Gatecrash: Awakening

The rest of the Instance passed smoothly. Thankfully, we did not encounter too many monsters on the way down, with most of our impediments coming in the form of traps. We ran from rolling boulders, ducked out of the way of darts, and dodged falling rocks. And when my two hours were up, I found myself back in the feast hall alongside seventeen Hunters who'd started at the same time as me. It seemed we'd lost two this time.

Dagstaff was waiting with fresh food and drink, though the fare was lighter than the full feast he'd had prepared for our initial arrival. He fixed me with an uncertain look, saying, "Well, lass, yer certainly making things hard on yeself. Didn't even gain a single Level?"

"I don't think there's a reason to be gaining them when I don't have to," I replied, partaking in some bread and cheese. The cheese was unlike any I'd ever had before, a smooth texture almost like cream paired with a sweet and salty taste reminiscent of salted caramel. Yet another reminder of the otherworldliness of Gates.

"Yer not the first ah've met with that philosophy, and it's served some of yer predecessors well," Dagstaff replied before going off to make sure the others were fed and watered.

'Some' was interesting phrasing. I wasn't surprised that other Hunters had learned of Growth and avoided leveling up before they could raise it. But it was of course a double-edged sword. There would be Instances in the future where I would need to fight, and the fewer Levels I'd gained before then, the harder it would be. But I wasn't worried. My base stats were so good that I was on par with the average Level 5 Hunter, and I'd gained plenty of bonuses that didn't come in the form of stats.

There was a System window hovering around me, so I gave it a look. It showed the current depth leaderboard for the Instance. The names of the Hunters still below were in white, while those like me who'd already finished were in yellow. Four names were in black and crossed out. Unlike in the previous Instance, death was permanent here.

I was currently in second place, with Elias in first. Forrest was closing in on me, however, his depth increasing at the same rate as a man named "Liam". Probably one of his goons he'd happened to run into. I decided not to watch, since I couldn't affect the outcome anymore. I ate and drank, entertaining myself by seeing if my phone had any utility inside a Gate. No service, of course, though I could still use it to take pictures and browse any files I'd saved on it. I considered taking a selfie with Dagstaff, but my nudity would make it look like I was an actress in a fetish video. Although that did have a certain appeal.

The remaining Hunters returned in five-minute intervals, with the final set appearing twenty minutes after my arrival. Everyone checked the standings together. Elias was first, Forrest and Liam were second and third (Liam had actually taken second somehow, which annoyed Forrest), and I had dropped all the way down to fourth. Still, I could hardly complain as I saw my Coins increase to 1,070. I checked my Inventory and found "Lesser Sharpening Oil", an Uncommon item which would increase the damage of an edged or pointed weapon by 10% for one hour. Not bad.

Forrest, of course, came over to rub it in my face once he'd noticed me. He loomed over me, declaring, "Not so tough now, are you, bitch? All the way from first to fourth, and it's only going to get worse from here."

I was kind of annoyed, though not because I felt bad about losing. I probably could have taken first if I hadn't gone for the tunnel, but this Skillbook was a far superior prize to 30 more Coins and a better consumable. I replied, "You were third, though. That's not really much better. And you had one of your lackeys helping you out--or I guess he's in charge now? Since you let him take second."

Forrest was furious at that, his mouth working like he was chewing gravel as he came up with a retort. He was forestalled by Elias appearing beside him, patting him on the back. "Hey, Forrest. Third place, huh? Not bad."

The color drained from Forrest's face, though it was still fixed in a glare as he turned to the new arrival. He glanced over at Dagstaff, who was handing out tankards of mead. Then Forrest shook his head, thinking better of seeing what would happen if he took a go at Elias while the dwarf wasn't looking. His eyes narrowed, and he replied to Elias, "Just you wait, fucker. This is only the third Instance. You'll get yours."

"I'm ready to go any time," Elias replied. "But make sure you bring your boys. I don't want your beating to be too one-sided." He winked at me and said, "See you around, Callisto," then headed for the Gate near the hearth.

I got up and followed him, ignoring Forrest's seething. But before I left, I found Dagstaff and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Dagstaff. I hope we get the chance to meet again."

"Don't get yer hopes up, but ah suppose it's possible," Dagstaff replied. He put his right hand across his chest and thumped it twice. With a smile, he added, "Make sure ye earn plenty of Coins afore then, a'right? It's Hunters like ye that keep me in business."

I laughed, giving him a slight bow. "Of course, Dagstaff. Maybe I'll even buy some armor next time." With that, I headed for the Gate. I wanted my towel, and a nice shower. I wouldn't need a meal thanks to the feast and snacks, so I planned to use my new skill in my room before it was time to see Elias.

I took my towel back from Garrick--who was avoiding eye contact even more than usual. As I headed back to my room, I tried not to think about what I'd agreed to do tonight. Any thoughts in that direction were getting me worked up, and I didn't want to spend all afternoon pleasuring myself when Elias was going to give me plenty of attention later. I took a nice shower, scrubbing myself thoroughly to get all the gunk from the cave off. Then I checked my Status.

I only had one new Feat, but apparently there was also a new skill. The new Feat had replaced "Seasoned Streaker", and was called "Expert Exhibitionist". I fanned myself a bit as I appraised it. "Awarded for completing three Instances without equipment, including weaponry. Unarmed Damage and the bonus granted by Resistance to all Physical Defenses are doubled. Unlocks the hidden stat Charm and the Flaunt Skill. Increases Growth of Dexterity, Fortitude, and Potency by 6 each."

My jaw dropped. Hidden stat? I quickly made my way back to the main screen of my Status. Sure enough, listed after Potency, was a new stat I'd missed in my rush to check my Feats.

It was indeed called Charm, and it was sitting at a whopping 202, my second-highest after Potency. Not fully grasping the meaning, I appraised it. "Charm increases your allure, causing sentient beings to react more favorably to you. Growth: 42."

I was blushing furiously. Besides my incredible initial value of 202, my Growth in Charm was insane. It probably included the +10 from the Elixir of the Vampire and +2 from the Least Elixir of Growth, but I was still starting at 30, which would have put me several standard deviations from the mean in that study the League of Eurozone Hunters had published. I really was a natural at looking fuckable.

Hidden stats were even more coveted than Unique Classes. Every known hidden stat had niche effects that didn't directly affect combat (like Charm), but as with every other Stat, they made Hunters who possessed them superhuman at whatever the stat modified. Doubtless, there were some other Hunters who had completed three Instances in the Tutorial naked, but probably not many. Even at my starting value, I was certainly one of the most "Charming" people on the planet.

I went back and double-checked the Feat. The Growth increases had doubled from the previous version, which was excellent news. I also noted that it didn't mention an upgrade condition, which meant that it was probably the end of the Feat line. I was finally freed from the need to go naked in every Instance. Not that I was going to waste money on clothes now, but at least if I found equipment I wouldn't have a reason not to wear it.

I also read my new "Flaunt" skill. Just as the names of the Feat line and the implications of the Charm skill had, the name lit a fire in me. I appraised it.

Name: Flaunt

Rarity: Legendary

AP Cost: None

Cooldown: Always Active

Type: Preternatural

Flaunt enhances the effectiveness of your Charm on entities which view you as a potential mate. The effect increases with exposure, with the maximum increase achieved while wearing no equipment. Current Enhancement: 100%. Cannot be upgraded.

...Perhaps I would have a reason not to wear equipment for the rest of the Tutorial. Nevertheless, I was satisfied that the rewards had been well worth the trouble of clearing the past three Instances naked.

I killed time by circulating my energy with my new skill and cleaning the towel I'd used today at the laundromat. There were a few Hunters around this time, but I'd brought a spare towel and they were all women, so I wasn't that bothered. If anything, it seemed that most of the attention I was getting now came from my performance in the Instances. While I'd only gotten fourth this last Instance, they were all aware now that I'd been staying at Level 1 this whole time. I returned to my room without incident.

We hadn't settled on a specific time, so I didn't want to go too early and arrive while he wasn't there. At around seven in the evening, with butterflies in my stomach, I opened the door to my room and looked up and down the hallway. The coast was clear. I felt silly checking for onlookers as I skulked around like this, since it wasn't as if I was doing anything particularly illicit. It reminded me of slinking through the dorms in college to answer booty calls. Except right now I was only wearing a towel, and I was a 26-year-old woman rather than a dewy-eyed freshman, both of which made the whole thing feel all the more risqué.

It did not take long for me to find the door labeled "Elias J.", and I gave it a quick knock. I was feeling extremely self-conscious standing in a towel in the hallway in front of a man's room, and I furtively looked around again to make sure no one was watching.

After a very long few moments, the door opened to reveal Elias, still in his coveralls. He stopped and stared at me for a moment, looking me up and down with an inscrutable expression. Then he beckoned me inside, shutting the door behind me once I'd entered.

His room was identical to mine, except that the painting on the wall featured a snowy mountain rather than rolling hills. But it had the same gray carpet, the same blue blanket on the twin bed, and the same wooden desk. I was sure that I'd find an identical bathroom if I checked the other side of the particleboard door.

I tried not to let my eager anticipation show. A blush had crept all across my features, and my heart was racing as fast as when I'd made the offer. I had to tilt my head back a bit to look into his stormy gray-blue eyes.

He reached out with a steady hand, grabbing the front of my towel. He gave it the slightest tug, and it "whumphed" to the ground in a pile around me. He gave a small smile as he surveyed the results, commenting, "I can't believe you just go around like that."

My blush deepened as he reminded me of my wardrobe malfunction yesterday, but unlike then, I didn't immediately cover myself. I kept my arms to my side, my legs spread slightly to reveal my glistening slit. I smiled back at him, waiting to see how he claimed his prize.

Then he pounced. With the abruptness of a dam bursting, he wrapped his arms around me and began ravishing my neck with kisses. His lips were so passionate as they greedily tickled my bare flesh that it would be easy to mistake him as the one who'd taken the Elixir of the Vampire. One of his rough hands held the back of my head and stroked my hair, while the other groped my ass possessively.

I quickly began to pant under his assertive treatment. I could hardly recognize the wildness in him, which was such a contrast to his gentlemanly demeanor until now. I began working on the buttons of his coveralls so that I could explore his body in turn. I was eager to see what kind of physique his baggy clothes had been hiding all this time.

He began groping my breasts, his calluses feeling almost as rough as the stones I'd been dragging them across earlier today. At first he was exploratory, cautious. Like he was intimidated at the sheer size of them. They were so big that his hands didn't come anywhere close to containing them. But as my panting became moaning, he grew more confident. He tweaked the sensitive nubs, drawing a sharp gasp. He stopped kissing my neck to bring his lips up to my ear, whispering, "Think I can make you cum with your nipples?"

I nodded vigorously, an energy already rising in my chest. With the last button undone, I practically tore his coveralls off him, eager to return the favor. He was wearing a white undershirt and simple gray boxer briefs which were straining to contain a considerable hard on. And I could see a wet spot where his precum was already leaking from his tip.

As his coveralls pooled around his feet, he deftly stepped out of them. Then he began his assault on my tits in earnest, roughly kneading them and working the nipples between his fingers.

My eyes had rolled back into my head as I succumbed to the sensation, and my hands moved across him in gentle caresses as I took in his form. The bagginess of his work clothes had concealed wiry muscles. His arms, chest, back, even neck all felt lean and powerful despite his thinness. The only part of him that was soft was a noticeable belly. The raw strength in him felt understated compared to the bulging musculature of a body-builder, efficiency making up for what he lacked in size. And I imagined how much more endurance his strength through manual labor gave him than someone whose muscles came from an hour a day at the gym. The idea of Elias holding me down and fucking me until my stamina gave out, and then some, was tantalizing.

All the while, he showed off his finesse as he teased my tender tits. He'd likely already been skilled with his hands thanks to his line of work, but awakening as a Hunter with so much Dexterity had dialed that up to eleven. He alternated between rough groping and soft fondling, building up anticipation before each exquisite attack on my nipples.

It wasn't long before I was weak at the knees, putting my hands on his sturdy shoulders to keep myself upright. Waves of sensation were radiating across my body, and I was a moaning and drooling mess. Then he grabbed both of my nipples at once, pinching them hard. The feeling was like a short circuit between my nipples and my clit, lighting up an arc of pleasure which sent me over the edge. I yelped at the sensation, getting up on my tiptoes as I reared my head back.

As I was stunned by my climax, Elias bent down and wrapped his arms around my waist. My stomach dropped as he picked me up. He turned and threw me onto his bed, then quickly stripped out of his shirt and boxers before joining me.

I came down in time to feel him spread my legs and kneel between them, his firm length resting on my pussy. Now freed from the confines of his underwear, I had a better idea of its true length. Easily seven inches, maybe longer. If only we'd had a ruler, I'd have been happy to measure it for him. I wrapped my legs around his back, keeping him right where I wanted him. I groaned as he leaned back and began to saw his dick across my wet slit, more jolts of pleasure shooting up my spine every time the tip met my clit.

He leaned forward, grabbing one of my forearms in each hand and pinning me to the bed. Seeing my delirium at his rough handling, he smiled and asked, "Should I have been the one offering to fuck you so I could have the book?"

I giggled as I worked my hips to rub myself against his hard cock. "Too late, I already used it." I smirked up at him, eyes half-lidded with lust as I asked, "What're you gonna do about it?" My whole body tensed like a spring in anticipation as I saw his smile tighten with annoyance. I was about to get fucking railed.

He raised his hips, lining up his tip with my entrance. Then, agonizingly slowly, he sank into me. The feeling of his girth sliding against my insides was rapturous. And when he hilted, the pressure drove the wind out of me, like he was pushing my guts up against my lungs.

I let out my breath in a guttural moan. I squeezed him with my legs as tightly as I could, daring him to push back so he could get enough leverage to retreat for another thrust. I tilted my hips up and down to work his shaft like I was milking him. Once I'd begun to catch shallow breaths, I fixed him with a smug gaze as if to ask if that was the best he could do.

He groaned as well at the sensation, wincing at the stimulation my movements were providing. Seeing the look I was giving him, he grunted, "What are you, some kind of succubus?" He pushed back against my embrace, gasping as even my inner walls tried to hold him. Then, with only the tip in me, he gave another slow stroke forward.

The feeling of his rock-hard dick inside me was breathtaking. His movements were deliberate and methodical, gradual but powerful thrusts in and out. But though I moaned with delight each time he bottomed out, I wanted more. After the fourth thrust, I breathlessly demanded, "Harder."

Concern creased his features. He stopped, resting his dick in me, his hands still holding my arms against the bed. He steadied his breathing and said, "Callisto, I'm a lot stronger than you. I don't want to hurt you."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Stronger, sure. But a lot stronger? I doubted it. And even if he was, my durability had increased tenfold thanks to the elixir I'd drank, not to mention the bonus from the exhibitionist Feat to my physical defenses. And even if he managed to break something, Lesser Regeneration could fix it. On a whim, I appraised him.

Name: Elias Jones

Class: Trainee

Level: 6

XP: 833/946

HP: 3278/3278

AP: 2176/2176

Might: 134

Dexterity: 94

Fortitude: 178

Resistance: 207

Potency: 172

I went back to smirking, secure in the knowledge that I'd be fine. I replied, "I can take whatever you dish out, little man." Seeing him bristle at that, I continued, "And if you don't start pounding me into the mattress, I'll get on top and show you how it's done."

He took in a deep breath, his worry and annoyance giving way to determination. "Alright. I can do harder. But tell me if it starts to hurt." Then he started to move again. He effortlessly overcame the resistance I was providing, surprising me with how insignificant a hindrance my leglock was proving to be.

I gasped as his thrust once more pushed the wind out of me. I tried to catch my breath, but he forced it out of me again and again. The stimulation was intense, the fierce friction against my inner walls mixed with the feeling of pressure every time he went balls deep to send a torrent of pleasure up my back and right into my brain. I bucked against him, moving my hips in time with his thrusts. I even tried to struggle against him a bit, and the feeling of his unyielding grip only enhanced the overwhelming euphoria rising up in me.

But I resisted the urge to give in to the feeling. Even as what little breath I could take in was released in insensate moans, even as my eyes rolled not from disdain but from bliss, even as I could feel myself at the edge of the abyss of rapture. Because I knew he was still holding back, and I was going to get him to fuck me even harder. I used every ounce of will I had to force myself to breathe, to speak. "Come on," I hissed, timing my words between his thrusts, the only chances I had to breathe, "How did--you kill all--those monsters if--you're so--fucking--weak?"