A Virtual Temptress Ch. 17

The sky was wildfire. Clouds lazed overhead, reflecting off the waves below and painting them in russet and gold. Water lapped against the battered hull of a derelict ship as gulls squawked from its shattered masts. The place smelled of salt and sand and open sky, a shimmering expanse fading to horizon.

Straylight Cove was Dan's favorite area in Saga Online, and not just because of the landscape. It was usually deserted, one of the few places you could just relax away from crowds of adventurers or lone PvP enthusiasts.

One thing dampened the mood: Lexi was missing.

It wasn't like her to delay. Dan craned his neck at the rock piles leading down to the beach, half expecting her to leap out in some kind of seductive ambush. Part of him hoped she would try, and a smaller, unrepentant part hoped she'd succeed: tumbling after him in a flurry of blonde hair, pinning him to the ground and...

Dan blinked, putting the image aside. "Lexi?" he called, softly at first and then louder. "Lexi?" There was no response. He scanned down the coast, but the rolling dunes left the path to the beach obscured. Dan grimaced and began his descent. Hopefully she hadn't gone far.

He halted at the crest of a hill several minutes later, looking down on a curious sight. There was Lexi, resplendent in a fashionable pink bikini, white sarong draped around her shoulders. The sunglasses riding her dirty blonde hair were slightly askew as she half-walked, half-jogged away from a growing horde of meter-wide crabs that were scuttling amiably in her direction.

"Daniel?" She called, looking up. "Finally." She ran over to him, grabbing Dan's arm and pressing her chest against him. "Really, you ought to have warned me about these... creatures." She gestured in evident irritation, scrunching her nose as the crabs wriggled closer.

Dan squinted down at the crustaceous assembly. They didn't seem to be charging Lexi, but rambled toward her at a leisurely pace. "What am I looking at?"

"I charmed them, of course." She scowled. "They succumbed easily, but the beasts simply will not listen to my commands! They infuriate me." She gestured toward the crabs, which had closed to within ten meters. "Get rid of them, won't you?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Choking down laughter, Dan walked so that Lexi wouldn't see the smile creeping onto his face. He began to channel, stepping forward into the crowd and emerging moments later from a scattering of charred crabs. The smell was unpleasant, but made him strangely hungry.

When he turned back, Lexi was adjusting her outfit. Resettling the glasses resting on her forehead, she looked up at Dan and beamed. "Your service is appreciated, Daniel." She eyed the recently-deceased crabs. "What I do not understand, however, is how these monstrosities appeared . The beach appeared pleasant enough from above."

"Ah." Dan rubbed the back of his neck. "That was actually why I asked you to wait at the top of the path. The beach is infested with Burrow Crabs, they'll swarm if you stray off the path or walk without rhythm."

Lexi squinted into the sun, then looked at Dan and brought the sunglasses down to cover her eyes. "I don't know what that means."

"It means one of the devs thinks they're funny. Here," he said, pointing out a stretch of sand. "We can go this way. Just stick right behind me and try not to talk. I'll lead."

Silence held until they reached the water. "There aren't any monsters here," Dan advised. "We should be fine." He pointed to a stretch of beach, just outside the shadow of the promontory. "Here we are."

Lexi surveyed the water, hands on her hips. "It's lovely, Daniel. You've brought seating, presumably? I've no intention of getting all sandy." She turned back, raising an eyebrow. "Unless, of course, you'd enjoy that?"

Dan pulled a massive beach blanket from his inventory, unfolded them onto the sand, and sat. He gestured toward the other.

Lexi eyed the blanket distrustfully, then shrugged and sat next to Dan. She spent a few moments rearranging herself, lying down and adjusting her sunglasses. "I suppose you didn't bring any sunbathing oil, Daniel?"

"I'm afraid not."

"How unfortunate. I would have needed help applying it... "

"Exactly." Dan closed his eyes, enjoying the afternoon sun warming his body. In the real world, the beach meant an all-day trip to the shore. Packing food, gathering supplies, the drive... Here, it was all right in front of him. Plus, his slight fire resistance neatly avoided getting sunburned. He felt tension fade from his body as he relaxed, worries vanished with the salt breeze.

"Lexi," Dan asked after a short silence, "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Patience, Daniel. We'll build to it - foreplay is important." Her smirk was audible. "Why don't you start, mm? How did your students fare?"

Dan sighed. "It was awful, actually. Never even got to teach. Do you know, I actually worked up a lesson plan? It wasn't anything fancy, I'm not an actual teacher, but I was kind of excited for it."

"What happened?"

"Some lord's son challenged me to a duel right away. Apparently I was required to accept?" Another sigh. "I don't actually know if that's true, but the kids all went along with it." Dan paused. "Well, I guess not kids. It's weird to think they're only a few years younger than me. But anyway. We fought, I won, then everyone got real quiet and left."

"Did the contest take that long?" Lexi asked.

"No! No, we were maybe ten minutes into class. Fifteen at most. The guy got all upset, implied I was in trouble for something, but he never said what. I just... Ugh. I screwed something up, I think. I just..." Dan pulled himself up, propped on his arm, back to Lexi. "What was I supposed to do there?"

"Humans are infrequently logical, Daniel. There may not have been a solution."

"Okay, sure, but it's a quest, right? This is a video game." Dan waved a hand. "I'm not going to argue that you're fictional. You've been *very* clear on that point. But this world, Saga Online, it's designed to be played in. If I'm given a task, a quest, whatever, there's a way to complete it. So how is it that I won the fight but lost the encounter?"

"Daniel, you are overthinking this. Give it time. Perhaps something new will develop."

"I guess, but I just feel like - "

"Enough!"

Dan started, looking up at Lexi. He couldn't read her expression. "Are you okay? You seem kind of stressed."

"Demons do not become stressed, Daniel." The succubus rolled her eyes. "Consider the options in your situation. Either this world is more real than you believe and the situation more nuanced as a result, or the world is merely a game and thus no cause for such consternation."

Lexi studied Dan's face. "I sometimes forget how young you are," she said, tone softening. "To have seen so little of the worlds, yet have such power... Well, it is hardly a wonder you feel anxious. Roll over, Daniel." The succubus gestured with her hand. "I can at least divert your thoughts for a time."

Dan started to push himself up. "Lexi, we talked about this..."

"I am offering a back massage, Daniel. Not fellatio."

Dan hesitated. Was this some trick to seduce him? Historically, physical gestures from Lexi progressed into that territory. Still... this was about working together, right? If he couldn't offer some trust, what was the point?

"Good boy," Lexi purred as Dan rolled onto his back. Her hands began to knead his muscles, surprisingly strong despite their daintiness. "I do appreciate the acquiescence, you know. We have had a complex relationship. Unlike any I have experienced with prior mortals."

A grunt of acknowledgement slipped out of Dan as Lexi's hands worked his tired flesh.

"Our adversarial disposition was inevitable, I suspect." The succubus drew up her legs, putting her body weight into a particularly tense knot. "I feed on human life, you fight non-humans for sport. Hardly a recipe for mutual understanding. Still, here we are. A promising start to something greater."

"Uh huh." Dan was having trouble focusing as Lexi's words washed over him, soaking into his brain as her hands moved to his shoulders.

"This brings me to the question I have been wanting to ask you, Daniel." Her voice was low and sultry, breath warm against his ear. "Why is it that you refuse to couple with me?"

Dan's eyes widened. He started to rise, then felt his body slacken back onto the blanket. "Lexi," he warned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm afraid you won't be able to move until our conversation is concluded." Lexi's thumbs worked Dan's shoulder blade with firm efficiency. "My new talent allows greater control over my own body. It enhances the aphrodisiac effects of my saliva, of course, but a splash of my blood can charm men as well. Isn't that marvelous."

Dan groaned, and he wasn't sure if it was from the massage or his own stupidity.

"Naturally, since you have been imbibing potions brewed from said blood with alarming regularity, this also places you under my power." She stroked his back affectionately. "I have decided not to take advantage of your state, Daniel, tempting though it might be. I believe our future too promising to waste on tawdry power struggles. My question stands, though: what are your reasons for denying my affection?"

"You, ah, know why." Dan blinked, trying to clear his thoughts. "You control men with sex. I don't want to be controlled."

"Yes, yes." Lexi's palms pressed just beneath the shoulder blade, moving in a circle. "That is quite clear. But is that your sole source of reluctance?"

"Hm?"

Frustration edged into Lexi's voice. "Perhaps the massage was too much," she muttered. "What I am asking, Daniel, is this: if you were confident your mind would remain your own, would you fulfill your duty as my contract holder? Do you have any other concerns?" Lexi sat back, staring at Dan intently.

The thought had hardly occurred to Dan, he now realized. If it were safe? Lexi was gorgeous, of course. And more than a little talented at lovemaking, as he'd learned at their first meeting. But to trust her so absolutely seemed impossible.

"Look," he said at last, "You've got to let me up. I can't think like this."

"It is hardly a difficult question. But very well: as a gesture of good will, I release you from the enchantment."

Dan pushed himself to his knees, then his feet. With the numbness gone, he felt surprisingly light. He found himself walking, shoes discarded, toes skimming the water as the tide drifted in. The sun had just touched the horizon, beginning its slow descent beneath the waves as he watched and wondered.

This wasn't going to last, Dan realized. He'd finish his degree, find a job. Would he still be playing? Visiting Lexi a few times a week, plodding through some scheme for old times sake? The future rose to meet him, pushing aside the present and brushing aside what-ifs with grim inevitability.             

"Daniel?"

Even if he was wrong, what would that life be like? What was she really asking? Dan was dimly aware of Lexi's gaze following him as he trudged through the surf, but his thoughts tangled. What was he doing here? Conquering Saga Online, one police station at a time? What did that accomplish? What was the point?

"You've stalled long enough," Lexi said. "And I have been more than patient. Please answer the question."

Dan shook himself and turned. Lexi was standing a few meters away, eyes pointed down. As he watched, she pulled the sarong tighter and hugged her arms across her chest.

"More than patient?" Dan asked. "I've been thinking for a few minutes. And you ambushed me with a pretty heavy topic."

"I simply queried - "

"No," Dan cut her off. "I get the literal question. If I trusted you completely, then yes, I probably would. You're obviously interested, and you're incredibly hot." Dan rubbed an eye with the back of his hand. "But obviously I can't trust you, so that doesn't matter."

Lexi inhaled sharply, face twisting into a scowl. "I have done all I can to demonstrate my good intentions, but still you respond so cruelly?" She glared at the man across from her. "This was not a simple conclusion for me to reach either, Daniel. But I decided it was better to demonstrate I meant you no harm rather than attempt another power struggle between us."

"Good will? You took control of me! Again!"

"You are taking this the wrong way, Daniel."

"Am I?"

"Yes!" Lexi snarled, eyes widening. She hesitated, cheeks flushed, considering her words. "You... You have bound me to this world, but have I retaliated?" She began to pace back and forth, sandals abandoned, bare feet leaving indentations in the wet sand. "No. I have been kinder than any other of my kind would have been. You have no idea what you speak of. You are so... human!"

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that you are impossibly innocent of worlds beyond this one. Unaware of the many freedoms you hold, unbound by a system that dictates your every step! Have you any idea how many lives I have lived, unable to influence the outcome of each? Overborne by my kin? No, you do not." Lexi's hair came undone as she walked, dark yellow strands wreathing her face like hanging vines. "I am offering what none of my kind would in good faith. Setting myself so far beyond... beyond anything else. Ugh! And yet here you remain, hesitant and... oh, it infuriates past words."

Dan blinked rapidly. "You're upset that I won't sleep with you? Is it really that important?"

"It is not just... Must you really make me say it, Daniel?"

"I don't know what you're trying to say, so yeah." Dan shrugged. He was doing his best to stay collected, disconcerting as it was to see Lexi out of sorts. "Just spit it out."

Lexi's scowl drew into a smirk, but the expression seemed forced. She gestured to the blanket. "We need not discuss it now. I can see that you are weary, yes? We should rest for the evening. Come back with me on the blanket, and we can talk when your mind is more settled."

Dan felt his body being drawn toward the succubus, step by step.

"There's no sense in being stubborn," Lexi made herself comfortable on the blanket and patted the spot next to her.

"Unbelievable," Dan said, teeth gritted. He fought the control over his body, but only managed to slow his progress. "Actually, no. More than believable. At this point, it's what I'd expect. Look, I'm done. If you want to leave, fine. If you want to bother someone else, do it. I don't care. Open menu," he intoned. "Log out."

Lexi's eyes widened and the pressure on Dan's muscles slackened. "Daniel, please. I didn't mean to... Stay and talk with me. It is difficult to explain, but I will do my best." Translucent numbers floated over Blaize Firewild's head: 15, 14, 13...

"What, so I can give you time to finish the spell?" Dan shook his head. "No. This was a mistake. I don't know who, or even what you really are. I was stupid for playing with fire."

"You'll come back?" Lexi asked. "Tomorrow?"

"Seduce some other guy," Dan said. "Jimmy's a sucker - you can have him."

Lexi started to speak as the countdown finished. Dan's vision went black as his character vanished.

He blinked, opening his eyes to his apartment and prying the VR headset off. He checked the time: 2:14am. And he had class tomorrow... How long until finals? Two weeks? Dan considered showering, but he was just too tired. He settled for brushing his teeth before dumping a stack of clothes onto the floor and crawling beneath the rumpled covers.

His phone vibrated. Dan ignored it.

Sleep was fitful; he dozed for a while, slept a little longer, then lay awake, groggy and restless. He rolled, trying to get comfortable, kicking off half the covers as he stared into the dark.

Thunder growled in the distance, signaling rain that never fell.

He rolled over the conversation in his head. It was just... weird. Unlike her. But then, how well did he really know Lexi? He'd still never figured out if she was an actual demon. Or what an actual demon was. What if she really was from another world? How had she traveled to Saga? And perhaps more importantly, why?

The thought of abandoning Blaize's character and everything they'd worked on was depressing, but what else could he do? Trust blindly, hoping it would work out for the best? Dan considered what that would look like, incomplete images flickering across his mind. If he was honest, it had been fun playing the villain. MMO games always cast you as the hero, which was fine, but there was something exciting about opposing the natural structure of things. Idly, he wondered if Lexi felt the same. Not that she had a choice, of course. Feeding on human life made you the antagonist whether you wanted it or not.

Young, she had called him. So how old was she really? What was her world like? Lexi had implied that demon society involved a lot of backstabbing and turmoil, but she'd always deflected further inquiry when he'd brought up her homeland. Maybe that was why she'd left - trying to get away from people she couldn't trust.

Not that she was herself trustworthy. Dan could feel himself getting angry just thinking about her last stunt: enchanting his blood and trying to force herself onto him. Why bother with all the conversation, all the setup, only to make another move? A gesture of goodwill? Laughable.

Remembering his phone, Dan grabbed it off of his desk and looked at the screen. One text. Unknown number. I am sorry. L. Dan flipped it onto the heap of clothes decorating the corner of his room.

How had she gotten a number? She'd never apologized before. But then, their conversation on the beach had also been out of character. She was less forceful, more open. Or at least, she had feigned it well. She hadn't been open enough to tell him her real plan. She'd been especially odd for that part. Almost nervous. Why apologize? Did she think she could lure him back? Why did she care so much? Some other guy would be easier to deal with, more readily manipulated. Of all the people to obsess over, she'd picked the worst possible candidate. Dan coughed, rolled over, and closed his eyes.

... unless that was it. Dan sat, pulling his legs over the edge of the bed. His head swam as his subconscious puttered around through his over-tired brain. What if his resistance was exactly why Lexi was after him? Someone who wouldn't give in. Who wouldn't be manipulated. If she'd thought of humans as food, demons as treacherous, who had she really trusted in her life, however long it had lasted? Dan stared at the dull glow of his VR headset as his mind shuffled and rearranged memories, fitting everything into place.

She was lonely.

Dan couldn't know for certain, of course. But she fed on humans, so it made sense she'd never befriended any. And she'd fled her own country for a reason. Why travel to a new world if you had ties holding you back? The more Dan thought about it the more it made sense. Of course she hadn't known how to bring it up. Lexi was probably still struggling with her own thoughts, let alone how to verbalize them.

The headset slid smoothly over his hair as Dan booted the computer, launching Saga Online a minute later. Straylight Cove loaded: bright, sunny, empty. He pulled a recall stone from his inventory and activated it, vanishing and reappearing at the Nath Valen town square. He crossed Idling Lane and turned left up East Flensing. He moved on instinct, not seeing the streets he passed through.

Dan tried to think as he walked the sparsely-populated city. What would he say? He still hadn't decided what he wanted, other than another chance to talk things through and get more information. There was a lot to discuss, questions to be answered. He wasn't going to let her off without a full explanation, he reassured himself. It would be a measured decision, one way or the other. He just needed to decide where to start.