The Skin Game

(c) 2006 by Artful Dom

This story is intended for "adults" if you are not legally an
adult by your home state or country's definition, stop now, do
not read this


Chapter 4 - Exposure (TG, Exh, Hum, No sex, Mention of:
Ped, FM, Group, Monster, BDSM, Fetish)

Two hours latter, Jesera and Kaessi sat atop the
shelters roof, back to back.  With their night vision they felt
confident that they could see anything approaching before it
would be a significant threat.  Both were wrapped in blankets
against the cold night and had a staff across their knees.  After
a while Kaessi spoke.

"Mistress, how is it that the border guards had records
of me?"

"What?  If I can remember correctly all the Watch Orbs
are linked.  Your name, likeness and why you were sought were
probably put into a Watch Orb when you first fled."

"That's just it Mistress.  I never really fled."

"But you said..."

"Mistress, I wrote a back story on a computer about a
slave girl that fled.  I never fled."

"Oh!"

"So if Kaessi didn't really exist until I made her up in
the game.  Tell me Mistress, how did the Watch Orb have record of
her."

Kaessi could feel Jesera nod her head.  "And they had
record of me being a Princess of Greenwood Clan.  That was just
something I wrote into Jesera's back story.  Or at least I think
I did."

"You don't remember Mistress?"

"Well, I think I do.  I guess the question is, how much
can we trust either set of memories?"

That thought echoed in their heads for a while, then
Kaessi said, "If we can't trust who we are, or who we were, what
can we trust?"

Jesera said, "And what is it that we truly gain from
this quest?"

After a while Jesera said, "I think if I had to pick the
set of memories I wished were true, I'd pick those that are mine.
 I mean, those that are Jesera's.  But, somehow they just don't
seem as real."

Kaessi sat for a moment.  If she had to choose one set
of memories, which would she rather be real.  It might be easy
for Jesera, in this world she was a noble and a wizard.  But
Kaessi's choices were Slave girl turned whore and thief, or a
bitter angry lonely cripple.  In neither life had she had many
options.  She had taken such opportunities as presented
themselves.

Jesera asked her after a while, "Which do you think is
the real you."

"Mistress, I too feel like my memories from Earth are
somehow more real, more truly mine."

"You must really want to get home.  Away from being a
slave."

Kaessi was quiet for a moment and said, "Some of what I
feel might be the ring, but right now, I'm happy to be here with
you Mistress.  My life on Earth was no joy ride.  I was not, am
not, a happy person.  I am happier this moment than I can
remember being.  As Kaessi I remember loving Hacer, the thief who
bought and trained me.  I remember being happy when I was with
him.  That is what I feel like now, with you.  But this
feels...More real?  I have never felt that before.  I have never
felt like I belonged anywhere, that anyone wanted to be with me
or wanted me to be with them."

Kaessi turned her head and found Jesera looking over he
shoulder as well.  Jesera said, "You can see behind me if you are
sitting in my lap."

"Would that please Mistress?"

"Very much."

Kaessi lay aside the blanket and crawled around in front
of Jesera and sat across her knees.  Jesera opened her blanket
revealing that she too had not bothered to dress.  Kaessi put her
thighs over Jeseras and wrapped her ankles around her.  Jesera
closed her blanket around them both, putting Kaessi inside the
circle of her arms.

Kaessi hugged her Mistress back and started to cry. 
Jesera said, "It's okay, we'll make it through this.  We're
heroes remember."

Kaessi just kept crying.  Her emotions were a
conflicting maelstrom.  She felt like she was in love with
Jesera.  But were either of them real.  Was the Kaessi that she
was now real?  Would she someday revert back to the old Kaessi? 
What about Casey?  Did Jesera really love her?  How much was
truly her own feelings, how much was influenced by the damn
obedience ring?  It had occurred to her that a pretty obvious way
to be a better slave was to fall in love with your owner.

And as much as her life here might suck, here she was
healthy, beautiful, powerful and had friends.  If they were
successful and she returned to Earth, she would again be Casey
the withered lonely cripple who tried to fill his need for human
interaction through computer games.

Their watch was uneventful and they were eventually relieved by
Izhak and William.  As they readied for bed Kaessi told Jesera of
Hern's outburst, and that he might have something of a point. 
Jesera said, "For now, you're mine.  That should settle it." 
Kaessi wasn't so sure, but she said only, "Yes Mistress."  Kaessi
and Jesera soon quietly snuggled into their bed roll and dozed
off.

The next morning Hern woke Kaessi and they had breakfast
prepared by the time everyone else was up and ready.  Odan and
Jesera got stuck with the dishes but all went smoothly, as though
they had been doing this for a long time.  As they headed off
down the road Kaessi thought, in a way they had.  Just not with
each other.

All of them were living incarnations of characters that had been
played up to 21st level.  The game supported higher levels, but
at 21st a character had acquired all of their most important
powers and abilities.  She wasn't sure, but it was almost a sure
thing that everyone but She and Odan had typically worked in a
group.  Monks, Rangers and Thieves were the only character types
that could easily accomplish major quests on their own.  They
were the only classes capable of the stealth needed to slip in
and out of places.  She was pretty sure William was a Ranger, but
he just didn't seem the type to go off by himself.  Odan, there
was something odd about Odan.

But that brought back the duality of their natures.  Were they
their game characters with their Earth personalities
superimposed, or were they Earth people somehow thrust into this
world as the game characters?  Was this question even important.
The question she had asked of Jesera the night before kept
running through her mind.

"If we can't trust who we are, or who we were, what can we
trust?"

She realized that she could trust who she currently was. 
Regardless of who she had been, in this world or any other.  
Which set of memories was real?  Was that important?  She let her
mind wonder, trying to remember "Kaessi" memories.

Many of her memories still had that veneer of unreality.  But
some had become more vivid, more real.  After last night, when
her mind happened to turn to those times she had given pleasure
to another woman, they seemed more vivid.

As they walked down the road, they were passed by other
travelers on horse back, or going the opposite way.  All of them
looked her over quite frankly.  Their looks were appraising,
gauging her not as a person, but as valuable and desired animal
or object.  As her awareness of these looks increased, so too did
the vividness of her memories of similar events.

It occurred to her that the "fuzzy" nature of her Kaessi
memories was somehow being eroded by exposure to similar
experiences.  Given that, over time, would her Kaessi memories
become just as "real" as those of Casey?

As she thought about this she looked over to her Mistress who
walked along beside her when they were alone on the road,
sometimes taking her hand.  When others approached Kaessi would
slow and drop two steps behind.  Sometimes this put her almost
even with Hern, who seemed to be deep in thought today, so he had
chosen the rear.

Shortly before noon they were passed by two young men in chariots.  
Obviously wealthy Romarian noblemen.  They had called out
to Hern asking if she was for sale, or at least for rent.  Hern
had told them to ask Lady Jesera, as she was the owner.  After
one good look at Jesera, and probably thanks to her expression,
they just nodded a greeting and rode on ahead.  Such incidents made
Kaessi very aware of the fact that the only things she was
wearing were her collar and her enchanted shoulder bag of
holding.  Her sandals and staff were in the bag with her other
belongings.

A host of similar incidents from her past floated quite vividly
through her mind.  Again she was struck by the thought that as
she spent more time as Kaessi, she was going to become more
Kaessi, and less Casey.  Hern took a quick step forward, touched
her shoulder and pointed to a small clearing with a stream
running through it a short distance off the road.  He said, "That
looks like a great place for lunch."

So the party headed off the road and were soon flopped down in
the soft grass adjacent to the stream.  As Hern relaxed he looked
over to Kaessi and smiled.  She had a sudden flash back.  It
started very crisply, but then took on strange ghost like
overtones.  Her memories seemed to be of being Kaessi and living
each moment, and of sitting in front of a computer screen
watching avatars live out their lives.

She remember meeting Hern and his adventuring companions at the
trade hall.  It was a safe place to sell expensive items like the
enchanted ax that Hern still carried.  A peace ward on the
building made it impossible for a character harm another.  But
Hern and his companions had not harmed her that day.  She had
wanted more gold than he wanted to offer, so she had offered
herself as well as the ax.  He had accepted and taken her there
on the floor of their private room.  She remembered that Hern was
obviously a natural blond, and that he was well endowed.  It had
been her first gang bang since being purchased by Hacer.  And she
had enjoyed it.  Kaessi realized that she really liked sex, all
forms of sex.  And she usually enjoyed anything that gave her any
sort of proper stimulation.

It was strange to find herself wandering down old memory lane,
through a set of memories that seemed shrouded in gauze and mist.
 Back to her earliest memories of childhood, living in the joy
house.  She had been well cared for, as a slave, by the standards
of the Romarians.  By the standards of Earth that Casey would use,
she had been abused since her early childhood.

As a very young girl she had been infibulated, so that her
maidenhead would not be lost before such time as her owners
wanted to sell it.  The rings she had in her labia were remnants
of that treatment.  But she had been "rented" to perverts who
liked children.  They had not be allowed to cause her any lasting
physical harm, or any serious pain.  But she had been abused
orally and anally with small objects from a very young age.

They had started to let customers pleasure themselves in her ass
at the age of eleven.  When she had started her periods at age
thirteen she had been auctioned off to the highest bidder for the
night.  She had fetched 37 gold marks, for a single evening.  She
was a virgin who had been schooled  from her earliest years with 
the other pleasure slaves in how to serve a master or mistress. 
She had no pretense of shame or modesty, only an eagerness to
please, more skill than a virgin should have and a desire to
experience the pleasures of the flesh.  Kaessi had been given
only two choices, she could learn to enjoy her lot in life, which
meant enjoying sex, lots of sex.  Or she could have chosen to
fight her fate and lived a tortured existence.

She had been engaging in sexual activities with women since she
was eight, so being with her Mistress had brought up those
memories, and they were seeming more real, more truly hers. 
Being near Hern was helping the time with him to seem less foggy.
 She looked around, and her gaze settled on Izhak.

Another foggy memory came to her.  She had been sixteen.  Almost
every girl and boy in the house had been hired for private party
at a noble residence.  On arriving, the slaves found that a
menagerie had also been hired.  They were required to select one
of the beasts, then to couple with it before the guests as part
of the evening's entertainment.

There had been a lizardman.  He had been "domesticated."  His
claws trimmed, his fangs pulled.  He had not been nearly as large
or muscular as Izhak.  But he had two penises.  Kaessi had taken
one in her ass, and one in her pussy, at the same time.  She had
done so in front of dozens of watchers, and she had experienced
multiple screaming orgasms that had amused the host and his
guests greatly.  Her owners and overseers had even considered
buying a lizardman for her to entertain with regularly, but such
slaves were expensive and difficult to manage.  Kaessi had given
good performances with all sorts of partners, so it was not felt
worth the expense and trouble.  But Kaessi remembered, there had
been something about the experience, the texture perhaps, that
brought her to an unusually powerful series climaxes.  Even
though the haze of unreality the memory was making her wet as she
looked over at Izhak.

Suddenly Izhak looked up at her, his nostrils dilated and his
long pink tongue came out and tasted the air.  Kaessi made a
small started sound and Izhak chuckled.  She looked around and
noticed that everyone had noticed and was looking at her.  A
sudden wash of warmth across her face and upper chest let her
know she was blushing.

It also came to her that she liked being the center of
attention, she liked an audience.  She remembered the time Hern
had taken her, his friends had stood around them and yelled
encouragement.  Telling him to "pound the slut."  They had worked
themselves into such a state that she had been showered with more
gold, and covered by more men in short order.  Even a woman had
used her that day.  As she recalled the priest that Hern had
usually traveled with had been a woman.

She wondered if all of their "make believe" friends, family and
acquaintances were now as real as they were.  However real that
was.  She asked the question out loud causing a wave of reactions
to travel around the group.  But no one conjectured.  Finally
Hern heaved himself up off the grass and said, "I need to eat
something and I'm not cooking.  Cold lunch unless one of you
wants to make something."

Jesera looked over at Kaessi, "Kaessi, do you feel like cooking
for us?"

Kaessi could tell that her Mistress wanted hot food, so she
said, "Of course Mistress."  She pulled herself up off the grass,
then began to collect cooking gear and food.  While she did this,
William had made her a small fire.  She thanked him, which caused
him to stammer a reply.  In short order she had made grilled
sandwhiches for everyone.

Jesera sat facing her as they ate.  Kaessi quickly ate hers, and
sat watching as her Mistress ate hers in small dainty bites. 
Jesera was watching her back, in between bites she got a sort of
strange look on her face.  The expression could be described as
impish.  After a moment she said, "Kaessi, come here."

Kaessi rose and knee walked the couple of paces to her Mistress.
 She started to kneel again and Jesera quickly said, "Stay like
that."  Kaessi froze.  Jesera gestured with her hands and said,
"Actually stay upright like that, but spread you legs apart.  I
want your knees wider than your shoulders.  Hands on top of your
head."

Kaessi felt herself blushing again, but complied. Jesera reached
out and pressed a finger between her breasts and said, "Arch your
back a bit."

Kaessi complied.

The she said, "Push your hips a bit forward."

Again Kaessi did as commanded.  This position put her on
display.  She felt herself flushing again.  Her nipples were hard
and erect, and she could feel her pussy, already wet from her
walk down memory lane juicing again.

Jesera ran her fingers up the inside of her left thigh.  Kaessi
yipped in surprise, but remained in position.  Jesera held up her
finger.  In the bright light the sheen of moisture could easily
be seen.  Jesera gave her a positively evil smile and said, "You
seem to like spending your time naked."

Kaessi didn't want to admit that.  Or to be more precise, Casey
didn't want to admit that.  Kaessi had spent most of her life
naked or nearly so.  Admitting that she was comfortable that way
shouldn't bother her.  But that was only part of the story.  The
obedience ring wanted her to be a good slave.  Good slaves are
truthful to their owners.  She felt compelled to be honest with
Jesera, but she really didn't want to be honest.  She realized
that Jesera hadn't asked her a question, she had made a
statement.  At that realization the pressure to admit her
feelings eased and she just waited.  Her pulse quickened as
Jesera held her finger up to Kaessi's mouth.

"I've got something on my finger, why don't you lick it off for
me."

Kaessi took the finger into her mouth and again tasted her own
juices.  She felt mortified. She was doing this in front of the
others.  Why was Jesera doing this to her?

"I think if you like being naked that much, you should be.  You
will remain nude until we reach the Northern Wastes outpost. 
After that I expect it will be too cold to keep you naked."

Willaim spoke up, "What are you doing?  Why are you being cruel
to her.  After all that she's been through.  I bet you have a
dress in that chest that would fit her.  Even if it's another one
like that see through outfit you seem fond of, its better than
being nude!"

Jesera turned her head to William and said, "Kaessi is mine. 
I'll do with her as I please."

Odan said, "Kaessi is yours by Romarian law.  We are all
American's here, yes?  We don't believe in slavery.  While we're
around Kaessi is a slave in name only.  Also, I wont stand for
you doing anything to, or with, her that endangers our quest."

William said, "Indeed!"

Hern and Izhak nodded their heads.

Jesera looked over at them haughtily, every inch a princess. 
Then she said, "I do not intend to do anything to endanger our
quest, or to hurt Kaessi."  She turned her head to Kaessi,
"Kaessi, do you like being naked?"

That was a question, she could fight the urge to answer, but she
chose not to do so.  "Yes Mistress."

Jesera went on, "Do you like it because you think in pleases me,
or because it turns you on."

"Both Mistress."

"Which would bring you more pleasure?  Wearing clothes, or going
stark naked."

"Going naked Mistress."

Jesera turned back to the men and said, "See!"

William persisted, "I still don't think its right.  It
humiliates her.  Every time someone passes us they look at her
like some piece of meat they would like to have for dinner."

Jesera said, "Why do you think she likes it?  You think she's
some sort of naturalist who believes going unclothed promotes
better health?"  Jesera turned back to Kaessi, "Kaessi, how do
you feel when that sort of thing happens."

Kaessi pushed back on the Obedience Ring's pressure and simply
said, "Hummilated."

Jesera raised an eyebrow and said, "And?"

Kaessi relaxed, fighting the constant continuous urge from the
ring was possible, but exhausting.  She said, "And very excited
Mistress."

"Why?"

"I know they want me.  And I know that there is a chance, maybe
just a small chance, that they will have me.  That thought, of
being taken without my consent, it makes me very aroused."

William looked horrified.  "You want to be raped!?"

Odan said, "She said without her consent, not against her will."
 He got up and walked over to the half elven girl, once there he
dropped into a squat only a couple of feet away and caught her
eyes with his.  "Not having to make the choice, not having to say
yes, or no, that's what you crave isn't it.  Not being brutalized
or taken by brute force.  You want freedom.  Freedom from
choice."

Kaessi looked at Odan with a look that could be described as
terror.  Somehow he understood.  He understood that she had no
choice but to fight for anything and everything as Casey.  For
Casey nothing in life had been easy, nothing had been handed to
him.  Casey knew he was not desired, or wanted.  He had known
little physical pleasure that did not involve his own hand. 
Reviewing Kaessi's memories was showing him another way.  A way
that made life simpler, and more pleasurable, if perhaps not more
pleasant.

         Kaessi knew that if she had been ugly and undesirable,
maybe she would not have felt such an attraction to it.  But she
knew that all men, and many women, wanted her.  She knew with the
others near her, she was not going to be hurt.  The idea of
living as the wanton sex slave that Casey had envisioned, when he
designed her as his in game character, was seducing her with
alarming rapidity.

Jesera said, "Kaessi, is Odan right?  Do you want freedom from
choice?"

Kaessi tried to muster the willpower to fight the Obedience
Ring, but she didn't have the will to fight the enchantment, and
herself.  She cast her eyes to the ground feeling deeply degraded
and exposed as she said, "Yes Mistress."

William stood and said, "Kaessi, fight that damned ring, 
Remember you're a powerful 21st level character.  You don't have
to do what it wants.  You don't have to be what it wants."

Jesera said, "I think the ring is helping her to see what she
wants.  But I think she is the one who wants to be a sex slave. 
It's a fairly common fantasy."  She looked up at William and
cocked her head, "Remember, we are all someone's fantasy."  She
motioned to Kaessi.  "Hers just turned out to be a lot more X
rated that yours."

Jesera turned again to Kaessi and said, "Kaessi, I order you to
tell us the truth.  The whole unvarnished truth.  It will greatly
displease me if you don't."

Kaessi felt her stomach plummet, she was going to have to spill
everything!

Jesera continued, "Tell us.  Do you want to be treated as
slutty, exhibitionistic, sex slave?  Or do you want to be treated
as an equal?"

Kaessi felt her stomach flop again, that question she could
answer without revealing those things she most desperately wanted
to keep secret.  She quickly said, "Mistress I want to be a sex
slave.  Your sex slave.  Please treat me as one."

William stood open mouthed, then turned and walked off up
stream.

         Odan smiled at her and shrugged.  He said, "Well this
should be interesting."

Izhak tilted his head appraisingly, and said, "To be sure."

Hern said nothing, but he began to collect their things for
cleaning.  Jesera said, "Kaessi, why don't you go down to the
stream and wash up.  All over.  When you are done, come back to
me."

"Yes Mistress!" as she scampered to her feet and ran to the
stream.  She felt a sense of liberation and excitement.  A
strange sort of hope filled her as she washed in the cold water.
She felt more alive, more real, than she had ever felt before.