I felt pressure on my legs and my chest, then a green light flooded my vision. Sharp pain spread from my side then receded quickly. My vision focused and I was about to thank Johnny for the assist when I realized that was not who had healed me. Sitting across my lap, with one hand pressed to my temple and the other where my previous wound was, sat the green lady with her breasts hanging tantalizingly over my face then she brought her face down to mine and smiled.

“Wake up Karl,I can’t let my potential savior sit out the fight for too long.” Her voice sounded like birds singing in the morning reminded me of long forgotten times when I didn’t want to punch everyone who looked at me sideways.

Before I could respond she gave me a tug and I was back on my feet looking for my rifle and shield. “Your companions still do battle with the God-Touched, I will heal them where I can. My name is Junipher, by the way.” And then she slipped away into the dark recesses of the alcove I had landed in while carrying her chain. I took a breath and steadied myself, I still couldn’t find my rifle so I drew my pistol and leaned my head out to take in the battle.

As I looked Lulu had just taken the head off one of the remaining Crossbowmen with a sickening crunch and tear. She turned and caught a bolt deep in her flank and lashed out violently at the last standing Crossbowman. Johnny’s last lightning bolts faded and seemed to do very little to the targeted melee fighters, the little rat bastard with the tower shield appeared to be some kind of front line support and cast a buff that raised their resistance to electricity. Alyssa was flagging and no longer slipping in and out of her shadows, though she still held her own. I looked down the hall and found Kaia and the Chieftain clashed furiously, blood flew from both though it looked like Kaia was on the losing end of that.

I made a decision and stepped out of the alcove and raised my pistol “CRIPPLING SHOTS! MAG DUMP!” I sprayed the melee fighters arrayed around Alyssa. Dropped the empty mag and reloaded and continued shooting bad guys indiscriminately. The remaining melee fighters began stumbling and moving sluggishly. Alyssa seized the advantage and began to tear them apart so I moved to fixing the fight with the Chieftain.

I turned back down the alcove with my pistol raised in front of me. Kaia had just leapt back from the Chieftain narrowly avoiding a slash that would have been potentially fatal. “CRACK SHOT!”

The round smacked the ‘Defiler” squarely in his temple. The metal skull cap deflected the shot in a shower of sparks but left the giant kobold severely stunned. From the corner of my eye I saw Junipher appear and begin healing Kaia.

“VITAL SHOT!” I fired as the Chieftain drew his right arm back to attack the green lady and the bullet tore a hole in his armpit. Blood began flowing freely as he stumbled back. His left hand came up to cover the room and he turned his right palm to me which began to glow. I dove into the other side of the inner wall of the atrium. A roar echoed in my ears and a 3 meter chunk of the wall shattered above me.

The last standing Mystic began to cast a heal on its Chieftain but stopped short as one of Johnny’s spears drove through its neck. It reached up and ineffectually attempted to remove the spear as its life bled out on the floor. It slumped over dead a moment later. The Chieftain hissed a curse my way and charged my direction. Johnny turned his spears quickly diminishing melee group and I focused on what was clearly my fight.

I snatched my hatchet from my belt and activated CRIPPLING SHOTS and shot at his legs as he charged forward. My rounds punched into his knees and thighs as he moved my way and he slowed considerably as his strength and mobility below the waist was significantly reduced. He raised a foot to kick me and I took advantage of his lethargy. “BRUTAL STRIKE!” I slipped under his attacking leg and lashed out with my hatchet into his knee. It sheared straight through the weak cartilage of the back of his knee, his knee cap burst free and then the leg below it separated in the next instant.

Shaad, the Unbroken, the Defiler, the God-Touched fell backwards wailing. He hit his back hard and his scream was cut short when his breath left his lungs. Shaad tried to pull himself away with his arms and remaining leg. I re-holstered my pistol and snatched his left leg while he struggled and brought my hatchet down on his thigh. With the assistance of my system enhanced strength his other leg was removed violently.

Still he did not give up, he did not die, I stepped forward with his leg still in my hand and he raised up with his left arm and swiped wildly at me. I caught his forearm in with my hatchet, the blade sunk between the bones there and held it in place. He collapsed back and whimpered in fear. Disgusting. I brought his leg down on his muzzle. His teeth broke in his mouth. Shaad lashed out with his left arm and my boot came up and pinned it to the ground beneath me. I tossed his leg away and drew my pistol and pressed it into his left shoulder.

I pressed my face to the tip of his broken maw, rage swirled in my eyes and he flinched. “I’m not done HURTING YOU! MAG DUMP!” The bullets left the barrel and shredded the connection to his shoulder. He twisted free of his own arm and wailed again. His blood soaked the ground and his tears flowed freely as he muttered “I… am de.. feated. M-my domain… is de… filed. I have been… Forsaken.”

“Yes. You have.” I brought my pistol underneath his jaw and pulled the trigger.

I stood over Shaad for several long moments. I walked back into the atrium and found the battle winding down as Alyssa and Lulu sparred with the final Kobold, the one with the tower shield and spiked mace. The kobold swung wide with his mace and Lulu dove in and snatched the offending arm and dragged it to the ground face first. Alyssa finding herself on the shield side of the kobold executed a armless cartwheel to the reposition to his other side and skewered it in the back. She spun looking for more opponents then relaxed when she found none.

I strode up past the mess of bodies and gore and plopped my formerly fat ass onto Shaads throne. This thing’s actually pretty fucking comfortable. I sat there and collected my thoughts. Kaia padded up behind the throne and layed down. That’s when I noticed the other slave woman looking up at me eyes wide with fright. I suppose I paint quite the picture of terror all covered in blood and gore. Johnny came up to my left, was about to say something when he too saw the woman, who was now shaking as she looked at us in abject terror. I looked at Johnny and laughed out loud. The woman flinched and Johnny gave me a wondering look. Johnny was covered in small wounds and his fair share of blood and gore. He began to chuckle and then Alyssa spoke up “The fuck is wrong with you two?” We looked at her and laughed harder. Her hair was soaked with blood and something that resembled a rat ear was lodged between her breasts.

“I’m gone skewer you both if you don’t tell me what the fuck is so funny.” Which only had the effect of making us laugh harder. I pointed and tried to explain but I only managed to cough and hack. Johnny was bent over and slapping his knee. Alyssa was starting to get mad but I couldn’t stop laughing. Junipher took that moment to save me her wrath when she walked up and whispered in her ear.

I swear I could see Alyssa’s face turn red under all the blood that was drying on it when she quickly covered her breasts with one hand and reached in and removed the ear with a squeal and threw it aside. Then she gave us a glare and mumbled “You mother fuckers.” This elicited another round of hysterical laughter from us, which caused Alyssa to finally join in with a small giggle.

Guess we needed a good laugh. That or this adventure has left us all seriously fucked in the head. Then I remembered the poor woman who was still looking around at us in fear and bewilderment. It’s actually a wonder the woman hadn’t bolted from the room screaming bloody murder.

“Master Karl?” Junipher spoke in her song bird like voice catching my attention. Master? I looked at her and she smiled “Would one of you fine warriors do me the service of finding the key to my bondage and removing it from myself and this poor woman?” She saw the question in my eyes and continued “The key has an enchantment on it that prevents us from touching it without causing debilitating pain.”

“I’ll get it” Alyssa offered “Should be on the Chieftain, yeah?” Junipher nodded pleasantly in the affirmative.

Alyssa made it around the corner and cursed “FUCK ME! THIS IS FUCKING GROSS!” We heard more mumbling from behind the alcove wall and then she returned with said key in her hand and looked at me with a bit of fear and greater respect. “Did you need to leave him in pieces?”

I looked at the woman by the throne, naked, abused, afraid and nodded “Yeah, I did.”

Alyssa removed the collar from the plant woman who thanked her with a smile and then she moved to the other woman. When she reached for the collar the woman scrambled on hands and knees to hide behind the throne. Johnny backed away knowing his presence would only further agitate the woman. Junipher put a hand on Alyssa’s shoulder to stop her from chasing the scared woman around the throne. “Let me try, we of course were companions in bondage.”

I nodded indifferently, happy to sit on my ass for a little bit more. She slowly approached the woman and began to sing. The melody instantly settled into my soul and lifted my spirits. I felt good. Better than I could recall. The other naked woman wasn’t having it though. She began to scream obscenities at the pretty plant lady. “STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! DON’T TOUCH ME! NOOOOO!”

Whelp, that’s enough of that shit. I lept off the throne and snatched up the chain connected to her collar and yanked her out from behind it. She tumbled at my feet sobbing. I grabbed her chin and forcefully raised her face to look at me.

“I’m out of patience. I know what’s happened to you was horrible. I can only imagine. The shit we’ve seen today.” I looked at my companions. Alyssa looked like she wanted to say something but Johnny stilled her tongue with a gentle hand and a whisper in the ear. Junipher continued humming her soothing song “We’ve got people counting on us to get back to, now, I can bring you with, or I can leave you here.” Her eyes were uncertain at first, then wide with fear when I mentioned leaving her. “Now, I’m going to remove your collar.” I held out my hand without looking and the key landed in it “Once I undo this, the choice is yours, if you choose to come with us, I expect you to do what I say or you’ll be lucky if I only leave you in the desert naked to fend for yourself.”

I removed the collar and she only flinched a little. She slid back on the carpet and watched me warily for a moment. Junipher never stopped humming as she stood with Alyssa and Johnny. I looked at the others and suggested we get to looting.

Looking around I found what I was looking for. A glowing red crystal sat on a pedestal in a back room directly behind the throne. In front of the pedestal was a large red chest trimmed in gold. “FOUND IT!” I called out and Alyssa and Johnny joined me followed by Junipher, still humming, and gently guiding the other naked woman to the side.

Despite what we had been through, my companions looked at the chest with a gleam in their eyes as I touched it. I feel like the system is hitting us with the stick then leading us with the carrot in unequal measure.