Chapter 11: Bragging Rights
The tavern was just off the main square in HomeTown and was called the ‘Saucy Adventuress’. Above the door, the sign showed the rear view of a nicely rounded female in a short skirt, furs and armour climbing up onto the top of some sort of mountain. Ellie thought she might have seen a similar picture before and she was sure her mother had recognised it. ‘Didn’t the original still have her knickers on?’ Amanda had asked Val as they’d approach the door.
‘It seems something of a trait in these parts,’ Val had replied.
The two of them had giggled.
Inside the bar was exactly what Ellie had expected, a dingy space lit by flickering lanterns and an unfeasibly large log fire in the centre. The room had more than its fair share of dark corners in which shady deals could be struck and a wooden staircase leading to the upper level. There was presumably a cellar somewhere too. When they’d entered, there were already a number of parties sitting on benches at wooden tables while what were clearly NPCs lurked in shady corners drinking and looking shady.
‘We should celebrate.’ Battle Babe clapped Val and Bu-Shi-Doll on the shoulder, steering them towards the bar. ‘Barkeep! Six shots of firewater.’
The barkeeper, rotund and complete with moustache and leather apron, a duplicate of the one who had thrown the drunk witch out of the tavern on the main street, lined up six shot glasses on the bar then uncorked a bottle of clear liquid.
‘Five,’ Bu-Shi-Doll said, pushing to the front, ’water in the last one.’
The barman looked at Battle Babe who shrugged. He poured the five shots and then picked up a jug of water and filled the last one.
Ellie looked at Maiko. The girl was glaring at her grandmother but remained silent.
Ellie pushed forward. ‘Give me one of those.’
‘Honey!’ Amanda objected as her daughter shouldered her aside.
Ellie grabbed the two glasses on the end, turning towards Maiko as she did so.
The deception seemed so easy, simply switching the glasses round like a fairground swindler. She passed one to Maiko and then stumbled, spilling the contents of her glass down Battle Babe’s armour.
‘Honey!’ Amanda scolded.
‘Sorry, Beeb,’ Ellie said with a smile, ‘you know me, butterfingers. I’ll pay for another one,’ she added, hoping that the meagre treasure from her adventuring would at least cover one shot at the bar.
The big warrior scowled but shook her head. ‘It’s fine.’
Ellie turned and held her glass out to the barman who refilled it.
‘To your first successful day in Fantasia X.’ Battle Babe said, raising her glass. ‘All alive and with all our limbs intact.’
‘You mean Fantasia 18.’ Amanda said.
‘No.’ Battle Babe shook her head. ‘This is definitely X.’
‘But we registered for 18,’ Amanda said, looking at Val for support.
‘I thought it looked a bit different,’ Val said.
‘It’s all the same, just a bit more fun,’ Battle Babe said. ‘Cheers.’
She lifted her glass and swallowed. The others did the same.
Ellie felt fire burning down her throat. ‘Whoa!’ She looked at Maiko to see the girl’s almond eyes wide and her face beginning to flush. She felt a tingle of guilt but then that feeling of exhilaration washed over her like the ones she had earlier in the day when she’d fought the kobold and then seduced the guards. Sleight of Hand was a Thief skill and Seductresses had those.
‘Maiko, are you alright?’ Amanda asked.
‘Yes, fine,’ The little warrior managed to gasp, ‘just…swallowed…water…down…wrong way.’
Battle Babe stepped in. ‘And well done to Amazonne; Level 1 Adventuress.’ She paused. ‘Well done for spotting that trap too; could have been nasty…’
Amanda blushed. ‘Well…’
‘Take the credit,’ BB said, ‘enjoy it while you can. We may all screw up tomorrow.’ She turned to Ellie. ‘Soooo close, Ellie. Almost a Level 1 Seductress.’
Elite pouted. ‘If you hadn’t made me carry the lantern…’
‘You’ll get there,’ the big warrior said. ’Now, let’s get a table.’ Battle Babe led them to a quiet corner. ‘Just remember, there are no safeguards in X. You drink too much, you get a hangover and I want you ready to train tomorrow.’
‘You’ll notice a difference as you go up Levels.’ Val said to Amanda as they sat down at the table. ‘Different perceptions. You’ll find you notice things more, that’s the AI increasing your skills…better combat moves…better able to avoid damage. The AI gives you little prompts like showing you the trap. It’s teaching you.’
Ellie smiled and looked at Maiko who was still a little flushed.
‘You’ll learn more tomorrow,’ BB said, ‘I’ve got a whole day of training planned out.’ She looked at Ellie. ‘You too, young lady.’
‘You mean you want me to do more Seduction?’
‘You might get yourself tied up again.’ Amanda elbowed her in the ribs. ‘It looks like you enjoyed that.’
‘I’m really not into bondage.’ Ellie protested, teenage irritation at her mother’s teasing combined with her failure to achieve Level 1 spoiling her mood.
‘Clearly. Though I will be checking for rope burns when you get home.’ Amanda grinned at her daughter.
‘It won’t be a problem.’ Ellie turned away folding her arms.
‘You’ll be practising your Thief skills,’ BB said interrupting their argument, ‘you’re supposed to be Level 1 but I’ll get the AI to unlock them fully.’
‘Might want to pinch yourself a set of anal beads.’ Amanda whispered in her daughter’s ear. ‘I can thoroughly recommend them.’
‘You should have killed that little bastard,’ Val said, interrupting Amanda as she told them of her swim across the river and her encounter with the young kobold she’d let escape.
They were on their third jug of ale and Battle Babe and Val had been swapping stories of previous adventures. Val had just told them for the second time of her fight with the gnoll and her new magic sword despite the fact they’d all been there to see it.
At that moment, the door to the bar opened and another party of adventurers came in. They were all men, two Warriors in scale armour, a Thief and a Mage; they all looked relatively young except the Mage but their equipment had clearly seen action. They were accompanied by an older adventurer with a beard who wore leather armour and carried a longsword in a battered scabbard.
He moved with the same comfortable assurance as Battle Babe and nodded to her as he entered. BB raised his hand in acknowledgment and they slapped palms as he passed steering his party towards the bar ordering a round of five Firewaters.
‘He very cute.’ Maiko said, looking towards the party. After the shot of Firewater she had stuck to water.
‘Not bad…’ Ellie tried to sound casual though one of the warriors was good looking, tall, broad chested, blonde hair in a ponytail, stubble on his face. She knew he could be anyone in the real world but here he was handsome and two shots then two mugs of ale had lowered her inhibitions.
‘You could go seduce him.’ Maiko urged.
‘Yeah. I suppose I could.’ Ellie grinned slightly.
She watched as the five men raised their glasses and downed the shots before moving off to find a table carrying a jug of ale. Two of them, the blonde warrior included, had clearly reached a new Level.
‘I wish I could do it,’ Maiko said, her eyes round with wonder. ‘He very cute. Why you wait?’
Ellie picked up her leather cup and downed the remaining ale. Then she pushed herself up, suddenly reminded of the very high heels of her boots and her alcoholic load. Carefully she stepped over the bench and made her way towards the table that the other party had just sat down at.
‘Evening, boys.’ She said sauntering towards them on her boots giving full vent to the obvious assets of her avatar still clad in the Kristal’s very short and very see-through robe.
The men looked up.
‘So have you had a good day adventuring?’ Ellie placed her hands on the table and leaned over it to show the full scale of her very large breasts as she directed the gaze of her very blue eyes at the blonde warrior.
‘Not bad,’ the Mage said, his eyes fixed on the swollen pink globes of flesh in front of him, ‘but I wonder if you have returned bearing less than that with which you left.’ He was black and appeared older than his companions, his curled hair touched with a hint of white.
Much to Ellie’s irritation, the blonde Warrior seemed to be paying her scant attention and was engaged in an animated conversation with the Thief.
‘So did I hear you’d Levelled up?’ Ellie straightened and lifted her leg, placing her shiny pink boot on the bench beside the Warrior and fiddling with one of the buckles before straightening and stretching, pushing her hips forward so that her sex was no more than a few inches from the Warrior’s head.
‘Uhha,’ The Warrior glanced up and nodded, then turned back to talk to the Thief.
‘My name is Caliban,’ the Mage said.
‘Really?’ Ellie glanced at him and then looked back at the Warrior.
‘That is Felix.’ He gestured to the warrior.
‘Felix,’ Ellie echoed, ‘that’s a good…’
‘Name for a cat?’ the Mage added with a grin.
‘Something like that,’ Ellie said with a slight laugh realising he had finished her unspoken thought.
‘Handsome though, isn’t he?’ Caliban persisted, his knowing smile clearly showing he had defined her intent.
Ellie looked at the Mage.
‘And you?’ he asked with a slight smile, ‘did you?’
‘Did I what?’
‘Level up?’
‘No.’ She looked away, embarrassed.
‘It can only be a matter of time,’ he said, ‘you clearly have all the right attributes for your chosen path.’ He smirked looking again at her breasts.
She was about to respond when, suddenly the door to the bar opened and, in an instant, the room went silent.
Ellie hadn’t noticed if there had been a piano player playing but, if there had, he’d stopped.
All eyes turned to the door including the blonde Warrior’s.
A blonde stood there…
Chapter 12: Goldie
There was something about the blonde, she was handsome; that was Ellie’s first thought; Ellie’s avatar was pretty with a beauty of youth, promising, fresh, cute while the blonde’s face was refined, composed, her skin was dark, at odds with her blonde ringlets yet with a silvery sheen as if caressed by moonlight; she had blue eyes, a broad nose and gently rounded cheeks, a mouth that might have been too wide except that when she smiled and her cheeks filled she was transformed from handsome to captivating. Her blonde hair was piled on her head, held artfully by pins in an imperfect way that showed a casual yet, to Ellie’s eyes, profoundly contrived manner so that curls of of blonde strands hung about her face in a way that made Ellie want to brush one aside to see more of the beauty beneath.
Ellie had never really been into girls, not in that way, but she instantly knew she would make an exception for this one. The thought made her reel for a moment, not for her sudden change of desire but for the fact that merely seeing this woman had made her think such a thing.
The blonde stood for a moment in the doorway, shrugging out of her cloak with a practiced casualness for it to be taken by a man who suddenly appeared beside her as if he had been waiting all evening to do her such a service and Ellie was sure there were muted gasps around the room at the sight of the body beneath. Then, having secured the gaze of every person in the room, she strode toward the bar still knowing without looking that all eyes followed her.
‘Evening Goldie.’ Only the barkeeper seemed immune to her charms though he flashed her a smile and polished a brandy glass for her.
Goldie looked as if she might have been poured into the red silk dress that rippled around her body like a fluid sheath, the bodice drawn tight on her waist which was hung with a gold belt. The stretch of the fabric across her breasts emphasised and somehow presented them also flaunting as it did so her large nipples, displaying them; the dress was not particularly low cut yet the darkness of her skin emphasised her cleavage. The woman’s body was as perfect as her face, every curve seeming to lead to the next and Ellie recalled a cartoon character she’d seen in a retro movie. ‘I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way,’ the woman said. This seemed to apply to Goldie, breasts that were prominent but not overly large, ‘a perfect handful’ should anyone dare attempt it, the tempting dark cleavage displayed between them, a slim waist and rounded buttocks that made Ellie want to slip an arm round her waist and then let her hand fall to pat it gently; then there was the slit in her skirt; not high but enough to show a teasing flash of the woman’s perfectly toned thighs. The heels of her red leather stilettos were a little more than five inches and perfectly displayed the soft curve of her calves as her dress fluttered around them attentively. Ellie realised the woman had moved effortlessly despite the heels but their click on the stone somehow ensured everyone knew it.
The barman poured a generous measure of brandy and within a moment a dozen characters surrounded her offering to pay for it.
Goldie smiled distractedly, acknowledging the attention and accepted the offer of the Mage, Caliban, and after duly thanking him with a smile of radiant charm dismissed him in a way that appeared to leave him feeling he had done her a loyal and much valued service. The other characters drifted away too and Ellie felt as if the woman had dismissed them too. Goldie was left sitting alone at the bar, perched on a barstool, legs crossed, warming her brandy glass in her hand and surveying the bar.
Their eyes met and Ellie realised she’d been staring, her foot still on the bench next to the Warrior who was once again talking animatedly to the Thief even as she presented her bare pussy to the back of his head.
Ellie looked away quickly and lifted her foot down from the bench, her cheeks warming but then glanced back and found the woman still staring at her. A moment later she found herself walking towards the women unsure if she had made the decision to approach Goldie or had been summoned. She smelt perfume, subtle, something citrus and the woman’s own scent, hints of leather, her makeup, her hair.
‘You’re a Seductress.’ Ellie felt foolish saying it and her cheeks seemed to warm more.
The woman inclined her head in acknowledgement, her eyes roving over Honey’s body and yet Ellie felt seeing more than the voluptuous avatar as if she was looking at Ellie herself, not her avatar, judging her.
‘I’m a Seductress too,’ Ellie said quickly, trying and failing to relieve the tension she felt under the woman’s scrutiny.
‘Oh dear,’ the woman said, her eyes lifting from Honey’s huge breasts and the translucent robe that hung open revealing them and much more besides.
Ellie felt her confidence begin to crumble. She’d just failed dismally to even attract the attention of the blonde Warrior and here she was trying to strike up a conversation with this beautiful alluring stranger because…. She wasn’t quite sure why she was doing it and suddenly felt very out of place, out of her depth. Why on earth had she thought being a Seductress was a good idea? She could never be like this woman. Why had she even contemplated switching their booking from Fantasia 18 to Fantasia X? She felt suddenly like a little girl who’d been caught dressing up in her mother’s clothes. She really didn’t want to cry in front of this woman but was frightened she would.
‘I, er…lost my costume…. Well, used it actually…. In a Seduction…it went up in flames.’
The woman regarded her in silence.
‘Well, I’ll go and…’ She gestured toward the table where her party sat. ‘Go and join my party.’
She turned to go then turned back.
‘Look,’ she said, ‘I’m really not very good at this. Can you give me any advice? Tips, I mean, for being a Seductress?’
Goldie’s expression changed, her lips pouting slightly, her eyes flickering over Honey’s body.
‘Don’t get caught by skunk gas,’ Goldie said, raising an eyebrow.
Ellie felt the tears starting to well up and turned her head to look away, to look anywhere but at the beautiful and accomplished blonde women in front of her who represented all her failings.
‘I’m sure you’re gonna be just fine,’ the blonde said in what Ellie could tell was a placating tone.
‘Thank you.’ Ellie glanced back, her voice sounding small, and forced a smile. ‘Nice meeting you…. My name’s Honey by the way.’
‘I bet it is.’ The woman bestowed her a slight smile, raising her glass and taking a tiny elegant sip.
Ellie walked away.
‘Honey.’
Ellie turned.
‘Nice boots.’ Goldie raised her glass again.
Chapter 13: And so to bed…
‘So what did happen to your knickers?’ Val asked when they were alone in their chamber above the bar of the Saucy Adventuress.
‘I told you, Mistress.’ Amanda said, loosening the ties of her leather dress. ‘They came off while I was swimming.’
Val regarded her.
‘Did I give you permission to undress?’
Amanda looked up from the laces now loose across her breasts.
‘Sorry, Mistress.’
‘Oh, you will be.’ Val’s words were, Amanda realised, a little slurred.
Amanda had not drunk much, sitting quietly as she’d listened to Val and the other warriors swapping stories and taking in the surroundings of the tavern and the other parties. It was, she thought, surprisingly realistic; a definite development from the renderings of the VR headsets she’s known from her youth. There were still flaws, of course, computer glitches, repetitive movements and NPCs with the same face. Though she’d looked she’d not seen the Kristal or any other Kristals for that matter although it perhaps wasn’t surprising that slave girls didn’t visit the tavern in the evening; perhaps they were chained up by their masters or mistresses or perhaps there were slave girls in other taverns like the one in the main street dancing in chains. She remembered the Kristal saying something about the Slave City of Thoth and wished she’d spent a bit more time reading about it. In fact she wished she’d spent more time reading up on Fantasia overall, particularly checking that they were coming to the right one. She’d just been so busy; going to work, keeping house, shopping and cooking, being there for Ellie even if her daughter didn’t appreciate it. Then there was Val, her boss, her mistress, her lover. She wondered, not for the first time, whether dating her boss was a good idea and even more whether playing submissive to her boss in their personal relationship was a really healthy thing to do. But, Amanda had always had trouble saying ‘no’ and the relationship did satisfy certain needs.
She’d learned a little more about the place from the stories the warriors had swapped although she’d heard a few of Val’s before, when her lover and mistress had been persuading her to come on the VR adventure; she’d noticed the ones today seemed more heroic than she’d remembered.
Now, standing in their bedroom, one of an unfeasibly large number to be ‘upstairs’ in the tavern, she was, she realised, surprisingly tired.
‘May I undress, Mistress?’ she asked with less enthusiasm than would normally accompany such a request. ‘Perhaps you wish your slave to pleasure you.’ She smiled and hefted her breasts enjoying their size and weight.
‘Pity you didn’t get a bigger pair,’ Val said, watching her.
‘You mean like Honey’s?’ Amanda said with sudden annoyance, ‘I think I might be a bit of a liability as an Adventuress with two soccer balls stuck to my chest.’
‘They are rather enormous,’ Val said rather wistfully, ‘And that body of hers is superb.’
‘I’m not sure I’m entirely comfortable with you lusting after my daughter.’ Amanda tried to ensure she kept her tone light.
‘It’s just her avatar,’ Val said dismissively, ‘Now, come and undress me.’ She turned round so that Amanda could undo her chainmail bikini. ‘I suppose the fact we’ve ended up in Fantasia X explains why I’m wearing a chainmail bikini. Are you sure you didn’t change the booking by mistake?’
‘I assumed you’d done it, Mistress.’
‘Not me.’
Amanda lifted Val’s hair, sweeping it over her lover’s shoulder and unclipped the bikini. It was a surprisingly simple mechanism and, Amanda thought, one that could probably fall apart at a crucial moment. Maybe, in this version of Fantasia that was the point. The clasp behind Val’s neck was similar. The mail was surprisingly heavy and moved with a slipperiness that made her nearly drop it although, when it began to fall, she caught it surprisingly easily.
‘Sorry, Mistress.’
‘You will be.’
Amanda always found pleasure in undressing her mistress, enjoying the intimacy of it. She liked to dress her too. In the real world, business executive Val had some lovely clothes but her ideas of how and when to wear them were sometimes a little odd to Amanda’s eye. Amanda often dressed her in the mornings after their nights together, pairing lingerie and sheer blouses with power suits or ensuring the right choice of minimal underwear in a figure-hugging one-piece.
She tossed the mail bikini top on the bed and slid her hands round Val’s body and onto her breasts.
‘I don’t recall giving you permission to do that either,’ Val said, though Amanda noticed a playfulness in her voice that had not been present before.
Val’s breasts were bigger in this world though not by much; perhaps all women chose this option. They were firmer too and her skin smoother, the imperfections of her forty year old body smoothed to a youthful firmness and the tiny scars of her implants gone. She liked their more natural feel. Her lover’s nipples hardened as she touched them and the blonde allowed herself to be drawn against Amanda’s body.
‘Thank you for bringing me here, Mistress.’ Amanda began to play with Val’s nipples, pleasure kindling in her own body.
‘I definitely didn’t give you permission to do that.’
‘Then maybe you'd better tie my hands to stop me from being so naughty.’
‘You haven’t finished undressing me yet.’
‘Yes, Mistress.’ Amanda let her hands run down Val’s body, seeking the clasp to the mail knickers. It was just as simple and she wondered briefly why Val hadn’t ended up losing her clothes at some point just as Amanda had lost her knickers in the river.
She tossed the chain bikini bottoms onto the bed and returned her attention to Val’s body, running her fingers over the smoothly shaved sex.
‘I think I will have to tie up those naughty little hands of yours.’
‘Yes, Mistress.’ Amanda kissed Val’s neck, her own excitement rising now. ‘I think you said something about pushing my limits.’
‘I did, didn’t I.’ Val turned and slid her arms around Amanda’s neck pulling her in and kissing her.
Pleasure exploded in Amanda’s body, the easing of a tension that seemed to have been there since their arrival, the warmth of Val’s lips on hers, the pressure of her body, her bare breasts.
‘Should I undress now, Mistress?’ she gasped between kisses.
‘Go and get the rope from your pack first.’ Val said. ‘And there’s a gag in mine.’
‘Yes, Mistress.’ Amanda slipped to her knees and turned to crawl away remembering the sign of the Saucy Adventuress.
‘Why you try seduce Warrior?’ Maiko asked when they were together in the bedroom of the inn.
‘He was cute.’ Ellie looked at the double bed they were to share. ‘You said you liked him too.’
‘He not as cute as Mage.’
‘You liked the wizard?’ She hesitated to remove the silk robe even though it hid nothing of her body.
‘I think he Mage. Mages study magic.’
‘You thought he was better looking than the Warrior?’
‘Sure. Maiko like older man.’
‘Ok.’ Ellie watched as Maiko slid out of her kimono with no sign of awkwardness, folding it neatly and putting it beside the bed. Her body was typically oriental with small breasts and a tiny bottom, her skin pale a beautiful contrast to the lush glossy black hair that, freed from its pins now cascaded down her back to her waist. The girl was naked save the shiny steel chastity belt.
‘You watch me undress?’ Maiko asked, her voice critical.
‘No…’ Ellie looked away feeling herself blush. That had been exactly what she had been doing. ‘Do you ever get to take that off.’ She said, trying to change the subject.
Maiko turned to look at her. ‘Grandmother keep key.’
‘But…don’t you…?’
‘Are you virgin?’ Maiko looked at her, her almond eyes were wide with enquiry. She was, Ellie thought, extremely pretty. ‘Virgin in real world I mean?’
‘What?’ Ellie shook her head, distracting herself from Maiko’s small, neat body with its little breasts and slim waist. ‘No. I er…. I lost my virginity a while back.’
‘Oh!’ Maiko seemed genuinely shocked. ‘How old you?’
‘I’m nineteen.’ Ellie said. ‘In the real…. Look, it was a mistake.’
‘Mistake?’ Maiko, knelt by her bed and took a cloth from the satchel she carried then she unsheathed her katana.
‘Yeah, you know…’ Ellie felt awkward and went to sit on her side of the bed. ‘I was drunk…he was drunk…. It’s no big deal.’
‘Amanda know?’ Maiko began to oil her katana blade, her hands moving with practiced skill, running the cloth along its length.
‘God no!’ Ellie was genuinely shocked.
‘What it like?’ Maiko looked up her face again full of curiosity. ‘Sex, I mean.’
‘Oh…’ Ellie thought about it. Though it had been a drunken encounter and they’d both regretted it after, the act had been fun, her hands on his body, his on hers, his mouth on her breasts, tongue on her nipples…. ‘Actually it was nice.’
‘But you regret?’
Ellie thought. ‘Not really.’ She smiled realising how recalling the event was affecting her.
‘I want to try in virtual first,’ Maiko said, ‘Learn good technique then I please man in the real. Get good husband.’
‘Perhaps you should have been a Seductress.’
‘No.’ Maiko looked horrified. ‘Grandmother not like.’ Then she smiled. ‘Anyway, difficult to be Seductress in chastity belt.’
Ellie watched as Maiko resheathed her katana then, placing the sword on the bed, bowed to it before laying it beside her.
‘We sleep now, Honey.’
‘Yes.’ Ellie climbed under the covers and turned to blow out the lantern then she lay back in the darkness.
‘Hey, Maiko,’ Ellie asked suddenly, ‘Why doesn’t your grandmother take you to Fantasia 18?’
‘She want us to be tested in full. No limits in Fantasia X. You heard what Battle Babe say. Here we face consequences of our actions.’
‘Oh, yeah.’ Ellie smiled in the darkness remembering the moment she’d changed her party’s booking.
They lay quietly for a few moments then Maiko spoke again.
‘Battle Babe talk a lot when drunk. Maybe we call her Babble Babe.’ Maiko laughed.
‘Yes.’ Ellie stared up into the darkness.
‘Honey, you ok?’
‘Yes, I’m fine.’ Ellie was struggling to concentrate.
‘Amanda and Val lesbians, yes?’
‘Yes.’
‘But Amanda your mother. Who your father?’
‘My dad was called Lucius. He left when I was young.’
‘Oh, I sorry.’
‘It was a long time again, Maiko,’ Ellie said, ‘We’re still in touch. In fact he’s a Gamer. He comes here sometimes.’
Chapter 14: The Quickening
Amanda had pulled the rope from her pack and then crawled back to her mistress holding it in her teeth then, after removing her dress, she had the pleasure of grovelling at Val’s feet kissing in licking the shiny black patent boots her mistress wore. They were, she noticed, armoured at the front, shiny steel plates among the buckles and straps.
She was bound with the rope now, arms pinned behind her back, elbows touching, legs pressed tightly together, her ankles pulled up tightly behind her tied to a rope harness that was tight on her chest and constricted her breasts. That was, she reasoned, one advantage of her avatar’s large breasts, they were much easier to bind. In fact her new body seemed perfect for bondage, able to endure this intense hogtie. As a final touch, Val had tied a rope to Amanda’s hair and used it to pull her head back.
Val did have a tendency to go over the top but on this occasion it gave Amanda exactly what she loved; intense, complete bondage. Val had gagged her too. It was, she thought, thoughtful of her lover to bring a gag like her favourite one, a harness gag with a large ball that was probably bigger than the one Val usually used on her.
With some effort, she rocked a little from side to side, pulling at the ropes but they held firm, creaking slightly as she strained. The bondage was so deliciously tight, she could barely move, the ropes biting into her flesh.
She couldn’t help thinking about the Kristal and wishing to some degree she knew about what they did. What a wonderful job she thought, being tied or chained up all day even if virtually. If only it had been an option when Lucius had…. She always said ‘left her’ though it had been her who’d given him the ultimatum, the choice to go or stay and reform his ways.
It had been Lucius who’d introduced her to bondage. They were camping, trekking. He’d described her as ‘wild’ and ‘untameable’ like the landscape around them. ‘Then perhaps you’d better find a way to tame me!’ She’d challenged. That’s when he’d tied her up, pinning her down and binding her wrists behind her back with his belt. He’d been stronger than her but even with her wrists bound she’d struggled so he’d tied her ankles, crossing them and using a strap from his bedding roll. She remembered him standing above her as she lay on her side, helpless. ‘So,’ she’d said, ‘what are you going to do now?’
Lying there, she’d watched him remove his shirt and then kneel beside her. She’d been wearing a blouse and he’d torn it open, buttons popping. That had shocked her but his obvious need had added to her excitement and when his hands had slid inside her bra, cupping her breasts and lifting them free she’d realised just how excited she was.
‘How dare you! she’d said purely with the intention of goading him.
‘I dare because I can.’
‘I’ll scream.’
‘Then I’ll gag you.’
‘Go on then!’ There was nobody around to hear even if she had.
He’d pushed a plastic handle between her teeth like a horse’s bit and tied it in place with a piece of rope.
‘Bashtard,’ she’d said, struggling wildly knowing she was panting as much out of lust as the effort of struggling.
It was probably the gag that had done it, pushing her over the edge, the inability to speak as well as move, the way saliva sprayed out of her mouth when she spoke.
He’d known it too. Seen the way that she’d lain still, her body screaming with need, her stillness begging him to pull down the tight jean shorts she’d been wearing and her knickers and use her.
She’d cum almost immediately and he hadn’t been far behind as her entered her from behind, down on her knees, then they’d lain there together, she in her torn blouse with her breasts hanging out of her bra and her shorts round her calves, still in her socks and boots and him bare chested with his trousers round his ankles; his cock still rigid inside her.
He’d tied her up in the tent every night for the rest of the trip. She’d even spent the last day walking with her hands tied behind her back.
‘Honey, what you do?’
‘Nothing Maiko. I’m fine.’
‘When I naughty, grandma stake me out.’ Maiko said.
‘I’m not being naughty.’
‘If you say so. Just remember Maiko in chastity.’
‘Look, Maiko.’ Ellie sighed. ‘It’s not me, it’s the character. I just need to…’
Need was the word. Ellie wasn’t sure if it was the memories their conversation had stirred up of her first sexual encounter or the sight of Maiko’s neat pale body naked save for the chastity belt and the presence of her warmth inches from Ellie’s own naked body; so close she could reach out and touch it, caress the girl’s bare skin… It couldn’t be that, Ellie reasoned; unlike her mother, Ellie was not bisexual or homosexual; she definitely preferred men; she’d shown that when she’d seduced the guards…when they’d chained her up and used her and she’d.…
Unlike her mother, she wasn’t into bondage either.
She wasn’t quite sure when her hand had slipped between her legs but it had been there for some time now.
She was sure it hadn’t been the bondage that had excited her. It couldn’t be that even though lots of people, perhaps more than she suspected, clearly enjoyed it; her mother for a start and Val and, obviously all those Kristals and all those other women that came here to play at being slave girls. Why would they want to play that sort of role, she wondered; to spend the whole time in bondage completely subjected to the will of others? She envisaged herself chained to a pillar naked save a skimpy pair of knickers; the object of someone’s quest forced inside her body, filling her, of those guards having free access to her helpless body, their hands on her breasts, playing with her nipples, perhaps putting clamps on them.
An image of Amanda lying on her bed, bound there with clamps on her nipples that night when she had come home early and caught her mother and Val flashed into her mind; of Val in her black leather boots and her mother’s robe standing in front of her smelling of sex.
What was it like, she wondered, to submit to the will of another to give up control over your body leaving yourself open, so vulnerable?
Ellie’s other hand was playing with her nipples, pinching them as she imagined herself chained up with her hands behind her back, gagged perhaps or blindfolded, unseen hands on her body.
Ellie gasped as she climaxed, the pleasure of the orgasm intensified and prolonged by the rush of pleasure brought by what felt like Experience Points. What the…?…but then it stood to reason, the analytical part of her brain told her, it was logical, Seductresses used sex and so gaining experience for sexual acts was rewarded.
Maybe slave’s got experience for being in bondage.
‘Honey,’ Maiko said. ‘I think I have to tie you to bed like I get staked out if you carry on like that.’
Ellie panted, ‘I think it’s part of the quickening, Maiko. I’m a Seductress…. The AI is making me do stuff…sexy stuff.’ She took a deep breath and reached over in the darkness to squeeze Maiko’s thigh. ‘I’m fine now.’
Ellie wasn’t fine. The touch of Maiko’s thigh started everything off again. It wasn’t that she wanted a lesbian encounter but the warmth of Maiko’s body, naked beside her save the chastity belt, her small neat breasts rising and falling in sleep. She slept fitfully and woke a little less than two hours later with an urge to masturbate again and after trying to turn over and go back to sleep succumbed to the inevitable. An hour later she found herself awake again.
‘Honey?’ Maiko’s voice was slightly strained. ‘Are you lesbian?’
‘No…’ Ellie stared above her into the darkness trying to control her urges, the pressure to touch herself almost overwhelming.
‘Then why you have your hand on my butt?’
‘Oh.’ Ellie snatched her hand away.
Two hours later Maiko had clearly had enough and with a strength Ellie had not expected soon had her pinned down to bind her wrists and ankles with the spare cord from her kimono. A few minutes later she found herself gagged as well before being carried to the wooden chair in the corner of the room to which Maiko tied her.
Chapter 15: Training
‘You look tired,’ BB said to Ellie as she sat opposite her at breakfast.
‘I didn’t sleep that well,’ Ellie replied.
‘This place can take a bit of getting used to,’ the big warrior said, ‘you’ll get there.’
‘There’s…just a lot to process,’ Ellie said, taking a drink, ‘Ugh! Is this ale?’
‘Watered down,’ BB informed her, ‘keeps it pure. Also helps things happen.’
Ellie looked at her.
‘Social lubricant.’ Val explained slipping onto the bench beside her.
‘You wearin’ anything under that?’ BB asked the Viking.
Val smirked playfully. ‘Why do you want to know?’
‘We’re going north. Gets cold in the desert sometimes.’ BB grinned. ‘Hate you to wake up with your bra frozen to your nips.’
‘What about your breastplate?’ Val asked.
‘Got a fur bustier under here.’ Battle Babe rapped her knuckles on her impressive chest producing a muted clang. ‘Hey. It’s our Level 1 Adventuress.’
‘Morning,’ Amanda said, sliding onto the bench opposite Ellie.
‘At least someone’s had a good night.’ Ellie said pointedly.
‘What?’ Amanda asked.
‘You have rope burns on your wrists.’ Ellie said, making Amanda blush.
‘She has them a few other places too,’ Val said, making Amanda glare at her.
‘Too much information.’ Ellie put her hands over her ears.
‘Maybe some other people might benefit from a night in bondage,’ Maiko said suddenly.
Everybody turned to look at her.
‘I’m just saying that when grandmother stakes me out at night,’ Maiko said, glancing at Ellie, ’it stops me getting into trouble.’
Ellie blushed as red as her mother.
‘I’ll take the warriors,’ Battle Babe said after breakfast as they stood in the morning sunlight outside the Saucy Adventuress. ‘Amazonne, I’ve got an interesting day planned for you. And you…’ She looked at Ellie. ‘I have unlocked your Thief skills. They’ll need practice.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Ellie said looking round. HomeTown had changed overnight, it was bigger with more definition as if, like older computer games, the AI had taken time to load the graphics. Streets ran away from the square and she could see more detail in the buildings behind those of the main street. ’You mean like I just walk up and try to take something when nobody’s looking.’
‘I’m not a Thief,’ Battle Babe said, ‘but I think that’s generally how it works. You’d better get used to it, Honey. Seductresses get all kinds of extra skills as they move up Levels. It’s not all about getting yourself laid.’
Ellie glared at her for a moment then her attention was distracted by a man in blue robes, a Merchant, she knew, walking towards the market stalls that had appeared in the square. She was still getting used to noticing details and gathered part of this was the AI highlighting things to her. In this case, her attention was drawn immediately to the fat purse hanging from the man’s belt. She felt an almost overwhelming desire to take it; an urge not unlike she’d felt the night before.
Turning away from Battle Babe, she followed the Merchant, catching him up then matching his pace. Just ahead of her, he slowed as a Warrior crossed his path and, almost unexpectedly, Ellie bumped into him. Almost unexpectedly. Lifting the purse from his belt was as easy as taking the guard’s key and, surprisingly satisfying especially when she felt the tingle of Experience even as she apologised and turned away holding her prize against her belly.
She crossed quickly back to the others and displayed her prize delightedly then froze as she heard a commotion behind her. Turning, she had enough presence of mind to slide the purse behind her back and step behind the big warrior as the Merchant looked around shouting angrily for the watch.
At one point, he caught sight of her and glared but, seeing her surrounded by Warriors made no attempt to approach her especially when Battle Babe hefted her axe from one shoulder to the other.
‘Perhaps you need to think about blending in,’ BB said quietly.
‘I don’t have any other clothes. I’m wearing a sex slave’s cast off,’ Ellie hissed.
‘Then steal something,’ BB told her. ‘Come on,’ she said to the others, ‘let’s leave our Thief to get some practice in.’ She turned to lead the others away. ‘And try not to get caught.’
‘Obviously!’ Ellie tossed her head and rolled her eyes trying to conceal the purse in her hand.
Amanda did her best not to look at her trainer with her piercing blue eyes and sharply chiseled features. She resembled Luciana Luscious, star of the remade and oft repeated holo-series ‘Xena Warrior Princess’ and therefore a little like Amazonne. Packaged, like Amanda’s avatar, in a creaking leather bodice, she had deeply tanned skin and a full cleavage and that little skirt that hid nothing of her toned legs. She wore an amulet too on a leather cord around her neck, a bow and a moon and a leaping hare that nestled in the valley between her breasts. For a moment Amanda thought she might faint when they’d been introduced; it was, she recalled, what women used to do when they met their idols.
And now, Luciana (‘call me Luci’) was telling her to strip.
They’d just spent an hour on weapons drill, Amanda’s twin blades clashing against Luci’s single longsword cut-cut-parry-reposte; step-step-sidestep-turn. They were both hot and sweating and Amanda was elated, her body tingling with the physical pleasure of the work out and the gentle trickle of XPs that had made the whole experience more than thrilling. She’d been surprised how easily the moves had come to her and vaguely recalled reading that the abilities of her character would emerge as she had need of them and then become part of her.
They stood on the sandy beach of a blue lake. Luci had hidden their weapons wrapped in a cloak behind a rocky outcrop.
‘Don’t be shy,’ Luci said with a wink.
‘Er…,’ Amanda stammered, ‘shouldn’t I be learning to swim with my clothes on.’
‘It is far more fun naked.’ Luci pulled the laces from her bodice, spilling her large and, Amanda saw, equally tanned breasts unselfconsciously into view before sliding out of the tight leather sheath. Both Luci’s nipples were pierced; shiny gold studs glinting in the sunlight.
‘I um…’ Amanda tried not to look at the toned body and the pouting nipples with their gold adornments, telling herself to get a grip and concentrate on undoing her own bodice.
‘The piercings are left over from my days as harem slave,’ Luci said, ‘I rather liked them.’ She hefted her breasts, admiring the shiny gold studs.
‘You were a slave?’
‘We all get caught sometime,’ Luci said casually, ‘Adventuresses, I mean. It’s not as bad as you might think.’
‘What happened?’
‘I escaped…eventually.’ Luci looked at her and winked. ‘Come on. Don’t be shy.’
Amanda slid out of her leather bodice.
‘Interesting.’ Luci said, a smirk playing across her lush full lips.
‘I, er, lost my knickers swimming.’ Amanda said blushing.
‘That’s a little inconvenient,’ Luci said, ‘but not unexpected.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There’s an algorithm in the code.’ Luci said sliding out of her own leather knickers. ‘All female characters lose them when they swim. In fact there’s a ten percent chance of losing all your clothing.’
Amanda looked at her.
‘The place was built by men,’ Luci explained with a shrug then bent to unlace her boots. ‘You must have met a Kristal or a Jewell by now. Boots too.’
Amanda took off her boots and in a moment they stood side by side, naked.
Try as she might, Amanda couldn’t help comparing her body to Luciana’s. No, not Luciana’s she told herself. Just an avatar that looked like Luciana Luscious and/or Xena Warrior Princess.
I should have paid more, Amanda told herself; her calves are slimmer and her breasts are bigger and that face...those eyes…
‘Shall we?’ Luci gestured towards the lake.
‘Our clothes...weapons?’
‘The weapons are safe,’ Luci said, ‘and we’ve just worked out. Nobody will take our clothes.’ She grinned. ‘Unless they’re real perverts. Come on...’
Luci turned and ran towards the water and Amanda watched the tanned body with its tight bottom and toned legs, the long chestnut brown hair streaming behind her as she ran. She wanted to call out, to tell Luci to wait for her, that she wasn’t the confident swimmer she once was but the toned-tanned body disappeared into the water with a splash and then Amanda felt an irresistible urge to follow, sprinting down the beach enjoying the freedom of movement in her body, the sand beneath her feet, the bounce of her breasts.
The water hit her, chill and deliciously cold, as she plunged in, knocking the breath from her body and then she surfaced, finding herself settling almost immediately into a comfortable stroke, drawing herself through the water enjoying the thrill of her body’s new found strength and skills and recalling suddenly that it was, for Amanda von Trapp, an old skill too.
Amanda had been a keen swimmer as a child with an athletic build and then, somehow, she didn’t know how, she’d been seduced by…well, ‘the crowd'. ‘They’d’ told her it wasn’t cool to enjoy being physically active and for some reason, she’d believed them, sacrificing her training for dieting to keep her figure and then gradually losing it...gradually fitting in with ‘the crowd’.
She looked up to find she was barely half a stroke behind Luci, and dug in, tightening her stroke as her coach had once taught her all those years ago, pulling deliberately in the midline, cupping her hands, moving from the relaxed natural stroke to a choreographed, tightly ordered movement and finding that her body obeyed her.
When she felt sand beneath her fingers and dropped her feet to walk from the water she found Luci ten strokes behind.
‘Well, aren’t we full of surprises,’ the other brunette said with a smile of genuine pleasure playing on her lips as she strode from the water confidently, shimmering in the sunlight as water dripped from her perfect body.
Chapter 16: Perils
The peasant dress Ellie had bought from the market stall was way too tight across her breasts but if she’d bought a bigger one, it would have been like wearing a tent and, even as a fledgling thief, she understood the need to move freely. Despite its size and weight, the purse she had stolen had only contained a handful of copper coins and a few stones suggesting that the Merchant was not as wealthy as he pretended; but then again, she vaguely recalled Deception was one of the Merchant Character Skills; perhaps such a display allowed him to obtain credit he didn’t deserve despite his rich blue robes. She’d considered trying a Seduction to get a better deal or maybe to ask for a bag too but thought that skill might come in useful later if she did fail in one of her thefts and end up getting caught. Unlocking the Thief Skills had given her a Persuasion to use too, a skill that didn’t necessarily involve the need for sexual flirtation but in her case was linked to it. Her looks gave her a bonus on both these skills against a suitably susceptible subject.
Having acquired clothing, she thought of Battle Babe’s comment about blending in and began to wander round the market looking at the stalls seeing and smelling fresh baked bread, fruit, vegetables; then there were stalls selling weapons and armour, packs with bedrolls, wooden stakes and ten foot poles; clothing, of course, although most of it was practical adventuring gear nothing of great use to a Seductress. As she wandered from stall to stall she tried to look for opportunities to practice her skills and saw others with their purses on display though none as obvious as the Merchant she’d first encountered. The more she looked, the more she saw; she also found her attention drawn to certain things: the pouches the stallholders used to keep their money, the gaps between stalls that might be a useful escape route, a party concealed in a dark alley that might be hostile, broken bricks in a wall that, in an emergency, she might just be able to scale if she was being chased.
Then suddenly, she saw a Warrior in scale armour. He was swaggering along playing with his dagger and she saw he had a fat purse hanging from his belt that looked to be almost as easy pickings as the Merchant’s.
Detaching herself from a stall selling magical charms she followed him just as she’d done with the Merchant and, again, when he stopped she brushed against him, lowering her hand and grasping his purse; it was velvet and felt heavy, she could almost hear the chink of coins; then suddenly the Warrior spun round.
‘By Mars!’ he shouted angrily when he realised what she was trying to do and grabbed her wrist.
Ellie tried to pull away but he was too strong and his large hand easily encircled her slim wrist.
‘A Thief, eh?’ He pulled her closer to him. ‘Shall I call the watch?’
Oh fuck! Ellie thought, recognising the Warrior as Felix from the tavern the night before.
‘No, Sir.’ It came out without thinking. ‘You wouldn’t harm me, would you?’ She realised the tone she’d used was reminiscent of the way she’d spoken to the half-orc guards.
His intention seemed to falter.
‘I’m just a poor little girl in need of money.’ The voice, her voice, continued and she reached out to touch him with her free hand. ‘And you’re such a big strong Warrior.’ The Seduction was, Ellie thought, working. ‘I’m sorry I disturbed you, Sir.’ She fluttered her eyelashes. ‘It was purely an accident, Sir. I wasn’t trying to steal anything. Please don’t call the watch, Sir.’
‘No.’ She felt the point of his dagger under her chin and realised the attempt to seduce him had failed, not just by the lack of tingling XPs. ‘I won’t call the watch.’ He said coldly. ‘I have something far more suitable in mind for a little slut like you.’
He spun her round, wrapping his arm over her shoulder, his grip like a tight manacle around her wrist; she felt the point of his dagger in her side. ‘At this range it will be a critical strike,’ he hissed viscously, ‘and that will be the end of your time here.’
He dragged her forwards. ‘Not a sound.’
Ellie allowed herself to be pulled along. For a moment she thought about reaching for her own dagger but knew it would be no use; there was no way she could defeat an armoured Warrior with the tiny dagger Battle Babe had given her. She was suddenly frightened; frightened by his tone and by his strength and by the threat of this inglorious end. She had a sudden vision of waiting in the reception of Fantasia Corp for her mother to finish her adventure.
He led her into an ally she’d spotted as an alternative escape route. It was exactly what she’d thought it was, a dark place designed for dark deeds. As they entered, a rat ran across her path and she could hear others feasting in the rubbish that littered the gutters. She could smell them among the rotting food. Ahead she saw two figures in dark robes disappear into the shadows ahead, their business, whatever it was, disturbed by the arrival of two strangers.
‘You’re clearly gagging for it,’ he said, pushing her roughly against the stone wall, ‘in that designer body of yours.’
‘Look…,’ Ellie tried to plead, ‘Felix…’
‘You signed up for Fantasia X little girl,’ he told her, ’now you find out what it’s really like.’
He ripped her dress open and Ellie gave a little shriek.
‘Shut up.’ The warrior brandished the dagger.
‘Yes,’ Ellie said fighting back tears, ‘I’ll be good, just don’t kill me.’
She’d meant to say ‘hurt’ but it had come out differently.
Her dress fell to her feet and he spun her round, pulling her hands behind her and binding them together before she’d even thought to struggle.
‘Down on your knees.’ He gestured with the dagger and Ellie obeyed.
This really wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
He pulled at the straps to his codpiece.
‘Do a good job and I won’t cut you up. Make you look like that black bitch who leads your group.’
His cock was hard with sadistic pleasure, hard and drooling in front of Ellie’s face. Ellie had never done oral sex but now that she was faced with it a feeling of calm overcame her. Honey, of course, knew exactly what to do. A part of her briefly wondered if she should try to bite him but she decided against it and when he thrust forwards, she took him in her mouth.
She didn’t even feel revulsion as she knelt forward and took his cock in her mouth, Honey’s lips parting as she lifted her eyes to look up seductively. Not only did it feel natural but she felt her body tingle and realised that performing fellatio was giving her XPs. She also found she, via Honey, did indeed know exactly what to do and the more she did it, the more her body tingled. Bizarrely, it felt as if being forced to do this was exciting her although guessed this might be a reflection of the pleasure his control over her was giving him, providing her character with extra XPs. She risked a glance up and saw an expression of bliss on the Warrior’s face.
And that was when it happened, a rush of pleasure through her body like that which had filled her when the guards in the dungeon had chained her up and used her; she’d enjoyed the same sensation overnight; a rush of pleasure spreading up from her belly and down between her thighs.
Then his cum spurted into her mouth, bringing her back to the reality of the situation and Honey gulped the hot liquid down reflexively.
‘Not bad,’ he said a moment later, taking his cock out of her mouth.
Amanda leapt from one rock to the next and then swung easily up into the branches of the tree above.
‘There.’
She ran along a thick branch then reached to grasp a liander, swinging across the void beneath her and landing on the edge of a rocky gully.
‘Down.’
Amanda jumped to a protruding rock below and then another; then she dropped, tucking and tumbling to land on her feet in the sand of a dry river bed and running behind Luci as she sprang from rock to rock leaping over fallen boulders and gaping crags.
‘Shall we go in?’
They’d paused for a moment in front of a cave mouth.
‘Without weapons?’
‘Who’s gonna fuck with us?’ Luci said, eyes shining.
Amanda plunged inside suddenly finding herself barely able to see and slowing instinctively.
‘Think ahead,’ Luci told her, ‘Feel.’
Amanda reached out with her hand feeling something light brush her fingers.
Cobwebs; they felt sticky, clinging to her hand.
Then the sand fell away beneath her feet and she tumbled into darkness.