“NORA!” Kyle yelled out, causing the blonde to turn, her empty expressionless face shifting to a look of surprise and confusion.

“K-kyle? N... no... Master Kyle,” she said, frowning, shaking her head. “But... Marion is... Master... is... no.... Master Kyle...” She winced, clutching her head in pain. “Aaaaaahhh! No.. it... it hurts!” she gasped, her eyes flashing gold then silver, back and forth, the two magics within her fighting for dominance. “Aaaahhhh.. can’t... can’t... please...” she gasped out, sinking slowly to her knees, her body tense and shaking in apparent agony. “Please! Make! It! Stop! PLEASE!” she begged.

“What the hell!?!” Marion yelled, glaring at Kyle. “What did you do to her?”

“Me! This is YOUR doing!” Kyle snapped back. “You brought her here, knowing I would be here as well! Haven’t you heard that old saying, ‘no man can serve two masters’? The strain of being bound to both of us is tearing her mind apart!”

“Dammit,” Marion scowled, glaring at the screaming girl. “She’s not of any use to me this way,” he muttered, unstrapping his Warhammer, and, before anyone could interfere, delivered a crushing blow to the helpless girl, slaying her outright.

“Holy SHIT!” Serena yelled in disbelief as their friend and slave sister went down before her very eyes. “What the HELL is wrong with you?!?” she screamed at Marion, who calmly wiped the gore from his hammer. “She was your comrade! Your SLAVE! And you just killed her out of hand because she was no more use to you!?!”

“Hmph. You make that sound like its something new,” Barena replied softly, but loud enough for Marion to turn and glare at her, before turning back to his accuser.

“She was a wounded animal that was suffering,” he replied stiffly. “It was a mercy killing. And, if you’ll notice, her icon is a red flame, not a black skull.” He smirked. “I took certain precautions coming into this and had her cast her Transmute Death before we arrived. If I couldn’t benefit from her talents, I certainly wasn’t going to allow YOU and your group to benefit either.” He sighed, shaking his head, taking a step towards the Tower. “As much as a loathe a fair fight, I suppose this means I’ll just have to face you and your little minions on equal terms.”

Before Kyle could retort, however, a bright light shot forth from the Tower, illuminating the area, temporarily blinding them all. Crying out, Kyle shielded his eyes, wincing, as the brightness slowly faded. Huh... what the... what is this? he thought to himself, glancing around at the others in surprise. The small squad of soldiers Marion had brought with him were all frozen in place, some of them in mid-motion. And it wasn’t merely the people that had frozen. A pair of birds flying overhead had seemingly paused in midair, hovering in place.

“Kyle?” He turned, finding a scared looking Leila and Serena glancing around, just as confused. “What’s going on? Is everyone frozen beside us?”

“If by us, you mean the term collectively,” Marion answered, as he, Barena, and Vale stepped forward past their immobile comrades, “then the answer is yes.” He frowned for a moment, before snapping his fingers. “Ah! I get it! The relics,” he said, gesturing to the bracer on his arm. “This is why we can move... and how we get into the Tower! Only those worthy of obtaining and holding a Dragon relic are allowed inside!” He grinned at the expression on the others’ faces. “Well, if that’s the case, then I don’t see any reason to wait around!” With that, he charged in, running straight towards the front of the Tower.

“Huh? What ar... Son of a bitch!” Barena yelped, surprised for a moment, before running after him. “Way to clue the rest of us in... Vale, come on you brain-dead bimbo!” she yelled over her shoulder. After a moment. the reluctant Snow Elf followed along obediently as well.

“Master, shouldn’t we hurry after them?” Serena asked, concerned.

Kyle sighed inwardly, risking a quick glance back at Nora’s icon, feeling torn. Yet again, he was being forced to make a choice between staying behind someone with someone who needed him and abandoning them to do something more important, for the greater good. With a deep sigh, he nodded. “You’re right. We’ll deal with getting Nora back AFTER we’ve kicked Marion’s ass and obtained the last relic.” And hopefully either one or the other will be the way to free her from his control once and for all. With that, he and the girls sprinted to the Tower... and disappeared in a flash of light.

They walked in silence along the narrow path in human form, flanked by high cliffs on both sides, But Jeffrey Danzig could sense, almost feel it—the presence of their enemy nearby. “You OK, kiddo?” he asked the younger man finally as they drew near.

“Yeah, I am fine,” came the stoic reply, but Jeffrey knew better. James knew the enemy was strong, probably even stronger than he’d been during their first encounter, and he’d barely survived that fight. He was scared, not only of his own life but also of Jeffrey’s. Yet here he was, ready to risk it all, once again, to avenge his fallen friend.

And I’m in pretty much the same boat at the kid, JD thought to himself. Ray Faraday was the company’s Senior System Administrator for a reason. This guy’s programming skills are no joke. He gave me a run for my own money back the last time we met, and back then I still had all of my high-level functions intact. The kid’s patch job helped fill in some of the blanks left by transferring my powers to Kyle, but I’m nowhere near as powerful as I used to be.

“Don’t worry,” Jeffrey said softly, as if to himself. “We got this. We will gut the bastard.” James nodded.

They turned another corner and found him, sitting cross-legged on a large flat rock, as if musing to himself. He glanced up as they approached—his face twisting into a smile as he stood. “AHAHA! Look what the cat dragged in—the great Jeffrey Danzig! You won’t believe how long I have imagined this—fantasized this—the day I get to destroy you two.” He made a show of cracking his knuckles. “To be honest, I planned to crush pretty boy there first,” he said, gesturing at James with his chin, “then coming after you next—after the way you revealed yourself to me before leaving me to die last time I was looking forward to returning the favor! And then I would find those ice drakes and erase them from this world altogether.” He shrugged. “So, yeah, thanks. You saved me an extra trip, Jeffrey. It’s so rare to see you leave your rat hole and come out in the open like this—“

“And lose this chance to gut you like a damned fish?” JD interrupted, his own mouth contorting into a vicious smile. “No way! NOT! GONNA! HAPPEN! And for what you did to Bonnie, I’m going to make the last time seem like a gentle soothing massage at the fucking spa!”

“Ah yes... the girl,” Ray mused aloud. “You know, during my exile, I found out something really interesting—that your dear friend Jessica had had a daughter, of whom we had absolutely no prior information thanks to my own friend Razor. Can you believe it? The bastard actually HID her- replaced her files in our database with a dummy making us think she was dead and gone like her mother.” He scowled. “His loyalty to us, to the company, to ME specifically, was unquestioned. But after killing the mother, his conscience must have gotten the better of him. I could never understand that guy... him and his weird ‘moral code’.” He shrugged. “At any rate, when I returned I made a point to find her—to complete my dad’s ‘cleansing operation’, you know... tied up some loose ends? I was hoping it would lure the kid to me, but who knew little miss fish fry could bring out even you!” He laughed. “You know, I’m actually GLAD Razor did what he did. At least this way I get to fight—mmmpphhhrrgg!!”

Moving so fast he looked like a blur, Jeffrey attacked, elbowing Ray in the chest, sending him flying back into the stone hill behind him. “YOU WANTED A FIGHT?!?” he roared, his dragon side raging. “YOU WILL BLOODY WELL GET ONE NOW, BASTARD—YOUR VERY LAST FIGHT!!!”

Before Ray could recover himself, Jeffrey was on him again, punching him in the stomach, hammering him back into the wall yet again. He charged again—but this time Ray was ready, dodging to the side using a blast of fire to propel himself, landing a solid counterblow punch on him. JD flew through the air but stopped before hitting the nearby cliff by a cushion of air. Ray was already charging at him for his own attack, only to be tackled into a rock formation by James. ‘Draco ventus inanis pugnus’ he chanted.

Jeffrey knew this technique, he himself had taught it to James. Instead of using the brute force of a punch, this technique used the flat sides of the palm to exert strong vibrations into the enemy body, damaging the internal organs. Not only the technique was very damaging, the vibrations moving through his strong armor into his body, causing him to cough up blood. Sensing his own danger, Ray caused an explosion behind him, using the force to propel him forward, tackling James. Before he could follow up, however, he was again knocked back and tossed away, this time by a powerful punch from Jeffrey himself.

Ray grunted, smirking savagely as he wiped the blood from his lip. “Heh. Not bad. Two on one, you guys are actually making it interesting. You actually made my HP drop a tiny bit. But don’t get cocky. This fight is just beginning.” He gestured with both hands, which became covered in flames. “And it’s about time I got serious!”

What... in the hell...

Kyle glanced around in confusion at the small stone room he found himself in. Part of the confusion came from the fact that he, himself, was the room’s only occupant, despite the fact that he, Leila and Serena had all entered the Tower together as a group, at the exact same time. The girls were nowhere to be found, however. Not that there was anywhere they could be hidden in the small ten by ten-foot room, with a single door at the far end. Nearby, he could hear heavy thudding sounds, the sounds of stone slamming against stone, and metal against metal. Cautiously, he approached the door and took hold of the handle.

«Greetings!» a loud voice boomed, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. «Welcome to the Ivory Tower. You, who were granted entrance, have no doubt come seeking the golden treasure that lies within these hallowed walls. You have already proven yourself by braving the trials and obtaining a dragon’s relic to gain entrance. You have demonstrated your strength and power, as well as your courage and bravery. Before you lies one more trial... and a chance to test your intelligence and wisdom.» The heavy stone doors slowly opened. «Now, step forward. The first among you to overcome the traps and puzzles before you and reach the Tower’s peak may claim your prize!»

Ah... shit. So it’s a puzzle challenge, Kyle groaned inwardly. The entire room before him was littered with enchanted stone blocks, sliding back and forth, hence the heavy thudding sounds he’d heard before. Several sharpened metal blades also rotated around the opening to a door on the far end of the room. A glint of light caught his eye, and he noticed suddenly that each of the sliding stone slabs was engraved with a glowing colored rune. The explanation was obvious: hit the correct runes in the correct order to open the way to the next room. The only question was... what was the correct order? And what would happen if he got it wrong?

And of course, the stupid tower WOULD split us all up, he grumbled, sprinting around the room, taking mental note of each rune, cataloging them into his memory. At least I know Marion’s group will all be having just as much trouble getting through these puzzles as us, if not more. And the one saving grace in all of this is that I chose to bring in Serena for this. Puzzle solving challenges are right up her alley. He winced, jumping back just as a new stone slab suddenly descended from right above him, narrowly avoiding being crushed. Huh. In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to muddle through on my own for now... Crouching down, he waited until the stone slab he believed to the first slid by, and leaped...

Well, this has been a total clusterfuck, Jeffrey thought to himself, as he dragged himself back to his feet.

Across the way, James was still fighting Ray, the two exchanging blows reminiscent of a Dragon Ball Z battle, pelting each other with rapid fire hits and punches, tossing in random energy blasts for good measure. And, in true DBZ fashion, they were getting their butts kicked by the seemingly invincible Ray Faraday. JD spit blood, shaking his head. Just like fighting Frieza, back on the day, before DBZ Super, he thought grimly, and he’s still in his first form. Shit... and there’s no Goku arriving at the last second to save the day. Sighing deeply, he opened his menu, scrolling through the myriad options left to him, before grinning savagely.

“Heh. Now THAT might just leave a mark,” he mused aloud. “Besides... I was always more of a Vegeta fan anyway.” Shifting his appearance slightly, he took to the air, heading past the fighters, high up to cloud level. I just hope the kid can keep him busy for a few more seconds...

James risked a quick glance up at his uncle as he flew past, frowning slightly. He wasn’t sure what the older man had in mind, but he trusted that he knew what he was doing. Ray, however, took the moment to gloat. “Heh! Looks like the old guy was smart and took off! Not like he was much of a threat, anyway. This new avatar of mine is stronger and tougher than both of you combined! And with my ‘perpetual healing’ ability, even the small bit of damage you manage to cause me is healed before the sound of the hit has faded!” Drawing back a few feet, he raised a hand. palm first, at James. “Draco infernus: valignatir ibafarshan!”

James let out a loud cry as he was flung back, a searing pain shooting through his right shoulder, a lance of fiery orange light burning its way through his flesh. Stunned, he was unable to block Ray’s follow up, a crushing double-handed blow that sent him rocketing back down to the ground once more. Groaning, dazed, he glanced up, finding Ray hovering above him gloating... but high above, he noticed his uncle his arms pulled to the side, hands cupped together...

Wait. He knew that stance.

“Hey... Ray...” he managed, gathering his energy, preparing to move, “I have a question for you. Have you ever heard of something called a... Super Saiyan?”

Frowning, Ray paused. “Huh? A Super-What? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh, nothing,” he replied with a smirk. “Just keeping you distracted!” With that he cast a quick wind spell as he leaped sideways, shooting out of range just as Ray turned, glancing up at him.

At Jeffrey, whose body was glowing brightly with barely contained energy.

“GAAALLLICKK GUUUUNNNN FIRE!” he yelled, extending his hands forward. A beam of bright piercing light shone down striking Ray center mass, slamming him into the ground and leaving a scorched crater several yards across all around him. Panting, winded, he dropped back down to the ground below, landing next to James. “He... heh...” he managed, chuckling softly, “you know... your dad thought... I was crazy for... wanting to add... a DBZ Boudakai move list... to a role-playing game...”

James nodded, pulling a healing crystal from his pack. “Well, I for one am glad you did.” Sighing in relief as the pain faded, he glanced over at the crater. “So... do you think that blast finished him for good?” Before he could reply, however, the ground shook... and stone cracked as Ray burst up from the crater, his face and skin blackened and burnt, but still very much alive.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” JD replied wearily. “Still, he obviously felt that one. His HP is down by about half.”

“Can you do that to him again?”

JD shook his head. “Not enough gas in the tank, kid. Beam attacks take a lot of juice. I was actually hoping that would finish him off.” He sighed deeply. “Guess we’ll just have to go back to relying on physical attacks again.”

James grunted. “Any chance you could use that RUB attack you did on Marion’s goons earlier? That instant-kill ability?”

“Heh. Wish I could. But I was scanning the bastard while I was chargin’ up mah laser... and he has pretty much every status protection and guard in the book on his avatar. It’s why he’s so freakin’ hard to damage!” He scowled... then frowned, thoughtful. “I... might have a remedy for that, actually,” he said softly, as Ray, finally free, began heading back towards them. “It’s kind of messy... definitely an ‘all or nothing’ kind of deal. Using it will pretty much wreck my code beyond repair.” Jame glanced up at him sharply, “but it just might be our only chance—”

“NO!”

JD sighed. “James,” he began, only to be cut off again.

“No, Uncle! I already lost Bonnie. I’m not going to lose the only other family member I have!” he said firmly. “We’ll think of something else!” Eyes blazing, James surrendered control to his dragon, letting it emerge fully. JD blinked in surprise as the boy transformed, charging at Ray who, seeing his adversary change, shifted into his own dragon form.

“DAMMIT!” JD cursed loudly, leaping airborne, willing his own change, shifting into his golden dragon form. Impulsive little... you’re not the only one that lost family today, kid. he thought furiously as he spread his wings, striving to catch up to the two combatants. You’re incredibly good, but this bastard will rip you apart if you’re not careful! And as much as you want to protect me... I want to protect you more!

“Okay. It’s been an entire hour. I’m calling it.”

Amanda Faraday scowled, turning to face the four members of the Pantheon through her holographic video display. “Excuse me? What do you mean, ‘calling it’?”

“Precisely what I said, Ms. Faraday,” Kormak Greensteel replied calmly. “The two teams slated to fight in the tournament finals have been MIA for more than an hour now. By the rules of the tournament, I have to declare both sides disqualified.”

“Wait, both sides?” Anadriel protested. “But Ma... Kyle’s team,” she amended, “they’re not at fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s Marion!”

“In the end, it doesn’t really matter,” Stein reminded her, “as long as Marion is disqualified, there’s no real reason for Kyle to fight. And considering that they both disappeared together in a bright flash of light, I’m pretty sure they’re both together at the same place, doing the same thing.” he said, stressing the last part. Dri sighed but nodded, even as Amanda’s scowl deepened.

“Whatever the situation between the two teams sudden disappearance, I am not ready to simply boot them both from the competition just yet,” she stated firmly.

“Ms. Faraday,” Kormak said, “with all due respect, it’s not your decision.”

Bristling, Amanda glared at the larger bulkier man. “Oh? Isn’t it? And here I thought I was the CEO and owner of the company hosting this tournament.”

“Maybe so,” East cut in, “but this tournament still has rules... rule set up by the corporation—by your FATHER—back when this little contest was first set up. If one of the teams misses their assigned time to compete, they are considered to have forfeited and are disqualified—”

“I’m well aware of what my father put into place,” Amanda snapped heatedly. “And I’m aware of what the rules say. It clearly states one of the teams. There’s nothing about both of the competing teams missing the deadline, merely because it has never happened before!” She took a breath, calming down. “This year’s tournament has been unprecedented and unique in a multitude of ways. It’s already exceptional, in that what is usually a three-day competition has come down to the finals in just one day. And, given the lateness of the hour and the fact that both teams AND the audience, would be fatigued at this point, I believe that we should merely call it a night and continue with the finals bright and early in the morning.”

“And... and if neither team has returned by then?” Anadriel pressed.

“Well,” Amanda sighed, “if that happens, we will certainly discuss our options then. But I trust that during that time we can decide on a course of action without letting our... personal feelings interfere with our choice?”

Dri colored brightly. “And what exactly are you insinuating, Ms. Faraday?!?”

“Insinuating? No, no, my dear, I’m saying it flat out. Your judgment is OBVIOUSLY skewed in these matters, considering your obvious animosity towards the Viridian Suns and evident affection for Mr. Shadowchaser!”

Dri growled, hands clenched into fists, but Stein interceded. “Ms. Faraday, I take exception to that remark. Lady Shalandearl has remained completely unbiased throughout these entire proceedings, as have we all. Unless you’d care to question the bias of the entire Pantheon? After all, Kyle Shadowchaser is a close friend of mine, and Marion is Lord Greensteel’s brother. Are you saying that our decisions are also unfairly biased?”

Amanda closed her mouth, lips pressing tightly for several seconds before she responded. “Well stated, Lord Stein. To question one of you would be to question you all. And yet... I DO have a question as to the loyalty and sincerity of the Pantheon’s motives... considering the fact that ALL of you have been trying to shut down this tournament since the beginning!”

“Ridiculous!” Kornak shouted, rising to his feet. “How can you even—”

“I am not a fool, Kornak!” Amanda snapped, cutting him off. “I may not be logged into the world the way the rest of you are, but even so, I take notice of what’s happening under my nose. A quiet rumor has been spreading rapidly through the audience that some dangerous tragedy is set to occur before the tournament’s end, warning everyone to be alert and ready to log off at a moment’s notice if the word is given. And my sources tell me that this ‘warning’ is being perpetuated by each of your guilds out to the masses!” She turned to stare them all in the eye, one by one. “So? Do you bother to deny it?”

The four were silent for a long moment, then Kornak, sighed, stepping forward. “Very well. Let’s cut through all the bullshit then. Yes, we did, as a group, spread that warning, quietly and selectively, through to the audience. It was my decision, but we all agreed to it. Ms. Faraday, during opening ceremonies, a man claiming to be the living embodiment of the legendary Dragon Gods, appeared and threatened one of the competitors in front of a live audience. That same person killed two high-level soldiers WITH A SINGLE TOUCH! He then transformed into a DRAGON and flew off, again, in front of a live audience. And now, coincidence or not, the same person that Dragon God threatened has disappeared without a trace!” He crossed his arms. “You may have fooled the media into believing that was all just a publicity stunt, an impromptu show for the masses, but WE know for a fact that that was real. So yes, we sent out a discrete warning to everyone—not to sabotage or disrupt proceedings, but to protect the people in case the worst did actually occur!”

“I see,” Amanda replied in clipped tones. “Well, Kormak, I thank you for your candor. All things considered, you made the correct call. The Pantheon’s first loyalty is to the people, after all.” Her eyes narrowed. “But your second loyalty is to me, and the company, and I believe I find that loyalty severely lacking.” She forced a smile onto her face. “This meeting is now adjourned. I recommend you all go home and get some rest. And perhaps, you should all hope that Lord Marion and his team don’t return by tomorrow. After all... it would be such a shame if he did return, and defeated you four, claiming your title and toppling you from your post.” She paused a moment, for dramatic effect, “ I do wonder, though... where do you suppose HIS first loyalty would lie?”

Terminating the connection, she sighed heavily, before hitting her intercom. “Tell me you’re able to track him!” she barked to her System Administrator.

“Ah, er, actually... yes and no?”

Amanda’s eye twitched. “Perhaps you’d care to clarify before I send you to the unemployment line?”

“Oh! Yes, ma’am! Sorry, ma’am. Er, we can’t track him per se,” he replied quickly, “BUT we are still receiving his and his team’s transmissions. Wherever they were transported to is apparently shielded and hidden, in some parsed packet of data we can’t access. But his signal is still loud and clear. If he and anyone in his vicinity transmits one of those frequencies, we’ll definitely detect and record it, ma’am!”

“Good!” Amanda replied in relief. “See to it that you do... and maybe you’ll end up with a promotion instead of being fired!” With that, she cut transmission and lifting her wineglass, finally let herself relax.

“Master! There you are!” Serena exclaimed as Kyle finally emerged from the last puzzle room, stepping out onto the landing of the top floor. “I was beginning to get worried.”

Kyle grinned wearily. “I should have known you’d be the first one out. But... why didn’t you go through the chamber and claim the relic,” he asked, gesturing to the large heavy closed door before them. “You didn’t have to wait for me and Leila to go in—”

“She didn’t,” Leila replied ruefully, walking over to them as well, coming from around the corner. “As it turns out, there was one more little twist to this whole thing.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Her,” Serena replied with a sigh, gesturing over to the other figure in the room, previously unnoticed. Vale Stormsinger stood a few feet next to the doorway, leaning idly against the wall. “Believe it or not, she finished her puzzle room at the same time as I did, and we both made it to the doorway at the exact same time. The mysterious disembodied voice declared it a tie, and locked the door until a tie-breaker round could be decided.”

“A tie,” Marion mused aloud, coming out of his puzzle room, stomping towards them, with Barena following just behind. “Not what I’d hoped for, but still better than I expected. Blasted puzzles,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “I hadn’t expected something this convoluted... though, considering the bunch of nerds that created this simulation, I shouldn’t have been surprised.”

“Hmph,” Barena muttered sullenly. “What surprises ME is that Vale actually managed to make her way out before the rest of us. I guess the bimbo slut has more brains that I gave her credit for...”

«Congratulations!» the disembodied voice spoke again, startling everyone. «As two or more of you have managed to arrive at the treasure chamber at the same time, those of you who remain must decide among you who will proceed. Only one of you will be allowed to enter and receive the sacred relic. To those of you who have survived the challenge rooms, I offer to you one final challenge—a battle to the death! Any who perish or concede defeat will be ejected from the Tower, and the sole survivor will be admitted to claim their prize. If a winner is not chosen within the time limit, however, everyone will be ejected from the Tower.» A subtle flash illuminated the area, as a timer appeared on the walls, showing twenty minutes. and everyone’s weapons flashed red, signaling non-lethal mode had been deactivated. «Now, my brave warriors... fight on! Fight for your prize!»

A low rumble and shaking could be felt as Marion strode forth, Warhammer at the ready, the room, the clank of his armor and the dragging chains on the ground were unmistakable. “You all heard the voice. A fight to the death it is! Shadowchaser, concede defeat or taste cold steel. Either way, that one is mine, boy. Now move aside and let me at it.”

“Over my dead body.” Serena stepped up in front of him shielding her Master protectively growling as her features grew furrier and more catlike.

“That’s sort of the idea pussy cat,” Barena replied with a wicked grin. Her attire was skimpy as ever, with her giant spear at the ready. “Say hello Snowy.”

“Yes, Mistress. Hello… dickhead.” Vale’s monotone voice came through.

Barena chuckled, “Hehehe. I programmed her to call you that.”

Serena’s eyes narrowed. “She was your comrade in arms, bitch! Even if you didn’t get along, you shouldn’t take such gratification in her subjugation.” Barena rolled her eyes.

“Oh, please! If I’d been on the receiving end of Marion’s voodoo juju, you can bet your ass Snowy would be laughing hers off right now, taking great delight in making me obey her every whim!” She glanced back at Vale. “Tell the truth. How would you treat me if our roles were reversed?”

Vale smiled grandly, showing the first bit of true emotion since she’d been enthralled. “Yes, Mistress,” she replied, “I would have commanded you to strip naked and crawl around on your hands and knees, begging every person you met to suck their cock or eat their pussy, just like the dumb slutty bitch you are. Mistress,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

Barena’s eyes narrowed. “You goddamn whore... when this is all over, we’ll have to see which one of us is the dumb slutty bitch. But I do like your idea... we’ll see how much humiliation you can take before you crack—”

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Marion snapped, cutting them off. “We do not have time for this!”

This was it. The treasure they’d all sought, the last piece of the puzzle, and the key to total control. The relic was right there, just out of reach, locked behind a timed door of sorts, inaccessible for another 20 minutes, or until everyone had fallen. An eternity. Kyle drew his sword solemnly,

“Fine. Shall we?” Kyle asked, initiating a duel to the death.

“Dance? I think so.” Marion snarled.

“Let’s get funky!” Barena declared, clutching her spear.

“Fine with me!” Serena growled her weapons at the ready. “I’ll put the ‘break’ in breakdancing!

“I prefer the tango.” Leila countered quickly, drawing her blades.

“I fight at my Master... and Mistress’ command,” Vale replied simply, drawing her bow.

As everyone watched the glowing timer, seconds felt like minutes, a tension building in the room. When a loud gong sounded, and the numbers began to change, they began, charging at one another in a mad rush. Steel locked on steel as Kyle locked blades with Marion’s Warhammer for just a moment. Marion was so much faster now, Barena was immune to magic. And Vale’s relic made her shots extremely accurate and nearly impossible to dodge.

Leila had attempted to double-team Marion with her Master, striking from high above with a mighty leap but was shot off her quarry with a precise and mindless arrow from Vale. The hit had struck true, hitting a vital point, and Leila had been critically struck for almost her entire health bar despite The Amulet of Mekihl. Backing off, she cast a few quick healing spells, letting the amulet do the rest, and within seconds she was back to full again, at least for the moment.

Likewise, Serena was having her own issues with Barena. The Diadem of Arcaniss raised its wielder’s magic power to ungodly levels, making them a mystical powerhouse in battle. However, Serena’s class was very much physical-combat oriented, with few offensive spells at her disposal. None of which mattered anyway, as Barena’s relic made her immune to all magic attacks. Their fight came down to pure brute strength and physical skill, at which they seemed to be evenly matched, Barena’s berserker rage countered by Rini’s weretiger fury.

Meanwhile, Kyle, his perception, and awareness cranked up to the max, kept a mental note of how everyone was faring, and how much of their resources they had used as they duked it out. It seemed no one had the upper hand, and everything was at a fever pitch. Kyle narrowly dodged one of Marion’s strikes, grimacing. Marion had apparently done his research—these strikes were concussive, meant to knock him out, not kill him. Two strikes were all that it would take based on his health and constitution for him to be out like a light.

Time to switch things up a bit!

With a quick smokescreen spell, Kyle hid quickly, changing tactics at the drop of a dime. A loud growl issued forth from the smoke, and Marion smirked, bringing up his guard, expecting Kyle to charge him. His expression faltered, and he gaped in surprise as the slim, compact weretigress Serena leaped at him instead! Several feet away, emerging from the clouded smoke, a giant black werewolf slammed into a surprised and unsuspecting Vale Stormsinger, who was not prepared for the sudden speed and ferocity that Kyle had gained. And Barena let out a loud cry as Leila struck her from behind, attacking with a scissoring slice move of her two daggers cutting across her back into an X pattern, doing major damage.

“Heh! Clever!” Marion scowled, channeling a large chunk of his power, “but not clever enough!” he added just before slamming the ground with his Warhammer, throwing everyone off balance for just a moment. With unnatural speed, Marion threw his Warhammer faster than anyone had thought possible straight at Kyle. With the very limits of his reflexes, Kyle managed to duck below the Warhammer by reverting to his human form. On all fours, this reduced his height just enough to dodge the Warhammer, though it left him dazed for just a moment, the rapid transformation being costly. But Leila was not so lucky as Barena timed Marion’s throw with a lightning-quick feint with her spear, a well-timed leg trap, resulting in a Warhammer to the face. Leila was out like a light.

“She’ll make a fine trophy to my harem.” Marion laughed. “Not quite the beauty her mentor and trainer Falithe is, but also not NEARLY as insane. And I’ll enjoy putting her through her paces!”

Kyle could sense Serena almost about to lose her calm, but Kyle bellowed instinctually,“Serena! Zexenuma ifpesp!” A supernatural calm washed over her with Kyle’s words, and she let out a soft sigh. “Calm down. Lei is fine. Now focus, Rini. We’ve still got a world to save!”

“YES!” Amanda Faraday exclaimed in her chair, nearly spilling her wine glass. She had been closely monitoring Marion’s progress in the Ivory Tower, where he’d confirmed, verbally, that he and the others had been transported. While unable to actually SEE what as occurring or track his movements, he was still transmitting audio clearly. Best of all, it was picking up and transmitting all signals in his vicinity.

Her analysts were busy taking and recording Kyle Shadowchaser’s frequency data right now. He had finally used the relics and Dragonspeak where they could monitor him. Amanda listened as Marion laughed.

“Yes, that’s right, Serena! Focus!” Marion’s voice came through her administrative feed, “Or better yet, how about—NOT! Thric Ricin!” With the powerful Dragon Speech echoing through the chamber, Amanda smirked gleefully, imagining Shadowchaser’s expression as Kyle realized a second too late what was going on. As planned out, Marion had ordered everyone who could hear him to become mindless.

Gathering his wits, Kyle quickly shouted a counter of “Gliiwr Ricin!” Every woman in the room stumbled, clutching their head, screaming in pain. Including, Amanda noted with delight, several of her female analysts monitoring the conversation. Amanda, herself, was unaffected; she had never been in the game, thus the frequency wouldn’t affect her until all seven pieces were gathered, and by then, she’d have them all and it’d be too late for everyone else.

“Smithers, you got Marion’s data as well right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the male analyst replied, “one hundred percent accurate sample yes ma’am.”

“Good. You get a raise in my new world order, Smithers.” Amanda’s smirk smoldered like a forest in a wildfire. “Keep recording! And don’t you dare miss a single syllable of what’s being said!”

“Ah! My head!” Serena’s voice cried as the auburn-haired girl wrenched in pain. “My head is being ripped apart!” She moaned as she collapsed, slumping to her knees onto the ground.

“AHH! Fucking Shit!” Barena collapsed as well, wincing in pain, “Marion! Fuck! Turn it off!”

“Why should I?” Marion voice cackled through the speakers, “All of you are going to become my servants whether you like it or not!”

“W-What?” Barena grunted, struggling against the pain. “That... wasn’t... supposed to... include... me!” She cried out again, clutching her temples. “Aaaaahhh! Fuck! I’m... I’m loyal!” she protested.

“And you’ll be just as loyal as my deeply brainwashed thrall ... just like my darling Vale,” he replied in obvious satisfaction. “Honestly, I’d thought with Vale enslaved I’d finally get a break from your constant bickering... but I’m sure you’ll both get along just fine when your mind is broken and your will bent to serve me just like Vale and Nora.”

“Dammit!” Kyle grunted in frustration. He quickly tried another Dragonspeak counter phrase, but Marion was just as quick with a retort. All of the girls’ minds were being torn in two, pulled apart by the opposing forces of the two Dragonspeak wielders. Growing desperate, Kyle shouted as fast as he could: “Thric ricin thric daseki ihk sil vin klewkin!” Shutting the girls’ minds off and their ears too, until the end of the duel.

YES! Perfect! Plenty of data now. That’s six of the seven frequencies locked down! Now, just one last piece! Amanda smiled, as she saw all of the female researchers and tech girls listening to the feed drift into a mindless trance.

“Okay...” James said panting, picking himself up off the ground again. “I’d say we’re... making progress.” He’d transformed back into his human form again after the last sortie, too damaged and hurt to maintain his dragon aura. Withdrawing another healing crystal, he used it, regaining some of his spent strength and vitality once more. Not enough to completely heal him, no. Not by a longshot. His enemy wouldn’t relent long enough for a full recovery. But it was enough to keep him going, to keep him in the fight. Indeed, he’d probably have died by now, had his uncle Jeffrey not been running interference.

James was no pushover in physical strength, but Jeffrey knew he was much stronger, and apparently, James knew it too. Early on in the fight, he’d intended to transfer a portion of his powers over to the stronger dragon, as he had when he and Kyle’s girls had fought Lugia, but Jeffrey had refused. Instead, he’d infused James with some of his own power. “The only way we’re going to beat him is by working together,” he’d replied, “and that will only work if we’re BOTH fighting at an equal power level.” Then he’d sighed, muttering something about how ‘power levels’ weren’t really even relevant to something called the ‘Frieza saga’...

Suddenly, he glanced up as JD let out a loud roar, as he and Ray, both caught in a vicious grapple, came crashing down to the ground below. The entire area shook like an earthquake, raising a cloud of dust, and when it parted, JD stumbled forward, reverted back to his human form once again. “Dammit... thought I had ’em,” he managed, gasping, before dropping down to one knee. “The guy... just doesn’t know... when to quit. Even when you... managed to stun him for a second... and I hit him with everything I had... it wasn’t enough...” He groaned, softly, still breathing hard. “And... he always counters... with that goddamn fire. I am... not a fan of the fire...”

When they had first arrived, Ray had scanned them, finding himself superior to them in pure stats. He’d been cocky, at first; never in his wildest dreams, he would not have imagined getting the shit beaten out of him by these to lowlives. After JD’s surprise attack actually managed to hurt him, however, he’d stopped pulling his punches. Facing the coordinated attack from the two of them, having punches rain down on him from what seemed like a million hands at once, he’d resorted to tapping into his mana pool—which, by his own design, was unlimited.

“Infernum, Iram—Arvum Adustum!” he’d chanted just as the two had moved in close. The earth beneath them exploded in a volcanic eruption, its blaze attribute burning away all the protections and enhancements that they’d cloaked themselves in, leaving the two dragons momentarily dazed and vulnerable. As the dust cleared revealing him, Ray came into view, his hand holding a huge fireball which he compressed into a minuscule sphere made of light. “Yeah, that’s it,” he chuckled evilly, “a pair of sitting ducks. The perfect targets! Take this—Beelzebub’s lance!”

Recovering first, and not to be undone, Jeffrey had dug his feet into the ground, centering himself, channeling his thunder magic into his claws, making them spark and frizzle. As Ray fired, he literally caught the beam between his bare hands, containing it completely even as he was pushed back, before deflecting it to a far-off empty mountain range in the distance. Ray had gaped in pure astonishment for a second, before drawing back and regrouping to come up with a new plan of attack.

“We need to find some way to neutralize him,” James commented, tossing a healing crystal at JD. “We’ve done enough damage to kill him three times over, but with all his status protections and quick healing, when we knock him down, he’s almost fully healed by the time he gets back up!”

“Yeah, I know,” JD grunted, clutching his side. He was bleeding through his armor. He could tell. And it felt like something vital, like a part of the code keeping him together was beginning to unravel. Heh. I wouldn’t put it past the guy, he mused silently, forcing himself back to his feet. The kid’s linked to this world through his computer interface, but I’m pure data. I’m pretty sure at least one of his attacks served as a proxy to infect me with some kind of virus... something even my neural AI wouldn’t be able to fight off. If I were just an AI, I’d probably have shut down by now. But... my creator’s human brain... his ingrams... I’m more than just a damned machine! And I’m too damned stubborn to give up just yet!

Remarkably, James was having similar thoughts of his own. His avatar was likely deeply wounded, affected by the computer virus just as JD was, though not nearly as bad. The main problem was that it was interfering with his healing, as if his body were poisoned, slowly losing health as time went on. They were both fighting a war of attrition, slowly wasting away, while Ray continued on, recovering from everything they threw at him. The situation seemed hopeless...but what else could he do but fight on? He knew only too well how strong Ray was. He could not let Jeffrey face him alone. After his parents had died, the people closest to being his family were Bonnie and Jeffrey. He couldn’t save Bonnie, couldn’t protect her from the MONSTER they were facing... but he’d be damned if he had let Jeffrey die too! There had to be a way to beat Ray... there HAD to be!

“Okay, kid, it’s time,” JD stated decisively, drawing James out from his thoughts. “Remember how I said I had an idea on how to take him down, but that it was a little... risky? Well, I think we’re at the point now where it’s time to play my trump card.” Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes, his body beginning to glow brightly as he willed the change. His stature grew, rising to a height of six foot one. His hair lengthened and turned a shining silver. A black shroud enveloped his body, reforming into a jet black bodysuit with an open vest. Finally, his eyes opened, revealing eerie green cat-like pupils that seemed to glow with its own light.

“You can thank your Dad for this little scenario,” JD replied in a low husky voice unlike his own. “He actually bought the rights to this character from Square-Enix when their company dissolved back in ’45 and decided to include him in the game as a hidden unlockable. A pity he never got the chance to try him out.” Music began to play from all around them as he drew the nine-foot-long sword from its sheath at his side. “I’m going to engage him. You stay back for now and wait for your moment to strike. You’ll know when. And when you do, hit him with everything you’ve got.”

Raymond, spying JD’s new form, merely shook his head. “Got a new trick up your sleeve, I see? Well, I’m not impressed. I have to say, you two have been very entertaining... but I need to go ahead and wrap this up. I’ve seen what I needed to see... and I’ve gotten the chance to test myself against a couple of worthy opponents.” He gestured, creating a lance created from pure flame. “But playtime is over. Now, you both die!”

JD smiled slightly. “You’re right about one thing,” he stated, as the background music began to swell, and what sounded like a choir began to sing in Latin. “This ends now.”

“Uhhnnn... mmmm, fuzzy brain...” Serena mumbled as she passed out on the floor.

“Yes. As it should be,” Marion gloated smugly, removing his helmet with a smile, “women prostrated before us, Kyle Shadowchaser. This is a battle of the supremacy of our wills, and they are the instruments in which our tools play... No! In fact, the entire world is our instrument and our playground! We’re two tectonic plates set to crash against one another! But unlike in nature, you and I can’t co-exist.”

“For once,” Kyle snarled, “We agree on something. Now shut up and try and kill me.”

Marion trudged forward at a breakneck pace for a man his size wearing the armor he was, but Kyle was already gone. Marion whipped around like a raging bull, the only sound to be heard was the clanking of his armor and muffled rush of air that signaled Kyle had somehow moved. A few seconds passed like this, 5 seconds or so, then ten, then fifteen.

“Come on boy! We don’t have all day!” Marion growled. “The clock is LITERALLY ticking!”

“Fine.”

From behind Marion, Kyle emerged in the air like a bird of prey, delivering a powerful stab to Marion’s face sending him reeling. Marion brought down his powerful hammer where Kyle had been but all he got was air, as Kyle was already by his side and stabbing through a weak point in his armor, a small hole between the pauldron and the arm guard.

Marion roared with pain and swung his hammer in a circular motion, spinning wildly with rage but Kyle was already above him, delivering a swift kick to the face once again, this time adding a stab at his face which dealt massive damage. “Quit playing around, boy!” he growled. “This isn’t going to end like last time. It’s only a matter of time before I—”

With a sudden powerful thud Kyle’s avatar was smashed into the ground by Marion’s massive Hammer of the Apocalypse, pinning Kyle in place as he became more and more entrenched in the floor, helpless. Marion’s armband glowed brightly, having tapped into its power to boost his speed to a level matching his opponents.

“—get!—” Marion looked at him with an iniquitous smile.

“—what’s—” The hulking man raised his spiked hammer above his head, glistening like the golden sun.

“MINE!” And with a final slamming of the ground, Kyle’s avatar was gone.

“YEESSS!” Marion roared in triumph, hands raised in the air. “Finally! Finally, I’ve put you in your place, you miserable little cretin!” He turned around, staring down at the four women kneeling before him, all blissed-out in a semiconscious state. “And all of you now belong to me. As the saying goes, to the victor goes the spoils.” He stretched out a hand to stroke Leila’s cheek, only to wince, gasping at a sharp pain in his chest.

“Spoils? You’re exactly right,” Kyle agreed, a savage grin on his face as he twisted the blade embedded in Marion’s back. “You’re way past your expiration date!”

Marion dropped to his knees, clutching the edge of the blade sticking out of his chest in disbelief. “N-no... h-how?” he managed, as his life force plummeted into the red. “I... crushed you... into dust!”

“You crushed a temporary duplicate... a clone,” Kyle stated coldly, walking to stand in front of him. “I’m guessing you lost track of the real me when I cast that smokescreen spell earlier. I guess you should have put more ranks into your perception stats and fewer ranks in being an asshole.” He drew his sword, leveling it at Marion’s neck. “You don’t deserve mercy for actions... but I’ll still make the offer. Surrender or die.”

Marion glared back at him for a long moment, then spit on Kyle’s boots. “Do your worst.”

“Fortunately for you,” Kyle replied, delivering a single solid stroke, a deathblow, “what I do isn’t nearly what you deserve.” Sighing softly, he glanced up at the clock, then gaped in alarm. “Shit! Forty-five seconds left? Why hasn’t the door opened yet? I beat Marion... and... oh! Shit!” he said, remembering the exact wording of the Voice. “The rest of you never surrendered or conceded. I just knocked you out with Dragonspeak. For HALF AN HOUR!!” Thinking quickly, he focused on each girl and intoned: “Tyrtrol vur renthisj spical wer lexri si yenta!”

Walking over to the closest, girl, he peered straight into Barena’s blank listless face. “Barena surrenders and concedes the fight!” he spoke, holding his breathing, praying it worked.

Without hesitation, Barena repeated back his words. “Barena surrenders and concedes the fight.” In an instant, her avatar vanished, presumably teleporting her back outside the tower. Moving quickly, mindful of the clock, he repeated the same to the other girls.

“Vale surrenders and concedes the fight.”

“Leila surrenders and concedes the fight.”

“Serena surrenders and concedes the fight.”

A loud rumbling sounded just as Serena vanished, as the binding on the vault doors vanished. Kyle nearly collapsed in relief—and he still had an entire two seconds left to spare! «Congratulations! You have proven yourself to be the victor! The doors are now open to you. Come forward and claim your prize!»

Finally, Kyle thought wearily. The last one. Once I claim this final relic, this whole ordeal will finally be over. Pushing past the doors, he stepped into the chamber, then pulled to a halt, staring in surprise at a tall thin dark haired man.

“Hello, Kyle Shadowchaser,” the man said softly, his expression sad. “My name is Anthony. Anthony Sanchez. I’m one of the creators of the Reality. And I’d like to have a word with you...”