by Alyson Belle
But now with Vierdimin’s curse hanging over the whole game, there was none of that “return to normalcy” nonsense. It had been weeks that I’d been stuck in this feminine avatar now—talking in a high-pitched voice, getting used to my new height, being treated and spoken to as a woman by PCs and NPCs alike. I’d gone to sleep in a silk nightgown that tickled my sensitive skin in all the right ways to make me wet between my legs, and I’d had more dicks in all of my available holes than I’d ever imagined would be a possibility. I knew intimately what it felt like to have my pussy stretched out six ways from Sunday, and it didn’t even feel weird any more to say “my” pussy. For better or worse, I’d been experiencing life as a really slutty chick, 24/7, for long enough that it might be rewiring my thought patterns a little. That made me feel really weird about what would happen when I eventually returned to my body. Would it be an issue? Would I just forget these things like a bad dream?
For that matter, how did I even know I could get back into my body? Topper had said most of us had been disconnected from the game and were stuck in comas at the hospital. What was forming new memories and learning how to use this new body and these new skills if my brain was unjacked from Fantasy Realms Online in real life? And what made me think I’d ever be able to get myself back into my own head?
All of these thoughts were really uncomfortable, and I couldn’t afford to go spiraling into despair by assuming the worst possible answers when I didn’t know the first thing about how Vierdimin had modified the game. Instead, I decided to focus on the one thing I could control—playing my class well so that I could rescue my friends, level up, and solve these problems together.
I remembered now that I had some more skills I’d hardly even looked at while I was busy leveling, and I distracted myself from my gloomy reflections by pulling up my skills menu and taking a closer look at them. I’d never taken a comprehensive look at my class with an eye toward developing my character before, and it was high time to get serious about learning to play my class.
Lacey
Courtesan - Lv. 45
Str: 3
Dex: 9
Agi: 9
Sta: 3
Int: 3
Wis : 3
Cha: 24
Specialization: Mesmer
Active Skill List
Hide - Lv 4
Charm - Lv 50
Seduce - Lv 50
Kama Sutra (based on Seduce Skill)
Motorboat (based on Seduce Skill)
Vejazzle (based on Charm Skill)
(Mesmer) Sexy Shadow (based on Illusion Magic Skill)
Passive Skill List
Magical Devices - Lv 11
(Mesmer) Illusion Magic - Lv 7
Trait List
Unintimidating
Sex Appeal
(Mesmer) Charisma Caster
(Mesmer) Illusionist
I was pleased that the three advanced skills I’d received, Kama Sutra , Motorboat , and Vejazzle , all appeared to be branching skills based on the core Seduce and Charm class skills I’d already leveled up. I tapped on them, one after the other, to read the descriptions and get a better sense of what they each did. Fantasy Realms Online was funny about that—the devs seemed to think it made the game more fun and realistic to leave an air of mystery around specific skill numbers and impact, so at best you were given generic ideas about what the skills were capable of, and then you were left to figure out the myriad of ways you could actually apply the skills in the game world.
That was the case with these three descriptions, too:
Kama Sutra: The courtesan applies her physical prowess to her ongoing Seduce target, entangling them and pinning them down in a way that totally restricts movement and disengagement.
Motorboat: The courtesan encourages her ongoing Seduce target to motorboat her breasts, temporarily stunning her target with the force of the smacks from her huge boobs and allowing a safe disengagement. (Male courtesans receive Cock Slap in lieu of this skill.)
Vejazzle: The courtesan’s nether region is adorned with brightly flashing gems, and revealing it has a chance to dazzle and stun all targets in the immediate vicinity.
It was actually nice that they left things a little vague, since unlike the days of 2D online games on screens where you’d tab-target a mob and press a button to deal damage or apply an affect, full-immersion virtual reality games were much more physics-based and sandboxy. Giving the player instructions on how to use their skills was more limiting than giving them an idea of what the skill was supposed to do and letting them experiment, which was how we came up with ideas like Erlix’s multi-level marketing pyramid sex scheme.
That meant that I’d just have to experiment with these to find out the best way to use them. All three of them seemed like they were designed to give me more options to lock down or stun opponents in addition to just charming and seducing them, which was great, and went well with my illusion magic (pitiful as it was). I could see that this class was really shaping up to be a controller/commander archetype—an extremely powerful team support character in most classic online games.
Now this is something I can work with. I always thought courtesans were just horny bimbos and sex-crazed weirdos. I mean, most of them probably are, but it’s nice to see that the devs had an idea for this class that was more than just pervy fun… it’s pervy fun with a side of real game effectiveness.
The realization made me feel better about being Lacey than I’d felt since I’d been captured by the orc king. I’d spent so much time moaning about how useless my stupid, female courtesan was, that I hadn’t taken the time to realize how I could be effective.
I closed my inventory screen and stared at my hands with a new appreciation. Okay, Kromgorn. You might be a girl, and your primary tools might be Charisma and attraction, but you’re still a great player. You can do this!
Erlix interrupted my mental pep talk with a sudden hiss and a tug on my hand, pulling me down into a crouch behind a leafy bush the color of a fading sunset.
“What is it?” I whispered.
He drew his daggers and nodded ahead of us on the path. I sucked in a breath and crouched lower. There was a 7-ft tall humanoid standing in the middle of the enchanted forest path, with a silver sword hanging at his belt and a shiny brown leather vest and loincloth. But he wasn’t any race I recognized—he had scaly, reptilian, metallic-gold skin, pointed ears, clawed hands and feet, and a thick, 3-foot tail that swished back and forth as he sniffed the air, taking careful steps toward the bush where we were hidden. Fiero, Lv. 45*** floated above his head, and the expression on the curved snout of his toothy face was alien and unreadable.
The three stars after his level told us that this was no ordinary mob—this was an ultra-rare, extra hard mob, that was equal in level to me… and he appeared to be sniffing us out while we hid. Shit, shit… what awful luck. We don’t have time for this!
“Can we run?” I asked.
Erlix hesitated, but then shook his head, speaking quietly: “He’s too close now. I think you’re up, Goldie. Good luck… I’ll hang back in case this goes south and try to surprise him, but I don’t like our odds if it comes to a fight.”
I took a deep breath, pushed my breasts up in my leather bra, and stepped out from behind the bush.
Chapter 6
As soon as I revealed myself, the creature narrowed his reptilian eyes and hissed, drawing his blade and holding the glinting point out toward me, but I wasn’t looking for a fight. I held up my hands, indicating that I was unarmed and hadn’t drawn the bow slung across my back, and froze, trying to look as innocent and nonthreatening as possible in the face of this epic mob. I knew I was leaning hard on my Unintimidating trait, and I hoped it would be enough to save me a painful and expensive trip back to Lorengarde.
“You are no member of the Fey faction,” Fiero hissed. “Identify yourself at once, fair maiden, lest I skewer you upon my blade. Your witching looks are fair indeed, but even the loveliest maid
en can spell doom for an unwary traveler.”
“I’m Lacey the Courtesan, of Lorengarde, on a mission to rescue my friend from Dark Legion faction members here in the Fey Wild. I just want to pass in peace.”
Fiero’s eyes widened, and he sheathed his weapon, stepping toward me. Something about the set of his body hinted at an over-eager excitement.
“An adventurer! And a quite beautiful one, at that. A charisma caster, unless I miss my guess? You are the answer to my prayers, sweet maiden!”
I blushed at his compliments, slightly annoyed at how everyone was always falling over themselves to tell me how pretty I was—they just wanted to get into my pants. Although given his 3-star mob rating, Fiero would probably be worth a bucketload of XP if I could land a Charm or Seduce on him. The situation wasn’t desperate or tense enough for that yet, though, and a failed charm attempt could end up enraging him.
“What prayers are those?” I asked cautiously. I was starting to suspect that it was no accident we’d run into Fiero, but I didn’t have time for bullshit.
He took another step closer, looming over me by almost a full two feet of reptilian bulk, and then fell to his knees, bringing him eye-level with me. He clasped his hands in a gesture of pleading and spoke quickly.
“Please, please madam—hear my story. I am Fiero, prince of the dragonkin. Long have I waited here in the Fey Wilds for an adventurer worthy of my people. You see, I have a quest of great importance for you. See my golden scales, noble bearing, and impressive stature? For generations, my people have used magic fueled by the power of our raw charisma. But the source of our magic has been stolen.”
A side quest. He was offering me a side quest specific to my class and specialization choices. I blinked at him. This was why an ultra-rare mob had appeared directly in our path, and why he just happened to have a quest perfectly suited to my skill choices. It was a triggered event, possibly a very rare one, that only a Courtesan Mesmer would encounter in this specific zone. I’d heard rumors about things like this. Supposedly Vierdimin had encountered a similar situation and solved the quest to be rewarded with his Lich class. If I took the time to help Fiero, the rewards might be very powerful—a special weapon, a special illusion spell, a new skill. The possibilities were tantalizing, and it was almost guaranteed to be the first time anyone on the server had been offered this opportunity.
But meanwhile, time was counting down in the real world toward a possible shutdown scenario, Topper and Jazzus were still captured, and Vierdimin was likely working to secure more power for himself with every passing day.
“Give me the short version,” I said. “What do I have to do to help you?”
“A lass of your beauty, ample body, but small intellect surely requires a most detailed accounting—”
“The short version,” I insisted, annoyed once again at NPCs constantly referencing my low intelligence stat. They can’t help it, I reminded myself.
Fiero sighed, clearly disappointed that he wasn’t going to get to tell the story he’d been spinning up into. “The Fey King has stolen the Fabulous Orb of the Dragonkin Sorcerers , and I require your help to retrieve it. If you bring it back to me, my people would be most grateful and reward you handsomely!”
My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What’s the reward?”
“I cannot reveal that, madam, without revealing the secrets of my people.”
Of course not. That would be too easy.
“And you’ll just wait here for my return?”
He shook his head. “I would accompany you, of course, though ancient magics prevent me from entering the tower of the Fey Nobility itself. I can lead you on a direct path to it.”
“Where?”
He raised his clawed, scaly hand and pointed into the wilderness… exactly in the direction that Erlix and I needed to go to find Topper. I chewed my lip, considering my options. An armed, 7-foot dragonkin escort that could take us straight through the undergrowth would be pretty useful as opposed to looping around on the relative safety of the path, and if I had the chance to secure a powerful item or spell for my class in the meantime, it might be worth accepting his stupid quest.
“Erlix! What do you think?”
The halfling unstealthed a few yards away. “He’s big, but I think you can fit him in. It’s not like he has a halfling-sized cock.”
My cheeks grew hot with the implication, and I squirmed in place.
“That’s not what I meant! Should I accept his quest?” I wasn’t going to make any more unilateral decisions unless I had to after the Mesmer debacle.
Erlix considered while Fiero looked me over with newfound interest, and I realized that he’d be just as susceptible to my Sex Appeal trait as he’d been to my Unintimidating trait. It was pretty weird having everyone around you trying to bang you all the time when you’d spent most of your life being the one trying to do the banging. But it felt so good when they did it in this body that I was already feeling a little turned on and tingly at the idea of lifting up Fiero’s loincloth and seeing what the dragonkin was packing under there…
“Sure, if it takes us that direction anyway,” Erlix decided, rescuing me from my embarrassing yearnings. Thinking about Fiero’s cock had not been the right decision, because I was getting seriously hot and bothered now. Had I developed some kind of sex addiction when we had me banging dudes day in and day out for the better part of a week? That was inconvenient… I crossed my legs and tried not to think about how good sexual release would feel right now.
“I accept your quest, Fiero,” I choked out, hoping neither of them could tell how turned on I was.
“Excellent!” Fiero declared, eyes blazing. A small flashing indicator popped up in the corner of my HUD, and I opened it to confirm that I now had a new quest: The Hunt for the Dragon Orb . Interesting.
“Let’s get a move on—” I began, but cut off as Fiero crouched low.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Erlix asked, dropping into stealth as a precautionary measure.
I peered around and did suddenly hear rustling in the bushes nearby.
“Fey assassins!” Fiero declared. “They’ve been tracking me, knowing I’d seek help… no doubt they’ll plague us every step of the way. Please, protect me!”
I groaned, immediately regretting accepting his quest. Of course it wouldn’t be that simple to just walk to the Fey King’s tower and retrieve the orb. I’d probably just signed us up for numerous attacks and complications. If this quest was as epic as it sounded, it would probably expect me to have come with a full group, too. Not just with a horny rogue 10 levels below me. I started to draw my bow, but realized how useless it would be as six, cloaked figures with Fey Assassin - Level 40 floating above them emerged from the bushes, daggers glinting in the sunlight. We needed my abilities more than my arrows right now!
It was super annoying that Fiero wasn’t even going to help us fight… a 3-star rare NPC would make a big difference in the battle, but it was normal for quest NPCs to avoid combat. There was no way Erlix and I could kill six level 40 NPCs on our own though! I ground my teeth in frustration, once again anticipating a quick (and expensive) trip back to the Lorengarde soulbinder.
Unless… My eyes flicked back to Fiero, standing in a defensive crouch with his sword drawn. Normally you were supposed to defend the escort NPC, but he seemed unusually strong, and if he ended up dying it wouldn’t be that big of a deal for us anyway. Time to try a little gamble.
I took a few steps toward Fiero, who flinched back from me as the short, delicate assassins approached. “What are you doing? They’ll be on us at any moment! Cast your buffs! Prepare to fight!”
“ Charm ,” I whispered, blowing a kiss at him and praying that he didn’t have any special dragon resists. My Charm skill worked on one PC and one NPC at a time—there was no way I was going to release my charm on Vierdimin, but it was high time I found myself a new charmed pet!
Fiero got a dreamy, far-eyed stare in
his eyes, but then his expression darkened and he tightened his grip on his sword, crouching down further. “What was that?” he cried. “Protect me, don’t cast spells on me!”
He’d resisted. I felt a dropping sensation in the pit of my stomach and a cold chill run over me. Uh-oh. I’d counted on that working. Now we’re really boned… The cooldown on Charm was well over a minute, and we didn’t have it. The Fey assassins bore down on us, going for me despite my Unintimidating trait since I was the only visible offensive threat.
“Having those Seductress perks would be nice right about now, huh Goldie?” Erlix said tensely from stealth. I could see his outline hovering back in the bushes since we were grouped, but he’d only get one ambush. “Hope you have some more tricks up your sleeve!”
I hopped backwards as the first assassin reached me and tried a savage downward cut, narrowly avoiding his blade, and almost lost my balance. The Fey people might be on the small side, hardly bigger than Erlix, but those daggers looked wicked sharp! I steadied myself and did the only thing I could think of: I yanked the knot on the laces holding my breasts in place, releasing the leather bra and letting them bounce out free and exposed. Immediately I activated my Seduce skill, trying to catch all six of the assassins at once. A feeling of freedom washed over me as the constricting leather fell away, and I took a deep breath and sighed happily, letting my sexy, impressive bosom rise and fall with the motion of my chest. It felt so good to bare them in the warmth of the glade, despite the danger.
My exposed chest had the desired, immediate effect. All six of the Fey assassins froze in place, wide-eyed, captivated by my breasts. I grabbed them and started massaging them, wiggling my hips and dancing in place. “Ooh, ahh, yeah…” I moaned, trying to think fast. Seduce worked best when you got into the performance, even if I felt ridiculous acting like a stripper in front of a bunch of cloaked assassins half a foot shorter than I was.
