18+ Private Pormont Plaguebearers

[Ava Starlight]

A slight breeze blew through Ava's hair as she stepped out of the carriage. It had only been a few weeks, but even her Terrasphere avatar was all but unrecognizable. Gone were the hideous body proportions meant to attract seedy customers and in their place was a refined, noble elf. She returned some of her curves, of course, but Ava looked more like someone that could potentially exist in reality. Well, except for the pointed ears and vestigial horns. The way she carried herself was certainly different. Ava kept her head held high, and her aristocratic air didn't seem to be nearly as fake as it was before.

It was strange coming back to Terrasphere for fun. Previously, it had merely been a means to do her work, a joyless experience of desperation. Now it was a leisurely activity to do after a hard day's work, a rewarding escape into a fantasy world that she'd never been allowed to explore before. Ava couldn't help but enjoy the game now despite the inherent dangers and questionable legality of it. It was all thanks to the beautiful woman that remained in the carriage that Ava could feel this way. Turning back to the door, Ava smiled confidently and offered a hand to the woman. "We've arrived, mistress. Western Pormont. The event marker says the quest begins about 100 meters further west," she said, bowing as she took Frankie's hand and helped her out of the carriage. Ava's heart skipped a beat at the brief contact between them. Her infatuation with her mistress had only grown over their time together, between the doting care Ava received and the drastic improvement in her life. It was little wonder that Ava felt so grateful and happy to be with Frankie every day. She felt a little pain in her chest to know that her mistress didn't, and probably wouldn't, feel the same, but she could live with that. Frankie had given her so much already.

Once Frankie had emerged, Ava stayed by her side and allowed the woman to lead the way. She was the leader of their intrepid little duo after all. Ava couldn't help but chuckle silently to herself at the thought of them adventuring together in such a... lighthearted way? It didn't take long before they reached the event marker, an elderly man who looked absolutely beside himself with worry. Ava peeked around Frankie with a curious expression, still learning some of the ins and outs for games like this. After all, she'd never really been allowed to play in the times prior to this. "Oh, thank the gods you've arrived! Please, you must help us!" the old man pleaded, "If we lose this harvest, our village's livelihood will be ruined. The kingdom's grain stores will also be in jeopardy! Ahhhh and those pesky undead... They won't let us get anywhere near them! We've already lost over a dozen good men. I... I can't lose any more..." The man looked ready to sob as his shoulders slumped.

Perhaps it wasn't her place to do so, but Ava stepped forward and placed a hand on the man's shaking shoulder. She felt a deep pity for him, seeing the same whimpering, sobbing image of herself in the man's desperation. "It's quite alright, sir. My mistress will make sure that your crops are safe and no one else has to get hurt!" she said with a reassuring smile. Rubbing her fingers together, a bit of green magical energy ran through them as a pair of miniature sunflowers sprouted into her hand. She handed one to the man, who seemed relieved, and offered the other to Frankie. "Ah, I guess I made an extra. Would you like it, mistress?" she asked, blushing and looking away a little.

 

[Francesca Amauri]

It had been an interesting few weeks slowly teaching Petra how to be better in-game and out-of-game, how to be her secretary and assistant, and how to unlearn her previously taught conditioning. Fortunately, it had been a successful endeavor so far. It showed in the way Ava was presenting herself now in-game, the air of nobility she had herself now reflected in her assistant.

She was smoking a cigar in the carriage when they arrived, and with it mostly finished she spiked it lazily to the ground as she stepped out, stomping on it as Ava relayed quest information to her. Reaching over without looking, she pet the girl's hair and stated two of the words she'd used the most to reinforce good behavior in her,

"Good girl."

As they arrived, the man began to plead with an unimpressed and unmoved Frankie, knowing that this was just an NPC was enough to make her more cold than usual, but she also wanted to set a good example for her assistant who needed a good role model. Before she could speak, however, Ava spoke for her, and Frankie let her finish before correcting her. She took the flower, first, tucking it into Ava's hair before guiding her chin to look her in the eyes, whispering,

"You said nothing wrong, but do not presume to speak for me. You may add to what I say, but you may not speak for me. If you do it again you will be punished. Are we clear?"

She had only had to punish her once so far, and it wasn't much. Nothing like what she'd endured as punishments previously even though she was worried it might still be too much. Frankie's punishment for Petra boiled down to being sent to bed early to her own bed instead of sharing the bed with her, or making her do all the dishes by herself instead of doing them together. There was never a way of knowing if she might get more creative, though, and do more depending on the infraction.

 

[Ava Starlight]

To Ava's surprise and delight, she received head pats and praise for graciously helping her mistress out of the carriage. She fought so hard to keep from nuzzling into the hand, knowing that such undignified behavior was only allowed in the privacy of their home. Ava even managed to keep from whimpering happily. She was so strong. The strongest! Instead, she managed to keep her reaction to a gentle giggle and bashful stare at the ground. Being called a good girl was all she needed to turn her stomach to butterflies and her heart to warm, quivering jelly.

Together, they found the quest NPC and Ava tried to calm him down, talking up Frankie in the meantime. She assumed that her mistress would be pleased but had forgotten a very important rule. Ava's place was as an obvious inferior, a subordinate who should be seen and not heard unless addressed. Frankie reminded her of that with a grip of her chin and whispered admonition. The fluffy warmth in Ava's chest turned to ice as it felt like a stream of cold water had been poured down her back. Her smile vanished as her lip trembled slightly.

Not a punishment... Anything but that. Ava thought back to her first and so far only punishment, having to sleep alone in her luxurious bed. It had been so unbearably cold without mistress there and Ava had hugged a pillow, crying herself to sleep. Ever since that day, she knew better than to eat sweets lying out if she hadn't been explicitly told they were hers. Frankie hadn't been pleased when a gift for one of her associates had ended up in Ava's stomach.

She nodded weakly. "Yes, mistress. I'm sorry..." she said meekly. The punishments were harsh, but what really made Ava sad was Frankie's disappointment. She wanted to be a perfect secretary like Frankie wanted. Making mistakes like this would just mean she was a bad girl, unworthy of her special place at mistress's side. She desperately wanted a hug or something comforting, but that wasn't allowed when they were in public. Folding her hands sheepishly in front of her, Ava simply bowed her head, falling into line next to Frankie and following.

The NPC guided them deeper into the village. A foul odor of decay reached their noses as rolling fields of golden grain began to turn amber and then black. The wind blew stalks of necrotic wheat by their faces as even the soil seemed to turn a sickly mixture of red and purple. "You see? It's horrible!" the old man groaned in despair. There was a soft rustle from one of the fields next to them as a skeletal wolf emerged from the fetid grain and snarled at them. Ava's eyes widened with fear, and she stepped back. Her skillset was woefully inadequate for anything resembling combat. "Mistress... What a frightful beast. Whatever should we do?" she asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

 

[Francesca Amauri]

She saw the girl crumple a little at her words, and she wanted to reassure her that it was okay, but she also had to contend with the fact that she was a figurehead. Even in this game, her reputation had to be pristine. There was no room for mercy or going easy on anyone in her organization when it came to that reputation, because one's reputation was the foundation on which their power was built.

Frankie, for her part, was not going to let anything get in the way of what she'd worked so hard for for so long.

Not even her new pet secretary. Fate or no.

As they walked with the old man, Frankie looked him over. What a weak spirit. She supposed that was part of his design along with this quest. But for him to be groaning...

Suddenly, excitement found them, and she saw her opportunity. Ava asked what was to be done about the beast that appeared before them.

Frankie just smirked, scoffing at it, raising an open hand before her. As she closed her hand into a tight fist with a grip that looked strong as iron, small portals opened around the creature and tentacles made of swirling void erupted as if from some eldritch creature, ripping the thing apart in short order. As it lay dead, in pieces, the tentacles dispersed, and Frankie spoke simply,

"That. Where are the rest?" She asked coldly, not even looking at the pathetic old man.

 

[Ava Starlight]

Where Ava had nothing but fear, Frankie remained calm, even mocking. The elf looked at her mistress in wonder as she all but scoffed in the face of this horrible wolf creature. Frankie raised a hand and with a simple gesture opened up portals around the wolf. Void tentacles wrapped around it and tore the beast apart. Its rotted flesh came apart easily, spraying rancid blood and chunks of flesh everywhere. Ava whimpered and hid behind Frankie, clinging slightly to her mistress's arm. She didn't want any of the disgusting bits touching her.

The old man gasped at the display of power and cheered, raising a shaky arm in triumph. It was like his entire countenance changed as a smile lit up his bearded face. He even seemed to lose some of his hunch as he stood a little taller. "Incredible! Simply incredible! Adventurers really are a different breed. Thank you, madam!" Ava almost jumped in shock. The change in attitude was just so... sudden. Was this a typical thing in videogames? Granted, she could understand. Her mistress was incredible. Only Frankie could have taken apart such a terrifying enemy with such ease. She looked adoringly at the strong woman and giggled. "It seems you have this NPC's attention, mistress. Of course it was only a matter of time before they knew of your greatness," she whispered flatteringly to Frankie, resisting with extreme difficulty her urge to nuzzle and cuddle.

With a wave of his hand and a spring in his step, the old man lead them further into the fields. It seemed awfully quiet for a supposed plague. Of course, that wasn't to last. Clouds of black dirt exploded around them as zombies emerged from the ground. The trio were completely surrounded as growls and snarls filled the air. A filthy hand wrapped around Ava's ankle and began trying to pull her into the ground. The elf's eyes filled with terror, and she screamed, all pretense of dignity gone. "YAAAAHHHHH!!! Let me go! Please LET ME GO!!" Raising her hands, she gathered blue magical energy in them and desperately fired bursts of water at the zombie grabbing hold of her, but there wasn't much power behind them.

 

[Francesca Amauri]

Frankie continued paying no mind to the man as he excitedly celebrated her success. She stayed aware, figuring there was more to come from even a simple quest like this one. Just as she figured, a wave of them appeared and screams from Ava triggered her actual fight response. For a half second, she considered pushing the man to the zombies so the two of them could get away, but figured it would be better to keep him alive for the sake of the quest.

Besides, what would be the fun in that?

Reaching out her hand like she was grabbing for something, a sword of black energy appeared in her grasp as she reached down to grab her secretary by the hand with her free hand, swinging with the other to cut the hand of the offender. How dare anyone touch her? Living or no.

"Stay calm. Breathe." She said as calmly as she could, her own heart beating quickly. They were moving back the way they came, hoping to converge the slow-moving creatures at a chokepoint that would make them more manageable. They didn't make it that far, Frankie making quick work of each as she beheaded them for finishing blows, one at a time. She was good with a sword, better than one would expect, and she didn't have the auto-battle function turned on either.

To her fortune, she'd had a shared interest with her father when it came to fencing and general swordplay.

When it seemed like they had a moment to breathe again, she looked at Ava with the look of a mentor who just saw her student stumble, "Screaming is for the weak. Even if you only have support skills for now, try to keep your composure when we are in danger. Trust in me so that I can trust in you." Words of wisdom she'd been pondering from her father lately.

"There are surely more. This time, stay calm and contribute."

 

[Ava Starlight]

All Ava really managed to succeed in doing was soaking the zombie who grabbed her in water, rather than... well, anything useful. It was indeed fortunate for her that a hand suddenly reached out and stopped her frenzied splashing. The panicked woman almost shrieked again, immediately fearing that another zombie had caught her with death soon to follow in its wake. She felt her life flash before her eyes and couldn't help but lament that she'd only just started to understand how good it could be to live in luxury and now it would be taken from her.

Then, she remembered she was in a game... and that the hand holding hers was Frankie's.

Ava flushed deeply red in embarrassment at her own silly thoughts as she allowed mistress to pull her to safety. She even held on a little bit more than she probably should have as Frankie got to work slaying their foes. Mistress had saved her life... again! Truthfully, Ava never wanted to let go, but she knew better than to cling when they were out in public. She reluctantly released Frankie's hand as her mistress finished the last of the zombies.

Frankie's strength never failed to leave Ava in awe. Certainly, some of it was that Ava had been instructed to make a character that was as harmless as possible, but some of it was just that, at her core, Ava didn't like to hurt people. When allowed even the slightest amount of self-expression by her captors, she had chosen the path of healing and life. It would be impressive if it didn't make her somewhat pathetic. She looked down at the ground in shame as mistress admonished her gently. Ava didn't want to be weak anymore and especially not for mistress. "I understand. I'm sorry. A-and I do trust you, mistress! Who else would I trust if not you?"

She smiled a bit, already missing the feeling of holding Frankie's hand. Really, if she kept getting pulled into dangerous situations, did it mean she'd get to hold mistress's hand more often? It didn't sound like a bad deal to her. Still, she was smart enough that Frankie wasn't a fool and would see through such a transparent tactic. Ava knew better than to pursue her mistress actively, but her feelings were all but an open secret, or so she thought.

Nodding vigorously, the girl regained her composure and stood at Frankie's side once more. Stay calm and contribute. She... she could do this. They moved a bit deeper into whatever horrifying instance they'd found themselves trapped in and the area around them began to take on a distinctly "final boss" kind of feeling. Well, now that Ava would know that, but Frankie might. As it was, the elf innocently, but nervously, followed along, glancing slightly in every direction.

Then, a cloud of shadow swirled in front of them and out of it emerged a gaunt-looking man cloaked in robes that seemed to be half flesh and half skeleton. If Ava was being brutally honest, she was pretty sure she'd looked a bit like that at some point. "You dare to do away with my minions? Now you shall die!" the cloaked man declared, raising a staff made of bone. A ball of green energy launched at surprising speed toward the pair as the elderly NPC had dived out of danger nearly as soon as the man appeared. Ava tried everything in her power to bite back a squeal as she moved out of the way, the hairs on the back of her neck raising as more zombies began to emerge to surround Frankie. It seemed that the quest adjusted difficulty based on the competence of the people doing it. "Mistress!" Ava squeaked in dismay. She raised her hands and thought wildly about how she could contribute. Green magic swirled around her arms and thick vines sprouted around Frankie in a small protective fence, the zombies' grip harmlessly snatching onto the plants instead and buying some precious time.