Dan, currently playing as Blaize Firewilde, hadn't expected to find a dungeon tucked away so close to the newbie areas. He'd never heard about it before, either. It was hard to imagine some tryhard hadn't already done a clean sweep through during the beta and mapped everything out, but it also wasn't inconceivable that he'd be the first one to discover something; Saga Online had only been live for a few weeks at this point. Wait till the rest of the guild heard about this place! They'd have first crack at whatever loot was inside for at least a week, till someone else figured it out.
Come to think of it, Jim decided, maybe he should poke around a little before he told the guys. The place didn't have a name or a level listed, so it could be anything. If he died exploring a high level area, so what? The potential to find some sweet treasure, maybe even a unique item, was more than worth it.
The entrance to the place was a pair of thin doors made of off-white stone. It was the same color as the shallow bluffs scattered around the Katari Riverlands zone, blending in almost perfectly with the terrain. Shallow runes were carved into the surface, but they didn't mean anything to Dan. He took a screenshot and briefly considered posting it to the guild chat. They'd home in on his location in minutes, though - no chance to get dibs on whatever was inside.
After a cursory scan for traps Dan pushed open the left-hand door, which slid soundlessly open. He stepped inside as quietly as he could. The area was dimly lit by torchlight from somewhere deeper inside, revealing a carved white stone hallway a little taller than he was. It was surprisingly clean; something clearly lived here. Maybe it was a necromancer's lair, or a bandit hideout? Muttering an incantation, Dan conjured a small ball of flame in his hand and held it up to light the way. If anything jumped out, he could just burn it and retreat.
Dan focused on keeping calm as he moved further inside. He knew it was just a game, just virtual reality, but at times like this it seemed so damn real. He shrugged to wipe away the sweat trickling down his neck. There, the light source - some sort of glow stone, set into a torch bracket in the wall. And there was another one further down, next to an old wooden door, casting yellowish shadows down the narrow hallway. Dan closed the distance, glanced behind him (just to double check), and put his ear up against door. Nothing. Maybe the place was abandoned? Or better yet, a treasure stash? Could he be that lucky? He eased open the door, straining his eyes for any signs of movement.
The first thing Dan noticed was the smell. It was sweet, difficult to identify. Perfume? That couldn't be right. He spent a moment trying to place it, but grew impatient. Whatever the scent' origin, it was delicious, seeming to draw him further into the room. The place was illuminated a little better, several larger glow stones showing a large, well-decorated room. There was a leather couch with black and gold cushions set into a corner, a wardrobe and closet in another, with a full-length mirror beside it.
None of this was what Dan had been expecting - clearly, this was someone's home. Had a player set up an outpost here, this quickly and in secret? But player homes were visible on your map, so that wasn't possible. Still, this was clearly not a dungeon. He snuffed the flame in his hand, in case he ignited something by mistake. Further in, he saw a queen-size bed with several large, comfortable-looking pillows decorating it. Then he turned, and saw the woman.
She was sitting on a stool in front of a vanity, pulling an ivory brush through her long black hair. Dan noticed a thick gold bangle on her left wrist, glinting as her hands worked. The gentle, repetitive motion was oddly distracting, and it took him a moment to notice that she was naked. Well, not completely; he could see the thin black lines of a thong highlighting the plump curvature of her ass. He watched her hair sway across the pink smoothness of her back, his eyes lingering on the delicate curve of her breast.
It took a moment before he noticed the flash on his interface:
Condition: Entranced
His thoughts stirred - how long had he been standing there? What was going on? Was this woman some kind of mage, an illusionist? And why couldn't he move? Dan's body seemed to be frozen in place, his eyes fixed on the scene in front of him. The perfume in the air, at first a pleasant oddity, now took on a sinister dimension. This was some kind of trap, a spell to lure him in and... well, do something bad, presumably. None of the forums had mentioned anything about this kind of trap; usually it was all pits and spikes and fireballs, the classics. Nothing about hot girls brushing their hair. Dan tried to keep his mind occupied, but his eyes and his thoughts kept drifting back to the woman in front of him, to the supple curves of her body. She was painfully beautiful. He had never seen someone so perfect. She was just... she was just so...
Condition: Charmed
It was getting worse. Dan was pretty sure players couldn't even be affected by charm, which was another problem, but he was finding it difficult to assemble his thoughts. The room was so comfortable, and it was so easy to just stand there and watch...
The woman turned slightly to set her brush down. As she tied her hair into a simple braid, Dan noticed a pair of thin black horns protruding from her hair. Ah, so she was a demon. That explained the magic, at least. Part of him knew that this made the situation worse, but that part was struggling to persuade the rest of him that something should be done about it. The woman picked up a black satin bra from her desk, leaning forward to put it on, and Dan lost his train of thought. She reached behind her, tugging the bra on and fastening it, pulling her hair out of the way as she did so.
He stared, open-mouthed, as she turned slightly towards him, her breasts jiggling hypnotically with the motion. They were large and firm, the bra squishing them together delightfully. She adjusted the straps in a few places, each movement wonderfully erotic. The woman stood and looked at Dan, as if noticing him for the first time.
"Well hello," she said. Her voice was thick and sensual, sending shivers down the man's spine. "It seems I have a visitor. Have you been standing there long?"
Dan opened his mouth to reply and found he had nothing to say. Should he explain? Should he apologize? Staring at her chest was probably the wrong response, but the way it moved as she turned...
The woman smiled. "Ah, I see. Long enough, then. Why don't you tell me your name?"
He licked his lips. "I'm, ah. Dan." Shit, what was he doing? He should have said his character name.
