Ascent to the Vampires Castle

The long form piece for this month, we join Sam, as they reach the end of a game that has rather... Captured their attention.

* * *

Sam took a sip of water, and put the headset on, the VR suit, once again, complete. They were going to finish this game. The darkness of the vampire’s castle surrounded you. Her chambers were ahead. Through this door. Sam turned the handle, and pushed, taking a moment to realise how quickly they had gotten used to this suit, to the way they reacted to the tiny motor systems within it. Getting knocked by a strike, pulling themselves up off the floor using a table in the game. It had been easy.

The new room was a far cry from the dank hallways, abandoned villages, and grimy crypts that had led up to this place. Marble blazed like the sun, illuminated by a great chandelier, that hung over a basin that rested on a dais. On the far side of the room was a staircase, leading up to a large pair of doors. The pendant hummed as Sam held it in their fingers, directing them to the doors at the top of the stairs.

But they stopped, not moving. The clean marble highlighted the dirt and grime on Sam’s character’s clothes. They stopped for a moment, pondering the basin of water in the middle of this hallway, and the Healer’s voice came to them. “A clean body is a healthy body. And you’ll need a healthy body to face the dangers ahead.” Those words resonated within Sam. They stepped closer to the basin, removing their armour, their weapons, their clothes, and using the surprisingly warm water to clean themselves off.

As they finished scrubbing themselves clean, they looked at their armour, their clothes. Dirty. It wouldn’t do to wear such things going forward. Sam looked to an alcove, where they saw an open chest. A white shirt sleeve hung lazily over the side, and as they approached Sam felt like this – this was the right thing to wear. Light, breezy. Sure, it wouldn’t be as protective as their armour, but when facing a vampire, maybe it would better to be quick, and not weighed down by that heavy, dirty armour.

Sam changed, quickly. The linen gown was quite floaty, and it had a slit running down to their chest. There was a lace, to tie that together, but that didn’t seem important right now. They picked up their sword, still in its scabbard, and started up the stairs, moving as quietly as they could.

As they reached the door, Sam heard a soft noise. A harp, playing a tune that felt, familiar, somehow. They were certain that it was new to them. The soft, gentle tune had a lilting quality. Hopefully the music would be enough to mask the sound of the doors opening. That hope quickly vanished as they turned the handle, and heard a loud click, echo through the chamber. They stopped, waiting with bated breath, but the music didn’t stop. So, they pulled, gently, and the door opened quietly.

This room had white walls, and a black floor and ceiling. The red carpet that ran from the door to the small, raised part of the room felt soft as Sam stepped onto it. They took a moment to survey the scene. A figure at on a stool, playing a harp. She sat next to a throne, carved of black obsidian, which was empty. The figure was clad in grey robes, her hood pulled down. Sam knew her pale face, her deep red lips. The Healer. For the first time, Sam saw her black hair. They rushed over, confused. “Healer. You need to come with me. It’s not safe for you here.” They took hold of her arm, and gently tried to pull. But the Healer didn’t move, not from the gentle pull on her arm, nor to look at Sam as they spoke. She just sat, staring ahead, playing her music.

As Sam stood to look for a solution, the Healer spoke. “You need to relax, Sam.” Her voice was soft but measured. Like she was speaking along to the harp’s song. Sam felt themselves weaken, softly, as the music the Healer was playing changed. It was the same song the Healer played to heal them. Nearly. It sounded… Softer, somehow more sinister. Same could feel it sapping their strength. But they couldn’t piece together what was happening.

The Healer kept looking at them as they sagged to their knees, smiling. “This is why I brought you here Sam. This whole journey has been conditioning you to relax into my control…”

In – into her control? Her – Sam was struggling to think. The music seemed to be pushing all of the thoughts out of their head. The Healer was still looking, smiling at Sam. Her smile widened, and for the first time, Sam saw her teeth. Or rather, Sam saw her fangs. That made the thought from earlier click into place.

Sam struggled back to their feet, drawing their sword. “Stop this trickery, demon.” They said, but they could feel their energy still ebbing away. They had to act, as the Healer wasn’t showing any signs of stopping.

With what felt like their final burst of energy, Sam thrust forward with their sword. In their exhaustion, they weren’t particularly accurate, or forceful, but their thrust cut through some of the harp strings, and with a slice that felt like it took too much effort, Sam cut the rest.

Silence followed. Deafening, and oppressive, as the Healer looked up at Sam from the stool she sat on. Finally, she broke the silence. “Oh.” The single syllable was all she said as she stood up, turning away from Sam, who could feel their legs trembling from the exhaustion of standing. As the Healer got to the window, she stopped, seemingly taking in the moon, hanging in the night sky. “Tell me, Sam, my dear. What did you expect to happen, when you broke my favourite, and not to mention antique, instrument?” She turned to face them. “Did you hope that that might – what?” She looked Sam up and down. “Defeat me?”

Sam barely had the energy to stand, let alone speak. They took a step towards the Healer, sword brandished, but she simply stepped back, almost absent mindedly. “C-come on…” Sam said, weakly.

“Come on, what, dear?” The Healer cocked her head, smiling at Sam with those crimson lips.

“Face me. Kill me, but I won’t go down without – without a fight.” Sam said those last few words with less conviction than the rest. They were so tired. So weak.

The Healer smiled, as she stepped towards Sam this time. “Did you think I would want to waste your sweet blood, my sweet? No… Oh no my sweet one. I don’t intend to spill your blood yet.”

Sam recognised the threat of those words, and found within them a spark of fear. A realisation that they should try to fight, even if they were so exhausted. They lunged forwards again, sword true, and found that they stumbled to a stop, as the Healer grasped the sword blade, and shook her head. “Really? You honestly intend to fight me in your condition? Sweetie. That’s brave, but come now. You might hurt yourself.” She pushed Sam away, and they staggered back, nearly toppling, but not quite.

With a roar of exertion, Sam rushed forwards again, hoping to try to feint and land a hit when she tried to grab the sword again. But this time, she didn’t move to stop them. Their sword pierced her grey robes, and Sam heard a clink. Like metal on stone. Sam looked down at their sword, at the robes, and then back up to the Healer. Her eyes blazed with fury.

She grabbed hold of their neck, hoisting them into the air with one hand, whilst her other hand twisted their wrist, painfully, making them drop the sword. “Sam, Sam, Sam. Do you want me to hurt you? Because I don’t want to. But you’re making me think that you don’t understand what’s going on here. You can’t do anything to hurt me. I gave you those weapons at the start of your journey, to help you get to me. I wouldn’t give you something that you could hope to use to defeat me.” She threw them backwards. Sam hit the ground hard, sliding to a stop on their back, dazed.

Sam tried to rise, but the Healer sighed, and held up a hand, and said in a commanding tone that she hadn’t used before. “Freeze.” The single word rang through Sam’s whole body. It felt like ice had filled their veins, freezing them in place, on one knee. “There we go Sam. Isn’t that easier? Doing as you’re told? Surely you can’t want to hurt me, not after everything I’ve done for you?”

Sam tried to move. Tried to keep standing. They didn’t know what they could do, but surely something would let them beat her. This was a game after all. But it was to no avail. Sam found themselves unable to move an inch. The Healer came closer, smiling all the while. “You don’t get it, do you? I designed all of this. All of this was built to condition you to my control. You might be thinking that it’s a game. That you can beat me, or, failing that, that you could just take the headset off.”

Sam was surprised, this was a level of 4th wall breaking that they hadn’t expected. The Healer continued. “You could try to do so, my sweet toy. You could try to move your arms, your poor, stiff, solid arms. You would find that they can’t move at all. You can’t move any part of yourself. You don’t know why, but your body is just waiting, patiently, for my next command.” She bent down, putting a hand to Sam’s cheek. Sam nearly jumped out of involuntary shock when they felt such a soft sensation from the suit.

The Healer’s eyes widened. “Oh, my poor, sweet player. Did you think I was talking to your character all this time? No. I knew that to beat you, I had to do more than overcome your character.”

She took hold of Sam’s wrist, and Sam felt the force of the suit, pulling their arm up. The Healer left their hand on their forehead. “Okay, let me find the right words…” The Healer pondered something for a moment, then continued, using that same tone as before. “Unfreeze everything but your left arm.”

Sam felt the rest of their body return to their control, their hand, however, was still stuck to their forehead. The Healer looked at them, expectantly. “Well, are you going to curse at me? Call me a – what was it you said earlier? A ‘demon’?” She smiled, laughing slightly, revealing her fangs once again. “Not quite correct, but in the middle of battle, who can blame you for getting a few things wrong? Especially when your head was so foggy, when it was so hard to think…”

She reached out for Sam again, but Sam took a step back. They were no longer certain what capabilities this game had, and that uncertainty made them nervous.

The Healer seemed to sense the uncertainty, the fear. Because she stopped. “Awh, human. I get it, it’s scary. The game has control now. But, if I may suggest something, you could have taken the headset off just now. But you didn’t. Surely that means that at least a small part of you wants to see what comes next, right? Trust me, I think you’ll like it…”

She took a step closer again, and this time, Sam didn’t step away. She was right. They were intrigued by where this was going. She smiled, and Sam took a moment to admire her beautiful face. Her eyes were gorgeous, the way they seemed to catch the light made it so easy to just stare into them. “That’s it.” She said. “Just stare into my eyes. There you go. Stare, and let your mind go quiet, just as you have done when I’ve healed you.”

Sam felt their mind entering that familiar restful state. It felt so good, to stop fighting, to stop resisting. “Such a good, obedient human…” She took another step, and another, getting so close to Sam. They could almost smell her, the soft fragrance – surely their imagination. “Rest now, close your eyes. Feel my embrace. I know how much you’ve wanted to.” Sam’s eyes closed, obediently, as her arms wrapped around them.

As the two of them were there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the Healer whispered into Sam’s ear. “I’ll let you in on a secret. The suit doesn’t stop you moving. That’s my control. That’s how much I’ve already conditioned you.” Sam felt faint thoughts, questions, rising at this, but the Healer began to hum her tune, and instantly, the bubbling proto-thoughts dissipated. There were no thoughts. Not right now. Just empty, rejuvenating peace. And then a voice, behind the humming. “I knew you couldn’t resist. Why would you? When it feels so good to give in?” A soft whisper, echoing in their mind.

“It feels so good to give in.”

“It feels so good to give in.”

“It feels so good to give in.”

“It feels so good to give in.”

The whisper faded, but the impact was felt. Sam could feel the last vestiges of their will to resist crumbling under a game’s worth of conditioning, of brainwashing. The person holding them should be trusted. They were Sam’s Healer. The person who was there for them when they needed help. Why shouldn’t they trust her more? Give her some control.

“You know, I’ve been thinking.” The Healer had stopped humming and was gently extricating herself from Sam’s arms. “I don’t need to call you player. You deserve a better name. Because let’s face it, players tend to be in control of the games they’re playing, and you’re not in control here, are you?” Sam shook their head, knowing it was the right answer. “There you go. So how about I give you a new title? How about slave?” She bit her lip, considering. “No, too old fashioned. Pet?” She cast her eye over Sam’s form. “No, again. Doesn’t fit. Toy?” Their eyes met Sam’s. “Oh yes, that fits. Because I get to play with you now, don’t I, toy?”

Toy nodded.

“Kneel down, toy.”

Toy knelt. Their body was out of their control, but that didn’t matter. It felt good to be controlled like this.

“And I’m sorry to say that after that little rigmarole, I’m feeling… Thirsty, toy. So be a dear, look to your left for me.

Toy’s head turned. They felt the Healer kneel down next to them, her arms pulling them close. They felt her kiss on their neck, a pleasure that left them reeling. Rocked by the bliss of this one, simple kiss. And each second that passed was sweeter. A purer pleasure. How could toy have ever thought of resisting? Of fighting back? This felt so good.

Toy didn’t know how long it lasted. Toy didn’t care. Toy only knew that it had come to an end. This marking, the first feeding. The Healer seemed surer of herself. More in control. Toy, on the other hand, was certain of their place. On their knees, before their Goddess.

The Healer’s hand pulled their chin up to face her. “Okay, Toy. You run along now. In the outside world, you can keep on pretending to be Sam. Pretending to be yourself. But you will come back. I can give you the bliss of my kiss, of obedience. I can make you feel oh so good. And you want the pleasure. Don’t you, Toy?”

Toy nodded, unable to speak, their mind was barely holding together. They didn’t even process how the Healer knew their old name.

“Good Toy. I have so many plans for you. But it must be goodbye, for now.”

The visor of the headset went dark, the Healer blowing a kiss as it winked out. Toy took some time, in that darkness, mind slowly reassembling. Mostly the same but altered. Sam was now a shell, a container, a mask. Toy was who they were. Who they were meant to be.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Toy’s friend, Charlie looked hesitant. “So, what’s so good about the game?”

Toy laughed. “Honestly? It’s just such an immersive experience. The haptic suit adds so much, I promise. You can really just get lost in the world. Play the first level, and then tell me you don’t love it.”

Charlie rolled their eyes. “And if I don’t, will you drop it? I swear you haven’t shut up about this game for a month.”

Toy nodded. “Hey, if you try it and find that it isn’t your cup of tea, then that’s absolutely fine. But try it first, yeah?”

Charlie zipped up the suit, and took the visor from Toy. “Okay Sam. I’ll see what the fuss is about.