Waiting for death is worse than death itself. In death was the sweet release into the afterlife. Waiting for it to happen was excruciating and after several seconds she couldn't wait any longer. She opened her eyes to greet death willingly, but the boss zombie was gone. She looked down and it wasn't really gone. The body was lying at her feet, but the head was missing. She couldn't figure out what the fuck was happening. She quickly scanned the room and noticed a male figure standing near the door.

He was tall and slim. The light was behind him, so she couldn't make out his face very well, but he was smiling and she could see his perfect white teeth. In his hands was a katana. The blade of the katana glowed orange. She watched him flip it around and attach it to something on his back like he was fucking Leonardo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

"Where are the other turtles?" She asked weakly. She knew she should be thanking him, but when put into an awkward situation, she couldn't help but try humor.

"Well Michelangelo is grabbing pizza, Donatello is training with Master Splinter and Raphael is fucking April," he said matter-of-factly. "It's his turn today."

She was speechless at his response, but soon couldn't help but giggle.

"What about Casey Jones? Doesn't he get a piece of ass too?" She played along.

"Casey's has a thing for Rocksteady. Don't ask me why, I think it has something to do with his horn," he smiled.

"I can get that, but what does Bebop do while Casey gets the horn job? Is he on the camera filming for future viewing pleasure?" She asked.

"No, Krang does all the filming with his mechanical body. It has a built in storage device. I'm not sure if you've even seen TMNT," he laughed.

She should have been offended, but she wasn't. He stood relaxed in her presence, but she could feel his power. Antoinette wasn't sure how long she was going to be able to play the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle name game so she switched topics.

"Why did you save me?" She asked. Her legs were getting stronger, but she still felt weak.

"Here, take one of these," He said.

She watched as he tossed her an EpiPen device. It landed at her feet. She picked it up and it had +++ on it.

"Stab that into your thigh and you'll feel better." He said.

"What if it's some kind of Roofie and you're just looking to take advantage of me?" She asked.

"I'm pretty sure that if I wanted to take advantage of you I could do so without the use of a drug. I can also come over there and jam it into your leg if you want," He stated.

"You and what army?" She quipped.

She hadn't even finished her smart-ass comment when he took a step in her direction. He marched directly towards her and an erotic panic washed through her body. What was he going to do when he got there? She didn't know if she should put up some kind of defense? Her father would be very disappointed if he ever found out that she let some strange guy walk up to her and inject her with an unknown substance without a fight. She gripped her bat and when he was within range she swung, attempting to hit him in the arm.

His reaction was lightning fast. He caught the bat mid swing and then twisted the barrel until it broke her grip. He tossed the bat to the side and picked her up. She wrestled against his efforts but seconds later she found that he was sitting on a chair and she was over his knee like a spoiled child. She was no longer holding the EpiPen. Seconds later she felt a sting in her right ass cheek.

Warmth flowed out from where he used the EpiPen and she immediately felt healthier. Her vision cleared and she no longer worried about being able to stand on her own. She opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of his hand on her ass came a split second before a different kind of warmth started spreading.

"That should bring you back to full health and then some." He said.

"How dare you put your hands on me!" She exclaimed.

He stood up and she slipped off his lap to land on the floor in the thump. Even though she knew she had no chance to win this battle of words, she tried to regain a bit of composure. Before she could say anything he spoke.

"My name is Ravioli," He said. "Yes, like the pasta. I have something else for you, but it's not another spanking. Those you will have to earn."

Ravioli opened his swallow-tail jacket to reveal a small pouch attached to his belt. He wore a white shirt that had some frills at the collar and stuck out of the jacket sleeves. The color of the jacket was that of a fine red wine. His face was handsome, free of any facial hair. The hood of his jacket was pulled up so she couldn't see how long his hair was, but she felt the pull of his charisma. She felt embarrassed by her charisma score of 12. He must be at least a 16 or 17; what a fucker.

Antoinette wasn't sure if it would be wise to make a smart-ass comment about how ravioli was her favorite food, so she just waited for him to find what he was looking for. After several seconds he produced what looked like a wristwatch with an oversized face.

"Here, I'm sure you don't have one or you would be wearing one already," He said.

Antoinette stood up before accepting his gift.

"What is it?" She asked.

"This will allow you to communicate with other people. You might not find it that useful right now, but as you progress you will find this invaluable," He said.

She attached it to her wrist and then held it up to her mouth.

"Beam me up Scotty," She said.

"As annoying as you are trying to be, that's not what this is for. Since you have my name, you can enter me into the device and communicate with me should you have any question," He said.

"Why would I want to talk to you ever again?" She asked.

"Maybe you will and maybe you won't, but at least you have the ability to ask for help. If you would have had this before you entered the clinic things would have gone better for you," he scolded.

"So you're here because you needed to save poor ole me?" Antoinette put on her best Southern accent and batted her eyelashes at him.

"I'm here because I'm on a quest and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Had I not intervened, you would cease to exist. Please be careful on your next quest. You need to focus on killing zombies and leveling up," he advised.

He turned and started to walk out of the building.

"One other thing, because I killed the boss you don't get to collect on the quest. To compensate you can have this," He said.

Antoinette watched as he pulled something from inside his jacket. She wasn't sure how it was stored there, but seconds later he tossed a bag in her direction. It landed by her feel with a clink of coins.

"Thank you Ravioli," She said.

"Stay safe," He answered.

She wanted him to say 'Stay safe Antoinette', but he turned and pushed on the door.

"You never asked me my name," She blurted out.

"You know how to get in touch with me. If I'm not too busy with April I'll answer your call," he said and smiled. She could feel his pull of Charisma and second guessed not putting all three of her attribute points there for herself.

She watched as he never looked back while he exited the building. She felt suddenly alone and very small. Antoinette picked up the sack of coins, and once she held it in her hands knew that it contained $300. Even though the sack was the size of a volleyball, she was able to stuff it into one of her pockets.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Antoinette moved to the doors the boss smashed her through, and quickly searched that part of the clinic. She found two more + EpiPen devices and a copper colored top hat. She flipped the hat over and checked for anything hidden in the lining. There wasn't anything hidden that she could find, so she cautiously put it on her head. She waited for something to happen, but she didn't notice anything; fucking hat. She almost tossed it on the floor, but she caught her reflection in a mirror and liked the way she looked wearing it. If she was going to die fighting zombies, at least she could look good doing it.

She left the clinic and ran to Wally's Weapons without incident. She entered the shop and walked right to the terminal.

"Hi, welcome to Wally's Weapons," Wally said. He was busy cleaning an AK-47.

"Hey Wally," She said as she waited for the system to log her in.

Once she was logged in, the same choices appeared on the screen. She pressed 'Buy' and when the two choices appeared she tapped the image of the shotgun. The sound of a cash register sounded and she knew that the bag now only held $50.

"Thank you for your purchase," Wally said.

Antoinette turned and he was holding the shotgun in his hands. He held it out for her to take. She set her bat on the counter and grabbed the shotgun.

"Would you like to purchase ammo?" Wally said. "Please log in to the terminal over there."

She looked to where he was pointing to a terminal opposite from where the weapon terminal was. She forgot all about ammo for her new toy. She begrudgingly walked to the ammo terminal and logged in; $50 later she had 100 shells. She jammed the shells in her pockets, realizing that her pockets were much deeper than they looked. She picked up her bat and then waved to Wally as she left and headed back to the safe house.

Once she opened the door to her place, she walked to the terminal and logged in. The screen flashed and a message appeared.

Place new object on the circle to identify

She wasn't sure which to do first. She started with the shotgun and nothing happened. Next she tried the watch and the screen changed:

Basic communication device: Allows the user to communicate with other players within range. Range = 1 mile

Next she tried the hat. The screen changed again:

Hat of Accuracy: Increases player's accuracy +1 Lvl

"About fucking time," she said to the empty room. She put the watch and hat back on, feeling suddenly omnipotent. When she touched the screen again it changed.

Level Up – 1 Skill Point to Assign

Her five skills appeared on the screen. She contemplated on what would be the best choice for her. Bloodshed might be good for low levels, letting her take care of mobs of zombies without the fear of running out of ammo. She wasn't sure what Weapon smith really was, so picking that option probably wasn't the best. The same went for Inventor, which left Accuracy or Stealth. She already had the Hat, but if she put a point into Accuracy, she would be much more lethal with the shotgun. She pressed Accuracy and then confirmed her choice. Next her stats flashed on the screen.

Name

Antoinette

Profession

Assassin

Race

Human

Level

2

XP

20/600

Health

18

Skills

Bloodshed – Novice - Lvl 1+

Strength

10

Stealth – Novice – Lvl 1

Intelligence

17

Accuracy – Novice – Lvl 2

Wisdom

13

Weapon smith – Novice – Lvl - 1

Dexterity

18

Inventor – Novice – Lvl 1

Constitution

11

Charisma

12

Special Skills

None

She questioned the Novice Lvl 2 and wondered how many levels there were until she wasn’t a Novice any longer. If only there was something to explain how things worked, and then she looked down at the watch. Maybe Ravioli would help? How was she going to ask for help after she was such a bitch to him? He probably wouldn't even answer her, but she needed some answers.

She walked into her bedroom and sat on the bed. She tapped on the watch and a screen appeared above the device. The only words on screen were:

Contacts:

She had no contacts. On the bottom of the screen was an 'ADD' button. There was also a 'DELETE' button, but it was greyed out. She tapped 'ADD' and then entered in his name. A second later the screen changed to:

Contacts:

Ravioli - Level 24

He was level 24! What a fucker. There was no way he was going to help a noob like her. If this was real life she could try to flash her breasts and appeal to his carnal desires, but this device didn't look like it had video chat. It she was going to get any help from Ravioli, it was going to have to be an old fashioned phone call.

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

She touched his name and waited while fighting the butterflies in her stomach.

"Ravioli..." She heard him answer her call, the sound of his voice melting her like butter left out on a warm summer day.

She panicked and immediately covered the watch face. The call ended.

Antoinette spent the next hour in silent argument with herself on if she should call him again. She wasn't sure that she needed his help right now. In the end she didn't call and decided to give things a go by herself tomorrow. She went through her nighttime routine and once in bed, looked at her communication device again. She tapped the face and the digital screen popped up.

Ravioli's name shone like a beacon in the night, begging her to tap his name and initiate the call. With each passing second her pulse quickened. She couldn't remember being so nervous to make a call since she was in high school.

She touched his name and held it pressed, hoping that depressing his name would give her options. Nothing happened, and she knew that as soon as she moved her finger the call would initiate. Fuck it, she took away her finger and waited.

A digital ring sounded before several silent seconds passed.

Another ring and more silence.

After four rings the call beeped and a recording played, "Hello, you have reached Ravioli, Vice Guild Master to the Witchdoctor Guild. Don't ask for help or loot unless you are a member."

The recording stopped and a beep sounded. She panicked, but didn't end the call. She let several seconds pass while she furiously tried to compose a literate message.

"Hi Ravioli, this is Antoinette. Call me."

She barely got the words out of her mouth before ending the call. She wondered if he would call her back tonight, or at all. She started to fret about him not calling back. What would that say about her? Maybe her charisma was that bad or maybe being a Vice Guild Master put him in a place where he couldn't interact with her. Maybe this game had some kind of fucked up class system.

After 15 minutes of waiting for him to call back, she turned off the lights and snuggled under the covers to get some sleep. Several minutes later the communication device started buzzing on her wrist. She sat up in bed and tapped the face of the device; Ravioli's name shone in the darkness. She touched his name and a hologram of his head appeared.

"Hi Annie, what can I do for you?" He asked.

His tone was formal, which disappointed her, but he called her Annie like they were friends. She wasn't sure what she expected, but being alone in a strange place was starting to take a toll on her. A part of her thought he might show more excitement to talk to her.

"Hi Ravioli, I'm sorry for calling you so late, but I have some questions if you have time," she said.

"What time do you want me to stop over?" He asked.

Her mind started to race. She wasn't sure if she wanted him at her place. She was embarrassed at her small quarters. He knew she was a noob, but having him over would just cement the fact.

"I guess whenever it's convenient for you," She said.

"I have time now, if that works for you," He said. "I'm going to be leading a raid later and that’s going to tie me up for a while."

Antoinette thought about how exciting a raid would be. She didn't know how long it would be before she could do one of her own. She also thought about being tied up by Ravioli which would be so much more exciting.

"Okay, I'll meet you in front of my building," She said.

"No need. Go stand on your portal," he said.

She slid out of bed and tried to smooth her shirt. She pulled it down as much as she could to cover her underwear while she walked to the portal. Once she was on the portal a new screen opened up on the communication device. She was given the choice of connecting her portal to that of Ravioli's. After she clicked to connect the portal flashed orange.

"Now we are connected. Step off the portal and I'll be right there," he said.

Her pulse started to quicken. He was going to be in her apartment and she was only wearing a white tank top and underwear. She wondered if he was in his sleep gear also, then remembered what he said about the raid. The air over the portal shimmered and then Ravioli was standing there. She clenched her jaw to make sure her mouth didn't hang open. He was fucking gorgeous. Seeing him this close made her body tingle. She expected him to be in full combat garb, but he wore black genie pants that looked like they were made of silk. His shirt was a white and unbuttoned. The white of his shirt provided a delicious contrast to his tanned skin and tattoos. She tried to keep her eyes from looking at the tattoo that slid down inside his black pants.

Ravioli stepped off the platform while stood rooted to the floor. Suddenly she wondered if she should be holding her shotgun for defense. What if it was all a ruse to help her, but he was really here to collect ears like in Diablo. No, he wasn't carrying any weapons that he could see, except for his deadly good looks.

"Should we talk here or do you have somewhere to sit?" He asked.

"I just have a bed," She said softly.

She turned and walked into her bedroom, fully aware that the tank top she was wearing didn't cover the curve of her ass in her underwear. Let him look, she didn't care. If he was here for nefarious means, there wasn't much she could do about it. Let him look at the ass of a woman with a 12 charisma. Maybe she was only a 12 in charisma, but she was sure she was an 18 in bed.