Play Testers Wanted Pt. 19

"My grandfather says it is acceptable to speak to you," he said. The boy walked off, grabbed food and drink, and joined me. "I am not afraid of you, and to prove it, I will give you my name. I am Yaotl, and one day I will be a shaman like my grandfather. The young man could not have been older than his mid-teens, yet he spoke with great authority. "The black is an evil and twisted thing, abhorrent and unnatural. I tell you this if you are here to destroy the black, you must trust your instincts and never falter. I have heard the old songs and shown the room of stories within the pyramid. The drawings show the coming of the star stone and the possession of the outsider."

Without a warning or another spoken word, the teen stood and walked away. I had a lot on my mind. My thoughts turned to the pyramid and the room of stories. Could there be a clue to the destruction of the werejaguar there? Only one way to find out. I finished my meal and got to my feet. The villagers were gathering. They had lighted torches, and some of them were carrying buckets which they filled from the nearby well. When I joined them, Yaotl, the future shaman, handed me a torch.

"The blood has stained the stones long enough," Yaotl explained. "The time has come to cleanse the steps. Go, climb to the top and see what the black sees when he strides the crown of the pyramid."

I held the torch aloft and strode to the base of the massive stone structure. This moment was crucial in the story, and I held onto it before taking that first step upwards. The initial sign of blood was a few dark drops upon a landing. The indications of carnage increased until I reached the spot where the lycanthropes had feasted upon the flesh of their former comrade. The patch looked surreal under the blend of torchlight and that of the rising moon. I observed the size and irregular outline of the stain. Nature is efficient, and morals do not even enter into the act. I continued upward and saw the small splotches where the tumbling body had rolled until it settled below. Near the top was the second-largest splash of dried blood where the black had torn out the throat of his treacherous child.

"Brutal," I whispered. As Yaotl had called it, the crown stood above the perpetual fog clinging to the jungle beyond. The pyramid of the moon was a monument to better days. This village for a people on the decline, thanks to the curse. The death of the black would serve two purposes. I attempted for the Nth time to initiate the safety protocols and failed. I cursed and screamed as the mask of placidity crumbled under the growing fear of my mortality. "God damn it," I hissed as my knees failed, and I knelt on the unyielding stones. "Fuck!" I shrieked. "Kat... where are you?" The emotions I had bottled up broke loose, and I wept as the fear overtook me. This was no longer a game but a death sentence. Paralysis gripped me, and I buried my face in my hands. There was no white room to rescue me if I died here. Images of various states of impairment or death flooded my thoughts.

"I've never seen a god weep before," a woman said. I felt her hand on my head. "Death is as natural as your next breath. We are not guaranteed tomorrow."

I lifted my head and looked up. A young woman stood next to me. I guessed her age around her late teens to early twenties; that was until I saw her eyes. They were the ageless eyes of a much older woman. She smiled and lightly stroked my hair.

"You are one of them," I said. "You are a child of the black."

"I am indeed left-handed god," she agreed. "He took me when I was still unsullied."

"Figures, your kind of beauty is rare," I responded, forgetting my terror for a while."

"Honey tongued seducer," she laughed. "They call me Nenetl or little doll. I have always been pleasing to the eye. So, tell me, fire hair, are you going to hunt the black before the next pregnant moon?"

"Yes," I growled, my fear turning to anger. "I am not dying here. Too much is at stake."

"Good, I will take you to the room of stories," Nenetl offered. "Take my hand. I don't have much time."

We raced along the top of the pyramid, and she led me down a flight of steps into the structure itself. Torchlight illuminated the myriad drawings along the walls, ceiling, and floor. Nenetl did not require the light. She either knew the way by heart, or her night vision was superior to mine. I learned later it was a little bit of both. She opened the hidden panel that gave us access to the room of stories. It was a series of interconnected chambers that told the history of the village and its beliefs. The first chamber was their creation story. Nenetl drug me to the room that I needed to see. It depicted the night the meteor struck the jungle. What Yaotl and the others had shared fit the images before me. The jewel played a vital role in this legend. I followed the series of drawings until a large portion of the wall was scarred and defaced. Claw marks destroyed an essential piece of the story. I cursed and turned to Nenetl for an answer.

"This part of the wall is gone. Why?"

"It reveals the identity of the black jaguar," Nenetl explained. "I will tell you for a price."

My first thought was a promise to do my best in murdering to death the man that turned her into a monster. Man, was I off base. She reached up behind her neck and untied the knot holding the garment covering her. It slid from her curvaceous form and onto the stones at our feet. I felt my mouth drop open.

"Well, color me surprised," I said as she named her price.

"You will be my tetlancalaquiliztli or my slave while we make love," Nenetl demanded. "You do what I say when I say it."

"Agreed," I accepted her terms. Nenetl seemed shocked by how quickly I acquiesced. "Hey, I understand you need to be the alpha female."

"Left-handed god, you are full of surprises," she laughed. "The truth runs deeper than you know. For fear of the black's jealousy, no man here will touch me. The shadow cast shrouds over my entire life." Nenetl growled hungrily. "Take off your clothes and let me see what I am dealing with." I made a show of it, and she liked the slow burn. When I removed my underwear, she let out an appreciative whistle. I had been so frightened the last few game days that I took little interest in exploring my avatar outside being redheaded and male. A spinning icon alerted me to a message from my HUD. I checked it as Nenetl walked around me and examined her prize like a piece of raw meat.

'Your avatar is an approximate extrapolation of what little data I could find on user and player qualifiers. I hope this meets your satisfaction. I derived your musculature from extreme levels of swordsmanship, as well as your stamina score.'

'It'll do, Pooh, it'll do,' I replied via the eye-blink keyboard built into the HUD.

"For an invader, you are surprisingly attractive," Nenetl mused. "The other Spaniards were physically fit but lacked appeal. Your body pleases me. Now, kneel!"

I tried to be nonchalant about my growing excitement, but my erection spoiled that. This raven-haired beauty inspired some severely naughty thoughts despite how dire my situation was. Hell, if I had to perish, there were much worse ways than this. I assumed the position, and like a good little sub, I kept my gaze at the floor of the chamber. Nenetl placed her foot on my shoulder. She grabbed a fistful of my hair, and it began. I gently lapped at the petals of her sex, and the fine acoustics of the chamber picked up every gasp, whimper, and moan to perfection. I was worshipping at her altar, and she accepted my offering. My tongue lashed her clit, and her roar of approval rang out for the entire village to hear. If I were lucky, the black jaguar would listen to it too and come running. In his human shape, I had a much better chance to kill him. Feeling cocky at this point, I cupped both her ass cheeks and buried my tongue as deep as it would go. Nenetl did not chastise me for that little act, so I kept that in mind should future opportunities arise.

'Do you wish to utilize the Serpent Tongue Technique?' My HUD whispered in my ear.

'Hells yes,' I replied. A flicker of genuine hope kindled within me. If I could access that, what else might I eventually be able to do? My tongue slithered deeper and deeper until it could reach no further. I slowly thickened it and began pleasuring her in earnest.

"Devil Tongue," Nenetl exclaimed but remained latched on with her powerful grip on my head. "You are the Left-Handed God!" Yeah, darling, wait until I bury my tongue in your ass, I thought. Things will get real then. Until that happens, let's enjoy the moment. Nenetl's shriek of release was deafening. It was as much animalistic as human. If I had any doubts, she was a werejaguar. That sound eliminated it, so she let go and staggered back. I retracted my tongue and waited. "What is that look in your eyes, Devil God? Speak." I told her what I wanted. "Oh, you are a vile thing. I have never pondered such an act."

"If you are afraid, I will understand," I whispered.

"I am afraid of no male, save one," Nenetl shrieked. "I name you Shadowborn, Devil God. You are as wicked as the legends paint you. The Smoking Mirror that eclipses the world. Show me this thing that you crave so much."

I stood with her permission and moved behind her. With a few suggestions and soft touches, Nenetl had her hands braced upon a wall and her ass stuck out for easy access. Damn, I thought Brazilian girls had fine backsides. Nenetl put them to shame. I knelt behind her and caressed her cheeks to ease her tension. When she ceased flinching, I pulled her cheeks apart and licked her puckered ass gently. There was no rush, so once she relaxed, the tip of my tongue worked its way inside. Instead of cursing, she purred, like the way felines do, with her entire body. Just as I had with her sex, I worked my tongue deep into her backdoor. Her curses grew louder as she pushed back as I reached her limit. I swelled the thickness of my tongue, and the dusky-skinned beauty lost her fucking mind. Nenetl cursed in her native language that gave me a boost of confidence.

"More, give me more," Nenetl demanded in perfect modern English. I paused in shock at her use of that language. I had assumed this setting was near the time of the conquistador invasion of Central America. The form of English used during that time was vastly different than the modern. A lot can happen to a dialect in a few hundred years. I dug my fingers into her firm ass cheeks are redoubled my efforts to get her off. "UNN, you sick bastard, do you like licking my back door?" That little line removed any doubt about the timeline. I reached between her legs, located Nenetl's clit, and began teasing it gently. Whoosh, my ears rang as Nenetl shrieked as she climaxed. I feared for a moment she would change with my tongue buried deep in her ass. I withdrew my tongue hastily as Nenetl recovered, leaning heavily against the wall.

"Damn, that was intense," I muttered in English.

"Tell me about it," Nenetl replied and then grinned. "Busted, well fuck me sideways."

"Are you going tell me who the black jaguar is?" I asked, and she frowned. "Hints? Clues? I am open to anything right now."

Nenetl pounced. Her forward momentum knocked me down and onto my back. She took me in hand, took aim, and buried me deep inside of her. As Nenetl ground her hips in slow circles, she spoke. "Last month, I celebrated my five hundred and ninth birthday. I have buried children, lovers and watched enemies grow old and perish while I continue. I am tired of life, but you can end it, end me. I am incapable of breaking the geas that is upon me. It prohibits me from telling you the black's deep dark secret." Nenetl paused long enough to savor the pleasure she was receiving. "Damn, I love your cock. Where was I?"

"Deep anal loving," I replied with a smile.

"Later," Nenetl gasped. "I can tell you what was on that panel and why he destroyed it." She leaned back, pushed her knees apart, and let me see my erection slide in and out of her as she rocked her hips. "A piece of space debris fell to the earth. I theorize that it was of alien origin. The staff, the shaman, gave you is an alloy no one has been able to identify. I took it to universities and labs nearby for analysis and nothing. The gem attached itself to the black and granted him immortality. It renews his cells daily and allows him to change. If you wound him and tear out the gem, he will die."

I felt an echo of memory as I lay there beneath Nenetl. Three women whose names I could not ever recall as they used me to pleasure themselves. The ripples spread outward and became more profound. Mystique and I spent so much time together in the Marvel universe exploring all aspects of what I was comfortable with and even pushed my boundaries more than a few times. I discovered that not only did I have a strong dominant personality, but deep down, I was equally comfortable being submissive and letting go of my stress and need for control. The fear of death had hung over me since I learned the safety protocols were not in place here. Yet, here I was, letting Nenetl control the situation and relinquishing command until she was satisfied.

"Take your time," I whispered. "I am not going anywhere." For two hours, I became her plaything, and to be honest, I loved every minute of it. Nenetl became an avatar of Mystique, and the bond I fashioned with her, I let Nenetl borrow that level of intimacy. A flood of faces familiar and unknown paraded in my mind's eye. All those women and the pleasure we had shared fueled my desire to vanquish the black jaguar. Regret is for losers, and I would not fail. So, there I was on my back, my ass off the floor as Nenetl rode me amazon style. Sweat poured off her and dripped onto my face as she drove for her last orgasm.

"Almost," Nenetl grunted as she slammed her hips against me. "So damn close!" Mere moments before we both climaxed together, the loud rumbling roar of a jaguar echoed across the valley. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or hide in a corner somewhere. My body shook as I cried out and fired deep inside Nenetl. She collapsed sideways, taking me with her. With some effort, we disentangle ourselves and lay next to each other, gasping for breath and covered in a layer of sweat. She rose and left me there to gather my thoughts and ponder how to track down the monster that had haunted this area for far too long. Nenetl never said if the metal staff could hurt the black. Only one way to find out, bounce the fucker's head off the side of the overgrown walking stick. Once I had recovered, I stood and explored the room of stories alone. I knelt in front of the damaged portion of the wall. The gouges were deep, savage, and obliterated most of the pictograph. Most but not all of the image was impossible to make out. The few surviving patches depicted an Aztec calendar. The face in the middle had its tongue stuck out, surrounding the center was a ring of twenty symbols, and the outer section of the disk was divided into eight quadrants by arrow-like designs.

Though there was little left of the calendar, the design was iconic, and I wondered if it was crucial. Just below the disk were four characters. They stood out like a sore thumb. I compared the individual pictographs with the calendar, and I found two matches. I got to my feet and looked for the grinning face with its tongue stuck out. The top floor of the pyramid didn't have it. I found a steep set of stairs going down. I descended the steps slowly since there were no handrails, and a misstep could prove injurious in the least. The third step down nearly sent me toppling. I regained my balance and examined the loose block. My fingers found purchase, and my HUD lit up with the words, you discovered a secret. The stone shifted, and beneath it was a sturdy metal box.

"It looks all beat to hell," I commented. "Let's see what's inside." I pressed the latch and lifted the lid. There was an emergency flashlight with what I hoped were fresh batteries. I thumbed the release, inserted the batteries, and checked how bright the light was. "Excellent." The seven LED bulbs put out an intense beam and should last until I finished this adventure one way or the other. My HUD announced I had claimed a tactical flashlight.

The further down into the pyramid I went, the less the sun was able to reach. I had to be methodical and search each level. I found the laughing God, as I thought of him, four stories down. The calendar was in excellent condition. I played the beam from the flashlight over its surface, and it took a bit to find the first symbol. I pushed down and grinned when I heard the soft metallic click. Yes! It took time to find the other three keys in the combination lock. Once they were triggered, the sound of stone grinding against stone caused me to fall back as the floor in front of the disk split open. The steps led into stygian darkness. I waited for the mechanism to finish opening before I made my way down. The walls had bas reliefs depicting the underworld and the trials expected of the newly dead.

"Lovely," I whispered. The corridor went on for another twenty feet when it simply ended. There was no door or walls. No, it merely ended in a dead grey space. The hall was incomplete, and the devs had left it unfinished. Were there other locations like this within the gaming environment? If so, could I complete this mission, or would it glitch out at the worst possible moment? I returned to the crown of the pyramid. The waning gibbous moon rose above the horizon, and its silvery light set the perpetual fog surrounding the village glowed with an eerie metallic illumination. I sat on the edge of the roof and kicked my feet as I pondered my situation. I missed something. It was clear that the game had given me clues, but an essential item had evaded me. I placed the flashlight in my inventory and cleared my head by trying to enjoy the view.

"I could not sleep," Yaotl said as he topped the steps. "Why is the left-handed God sitting up here? I asked myself." The young man sat next to me. "Have you seen the room of stories?"

"Yes. I am missing something, but I do not know what it is. Your grandfather told me that no one in the village is the black werejaguar."

"That is correct," Yaotl confirmed what the chief shaman had told me.

"I am flummoxed," I told him.

"My grandfather, when he has a problem, talks to me and often discovers that he has the solution but does not recognize it," Yaotl offered. "Tell me what you have learned about him?" I relayed everything the elders of the village had told me.

"That's all I know," I said and watched Yaotl's reaction.

"You have everything you require," Yaotl stated confidently.

"Can you at least tell me if the staff can harm him?" I asked.

"No one has ever attempted to use it," Yaotl said. "If they have, there is no story or song that mentions it."

He left me with a glimmer of hope, so I repeated the story in my head repeatedly. When nothing stood out, I reversed it and played it back from the end to the beginning. That is when it hit me, and all the trouble began after the young warrior was killed and eaten. I had just let that little detail slide and not see it for what it was. Whatever killed the young warrior must have swallowed the stone. The power within the gem must have changed the predator fundamentally. I was not looking for a man. No, the curse was bound up in the form of a jaguar. The misfortune was a black jaguar that took on the aspects of a human during the full moon. It did not lessen the danger, but I was confident I could kill this thing before the next cycle began. I knew the face of my enemy.

I fell asleep atop the pyramid staring up at the star-filled sky. Being a city kid, this type of view was so rare to me. I hoped when I woke. It would be in the Numenor center. My emotions were getting rubbed raw by the ever-present threat of neurological damage or physical death. The dream was a series of disjointed images and patches of conversation.