5 Chapter Five: Demonic Intervention II

Gloria sucked in a sharp breath and waited. Zoran's hand tightened around her waist. The oppressive silence was making her dizzy, and she clutched Zoran's elbow-length leather glove nervously. The Demon King, on the other hand, didn't do anything. He didn't give her a wide-eyed vacant stare like the troll sisters, or place his hand over his chin like Zoran did when making a decision. He didn't show a tell at all.

He seemed unfazed, though a bit of confusion flashed in his gaze. His mouth opened and closed, open and closed, until his image glitched. It was minor, a flash of pixelated light that would go unnoticed if someone wasn't paying close attention. But, Gloria was. It terrified her immensely.

Don't tell me I broke him, Gloria moaned internally, cowering against Zoran as the King tipped his staff toward her, silent as ever. Than it dawned on her that Ruben and her didn't plan for every outcome. The patch, the mod, the hack. Whatever the hell someone wanted to call it was just a huge repository of open source code. Ruben has started it, and being that she was more than a little deficient in math, Gloria just offered up ideas. They started with the nude modification, and gave Zoran some interesting augmentations. But, it had been months since Gloria messed around with the parallel, adult-only only world of [REALMX].

Maybe he doesn't know what to say next because there's no script for it? Nothing in the game directory for him to decide from? That must be it, Gloria reasoned, thinking she'd hit the nail right on the Demon King's horned head. And, if that was the case, she thought with a shudder, the only choice she could make was {flirt}.

What the hell. It won't kill me to try...right? Gloria attempted to reassure herself as she snapped her fingers and selected {flirt} in one fluid motion.

Suddenly, her mouth started moving, and she was unable to stop herself from speaking as she said, "Come hither, my unholy King of Kings! It is I, {Gloria}, sent to be your mistress, sent as a gift for your valiant conquest over the angelic horde threatening my dominion. Ye delivered the Underrealm from eternal servitude, and in exchange, I offer you eternal devotion!"

The sultry voice coming emanating from Gloria's lips was nothing like her own. She also didn't miss the fact that Zoran's fingertips dug into her hips as she unwillingly seduced the King. It took mere seconds for him to respond, but there was a slight lag in his voice like his mind was trying to catch up.

"You're a bawdy little bitch, just like I like them! My brother did well to send you, but my harem is full at the moment. But do not worry, you are in experienced hands...for now. The Grand Magician shall take you under his wing and cultivate your mind and body to serve your King. I, Arthonious Falcon, the III wicked seed of Our Unholy Father promote thee to the rank of [PHILOSOPHER]!" Gloria jerked as trumpets and cymbals blasted in her ears. Her stats screen materialized in front of her, and she watched as he rank shot up, right below [GRAND]. It was a thrilling turn of events, but her high was soon met with a crushing low.

What fucking good is being close to the highest rank when my XP bar is still shit and my only skill boost is seduction!? Gloria wanted to rip her horns off in frustration.

However, before she could even thank the Demon King, Zoran cupped the back of her head and started to force her head downward. She flipped out only to relax when he did the same. They bowed their heads

His unwavering gaze was unnerving, and as Gloria looked a little more closely, she noticed as Arthonious spun around on his heels with a flourish. Once he left, and the chamber's creaky wooden door slammed shut, the pair stood beside each in silence.

"So, ah..." Gloria began, unsure what she was supposed to say. Zoran looked pissed, even though he was obviously trying and miserably to mask his expression.

"It seems that you are now my apprentice. But, don't let his blessing delude you into think I will ever accept you," he hissed, tone dark as he glared down at her, icy blue eyes smoldering with hatred.

What the actual fuck! How did he go from stroking me down there to wanting to spit in my face? Gloria was going to develop whiplash with the pace of her delusions twists and turns.

Isn't there a harem ending? Did Ruben include it? Gloria desperately hoped he did, or she was screwed in more ways than one. She didn't want to be comically tossed into one of the Demon King's many pits reserved for "boring" servants. She needed Zoran by her side, his encyclopedic knowledge, and his gentle smile to get through all the bullshit happening to her.

"What's wrong with you now? Aren't you happy? You've been promoted; you should be jumping for joy... Gloria." Gloria froze, looking upward through a veil of tears into Zoran's now tired expression. She hadn't realized she was crying, and all at once she was sobbing. He brought he close, stroked her hair and back, careful to avoid her swishing tail. She never wanted anything to do with [REALM] ever again if she got out of the game. But, she decided to enjoy being embraced by her one true love, even if he wasn't really real.

She snuggled into her stomach, ignoring the way his coarse black clothing scrapped her skin. Gloria just wanted to be held, to feel like she was loved, to not worry about going insane knowing she wasn't where she belonged. And, more than anything, she wanted to pretend this all wasn't just a game and they could just drift away to a peace good ending...

"Wait a minute... Zoran? Did you just say my name!?"