Firm: Opal’s Story

Opal

“You were right mom. Jim really does have a nice body. It’s too bad I don’t think I could deal with that kind of baggage.” Citrine tells me as we take off toward Central. I nod since I knew I was right about him being sexy. I’m not sure what she means by baggage, so I’ll just ask her later. I realized it’s not as embarrassing if you ask a question about something much later. Usually the only problem I have doing that is actually remembering to ask, but it’s still better than looking dumb by asking what baggage means right away. It really is strange seeing Jim with my other body. I still like him, but it’s just less somehow. I’ll test how the sex feels, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be as good either.

I think Amber is probably being carried to Central right now too. Since we’re going with our original married bodies, she can’t just get there with a quick run from Opal’s Home. Sue has gotten to 7^th tier and offered to take over watching the farm from my wife’s elf body. Apparently she was interested in the tools that the new dungeon there was giving.

This is basically going to be a two month date for us, and I can’t help but be excited. This is the perfect body for something like that. I’ll be able to feel my wife’s love so much more and better express my feelings. She’s been so busy collecting free points lately that we haven’t spent much time together. Our plan is to look for someone who is willing to take both of us, that way it’s just us and the man who bids for us. What someone bids won’t matter much to us since there isn’t anything we really need right now, but I’m still hoping we can be offered a lot since it’s nice to be appreciated.

Citrine puts me down just outside Central’s gate. There’s a rule for the city that people aren’t allowed to fly over or into it. Jessica said it was added when a lot of angel Players moved there and kept accidentally dropping things that damaged houses. I think it’s just because the elves that live here like trees and trees don’t like anything being higher than them. I get carried by Citrine all the time and she’s only dropped me a few times. She tells me “I’m going to head back now mom. You and sis have fun, and don’t pick anyone creepy. She’ll be here soon, so just wait by the gate for a few minutes tops.” I thank her for the ride and watch her fly away.

“Ma’am, are you here for the event?” I hear and turn to see one of the guards at the gate motioning me closer with his hand. I walk towards him and answer “Yes, the one for the suppressors right? I’ll be going with my wife.” He nods and says “I’m sure a pretty lady like you won’t have any problems, but there are a few things you should know if you’re participating.” I remember that we were going to ask when we got here. I guess I can just hear from the guard while I’m waiting for Amber. “The first thing I’m supposed to tell people is that you don’t have to sign up, but we do have trackers that you can pay if you’re worried about the person you’ll be helping. Personally if you’re worried about them like that you shouldn’t pick them, but the option is there.” He says and I nod, understanding why lower tier people might want to do that. If there was someone higher tier than us we wouldn’t pick them, but that seems impossible now that Amber has gotten a few more levels in her 9^th tier class.

He continues “When you enter the city, you can just follow the signs to the event area. There will be stages and stalls there. It’s all very colorful so it will be hard to miss.” I can see some of the colors through the open gate, and it does seem pretty bright. “This part is what I consider the most important, and if I had anything to do with it I would mention it first.” The guard says and I make sure to pay attention. “Just because you are auctioning yourself for the event, you’ll be the one helping the bidder. You Do Not Have To Do Anything They Ask If You Don’t Want To.” He puts a lot of emphasis on each word before adding “You’ll technically be a slave as far as the System is concerned, but if your bidder tries to force you in any way you should report it to a guard right away.”

I continue to nod. I like this guard and agree that it’s more important than the first two things he said. I think about it and ask “We didn’t hear a lot about the event, but where will we be staying for the two months? Do we take him to our place or will we be going to his?” I remember that was one of the questions that the girl didn’t know the answer too. The guard smiles and says “The leaders are hoping the event gets people to migrate to Central, so lodging will actually be provided for all participants, and if you want to stay after you’ll be able to keep it.” I can see a lot of people following those signs to the event area, so I ask him about how they’ll have so much room.

He explains that the wood mages already built a lot of homes, but if they run out it only takes a few minutes to make another. I’m pretty sure wood mages are the elves that like trees. The guard even said that the walls were expanded outwards to make more room. They must really want more people. I don’t think Opal’s Home needs more people. The four dungeons Amber and I have built still don’t feel like enough for the Players we have. Well, maybe some of the trees are lonely and the elves are just helping them find people to live in them. I don’t think trees can get pregnant, so people living inside them is the next best thing. Probably.

The guard adds “Also, since everyone will be in one spot, it’s easier to prevent bad actors from ruining everyone’s fun. If anyone messes with you, just ask a guard for Sergeant Phil. I’m tier 6 and never turn down the opportunity to help someone in need.” I thank him and say “It’s nice to meet you Phil, my name is Opal.” He smiles and tells me “That’s my wife’s name, so it will be easy for me to remember. Now there are a few more things I’m supposed to tell you.” I shake his offered hand and listen to what he says next.

“There will be fun games for people who are participating. It would be boring to just stay alone in the house every day. Well, that’s only one of the reasons, but the games will be every weekend and have prizes. So make sure to come out and play every Saturday and Sunday.” That sounds nice. I was expecting to just hang out with Amber and have sex with the bidder when we felt like it.

He finishes by saying “There are just a few other little thing. First, if you see something suspicious from someone in one of the other houses you should report it. There are ways to keep victims from reporting things themselves. Second, you can leave anytime you want, whether you’re a helper or bidder. Generally if you’re a helper, if you leave in the first month we encourage you to give what was bid back to the bidder. Of course you can keep it if you feel your bidder wasn’t following the rules. Bidders who feel they’re bid was unjustly taken can be compensated as well. Lastly, food and drink won’t be provided, but the city has placed food structures near the dwellings and you can follow the signs.”

That was a lot, but I think I understood everything. I talk to him so I can get clarification on a few more things and he tells me if anything else comes up I can just ask a guard and if they don’t know they’ll find someone who does. Phil is really nice and easy to understand, so when Amber shows up, I introduce her to the guard. He goes over everything with her as well, which is nice since I follow along and would have forgotten to tell her a few parts. She also asks him some questions I didn’t think of and we end up heading for the event area having made a new friend.

“He was nice. I hope our bidder ends up like him.” Amber says as we look at a few stalls on the way to the main area. I nod and agree, but a lot of people are really nice so I don’t think it will be too hard. We end up buying a few cute things from the stalls, lucky for us one of the stalls was selling bags to put stuff in. I think my favorite find was a tiny statue shaped like a wolf. It says if you carry it wolf monsters will be less aggressive towards you, but I got it since it reminded me of the very first thing I ever fought. I’m going to put it on the shelf in our room that Amber keeps asking me to fill up.

The event is supposed to start at noon, so we’re still a little early. My wife pulls me along to get food from one of the stalls so she can feed me. “This is so much fun already. It’s too bad the stalls will only be here on the weekends.” She says while stuffing my mouth with another bite of sweet bread. I nod since I can’t talk. We can still go to the normal shops in town during the weekdays though. We have a few in our city, but Central seems to have much more. Probably because it’s in the middle of everything else and people like to trade here. I remember Sapphire talking about it. She comes here sometimes to buy things the pack might need.

We have to cut eating short even though it’s my turn to feed my wife. There’s a loud bell and we were told it would signal people to gather during the event. We put the rest of the sweet bread in one of our bags and head for a big stage. We pass a few stages, but they don’t have anyone on them. When we get there we know it’s the right one since the person is still ringing the large bell hanging from it.

Once it stops ringing it’s pretty crowded around the stage, but we ended up pretty close. A large fat man steps forward on the stage, and I’m surprised that I can actually hear him really clearly. “Thank you all for coming today whether you’re just here to watch the fun or plan on participating.” The crowd starts to quiet down, but I’m not sure it was needed with whatever skill the man is using. He continues “In this event hosted by our great city, we’ll be helping those who mistakenly chose Suppress 10 months ago or those who were born after that. We all know that the System’s message was pretty vague, and we don’t want them to lose out because of it. Those who chose Rise Up like myself should do fine at the end of the year thanks to the work of our guards and leaders in our early days against the slaver camps.”

I can’t remember exactly what the message said, but Cindy seems to think that even people who didn’t fight will be getting points. The fat man continues “So, if you’re willing to volunteer during this event we’ll be referring to you as a helper. Many believe the term slave is too derogatory, so please be mindful of your speech. Those looking for a helper will be called bidders, since slaver is also negative and inaccurate. We want to make sure that everyone is given the respect a Player deserves.”

He pauses and looks around the crowd before saying “There are less people here than we were hoping for, but participants are allowed to enter any time in the next two months. Helpers, once I’m done talking you may pick one of the many stages and wait for bidders to approach you with offers. Bidders, please wait a few minutes to crowd around the stages so Helpers can get to them more easily. There is much more I’d like to say, but you’ll find all the details in the pamphlets next to each stage. Make sure you take one and if you have questions, our city guards have all been trained to help. I hope everyone has a wonderful time and I’ll see you all again on Saturday.”

It was a lot of information, so I’m going to grab one of the pamphlet things just to be safe. Amber starts dragging me by my hand towards the stage by the food stalls. I assume we’re headed there so we can pick up more food after we pick a bidder. I’m surprised to hear a chime and notice a lot of people around me checking screen, so I do the same.