The Morning After

Morning came in an instant. No alarm broke through John’s dreams to drag him into consciousness, nor did he slowly become cognizant of the world around him. John’s eyes simply snapped open to meet the new day as if he hadn’t been asleep at all. Much like the day before, he was greeted by a floating window prompt.

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<Congratulations!>
You have made it through your first day and completed the tutorial.
Please select a Class.
-

“Uhh…”

Clear of mind as he was, John had not been expecting to jump right into game-changing decisions the moment he woke up. The abruptness of it all was disorienting. John felt more rested and relaxed than he could remember ever being even though it was still dark outside. A glance at the clock showed that it was only a little past three in the morning. John didn’t know exactly when he fell asleep, but it couldn’t have been much longer than six hours ago.

“This might take some getting used to, not that I’m complaining.”

The window in front of John flashed insistently to reclaim his attention. Without anything better to do, he obliged it and read its contents.

The menu laid out three options, the typical class triumvirate: physical, stealth, and magic. Each of them featured a small, pixelated John that showed off the apparent virtues of each Class. The first was Warrior, depicting a swarthy and buff version of himself, bare chested and grinning, with an Orc in a headlock in one arm and a busty tavern maid hanging off the other.

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Warrior
A paragon of martial prowess, possessing a physique and might far beyond the limits of even the greatest mundane humans. What a Warrior lacks in finesse and magical ability, they make up for in durability and raw power.

Pros:
High Strength, Endurance, and HP
Natural Damage Resistance
Advanced Skills
No Equipment Restrictions

Cons:
Extremely low MP
Low Mental Resistance
Few Support and Control Skills

Skills: Charge, Concussive Blow
-

John couldn’t deny the fact that the class appealed to his inner male fantasy. To be strong and handsome would be the opposite of his current self, to have what he’d always wished for and envied. Frankly, the idea of being that buff was a little arousing.

Still, there was a lot to consider. John’s next option was Rogue, accompanied by a sprite of himself clad in black leathers, lounging across the arms of a golden throne. Behind him were piles of gold and valuable gems stacked meters high. The little John wore a deeply content smile while he balanced a knife, tip first, on one finger.

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Rogue
As skilled in subterfuge as they are in sneaking and thievery, a Rogue is a devious and dangerous enemy to make. Most at home in the shadows, Rogues excel at ambushes, mobility, and manipulation.

Pros:
High Agility, Charisma, and Wisdom
Exceptional Single-Target Damage
Wide Array of Utility Skills and Spells
High Mental Resistance

Cons:
Few Area of Effect Skills
Low Spiritual Resistance
Increased RP Loss

Skills: Blind Eye, Hamstring
-

The Rogue, on its own, offered a lot of versatility. Diversity in skill sets had always been something that appealed to John when selecting options in games and Rogue looked like the best candidate for that. While he acknowledged that Min/Max-ing his way through games was often the most effective route, he’d always had more fun finding unconventional ways of accomplishing his goals. Specifically, he enjoyed finding hidden synergies between seemingly disparate abilities. Still, this was not just some game, this was his life; prudence would have to take precedence over entertainment.

And yet, Rogue listed Charisma as a primary stat…

Shaking his head, John looked over his last option: Sorcerer. His pixelated counterpart floated amidst a stormy valley, surrounded by orbiting rings of fire, stone, and ice. A third, glowing eye shone from his forehead, matched in color by the arcane sigil carved into the air behind him.

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Sorcerer
A Sorcerer is a scholar of the arcane and a master of magic. Even a novice Sorcerer is akin to a **** of nature, able to bend the elements to their will. With effort, still greater and more nuanced power is within a Sorcerer’s reach.

Pros:
High Intelligence, Wisdom, and MP
High Area of Effect Damage
Excellent Crowd Control
High Spiritual Resistance

Cons:
Strict Equipment Restrictions
Low Physical Defense
Entirely Dependent on MP

Skills: Mana Bolt, Bind
-

Considering Moira and her father were throwing around the term ‘mage’ a lot, Sorcerer was more along the lines of what John expected the whole Abyss experience would be like. What good was having magic if he couldn’t sling fireballs or summon lightning?

Being ripped would be awesome, but how would it compare to levitating boulders with my mind? And how significant are the damage resistances? Is this an MMO situation, where tanks are made of wrought iron and DPS have all the durability of a wet tissue? I need rules, I need numbers to crunch! I need a damn wiki.

He’d deal with it later. It wasn’t a decision to be made lightly. John sighed and reached to close the window but found that it did not disappear. He felt a brief buzz run through his head as the words ‘Please select a Class’ flashed on the window before him. John scooted to the edge of his bed and stood up. If the system, or whatever it was, wouldn’t let him close the window, he would just have to ignore it. The prompt wasn’t small, but it wasn’t huge either, he would easily be able to read up on one of the books he’d gotten from the Brightons while the window floated overhead.

As if reading his thoughts, perhaps literally, the persistent interface lurched towards him. It occupied nearly his entire field of vision, only inches from his face, and followed his eyes wherever they looked. The words flashed once again, brighter this time.

“Okay, okay, I get it!” John griped. “I’ll pick a damn class, just pull back a little, would you?”

The window allowed John to grab it by the edges and push it away, back to a comfortable reading distance. Defeated, John sat back down. He might not have been able to make a truly informed decision, but he could at least make sure he went over his options thoroughly.

Nearly half an hour later, John was on the verge of giving up and flipping a coin. After reading and rereading every entry and tooltip, the only thing he knew was that he wouldn’t be picking Warrior. Maybe swinging around a 600 pound sword was just as magical as turning invisible or shooting ice from his hands, but if John was going to be some kind of real life adventurer, he was going to use magic to do actual magic. Given that, the choice seemed to lean towards Sorcerer, but John’s strong sense of self-preservation and curiosity were drawing him towards Rogue. The entry suggested that they got access to some magic, and he already had Sneak Attack. He’d relied on it heavily inside the Kobold instance, so it was impossible to deny the effectiveness of the Class.

And yet, even a single offensive spell like Mana Bolt would have changed his approach entirely.

John collapsed back onto his bed and swatted at the window in impotent frustration. He longed for a reset button or a quicksave function, something that would let him take the Classes for a spin before making a final choice. John groaned through gritted teeth and shook the window violently in some vain hope that it would change anything.

Surprisingly, it did. At first John had thought it a trick of his tired eyes, but the window was misaligned. Warrior was cut off on the left side and Rogue was off center, while a few stray pixels peeked out from the right side, near Sorcerer. It took some poking around before John realized that the small rectangle near the bottom-right corner he had assumed was part of the window’s frame was in fact a scroll bar. Dragging it left revealed a fourth and final option, Freelancer. Unlike the others, Freelancer did not come paired with an image of his fantastic future self. Instead, his digital double wore his school uniform and stood, shrugging, with an impish grin on his face.

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Freelancer
Do whatever, for now.

Pros:
Full Access to all Types of Skills and Schools of Magic
No Equipment Restrictions
Promotes into any Second Tier Class
High Libido

Cons:
No Advanced Skills or Spells
Low Base Stats
High Libido

Skills: None
-

“Oh good, just what I need, more Libido.”

Sarcasm aside, the Freelancer Class gave John exactly the opportunity he was looking for, a way to learn before committing. Even so, it was a risk. With no new Skills and a lack of useful stat bonuses, the Class was obviously the weakest of the four. Still, there was the concept of Second Tier Classes to consider. John had only his gaming instincts to go on, but felt confident that the Classes would progress through a series of increasingly specialized tiers. With that in mind, what better way to work the system than to have access to everything all at once? Sure, the stats were subpar, but it’s not like it would make him weaker than he already was. A little early struggle for a mid-game payoff sounded like exactly what John needed to get a few links higher up on the Abyssal food chain.

John tapped Freelancer and confirmed his choice before he could second guess himself.

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<Class Acquired!>
You are now a Freelancer.

+1 STR
+1 AGI
+1 END
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 CHA
+5 LIB

Class Modifier Applied to total HP and MP
-

-
<Achievement Unlocked!>
Real Classy
You gained your first class. Feel like a hero yet?
+$100
+50 EXP
-
<Achievement Unlocked!>
A Secret to Everyone
You selected the hidden starting Class. I knew you’d find it!
+1 LIB
+10% Ejaculate Volume
+50 EXP
-

-
<Level Up!>
+5 Stat Points
-

“On second thought, I changed my mind,” John groaned, trying to ignore the sudden surge of arousal in his crotch. “I meant to pick Freelancer, not Eromancer.”

He should have seen the side effects coming, he really should have.

John wondered what his steadily increasing Libido would mean for his future. It hadn’t been all that bad so far, but how difficult would it be to look women in the eyes going forward? The way things were trending, John doubted he would be able to resist even the mildest temptations of the fairer sex, and that had already gotten him in trouble. Why was Libido even a stat in the first place? Was there a way to decrease it? Did it even offer him any sort of mechanical benefit, or was it just another way for the Goddess to mess with him?

“Who are you, anyway?” John asked the open air. “Why me, and why these powers?”

John received no reply.

“Yeah, I figured.” John shrugged. “I guess I should say ‘thank you’ though. Life is going to be a hell of a lot more exciting for me because of you. You even got me laid, so the least I can do is give you an interesting show.”

-
<Achievement Unlocked!>
Who’s my Good Boy?
You are!
+1 ‘Gamer Treat’
-

John rolled his eyes.

“Why am I not surprised?”

Disregarding a certain cheeky Goddess’ means of showing appreciation, Leveling Up reminded John that he had never spent the points from getting to Level 5, nor had he taken stock of his rewards. On top of that, he’d never checked out what the Limit Break he unlocked was- although he had a pretty good idea. Luckily, the sun was still well below the horizon; John had plenty of time to muck around in menus.

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Limit Break
A means of channeling negative emotions into a burst of incredible power, far exceeding the user’s normal capabilities.
The Limit meter fills as the user experiences conditions such as stress, grief, anger, frustration, and fear, as well as when receiving damage. Once full, a Limit Break can be triggered in conjunction with any active Skill or Spell, enhancing it in one of several ways, including but not limited to: **** damage, larger area of effect, permanency, and/or augmented effects. Once used, the Limit meter will empty.

Warning: A Limit Break has a small chance of activating autonomously shortly after the meter is filled, becoming more likely the longer the user goes without triggering the Limit Break manually. If continuously ignored, a Limit Break may activate a Skill against the user’s will.
-

“Whoa.”

John smiled as his mind filled with ideas on how he could use a Limit Break. He’d expected it to activate a special attack, but not for it to be so free form. A Limit Broken Alter body could possibly give him a monster cock, or shrink Frank’s down to the size of a peanut. But what kind of effect would it have on something like creating an Instance or Observe? How dramatic was the enhancement anyway, and exactly how likely was the automatic trigger? The description hadn’t specified and, of course, no other tooltips offered any answers. He had no option besides trial and error.

It was at that moment that John’s rumbling stomach chimed in to remind him just how hungry he was. Gamer stuff would have to wait, breakfast was calling.

-
<Skill Level Up!>
Observe - Lv 7
Item Rarity unlocked.
-

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Kobold Scale
Item - Reagent
-Common-
An unremarkable scale from an unremarkable Kobold.
-
Kobold Fang
Item - Reagent
-Common-
One of a Kobold’s many fangs. As Kobolds grow and replace teeth throughout their lifetime, these are not hard to find.
-
Kobold Eye
Item - Reagent
-Uncommon-
An intact eyeball from a Kobold. Most often used in potion making, even by their own kind.
-
Kobold Prime Claw
Item - Reagent
-Rare-
A razor sharp claw that once belonged to a rare Kobold Prime. Known to contain small amounts of sexually stimulating venom.
-

John was seated at the kitchen table and halfway through his second bowl of cereal by the time he began to identify the items in his inventory. He’d reluctantly made a second pass over the first set after Observe elected to level up part-way through and had yet to reach anything truly interesting. True, the descriptions confirmed that potions were a part of the Abyss and that he might have the ingredients for some kind of love potion on hand, but without a way of actually making said potion John didn’t much care. Only two items remained, both of them equipment. He Observed.

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Black Claw
Weapon - Dagger
-Rare-
A short blade of fossilized bone with an unorthodox curve to it. A Black Claw is reserved only for the elite members of the tribe from which it draws its name, and even then only possessed by a select few. While primarily used for ritual purposes, a Black Claw is nonetheless a lethal weapon.
10 Damage, Slashing/Piercing
Small chance to inflict ‘Libidinous’ status.
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TakTak Charm
Equipment - Accessory
-Very Rare-
An anklet of small, brightly colored stones and unidentified bits of bone. TakTak Charms are the creation of Kobold Shamans for the sake of population control. Only Kobolds who have sired or birthed over a thousand young are granted a TakTak Charm. It serves as both a declaration of their **** fertility and acceptance of a responsibility to allow other Kobolds a chance to breed. Wearing a TakTak Charm is considered a sign of great honor and humility.
Renders the wearer infertile.
-

So long condoms, everyone says you feel worse anyway!

Not that John actually knew first hand, but he was excited all the same. He didn’t know what the odds of having sex again soon were, but found himself relieved. Maybe one day he’d be able to bang some hot elf chick and never have to worry about making any Half-Elven accidents. With that in mind, John wondered how common cross-breeding was in the Abyss. Nazrinn was a half-breed, so it definitely happened, but how many races were compatible enough?

Wait.

John’s spoon slipped from his fingers.

Nazrinn. I didn’t have a condom on when we did it and I came like a faucet way the fuck inside her! Oh shit- oh fuck me, is she going to get pregnant? I can’t be a dad to a demon baby!

John’s heart began to race every bit as fast as it had when he was running from the horde of Kobolds. He pushed out of his chair and ran his hands through his hair several times while pacing. It took no small amount of willpower not to scream in panic.

Okay, John, hold on. She’s a succubus, sort of. They fuck all the time and they don’t usually get knocked up, right? They’d be pregnant more often than not if that wasn’t the case, so they have to have some kind of magic to control it. Absolutely.

John slumped against the fridge and let out a strong sigh. His relief was, unfortunately, short lived.

But she’s only a Half-Succubus. Is that better or worse? Can she do everything a normal Succubus can do? Does she have to? What if she still has to feed but can’t control her fertility? Or maybe she’s just into breeding as much as the Kobolds and already has an army of children under her command? She was really pleased with how much cum I shot out after all.

Myriad scenarios ran through John’s head as his legs gave out and he slid to the floor. He broke into a cold sweat and fell to the side a moment later, boneless. The tile floor was chilly against his flushed cheek, but thoughts of how disgusting that was could not have been further from his mind.

Stop panicking. Think. Real life hybrids are usually sterile, right? Maybe that applies to the Abyss too. It’s not easy to cross-breed either, so even if she can get pregnant, there’s probably a better chance she didn’t than did. She admitted to feeding off me, whatever that means, so it’s entirely possible she just consumed my cum through some weird demon magic. Most of all though...

John rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling.

“The Goddess would definitely give me an achievement for impregnating someone, right?” he asked no one. No one replied.

“I said ‘The Goddess would definitely give me an achievement for impregnating someone, right?’”

Silence.

“Okay, that’s that.” John sat up. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not going to be a dad and I will never think about this again.”

An image of Nazrinn, plump with his child, flitted through his head.

“What part of ‘never think about this again’ do you not understand?” John berated himself. At the same time, he realized that he was sporting a stiff erection. He sighed. “Don’t you start now too! I’ve had enough out of you, so cut it out.”

John’s boner receded as he washed his face and hands. WIth a groan and a slight headache, John sat back down to devour a third bowl of cereal. He had woken up less than an hour ago and he already felt completely drained.

Pregnancy scares were exhausting.