Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Angelic Transformation

Jace’s vision was back in the room with Esther at his feet, and all Hell broke loose.

Or, more precisely, all Hell was purged.

Esther knelt on the floor, bent over at the waist with her arms tucked in at her side.  Dark veins traced demonic patterns over her skin, pulsing from the roots of the hideous black wings like lava running out from a volcano.  She gasped desperately as her undead spirit tried to fight off the life infusing into her, resulting in convulsions that racked her body in agonizing fits of pain.  Off to Jace’s right, he heard a rustle of movement and turned to see the heavy curtains over the bed magically spread wide, allowing the setting sun's light to burst into the room and envelop the vampire on the floor.

Esther screamed.

Jace wanted to dive in to help and shield her from the burning light but instead decided to trust his god and took a few steps back.  The vampire reared up in pain, holding her spread fingers out toward the light, trying to shade herself as much as possible, but it was no use.  Her skin burned and crackled, the veins popping out and tearing from her flesh.  The wings caught fire, burning like oil-soaked newspaper, leaving only charred skeletal remains behind.

The cleansing process only lasted a few seconds, one round, if Jace had to guess, and the outer shell of the former demon molted into ash and vanished.  The screaming stopped, and Esther lowered her hands, her eyes staring directly into the light.  She stood slowly from her knees, and soon her whole body was bathed in sunlight.  Her skin was once again unblemished but now had a vibrancy that had been missing before.  The blackened bones protruding from her back shuddered, the soot shedding off like skin from a snake, revealing ivory wings that sprouted white feathers and flexed to eight feet in width before collapsing back and disappearing into her skin.

Her eyes changed too, moving from dark to a bright sky blue.  Her mouth opened, and she breathed in pure oxygen for the first time in ages, her body swelling with life and power.  She rose to her tip toes as if her lungs were being pulled up and out of her body toward the setting sun, but she didn’t leave the floor and held the pose only as long as the breath she took.  When she exhaled, her body collapsed, but Jace was ready, catching her before she hit the ground.  He cradled her in his massive arms and took two steps to lay her gently on the bed.  Still bathed in sunlight and lying on her back, Jace noticed she wasn’t pixilated anymore.  In fact, he remembered having a clear view of the entire transformation.

His chivalrous nature demanded he look away, but he regarded her perfect form a few moments longer.  The famous dilemma for censorship administrators was knowing the difference between pornography and art.  The only sensible answer to the question was, “I know it when I see it.”

This was art.

Jace didn’t look long, knowing he would always have this moment in his memories, and turned to get her dress from the floor.  He returned to her with the clothing in one hand and no idea how to put it on her.  He tried draping it over her body, but unbeknownst to him, she was unconscious and prone, making her Helpless.  In that state, he could dress or undress her however he wanted.  The game interpreted Jace’s actions appropriately, and the dress magically “snapped” onto Esther’s body like a rubber glove.

He stepped back from her cautiously, watching her chest rise and fall in rhythm, unsure of what to do next.  He didn’t have to wait long.  Esther stirred and opened her eyes.  Reality didn’t take long to sink in, and she sat bolt upright and screamed again.  Jace moved to the foot of the bed to try and calm her, but it was the wrong decision.  The sight of an orc in her room frightened her even more.  “Ahhh.  Get out!”  She scrambled back on the bed, trying to find something to protect her as she came up against the short headboard just beneath the window but found only pillows.  “Help!  Someone, please help . . .” but her voice trailed off as her memories gradually returned to her.

“You . . .” she started, lowering the pillow she had been clutching.  “You did . . . this.  I’ve changed.  You . . . changed me.”

Jace stood still, questioning if he had done the right thing.  He had tried to respect the woman, but had he violated her in some way he didn’t realize?  Had she enjoyed being an undead monster?  He started to form an apology, but she sprang from her seated position on the bed, took one running step on the soft mattress, and leaped toward him.

Jace couldn’t think fast enough to mount a defense and decided to take whatever reaction she had for him.  She didn’t miss this time.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and . . . hugged him.  “Thank you so much.  I don’t know what . . . I don’t know how . . .” but her voice choked off, and Jace felt her tears stream down his bald head.  He also felt his face pressed firmly into the top of her low-cut dress, and before she thought of a way to thank him that aligned with her skill set, he gently used his hands to remove the woman from his upper body.  Once her grip on his neck slackened, gravity took over, and she slid down his body until her arms were wrapped around his waist in a more traditional hug.

Her body still racked with sobs, and as she leaned her head against his muscled abdomen, Jace hugged her back.  They held that pose for a while, Esther occasionally bursting into a fresh wave of sorrow as more memories returned to her.  Things that she had done – things that she had enjoyed doing.

Jace didn’t know what kind of backstory she had.  He assumed she was just an NPC prostitute whom you could interact with once, and that was it.  She had been with Henry Tornsend, but how many other fake encounters had been built into her bio?  Gracie had said she was the most sought-after prostitute in the game.  He was in a MIM, meaning many different players had played through this module, and perhaps there was a way to keep Esther around after you killed the hag on the third floor.  Could all those experiences be downloading into her now?  Jace began to wonder if he had actually done her a favor.

Eventually, the crying dissipated, and she was able to talk.  “You have no idea what it was like.  It was . . . it was horrible.  I was a prisoner.  I was a demon.  But I  . . . I liked it.  I hurt all those people.  I . . . I fed on them.  I gorged myself on them.  And then I delivered them to . . .”

Esther pushed away from Jace, sucking in her sobs and wiping her face.  “To her.”  The woman’s face was suddenly severe and frightening.  She looked up at Jace.  “Do you still want me to take you to her?”

“Do you need to feed on me first?”

She gave him a sly smile.  “Why, do you want me to?”

Jace took a step back, still unsure what he had created.  “Can you still?”

“One way to find out.”

Jace took another step back, and Esther laughed.  “No, I don’t have to eat you, though I’ve never fed on an orc before.  Belle will take you in any condition.”

“Belle?”

Esther cocked her head.  “My boss.  The madam of the Gilded Swan.  Jezebel.  Belle.  You are here for her, right?”

Jace nodded.  “Yes, I’m sorry.  I didn’t know her name.”

Esther nodded and then paused.  “I don’t know your name.”  A shadow passed over her face.  “I didn’t know any of their names.”  It looked like she might cry again, but Jace stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

“My name is Jace Thorne.”

Esther looked at the massive hand and grabbed two of his fingers to shake them.  “Esther Xerxes.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Esther.”

“Likewise.  Now that we’ve got that out of the way, will you help me kill the swamp hag that has kept me a prisoner for longer than I can remember?”

“Gladly.”

[Esther Xerxes has joined your party.]

 

---

 

Gracie stood in the basement of her prison home with her arms crossed, staring at the TV and fuming.  Jace and Esther were racing down the hallway toward the stairs to the third level.  She hated how good he was.  And how right he always was.  She hated this game right now and didn’t want to play anymore.

Hans had woken up about an hour ago, spent some time in the kitchen, and then made his way downstairs to join the party.  Frans had been up all night, but once he heard Jace was going to a brothel, he found his second wind, and the two of them had been watching Esther’s performance intently.  Hans felt another show coming and could wait for bed a little longer with his eyes glued to the TV, but Frans was more awake and observant and noticed Gracie wasn’t at the controls anymore.

“You will guide him through the next part?” It was half a question and half a demand, and with his thick accent, it was hard to tell which.

“I don’t think I need to,” Gracie lied.  “He’s the best player ever; why should he need my help?”  That part wasn’t a lie.  She hadn’t seen him solve the riddle to get the Level 50 crystal, and while she had reviewed the logs of his deity mission, she hadn’t seen him perform in real-time.  Now she had been there when he had somehow secured the most overpowered NPC companion ever.  She was a vampiric angel or an angelic vampire.  She didn’t think the game even had a classification for that.  Gracie couldn’t wait to see her character sheet.  Of course, in order to do that . . .

Her eyes went back to the keyboard where she had discarded her headset.  Yes, Jace still needed her help.  She could be frustrated by his indirect judgment of her, or she could get on board and help them get out of this mess.  With a reluctant sigh, she walked over to her desk, plopped down in the seat, and put her headset on.

 

---

 

Jace followed Esther to the third level, choosing to focus on her boots this time as they ascended the stairs.  They were almost to the top when Gracie’s voice entered his head.  {I’m back,} she announced.  No apology.  No explanation.  She was just back.  They would talk about it later.

Esther motioned for him to slow down as she made it to the landing.  There was a small sitting room and one door at the top of the stairs.  Esther turned to look at Jace and frowned.  “Is there anything you can do to look . . .” she searched for the right word.  “Can you look less . . . um . . . less orcish?  I don’t know.  Most people I’ve taken up here have just been through one of the women downstairs and then . . . well, and then me.  They tend to have a glow about them.  Like they are high on life and eager to experience more pleasure.”

“I don’t look excited?” Jace asked.  His teeth were so cumbersome that he didn’t know a different way to position his mouth.

“You look frumpy.”

{Amen.  Preach it, sister.}

“Oh, be quiet,” Jace said to his operator.

“Excuse me,” Esther was shocked.

“Sorry, not you.  I was talking to myself.”

“You were telling yourself to be quiet?” Esther wondered not for the last time what kind of player she had joined up with.  “Is your stomach growling?  Because we can get some food downstairs first if you’re hungry.  Now that my metabolism is running again, I know I’m starving.”  She got quiet and looked long at Jace.  “Maybe I could bite you just a little bit.  I think it would sell it better.”

Jace held up his hand.  “We can get you food later.  Real food.  I can act my way through this next encounter.  She’s beautiful, right?  I’ll just put on an act like I did with you.”

Esther laughed.  “Nice try, big boy.  None of that was an act.  I had you right where I wanted you.  I could have . . .” she paused and self-corrected.  “Um, what I meant to say is . . . I’m sorry for what I did to you.”  She sighed.  “This is going to be difficult, isn’t it?”

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{Welcome to the addled mind of a chaotic vampire hooker with an angelic heart of gold.}

Jace sighed too.  “Just introduce me.  I will handle it.”

Esther didn’t know what to say, shrugged her shoulders, and turned to the door.  She pulled a cord next to the knob in a specific pattern to announce who she was and why she was there.  She then hesitated with her hand over the doorknob, waiting for a signal.  Jace didn’t hear or see anything, but after a few moments, Esther opened the door and led him inside.

The room wasn’t much different from Esther’s, only much bigger.  A massive bed sat against the western wall with windows on either side.  They entered opposite the bed, and the window directly before them had its curtains pulled, undoubtedly, to protect Esther from the sun.  The other was open and let in enough light to see everything else.  There was a separate washroom and more dressers and clothes than Esther had been allotted.  Belle was sitting before a vanity, adjusting her hair.  If her human appearance was derived from the magical necklace she wore, Jace didn’t understand why she would need to fix anything about her looks.  Just change the spell.

“I have brought you an offering, my mistress.  He is very powerful.”  Esther stepped to the side and bowed, taking on a serious tone that Jace wouldn’t have thought possible from the irreverent woman.

Belle rose from her chair and turned to regard Jace.  Both of them froze in shock.  After Esther, it was hard to impress him, but Jace wasn’t expecting a woman so stately.  She chose to appear as someone in their mid-40s.  There was even a little gray in her mostly auburn hair.  She held herself like a queen, regal and poised.  Her body showed few signs of age or wrinkles, but Jace could see experience in her eyes.  She also spent little effort adorning herself with extravagant clothing and wore nothing more than a sheer chemise that hung down just past mid-thigh.  The sunlight behind her highlighted all the curves beneath the thin fabric, leaving nothing to Jace’s imagination.

Belle was shocked for a different reason.  “An orc?  You brought me an orc?”

Jace was confused.  How did she know he was an orc?  She should be locked into an early version of the AI and not care.  She shouldn’t be sentient like Esther now was.  Had freeing the vampire done more than he assumed?

“It was his desire, madam,” Esther replied before Jace could give it more thought.  “He wanted to try the illusion for something different.  It was . . . interesting.  I’m sure you will understand.”

{That is a careless lie,} Gracie said.  {She is a witch and can easily dispel an illusion like that.  If she tries, she will know something is up.}

Jace disagreed but didn’t say so.  Esther had basically told her mistress, “If you can hide your appearance, so can others.”  Besides, the fen witch likely had a specific set of spells memorized to control her victims.  If she wasted mana to dispel his supposed illusion, she might leave herself wanting later.

“Very well, he is the customer after all,” she smiled, and Jace couldn’t help but think she was beautiful.  “Thank you, Esther, my dear.  You can leave us now.”

“As you wish.”  She bowed even lower and moved toward the door.

“Can she stay?” Jace asked, a little desperation in his voice.  He thought he was supposed to help Esther kill the witch, not do it alone.  Plus, having Esther in the room was his ace in the hole.  From how Gracie described this encounter, there didn’t seem to be any way to break the pre-programmed script and grab the necklace.  If Esther were here, there would be no script.

“Two at one time?” Belle asked.  “A bold request.”

“For something . . . different.”  Jace tried to mimic Esther’s tone.  Not an easy thing as an orc.

“I don’t think so,” the older woman said, unconvinced.  She nodded at her lieutenant.  Esther continued toward the door behind Jace.  He heard it close and swallowed hard.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes, I would,” he replied.

While she poured only one glass of white wine, Jace tried to relax.  He wasn’t charmed or restrained in any way.  He had all of his mana and an inventory of deadly weapons.  His sword was still in the basement, where he had been told to discard it.  Unlike Esther’s room, there was no stone pillar in the center.  Instead, they were in each of the four corners.  With a wooden floor, Jace didn’t have an easy way to connect to his totem in the basement and no way to cast another one.

He moved to sit on one of the large couches.

“No,” she called from across the room as she put the wine bottle down.  “Don’t do that.  I just had them cleaned.”

Jace hesitated.  Her bedside manner was very different from Esther’s.  As he watched her walk toward him, she took a generous sip from the wine glass, paused, and then drank the rest in one gulp.  She set the empty glass on her vanity and kept coming for him.  “Take off your kilt and lay on the bed.”

Jace hesitated, and she grew cross.  “I am not in the mood to play games.  Esther might be a free spirit, but I don’t have patience for this.”

{Something is very wrong,} Gracie said.  {She is not usually like this.}

Jace just stood there, unsure of what to do.

“Are you as dumb as an orc too?  I said take off that kilt and lie on the bed.”

Jace thought through his choices.  He could attack her but had no idea what defense spells she might have.  Plus, he would have to go into his inventory to get the halberd.  He could see she was level 15.  Esther was level 10 and had handled him easily.  Belle was also more powerful than Caitlin, the other witch he had met, and had already likely sacrificed a dozen children to whatever god would take them.

Belle had no interest in giving Jace time to think up a solution to this problem and cast a hex spell in the air.  Jace wasn’t ready, and as images flashed through his mind, his eyes were too transfixed by how the witch’s voluptuous body shifted under her nightgown to think about anything else.

{That would be the Command spell I talked about before,} Gracie explained.  {Still need to work on those saving throws.}

“Undress and lay on the bed.”

Jace did as he was told this time, and the witch cursed.  “More games?”

Jace realized that once he was on the bed, her control of him was over.  She didn’t get as many criticals as Esther had.  Thus he had the freedom to look down at his naked body and saw that with his Sexuality settings turned down as far as they were, he had all the anatomical correctness of a department store mannequin.

“Whatever cheap thrill you expect from this encounter, I hope it was worth it.  I intend to get what I want.”  She pulled a pick from her hair and used it to cut the two thin straps of her chemise so it fell to the floor.  Jace thought it was a clever trick to show how sharp the pick was since he was supposed to use it to kill her later.  “Are you happy now?”  She struck an alluring pose with a hand on her hip.  To Jace, her whole body was a pixilated mess.  He could make out just enough of her neck to see a silver strand that must be the necklace, but the enchanted stone that he needed to grab must be hanging between her breasts, and, squinting as hard as he could, he couldn’t distinguish anything amid the censorship.

Belle was not happy with Jace’s screwed-up face in reaction to her body and let him know.  “That’s all you got for me?”  Instead of placing the pick within arm’s reach on the nightstand beside the bed, she threw it toward him.  Either she wasn’t skilled in ranged attacks or tried to miss because it stuck fast in the middle of the giant headboard.  Jace was lying on the left side of the bed, and the pick was at least two feet out of reach, even for his long arms.

Before he even thought about rolling over to get it, the witch was on top of him, showing much more athleticism than Jace would have expected from a middle-aged woman.  She straddled his hips and wrestled him into submission.

Jace had a surprise for her.  Finding her narrow waist amid the blurry image of her body was not hard, and he pulled up his lone attack spell and dropped all his mana into it.  Lightning burst down onto the pair and . . . did nothing.

“What kind of kink is that supposed to be?” Belle asked in response to the failed spell.  She was trying to position herself correctly over his massive body and found it challenging.

{She’s Honest, you idiot,} Gracie said.

How could she be Honest? Jace thought.  She is wearing an illusion.

As if she could read his mind, Gracie spoke up.  {Her alignment actually improves the effectiveness of her illusion since that is what she thinks she truly looks like.  Don’t worry; if you pick an image that closely resembles your real-life appearance, your alignment will also improve your use of the necklace.  Assuming you make it out of this alive.}

Jace had no plan at this point and needed help.  “You’ve done this before, right?”

Belle gave him a severe look, thinking the question was a critique of her performance.  She slapped him across the face, and the hit registered damage over his resistance.  “I’ll have you know, I am not the problem here, you oafish cretin.”

{Nice job, Romeo,} Gracie laughed.  {But I assume you were talking to me.  Yes, I have done this.  Judge me as you will.  This is not how it went with me.}

“Do you think I can just grab it?” he asked, knowing how Belle would interpret the question.  She slapped him in the face again.

{Assuming you are talking about the necklace, I don’t see how it would hurt.  When I did this, all I could see was the top of her head.}  Gracie paused as she realized what she had just revealed.  {If you ask me why, I swear by the god you just created, I will walk over and unplug you.}  She paused long enough to let the threat settle in before continuing.  {When the time came, I had to stab her in the back of the neck.  I never had a chance to grab the necklace, nor did I want to.}

Jace still couldn’t make out any details below Belle’s shoulders as the woman tried to find a comfortable position.  He thought about going into his inventory to change his Nudity settings but didn’t know how the witch would react.  He had nothing to do except try and paw at the hidden necklace with his clumsy fingers.  Belle could only assume he was trying to fondle her breasts, and she wasn’t impressed by his efforts.  “I like it when some men use their hands, but not you.”  She locked onto his wrists and wrestled them back to the bed.

{Don’t fight back.  Just lay there.}

Gracie’s advice came too late, and Jace struggled mightily against the much smaller woman.  It was no contest.

[Secure Grappled.  Prone.  Helpless.]

{Great.  Now you can’t do anything.}

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