The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Reality

by asianpersuasion & J. Darksong

Crisis

Awareness returned in sharp, jerky and jagged bumps. Kyle groaned, his head pounding like a kettle drum. His body felt strange, heavy, as if there was a lead weight lying on top of him, pinning him down. A strange garbled sound rang in his ears as well, a muffled “aahhhh aahhhh aahhhh” sound repeating over and over again, though his brain scrambled senses were taking forever to recognize what it was. He opened his eyes, then closed them immediately, the brightness making the headache worse, but when he carefully cracked them open a moment later, the pain was less severe, and his hazy vision resolved itself into a view of his room.

Huh. I’m back in the real world again. In my bedroom, on my bad. And that... feeling, it feels like I’m... I’m...

WHAT THE FUCK?!?

With a cry, Kyle jerked upwards, causing the naked woman thrusting up into his hips to slide off onto the floor with a yelp. “What the hell? Natasha Volkov? What the fuck are you doing in my house? In my bedroom?” He blinked, then gasped, turning back to face his computer with dread. “Fuck! You logged me out in the middle of a major boss battle?!? That shouldn’t even be possible, unless—” he felt his headm then grunted in exasperation. Great. My Netgear was physically unplugged from the system. No wonder my head feels like someone used it for a soccer ball. I’m lucky the system has safeguards to automatically filter and suppress any spikes to neural connection while it powers down, or it could have literally fried my brain!

Growling, he turned to face the supermodel, who merely gaped up at him from the floor. “Natasha, really. What the hell?” he shouted, stomping towards her. “Breaking into my house? Basically raping me while I was plugged into the game? What the HELL is wro—gaaaaahhhhhh!” he screamed, shuddering violently, before falling back onto his bed, stunned.

Wide-eyed, Natasha held the tazer she’d just used tightly in her hand, panting heavily. She’d reacted instinctively to the threat, zapping him in the leg as he drew close enough, but in all honesty, she’d simply panicked. Her mind had been so fogged over with unresolved lust when she’d entered that she hadn’t been thinking clearly, but after satisfying that urge, for the moment at least. she was again able to think clearly. And suddenly, she realized just how insane the situation was, and just how much trouble she was in.

Damn! What... what have I done? I’m acting like a literal crazy person! she thought dimly, dropping the stun gun back into her purse. I should get the hell out of here before he wakes back up and either beats the shit out of me, or calls the police, or both. She frowned, biting her lip. Even with her need finally, gloriously, deliciously sated, the memory of that pleasure threatened to overwhelm her reason. But... I do have the upper hand right now, she told herself, glancing back at the bed. And... it would be a shamqe to let this chance just... slip through my fingers. If nothing else, I need to know about whatever he used on us to turn Auri and I into horny little sluts. Finding the closet, she dropped down her knees, searching for several minutes before nodding in satisfaction.

“Oh yes,” she whispered softly to herself, returning to the bed. “This should do nicely. Now, Mr. Shadowchaser, we’re going to try this again. And this time, you’re going to give me exactly what I need...”

* * *

“We are getting creamed here!” grunted Leila as she brought up her blade to block the massive tail swipe as the dragon swung in their direction yet again. She winced at the damage, but shrugged it off, the amulet from the previous dungeon having increased her defense and resilience. Besides, she was Kyle’s meat shield. She would take a thousand hits if it meant keeping him safe.

”Any ideas how to take her out? My magic is not doing enough damage,” Anadriel yelled back holding out the Rod of Perfect Soul, shunting her spell power through it, letting it amplify it as much as possible as she struck, biting her lip in frustration as a lightning spell powerful enough to decimate an entire forest merely left a small scorch mark on the huge dragon’s left flank. “Without Master’s Sword of the D we can’t really make a dent in her defenses!” she said, sprinting away as Lugia countered, sending down a water spiral at the spot where she’d stood only moments ago, cracking the stone with the force of her attack.

Leila glanced at the spear in her hand, the dragon scaled weapon James had given her earlier. “Hey Jimmy!” shouted Leila “You fought her before, right? How did you do it? Surely you must have figured out her weaknesses…”

“True. But the guardian dragons never show their full power until the relic is at stake. Our last fight was a mere sparring match compared to this!” grunted James, sending a wind blast of his own deflecting yet another tail swipe by Lugia.

“I am worried about Kyle,” said Calypso, sending a wave of healing towards Leila and Anadriel before making her way carefully towards James. “If this was just a minor computer glitch, he should have been back by now. Does anyone know how to contact him?”

“Honor could! She knows where he lives, and has visited Master in real life!” Anadriel glanced up as a huge taloned claw swept down towards then, only to sigh softly as James swept in, intercepting and blocking the blow with his sword. “If only we had a way to contact her...”

“Maybe we can,” Leila called out, thinking quickly. “Everybody, change of plans! Calypso, Anadriel, I need a distraction. James, I need you to protect Master Kyle. If you guys can keep her off me for at least thirty seconds, I’m going to try and send a message out to Honor and Rini back at the caves!”

“But I thought this place was shielded?” Dri asked.

“No, we were just too deeply under the water,” Leila replied, readying herself as James approached, creating a wind barrier around them. “But this room… we’re just a few dozen feet beneath the water now. If I can get high enough, I should be able to send out a message.”

“High enough,” James mused, considering. “Leila, I think I can give you some altitude. It will be tricky, and I’m not sure how much control I’ll have while shielding everyone at the same time... but it should get you up to the very top of the dome.”

“Okay. I’ll chance it,” she stated, opening her menu, and typing a quick but exacting message describing the situation. “Okay, I’m ready. Soon as I give the word, send me up!”

The dragon tilted her head to the side, scowling. “YOU THINK I WILL SIMPLY STAND BY AND LET YOUR FOOLISH PLAN SUCEED? THINK AGAIN! NO QUARTER GIVEN, REMEMBER?” she bellowed loudly, inhaling deeply. As she prepared to exhale, however, Leila suddenly rushed forward, leaping high into the air, spear in hand. Before Lugia could respond, she struck, stabbing directly into the soft space between the scales in the center of her chest. Lugia let out a massive roar that shook the room, as her HP took a massive dive, dropping by one third.

“NOW” Leila yelled, as Lugia rocked back, momentarily stunned. James, somewhat shocked by the sudden attack, nevertheless acted, created a whirlwind beneath the assassin’s feet, sending her skyward. Leila let out a shriek as she found herself propelled like a rocket, but, mindful of what was at stake, reacted as she approached the dome. At the last moment, she struck the wall with her spear, embedding it deeply, clutching it and using it as an anchoring point. With her free hand, she swiped her menu, hitting the SEND button, then taking aim pulled her spear free and jumped onto the downed Lugia, using the great dragon’s mass as a fall breaker.

Lugia recovered quickly, however, and enraged, redoubled her assault. James panted, tired from the expenditure of energy. And he noticed the others weren’t doing much better. Damn. All this fighting, and its barely scratching the surface of her life points. Leila’s attack did major damage, but now Lugia’s guard is up, so that won’t happen again. We need a new strategy. We need something… more.

“Girls, I need you to buy me some time,” He yelled over the noise.

“Buy you some time? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?” shouted Anadriel this time. She winced as a stream of high pressure water lashed out at her, missing by inches. “We’re fighting for our lives here, struggling to hold on until Kyle gets back… And now you want to take a rest?”

“We’re not going go last long enough for that,” James retorted. “She’s too strong. What we need is a dragon on our side.” He sighed deeply, closing his eyes. “Just… Buy me time willya? I am going to give you rest of my powers.” Taking a deep breath, he quickly formed a seal with his hands, and chanted in a low voice.

”Svant darastrix torkta: vers tiichir di sirius vur regulus!”

Instantly, his body began to glow a bright blue as 3 identical blue rings appeared over the girls’ heads. For a moment everyone paused, astonished by the amount of magic James was discharging. Even Lugia paused to look suspiciously at James. “The dragons of the twin scales? I see…” said Lugia turning to James, “So, you are no mere wind mage, you are the son of Anaihil- the wind dragon king! I seem to have underestimated you,” she growled, and charged directly towards him. “But I shall not make that mistake again! Grrraaaahhhh!”

“NO!” Anadriel cried, seeing her teammate floundering, drained a helpless, and lashed out with a spell of her own, sending a wave of ice magic at her. Lugia struck, ramming the helpless James, sending him flying back into and through a stone pillar, shattering it, even as the spell struck. Lugia’s roar of triumph struck in her throat as she found herself frozen solid, incased in a giant cocoon of ice! Anadriel stared at her in shock, surprised by the effect—she’d been flinging elemental spells at the dragon for more than an hour, but had never had so powerful an effect before!

“Wow! Good shot, Dri’ said Calypso, making her way across the room to check on James. “Not sure how you managed it, but it gives us a bit of breathing room.”

“I’m not sure how I did it, either,” Dri admitted, frowning slightly, staring at the ice incased dragon, “but I’m pretty sure that whatever that spell was James invoked is responsible. He said something about fighting a dragon with a dragon, and giving his powers to us, right? I can only guess that whatever he did powered us up.”

“Foolish,” Calypso muttered, pouring her healing powers into the badly injured wind mage, bringing his life back from critical. “I can’t argue with the results, but James… you damned idiot, you should know better than anyone what happens if you die in this world. There’s no simple reset for you… if you die, you’re gone for good…” To her relief, he groaned softly, beginning to stir.

“Leila, go for it,” Dri said, pointing at Lugia. “Attack her now, while she’s helpless. If you can get another good strike like you did before, we can take her down for good!”

The assassin frowned, faltering, glancing back at Kyle’s icon, still standing helplessly. “But… but Master,” she said hesitantly. “If I leave him unprotected…”

“Lei, we might not get another chance like this!” Anadriel protested. “I’m worried about Kyle as well. But magic is doing almost nothing to her. We need a physical attacker, and James is out of it, still recovering. It has to be you!”

Glancing back at her Master one last time, she nodded, gripping her spear at the ready. “You’re right,” she said softly, resolute. “This is our only chance.” Taking aim, she surged forward, a bit surprised at the increased speed and strength of her charge, augmented by James’ spell. Just as she moved to strike, however, Lugia burst free, shattering her prison of ice. Shifting her position slightly, Lugia’s defenses came back up, even as the spear struck her, doing only slight damage.

“NICE TRY, GIRL!” Lugia roared, rearing up to strike back. “BUT YOUR HESITATION HAS COST YOU! AND NOW… AS YOU CHOSE TO STRIKE ME WHEN I WAS AT MY WEAKEST, I SHALL NOW ATTACK YOUR WEAKEST LINK!” she stated, whirling around to strike, not at Leila, but aiming for Kyle’s unprotected statue.

“NO! Leila screamed, moving to intercede, trying to move, move, move… to block the strike, to somehow shield her Master from the death looming towards him. Shit… not fast enough... have to push it, she thought, dropping her defenses completely, focusing only on speed, inching just ahead of the massive claw about to descend… and crying out as a crushing pain swept through her, taking the full brunt of the blow, sending her flying.

Her vision went red, and time seemed to slow as she fell, her life dropping to critical, and lower, ever lower… she’d sacrificed any sort of chance at withstanding the attack in order to shield Kyle, leaving herself completely open. She’d promised to protect him with her life.. and it appeared now that she had done just that. The redness was fading, slowly, to black… her last thoughts were ‘If only I could be a little stronger, If only I could have been of more use to my Master…’ Kyle’s face flashed in front of her eyes as they closed... and she only hoped that the others could continue where she’d left off. Goodbye Master…

When the sudden influx of life giving energy and strength flooded into her, she opened her eyes with an audible gasp. She found herself held, cradled in a pair of strong masculine arms, staring up in surprise at a healed and recovered James Windsaber. With a gesture, a soft relaxing bubble of air surrounded her, and she floated gently back to her feet, standing beside the other girls, just as protectively encased.

“Well done, my angels,” said a deep voice, cold and calm, sounding very unlike the James they all knew. Leila did a brief double-take at his new look. James had undergone huge transformation- his eyes and hair normally black had changed into white, a bluish glow about them . The hair itself was no more curly and unkempt but was in spikes. His usual robes had shrunk into a body hugging white armor complete with dragon scales covering it. The most changed were his limbs which were now muscular and clawed at wrist and toes. Behind him, sweeping the dusty floor was an actual tail, thick and short. In short, he looked like a human-dragon hybrid, a weredragon.

“Well done,” he said again, turning to stare coldly at Lugia. “You three have exceeded my expectations – giving me enough time to stabilize this from. Now then, Lugia… prepare yourself, your next opponent is me.”

* * *

“Well,” Marion said wearily, as he and his group made their way slowly back towards the entrance of the underground caverns, “that was not much fun. But it was at least a fruitful endeavor,” he added with a small grin, patting the pouch at his belt. “We’re one step closer to our ultimate goal.”

“True enough,” Barena said ruefully, rubbing her aching and bloodstained shoulder, “but I’ll be wanting a long deep soak in a hot tub before we take any more ‘steps’ as grueling as that last one.” She groaned aloud, popping the vertebrae in her neck. “I love a good fight as well as the next person, but even I have my limits.”

Marion glanced over at Vale, who had remained strangely silent throughout most of the encounter. “What about you, Vale?” he asked, smirking. “Did you get your fill of battle as well? Unlike the crypt we explored previously, this excursion had plenty of living monsters that cried out and bled when stabbed.”

The snow elf merely shrugged noncommittally. Truthfully, she HAD received much more satisfaction fighting her way through these minions, but her concerns on how to get back into Marion’s good graces had detracted from the experience somewhat. She had not slowed them down, and in fact, had aided their efforts much more than usually, actually helping to make sure more of their lower level underlings survived, and using her meager healing talents when necessary on others besides herself, despite how totally wrong that felt. Still, she doubted it was enough to sway his mood towards her.

Huh. Depending on how things go, she thought silently to herself, I might have to do something drastic...

As they approached the entrance, however, Marion pulled to a halt, finding himself facing their guide, Tana, and several of her tribe members, each holding a spear at the ready. “Well met, Marion of the Viridian Suns,” Tana said, grinning smugly. “I trust you were successful in your quest?”

Frowning, Marion took a step towards them, only to freeze again as the tribe members brandished their spears in unison. “Tana? What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

The dark haired priestess laughed. “I’d think the meaning should be quite clear, my dear Marion. I intend to relieve you of your newly acquired treasure. You may be a strong and powerful adversary, but after such a grueling trial, with most of your men, your energy and supplies depleted, defeating you now would be mere child’s play.” She cocked her head to the side. “Didn’t see that coming, did you? Perhaps you were blinded by your own arrogance and self importance.”

Marion’s expression darkened. “So, moving to take advantage of our weakened state, eh? A clever move, Tana. Tell me... do you even have any idea what this treasure is that I came all this way to obtain is?”

“No idea,” she replied with a shrug, “but it’s obviously a relic of great power.” She gestured with the jewel encrusted staff that she carried, which glowed with a pale blue light. “My staff is more than just a symbol of my office as the village shaman. It also alerts me when I am in the presence of a relic or weapon of great power.” She smirked. “I noticed that you carried quite a few when you entered, and that total has increased by one as you exited.”

Marion glanced sidelong at Barena, who swallowed. “I, um... I swear, I had no idea about her staff,” she said quickly. “If the previous shaman ever used it for that, he certainly kept it a secret from the rest of the tribe!”

Sighing deeply, Marion shook his head. “Well, Tana, my dear, I have to admit your plan was perfect in its execution. However,” he said, snapping his fingers as several of the other Viridian Suns who has been standing back in shadows stepped forward, “you miscalculated slightly. I did actually anticipate that you would try and backstab us. So I held back a few of my men in reserve, all well trained warriors, and more than a match for the few underlings you brought with you. So, it would appear we are at an impasse.”

Tana’s expression darkened considerably, before she managed to force a smile back onto her face. “I see. Well done, Marion,” she said with a rueful chuckle. “I see your reputation as a shrewd and cunning adversary is well deserved. I underestimated you.” She gestured to her men, who nodded and backed away, slowly, leaving her all alone. “Still, there is one thing you seem to have overlooked.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“The fact that you need me,” she replied devilishly. “I am not leaving here without this relic you have discovered. And you will not get past me unless you defeat me. Oh, I’m quite sure your assembled forces could make short work of me,” she said offhandedly, as if completely unconcerned, “but if you kill me, you will have no one to lead you out of the desert and back to civilization. Remember, this desert is in jagd. You can’t simply teleport back to your base. And if you wander these desert sands without a guide, you WILL perish out there in a matter of hours.” She chuckled again. “So, whatever you choose, the only way you’re leaving here alive and intact is by giving me that treasure! And if you hand it over now, without making a fuss, I promise to fulfill my duty as your guide and lead you through the desert safely.”

Marion paused, as if considering his choices, then sighed and hung his head. “Very well, Tana,” he said wearily, “you give me no choice.” Tana’s smug smile faded, however as he gave his response. “The answer is no.”

“What? No?” she asked, incredulously. “Are you mad? Did I not just explain the situation to you? Without me to serve as your guide, you can’t make it out of here alive! And the lot of you are already weak and injured, you’ll barely survive the trip even if I lead you out through the most direct route!” She turned to glare at her younger sister. “Are you hoping that Barena can lead you out? Fat chance! The desert landscape changes almost daily due to the winds and shifting sands, and she has been gone for many years! She could no more find the village than your little blonde city born priestess!” she stated, pointing at Nora.

“Oh, no,” Marion replied, giving Tana a predatory grin this time, “I’m not depending on Barena or Nora to lead us out of here.” Signaling the others with a nod, Barena, Vale and the other female Suns members began backing slowly away, back into the back of the caverns. “You see, Tana, I think you missed something in my word choice a moment ago. I said, ‘it would appear we are at an impasse’. But, as you yourself have demonstrated, appearances can be very deceiving. I still have one very important counter to your argument that I have yet to play.”

Tana scowled at him openly. “Hmph. And what might that be? Do you think you can simply bribe me with gold or silver? I cannot be swayed with money. What I want is power, and the relic you obtained from these caverns—from my people’s lands! I will settle for nothing less.”

“As I expected,” Marion replied easily, opening his belt pouch, removing a small golden necklace, holding it aloft. “This is the treasure I found deep within these caves, the much sought after relic that I fought and bled for.” He placed it around his neck, then sighed softly as a soft glow swept over him. “There. And since you were so curious about it, I think I’ll give you a proper demonstration at to what it does. Dout ricin vur geou re sini!

Tana gasped, eyes going wide even as they glazed over. A violent shudder ran through her for several seconds, before she went limp, dropping to her knees on the sand covered ground. Moments later, she blinked, and stared up at Marion, an expression of awe and reverence on her face, her eyes flashing a momentary gold before returning to their normal brown. “I am your Master,” Marion stated in simple English, waiting to see the results.

“Yes, Master,” Tana said humbly, lowering her forehead to the ground. “And I, Tana, am your humble and obedient slave. Command me and I will obey.”

“Interesting. I could actually feel your mind and will bending to my own,” Marion replied with a grin. “I would definitely say my power has increased since obtaining this latest trinket.” A slight frown crossed his lips. Still... its not enough. I don’t have TOTAL power yet. And with Shadowchaser out there searching for relics as well, I can’t afford to waste time...

“Everyone! Form ranks!” he shouted, causing the rest of the Suns to return. “We’re leaving. Now!” He clapped his hands, and with a yelp, Tana jumped back to her feet. “Our most gracious guide,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm, “has changed her mind about leading us through the desert. Haven’t you, dear?”

“Yes, my Master,” Tana replied with a deep bow. “I will do whatever you require of me. My fondest wish is to simply serve you.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Marion replied in disinterest. “One question before we depart, however. Tell me, Tana... did your father, the village chief, order you to betray us? Did he put you up to this?”

“No, my Master,” she said, staring down at her feet. “The plan was mine alone. But... my father DID know about it. As the village elder, I had to run my plan by him first to gain his approval.”

“I see,” Marion said darkly. “Then it appears we will be making a pit stop back at your village before returning to the mansion to voice my displeasure. Now then, everyone, let’s move out.” As his guild members began striding past him out into the open desert, he frowned, glancing from face to face, and then back at the caverns once again. “Just a moment. Has anyone seen Vale?”

* * *

It was a battle like they have never seen before. When Kyle had fought his dragon he had taken up strategizing – trying to dodge attacks and mount an offensive, to try and hit the dragon without getting hurt and find an opening. On the contrary, James showed no such inclinations—he simply fought head on, taking in a lot of damage but dishing out the same on Lugia, but unlike her he kept using his Zen powers to replenishing his health and magic while Lugia accumulated injuries. Within another hour, he’d managed to take out about half of Lugia’s HP and was still going strong.

As they clashed, the hall began filling with whirls of water and air, causing massive damage to the temple itself. It was taking the combined efforts of Calypso, Leila and Dri to just blast away the debris that was flying around in the pandemonium, and continue to shield their Master’s still form. Finally Dri could not stop herself. “Does anyone else think its weird?” she shouted over the noise at Calypso and Leila. “James is going all out, fighting like this, yet he doesn’t seem to be getting tired at all. I mean… is that normal?”

Calypso shook her head, looking very worried. “No. It’s not. He can’t keep going on like this. I think we may have to intervene.”

“You mean, step in between those two? Are you kidding me?” asked Leila cutting away a piece of flying rubble, watching James slice through the stone floor with a blast of his wind. “No way we can survive those attacks even with our gear and these bubbles protecting us. And anyway, I feel James would not like our intervening in his battle, the way Kyle wanted us to stay out of his fight.”

“But that’s the problem,” Calypso explained. “He can’t keep going that way. You remember what Kyle was like after HIS battle… all the damage he took still had an effect, even with all the healing we gave him. James is brushing off his damage, healing as he goes to stay in the fight… but there’s always a trade off.”

“What kind of trade off?” Dri asked.

“James is a lot like Uncle Jeffrey. You see James’s dragon side is actually a very advanced AI with sentience—James is merely his vessel, his physical form. When the accident melded his consciousness with the system, it fused the two together, with James in conscious control. Normally when he fights, he has to keep his own dragon side in check. But the more he borrows into the dragon’s power, the more hold the dragon gets on his body, and the more of himself he loses.”

Anadriel nodded, understanding the concept. “Were syndrome,” she murmured. “It’s something of a known quantity of the game, a flaw in the interface that tends to have the were personality override the player’s mind and psyche. It’s one of the reasons Kormak waged his own personal war to personally eliminate virtually every werewolf in the game… because the average player would end up losing themselves to their animal side, and eventually become savage uncontrollable beasts,” she added, glancing back at Kyle in worry.

“Exactly. And I believe James is holding his own, getting steadily stronger in this fight because he keeps borrowing more and more from his dragon side… and if we don’t end this battle soon, the dragon may take over completely.”

“And you’re afraid he won’t snap out of it afterwards, after the battle?” Leila asked.

“It’s possible,” Calypso admitted, “but what happens if he defeats her, and then, still in a rage, turns on us? Do you think we can stop him without killing him after he took down Lugia with his bare hands?” The other two glanced at each other, uncertainty on their faces. “Okay. We’re agreed then. As soon as we get an opening, Dri… blast him with a blast of fire. It shouldn’t do any lasting damage, but it should snap him out of his rage long enough to realize what’s happening.”

“Sorry about this, Jimmy,” Anadriel muttered, pointing her rod at the raging weredragon. I just hope you won’t hold this against us afterwards.”

* * *

“...so I inserted a little freeform app I wrote into a few key systems, then transferred myself back into the Reality,” JD finished with a sigh. “Honestly, I’m not a hundred percent sure my mental tampering will do the trick. She should follow through as instructed, but Mandy can be one notoriously stubborn bitch.” He sighed again. “Even if she does destroy her prototype emitter, and the schematics for it, its only a matter of time before her people come up with something to replace it... especially if Marion keeps sending her frequencies to test out.”

Stein nodded grimly. “That meshes up with my news,” he replied. “I’ve been suspicious of Marion ever since Kyle tipped me off weeks ago. A few hours ago he and a large part of his guild took off for the Otaru Desert, where a series of underground caves were just recently discovered after a massive sandstorm.”

JD nodded. “Yeah, That’s one of the spots.” He closed his eyes, searching out mentally. “Damn. He nabbed it. It’s already been removed from his sanctuary. And, assuming Kyle and his bunch are successful, that means six down, and only one left to go.”

“Okay, then maybe we should get a head start on the last relic,” Honor advised. “Where’s it hidden?”

“Yeah... about that,” JD replied hesitantly, glancing away, avoiding her gaze even as Honor’s frown grew deeper. “I, um... I’m not actually sure. I mentioned it before, the system randomly shuffles the relic locations from one site to the other. to keep the Admins from locking in on their positions. Even then, a site isn’t always active, sometimes remaining dormant for several weeks, even months, before it suddenly goes active. The desert ruins it an example of that—that particular dungeon was completely buried and hidden until the relic went active, which caused the sandstorm that uncovered it. Until the last relic becomes active, even I won’t know where it is.”

“Hmph... well that’s just great,” Honor replied with a huff. “So basically we’re just supposed to sit around with our thumbs up our asses and HOPE it decides to show itself before Marion and his cronies stumble onto it by accident?”

“I can understand your frustration, Honor,” Stein said sagely, “but if you consider it from another angle, it actually works to our advantage. Marion and the Admins have been searching for years after all, and even with all of your resources, they have only found three of them. Kyle has obtained that number in as many weeks, thanks to JD and young James. While we sit here and wait, Marion will have his people searching every corner of Axaellel trying to find the last relic, using up valuable time and resources. And when it does finally reveal itself, we’ll be the first ones to know, and will be ready to move before Marion can even begin to gather up his forces.”

That brought a grin back to her face. “Well, anything that aggravates Marion and causes him trouble works for me. I... hmm? Hang on, I’m getting a message.” Pausing, she opened her menu and brought up her in game chat page. Reading for a few seconds, she gasped aloud. “Oh! OH SHIT! I’ve got to go!” she said frantically, scrolling for the logout menu. “Master is in trouble! I have to go to his house—”

“Hey, wait, not so fast!” JD exclaimed grabbing her arm before she could escape. “At least tell us what the situation is first. What happened to Kyle?”

“I don’t know!’ she said tersely. “That’s why I need to log off and go see. Apparently something happened at the start of the battle, and his avatar was replaced by some kind of immobile statue thingie!”

“A statue, hmm?” Stein replied, frowning. “I see. That is a problem. Correct me is I am wrong, Dragon God, but doesn’t that only happen when there is a connection problem of some kind?”

“Precisely,” JD replied grimly. “It’s both a security and a safety measure. Technically, you’re not supposed to be able to leave and log off in the middle of a dungeon, or a major boss battle. Doing so would normally result in a forfeit, and having to restart the dungeon from the beginning. But it sounds like Kyle didn’t actually log out, he simply lost his Internet connection. The statue is essentially a place holder, an icon to hold Kyle’s spot until he returns, and a fragile one at that.”

“Wait. What did you mean by ‘fragile?” Honor asked. “Just how fragile are we talking?”

He shook his head. “Very. If the statue is destroyed, then the Kyle in this game is effectively destroyed as well. The issue is, it’s essentially just a temporary measure, designed for a very rare occurrence. I mean, when’s the last time you’ve heard of someone losing their Internet connection in this day and age? In most cases, either the user logs back in after just a few minutes, or its some kind of major issue with the user’s terminal and they have bigger issues than losing their character.”

“Right. Gotcha. So, I REALLY have to go! Kyle’s in trouble and I have to get to him!” With that, she logged out, exiting the game.

Stein and JD stood alone for several seconds in silence. “Well... just when I think I’ve seen and experienced everything this world has to offer,” he said with a chuckle, “suddenly I’m introduced to a mythical figure of history, I learn about the existence of rare relics of godlike power, and am witness to a massive conspiracy to take over not only this virtual world, but the real world as well.”

“Never a boring day in this place, is it?” Jeffrey quipped, yawning and stretching. “You know, Stein, I admit I am a bit surprised at how well you’re taking all of this... the whole ‘mind control’ aspect and everything. Most people would simply think it is part of the game, just an aspect of the Reality with no real lasting effects, or not believe that the situation is as dire as it seems. But you’ve taken it all at face value. I’m impressed.”

Now it was Stein who glanced away, embarrassed. “Um, yes, er, well... it might be because I um... had a bit of first hand experience.” He told JD about Kyle explaining the situation, and teaching him a few words of Dragonspeak, and his experimenting on Isiltari. JD merely nodded, chuckling softly.

“Well, old bean, far be it for me to meddle....hhahahahahaa... no. no, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t say that with a straight face,” he replied a moment later. “Okay, so, anyway, allow me to offer you a gift and some free advice.” He closed his eyes, and gestured with his hands, creating a soft golden glow, which resolved itself into a small item. A golden rune covered pocket watch. “Use this on your lovely wife, and give her the submission she desires. This relic isn’t as powerful as the Dragon relics... not by a long shot. But it will give you the ability to work its magic on one person that you designate, and entrance them as deeply as if they were affected by dragon tongue. Unlike the other relics, however, this watch can also disrupt the entrancement by merely opening and closing the watch face.”

Stein stared at the dangling watch, considering the offer. It was a very tempting offer... like getting the best of both worlds—being able to turn Isiltari into his obedient slave whenever he or she felt the need, and then turn it off again like flipping a switch. He knew that if his wife had come with him, she’d have snatched it up in an instant, demanding that they head back home and try it out right away. Still... his conscience prodded him at the idea of having that level of control over another person, especially the woman he loved.

“I know what you’re thinking,” JD replied quietly, causing Stein to glance up at him again. “You’re debating the ethics of knowingly using it on your sweetheart. You’re busy weighing the pros and cons, trying to decide if its okay to tamper with her mind this way, to have such complete control over her, to be able to change her very personality to suite your tastes.” Smirking, he took Stein’s hand and placed the watch into it. “And that, my friend, is exactly why I’m giving it to you. Because you’re so concerned about the morality of using it, I know you won’t abuse it. And that, in my opinion, is what makes you best suited to have this. And if what you said about Isiltari is true, she’ll definitely enjoy it however you choose to use it.”

Stein merely nodded, saying nothing, adding the watch to his inventory. “Um. Well... I do need to go,” he said after a moment, still unable to meet JD’s knowing grin. “I have some other things I need to, ah, check on, and other... duties to attend to.” He managed a wan smile. “It’s, um... well, it’s been a real experience meeting you. Maybe we’ll meet again some day.”

JD chuckled, shaking his head as the older man made his way back out of the caverns. “Maybe so, but I bet you’ll be walking a bit differently when I do,” he said knowingly. “Heh. Not bad. It’s kind of fun getting to play cupid. Ah well... I guess there’s nothing to do for now but wait and see what happens with the others. No use rushing off now that Honor’s checking things out with Kyle first hand. sigh I just hope Serena returns soon so I can fill her in... and have someone to talk to...”