Unable to hold back any longer, the intern innocently asked. "Uh, how will this help to bring in players?"
Two sets of eyes turned toward the youth. Their gazes were hard, penetrating. He was the lowest form of corporate life and he should know his place.
Despite the misstep of actively questioning the boss, the department chose a friendlier route. The head decided to indulge the youth. "Simple. The boss has obviously been setting this up for a while. She allowed people to see this guy in a few fleeting images, and it became a serious topic of gossip that he was her boyfriend."
The intern nodded. That much he understood. The legendary blue haired boyfriend was a hot topic for quite some time now.
"Well, the city has been simply ravenous for more information about the guy. Now we have this ridiculous duck-faced nude selfie. Scandalous! The legendary blue haired boyfriend of the beautiful Origin, empress of our glorious gaming empire, has bared it all for her," continued the PR department head.
"Yes, but..." began the intern.
The blond office lady spoke up then, "Look kid. You put this beautiful naked ass on the Internet and the female player base will go crazy. New female, and some male, players will gravitate heavily toward that bouncy backside. Do you get it?"
"So... We'll get a few new female players?"
The department manager sighed. "Kid, you really need to open your eyes. Think bigger."
He scratched his head for a moment then shook his head lightly before looking to the intern once more. He grinned like a predatory shark. "This goofy naked bastard is bait. We catch a few new female players, and that will net a lot more male players."
The office lady laughed in a sultry manner. "The girls will come to find their sexy man candy, and the boys will come to offer their naughty treats to the girls in the hopes that they will accept a substitute. It's brilliant!"
"As expected of our glorious empress," intoned the department manager. "She has seen the best path forward."
The department head turned swiftly and pointed to the large poster on the wall, a wall-sized printout of Scott's naked ass. "That backside is the pathway to the future! The road to salvation for our empire lies through that beautiful masculine ass!"
"Bask in its ridiculous afterglow! Revel in it!" snarled the department head passionately.
The entire department grew quiet. Gods and goddesses peaked at the manager from around the sides, or the tops, of their cubicles.
"Revel in it, damn you!" snapped the department head once more.
The office workers immediately snapped to attention and delivered simultaneous salutes. "Sir! Yes, sir!"
"The ass is beautiful! It makes me feel alive, when I was once cold and empty inside!" cried one of the office ladies.
"The ass makes me want to work out more!" cried one of the male office workers.
The ass is bouncy, and makes me happy in strange ways!" cried another office worker.
Dozens of voices cried out in unison, each of them vying to be heard over the cacophony of screams and outcries. Each of them reveled in the glorious backside that might save four worlds. The way forward had been decided. There was no room for doubt.
"Now then. Our glorious empress has decreed that it should be so," said the department head.
He turned swiftly to face his subordinates, and then punched one of his fists into the air while zealously shouting, "Let's grip that ass tight with both hands and ride it hard into the future!"
A split second of silence passed through the room before a sudden thunderous clamor of voices erupted impassioned throats. Wild passionate cries made the cubicles rattle as hundreds of gods came on board with the new direction for public relations. When life locked the front door of the house, the smart money was on going in through the backside.
***
Blissful are those who in their ignorance never come to know the true horrors of the cosmos. Scott and Rhea continued their lives blissfully unaware of the ridiculous truth. In worlds beyond, bold new concepts were being presented to a people hungry for something new and exciting. Innocent in their way, the lovers chatted freely about simple things.
After spending several hours walking the streets of Valkovia, they had finally arrived at their dining destination. A nice, quiet, little restaurant that had the perfect lighting and atmosphere for a couple out on the town.
"Oh, so you made a new friend?" asked Rhea slowly, after she swallowed a bit of the rice of her fork.
Scott finished sipping his wine. He did not drink often, as the taste was not for him. He considered this to be a special occasion, however. He nodded to the love of his life, and said, "Yes, she seems nice enough. Wanted us to come visit her family estate if we ever managed to head in that direction."
Rhea eyed him curiously for a moment. "She seems awfully friendly for someone whom you have only met once."
"She was," said Scott without rising to her bait. "I figured that we haven't been able to do too much as an actual couple in a while, so I thought I'd see if you wanted to go hang out at some posh estate and make new friends."
The light began to dance in her eyes the moment that he admitted to wanting to do things as a couple. "Oh? That does sound nice..."
Dinner continued in its cheerful manner. Scott and Rhea laughed, they shared soft smiles, and enjoyed each other's company without the specter of gaming in the way. Life in a living, breathing, roleplaying game might often lead to people talking about stats and skills. But for now, life was a much simpler affair. It was the beauty of quiet laughter. It was sweet words about a future that would be brighter simply because they planned to spend it together.
After dinner, they walked the streets once more. Night had fallen. Valkovia was alive with light and sound. People from all over the world made their way through the unsleeping city. The sights and sounds provided myriad chances for wonder and whimsy, and perhaps a little romance for those lucky few.
Eventually, they made their way to the city park. Scott wanted to show his lady love something that he had figured out recently.
The park was filled with couples. The lookout hill was gone, but a new one was being constructed in memorial to those who lost their lives during the attack. Valkovia lost much that day. An entire section of town was partially abandoned, even certain areas of the park went largely unpoliced due to the damage. It was off-limits, but manpower had to be directed toward protecting the residential and commercial areas.
It was to one of the less policed areas that Scott took Rhea. "I know this will probably seem pretty sad to you, considering what you can do back home." He smiled at her then moved into position. "Still, it's a big deal for me."
She smiled warmly at him then sat down on a nearby stump. After crossing her legs delicately like a lady, she granted him an imperious wave of the hand. "Begin, good sir."
A slight grin crossed his lips. "Prepare to be slightly amazed. I came up with this after tinkering with my new discovery. It's sort of like a summoning spell..."
Rhea's eyes widened considerably. "You've learned how to summon something in only the few days that I've been gone? That's... amazing!"
"Well... sort of a summoning spell. You'll see. I literally figured out how to do this an hour or two before you arrived in town," said Scott with a barely constrained laugh.
"Alright! This I have to see," said Rhea. The smile that she granted him was wide, and warm. Her eyes practically sparkled in the dim light of the evening.
Hands that only a few months before had never touched upon the power of magic where pulled to one side. Scott cupped them like he planned to hurl a traditional fireball in a fighting game. "Oh power that turns back the darkest of nights, and gives rise to hope."
His hands moved swiftly to the other side of his body, a line of crackling light skittering through the air. "Spirit that nurtures all life and helps it to thrive."
He drew his hands to the center of his body, still cupped. The line of light followed his motions in dynamic fa
shion. "With this sign, know that your power is needed."
"Oh great power! Come and be one with me!" he shouted while moving his hands up above his head. Suddenly, a bright cone of light shot out from his cupped palms and displayed a symbol against the clouds high overhead.
Rhea's warm smile remained for a moment as she looked upon this new wonder. Slowly that smile shifted as the symbol's true nature became clear. She blinked then tilted her head to the side. "Scott... That... Is that...?"
"Yes. At first I spent most of my energy trying to do one thing with a lot of one element. However, after practicing this morning, I discovered there was even more to my recent discovery..." Scott began to laugh a little.
He became a bit giddy as he explained what he'd learned about his powers. Once he realized how his magic worked, several things began to fall into place. Tiny amounts of elemental energies could be woven together to create phantom images. They held no special power at his level of skill, but they were still neat.
"I used a combination of several elemental energies to create a sort of illusory image. It was actually really easy to do after I figured out the basic steps! Once I discovered that combining tiny amounts of elemental energy from several elements would allow me to—"
"No, no. I get that. What I want to know is if I'm looking at a giant pair of boobs using a cloud as a backdrop," she said, her voice slightly higher pitch than normal.
Scott's expression was soft and disarming as he said, "Yes. Yes, you are."
Rhea looked at the boob symbol in the sky then realized something. "They look familiar."
"Well, they should," said Scott. "They're the best in the business."
"Scott..." began Rhea in an embarrassed tone of voice.
Scott grinned at her. "Hey, I needed an image that I could focus on completely. You know, something I would never grow bored of thinking about..."
"Scott. Get my breasts out of the sky, please," asked Rhea in slow measured tones.
He tried not to laugh while he allowed the image to fade. Rhea sighed at him in exasperation, but the twinkle in her eyes spoke volumes about the truth of the situation. She was less angry than bemused. In fact, it was not long before she asked, "You came up with a paragraph length chant and mastered it well enough to cast it in one try... all to create that?"
"Actually, I have a short form version that I came up with first. Let me show you," he said cheerfully.
"What? No, that's al—" began Rhea. She was drowned out, however, as Scott began his new chant.
"Rhea's!" he cried, while moving his cupped hands swiftly to one side.
"Rhea's!" Just like the first time, his hands moved to the opposite side, a trail of sparkling light left in their wake.
"Rhea's boobs!" cried Scott, before thrusting his palms into the air.
"Ho!" he roared with all the breath in his body. The word echoed through the area as a brilliant cone of light erupted through the air to emblazon Rhea's epic breasts upon the clouds once more.
"Oh... You... Oh..." Rhea had no idea what to say to that. In the end, she placed her palm over her face and sighed deeply. Her fiancé had decided to make a summoning spell after all, one patterned off of a certain 1980s cartoon series.
Her face burning bright red, she stalked over to the ridiculous sorcerer and grabbed him by the ear. Scott's laughter was cut short as she started to pull him along. "Hey, that hurts, you know."
She muttered, "It's supposed to," and continued to pull him away from the area.
It was not until she mumbled, "You're gonna get it, buster," that Scott spoke again.
"Will I like it?" he asked curiously.
"Maybe," she said in a slightly lighter tone.
She continued to pull on his ear for a short time, before she stopped and sighed. "Scott, what possessed you to make a spell like that?"
He shrugged. "Nothing else worked. It came out as little flat silhouettes for the most part. Even when I tried to project Ero, I tended to get the proportions wrong.... sometimes ridiculously."
"So, is that all you see me as?" she asked him softly. "Is that why it worked so well for you?"
Scott laughed a little. "No. I can make a decent copy of your whole body. It's just easier to focus on one thing."
"Oh? Why is that?" she asked, uncertain of his motives.
The sorcerer smiled in response. "You're always on my mind, so it's easy to remember everything about you."
Rhea blinked. Her nostrils flared slightly as his hand moved over to her face.
He softly traced the curve of her cheek then caressed her lips with his thumb. "The curve of your face, the softness of your lips... That wonderful expression you make when you want to set me on fire... Everything about you is unforgettable for me."
Her face reddened again slightly. She looked at him with a loving expression. "Oh Scott..."
"Yes, Rhea...?" he asked her sweetly, his eyes locked to hers and a tender smile on his lips.
She reached up and lightly ran her fingers along his cheek as well. Softly, she tilted her head to the side, and then suddenly she snatched his ear and turned around to drag him off again.
He cried out in surprise, but she refused to let go. "What are you, my mother?" he asked in a cringing voice.
"You've been a naughty boy. Now come with me," she said seriously.
Scott could have easily gotten out of her grip. Truthfully, it did not even hurt that much due to his stats. Still, he did wonder what her game plan was at the moment. Concerned that it could lead to a fight, he made a reasonable suggestion. "Hey, you could always just show off my chest to the world or something. I mean, damn, my little spell didn't even show nipple."
Rhea stopped cold. She then stood perfectly upright and made a slight coughing noise.
"Rhea...?" asked Scott, surprised by her sudden change in demeanor.
The blue haired maiden turned toward him slowly. She sucked on her lower lip briefly while she looked upon him with an expression of concern. "Well... About that..."
Eyes locked together, they shared a silent moment before Rhea took a deep breath. What followed was an explanation that Scott had not even remotely suspected.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and sorrowful. "So, yeah... That's what happened."
"You... shared my naked ass with your family and the entire company?" asked Scott slowly.
"I– Yes," she said softly. Her eyes began to lower toward the ground, but her head snapped up when she heard Scott's loud obnoxious laughter. It was reminiscent of a braying jackass.
"That's awesome!" Scott's laughter grew louder and he shook his head. "Man, I can't even imagine."
"It's not funny, you jerk!" cried Rhea.
Scott drew her into his arms and held her tight. "That could only happen to you."
"S'not funny," she insisted petulantly.
"It's kinda funny," said Scott shamelessly.
"No. Not even a little," she said without giving him an inch.
He stroked her hair then tried to fight down the laugh that was building up within him once more. The idea of his naked ass being sent to the whole company as a direct line from their boss was just too good.
"It really upset me, you know..." she said softly.
"I bet." He leaned his chin down against her shoulder and gave her a warm hug. "Forgive me for laughing?"
"Sure..." she said with a soft smile. "Forgive me for sending my father a picture of you naked?"
"No problem," he said. Quickly he continued, "Everyone needs something to believe in."
Rhea blinked. A moment later she understood what he had said then pulled away from him. "Really?" she asked, laughter in her eyes.
"What better image can there be to bring hope to the world?" proclaimed Scott.
"Right, because the world needs to see my fiancé naked," muttered Rhea.
Scott kissed her sweetly on the lips then cupped her face in his hands. "Hey, don't worry about it. This will all blow over in a day or two. It's not lik
e anyone outside the company saw it, right?"
"Yeah, that's true. Good thing I'm not going to work for a few days," said Rhea with more confidence than she had shown in the last few minutes.
"I disagree," said Scott in a stern voice.
"Wha... Scott?" she asked, confused by his sudden change of demeanor.
He scooped her up in his arms then spoke in a lower octave than normal. "I'll be putting you to work ma'am."
"Scott?" she asked again, a bemused expression on her face.
"The night is still young," he said before offering her a silly grin. "Time to work off your debt to me."
Rhea crossed her arms over her chest. "What debt do I owe you, mister?"
"I have yet to be compensated for your trafficking of my naked masculine backside," he said, before starting off toward the park exit.
"Hey, you showed my boobs to the world! That makes us even," she said in a feigned huff.
"I don't recall doing anything like that," said Scott seriously.
Rhea snorted at him. "You made an entire summoning spell designed to call me to you, and based it on my boobs! Ring a bell, now?"
"Nope. You are obviously suffering a delusional episode brought on by a lack of hot sex," explained Scott, before coming to a stop near the entrance.
"No, I'm sure that really happened," she said.
"I see. The symptoms are worsening." Scott held her tighter and started to run down the street once more. "I must administer the cure immediately."
"What cure might that be?" she asked with a wry smile. As goofy as Scott was, she did enjoy it when he became excited about things in general.
"It comes in the form of an injection that must be administered through the anus," said Scott.
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't," said Rhea, her tone flat and dismissive.
"The delusions are becoming worse," said Scott. He looked into Rhea's eyes then feigned panic. "Don't worry! I'll get that anal injection in there, no matter what it takes!"
"No! I really don't think it works that way," she said, her face turning bright red, and her voice becoming high pitched in the process.
Origin ARS 6 Page 15
