Dan woke to the rough staccato of raindrops on his roof and the cobbles outside. Slender fingers of light reached through the blinds, dappling the room in sun and shadow. The breeze was warm through the half-open window. Rain-scent wafted across the pyromancer's recumbent form. Lightning flashed, echoed seconds later by the grumble of far-off thunder.
What had happened last night? Had he slept in-game? There was a vague recollection of making up with Lexi, but the specifics still eluded him. Dan blinked, letting his eyes focus. He squinted at the overstated opulence of the suite, taking a few long breaths to steady himself. His HUD read 2pm, which meant he'd overslept past both classes, but Dan was less worried about his attendance than his incomplete memory of the night before. He brought both hands up to rub his eyes but found his arms wouldn't move - both wrists were tied with some kind of black fabric, shackling him to the bedposts. He kicked experimentally and found his legs likewise restrained, bound at the ankle with the same stretchy material. Dan sniffed a couple of times, trying to identify the scent co-mingled with the rain.
It wasn't
that
worrying, when he really thought about it. Odd, maybe. Players weren't supposed to be able to sleep in-game in Saga, some kind of health regulation, but the auto-kick didn't always work, so that wasn't unusual. If someone had broken in and tied him up, it was probably another player.
Unless... Dan began mentally sorting through potential in-game enemies. One of the other Templar branches? Unlikely. They would have dragged him back to some inescapable compound. Same with the city guard or any other sanctioned group. The Arcanist's Society? He'd upset some people, but this seemed an excessive response. It could always be someone new, some kind of living questline the devs had rolled out. Dan grinned. Whatever the case, it would be exciting to find out. He mulled over options for escaping or turning the tables on his captors. For the time being, it was probably best to lay still and wait for them to show. Any moment now...
"Awake at last."
Dan craned his neck, stretching his bindings as he shifted first to his left, then his right. There - a shadow behind the drapes. How had they approached so quietly?
"Do not strain yourself, child. The bonds are quite secure."
Dan tried to place the voice. She almost sounded like Lexi, but the accent was way off. What if this was some other succubus? She could have followed Lexi's trail from wherever their home was, and now she was springing some sort of trap on them both. The speaker was talking again, something about how easy he'd been to overcome, but Dan was only half listening. Pieces of the puzzle fell into place. She'd mostly avoided conversation about her past. What had the imps called her that night in the Inquisition barracks? Archfiend of something? Shit. What if they hadn't come here for him, but for Lexi? She might already be in danger - he'd have to act quickly. The figure was moving now, stepping out from behind the curtains.
Hellfire danced across Dan's arms, flooding the room with bloody light as his bindings ignited. He rolled, casting as he spun and pushing himself to his feet in a burst of heat and flame. The mage spun from the smoldering mattress, too fast for his opponent to react, incanting a Flamebreak that would knock her straight through the window. He'd follow with a Phoenix Descent, driving them into the street and then...
The spell died in Dan's throat, his fiery assault sputtering. "Oh," Dan said. He was trying not to breathe hard, but it was going poorly. "Hi Lexi. You, uh. Startled me."
The succubus took a step back, appraising the pyromancer and raising a brow. "I will admit, Daniel, I had planned for things to get heated. But this was not quite what I had in mind."
"I thought..." No, too awkward to explain. "Sorry," Dan said. "I was just. You know."
"Startled?"
Dan cleared his throat. "Yeah. Sorry." He cursed himself mentally. Of course it had been Lexi. Obvious, looking back.
