Fell Champions

 

“Poseidon buggering himself with his own trident, what the frell is going on,” Otter said, staring at the Online tab. 

 

She didn’t get time to ponder it any further. That blinking notification decided it was time to stop waiting for an answer, and opened itself. 

 

Ingram Holt was a handsome man, but more by way of a team of people trying to help maintain his appearance than out of any natural beauty. In the real world, it’d long been suspected he wore a lot of contouring makeup to give his face a chiseled look. Only Heimdall knew how many people he had to help him maintain the Viking beard he liked to sport. His one obvious flaw was that it was clear no one was telling him what to do with the hair on his head, though, from the absolutely douchey man bun he sported.

 

“Ms. Reyna,” he said as a way of greeting.

 

“Otter Kaos,” she countered back. “Or GrandTheftOtter, if you’re going by handles.”

 

“Of course, of course. Secret identities are so in style at this moment. We’re all prisoners to them. I’ve even been known to fiddle about with some from time to time myself. But you’re right. I should get used to calling you by your new name, especially considering the big meeting coming.”

 

“Who are you talking to?” Rua asked.

 

“Ingram Holt,” Otter said. “Was just about to hang up, too.”

 

Holt’s smile grew even wider. “Is that your little anomaly, over there?” 

 

“None of your business, douche canoe. We’re busy.” 

 

She tried to terminate the call, but it stayed open. Of course he had a way of doing that. Asshole had a reputation for being needy.

 

“I’m sure you are,” he said with a wide smile. “Even so, neither of you will want to miss this.”

 

He waved a hand, and his screen winked out. And then reality itself blurred, and suddenly the cabin was gone. In its place was a massive colosseum, Otter and Rua now seated on a bench overlooking the arena below. Others sat throughout the theatre, each figure shadowy and indistinct. With the exception of Otter and Rua, no one was seated near another person. The colosseum could probably seat tens of thousands, maybe even a hundred thousand, but only a hundred seats were taken up.

 

And at the forefront, sitting in a box seat all by himself on top of a golden throne, was Ingram Holt. He had one leg over the arm of his seat, and a goblet balanced in his hand. He wore the classic outfit of a Roman emperor, but with a crown to accompany it. 

 

“Where are we?” Rua asked, her hand going to her side for a weapon that wasn’t there.

 

“I don’t know. But probably in Holt’s personal playground.”

 

“This isn’t any Wayfaring I’ve ever seen. He can do that? Just… move us somewhere else? No circles, no incense, just… we’re here?”

 

“Apparently.”

 

“That’s terrifying.”

 

“The power is kind of meh. Combined with his emotional maturity, though…” Otter trailed off, noticing one of those shadowy figures making their way over to their part of the colosseum seating.

 

Rua followed her gaze. “Trouble?”

 

“Won’t know until we talk.”

 

“If they lie, I’ll poke your leg.”

 

“Any excuse to touch me, eh?”

 

“I could go back to flicking your nose.”

 

“I wasn’t complaining, just pointing out that you want me, and that I’m more than okay with that.”

 

The strange person stopped only a few metres from them, seemingly bumping into some kind of invisible barrier. They knocked on the unseen wall. A notification window popped up for Otter.

[A user has attempted to enter your assigned seating area. Grant permission to enter?]

[ Y / N ]

 

Otter tapped the Yes button. The shadowy figure made another knocking gesture, which passed harmlessly through where the barrier had just been. They made a delighted noise, and stepped forward, and the illusion sheltering them melted away.

 

Her figure resolved into a tall woman with long, silky black hair, neatly cut with bangs so even they looked as if they’d been cut by a razor. She was wearing a grey smock, just like the one Otter had been wearing, but a bit rundown. Her skin was pale, unnaturally so, and her lips weren’t painted a glossy black so much as just naturally that colour. Her eyes were a steel grey, but the most notable features she sported were a pair of long, pointed elf-like ears, to go with the long, pointed demonic horns.

 

She didn’t look familiar, which wasn’t surprising. She’d probably completely redone her appearance from the ground up. 

 

“Hey,” she said, giving an awkward wave.

 

“Hey,” Otter said. She waited a beat for the stranger to introduce herself, realized it wasn’t coming, and then said, “I’m Otter.”

 

“Oh, hi, I’m, uh, Pandemona.”

 

Otter didn’t need the poke to her leg to know that was a lie.

 

“Really?” Otter said. “I thought she was retired.”

 

She fidgeted, and shrugged. “Came out of retirement just for this.”

 

No poke that time. That was interesting. There was a pregnant silence as Otter waited for this 'Pandemona' to go on.

 

“Any reason you came over to see us?”

 

“You’re the only one with someone else. You’re different. Different’s interesting.”

 

“And that’s the whole reason? No nefarious schemes, just want to investigate the mystery?”

 

“That, and I figured your friend there was the mysterious ‘Rua.’”

 

So, that was already getting around. How long had they been on that floor, just staring at each other, if her presence on the Online tab was seemingly common knowledge?

 

Time to try another line of questioning. “I don’t remember seeing Pandemona on the Online tab during character creation.”

 

The impostor shrugged. “A lot of people took a while to pick their names. And some even changed theirs after initially entering them before joining. A few you might’ve seen aren’t on there anymore. Can I sit?”

 

“Sure, just be careful. We both bite.” 

 

To demonstrate, she leaned into Rua, and before she could protest, Otter lightly bit her on the neck. Not long or hard enough to make a mark, but just long enough to make any reasonable bystander a little uncomfortable. Otter wasn’t sure who was blushing harder between Rua and Pandemona when she finished.

 

“Feeling a little uncomfortable there, Pan?” she asked with a smug grin.

 

“No, you know me, uh…”

 

“Giant lesbian slut? Was that what you were going for?”

 

“Maybe I should go.” 

 

‘Pandemona’ turned to leave, but Otter grabbed her wrist. She turned to Rua and said, “Is it okay if I mess with her, just a little bit? I like making new friends.”

 

Rua caught onto what she meant before ‘Pandemona’, blushed a little harder, and said, “Of course.”

 

“I’m down to share.” 

 

Otter could feel Rua positively squirming through their link. Outside of the blushing, she was doing a good job of keeping her face impassive, but there was a hunger in her. It might've been buried deep before, but it was unearthed now.

 

“Share what?” ‘Pandemona’ asked. “What’s, uh, going on?”

 

Otter shifted over, and then pulled Pandemona down to sit on the bench, so that she was now between her and Rua. 

 

“We’ll answer your questions,” Otter said. “Any you could ask. But in return, we get to play with you a little for each answer.”

 

Pandemona made a stuttering noise, but no response.

 

Otter continued, “It’s the kind of game I hear you’d be down for. I saw you do something similar at a party once.”

 

“Right,” she said. “That’s me. Always, uh, partying. Typical party girl”

 

Otter almost felt offended at that. “If you ever get uncomfortable, you can just leave at any time. But I mean, you’re Pandemona, you don’t chicken out, right?”

 

The impostor shrank a little, but managed a strangled, “Yep.”

 

This felt a bit mean. But this impostor had walked willingly into this silly little game. It wasn’t Otter’s fault that this girl made poor life decisions. 

 

Pandemona sucked in a deep breath, seemed to steady herself, and asked Rua, “So, uh, how did you get into the game after, uh, the beta started?”

 

“I was here before you,” she answered.

 

“Oh. I didn’t know there were any players here before us on the early access. But why–”

 

Otter placed a finger on her lips. “That’s not how the game works. You got a question. Now, one of us gets a turn at you.”

 

“Right. A turn.”

 

Otter grabbed ‘Pandemona’ from the back of the head, and pulled her in for a kiss. She went in, hard and assertive right from the start. She didn’t exactly try to shove her tongue down Pandemona’s throat, but she definitely worked it in with increasing pressure, stroking along the imposter’s own tongue. Pandemona was stiff the entire time, clearly unsure of what to do, but towards the end began to respond, albeit hesitantly. 

 

When Otter finished, she gave Pandemona a devilish smile, and then planted a small peck on her lips. “I would’ve thought you’d be a better kisser.”

 

“Oh, you just surprised me. I, uh, didn’t expect you to just, uh, go in like that.”

 

“So, what’s your next question?”

 

“Oh. Uh… If Rua were on before us, how come she wasn’t on the Online tab when we logged in?”

 

Otter looked to Rua. She wasn’t sure if she should respond to that particular question, but Rua answered for her, “Because I was what you people call a Non-Player Character.”

 

“Wait, but–”

 

Rua mimicked Otter, and put a finger on Pandemona’s lips. “No. My turn now.”

 

Pandemona pursed her lips and closed her eyes, but Rua flicked her ear. “No. That’s not what I want. You have to tell me what you think of how I look. And you can’t lie.”

 

“Oh, uh. You’re… very pretty?”

 

“What about me is pretty?” she pressed. 

 

“Oh, uh, well, you seem really, uh, confident, and–”

 

“No, not that. Physically.”

 

“Well, I don’t want to objectify you.”

 

Rua made a frustrated noise, so Otter said, “No, by all means. Objectify her.”

 

“Well–”

 

A gong sounded, reverberating throughout the colosseum. Waves of sound echoed, shaking stone pillars and rattling Otter’s bones. A screen flashed in the centre of the arena, appearing in midair, hovering over the centre. Ingram Holt’s smiling face was displayed.

 

“Welcome, everyone,” he said. “I hope everyone is settled. It is now time to explain the rules of my game.”