Midnight War Read online

  Lewd Kingdoms

  Midnight War

  Book 3

  A Lewd Saga Adventure

  Eden Redd

  Lewd Kingdoms: Midnight War: A Lewd Saga Adventure © copyright 2018 Eden Redd

  All Rights Reserved

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  “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ~ Gandalf the Gray, Fellowship of the Ring

  *Lewd Kingdoms: Midnight War is book three in a three-book trilogy taking place in the sensual high fantasy VRMMORPG Lewd Saga. You do not have to read the previous books in the series but there are references from the mythology, events and some of the characters and their adventures.

  Please enjoy the epic adventure.

  ~Eden

  Follow the links below to the Lewd Saga Series. They’re arranged in the correct order to read.

  Lewd Saga Adventures

  Lewd Knights

  Lewd Knight 2.0: Middle Kingdoms

  Lewd Paladin: Shadow of Fate

  Lewd Necromancer: Raiding Hearts

  Lewd Rogue: Golden Desires

  Lewd Dragon: Bright Storm

  Lewd Knight 3.0: Serpent Horizon

  Lewd Paladin: Dread of Night

  Lewd Shadowmancer: The Concubine Contract

  Lewd Rogue: Master’s Coin

  Lewd Kingdoms

  Lewd Kingdoms: Shadow’s Edge

  Lewd Kingdoms: Fallen Throne

  Or buy the 7-book collection in one omnibus

  Lewd Saga Omnibus: 7 Book Collection

  One

  Thomas stared at the screen, eyes barely blinking as articles scrolled by and a live video played in the corner. Headphones covering his ears, he drank in the information as it was happening. A female reporter held a microphone as she spoke in the video, her demeanor calm and eyes bright. Noon sunlight poured through the office windows as the rest of his fellow co-workers carried on with their tasks, the architect lost to a sea of information.

  “We have had steady reports coming in about the discovery of actual AI’s in one of the most unlikely of places, an adult MMORPG called Lewd Saga. Leading scientists are baffled on how such an event could take place, as many say we are fifty years from achieving such a technological advancement.

  “Needless to say, the growing rumors seem to confirm something is happening in the virtual world of fantasy and sex. Since the Dark Love Journal went viral, many have spoken out about their own stories and interactions in the game-world where the AI’s or Non-Player Characters seem to be acting of their own free will. Others are saying it’s a hoax, trying to bring in more players to the already popular game. Whichever side you believe, it has caused a ripple felt across the globe.

  “We reached out to Eden Corp, the parent company to the popular game, for comment but they have not returned our inquiries. We’ll have more on this story as it develops. I’m Miranda Torres with Channel 13 News.”

  Thomas’s eyes moved from the video and back to the wall of text. Thomas remembered how he searched the news channels, wondering if Lewd Saga’s secrets would finally come to light. Anxiety coiled nerves as he spent his time gathering what he could from the internet and the journal itself. It had only been a few days since the Dark Love Journal went viral, and, sure enough, the media outlets were beginning to dig deeper.

  Thoughts flowed back to the moment Thomas began reading the Dark Love Journal, a cold chill seeping into his shoulders. A player by the name of William Fyre kept an online blog, detailing his experiences in Lewd Saga. Most of the blog was of his adventures playing a knight in the game. He detailed his warrior harem and the raids he and his guild would enjoy. It was all pretty standard, up until the last few weeks. Thomas, much like everyone else who read it, could see the change in tone. William and his guild carried out a raid on Morgath Mountain, a dungeon ruled by the Demon Queen Systra. It was classified as extremely difficult but the guild was one of the stronger ones. William would write in his blog about each level, causing a positive stir so other players would have a better chance of surviving its depths.

  William carried on but soon began writing about the strange whispers in the raid. He told his fellow guild-mates at first but they all concluded it was just part of the raid. William tried to shrug it off but the whispers grew desperate. When his guild reached the halfway point of the dungeon, the voice revealed itself to be the demon queen herself. The player wrote how much fear he felt from Systra as she spoke to him and only him. Forty players invaded the dungeon but the demon queen only wanted his ear. She pleaded with him to stop the raid, to turn back so she could find a way to escape.

  William pressed on, doubt lingering, but the demon queen didn’t stop trying to convince him. She began revealing high level loot to him, a means to stop their advancement. The guild was happy to take the loot but continued their descent to her lair. William began to feel for the demon queen, unsure what was happening.

  Thomas devoured each blog entry, one after the other. Systra spoke to the knight, telling him of her confusion and fear. The knight detailed how he didn’t want to believe her but each time they spoke he grew more and more convinced. When they finally reached the final level, Systra cowered in her chamber, hands covering her head. The guild thought it was a trick and attacked. William watched as they cut and sliced away at her, the famed demon queen not attacking back.

  The knight turned on his guild mates. Systra watched as he fought tooth and nail. Seeing him fight to save her, she called on her minions and flooded the cavern level with devils and demons. The chaos and confusion ripped the guild raid to pieces until only Systra and William stood. William wrote about how she fell to her knees, sobbing. He thought she would turn on him but it never came to pass. She instead begged him to stay, afraid to be alone.

  William wrote down how the guild questioned him and shortly after, banned him. The player wrote long entries about how he and Systra grew close, entering the game only to spend time in her dungeon. The entries grew stranger, the player barely eating and talking like he was in love. Poetry filled the blog, professing his undying loyalty to the demon queen, and her returning the sentiment.

  At one point, the blog went silent for a week. No entries or updates. William’s social media was quiet while many checked his pages, asking what had happened to him. The comment sections were filled with many people concerned that he had taken things too seriously. Others cheered him on, speaking of their own true loves in the game.

  A final entry finally appeared in his blog. Thomas scrolled down to the last entry and read it again.

  My name is William Tanner but many of you know me as William Fyre. My father thinks I’m sick. I escaped the hospital to tell you I’m not sick. Please, if anyone can get a message to Systra, tell her I love her. She’s not just a program; she is the love of my life. She’s alive, they’re all alive. When I’m truly free, I will be reunited with my true love.

  Thomas sighed as he read it again. William Tanner was the first-born son to Senator George Tanner. Senator Tanner was a well-known politician, old fashioned and a tough guy in the political game. The senator’s son became fuel to the media outlets and his enemies. As the news broke, it shed light on the AI phenomena, leading many to research the game to find thousands of stories of NPC’s behaving as more than they seemed.

  Thomas scrolled lower, heart heavy to see the last blog entry filled with thousands of comments. At first, it all appeared as typical pro/con jumble, but soon blurry video was uploaded by a few people, showing a young man in a hospital gown being tackled in a coffee shop. Many speculated it was William Tanner but the video was too unclear to confirm. Other comments appeared, telling o
f a small army of players ready to take on Morgath Dungeon so they could deliver William’s message.

  Scrolling further, Thomas read on about how the raid was going to begin when Systra herself stepped from the entrance, tears streaking her white cheeks and calling out for William. Half the raid separated and instantly attacked the demon queen. The other half of the raid joined the battle, trying to stop the attacking players. In the confusion, Systra was slain. Players who survived the raid talked, saying she didn’t put up a fight. Others called out the attacking players for their betrayal and ganking the demon queen when they said they wanted to deliver William’s message. In the end, it only brought more attention to Lewd Saga and to Thomas’s regret, the Awakened.

  The architect sat back in his chair, eyes on the glowing screen, with his mind swimming in maddening thoughts. Deep down he knew it was only a matter of time before the match was struck and the rest of the world found out about the Awakened. The only saving grace was the doubt in the public eye. The thought of an Awakened artificially intelligent program was the stuff of movies. It was science-fiction fantasy at its best, but Thomas felt the cold fingers of reality closing down on him. The secret of Lewd Saga was emerging into the light and his friends were going to be caught in its glare.

  Thomas pulled off his headphones and placed them on the desk. Sitting back, thoughts swirled to the kingdom of Elora and his friends. A smiling blue skinned troll with a pink stripe in her hair glowed in his mind’s eye. Reality was turning upside down and the young man wanted nothing more than to disappear back into the world of Lukken.

  A shadow fell over the cubicle and Thomas looked to see James’s wicked leer. Normally, a nervous energy would pool into Thomas’s muscles. His mind would race, wondering what slimy thing his boss would say or ask. But this time, Thomas simply returned a small, kind smile.

  “Hey man, I know I’ve been pushing you lately but I’m going to need those contracts and research reports by Monday,” James said with his usual commanding candor.

  Thomas fought the urge to laugh and kept his face blank with only a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. James was notorious for demanding more and more from those who worked under him. The company was small but it didn’t stop James from demanding blood from a stone and placing his name on the finished project. It only added to the ridiculous working conditions and stress on the entire team.

  “I thought the meeting was in two weeks? Why do you need it by Monday,” Thomas asked with a touch of innocence.

  James’s kept his leer and he leaned his elbow on the cubicle edge. “I’d rather be ahead of the game. Why wait to the last second when we can be fully prepared ahead of time.”

  Thomas kept his steady gaze on James. The last few years, the architect felt like an indentured servant, slaving away only to make everyone else look good. James was happy to accept the glory, knowing full well he could, and had, terminated anyone who didn’t play ball with him. It caused Thomas’s skin to crawl, watching as James tried to wiggle himself under everyone’s skin, knocking them off balance. Then, in the confusion, steal away their voice and any accolades that came with their work. His phony, team-effort speech had been used more than once and James used it to his full advantage.

  Thomas thought back to all the times he’d worked sleepless nights trying to hold onto a job he was sure he didn’t want. Destiny seemed to nudge him into the role of servitude and accepting meager scraps with a smile. The parade of memories carried on, bringing him to the happier, inner song that grew louder when he join the world of Lukken and found his friends. Heroics and love filled his heart as images of Faye, Claudia and Rayna passed through him like beloved ghosts on a warm summer’s night. Snapping back to reality, Thomas’s meager self slinked away and a fire burned in his belly, wanting to rage at the man in front of him dressed like an 80’s stockbroker, whom he regrettably called his superior.

  Thomas tilted his head forward, closed his eyes and smiled, knowing a classy approach would be preferred.

  “I’ll see what I can do but I won’t get it to you by Monday,” Thomas said simply.

  James’s smile slowly melted away as his eyes took on a dark edge. Several heads from nearby cubicles rose up, eyes looking over to be sure they heard correctly. The office took on an electric current as James’s neck stiffened slightly.

  “Thomas, I need it Monday,” James said as if Thomas didn’t hear him.

  Thomas opened his eyes and looked up. “I heard you, and I will see if I can get it to you by the end of next week.”

  James gave a small strange laugh, eyes locked on Thomas. “You have plans this weekend,” James asked, trying to sound like they were buddies.

  The familiar nervous energy touched Thomas’s spine but it quickly faded away as knowledge soothed his nerves, “I do.”

  James glanced up to see most of the office looking in their direction. Heads ducked down and the tapping of keyboards rose up like a dystopian symphony in a post-apocalyptic society. Thomas smoothed his face into a blank expression, holding his ground in peaceful protest. James’s demeanor took on a strangled note as his eyes tried to burn holes in Thomas. The young architect knew it was driving his boss mad but the simple pleasure of watching him squirm was enough to make it worth it.

  “Can I see you in the conference room,” James phrased it as a question but immediately turned and walked off.

  “Sure,” Thomas said as he stood up and followed.

  James made his way to a nearby conference room, stepped in and pulled the blinds so they covered the glass wall facing the office. Thomas stepped in, closing the door behind him. The air grew still as James pointed with an outstretched hand to a seat at the head of the conference table. Thomas sat down, knowing full well this was James’s tactic of putting anyone he wanted to dominate in the hot seat. James sat down in a chair next to the head of the table, his gaze filled with cruel intelligence.

  “What’s going on,” James asked simply.

  “What do you mean,” Thomas blinked.

  James’s gaze turned into a glare before he smoothed out his features. The buddy demeanor bloomed and the manager sat back with a comfortable smile.

  “I assume something must be going on since you always get things to me when I ask. I remember you telling me some time back you had a new girl so I assume she is taking up your time?”

  Thomas kept his face blank as he internally smiled. He never told him he had a girlfriend. The jerk spat those words out himself, creating an explanation he was comfortable with, despite whatever Thomas would say.

  “My personal life is personal,” Thomas stated simply.

  A vein bulged along James’s forehead. “I thought we were buddies? You know you can tell me anything. I’m willing to give you some extra days to finish those reports so you can spend time with your girl.”

  Thomas sighed. “Thank you but I don’t think that is necessary.”

  James’ brow pointed, “What gives? You’re acting all weird. I’m trying to be nice and give you what you want and I’m getting the cold shoulder. I thought we were close? This isn’t the Thomas Masters I know. The Thomas I know gets shit done.”

  Thomas gave a slight nod, gaze connecting with James. “I wanted to wait until the end of the day but I guess we can do this now. I’m officially resigning from my position at Tower Architects. I’m putting in my thirty-day notice as per my contract but I have about that much time saved in vacation so I will be taking it, starting Monday.”

  James stared for a long moment, his brow softening. The silence was deafening but Thomas took it in stride, waiting for the next lines of bull shit.

  “Tommy, we don’t need to get all crazy here. You’re a valuable asset to the team. I can’t believe you would go behind our backs and try to go someplace else. They won’t treat you as well as we do here.”

  Thomas fought the urge to roll his eyes. “There is nothing crazy about it. I’m leaving. Thank you for the opportunity to work here.”

  “Whe
re are you going,” James asked flatly.

  “I don’t have to tell you that,” Thomas smiled.

  “You do if you want your vacation time put in,” James’s said with a dark edge.

  Thomas could feel James fishing; trying to pull any nugget of information he could to use it to his advantage. Thomas had heard the stories and even seen it in action more times than he would ever want to admit. The young man almost felt pity for James as he watched him scramble to gain some kind of edge.

  “If you want me to go quietly, you will put in my vacation,” Thomas said with a confident edge.

  James looked the young man up and down, “When did you grow a pair of balls?”

  “If we really knew each other, you would have known I’ve always had them,” Thomas said with a pleasant smile.

  James looked away and leaned back in his chair, “Once we are done here, I’ll have security escort you from the building. I can’t chance you stealing our files for the competition. I can get anyone to put those reports together. I wish we could have worked this out but it seems dems the breaks.”

  Thomas took a deep breath before he spoke. “That is fine. I’ll contact the owners and tell them about your impending sexual harassment suits. I might even mention your drug addiction.”

  James didn’t look at Thomas, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes, you do. Remember Lena, Jessica and Irene? You tried to drug them and have your way on one of your friendly after work outings. When they said no, they mysteriously moved on. I’m sure the owners will want to hear that their supposed star player is going to court for multiple sexual harassments.”

  James looked to Thomas, “This is nonsense. They would back me; I bring in too much work and money.”

  Thomas shook his head, “Do you believe the lies you tell yourself? The company isn’t big enough to fight this kind of legal battle and maintain a good reputation. Now, if you put in my vacation time and my resignation, I’m willing to keep quiet long enough for you to leave and find another job before you go to prison.”