Blood Oath [Open Play]

[Kuuroinochou]

Blood Oath

This game was originally created for open play, however, I closed it down for whatever reason. Now it is reopened but for private use between Lucifer's Tongue and myself.

Please enjoy reading and should we need extra players we'll be sure to post it here for all to see. Thanks and enjoy the ride.

closed
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nevermind
__________________
No one appriciates character development anymore...*sigh*
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[Lucifers Tongue]

"Major, we've got something here," I heard PFC Gunderson's voice from the next room. I swept my location one last time with the light attached to my gun barrel, satisfied that there was nothing worth while here. Stepping carefully over the rubble of what appeared to be a table and chairs, I made my way back to the doorway.

Our initial fly over had provided us with hope that this sight might prove different than the last six, but now, forty minutes into the Recovery-OP and that hope was fading fast. The sight was in good condition in comparison to many of the finds we had made lately, and we had recovered three pieces of hard data, but none of it offered much useful information: a partially charred book with names, numbers and addresses, a collection of recipes and what appeared to be a child's coloring book, most of the images torn and tattered.
Even as I reflected on the disappointment I felt in the results of this latest mission, I realized that the archaeologists and anthropologists who we would turn the sight over to once we were finished, would be overjoyed at finding a location this well preserved.

A lone light in the hall flickered intermittently, casting harsh white light onto the floors and wall in brief flashes. Of the four buildings we had searched, this was the only one with operational power, which we quickly determined was supplied by a separate power line. I entered the next room to find three soldiers, including PFC Gunderson crowded around a fragile looking desk that lined the back wall of the small room. Stepping forward I moved the others out of the way so that I could get a look at what they had found, "Make way, make w-." I stopped short when I saw the computer on the desk and realized that it was still powered on and working.

For a moment I couldn't believe my eyes. The primitive computer terminals were common enough on our finds, and were considered the best possible source of data, but I'd never heard of one being found in working condition, let alone still on. "Gunderson, Williams, Reichart...please tell me that none of you have touched it," I said turning to look at the soldiers who had made the discovery.

"Negative, sir," PFC Williams answered with a smile, "We wanted you to have the honors, sir."

"Reichart, notify Command of the find and tell them we may be here awhile," I said, holstering my gun. "Gunderson, bring me the Hardwire Box." I saw a trunk in the corner of the room and dragged it over to use as a chair. I couldn't wait for the equipment, reaching forward I gently moved the interactive cursor control, known as a "mouse", triggering the screen saver to cutoff. Slowly the color returned to the screen and images began to define themselves. There was damage to the upper section of the display, but I could still make out a large portion of the text. The page displayed appeared to be some sort of bulletin board used to communicate messages to others, a sort of virtual community. The user appeared to have been reading one of the post from another user...

The poster was identified as Kuuroinochou...sounded Japanese, I thought to myself. There was also a picture beneath the name, an artists rendering of an attractive young girl. The message itself was short:


closed
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nevermind
__________________
No one appriciates character development anymore...*sigh*
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Last edited by Kuuroinochou : 09-01-2006 at 10:53 AM.

What could it mean? Who was this Kuuroinochou? My mind raced with possibilities, too many to follow through to completion. I studied it again and again, reading the words looking for some understanding, but I found myself drawn to the picture that accompanied the name...and between the name and the picture two words I had overlooked before..."Literotica Guru"...more possibilities raced to mind.

Gunderson had returned with the Hardwire Box. I stood and removed my flak jacket and any other extraneous gear, including my sidearm. Opening the box I retreived the headgear that would allow me to jack into the computer, surprising myself at how anxious I was. "Gunderson, plug me in." Did my voice shake when I said those words? Were my hands shaking as I positioned the visor over my eyes?

"Sir, are you sure?" Gunderson asked even as he began to unwind the thick cable, preparing to connect it to the jack on the back of my neck. "No one has been hardwired directly to an active terminal in more than ten years?"

"No one has had the opportunity in more than ten years, PFC," I responded, determined to go through with OP. "Now Plug me in, that's an order."

"What are you going to do, Major?" he said, ready to finish hooking up the connection.

"I'm going to meet Kuuroinochou," I said. Then I heard the click of the clamp as the computer was joined...my body jerked with the jolt of being jacked in. I had experienced it before in simulation, but nothing could have prepared me for that feeling, the overwhelming feeling of power and excitement that came with being connected...

I felt my cyber consciousness pulled into the current of data and it took me a moment to get my bearings, finally I found the thread I needed and began to rush forward following it to its origin...but what would I find there? Following a data thread that lead to nowhere could leave me lost in cyberspace, my physical body nothing more than a shell, while my mind slipt away...or would I find nothing more than a dead terminal, leaving me no choice but to return empty handed...that was certainly the most likely outcome. But, what if somehow I could reach Kuuroinochou? What would I find?

The path was long, billions of alternate paths branching off, most dead, a few flickering with faint life...but I felt compelled to stay my course. Finally I could see the thread reaching its end. Bright and green the end of the thread showed signs of life. Exhilarated, I prepared for the distortion that would accompany astral extraction, fear still racing through me. And then I was there...

My vision had gone black and it took a long time to realize that I had emerged in darkness. Reaching out with my mind I located the wiring for a light source in the wall of the room. I flipped the trigger to turn the current on, soft white light bringing my new surroundings to life around me. "My God..." I said weakly as I stared dumbfounded at the sight before me.

 

[Kuuroinochou]

For a brief moment there was nothing but white but soon the vision before you turned vivid and bright.

A literal “Lake View” and what a premier view it is through a wall of windows. The one bedroom suite surrounds you with the warmth of the colors of the setting sun against the backdrop of an azure sky.

The bedroom’s rich decor features handsomely carved mahogany furniture, while throughout the suite there are deep colored moldings and dark wood floors accented with Oriental rugs. The suite’s center piece is a dual-sided fireplace framed with old barn beams and wrought iron doors. A kitchenette is complete with pub-style table and bar stools, refrigerator, microwave, sink and coffee maker. The beautifully appointed bathroom has a whirlpool tub, separate multi-head shower and hammered copper vessel sink & vanity with rustic terra cotta tile. The view brings the beauty of nature inside by combining the colors of a blazing sunsets and the blues of a deep mountain lake.

On the bed in the middle of the room is a single girl, long brown hair, violet eyes and a kind smile. She pats the spot beside her on the bed, folding her knees close to her. "Hello. I didn't think anyone would come looking for me like this but I thank you nonetheless... was there something you need?" the girls speaks kindly her doe like eyes warming the rooms already alluring comfort.

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

I stood dumbfounded...the impossible view through the window, the pristine room with its lavish furnishings... and most amazing of all the beautiful, young brunette with the sparkling violet eyes and soft smile sitting calmly on the bed, her legs pulled playfully up against her body. My first reaction was that somehow I was still stuck in the virtual world of the computer connection. Perhaps I had taken the wrong path and I was trapped now in some software loop...but it all seemed so real...I wanted it to be real.

"Hello. I didn't think anyone would come looking for me like this but I thank you nonetheless... was there something you need?" the girl spoke, patting the bed invitingly. Her voice was friendly and soothing, but something held me in place, unwilling to step into this world, unable to sit down until I knew what I was dealing with.

"Where am I? I mean, where is this place?" the questions wanted to spill out one after another, not waiting for answers. Finally I took a deep breath and staring into the girl's eyes, I asked the one question that I knew I should start with, "Are you Kuuroinochou?"

 

[Kuuroinochou]

The girl nodded with a serene smile, "I am and yet I am not. Please refer to me as Kuu." she said and noticed he wouldn't step forward. Deciding she would go to him she slide from the bed and walked casually over to him. Walking around him in slow deliberate steps she took in his form, he was not part of this world obviously, but he was not part of 'that' world either...not anymore.

"To answer you previous questions, this is Blood Oath. A game created by my previous user. I am her avatar created in her image. She came to this world once before but sadly she has not been able to leave. I was given instructions to protect anyone who found themselves trapped within this game." She allowed her delicate fingers to trail along his spine as stopped behind him. Continuing on she stood in front of him allowing her petite hands to cup either side of his face and bring him to her level where she grazed her lips along his and past his lips to his cheeks to rest at his ears where she nipped playfully before speaking in honey tones. "This world is filled with many pleasures and yet none of them are real. If you wish to lose yourself in this world I will not stop you, however, if you wish to return to your world then listen to my next instructions carefully." Nipping at his lobe again she stepped back and went to sit on the bed spreading out on her back. She looked at him through an upside down field of vision giggling at the fun factor.

"This world asorbs all matter that enters its domain. By now, my previous user is possibly dissovled into the game, and you will meet the same fate if you are not careful. I am an avatar to this world, a program sprite that can weave through the various barriers you will encounter. The use of my powers are limited only by my users imagination. Whatever command given to me I must obey, however do realize there are embedded commands from my creator that cannot be over written. Should you try to abuse my powers these commands will take effect and I will be forced to terminate your account."

Soon she shrunk in size, looking nothing short of a pixie as she fluttered before him with a tinkerbell smile. "I am your protection and your guide. I can also be your enemy." With a delicate kiss of his nose by her smaller form she fluttered before him eyes glowing a vibrant indigo. "Please enter a user name and password to continue."

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

"I am and yet I am not. Please refer to me as Kuu."

I puzzled her enigmatic response as she began to rise from the large bed, her legs unfolding beneath her. She was petite and graceful, and closed the distance between us effortlessly, the smile still upon her face. I had never felt so out of my element as I did standing in that room, in that moment as this young girl named Kuu circled around me, examining me. There I was, merely the virtual projection of my consciousness and yet I had never been so acutely aware of myself and my body than in that moment.

She began to speak again, explaining who and what she was and how she came to be. As she spoke I felt her fingers brush my back, sending shivers down my spine. I hadn't expected to be able to feel physical sensations so clearly, so realistically. All of our simulations and theory training indicated that our cyber-mind would likely react to any visual recognition of physical contact by triggering responses in our body and yet nothing had prepared me for the intensity of that feeling. It was as if being hardwired into the system had made my body hypersensitive, unlocking senses that had previously been dormant. Even as I pondered the ramifications, I realized that I hadn't seen her reach out to touch me; she was behind me, out of sight when I had felt her fingers on my back. That should have been impossible...

The mysterious girl named Kuu, having completed her circle around me, stopped directly in front of me. I started to speak, to ask more questions but before I could, she reached up with both hands to cup my face. Again I felt the touch of her hands on my skin, small and soft against the roughness of my face. She gently pulled my face down, her lips pressing ever so briefly against my own before moving to my ear. I could feel her begin to nibble softly on my ear lobe, her lips and tongue were warm, wet and seductive. I could feel my cheeks grow hot and flushed as I struggled to come to grips with what was happening. I could feel her breath on my ear as she began to speak again, her body still close to mine, dangerously close…she spoke of pleasures, pleasures and choices…and then her mouth was on my ear again…pleasures and choices…

I couldn’t focus; my head began to spin and the world seemed to change pace. I couldn’t decide if it was some distortion effect from the hardwire or some bizarre response to Kuu herself. Then her lips were gone, her body was gone, moving away, back to the bed that seemed so far away. She spread out on the bed and I felt myself finally take a step into the room, instinctively wanting to follow her. I wanted to smile at her as she laid back on the bed her head upside down, smiling back at me. I took another step toward the bed before she spoke again. This time her words were a warning, ominous and intense. I stopped moving forward, trying to make sense of everything she had said from the moment I had entered the room to the last word that fell from her lips. The realization that my life might depend on my ability to reason through this predicament was sobering to say the least.

Before I could ask one of the hundred questions that flooded my mind I was startled to see the image of the girl before me begin to change. In front of my very eyes she grew smaller and smaller until she was no more than a fairy out of a children’s tale, flittering through the air to hover just in front of me.

"I am your protection and your guide. I can also be your enemy,” she said as she gave me the tiniest kiss on my nose, so quick I wasn’t sure it even happened at first. "Please enter a user name and password to continue."

Was it possible that this place and this beautiful girl, all of which looked and felt so real was nothing more than a virtual reality created within a software program? But, then again, how could it be anything else? Her words seemed to rush at me all at once, jumbled together…words like “game” and “trapped”, “fate” and “terminate”. I don’t know if the disconcerting combination of the hardwiring and the emergence into this un-reality was finally beginning to wear off, or if I was finally coming to terms with my situation, but I could feel my mind begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together. My instincts, honed by years of military training began to take over and I took a deep breath, determined to make the best of the situation and most importantly to survive.

Before I could continue I knew I needed to respond to her last words…user name and password. “Adam413…Checkmate” I responded, watching as Kuu continued to flutter playfully in front of me. As I waited to see what would happen next, I couldn’t help but study her words over and over in my mind. She had warned me that I could become lost here, but she also said that I could return to my world if I chose…but could I trust her? Who had created this program and for what purpose? And what were these embedded commands that not only limited my options but could actually pose some threat to me if violated? Would she tell me what the commands were if I asked? And so my mind raced over the possibilities each moment that passed, even as my body still longed for her to return to her original size…to return to nibbling softly on my ear lobe, so close…

 

[Kuuroinochou]

A soft hum emitted within the room but its general location was from Kuu as the information given to her was being process. "User name, Adam413...confirmed. Password, checkmate...confirmed. Voice recognition...confirmed." With the information processed Kuu slowly began to assume her original form growing right before his eyes. Her smile returned as did the usual air about her. Brushing her hand through his hair and laying her free arm on his shoulder she smiled. "What commands do you have for me master? I am yours to control." She purred against his lips once more in a flirtatous mood she sampled a quick taste of her master's lips. It was quite electrifying, to say the least. Being intimate with an outsider like this was a first for the young avatar sprite. She allowed her lips to linger upon his with a soft caress not once deepening it, more like a tease of pleasure to come... With practiced ease she wrapped her arms around his waist moving her master carefully so as not to alarm him. By the time, he was positioned how she liked, she gave him a soft but firm tap of her finger against his chest, pushing him backwards where he would fall safely on the large bed.

Standing before him she smiled mischievously, like the Chesire Cat himself. She took her time crawling on the bed before him, rubbing her exposed skin against his clothed one. Wearing nothing more than a baby doll nighty and matching lace shorts she allowed her body to rub against him. Feeling the roughness of his cloths sighing at every touch. Bitting her bottom lips she stopped right in front of him, straddling his thighs as she looked to her master warmly. She leaned down brushing her lips across his, tasting of her master's lips. The feel was electrifying, to which she allowed herself full on pleasures, kissing her master deeply and rubbing her bare skin against his clothed skin. She could feel his bulkiness, how strong and well defined he was under his uniform, there was no doubt in that. Soft sighs and whimpers escaped her lips, where she trailed kisses along his cheek to his neck where she bit him roughly at first but quickly lapped at the bite which left a red mark, kissing it softly. He would not understand that this form of love bite would protect him in the future, it marked him as her master. Moving from the mark left behind she found purchase upon his ear lobe once more suckling and nibbling lightly, her soft sighs and moans amplified by their close proximity.

The whole act however, could easily have been explained if only he asked, for she was on screen saver mode. A program set to reserve her energy when commands were not being given. As such, her screen saver was on Seductive mode, and thusly, she carried it out well. There were many different screen saver options to his disposal he need only ask and learn of his new 'toy' in time.

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

One moment I was standing in front of the computer terminal awaiting some response from the butterfly like Kuu, the next moment she has returned to her original size, her lips kissing mine again and this time I felt myself start to kiss her back. Then her hands were around my waist and I realized I was moving toward the bed. I tried to focus my mind, tried to recall the numerous questions that just moments ago had seemed so vital but they slipped away like sand through the fingers of my mind.

She pushed me back onto the bed and stood before me. In my mind I wanted to sit up, to stand and back away from her but my body resisted...my body was content to lay back onto the bed and see what would happen next. She smiled down on me, all the world in that smile, the sweetness, the mystery, the desire and the power, the good and the evil. Had there ever been smile so perfect?

Then she was on top of me, her body brushing against mine as she crawled onto the bed and straddled me. The room seemed to swirl around me as she leaned down over me and kissed me. The first time I had tasted her lips the kiss had been so quick, merely a tease but this time it was much more and seemed an eternity unto itself. I was lost in that moment, my eyes closed as she kissed my lips, my cheek , my neck...lost until I felt her teeth press hard into the flesh of my neck. My eyes opened at the brief flash of pain and I suddenly realized that my hands were caressing Kuu's body, one on the back of her neck, my fingers slipping into her long brown hair while the other hand moved up her bare thigh and over the thin layer of lace that covered hip. The pain of the bite was quickly replaced by the pleasure of her tongue on my neck and then my earlobe. Her breath was hot on my ear, her soft moans arousing me...

The seduction was overwhelming, every movement she made was perfect, everything about her was perfect, the smell of her hair, the sparkle in those violet eyes, the feel of her breasts pressing against my chest, the feel of my hands on her skin. Holding her more firmly I rolled over, moving on top of her, my hips between her legs. I found her mouth with mine and kissed her firmly even as I struggled to remove my shirt, tossing it aside. I looked down at her, the smile still lighting up her face. Her lips seemed to beckon me back into another kiss, slower this time, longer. I was aroused now, so aroused that I couldn't think of anything except my desire for Kuu...but I couldn't satisfy that desire...how could I when the very thing I wanted more than any other in that moment might be the one thing that could trap me in the program forever? I just didn't know enough. I needed more information.

Pulling myself off of the bed I stood above the beautiful, young girl. "I n-need information," I stammered, closing my eyes for a moment to try to distract myself from the vision of her lying before me in her lace lingerie, her lips still open, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. "I need you to give me information," I said again, more urgently. "What is Blood Oath? What is the point of the game? Can you tell me more about your previous user?"

I paused for a moment before opening my eyes again, "You called me master and said that you were mine to control. What does that really mean?"

 

[Kuuroinochou]

When Adam moved away, Kuu did not move with him, still smiling softly she remained laying on the bed until his first request slipped from his lips. Upon such a request she sat up, the smile slowly slipping from her lips. She looked to him with serious eyes, and stood to her feet to walk before him. "Information." she spoke softly repeating his request.

She looked to him unable to answer his request as it was quite vague for her. Though as he began to ask more questions, her mind began to work, answers began to form and she knew then that she could better serve her new master.

"Information..." she repeated and then turned to sit on the bed. Crossing her legs before her she sighed and began to answer his questions.

"I need you to give me information," "What is Blood Oath? What is the point of the game? Can you tell me more about your previous user?"

"Blood Oath is this game... what it actually pertains to is a mystery even to myself. I am merely a game sprite, I can only help you through the game, I know about as much of the game as my programming allows." she began and sighed as she could see the concern in his eyes. "The point of the game is to get from one point to the next. Its an RPG standardized system. There will be other game sprites like myself that will have further information. That information will be collected in my memory banks so you can review any time you want throughout the game."

She lay back on the bed kicking up her feet as she looked side long at him. "As for my previous user, she was named Kuu Renai. I am named for her Kuuroinochou...the black butterfly. She is the one who set up this game, but got sucked in just like yourself. I helped her through the game but a glitch in the program short circuit my memory drive and I was reset. I cannot remember anything past my previous user's disappearance. I do not know if she made it out safely or not. The only way to be certain is to access the control panel and request a system recovery. But the control panel is heavily guarded by system core units. They will erase anything that gets too close. Myself included."

Done explaining she sat up and looked to her user. He turned to ask her one more question which she gladly obligued. "My master is my master. What ever command you give me I must obey, its against my programming not to. However, some commands have been embedded in my programming that will keep me from obeying abusive requests. I'm sorry but I do not know what these abusive commands are or how to overwrite the embedded commands. Just be careful when using me and all shall be fine. If you know anything about computers then you should know how to use me properly. Viruses, can attack me and cause malfunctions, you'll need to find counteractive programs to right the malfunctions, hackers are common but rare just the same. There's not much you can do against a hacker unless you have some knowledge of how they work. I am in all cases a living computer within this game...so what does my master wish of me?"

As she said this she stood to her feet walking forward to stand before him. She found herself pulling him into another long sensual kiss. This user was definately different from her previous master. Where she had been soft, this user was hard. It was all confusing but just the same exciting.

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

As soon as I finished with my flurry of questions the avatar’s demeanor changed. She stood and began to speak. I listened carefully as she began to answer my questions and give me the information I had requested. I found it much easier to focus on her words now that the smile was gone from her face, and our bodies weren’t so close together, but at the same time I found myself wishing her face would light up again with that smile, and that she would press her body against mine once again. She moved back to the bed, playfully kicking her feet into the air even as she continued to offer more answers.

The possibilities of the predicament I found myself in fascinated me. One moment I was leading the drop on a recovery site in a world struggling to recover from fifty years of civil war and poverty…trying to find answers to the past, answers that might help us build the new future we needed and the next moment I found myself – or some part of myself – drifting through a cyber landscape only to land here in this virtual world with its beautiful view unmarred by war or fallout, this virtual room with its immaculate furniture and decoration, this virtual girl with her disarmingly suggestive smile, her unbelievably distracting lips and eyes that seemed to pierce through my defenses. And this was all just a game?

History lessons indicated that virtual reality games were a common form of recreation decades ago but in the present day the resources necessary to create and run such simulations were much too rare and valuable to be used for recreation. Was this some relic from before the wars, preserved through some strange unlikely series of events, or perhaps revived by some techie who had stumbled across it? None of the descriptions I had read about the various games developed back during those years indicated a level if sophistication anywhere close to this. Most of those games relied on stimulation of merely two of the senses, sight and sound. What I was experiencing was a complete, full spectrum stimulation…I could not only see and hear this world as if it were real, I could feel her skin, smell her hair, taste her lips. In fact the only indication that this world was somehow unreal was the sheer impossibility of its existence in the real world. Every instinct I had told me that there was much more to Blood Oath than just a game and I decided that I would do my best to explore it in detail and unravel its mysteries. But I would have to be careful or else I might end up stuck here or worse…

“…so what does my master wish of me?” Kuu said, having concluded her explanation. She stood again and moved close, pulling me into another kiss, a long, deep kiss. I didn’t resist the kiss, in fact I embraced the girl with my arms, pulling her body even closer to mine. I finally broke the kiss, continuing to hold her close to me. “Black butterfly,” I whispered softly before kissing her again, briefly. “You are amazing. I can’t remember the last time I kissed a girl, or held one in my arms. But you aren’t a girl are you? You’re just the visual representation of an interactive program…you aren’t real.”

I bent down and kissed her neck, “You taste real,” I said softly before letting my mouth move to her ear. “Your smooth, soft skin feels real,” I said brushing my fingertips lightly against her cheek. “Your sighs and moans sound real,” my lips moved to the other side of her neck now. Before I realized it we were lying on the bed again and I was sucking gently on her earlobe as I listened to her heavy breaths. My hand slid down her arm, down over her hip to her thigh then back up again. This time as my hand moved up her body I let it drift from her arm to her chest. As I cupped one of her breasts in my hand, I kissed her mouth for a moment before pulling away enough to ask her another question, “If I do return to my world…if I choose to leave the game, will I be able to come back here when I want to?”

 

[Kuuroinochou]

Kuu responded to each of his kissed, shivering under his touch, sighing into his mouth and melting with every word that escaped his lips. She didn't know what he wanted, she was only a program, a figment of this game. To say she wasn't real struck a cored in the little sprite. She only tensed for that breif moment but easily succomed to her masters attentions upon her skin. He was like liquid fire, come to life...his breath was hot on her skin, her sensors were on fire and warning bells began to go off in her programming. He of course would not know but she did, all the fire she felt pooled into her bell making her want.... the only quest what did she want?

His hand on her chest opened her eyes briefly to find him kissing her once more. When he pulled away, she let out a soft, moan, "Master..." at his question her body didn't respond as it should have. She remained lusty and wanting rather than alert and ready. "If you leave this world, you're information will be deleted from the system. You will no longer be able to return...the terminal of which you entered will be terminated." she said softly a moment of sadness washed over her. Was he planning to leave after all? Would he not stay with her, keep her company... she reached both her hands out to him, cupping his face a forlorn sadness washed over her features, violet eyes pooling with unshed tears. "Does master not wish to stay with me?" she asked kissing his lips softly. "Stay here with me, this is the safe house, the game started when you entered your user name and password. But nothing can pass through these walls. There's plenty of food and entertaiment...there's me..." she said watching him closely. "Why does master wish to return home?"

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

"Does master not wish to stay with me?"...the look on her face when she asked made me want to kiss her and reassure her that I wouldn't leave her. She kissed me instead and suddenly I forgot what I had asked her. "Why does master wish to return home?"

I stared down into her eyes, eyes that seemed to mesmerize me, eyes that seemed to plead with me even as they offered me the world. I started to answer her, to explain that if I could return to my world and explain to my soldiers what I had found and prepare myself for an extended hardwire then I would return but then I asked myself if that was really the reason I wanted to leave. Was I scared of the unlimited possibilities here in Blood Oath? Was I scared of Kuu and the feelings that were conjured by her every move and every word and every touch, conjured from somewhere deep inside me, in a part of me that I had neglected since my wife's death? Was there really anything left for me to return to in the real world, anything worth giving up this opportunity for?

I kissed her mouth, letting my tongue slip between her lips hoping that the kiss would be answer enough for now. Still confused as to what I wanted and what I should do I found myself doing the one thing that felt right, kssing the beautiful girl lying beneath me. My hand returned to her chest, caressing the swell of her breasts through the lace fabric. My lips moved down to her neck as I pulled the front of her lingerie down exposing her breasts. Stroking the skin of her bosom with my fingertips, I let them brush against her nipples as I trailed kissed down her neck and chest. A moment later my mouth was on one of her nipples, sucking it gently into my mouth while I cupped the other breast with a hand.

As I continued to kiss and suckle her breasts I realized that I was completely aroused, more aroused than I'd been in years, perhaps ever. It was a shocking feeling, thinking that in all the years of my life in the "real" world I had never felt as alive, as lustful as I felt here in this game with Kuu.

I pulled away from the sprite, propping myself up on one elbow and looking down into her eyes, "Do you want me stay? Do you want me to kiss you again?"

 

[Kuuroinochou]

There was nothing more the little sprite could do but whimper and mewl, writhing under his skilled hands and soft kisses. Kuu let her head fall back enjoying all the attentions on her body. The touch of his lips on her breast and the hot wetness of his tongue as he swirled his tongue around her nipple.

She moaned into his mouth when he kissed her again and again. Was this how the outside world was? Did men of that world satisfy their women in such a way? When he pulled away to inquire something of her she could barely open her eyes let alone think or speak.

Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to regain her composure. "I do not want master to leave." she finally breathed, turning on her side. "I want master to stay and kiss me. To make me feel warm like I do now." she confessed. She took in a deep breath reaching out to caress his cheek softly. She leaned in for another kiss then lingering a hair's breath fro his lips.

"Alas, master... you cannot stay here." she finally spoke. "I do not want you to end up like my previous user. You're mind will become nothing but mush if you do not find your way back." She knew she had to warn her new master, disobeying these embedded programs where simply out of the question. It had been well over an hour since being in the game, her programming pushed her to inform him.

"You will remain safe in this room from outside threats, but the game has begun. You are being timed, from the moment you entered your username and password time has been ticking away." She sat up completely bringing him off the bed with her. "System access..." as she spoke a simulated computer screen formed before them. She began tapping away at simulated keys that lit up every time she touched them. One the screen there was a clock showing 72:00 and counting down rapidly. "You have apporximately three days. If we do not get you to the end of this game. You will become apart of this game like my past user." Turning she walked to the door on the other side of the room her hand holding the doornob. "Once this door opens, your safety in this room will be no more. I will be your only source of protection, and fire power. Do you wish to leave? Are you certain you want to go through with this game?" she asked her back was to him, which would show a large pare of butterfly wings tattooed to her back...and yes they were black. "Master what do you wish to do?"

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

"Master what do you wish to do?" Kuu's question lingered in the air for what seemed like an eternity. One moment my choice seemed to be between reality and fantasy, the truth versus desire...and just as I felt I knew what my choice would be I realized that it wasn't as simple as I thought. My eyes traced the large tattoo on Kuu's back, the black butterfly...

I stepped forward placing a hand on her slender shoulder and leaned in to kiss her briefly on the side of her neck, before turning her around to face me. "You said that you will be my protection...does that mean that you're coming with me?" I asked, taking her hands in mine. "How do we get started?"

 

[Kuuroinochou]

Kuu nodded to his question and anwered his final one with her actions. Opening the door there was nothing but pitch black. Darkness all around, it seemed to come alive as the room dimmed and darkened. The blackness seeming to swallow the warmth around them until nothing could be visible. Kuu held Adam's hand tightly unable to see him or her... everything was now pitch dark.

A voice from this darkness seemed to scream at them as it spoke. "Welcome to Blood Oath... good luck getting out." Just as the voice spoke it was gone. There were howls all around them, noises of the night, hoot owls, crickets, wolves, locus and much more greeted them.

"Stay close." Kuu spoke through the noise as they began to walk light emitted from every step they took. Something straight out of an old Michael Jackson, Billie Jean video. For every step they took a tiled selection of floor lit up and disappeared when the moved off it. Every time the light shown, walls on either side of them shown brightly for that brief moment. The walls were something akin to a horror film, almost alive and breathing down their neck. Despite being a game sprite, Kuu was still a girl first, and huddled close to her master squeaking ever so often when something like an insect buzzed passed.

Down the way a light shown, as they continued walking, it seemed as if they were in a narrow passage despite the night sounds. Once they made it to the light, a head formed in the frame of a door. "Beyond this door is a safe passage, to get within this door you must appease my appetite... what do you have to appease my appetite, user?"

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

"Welcome to Blood Oath... good luck getting out."

As the voice faded and was replaced by the sounds of the night, I felt Kuu's hand grip my own more firmly and her body move closer. Her casual playfullness was gone now and she seemed genuinely worried. As we moved into the eerie darkness, surrounded by the strange sounds and the stranger walls I realized that I was actually more comfortable here than I was lying in the bed with the alluring young girl. Having spent the last half of my life in the military apart of some very dangerous missions, the feeling of being on edge and alert was not unusual for me.

I could see a light in the distance and we found ourselves drawing closer to it with each step. Close enough now to make out the frame of the doorway, I was surprised to see the image of a head in the doorway, "Beyond this door is a safe passage, to get within this door you must appease my appetite... what do you have to appease my appetite, user?"

I pondered the question, trying to decide what was being asked of me. Was this the game, a riddle that I needed to puzzle my way through...or was this a sacrifice I needed to make to continue on? I considered several answers...I could offer the guardian my wedding ring if it valued money...I could offer it something less substantial...information...but what was it truly looking for?

I turned to Kuu, whispering softly to my guide, "Do you know what will appease the guardian?"

 

[Kuuroinochou]

Before Kuu could answer the guardian spoke up in her place. "Give me that which you most value but no one will find of value to them. I will feast on your most precious possesion." the guardian fell silent its eyes closing once more.

Kuu turned to Adam then, "Do not try to decieve the guardian just give it to him and we can pass. Something you treasure but is junk to another." she said softly, not sure of what her user had that was of value to him and no one else.

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

"Something you treasure but is junk to another."

I considered the words of the guardian before me and the words of the avatar who clung to my side. I considered what possessions I had on me, trying to decide what would satisfy the requirements. I had my dog tags, they would mean little to another and yet were important to me...but were they my most precious possession? I dismissed my wedding ring as a possibility since it would have value to others beside myself.

I reached into my pockets and fumbled with the small items within...a pocket knife, a bag of nutrition cubes, a ring of keys. Then I remembered the note that was folded neatly and placed inside my wallet. I reached to my back pocket and pulled it out. The note was nothing more than a list of household tasks that Mei had wanted me to work on while she was away on her last mission, scribbled in hast before she walked out the door. She had taken the time to write "I Love You" at the bottom of the note and draw a small mouse beside her name like she often did. I had stuck it in my pocket that day intending to work on it later but things didn't work out as I had planned. In the years since her death, anytime I was feeling melancholy I would take the note out and read over it, tracing the mouse with my finger.

I glanced at Kuu for a moment, then back to the note. Extending my hand forward, I offered Mei's note to the guardian that hovered in the door way. Surely no other sacrifice I could make would more purely satisfy what had been asked of me than this one.

 

[Kuuroinochou]

The guardian opened its eyes and looked at Adam then at the paper. Its tongue snacked out slithering about Adam's hand before snatching the paper from his hand and devouring it whole. The door was still closed the guardian remained still its eyes closed. After a moment it seemed nothing would happen, and still all the noises behind them could be heard.

Kuu looked to Adam with worry wondering if his sacrifice was what the guardian wanted. Stepping forward she went to talk to the guardian but its eyes shot open, then it spoke. "You may enter...be aware that other guardians exist. They will ask many things of you...be asured you're companion will guide you." With that the door opened and the two were allowed to pass.

On the other side of the door was nothing but pure white as far as the eyes could see. The brightness of it was blinding as Kuu tried to adjust to the sudden light. As she blinked away the glare in her eye the white shifted and dimmed becoming bareable. In the center of the room were three statues each one intricately carved with the finest of marbles.

The first statue on the left was that of a great warrior, a woman looking in his arms looked safe and protected as he seemed to be lifting his sword against something. The life-likeness of the statue was almost unbareable the eyes seeming to look straight at you. Under the statue was a plaque with something written. "I am a wise warrior; if you want my power I will protect you."

The second statue in the middle was that of a man standing guarded, ready and poised to fight. But as you would get closer, the statue came to life as a demonic force, feral eyes, beast like in nature, massive wings spread out. Much like a hologram when shifted in various angles the picture revealed more. Underneath was a plaque with the following, "I am a child of the night, if you want my power I will devour you."

The last statue was quite perplexing as there was a shape of a body but there was no distinguishing facial feature or gender. Nothing told the story of this statue as it seemed to be a clean slate barely started. The plaque under it read: "I am void of all things, if you want my power you want for nothing."

Each one seemed to be a riddle but as Kuu read them off she stood stoic calculating the possiblities. Finally she turned to Adam a somber look on her face. "Each one of these statues holds a power. By chosing one you must give up another and the third statue will be your constant enemy in the game." She turned to look at the statues, awaiting his choices.

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

"Each one of these statues holds a power. By chosing one you must give up another and the third statue will be your constant enemy in the game."

I studied the three marble statues that dominated the room, my eyes having finally adjusted to the bright white light. The trick it seemed was in deciding which of the statues to choose, which power. The obvious choice seemed to be the wise warrior with it protective stance, but would that mean that the demonic child of the night would become my enemy? And what if I chose one of the other statues?

"I am a child of the night, if you want my power I will devour you."

"I am void of all things, if you want my power you want for nothing."

Neither seemed as clear as the words engraved on the warrior's plaque, and yet both had possibilities. The mysterious statue of the man that seemed to shift and change into the winged beast seemed to radiate power and strength but could that power be trusted not to consume. The statue of the void seemed to beckon me but did it promise nothing or everything with its words?

I turned to look at my guide, the black butterfly and considered asking her for advice but ultimately decided against it. I was the one playing the game, the choice lay with me. Could the riddle really be as simple as choosing the protection of the wise warrior? Finally, remembering Mei's favorite poem I decided to take the road less travelled and stepped forward to declare my choice, my hand involuntarily squeezing Kuu's tighter, "I choose the power of the void..."

 

[Kuuroinochou]

As he made his pick, the bright white room suddenly grew dark. The statue of the void broke in two as a dark, cloudy substance seemed to emit from its center. It swirled around the room then around Adam before plowing through Kuu who feel with an outcry to the floor. Her body shook for a moment before she went still. Deathly still...

The other statues shook with the force of an earthquake as their insides came to life both cloudy substances remaining hovered over the statue. "Now player...discard one of these abilities. And the remaining power will forever be your enemy." With that said, Kuu gasped in a breath of air her body glowing for a mere moment before settling. She clunge to Adam then catching her breath as the chill the flew through her settled.

 

[Lucifers Tongue]

From the moment the swirl of darkness struck Kuu, sending her to the ground, I feared I might have chosen unwisely. But I didn't have time to ponder the possibilities before similar clouds of blackness emitted from the other two statues.

"Now player...discard one of these abilities. And the remaining power will forever be your enemy."

One last choice to be made...the wise warrior or the child of the night? Was there really a right or wrong choice or were these merely choices that would decide certain parameters of the game? Again my instinct seemed to scream for me to choose to discard the ominous child of the night, rather than have it as an enemy...and again I felt the obvious choice might be deceptive.

Gripping Kuu's hand in mine I called out, "I discard the warrior...and choose the night as my foe."

 

[Kuuroinochou]

As the engery from the warrior statue dispersed the energy with the night child remained for a moment longer, swirling around the room before plowing into Adam, much the way it did Kuu.

"You have chosen. You powers are of the void, nothing can stop you so long as you have the will to continue. Your enemy is the night child, he will not be so forgiving... be ware of your surroundings. The night child lurks at every corner." shortly after the voice left the room went bright again, the white as crisp as the moment they entered. Kuu finally looked to Adamn to make sure he was okay, but when she was looking at him she saw something differet... "The night child..." she breath. To his dismay he had transformed completely into a demonic creature, wings, fangs, talons, the works... Standing to her feet she helped him to his hugging him close.

"Its as I suspected. We have to hurry and get you out of here before your mind faulters." she said "Adam you must take a deep breath and consentrate on your form. You'll turn back into you but try to stay calm and don't get excited to much they trigger the night child, anger is what fuels him. The void is in me, I hold that power, you command it... but this... this is something you have to fight alone." Taking his hand she sighed hugging him close. "I'm sorry. We should have stayed in the safe hous."

She knew that wouldn't have worked but it seemed like the best thing to do. Once he would get himself back under control she led him to the other side of the room, taking a deep breath as the door in front of them was like any other. Opening it, the other side showed noting out of the ordinary. A lake with willow trees, a canopy of trees, fresh air, birds... everything a secret meadow would harbor. Stepping inside the door disappeared behind them, and upon the lake was a bueatiful unicorn, drinking its fill. "I think this is a safe point. Unlike some games that have save points, this game only has safe points, there you can rest and rejuvenate, once you leave the safe point you cannot return. The unicorn is the key to getting out of here...but its also a challenge. Do you know the legend behind catching a unicorn?" As she asked this the unicorn perked up noting he had visitors it flitted away across the water then disappared completely.