Alpha World Book One: Gamer for Life

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Stacia pulled Karen down for another kiss, “Thanks.”

  “Well, no more waiting I guess. Do you mind if I log out here?” Karen asked, still partially draped over Alburet.

  “It costs a kiss for that to be approved,” Alburet chuckled. Karen chuckled as well before she kissed him deeply. Just as his arm snaked up to embrace her she vanished into thin air, leaving him feeling disappointed. “Oh, that little fucking mynx.”

  Stacia snuggled closer to him, “Feel free to use me in her stead.”

  Turning his head, he leaned in and kissed her. He broke the kiss a minute later, “I think it’s time for bed now.” He turned and wrapped Stacia up in a tight embrace, pulling her back to his front and nuzzled her neck. “Good night, oh fair maid.”

  “Good night, sir,” Stacia replied as she relaxed into the spoon.

  Alburet woke gradually to the warmth and sensation of Stacia between his legs, sucking him. He shuddered at her expert work, giving in and enjoying the sensations washing through him. He wondered briefly if he hadn’t actually died in jail and was now experiencing heaven or a close approximation of it. After a few minutes he tangled his hands in her hair so he could control what she was doing. After another few minutes he shuddered in climax as she eagerly swallowed every drop of his seed.

  Once she had cleaned him thoroughly, which sent aftershocks of pleasure through him, she slid up his body to gently lay astride him. “Morning, sir. I hope ya enjoyed the wakeup call,” she said as she peeked at him through her lashes.

  “I think I could have died happy with you doing that,” he said, reaching up to caress her cheek. “Feel free to wake me like that anytime.”

  “About last night,” Stacia said, meeting his eyes fully, “I believe ya owe me any one request.” When Alburet nodded, she continued, “I then request to call ya master, in all meanings of the word, instead of sir.”

  Alburet felt his anatomy stir at her words, as being called master by a willing woman was one of his many desires. “I accept your request. I shall be your master in all things.”

  “Thank ya, master,” she whispered, her eyes bright as she leaned in and kissed him.

  As their lips touched they each felt a sharp jolt at their core, which made them pause and gaze into each other’s eyes. Alburet could see unbridled happiness and acceptance mixed with desire and need in Stacia’s. He wondered if she could see how happy her words and actions had made him even through his uncertainty at this sudden closeness that had come about so quickly.

  “Now, what nickname to give you?” Alburet murmured. “Karen is already mynx, so what to call you? So eager to be stroked, so soft and lovable, yet I feel like you could bring out claws at any time. I shall have to call you kitten. This way when you purr I know it’s for me.”

  Stacia laid her head on his chest and let out a soft purr as she nuzzled him, “Whatever master desires.”

  He brought a hand up to tangle into her hair, “Right now what I want is to be rough with you.” He smiled at her soft moan as she nipped at his chest, “I know you enjoyed the spanking the other day.”

  Two hours later he sent her down to get breakfast for them both. He lay back in the bed, closing his eyes. It had only been six days since he was thrust into this world, game, he corrected himself. Yet in that time he felt a profound sense of peace, as if he belonged here. He had made friends who weren’t judging him, but they didn’t know his past. He wondered how they would view him if they found out. He also had found someone who came very close to what he had always considered his ideal woman. On top of that, he had found a woman who would gladly spar with him then fuck his brains out to boot. He got up stretching as he did, thinking about what he should accomplish today when his mail icon started to flash.

  Message from Fluffball:

  Hey. I don’t know if you’re on, but I figure the quest chain is over with by now. I’m thinking about hitting up the goblin village. If you want to join me, just let me know, please.

  He sent her back a message that the quest chain was indeed over, but he would be glad to join her in about an hour at the portal guild. Just as he sent the message Stacia came back into the room with the food and a package. “Ya clothes from the tailor came last night. Da’ kept them behind the bar as he did nay want to disturb ya.”

  “That was nice of him. Just store them in the wardrobe for now. I’ll be heading out to hunt goblins after breakfast. I’ll probably be out for about half the day, should be back by evening,” Alburet told Stacia as she laid out breakfast for them.

  She pouted just a little, but nodded, “I understand, master. It is after all the calling of the two-souled to fight back the monsters. I just wish I could go with and help ya, but I would only be a hindrance. I will make sure everything is ready for ya return.”

  Pursing his lips, he examined her features as he placed five gold on the table, “Go out shopping. Buy whatever you wish to spend the coin on.” When she started to object he held out a hand to silence her, once she stopped he continued. “No arguments, kitten. I have never had as much personal joy as I have in the last two days. This is my way of giving back a little to you, so take it and go spend it.”

  Stacia took the coin, biting her lip as if she wanted to say something but was afraid to ask. She spoke in a rush, “Are ya really a two-souled?”

  Chuckling Alburet replied, “What makes you think I’m not?”

  “Ya do nay depart like Karen did last night. Ya have been here the last few days all the time unlike any other two-souled I’ve heard of. Ya treat all of us with courtesy like any normal folk, unlike most two-souled. Ya do nay jus’ run around demanding things of others. On top of all tha’ ya have treated me like a lady at times and nay just a bar wench .” She looked away from him as if afraid of how he might reply.

  He considered for a moment what he could say before answering her, “Stacia, my pretty little kitten, look at me please.” He waited until she met his gaze, “I am a two-souled, do not doubt that. With that said though, I am a unique two-souled. What I am about to tell you cannot be shared with anyone, even your own family. Do you agree?”

  Her eyes widened slightly, but she nodded, “On me soul, master.”

  Taking a deep breath he began, “I am a new type of two-souled. One day there will be others like me who can stay in this world for longer times but for now I believe I am the only one. Once a month I will be gone for an entire day as my soul is taken back to the other world. On that world I am helping others with an experiment, if it is successful it will help many others. All the other days I will be here in Alpha World all the time. My day of absence is about three weeks away. I will try to warn you ahead of time, but even I am not exactly sure when it will happen.”

  Stacia looked a little uncertain, “Ya will come back after the day away?”

  “Of course. I will do my very best and bend heaven and hell to make it back. Now, I must go,” he got up and began to equip his gear. “You be good, kitten. I look forward to later tonight.”

  Stacia curtsied to him, “Be safe, master. I shall be waiting.”

  He could tell she was worried but he couldn’t do anything else for her right now. He closed the distance between them, grabbing her firmly as he pulled her into an embrace and kissing her deeply. He let the kiss linger for a few minutes, then sat her down before he spun and left the room. He felt a small tug at his chest when he left, as if he was leaving a small piece of himself. Shaking it off, he nodded to Stacia’s sister behind the bar, who winked at him as he headed out to the portal guild. He was going to be a little late unless he picked up the pace, so he started to jog.

  Goblin Slaying

  As he jogged along the roads to the portal guild he saw more people running down the streets. He smirked, knowing that the majority of them would be players who had just started today. He snorted as he watched one of the new players collide with a city guard, as if he expected to be able to run through the guard. Arriving at the portal guild a few minutes later
he paused outside to take a few deep breaths before going inside. Entering, he found the waiting area full of people all talking excitedly with each other. He looked over the crowd trying to find Fluffball. He stepped towards the receptionist’s desk, wondering where Fluffball could be.

  Fluffball called out to him as he was passing the waiting area, “Al, how are you doing?”

  As the words left her mouth he got the invitation to group. Accepting the invitation, he replied to her. “Doing pretty good, Fluff. Did your business go well?”

  “Yes. Wow, I see you’ve hit level thirteen. Have you already been out to the village overrun by goblins?” She asked, joining him in line at the reception desk.

  “Yeah, been there. Even went out to the orc area yesterday to do a quest chain.”

  “Oh, got the drop off a Goblin Messenger?”

  “Yeah, that was the quest chain I sent you a message about. Too bad you missed it. Marysue asked if you had been around, by the way.”

  “Um hm. I had a couple of messages from her asking if I wanted to party up with them when I was gone. They’re both fourteen already, which is amazing. They both must be playing a lot. I’m hoping to hit twelve today myself.” Fluffball turned to the receptionist as they reached the front of the line. “Hi. Party of two for the ruined village that’s overrun by goblins.”

  A receptionist Alburet hadn’t met was manning the desk, “That will be a gold and a half each.”

  Alburet put three gold onto the desk, “I got this round, Fluff.” The receptionist took the gold and bade them wait in the waiting area. As they got out of the way for the next in line, Alburet offered his arm to Fluff, “Shall we?”

  Fluffball smiled broadly, grooming one of her ears momentarily before taking his arm, “I see you are still the gentleman.”

  “Always treat the women you are with as ladies while in public. It’s been one of my mottos for some time.” Alburet replied as he led her to the waiting area and looked for a seat. He found a single chair off to the side and quickly took her to it. “Please, sit,” he said as he swept his free hand at the chair.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t feel right taking the only seat,” Fluff said.

  “Well, you can have the chair or I can take it then pull you into my lap,” Alburet said without thinking about who he was with.

  Fluff’s eyes went wide as she looked at him in shock, her cheeks red under the fur. She groomed one of her ears nervously as they stood in front of the seat in silence for a second. Alburet realized what he had just said and to whom and winced internally.

  “Err, yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’ve been hanging around with some different people over the last few days. It seems my mouth to brain filter is off at the moment.” Alburet felt his cheeks tinge slightly in embarrassment for having caused Fluff to be discomfited.

  “No, no, it’s okay. You won’t do anything if I take the seat, right?” Her voice was full of uncertainty.

  “I will not lay a finger on you without your approval,” Alburet replied, gesturing to the seat.

  Fluff sat down, keeping her eyes on him as she did. A silence fell between them for a time, each of them trying to think of a way to break the awkward moment.

  “So,” Alburet finally said, “I’ve been a little curious, so I might as well ask you. Why are you so nervous or embarrassed when I make the occasional remark?” He kept his tone level, laced with the warmth of one friend concerned for another. Fluffball looked away from him, her cheeks turning red again. When he saw that he quickly continued, “I mean, you don’t have to answer. I was just curious.”

  Her voice just barely loud enough to be heard over all the other conversations she replied, “Social anxiety, mostly. It’s one of the reasons I started playing mmorpgs.”

  Alburet sank down to one knee beside her, gently placing a hand on hers on the arm of the chair. When she looked over at him with her eyes full of worry he smiled gently at her. “I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable. I will do my best to curtail my sexual comments, okay?”

  Her hand trembled slightly and she licked her lips nervously, “You aren’t trying to embarrass or hurt me with them though, so it’s okay. I know that you’re safe to be with which helps me get used to how a lot of other people act. So don’t change anything you are doing, it will only help me in the long run.”

  He reached up and rubbed her ear gently, “As you wish, Fluff.”

  She froze momentarily when he touched her ear then, pushed her head into his hand purring. He chuckled softly as he continued to rub her ear, “Gods, you do cute really well.”

  Fluff blushed crimson, but purred even louder as she rubbed her head into his hand. Minutes went by, each of them quite content as they waited for the portal mage. Eventually the mage showed up and led them to the portal room. Fluff went through as Alburet tipped the mage, then he followed after her.

  Appearing in the ruined inn, Fluff was waiting for him so he buffed up then summoned Bob and Tiny. “Okay guys, we’re killing goblins again today with Fluff,” he told them as he went to the door.

  “No Karen today?” Bob asked, disappointment clear in his voice.

  “Hello Fluffball,” Tiny rumbled, “I will keep you safe.”

  “No Karen today, Bob, which means we’ll have to figure out another way to deal with the archers. I’m thinking I’ll go solo them while you all take out the melee.”

  “I don’t like that plan, but I will follow it if you think it is the best plan,” Tiny opined.

  “If we try anything else Bob or Fluff might take the damage instead of me,” Alburet pointed out. “Anyway we’ll check the houses we found goblins in before. The first house is three spots down, but first the buffs.” He quickly cast Demonic Haze and Demonic Retribution onto Tiny before they set out at a jog towards the targeted house.

  As they reached the house a goblin leaned out the window on the second floor to shoot at Tiny. The arrow missed by an inch as Tiny reached the doorway, pushing the two goblins inside back to give the others room to follow him in. Two small sparks ignited on each goblin’s chest as Retribution did 10 damage to each in return for the attacks they’d landed on Tiny. Alburet slapped Tiny with Demonic Vitality as he ran for the stairs. He pulled his maul out, flames licking along it just as the Goblin Archer reached the bottom of the stairs. In a panic, the archer fire point blank into Alburet’s chest pulling an expletive from him and taking just short of 20 health from him. In return the maul smashed into the goblin taking away a little over 200 health.

  The goblin screeched as it dropped the bow and pulled a dagger. That gave Alburet enough time to rip the arrow from his chest with another curse. The two clashed again with Alburet taking a gash to his side, in return slamming the maul into the goblin’s head as it had over extended the attack. Two more attacks were exchanged before the goblin fell over dead, just as the others dispatched the two goblin sword wielders.

  Grimacing Alburet knelt down and looted the goblin by his feet as his wounds began to heal now that combat was over. “I really hate taking damage,” he groused as he tossed the loot into his bag. “Full pain immersion sucks, no one wants that. If they ever split the sensors between pleasure and pain, no one will ever turn pain up past maybe 25% for those who really want to feel like the game is real.”

  Fluff finished looting the other two goblins, “I’ll take your word for it. The minimum setting is 10%. That feels like nerf bats, which is funny more than anything. I turned it up to 30% briefly. After one fight I knocked it back down to 20%. At 20% pain at least vaguely feels like it should. A stab is like a small needle poking you, a cut is a quick burning sensation and blunt damage feels like a wiffle bat. It’s just enough sensory info to make you react to it accordingly.”

  “Yeah, now if anyone could convince the devs of that,” Alburet said as he joined the others at the door. “Oh, well. I shall suffer, not so silently, for my friends. The next house should be four down from here.” He buffed Tiny before they piled out the door and down
the street.

  The next six hours passed with them doing the same thing over and over. Fluff leveled and they cleared the village thoroughly twice, checking each house just to be sure. In between fights they chatted about little things with Bob occasionally tossing in a snarky comment. When they got back to the ruined inn the third time, Alburet called a break.

  “Okay, let’s pause for a few,” Alburet said, leading them into the inn. “I have some food in my bag so a break sounds good to me.”

  Fluffball chewed her lip, “Do you mind if I duck off for half an hour instead?”

  “That’s fine, feel free,” he replied as he pulled out some jerky and a canteen of tea, “see you in half.” Fluffball vanished, leaving Alburet and his demons alone in the inn.

  As Alburet ate his jerky Bob piped up, “I have been wondering master, why are you so different from the other two-souled?”

  Tiny perked up, apparently interested in the answer as well so Alburet paused eating to answer. “Because I’m a special case at the moment. I will have your word that this information will not be repeated to anyone in this world or the demon realm in any way.” Bob and Tiny exchanged a glance before they agreed. Once they did he continued. “The two-souled are here for less than a day at a time currently, but soon there will be others like me who will be here for a month or two at a time before we have to travel back to the other world. Eventually we might find a way to stay in Alpha World for even longer stretches, but currently that is our limit. That’s why Karen and Fluff leave for hours or days at a time.”