Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master

Chapter Twenty-Six: A Fiery Embrace

“Oh, my love, you’re even more wonderful than I thought,” the Succubus sang as her talons scored the air where Theo’s head had been only a second earlier. Trails of shimmering red light cut through the night air.

Every attack was aimed to kill with extreme prejudice, though one would think from her words that the woman was trying to gingerly caress the face of her lover. The smell of blood and fire permeated the space around her, as if her very presence was designed to invoke the darkest parts of the human heart. Theo had faced his fair share of demons, so he knew this aura all too well. It was only tolerable at this level because it was merely a facsimile of the real thing. Shapeshifters could copy the abilities of any form they assumed, but it was still just a copy.

Theo managed against the woman by employing his finely honed evasive skills, but he was constantly pressured by the repeated swipes. With her Strength, and especially her Agility, dwarfing his own, Theo was forced to rely on his vast combat experience to predict her attacks. There was hardly a moment left for him to think about fighting back.

“Dammit, if I only had [Basic Polearm Mastery] this would be a lot easier…” Theo’s body flickered out of the way of another blow, as though he hadn’t moved an inch.

Big movements would only leave him vulnerable by taking up more time. By combining action cancel with his [Dodge] skill, he could avoid attacks without necessarily sacrificing his position.

“Teeheee! More! More! Play with me more!” the woman’s lascivious body was almost on top of him at this point, with hardly a foot separating the high-speed exchange.

[Fend]

As was to be expected, the skill resulted in a MISS and she flung herself at Theo again. Having failed in his attack, he was struck across the chest by those razor sharp talons. All at once, a third of his HP was gone. Stopping to savor the moment, the Succubus licked her claws with a long, flexible tongue. Although Theo couldn’t see the gore, he was well aware of the sentiment and her intent.

“Mmn…” the woman’s body shook in excitement as she squirmed with pleasure, “This taste, it’s even better than I could have imagined.”

Theo smiled through the wounds, “You really get into your role, don’t you?”

Even in the midst of a life or death struggle, Theo couldn’t break the habit of toying with his opponent. This was a game after all, a world designed for him to play in, how could he not take advantage of it?

“I’ve never met anyone like you, other Slave Master,” the Succubus said coyly, “You've provided me with one surprise after another. You even framed little Tom for murder.”

The fighting stopped, and the two combatants measured one another carefully. Despite her nature, the Shapeshifter was probably more shocked than anyone to see that Theo was keeping up with her. She was used to slaughtering lower level targets without any resistance at all, but she had clearly miscalculated Theo’s abilities despite watching him for a few nights. The adventurer had been careful not to show off his true level of skill in front of the enemy.

Theo on the other hand, had a firm grasp of his opponent.

“Level 40, maybe even higher... “ he hissed internally.

“Isn’t mystery the spice of life?” Theo replied, readying his spear, “Besides, you tried to frame me first.”

The Succubus let out a simpering little giggle, “Speaking of that, other Slave Master, how did you manage to set up your plan in the first place? As an expert in this field, I can only say my pride is wounded by your show of… teehee… prowess.”

Theo smirked, “Naturally, I had my slave sneak into the tent where you hid the body and stab the corpse after your poison took effect. I have two of those blades after all.”

The roaring bonfire at his back illuminated everything around the pair, but none of the mercenaries were willing to engage in a battle that their eyes could hardly keep up with. Thankfully, they couldn’t hear what the two were talking about or they might turn on him after hearing this little fact. If the Shapeshifter wasn’t so wrapped in up in the personality of the sadistic Succubus, she might have tried to make use of this information, but that would ruin the fun wouldn’t it?

“The farm girl you enslaved? She’s cute, but doesn’t really seem like the type,” she said with what Theo thought sounded like a hint of jealousy.

“You’d be surprised by what that girl is capable of,” Theo didn't hesitate to boast about his slaves.

Although Meatshield couldn’t find a space or opportunity to intervene in the fight, she was still watching carefully from the side. Theo had no doubt she would throw her body in front of him at the slightest provocation. After all, his safety was always her highest priority.

“To think you would even stab a dead man in the back, you really are my type!” the Succubus cooed.

“Of course,” Theo dived back into the fray as he struck out with his spear, trying to harry the opponent to the point where he could disrupt her attacks, “I was willing to stab Tom in the back without even being certain he was a spy!”

The blows fell on empty air as the Succubus nimbly flexed her body, taking advantage of her Shapeshifter’s physique to dodge in seemingly impossible ways. Her whole waist actually shifted several inches to the left just to get out of the way of his pinpoint strikes. If Theo’s stats were higher, he would have the speed to make up for this disadvantage, but it was simply beyond the capabilities of his current build.

Although he could see the openings in her movements, he wasn’t fast enough to take advantage of them.

“Ahn~ Cruel and clever, and handsome to boot… I love you more and more with every passing moment!” Despite her words, the Shapeshifter swung her grotesque “fingernails” at him again with unyielding ferocity.

“Bandits! I hear hooves!” a guard in the distance started shouting.

“Every man to arms!” it was Lozan’s voice that replied, showing off his skill as a veteran mercenary, “Spears to the front! Break their charge!”

The sounds of galloping horses pounding against the earth shook the camp. Metal clashed against metal as the mercenaries prepared a hasty phalanx. A cloud of dust, illuminated by harsh firelight, was all that was visible of the charging bandits. Contrary to the dramatic nature of films, the horses were fast enough to close the distance without any sense of anticipation, and the sounds of screams, shattering bones, and clanging steel erupted from the direction of the carnage.

“Doesn’t this sound get you all excited and tingly?” the Succubus drilled forward with her hand, trying to tear Theo’s eyes from their sockets, “I love it when humans spill blood!”

“Try it yourself sometime!” Theo roared, striking out with this [Steel-Edged Partizan].

[Inflict Pain]

-23. Daze resisted!

The Succubus let out a cry as the attack struck her in the abdomen. She flew back several feet, her body once again squirming in an erotic way.

“Haa… haa… this feeling! It’s been so long since Master last let me taste this bliss!” she moaned.

“So she wasn’t just a sadist? Or is this the Shapeshifter’s true nature? Maybe she would get along with that weirdo girl. Was Tony her name?” Theo couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander.

If only it was enough. With the regeneration speed of a level 40+ character, this kind of damage wouldn’t be any threat to her at all. It would be hard for him to kill the Succubus even if she was bound and gagged.

“Wait, what am I saying? Is this woman’s way of speaking starting to affect me?” Theo thought.

The melee in the distance was still echoing in every direction as the fight between the level 13 adventurer and the opponent that vastly outclassed him dragged on. It became clear to the Shapeshifter that Theo wasn’t a threat to her life at all, and her attacks increased in daring and frequency. No longer wishing to dodge his attacks, she flung herself and the murderous talons at him with suicidal confidence.

Theo was completely unable to counterattack anymore, and his dodging was being pushed to the limit. Keeping up with this pace was starting to take a toll even on him, and he took another couple of hits from the Succubus. If it wasn’t for his own bit of regeneration, Theo would have already died.

“It would be a real pain in the ass if I died here!” he thought, “My respawn point is still set in Oasis.”

Reflecting, Theo considered, “This mission will be a failure, my level and adventurer rank will both drop without a doubt, and there are Old Man Snake Eyes and Castle to worry about.”

As a player, it was possible to make enemies out of the NPCs, but impossible to truly die. The way the system handled this incongruity was to track a hidden value commonly referred to as the player’s ‘Heat.’ The higher the Heat, the more drastic measures the NPC would take to hunt down the player. If the player was killed by the NPC or one of their subordinates, the Heat would drop to zero, but this didn’t mean the grudge was gone. If it became known that the player was still alive, usually if they continued operating in an area near their antagonizer, the Heat value would start to rise. Eventually, the player’s character would be targeted again, and the NPCs would say something cliché like “So you were alive, after all…”

It didn’t matter how many times they killed you, they would always be shocked by your sudden revival!

However, even more than losing all of his progress and hard work, Theo had another, more important, reason why he refused to die.

“Like hell I’m going to die at the hands of this embarrassing, perverted Shapeshifter!” Theo actually shouted out loud, “I’m the God damned War God!”

“Wha-?” the Succubus, who was absorbed in her bloodlust, was shocked into stillness by the unusual declaration.

“NOW!” Theo roared.

From out of the shadow of the nearby tent, a green light shot forth. It flew with exceptionally quick speed, but the Succubus made to dodge it all the same. However, another body tossed itself in front of her.

It was Meatshield!

The Succubus slammed into the shield with a dull thud and the green light wrapped around the woman, transforming into a binding ring that clung to her limbs. Gobthnora cast her [Bogwarp] spell with brilliant timing, and the sense of coordination she had built up with Meatshield allowed them to successfully debuff the Shapeshifter!

Although the high level enemy could resist the effects to some degree, she didn’t have any more Constitution than the massive [Desert Serpent Queen]. The unwelcome surprise knocked the Succubus off balance.

“Th-the other girl! She was also your slave!” the woman’s eyes went wide, “H-how!?”

“This is what you get for underestimating me!” Theo fumed.

As a slave herself, the Shapeshifter naturally understood the limitations of the [Slave Master’s Brand]. Knowing Theo had just become a Slave Master, she had incorrectly believed it was impossible for him to have acquired two slaves this soon. Whatever her opinion on the ‘child’ that had been traveling with them, she would have never believed it could have been a threat to her.

“Go!” the order shocked the Succubus out of her temporary stupor, but it was already too late.

It was Meatshield’s ultimate attack! She threw her slender arms around the Succubus and pinned her!

Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has used unique ability [Blessing of the Stonekin]. Defense increases by 80; Movement Speed reduced to 25% for 120 seconds.

“Thi-this pest! Why are you so heavy!” although the Shapeshifter was strong, she wasn’t a melee character.

How else could Theo survive her direct hits to begin with?

Under the effects of the [Bogwarp] spell and Meatshield’s exceptional weight, she could no longer move at all. Even when she tried to shapeshift out of the grip, the ability itself didn’t have enough explosive force to break apart the princess’s desperate death grip.

“G-get off me! ACK!” as she cried out in distress, something struck her in the back.

An eruption of flame rose into the air, kicking up wind and dust as the roaring conflagration enveloped the woman and her stony captor. It was Gobthnora’s [Fireball]. No matter how high your level got, if a magic spell managed to hit you, you would take full damage! This was why mages of any level were so valuable in large scale PvP conflicts! Even a group of inexperienced spellcasters bombarding an area would be enough to take out several opponents.

“You may have the shape of a demon, but I’m guessing you don’t resist fire as well,” Theo’s smile was enough to stir even the heart of the crazed shapeshifter.

“Y-you… you can’t. AAAH!”

Another [Fireball] smashed into her exposed back, kicking up even more dust. Although Meatshield was also caught up in the blast, her defense and sky-high HP were more than enough to absorb the damage. The same couldn’t be said for the Shapeshifter.

“Heeheehee… I wonder how long you can endure this…” he teased with his signature laugh, “because I assure you, my slaves can keep it up all night!”

Theo’s spear plunged into the woman’s nape, activating the [Inflict Pain] skill as he twisted the blade with a seemingly sadistic glee. The face of the Succubus was rolling and cracking under the combined synergy of the [Fireball] and [Blessing of Stonekin]. Her expression was twisted, but Theo could still see the fear in her warped eyes. It didn’t matter how much of a masochist she was, few beings could withstand the agony of being burned alive.

You have delivered justice upon an truly Evil being! Alignment: Good +50...

You have committed an act of blatant cruelty! Alignment: Evil +50…

Another [Fireball] erupted around the woman.

“D-damn you other Slave Master!” the Shapeshifter screeched, losing all of the charm it carried in its succubus form.

“You should have expected to die when you decided to work against me!” Theo stabbed the woman without any reservations, his alignment rocketing up and down like a rollar coaster.

Despite the fact that her HP wasn’t likely to drop below half, even if Theo had Gobthnora continue the bombardment for twice the entirety of the two minute time limit on Meatshield’s skill, the Succubus had no way of knowing that. Theo had surprised her one time after another over the past few days, and she had subtly grown to believe he really was capable of everything he said. That unyielding aura of confidence had seeped into her bones. Once again, Theo had used the sophistication of the system’s AI against itself.

“I hope they’ve reserved you a comfortable bed in Hell,” Theo whispered delicately as he struck her again with his spear, doing his best to sync up the activation of [Inflict Pain] with his Goblin’s [Fireball].

The Shapeshifter was caught between not only her programming and fear, but also the orders of her Slave Master, “I-I can’t fail my Master! I WILL kill you!” she cried.

Fire erupted once again, scorching the ground a gruesome black color. The smell of burning flesh was considered an aspect of the gore system, so Theo was spared from the nauseating stench. Even still, he took a deep breath through his nostrils as if savoring the sadistic discourse and responded.

“Doesn’t every Slave Master love it when they struggle?” he asked.

When these words left Theo’s mouth, something seemed to snap in the woman’s mind. Terrifying, agonizing memories of months of soul and body-breaking torture flooded her head. The silhouette of the terrifying Old Man Snake Eyes seemed to overlap with the image of the Slave Master in front of her. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst, forcing silvery blood to seep from the wound near her neck. The flames licked her skin with such an unbearable heat that the her panicked sweat evaporated in an instant.

“No! NO! NO MORE! No! No! Please no more!” the tears in her eyes were boiling under the crackling fire, and she was pelted with another [Fireball].

“Run.”

The word was so quiet, so simple, so beautiful. She had no way of knowing if it came from the voice of the Slave Master or from her own shattered psyche. She had to run! Run away and finish this man off another day! If she didn’t… she would die! She would definitely die!

As if a benevolent God was listening to her prayers, the grip of the girl around her waist seemed to slacken. Her malleable body twisted and slipped free from the grasp just as another sphere of fire crashed into the dirt. Several scalding rocks were launched in all directions like shrapnel that cut her face, but she didn’t care. Massive, throbbing wings of flesh unfolded from her back as she ran, and her body lifted into the sky.

Under the glow of the bonfire, the woman’s form disappeared into the night sky like a frightened startled bird taking flight. The Shapeshifter didn’t even dare look back.

“Well, she’ll be back… after all, “ Theo cast a sideways glance at Meatshield, who had stubbornly clung to the foe even after her skill had worn off, and the various burns on her pale white skin, “A Slave Master’s orders are absolute.”

Grabbing his spear and turning to his other slave, “Gobthnora, cast a [Lesser Regeneration] on her,” he ordered.

“But, but Master is also injured,” the Goblin protested, pointing out the claw marks on Theo’s chest.

“You're almost out of magic, right? This is nothing,” he laughed it off, taking a step towards the battle with the bandits, “Go and hide out with the rest of the civilians. Your Master has to take care of a small matter, first.”

The smell of blood and fire were still fresh on the night air.