The Realm Between: The Evil Within: A LitRPG Saga (Book 5), page 20
Azure tried his best to relax, lying on the cold floor, staring up at the wooden slats that held the mattress suspended. His heart drummed so heavily that he could feel it throughout his entire body, beating the floor and threatening to burst through his chest at the same time. A million different scenarios raced through his mind on repeat. How things could go wrong. If Franziska messed up. If she ratted him out. If she couldn’t convince Court to allow her to tie him up. If Court somehow figured out that Azure was under the bed.
Almost as soon as Franziska had Azure settled, she went downstairs to wait for Court. Time passed endlessly while he laid there, trapped with his thoughts. His body buzzed with stress, the thought of flight peeking around his consciousness every so often. But then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and Azure knew he’d have to steel his nerves if he hoped to get through this.
He couldn’t see the man who entered the room with Franziska, but he spoke with an odd Southern drawl. There wasn’t much conversing between the two before he began making demands. The bed sank as he sat on it, the slats a mere centimeter from Azure’s face. His eyes widened briefly from fear of being crushed. If Court felt something beneath the bed, Azure would surely be caught. Luckily, there was just enough room to keep that from happening.
“Let’s try something different tonight.” Franziska sauntered up to him.
A new fear raced through Azure. If they both climbed onto the bed, he’d definitely get crushed.
“I’m not interested in different. It’s been a long day,” Court said a bit gruffly.
She pouted, making a soft whining sound. “Oh, but I’ve been so looking forward to this. I planned something special, just for you.”
“Oh really?” The thought of being special seemed to have caught his interest.
“It’s a new technique I learned. Comes all the way from Fufraburg.” Franziska purred.
“Fufraburg, huh?” Court huffed.
“It’s the sexual capital of the world,” she said, as if to remind him.
“And where did you learn this technique?” his words came out with spite. Clearly, he thought she’d learned it from another man.
“I heard it from a new girl that Paul is thinking about taking on. She dropped by earlier and was telling him what she could offer. I was eavesdropping.” Mock innocence filled her voice.
“Eavesdropping, huh? Naughty.”
The bed shifted as Court wrapped his arms around Franziska.
“Wouldn’t you like to be the first to see this technique in action?” She tinted her tone with excitement.
“It depends on the technique,” he paused, “and if you promise not to use it on anyone but me.”
It was quickly becoming obvious that Court felt some measure of possessiveness over Franziska. If she was able to play into his desire for exclusivity, this just might work.
“Well, it’s important to see if you like it first.”
“So, what is this technique anyway?” Court gestured for her to explain.
“It would require quite a bit of trust on your part.” For the first time since their interaction began, uncertainty seeped into Franziska’s voice.
“Oh?”
“The technique is a fantasy roleplay. You would have to allow me to tie you up and blindfold you. Then, I could do whatever I wanted to with you. Of course, you would really be the one in control the entire time,” she quickly added. “If there were certain things that you want me to do to you, then you could most certainly make a request. But the whole point of the technique is to experience a new type of sensation with sensory deprivation.”
“Sensory deprivation,” Court parroted. “What’s that?”
“Since you wouldn’t be able to see, you should be more sensitive to touch. That’s the theory, at least.” Franziska gave a little shrug.
“I don’t really like the idea of being tied down,” he said with obvious discomfort. “How about we try it on you first?”
“Well, half of the appeal of the fantasy is role reversal. Giving up control.”
“But I like to be in control,” Court said firmly.
“It’s just for fun.”
“Doesn’t sound very fun to me.”
Oh shit, she’s losing him. Azure really didn’t want to be stuck under the bed while they had sex only to see his chance at killing Court Harrington slip away. If Franziska couldn’t get Court to allow her to tie him up, Azure would have to come up with a new plan. Quickly.
“Why don’t you take off that dress, and we’ll get down to business.” Court urged Franziska on.
She made the same whiney pouting sound as before, reminding Azure of SkekSil from The Dark Crystal. It wasn’t a seductive noise by any means. “Please, Court. You know I think you’re special. I really wanted to do this with you. Maybe make it just our thing. Besides, it wouldn’t be exciting with anyone else. No one is as much of a man as you.” Franziska sat on the bed next to Court, and it sunk the last centimeter needed to have the wooden slats pressing against Azure’s face. He turned his head to the side to weather the pressure. “Just give it a try…for me. If you don’t like it, I’ll untie you. Five minutes.” She held up her hand, her fingers outstretched. “If you can’t get into it, I won’t ever ask you to do it again.”
“Hmm.” There was a period of silence before he spoke again. “All right. Five minutes. But whether I like it or not, I get to tie you up afterward and do whatever I want to you. And if I don’t like it, I’ll make sure that you don’t like what I do to you either.” There was a twinge of a threat to his words.
“Deal,” she said, dropping all sexy pretense.
Azure would have sighed in relief if it wouldn’t have made a sound. As it was, he had to do everything he could not to inhale when Franziska stood. The pressure of the bed on his body had been keeping him from taking a full breath.
His heart picked up its rapid tempo once more, and he prayed to all the Gods that Franziska remembered the directions he had given her. If she wasn’t able to tie Court’s hands behind his back, it would be a problem. The mage would be able to cast as long as he could weave his hands, and Azure didn’t remember what all of the air spells could do.
As if to quell his mounting nerves, Azure heard Franziska say, “I need you to put your hands behind your back.”
“Why?” It sounded more like a grunt than a word.
“Because I need you completely helpless. Besides, I need to be able to get to these bits.”
Azure was glad he couldn’t see what was going on. Hearing the blatant moaning was bad enough.
After a few moments, the bed compressed again as Franziska crawled onto it to tie Court’s hands behind his back. Azure tried not to groan as the wooden slats pressed into his body. If he were lucky, they wouldn’t leave marks behind.
Finally, after what felt like another lifetime, Franziska crawled off of the bed again.
“Done,” she said proudly, which was Azure’s cue to make his move.
“What happens now?” Court asked.
“Now, just try to relax.” Franziska sounded more excited than sensual. “It will all be over soon.” Her voice darkened.
Those words, coupled with the scraping of Azure’s armor against the wooden floor as he struggled to crawl out from under the bed, were enough to alert the mage that something was wrong. No amount of Stealthing could cover up that noise.
Azure wished that Franziska had kept her mouth shut, but there was no taking the words back now.
“What’s going on?” Court’s tone was filled with alarm as he began to struggle. “Untie me right now.”
Azure pulled his Black Dagger from his belt the second he was on his feet.
Court Harrington looked like a squirming worm on the bed. Realizing he still had the use of his legs, he kicked them over the side of the bed to stand, but Azure was behind him in an instant. It occurred to Azure to say some words—perhaps voice his reason for doing this—but a mixture of adrenaline and an overwhelming fear that he’d pussy out kept his lips sealed shut. He didn’t think; he just acted, gripping Court firmly around the chest with one arm and sliding the sharp edge of his Black Dagger across his throat with the other.
The blade seemed to slip off of Court’s skin as if trying to cut through metal. Blood was drawn, but not enough to sever arteries or his windpipe. What was worse was that Azure had underestimated the mage.
For a moment, all Azure could see was the color orange. His body grew stiff, and a yellow icon with white bolts appeared in the corner of his vision with a timer above it.
Level 28 Court Harrington delivers 65 damage. You have been inflicted with shock. You will be unable to move for the next 10 seconds.
Court wiggled out of Azure’s grasp and turned around. There was a red line across his neck, but the wound barely looked skin deep. All Azure could do was stand there frozen in place and watch as the mage backed up into the chest of drawers.
“You’re dead when I get free! Dead!” he yelled.
Not good. Azure could see out of his peripheral vision that Franziska was frozen with fear. He wanted to tell her that she needed to silence Court, but his mouth wouldn’t move.
Ten seconds felt like a lifetime. Before it had time to expire, Court rushed forward and headbutted Azure, knocking him to the floor.
Level 28 Court Harrington delivers 35 damage.
Blessedly, the stockings that Franziska had bound Court’s hands with were holding well. By the time Azure had regained his ability to move, Court was leaning against the wall, rubbing the side of his head against it to get the blindfold off.
Knowing that he needed to finish this quickly, Azure drew his Bergen’s Glaive. While his Black Dagger had barely made a scratch, his other weapon had much better attack stats. Azure drove the point toward Court’s neck, but the mage moved to the side just quick enough to avoid being skewered.
Azure cursed under his breath as he realized that the tip of his Bergen’s Glaive had become lodged in the wall.
Court charged him again, and both men went falling over onto the floor. Instead of attacking him further, Court began to roll. It wasn’t until he was facing away from Azure that Azure realized what he was trying to do. If he could touch Azure, he could harm him.
Abandoning his sword where it had fallen, Azure went for his Black Dagger again. He narrowly avoided Court inching back toward him, rotating his body to escape being touched. Azure gripped the mage’s head with both hands, practically curling around it so that he couldn’t wiggle away. Then he began sawing at his throat.
It took everything in Azure to withhold a war cry. As it was, he was pretty sure that those downstairs and in the adjacent rooms had heard the scuffle. More than likely, it was only a matter of seconds before Paul came upstairs and they were discovered.
Despite his skin’s rocklike resistance to the blade, it finally began to give way. Court Harrington screamed as Azure sliced through his vocal cords and esophagus. After what felt like an eternity of sawing, the screaming turned into a gurgle. Still, Azure didn’t stop until Paul reached the top of the stairs and peered into the room. Azure was covered in blood, his hands so slick that they were losing their grip on the dagger. Court’s body was twitching violently now, but there was no notification of his death, so Azure wasn’t about to let go.
“What have you done?!” Paul's eyes grew wide as he rushed to Court’s side and dropped to his knees.
He immediately started weaving his hands, and a blue glow began to surround them. Azure was both amazed and panicked that Paul knew magic. Either he was about to attack Azure or heal Court, neither of which would be good.
“No!” Franziska cried out, practically throwing herself at Paul to knock him over. He warded her off with a hard backhand, but the precious seconds that she had bought Azure were all that he needed to finish the job.
The gash in Court Harrington’s throat relinquished its final bit of lifeblood, and his body stilled on the floor.
Defeated Level 28 Court Harrington. 252XP rewarded.
Azure sat back, panting. The smell of copper filled his nose, and when he finally looked down at the ruin he’d made of Court’s neck, bile welled up into his mouth. He leaned over and retched, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor.
I just killed someone. Not killed. Murdered.
The thought barely had time to pass. There were too many other things going on that demanded his attention. Franziska was leaning on one shoulder a few feet away, her hand up to her cheek where Paul had struck her. Paul was just staring at the body, his eyes wide in disbelief. He was the first to recover, shock turning into anger as his gaze moved to pierce Azure.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” he spat before turning his attention to Franziska and barking, “Go close the door. We can’t let anyone else see this or know what has happened.”
She was on her feet in an instant, following orders. Franziska closed the door, then stood with her back pressed against it.
“He was a murderer,” Azure said as he wiped the vomit from his mouth with his Kobold Hide Robe.
Paul ignored him, his neck snapping back to look at Franziska. “If you wouldn’t have interfered, then I could have saved him. You’ll die for this.”
Azure reached over for his Bergen’s Glaive, expecting to have to kill the pleasure house owner as well. “You will not lay a finger on her,” he said threateningly as he pulled himself to his feet.
“I won’t have to,” Paul snarled. “You’re both dead. Maybe we all are.”
“He was unkind to me.” Franziska’s voice went small as she hugged herself. “Someone had to stop him.”
“In my brothel!?” Paul tried to suppress the uptick in his tone, but it didn’t work very well. A vein in his neck bulged from the pressure of containing himself.
If the setting wasn’t so tense, Azure might have been amused that the pleasure house owner finally caved and called his own establishment a brothel. Everything seemed stripped bare in those moments, though.
“No one has to know he died here,” Azure interjected.
“Everyone will know,” Paul insisted. “This is the only place in Squall’s End that he ever comes. The Bower Boys will know that he was here.”
“But they don’t have to know that he died here,” Azure said again. “I will take the body. I had planned to take it all along.” Hopefully, that would be possible with his Bag of Holding.
“Do you think I’m not going to turn you into them?” Paul raised an eyebrow.
Azure brought his sword in front of him. “Let me see you try.” He knew from having Analyzed the brothel owner earlier that Paul couldn’t take him on.
Paul waved at Azure in annoyance. “Oh, put down your sword. That’s not what I meant. I meant that I’m going to tell them that you killed him.”
Azure relaxed a bit. “That’s fine. They’re already after me, so I don’t really care.”
The brothel owner glared at him. “You should care. Once they mark you, you’re dead.”
“I don’t care about me.” Azure shook his head. “Only her.” He pointed his sword at Franziska. “What will it cost to buy her safety.”
“More than you have.”
“Why?” Azure’s head jutted back. “It would be easy enough to lie. Just say that I sneaked in and hid under the bed. No one has to know her part in it.”
“They will kill her just for being around when he died.”
“Then say he didn’t die here. I assume he comes in the back, the same as I did. Who is to say what happens in dark alleyways?” When Paul didn’t respond, Azure continued, “Protect her for me for a week. If you don’t hear news of the deaths of the rest of the Bower Boys, then send her away.”
Paul huffed. “Do you really think that you can kill the Bower Boys? Many a lot stronger than you have tried.”
Hearing that from multiple people was beginning to sound like a broken record.
“And most haven’t accomplished what I have tonight. I just killed Court Harrington,” Azure gestured to the corpse at his feet, “a man nearly twice my level. It should have been impossible.”
“You used cheap tricks.” Paul continued to glare at him. “Don’t think the same will work on James Bower.”
“For as much as I’d like to divulge my plans, you can understand why I don’t trust you. You were knowingly allowing this man patronage here. For all I know, you’ll send word to the Bower Boys about what happened as soon as I leave here.”
“If I think it will save my ass and my business, I will,” Paul admitted.
“Well, if you do, make sure to let them know that Azure Galvan is coming for the rest of them.”
A bitter chuckle left the brothel owner’s lips. “You say that with confidence now. You won’t be so cocky when they torture you to death. I’ve heard that their methods are quite unpleasant.” The hint of a smile reached his face, as if it pleased him to think of Azure being tortured to death.
Azure ignored him. “You can have everything on Court’s body as payment for keeping her safe until the week is up.” He nodded toward the body.
“Think you’ll make up the difference with the big reward that The Adventurers Guild is offering?” Paul snorted. “You’re not going to live long enough to see it.”
“You’re right. I’ll never see the reward,” he admitted. “I’m Designation E—too low to be able to take the quest. This isn’t about the reward; this is about revenge. James Bower killed someone precious to me, and I’m not going to stop until I see the crows feasting on his eyes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE REALM – Day 110
While Paul agreed to take the loot from Azure’s kill in exchange for his silence in Franziska’s involvement, Azure still didn’t trust the man. Before he left, he took Franziska off to the side and told her to get out of town. He wanted to give her more coin, but Azure barely had enough to restock his alchemy supplies, and he’d need to buy more to make and sell potions if he hoped to be able to gamble once he gained entry into the secret room. She thanked him for his concern but seemed uncertain about what she’d do next.
