Magic Multiverse 25 (Patreon)

He didn’t say anything at first, letting the silence stretch to an uncomfortable degree. “So, Cordelia? Willow?” he said. “You two know each other.”

“Oh, do I know the little sneaky bitch that cheated with my bastard of an ex? Let me think about it?” Cordelia spat out.

He looked at Willow, surprised by that information, especially considering how they met. No wonder Cordelia didn’t like her. Comparatively, he was not surprised at Cordelia going for the jugular immediately. “Really, Willow?” he chuckled.

“I was young,” she defended herself.

Cordelia snorted. “It was last year, geek. Hell, not even a full year.”

Willow blushed. She opened her mouth, then shuffled. “Maybe…” she admitted.

“I’m sure Willow is willing to apologize, isn’t she?”

“I — she didn’t even like Xander that much!”

That made him freeze. “Wait, Xander. Mr. Hawaiian shirt? Really?”

Cordelia shuffled, blushing. “My biggest mistake,” she said.

“Hey,” Willow said.

That was enough for Cordelia to find her balance. “It’s not like you stayed with him after getting caught, Willow Tree,” she said, which triggered a rain of insults going back and forth. He wasn’t surprised to see Willow keeping up with her.

“As much as I love watching the two of you fight, I have a fight of my own, so we need to prepare,” he said.

“Fine, I’ll play along,” Cordelia said. “But, let me tell you, I’m disappointed with your choice. What happened to the cute blonde you mentioned last time? Why the sudden downgrade?”

“Hey—“ Willow tried to argue, but he pressed his finger to her lips, silencing her.

“Well, that part is still ongoing. However, Anne was not in the mood to visit Los Angeles, so she sent a fun replacement.”

Cordelia’s eyes widened. “Oh, really? Now, this is interesting,” she said, her gaze turning to Willow, her amusement bubbling to the surface. “I always assumed you and Xander were keeping Buffy back. Who would have guessed it was them holding you back from being fun?”

“That’s —“

“Not something that can be argued against after what happened at the club, Willow,” he cut her off, giving Cordelia more ammunition.

“Oh, there’s a story there,” Cordelia said with a smirk.

“One Willow can tell you in detail while I finish my fight, and we can celebrate together afterward,” he said.

“If you think I will ever—“

“Remember, you promised you owed me one after the last-minute cancellation. Don’t tell me great Cordelia Chase is not a woman of her word.”

She bristled, and he smirked at her attitude. She was frustrated, but it was fun frustration. “That teaches me about giving out blank checks,” she grumbled. “But couldn’t you find someone with a modicum of fashion sense? I’m allergic to polyester.”

He smirked as he walked back to Willow. “Arms,” he said.

“No,” she whimpered.

He leaned forward, kissed her on the neck, and whispered again. “Arms.”

Willow whimpered, but this time, she obeyed. He removed his long jacket from her, and caught Cordelia’s gaze, who looked at Willow’s outfit, including the tiny leather skirt and the fishnets.

Cordelia took a moment before speaking. “Are we sure that she’s not the vampire Willow?” she said.

That was enough to pause his line of thinking. “Wait, the vampire Willow?” he asked. “There’s a vampire Willow?”

“Not really,” Willow responded, still looking at the ground. “It was just a localized temporal anomaly caused by a wish—“ she stopped, then looked at Cordelia. “One that is your fault.”

“Hey. It’s not my fault. How would have known that Anya was a vengeance demon. I was just lashing out after a redheaded slut decided to shove her tongue into the mouth of my then-boyfriend.” She stopped. “A man that’s currently fucking the same demon after she lost her powers, I might add,” she said. Willow avoided her gaze. “Yeah, I hear things,” Cordelia added.

“Still—“

“And, let’s not forget who decided to help Anya with that dark spell, letting vampire Willow loose in our universe just because she was trying to be a naughty girl.”

“I didn’t know what would happen,” Willow responded.

Sam froze as he listened to them, starting to realize that he might have been involved with something bigger than merely a small city with a higher density of vampires. It wasn’t just that they were talking about temporal anomalies and vampire doppelgangers, but the ease with which they mentioned them, as if they were talking about ruined dresses. Hell, the supernatural details didn’t even get the same attention as the guy with the worst fashion sense he had ever seen.

Cordelia had significantly undersold how weird Sunnydale was.

“Alright, pause,” he said. He still had a fight to go, but the more they talked, the more he realized just how unremarkable the fight would be for them. The party itself would have been more fun. They looked at him. “So, hasty dark magic rituals are even more of a habit for you, Willow,” he said, took a step forward, and spanked her. “Maybe you haven’t been punished enough.”

However, even as he spanked Willow, he watched Cordelia from the corner of his eye. Cordelia had already been intrigued after seeing Willow, but watching Willow getting spanked put a spark in her eyes.

Admittedly, it wasn’t too much of a surprise. He had already seen how enthusiastic Cordelia was in maintaining control. She must love watching Willow humbled, the fun way. Just to test the nature of her reaction, he pushed Willow onto the bed. “Let me guess, she’s wearing granny panties under that skirt. It’s something she would do,” Cordelia mocked.

Willow whimpered. He might have defended Willow, but learning she had made a habit of casting reckless rituals, he decided Willow needed to learn her lesson properly.

Not to mention, he didn’t miss the way Willow’s eyes had been exploring Cordelia’s sexy body, clad only in a red corset and matching sexy panties. Not after the little awakening she had at the club, and explored further in her dorm room.

“You would be mistaken,” he said as he pulled her skirt up, revealing her naked ass.

Cordelia smirked, halfway between mocking and impressed, an interesting balance. “Wow, that was a surprise,” she said.

“Not the only one,” he said as he spanked her twice more, grabbing Willow’s hair to pull her up, making her look at Cordelia.

Willow said nothing, her face burning with equal measures of shame and arousal. Cordelia was right in front of her, her legs parted open, meaning Willow was very close to Cordelia’s growing wetness.

“Oh, really,” Cordelia said, looking surprised when he ripped Willow’s tube top and tied her hands.

“Yes. But first, it’s time for an apology. It’s clear that Willow had made some transgressions against you, and she needs to apologize properly.”

That seemed to be Willow’s limit. “If you ever think I’m going to apologize to the bitch that ruined my life since I have been in kindergarden—“ she started, but he silenced her … by pushing her forward so that she was right between Cordelia’s legs.

“How about now?” he whispered in Willow’s ear. Realizing exactly what he had in mind, Willow’s objections died immediately, her tongue darting out.

He looked at Cordelia, who finally looked hesitant. “Isn’t it a bit, too much…” she said, surprised.

This time, he moved forward to whisper in Cordelia’s ear, his hand still keeping Willow pinned. “Does her tongue feel like she’s reluctant?” he whispered.

Her eyes widened. “Is she…”

“More flexible than you’d expect from a judgmental nerd, certainly,” he said, then pulled his hand back. He expected Willow to pull back, to at least try to sell the illusion of reluctance, but she stayed there, having the time of her life. “And, considering her enthusiasm, also with a huge crush on you,” he added with another whisper.

Cordelia’s eyes widened, but her shock survived only for a moment before it turned into a smirk. “As she should have,” she whispered. “I mean, I should have understood, always trying to pick a fight with me for years…”

“Without a doubt,” he said. He would have lied about it without blinking, but frankly, he did think the same. Watching how quickly Willow changed her tune the moment she realized the true nature of the required apology made it obvious.

“Change of plans,” he said as he pulled back. “Willow lost the right to attend the fight. Instead, she’s going to stay here, and you’re going to take over her punishment until I return.”

Willow whimpered in protest, but when Cordelia grabbed her hair and pulled her back, she immediately returned to licking, showing her protest was more of a show. It was a fun little conclusion, punishing and rewarding her at the same time.

Cordelia nodded.

“Good,” he said, about to leave, but the sight was entirely too enticing.

He unzipped his pants. “I thought you were about to be late,” Cordelia said.

“Well, they won’t die if I’m late a minute or two…” he said. After all, he was human. How could he resist such an amazing view…

He didn’t waste any time with foreplay. He merely wrapped Willow’s hair around his fist, using it as leverage even as he pushed her against Cordelia’s clit, the other hand landing on Willow’s ass.

He pushed a few times, exploring her tightness before he pushed hard, burying himself to the hilt, Willow’s moan was spectacular even when muffled against Cordelia’s sensitive skin. Cordelia rocked back.

“You’re very happy with a cutie buried between your legs,” he teased Cordelia.

“Well, I’m no lesbian, but it was a good way to discipline my cheerleading team,” she giggled.

He chuckled, amused by her tone rather than the information itself. He wished he could tease her more, but he wasn’t joking about the time constraint. He was already cutting it close.

He shifted his grip, using both hands on Willow’s leather skirt, turning it into a harness as he fucked her hard, the slap of skin filling the room. Willow’s head rose to moan even louder. Cordelia didn’t even notice, too fascinated watching him ‘tame’ Willow.

A part of it was Willow’s reaction. He had always been careful with her, assuming that she was fragile. But, he was mistaken. She was more fragile compared to Buffy or Cordelia, but that didn’t mean she was actually fragile.

He drilled her even harder, the bed creaking. She climaxed twice before he exploded, filling her core.

[+10 Tantric]

[+10 Wiccan Magic]

… technically, it counted as a warmup before the fight.

&&&

After the fight, he was in the room they had given him to change, feeling bored.

The fight itself was a total letdown. Expert Boxing alone meant he was superior to his opponent by a large margin. Then, there was the total lack of excitement. Bare-knuckle boxing felt dangerous and exciting when his benchmark was street fights.

After fighting vampires, where adrenaline flowed in his veins even when he was ambushing, aware that a mistake might cost him his life, it lost its luster completely. Yet, he had to extend the fight and make it look like it was a much closer affair.

In a way, it felt like he was back at the pub, working.

Overall, he found the so-called elites of Los Angeles similar to his pub crowd, the same entitlement, the same annoying requests.

“At least it pays much better,” he said with a shrug, thinking the best way to minimize his stay. The previous fight had Cordelia to entertain him, and he suspected he wouldn’t end up in a similar treasure tonight.

And, even if he did, he hardly had the time, with Cordelia and Willow waiting for him. Some treasures were just too amazing to neglect.

Then, just as he finished changing, the door opened and someone walked in, not even bothering to knock. "Mr. Ashworth would like to see you in his penthouse.”

Sam looked at the guy, trying to remember who he was, but he didn’t. “Is this Ashworth bloke the organizer?” he asked.

“No, but—“

“Then he can fuck off,” Sam replied. He still needed to stay at the party for an hour as the victor, and he had no intention of extending that time any further.

The guy looked angry. “How dare you? Mr. Ashworth wants—“

“He can want whatever he wants. Not my problem,” he responded. Admittedly, he could be more accepting, but the so-called fight had already left him too annoyed. And, after this fight, he would have about seventy thousand pounds in the bank, which was more than enough to keep him going for a year, even if he continued to spend in his current expanded rate.

“I don’t think you understand who you are talking to—“ the guy said, grabbing his shoulder to pull.

Sam wondered whether the assistant had something wrong with him. Who would try to physically accost an annoyed fighter right after a fight? He didn’t even think before his fist moved, burying into his stomach, and the guy collapsed with a cry.

Hearing his pained cries, a few people, including the organizer, walked in. “What’s going on?”

“Who let this idiot in the room while I’m changing?”

“He’s the assistant of Mr. Ashworth, one of the honor guests,” the organizer said, looking angry. “How dare you attack him—“

He was getting frustrated. He was able to accept people’s nonsense while working at the pub, because starvation was a good motivator. Giving up a few luxuries he didn’t care much, not so much. He stood up. “I think you have some misconceptions about what I’m doing here, idiot,” he said, walking forward. “I’m not a cleaner that you can boss around. Do you want to test me?”

The organizer looked alarmed, but it seemed that he had a better idea of who was dealing with. “Of course not. But, how about you skip the general festivities and see Mr. Ashworth instead?”

“Better. But I will only stay for twenty minutes,” he said, even grabbing his bag. He didn’t want to return here only to see the guy trying to ruin his bag for revenge. Admittedly, he didn’t have anything valuable, just his spare outfit, some medicine … and naturally, stakes and holy water.

Just the standard travel kit.

“Where’s he?”

"The penthouse in the next building. I'll take you up myself."

Sam nodded, allowing the guy to lead him to the next building, cutting through a fancy garden. “This is the private elevator leading up. Mr. Ashworth and his guests will greet you upstairs.”

“Rich people and their idiotic habits,” he muttered, and stepped into the elevator, which rode up. When he arrived at the penthouse, he sighed. The whole place had been a full room, decorated with a shocking lack of taste.

He wasn’t exactly fashion conscious, but the place was ugly. Expensive but bulky chairs, a lot of gold, Greek Style statues, medieval armors, old weapons, abstract paintings, and thick velvet curtains. It was as if someone had decided to turn a museum into a brothel, but hired the worst interior decorator available with an infinite budget.

The only thing that was missing was a tacky mirror on the ceiling—

Or anywhere, he immediately corrected. A detail he would have missed if it wasn’t for his newly ingrained habit of checking mirrors.

The easiest way of finding vampires.

Already alerted, it didn’t take long for him to realize that all four occupants of the room were vampires.

The temptation to turn back to the elevator and press a button was there, but he couldn’t trust that it would work.

One against four was not good odds in an open space, but it would be a death sentence locked in the elevator with them.

“Ah, the hero of the night, and our new brethren,” he said.

“Oh, am I being recruited?” he said enthusiastically, even as he looked around the room. He had stakes in his duffel bag, but hopefully, he could find something with a bit more reach. “How much is the pay?”

“Oh, we pay with something better than money,” the vampire said, trying to sound cool and mysterious. “But first, the refreshments,” he said, pointing at the large table, filled with a delicious spread.

He shook his head, recognizing that while the vampire acted better than his street variants on the surface, it was the same arrogance. He reached into his duffel bag, and pulled out the holy water, which was disguised as a mere gym-style water bottle with a stopper.

“We have some amazing red wine,” the vampire said, raising the bottle. Sam sighed, wondering whether it was drugged or the vampire was merely excited about the thematic similarity.

He didn’t care either way. One benefit of the tacky decor, that there were a lot of decorative weapons, some hanging from the walls, others held in the arms of the decorative medieval armors. He stood next to a staff on the wall.

“So, how is this recruitment going to work?” he asked.

“Well, let me—“ the lead vampire started, which was all he was able to say when he squirted his water bottle directly into his mouth. The holy water didn’t kill them, working more like weak acid, but even for vampires, mouth and throat were too vulnerable.

Then, he flicked the cap of the bottle open, and with a flick of his wrist, the rest of the holy water landed on the faces of the other three, unable to react.

He didn’t waste any time bantering. He merely grabbed the staff. They tried to resist, but the distance was too close, and the holy water was distraction enough. Two of them turned to dust after two quick stabs.

“How dare you,“ the one that acted like the host growled, but managed to roll away. He must have been an older vampire. His last surviving guest, not so much.

“You have managed to anger me, you knave!” the vampire shouted.

“Knave, how old are you?” he responded, though it was an excuse to distract him while he kicked his bag, and removed the second holy water bottle. He had no intention of fighting it fairly. However, he didn’t reach it.

“I’m old enough to destroy you!” he shouted, and darted forward.

He must have been a vampire for at least eighty years, he guessed based on his intense speed. Now that the surprise factor was gone, his still with the staff wouldn’t be enough to deal with him, and he suspected, even with his boxing skill, it would have been a close battle.

Luckily, he didn’t need to pick up the battle. The kick was enough to send it directly into the vampire’s open mouth.

“I wonder if I’ll get points for my football skills,” he muttered idly as he angled his staff, the vampire’s momentum enough to skewer him.

As he turned to dust, the vampire looked very confused.

[Deadly Battle Victory, +54 Bojutsu]

[Bojutsu Basic -> Intermediate]

He wasn’t that surprised by the immensity of the reward. Unlike the previous fights, he had fought against four vampires on hostile ground, and one of them was actually old enough to take him down if he ever gave him a chance for a fair fight.

“Too bad that there’s no football reward,” he muttered, unable to feel that it was somewhat of a pity.

Still, he made a note never to go anywhere without preparation. Vampires were even more common in America than he had realized.

He packed his stuff, and walked back to the elevator, but he did put the staff back to its place.

A pity. It was a nice staff.

He even caught up with the promoter while the promoter was walking back. “I thought this Ms. Something was supposed to be upstairs,” he said. “There’s no one. Also, fire your cleaners, they are piles of dust everywhere,” he said.

The promoter shrugged. “Not my responsibility. But what do you mean he’s not there.”

Sam shrugged. “How would I know?” he declared. It was not exactly conclusive evidence, but not reacting to finding a lot of dust in place of vampires implied that the promoter didn’t know they were vampires.

Though, even if he did, there wasn’t much he could do. “Fine, but that counts as me fulfilling my responsibilities. I’m leaving,” he said. “Give me the check.”

“I don’t—“ he started, but after fighting for his life, he was not in the mood for talking. He grabbed the promoter’s finger, bending back enough to put him to his knees. “I had enough. Either pay, or I’ll teach you just how bad an idea it is not to pay a professional fighter,” he said. The guy trembled. “Understood, moron?”

“Fine,” he said, and pulled a check from his pocket. Sam took it and left.

He didn’t spend any time wondering whether it would be clear. If it didn’t, he could always pay another visit.

Luckily, he had two friends waiting for his return, ready to help raise his mood.