Chapter 6: Adventure
The party stepped from the main street of Home Town onto a partly paved road that led towards a forest, Ellie walking at the back clutching the dagger and trying to decide what to do with it. The three warriors, Battle Babe, Bu-Shi-Doll and Valkyrie were leading and Amazon followed a little behind, casting occasional glances back at her daughter. Then came Katana Girl, walking straight-backed, her sword in her left hand. Despite her initial wonder at the world she had entered, Ellie was feeling very much that she did not fit in, that coming here had been a bad idea and deciding to play a Seductress was even worse.
She looked up to find the Japanese girl walking beside her.
‘I think you really cool,’ Maiko said in accented English. ‘Here, I have this.’ She pulled off the silk belt pinning her kimono closed and for a moment, it billowed open giving Ellie a flash to the girl’s tight, toned body with its flat belly and smooth thighs and a flash of metal between.
‘Thanks.’ Ellie took it, using it to strap the long pointed blade to her thigh.
Maiko pulled the billowing silk together.
‘Why are you wearing metal knickers?’ Ellie asked. ‘Is it like some sort of armour?’
Maiko blushed. ‘Not metal knickers.’ She pulled her robe open again; strapped around her hips was a belt of shiny metal discs which was fastened to a metal triangle with what looked like a keyhole in the front, the point of which disappeared between her legs. The metal was highly polished.
‘You’re wearing a chastity belt?’
Maiko frowned and nodded toward her older companion.
‘How old are you?’ Ellie lowered her voice. There were rumours of under-eighteens getting past security protocols to play these sorts of games.
‘I twenty,’ Maiko said proudly, closing her robe again. ‘My second visit here. I Level 2 Warrior. Nomiki want me to be Samurai like her. She train me in all Samurai arts; katana and bow, tea ceremony, calligraphy…. But I want to be Ninja when I reach Level 3.’
‘And your mother makes you wear that.’
Maiko shook her head sadly. ‘Not mother, Nomiki my grandmother. She very strict. She let me come with her but make we wear this. She make me put it on last time and this time I appear in it. She remove it only once, shave Maiko when she staked out.’
‘Staked out?’
‘Nomiki punish Maiko when she perform badly. Stake her out at night.’
Ellie briefly wondered if she was in the minority by showing no real interest in BDSM.
‘Your mother very liberal; let you be Seductress… let you dress like…’ Maiko said, blushing again.
‘It wasn’t entirely mum’s doing…’ Ellie looked away guiltily. ‘I…made a few changes to our booking.’
Maiko grinned her dark almond shaped eyes widening then leaned in closer. ‘Did you make Valkyrie’s costume shrink too?’
Ellie grinned back. ‘I might have done.’
Battle Babe brought them to a stop a little inside the edge of the forest.
‘This is where it gets interesting people, so listen up,’ she told them. ‘There’s going to be blood so if you’re unsure or you don’t have any armour…or clothes, stay back.’ She glared at Ellie as she said this last part.
‘Val I want you on my right and Doll on the left.’ She turned slightly. ‘Amazon, it’s your first time so stay back and use your bow. Maiko, you cover her and back any of us up that is in trouble. Got it?’
Ellie watched her mother nod; there was a fierce determination in her blue eyes which Ellie wasn’t sure she’d seen before. To her left, Maiko looked expectantly at her grandmother. The woman nodded and the girl unsheathed her katana, flourishing it in the air and holding the blade before her.
Ellie suddenly found herself alone.
There was movement, rustling in the bushes around them and a chattering, clicking noise.
‘If you’re new to this you’ll find yourself doing stuff you didn’t think you could do. That’s normal. It’s the AI allowing latent character class traits to come out but don’t get overconfident and if you have special abilities that can only be used once per day, try to save them until we really need them.’
The chattering increased.
Battle Babe lifted her axe and kissed it, whispering some sort of prayer or incantation.
Then, suddenly, a small purple figure with a crocodile-like head burst out of the undergrowth. The creature was about three feet tall and wore a loose brown robe that flapped about its body; it carried a spear. On seeing them, the creature stopped momentarily then screamed something in the chattering-clicking language before running at Val.
The Viking tried to knock the attack aside with her shield but the creature ducked low and thrust its spear under her guard. Val used her sword to parry the spear and kicked out, stopping the creature in its tracks.
At that moment, half a dozen more of the creatures appeared.
‘Kobolds!’ Amazon called out. ‘They’re kobolds.’
‘Thank you Am!’ Battle Babe shouted back. ‘I know what they are, just try not to shoot us in the back as we fight them.’ Then, with a roar she charged forward, swinging her huge axe and cleaving one of the new arrivals completely in two.
Ellie watched as the creature’s top half spun in the air almost comically, purple blood fountaining.
Beside the party leader, Bu-Shi-Doll thrust her halberd forward and engaged two of the creatures, catching the spear of one with the blade and ripping it from its hand.
Behind them, Amanda hurriedly tried to nock an arrow but dropped it and, as she bent to pick it up a kobold armed with a scimitar charged in from the side.
‘Mum!’ Ellie called out but then watched wide-eyed as Maiko swung her katana to meet the creature’s blade before she drove it into its chest, turning in one graceful movement, her kimono swirling, to take on a second opponent and severing the creature’s arm with an elegant upward cut.
However, Ellie saw no more of the combat, she suddenly found a kobold advancing on her right hand side; the creature carried a sword that was only a little longer than her own dagger. The creature swung at her and she lifted the dagger to protect herself, shocked at the way the blow jarred her wrist. The creature swung again and Ellie parried, stepping back.
‘Don’t just play with it, Ellie!’ Battle Babe called. ‘Kill it.’
Behind her there was a scream as Val finished off another of the creatures. The cry distracted Ellie’s opponent and she lunged forward a little awkwardly with her dagger, catching it in the shoulder.
‘Yeah!’ Ellie felt a rush of exhilaration.
The kobold howled, baring its long pointed teeth, and licking them with its tongue. Then it attacked again leaving Ellie barely time to hold up her dagger.
‘Fuck.’ She stepped back almost falling and swinging the weapon wildly.
The creature was nearly on her, reaching out grabbing her breast.
‘Hey ! Hands to yourself!’ Ellie kicked it hard between the legs and saw it stagger back as her boot made contact.
‘Finish it.’ A voice called.
Ellie hesitated and only at the last minute saw the creature swing its blade at her.
It would have connected, ripping her belly open, if Battle Babe had not been there, knocking the blow to one side and stamping down on the creature’s arm, pinning it beneath her foot.
‘Finish it.’
The creature looked up at her.
‘Finish it.’ Battle Babe said in a low clear voice that allowed no argument. ‘You either fight or go home.’
Ellie bent and, turning her face to the side, drove her dagger into the creature’s chest. A spatter of something warm and wet hit the side of her body and face and turning back she saw purple blood well from the wound. The kobold snarled and then lay still.
Eliie felt sick and nearly vomited when she saw the purple goo splattered across her body and breasts.
‘You did well.’ Battle Babe draped an arm around her shoulder.
‘It doesn’t feel like it.’ Ellie shivered.
‘It will in a moment.’ Battle Babe squeezed her surprisingly gently and then released her.
Then, suddenly Ellie did feel good, elated even, a tingle running down her spine and surprisingly into other places too.
‘Told you.’ Battle Babe bent over her bag. ‘Here.’ She tossed Ellie a rough towel.
Ellie caught it noticing the strong smell of sweat but her need to wipe the kobold blood off overcame her natural reluctance. She found that the gore wiped off surprisingly easily. Abruptly, she remembered her mother, and turned sharply to check on her, taking in for the first time the scene of carnage around her. There were nearly a dozen small bodies, or what might add up to that number; limbs and heads lay scattered and purple blood stained the grass. Maiko had killed three and the warriors had between them taken the others, three had arrow wounds as well as sword cuts.
‘Good shooting Am,’ Battle Babe said, turning the nearest body over with her foot and bending to take a small leather purse from the unfortunate creature’s belt.
‘Thanks,’ Amanda replied smiling.
‘Well done.’ Val opened her arms to embrace the Adventuress. She still held her sword and shield and her body was spattered with purple blood.
Ellie watched as her mother entered the hug rather reluctantly.
They looted the bodies of the kobolds they’d slain and, as Ellie took the small pouch from ‘her’ kobold’s belt, she felt that same sensation as earlier just after she’d finished the kobold off. She looked round in surprise thinking someone or something had brushed past her but there was nobody near her.
‘You gain Experience,’ Maiko said. ‘It feel good.’
‘You’ll get Experience every time you inflict damage or get treasure.’ Battle Babe said. ‘You’ll also get it for using special abilities and the AI will encourage you to use them but that doesn’t mean you should squander them.’
Amanda and Ellie nodded and Battle Babe stuffed her treasure in her bag.
‘What do I do with this?’ Ellie asked, holding out the purse she’d taken from the kobold. It contained half a dozen copper pieces.
Battle Babe scowled and snatched it from her. ‘I’ll take it for now but you need to get yourself a bag.’
Ellie blushed.
‘Now come on,’ Battle Babe said, ‘let’s get down below.’
The big warrior shouldered her axe and pushed her way through some bushes at the side of the clearing. The others followed and there stood the entrance to the temple; a stone portico with a mystical symbol carved into it supported by two upright pillars. There were stone steps leading down into the darkness.
‘Don’t we need some sort of light?’ Amanda asked as Bu-Shi-Doll removed the pole from her halberd and slung it across her back, turning the weapon into a sword.
‘You mean you didn’t choose infravision as one of your skills?’ Battle Babe said.
Ellie saw her mother’s mouth open in surprise. ‘I…didn’t…’
‘She’s kidding, mum!’ Ellie said, glaring at the big warrior. ‘Elves can see in the dark. We human’s use torches.’
‘Well, if we must,’ Battle Babe said and pulled a lantern from her bag. ‘Here,’ she said handing it to Ellie, ‘make yourself useful.’
Ellie examined it for a moment then twisted the key in the base and felt the lodestone spark; a light flared.
Battle Babe looked at her in surprise and Ellie tried to stop herself grinning. ‘We newbies do know a few tricks.’
It was Battle Babe’s turn to suppress a grin. ‘Come on,’ she said leading them down into the darkness, ‘and remember, kobolds like to scare people. Don’t get spooked.’
Chapter 7: Dungeon Crawl
As far as Ellie could tell, the afternoon seemed to be a well choreographed series of encounters designed to test each member of the party with limited threats. There were skeletons and rattling bones designed to scare them but no real traps. The encounters were mostly set pieces, Bu-Shi-Doll fought and slew an ogre they’d met in one of the stone-lined corridors and Valkyrie battled a gnoll, taking a nasty wound to the arm in the process but claiming the magic sword it had carried in return. Maiko had killed three goblins with relative ease but her grandmother had been unhappy with the way she’d moved her feet at one point and given her a severe dressing down, promising punishment if she showed any more signs of clumsiness.
Amanda’s tasks had been more tests of agility; both mental and physical, climbing a creeper covered wall and working her way across a puzzle floor that collapsed when she stood in the wrong tile.
They’d found some treasure which Battle Babe had divided between them based on her judgment of their contribution which, for holding the lantern counted to very little. Ellie had begun to grumble to herself as the others accumulated treasure and experience when, as they entered the main chapel of the underground temple, she saw the lantern flame flicker and heard a scurrying noise behind. She probably shouldn’t have called out to Battle Babe as loudly as she did as a moment later they were surrounded by a dozen more.
Buoyed up by their success, the warriors hurled themselves at this new challenge and even Amanda abandoned her bow, pulling out her twin knives and wading into the fray. Ellie was forced to square off to one of the creatures that carried a wicked looking curved blade and immediately found herself dancing nervously round it rather than trying to fight it. Eventually, after Battle Babe had broken the creature's weapon with her axe, Ellie was persuaded to kill it and was rewarded with the thrill of accumulating Experience.
As they cleaned their weapons, Valkyrie swept a pile of relics into her bag and then, lifting the remains of a crumbling altar cloth, pulled out a chest. It was wooden but bound with iron bands and chained to a heavy ring in the stone floor.
‘Should we really take this stuff?’ Amanda asked, ‘I mean this is a temple, after all.’
Valkyrie rolled her eyes. ‘It’s what it’s here for.’ She tried to open the chest. ‘Locked.’ She dropped it on the floor and pulled out her sword.
‘Wait.’ Ellie stepped forward. ‘I’m supposed to have Thief Skills, let me try to open it.’
Val looked a little surprised but nodded and stepped back.
Ellie pulled out her dagger and crouched in front of the chest then pushed the tip into the lock.
Something clicked and, emboldened, she turned the blade. There was a slightly unpleasant grating sound and then a hiss. A green gas began to seep from the lock.
‘Skunk gas!’ Battle Babe called urgently turning away. ‘Out now.’
Ellie staggered back as the green cloud grew, tripping and dropping the lantern which went out plunging them into total darkness.
‘Run.’ Battle Babe ran past the altar, tossing some sort of magical light source into the air to allow them to see before pushing open a door and urging them through it.
They squeezed into a narrow passageway, Bu-Shi-Doll leading the way. The passageway was rough-hewn and they stumbled in the darkness, bruising themselves on the walls until Bu-Shi-Doll managed to light her lantern.
‘We stop here. Wait for Beeb,’ Bu-Shi-Doll said.
They paused, gasping for breath.
‘Thief skills?’ Val said sarcastically. ‘Better stick to looking pretty and carrying the lantern.’
Ellie glared at her but kept silent, her face reddening.
A few moments later, Battle Babe caught them up. ‘Everyone ok?’
Squeezing past the party in the narrow passageway was no mean feat for a woman of BB’s size in a metal breastplate. As the Warrior passed her, Ellie looked away.
‘Don’t worry kid,’ she said, ‘we all make mistakes. At least nobody got killed.’ Then she sniffed. ‘What is that…. Oh Kumval’s gusset what the fuck?’ She looked at Ellie. ‘Did you breathe some of that gas?’
‘I couldn’t help it.’ Ellie said.
‘Then you’d better stay downwind for the next few hours.’ BB pushed past and took the lead, guiding them through a maze of rough hewn passages and down several flights of steps until they emerged into a wide cavern with a river running through the centre.
‘Time to shine.’ The Party Leader looked at Amazon.
‘What?’
‘You’re the Adventuress. Fording the raging torrent is your domain. Get me a rope to the other side.’ BB paused. ‘You do have rope?’
‘Uhu.’ Amanda nodded, feeling herself blush at the thoughts she’d had when stuffing the rope into her pack. She bent and pulled it out.
‘Nice.’ Val landed a slap on Amanda’s leather covered bottom and Amanda felt herself blush more deeply. ‘Are you enjoying the feel of leather on your pussy?’
Amanda straightened, a little unsettled by this treatment in front of her new…friends.
‘Er what do I do now?’
Val rolled her eyes and took the rope, uncoiling it and looping it around Amanda’s waist.
‘I’d rather tie it round other parts of you,’ she said quietly as she knotted in place.
‘Shh.’ Amanda hissed louder than she meant to, flustered.
‘I think you mean ‘Shh, Mistress’.’ Val laughed a little too loudly.
‘Go on then.’ BB called.
‘Do I er…?’ Amanda gestured to her boots.
‘Best keep everything on. Weapons too.’ BB told her. ‘You never know what’s on the other side.’
Amanda felt a prick of fear and glanced across the river into the darkness. She couldn’t see much of the other side and the roar of the water was so loud it would drown out the sound of an army approaching.
‘Ok,’ she said, reminding herself to stay in character.
She turned and walked towards the river, stepping in carefully as Val braced herself against a rock and played out the rope.
The water was cold, swirling around her ankles and soon finding its way into her boots. She eased cautiously forward feeling for the bottom with her toes then stepped into nothing. Water surged around her rushing over her head, plunging into her boots and her costume as the current caught her.
‘Fuck ! Why am I so clumsy? Whoever heard of…’
She struck out, with her arms fighting to come to the surface as the river took her and then, suddenly there she was, taut on the rope. She’d felt the sensation before that afternoon, suddenly finding that she moved not with her usual clumsiness but with the abilities of her character, an Adventuress with high dexterity; coordinated, assured. She bobbed in the current for a moment then struck out for the other bank swimming with a confidence she’d not felt a moment before.
The swim was tiring and her limbs felt heavy as Amanda dragged herself from the water on the other side but she was buoyed up by the satisfaction of making it across the river and the tingle of pleasure that her body gave as she gained Experience. There was definitely something sensual in the way these ‘XPs’ as Val had called them were awarded. She smiled and ran her hands through her hair imagining herself Lucina Luscious the actor in the recent remake of Xena emerging from the river, blue eyes flashing and cleavage heaving.
It was a pity Val wasn’t there to see it close up.
Then, something brushed past her, a waft of air, and she tensed looking round wildly, fear replacing confidence as she froze for a moment then reached for her swords; the strange excitement returning at the sound they made as they slithered from their scabbards. The movement came again and she saw a flash of white like a ghost…
It gave off a faint glow. Fear rose but she fought it down telling herself it was just a kobold trick. To her right she heard something creak and as she turned a small figure ran past, little more than a shadow in the gloom. The creak came again and then another flash of white, billowing, ghost-like !
No, a torn sheet on a pulley.
The figure ran past again, smaller than the kobolds she’d fought previously. It didn’t take much to stick out her foot and the creature tripped sprawling onto its back. Amanda was standing over it before it could recover, her swords at its throat.
The creature went suddenly still, looking up at her, its yellow eyes wide, luminous discs in the darkness.
‘Nghs.’ It shook its head slightly as Amanda raised one of her swords to strike.
She could sense, perhaps smell its fear.
‘Nghs.’ It repeated meekly.
‘You ok over there Amanda?’ BB called across the river.
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ There was just enough light to see the creature but the rest of the cavern was in darkness. She kept her eyes on the kobold.
‘Pplleash,’ it said, its thick tongue running over its pointed teeth as it tried to form the word in English.
It wasn’t, Amanda noticed, wearing armour, just a woollen smock.
‘You’re not a warrior,’ Amanda said, ‘you’re a child.’
‘Schieled,’ the creature agreed, nodding.
Amanda straightened and stepped back. ‘Get out of here!’ She gestured with her sword.
The creature lay for a moment then scrambled to its feet.
‘Shanx,’ it said, then scampered off into the darkness.
‘Well done.’ Val slid an arm round Amanda’s shoulders as she watched Battle Babe swing herself up onto the bank after traversing the rope Amanda had strung across the river.
Amanda smiled at the compliment. ‘Thank you, Mistress.’ She pressed herself in lightly to her lover’s body. ‘I thank Artemis for her watchfulness.’
Val looked at her.
‘Sorry,’ Amanda said blushing, ‘it just sort of came out.’
‘It’s part of the latent character class traits.’ Val frowned, easing slightly away from her. ‘I keep swearing by Freya’s Grace or Thor’s Hammer if I’m angry.’
‘Er, yes, sorry.’ Amanda acknowledged realising why Val seemed reluctant to extend their physical contact. ‘Don’t want your mail going rusty.’
Val laughed. ’Perhaps I can help you out of those wet things later,’ she said, though Amanda thought her words sounded rather forced.
‘Promises, promises…’ Amanda said, leaning in to kiss her quickly.
‘Will you two save it for later,’ BB said, breathless after swinging on the rope in her armour with her axe strapped to her back. ‘Amanda pack up your rope then we can get moving.’
‘Yeah,’ Ellie said quietly, ‘you and Val might need it later.’
‘Yes,’ said Amanda glaring at her daughter, ‘I expect we will.’
Ellie looked at her mum in surprise but didn’t comment then turned to BB. ‘I suppose you want me to carry the lantern?’
‘If you can manage it without dropping it,’ BB said.
‘Can’t a girl make one mistake?’
‘Depends if you want to survive to the end of the adventure,’ the big Warrior replied coolly.
‘It would be nice to do something useful.’
‘The dungeon was set up for a party with a mage,’ BB said testily. ‘Mages can do light spells.’
‘Am I going to get this all the way?’ Ellie rolled her eyes.
‘That depends,’ BB said, striding forwards. ‘Let’s go. And keep it down, we’re coming to the treasure room which will be guarded. We don’t want the entire garrison coming down on us.’
Chapter 8: Ellie’s First Challenge
‘We could fight them,’ Val said, struggling to keep her voice low as her excitement rose.
They were hiding at the end of a stone corridor just out of the light cast by the torches flickering on the wall of the guard chamber ahead.
Two guards in leather armour sat on either side of a thick wooden door with heavy iron hinges and a grill that suggested it was some sort of cell.
‘There’ll be another twenty in the guardroom,’ BB warned, ‘we’d be overwhelmed.’
‘Surprise attack? Suggested Maiko hopefully.
‘We’d have to get critical strikes to avoid them crying out and I don’t think we’d get away with it.’
‘Well,’ said Ellie, ‘what shall we do?’
Well,’ BB replied, turning to face her, ‘if we had a Mage, I’d suggest she used her Sleep Spell but since we don’t have a Mage we’ll have to do something else.’ A cruel smile crept across her face.
‘What?’ Ellie felt suddenly very defensive.
‘They’re men,’ the Party Leader said, ‘you’re a Seductress…go seduct.’
Ellie screwed up her face in disgust. ‘Men? Hardly.’ They were probably the ugliest men Ellie had ever seen; scarred faces, one slightly lopsided, straggly sparse hair and bandy legs.
‘They’re half orcs,’ Battle Babe said, ‘they’re sort of human…well half I suppose.’
Ellie sighed.
‘Or we can just go home,’ BB hissed, ‘without the treasure.’
Ellie rolled her eyes but something inside made her want to do it, to show she was as useful as…. She was still being surprised at how naturally her mother seemed to be adapting all this stuff and yet, somehow, she was still unsure, out of place. However, she suddenly felt a resolve, a confidence, a need to do what was needed, a desire that was more than just a need to maintain her dignity in front of…. In front of…
She thought about the Barbarian in the town square. She had…her character, Honey, had manifested some sort of attraction to him and she’d briefly felt a power over him that was all about…sexual attraction.
‘Gross,’ Ellie muttered but she stepped forward running her hands through her hair to fill it out and adjusting her costume thinking what Honey would do.
‘We don’t have all day,’ BB hissed.
‘Ellie turned. Will you give me a break,’ she hissed back. ‘you do all that twiddling with your axe, this is just…mental preparation.’ She’d been half joking but even as she finished speaking she noticed a change in the tone of her voice, a confidence as if some new facet of herself was awakening inside her.
Amanda and Val peered round the corner watching as Ellie, now suddenly Honey. sauntered towards the men, hips swaying on her huge heeled, shiny boots.
‘I hope you’re not watching my daughter’s arse!’ Amanda whispered.
‘Says the woman who nearly fainted at the sight of her in the armoury.’
‘I didn’t know it was her.’ Amanda responded urgently, aware that, while she and Val could see her daughter’s swaying ass, the men in front of her would be watching the swing of her virtually bare breasts.
‘Beeb should have let me put an arrow in them,’ she said to Val. ‘I could have used my bow.’
‘And if you missed…’
‘Hello boys.’ Ellie’s voice was husky, not her usual midwest tone but honeyed, deeper, the perfect southern belle and the guards looked up in surprise, shifting uneasily but then appeared to perceive her as no threat.
Ellie strutted up to them. ‘And what are two hunks like ye doin’ down here in this dingy dungeon. I’d have thought two handsome, tough guys like ye would be off adventuring.’
‘We’re just NPCs, Miss. Here to guard the Kristal.’ The less ugly of the two answered.
‘You didn’t have to tell her that,’ the other said rather more loudly than was necessary. ‘She thought we were adventurers,’ the guard who’d first spoken seemed pleased.
‘Oh, I’m just a liddle girl, whaddo I know what big boys like ye get up to.’ Honey toyed with her hair twisting it round her fingers.
‘Nice touch. The hair thing,’ Val said.
‘That’s my girl,’ Amanda said, torn between parental pride and the desire to protect or perhaps admonish her daughter.
‘It’s the latent character traits emerging,’ Val said. Then she grinned. ‘Unless Ellie is in the habit of picking up strange men.’
Amanda glared at her.
‘We have some ale, Miss, if you’d like to join us,’ the less ugly of the guards was saying as he held up a flask and brushed the few strands of spindly hair he possessed across his scarred scalp.
‘Whad lovely kind boys ye are.’ Honey reached behind her neck and Amanda watched as her daughter’s costume appeared to burst into flames, magic running along the fine gold threads that held it in place.
‘Oops,’ Honey said, ‘I don’d know why that keeps happening.’
‘Way too early,’ Val whispered as the uglier and clearly brighter of the two guards gave Honey a slightly suspicious look. ‘Haven’t you told her about not giving away the goods until she has them hooked?’
Amanda stifled a comment, watching as Honey put her foot up on the bench the guards were sitting on, her thigh resting against the nearest one’s shoulder and pulled on one of the straps of her boot. ‘I just hope it doesn’t happen to my boots or I’d be completely naked.’
‘Good recovery,’ Val commented.
Amanda said nothing.
The ugly guard looked at her warily but then he sniffed. ’You do smell nice, Miss.’
‘Do I? Well thank ye, Sir.’ Honey was surprised and wondered if it was the lingering scent of the Skunk Gas.
From her point of view, up close, the stench of the half orcs was almost overwhelming to her heightened senses and their rubbery pock-marked skin was oily and repulsive but after the events of the afternoon, Ellie felt the need to prove herself. Besides, she’d frequently lectured her mother that looks were not important. She reached round the guard’s head and drew his face into her huge breasts.
‘Ow…’ his hospitable companion felt neglected.
‘Oh, I think I can take ye both at once.’ She pulled the other guard in and kissed him on the lips pushing her tongue into his mouth. It was gross and she almost gagged but even as she did so felt the oddly pleasant tingle of XPs and more.
‘Is there somewhere a little quieter we could go?’ she asked, trying to concentrate on the rapidly growing sensation of pleasure inside her, willing it to overcome her revulsion. This was, after all, just a game. It might feel real but these were just pixels…
‘The guardroom…’
‘But all the other guards will be there,’ Honey said, feeling the sensation kindled by the XPs grow even more intense inside her and oddly excited by the idea of being the focus of attention of twenty men. She was also very aware of her nipples hardening. ‘Wouldn’t ye rather have me all to yerselves?’
‘There’s an empty cell down the corridor,’ the guard who had his head between her breasts said in a muffled voice. She could feel his tongue gently licking her.
‘We shouldn’t leave the prisoner,’ the first guard said.
Ellie looked through the grill of the cell door. In the centre of the stone prison she could see a slim, pretty blonde chained to a steel pole. The woman was dressed in high cut black knickers, hold-up stockings and heeled sandals. There was a shiny steel collar locked around her neck and another steel band around her waist; steel cuffs around her thighs and ankles held her legs close together. From her collar, chains ran down to encircle her breasts before disappearing behind her back in a bra-like arrangement; the loops round her breasts squeezing them tightly so the skin of her breasts was darker than her honey tanned skin. The steel belt anchored a chain that passed between her legs and her wrists were cuffed behind her back to this. Her gag was a black phallus mounted on the top of a pole in front of her. A chain from the pole on which the gag was mounted ran around the back of her neck and stopped her pulling away from it. Chains running from the pole to her clamped nipples kept her in place too.
‘I don’t think she’s goin’ anywhere,’ Ellie said. ‘You’ve got her chained up good an’ tight.’
‘Yes, Miss,’ The guard who was not currently licking at her breasts said, ‘we like to make sure the prisoners can’t escape.’ It was obvious he enjoyed his work.
‘They makes us do it like that so we can’t have as much fun with her as we’d like,’ the other guard added, withdrawing his face from Ellie’s breasts for a moment. ‘Though we did get to play with her tits.’ He licked at Ellie’s cleavage. ‘But they’re not as nice as yours.’
‘Perhaps ye’d like to chain me up too,’ Ellie said feeling an unexpected prickle of pleasure, ‘then ye could both play with my titties.’
‘We’d like that,’ the other guard said.
‘Come on then, boys.’ Ellie hooked a finger in the front of the first guard’s leather armour. ‘Let’s go somewhere we can have some fun.’
The guards stood, the uglier one who was clearly in charge leading the way. Ellie slipped her hand out of the other guards armour and placed her arms behind her back, turning slightly as she did do.
‘It’s just like you boys were takin’ me prisoner,’ she drawled, ’I hope you’ve lots a chains to use on me.’
‘We certainly have Miss,’ the guard behind reassured her.
At that moment Ellie stumbled.
‘Ooops.’ As Ellie fell, she reached out for the guard in front to support herself and, as she did so, her hand slid down behind his back and lifted the keys off his belt.
‘I’m so terribly clumsy,’ Ellie drawled, still leaning on the guard in front, ‘and the heels in these boots are so tall.’
She bent down and forward to adjust her boot, giving in a flash of pussy and, as she did so, slid the keys under the bench where the guards had been sitting.
Another tingle of pleasure ran through her that was so strong it felt as if one of the guards had touched her intimately though she knew they hadn’t.
‘Jest as well you’re going to put me in chains.’ She straightened up making a show of hefting her breasts and feeling an odd desire to play with her nipples. ‘I’d get into all sorts o’ trouble without big strong boys like ye to take care of me.’
Chapter 9: The Kristal
‘Where are they going?’ Amanda hissed in alarm.
‘We’ll find them soon,’ BB said, ‘I have to admit, that was good. Now, come on, let's get the Kristal. Amanda, you get the keys.’
Amanda hurried to the bench and bent forward, belatedly reaching behind her to pull down her skirt.
‘Nice,’ Val said, slapping her bottom, ‘but you’re a bit late with the seduction.’
‘My knickers came off in the river,’ Amanda whispered, showing the keys to Val.
‘Did they now?’ Val said with a grin.
Amanda had been about to hand the keys to the Viking but now simply glared at her then walked to the door and slid the key into the lock, taking in the helpless occupant of the room. She couldn’t help smiling at the sight of the blonde in her chains. She opened the door and was about to take a step inside when something made her stop. She looked down. Val pressed against her.
‘Wait, Amanda pushed her back. ‘Tripwire.’ She squatted, pointing at the thin strand blocking their path. ‘Give me some room.’
The rest of the party backed off and Amanda stepped over it then looked around feeling the now familiar thrill of Experience Points accumulating.
‘Careful as you come in.’
She stood as the others stepped carefully across the wire.
‘Go on then,’ Val urged, ‘unless you want me to do it.’ She was looking at the helpless blonde.
Amanda took another step forward and felt something move under her boot.
There was a movement to her right and she heard a click to her left.
‘Everybody down,’ Amanda shouted as she dived to the floor.
Above her, arrows shot from the walls, whizzing overhead and cracking into the wall opposite, sparks flying as the metal tips hit the stone.
‘Good call, Amanda.’ BB was the first back on her feet, battle axe in her hands. ‘Now get the Kristal.’
‘Kristal?’ Amanda looked puzzled, staggering slightly at the new rush of Experience Points. The overtly sexual tingle and the sight of the blonde in her bondage made her feel almost dizzy with pleasure.
‘The semi-naked one in the middle of the room,’ BB said, ‘I’m sure the key will fit her bonds.’
‘Kristal?’ Amanda asked again.
The helpless woman’s blue eyes flicked toward her and she nodded as much as she was able with the phallic gag in her mouth.
‘Blonde Slaves are called “Kristals”,’ BB told her, ‘after Kristal Summers.’
‘Soft porn actress from the turn of the century,’ Val added, ‘did a lot of bondage work. This is a pretty fair representation of what she looked like.’
‘Oh.’ Amanda nodded as she took in the new information. ‘I guess we’re here to rescue you,’ she said, smiling at the blonde as she searched the keyring trying to work out which keys to use.
‘We should hurry up,’ BB said.
‘Here.’ Amanda stepped behind the girl and unlocked the padlock at the back of her neck that was preventing her from removing her mouth from the phallic gag. She tried to help the girl to pull her mouth off the gag but the blonde resisted.
‘Nnggg.’
‘Oh.!’ Amanda realised. ‘The nipple clamps.’
‘Mmmm.’ The blonde nodded as much as she was able again.
‘This is probably going to hurt.’ Amanda warned as she reached to remove the nipple clamps.
‘Come on ‘Mand,’ Val urged, pushing her hands away and pulling the nipple clamps off the helpless woman’s nipples. The blonde shrieked.
‘Shhh!’ BB warned in a loud whisper from the doorway where she stood with her feet on either side of the first tripwire hefting her axe.
‘She’s probably got something for us,’ Val rubbed one of the newly freed nipples and then pinched it making the girl squeal again.
‘Val!’ Amanda said before realising what she was doing and adding in a whisper, ‘Mistress. I can do this.’
‘Suit yourself.’ Val flicked the woman’s nipple. ‘Nice tits by the way,’ She said to the blonde then turned away.
‘Sorry.’ Amanda finished freeing the Kristal from the pole but she remained collared and her wrists were still cuffed behind her back.
‘Don’t worry about all that,’ Val said, her eyes roaming over the Kristal’s body as Amanda crouched and began to free the captive woman’s legs, ‘where’s the trophy?’
‘If you unlock this bloody chain bra I’ll tell you,’ The blonde snapped looking down at her chest. Her words were slurred slightly from the effect of a long period wearing the gag. ‘I like a bit of nipple torture but this is ridiculous. How did you manage to take so bloody long to find me?’
‘There were a few hold ups on the way,’ BB called back in a low voice, ‘and can you keep your voice down? We didn’t take the stealth approach to end up being cornered by the whole guard.’
Kristal rolled her eyes and shook her head to flick her long blonde hair away from her face. ‘Blood adventurers!’ she muttered, ‘think the world revolves around them.’
‘So you do this for a living?’ Amanda asked as she began to unlock the blonde’s captive breasts.
Kristal shrugged. ‘What's not to like? I get to walk around in a body like this, spend the weekend in tight bondage and, if I’m lucky, enjoy some pretty rough sex thrown onto the bargain.’ She smiled. ‘Unfortunately, those guards were so stupid they locked the bloody chastity belt on before chaining me up.’ She peered around. ‘There aren’t any guys in your party are there?’
‘No,’ Val said, ‘but Amanda and I are up for a threesome later.’
Amanda looked up in surprise.
‘Sorry, I’m not that interested,’ Kristal said as her breasts were freed. ‘Oh fuck that feels good.’
‘So,’ Amanda said, ‘where is the…er, thing we are looking for?’
‘Where do you think?’ Kristal said, looking down. ‘Dressed like this, there’s only one place I can be hiding it.’
‘Two, I’d say,’ said Val stepping towards her. ‘Front or back?’
‘Front.’ Kristal regarded Val coolly. Her eyes were a pale blue and not unlike those of Val’s avatar.
Amanda followed the exchange, realising where the…’treasure’ was hidden. ‘You mean…?’
Reaching round from behind, Amanda lifted one of the locks on Kristal's steel belt and inserted the key. Then she unlocked the other, releasing the chain between the blonde's legs.
‘Oh!’ Kristal said, ‘that is a relief.’
Her wrists were still cuffed behind her back and fastened to the steel belt.
Val bent forward intending to pull the blonde’s black knickers down. ‘Want me to get it?’ she said to Amanda.
‘No.’ Kristal stepped back, bumping into Amanda. ‘Let the brunette do it.’ She turned and smiled at Amanda. ‘She’s cuter and, besides, her hands are warmer.’
‘You want me to…?’
‘Sweetie,’ Kristal said, ‘my hands are still cuffed and don’t try to tell me you haven’t had your fingers in a girl’s pussy before.’
Amanda felt herself blushing. She was standing behind Kristal, whose body was pressed against hers where the blonde had stepped back from Val. The woman’s skin felt warm and Amanda could smell her hair.
‘Go on sweetie,’ Kristal said, ‘you know you want to.’
Amanda slid her hands between Kristal’s legs. With the blonde’s thighs chained together, she had to wiggle her fingers inside.
‘Good girl.’ Kristal wriggled.
Amanda used the fingers of her left hand to spread the woman’s labia as those of her right slid inside. The woman’s pussy was warm and wet.
Amanda felt something firm inside the blonde’s pussy and took hold of it.
‘Oh, yes,’ Kristal said leaning backwards, ‘I might change my mind about Adventuresses.’
Amanda felt Kristal’s cuffed hands lifting her skirt and reaching for her own pussy.
‘Someones been swimming,’ Kristal said as her fingers began to play with Amanda’s bare pussy. ‘Will you be going to Thoth? We could meet up there.’
‘She’s not going to Thoth,’ BB said irritably from the door, ‘can we get on.’
‘Spoil sport.’ Kristal’s fingers slid expertly into Amanda’s pussy producing a tingle that had nothing to do with experience.
The Slave City of Thoth had piqued Amanda’s interest when she’d read about it in the guide and she wondered if it might lead to more encounters like this one before realising her mistress was watching. Quickly, she pulled a cylindrical object out of the blonde’s pussy. It was about six inches long and two inches in diameter.
‘Ooooh,’ the blonde said.
‘Interesting.’ BB suddenly appeared beside her catching hold of the cylinder and taking it from Amanda’s grasp although the brunette barely noticed.
‘Whoa!’ Amanda gasped then looked sheepishly at Val. ‘I think I might need to confess something, Mistress.’ The sensation that had just engulfed her was completely unexpected. Kristal's fingers in her pussy had been nice but not enough to make her cum and yet it had felt like an orgasm, a good one though she really didn’t understand how it had happened.
‘I think someone just lost her cherry,’ Bu-Shi-Doll said in her accented English, an amused smile on her face that was in contrast to what appeared to be her usual dour demeanour.
BB grinned broadly. ‘Welcome to the world of the Levelled.’
Amanda looked at Val uncomprehendingly.
‘You’ve just Levelled up,’ Val said, ‘it feels a bit like an orgasm. You’re now a Level 1 Adventuress.’
Amanda released Kristal’s hands and the remains of the chains confining her. The woman was still collared and still wore the steel belt and the cuffs around her wrists, thighs and ankles. She was still dressed in the sheer hose too and the stilettos. Amanda watched as the blonde pulled off her knickers.
‘I won’t be needing these.’ Kristal looked at Amanda then hefted her breasts, still indented with the marks of the chains that had encircled them and rubbed her bruised nipples gently. ‘Must be off.’
‘Er…Miss Kristal.’ Amanda said, noticing something that resembled a sheer silk robe hanging beside the cell door.
Kristal turned.
‘Don’t you want your robe?’
Kristal laughed.
‘Keep it.’
She disappeared through the door, her heels clicking on the stone floor.
‘She gets paid for that?’ Amanda asked.
‘Yeah.’ BB looked around the room. ‘Non-player characters, NPCs. Using human interfaces reduces processing requirements on the core that runs the AI. Giving them a standard body helps too. They get a small allowance and access to some of the perks of the world but have limited roles and they don’t get to progress.’
Amanda recalled the slave coffle she’d seen on their arrival. One of the slaves had clearly been another Kristal.
‘Anyway,’ BB said, ‘I guess we’d better go and find the other member of the party.’
‘Oh!’ Amanda felt a sudden rush of guilt as she realised she’d almost forgotten Ellie.
‘Come on.’ BB led them out of the door. ‘And remember we are still in stealth mode. There is still a garrison in the guard room down the corridor.’
Amanda followed the party out of the cell pausing to pick up the robe Kristal had left behind. It was sheer and almost completely see through but the motherly instinct in her told her that her daughter had to wear something.
Chapter 10: The Quickening
They made their way down the passageway, a square corridor some ten feet wide and ten feet high. Along each side were cell doors, each with a grill and, when Amanda peered inside, she saw other Kristals, all in various forms of bondage. There was one in a preacher stock, her hands locked just in front of her neck; she was sitting on the floor hunched over with a steel bar hooked through her elbows and behind her knees; her ankles were shackled together and she was wearing a harness gag with a big pink ball. Amanda noticed that she was dressed identically to the previous Kristal in high cut black knickers, pull up hose and black stilettos. In the next cell was another identical woman with her arms locked on either side of her head in a steel yoke; her legs were held apart by a spreader bar and she was gagged. Like the previous Kristals, she wore a steel belt with a chain running across her crotch outside her knickers. Her breasts were chained and her nipples clamped like the first Kristal they met.
‘Shouldn’t we…er, rescue them too?’ Amanda asked as they passed another cell with a Kristal chained on her belly in a kind of hogtie position maintained by a steel bar across her lower back to which her wrists and ankles were shackled. She wore a harness gag and this was pulled back via a chain to the steel bar that had been used to restrain her.
‘There not our business,’ Battle Babe told her, ‘they’ll be level goals for some other group of adventurers.’
‘You’re not the only one who enjoys a bit of tight restraint,’ Val whispered lasciviously, sliding her hand under Amanda’s skirt and patting her bare bottom.
It was at that moment that Amanda spotted Ellie.
That it was her daughter was obvious. The Kristals were pretty, even beautiful with their slim bodies and enhanced breasts and their long smooth hair and pale blue eyes. However, Ellie stood out; it was almost as if her skin glowed with a soft allure; then there were the breasts, more than twice the size of the Kristals’, and the languorous way her body moved in the chains restraining her as…
Amanda realised her daughter was being raped.
Ellie was suspended from the ceiling, hanging face down with her legs apart and her arms chained behind her back. Chains attached to shiny steel cuffs on her ankles held her legs wide open; her wrists were shackled too and another chain pulled them up above her shoulders clearly supporting much of her body weight and holding her back curved so that although her legs were more or less horizontal, her chest was almost vertical; the position made more intense by the harness gag that was chained to her wrist cuffs forcing her head back even further.
Between her widely spread legs one of the two guards was humping her, his hose round his ankles and his warty bottom moving backwards and forwards as his hands cupped Ellie’s huge nipples, using them to hold onto her as his fingers kneaded and squeezed them. The position in which she was suspended meant that her sex was rammed hard onto the guard’s cock. The cell door was open and the guard had his back to the door. The second guard stood sideways on to the door but was watching this action intently; his hose were also round his ankles and he was wanking himself slowly.
Amanda looked round feeling that she should be appalled but finding herself curiously fascinated and, bizarrely, thinking that the guard’s cock was surprisingly large and that it wasn’t fair that her daughter…
Val began to draw her blade but BB put a hand over hers and shook her head.
‘Maiko?’ The big warrior mouthed looking at Bu-Shi-Doll who nodded.
Maiko stepped forward silently and pointed to her grandmother and then at the guard by the door. Then the little oriental girl drew her katana and her grandmother drew a short katana-like dagger. Bu-Shi-Doll went first, creeping silently up behind the wanking guard; and in a moment of almost imperceptible movement she had her hand over his mouth and her blade to his throat.
The guard raised his hands to show he wouldn’t fight, leaving cock bobbing.
With the first guard taken care of, Maiko crept forward, her blade drawn. She was probably moving silently but it was difficult to tell because Ellie was screaming suddenly around her gag. No…not screaming…moaning…crying out…
Amanda fought down the urge to cover her ears.
There was no doubt Ellie was screaming with lust, the moans taking form to a string of ‘Yesh, yesh, yesh…’ as she climaxed violently and unmistakably.
The climax came just as Maiko reached the second guard, the blonde avatar impaled on his cock convulsing wildly in its chains, its…her long hair flying and her breasts bouncing in a display that appeared choreographed like some hot pornographic scene. The guard seemed close too but when Maiko placed her blade across his throat the half-orc froze just like his colleague and his hands slipped from their hold on Honey’s nipples.
Ellie’s screams rose in volume and pitch turning to screams of frustration; and she began bucking in the air ramming herself onto the guard’s cock.
Though he tried to stand completely still, the movement was enough to make the guard wobble and, when the helpless blonde rammed herself against his groin for the second time he was unable to control himself and with a look of horror came his load.
Feeling his orgasm, Honey, or was it Ellie, lost control, her own arousal peaking again, yelling into her gag as she came for a second time, blonde hair flying and huge breasts bouncing as she hammered herself against the hapless guard thrashing wildly in the chains that held her.
It was a few moments later when Ellie finally opened her eyes. Her sex was throbbing and her body suffused with a pleasure that left her barely registering the intensity of the bondage in which she was suspended. She was panting round the gag, her breath ragged as a result of her exertions. She was sure she’d felt the familiar tingle of Experience adding to the intense thrill of…of…
‘Shid,’ she gasped around her gag, realising as she did so that she was drooling. As the lust passed, she couldn’t believe the way her desires had just overcome her. By the time they had reached the cell, she’d actually been wanting to fuck the guards and when they’d begun to chain her she’d found herself becoming increasingly aroused. Dimly she recalled reading about something called the ‘quickening’, a feature of the AI to ensure character classes used their special skills: Thieves felt the urge to steal things, Warriors to fight, Merchants to Bargain, Magic Users to cast Spells… All these were rewarded too, with Experience. She’d not really thought about exactly what that meant for a Seductress but now she understood.
She shook her head, blonde hair cascading around her, and looked round wondering why everything had gone so still and quiet.
‘Oh fugg.’
Her mother, Amazonne, she remembered, was standing there with her arms folded across her chest and a frown on her face. Val stood beside her though her expression was different; ‘hungry’ Ellie might have described it; one hand rested on her groin. The huge warrior, Battle Babe, stood behind them looking amused.
‘Someone’s certainly getting into character,’ the Party Leader said with a grin.
Ellie swung herself round a little more, taking in the guard at the door with Bu-Shi-Doll behind him, with her tanto across his throat. Behind her she could just make out Maiko with her katana at the other guard’s throat; the guard’s cock was still buried inside her though she could feel it going limp.
‘Could shumebody ged me down?’ she asked around her gag.
Nobody moved.
‘Loog,’ she said with difficulty, ‘I jush god a bid carried away.’
Still nobody moved.
‘Bleash.’
Maiko gestured with her blade for the guard to step back and Ellie felt herself swing in her bonds, briefly wondering if all half-orcs had cocks that big. There had to be some advantage to being one, but then if they got to play with Kristals all day it was probably worth it; after all, they didn’t look that bad.
Maiko and Bu-Shi-Doll made the guards kneel with their hands behind their heads as Amanda and Val released Ellie, unlocking her shackles and helping her to the floor before removing her gag.
‘Thanks.’ Ellie felt herself blushing and looked shyly at her mother. ‘How much did you see?’
Amanda shrugged. ‘Most of it.’
‘Oh…’ Ellie bent to put her boots back on.
‘You seemed to be enjoying yourself,’ Val said.
‘Just getting into the role,’ Ellie said defensively, looking from Val to Battle Babe. Inside, her body felt charged and, even as the half-orc semen ran down her thighs, she knew if she could she’d have done it again. She couldn’t help looking at the second guard…the cuter one.
‘It’s the characteristics of your Class coming out.’ Val said, handing her dagger back.
‘Yeah…’ Ellie turned away. ‘Must be.’
‘Either that or your daughter really is a complete slut,’ Val added.
Amanda glared at her.
Maiko and Bu-Shi-Doll had tied the guards’ hands behind their backs, something which one of them had clearly enjoyed judging by the state of his still exposed cock. Ellie felt a sudden urge to get down on her knees and give him a chance to fully enjoy it.
‘Come on,’ Battle Babe said, ‘let’s go.’
‘What if they call out?’ Val said, drawing her longsword.
‘They won’t,’ BB said. ‘Come on.’
The party started to leave the room but Ellie couldn’t resist approaching the kneeling guards. ‘It’s been fun, boys.’
They looked up at her mournfully.
‘Oh, come on.’ She flashed a smile at the one who’d had sex with her. ‘You enjoyed it as much as I did.’ She saw him give a slight smile.
‘We usually just get hit by a Sleep Spell,’ he said.
‘If it helps I can assure you I wasn’t faking…’.
The guard smiled more broadly and Ellie turned to his partner, the one with the stiff erection. ‘And you are a very naughty boy.’ She glanced round to see the others had left the room and used her boot to tease his erection. ‘Such a shame we couldn’t have had fun together too.’
‘Ellie.’ Amanda called from beyond the door.
‘Be right there.’ Ellie checked her mother had not returned.
‘Well.’ She smiled. ‘Just the three of us again.’
‘Yes, Miss.’ The guard looked at the dagger in Ellie’s hand.
‘Don’t worry.’ She slipped behind him. ‘I’m not going to hurt you. Not unless you make too much noise.’
She crouched behind him and slid her hands around his waist pressing her breasts against his back.
‘I feel we have a little unfinished business.’ She took hold of his cock and began to stroke it gently. ‘I’ll have to be quick,’ she whispered breathily in his ear, ‘but I’m sure you understand.’ She worked his cock a little harder. ‘After all, you are a very naughty boy.’ A little harder. ‘I’d put you across my knee and spank you if I had the time.’
‘Yes, Miss.’
‘You can call me Mistress if you prefer.’
‘Yes, Mistre…’ The last sibilance was lost as the guard came his load, a surprisingly large volume of cum arcing across the room.
Ellie smiled as a tingle of Experience gave her a thrill and then kissed him on the top of his head as she stood. Then she slinked from the room, aware that the guards were watching every sway of her bottom.
‘So, are they all Kristals?’ Amanda asked as they followed a second passageway passing more helpless blondes; the first one suspended in frame, face down, legs spread, pussy against an upright pole, arms cuffed behind the pole; her arms were clad in black leather opera gloves and this one wore white knickers and white stilettos.
‘Blondes are Kristals,’ BB told her as the passed one in hogtie with her ankles and wrists cuffed to each end of a short steel bar; she wore a steel gag with a heavy duty leather blindfold that was connected by a chain to the bar behind her back pulling her head back.
‘The ones in white are new. They tend to be used with lower level quests and spend a lot of time in bondage waiting to be rescued or at least relieved of their 'treasure’. ‘Black’ Kristal back there has probably been at it for a while and has mostly moved on from quests to more exotic stuff.’
Amanda listened with mounting awe and was about to ask what sort of ‘exotic stuff’ they might enjoy but Val interrupted.
‘Brunettes are Jewells after Jewell Marceau.’ The blonde Viking said. ‘Another bondage model. They’re sometimes used as the goals in quests.’
The next Kristal’s body was locked in a more complex arrangement of steel chains though she still wore a steel collar. Like the previous one, she had some sort of steel bridle with a bit between her teeth and was wearing white knickers and stilettos. Nipple clamps were attached to the end of the bit. As with the previous ones her ankles were chained together and she had a steel chastity belt locked between her legs. She sat perched on a stool with more chains anchoring her in place.
‘There are redheads too,’ BB continued, ‘we used to call the ‘Gingers’ after Ginger Savage but someone got offended so we call them Ambers now. Gingers tend to be more voluptuous.’
The next ‘white’ Kristal sat astride a wooden box, her bondage forcing her to lean forward slightly, she wore the chain bra and had clamps dangling from her nipples.
‘Of course there are others too…. Jades, Topazes; there's a rare exotic ‘Lapis’ with dark hair and blue eyes…’. Battle Babe smiled and looked as if she was picturing something in her head. ‘Gorgeous.’
‘You ok, mum?’ Ellie asked, catching up with her mother and falling into step beside her.
Amanda looked at her and smiled. ‘Yes, fine.’ She held out the Kristal’s robe. ‘Here!’
‘Oh.’ Ellie took it suddenly realising she was naked other than her boots. ‘Thanks, mum.’
She slipped on the robe only then realising it was more or less translucent and came only to her hips. There was no belt either and it flapped open as she walked.
‘And I’m Amazonne Warrior Princess if you don’t mind,’ Amanda said with a smirk.
Ellie felt a surge of pleasure seeing the excitement in her mother’s eyes. There was something positive even in the way she was walking.
‘You’re really getting into this.’ Ellie paused waiting for a sarcastic ‘so are you’ but it didn’t come. Then she continued. ‘Er…are you ok with all the….killing.’
‘It’s just a game.’ Her mother shrugged but there was something in her expression that told Ellie that wasn’t an entirely true reflection of her mother’s thoughts on the matter.
‘But you are enjoying it?’
‘I used to play shoot ‘em ups back in the twenties.’ Amanda smiled. ‘I always enjoyed the sword and sorcery ones.’ She looked around and Ellie followed her gaze, taking in the rendering that gave the rough hewn stone blocks of the walls an almost over-realistic texture and the flickering of the torches in their iron brackets. ‘They talked about immersive VR in those days,’ she said nostalgically, ‘but it was nothing compared to this.’
Ellie looked up at her mother taking in the increasingly familiar form of her avatar with its chestnut brown hair and blue eyes and the younger, slimmer body that was perhaps how her mother might have looked when she was younger. She smiled as she watched the bounce of the avatar’s enhanced breasts and felt an urge to confess her role in their origin.
‘Mum.’
‘Yes, Honey?’
‘About back there…’ Memories of her words during the confrontation across the breakfast table after her discovery of Amanda in bed with Val made her blush.
Her mother looked at her with a smile playing on her face. ‘Gonna tell me you were just getting into character too?’
‘It's the latent character traits,’ Ellie said defensively, ‘it just sort of happened.’
‘Obviously.’
‘So why did you stop the gaming?’ Ellie asked, changing the subject.
‘Too busy shagging your dad,’ Amanda said with a smirk.
Ellie’s mouth dropped open.
‘Don’t look so stunned.’ Amanda seemed unable to hide her smirk. ‘I’d remind you I’ve just walked in on you enjoying a gang bang.’
‘I was chained up,’ Ellie protested, ‘I didn’t have much choice.’
‘So I noticed.’
‘And…well, being a Seductress gives me certain…’ She paused. ‘Needs.’ She rushed on. ‘It’s how the Quickening affects us.’
‘Really?’
‘Look,’ the teenager inside Ellie said, ‘forget it.’
‘Honey…’
They walked in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, passing a white Kristal squatting in front of a frame, her wrists cuffed behind her back and a phallus in her mouth.
‘Actually, Ellie. I wanted to ask you something.’
Ellie stiffened.
‘Why did you tell Lucius we were coming here?’
‘Dad?’ Ellie looked at her mother. ‘We talk a lot. Why?’
‘I got a message from him before we left wishing me luck,’ Amanda said.
Ellie took a deep breath. ’He really wants to see you again, mum.’
‘He had a choice,’ Amanda said flatly, ‘he chose to walk out on us. He’s not coming back.’