Chapter 28

From the Video Blog of Ariel, the First Immortal Whore

Life is good. I am well fucked after a night of adventuring. I lie in a tent next to Bandit Robin, my hand idly playing with the evidence of the aforementioned fucking that has collected between my legs.

We ran the undead nest this evening, this time with no dying. It was a slog: Bandit Robin is right, my adventuring skills are well behind my level. And so the Foresters—well, Robin, Big John Tank and Will Scarlet at least—were constantly saving my ass.

By the time we got through all the monsters, it was clear to me that I owed them. When we cleaned up and got down to partying, I waived my fees. They are my kind of adventurers: competent, interested in building a team, good in bed, and comfortable sharing. It is still strange to tack on the last, but for this character, that is important.

Robin is relaxing next to me. “You know, if you get your skills up, you are going to be unstoppable. You have a good sense of how to work with a team and you understand the game. If you could combine good skills, that knowledge, and your sexiness, nothing could stand in your way.”

“We made some progress. I got both magics (life and elemental water) up to Beginner 2. You were right that using a club for most of it was a better call than trying to work on blades and Back Stab. So Clubs is Beginner 5.

“And I did get some blades practice in. I got Back Stab up to Beginner 4, and Stealth up to Beginner 3.”

“Hmmph. You are still well behind your level.”

“Yeah, but my path is helping. I’m getting skill bonuses like I’m specialized even for stuff that has nothing to do with being a Whore. It also looks like I am avoiding some of the penalties I’d expect for hanging out with much higher level characters and not fully pulling my weight.”

“True. Your progress isn’t bad for one mini-dungeon. And the celebration after was good.”

I turn to him. “I’m glad you’re still willing to work with me. Having friends and adventuring companions after I introduced David means a lot.”

“Ah, let’s not get all emotional. You’re good people. That’s what matters.”

“Before we drift off,” Bandit Robin says, “What did happen between you and MarvForAriel at the after party?”

I laugh. “I think that story is going to lead somewhere besides sleeping. But I’m happy to tell.”

“I guess we don’t need to get back to Berg’s Keep at any particular time.”

I begin to tell the story. It happened when the after party was in full swing. We were all hanging out, drinking and snacking on the food at the Roasted Pig. I was relieved; no matter what happened next, I had made a decision about David and acted on it.

During a lull in people talking to me, I decided to see how MarvForAriel was doing. I slid in next to him and snuggled up. Only later did I realize that was strange in and of itself; I tend not to get all snugly and flirty with immortals who have sex turned off. What I did notice is that he doesn’t complain, not even when I wrap my arm around him. In fact, I realized he was getting turned on. I brushed a breast against him. Yep, it was me he reacted to.

What was I going to do? He works for me. In the immortal world, the answer would be clear: pretend I never noticed and wander away. But this isn’t the real world; we are both characters in a game. Of course it’s not that simple either. There is a power relationship between us, and if we go there, we will never entirely be able to close that door.

It would be so simple if he were an ephemeral. Well, my decision would be simple at least. Sleeping with the guild master and my trainers could go wrong in all sorts of ways, but whores as a community have decided to accept that risk in exchange for greater intimacy.

Was there any reason I could not make the same decision here? Legally my contract is with the company not Marv directly. I’m sure I run into all sorts of trouble if I pressure him into intimacy in game or out. But there are key differences between this and the real world. He explicitly turned on Sexual Interactions. And at that time, he could have excluded anyone he wanted from implicit consent. The game takes away some of the guess work.

And so I decided to play this like the Whore I am. Nothing like roleplaying your class!

“Marv, I can tell I’m getting you hot and bothered. I can tell you are here with Sexual Interactions turned on.”

I had never seen someone blush that brightly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. You know you have full control. You can tell me to stop or slow down. You can edit your consent setting and exclude me. Or you can even turn off sex.

“But right now, you are playing a horny man in a game. You’ve found a whore. If you don’t do one of those things, I think you know what happens next.”

I cocked my head at him. “Although if you ask me to slow down, you’d better be clear whether you want time to think with a clear head or you just want me to drag out teasing you.”

“What kind of goddess of seduction are you?”

“Oh, I like that. I like that a lot. I think you might just find out.” And truly the challenge of seducing him was what attracted me. I knew he was going to be nervous. He had the same ideas from the immortal world to fight against: this was wrong for the two of us, as well as the bigger taboos about sex in general.

And of course, those immortal rules might not be wrong. This might complicate things for us. I trusted myself to be able to work with him assuming he is reasonable. I was asking him to make that call for himself: did he trust me enough to be able to work with me regardless of what might happen tonight? And here’s the big difference. In the immortal world, we’ve decided intimacy is not worth the risk in situations like this. For whores in the game, we’ve made a much more risky trade off.

Slowly, I leaned towards him, my breast gently rubbing at his chest. What would he do? He didn’t pull away (although it’s not like he has much room to pull back). He didn’t ask me to stop. There was no change in his interface.

I balanced across his knee. I had done this with so many clients. But this felt different. There was the thrill of seduction; there was not knowing if he would accept his lust. I had no doubt that the lust was there. His heart was pounding, and the smell of his excitement drove me ever higher.

But I needed more. To truly conquer him, he needed to accept it; I needed him to admit his desires. That would make it more real; make it bigger. But it also approached one aspect of immortal mores that I value: I wanted his consent to be more explicit before things get too far.

I slowed down. My nipples were just grazing against his skin. It was driving me absolutely wild. If I kept this up I would leave a wet patch on his knee. For him, it was enough to keep his interest but little more.

“I know this turns you on. But is this what you want?”

“I think so?” His tone was hesitant.

“That’s not good enough. I need you to decide that you actively want this: you want to be seduced; you want to enjoy your lust.”

“How do I do that?”

“Face it. Decide that when everyone you know hears about this, you’re gonna say ‘yeah, I did that. It was hot.’”

“Oh, fuck, they are going to know, aren’t they?” I think that’s the closest he could come to talking about me streaming him in game.

I trailed my finger along his face. “Yes, always.” Wow, it was hot to see how turned on he was by that. I don’t know if it was the touch, the humiliation or the exhibition. But if he went through with this, I had no doubt his skills would increase.

I waited, my breasts just brushing against him. His heart pounded.

“Yes.”

“Yes, you want this?”

He nodded.

“And when you look back on this tomorrow, you’re not going to regret it?”

For some reason that spiked his lust. “No. I have the goddess of desires as a client. I’m not going to regret indulging my own this once.”

I was so wet. I was definitely leaving a damp spot. And if he touched me there, right now, I’d come. But he was not going to do that; not without a price agreed and a whore hired. But there was so much more we could do while we play—while I reeled in my catch. “This isn’t the immortal world, Marv; you can touch.” I guided his hand to my breast. My nipple was so sensitive under his palm!

Soon, I was grinding against him, his hardness pressing against me through our clothes. I bent forward and whispered into his ear. “You heard me talking the other day about how much of a compliment it is when a man comes for me in his pants. You’re going to do that for me, the two of us here grinding together until you can’t take it. And then you’re going to come as hard as you can.” I didn’t give him a chance to answer as our mouths and tongues met.

It was incredible. To reach down, feel the outline of his cock and realize I’ve brought him here; I’ve gotten somewhere where I’m comfortable enough being a whore that I could do this. He was willing to enjoy himself, immortal mores forgotten, at least for that instant. The scent of his musk when he finally succumbed was enough to push me over the top.

I sat next to MarvForAriel, my hand on his leg. He spoke. “I’m sorry—”

I ran a finger along his lips. “There’s no sorry. You said you wouldn’t regret it tomorrow. So you can’t now.”

“I don’t; I’m going to treasure letting go like that for a long time. It’s more than just wanting you; it was the whole not caring and just reveling in lust.”

“Uh huh. so let’s talk of whether we’re going to take this up stairs, not of sorry.”

“I can’t! They are not going to fire me for whatever that was. A warning perhaps. But especially given how you ... how you did whatever you did.”

“How I seduced you. Let’s call it what it was.”

“Yeah that. At most they’d get grumpy about what we did. But if I hire you ... that might be my job.”

“I don’t think it would be against any agreement I’ve signed. Is it actually against any policy if we’re both consenting?”

“I don’t know either. But besides! I don’t even have any money.”

I wondered what Master Kessler would do if I dragged him over to her office and asked if I could treat him as someone who had never been a client. It was a gray area: when I went to seduce him I was thinking of a client, but I’ve never taken his money. But this was ridiculous. “I saw you pay for drinks earlier. You didn’t seem to be cheap then.”

“That is my expense account. Yes, this is a character, but I don’t play other than for my job.”

“And they’d balk at you expensing a whore?”

“What do you think, of course they would.”

“A real prostitute, sure. A virtual whore in a game given your job, I actually have no idea. Two questions: how much trouble are you in if you ask and they say no? Also, and the big one: do you want to hire me? For me this is a game about embracing desire. It’s that for you too, but I know the real-world risks are there.

“If you want the experience but don’t want the risk of going further with me, Goodwench Brown is right over there. Although I’m sure you know who would be cleaning her up after you are done.”

“Hiring Hulda would be the smart thing. We’ve gone far enough that we know there is chemistry. Going further could make things awkward if something goes wrong,” he said.

“That’s true. But we’re big boys and girls here, and we’ll do our best to work past any tension. And I think we could both recover if it does blow up in our faces.”

“Well, you could for sure. For me, your contract is a really big thing. And as I said, the smart thing would be to go hire Hulda. But that’s not what I want to do. Your image—the image I’m helping create—is all about embracing desire. In my gut, that’s what I want to do.”

“Your gut? I was thinking a bit lower.”

I grinned at his chuckle. “That too. Anyway, let’s see what happens. Somewhere around here is a form for requesting pre-approval for in-game expenses. How do I fill this out? Ah yes, purpose: ‘Paying my primary PR client’s character to sleep with her.’ Then I submit it.”

I smiled. “That would be the bold and in your face way to do it.”

“I figured you might appreciate that, Bold Pathtreader.”

“That’s sweet.”

MarvForAriel’s face turned white. “You are going to be the death of me. First, deciding to announce David with less than a day’s notice. Now this!”

“What happened? If they are disciplining you for asking—”

“No, you don’t get it. It was approved.”

“What’s the problem?”

“It was approved by Shitstorm. Fuck, what am I going to do?”

“Shitstorm?”

“The creator AI, Hudson River Sanitation. Everyone calls them Shitstorm behind their back.”

“Um, that sounds like one of the dumbest things I could imagine doing. The AIs I’ve met are really touchy about their names.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe: names and several other things. But no, they think it is funny. Probably they suggested it to someone. Even so, I don’t know anyone who is brave enough to call them Shitstorm to their face, or ball, or whatever. Hudsan is the acceptable short-form.

“But my request went all the way to the top. I got the attention of my great grand boss—someone who has more power than you can imagine. Fuck, what am I going to do?”

“That sounds about right.”

He looked at me blankly. I explained. “You said fuck. Isn’t that where this was all headed?”

He laughed; breaking the tension was what he needed. “I guess so. Hudsan says that virtual sex does not count as sexual interaction for the company’s HR policies or the relevant laws. Consent still matters of course. You have received a note reminding you of the consequences of pressuring Phoenix Rising staff into unwanted sensitive situations.

“But as they put it, ‘Within your comfort, you are encouraged to familiarize yourself with the needs and desires of market segments relevant to your job. As long as you’re having a good time, go for it; we’ll all be watching.’”

I leaned in, “So, are you going to have a little fun with your boss?”

He nodded. I grabbed a key for a room.

That was hot too. I knew he was intimately familiar with every inch of my body from my perspective. but with the exception of editing two recordings he’d never experienced my body from outside. So, I gave those sensations to him, our shared knowledge of what it was like for me building our passion ever higher. When we got to the point where I spread my legs and guided his head between them, I was already close. I came at least once under his tongue, the thrill of sharing my taste with someone who already knew what I was feeling adding to the experience. And then, when I mounted him! Oh, yeah, this was going to be a recording well worth watching.

Toward the end of the story, Bandit Robin and I find ourselves acting out the parts that happened up stairs. As I predicted, sleep was delayed. Yet again we lie next to each other, swimming on our bliss.

“That was hot, but it was kind of stupid don’t you think?”

“How so?”

“You are risking your business relationship over one night of pleasure.”

“In a sense, you are right. And that’s certainly what we say in the immortal world. I’m putting a value on intimacy—even short-lived intimacy—far in excess of what the immortal world says I should. And if we actually appeared in the same space every day, yeah this would be crazy.”

I continue, “I’ve come to think of it this way. I’m offering him the choice to live a small part of embracing desire in a way that crosses into the real world. He got to decide that for him, the sense of freedom was worth the extra risk. And even if we stop interacting as lovers, we can work to keep the business relationship going.”

“That’s an awful lot of risk for a bit of fun.”

“I think it’s more than that. I feel good about myself when I accept desires. I am happy; I am free. All of that can be worth risk.

“Of course not much of that was going through my head at the time. For me, I was getting tired of figuring out how to balance the expectations of the immortal world and this world. And I decided that I’m going to play my class to the fullest in here, and respect the real world rules out there.”

“That’s sure going to be interesting.” And on that note, a couple hours before dawn, we do finally drift off to sleep.

Between my time with Marv and my time with the Foresters, several skills leveled up. Fucking and Making Out reached Beginner 7. Exhibition reached Beginner 6.

Also, along the way, I leveled up. And best of all, I was given a chance to learn the new skills I missed at level 12. I chose to spend more points on Elemental Water Magic. I got a new spell: Steam Blast. My skill for water magic is up to Beginner 5. And then I picked up a new Whore skill:

Notification

New Skill: Harmless at level Beginner 3. Who me? I couldn’t possibly have done that. Seriously, little me, over here, do whatever it is that has you all upset? Don’t waste your time with me. I won’t run away or escape; you can go find the real threat and I’ll be fine here.

At this level, creatures (including characters) are significantly more likely to believe their own analysis that you are harmless, even when circumstances might have them looking for threats under every stone. At master levels? Well, perhaps that enchanted sword really is ornamental. The blood dripping off it could just be to make it look cool.

Ineffective against opponents you combat.

Active skill; requires constant mana feed to be effective.

I didn’t realize that Harmless would be ineffective in combat until after I obtained it. No wonder it is a Whore skill rather than some rogue class skill. I was hoping it might allow me to adventure more effectively with higher level players. And I guess it might if I am going along as a whore and staying out of the higher level fights. It sounds very useful for spy work though.

We get back to Berg’s Keep in early afternoon. I have time to meet with the artisan who is teaching me about guild law. I will have one more session of that class.

Then, all the trainees in my class get together. We are all doing well. The trusted facilitators have all accepted for our training culmination party. We are all far enough along that it is time to pick a date. I think it is going to be fun.

Princess Aubrielle’s staff and I finished planning her event a couple of days ago. For a while it looked like we might need to cancel. It seems like the princess was always in some meeting about rising tensions with the gnolls. Things apparently haven’t been resolved with the village that offended the gnoll goddess. Somehow, she found time to work with me and even found time in her schedule for the actual party. It must be important to her.

This evening I have my meeting with Nama’s Child and her son. We’re having dinner at the formal dining room at First Front. I expect tonight will only be talking. For one thing, his mother will be there. I think we will all size each other up and figure out whether I’m willing to take him as a client and whether he wants that.

I am nervous. I can talk to Bandit Robin all day about how I’m just going to go all-out Whore class, but it’s not that simple. MarvForAriel has enough experience to know what he’s risking. Some 18-year-old kid who has little to no experience? I am not sure I can express the risks well enough that he can understand them. I don’t know if I fully understand them myself. There are so many things that are important to love and intimacy: communication, knowing how far to go, consent, and all the rest. There’s a big difference in being good at that and being good enough to teach someone else. There’s a big difference between good enough for a game and good enough to mess with someone’s real life. Yet people jump into sex all the time and it kind of works out.

I distract myself preparing for the evening. This is the first time I have gone somewhere in the corset and the black silk jacket. I wore the jacket for the fan chat, but this is the corset’s debut.

The guild has maidservants that help with the outfit and with applying makeup or face paint or whatever the game is calling it. I like the results. It’s not hard for me to do “fuck me now” on my own. But the corset looks amazingly hot while being less blatant. And with my cleavage, I certainly strike an impressive figure.

I arrive at the desk. I want to avoid the embarrassment of being interrupted while dining; I ask if I’m going to need an exception to avoid being on shift.

“You are meeting a client?”

“I am not sure. I guess? They are paying for my time, but I think all we plan to do is have dinner and discuss future services.”

“Without a doubt, that counts. No exception; you are on shift, booked with a client. You won’t be interrupted. Will you need a communications stud?”

“No, I do not think so.”

I do not have long to wait. Nama’s Child is dressed to shine as usual. Her evening gown rivals things I’ve seen Princess Aubrielle wear.

The young man standing next to her must be her son. His suit fits him perfectly.

“Ariel, meet my son, Ryland.” His full tag is Rylander28.

“The pleasure is mine.”

Our server arrives. “If the three of you will come this way, your table is ready.”

We sit and begin to review the menu. Nama’s Child makes small talk while we consider what to order. “It’s been a long time since I have been to Berg’s Keep. It is good to come through here again.”

“Where do you spend your time now?” I ask.

“When I’m on this continent? In the Elvin lands mostly. Although with things threatening to escalate to war out that way, it’s more dangerous than it used to be.”

I turn to Ryland. “Do you game much?”

“I play a little. I would like to play more, but school, sports and other things get in the way. I guess that should be got in the way; I graduated two weeks ago.”

He smiles. “Mom likes Phoenix Rising a lot, and it’s fun to spend some time hanging out with her. But she has to be really careful if I’m going to get any experience at all.”

“Not up to your mom’s level?”

“Hardly!”

“Your mom is really cool. I can’t imagine a parent actually setting something up like this.” I think she’s also kind of scary. This cannot be easy for her son.

“Yeah, it’s cool, but kind of awkward too. I mean most parents get all embarrassed and have a hard time talking about stuff. Mom, well ... I keep having to remind her that I don’t want to talk about some things with my parents.”

He smiles. “At least in game, her name lets you know exactly what you’re going to be in for. Out in the real world, she catches people by surprise sometimes.”

“Her name?” I ask.

“I thought you knew,” he says. “She’s named after a sex goddess.”

She laughs. “A fictional sex goddess, and the game would not let me spell her name correctly. Something about trademarks. Those books are ancient; I bet Ariel has never heard of them.”

The server arrives to take our order. Once we finish, I continue the small talk. “What’s your impression of Berg’s Keep?”

“It’s almost all human,” Ryland says. “Except for a few dwarfs, all I see are humans. Across the mountains—even in Hillthrone—you see a lot more races.”

Nama’s Child nods. “Berg’s Keep is insular, but the people are nice. And for Ariel, I think it has been a great starting place.”