The group began prepping to dive into the next wave of stalagmite salamanders. While that happened, Vanessa and Gary snuck off into a far hallway.
Without waiting any longer, Gary pushed Vanessa against the wall and grabbed her chin before wrapping his tongue around hers.
Vanessa didn't resist. In fact, she wrapped her arms around Gary, moaning in between kisses and breaths.
Gary ran his hands across Vanessa's slim waist, latching onto it, his hands sliding towards her hips.
He then began removing her skirt. "We could've done this while everyone else was asleep..." she chuckled softly.
"I like it when there's at least one person who can hear how loud I can make you say my name," Gary responded as he tossed Vanessa's skirt onto the ground.
Vanessa turned around, allowing Gary to unzip her corset and softly kiss her olive-skinned shoulder. She wrapped her hand behind his head, directing him, orchestrating him towards her neck.
She sighed, not out of annoyance, but in relief. "You've kept me waiting for way too long, Gary..."
"I thought you didn't care?"
"Arg, so what if I was flirting with Nico? I had to wrap him around my finger—"
"It's not him, babe," Gary interjected.
Vanessa felt the tension in his sweaty palms and turned around. She got on her knees, removed his belt and took off his pants.
Then, she removed her panties, which were damp from her excitement.
Vanessa proceeded to remove his underwear and smiled as she stared at his brother. He was already hard, but she couldn't help but stroke it and rub the tip playfully.
It was always easy with Vanessa. No one could make Gary feel the way she did. So seeing her with another man had awoken something in him.
Something that had festered from the day they came together.
"You always play with the prey before you hunt. That hurts, Nes. More than I'd like to admit," Gary confessed as Vanessa stood up and grabbed his hands, holding them gently as she listened intently while he lowered his head.
Vanessa placed her hand on his cheek and smiled softly. Her gaze seemed to soften when they met Gary's eyes, something only a few have seen.
Even her touch seemed warmer than it was a few minutes ago. Everything changed, or rather, returned to the way Gary remembered.
"I'll do better next time. Or, better yet, Nico will be the last guy I play with. Especially since he can't respond to shit..."
Gary raised an eyebrow. "Is he gay?"
Vanessa snickered. "Probably. Now shut up and fuck me like you own me."
Gary smirked and grabbed Vanessa's hips, sliding in his meat, making her twitch as it slowly went in, and thrusting once deep inside her.
Vanessa's legs went limp for a second. "Fuck... Haha..."
And while that happened, Alice stood next to Raymond as he polished his giant sword.
"You heard those two, right? What if they're onto us?" Alice asked in a whispered voice.
"Look, as far as I'm concerned, Nico is smart. He was bound to figure it out eventually."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me, Raymond...?! If he tells the other noobs, we're screwed!"
Raymond smiled. "You're forgetting that we're the highest level players here. We're in control. The only thing I'm actually worried about is the dark-skinned girl.
"She never mentioned her level, but I'm certain she's getting dangerously close to ours."
"What makes you say that?"
"She has 3 unique spells. Noobs only get one at level 5. Her having that many could mean she's blessed by the gods or she's great at concealing her level."
Alice glanced at Jasper, who was meditating by herself in the corner, and looked at Nico, who was chatting it up with Oscar and Harold.
She crossed her arms and sighed. "You almost got screwed by those pigs before we entered this dungeon.
"You really want a fucking nobody show you up like that again? As it stands, Gary and Vanessa won't even bother staying.
"As long as those two lovebirds have each other, respect is the last thing they'd expect from a spineless... sore excuse of a leader."
Alice stormed off and summoned her staff. "Harold, with me."
"Huh? C-Coming!" Harold scrambled as he jogged to Alice's side.
"Alright, this is the spell you're gonna help me chant..."
Raymond gripped the handle of his sword so tightly that it began making creaking noises. All with a smile on his face.
He glanced at the players.
'You know, Raymond is actually pretty pathetic. I mean, I can't believe I had to save his ass even though I'm weaker than him,' Nico scoffed in Raymond's head.
'He did seem unreliable. I just joined him because he looked like a pushover,' Oscar added to Raymond's array of thoughts.
Eventually, more words piled into his mind, stacking themselves and forming twisted lies that eventually turned into truths.
He cleared his heart, sighed to soothe his head and stood up triumphantly. "Alright, gather around," he ordered with a deep voice.
Everyone immediately turned to face him, joining together as they noticed the serious expression on his face.
'He's onto me...' Nico quickly pieced together as he looked into Raymond's straight-laced face. 'He won't even try to hide it. He's fucking pissed.'
Before Raymond could begin with his announcement, Gary and Vanessa walked in, their hands interlocked and their smiles brighter than the sun.
They noticed the scowl on Raymond's face and immediately held onto each other's hands even tighter.
"If you two wanna fuck, you do it on your free time. Not during a raid. Is that clear?"
Gary and Vanessa nodded before joining the group. Raymond sighed once again and cleared his throat.
"Alright, now I know that what we faced was nothing too intense. None of us died. That could change in the next swarm.
"I want each and every one of you to know that I will always do my best to look out for all of you. It's why you're a part of my team.
"So in case some of us don't make it, I just wanted to say... I respect you. You're good people. Not many of those are left in New Olympus.
"So, fight. Give it your all and don't hold back," he glanced at Nico for a moment as he wrapped up his speech.
Ironically, the team became inspired. Oscar's smile stretched as far as the eye can see, and Harold's hands felt lighter and stronger at the same time.
Vanessa and Gary were now more than determined to fight for each other. Alice nodded, clearly proud, while Jasper crossed her arms and couldn't be bothered.
Nico was smiling.
His lips had a slight tremble while his eyes couldn't help but continue to stare at the floor beneath him.
His breath had caught between his throat,t and his feet were plastered on the ground, cemented, trapped.
'Am I gonna die...? After coming this far...? Is this my epilogue...?'
He looked at his palms, then he remembered that they weren't even his to begin with. They belonged to a body he was only borrowing until he died.
He chuckled to himself. 'Why did I think that I was actually good at something besides being a worthless shit bag...?
'I'm scared... I'm scared... Grandpa...'
'So, you're just going to give up like that?' a sharp masculine voice snapped him out of his daze.
He glanced around and only noticed the others speaking amongst themselves. Nico ran his hand across his hair.
'You're right. You are worthless. You will never amount to anything. You couldn't do it back on Earth, you won't do it in New Olympus.
'And they all know it too.'
Nico sighed. 'I know...'
'That gives you an edge.'
Nico raised an eyebrow. 'Huh?'
'They think you're weak, smart, but not dangerous. But they don't know that you're the grandson of Antonio De Luca, the man who wrestled a bear to protect his kids!
'You're cunning and cowardly. You needn't conform to their normalcy. You aren't normal, Nico. Use your skills.
'Why have you locked away your true self?'
'... Because... he hurt others...'
'Guess what, genius? You're next on the chopping block if you don't grow a pair. Now tell me, what's your name?'
Nico sighed deeply and stretched his back so hard that he made cracking noises. Raymond glanced at him, Oscar chuckled, and Harold smiled softly.
He shook his head and laughed softly. "God damnit, I almost got lost..."
"You doing okay there, bud?" Raymond asked with a soft smile.
Nico, still smiling, looked at Raymond, his red eyes slightly glowing. "I'm cool."
Raymond chuckled. "Alright. If we're done fooling around, let's get this shit over and done with. Once we're done here, the first round of drinks is on me!"
"Isn't this great?! Raymond's buying us free drinks for the rest of the night!" Oscar exclaimed.
"I never said that!"
"I thought I heard you say that!"
The group laughed heartily, their heads ready for the coming battle, some ready for more because a fight against monsters was the least of their problems.
'I am Orsetto, the grandson of Bear Claws! And I will protect them!'