NOVEL WEB Welcome to Black Harbor 3
As much as I wanted to fall face forward onto my bed when I got home, there was the little issue that I was technically bleeding to death. I say technically because by the mechanics of being a Player Character, I would only start to bleed to death when I became incapacitated. Once unconscious, I'd have to start rolling Endurance checks to try and stabilize or continue to fill up my health bar with Murderous damage. Meaning that I could, theoretically, stay awake as I was for a few days, or chance me dying within a few hours of falling asleep.
My bandages came off with my shirt. Strange – it was as if someone had untucked the wrap with my shirt still on. Most of my abdomen was some shade of blue or stained a dirty brownish-red from the dried blood.
With no Medicine and only average Finesse and Wits, I would have had to roll a crit, three sixes, to even treat the primary wound. Failing a Medicine check, predictably, carried some pretty harsh penalties. And Whiffing, getting no Successes on the pool, could be devastating.
Man, I really didn't want to call Marianne on the first day of getting her number. But the thought of going back outside alone and walking to the nearest urgent care? Oh no, that wasn't happening.
"Sorry, Marianne," I said with a sigh. What time was it, Ten o'clock? She should be home by now.
She picked up on the first ring. "James? Miss me already?"
"Howdy, neighbor. How's your night going?"
"I'm chilling, neighbor. The boys are at their cousins' and Shania's spending the night at her friends talking about you, no doubt. I got the apartment and a bottle of wine to myself if you want to keep me company. It's good too; was a birthday present."
"That does sound nice, but I kinda called for a favor."
"Oh, what's up?"
"Let's just say your night's going a hell of a lot better than mine. Remember when you offered to patch me up?"
She chuckled. "I told Shaun you'd bust your head doing all those flips. How bad is it?"
"Uhh, hang on." I took a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror and texted it over.
There was a pause as it went through.
"Oh my God! What happened?"
"Th—"
"Never mind, I'm on my way. Make sure your door is unlocked and then sit down somewhere and focus on your breathing. Okay?"
"It's not that—"
"James, I swear to God if you were about to say, 'It's not that bad'!" I could hear her rushing in the background.
"Alright, alright. I'll get the door."
"Making small talk – boy, you out your goddamn mind," she grumbled before hanging up.
Marianne moved quick, at my door in under two minutes. "James! Where are you?"
"In the bathroom."
I sat on the edge of the tub, feeling like a kid with a bad report card, waiting for his mom to get home. Marianne was dressed for a night in as well, which made me feel worse, wearing pink pajama shorts and a very faded oversized Grateful Dead t-shirt. She'd brought a messenger bag with her and was already putting on gloves as she got to the bathroom.
She sucked in a breath. "Looks worse in person. Have you washed it?"
"With some wet paper towels and disinfectant wipes."
"So, no, then?"
I gave her an embarrassed grin. "Guess not."
She glanced at my shower. "Your detachable shower head work, or is it busted like mine?"
"It works."
"Alright, lie down in the tub. And strip, might as well get you cleaned up as well. You're a mess."
Marianne gave no reaction to seeing me naked. My pride was stung, but she was a nurse and this was far from the sexiest situation. She started running the water once I was in the tub. From her messenger bag, she retrieved snips, forceps, and the rest of what she needed to sew me up.
"Tell me if it's too hot."
"I'll be alright."
She shook her head. "How are you not in agony right now?"
"It hurts, but this is one step below what I consider to be an injury. A close, very close step below."
An Injury Threshold in the game was determined by your Willpower + Endurance. Once you passed that number in damage you began to take penalties. If any of the damage was Murderous, the penalties were intensified. It was a big reason why the game called out in the handbook that most enemies ran after being pushed past their Injury Threshold. Kuze had taken twice his Threshold tonight in mostly Murderous damage, which meant that he'd be in a world of hurt for a good while if he survived at all. Well, that was if the rules governing me applied to NPCs in this world too.
The off-duty nurse took out a large sponge from her bag, soaked it in the hot water, and started dabbing away at the flecks of dried blood from my abdomen, kneeling by the bath.
"Sorry about this. If it helps, I did try to de-escalate with words."
She eyed me skeptically. "What happened? I thought you were a stuntman and a delivery runner. You look like you got mauled by a mountain lion."
"Good guess."
I told her the story of the night, filling her in on the culture of Chinatown. I was surprised to hear that she knew what a dojo challenge was, but this was a supernatural fighting game world after all.
"God," she sighed, "you can be living your life like a decent person and this shit can still kick you in the teeth. Is this going to come back to haunt you?"
"I'm not sure. Not really tapped into the current state of affairs in the criminal underworld. I'll call some friends tomorrow and find out if I need to go kowtow to some boss or something."
Once the wound looked clean enough for her standards she sat back on her heels. "Okay, I going to stitch you up. You want something to bite down on? I'd give you Tylenol but I'm not sure you'd even feel it before it started to thin your blood." I smirked in response. "Whatever, tough guy."
It did hurt. But out of principle, I attempted a Willpower + Charisma to disguise this fact. One success. I played it cool, but I wasn't fooling her.
After she closed the third gash and it became clear that I would be fine, the alcohol buzz managed to reassert itself over Marianne's professionalism.
Raking her eyes down my chest and to where my penis was now bobbing in the water, she said, "Shania's going to love this view."
"Heh, thanks. And you? How do you rate it?"
She laughed and shook her head. "You're ridiculous."
"What, I'm asking seriously."
"Boy, quit playing. I know you kissed my daughter; she was practically floating when she came back from the hallway."
When Nasim had asked what Romantic Archetype I was taking, I'd told him I'd naturally chosen 'Charming Adventurer'. It fit the bill for the roguish good guy I was building and played well with my whole 'action move character' vibe. I had lied to Nasim. I'd chosen it entirely for the Major feat, Rolling Stone.
Rolling Stone was a mixed bag of a feat, with purely narrative effects. It made it so people were more willing to have no-strings-attached physical relationships and less likely to get jealous, but it also made it harder to take relationships to the next level emotionally. I'd told myself at the time, that I'd taken it to avoid getting into the 'drama' aspect of the game.
Water had splashed the front of Marianne's shirt at some point, making it clear that she hadn't put on a bra after changing for the night. And now, as I sat naked, with a prime view of her t-shirt molding to her large, pendulous chest, I had to admit that I had lied to myself. If I had to be entirely honest, I think a part of me had been attracted by the debaucherous aspects of the game.
I wanted to test the strength of Rolling Stone before pushing further. "Not to bring down the mood, or anything, but…you know I can't be Shania's 'boyfriend', in the traditional sense. I mean, she's still in high school for one."
"And you're living the life where you have to call your neighbor to stitch you up at ten thirty on a Friday night." She sighed. "I know. And maybe I shouldn't have pushed her to chase you but, I mean…"
Marianne trailed off into silence for a minute. "She needs to learn how to talk to boys. And I know why she can't, it's my fault. I had Shania when I was fourteen, you know. It wasn't the worst thing to happen or anything. Me and her father, God rest his soul, we made it work. He dropped out and started working. We leaned on our families, got by, did okay."
"When she got to middle school, her father started…I don't know. He was having a hard time. There wasn't a lot of work for a high school dropout. We started fighting more. He blamed me for getting pregnant so young, blamed the kids for all the expenses, blamed himself for dropping out to take care of us. When he started trying to control her, the way she dressed, calling her a slut for wanting a make-up kit. I'd had enough and left his ass."
"He came back six months later with a new wardrobe, throwing money around. I told him to fuck off. I said, 'You think I'm stupid?'. Like I didn't grow up in Harbor Hill. I know the sort of work that pays like that to men with no degrees or connections. Sure enough, I got a call from him from jail. He was nervous, talking nonsense about witchcraft and devils."
I perked up. "Witchcraft? You remember any details?"
She shook her head. "I think he was just strung out, and worried that he was going to get killed to stop him from talking. He was right to be. I got another call the next day from the coroner."
This world was so strange. Qi and what martial artists, monks, and elite athletes could do with it was considered an accepted fact. A scientist who didn't believe in Qi would be viewed the same as one who didn't believe in mitochondria. But magic, witchcraft, monsters, and the rest were considered kooky beliefs, not much different than how they were in my old world. For the average person, talking about their Qi was the same as talking about your gut biome, probably irrelevant to what was being discussed but no one was discounting that it existed.
"My condolences. I'm sorry to hear that. Do you remember anything about who he might have been working for?"
She stopped mid-stitch and gave me the same look she had given her son for not doing his homework. "Uh-uh, absolutely not. You are not going to be a hero about this, James."
I put my hands up. "Woah, hey, I'm just curious. I have friends who are dropouts too, got to look out for them."
"Mhm."
"But I mean, someone's got to do something, right?"
"Tell me why that someone has to be a stuntman? You don't know, maybe the FBI is looking into it. What are you going to do? Flips? You going to roundhouse a criminal conspiracy, James?"
"Hey! I have other skills! I could…uh…I could…Hm."
She giggled. "Stop, you're going to make me miss a stitch. Anyway, it was six years ago, so forget it. I was only telling you that to say, that Shania retreated in on herself, and she could use a good man like yourself to teach her about being a woman."
I mentally pulled open my character sheet as I contemplated my next step. For the sake of the audience, getting stronger, and saving my friends – and for no other reasons – I was going to try and seduce Marianne. If we both had our clothes on and I was in a position to schmooze a little, it would be a Charisma + Seduction, but I was afraid that the game would force me to roll Sensuality instead of Charisma at this stage of the play. I had been treating Sensuality as an optional score, so it currently only had 2 dice. I'd have a lot of help from Hero's Honors, but it was still a risky move.
Fuck it, I decided to go to 0 XP and bought my fourth dice in Seduction. Buying skills was only 5 times the number of dice you would have total as opposed to the 10 times the value buying Attributes was. It was a perfectly reasonable decision. I was sure that the game would reward me in excess of what I was spending if I pulled it off.
It turned out to be a Presence + Seduction roll. Oh right, I was hot and already naked. I didn't need to be smooth and sensual when I could be good-looking. At least when it came to getting someone in bed. Sensuality came after that, which had been why I assumed it would be optional for us. Normally we 'faded to black' for any saucy scenes.
Five successes – Christ. That ought to do it.
"I don't have a lot of experience. What if I need to learn about being a man?"
Marianne grinned but didn't look away from her task. "Oh, he think he slick." She glanced up at me, her eyes telling me I'd hooked her.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. The hot water was doing wonders for my sore muscles, the light 'plip's the small waves made against the sides of the tub and the clicks of Marianne's needle holders lulling me into a relaxed state.
The snap of a glove coming off and a fingernail gently caressing the bottom of my chin was all the warning I got before I found myself being kissed. The first touch of her full, plump lips was brief, exploratory. The second was longer but just as soft, and allowed me to roll a Sensuality + Seduction. A lucky five successes sparked an almost inaudible gasp from my nurse and lured her tongue out. We continued until she had to pause for a breath.
[Hidden Quest Completed!]
Kiss both a mother and a daughter.
Reward: 20 XP, gain a random Minor feat from the Rake Archetype
Bonus, Kissed both on the same day: 10XP, +1 Sensuality
Bonus, Achieved without deception: +1 Presence, gain a random feat from the Honest Hedonist Archetype
A part of me hated how much more efficient it was in terms of power growth to engage in the pornography and romance aspects of the game than it was to risk my life in combat. But it was hard to complain when I was raking in the Rewards.
[Minor Feat (Rake)]
Love's Deceiver – You are adept at manipulating people through their sexual desires and needs. Add +2 to any attempts to persuade or deceive someone you've been sexually intimate with.
[Minor Feat (Honest Hedonist)]
Exuberant Expressions - Your joy is infectious and can be intoxicating to behold. When anyone makes you genuinely express your pleasure, they gain a pool of 4 dice. They may add 1 die from this pool to any roll at any time until they run out or a week has passed. So long as a person has any of these dice, the memory of your joy lingers granting you +1 to any attempts to persuade, seduce, or deceive them. Your enemies can benefit from this feat as well as your allies, and you have no control over this trigger.
She held her face close, our noses almost touching. "Not a lot of experience, huh?"
"Must be a natural."
She kissed me again lightly, capturing my bottom lip between hers. Leaning into my ear, she whispered. "We aren't having sex. This is a first date and I ain't like that."
"That's fair," I whispered back. "This is an extremely shit first date."
Marianne laughed and sat back on her heels. "Okay, you're all closed up, Mr. Li. You should still see a doctor to grab some antibiotics."
"I'll swing by my mom's pharmacist." Hopefully, she would have something to help with my Recovery checks.
Her voice became a little sultry. "You're good to get rinsed off. Think you can handle that on your own?"
"No shot, nurse. I'm basically immobile. Think you can give me a hand."
"Oh, I can definitely give you a hand."
We paused and made eye contact before both bursting into laughter. It was hard and full-bodied, almost buckling the nurse over. With how intimate we'd already been, I hadn't realized there was any tension between us until I felt whatever was left evaporate.
"So corny," said Marianne, wiping a tear from her eye, "I'm sorry. Cut me some slack though, it's been a long time."
"You're doing great."
Marianne opened her mouth to respond but stopped herself. She quirked her head and just sat there staring. Her smile grew a bit more serene, her shoulders a bit more relaxed. As the silence stretched on, she seemed to grow a bit more wistful.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I swear, the more I see your face the cuter it gets." Her easy smile made her look ten years younger. "I was just trying to think of the last time I had this much fun."
"You think this is fun, just wait for the next part."
She licked her lips, her gaze growing lustier. I watched as she settled back into the roleplay, adopting a bit of mock confidence.
"I better take this off before I get it all wet." The black beauty pulled the faded band shirt up and off of her, revealing two large, perfectly perky chocolate breasts. She put a hand underneath each, lifting them up and lightly fondling herself as I openly gawked. "This is a medical procedure, Mr. Li. I'll ask you not to stare."
"Sorry, nurse. I'll try, but it's difficult to look away with the most beautiful pair of tits I've ever seen in front of me."
She mock sighed to hide her sudden grin. "As long as you're trying. I know how hard it can be for you fighting men to control yourselves."
Marianne reached her arm into the tub and pulled the plug, letting the murky water begin to drain. Her arm stayed down, however, as she placed her hand around my ankle. She shuffled closer to me, running her palm up my calf and leg to my thigh.
"I might as well check that you didn't lose too much blood while we wait."
"How do you do that?"
Her hand finished tracing up my thigh where it began to slowly palm my balls. "Mmm, I just need to check your blood flow."
She sat up on her knees and leaned over the tub towards me, finally putting her boobs in reach as she moved her head in for a kiss. The game let my five successes for kissing her earlier hold but demanded another roll as I fondled her heavy breasts. I couldn't tell if it was being generous, or if in general these rolls held for the entirety of an 'encounter'. I honestly hadn't bothered to spend more than a few minutes reading up on the sex scene rules.
Another four successes had her moaning into my mouth. My newly acquired sexual skills guided my fingers and tongue. Marianne liked a bit of force for her chest, not enough to hurt, but enough that she could feel me holding back. For the kiss, she wanted a partner, to feel our passion grow together, not too dominating or too pliable. I growled a bit with the base of my throat to let her know how badly I wanted her. She replied with a high-pitched, involuntary whine.
She grabbed a hold of my cock, now fully erect. Her lips and tongue suddenly stopped moving. Backing up a bit she looked down at the tower that now jutted out of the water, her eyes wide.
"Goddamn, James. I thought you were a shower, not a grower."
I felt myself blush, suddenly a bit self-conscious. Again, I hadn't thought that this aspect of the character would be explored when I'd made him, and hadn't defined in my mind how his dick looked. SkinDimensional Media had seized on that oversight to give me a prize-winning porn star penis. While this may have sounded appealing, I was old enough to know that a lot of women didn't actually prefer eight inches and thick.
"Is it too…" I started to ask.
Marianne gave me a sweet smile and a quick kiss. "It's perfect, baby. Just might take a little getting used to." She purred. "I might have to get something to practice with. Maybe I'll get two so Shania can keep up too." My cock jumped at the thought of that. "Oh! Someone liked that. Mmm, you like that, the thought of fucking my daughter's tight, teen pussy?"
I tossed my head and groaned. "Fuck, Marianne."
She let out a throaty sigh. "Oooh, I like hearing you moan my name, baby. Say it again for me."
"Jesus Christ, Marianne, you're killing me."
She let go of my dick and giggled. Standing up, she maintained eye contact as she pushed her pajama shorts down her soft, thick thighs to her feet. The nurse kicked off her shoes and socks, leaving her in only a plain pair of white panties. A large wet patch had the thin cloth sticking to every curve and line of her mound. Almost nothing was left to the imagination, the brown of her skin bleeding through the cheap cotton. Marianne slowly dragged her index finger from her bottom lip, through the center of her breasts down her flat, soft tummy. The finger slipped under her panties and parted her labia.
I could hear her natural lubricant squick as she rubbed the finger up and down her lips. Pulling it back out, she held the now slick digit before my face. I moved up and kissed the tip before taking it into my mouth and swirling my tongue around it, cleaning it of her juices. She breathed in deep, her chest heaving, obviously enraptured by the view.
While she was distracted, I got the opportunity to roll my first Sensuality + Martial Arts check, as I attempted to clean-cut apart her panties with two flicks of my wrist and the Eagle's Talon.
Marianne gasped as her underwear fell off her as though I'd taken a scissor to both sides. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she groomed herself, shaving everything but a small neatly kept patch above her sex. From how close the shave was, I assume she'd taken advantage of her empty apartment to do so earlier tonight. Rather than getting upset, the display of near-superhuman prowess sent a shiver up her. She stepped back and picked up the ruined pair of panties.
"How on Earth…"
The water was all but gone, the last of it causing my pipes to gurgle and rattle. Ah, the sounds of Harbor Hill living. I stood up.
"Looks like we're ready to rinse me off."
Marianne let the panties fall from her hands and raked her eyes down me hungrily. "Wonderful. Let me wash all that filth right off of you." She stepped into the tub and turned to face me. "Make sure to keep me between your chest and direct contact with the shower spray, we don't want to irritate the sutures."
I smirked, seeing where she was going with this. "How will I clean off then, Nurse Marianne?"
She ran her hand up her sides, "You're going to use me like your," she lifted up her breasts and made sure to enunciate, "soft, wet, black sponge, Mr. Li."
Looking back at the knob, she asked, "Could you get the water, sugar? I don't know which side is hot or cold?" as though she hadn't just run the bath for me earlier.
"Of course," I stepped up close to her, and pulled her into my chest, "let me just reach past you." I dipped her forward as though going for a kiss, one hand on her lower back, the other reaching to turn the knob on.
There was a short, high-pitched whistle before the shower turned on. Marianne yelped as the initial cold spray caught her off guard. She pushed the two of us to the far end of the tub, pinning me to the wall with her body.
We shared a laugh. Marianne parted her lips and closed her eyes, nonverbally asking for that electric, five-success kiss. She moaned into my mouth as our tongues danced, and began to writhe ever so lightly against me, massaging my dick against her soft body. Reaching a hand down, she cupped the head with her palm and used her thumb to begin spreading the precum up and down my slit.
Once the shower began to steam up. The nurse turned around, letting me get a look at the best, bounciest ass I'd seen outside of porn. Her little waist flared out to a naturally large booty that begged to be grabbed. She cast a smug look back at me as she bent over to start lathering her hands up with soap.
I grabbed a hold of one of her cheeks, in not quite a smack, firmly squeezing down on it. Once more, the game made me roll another check to see how well my groping went – yet another five successes. Why couldn't I have been this insanely lucky when I fought Kuze? I really didn't understand the mechanics here, but I wasn't going to complain as long as I kept getting the results I was.
I brought my other hand down on her ass. This was definitely a smack. Marianne shot upright and turned to face me with a look of surprise.
"I've never enjoyed that before. You must have magic hands. Speaking of…" She brought her soapy hands to her chest and lathered herself up. "I need to clean you up, but first I need you to do something."
"What is it, nurse?"
"It's important we don't let the soap wash away your natural lubrication. We don't want you to chafe. So I want you to take that fat fucking cock of yours and hide it between my thighs."
I followed her directions, grabbing the base of my dick and sliding myself between her legs. I had to fight against every male instinct in my body to not slam inside her, instead nestling the top of my shaft between her labia. I was taller than her, the height difference adding to the pressure.
"Good. Now I'll just…" Marianne squeezed her thighs tightly together and moaned. The heat emanating from her sex made the water feel lukewarm, and I could feel her hard clit against my sensitive skin. She opened her mouth to speak but the sensations stole her breath for a moment.
I seized her by her ass and pulled her against me, kissing her. As I rocked my hips back, the game once more asked of me a roll.
She threw her head back and yelled, "Oh, fuck!" Eight successes would do that to a lady.
"Ah fuck! Oh, my Goddamn – AHH! What the—Mmph!"
I grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her back into a kiss, leaving a hand below to keep mauling her ass. My hips continued at their slow pace, but I picked up in strength, really slamming forward, making her soft motherly body jiggle from thigh to breast. Her arms clung to my back as she clung on for dear life.
After a minute of this, Marianne tried to rock her hips to get me to move faster, but I easily overpowered her, holding her still as I kept up my easy pace. Her pleasure mounted, driving her crazier and crazier as she tried to writhe and wriggle futilely.
It didn't take much longer for her entire body to tense up. Her mouth fell open and she began to shake as she hit a knee-weakening orgasm.
"OH FUUUUUUCK!! AGGHH!"
I was close but didn't want the fun to end. I tried to roll an Endurance + Willpower to hold on but only rolled one success. It would have to do.
I pulled her head back so that our noses were touching. Staring into her eyes I sped up and started to frot against her wildly, chasing after my own pleasure. Strangely, what my mother had said about a woman always knowing when a man was burning with passion popped into my head.
"Can you feel what you're doing to me, Marianne?"
I wanted very badly to let Marianne know how fired up she'd gotten me. Every part of me, physical, mental, and spiritual was aflame for this gorgeous black goddess that had come to my aid tonight.
Not sure of what I was doing, or if it was even possible. I tried to call on my Qi for the first time and send it up and through my eyes. The dice clacked, Aura and Sensuality this time – two successes, not enough to hit the difficulty threshold for an Improvised Qi maneuver. Damn.
[Producer Reward]
You may have failed, but you've succeeded in surprising the Producers! As a reward for using your first Improvised Qi maneuver for sexual purposes, we've decided to intervene and help you along.
[Minor Feat]
Gorgon's Lust – The eyes are the windows to the soul, and yours is burning with sexual desire. You may attempt to make someone you're making eye contact with orgasm, up to a number of times per day equal to your total Aura dice. If your target is unwilling they may make a Willpower check to resist. If they resist successfully, they do not orgasm, however, you gain +2 to seduce them until they cum or a day has passed.
I wasted no time in using my newest feat, blasting my Qi through my eyes and into Marianne. For a split second, I could feel every one of her pleasure neurons light up, kicking off another powerful orgasm. That was all I could take myself and ended up soaking her thighs and butt with my cum as I exploded between them.
We held each other tightly, breathing hard into one another's necks.
"Thank you," she murmured into my neck once she'd calmed down. "I needed this."
"I was going to say the same thing to you."
We kissed lightly before Marianne started to actually lather me up. I did the same for her, some unspoken agreement between us keeping the rest of the shower to light petting and the occasional kiss.
Marianne wanted to spend the night but said that her sons would be back in the morning and she didn't want to have to risk having to explain this to them. She said she'd brag about me to Shania though, but I couldn't tell if that was a joke or not.
The Producers waited for her to leave to show me the megaton of notifications I'd racked up during the encounter.
[Hidden Quest Completed]
Have your first steamy sex scene!
Reward: 50 XP, +2 to random Skill (Electronics), gain Special feat: Porn Physics
Bonus, achieved on your first full day: +1 to all Social Attributes
[Recurring Quest Discovered]
You will receive 5XP and a random Skill for every notable sex scene, including Skills that would normally require instruction. Notability is a subjective measure determined by the Producers.
[Hidden Quest Completed]
Have 6 dice in Presence.
Reward: Gain Special feat: So Fresh and So Clean
Special Feats!
Special Feats can only be unlocked and upgraded through Rewards and represent incredibly powerful abilities or changes to reality itself.
[Special Feat]
Porn Physics – Sex works for you as it is portrayed in films. There is never any set-up or clean-up involved in anal sex, members will always be able to fit, and any pain associated with penetrative sex is as pleasurable as it is painful. Lube is helpful but not necessary, and you can't catch or spread STDs.
Oh, thank god. I was worried they were going to make me work for these sorts of accommodations.
[Special Feat]
So Fresh and So Clean – You always look and smell your best. Even if you're badly bruised and battered or dressed in rags, you somehow make it look good. You no longer produce waste byproducts from eating or drinking, your breath is always fresh, your teeth require no maintenance, and your sweat smells and tastes pleasant. This is a purely inexplicable effect, with no observable changes to your biology having occurred.
It was impressive that SkinDimensional was both capable of and willing to bend reality to make my breath smell better, but honestly alarming with how cavalier they were being about it.
[Hidden Quest Completed]
Have non-penetrative sex.
Reward: 15 XP, gain +2 Flexibility
Bonus, Made your partner orgasm: +1 Sensuality
[Hidden Quest Completed]
Have 6 Dice in Sensuality.
Reward: Gain Special Feat: Sexual Icon
[Special Feat]
Sexual Icon: You radiate sexuality. The sight of you performing even ordinary tasks is capable of leading to sexual awakenings. You will frequently find your way into the wet dreams and fantasies of anyone who thinks you're attractive, even if they dislike you for other reasons. This can have strange effects on people in the long term and will bring you fun and chaos in equal measure. Sexual Icon is a purely inexplicable effect, no magic can detect nor is there any defense against it.
Was…was this even a boon? This read like a curse a Greek God would have put on someone for being too hot.
[Hidden Quest Completed]
Make a partner orgasm.
Reward: 20 XP. Gain Item: Relationship Token – Consumable. By throwing this coin into a well or fountain while thinking of someone you know, you may instantly take your relationship one step in any direction. I.e., Nemesis to Enemy, Acquaintance to Contact, Contact to Ally, Ally to Partner, etc.
[Hidden Quest Completed]
Use one of your Mystical Attributes for sexual purposes.
Reward: Gain +1 to a random Mystical Skill (Telekinesis), ignoring the usual instructor and feat requirements. You may now upgrade that skill as you would any other.
[Ally Quest Completed (Marianne Greene)]
Shared a sex scene with Marianne Greene
Reward: 10 XP, +2 Medicine, +1 Finesse
Bonus, Didn't endanger your relationship with her daughter to do so: Gain Major Social feat: Lord Byron's Luck
[Major Social Feat]
Lord Byron's Luck – Rumors of your sexual exploits and debauched behavior will proliferate no matter what you may do to try and mitigate this effect. However, while some may tut or wag their fingers at you, in general, these rumors will only serve to raise your profile and will radically increase your allure. People who would normally be seriously turned off by such rumors will not prejudice themselves against you without giving you a fair shake.
Yet another I wasn't thrilled about. I really didn't need to know that every granny in Chinatown would be hearing about my dick game. God help me if I ever had to hear about it from one of them.
[Producer Gift Basket]
You've done an exceptional job adjusting to your new life. Instead of trying to cheat us and the viewers, you've thrown yourself into the game, tested your own boundaries, and tried your hardest to make entertaining content. Where many have failed, you've excelled. Receive the following Rewards from us, your grateful Producers:
Steel Silk Sash: We've upgraded the sash you received from your mother. While appearing and feeling the same as it did, the sash has become nearly indestructible. If it is lost or somehow destroyed, it will return to you the next day. Keeps itself clean as well.
Lucky Penny: As long as this coin is on your person, you may treat a single 4 on a die as a success for any roll. If lost or destroyed, it will return to you the next day.
Evolved Archetype: Charming Adventurer merges with the Harem King Archetype to become: Harem Protagonist. You may purchase feats from both Archetypes without penalty and will have access to a new exclusive list of powerful options as well. Evolve and Upgrade one of your feats into one better suiting your new Archetype, ignoring any prerequisites.
Evolve and Upgrade Feat: Major feat Heroes Honors becomes Master feat: Heroes Harem
[Master Feat (Harem Protagonist)]
Heroes Harem: In the eyes of the people you step in to help, you are viewed as a Hero from myth and legend. This effect scales with the help rendered. The gratitude you garner in those you rescue cannot be adequately stated in words. You gain between 1 and 3 guaranteed successes and additional dice for Social rolls with the people you've helped and their close friends and family. This group will justify almost any of your actions, and should you break their trust you can easily earn it once more. Lovers you've saved will find you taking other lovers as fully justifiable, though they may still grow jealous.
I'd forgotten how insane Master feats could be. This definitely hadn't been in the book they'd given us though. Nor had there been a Harem King Archetype, probably because it would have scared us off from playing.
I'd have to be careful with this. The power felt dangerous like I was playing with fire. Thinking of the possibilities the feat provided sparked a dark lust in my heart I wasn't fully comfortable with.
[Viewer Popularity Poll Winner]
You were voted the most popular male cast member and third most popular overall cast member in our first poll! The viewers have voted to give you the following Rewards:
Titanium Nunchacku – Base Damage 2. These titanium nunchaku are brutally effective weapons while still allowing for dazzlingly fast attacks. While wielding these, you may attack each target in melee range of you on your turn once. If you gain additional attacks from other sources, these stack additively. Will return to you if lost or destroyed the next day.
Talisman of Recall – Consumable. Tear this talisman to instantly teleport yourself and anyone you're touching to your home. One use.
I slept very well that night.