She wasn’t lying. The Waldorf Astoria’s restaurant, Margeaux Brasserie, was ten times as nice as the nicest place I’d ever eaten in. April didn’t look a hair out of place ordering coffee in flawless French. I had to stumble over the words before I finally put the menu down and gestured for her to order for me.
She laughed and did so, speaking so fluently I wondered if she were actually French.
“What did you order?” I asked.
“Coffee, black, no sugar, and a cheeseburger,” she said with a smile.
I blinked several times, stunned that such a high end place would have a cheeseburger. Not that I’d ever really eaten at a fancy restaurant.
“What did you get?” I asked her.
“The same,” she said. She lifted her water to those red lips and sucked on the straw as she looked me right in the eyes.
I felt my neck heat, and I coughed slightly at the un-comfortableness of her gaze. She didn’t mind or notice. Partly because of her alluring look, and partly because she ordered a cheeseburger. I knew she was a gamer, but she either had a naturally amazing metabolism or spent hours and hours at the gym.
“So, Nick,” she said. “Do you know why I’m here?” Her big green eyes hinted at so much more than just a lunch.
I took a sip of my water to clear my throat before answering. “It’s about my Silver Halls run last night? Did I find a bug or something? I’m having a little trouble believing you’re here to see me about that.” Why would she? I’m nobody from nowheres-ville, population me.
“You would be right. It isn’t just about Silver Halls, it’s about a lot of things.” She pulled her tablet out of the burgundy bag she carried and placed it on the table. At first glance, it looked like any of a million tablets, but then the trim glinted in the light. Gold etching covered the edge of the device in a strange, yet familiar pattern.
She paused for a minute, hand hovering above her tablet. Looking out the window at the raging blizzard, she spoke to me. Her eyes had this far away look, as if she were seeing a whole other world.
“Do you ever feel like something is missing?” she asked, leaning forward and putting her hand on her chin.
“Missing... from what?” I asked.
She smiled, eyes sparkling as she spoke. “From life, silly. From your life. What are you doing with it?”
Her tone was so conversational, and her voice so earnest, I felt compelled to answer. Besides, I’ve never been accused of being a closed book. I waited while the server brought our coffee then I leaned back and thought for a second.
Was there something missing from my life? Ever since I’d left the Army I’d bounced around from one job to another, never really taking advantage of my degree. The War for Mystaria was the most stable thing in my life. Maybe the only stable thing. I felt like my character, Deusbarbarus was more of a brother or best friend than a collection of pixels on screen.
“Yes,” I said after a long sip of the flavorful coffee. “I do feel like there’s something missing. Ever since I left the army... I don’t know, maybe it’s just purpose. I knew what I was doing there: helping people, building wells, and schools, that kind of thing. There isn’t a lot of call for it here in the US.” Even though I had just met her I felt like I could share myself with her. Strange, I know.
“Oh, you’re just impossibly perfect,” she said. She straightened up and gave me a ravishing smile. “You know, Nick, nearly twenty-million people in the US alone play War for Mystaria. And among all those people... you’re unique.”
I let out a sharp laugh, put my coffee down to avoid spilling it, then continued chuckling.
“One thing I’ve learned in life, April, no one is unique. No one is really special. Besides, I can’t climb to the top of any leader-board in Mystaria. I’m okay at PvP, and while my guild gets some good raids in, we’re nowhere near doing any record beating speed runs.”
She shook her head. “The first time I came looking for the right player I made that mistake too. I was looking for the best player when I should have been looking for the best man,” she said.
That was an odd thing for her to say. Why was she looking for the best player? The confusion had to be evident on my face because she just laughed again and cocked her head to the side. I could listen to her laugh all day long.
“Not only are you him, you’re also stinking adorable!” she said.
I flushed at the compliment. I wasn’t a slouch in the looks department, but I’m also no rock star.
It must have been the right reaction, because she sucked in her bottom lip like it was a succulent peach.
She gestured at her tablet. “I have a list of every quest, every interaction with every NPC, you’ve ever had,” she said picking up the tablet and turning it around to show me a picture of Deusbarbarus, complete with his brand new Hellblade I’d gotten out of the Silver Halls last night.
He looked badass. Silver-haired mohawk, blue skin and rippling muscles. He looked like he stepped off the set of an otherworld 300. His shiny new blade burned with a molten flame as it rested on his back.
I realized I was grinning like an idiot. Then a darker thought hit me.
“I didn’t know you guys kept that kind of data. Isn’t that a little invasive?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Technically, it’s our property, even if it’s online, but... believe me when I say, we’re very careful with the data. There are also lot’s of advantages to keeping these kinds of records.”
“What kind?” I asked.
Before she could answer, the server brought out our food. Two plates filled with steaming French fries and juicy cheeseburgers topped with thick bacon and melting cheddar cheese. Yes, it tasted every bit as good as it looked.
She surprised me, grabbing her burger with both hands and taking a big bite. She moaned when the meat was in her mouth, pointing at the burger then giving me a thumbs up.
I know it’s stupid, but oh my God I loved this woman.
“Lot’s of kinds,” she said, taking a napkin and wiping her lips clean from her own bite. It took me a second to realize she was answering my question. I was too busy staring at her. My food sat untouched. “For instance, when you were level fifteen, you went out of your way to help an NPC who was under attack by wargs,” she said. She tapped the screen a few times. “Then when you were level twenty-one, you helped Farmer McJohn clear his field even though it was a grey quest for you. Why did you do that?”
I dipped a fry in ketchup and popped it into my mouth. For some reason, her questions stirred a defensive response in me. I just needed a minute to sort it out, and the fries offered the perfect distraction.
“I couldn’t really tell you, uh, I just did,” I said, knowing it wasn’t the truth.
“Well, you’re not the only person to clear his field. Plenty of high-level players come through and kill everything in it... but almost always to gather supplies for power-leveling or for griefing. You know, keep the lowbies from completing quests.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I knew. I hated griefing. It was one thing to flag pvp and go into enemy territory and terrorize the low levels. It was another to do it to your own team.
Her eyes opened wide, and she pointed at her pad. “How about when you did the escort the farmer's quest and instead of taking the money he had, you gave him money?”
“I—” I closed my mouth. She had me on that one. I was pretty sure at the time the ability to give him money was a bug.
“There are about a hundred instances of you going out of your way to help NPCs, and twice as many more with other players. Do you know what that tells me?” she asked, sliding her tablet away and propping her chin up on her folded hands. Her green eyes pierced my soul, pulling it out and examining it like one would examine a receipt.
“If you’re my friends, you would call it ‘wasting time.’ If you’re me... I don’t know, It just... I have a hard time turning my back on people, even virtual ones, I guess.” Was that it? I had always carried my morality into games, much to my friend's chagrin.
Her eyes lit up as I spoke. “Is that why you joined the Army?”
People asked me that question all the time. “The idea of helping people with nothing, have clean water, really appealed to me. What can I say?” I said with a shrug. I hated talking about myself, but there was just something about her... “I also like building things. I guess that’s why I went to school for engineering.”
“Nick, you’re a good man, and I need that in my life right now,” she said breathlessly. The way she spoke, the way she bit her lower lip and let it go as if she were waiting for me to give her the okay, even though she had searched me out.
“April,” I whispered. “What’s going on here?” To say I was attracted to her, both mind and body, was a ridicules understatement. But it was all too weird. Why would she need me in her life? It didn’t make sense.
“Nick... how about you come to my room and I show you what I mean?” she whispered. The server showed up right then and immediately turned around to keep from intruding on our moment. Her words slowly sank into my brain and all I could think was, this isn’t happening.
“Uh, yes?” I finally choked out.
She leaped up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to her. She folded up against my chest, snuggling for a second before she looked up at me with the biggest smile a woman had ever laid on me. She turned, heading for the exit, holding my hand and pulling me along the way.
“I was hoping you would say that!” she said over her shoulder.
Her hand slid down my arm until she was holding mine, and then she pulled me out of the restaurant. I worried we were skipping out on the bill, but then I remembered she was staying here. They’d probably just send it to her room.
The elevator couldn’t come fast enough as we waited in silence, staring up at the room numbers. She wrapped both her hands around my arm and rested her head against my bicep.
The doors dinged open and thankfully it was empty. She pulled me in, and to my surprise, wrapped me in a hug and pressed her chin against my chest, looking up at me.
“April, it’s not that I don’t—”
She pushed her finger against my lip. “Shh, just wait.” She reached over and pressed the highest button.
I examined us in the mirrored door. The top of her head ended at my collarbone. She had her hands entwined with mine and her eyes closed as she pressed against me. I was giddy, uncomfortable, but giddy. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited about the possibilities circling around in my imagination. And to think, today started off with me being fired!
The doors opened, showing the floor sized suite. This was the kind of room that ran into the five figures per night. Not something any random person off the street could have, or afford. How rich was she? Hundreds of millions, billions?
“Over here,” she said as she dragged me to the king sized bed with the golden satin sheets. She spun me around and pushed me back, forcing me to sit or fall. Then she stepped away from me and placed her hands behind her back.
“April, listen. I’m as into sex as the next guy but we just met and I really like you. Can we talk for a little bit?” I asked. I prayed this wouldn’t kill her mood, but if it did, I would just have to live with that since it was the right thing to do. I wasn’t about jumping into the sack with any random girl who showed interest.
No matter how ridiculously hot she was.
She hesitated. “Nick, this... this isn’t what you think. But I need to know, are you that guy who risked his life to give villagers clean water, both in real life and in the game? Because what’s about to happen is no game.”
I thought hard about what she was saying, really hard. I nodded. I was that guy.
“Good,” she smiled, and those lips looked like succulent cherries ready to be picked. She reached behind her and...
As her hands came forward, light flared around us. At first I thought it was a power outage and the bulbs just exploded, but no, it wasn’t. Light bent as she moved her hands, dancing them around us so fast it was like she had four limbs... no it wasn’t like that, she did have four arms. Her body flowed as she danced, transforming, growing pointy ears, knees that bent backward, and hooved feet. When she finished, she wore the same clothes, but her blue hinged skin and slightly bustier chest stood out. The sides of the dress had ripped to accommodate her wider hips. When she opened her mouth to smile, I could see sharp canines slightly longer than the rest of her teeth. Her blonde hair turned violet and glowed in the light.
“Don’t freak out,” she said with all four hands up in a ‘stop’ sign.
I wasn’t at all freaking out...
The bright light faded, and the room returned to normal. I blinked several times to come to terms with what I was seeing. What I was seeing that was familiar...
“You’re Adora...” I whispered.
She nodded, speaking a litany of titles as if she’s said them a million times. “Goddess of the fallen, the downtrodden, the unlucky and queen of—”
“Underdown,” I whispered, finishing for her. Underdown was the home of those who fell in battle but weren’t soldiers, at least in the lore of the game. “It’s just a game,” I muttered. “Isn’t it?”
She smiled at me, revealing those delicately pointed canines that reminded me how inhuman she was. Slowly, she dropped her four arms and walked over and sat next to me.
“It’s more than just a game. The game is just an expression of the real Mystaria. Your technology has its limits, but I used it to create the game... to find you, Nick Spencer. I wasn’t lying when I said you were who I needed.”
I tried to focus on what she was saying. She smelled of vanilla, and her heady scent made my heart flutter. Was it possible she was even more sexy than a few minutes before? I wanted to believe I wasn’t about to be torn apart in some horror movie cliche gone wrong. I closed my eyes, letting my brain settle and giving myself a second to catch up.
“How?” I said after a long minute.
“That’s more complicated,” she replied with a grin. “Unless you have a few hundred years to learn astroarcaneology?”
I shook my head.
“It was a joke, Nick. Of course you don’t. Listen, our worlds exist upon each other. They are very close, and once in a while they cross over. These crossovers don’t last forever though, and I’m afraid we’re at the end of the current one.”
I rubbed my face, trying to clear the confusion I was feeling. “How long do we have?”
“I came here four years ago and created War for Mystaria in the hopes of finding you right a way. Now... now we are down to a few hours,” she said.
“A few hours? What do you need me for?” I asked.
“I told you. My home is in trouble, Nick. Evil runs rampant and there are precious few left to oppose it. They’ve all been converted... or killed. I need a champion, a hero, one who will fight for the farmers as much as he’ll fight for the princess and the gold. The west has already fallen and the eastern lands are unprepared for what is coming.” Her eyes cast down. “No one will listen, and there are no more champions in my world, Nick.”
I nodded. It made sense. War for Mystaria had always felt so real. There were no empty places in the game, and the names and cities felt like they existed before I played and would after.
“But you’re the goddess of the fallen, what can I do for you that you can’t do for yourself?” I asked.
She leaned against me, like she had in the elevator, sending my heart fluttering and my loins stirring. She heaved in a deep breath then let it out in a slow sigh.
“My realm is full to bursting with the dead that are left behind in the wake of Kojiman the Killer. He slaughters and murders, and what he cannot take, he destroys. In a few years, Mystaria will be no more, and with it, my realm will fade.”
“I can’t believe it’s real, all of it? The Shining Sea? Enthmar? Elves? All of it?” I asked.
She nodded, running one hand up and down my arm in a comforting way. “Yes. Your legends come from my home. Underdown is, cosmically speaking, the closest to Earth. When our dimensions cross, anything that crosses over comes from my realm.”
“So...” I said with a big sigh. “You need me to come to Mystaria, and what? Defeat an army? How?”
“It won’t be easy,” she said. Adora slid off the bed, dragging her hands along my arms and resting them on my thighs. Where ever her fingers touched, heat followed, and I squirmed uncomfortably as she knelt at my feet with her hands on my knees, looking up at me with those big green eyes and slightly parted luscious lips. “You will have to gain power, build an army, become a true warrior for Mystaria and face Kojiman and his allies on the field of battle where he will have every advantage,” she said.
I looked into her eyes and I saw the truth there. She wasn’t lying to me. But what did I have here? I’d lost my job, and soon my apartment, and everything else... If I had more time I could call my family and let them know I was okay, but then again... after six years in the Army they were used to me disappearing for months on end without a word.
Could I be me and turn my back on someone in need? Yes, she was a stupid amount of hot... but that aside; I wasn’t the man who could let innocent people die. Not in the Sandbox, not here.
“Okay,” I said. “What do I need to do?” I asked.
She smiled, leaped up and planted a kiss on my lips, knocking us over into the plush bed. Her warmth flooded into me and I was kissing her back in seconds. Those soft lips parted and her tongue darted into my mouth and I knew, right then, I would happily die for her.
Then I did.