Play Testers Wanted Pt. 01

All characters are 18 years old or older. This is the first installment of what is so far a five-part series and growing. Each section is around twenty-four pages long single spaced, so... I've written well over a hundred pages in this series. It is revisiting the virtual realm I created in Sex Dungeon. If you haven't read that story you might wish to do so before starting this one. I will be posting the next four parts once a week and, in the meantime, I mean to finish some rather stubborn pieces like Mr. Robinson and others. I hope you enjoy and please vote, comment, and most of all get caught up in the story.

A few historical facts about this universe.

FSD is all the rage. Full Sensory Dive technology was developed by Numenor Technology and leased to several companies to develop games. It is a booming industry for 3D artists, coders, and of course voice actors.

The situation changed when Numenor bought out Disney and became the number one entertainment giant. After a congressional insight committee's findings Numenor was forced to separate its entertainment and computer manufacturing into different entities. To comply with this mandate Kat Shaw, CEO and heir to the Numenor fortune after her brother's untimely death, created three new companies. The first was its mainstream film arm named in honor of her brother, Nick of Time Films. The game development aspect would become Kouryou Kai Games, the leaders in cutting edge full dive tech and entertainment. The third and unsung hero of the expanded Shaw empire was Fun Time for All Inc. Fun Time was given a low profile and for good reason. It covered the adult entertainment and performed as well as the film branch. It was one of Fun Time's ads that got me into the situation I am in now.

'Play Testers Wanted both experienced and inexperienced welcome. Must be 18 or older and eager to experience the latest in sensual experiences. Contact Fun Time for All Inc.'

I did. I was out of work again and it paid to test a virtual smut game. How the hell could I say no to that? The only catch was that I had to stay on site while they monitored me. My mom couldn't shove me out the door fast enough. One month with the house to herself. It didn't get any better than that for her. I couldn't help but laugh as I took a cab to the address provided. I had tried deep dive tech before, but I couldn't afford to own one myself. Who knew maybe in another five years the price might drop enough to make it available to everyone? I parked, picked up my suitcase and strode eagerly into the building.

"You must be Mr. Anderson," the attendant said in greeting. "Can I call you Booker?"

"Absolutely." I replied as she led me to a solitary elevator.

"The facilities are downstairs." She said as she pushed a button marked -3. "Your every need will be attended to. You will spend only eight hours at a time hooked up. There will be weekly doctors' appointments to monitor changes in brain activity and any possible adverse reactions. We don't expect any, but we want to make sure."

"So, is this the same tech that is out on the market, the hardware I mean?" I asked and she shook her head. "Cool! This is going to be epic! Have you tried it?"

"Why do you think I work here?" She replied smiling. "We're here. Jeff will show you to your room and take over from here. Enjoy."

She never got off the elevator. The short stocky man shook my hand and showed me my room and then gave me a quick tour of the facilities. He informed me that there was going to be an orientation in half an hour. I was the last arrival. I sat with the other new players in the cafeteria and the excitement was palpable. Of the ten people only three were women. I guess that shouldn't have surprised me. I didn't think women were into these kind of sex games. After chatting with them I found we had more in common than not. They enjoyed online RPG's and one of them was a member of the WGL or World Gaming League. She ranked twelfth last year and was on her way to improving that to tenth or better.

"I am glad you are all getting along so well," a gentleman in a suit said addressing us. "You will be limited to eight hours of connectivity with a minimum three hour cool down. We hope you find at least six hours of sleep per twenty-four-hour period. Once a week you will have a thorough body scan to address any issues that might arise. We do not expect any but for your safety and those of future customers we want to be sure the technology doesn't have any adverse impact on your physiology or psyche. The developers wanted us to let you know that the game is still in the beta stage, there will be changes while you play, so don't become upset and we hope this doesn't affect the level of your pleasure in the game play. Any questions? No. I will call you by name and you will have your initial once over and then you will enter the game. For now, each player is limited to their own world. Eventually we hope to create a multiplayer format. First up is Mr. Anderson."

I stood and followed him to the doctor's office. It looked like any other physician's room with its white walls and sterile smell of disinfectants. The one thing that stood out was the glass and metal halo hovering near the ceiling. I stripped down and donned scrubs so that I could be scanned without interference. The ring began to hum and glow as it powered up. It slowly dropped down and performed its scan. I was in good shape, not great, but good enough to enter the game without any hindrances. I received one injection at the base of my skull that would allow them to monitor my brain activity better. Once I checked out, I was led back to my room and prepared for my first plug in.

I got comfortable and slipped on the large wrap around glasses. I was expecting more gear, but this was it. Once I said I was comfortable there was a flash and I was standing in a plane white space. A sexless voice addressed me.

"Welcome to the beta test phase of M vs. DP. Are you ready to begin?"

"What is M vs. DP?" I asked.

"Oh, I thought you knew. The programmers have decided to add a little something special to this gaming world. The event is Marvel vs. Disney Princesses. All the usual storylines are available, but beneath it all is a subtle arrival of an ancient darkness. That said, do you wish to have a male or female avatar?"

"Male." I said laughing as I thought of evil Disney Princesses.

"Good." The voice replied taking on a definite male aspect now. "What sort of character do you wish to create?"

"I guess I would describe it as a spell blade or blade singer." I explained.

"Interesting." The disembodied voice said and paused for a moment. "What sort of powers and skills would you like to manifest? Here is a list."

"Whoa! This could take a bit. How many do I get to start off with?"

"Leave that to me. Let's pick all that interest you and I can extrapolate a career path for you placing the most powerful at the bottom and the simplest at the top. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" I said and picked through the ones I found most appealing for a sex game.

"Halt... please. I see a pattern, one that is often repeated lately. Don't look on this as just a simple romance game, it isn't. Think of it as a superhero or adventure game. It will make your experience more interesting and enjoyable."

"I had no idea." I said and changed my outlook of the game.

I started over. I thought about more traditional games and the things I had fun with. I imagined a sword in one hand and a spell in the other. The questions flowed from the invisible interface. My avatar took form both physically and internally. The last question threw me for a loop.

"Hero or villain?"

"Ummm... I don't know. It isn't like I am going to be going around raping and pillaging but I might misuse my abilities to get laid."

"Grey then." He said. "Alright. Just a few last words of wisdom. Keep your eye out for anything strange or out of the ordinary. Chances are they aren't glitches. Last chance to alter your avatar."

"Nope. I'm happy with him." I said looking at what will be my body inside the game.

"Take a deep breath and in you go." He said.

I was in the back seat of a cab. Traffic was a bitch and I recognized New York City instantly. I leaned down and looked at the photo of the driver and his name.

"Harry Canyon." I muttered. "Where the hell have I heard that name before?"

"Where to pal?" He asked in his New Yorker accent.

"The Baxter Building." I said thinking he'd shoot me the stink eye, but he just turned on the meter and maneuvered through the congestion.

"What brings you to New York?" He asked and I half expected dialogue window to pop up, but it didn't.

"I was hoping to get a chance to see Mrs. Fantastic, Susan Storm. Big fan."

"Mrs. Fantastic? Where you been pal? It's been in all the papers, those two have been separated for months." He replied with barely a pause. The A.I. was amazing. "She's been shagging some queer dressing dude from Bleecker Street. Who wears a cape anymore? I'll tell you who... nobody! I don't care if the guy is a doctor, show some self-respect! He gives New York a bad name." He said and droned on about various weirdos all over the city.

He was still yapping when we reached the Baxter Building. I swiped my card and had enough to pay for the taxi ride. I got out and stared in awe at the building that housed some of my favorite superheroes, the Fantastic Four. As I stood there a sultry voice called out to me from the alley next to the building.

"Hey Tiger!" She purred.

"Mary Jane Watson?" I asked as I saw a tall woman wearing a hoodie slip deeper into the alley.

This must be a story tag and she might have a quest or mission for me to perform. I followed her into the alley and spotted her lurking in the shadows halfway down. My eye was drawn away from her to the back of the alley and a strange shimmering. I'll be damned! Part of the wall was wavering like a heat distortion at the height of summer. I approached the woman who I believed was the stunning redhead Mary Jane Watson. The very same Mary Jane that was dating Spiderman! The closer I got the more my weird-shit-o-meter was going off. It wasn't exactly 'spider sense' but more like her posture, and the way she kept her head down came off as suspicious.

I wanted a better look at the distortion along the back wall of the alley. It screamed at me as the very odd things I should be looking for. I passed the woman and told her I would be right back. She seemed unphased by my actions. Did she know what this was? Maybe she was too out of it to even notice me at this point. I walked up to the wall and looked around for a trap, but no one jumped out to attack me, so I reached out and tried touching the wall. I say try as my hand passed through it. Was it a secret door?

"Here goes nothing." I said as I stepped through it.

The space beyond belonged to another world entirely. The two moons hanging in the sky were clearly evidence of that. Why was this here? Did I step from one game into another? It kind of felt like that. Speaking of feelings, I felt a sudden sense of danger and did an acceptable shoulder roll just as the sword missed my neck.

"Excellent! A bit sloppy but you detected my intentions." The middle-aged woman said grinning. "Welcome to the Temple of Ossus. I am Asajj Ventress and I will be your instructor. You are my only student now. Do you have any combat experience?"

"No." I admitted and that seemed to please her.

"Good. I will have no bad habits to break in our time together."

She led me from the portal down a serpentine mountain pass to the temple. It was carved out of the living rock and side of the mountain. It had a sense of age about it. This place was ancient, and I could almost feel the weight of it pressing down on me. She gestured as she pointed out key features of the Temple of Ossus and where I would be training. Asajj took me to the garden for our first training session.

The garden was meticulously maintained and dotted with statues carved from native stone. The hooded figures were dressed in strikingly familiar robes and many belonged to human and non-human races. It was only then that it hit me. Shaw had purchased Disney and possessed all their intellectual properties. All of them. That is why her name and appearance was so damn familiar. If I was expecting a break or orientation, I was wrong. She handed me a practice weapon and she had me hold it. Ventress frowned when she saw my grip.

"You are going to die." She sneered as she manually adjusted my fingers. "Better. Follow me as I show you your first form."

"First? How many am I going to learn?" I asked and she smiled.

"Seven. Don't worry. No one has died from training with me... yet." She chuckled.

We went at it for what felt like hours. My form improved in increments. I didn't get tired and no one came to take me out of the game. As the sun set, I was waiting for an alarm or something to tell me when my six hours was up. It never happened. Ventress noted that I was distracted and stopped the instruction. She called a break and pointed at the showers.

"Wash up, you stink... I'll bring you some clean clothes." She directed.

I sniffed my pits and she was right I did smell. I had felt her touch when she adjusted my initial grip. I could smell my body odor. How many other senses would I experience? I had played on other full dive systems and while you felt like you were in the game you didn't feel anything. It was more of a visual and audial experience. This was way beyond what I had expected. I activated the shower and as I washed up, I activated my heads-up display or HUD. I examined my default settings and I was surprised at how limited the sensory input was. I brought up the help screen and I asked how to adjust my settings safely. The voice I had heard in the white room asked me what I wanted. I told him.

"I want this to feel real." I said.

"Does that include pain?" He asked.

"Will it limit the amount of pleasure I can experience?" I asked.

"Obviously." He fired back amused. "Setting to human normal."

The HUD vanished and the falling water of the shower that had frozen in place now flowed again. I could feel it. It felt like a real shower! When I moved my muscles ached. I rubbed my arms and legs to work out the kinks when I felt her presence. I glanced over my shoulder to see a naked Asajj watching me. Her pale skin had an almost ethereal quality to it. Her gaze shifted downward and she really smiled now.

"You are easily aroused." She said as she walked towards me.

"It is difficult to ignore a beautiful naked woman." I told her as she stopped just outside my reach.

"You think I'm beautiful? Interesting. If I fuck you it might make training you difficult." She mused. "I will have to think this over."

She walked away and used another of the communal showers to wash up. I watched her full round bottom and enjoyed the view. After the shower was meditation training. I had to learn how to clear my thoughts of disruptive desires. It was difficult. Every time I had just about driven away all the distractions an image of her bare ass drifted into my mind. I cursed a lot. I meditated until dawn. I gave up on waiting for someone to unplug me and threw my entire focus on my training. Hours turned into days, days into weeks, and finally into months. Once I had mastered the initial form what she called Shii-Cho, the others followed quickly. I lost track of time as the seasons changed. During the day I worked on my sword work while at night I tapped into my mystical abilities. Like my sword work telekinesis started off difficult. I struggled to maintain my focus especially when she walked around half naked.

"Focus on the stones not my tits." She chastised me with that lewd smile of hers.

I used my lust to focus on the damn rocks. I imagined two of the smoother stones were her ass cheeks. I wanted to cup them and feel them in my hands. The rocks rose up slowly, but after a month I accidently fractured them when I squeezed too hard. That little event surprised both of us. Instead of lifting bigger things she had me focus on smaller and smaller objects. After months of exercise I was able to pluck a single grain of sand from a pile of salt. I could 'feel' the difference between the two materials.

Once she felt I had progressed far enough I began what she called elemental work. I began manifesting wind, water, fire, electricity, and last of all earth. Generating a breeze was the easiest display of my abilities. Air was everywhere. Water was pulling moisture from the atmosphere and manipulating it. The last three elements required tapping into another dimension to produce them. I found a balance between sword work and the mystical. I was looking forward to the last and most difficult for me so far, telepathy. My first attempts were performed with small mammals native to Ossus. The fuzzy creatures were a blend of rabbit, wolf, and lizard. The thing had a long narrow body, six legs, and moved like lightning. I only learned after a week that the damn thing could leap five times its body length to pounce its victims.

"I see you've made a friend." Ventress announced when she walked in one day and found me pinned beneath the beast as it used its serpentine tongue to lick me.

"Yeah." I agreed.

I worked as intensely on my telepathic abilities as I had everything else. While I might be a failure in the real world, here I was making great progress. Soon I could not only 'sense' a living mind but ensnare it using different techniques taught to me by Ventress. The more advanced the mind the more difficult it became to tame them. I could ensnare even a raging beast with little difficulty by the time she declared my apprenticeship nearing its end. There were two trials left to me. One was the construction of my weapon and the second was besting her in a duel.

The first trial began when we took a shuttle over one of the densest forests in this region. As she told me what was expected of me, I grabbed my survival pack. I had barely slipped it over my shoulders when I was jettisoned from the craft and was free falling towards the ground below. I had never been skydiving, but I had seen enough movies to know to assume a flat pose with limbs thrust outward. I slowed down a wee bit. I gathered my energy together and twenty feet above the floor of the forest I sent out a downward telekinetic blast. The cushion of psychic energy embraced me in a gooey syrupy bubble that kept me from slamming into the ground. I stood up and caught my breath. That was damn rude I thought as I reached out for any living mind around me. I cried out as the screech of instinctual thoughts bombarded me.

"That was stupid." I muttered as I blocked them out. "Back on task. Survive. Find the crystal for my weapon. Get back alive."

The next time I opened my thoughts I narrowed my reception to raw mystical power. The source howled in challenge and I accepted it. I headed off in the direction of whatever I was hunting. It could be an ancient temple overgrown by this forest. Ventress told me about natural formations of crystal in extreme climates. Was there a volcanic vent where the heat and pressure of the planet produced crystals? It could be a windswept crag that eroded the mountain top to reveal the rare mineral deposit. It could be anything.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts I almost missed it. A predator was hunting me. It's mind was focused on me razor sharp. I stopped and so did it. I reached out and touched its thoughts. It wasn't evil just hungry. I sought out a mutually beneficial solution. The small prey animal was close. It was hiding in the tall grass. I could feel its fear and how its heart was pounding in its small body. I sent to it that there was a sudden noise behind it. I flushed it right into the path of the predator. It killed its prey with one swipe of its massive claw. It retracted the razor-sharp blades and consumed its kill.