Play Testers Wanted Pt. 24

We had time to kill before our room would be ready, so I decided to see if I could pull off a few tricks or not. I began by trying to levitate a single grain of salt. Titania set a saltshaker in front of me and grinned. I cupped the palm of my hand and shook the dispenser gently. I flattened my hand so I could see the twenty or so grains more easily.

"You've done this is the game, so you've already had experience," I said to encourage myself.

I imagined one minuscule particle tumbling upward. When nothing happened, instead of stressing out, I relaxed and gasped when one drifted skyward and stopped at eye level. Just like lifting weights, the strain became too much, and it fell and joined the others.

"It is a beginning."

"Do not repeat, do not wear yourself out with parlor tricks," Titania warned.

"I've packed some necessities," Bambi said.

"Like?" I asked.

"On the desolate Plateau of Leng, there are an ancient and terrible species of self-aware arachnids. The silk they spin is unequal in its durability and delicate touch. I have not only acquired garments, but rope spun from this silk."

"Ooh, Leng silk is amazing and damn hard to come by," Titania said. "Have you heard the legend of the black dress?"

"Black dress?" I asked.

"I love that story. According to the legend, a Chinese sorceress had ties to dark gods, and they granted her terrible abilities after performing specific tasks. Upon her death, her followers interred a single bolt of black silk with her. This is where the story gets a little wonky. One version states that it was Stygian silk, while the other explicitly states the origin to be the Plateau of Leng. They discovered her tomb, and the archaeologist's wife claimed the silk and had a little black dress made, and tragedy followed every woman to wear it."

"Sounds like a great horror story. Is there any truth behind the legend?" I asked.

"That's why it is called a legend," Bambi said. "Finish your drink."

I sipped the contents of my glass and watched Titania glare at me. My smile ticked her off even more while Bambi seemed eager but patient. Titania took my dirty tumbler, set it into the soapy water, and declared it was time to move. We left the bar and leisurely meandered down the street. One of Titania's employees caught up with us and confirmed that we not only had a room for our week-long dalliance but the Scarlet Blossom, Rick's best room. A short while later, we turned the corner and reached our destination. It felt like stepping into the movie. The detail in reproducing the set was perfect. The neon sign above the door read Rick's Café Americain, though the locals called it a saloon and a brothel. Standing there to greet us was a humanoid robot with a transparent chest plate and a glowing blue face behind it. The white tuxedo it wore had a gap leaving the chest exposed.

"Greetings ladies, sir, my designation is Bullox and this," he said, gesturing to its torso. "Is Blue Max."

"Felicitations honored guests; Rick will greet you in the main dining hall." Blue Max said. "If you will be so good as to follow us. The last of your preparations are currently in progress. Food and drink await you until the staff finishes their last-minute tasks in the overlook one floor up. The gambling and whoring facilities are open twenty-four hours at your leisure. Follow me."

Bollux trundled inside, where the scent of tobacco, herbal smoke, incense, and sex permeated the air. Rick's place was busy, and I liked the look and feel of it. A dark elf played a mini grand piano for the crowd of diners, gamblers, and beings in the act of fornicating. Some sat there slow fucking while others pounded their partner into blissful oblivion. The customers were just as entertaining as the Svartalfar pianist. I especially liked the film noir costumes worn by servers and visitors alike. Bullox took us to a dressing salon with a substantial lion-footed tub, a large glass shower, and half a dozen stylists skilled in massage, manicures, and makeup.

"I've never had a manicure before," I admitted.

"Give him the works, Mani, Pedi, the fucking works," Bambi said.

"I'm taking a shower," Titania announced.

"Take the hint, sport, get in there," Bambi laughed. "I will let that sexy beast rub out all the nasty stress I've been holding onto." She pointed to a tall, muscular Anubitet, one of the jackal-headed Osirians.

While Titania waited for the water temperature to reach perfection, she stripped out of her jeans and blouse. I took Bambi's advice and followed suit. Was that a sly grin on the demon's face? A single touch on the glass allowed the door to slide open, allowing us to enter. It felt like standing outside during a warm thunderstorm. I glanced up, watching how the water fell from the shower ceiling. How the hell were they doing that? Titania coughed, and I giggled as I readjusted my gaze. Titania's hair was plastered to her back and damn near hung down to her full plump bottom. My attention focused on a rivulet of water snaking its way from the back of Titania's head, between her shoulder blades, and down her spine until it reached the shelf just above those glorious cheeks.

"Want to wash my hair or back first?"

"Let's start from the top and work our way down."

I applied shampoo to my hands and went to work. My fingertips massaged Titania's scalp, and she leaned back against me. She spoke in a language that greatly reminded me of the dark elf tongue but was more beautiful and fluent than anything I had ever heard.

"You haven't lost your touch," she said.

"I hope not," I replied, the words coming to my lips naturally.

"Beloved!" Titania exclaimed, hearing me speak in her language.

I worked her mass of locks into a nice soapy mess. As I rinsed her hair, there were momentary flashes of memory. The sense of familiarity only grew the longer we were together.

"Constantinople, autumn jasmine, and a crescent moon," I described the images and scents as I experienced them.

"The Tower of the Moon," Titania said. "What a time that was. You can do my back now."

I lathered up a sponge and scrubbed her back. But when my hands drifted too far south, she clucked her tongue. This was about teasing, not fooling around just yet. Before I could wash her front, she took over.

"Turn around, and I'll do you."

"As you wish," I said. The soft gasp from Titania made me look over my shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Your tattoo is back," she said, stammering just a bit.

"I don't have a tattoo, do I?"

Her touch was gentle as she pointed to each spot along my spine. The line of characters ran from C1 at the top of my neck to L5 at the small of my back. Each time her finger touched a symbol, she spoke its name. The language wasn't that of the Fae, but from my race, they were Duskwalker runes. Were they simply for decoration, or did they perform some function I had yet to remember? The more I thought about it, the more I was confident they did something, but what?

"We better rinse off and get dressed. Poor Bambi is probably waiting for us."

"Yes, oh fuck yeah," Bambi cried out. "Fuck me, dog boy."

"We can take our time drying off," I chuckled. "The Osirian is hitting her sweet spot."

"Speaking of, tell me about her, please. Don't play coy. What is the Bastet like?"

"I am still learning, remembering; we were close at some point. Anything more would be pure speculation."

"And this Akira woman?"

"I love her, and she would die for me."

"Just a little more," Bambi shouted. "Unn yeah!"

"Demonic slut."

"Time for your grooming, ladies," Titania said. "Let them spoil you with a manicure this once."

"It is you," one of the Osirians said. "I owe you my life."

"You must be the physician's sister he spoke so kindly about; I am glad the treatment was successful."

The Horutet shed tears which she used to soak my fingers, and it wasn't until much later I learned just how rarely the Osirians bestowed that gift. By the time they had finished, Bambi and the Anubitet had finished and left the bathroom after a quick shower. I regarded my finger and toenails with a sense of pride. Now we were ready to dress for our grand entrance into Rick's. Titania ran her fingers through my hair and, with a slight tweak, groomed my hair to match the 1940s theme. A bone white tuxedo awaited me, and as I dressed, Titania performed a complex gesture that dried her hair and placed it in a stunning updo simultaneously. Glittering jewelry rested in a box before a lighted mirror. Titania held up one set of earrings after the other until she settled on a pair set with three diamonds and a ruby in a dangling triangular pattern. A matching necklace placed a twenty-carat ruby between her breasts, which her dress, with its plunging neckline, put on full display.

Bambi donned a black tuxedo jacket, a knee-high pinstripe skirt, and six-inch stiletto heels. The skirt was so tight it forced her to walk slow enough for everyone to drool over her infernal backside. The succubus performed a hair flip to finish her look and changed its hue to a scintillating crimson. Like her eyes, the individual strands shifted incoming light to the red end of the visible spectrum. When I struggled with tying the bowtie, Titania took over and leaned in close as she helped me.

"You never could tie a bow to save your life."

"You smell like the last bloom of autumn on a clear and sunny day."

"Flatterer. There, all done."

I leaned in to kiss her, but her index finger stopped me. The teasing continued and wouldn't end until we reached our room. After receiving the ladies' approval, we strode into the dining area with me in the middle and one of them on each arm. Rick greeted us with a smile and a bow. He was a near-human with silver hair and gold eyes. These weren't flecks of gold but like pools of molten metal that practically glowed under the ambient light. Rick fits the description of a gate born. Was he Q'Jalin? Left was silent, so I let it go for now.

"Titania." There was something odd about how he pronounced her name and breathed. "Bambi," and just like that, you could feel the utter contempt when he addressed the succubus. "You, my dear Booker, require no introduction. May I welcome you to Rick's? You are my guest, and please sample the casino or sweat pit if the spirit moves you?"

"Sweat pit?" I asked.

"A pile of writhing bodies deep in the passions of unbridled lust fueled by rare alchemical insense and a myriad of narcotics, that is the sweat pit."

"Sounds like home," Bambi purred.

"I think I will have both hands full for a while."

"Excellent, your table awaits, and when you are ready, Bollux will show you to your room."

Rick turned to the dark elf pianist and spoke to him in Shiväisith, his native language. I understood every syllable, and once again, the game and reality collided. A new, livelier tune filled the air as we walked up to one of three tables elevated above the main floor of Rick's. I held the chairs while Bambi and Titania sat. My seat gave me an unfettered view of a good portion of the diners below. Just as the patrons in the movie were of diverse nationalities, those beneath were from a hundred parallel realms. The disparate species were a delight for the senses.

"I half expect a Twi'lek or Draenei to enter any moment."

"You tell him," Bambi said. "Or I will."

"Fine," Titania giggled. "If you wait long enough, just about any race you've read about, seen in a movie, or played in a video game could walk through the front door. If the new Keeper visits, we could see his two bodyguards; one of them is Twi'lek."

"No shit, what is a Keeper?"

"He maintains the House of a Thousand Doors. It mirrors the Maze in many ways but is less limited. Within those hallowed halls, the entire multiverse resides."

"Not bodyguards, sweetie," Bambi said. "They are his sentinels, and they patrol the multiverse for him. They are the deadliest females anywhere."

"You sampled the pale one, did you not?" Titania asked.

"Jarael, she is currently the MC for the Raven's arena," Bambi added. "Perhaps you have seen her?"

"I did," I exclaimed. "I noticed Jarael's blue lips and tongue on the monitors."

"Of course you did," Bambi said, sticking out her cerulean tongue. "See that look; he wants it." Her tongue rolled onto itself like something you'd see in a kid's cartoon back in the 60s. Damn near prehensile and made me eager to feel it at work.

"Perhaps we can send word to Jarael and see if she is available to entertain Booker," Titania said, gauging my reaction. "His libido knows no end. I can't wait to feel him inside me."

"Jarael's pussy is blue too; her labia are the deepest sapphire. We spent some quality time together once or twice; no, it was three times," Bambi bragged.

"I will enjoy breaking the two of you; I am not greedy." I wanted to say that I knew all about Jarael's unusual pigmentation from an encounter in a virtual environment. But that was only an avatar, not a living, breathing person, or was it? She had almost called me Duskwalker in front of many influential people. Was it the same woman?

"Ooh, will you look at that," Bambi said, pointing.

"What the hell?" I gasped, seeing a burly near-human male pounding a slime girl. Her body seemed composed entirely of blue Jello, and I could see his cock penetrating her translucent, gelatinous flesh. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"The P'tuc'da are exceptionally rare since their home dimension rarely aligns with the Maze. They are prized lovers and eager servants," Titania said with little emotion. "Oh, you misunderstand me. The Jello girls, as the locals call them, are paid well and are highly sought after for their services."

"Looks like fun. Perhaps the next time I visit the Maze, I might look her up. Oh, I almost forgot, do either of you know a woman called Solstice?"

"She is a freelance contractor and works mainly for power brokers like the Ravens and their ilk," Titania replied. "She is one of the best-trained polymaths in or around the Maze. Like you, her father is a Duskwalker and a big fan of yours. Do not underestimate her skills or forfeit your life. Did I leave anything out?"

"Her mother," Bambi said.

"I don't know who her mother is; no one does. Oh, you sly little demon, when did you find out?"

"Recently, two days ago, hell standard time, a new admission murdered by arcane means told me of his discovery. In life, he was a courier, and he accidentally overheard a private conversation moments before his death."

"Well? Are you going to tell us or leave us in the dark?"

"I am pondering. If I tell you, I not only put your life in danger but also Booker's and Solstice's. Even she doesn't know that side of her lineage. Give me time."

"You do know someone called a Black Decade on me."

"No, the devil is in the details," Bambi said. "Someone within the Order of Chthon declared the decade on Shaw. You sadly not only inherited his wealth but that as well."

There was a brief lull in the conversation when someone entered Rick's, someone I knew. The older man with his silver hair and tattered clothes sparked a potent memory, and before I could stop myself, I called out to him.

"Dooley, Old Man Dooley, dragon bane, skald of the ancient ones, and dear friend, how the hell are you?" I vaulted the balcony and landed lightly near him.

He looked up, straightened his back, and smiled. "What are you calling yourself these days?"

"Booker. I see you still have her with you," I said, referring to the guitar he had slung across his back. The case was weathered and beaten but still intact. "You are wearing my jacket."

"It meant the world to me when you gave it before you went to Vietnam. You were Mike Erlin then, just as you are Booker now."

The uttering of those syllables that formed the name brought back a host of recollections, good, bad, and terrifying. My fingers traced the tattered patch with my former identity on its surface, M. Erlin.

"They all called you Merlin back in the day. I have a gig tonight. You have two ladies to keep company. We'll talk later and catch up, old friend."

"Short lives are hard lives," I said.

Then I spied the empty seat in front of the piano. The urge to play overwhelmed me. Besides, I had an audience eager to be entertained. I slid into place, lifted the cover, and the song popped into my head as my fingers described the opening notes of the music.

"She came from Providence. One in Rhode Island. Where the old world shadows hang

Heavy in the air...."

Dooley halted midstride and turned to face me. His features softened, and he took out his instrument. He settled the strap over his shoulder and joined me when the opportunity presented itself. The whole of Rick's Place fell silent, enraptured by our duet. I sang and watched the tears flow from those listening as Titania had a hand covering her mouth as jewel-like streaks stained her cheeks. I picked up on the silent conversation passing between Bambi and the Fae.

'My heart is breaking,' Titania said. 'His music always cut through me like a knife.'

'Ha, I gave him that voice. No, not what you are thinking. He always had a powerful gift for music, and I simply nudged it to eleven. The only free boon I ever gave to anyone.'

'I didn't think demons could feel love.'

'Nonsense, we express every emotion; our problem is that we feel them more intensely than mortals. That is why we fell; our love for humanity outweighed our love of the creatrix.'

Dooley launched into his version of Hotel California, and now I was the one following his lead. I had forgotten what a robust set of pipes Dooley possessed. He hadn't lost his edge since the last time we saw each other. After a few more songs, I returned to the girls, Dooley collected the tips thrown by the crowd, and I felt satisfied on a level I hadn't felt in years. Titi and Bambi both knew Dooley and the story of how he defeated a dragon once. The ballad of his deeds resonates in rarified circles. He is a hero to many Fae and other near and nonhumans. The conversation ended as servers arrived with multiple dishes, fine liquors, plates, and utensils. As we sampled the food and drink, I watched those below. As our server refilled my glass, I watched Titania use metal chopsticks to skewer a piece of rare beef and pop it into her mouth. The tip of the tool glinted, revealing its flattened bladed edge.

"I thought of you more as an herbivore," I said.

"Sometimes, it depends upon which of my natures is in ascendance. Do not forget I am the lady of the Seelie and Unseelie courts."

"Forgive me."

"Dearest," she began and faltered. "I mean, there is nothing to admonish."

'Who do you think gave it to him?' Bambi sent telepathically.

'I have not puzzled it out yet,' Titania answered silently. Somehow, I had tapped into their private telepathic conversation a second time. 'He is complete, and in time he will remember all.'

'We have been patient this long. What are another few weeks?'

I withdrew before they discovered I was listening in and returned to the food and the crowd below. The blue slime girl had a new partner, and he had her lying on his table, her head dangling off the far side. As he unbuckled his pants, another male from a quasi-human species approached and offered the girl an erection of prodigious length and girth. I could only watch as he violated her windpipe, or was it her esophagus? Did she even need to breathe? The male leisurely rocked his hips as his prick slid easily between her lips. I could just make out a soft, trilling sound she produced. It reminded me of the purr of a large house cat but higher and piercing. I returned my gaze to the first male as he lined up his cocks to violate the slime girl's vaginal and anal openings.

"Holy shit, he has two cocks!" I exclaimed, much to the amusement of the ladies.