To Light A Candle

Story by RedneckShakle on SoFurry

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DMZ has been formed and the foundations are laid out. Just in time too...


Jane’s Bar and Grill, Washington, D.C., United States of America (Virtual)

It was a small, quaint little restaurant that Bordraab had found. Located near to where the base would be located and reasonably well kept, it was also player owned and operated. He goes inside and takes a seat at a table. Soon enough a waitress comes over. “What can I do ya for?” She asks, sounding a bit bored. Bordraab looks up and is surprised! A white…Shetland pony? With a Unicorn horn. And wings? “Uh…let me guess, you’re a brony?” he asks. The woman gives him THAT look, the one that all guys know mean that he just done fucked up big. Guess this game is exempt from that rule of the internet that states the guys are guys, the girls are guys, and the kids are FBI agents. “Game doesn’t let you pick your gender, it’s assigned based off what you are in reality. So, technically, I’m a Pegasister.” She says.

“And did yourself up like…?” He asks, having never seen the show or character she was modeled after, only heard about it by reputation and guessed by the fact that she has rainbow colored hair.

“Princess Celestia. The name was taken here though, so I had to go with SunQueen125.” She shrugs, apparently dismissing the issue.

“So, what got you waiting tables?” He asks, eager to change the subject off that point in particular.

“Since the fighting started and I can’t shoot a gun well, I came here to work as a waitress since I can’t just quit the game and log out.”

“You can’t shoot a gun well? How does that work?” He asks, glad of something he could speak with authority on.

“I can’t seem to aim my gun right. Whenever I try, it bucks out of my hand and I miss what I’m shooting at.” She says.

“Well, let me see your gun.”

SunQueen produces a large handgun. “I figured as a horse I could handle this. When I tried to kill the bots, though, I only got in two hits before I was almost dead and had to run away.” She says.

“Well no wonder it bucks right out of your hand and you can’t hit anything.” Bordraab says. “That’s a Desert Eagle.” He picks it up and looks at it, then ejects the clip and pulls out a round. “Yup, definitely a Desert Eagle. And you got the .50 cal one.” He says, putting the clip back into the chamber and handing it back to her. “It’s not really a pistol designed for combat. Why did you take it?” he asks.

“I saw it used by the Agents in the Matrix and thought it looked cool so I took it as my starter gun.” She says, blushing. How could this gun NOT be used in combat?

“Here.” Bordraab says, pulling up his inventory and spawning in a pistol. “Take this. It’s a Glock 17.” He sets it down on the table.

SunQueen reaches forward and picks it up. “It looks so small…” She says, looking at it, turning it over in her hands.

“Yeah, but it fires faster than that Desert Eagle you’ve got, has more rounds, and with the lower recoil, I bet you could hit things easier. If you want, I can teach you how to shoot it well.”

She smiles at him. “Thanks. I’ll try it. What do you want to eat? Your meal’s on the house.” She says.

Bordraab looks at the menu and smiles. She has a slightly different stance now, one that’s almost inviting.

Guild Port Zone 1

Kthla looks out at the plot of land on his display, his tail wagging slowly back and forth as he thinks. It was a decent sized plot. The only disadvantage is that it’s away from where the fighting would have normally been at, but that’s not a bad thing. This spot was supposed to be purely for industrial players. They could set up a port here and trade overseas. He was going to do just that, but the plot won’t have only industrial capacity. It’ll have some military capacity as well. He looks at it. Well…first things first. He sets up resource extractors on the resources established in the area. Aluminum, lead, iron, though there’s only a very limited use for iron, a smelting plant nearby those extractors. No, two. There are a lot of resources there. Ok, with that done, set up the port structure so ships can dock, that’ll give them access to the NPC marketplace for goods for anything they can’t buy here.

He strokes his chin. The best place to put the headquarters would be right…here. On this slightly elevated terrain. He sets it to work constructing immediately so that its resources could be at the guild’s disposal first thing in the morning. It would take it 8 hours to build after all. With the initial structures set to build and his building queue maxed out, Kthla turns back for town to find his own place to sleep.

Jane’s Bar and Grill, Washington D.C., United States of America (Virtual)

“Here ya go. Steak and fries.” SunQueen says, coming back with his food. After its set out she sits down in the chair across from Bordraab. He looks around, no one else was really here. “Kinda empty, this place.” He says.

“Yeah, it’s like that. We’re hoping the base that’s going up across the way will attract more business.” She says, smiling. “Otherwise I’d have to find a new place to work at while I try to level up.”

Bordraab nods. He guesses the base she’s talking about is the base K is putting up for them. “Hopefully things go your way.” He says as he starts to cut his steak. “Oh this is delicious.” He says with a mouth full. “Never thought I’d taste steak again.”

“You’re a Beta, right?” SunQueen asks. She was looking pointedly at the patch on his shoulder indicating he is indeed a beta tester.

“Yeah. Just barely survived the fight. I’m the one who’s in charge of that base going up over there.” He says.

“Oh?” She says back, looking mockingly surprised. “Well…if there’s anything else I can do for you, I mean anything, let me know.” She says, winking. Bordraab watches her go and hmmms. A lot of things can fit inside one little ‘anything’ given the way she just said it. And he had just survived a battle after all. Grinning, he eats his food, taking his time and enjoying it. At the end of his meal, the waitress comes back sure as you please. “Anything else for you?” She asks.

Bordraab simply looks her over, then winks at her. “This way.” She says, pointing back to the waitress station. Bordraab slides out of his chair and follows her back there, his dick already starting to harden up in his pants. Once back in the back, or as far back as the waitress stall is, the mare smiles to him, already starting to unequip her pants. “I’ve gotta pay you back for the pistol you know.” She says. “And this is the only way I can.”

Bordraab knows better than to say not to worry about it. She’s obviously making an excuse for a crowning moment of sluttiness. Another thought hits him. She could be trying to get in good with what she hopes will be the start of something big. Still, he unequips his pants and undies, watching her do the same. This wasn’t exactly a private setting so that’s all they take off. Even so, he can see how wet she already is.

SunQueen leans forward, hands on the counter and legs spread, looking back at him with a smile. “Do whatever you like.” She says, watching him. Her eyes gaze down and that smile gets even bigger as she sees his package. Soon enough he is sliding it up into the wet mare, pushing in all the way to the hilt. SunQueen lets out a low moan and brings her gaze back forward, as if watching for customers, but that pussy of hers starts to clamp down hard on his cock. Drawing back, he places his hands on her hips, getting a good hold, then slams forward, starting to take her easily and smoothly, immediately causing a blush in her ears and along her cheeks.

For her part, SunQueen doesn’t seem to be new to this. As Bordraab humps up into her she grinds back against him, causing her tits to sway back and forth. The slapping sounds coming up each time their hips meet go unnoticed in the empty restaurant. Still, the fact that he’s doing her out here in public like this has Bordraab going faster inside her than he normally would. It isn’t until she starts to moan in pleasure that he realizes just how hard he’s thrusting into her. As he starts to slow down, she looks back at him. “Oh no…don’t slow down…” She whimpers. “I was almost there…”

Bordraab gives her a grin and picks back up the pace. She closes her eyes and moans happily as the pounding resumes, her pussy quivering around his dick each time it slides into her, squeezing his member hard and then relaxing only to do it again until finally, with a LOUD moan, SunQueen cums around his cock, juices starting to freely drip down as he thrusts into her, her pussy clamped around his cock and milking it hard, trying to pull it in deeper as he thrusts.

“Oh God! Don’t stop!” SunQueen calls out, holding still now and letting Bordraab use her as he pleases. This feels so good for him, he doesn’t notice as his cock head starts to swell up inside her. He moves his hands forward and squeezes her boobs, causing another moan to come out and, surprisingly, causing her to cum yet again! This time it’s too much for him, he hilts inside her and grinds into her as she presses back against him and cums himself, hot seed rushing up inside her pussy. A small tick mark appears up over his health bar, unnoticed right now, but it’s there.

“Oh…you came in me? Ah….” SunQueen moans, looking once again over her shoulder at him. She was blushing furiously, her nipples were absolutely rigid under her bra and shirt but that can’t be helped. She goes a little bit wide eyed when Bordraab nods, still buried balls deep inside her, but then resumes her satisfied expression soon after. It was a game after all! No risk of pregnancy here.

“You were great…” Bordraab huffs to her. “Best service ever.”

She would blush more if she could. Instead she flicks up her hand, bringing up the menu, and scrolls around on it. A second later, a friend request comes to Bordraab from her. Smiling ear to ear, he accepts it. “No commitment or anything.” She says. “I just…well…Come over when you want more food.” She says, still panting and leaning against her desk. “I’ll give you a discount.” She winks at him. He knows from that wink that he’ll have to work to maintain that discount, but it’s good to have an in game lover.

“When do you get off work?” He asks.

The next day, Bordraab wakes up to a knocking on his door. Rather, a banging on HER door. SunQueen groans and sits up, the covers falling off her to reveal her naked top and nice boobs, the nipples stiffening up in the colder air outside of the blankets. “I’ll get it…” She says, getting up and wrapping the discarded comforter from her room around her. She opens the door and blinks. A male German Shepherd in a business suit was standing there. “Can I help you?” She asks.

Kthla stares at her for a few moments, looking almost like his nose was about to spurt blood like in some anime, and then makes an obvious attempt to get back on track, clearing his throat and everything. “Yeah…Bordraab is here, right?” He asks. She looks back over her shoulder. “It’s for you.” She says, giving him a smile and going back into the room.

Bordraab comes to the door in little more than his boxers. “K, what’s up?” He asks.

“I sent you a message but you were asleep. Stayed up too late wetting your pole?” He asks, a canine grin on his face. At the look from Bordraab, though, he continues to the point. “Uh…anyway, the headquarters is ready for you.” Bordraab nods and waves him off, then closes the door.

When he turns around, he’s confronted with the full body view of a naked and near perfect imitation of an anthro Celestia and he starts to get hard again. “No time for another go before work?” She asks, a bit teasingly because she already has her menu up and her thong materializes into being on her even as he looks.

“Guess not.” He says to her.

She nods and smiles to him. “Call me up whenever you want a booty call.” She says. “I’ll always make the time.”

Five minutes later Bordraab comes out the door, fully dressed this time, and nods to Kthla. “Now I’m ready.” He says and the two of them head off to the base.

DMZ Headquarters

Bordraab whistles as they get into the base and his map changes to show the base itself. “You got a lot done in a short amount of time.” He says, impressed. He didn’t think it was possible!

“Yeah, those NPCs I took all that time leveling up really came through. They were able to get everything up and running overnight. There are a few more structures that need building, the barracks, a training field…”

“A simulation room for the pilots.” Bordraab interrupts.

“Why? It only shows them how to fly.” Kthla says.

Bordraab nods. “And we’ll need new pilots. In case you hadn’t noticed, almost all the fliers are dead.”

Kthla nods and hmms. “Well, I can do that after the barracks and vehicle depot. The first batches of level 10 guns will be done soon. Then, once the players start reaching ten, they can equip M16A1s and AK47s.”

“How many do you think will go for the AK?” Bordraab asks, grinning. The 1st MEU had gone with the American weapons due to how much ammo you could carry and how accurate they were. There was another reason though.

“Do you mean before or after they figure out the M16A1 is just as reliable, if not more reliable, than the AK when you keep it maintained?” Kthla asks, grinning. THERE it was. He shrugs. “77 real world countries use it as their standard rifle, you’d think that bad unreliable rep would be gone by now.”

Bordraab shrugs. “Just give it a little bit, I bet you the ammo load will be the deciding factor. For every one AK round you can carry you can have two M16 rounds. Tell me though, why are you so eager to get your vehicle production up and running?” He asks.

Kthla sticks up a finger. “Aircraft and vehicle.” He says, stopping to look at his friend. He has a grin on his face. “With those two buildings, I can make Abrams tanks, Bradley APCs, F16s, and F15s.” With that, he continues walking, leading the DMZ’s commander into the headquarters building.

Bordraab gapes at him. “Why weren’t you producing them sooner?” He asks, feeling a bit indignant! They could have had some BADASS firepower at their beck and call.

“Guild leadership wanted what we could easily produce so everyone could be equipped in time for the launch. So, we got older stuff. After I get those buildings done, I can put up a research building and start improving the basic models.”

Bordraab nods. “Do so, but make sure we still have production. What else can you get out?”

“Just before you sent me the message to clear out I had finished research on the M4A1 Carbine. With the first batch of M16A1s going out, I can get an M4 for everyone in the DMZ.”

“Yeah, that’ll be helpful. Did you finish that bullet research I wanted you to do?” The two of them step into an elevator and Kthla pushes a button on it. The doors close and they start on their way up.

Kthla’s smile fades some. The ‘bullet’ that Bordraab wanted him to research. “I blueprinted it. Don’t know why, in the same amount of time, I could have gotten the M16A3, the 240, the 249, and the M203.” He says with a bit of an edge in his voice. It had REALLY annoyed him. Bordraab had come back excited from testing one day about a week to a week and a half ago. What was he excited about? A purple level bullet, BULLET, that he had found out in the field leveling up. And only one! Sure it had a LOT of damage and had the same characteristics of the regular M16 bullets, but still. Bordraab had insisted that Kthla stop all other firearms research and blueprint the bullet. It had taken an ENTIRE WEEK for him to blueprint it because the bullet was way above his level. Still, the experience he got off it had been enough for two levels and he had been able to finish the M4’s research just before launch.

“This bullet I wanted you to research. It’s the M855A1. It’s a modern bullet and I don’t think it’s in your tech tree.”

Kthla shakes his head. “Bullets aren’t in the tech tree.” He says. “There’s just…well, bullets. There are different sizes but no variation in them. What’s so special about this one?” He asks.

“The designers of the game tried to make it intricate as possible while still remaining a game. That bullet is a modern one, designed to be accurate at range, to have a good amount of penetrative power, like that bullet can punch through nine millimeters of pure steel and still be lethal kind of penetration, and also, the bullet fragments inside the body.”

Kthla is a bit wide eyed. He is so easy to impress. “Well…ok then! Why can’t I research it?” He asks.

“Probably the same reason why you can’t research some specialty guns. Some of these things need to be found.” Bordraab answers.

The elevator opens and they step out. “Here’s your command room.” Kthla says. “It has a radar feed that can track input from airborne stuff and ground stuff. Given where we are, it has radar coverage over the entire city. It’ll also track where everyone in the guild is.” He shows a display, there are a number of blips around town, one for every single person. They also appear to be coming towards the base.

“Cool, what else?” Bordraab asks.

“Well, communications, guild status, guild contact lists, all of it.” Kthla says.

“You know, that gives me an idea.” Bordraab says, still focused on that radar. “You said last week you could make these sensors that act like radars except can tell apart player and bot, right?” Bordraab asks, stroking his goatee, the small part that’s starting to grow. Whenever an idea gets in his head he doesn’t pay attention to anything else until it finishes rattling around and flies out his mouth.

Kthla nods. He’s used to this. “Yeah, they have a range of about 10 miles each.” Kthla tilts his head, “Why?”

“How many can you make?” Bordraab asks. “I want to put a ring around the city so we can tell what’s coming.”

“I can make ‘em pretty easy, so give me an hour and I’ll have enough for what you want.” He says, tail wagging slowly as he thinks about it. Busy morning ahead for Kthla it seems. But, everything he makes gives him experience and levels up his NPC workers.

“Anyway, pretty much everything the 1st MEU had, we’ve got. I’ve even got a room that has the names of the dead in it for us to remember them in, kinda like that one room in the Barracks on Enemy Unknown.”

Bordraab nods. “I see…Send everyone there when they get here. There’s something we need to do.”

Thirty minutes later, 28 people are all gathered up down there. They are arranged in rows with leaders on the outside, all of them standing at attention. “At ease.” Bordraab says from the front, all of them going to a position of at ease. What a motley bunch. Not one of them has a matching uniform. Even in the mechanized infantry squad, the ones who were in the 1st MEU had on Marine fatigues. Bardock and his surviving people had on Army ones. Not that there was anything wrong with either of those, but from as far back as they were, they were solid green and solid tan. They’d have to fix that.

“Now that the battle is over and we’ve rested, we have a very solemn duty to perform.” Bordraab says to his men and women, looking them all over. “We must honor our fallen comrades. These…” He motions to the names on the wall. “…were our friends. They were our brothers and sisters on the field of battle. They fought tooth and nail, all of them, to the bitter end. When the Lord called them up, they gave a hell of an amen to their enemies.” He looks at his people sternly. “I expect no less from all of us. When we go into battle we will come back victorious or we will go out fighting.”

Bordraab does the best about face he can, learned from his time in ROTC. “Group, atten-shun.” He says loudly. The sound of a large amount of boots snapping to attention behind him almost makes him smile. “Present…arms!” He snaps up a salute, counting on the training, either through actual training or by subtle training from movies and TV shows, to get them all doing a proper salute. Little does he know that all of them were pulling it off. After a minute of that, he ends their salute and sends them on their way. “All of you, make sure you stop by the barracks building, it should be done by now. Pick out a bunk and a locker. Captain Phoenix, a word please?”

This gets a few grins from the troops. Many of them had spent the night in hotels last night, their old billets in the guild lands destroyed. They ignore that Phoenix is staying behind. The boss likely has something in mind for her to do. “What’s up?” Phoenix asks as she comes to Bordraab.

“Walk with me. I’ve got a job for you.”

Alaria, Fantasy Faction Territory

The Knights of the Blood Oath hadn’t had an easy morning of things. Rias had woken up to find out that Miya had gotten on the bad side of both Akeno and Elias by stopping them before Akeno could let Elias jump her bones. The two weren’t talking to her and it took an hour or two of work to find out the why. Rias, for her part, had not taken a side. “I can see both sides.” She had said, “So I think you should all forgive and forget.” She had forced them to shake on it, all three of them, and had a private word with Miya, asking her not to try to stop anyone from doing that in the future. She had a private word with Elias, which ended up with him brushing the matter off as not a matter at all, he only wanted to help her.

Akeno had been the worst. That’s where she is now. “So, why did you want to let Elias fuck you?” She asks her friend as they sit in the inn having a drink.

“I don’t know. I just thought maybe I could forget.” She says. “Last night India fell and it was the last straw for me I guess.” She sighs and looks into her drink.

“I get ya, but maybe you shouldn’t try that again. Not unless you REALLY like him.” Rias says, bracing for it.

“What? Why?” Akeno asks, shocked that Rias would say such a thing.

“Well, you’ve known him for what, a few weeks?” She asks. “And in a game.”

“This coming from you. I remember you put out for your old boyfriend on the second date! So what if I do too?!” Akeno was looking a bit hostile about now.

“Yeah, but that was…nevermind.” Rias says, blushing and aware that she had handled this COMPLETELY wrong.

Akeno simply looks away. A silence falls between them as their food is brought, eggs and bacon for both of them, with Akeno having some hash browns.

“What are we going to do?” Akeno asks. “We need time to train up more people to stand up against the Enemy. Will we actually get it?”

Rias looks up, glad of the change of subject. “I think we will. The Enemy seems to have backed off. I don’t know why they did but it’s giving us time to rebuild and regroup.”

Akeno smiles a bit. “So then, we can hold out some.”

“Yes, we can hold out some and get our numbers back up.” Rias says, smiling right back.

Washington D.C., United States of America (Virtual)

“Control tower, this is Phoenix requesting clearance for takeoff.” Phoenix radios over to the NPC controlled flight control tower. There are some civilian flights going in and out, same as in real life, but it’s mostly NPC travel and cargo coming in. Players don’t really have the spare money to fly anywhere right now.

Even so it had been an eventful morning for the control tower. Around 11 in the morning, all the helicopters had lifted off and had cut through civilian traffic while they moved over to the military base. This had prompted a complaint to Bordraab, who waved it off but still asked for any pilots in the future to log flight paths with the control tower as ‘Military’ so that the tower could make sure there was nothing in the way of their movement. When Snake had brought back his Cobra that morning, the tower was grateful for it. His flight path took him out over the runway when a civilian passenger flight would have taken off.

“Phoenix, this is control tower.” Comes the reply. “Submit flight path for clearance.”

“Tower, Phoenix. Flight is designated as military. High altitude.”

“Not another one of you!” Came back the NPC, getting a snicker from Phoenix. “Roger Phoenix, you are cleared for takeoff. Good luck.” The guy sounded grudging now. Then again, she looks at a passenger flight that comes to a stop as it was taxiing. Oh well.

Phoenix brings her Phantom onto the runway and kicks it to full throttle and afterburner, rocketing down the runway amid deafening noise and soon she’s climbing up into the air. She loves this, the feeling of flight! She could never have this IRL, not with who her father is. Here though, here she was free to fly. She banks the fighter over to the right and starts heading south towards the guild lands. Contained on her aircraft is a camera assembly. She was on a reconnaissance mission over the guild zones.

It takes her about five minutes of flying before she flies over the guild zones and turns on her camera. She sweeps in at altitude, beyond the range of their AA spells, and the camera starts going to work, snapping video of the whole thing. No enemy air presence. She thought there would have been. Well, her mission is done. She turns and starts flying back when she sees a blotch on the ground. She banks and flips over, looking down at the ground…up through the canopy of her cockpit. Upon seeing what it is, she quickly turns right side up and does a pass with the camera on, then goes full afterburner to get back to base, exhausting her afterburner time but getting back to base in a minute. She actually lands in the new airfield that was built in the guild plot.

DMZ Headquarters

“I’m back.” Phoenix says, out of breath as she comes into the command room with her camera’s recorder. “And you need to see this.” She says, handing the recorder to an NPC. Soon, a recording of the flight is showing in the display on the wall. It shows the overflight of the guild zones.

“Blighted, just like I thought.” Bordraab says. He could see creatures and shadowed humans running around below but not a lot. “No gryphons, no drakes, no nothing.” He says. “Wonder what’s up with that.”

“I thought the same thing.” She says. “Then I found this.” She fast forwards the recording. An army on the march towards DC, complete with air power. The air power looks weak, mostly gryphons, but then again most Human faction air power had been obliterated.

“Dear God.” Bordraab says, immediately getting on the phone to Kthla’s office. “Kthla, are those F-16s ready yet?”

“What, why? I mean…uh…I can have two done in 7 hours if you don’t want any tanks.”

“Get them done. We’ll need them tomorrow.” He says, then goes over to one of the microphones and keys on the intercom. “Captain Bardock, report to HQ.”

He turns to see a VERY interested looking Phoenix looking at him. “Did I hear F-16?” She asks, almost smiling, not sure if this is true or not.

“Yeah. Kthla’s making a pair of them now. Based on what you showed me, we’ll need them.” Bordraab says, looking at her.

“Yeah. Thanks, but why two? Counting on me going down?” She asks, crossing her arms. Her voice has a slightly dangerous tone to it.

“Hell no, I’m taking the other one. I can fly reasonably well.” Bordraab quickly says.

This gets a quirked up eyebrow from Phoenix. “Ok…” She looks unconvinced.

Bardock comes into the command center from the elevator and walks over. “What’s so damned urgent you had to call me away from K’s new weapons shop? Most of us can afford his M4’s and I just got one and was stocking up on ammo for it!”

“Good.” Bordraab says, “You’re going to need it. Tomorrow, the Enemy is going to attack here. Phoenix here found their army on a recon run to the guild zone.”

Bardock immediately gets serious. “What have we got to work with?” He asks.

“Well, we’ve got a bunch of newbies in the leveling zones. We’ll need to get out there and let them know what’s happening tomorrow. We’ve also got some low level guilds in town, they’re just barely reaching level 10. We’ll need communications with all of them.” Bordraab scratches his chin and thinks for a minute. “Ok, here’s what we’re gonna do. Bardock, go to each of the low level guilds and give them the radio frequency of our command net. Tell them what we discovered. Assign your fireteams to a Huey each. Have them fly around the leveling zones to the larger groups. They’ll tell them what’s coming and ask them to find any of the smaller groups around and let them know. I also want them to set up a bunch of sensors. They have a range of about ten miles and I want them set up staggered like this.” He says, pulling up the map of the positions for each sensor, a map he had spent an hour and a half coming up with. The positions were done up checkerboard style. The setup wouldn’t give a detection range ten miles out from the city in every spot, but it would give it out to 7 miles and there were no blind spots inside of that.

“Roger that, we’ll get it done.” Bardock says, then gets on the wire to his squad leaders. “Kenichi, Kaniu, get your squads ready. We’ve got an assignment. I want everyone geared up and ready to go in ten minutes.”