Aspirant 2: A Sci-Fi Harem Adventure

by Maxx Whittaker

  10

  The Verdant Wood

  Player: Sam

  Level: 1

  Apparently, dying smells like freshly cut grass.

  Consciousness returns in bits and pieces as my senses reboot. Touch comes after smell, and I realize why I’m inhaling grass; I’m laying face down in a field. Or maybe a lawn. Considering the last few days, I could be anywhere.

  Birdsong. Clear and sweet like a baby’s laughter, weaving in and out of the gentle whisper of a million leaves caressed by a soft breeze.

  The taste of dirt filling my open mouth. Mineral and earth, choking me slowly to death.

  I jolt up, spitting and coughing. Where am I? Where’s the Shepherd?

  Opening my eyes is a recipe for vertigo. Maybe it’s going from a tiny, cramped room to… This, but for a moment I almost regret the return of consciousness.

  I’m in a clearing that’s been plopped in the middle of a forest out of a fairytale. Everything is bright and almost unrealistically clean, like videogame graphics so advanced that they look almost real, yet somehow don’t. Verdant grass, glimmering in the sunlight, trembles at a light gust of wind. Mighty trees like nothing I’ve ever seen in my truck driving days tower around the roughly quarter mile area, ringing us like guardians. The birds I heard earlier trill and chase each other across an emerald sky blotted with perfect, puffy clouds. Between the boles of the trees, there’s slow, unconcerned movement; I spot deer, rabbits, and other animals hunting for food or a mate. The clearing itself is flat and perfect, disarming in its beauty and lack of threat.

  It’s like heaven on Earth.

  Which is exactly why I leap up like we’re about to be attacked, reaching for my power.

  The others are up almost as quickly as me. Without speaking, we go back to back, ready for whatever’s about to come at us. It’s instinctual; after the shit we’ve gone through, I know I’m not the only one that expects the worst.

  “Is this our destination?” Syl asks, crouched low. I heave a mental sigh of relief as she runs a claw through the perfect blades of grass. We can still understand her. “Or is this another trick of the Citadel?”

  “Not sure,” Mika says, fists dripping bits of flame that hiss and pop against the grass, “but this definitely looks like every starting zone of an MMO that I’ve ever played.” Her bruises are gone and her body’s repaired, and when she brushes her long hair back her ear’s in one piece.

  I feel better, too, though standing naked in a place like this feels somehow way more profane than back on the Citadel.

  “We’re not on the Citadel anymore.” Astra takes a few steps away from us, looking up to the sky. She’s perfectly still, hands clasped to her chest.

  “Astra, are you well?” Syl takes a slow step toward her, scanning the tree line. “Do you see something?”

  No response. I move up behind her, the first tendril of fear slithering into my heart. “Astra?” All her worries about leaving the Citadel, about being tethered to it and being a part of it surface in my memories. What if the transfer jacked her programming? What if only half of her made it through?

  What if she’s not herself?

  Suddenly, Astra laughs, spinning in place and wrapping me tight. “Sam… I’m free!”

  Tension drains slowly, and I relax my grip on my power as I take her up in my arms and spin her around. I know we look like the poster for some cheesy romcom, but I can’t help it. Her joy is so infectious and her laughter so pure. I set her down, grinning like an idiot. “Yup. Welcome to the real world.” I glance at the too-perfect forest around us. “Kind of.”

  Mika takes her turn, wrapping the AI in a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Astra.”

  The AI wipes tears from her eyes. “I never thought… I never imagined that I could… I dreamed of this for so long.” She takes both our hands, squeezing tight. “I owe you more than I can possibly repay.”

  “I might be able to think of a few ways…” I grin.

  Mika smacks my shoulder. “Seriously? You’re interrupting this moment of pure bliss with cheesy one liners?”

  “I like his one liners,” Astra says, smiling radiantly.

  “Yeah, I guess I do, too.” Mika winks at her. “Can’t let him know that, though. Rule one of keeping them hungry.”

  “Hungry?” Astra blinks. “Do you mean when he uses his tongue to–”

  “Anyway!” Mika crosses her arms over her bare chest. Being naked doesn’t seem to bother her much, making her light blush at Astra’s words way more adorable. “Maybe we oughta figure out our next move?”

  “My next move?” I lean in and kiss her, swallowing her surprised gasp. She’s just as delicious as I remember, her breath fresh with the light taste of strawberries. She moans as I run my fingers along the back of her neck, holding her tight for a few stolen moments.

  When I pull away, her eyes are closed, and she doesn’t open them. “That… Was a good next move.”

  “Didn’t have time to tell you how much I missed you,” I whisper. “How worried I was.”

  She buries a soft laugh at my chest. “I love you, Sam.”

  “Still want to bring home your handsome American boyfriend?”

  Mention of her parents stills her, but she shakes it off and looks up with a half-smile. “Definitely. Though… I’m not sure how to explain all this. They’d probably kill me before I got ten words in.” She waves to the others. They stand at a respectful distance; Syl looks hungry and amused, Astra still beaming but with the slightest jealous crinkle at the corners of her eyes.

  “Hey, after everything you… We’ve… been through,” Astra says, “how tough can they be?”

  “You’ve never met them.” Mika actually looks a bit terrified at the prospect.

  “We will, somed–”

  Behind us, something suddenly crackles like lightning. We spin, instantly at alert as the smell of ozone assaults us.

  Some kind of portal rips open in a cascade of miniature lightning bolts, and the air tears itself in half. For a moment, I’m sure it’s the Shepherd, that’s he’s found a way to follow us. Desperate, I look around for something to use as a weapon, something I can pick up and hurl with my power, but there’s nothing. Syl darts forward like lightning, claws glinting in the sunlight, and Mika’s not far behind, arms fully aflame. Astra and I follow, her arm thinning into a silver blade as I reach for the portal with my mind. Maybe it’s not too late to close it.

  The rift expands, shines so bright that for a moment I’m blinded. This is it. Syl shouts an alien war cry and leaps…

  Only to skid to a halt, feet digging deep furrows in the grass, as something else pops out of the portal.

  “What the…”

  Some kind of half human, half tiger stands before us, stretching. He’s shorter than Mika, but powerful muscles ripple beneath golden fur that’s striated by black stripes. His face is catlike, sporting a powerful muzzle and razor teeth, but his eyes are human, as are his hands and feet. He wears nothing more than a canvas loincloth.

  We wait in a semicircle around him about ten feet away, waiting.

  Finally, he opens his eyes, yawning. He pauses when he notices us. “Uh, can I help you?”

  It’s so incongruous, so unexpected, that I’m speechless. I glance to the girls, but they look as baffled as I am.

  “Okay… So, if you fuckin’ weirdos are just gonna stare, Imma head out.” Tiger Man steps gingerly between us, eyeing Mika as he passes. “Nice tits,” he quips before he lopes off, headed for a break in the tree line.

  “What the hell was that?” I ask, following his progress until he’s nothing but a golden blur disappearing into the brush. It occurs to me that I didn’t even think to cover my nakedness. That I can’t make myself care after everything we’ve been through.

  “That… was CashMoney420,” Mika says almost to herself. “Level 1.”

  “I’m not sure I want to know what that means. Or whether I should go beat his ass for that last remark.”


  “Very gallant.”

  Astra adjusts her glasses, fingers around the lenses like she’s shifting the zoom on binoculars. Shit, knowing her, she might be. “How did you know his name? And… Level?”

  Mika shakes her head, then shrugs. “I could see it. Above his head.”

  “Wait,” I say, feeling ridiculously slow on the uptake. “That was… An actual person? Some random dude…”

  “Playing from home. And I guess it’s like on the… Back there. I could just see his information. You guys couldn’t?” She doesn’t wait for us to shake our heads. “Never mind that.” Mika smiles, a tentative curve of her lips. “Don’t you see what this means? We made it. We’re in Lifestream.”

  “That’s…” For a moment, my knees feel weak. I suddenly understand what Astra felt a few minutes ago. We’re out. Off the Citadel.

  I can’t help but laugh. “We did it.”

  Astra beams. “I told you!”

  Syl straightens next to us, and even her signature calm breaks. “I never doubted it.” The scales around her eyes soften. “For the most part.”

  Mika shakes her head. “I need like fifteen alcohols.”

  “This looks like a fantasy setting.” I point toward the tree line where CashMoney420 vanished. “Let’s go find us an inn. Tavern. Something.”

  “I’ve never had an alcohol.” Astra smacks her lips. “Time to change that.”

  “Oh man, I make the best Manhattan. And I think we all deserve to get bombed right about now. Except you, Syl. I know it doesn’t hit you.”

  “That is fine, Sam.” Her tongue flicks out toward me, dragging through the air languidly. “I know how to find other amusement.”

  My breath tightens. I glance at the others. Astra, watching me avidly and biting her lip. Mika, naked and not hiding it, black and purple hair feathering her shoulders in the breeze. Syl, scales glittering, drawing the eye to every perfect curve as she screws me with her eyes.

  “Yeah, let’s go find that tavern,” I whisper, mind whirling with possibility. Lust slowly falls away as I watch them watching me, and then I step forward, holding them all close. We embrace in a kind of awkward four-way hug, and for some reason I have to choke back a sob. “I’m so… So happy we made it. I’m so damned lucky.”

  “You’re lucky?” Mika kisses my cheek. “What about us?”

  “Yes.” Astra’s voice is quiet like she still can’t believe she’s here. “I never thought… Dreamed I’d find someone like you, Sam.”

  “Me?” I shake my head where it rests against three others.

  “Yes,” Syl says. “You are gallant. And courageous. Worthy of taking as a mate.”

  “Love,” Mika giggles. “She means love.”

  “I still can’t believe it.” I straighten, breath catching again at how breathtaking they are in the daylight. “But I’m definitely not gonna argue.”

  “Good.” Mika’s finger lights with the tiniest flame, and she brings it close enough to my chest that I feel its heat. Her eyes glitter with mischief. “Don’t make me teach you the hard way.”

  “Okay. Maybe I’ll argue a little.”

  Our laughter’s interrupted by another crackle. We turn, calm this time, standing close as we watch another new player pop into existence. It’s a woman this time, human. Her dark skin is flawless, her proportions impossibly thick, and her thick black hair bounces as she lands in the grass. It’s not the only part of her that does, and the nondescript brown cloth she wears barely hides tits that seem to jiggle for way longer than is necessary.

  I raise an eyebrow, then dart a glance at Mika.

  “Valistrad,” she whispers.

  I step forward. Maybe we can make a friend. Get some information. “Hey… Valistrad. Nice to meet you. I’m–”

  “Fucking bitch,” Valistrad growls. “Piece of shit bitchass motherfucker asshole.”

  “Ah…” I take a step back. Hands up. “Sorry?”

  “Fucking… Not you.” Dark eyes rake across us then dismiss almost instantly. “Fucking shitbag Obsidians. Ganked me up in Northward.” She slumps. “Months of work on this toon. Fucking months. Gone.”

  “Sorry,” I say, not sure what the hell we’re talking about.

  “Whatever. Gonna head back to Acheryx. Get a drink. Find someone to screw.” She eyes Mika, gaze lingering on her chest. “If you wanna join me… My guild’s small, nothing like those fuckass Obsidians, but there are perks.” She licks her lips.

  Mika crosses her arms. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Valistrad shrugs. “You’re all welcome. Except her,” she says, pointing at Syl. “Not sure why anyone’d choose a fuckin’ Threv for a toon, but whatever. Maybe you’re a masochist.”

  Syl’s face is granite, betraying nothing, but I know her well enough to read her alien eyes.

  She’s worried.

  “Uh,” Astra says, hands up. “Can we ask you a few questions?”

  “Sure, whatever.” Valistrad rolls her shoulders, then makes some kind of complex motion with her fingers. A blade of ice materializes in her hand. She waves it at us. “God. Level 22, can you believe it? Now this is the only spell I have.” She grinds her teeth. “Obsidian. I’m gonna fuck their throats with this thing. And then I’m gonna buy one of those teabag mods,” she rants, “you know, the really big ones. And I’m gonna drop those hairy ass balls on an Obsidian head so hard that–”

  “Ah, Valistrad,” I interrupt, absolutely certain I don’t want to know anything about teabag mods. Especially on a girl. “Questions?”

  “Yeah, what?” she snaps, like we’re the ones rambling about throat fucking.

  Mika steps forward. “We just need information. We’re new here, and–”

  “Wait, seriously?” This is the first thing that’s really grabbed Valistrad’s attention. She takes us in again, more avidly this time. “Newbs? No way.”

  “Yes,” I say. “I mean, we know of Lifestream, but we’ve never played.”

  “Well fuck me,” she says, shaking her head. “That’s bonkers.”

  “Why?”

  “Just, not many new players these days.” She laughs darkly. “Goddamn Snakes only open up a few slots a month at this point. You musta got mad lucky.” Her eyes narrow, flick back to Syl who’s standing further away from the rest of us. “Or you did same favors.”

  “Let’s go with lucky,” Mika says, giving me a warning look.

  “Whatever,” Valistrad repeats, already losing interest. “What do you need? I won’t have chips til I’m back with my guild, so don’t ask.”

  “Chips are money?” Mika asks, arms still hiding her chest.

  Valistrad nods. “Yeah, duh. Goddamn, you guys are gonna have to play a lot of catchup.” She straightens the scrap of material that’s strapped across her chest, then turns toward the clearing exit. “Look, I don’t have time to play teacher to kids who don’t even know how to wipe their ass. Just remember: get to Acheryx ASAP. Chips are power. Also, power is power. Be careful; don’t forget that it’s one and done around here. Level through this newb shit as fast as you can.” She starts off, then pauses, running a finger down Mika’s cleavage. “Don’t forget my offer, sweetie.” Then she’s off, calling over her shoulder. “And stay the fuck away from Obsidian.”

  “Wait, what’s an Obsidian?” Mika asks.

  Valistrad doesn’t answer. In moments she disappears into the trees at the same spot Cashmoney did.

  We’re quiet a long moment, just absorbing the insanity of what we’ve just witnessed.

  “Well.” Astra huffs. “That was irritating.”

  “Also helpful,” Mika says. “We can definitely glean a few things if we filter out the curse words.”

  “What did she say? ‘One and done?’ That didn’t seem promising,” I say, still watching the spot Valistrad passed through.

  “Yeah. Along with what she said about losing progress when she appeared…” Mika swallows. “Permadeath.”

  Syl crouches, balanced on the balls of h
er feet. “I will assume that the words have implications beyond the obvious.”

  Mika bends over, snapping a blade of grass off at the base. “No, not really. In a game, it usually means that if you die, you stay dead.” She rips the blade in half, letting its pieces drift back to the ground. “In a game like this, that usually means you have to start over from scratch. Game over, man.”

  My throat goes dry. “What does that mean for us? I mean… We’re not players with bodies at home. We’re…”

  Mika nods. “Yeah. We’d better be careful.”

  For a moment, the enormity of all this is overwhelming. We have no idea what we’re doing, no idea how to get beyond Lifestream and into Homeworld, and don’t even know where to start.

  The girls look similarly lost.

  “Hey,” I say, mustering confidence I don’t feel. “We’re good. We escaped the Citadel. We’re the first that ever have. We can handle this place.”

  “You’re right.” Astra straightens. “We’ll be careful. Avoid conflict. Won’t pick fights. And if we have to…” Her fingers liquefy, reforming into five wickedly tiny blades.

  I flex my arms, making a fist. “I think I’m as strong as when I left the Citadel. And as for the other thing?” I take the power and throw it at the closest tree like a first. Wood splinters as a hammer blow of energy knocks a hole right through the center of its thick trunk. Orange and green leaves rain down as the tree groans before slowly falling, smashing into the underbrush with a roar.

  “Impressive,” Syl says, unphased. “Perhaps not the best move, tactically, but it is good to know that the upgrades instilled by the Citadel are intact.”

  “Yeah, isn’t that kind of… Weird?” Mika flicks a droplet of flame from fingertip to fingertip. “I mean, the Citadel had rules. Doesn’t this place, too?”

  “No, it makes sense,” Astra says. “You exist only as data, now.”

  “Thanks for reminding us.”

  Astra hesitates. “I’m sorry… Was I wrong to say–”

  “No, no,” Mika interrupts. “My bad. Just… It takes awhile to wrap your mind around the fact that you’re basically dead.”