Coromandel

I pulled the Nervegear helmet off and just lay in bed for a moment, shaking. The feelings, the sensations I'd felt in the virtual world of Coramandel still lingered, ghost-like, in my mind, and I thought for a second I could taste Coraline's juices in my mouth, feel the ache between my legs where Razor had fucked me.

Cautiously, I reached down between my legs just to make sure I had a penis. It was there, and harder than I could ever remember it being before. I thought about jerking off, but then my alarm went off and I knew that I had to get ready for work. I slapped ineffectually at my phone until I got the alarm off, then stumbled over to the bathroom, turned on the light, and stopped to look in the mirror.

For a moment, I expected to see Audrey's long dark hair and delicate features, but instead there was just plain old me: brown hair, blue eyes, and a beard that needed trimming. It was all I could do to shave with my trembling hand, take a shower, and get out the door.

The entire drive to work, as I blinked my eyes against a return to sleep and the boredom of the usual rush hour traffic jam, I kept having to adjust my dick in my pants. It didn't seem to make much sense, but every time I thought about how hard I had cum last night, my cock stirred to life. The thought of a man's dick inside me, a man fucking me, should have turned me off, but the memory of how that thing felt churning at my insides sent the blood right to my crotch. When I parked, I had to take a moment to let my erection wither before I could get out of the car and walk in.

By the time I walked down the aisle to my cubicle, Natalie was already at her desk and in her chair. Today, she was wearing tight black work slacks and a white blouse; I could make out the faint lines of her bra underneath the thin fabric, and even what had happened last night couldn't keep my eyes from drifting down over her shoulders to where the upper slopes of her pale breasts were just visible.

"Hey, Devin," she called over her shoulder as I set a cup of coffee down on my desk and sat. My eyes wandered to the thin fabric of her slacks, pulled tight across her ass, as she stood up, then bent down to futz with her constantly near-broken printer. Natalie was petite but shapely, and I enjoyed looking at her as much as talking to her, though I tried not to stare. Something was different today: as I glanced at her ass, I suddenly wondered what kind of panties she was wearing. Was it a lace thong, like Audrey had worn in Coromandel last night? Could she feel the soft fabric on her pussy, and was the back riding up her ass? I remembered what that felt like, how every step, every little movement had made me aware of my - of Audrey's - vagina.

I shook myself, took off my coat, and did my best to get to work. But throughout the day, whether at on the phone or during my lunch break, memories of what had happened inside the virtual world kept creeping back into my thoughts. The lingering images and feelings of Coraline in her lingerie, or the tangy taste of the flesh between her legs, or her wet tongue wrestling with mine: those things brought a smile to my face, even while I tried to concentrate on answering customer questions. I couldn't wait to get back in game and look the shapely Deathknight up - I wanted to see her again, to talk to her, to fuck her. I wondered if she'd be willing to let me log in as Lucian and slide a cock into her tight pussy...

But every time I thought of Coraline and the amazing sex we'd had, I also couldn't help but remember what had happened with Razor. When I'd made Audrey, I'd done so with the intention of playing her as a lesbian, because I thought it would be easier to find another female character for sex if I wasn't one of the many male characters in game. I'd known I was likely to find guys hitting on me, but I'd resolved I could just ignore them or tell them to leave me alone. I certainly hadn't intended... what had happened.

Once again, I felt a hand cupping my ass, and then that bizarre sensation of something - I tried not to think the word 'penis' - pressing into me. I'd once had to have a doctor check my prostate, and I'd always thought being penetrated would feel like that - a cramping, sharp pain you tried desperately to scramble away from. But as a woman, that wasn't at all what taking something into my vagina had felt like. There'd been that burning pressure at first, yeah, but then, once my body started to give way and part around him, the initial pain had... not been replaced, exactly, but somehow overwhelmed by a feeling of satisfying, stretched fullness. And cuming as a woman... not once, but three fucking times, which I'd never been able to do in one night as a man, was amazing. And for some reason, even though I'd never gotten turned on by the thought of a man before, I'd cum the hardest with a cock inside me. Was this what it was like, I wondered as I glanced over at Natalie, her eyes fixed on her computer screen, for a woman?

So did this mean I was secretly gay, I wondered in between calls that afternoon. The whole day had passed in a fog, as all I could think about was virtual sex. But now, with only an hour left in my shift, the prospect of actually logging back in to Coromandel was looming closer and closer, and I had to decide what I was going to do. Was I going to log in as Lucien, my male Deathknight? He had earned more experience than Audrey and was a higher level, with better gear, and I could go out and grind some quests. Maybe I would even be able to get a girl to talk to me, this time.

Or... or I could log back in as Audrey. She was a starting character, even if I'd spent a little real-world cash into upgrading her gear, and I'd have to be real careful if I actually went off on a quest with her, because I'd built her to look good, much more than to fight monsters. But playing her, I'd already gotten lucky once, and made a connection with an absolutely gorgeous Deathknight. And I seemed to have made a quest buddy in Razor, who was good in a fight... but after last night, I had a feeling he was going to expect me to be more than just a quest buddy. Christ, I'd fucked him the same day I'd met him. In real life, that would make me an utter slut. Did the same standards apply in game? Would he expect me to fuck him anytime he wanted, now? If he did, what would I do? Just say no? The very thought of facing him again curled low in my stomach like an icy snake, and I had to close my eyes to fight off panic.

"Devin, you feeling ok?"

My eyes snapped open, and I looked over at Natalie. She was leaning forward, and the collar of her blouse hung down just enough that I could see the very edge of a white bra cup. I shook myself and looked up to meet her eyes. The dark makeup she'd put around them made it look like she had even bigger eyes than she did.

"Yeah, I..." I hesitated. "Actually, no not really. I didn't sleep all that well last night."

"You've been real quiet all day," she said with a nod. "Only about half an hour left."

I looked over at the clock; she was right. I'd spaced out again. "Good. I can't wait to get home."

"You going to be ok to drive," the brunette asked me. "I could give you a ride if you want. I don't want you crashing if you fall asleep behind the wheel."

"No," I said, standing up from my chair. "Thanks, though. I don't want to put you out of your way. I'll just take a bathroom break and splash some water on my face."

Natalie sat back up and flashed a smile in my direction. "Sure." She turned back to her computer and picked up a call. I took my own headset off and walked past her to the hall, then took a right on my way to the bathrooms. There, I did exactly what I said I would do, then went into a stall to sit down. I could kill a few moments here. I pulled out my phone and saw that three notifications had popped up from the Coromandel mobile app. I opened it up and began to read.

You couldn't run Coromandel on your phone, clearly, but Studio Night, the company that had created the game, had also created a mobile app that would forward news items, private messages, and other sorts of automated information to your phone. Inside the app, notifications were divided up by character. All three were for Audrey. The first two were friend requests from Coraline and Razor. I accepted Coraline's instantly, hesitated a moment, then accepted Razor's. Now, they could see whether I was online or not, and I could see the same for them. We could also send each other text based messages so long as we weren't actually logged into the game; once we were inside Coromandel, we had to meet up in person or use a Spell to get in contact. The mobile app and friend system let you plan when and where to meet in game, so that you could go out on a raid.

The final message informed me that the room I was staying in had expired, and that once I logged back in and left the room I would be unable to return. It advised me not to leave any items behind, as the Inn would not be responsible for them. While I was reading that, chatboxes from both Razor and Coraline popped up. I dealt with Coraline's first.

Coraline: I had a lot of fun last night. I hope you did too.

Audrey: I did. Thank you.

Coraline: Nothing to thank me for, sweetheart. You healed me up! Going to be on tonight?

I hesitated. That was the question, wasn't it. Coraline wanted to see me again. I felt a flutter in my stomach at the thought of her milky skin, the taste of the sweat on her thighs as I'd gone down on her, and then... I realized, with a start, that I had another erection. I shifted on the toilet seat, adjusting my crotch, and opened the chat from Razor.

Razor: Hey baby.

My left eye twitched. Could he be any more lame? Had I - had Audrey - really fucked this guy?

Audrey: Hey.

Razor: Gonna be on tonight? Coraline wants us to Raid with her.

Wonderful. If I logged in I was going to be stuck with Razor, instead of alone with Coraline. I knew it was a silly thought, because two people wasn't a raiding party, but still, I wasn't eager to see him again. It looked like I had to make a decision. I navigated back to see if any messages had cropped up in Lucien's inbox, but there was still nothing. I typed 'Yes' to each of them in quick succession, and then, to Coraline:

Audrey: Leave me a message on where and when to meet. Have to get back to work. TTYL.

I glanced down at my hard on, and briefly considered jerking off to get rid of it. Instead, I just stood up, tried to adjust it so it wasn't too obvious, and hoped it would go down while I killed time by washing my hands. By the time I got back to my desk, I only had to take one call before quitting time.

I walked out with Natalie, who was chatting idly about the latest episode of a television show we both watched. Normally, I loved spending time with her - I'd always kind of hoped that something might happen between us, even though it never had - but today I just wanted to get home and log in. I made my excuses, and checked the app again as I drove home. There was one message:

Coraline: Westgate, 10pm GMT. There's a stall right inside the gate that sells healing potions. I'll be waiting there. <3

10pm GMT was 6pm for me - just enough time to heat up some leftovers and eat. I had some meatloaf from the last time I'd visited my parents, and it seemed like it hadn't gone bad yet, so I threw that in the microwave while I got changed. When you used NerveGear, you knew you'd be lying down for hours, so it was best to wear something comfortable: no belts, or jeans with rivets, anything that might irritate your skin. I just put on soft cotton pajamas, brushed my teeth so I wouldn't have meatloaf breath, went to the bathroom, and then lay down on the mattress. My fingers trembled in anticipation as I put the helmet on, but before I could think too much about it I flipped the switch and logged in. In just a couple of minutes, I was seeing the loading screen, and then...

...and then, I was Audrey again. For a moment, I thought nothing had happened - I was still lying down on a bed. But here, in the game world, I was nearly naked, in a tangle of soft sheets. I sat up, and looked around the inn bedroom. I was alone. My dark hair fell about my shoulders in a wild mess, and I was sore between my legs. In fact, I winced as I swung my feet out over the bed and down to the cold floor. I was still wearing my stockings, but nothing else, and there was a sticky crust coating my crotch, ass, and the inside of my upper thighs, making a mess of the tight black curls in my pubic hair. Cautiously, I put a finger down to my vagina. It was still sore, and when I lifted my hand to my face I saw a mixture of dried blood and crusty white jizz.

"Seriously? Does the game have to be this realistic? Gross." Now that it was in front of my face, I recognized the familiar strong smell of male cum. "Eww. I need a shower."

I padded over to the bathroom, unclipping my garter straps as I went. Halfway across the room, I paused and lifted my right leg up to roll off my stocking. I balled it up and threw it back onto the bed, then continued into the bathroom. The light here was filtered through stained glass windows, but it was enough to see by until I lit the oil lamps. Then, I hopped on my right leg while I pulled off the stocking on my left and threw it back into the bedroom. Finally, I shimmied the garter belt down over my hips and stood before a full length mirror, naked.

My hair was a post-coital rat's nest. My pubic hair was matted with cum. There was an angry red bite-mark on the left side of my neck, and my makeup was smeared badly. If this had been real life, it would have taken me hours to make myself presentable - especially since I really had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully, Coromandel's penchant for realism didn't extend quite that far. I stepped over to the bathtub and a popup menu presented me with a choice: Bathe, or Skip. With one finger, I pressed Skip. When I turned back to the mirror, my avatar's body had returned to pristine condition, precisely as it was when I had first created it. There was no sign left of the debauchery from the night before, and all the soreness was gone.

Still naked, I walked back over to the bed and laid out my clothing. It was now all clean and unwrinkled, even the lingerie, but somehow I didn't think the corset was the right thing to wear if we were actually going questing. I wanted something that was still sexy, but didn't interfere with my range of motion at all. I opened the drawer of the bureau, and was presented with the familiar pop-up display of the clothing store. There was a notification in the lower right hand corner of my vision, and I selected it.

Congratulations! You've just enjoyed virtual sex in Coromandel for the first time. As a reward, the price of a 3x Random Lingerie Pack has been reduced to 99 cents for one time only!

I laughed. I wondered what sort of reason to spend money they gave male characters - there must be an equivalent. "Sure," I said out loud. "You can have my 99 cents." I authorized payment, and three sets of lingerie appeared in the drawer before me. One was exactly what I had been looking for: a bra, panties, stockings, and garter belt in grey and black lace which would let me move around without the encumbrance of a corset, but still be sexy if I had to take off my clothes. It seemed to basically be a rule that all women's clothing in Coromandel must be sexy, and I couldn't object.

The other two were far more ornamental. One was a corset set in an emerald and a black floral pattern. I ran my finger over it appreciatively. That would be fun to play in. The other... the other I'd gotten very lucky on with the random draw. It was a Rare item, and I selected it to see exactly what it did.

Dark Lady, the set was titled, and the title fit: it was all in black, and the waist cincher and bra were of some plastic-y, pvc type material that shone and glistened in a way that looked slick or oily. The black panties - I did a double take - were split open at the seam. Crotchless panties. I'd heard of them before, but never seen them. And the waist cincher had built in garter straps to attach to the tops of black thigh highs. Grants +5% pleasure to partner, the text box explained.

"Right," I mumbled to myself. "Not only am I not brave enough to try that yet, the word for the day is comfortable." I picked up the panties from the first set, bent over, and stepped into them. It still felt strange when I pulled the straps up over my hips and let the lace hug my crotch, but I was getting used to it. I adjusted the back strap so that it was comfortably wedged up in my ass, and then I put on the bra (after a bit of trial and error). The garter belt was easy enough, and so were the stockings. I considered leaving those off for a moment - they really weren't meant to go beneath the pants I was going to be wearing - but I didn't have any kind of socks to go on my feet, and I didn't want to be barefoot in the boots, so on they went. I stowed the rest of the lingerie in my inventory. Then, I pulled on my outerwear and finished up by buckling on my gun belt, pulled the duster over my shoulders, and set out.

As soon as I left the room, the familiar textbox popped up to inform me that I had leveled. I frowned: I hadn't killed any monsters since the tutorial, or completed any Quests. I called up my experience award history, scrolled through it, and was surprised to discover that experience points were also awarded for sex. Furthermore, there was a new selection of skills available to improve in my menu: Sex Techniques. I took a moment to read the description of the first option, Cunninlingus. Increase pleasure of partner by +9%, it read, with a +/- toggle box next to it. Experimentally, I pressed the '+' button until I couldn't spend any more points on that skill, and it capped out at +12%. 'Increase Pleasure.' I thought about it.

The game controlled our sensory input. I'd chosen to make this body extra sensitive in several areas: there had been those sliders to set nipple and clitoral sensitivity at character creation, and I'd cranked them all the way up. It made sense that you could purchase skills to manipulate the tactile input the other player received, as well. I spent the points I had available for combat options quickly, picking up the Gunslinger's Draw ability, but it seemed the system separated combat and sex skills: once you had unlocked them both, you couldn't choose to just focus on one, you had to get better at both. I'd spent about a third of my pool of points for Sex Techniques already, and I quickly maxed out Masturbation: Female. Most of the other options were grayed out and not yet available: it seemed I could only improve things I had actually tried in game - and maybe in the character preview? That was the only place I'd masturbated... My finger hovered over Penetration: Doggy Style, but I had the points to spare and not much else to do with them, so I maxed that out as well. Then, I confirmed that I was finished levelling up and set out down the hall.

Once out of the inn and into the city, I used my Streetwise skill to pull up a translucent HUD map in the upper right of my field of vision and set off. This map wasn't as detailed as Lucien's, yet - Audrey didn't have the levels for that - but it would improve as the character improved her skill. Regardless, it wasn't hard to find the West Gate, and as Coraline had promised, there was a small cart selling healing potions right there. They looked to do pretty good business, but I didn't have the funds for any potions unless I wanted to drop more real world money here, which I was trying really hard not to do.

Razor, on the other hand, seemed to have no such compunctions, and the big idiot stepped out of line with an armful of glass bottles bound in thin leather straps, juggling them to keep from dropping one as he tried to get out of the way of the next customer. I rolled my eyes.