We were finally on the road. Bouncing in the back of the wagon were myself and Aurora, while Celeste and Horvath walked on either side. Lucelan was of course in the driver's seat guiding the horse. We decided on this arrangement unless someone was signing out for a break because if we do fall under attack, Horvath and Celeste need to be in melee range to fight, while Aurora and I can attack without getting down.
After we had been on the road long enough that the city was out of sight, I asked Lucelan to stop a moment.
“Alright, I think we’re far enough from the city now. Lucelan, you did say you would be willing to keep a secret for us, right?”
“Yeah, I see it being more profitable to have you all as friends rather than enemies. Plus if not you could just bail on me and I’d be stuck finding another escort.”
I nodded. “Good enough for me. The truth is, I’m the one with a rare race. I’m currently using an ability that lets me disguise myself, but it would be better to travel undisguised if I can. Besides, it would become pretty obvious when it came time for a meal.”
Lucelan looked at me curiously.
“Well, I guess there’s no point in dragging it out. I’m actually a succubus.” With that, I disabled Hide Nature ability. As usual, darkness seemed to gather around me as my form returned, then dissipated revealing my demon form.
“You really enjoy doing that dramatically, don’t you.” Celeste commented.
I shrugged. “Honestly, with the shadowy effect it’s hard not to. But it is fun to do. If it wouldn’t result in me being hunted, I’d probably randomly do it in crowded places just to see the reactions.”
I began to grin as I imagined the chaos that would cause. Maybe when I was stronger that would be an option, but for now I’m not really interested in being hunted down by every guard and armed NPC in the area.
“Oh no. I know that grin. That’s the ‘I’ve got a great idea to cause mayhem’ grin.” Horvath shook his head. “Put that on hold for the moment. Since you can fly, why don’t you fly up and scout the area around us on occasion.”
Lucelan looked at me a minute before nodding. “I see, it makes sense you wouldn’t want this to be well known. But do you really have to stay disguised all the time? I imagine that comes with some penalties.”
“Sure, it limits me to less than half my energy and disables a number of abilities, but it beats the alternative. There’s apparently a standing Kill-On-Sight order for demons, and it’s my understanding the guards are pretty happy to follow it. Best not to draw their attention if I can help it.”
After that, we explained some of my abilities to Lucelan, than continued on our journey. I would fly up from time to time to take a look around, then warn the others of any monsters or other groups I saw coming our way.
If another group travelling on the road was getting close, I returned to the wagon and put on my disguise. Sure, the constant transformations were taxing on my energy, but I usually had plenty of time between it wasn’t an issue. And this gave me a chance to try out some of the other disguises I hadn’t done before.
Doing that, I discovered an interesting limitation to my disguise ability. When I transformed into a merfolk like Lucelan, I properly became a mermaid. With the fish tail and everything.
“Huh, I can’t seem to grow proper legs with this one. And I can’t really move the tail right, either. It’s like my legs are tied together and shoved in a tail, rather than feeling like it’s a part of my body.”
Lucelan looked at me confused. “Really? It felt rather natural when I started. Maybe it’s because you’re not an actual merfolk. As for the growing legs, that’s a racial ability so you won’t be able to use it.”
I flopped my fish tail around a bit in the back of the wagon. “Yeah, this isn’t going to work very well. It’s almost as unusable as the ursan race, just in a different way.”
Horvath looked at me in the wagon. “What was wrong with the ursan race?”
“Well, imagine the dress I’m wearing, but on a male bodybuilder’s physique. That was more or less the result. It was pretty horrifying.”
“Ah…” Horvath shuddered at the mental image.
“By the way” Lucelan interjected, “why were you using a different disguise than usual when you were interviewing me.”
“Ah, that. I had two reasons. First, I figured it might be helpful not to be recognized by the people I rejected. It turned out one of them was planning to create a criminal syndicate, so I think it was the right call. And second, since I could do it, why not? It could be fun. Plus I hadn’t tried the High Elf race yet, so it was a good excuse for that, too.”
---
During the afternoon during one of my aerial scouting trips I saw a party of players headed our way, so I landed back into the wagon and reapplied my disguise before they caught sight of us. This time I was using the catfolk race, growing catlike ears and a tail, as well as fine whiskers on my face.
“We’ve got a group coming up headed the other direction. Looked like three people, probably players.”
Hovath nodded and pulled his equipment out of his storage. “Hopefully they’ll be friendly, but be ready just in case.”
It was maybe five more minutes before we met up on the path. The group coming towards us was made up of different types of beastmen, and looked like a caninid warrior, a catfolk archer, and a mage with a birdlike race I hadn’t seen before. I’ll have to check my disguise list later to see what it is. As they approached, the warrior called out to us.
“Hey there, mind if we trade some information before continuing?”
Horvath nodded to them. “Sure, we’ve got some time.”
“Excellent. We’re headed to the capital, Eridell. Do you know how close we are to getting there, and what types of threats we’ll see on the road?”
“Sure, we just left there this morning. You’re about half a day walk away, with nothing but wolves and wild dogs in the way. What about ahead of us? Any dangers of note?”
The catfolk archer shook her head. “Not much beyond wolves. We did run into a few groups of bandits, but they weren’t too much trouble. Just be careful of ambushes. Seeing as you’ve got a catfolk with you, you’re scouting abilities are probably similar to mine so you’ll be fine. Also, it looked like I saw a huge bird this way earlier. It was in the distance though, so I couldn’t make out the details. Have you seen it?”
I tossed a glance at Horvath and saw Celeste suppressing the urge to laugh in the corner of my vision. That large bird was almost certainly me taking a look around.
“We haven’t seen any large birds, just wolves and a few players on the road.”
“That’s a shame. I was hoping to tame it. A large bird would be a great pet. Oh well, I’ll find a good pet eventually. Any good pet candidates around here?”
I shook my head. “Not really, unless you’re into wolves, dogs or rats. I started in Eridell, and haven’t run into anything else in the area. Though it’s possible I missed a rare type somewhere.”
“I see, that’s a shame. Ah well, I’ll have to keep looking then. Thanks anyway.”
The warrior spoke up again. “Well, we should be continuing on. Thanks for the information.”
“No problem, thanks for warning us about the bandits. We’ll have to keep an eye out for them.”
“Yep. Good luck.”
And with that, we parted ways. After they were far enough away that we didn’t need to worry about them hearing us, Horvath turned to me.
“You heard them. Keep an eye out for bandits waiting in ambush as well as people on the road.”
“You got it. I’m going to wait a bit before I take another look around, though. I don’t want them getting a better glimpse of that ‘rare bird’, after all. I will not be tamed!”
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“Yes, I know. I’ve been trying for years, and I’m pretty sure domestication is impossible at this point. I’m lucky you’re at least housebroken. Usually, anyway.”
“Hey, that was only that one time. And I had no idea that was even possible in that game!”
As Horvath and I continued to banter, I noticed the twins were being abnormally quiet. Or at least Celeste was, Aurora was always very quiet so there wasn’t much difference.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, looking at them.
“Ah, no. It’s just that we’ve never fought with humanoid enemies before, so we’re a little uncertain about it is all.”
Oh, that’s right. They’ve never played a game before this, and all we’ve fought so far were monsters. The goblins were the closest thing to people, but they are still pretty far off. I’ve played enough to become desensitized to it, so It hadn’t occurred to me before that newer players to games like this might be uncomfortable fighting things that look like actual people.
“I’m not sure if it will help, but just like the rats and dogs, the bandits will probably respawn once we move on, so it’s not like you’re really killing someone. Still, I can understand why you might fight it a bit uncomfortable.”
Celeste nodded. “I think we’ll be fine. We understand it’s a game, but sometimes it feels so realistic that the lines get blurred. We’ll doing our best not to hold you all back, don’t worry.”
Horvath shook his head. “Don’t worry about holding us back. If you find you can’t do it, just say something and we’ll adjust. This shouldn’t be that difficult of a fight. Heck, if she were actually being serious, Lilith could probably handle them all on her own.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Ah, you might not have guessed it, but Lilith’s actually crazy good at these types of games when she actually focuses. She just doesn’t do that very often so most people don’t notice. If she really tried, she could probably be one of the top players.”
Celeste looked at me wide eyed. “Really? Why don’t you do that, Lilith?”
Ug, I really had hoped this wouldn’t come up. Horvath pushes this from time to time. I think he wants me to actually try for it one day, but I’m not really interested. “I’m not sure you could say I would be one of the top players, but I doubt we’ll ever find out. Being serious sort of goes against the whole reason I play, after all. I don’t find that to be any fun, and I’m playing because I want to have fun. Hence I generally employ strategies like the one I used on the goblin chieftain instead. They’re much more fun than just straight up fighting with him would have been. If I absolutely need to, I can always focus for a bit to get us out of a scrape, but other than that, this is much more enjoyable.”
Both twins looked like they had just come to a realization about something. “Ah, so that’s what happened in that horde room. After we got separated, I think everyone was surprised by how you were able to deal with that situation. Now it makes a lot more sense.”
I’ll neither confirm nor deny that assumption. Mostly because I honestly can’t. It’s true that I can fight a whole lot better when I really focus on fighting well, but the thing is I don’t really recognize that I’m doing it. It’s not like I intentionally decide to, it just kinda happens. Either way, I felt like it was about time to change the subject.
“Anyway, we should get moving. I’ll start taking a look around from the air a bit more often from here out, since we know there are ambushes waiting ahead.” Sprouting my wings once again, I took to the sky to survey the surroundings.
---
It would be a couple more hours before we actually encountered the bandits laying in ambush. By now it was around dusk, which would usually give the ambushers even more of an advantage. However with my night vision, I could still see them clearly from above, and was able to pinpoint their location quite easily.
Landing in the back of the wagon again, I reported my discovery to the others.
“Looks like we’ve found our first group of bandits. It looked like there are five of them waiting for us at the next bend in the road.”
Horvath nodded. “Alright, the strategy we worked out before should be fine. Celeste, you take that side of the wagon, and I’ll cover this side. Lilith and Aurora cast from the wagon. Lilith, if you think it’s necessary jump into melee, but in general try to stay back. Lucelan, do you have any way to defend yourself if things get rough?”
As he asked, we all looked over at the merchant, and were startled to find him holding a long, jagged knife that seemed to be made of coral.
“I brought this for emergencies, but I’m no fighter.”
“Of course, we’ll try to do all the fighting, but if one of them slips by us, be ready. By the way, where were you hiding that? I didn’t notice a sheath on you anywhere, and that seems rather long for a concealed weapon.”
“I keep it under my seat, just in case.
“Makes sense. Alright then, we’re all ready. Let’s go spring their little trap.”
“Oh, can I mind control the last one? All this flying to scout is draining my satiety faster than usual, so I’m getting pretty hungry. I figure everyone would prefer I use one of them for my meal, instead of one of us.” The twins both nodded in agreement.
“That should be fine if you can catch him. We don’t really have the skill set for capturing one during the fight, so you’ll have to do it yourself.”
“That’s fine, I’m more or less made for hunting like this. I just might have to abandon the ‘cast from the wagon’ strategy for a bit.” I smiled while activating my claws.
As we approached the bend in the road where the bandits were waiting, two of them were standing in the road to stop us. There was one in the woods on the side of the road by Celeste that was not hiding particularly well, though without my night vision I probably wouldn’t be able to see him. On the side by Horvath, I couldn’t quite make them out, but if they were still holding the positions I saw from the air earlier, there should be two hiding over there. I warned the others of them in a low voice so they wouldn’t be able to hear me.
“Celeste, there’s one in the woods on your side. There should be two more on Horvath’s side, but I can’t see them yet.”
They both nodded and readied themselves as we approached the ambush point.
“Hold up there! You’re in our territory now. Hand over all your money and goods, and we’ll let you leave with your lives.”
Woah, how cliche.
Horvath glared at the bandits on the road, shield and mace in hand. “I recommend you leave now. If you try to attack us, it will not end well for you.”
The bandit grinned. “Hmmph. Fine, we’ll do this the hard way.” He raised his hand. “Kill them!”
As he finished the command, two arrows came flying out of the woods at Horvath from behind. He pivoted on one leg, deflecting both with his shield.
“Lilith, go for those two. We’ll handle the others.”
Just the command I was hoping for. Bursting out of the wagon, I quickly shot into the woods to track down the two hiding there. Behind me I heard a cry of surprise and alarm coming from the two bandits on the road, who had been charged by Celeste when fight started.
Once in the woods, I continued in the direction the arrows had come from and before long I spotted two figures in front of me. Both bandits fired arrows at me. I tried to dodge, causing one to miss completely while the other grazed my cheek, but didn’t cause any major damage. Recognizing they wouldn’t be able to fire again, they dropped their bows and each drew a short sword from their sides.
“I’m not sure what you are, but you’re a fool if you think you can take on both of us at once. Surrender and die quickly.”
I smiled at them. “Rather confident, aren’t you. But who said I would be fighting up close?”
With that, I launched an ice spike at one of the archers, hitting him firmly in the chest.
“Geh, a mage! Get close before she can cast again.” The injured archer called to his companion. The other bandit ran toward me while the other struggled against the ice spikes slowing effect to approach as well.
The first bandit got to me and began wound back his sword for a strong blow. Just as he released at me, I cast Migraine and using my wings threw myself down and out of the way of the swinging blade. Then I countered with my claws, slashing at his face and chest while he was still off balance before moving away again.
“Alright, that’s enough direct fighting for now. I’ll have you do it for me from here.” With a smirk, I locked eyes with the bandit I had just scratched up, and activated Seduce and Enthrall.
“Finish him for me.” I said, waving my hand toward the slowed bandit who was just now catching up.
The bandit looked at me in confusion. “What are you talking abou-” His question was cut off when his former ally shoved his sword through his stomach.
“Now then, time for a meal before I rejoin the others.” Grabbing the remaining bandit, I activated Life Drain. As I did so, I sent a quick message to Horvath.
Lilith: Hey, finished here. I’m just draining the last one. How are things on your end?
Horvath: Alright. We’re done too. Celeste just left to check on you, so we’ll head out once you two get back.
Oh good. Just sitting here alone draining this guy was kinda boring. Looking in the direction I had come, I could see the light of a lantern slowing coming toward me, swinging around occasionally.
“Celeste, I’m over here!” I called out to her, and now knowing my location she quickly came to join me.
“You ended up further away than I thought. Any issues?”
I shook my head. “Na, just a minor scratch or two. I’m just having a quick meal before heading back.”
“So I see. Didn’t want to wait till we regrouped?”
“I wasn’t sure how long he would stay mind controlled, and didn’t want to risk it breaking mid-meal. He should be just about finished, so we’ll head back once I’m done.”
“That’s kinda morbid, but alright. I’ll wait.”
“Were you alright fighting human enemies? I know you two weren’t sure about that.”
“Hmm, yeah. I was able to handle it while keeping in mind that it’s just a game and they’ll respawn soon anyway. I think Aurora was a little more troubled by it, but since she doesn’t have to actually attack the enemy she was alright.”
“I see. I know there are some people who end up quitting these types of games because they struggle with that. It wasn’t as big an issue before VR, but with this level of immersion it does bother some people. A lot of games avoid having humanoid enemies because of that.”
“Ah, that makes sense. I don’t see us quitting anytime soon, so don’t worry. I’ll get used to it pretty quick, and I don’t see Aurora having any issues after a while.”
As she was speaking, the bandit I was absorbing finally died.
“Alright, my meal’s done. Let’s head back.”
Together, we rejoined the rest of the group at the wagon and continued our journey.