Where Your God Is - Chapter 10 (NSFW) (Patreon)

I made it a personal goal to not advertise my personal life as much as possible.

If I were to explain that I was dating three girls simultaneously, I'd imagine most people who heard about it would imagine constant orgies every night for hours without end. The truth was... rather far from that idealized image. Relationships are seldom about simply physical intercourse, after all, and those that do reduce down to that level are seldom healthy or lasting. A sure-fire way to end up single is to make a girl think she's only a sex toy in your eyes.

The vast, vast majority of the time I spent with Shino, Suguha, and Tomo-

-or, rather, Sinon, Leafa, and Argo-

-we spent chatting, watching movies, talking about our daily activities, critiquing all sorts of games, and occasionally even going outside to touch grass when my sister forced us to.

As much as people might fetishize and fantasize about 'harems,' our relationship wasn't any such thing. It wasn't all about 'me.' It was about 'us.' We made decisions that involved each of us every day in a complicated web of checking and double-checking that involved endless conversations about minutia most relationships would never explicitly cover. It was all about communication.

Communication between everyone, not just one of us handing down orders to the others.

“Y-yes-yes-yes! Right there Le-chi! R-right there!” Argo cried, her fingers intertwined in my sister's hair as she licked the other girl's core. “Eat me!”

All Leafa could do was moan aloud as I pounded into her, her face rhythmically pressing against Argo's pussy as I thrust into my sister's blonde avatar.

Of course, I'd be outright lying if I said sex wasn't part of the equation for a healthy relationship. Admittedly it was a small part, but a very fun part.

As I breathed out, straining the abilities bestowed by my stat block, Argo and I locked eyes. Her hazy orbs were filled with lust as she mauled her left breast with her free hand, moaning loudly while humping Leafa's face and chasing an illusive orgasmic high. I grinned as I sped up the pace, Leafa practically screaming into the other girl's cunt.

On the large bed nearby, Sinon watched the threesome with a lazy and satisfied expression, her fingers toying with her own freshly-fucked core.

My sister felt like a warm and wet vice around my length as I pistoned in and out of her while Argo cried out in ecstacy. Finally, I bottomed out within her one last time and felt myself let loose inside her. Leafa gave another muffled cry and clenched moments after I came, her core twitching and pulsing.

I pulled out, leaving a white trail behind me as Argo released a final keening cry, Leafa crawling up her body to mash their lips together.

Sinon squirmed over to me as we watched the other girls make out sloppily. She jabbed her chin towards my flagging dick. “You got one more in you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Depends.”

Sinon blinked once, then narrowed her gaze in faux-exasperation. “Ugh, I swear... what is it with you and my ass?”

Regardless of her complaints on the matter, she was already rearranging herself to allow me to mount her. I felt myself stir below the waist as I looked at the toned muscle before me, sliding a hand over her backside. “Silly question. It's a great ass, you have to admit.”

Sinon chuffed a laugh, hiding the blush on her face as she looked away from me. “You say that like it'll earn you points.”

I lined myself up. “I'll take you over points any day of the week, babe.”

Sinon tensed as my member probed the tight hole, then forced herself to relax with a deep exhalation. “You're lucky we're in the – ah – game. It makes this so much less – oh – nasty.”

I licked my lips as I pushed myself further into her, my hands massaging her ass. “You keep saying that, but I think every part of you is beautiful. Even this.”

“Freak,” Sinon muttered, clenching around me momentarily. “Pervert.”

I reached around her and touched her erect clit, eliciting a low moan from the girl. “Seems I'm in good company.”

Sinon gave a ragged breath as she turned to regard me from the corner of her eyes. “Shut up and fuck my ass, you femboi-fuck.”

Knowing that chuckling would get me in actual trouble, I merely hummed in agreement and pushed forward, burying another inch of meat in my girlfriend's ass.

...

Argo and Leafa were asleep next to us as Sinon and I shared a mutual embrace.

“So... floor boss raid tomorrow,” Sinon began softly, her tone even and calm.

My grip tightened reflexively around her. “Yep.”

Sinon was quiet for a long moment. “You can admit you'd rather not see us fighting, you know?”

I nodded. “I know, but... there are things I shouldn't say, I think. Just like there are things I need to say as often as I can.”

Sinon scoffed, leaning her head against my shoulder. “I can't wait to hear this one. You do love to sound profound. It would be annoying if you weren't so good at it.”

“I love you,” I stated, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head as she stiffened against me before slowly relaxing. “It's one of those things I should say more often. As often as I can.”

“I... yeah, me too,” Sinon whispered as she cuddled up against me. “I know I don't...”

“You say it often enough,” I soothed her, stroking a hand over her side. “With the way you stand and the way you look at us, even if you don't say it with your mouth.”

The tough-girl facade melted, giving way to a rare, small, shy smile. “That's more Sugu-er, Leafa's thing, I think.”

I huffed a laugh and nodded. “Sis does like using her mouth, true.”

Sinon hummed. “This isn't what I thought it'd be like. Being in a relationship.”

My eyebrows rose slightly. “Second thoughts?”

“Not really,” Sinon replied, stretching and rolling her eyes a bit. “At least, not in that way. Just thinking... if I hadn't agreed to start talking to some weird boy on the internet, I might not be here.”

I grimaced, a stab of nonsensical guilt piercing me. “You wouldn't have been a gamer girl and wouldn't have bought a NerveGear, yeah.”

She shrugged, her head burying itself into the nape of my neck, now. Sinon wasn't usually this cuddly, but like Argo and her sexuality, tension, stress, and anxiety did weird things to her psyche. “Maybe, maybe not. Gaming helped a lot with... what happened.” She edged around her trauma with a sigh. “I might have fallen into the hobby anyway, eventually.”

It was true, in a sense. Although... looking at it another way, what would drive a young girl to pick up a second-gen console whose predecessor had been used to kill thousands of people? Not for the first time, I wondered what Shino's mindset had been when she'd made those decisions. Considering what her school-life had been like and the small empty apartment I barely remembered...

Well, none of it pointed to a clean bill of mental health.

Had her second life in GGO been a happy accident spawned from a very different escapist fantasy?

“Would it make me a terrible person if I admitted I liked it here?” Sinon asked so quietly I could almost think I'd imagined the question.

Wordlessly, I wrapped her tight in both arms.

“...are things that bad at home?” I asked, my voice equally hushed.

“No, yes-kind of,” Sinon answered in a confused rush, sniffling a bit. “Mom and Dad... they try. I know they do, but even after the move, it's awkward. You, Tomo, and Sugu... you don't have that look in your eye, wondering if I'm constantly okay. Wondering if I'm going to snap and... do something.”

One of the many downsides of living in a version of Japan with a very real and active terrorist-cult problem was the concern that non-conformist or traumatized kids would end up either actively joining Aum Shinrikyo or one of its splinter factions, or they'd commit a copy-cat crime of some sort. Sinon still had government-mandated counseling as a result of the act of self-defense she'd been forced into several years prior.

To an extent, I admired that commitment to mental health.

On the other side of the issue, there came a point where attending therapy reinforced social stigma, especially in a society like Japan.

There wasn't a good answer that I knew of, sadly.

The worst part was, though, I knew from personal experience that there were concerted efforts to 'check-up' on non-conformist youth. Home-schooling was, after all, a very attractive alternative for 'fringe religious groups' who didn't want their children 'indoctrinated with government propaganda.' The news treated such things like a teacher's home-visit, just performed by a more official government functionary. The truth was it was more like a low-key home-life inspection to make sure a child wasn't livestock on the crazy farm.

Which again, was a good and noble, maybe even necessary course of action considering the horror stories I'd heard in both lives of home-schooling situations gone bad.

It just kind of sucked for the normal, slightly-traumatized kids who had to put up with a visceral reminder they were on a government watch-list before their twelve-year molars finished coming in.

Actually, no. Scratch the earlier thought. The worst part, in this particular situation, was not being able to assure Shino her parents weren't watching her like a hawk for indications of psychological instability. Because they probably were. Constant reminders from the government tended to have that effect on people. My personal burden in that respect was pretty light, as it revolved around half-joking comments at the dinner table regarding white-collar crime and corporate espionage.

“It doesn't make you a bad person to want a vacation from all that,” I said instead. “What's happened is awful, but if we keep thinking about it that way all the time, it'll eat our entire lives. Take happiness where you can find it, love.”

Sinon released a gusty sigh. “Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that. You especially. Argo and Leafa... I don't think I'd call them 'normal,' really, but they can pass for it. You and I...”

I ignored the rustle of dusty-blonde hair.

I kissed the top of her head again. “Weirdos for life. Ride or die.”

Sinon gave a wet chuckle. “Yeah, I like that.”

“You can talk to them, you know?” I asked softly.

She nodded, sending the two sleeping forms to our side a glance. “I do, sometimes. They-it's... they don't judge, and I'll love them forever for that, I really mean it. But there's a difference between listening and understanding.”

I hummed a quiet agreement.

Another thought reared its ugly head again and I pushed it back down. It wasn't the time to bring it up, especially with how fragile Sinon was right now, but... we'd all probably be on watch-lists for the rest of our lives, now. There'd almost certainly be someone who thought being trapped in SAO for so long would brainwash us into becoming sleeper agents for the cult and in a group of thousands of people there would be bad apples to 'prove' the idea correct.

That was a problem for the future.

For the present, I resolved to enjoy the mutual warmth of my lovers.

I'd need the strength for what came next.

…

“Hey, Hey, Hey Party People! How's it going?!” I cried out, waving my hands like a chipmunk on meth, my toxic-pink outfit fluttering in the breeze.

Then stopped abruptly as people stared at me. “No, wait. That was awful. Okay, let's try this again!” I cleared my throat. “I'm Magical Moderator-chan Keyboard Smash! And I'm here today to make tomorrow suck just a little bit less!”

“Woo!” This time, I got a cheer from the group arranged around the half-ruined amphitheater.

“Much better!” I clapped my hands cheerfully, looking over the assembled individuals and visibly wagging my finger as I counted. “Okay, looks like we've got about fifty people. I know there are some RSVPs that can't be here for the briefing for one reason or another, but that's okay!”

“Yeah, fuck those assholes! I love you, Keyboard Smash-chan!” One of the players cried.

“And I love you, random citizen!” I called back, pointing in their general direction.

Even if they didn't get the joke, it was a funny line, so they laughed.

“But seriously, now!” My grin dropped and I sighed. “You'll be fighting <<Illfang the Kobold Lord>> tomorrow.” Snapping my fingers, I popped up an image of the brute. “He's a nasty customer who uses an oversized bone ax and leather shield with four health bars. Now, is anyone here under level ten?”

There was silence as everyone looked around, eyeing each other up.

“Good! Level ten is the recommended skill-floor for fighting Illfang. Even then, it'd be better if you were around level fifteen. Boss zones do not have a mechanic for enforcing skill or level-ceilings, so you'll be able to fight at however strong you are.”

A blue-haired player I recognized from the beta cleared his throat. Checking his name, it read <<DiabelXXXDickings>>, true to form for gamers. “Ah, Keyboard Smash-chan, what about the adds?”

“I'm so glad you asked, Dickings-san!” I cheered, making the man blush and the entire crowd of juvenile man-children, especially the girls, burst out in laughter. Once the burst cleared, I continued. “The adds for this floor boss are <<Ruin Kobold Sentinels>>. They're armored kobolds like you see in the mines outside of this town, <<Tolbana>>, but with better gear and slightly higher stats. Two people trading off against one should be able to handle them pretty easily without issue. Go three-on-one for safety or if you're not sure of your skills.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Everyone stopped as we all turned towards a man with spike brown hair standing up. Internally, I sighed. Part of me, despite how terrible it was, had hoped this douche had died in the past month. Or, more charitably, been too busy to play day-one at all.

Sadly, that was not the case.

“I'd prefer a bit more politeness, but we are effectively in a chat room on the internet,” I shrugged, drawing another spate of laughter from the crowd even as, <<KKKibaou>> went red in the face. “You have the floor, what's your question?”

“It's not a question! It's a demand!” KKKibaou cried, looking around. “Before we go any further, I want a goddamn apology from those fucking beta testers! It's their fault we're all trapped in here! They helped make this hell-hole! Then they ran around taking all the best quests and grinding spots! If they expect us normal players to help out here, they should pony up all of the money, weapons, and equipment they got at our expense!”

To the group's credit, only a very few people looked like they were even entertaining the notion being put forth. The remainder looked some combination of uncomfortable, annoyed, angry, done with his shit, and apathetic.

KKKibaou turned to me. “You're a Moderator, right?! You should have done something about this, too! Isn't it your job to make this fucking game fair!?”

I laughed in his face, going so far as to dramatically hold my stomach. Then paused when his jaw dropped. “Oh, wait! You're serious, let me laugh harder!”

And I did, a number of people caught on and laughter bubbled up from the rest of the group. Kibaou, because I couldn't exactly say the triple-letter even if I wanted to (which I didn't), had long-since purpled in the face and was looking viciously murderous.

“Okay, okay! That's enough of that,” I giggled, swiping a finger across my eyes as I turned back to him. “So, first off! Kibaou-san, how do you know they did that?”

“W-what?” Kibaou stuttered, taken aback by my question.

“If a bunch of beta-testers took advantage of their foreknowledge of the game and got all the best quests, how do you know?” I repeated my question, staring at him for a long moment before looking around the amphitheater. “The obvious answer is that beta testers told you about those quests and spots or the newb players they brought along with them did. Did I get that right?”

“I-I mean, y-yeah, but that doesn't-!” Kibaou started and I held up a hand.

“Imma' let ya' finish!” I promised with a grin, another reference no one got. Ah Kanye, you won't be missed. “Further, as a moderator, I'll go ahead and say it's a good thing they went out and did all that.”

A round of blinks as surprise set in across the group.

Kibaou opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to it. “Because we changed things from the beta. Any good game does that.” Comprehension began settling in across a few faces. “If the beta testers did what you're suggesting and told everyone about all the great spots before heading out, the newb players who signed in on day one would have gone out with faulty information. Confirming what was or was not the same based on knowledge from the beta should have, and was, done by experienced players who took all the risk on themselves.”

I tilted my head back slightly and looked down my nose at him like I would a cockroach. “Several of the first people to die in this game were beta testers who sacrificed themselves trying to figure out if any of the rules had changed.”

Kibaou flinched and looked away, which was good. It meant I was getting to him. I needed to cut this stupidity off at the root, even if it meant portraying a lot of probably-selfish claim-jumping assholes as altruistic saints. RIP dudes, your sacrifice will be appreciated.

“I'm not going to mention the three different guidebooks compiled and available for free by the top info-broker players with contributions by other beta-testers.” Besides the fact that I just did. “I'm not going to mention the escorts; many of them volunteered to go on to help crafting teams acquire resources and newb players gain experience. I'm not even going to bring up how over half of the people here, right now, ready to risk their lives to get us out of this game are names and faces I recognize from the beta.”

Kibou's fists clenched and he ducked his head as I went on, looking increasingly ashamed and regretful, if a distinctly angry shade of both.

“I'm not going to talk about those things because, in the big picture, they aren't what you should be focused on,” I stated plainly. “Instead, I'm going to say that if you feel you need things to be handed to you for you to have a fighting chance, you shouldn't be here.”

My gaze swept the audience. “That goes for all of you. Only gamers who can wipe their own ass are welcome at floor boss fights! Everyone else, GTFO!”

Faces firmed, many in the group raised a hand and gave a wicked cheer, grinning broadly.

At the end of it, I looked back to Kibaou, who took a shuddering breath-

-and bowed at the waist. “I'm very sorry! Please forgive me!”

I restrained my surprise at the capitulation. Shrugging, I turned away from him, “Eh, if I ban-hammered everyone who had a bad day, we wouldn't have anyone left to fight the boss. So it's cool.” I cleared my throat. “And, anyway... gear and equipment is a real concern going into a raid like this. So I've got some stuff in storage I'm going to bring out and let you guys pick over when we're done here today.”

Several people perked up, interested in the offer, and my gaze hardened again. “Taking anything from the stuff I'm handing out means you either show up tomorrow or give it back. I might be a Mod, but I don't have system access anymore. That means my supplies aren't infinite. Try to fight me on this and I will quote chapter and verse of the TOS on your asses.”

Several people snerked laughter.

I clapped my hands to draw attention back. “Okay, one of the things to remember, now that it's been brought up, is that everything I'm telling you should be true. That said, the system has been taken over by a terror-cult, as you all know, so some things may be different. Ilfang, for instance, is supposed to switch weapons when you get down to his last health bar. In the beta, he went from his ax to a talwar, but I remember the dev team changing that up to a nodachi instead. That means the strikes from the boss will be faster and have greater reach! However, that's what the dev team intended. Keep an eye out for differences and make sure to alert other players if you see something weird.”

The briefing continued for another hour, winding down as I brought out a pile of gear from the floor above and enjoying giving away a good bit for free, knowing much of it would mean the difference between life and death for these people.

That good mood was somewhat spoiled by a grinning Argo who greeted me backstage with a recording crystal. I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, sure. I knew I couldn’t keep it up forever. What’s up, Argo?”

Argo blinked and cocked her head, her jaw parting soundlessly as she did so. When she spoke, it was with a shocked stutter. “K-k-ki-chii?!”

I stilled in surprise for a moment, then slapped my hand to my face. “God - fucking - dammit.”

A moment later, the laughter began.

~~~

Time for more adventures from everyone's favorite VRMMO junkie!

Also, it's an extra-long chapter!

Also-also, it's got NSFW content!

And fluff!

Little bit of everything!

...and, on a more serious note, it looks as though Industrious' time at the top of the pile has come to an end. Will this be the start of a new trend or just a flash in the pan? Who knows!


General announcement to make as well. I've decided to cut the $1.00 tier. Some people were expressing irritation at nothing substantial being offered for that rate and the quest which is the main reward will be coming to an end soon. I just don't have the time to dedicate to it anymore. That does, for everyone else, mean there will be more slots open per month for other projects.

Stay safe, stay awesome, and enjoy the new chapter!