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  Ajax got the impression that Cassius would be glad to see them go. No doubt, he didn’t like the extra attention they might bring to his little kingdom. But, Ajax couldn’t complain. Both the NPC and Kat had agreed to aid him when he returned from seeing The Oracle. Once they received word he was returning, they would march south and try to meet up with him somewhere. Firesoul and Talon had agreed to be the messengers, and would help lead the NPCs south.

  Bidding them thanks, Ajax, Talon and Lillus went to have their injuries treated. The NPC doctors and the nurses were surprisingly well-equipped, and proficient in their craft. It wasn’t long before Ajax had been patched up, and met Lillus and Talon outside.

  “Let’s go get some rest.” Lillus led the way down a hallway, following the guidance of the doctor who had pointed them in the direction of the guest wing.

  When they got to their room, they found it little more than an old storage cabinet with barely enough room for all three of them to sleep. “I think I’ll go and spend the night with the peasants,” Talon said. “It looked more comfortable than this.” He smiled. “Who knows, I might find a nice young farmer’s daughter to warm my bed.”

  Chuckling, Ajax bid him goodnight and headed into the room. A few blankets and pillows were laid out on the ground, and a single light globe (lit by the strange machines of Pendrax) illuminated the room. Lillus closed the door and gave him a mischievous grin.

  “What?” Ajax asked, wondering if he should be afraid.

  “I’ve got a surprise for you. I’ve been busting to do this all day, but we never had a few moments to be alone.”

  She uttered a magical incantation, and a black doorway opened up next to her.

  Ajax backed against the wall. “Wait—”

  Before he could get out more, Yana stepped into Visaria. She blinked her eyes, glanced around, then focused on him. Her wings fluttered, and she leapt on top of him, dragging him to the ground. Her long forked tongue entered his mouth, as she wrapped him in her wings, her body holding him down.

  “Gmafh. Umph.” He tried to beg her to get off, for he couldn’t breath.

  Lillus laughed. “Come now, Yana, you haven’t even so much as looked at me. I missed you too, you know?”

  The succubus drew back her mouth and turned her head. “Sorry, mistress. It has been sooooo long since I’ve been able to kiss anyone. I saw my beloved Ajax, and wanted to eat him up.” She licked her lips. “In a pleasant sort of way.”

  Ajax squirmed. “Give me a bit of warning next time.” His mouth tasted of the succubus’s saliva. A not-so-unpleasant taste. “Can I get up now?”

  Yana climbed off him and raced over to Lillus, and kissed her like she had just done to Ajax. Shaking his head, he waited for them to be done. Lillus broke free. “Nice to see you, too. Just wait till you hear what you’ve missed.”

  “I DON’T EVER WANT TO be unsummoned again.” Yana wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t want to ride on that bloated old dragon. Had I known you—”

  “It’s fine.” Lillus ran her hand lovingly through Yana’s fiery red hair. “I might have lost you again, and we both know how that feels.”

  “Yes...” Yana turned to Ajax who sat across from them. “Thank you for saving my mistress. I will pleasure you in anyway you deem fit.” She started to stand, her wings spreading.

  Ajax held up his hands. “Don’t worry about it.” He glanced at Lillus. Did she even care that her pet succubus was so flirty with him?

  As if she could read his mind, the Demon Mage chuckled, “Yana and I come as a parcel. What she feels, I feel, and the same goes for her. That is the way of the Demon Mage class. Your pet becomes an extension of yourself.”

  “Oh.” Ajax swallowed. “Well, can we leave it till later? We have a long journey ahead of us, and we need all the rest we can get.”

  That made both women laugh. After a moment, Ajax joined in. It felt good to have the succubus back. Already, the dark mood that had followed them since leaving the Dragon Keep seemed to melt away.

  “Then at least let me kiss you.” Yana walked over and put her clawed hand to his cheek, her eyes wide, lips pursed.

  God, she is beautiful. They both are. Ajax thought as he battled with his primal male urges.

  Lillus came over and sat next to him. “Have some fun with her, then let’s sleep. Maybe when I wake up, I’ll finally be done with this hangover.”

  CHAPTER 14

  THE DEPARTED

  OVER A THOUSAND NPCS gathered outside Sanctuary to see them off. As Ajax and Lillus slept, Cassius and Kat had spread word of who Ajax was, and how he meant to save them. At least, that’s the impressions Ajax got, for as he emerged into the morning sunlight, the people had already gathered and watched him silently as he walked among them.

  Like an honor guard, Lillus and Yana were walking behind him, radiant in the cool morning air. “They look like your two queens,” Talon whispered from beside him, as they headed toward the dragons.

  Ajax glanced at the two women over his shoulder. They did indeed seem to be preening at all the attention he was getting. Lillus had her little grin she often wore, and Yana had her wings open wide, as if she meant to take flight. Both were watching him intently.

  Cassius and Kat met them as they emerged from the gathering of NPCs. “Make a speech to them, Ajax,” Kat said. “Tell them what you told us. They now know of the void, and the threat it poses, but they need hope.” She took Cassius’s hand. “Too long have they bowed to the whims of us players. They need to know NPCs can make a difference.”

  Quest

  Objective: Give a rousing speech!

  Secondary objective: Try not to stutter, say umm and ah, or mispronounce your words.

  Rewards: 600xp. You get to be the center of attention, which is great, if you’re into that sort of thing!

  Warning: If you mess this up, expect to be pummeled by rotten vegetables and excrement, just like the good ol’ days.

  “They need a player, one like you, to give them hope.” Cassius lowered his face. “For it is a weakness of our kind. We were made to look up to players, to inherently trust them, to follow their lead. It makes us feel at ease, while going our own way, makes us feel guilt, anxiety and fear.” He bared his teeth. “Only after years of suffering at the hands of players have we finally began to break our bonds and accept the negative feelings of how trying to live free makes us feel.” He lifted his gaze. “Our desire to separate our destinies from that of players doesn’t mean we will not follow you when the time comes. We will do our part and fight with you in the coming war, not because we’re programed to, but because we want to. By doing this, we will be one step closer to being free.”

  The emotion in the NPC’s words brought tears to Ajax’s eyes. “You are free already.” He turned back to the NPC peasants, their faces a mix of awe, bewilderment, but most of all, grief. Many had lost loved ones to the vile atrocities committed by the human exiles. These people had done nothing wrong. They lived their lives as part of the code of Visaria, programmed in a place far removed from their digital realm. Did any beyond Cassius even know what they were? Did they know of the real world?

  Putting the thoughts aside, Ajax cleared his throat to speak, well aware how closely Lillus and Yana watched him. “I stand here before you, not as a player, an outsider in your world, but as an equal.” He lifted one hand in the air, again feeling natural in his role as an inspiring leader. In his old life before Visaria, he had been a nobody, a shelf-packer at Floormart, a person to be ignored. Yet now, he felt like a great champion. A savior. Someone people would die for.

  Ajax found it at once horrifying—yet natural all the same. Perhaps it was part of being the Chosen One. Having the Steel Helmet of Command sure wouldn’t be hurting his image either. Its passive special ability would help him inspire the NPCs around him.

  “We may have once seen ourselves as Dernese or Sinjharian, but here, and in the days ahead, we must put aside such labels, for a grave threat
looms on the horizon.” He trod back out into the crowd, drawing the Eye of Destiny from his inventory and holding it up to the sun so that it shone with bright radiant light.

  The NPCs murmured in awe.

  Ajax reached out and clasped the raised hands of an old blind man. “Be at peace, old one, for your days of fighting are done. Let the young like me take up swords, and lead your people to victory against our enemy.”

  The man clasped Ajax’s hand. “Save us. Set us free.”

  “You are already free. By being here in Sanctuary, you have overcome the shackles that kept you down.” Ajax studied the faces around him. Some were children, others teens, others still a mix of elderly and middle aged. “When I return from the deep south, I shall call for you.” He raised his voice again as he moved on from the blind man. “I shall call all of you, for I will need you in the coming war. When I march against the void, I will have all of Visaria at my back. Players will stand shoulder to shoulder with NPCs, goblins, trolls, ogres, and all manner of other beasts who will answer the call to fight with us.”

  Ajax had no idea if any of this would ever happen, but it sounded good! “There will be no Imperators, no High Councils, kings, queens, ladies or lords. There will only be Visarians!” He roared that name at the top of his lungs, holding the Eye of Destiny high overhead.

  A bolt of light shot from the Eye and into the clouds, parting them slightly so that a beam of sunlight shone down on him. Wind blew past him, lifting up his cloak so that it fluttered in the breeze.

  “Ajax, Ajax, Ajax” the NPCs chanted.

  Cassius and Kat came up to him, and both got to one knee. “You truly have Visaria on your side,” Cassius said. “We will follow you. Call upon us and we will come.”

  Quest

  Objective: When you return to lead the war against the void, call upon Cassius and Kat, and lead their army of peasant NPCs to freedom!

  Hint: Peasants make good cannon fodder and ditch diggers for armies. Use them accordingly. Or not. The choice is yours.

  Rewards: 2000xp. You will bolster the numbers of your army, so that when you face down the generals of the Imperium and the Republic and try to bend them to your will, they will be more inclined to listen.

  Warning: The more people who join your army, the more you need to think of logistics and sanitation. By the time you return to the human lands to lead the war against the void, you better have an able administrator with you to deal with food and water provisions and the latrines.

  Remember: A healthy army is a happy army!

  Quest Complete

  Objective: Give a rousing speech!

  Secondary objective: Try not to stutter, say umm and ah, or mispronounce your words. (You accomplished it!)

  Rewards: 600xp.

  XP: 15317/15500

  So close! Level 9, here I come...

  “I HOPE YOU DIDN’T LET all that get to your head.” Lillus studied him closely as they flew south west on Dawnspark’s back.

  “Men always let their words carry them away,” the dragon said. “You should hear my husband when he speaks.” She shook her giant head. “It’ll take him another five hundred years to learn when he should shut his yap and when he should talk.”

  Yana kissed Ajax on the neck for what must have been the zillionth time since they had left Sanctuary. “Don’t listen to them, my love. I’d follow you anywhere, no matter what, pleasuring you (and myself) from one corner of Visaria to the other!”

  “I’m serious,” Lillus said. “Having the powers of the Chosen One is great and all, but you need to stay focused and not become full of yourself. We must reach the Oracle, find out what she would have us do, then—”

  “Come home and unite everyone and prepare the defenses.” Ajax grimaced. “I know all this. When I have to give a speech, it’s like...” He struggled for words. “Like someone else takes over. Someone who is a great leader.”

  “You’re the Chosen One. The reluctant hero forged into the champion of an epic tale.”

  He thought back to how awesome it had felt inspiring the NPCs. It felt like he was flying in the clouds. The love they’d shown for him, their hands reaching up to touch him. And they haven’t even seen the void to know what is coming... “Well, anyway, I will do my best not to let it go to my head.”

  “Good.” Lillus leaned against the side of the basket saddle and closed her eyes. “I feel a lot better today. Still a bit weak, but certainly improving.”

  With a husky voice, Yana breathed into Ajax’s ear, “I’m so glad to be back here with you. I really enjoyed our long kisses last night, and the feel of pressing myself against you.”

  Ajax squirmed as her hands started groping under his armor. “Watch where you put those claws!”

  “Oh, but I like it down there.” Her forked tongue flicked his ear. “Plus it distracts me from my fear of flying. You want to keep me distracted, don’t you?” She licked his neck.

  “Don’t let my husband see what you’re up to back there,” Dawnspark scolded. “He hates smut.”

  “Smut?” Yana waved her fist in the air. “I would never cheapen myself to the level of smut. I think of my work as loving, blissful and tender, something worthy of a king!”

  Firesoul slowed until he had become level with them. “Do you see it?”

  Instantly, Dawnspark went rigid. “I see it. Let’s turn south. We will have to risk passing close to the Imperium.”

  “What is it?” Lillus asked, the mirth having left all of them.

  “Dark specks on the horizon.” Firesoul squinted his eyes, as Talon stood in the saddle to look. “Could be dragons, could be...”

  “The minions of the void.” Lillus bit her lip.

  “What?” Ajax gasped. “They can fly?”

  She glanced at him. “Remember what Valeria said back in York. There were flying creatures within the void.”

  “Now I remember. But what makes you think—?”

  Dawnspark turned sharply south. “They are no dragons.”

  “What do they look like?” Ajax heard Talon ask as Firesoul moved to fly just above them.

  “Did I tell you that I hate flying?” Yana hid underneath her wings, peeking out from between them.

  Ignoring her, Dawnsark said, “They are too far away to get a good look. From here, they appear as gray smudges in the sky.”

  Ajax dug his mailed fingers into his sword hilt. It had to be the void. But how did it know they were here?

  CHAPTER 15

  DIVIDE AND CONQUER

  AS THE DAY WENT ON, the shapes drew closer. Now Ajax and the others, not blessed with the far sight of dragons, could see them. The approaching creatures, did indeed appear as gray smudges in the dark blue, cloudless sky.

  “They are moving on a parallel course to us,” Firesoul said. “And I have to say, they’re flying as fast as our little green brothers and sisters.”

  That meant they could out-fly the giant red dragons.

  “What are we going to do?” Dawnspark asked, craning her neck around to watch their pursuers.

  Ajax held onto the side of the basket saddle and watched the smudges steadily grow larger. Yana still hid under her wings. Lillus knelt next to him, her dark hair streaming out behind her. She turned to him. “If I have to, I can use my power again... but I fear what it will do to me.”

  “Can it kill you if you use it too much?”

  Her lack of response was the only answer he needed. “Then never use it again.” He draped an arm over her shoulders and pressed his cheek to hers. “I don’t want to lose you. Besides, we have the Eye of Destiny.”

  Leaning into him, she said, “I’ll only call on my power as a last resort.”

  Talon yelled so everyone could hear him. “Night will be on us in an hour’s time. What if we try to hide in a forest or ruined fortress and use the cloak of darkness to conceal ourselves?”

  “Who says they can’t see in the dark?” Ajax called back.

  The dragon rider shrugged. “We’r
e not going to outrun them. Do you have a better idea?”

  Ajax bit the inside of his lip. No, he didn’t have any ideas other than to engage their pursuers in combat. “Maybe we turn around and ride straight at them.” He removed the Eye of Destiny from his inventory. “I can use this to kill them like I killed the void wraiths.” He pictured himself sending bolts of light tearing into the flying void creatures, and watching them fall from the sky.

  “It’s near nightfall,” Lillus said. “We don’t know how well that thing will work when the sun sets. After all, it clearly drew power from the sunlight. What if it runs out of energy and we’re left defenseless?”

  “Well, I don’t know.” What she’d said put a dampener on his desire to fight.

  They didn’t know enough about how the Eye worked to risk such a confrontation. On top of that, they knew nothing about the flying creatures, nor if dragon fire would be effective against them. The only one who had seen them before was Valeria, but the void had taken her weeks ago. “Then what do we do?” Ajax put the Eye back in his inventory.

  The smudges had drawn closer still.

  “I have an idea.” It was Firesoul who spoke. “I will turn around and wait for them. My fire will burn them to ash.”

  “No!” Dawnspark cried, sending a puff of smoke into the air.

  Talon leaned over the side of his basket saddle and spoke softly to his dragon. Ajax had no idea what the other man said, but Firesoul nodded. “We will turn and fight together, and when we’re victorious, we will try to catch up to you.”

  “Who says you’ll be victorious?” Dawnspark began to slow. “I won’t let you fight them without me, my love. What sort of wife would I be to let my husband go off and fight alone? We’ve long fought together against the enemies of the Imperium. Let us do so again.”

  Firesoul brushed her with one of his wings. “No, my love. The whole of Visaria is at stake. You need to get your three riders to the Oracle.”