E.M.M.A Ch. 01-02

This is a story about a world in the near future, where an adult-oriented medieval fantasy full-body virtual reality MMO/virtual world (try saying that ten times fast) has become massively popular. While it is loosely based off of a mixture of MMOs, virtual worlds, medieval fantasy, anime series, and real-world western culture and etymology, I did try to include my own spin on it.

Some time has been spent working out aspects of the world before writing the story, which is not meant to fit a single genre or fetish. Be it bdsm, romance, action adventure, furries, comedy, non-consent, fantasy lore etc., you can expect to find many things you like and perhaps on occasion some things you don't like.

This isn't a story for the sake of smut, or even a story for its own sake. It's a story for the sake of its world. If you want smut however, there will be some, but it's going to be a slow burner to start with. On that point, more chapters will come, but possibly quite slowly as my personal life can be demanding.

Please don't be too harsh on my writing. I have never had an editor and this is only my second (and most ambitious) story.

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Prologue:

The receptionist hummed nonchalantly, drumming her flawless fingernails on the glass surface of her desk. These long evenings were such a drag. She'd sometimes wondered if there was any point to her shift at all, as people rarely ever logged on at night, and she was yet to see anyone log off during one of her shifts. God these new servers must be good. It sounded like once plugged in, no one ever wanted to leave again.

She looked out of the window, sighing as she watched the heavy rain beating against the glass, the sound drowned out by the thrum of the processors at the back, whirring furiously. One of these days... One of these days she'd be able to afford an account, and she'd never log off. Ever.

A sudden squealing made her start and she turned to see the sliding doors open and a dark figure walk in from the night's darkness, their wet hair being tussled and dried by the jet of hot air at the entrance. Knowing this would likely be the most thrilling thing to happen that night, the receptionist put on her best fake smile.

"Hello there! How may I help you tonight?"

"I would like to purchase an account."

"Of course!" answered the receptionist, busying herself with selecting the right forms on her tactile desk. "Here we go, so does that indeed mean that you would like to have premium access to our latest servers and impending updates?"

The figure nodded.

"Very well," she continued, dragging the virtual form to the far side of the desk and flipping it over. "We will just need you to read this contract giving you complete access to one pod only at any one time. Once you are done, just sign it with your fingerprint and the sum will be transferred immediately."

Another nod.

The receptionist could hardly keep herself from sighing out of exasperation as she patiently waited for her client to go through the contract in much detail. God this was dull.

Finally she received a third nod as the figure placed their index carefully on the bottom of the contract and the digital desktop made a chiming sound. She then swept the contract back, checked the transfer had been made, and flung it at the cabinet icon where it automatically filed itself.

"Now the system has your details and will transfer a copy of the contract to your digital surface or equivalent personal device. To log on, all you need to do is step through that door, which works via facial recognition, and step into one of the open pods. They are all automatically cleaned after use to uphold the highest standards in hygiene, and have retina scanning activation."

The new account holder nodded one last time, and walked through the door without saying a word, leaving a very annoyed and envious receptionist in their wake. They were now in a large dark room full of pods arranged in long rows, most of which were occupied. It didn't take long to find an empty one, though, and they walked right in.

A blue light passed over the new players' face as the pod closed around them, and a small screen lit up asking for them to strip and to place their clothes in the small container to their left. Once this was done, the container retracted into the floor and the insertion process began.

A slim virtual reality mask was molded to their face, isolating their airways to a tube split in multiple parts. Braces then clamped around the arms, legs, waist, wrists and ankles right before the floor retracted and metallic arms extended to cover the entire surface of the now mechanically supported body of the player with a gelatinous substance that molded itself to their every inch.

It was the same polymer based substance as that of the headset, which started by appearing liquid as it molded itself to the body before plasticizing and adapting to its texture. The wireless sensors within the substance then activated, producing an accurate 3D map of the surface of the player's body and connected to the extremities of the nervous system so as to be able to simulate skin-related sensations.

Finally the jelly-like product on the underneath of the player's feet was attached to flat supports controlled by mechanical arms that would lock when reaching floor level, allowing the player to stand again. Another couple of minutes passed as a number of other braces were set into place, the main processor unit was activated and the outer nervous system was synced up to it.

The screen on the 180-degree virtual reality mask finally activated, with the message "Insertion process complete". The rest was now up to the player.

[...]

Chapter 1: Welcome to Prometheus 2.

"Welcome to the Extra-virtual Massively Multiplayer Arenas, also called E.M.M.A!" started the small flying droid as it flitted around the player in a blank virtual world. "Before we determine the exact abilities of your avatar, you must first choose its gender, name and appearance!

"First of all the available genders are as follows: Male, Female, intersex, genderless, male transgender, female transgender, male hermaphrodite, female hermaphrodite, neutral hermaph..."

"Female." Says the player, cutting the droid off.

"Very well Ms, As for your..."

"You may call me Miss" interjects the player.

"Yes miss, if that is your preference, I will opt for the traditional title. Now as for your sexual preference and other gender related issues, they are up to you to express however you see fit. E.M.M.A's settings only assign name and gender to account statuses. By the way, what would you want your avatar name to be?"

"Isabelle."

"Would you like to add a last name? Middle name? Nickname?"

"No."

"Very well Miss Isabelle," Says the droid, scribbling on a notepad that seems to have magically appeared in its comically small hands. "It is now time for you to create your avatar's default physique. Please give me a rough description to start off with."

"She must look like a young woman, with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slim build...

"And large breasts?" Adds the droid, smirking "are you sure you do not want a more visually original avatar, miss Isabelle?"

"You are being impatient. And no, the breasts should be reasonably small, to fit the build. Make her face very cute and her head slightly larger than life."

"There is an anime setting if you want Miss. It would fit the proportion better and make the overall appearance more unusual."

"Then style her like in a anime."

"How about clothing, Miss Isabelle? You may change all of this later of course, but it's best to start off with something you like. A popular choice for players with avatars like yours is a schoolgirl outfit."

"No, a sharp looking cocktail dress will do. Something nice but nothing too formal."

"Very well miss Isabelle." Replies the droid, dropping his pad and clapping his hands together.

A mirror suddenly appears in front of Isabelle, showing the image of a drop dead gorgeous anime woman with her blond hair made up in elaborate curls, with huge, bright blue eyes and wearing a knee-length iridescent red dress that starts around her shoulder and hugs her torso to midway down her waist, where it spreads out in long folds that appear so straight and solid that they could have been made from shards of broken glass.

As Isabelle tilted her head slightly, she notices that the reflection's head tilted as well, and suddenly realizes that this is already the shape of her virtual avatar. She looks down at her long slender arms and her small hands, opening and closing her fingers in front of her face. She really couldn't tell from the sight that they were virtual images. She then ran her hands down her dress, feeling the fabric. It felt soft and rich, and was most likely silk. The quality with which E.M.M.A was simulating her sense of touch was quite extraordinary.

"It's quite good," Isabelle finally told the droid, "But there are some details I want to change. Make the dress less aggressive in it's shape, and it needs to fit the eye color, which I'd rather were green. I'd also rather have loose hair, and make it slightly wavy, but not curly. Make it a little longer, and the dress as well... Oh and make the eyes a tiny bit bigger, they look quite nice like that."

Once those details had been modified, Isabelle was now staring at a beautiful girl with long blond hair framing her huge green eyes and cute little nose. She wore a broad smile and a frilly green strapless dress that matched her eyes and went past her knees. It was all quite tasteful, with a very subtle cleavage and fine silver frills along the edges.

"Would you like some shoes as well Miss Isabelle?" Asked the droid. "And might I also recommend some underwear? Please remember that I cannot add things to your avatar without your permission."

"Give me some matching shoes then, ballet slippers perhaps, and some matching underwear too. Make the bra strapless."

She suddenly felt herself being lifted up very slightly as light green ballerina shoes materialized around her feet.

"Will that be all Miss Isabelle?" Asked the droid.

"Yes."

"Very well," said the droid as the mirror vanished. "Now it is time to determine your avatar's abilities."

Isabelle smiled darkly at that.

[...]

"I'm awfully sorry Mr. Fuzz, but I cannot give your avatar the ability to make your enemies think that they're kittens," Said the droid, "As the mechanical nature of current Virtual reality does not allow for mind control of any sort. The system does rely on a primitive form of partial mind-to-machine interfacing, but the technology isn't yet advanced enough to allow players to play by only using a headset, let alone be mind controlled."

"aw come on!!!" Answered the new avatar, a muscular looking white anthropomorphic Bengal tiger wearing a loincloth, "That would be so cool though!"

"It is estimated that complete mind to machine interfacing won't be available for another 15 years, Mr. Fuzz. So for now there is nothing I can do."

"Hmm..." Fuzz Aldrin scratched his head thoughtfully. "How about pheromones to alter mood? Cats have those, right?"

"Technically, cats mostly produce pheromones either from their face or in their urine to mark their territory, but..." The droid hesitated, glancing down at the feline staring pleadingly at it. "I guess we could make lightly mood altering pheromones one of your secondary abilities. It will express itself by sending mind altering drugs to contaminate the air in the breathing tubes of those near you in the simulation."

The white tiger cheered.

"But what about your three core abilities, Mr. Fuzz? You need a base feature that has to be very broad, determining your general style of play, a general skill to be used reasonably frequently, and a special ability to be used as a boost..."

"Well... I assumed that my base feature would be to be fast, strong, and just generally able to move and fight like a tiger with my retractable claws..."

"That seems fine, Mr. Fuzz, and your general skill?"

"Could it perhaps be to have short but intense boosts of speed whenever I want?"

"Of course, but expect it to drain your energy quite fast and tire you out if overused. And your special ability?"

This line of questioning went on and on as Fuzz was made to choose his special ability, his secondary abilities, his stats and so on and so forth. By the time it was done he was wondering if there really was a simulation at all, or if it was just this blank character creation system going on forever.

"That should be it, Mr. Fuzz," Stated the droid in an annoyingly chirpy voice. "Now we just need to select the final game configurations and..." The droid's prattling was instantly drowned out by Fuzz's groan.

"Oh come on!!! Enough already!"

"Do not worry Mr. Fuzz, we are nearly there. I just need to ask you whether you want all of the simulated features and settings unlocked. Your personal information tells me that you are an adult, which means that you have the option. To use them you will have to log on to servers for adults only."

Fuzz hesitated for a long moment, before finally nodding. He had heard that this decision was not to be made lightly.

"Very well then, that should be all. May I recommend that you log on to our newest adult server, Prometheus 2?"

Fuzz acquiesced, and the blank character creation simulation was wiped.

[...]

"Welcome!" Exclaimed a booming voice, "To E.M.M.A, the simulation of Extended Massively Multiplayer Arenas."

Edelaweth blinked as she was suddenly flying above a luscious green land covered in fields, forests, and a handful of medieval buildings. She only had time to notice what looked like a huge lizard hiding behind a hill before she arrived above a large fortified town, bustling with activity.

"This is Wickenham, the town where your story begins, and where many have made their fortune. Green grass, peace and prosperity are aplenty here, thanks to the many benevolent heroes who protect it, and the well trained city guard.

But will you remain here, behind these walls, to profit from the comfort provided by others, or will you make your way into the world to defend it, to control it, or even to try and destroy it? That is all up to you, but whatever you choose, beware that this land is at the mercy of it's ruler, a great warrior who earned the title of king by remaining undefeated by all in the royal arena.

The only way he may be overthrown is by taking his place, defeating him in his own arena, in the royal city of Braedon, north of this land. Do you have what it takes? Will you test your mettle against the champion, or will you accept to live in a nation entirely at the mercy of that one individual?"

Edelaweth felt a sudden jolt as she felt herself changing direction and head for the ground at breakneck speed. She braced herself, only to slow rapidly at the last moment, and land gracefully on a huge stone disk that made up the central plaza.

As she patted down her long green dress, she looked around to see a number of other lone avatars, standing around and looking slightly confused. She was quite amazed at the sheer diversity of characters that had been created, some resembling beautiful pieces of art whilst others appeared strange, creepy, or even quite puerile.

Many, however, just looked like normal people dressed more or less normally, considering the game worlds' medieval tone, although they'd all opted for flawless, handsome features. They were almost all lean, toned and could pass for professional athletes and models at the same time.

There was something quite amusing about seeing this world of "perfect" people, and Edelaweth smiled as she looked around. A sign caught her attention. It read: "All new players over here". Shrugging, she made her way to the sign and hopped off of the stone disk to find a pair of huge anthropomorphic lizards, one male and one female, both dressed in long blue robes, and trying to attract the attention of the newly appeared players.

"Hello there!" Exclaimed the female one in what was obviously meant to be a motherly tone, "Welcome to Wickenham! We're here to give you newbies a little tour."

"At least we would!" Shouted the much larger male lizard as he waved the sign he was holding up wildly to the confused new arrivals, "But it looks like you're the only one who isn't afk."

"How many times do I have to tell you Max, you can't go afk in a full body simulation." Retorted his companion. "God you're so old!"

"It's either that or the latest update has turned them all deaf, blind and dumb." Said Max, who was obviously getting more and more frustrated at being ignored.

The female lizard sighed and shook her head. "You do know that this is also a spawn point for dead players right? Most of them probably just don't need a tour of the city. So good luck with attracting more new players, but I'm going to start showing this group around."

Max grunted his agreement and his friend turned to the group behind her, in which Edelaweth had silently slipped.

"Don't mind Max," started the lizard, "He's just in a bad mood because I wouldn't let him sleep in this morning. You can call me Liz, and I'll be showing you around for now. I hope you don't mind."

Some in the group nodded meekly, giving Edelaweth the distinct impression of being a young child on a school trip again. Indeed, as Liz started leading the way, the group even started to follow her in pairs, offering quite a strange sight as the motley of humans, humanoids and others followed the giant anthropomorphic lizard like obedient pupils.

"Welcome to Prometheus 2.0!" boomed Liz, "I will try my best to show you around and answer any questions you might have. But first, I always have some old players who, like Max, are disturbed by the lack of a HUD, or heads up display. And as I have told him countless times, this simulation does not need one.

Your abilities feed off of your own energy and injuries are physically simulated so that you will feel the pain and handicaps that may come with them even though they are not truly real. That means that there is no need for life, mana or stamina bars. The same goes for mini-maps, inventories and controls.

If you want to find out where you are, read an in-game map, if you want to carry something, then put it in your pockets, bag, or carry it by hand. If you want to use your powers, just do whatever motion is associated with your powers and they will activate automatically. If you are a mage or other avatar type with complex abilities, go to the in-game library to read up on how to use your powers and spells. Is that clear?"

The group nodded.

"Good, now here we are arriving at the town hall, a very important building for the town's administration as it is where many of the needs of the population are dealt with. Indeed, this is one of the five great cities of the country of Adros, and although Wickenham isn't the capital, it still houses three hundred thousand people. It is thought that most of them are players, but that is hard to tell for sure, as NPCs have behaviors that cannot be distinguished from humans.

As you might know, Adros has a total population of 6.7 million spread over 570 thousand square kilometers, and is only one of 75 countries in the game. Eight hundred thousand of these inhabitants live in the capital, named Flos, and there are spawn points in each of the great cities of the state. The reason the world is so large is that Prometheus 2.0 is the only adult hosting server for the game, thus allowing for everyone to play in a single world. Population flow is thus tracked by the software to..."

Edelaweth soon stopped paying as much attention to the speech as she looked around, still rather amazed at the realism of the simulation. This truly could be real life and she would never know the difference. People walked past them in the street, some waving at them and others keeping their heads down. She knew some were player avatars and some were Non Player Characters, but she had no idea which was which.