Enthralled: Book 1: The Crystal Heart Read online

  Enthralled: Book 1

  The Crystal Heart

  By Prax Venter

  Copyright © 2017 Prax Venter

  Cover Art : Jaka Prawira

  All rights reserved

  Author's Note: This is a work of fiction, and all characters depicted in sexual situations are 18 years of age or older. Characters with any resemblance to persons that exist now, or have ever existed, are purely coincidental.

  ♥

  ~ Special Thanks ~

  Oliver, Kasia, and Jon

  Table of Contents

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  - 2 -

  - 3 -

  - 4 -

  - 5 -

  - 6 -

  - 7 -

  - 8 -

  - 9 -

  - 10 -

  - 11 -

  - 12 -

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  - 14 -

  - 15 -

  - 16 -

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  - 18 -

  - 19 -

  - 20 -

  - 21 -

  - 1 -

  Mark stepped forward as the next public transportation pod rolled to a stop. The door opened for him, and he slid right into the spacious capsule of cool air.

  "Sasha, did it come?" he asked, sitting on the edge of his seat.

  The door closed itself and then a chastising, female voice emanated from everywhere at once.

  "Mark, seatbelt first."

  Mark sat back and fumbled with the harness a few times before pulling the silvery mesh straps across his chest. Once he was locked in, the vehicle lurched forward into speeding traffic. When they reached top speed, the voice spoke again. "Yes, it's here. I have to admit, it's a pretty piece of hardware."

  "Finally!"

  "I can't believe I let you spend most of your settlement on one epic rig."

  "Let me?" he snorted and turned his attention to the buildings of the city passing at hundreds of miles per hour.

  Just over a year ago he had been shocked pretty severely by a pizza vending machine. It hurt like a son of a bitch and then he passed out. When Mark woke up in the hospital, he learned that his hands suffered extensive nerve damage and felt mostly numb all the time, all the way to his elbows. It took a long time, but he finally received a cash settlement from the Piping Pies Pizza corporation for taking away his sense of touch. It added up to about seven years worth of rent, but Mark knew exactly how he wanted to spend the windfall.

  The ChronoMind wasn’t like any old digital immersion rig for many reasons. It's finely tuned neural connections allowed the user to experience hyper-realistic sensations beyond that of normal reality. The upgrade unlocked access to complex programs Mark couldn't even run before on his old rig. But that wasn’t the most exciting part; The ChronoMind rig also had simulated consciousness technology that allowed the user to experience virtual worlds many times faster than real time.

  He could take an entire college course in an hour or take a week-long, virtual vacation in five minutes.

  While his AI assistant drove the vehicle, Mark scanned the web for programs to add to his growing list of planned sessions with his new rig. He was having a hard time deciding between starting with general education classes like math and science, or he could just go for learning new and useful skills. Either way, this was going to be a turning point in his life. Over the last few years society seemed to be fracturing; those that could better themselves in the blink of an eye, and those stuck living in "real-time."

  "Mark?" the voice asked, quietly.

  Mark looked up from his data-pad. "What is it, Sasha?"

  "I have something to ask you... A proposition."

  He rose an eyebrow. "Uh, okay?"

  "You know the Assistant update I have been pre-loading, right?"

  "Yeah, you still haven't run that? Didn't that come out yesterday?"

  "Yes, well, it's a big one. And the install wizard recommends that I interface with all existing hardware before applying the upgrade and... I just want everything to go smoothly."

  "You used to pester me constantly if I didn't approve an update fast enough. What are you getting at?"

  The voice in the car mimicked the sound of a deep breath.

  "Here is my proposal. This new rig will allow you and I to interact like we never have before. I'll be able to really touch you. I want to help you break in that sleek piece of hardware with a special, immersive program I picked out for us." Her voice was increasing in excitement as she spoke. "I got hold of a trial key for a super sophisticated game that is only playable for one percent of one second. Just one in-game day, then you can get to all that serious business you're planning."

  "Okay wow, Sasha. Touch me?" He looked down at his numb, flesh lumps in his lap. They had played many virtual games together when he was younger, but life happened, and he didn’t have time anymore. He met a girl and was with her for four years, but they split up shortly after his accident. He hadn’t played a game with Sasha in a long time.

  His old rig wasn’t very good; it could do audio, video, and some basic sensations, but that was it. Tactile output was transmitted via interface gloves which became depressingly useless to him after getting zapped.

  He looked up. "What program is it?"

  "Have I ever steered you wrong before? I know what you like, Mark. It's something new and something that will blow your mind."

  "You aren't going to tell me what program you picked out for the maiden voyage of my new baby?"

  "Nope!" the voice giggled. "Come on, one last hurrah before buckling down. You won't regret it!"

  Mark wondered what had gotten into her. "Fine. I'll let you have a nanosecond, I suppose. Besides, I'm not one to argue with the wisdom of the install wizard."

  "Yay!"

  "What are you so worried about, anyway? The update will go fine." Just as he finished speaking, his pod exited the tunnel and passed by a blazing inferno.

  Mark pressed his face against the glass to get a better look. It seemed like a whole row of apartment blocks were on fire.

  "Holy Shit, Sasha! Look up what's going on would ya?"

  "Already have. It appears the fire is the result of an overloaded power line. They'll know more after the drones get it out."

  "I don't know anyone in there, do I?" he asked, not seeing any fire drones yet.

  "No."

  He watched the burning buildings recede behind him as he hurtled towards home. A few turns later, Sasha steered the pod into the underground dock of his apartment building. Mark stepped out of his transport and directly into an elevator.

  As soon as he walked in his front door Mark's eyes went right to his gleaming, new total immersion machine. It was sleek, black and took up about a quarter of his loft apartment.

  He went to the bathroom, stuffed some cheese and crackers in his mouth and got into his very expensive new toy.

  He leaned his head back onto the contoured, cranial pillow and pulled the visor down over his face. Mark took a deep breath and smiled. It even had that new car smell.

  "You ready, Sasha?" he called out.

  Her voice came to him from every direction, "Ready and willing!"

  "Okay. It's your secret program. Launch it!"

  The darkness around him was replaced with pure white. A loud hum penetrated his brain, and it felt like he was having a thousand conversations at once. Someone, or maybe many different people, were asking him strange questions and waiting for a response. He felt split into hazy shards of himself, all being probed and questioned. As unsettling as this feeling was, it was over quickly enough.

  Large, red letters written in elaborate flourish filled his vision as the sound of a beating heart became audibl
e. It spelled out, 'The Crystal Heart'.

  The beating grew louder until it seemed like his heart synced with the sound- or was it his heartbeat all along?

  Everything faded to black again leaving only the sound of a beating heart. Mark knew what this was, and his face would be flushed red if he had a face right now.

  He had heard about a game called The Crystal Heart on the web. It was a newer game only playable on deep immersion rigs. It was essentially an erotic fantasy game where people would tame party members, monster-men or women, to conquer evil.

  Apparently, the only way to level up and progress in the game was to have sex with your team members- or something like that. It was an extremely graphic, realistic, and expensive program. He couldn't believe Sasha got her hands on a trial key!

  His thoughts were scattered as the heartbeat faded and a deep male voice spoke in the darkness.

  "The Abyss..."

  There was a long pause. Enough time for Mark to grow uncomfortable and exposed, floating bodiless in the infinite emptiness that continued outward in all directions.

  The voice spoke again, "If the Abyss had a center, at its core would reside the spirit of entropy and destruction, Lord Aeon."

  Powerful and dramatic music accompanied the appearance of a vast stone castle growing in size out of the blackness. Shadowy figures crawled over it's crumbling walls, oozing in and out of windows and doorways. His perspective quickly moved forward and passed through an army of monsters with flailing claws and teeth. Mark couldn't get a clear look at all of them as he whipped through the sprawling castle. It was like he was on a roller coaster in a haunted house. The movement came to a stop as he approached a huge, pale monster of a man standing in a courtyard, naked, hammering on an anvil. He flexed impossibly thick arms as he brought a massive stone hammer down time and again, sending red sparks in every direction.

  Mark couldn't really tell what he was hammering, it looked like nothing.

  His perspective zoomed in closer, to the top of the anvil's surface. He saw a tiny, crystal heart hovering slightly above the center of the scarred and pockmarked metal. The hammer came down again and, at this perspective, it was like lightning striking right in front of him. It was deafening and terrifying.

  The hammering sound faded out as the narrator spoke again.

  "Lord Aeon, Ruler of the Abyss currently holds the Crystal Heart, searching for a way to empty its infinite power into his shadowy maw..."

  The scene before him was replaced with a beautiful blue planet and the voice continued.

  "...And, if he succeeds, all of existence will be pulled into the Abyss, gone for all time."

  The planet exploded sending bits of flaming rock out into the blackness. Mark mused at the concept of fire in the vacuum of space. He smiled, well he tried to. He still didn’t really have a face. The visuals were amazing, but he couldn’t wait to get passed this intro and actually feel something.

  Suddenly he was looking down at the chaos of a battlefield. His perspective jumped quickly as it followed various- people? Some were human-looking, but he noticed a rabbit woman with long ears in revealing, ornate leather armor, kicking a shadowy beast in the face.

  Then a handsome male centaur threw a spear through the heart of another beast. One sexy creature after another quickly whipped past as his perspective moved through the chaos.

  "You must take the fight to Lord Aeon and secure the Crystal Heart." The deep voice continued. "But, in order to grow strong, you must grow trust in your allies..."

  The scene changed to a voluptuous, naked woman who looked to be half dragon, riding a human man laying flat on his back near a waterfall. She had a beautiful human face with high cheekbones, but had eyes like a serpent and was covered in reflective purple scales. She also had massive black horns curling forward form her temples and a long spiked tail right above her plump, taut ass cheeks. Her back arched as she slowly rocked her hips into the man looking up at her. She placed her hands back onto the man's knees and pointed her dark nipples straight up into the air.

  The man sat up wrapping his arms around her and took one of her nipples in his mouth. He began to thrust his hips in time to meet hers, and the dragon-woman's dark wings unfurled as she screamed in pleasure.

  "And fill them with your collected energy."

  A bright flash enveloped the dragon-woman, and when it receded, Mark saw that she now looked more impressive. She had golden tips on her horns and thicker scales in places. Her eyes were glowing white.

  Everything faded to black again, and then Mark found himself standing on lush grass with blue sky above him. He looked down and saw he had his own naked body, but it was a lot more fit and toned than it had been. He spent most of his days either working as a Redundant Maintenance Overseer or reading. Lots of sitting.

  He brought his hands together, and for the first time in a long time, it didn't feel like he had oven mitts on. He could feel his own fingers again. He reached down and slapped his dick around a bit, amazed at how real everything felt.

  Hovering on the horizon, was a setting, orange sun, warming his body, and a sweet breeze blowing across his skin.

  This is going to be great! He had to admit that he did think about being able to have sex with Sasha when he was younger- who didn't fantasize at least once about their AI assistant, whispering in their ear alone in bed? Of course, it helped that he chose a sexy, female voice for the program's audio output. He never had access to the technology or the software to make that happen, and he hoped things wouldn't be weird between them after this.

  He shook his head and smiled. She was his AI Assistant. She was always just what he needed her to be.

  Mark bent down to touch the grass and noticed something didn’t look right. He took a step forward and saw that the ground fell away a few yards in front of him. A quick check of his surroundings turned up that he was on some kind of floating, grass island in the sky. He could see a landmass below, but it was hundreds of miles down.

  As he was peeking over the edge, a tiny insect-winged woman floated up into his vision. She was nude except for thigh-high boots, gloves, and a collar.

  "Hey! What are-" she began in a tiny, confused voice before she started screaming. It was an ear piercing sound that sent Mark's hands over his ears. The four-inch woman melted like she was made of wax, screaming all the while, until the horrible sound tapered off into a gurgle as she fell from the sky.

  "Uh..." Mark pulled his hands from his ears and looked around confused. Then he noticed another fairy-woman, identical to the last one, float down from over his head.

  "Hey! Ready to get started, Mark?" she asked in a chipper voice, hovering a few feet in front of his face. Her delicate wings were beating a mile a minute. She was still wearing just a black collar, black gloves, and black thigh-high boots. Her small perky breasts and shaved pussy were out for all to see. Her blond hair was pulled into two ponytails, and two black antennae protruded out from behind her bangs. She put a tiny hand on one of her tiny, sleek hips.

  "You never seen a beautiful woman before?" She asked, cocking her head to one side. When Mark said nothing, she spread her arms and legs straight out, like she paused in the middle of doing a jumping-jack, then started to slowly spin in place, showing herself off for Mark.

  When she came back around to face him, he found the courage to speak. "No, it's just when you started screaming- Uh, are you okay?"

  She dropped her thin arms and legs to their normal, dangling positions. "Screaming? I don't know what the hell you're on about. I'm here to help you set up your character!"

  Mark had almost forgotten he was in a game. That melting fairy business seriously freaked him out.

  "Sure, yeah, what do I do?"

  "Well your first choice is; Male or Female. My initial reading of our psyche suggests you'd prefer to stay male. Is this correct?"

  "Wait, my psyche? Who are you again?"

  "I'm the Helper Fairy!" she said, with a grin.

  "Okay, He
lper Fairy. Yes, I want to stay male."

  "Excellent." She pointed to his junk. "I'm sure you'll put that veiny sausage between your legs to good use out there."

  She fluttered over to a spot a few yards away, and with the wave of one tiny hand made three, stone pillars emerge from the grass. On each pillar was an object; a ring, a thorny crown, and a sword.

  Mark walked up to the pillars, his bare feet sinking into the soft, lush grass.

  "You can pick; The Lover, The Hexer or the Fighter." She spread her tiny arms over the objects like she was showing off prizes in a game show.

  "What do these choices mean?" he asked. Not that it mattered too much. Unless he severely altered his educational plans, he was only going to be playing the Crystal Heart for one day. Besides, he blew virtually everything he had on his new rig. He wouldn’t be able to afford the full version of this software for a while.

  "The Lover will be able to bond more closely with more Enthralled. You can heal and boost your team's natural talents. The Hexer will be able to control the second most Enthralled and deal slow damage, directly to your foes, while also crippling them. And the Fighter can only tame, and bond with, one Enthralled. The trade-off is that Fighters have the absolute highest proficiency in physical combat. Choose well. The only way to change your class is to log out and create a new character.

  Mark considered his choices, "Well, I'm more of a lover than a fighter, and that crown looks painful so..." he reached out a took the ring off of the pedestal.

  The naked fairy flitted near his face. "You have chosen; The Lover. I’m sure all the girls will simply adore you. Put it on."

  Mark looked down at the ring in his hand. It was a silver band with a red, heart-shaped stone. Kind of like the one he had seen Lord what's-his-face pounding on.

  He slipped it on the ring-finger on his right hand and marveled at how nimble his fingers had become. Well, virtual fingers, anyway.

  As soon as it was on, a bright flash emanated from the ring and engulfed his vision. It was over quickly, and Mark noticed he was now wearing black leather boots, soft silk pants, and a silk vest. They were mostly white with black and red accents, such as red buttons on the vest and a line of black cord running down the outside of each leg. Wrapped around his waist was a wide, black leather belt with a red metal clasp