by Dave Austin
They were all sitting at the table. Emma removed a chair from another table and asked me to sit down. It had been about three hours since I had started in the game. She was right. I hadn't even realized how fast the time was going. A bartender, an NPC who looked like he was already in his 40s, with wrinkled skin and hairy eyebrows, limped up to us and asked if we wanted anything.
"Toni, bring a glass of liquor for our new partner here," Kendra said and elbowed me in the ribs almost taking my breath away.
The men's voices on the other table rose. Apparently, someone had cheated. They began to shove themselves; some soon wielded their weapons and one of the glass cups fell and broke into dozens of pieces.
"Quietly! We're working on something important. Go get some fresh air." Jany yelled and they all put down their guns.
They apologized and sat down again, returning to the game, this time speaking softly as if they were confessing and didn't want anyone else to hear.
"Someday they'll turn on you." The black girl told her.
"I want to see that, Carly," Jany answered her and closed her fist, stretching her arm to show the mountain of muscles she had on her shoulders.
"She always says this," Emma said to me and laughed, "anyway, we need to level up if we want to have any chance of getting our city back."
"So, what are we waiting for?" Mimi asked, "You never listen to me! I told you we should get out of this city and spend some time training in the outside world."
"She's right," Jany said, "there's a world out there. These days I've been away, I've been able to meet new players, explore the world, you know? This is huge. I've never played anything like it. I went up to the ice mountains and conquered some castles. It's a different experience from being here." She answered. While she was waiting for an answer, she drank a sip of tea.
"I don't know. I don't like the idea. What if then you don't want to come back?" Emma asked them.
"We all know what's at stake, Emma. We're not running away. We are, for the first time, taking action." Carly answered her. The light wind breeze that slipped through the cracks in the walls made the snails in her hair flutter, "the governor and the guards continue to go on adventures, climbing up the ladder and we're stuck here, always returning to level 1 because we don't know when to stop. It's time to try something different."
"Are you coming with us?" Emma asked me.
"Yeah, why not?" I answered her. I took a sip of the drink and the liquid burned my throat as it came down, "Together we can rank up fast, can't we?"
"Faster than usual and if you're as good as Emma is trying to make you look, we won't have much trouble reaching level 4. We need to be sure that no one dies. No one will be left behind." Mimi said.
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we will all meet here at this hour. Damn, what time is it?" Jany asked the NPC behind the counter.
"It's 5:23 pm." He answered with a metallic voice.
"Oh, no. It's late. Here at 2 pm, right? Hopefully, we can find some level 3 palace on the way. It will be a great experience for everyone."
"You haven't seen one yet, have you?" Kendra asked me.
"Palace? No. I just made my way from the bridge to here." I said, "But I'm ready."
"Nobody's going to question who he is?" Carly asked, her black eyes on me and her hand on the wooden spear that was still leaning against the chair, "don't take this the wrong way but I don't know you."
"You're suspicious of everyone, Carly." Emma said to her, "You did the same to all of them."
"And they all understood why. Where did you meet him?"
"He saved my life. Some of the squirrels gathered together and knocked me down. If it weren't for him, I'd have lost my life. He alone defeated almost six of them."
"And how did a rookie defeat six squirrels without help?" Mimi asked as she curled the ends of her hair with two of her fingers.
"He has experience in other similar games. He can help us."
"But does he want to help?" Kendra asked me, "If you want a normal game, you're within your rights, but if you want something more than that, join us."
"Well, I can't say that an adventure other than the usual doesn't captivate me. Let's do it. Yeah. I'm on vacation so I have plenty of time." I told them, avoiding telling them that I didn't even have a job.
"You're older than us, then." Carly said, "We're all college girls except for her," she added and looked at Jany.
"Yes, I'm a programmer. So, I'm usually around here, too." She said, "Well, it's all taken care of, right? I got to get going. I have a birthday dinner to go to tonight."
"Yeah. We better get going, too. Tomorrow is a new day." Mimi said, "See you tomorrow." She added before her body vanished.
One by one, the bodies disappeared until only Emma and Jany were left. The cups were already empty and the men at the next table had already left the bar. The gusts of wind crashed against the door metal and the sound flowed through the thick walls. The Bartender had placed a few candles all over the bar and the temperature was starting to rise.
"Tomorrow here at the same time? You won't forget, will you?" Emma asked me, looking at me with her big, clear eyes.
"I won't, don't worry," I answered her just before she dissipated.
"How about you? Weren’t you leaving?" I asked Jany who had ordered a second glass.
"I want to ask you something before I go, and I didn't want to do it with them here."
"What do you want? You don't seem like the kind of person who needs help from someone."
"I don't need your help, but they do." Jany said and tied her red hair up in a ponytail, "Can you come an hour early tomorrow? I want to see how you fight, and if we get lucky, we can get you to level up. I don't know if they're ready for what awaits them on the other side."
"Is it that bad?"
"A little. Even I had difficulties if it wasn't for the help of some ex-friends."
"The same ones that left and didn't come back?"
"Some, yes. Don't tell them this. People move on. They are very emotional and as one of them is my sister in real life I have to help." She answered and drank the glass to the end, "Don't ask who. I'm not talking about that. I'm going to get going. See you tomorrow."
I was left all alone in the bar. I still thought about going for a walk, but my eyes were already sore, and I figured I'd take a break. I left the game and went back to my room. The windows were still down but now the rain outside was slamming the blinds and the bolts thundered like explosions at the end of the street. I had a message from a friend inviting me out for a coffee at night. I made up an excuse not to go.
"Today I can't. I have a project to finish."
The truth was, I hadn't told anyone I had been fired. For a while, I knew I needed some time to myself and I didn’t want to waste it in places I didn't even enjoy like the nightclubs my friends love so much.
Chapter VI
I woke up with the sun's rays slipping through the blinds, illuminating my little room and the few things I had in it. Except for the bed in a corner, a small square television in a corner, and a bookcase with some fantasy books there was nothing else. I didn't spend much on unnecessary things, especially when I needed to save as much as I could if I didn't want to get thrown out of there and have to go back to live with my parents. Between lunch, some exercise, and a cold-water bath, the hours passed quickly.
When I returned to the game, I found myself in the room where I had been with Emma. The bed had been made and the room perfumed with a lavender aroma. As soon as I got down to the first floor I was greeted by the woman in the lobby. The streets were almost empty, with only one player or another walking there, and the sun still to rise. Jany was outside the bar waiting for me. I was now noticing traces of her that had escaped me the day before. Her tits tightened due to the short clothes she wore, the curvature at the end of her backside that gave way to her chubby ass, and even how she had a black dot on the iris of her right brown eye. But most of all, I noticed the ax she'd put
against her leg. The steel still shone and glistened across the surrounding walls while she held it by the brown staff.
"You're on time." She said it like she was surprised, "Let's go. The more we take advantage of it, the more chance we have of leveling up."
"What about the guards? Aren't they going to say anything because we're leaving?"
"Depends on what mood they are in. There are days when they ask where we're going, there are days when they let us pass without questions." She replied as we crossed the city, heading for the entrance, "see if you can also get enough money for a better sword. This one might break against stronger monsters."
"I'm glad you remind me of something. Why do monsters look like animals?"
"It makes the world somehow familiar, I guess. The stronger the monsters are, the less you can compare them to anything." Jany told me.
We were just a few steps from the entrance. The blacksmith was closed. A white-haired boy was smoking beside a wall and two guards, not the same as the day before, were guarding the entrance. They both had fat legs and a belly twice the size of their faces. As we left, they both looked at us. They nodded their heads but didn't stop us.
"We got lucky." She said, "I didn't want to waste time explaining to them that we were going to practice."
"We could have gone to a place with stronger monsters." I answered her and raised my sword, "I should be able to handle monsters up to level 3."
"Maybe, but I can't risk it. Do you have any HP potions?"
"One of only 20 HP. I won it by defeating one of the squirrels." I said, "Doesn't your sister realize you're here?"
"Nice. Maybe we can get some more. They'll come in handy. Hm, she probably knows. I don't know. Her room is on the other side of the house."
"Is the house that big?" I said it, and though I tried to contain it, I laughed.
After I asked the question, there was another one who decided to hang over my head. Was there any way to make money in-game? It wasn't anything new. I had already played a few where I was able to sell my inventory after giving up and still earned a lot of money.
"A little. Let's just say that our parents don't lack money." She said and walked towards the sandy ground where a group of spiders walked together like a lost herd.
"I understand. By the way, can you sell items and make real money?" I asked her on the way there.
"Yes, but it's not easy. You need to have valuable items unless you want to sell HP potions for 10 nickels."
"And to have valuable items I suppose I need to get much stronger, right?"
"Yes. Stronger castles tend to have rarer items."
"Well, then we better not waste any time," I answered her.
"You're right. You go ahead. I want to see how you fight." She said and stabbed the sharp end of the ax into the ground.
The sun rose behind her silhouette and emphasized the freckles around her nose. Unlike the brightness on the other side; the grey stripes along the lake and the bright green of the sharp herbs, on my side there was only earth, sand, and a horrible death stench. Three spiders were looking at me. Their eyes were lifeless, and their hair was wobbling with the fresh breeze that scraped their bodies. I pulled the sword out of the sheath and approached them. They didn't look away, but they didn't move either. Jany was just a few feet away from me, watching everything, waiting for me to take the first step. Killing level one monsters wouldn't be a problem, and yet being watched made me anxious. It was as if any of my movements were under absolute scrutiny. I swung the sword and in one stroke tore the body of one of the spiders in half. The bar of experience points continued to fill as I stepped back, spun half the body, and hit another spider. Before I could even attack the last one, she ran away and vanished through the dunes. Nice. I had just won 40 experience points. Only more 160 to level up.
"Not bad, huh?" I said, turning to Jany.
"Yeah, not bad. One got away."
"And what's the problem? It's not like I can't kill her if I want to."
"The problem? Look ahead."
Oh, shit. No. A spider three times as big, level 3, accompanied by dozens of level 1, was marching towards us.
"She went to call for help? I've never seen a game like this before." I said, still looking at what looked like a black wave about to swallow me.
"The monsters in this game are intelligent. AI is learning as time goes by. You can't let any monster run away. Now let's get out of here."
"You mean, run away? Not a chance. We stay here and defeat them."
"You must know how to choose your battles. We can't risk dying or having to spend HP potions unnecessarily." Jany said, "quick."
"I don't like this at all, not a bit. I've never fled away from a good battle, Jany." I answered her as I followed her to the other side of the marble road.
"Don't you think I'd like to stay there and fight? I can't just think of myself." She said, raising her voice.
"Maybe you should. You can't protect them forever!" I told her and I walked over to her. The freckles had expanded into the cheeks and her teeth were tingling.
"You don't know what you're saying. They would have died quickly without me."
"What about when, one day, you're not there? They won't know how to protect themselves, is that what you want?" I said, this time it was me who raised the voice.
Our bodies were glued to each other and saliva spatter stained our faces. The sun was shining even brighter on the horizon. There was almost a spark attracting us to each other and the chemistry we had was undeniable. I wanted to undress her there, to do with her what I wanted, and I wanted her to sail through my body as if I were just the waves where she was allowed to embark on adventures.
"Come with me." She said and grabbed my arm, dragging me to a slope behind a hill that sheltered us from unwanted looks.
Chapter VII
We had a privileged view of the crystalline blue lake and the sun's rays dazzled our vision. I couldn't see her face except for the shy smile in the corner of her mouth and part of her upper teeth.
"What are we doing here?" I asked her.
"Whatever we want." She said, moments before she kissed me. Unlike Emma, she had slightly thinner, drier lips and still bit my lower lip before moving away, "that's much better."
"You shouldn't have stopped." I told her and walked up to her, "Too bad we don't have a blanket." I whispered in her ear.
"Who says we don't?" Jany answered me and took a white blanket out of her pocket and laid it on the meadow, "The pockets are endless. You can take whatever you want out of them as long as you think about it. It's like a bag in any other game."
I laid her on the ground and positioned myself on top of her, serving as a shadow. She was licking her lips and taking a deep breath while I sensed her heart beating faster.
"Are we going to do it here?" I asked, "I'm used to games where we can only fuck in dungeons or other specific places. Not that I ever tried it."
"Not here. Here you do what you want, and right now I want to do it to you. Come on, let's not waste time." She said, and she took my straw shirt off.
She was much stronger than me. Her hands were squeezing my body towards her until my bones almost snapped.
"Good way to avoid the conversation," I told her while she was filling my face with kisses.
"We can stop, if that's what you want."
"You're funny," I said to her, "let's stop wasting time."
She turned me over easily and stood on top of me, placing her hands on top of my arms and holding me to the ground. Her tits nearly suffocated me, and her butt swayed over my pants. The game was starting to get better than real life. There was hope there. While in real life, I spent my days at home, with occasional outings, there was a vast world to explore. I didn't need money, passports, anything. I could do anything I wanted and if it went wrong I'd be back home unscathed in my cozy room.
Jany took my shirt off and kissed my body. She was leaving her lipstick contour along the way. The hands moved
to my chest and massaged it until the lips reached my navel.
"You're already pumped up, aren't you?" She asked, fulminating me with a penetrating look and a sensual smile.
"Yeah, hurry up," I told her, and I started taking off my belt.
When I lowered my pants, she had already moved away from me and was standing next to me, her hand sliding down my body and into my boxers. She started by kissing my neck as her hand went up and down according to my breathing. My length grew until it couldn't fit in one hand.
"You're huge." She told me. I laughed and thanked her.
She got up and took off her pants until she was just wearing a pink thong and her sweater over her. She knelt beside me and slid her lips down my dick until she was no longer able. By a few centimeters, she hasn't reached the end. Saliva was dripping down her mouth, but I couldn't get my eyes out of her panties up her ass while her head was bobbing up and down and her body was inclined at an angle of almost 45 degrees.
The drool fell on the white sheet and slid down my legs. My heart rate was high as fuck. A breeze of fresh air spun through the atmosphere and a few drops of water splattered my feet and ankles. Jany smelled like camellias, but the air I inhaled was the scent of wet grass.
She didn't stop blowing me even though she gagged several times, even when she could barely breathe. She even used her tongue on the tip while her mouth handled the rest. She was great at what she did. Leveling up was now just a thought in the back of my head. We would have time for that but within an hour we would be surrounded by the other girls and we wouldn't have time for ourselves. She climbed on top of me and wiggled her ass. At first, slow and sexy. She was so wet that I easily got inside her. It wasn't as tight as Emma, but it was still cozy.
Jany didn't stop. She was swinging back and forth, up and down, scratching my chest, moaning as loudly as possible to the point where some of the squirrels ran away in fear. I looked up and only saw her tits pounding on her chin and chest, the sun glistening over us, and the sweat dripping down her soft skin. Our moans merged. They were an orchestra about to reach its climax. I pulled her close to me until she was lying on top of my body and her nipples rubbed against my chest. My hands surrounded her, one in the ass and one in the back, and I fucked her as hard as I could until I could no longer hold it anymore. She'd already come once, and the second time was getting closer. As soon as I finished inside her, I felt her pussy muscles twitching and clenching around my dick. My breathing was out of control. I even had to take a very deep breath before I talked.