Gatecrash: Awakening

The third Instance was warm, pleasantly so. Even the smooth floor was comfortable against my bare feet. I looked down and saw polished stone, and looked up to see a vaulted ceiling of the same material, albeit rougher. We seemed to have been deposited in a great hall. I couldn't see past the crowd to the front of the room, but behind me was a huge hearth with a roaring fire. Many doors dotted the walls beside the hearth, all made of solid reinforced wood. I kept myself covered as I read the information.

Instance: 3

Time: 2 Hours

Theme: Delve

Summary: Descend as deep as you can into the caves below, overcoming monsters and traps.

Rewards: Coins will be distributed based on lowest depth, with deeper participants earning more Coins. The ten deepest will receive consumable items.

Special: The Instance will b

My reading was interrupted by a searing pain in my arm. Whatever caused it came with a lot of force, making me stumble toward the hearth. I used the hand between my legs to catch myself as I almost fell forward onto my knees. I'd spread my legs a bit to brace myself, and my heart skipped a beat as I realized I'd just flashed my pussy to the entire crowd. But I didn't have time to reflect on that as I turned to see Forrest raising his sword for another swing.

"No rules against fighting this time," he declared, his lips curled in a manic grin. The nearby Hunters were all watching with reactions ranging from interest to horror. Forrest's goons were standing at the edge of the crowd, making sure no one interfered. Deeper inside, it was parting as if someone was pushing through.

Although I suspected who was fighting to come to the scene of the battle, there was no way he would get here in time. I raised my hand toward Forrest, preparing to use Icicle to slow him down as the sword came down. But before I could use the skill, I saw a blur of motion.

There was a loud "clang!" as a small metal object hit Forrest in the side of the head. He whirled around, demanding, "Who the fuck did that? You want some too?"

A deep voice bellowed, "What the fook do ye think yer doin'? Ah'll have none o' that in my establishment!" Everyone turned to see a short, stout man with a gray beard that went down to his belly and a bald head. He was wearing banded mail, and a sword almost as tall as him was strapped to his back. He was glaring at Forrest.

There was a clatter as the projectile met the floor. It was a steel tankard, and it bounced around a bit before coming to rest beside the hearth. Forrest watched its progress, then raised his sword uncertainly at the man. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Dagstaff Ironheart," the man replied. The appearance and the gruff way he spoke gave the impression of a dwarf. The name all but confirmed it. Dwarves appeared in Gates as monsters did, but many were not hostile. The dwarf continued, "And ahm tha shopkeeper. Tha System put me here so's ah can explain ta all o' you's that not everything you encoun'ner in a Gate will be tryin' ta kill ya. Some may offer help, others may give ye quests. An' a few, like me, will take yer Coins offa yer hands in exchange fer goods."

He was bombarded by a deluge of questions from the assembled Hunters. He made everyone form a line to his counter across the room, explaining that the Instance wouldn't start until we'd all had a chance to speak with him and browse his wares. There was also a feast prepared at a long table I hadn't been able to see past the crowd.

Before I took a seat at the table, I checked my injury, starting with the HP loss. I'd taken a bit over 70 damage, though it was hard to tell the exact number because it was already healing. Then I looked at the physical wound. It was a pretty deep gash, and would have required stitches if it weren't for my Lesser Regeneration. Had that fucker been trying to cut my arm off? The heat of my rage was tempered by a chill as I realized he'd probably come up with a better plan now that he knew how high my Physical Defenses were.

I decided to worry about that later, stepping over one of the benches. Before I ate, I wrapped a soft napkin around the wound to stem the bleeding and--more importantly--hide the effects of my skill. The food prepared by AHU wasn't bad, but the meal in this strange hall was literally otherworldly. There was meat roasted to perfection, vegetables I'd never seen before but which held a sweet and savory flavor, and even mead. I drank sparingly, not wanting to get tipsy before the Instance.

As I indulged, Elias found me through the crowd. He started by saying, "Glad to see you still in one piece. Although I have a feeling Forrest was in more danger than you."

I shrugged non-commitally, which was a bit difficult while keeping myself covered. I saw no reason to share anything about my capabilities, so I replied, "Luckily, he seemed to be planning to fight me alone. I think he's gotten a big head after his success in the last Instance."

"I've heard he's been bragging about killing the snake at the top of the mountain, said it was a 'boss' or something," Elias replied. He added with a laugh, "Doesn't mention how you swiped the reward out from under him, though."

We chatted a bit more as we ate. It was similar to our shared meals at breakfast and dinner, although now I didn't have my towel covering me. As we laughed and joked, Forrest glared darkly from a place at the other end of the table.

Dagstaff the dwarf was not shy about speaking to the Hunters, even engaging in multiple minutes of conversation with them. The window explaining the Instance had stayed visible. I read the part I hadn't gotten to, which stated, "The Instance will begin in a shop."

Finally, the line had begun to thin. I headed up and took a place in it, waiting for my turn. I arrived at the long counter at the far end of the hall. Dagstaff was behind it, and behind him were rows and rows of all manner of adventuring gear.

He gave me an appraising look. There was nothing lecherous about his gaze; he seemed to just be sizing me up. "Well," he said after nodding to himself, "The first thing ah'll recommend is some armor. Ah'll give ya a fair price fer it unlike those scam artists ye've got runnin' the rest area."

"That won't be necessary," I replied with a bright smile. I considered buying some to use for later, but several other Hunters were nearby, watching my conversation. Most of them were just taking the excuse to ogle me, but a few, including Forrest and Elias, had keener ears. They'd naturally all wonder why I was buying armor without using it.

"Ah understand," he said with a knowing nod and a look at the eavesdroppers. Did he know about the Feats? He continued, "Ah've been recommendin' light sources ta tha others, but a Gloameye like ye won't be needin' those. Perhaps some healin' and rejuvenation potions would interest ye? Ten Coins each for the lowest-rank, and a hundred Coins each for lesser."

I cocked an eyebrow, undeterred despite how much of a disadvantage a nude person would appear to have speaking with a seasoned merchant. "That's more than twice the market price," I replied.

"Aye, well, ah may not be gougin' ye as much as those leeches ye've got on tha other side o' that Gate, but ah think ye'll find a healin' potion ye can buy right now a lot more useful than two healin' potions ye can't," he said with a wink. "An' a'fore ye go askin' fer a discount, we both know ye won't be needin' charity. Ah've never seen such a dangerous Hunter at Level 1."

I looked over my shoulder at Forrest and Elias. I saw the former's brow had folded down into a glare at that comment, whereas the latter's had raised in surprise. I turned back to Dagstaff, my smile grown terse as I said, "I'm tempted to end this conversation now before you let anything else slip."

Dagstaff gave a booming laugh. "Don't be like that. Tell ye what, ye've probably got plenty of Coins since ye've been saving up, aye? Maybe ah can interest ye in this." He reached under the counter, revealing a glass bottle with a clear liquid. "It's a Least Elixir of Growth. Increases Growth of every stat by 2."

That caused a stir from the Hunters who were paying more attention to the conversation than my tits and ass. Even among experienced Hunters, a stat's Growth being a value you could measure and influence was not common knowledge.

My eyes had gone wide as I looked at the vial. I cursed my failure to control my expression as I glanced back up at Dagstaff, whose own eyes had taken an avaricious sheen. Sighing in my defeat, I asked, "How much?"

"One thousand Coins," Dagstaff replied. "And ah expect ye won't be telling me that's above market price, since ah doubt anyone in yer world knows how to make these." He was right about that. The recipe for even just a Least Elixir of Growth would be enough to make the alchemist who'd concocted it a millionaire overnight.

I took a deep breath, staring deeply into the small bottle. I could afford it, even without having earned a single coin in the second Instance. But was I really about to blow all of my money on one potion that wouldn't even help me clear the Instances?

Dagstaff didn't say anything, supremely confident in his sales pitch. He'd correctly identified exactly what I was looking for. Although he may not have realized the extent of it, long-term power was my biggest concern and weakness. And this elixir would certainly go a ways to helping it.

The breath I'd taken left me in a deep sigh. He had me exactly where he wanted me. There was nothing to do but say, "Alright, I'll take it." I listened with some satisfaction to the stir that statement caused, then withdrew the hand I'd had between my legs and held it out to him. I felt something like a pulse of electricity as he took it in his gauntlet.

"It's yers. Might as well drink it now," he replied, pushing the elixir across the counter to me as he called up the next customer.

I took his advice, removing the cork with my teeth then downing it in a single gulp. For a moment, I felt a twinge of worry at a repeat of my experience with the previous elixir I'd taken. But my fears went unrealized as I was suffused with a pleasant warmth. I checked my Status, and sure enough, while my Coins had gone back down to 100, the Growth of every stat had gone up by 2.

Thanks to the Elixir of the Vampire and my Feats, my Growth values were now all at least 18, virtually average. And Potency and Charm reached well beyond that. But I was determined to bring them even higher. I returned to the feast after that, waiting for Dagstaff to finish speaking to the assembled hunters.

These included Elias, who procured some armor at a good price. Forrest went as well, spending most of his Coins on potions. After the debacle with the snake at the top of the mountain, which had likely hamstrung his team's ability to hunt for the rest of the Instance, he was interested in being able to restore HP and AP without getting ripped off by the Tutorial Shop. Dagstaff was happy to oblige, even suggesting other potions which would prove useful in this Instance.

Once everyone had their opportunity, Dagstaff shouted over the din of conversation, bringing the Hunters to order. "A'right, ye've all had yer chances to look at my wares and ah'd say yer all ready ta delve. Ye can see there are twenty exits to this hall, but a hundred of ye. Ta make things fair for those who might be lagging behind, ye'll go in order of earned experience. Starting with the twenty lowest, then the next twenty, and so on. Ye'll all have yer two full hours, but this'll give the lower-Level Hunters an opportunity to get ta the monsters and treasure first. All of the paths intersect in different places as they go down, so don't worry about missing out because of the entrance ye were assigned. If ye are part of the lowest twenty, ye should see one of the doors glowing."

Sure enough, I scanned the hall and saw that one of the wooden doors was shining with blue light. I approached it, noting other Hunters who made their way to the other doors.

Once twenty of us were assembled at twenty different doors, Dagstaff said, "Ye'll get a five-minute head start, so make the most of it. Ye can end the Instance early by coming back here, and yer lowest depth will be recorded and ye'll be considered a pass. Your timer starts as soon as ye cross the threshold. Best of luck!"

Taking that as my cue, I stepped through the door. It opened to a winding stone tunnel lit only by the firelight of the feast hall, but of course, I could see perfectly well in the gloom. As I descended farther from the tunnel and left the warmth and light behind, my eyes quickly adjusted to the pitch black.

It was cold and damp in the Instance proper. My feet padded against the rough stone, despite my best efforts to move silently. After a minute or so of this, I decided that as long as I was going down a tunnel, any monsters would definitely see me. It would be more prudent to descend as quickly as possible until the terrain changed.

I jogged down the tunnel for about two minutes, my Dexterity invaluable as I avoided slipping on the uneven ground. As I went, the tunnel seemed to slope down slightly. I probably had the lead for now, but the best way to keep it would be to avoid doing anything that would slow me down. I'd probably stop and take a detour if I saw something obvious that would lead to treasure, but in the absence of that, I would rush through and throw caution to the wind.

The tunnel forked and branched every so often. I avoided the ones leading upward, both because my goal was to lower and because I assumed they led to other entrances. I had nothing to gain and a potentially a great deal to lose from meeting another Hunter.

And I went down... down... down. I picked the paths with the greatest slopes, and for a while the only danger was the risk of loosing my footing. But then I had my first encounter with a monster.

I noticed a tripwire in the darkness, and I deftly stepped over it as I kept up my pace. As I passed by it, I noticed goblins hidden in alcoves on either side, waiting for prey to snag.

They were short green creatures, about the size of toddlers. They had beady yellow eyes and pointed ears, and were wearing loincloths and holding shoddy weapons. They started when they saw me, surprised not only that I hadn't fallen for their trap but also that I was running right by them.

One of them barked out something in a strange tongue, calling after me as I picked up the pace. I heard the soft whir of a bow being drawn, then a thwack as the arrow was loosed. The goblin's aim was true, the arrow hitting me right in the shoulder.

I didn't even break stride as it bounced harmlessly off me. It felt like being poked by someone trying to get my attention, but because of my streaking Feat and, more importantly, my 600 bonus Physical Defense from the Elixir of the Vampire, the stone arrowhead couldn't even scratch me.

I doubtlessly could have made quick work of the goblins, but there was no need. It would only slow me down, and I still wanted to avoid gaining any Levels if I could. The best rewards I could get from the Tutorial were the treasures hidden around the Instances and the prizes for good placement in the competitive ones.

The slapping of small feet against stone echoed through the tunnel behind me, and a few more arrows whizzed by. These were rushed and clattered harmlessly against the walls and floor of the tunnel. The goblins kept up a chase for a solid minute, but they were far too slow to keep up.

I took the opportunity to look over my shoulder when I reached another fork. No sign of pursuit, any other monsters, or any other Hunters. I checked the paths before me, noting their grades, and was about to head down the steepest when I noticed something. I could feel a slight breeze tickling my bare skin and ruffling my hair.

I licked my finger and held it up to test the direction. It was coming from what I'd thought was a rocky wall, but as I approached it, I realized there was a hole about ten feet up. The shadows of a light source held at eye-level would have kept it concealed, but now that I was looking, I could see it easily with my Gloamsight. It seemed to be the breeze's source. I climbed up the side of the wall and looked inside. It was a narrow passage, even narrower than the descent below the standing stones in the second Instance had been. I'd have to crawl on me knees to get through, and it turned sharply about ten feet in, so I couldn't see much.

I considered it. Because of how well-hidden it was and how physically demanding it seemed to be to traverse, there was likely treasure inside. But it would be so slow compared to running down the corridors. How far was I willing to go to reach the end? And I would be fully committed if I did this; turning around would hardly be an option once I was inside.

As I looked into the tunnel, I remembered what had been waiting for me at the end of the last tunnel I'd been down. I shivered as the memories of the roper having its way with me resurfaced. I could almost feel its smooth appendages pistoning in and out of me, taste the sap's sweetness as it fucked my throat, smell the headiness of its seed as it poured load after load into me.

My lower lips had gotten about as damp as my surroundings. I shook myself out of my reverie. It certainly had been a fine way to pass the time waiting for the Instance to end, and I'd gotten a solid item out of it. Deciding the Tutorial would not be so cruel as to have a death trap waiting for me in this tiny tunnel, I figured the worst case scenario was wasting time and hurting my final placement. I climbed inside.

I got down on my knees and elbows, advancing as quickly as I could. I moved my right leg in time with my left hand and vice versa, which kept me at a decent clip. My stats complemented plenty of previous experience crawling around on the floor. Unfortunately, the posture kept my hanging breasts against the coarse, damp rock of the tunnel. The contact was constant, and I felt every bump and jagged edge as I made my way down.

The sensation was maddening. Thanks to Lesser Regeneration there was no particular danger, the bumps and scrapes healing quickly. But if the cliff face yesterday had been enough to get me hot and bothered, this was on another level. That had been irregular scratching against dry stone. But this was sustained pressure, and the slickness and chill of the surface kept my nipples hard, further heightening my senses. It went on for minutes, and I was soon huffing and puffing not from the exertion of keeping up my pace, but from the intense arousal of the uninterrupted stimulation.

There was no transition, ebb, or flow to the feeling. With Lesser Regeneration keeping my breasts smooth and unscathed, the intense pleasure was not replaced by the sharper feeling of rawness. All it did was build. My thighs were as slick as the rocks I was scraping against, and every inch forward was a battle. I kept up a heroic effort for ten minutes, but I came to a shuddering halt. I'd always been a bit oversexed, but I had been down bad since the start of the Tutorial. I knew I was in no position to continue my crawl, so I dropped down with my forehead rested on my left arm. My right went between my breasts to my slit.

I wanted it quick and dirty, immediately sinking three fingers with no resistance thanks to my natural lubrication. I kept my ass up, nice and inviting, as I plunged my fingers in and out. I would have preferred something thicker and harder, but I could certainly make do. Three fingers were plenty stimulating as they spread me open, my wrist twisting ever-so-slightly with each flick to maximize my stimulation. And they were cold and damp thanks to being held against the floor of the tunnel. The freezing grip I had on my pussy mirrored the chill on my breasts, which I pressed even harder into the rough floor by arching my back. I moaned without any thought or care for who or what might hear me. My voice echoed in the tight space, accompanied by the sucking and squelching of my pussy greedily taking in my fingers. I had already been getting close thanks to the scraping on my breasts, and within half a minute I could feel relief approaching.