Transformation Story: Bucking Convention

 Bucking Convention

There was a round of applause that quickly rose to cheers as the panel at the front stood and waved and bowed and appeared to be really touched by the audience’s response. Kirstie glanced over to Vea who looked back grinning broadly. She was pleased to see that the make-up the two of them had spent so long putting on that morning was holding up and she trusted that hers was surviving too.

The two women had become friends through the online game ‘Zeth Rise’ and coming to Edinburgh for the annual convention had been the first time they had actually met in person. Vea lived in a shared house out at Leith but it was near enough for them to commute to convention venue without difficulty. They had worn their hoodies with the hoods up and only put on the requisite purple and red wigs once they were in the event rooms. If they had spotted the green face paint, then perhaps Edinburgh, was well used to seeing all kinds of exotic people especially during the Festival season. Maybe they thought Kirstie and Vea were simply rehearsing for a show later in the year.

Kirstie knew that without Vea along she would never have had the courage to dress as her main online character, Kah-ra, a powerful female orc who had risen to command a warband in the Forest of Uaine. Online, Vea was Reka-kla an orc trader in Caladh. Together they had collaborated on various quests and raids. While Kirstie knew her sisters were sceptical and felt she should get out and meet ‘real people’; get a boyfriend, Kirstie loved the community of the online game. It was certainly an escape from the grind of working long shifts in a Tyneside supermarket.

The atmosphere at the convention had simply brought the sense of a huge community home to Kirstie and she was beginning to feel that this might be the best holiday she had had as an adult. There were some really decent men here or so she and Vea had found the previous night in the hotel’s bar. They might be a bit socially awkward but they tended to be a thousand miles from the incel-types that her sister Fiona had been convinced would be haunting every corner of the convention. The amount of effort almost everyone had put into their costumes, showed that there was more to all of them than simply seeking to get their leg over.

‘Shall we have a quick look around the stands; have some drinks before getting the bus back?’ Vea asked as she rose from her seat.

‘Sure.’

Kirstie imagined her friend was as eager to hold on to as much of the excitement of the event as possible. She stood too and began to make sure her costume was all in the right place. Their outfits were similar: faux umber ‘crogall’ leather breastplates, bracers and kilts like Roman soldiers had worn. They each had on ankle boots, but supplemented with costume boot-tops so it looked like they were truly in the over-the-knee boots worn by orcs of the world of Saoghal.

Both women were curvy; Vea from her Afro-Caribbean heritage, Kirstie from somewhere in her Borders/Northumbrian family past or perhaps just being better at sports like javelin at school than going to the gym. Lifting boxes and stacking shelves had probably added to that build. Still, it meant that both looked suited to at least in part mimicking the muscular physiques of the orc women.

With the help the spiky-haired wigs and a lot of green make-up, Kirstie felt that they really did look the part. They had even splashed out on some plastic tusks which they now slipped into their mouths before walking among the trade stands; it being tricky to speak, let alone eat and drink with them in. Then they pulled on the capes that Vea’s aunt had produced that looked to be better replicas of the orcish ones in the game than many the pair had seen on sale here. The two of them looked to each other for one last check and laughed warmly.

Soon they were in the hubbub of the trade stalls, arm-in-arm so they did not get lost among the assortment of people, some green like themselves, others bone-white, blue, bright scarlet or orange. The longest queue, as before, was for the VR display. The climax of the convention was going to be the release of ‘Zeth Rise Real’, the VR version of the game. Kirstie had no idea whether she would be able to afford it, but like many people here was anyway keen to see what it would be like. Some of the reason for the queue was that everyone testing it out would go in as their main character from the game and that identity had be set up on the new system. The quality of the graphics of the standard game had risen even since she had been playing and at times it was hard to remember she was not watching a movie. Kirstie tried to imagine what it would be like to see through the world of Saoghal through Kah-ra’s eyes. 

For the moment Kirstie and Vea stood looking at the big screen which was showing one of the scaled Duinedearks battling a winged Clarsach, unusually a male. Certainly if the graphics were that good in the game for real, Kirstie imagined she would find it hard not to think she was truly on Saoghal. The way the two gamers stood beneath the screen were flailing and sweating, running back and forth on all-direction treadmills, suggested that their senses were telling them it was all very real.

‘Pretty cool.’

Kirstie turned to the sound of a voice in the local accent. The man standing beside her was about her age; tall and with the skin tone of an orc. His garb, though was a long black jacket that made him look more a mage than the warrior or merchant types orcs tended to be. Added to that, his natural hair was long and black, cut to a style more favoured by elven characters.

‘Sure,’ Kirstie said.

She wondered if this was about to lead into some detailed discussion of what the ‘Real’ version was getting wrong or if this was a potential pick-up. Kirstie imagined that she and Vea were not the only ones hoping that maybe they might hit it off with a potential one-night partner while dodging the creeps.

‘I can see you ladies like the orc angle. Have you heard of OLC?’

Now Kirstie looked again. The man held up a leaflet of the kind she had stuffed her handbag with over the past day-and-a-half. She could not blame the man for pushing whatever it was he had to sell. Sneachda, plc, made a lot of money from the gamers’ subscriptions let alone all the upgrades and add-ons. They seemed happy that others rode along with them, whether producing figurines or novels or a whole host of other spin-off merchandise, as long as it was licenced.

‘No, I haven’t. What is it?’

‘It’s new and it’s specially for gamers who are lovers of the orc race … love playing the orcs.’

‘Cool,’ Vea said now, moving to look at this man more clearly.

‘So what is it – a different game; a spin-off, LARP?’ Kirstie asked.

‘A bit of all of that,’ the man said, ‘it is not virtual reality, it’s augmented reality.’

‘So we look at Edinburgh on our phones and it’s overlaid with stuff to make it look like Caladh or Priomh,’ Vea said.

Kirstie had read a bit about augmented reality and a tie-in to the game sounded an interesting idea. She quickly imagined seeing locations in her own town shown on her phone but now where there would now be monsters to fight or the local newsagent’s shop would look transformed in to a weapon-trader’s stall. The man handed them a couple of the leaflets which indeed showed ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of locations around Edinburgh, rendered to fit Saoghal so much that even the faces of people on the streets now looked like orcs passing by in Caladh.

‘So where do we get to this?’ Vea asked eagerly.

The man flipped the leaflet he held to show a small map on the back. ‘Scan in the QR to get directions. It’s right near here; you’ll be there far faster than queuing to get on this,’ he gestured to the VR demonstration.

‘Come on, Kirse, let’s do this,’ Vea said excitedly.

For a moment Kirstie hesitated but then realised that all the stands would still be there tomorrow anyway and this seemed like something the average person attending would miss out on.

‘Sure,’ Kirstie conceded.

‘That’s great. I’ll let them know you’re on your way.’

Kirstie wondered if he was on some kind of commission. She guessed she could not begrudge him if he was.

‘I’m Vea,’ she began.

The man smiled. ‘I’m Orkmak, I mean your real name,’ he indicated Vea’s outfit.

Vea laughed playfully. ‘I’m Reka-kla. You can find me at the dirk and short sword stall in Ceardach Street, Caladh … Orkmak. Come and see me for the best blades this side of the Iar Sea.’

‘Great,’ “Orkmak” responded busily typing in something into his phone. ‘And you don’t mind a quick photo?’

Vea chuckled. ‘Of course not, I put in all this effort and hardly anyone has asked for a shot.’

Vea posed and the man took a couple.

‘And you, noga luach,’ it was an Orcish phrase in the game for when someone was trying to be polite to a female.

Kirstie smiled in response, catching up with Vea in enthusiasm. ‘I, nogur buaid Orkmak, am Keand Kah-ra leader of the Purple Crest warband to the North of Amuigh outpost in the Forest of Uaine.’

‘Great,’ the man repeated and he took shots of Kirstie. ‘Right, I suggest you head along now, I have a feeling there will be more orc fans coming through very soon.’

He nodded to a set of four close by who looked dressed to be plains orcs.

‘Have a wonderful evening. I can assure you it will be even better than you expected.’

The two women thanked him, he smiled and headed to the quartet.

‘Well, shall we go now? Go see this?’ Vea asked eagerly.

‘Of course; get ahead of the rush.’

Soon they were out into the streets of Edinburgh. Being Kirstie’s first visit she still felt as if it belonged in some kind of fantasy novel itself. With a castle glowering from the heights on one side and Arthur’s Seat another mass of rock to the other, let alone all the multiple levels of dark stone Gothic buildings, with alleys and stairs that seemed to appear all of a sudden, she could imagine a whole host of stories set here.

OLC proved to be down one flight of these stairs and through a doorway set into a dark-stone wall. The bright green and purple logo was emblazoned on it, with website and other details below. For a moment Kirstie was apprehensive that they had come to somewhere dodgy. Then, however, the door was opened to reveal a tall, broad woman a little older than herself and dressed very similarly, though her armour and boots looked to be of genuine leather.

As was typical for orc females in the game, her head was shaved down both sides. Her hair was blue and crested her head but then ran down her back as a thick plait. That was how Kah-ra had it styled in the game, though in purple, but Kirstie had been unable to find a wig that matched. The woman’s septum was pierced with a white gold ring and she had dark wood “tusk” earrings in each ear. Certainly she could have fitted in well in Saoghal for real and Kirstie was a little jealous that this woman would not have to face complaints from Jeanette Wilson next time she was in work if she turned up “adorned”.

‘Reka-kla; Keand Kah-ra?’ she addressed each in turn. ‘Good to see you, come in.’

They stepped from a small lobby into a large arced space of dark stone and Kirstie immediately understood why the company had picked this place. It could easily have been some dungeon for a quest or a raid. On the walls though were more images like those on the leaflet. Three others, two men and another woman – all in ordinary clothes with typical human coloured skin tones - were sat at computers; they gave quick glances to the newcomers but said nothing.

‘I am Falta-sra. Did Orkmak explain everything?’

As the woman spoke, she walked in the direction of a door set in the rear wall. To Kirstie the room looked to have been partitioned and she guessed the augmented reality rooms were behind.

‘It’s an augmented reality that lets you see places here but as if they belong in Saoghal,’ Vea said.

‘Well, places where the orcs are dominant,’ Kirstie added.

‘Yeah, and that’s important. I think you will find it even more immersive than that. But, it is still early days and we want to make sure it works well for players; that’s where fans – gamers - like you come in. Orcs tend to get a raw deal …’

‘But they’re the best. When I’m … as Reka-kla, I take no crap from anybody.’

‘Good on you. That’s what we’re looking for, not drippy elves or grumpy dwarves. The trouble is, always, the females. There’s always a shortage of orc females; it means the population does not grow the way it should. You understand?’

Kirstie imagined this woman was speaking in game terms about subscription numbers and gamer interaction. She knew many female gamers got flak online and perhaps it was a greater issue for the orcs because probably too many women wanted to play as beautiful wispy elves. She wondered if there was a similar problem with the dwarfs. With too much testosterone floating around then she knew raid groups would break up and missions left incomplete.

Then, given the company was always looking for new storylines for expansions, maybe an orc queen was on the horizon. OLC certainly had to be in tight with the Sneachda, plc executives. Then Kirstie considered whether they had been commissioned to balance up the demographics without it being an issue for the main company. This seemed like a clever way to do it, if women players going in as female orcs, got access to something new ahead of the rest.

‘Right, no need to hesitate. If you just step through here.’

In the next few minutes Kirstie and Vea had put away their bags and phones in lockers. Beyond was an archway leading into another part that seemed to partitioned out of this big stone room. A man sat at a large table with what looked like a range of VR helmets.

Going through the archway, Kirstie almost felt she was being sprayed with something. Coming out the other side she saw that her skin, green wherever it was visible, now glistened.

‘Hey, what is this?’ Vea asked.

‘Oh, it helps with contacts. This is one of the secrets of the process. It wears off after an hour or you can wash it off sooner if you prefer. Is it uncomfortable?’

Vea shrugged.

‘No, it seems fine,’ Kirstie confirmed.

It had dried to leave a sheen across her, but with the amount of make-up she had on to give the orc appearance, she barely noticed an additional layer.

‘Good. Now over here. This is Korlarg.’

The man looked up. He was a decade or more older than the others Kirstie had seen. Though bearded, he was bulkier than most computer technicians Kirstie had met. Something about his skin looked peculiar, but Kirstie guessed she should not stare given how she was turned out.

‘Hi. Here, if you put one of these on the skin of your waist on both sides,’ Korlarg handed over two small circular suckers out of which came short wires to each of the two women.

Kirstie and Vea took them and complied. It seemed likely that they were some kind of monitor in case there was a negative reaction. When the man looked at his screen and turned it to face Falta-sra, that looked to be confirmed.

However, turning his computer back round, he began to explain something else. ‘Right, this is the clever bit. Those connectors feed signals across that light coating that was sprayed on you and it allows us to make you feel like there’s a breeze …’

As he said it, Kirstie felt as if a breeze had indeed swept across her.

‘Or that it’s raining … you are coming close to a fire … or walking across ice.’

Kirstie and Vea laughed as the sensations on their bodies; their faces, matched what the technician was describing.

‘Wow,’ was the response from both of them.

‘Good, all working well. Now, have you worn VR helmets before?’ Falta-sra asked.

Kirstie and Vea shook their heads.

‘Well, these are AR and a bit lighter. Let me help.’

In the next few minutes Vea and Kirstie were strapped into them. Their vision was filled by the screen which showed the room as if through heavy sunglasses. Buds fitted into both ears and there was even a mask piece over their mouths making Kirstie feel as if she was snorkelling. Distantly she heard something that sounded like ‘Now’ and then it was as if she had been teleported to another world. The room was now filled with ornate carvings in the orange stone familiar from Priomh. Glancing over Kolarg he now looked like an orc merchant working an abacus on a carved wooden table. Falta-sra was marginally different to how she had been before, but somehow looked very real as an orc.

Kirstie now turned to face Vea or she should say, Reka-kla because there were no traces of her friend as she had known her on Earth. Instead she saw her as precisely the way she knew the orc trader in Caladh, yet as if this was a movie with the most sophisticated prosthetics. Reka-kla grinned and ran her large green hands along the top of her bright red mohican. Kirstie looked down at her own hands now looking large and strong; the tiger-stripe style tattoos prominent on her forearms. She was now clad in real shiny crogall armour. It was almost as if she could feel the weight of her dirk on her hip. She reached to draw it and wave it around.

As she did, Kirstie had the strange feeling that what she could smell was different. It was a deep musky scent that seemed to be coming from herself. Then her broad orc nose picked up the familiar scent of Reka-kla and new ones of an orc female and male. Whatever they had done to achieve this, to Kirstie felt was incredible and she was so pleased that they had come to test it out.

Now Kirstie realised that Falta-sra was speaking; gesturing to the end of the room. Of course it looked like nothing in the room Kirstie knew she was actually stood in. Instead, a broad jet-black door with serpentine carving stood there. Falta-sra was speaking in gruff tones, the guttural language of the orcs. Kirstie worried they had gone too far and she would be left not knowing what was being said beyond set phrases.

‘… that is it, Kah-ra, concentrate … that is it, and it all kicks into place. Now you try.’

‘Hello … I am Kah-ra, keand of the Purple Crest warband.’

It came to Kirstie’s ears rendered into Orcish; it even felt as if her mouth and throat were shaping not English but Orcish words, but despite all that, she understood it.

‘Good, very good. Right, if you will go through the next door, then you can step into Saoghal. Make sure, though, to go through the portal one at a time, because you are going off to different destinations. For Reka-kla there’s a nice room upstairs at the “Twin Tusks” in Caladh and Kah-ra a lovely pavilion tent at a camp east of Amuigh.’

For a moment Kirstie was a little disappointed that she and Vea would not be in the same location. However, then she guessed it would mean doubling up on testers in one part of the system whereas presumably OLC wanted to maximise how many locations were checked out by users.

‘But don’t worry, there will be someone very special waiting there to help you get really accustomed to an orc’s life in Saoghal.’

‘What are we waiting for?’ Reka-kla asked with a deep chuckle.

She then came over to Kirstie and they hugged. It felt so much as if she was not simply being embraced by an orc female, but that it was with strong orc arms that she was responding. Then Falta-sra walked to the door and pushed it open. Almost immediately from behind it came the misty green light of one of the “gateways” in ‘Zeth Rise’ that connected various locations to others in an instant.

The two friends entered the room but Falta-sra did not follow; the door closed. Marvelling at how lifelike the impossible gateway looked, Kirstie followed Reka-kla across the rush-covered floor. Her friend walked up the steps, wide enough to accommodate orc booted feet. She turned at the top and waved and then stepped forward. A green glow surrounded her for an instant and then she was gone.

Kirstie hesitated wondering if Reka-kla – why was it so difficult to remember her human name? – would step back out. Then she heard the door behind her being locked. However, she gave no real thought to it and instead, felt a growing excitement, almost as if she was at the top of a diving board or a ski run, about to set off. It was not that she had ever done those things for real and maybe that was why she was so eager to experience it.

In moments Kirstie had climbed the steps and tentatively put her hand into the green light. Then it was almost as if she was pulled in. There were instants in which she felt like she was indeed shooting down a slide and then she staggered a little. As abruptly as it had started, the sensation stopped. Kirstie blinked, and shading her eyes against the light of the pale white sun of Saoghal, saw she was in an encampment of leather tents. This looked to be a nomadic band and she felt a bit of pride that her warband was housed within a stockade.

Now Kirstie breathed in the aroma of horse manure, indeed manure of a dozen types of animals, some of which did not exist on Earth. Woodsmoke came in from various corners but above all was the scent, perhaps the stink, of orcs and it was something she realised quickly she welcomed. She became aware of the chatter in Orcish. She could pick out the distinct sounds but all the words were known to her.

Then there was the feel of moist forest air tempered with dry timber and thatch. Kirstie turned and started to walk to look out from this cleared stretch of hill across the trees. Certainly even if she had not been to this encampment before, the forest and mountains beyond looked very familiar. As she stepped on, Kirstie realised that in here she was carrying not what she had come into the OLC building wearing, but exactly what Kah-ra had. In her gauntleted left hand she held the bardiche she had taken from that human caravan a fortnight ago. The fact she could wield this two-handed weapon in just one, reminded her of her orc strength.

Twisting around Kirstie saw the spiked shield she had got from one raid. Her favoured dirk was at her belt too. The gauntlets, the breastplate, the bracers, the studded skirt, the leggings and long boots below were now all of genuine thick leather. As she lifted her arm and flexed it; bent and stretched her legs, Kirstie loved how her sleek orc muscles showed. Here her curves came from real strength. She was taller too and she wished she was somewhere that she could compare herself against a human.

For now Kirstie revelled in all her orcness and, even more than ever, felt this had been the right species to choose. She tried to keep reminding herself that this was all fake. All of it was being created by some very sophisticated computer in a basement in Edinburgh. However, it was difficult to sustain such a view. For now, this felt, smelt, looked to be as real as it could be.

Now Kirstie sought to remember what she was supposed to be doing here. Yes, presumably a bit of sight-seeing was in order to show the developers that this was all working. However, she guessed there was much less to see here than down in Caladh on the coast, let alone in Priomh. It did mean, she imagined, that she would get much quicker to whatever mission she had been assigned. Realising she had neglected to remember the pavilion tent Falta-sra had told her to go to, Kirstie turned to looked over the tops of the tents and quickly saw an ornate one made of brown and tan leather stripes, sitting up the hill, a little separate from the others. 

With excitement, Kirstie hurried through the encampment, only after some paces realising how quickly she could move, even burdened with weapons and armour. Then in confident Orcish she was responding to greetings called out by traders, craftspeople and fellow warriors. There was the smell of roasting boar and Kirstie could not help but go the grill house. Reaching into the pouch at her belt to find more than enough part-umha coins to buy not just a chunk of meat but a clay mug of a coarse red wine.

Kirstie brought the mug to her lips only to find that she was wearing a full-face helmet. She unstrapped it. As she did, everything she could hear sounded clearer; even the light looked brighter. She had almost finished both before she realised that as Kolgar had demonstrated, she could feel the heat of the meat; feel the fat on her fingers and felt as if she had gulped down the wine. This was certainly making the experience so rich. Kirstie knew if OLC could roll this out, even if you had to go into an Edinburgh basement to experience it, they would make a fortune.

Now Kirstie wondered what it would feel like to fight in this setting; perhaps to be injured. Jumping up from the rough wooden stool, she resumed her journey up the encampment until she was at the pavilion tent. An orc about her height stood at the entrance.

‘Kah-ra?’

‘Yes, that is me.’

‘At last. You are expected. We thought you might have turned back; sometimes these new orcs do.’

Kirstie gave no thought to why she might be deemed a “new orc”. The guard sniffed the air. Kirstie was getting the sense that scent was important to orcs, something that could not typically be rendered.

‘But you, noga luach, smell ripe; willing. I think you won’t be a new orc; a visitor, for long.’

Kirstie wondered if there was an expectation that new players in this AR set-up would be quickly defeated.

‘Hachthrum is in there; he is eager to meet you; go with you.’

‘Thank you.’

A guide providing generic advice was common in many online adventures. Kirstie wondered who this Hachthrum would be. It seemed that she was go to fight against someone with him, probably somewhere in this forest. The guard pulled back the flap of the tent and Kirstie stepped in. As she walked on and the tent flap was dropped closed she picked up a scent in here that was almost intoxicating. Kirstie’s nipples responded excitedly and then the sensation began between her thighs.

Compared to the rest of the encampment this place had the luxury she might expect in Priomh. It was lit by a number of ornate bronze lanterns. Kirstie almost felt guilty as she stepped on the richly decorated carpets in her long muddy boots. A large male orc lay on the divan at the end of the tent. He was dressed in a light leather robe. As he shifted and stood, Kirstie realised he had nothing else on.

Now this made sense. She understood suddenly what OLC was doing. What way was there to attract a wider audience and keep them coming back? Clearly introducing “adult themes” in the game would do it. They had to be careful, of course, not to upset those who might feel Sneachda, plc was straying into territory it should remain clear of. Having a small outfit handle this side perhaps made it deniable. She could also understand why they had started with orcs. If people could accept orcs being portrayed together, there would be no problem with elves and the rest.

‘I see you have removed the helmet, so you know – well, as far as they told me to say - that this is no “game”; it is for real.’

‘Yes … erm, I suppose so.’

Kirstie did not know if this was a glitch breaking the fourth wall or if this was part of the storyline.

‘Some things you know about Saoghal will not be the same here. I was told you are a keand with a warband to the north of here. You will find that is not the case and if there is a warband there it will not be yours.’

‘Okay,’ Kirstie said slowly.

‘Does this disappoint you? Will you go back?’

It sounded a little odd to hear such a large orc speaking so tentatively. She guessed though, if he came on too strong in the “adult themes”, it would drive away just the kind of subscribers OLC and Sneachda, plc would be seeking.

‘No … no, I guess not. Is this your encampment? Your warriors?’

‘Yes, yes, they are. Do you like that?’ Hachthrum asked, looking eager now.

Kirstie realised that he had previously been surreptitiously eyeing her up but now was appraising her more boldly. She trusted what he saw pleased him, because now she would have to confess that she was liking what she could see of Hachthrum; was looking forward to feeling him. Almost without thinking, she stepped closer, picking up more of his scent and her body reacted to it.

‘Yes, I do. I could fight alongside you. If these lands are … well, like the Saoghal I know, then I can help. I have been all the way to Priomh across to Caladh. I know where human caravans travel; neglected dwarf mines; where the elves stash treasures; how we can get to Clarsach nests, even the island with warm springs that a Duinedeark clan has colonised.’

Kirstie felt pride in all this knowledge but then worried if, in this version of the game, these things would be all altered. Maybe, maybe not. She reminded herself, however, how familiar the view from the encampment had felt; surely that suggested much would be the same.

‘And even if those things have changed; have been taken by others, I can still fight at your side, Hachthrum; guard your back.’

‘Bear my children?’

Kirstie laughed at that with her deep orc voice. ‘As long as you get wet nurses for them once I have birthed them. I would yearn too much for the fight.’

A little self-consciously she raised her hand to her breasts kept in the hard, smooth leather cups of her chest armour. Orc women were as ample as she was in real life, probably more so. She guessed there had to be a purpose for them beyond decoration and now imagined that baby orcs would have big appetites.

‘They said you would be one that would … would match me; be a suitable companion; consort.’

Hachthrum reached over to a low table and lifted up a piece of parchment. It had a coloured line drawing of herself, or at least Kah-ra. Beneath it was the runic Orcish script, but in seconds Kirstie could understand it. She saw it gave her correct age and details of her successes that could have come from a record of ‘Zeth Rise’. The comment on the bottom that she was an ‘orc lover’ and ‘fertile’ seemed a little presumptuous. However, as she read those words, Kirstie knew that she had been denying the feelings that she recognised now had been arising since entering this tent. She guessed it was no point in having the “adult themes” in this spin-off if no-one indulged in them.

Was it wrong to be fantasising about sex with an orc? Kirstie gasped now that the thought manifested in her head. She realised then that she had put down her weapons, removed her shield and even her belt without thinking. In this world she was not the feeble human Kirstie, but the orc warrior Kah-ra. Was it at all wrong to think of sex with her own kind? Such an idea felt incredibly good. Kirstie guessed that was the whole point. The parchment suggested that Hachthrum had been promised she would come to him. He had been quite clear in what he was seeking; it was a mate.

Looking across at Hachthrum, Kirstie realised he was expecting a response, to confirm or deny whether she matched what he had been led to believe about her. She took a deep breath. This was a game, after all, nothing more real just an augmented, a virtual, reality and you did not get pregnant from computer coding.

‘You know these magics have a short time to run.’ Hachthrum said. ‘They told you that, I am sure. And that if you do not make your decision to remain here, you will find yourself back in … in wherever the new orcs come from. Is that what you want?’

Kirstie understood that this was probably something written into the game, especially in the test stage, to stop players simply hanging around in a tavern or just sight-seeing without getting into the complexities of even a single mission.

‘I …’ Kirstie began.

She felt breathless then and her large orc heart beating fast. She reached to unbuckle her breastplate. It revealed the leather bikini top below that all orc women had when undressed. There was something beautiful about the taut green skin of her breasts. Then the skirt was off and she sat down on a chest to unlace the boots and then the leggings. Tossing all into a pile, Kirstie stood and looked at her tattooed body. The musculature was prominent, as was her purple hair, in her armpits and poking out even from the leather panties she had on. If an orc could beautiful then she was one beautiful orc.

‘Are you one who just likes to watch?’ Kirstie said a little defiantly to Hachthrum.

Kirstie sauntered over to him as his large cock began to protrude from the robe. She knew now that probably the moment she had stepped in here she had actually wanted all this and more, she had just been afraid to admit it. That, in turn, had led her to deny the sensations that the scents and the sights were driving hard into her.

‘No, but … for it to work, you must want this; want us to couple.’

‘I am guessing my orc hormones are playing with me a lot, but yes, I want this. I want to “couple”, I want that big hard cock going deep into me. I am here in this place in his hot orc body and I guess I am going to enjoy this, big time.’

‘You know if you do, you will remain here; like this. Is that what you really want?’

Kirstie was barely listening, now she had decided on a path, she want no distractions. She tugged off her bra and let her firm orc breasts, their pine green nipples standing out prominently, be free. She closed on Hachthrum and rubbed them across his chest. The sensation made her shudder with pleasure.

‘I want …’

Kirstie finished it with pressing her lips against Hachthrum’s and then her tongue into his mouth. His cock bumped against her panties and the pussy lips beyond. Pulling back she chuckled. She stripped Hachthrum of his gown before shedding her panties. Then she pushed him back on to the divan and with her strong thighs straddled him. In seconds, given how slick she was already, his cock was sheathed deep in her, filling her in a way that none of her college student-days lovers had ever done.

Hachthrum reached up to catch each of Kirstie nipples, toying them in a way which just fuelled her growing arousal. Now her strong thighs meant she could lift her slippery pussy back up to the head of her orc lover’s cock and lower herself to get that thrust in such a good way. She loved the strength of this body, the sense that she had the power to trap even this large male between those thighs; to wrestle him to the ground if she chose. As she raised and lowered, altering the pace as she felt she needed at each stage to render her most pleasure; tossing her long plait of purple hair back and forth across her muscled back; the tattoos around her body tingling, deeply growls began to rise up from deep within her.

Kirstie climaxed with dizzying sensations, breathing heavily into powerful lungs and letting out long groans of satisfaction which sounded across the encampment. She was barely conscious of Hachthrum jetting his seed right into her until finally she clambered from him and reached for a swatch of cloth to clean off all the stickiness and sweat that coated her strong green body; his lime green jism amongst it.

Now Kirstie slumped down beside Hachthrum and watched as his chest rose and fell as his breathing calmed. She gently ran her hand over his skin and he stroked her side; her thighs as if needing reassurance that she was real. Kirstie wondered now how long she had remaining inside this superbly augmented reality. She chuckled then as she realised that she had not got anywhere near to even starting whatever mission she was supposed to be doing, unless, of course that mission was to have sex with an orc warlord. Maybe some players would baulk from “mate with strong character” as an objective, but if it felt this good each time, she would be far from complaining. Slowly her tired orc body drifted asleep.

****

Kirstie came awake. The room smelt strongly of sex but surprisingly she found that was quickly making her horny. She tried to remember what had happened last night. How much had she and Vea drunk? Who had she ended up going home with? It was clear she had had sex; the hair round her pussy was sticky and would need a good wash. Had it been that tall one with the long dark hair? Then fragments of strange dreams came back to her, followed by memories of too much VR stuff. She was quite used to elements of ‘Zeth Rise’ turning up in her dreams, but now the memories of them were so much more intense.

Sitting up, Kirstie blinked as she tried to take in the room, or in fact, the tent. Perhaps that made more sense that she had ended up at a campsite just outside Edinburgh. Looking at the quality of the furnishings though, she would certainly put this place in the glamping category. The sight of a neatly folded pile of leather armour and long boots; a very realistic looking bardiche, dirk and shield suggested she had ended up with someone who loved to LARP.

Reaching out for the clay jug and beaker sat on a stool by her bed, Kirstie had a bit of a shock. It was clear that she had not managed to remove all the green body paint from the previous day. She looked at the underside of the large sheepskin blanket – did sheep get that large? - which covered her and was pleased to see that none of the cosmetic had come off. However, quickly she saw as if it had spread all over herself. While she had painted the top of her bust, her body below had been left in its usual pale pink skin tone. Now, as she saw that not only her breasts but the entirety of her waist, thighs, even her pussy, what she could see of it beneath her purple hair, were green. Moments of apprehension were followed by frustration that she had hooked up with some guy who had wanted her to go the “whole hog” with her orc outfit.

Picking up the beaker she brought it to the lips but found it butted against her tusks. A little irritated, Kirstie reached to pull them out, but they would not budge. The apprehension returned. If this guy had stuck them on with some kind of dental glue, she was going to sue him. She tried again and managed to get down the water, though spilling some on her chest. She dabbed at it, half expecting the make-up to come off. However, there was no change. More vigorously, Kirstie rubbed and then at her forearm but in both cases with no effect. There were what looked like very good tattoos there too, but nothing was shifting them either.

Kirstie guessed she needed to get some clothes on and then try and find Reka-kla – no she meant … Kirstie struggled to recall her friend’s real name. She guessed if she was hung over, perhaps been slipped something in a drink, then she might be befuddled. Anyway, she had to find her friend and that meant getting clothes on, however loath she was to put them on with this stickiness and aroma, this delicious aroma, around her.

The clothes proved to be real leather, made to look like crogall skin from the game. They fitted her even if she had to press her breasts, which felt very heavy this morning, into the lambskin lined cups of the chest armour. The leggings were skin-tight but she felt snug and sexy in them. Kirstie decided to go the whole way and buckled on the sword belt, slung the round shield and collected the bardiche. Despite being real metal, they all had a lightness to them. She also found her helmet and, hanging it from her belt, was reminded once more of the VR stuff. Had that triggered some kind of mental reaction in her?

Kirstie walked to the flap of the tent and opened it. As she did, a somehow familiar man stood at the entrance for another tent, came across to her. He was dressed to look really like an orc, the way she guessed she still did.

‘Kah-ra, I heard you had decided to stay; to remain orc. I know your bloodline will be strong.’

Kirstie had had encounters with those who took the game a little too seriously especially at the convention.

‘Erm … yes, I guess so.’

‘Live long and prosper,’ the man said.

Something in the man’s words, the way he had shaped them and the gruffness stood out. Dimly Kirstie had the sense he was speaking Orcish.

‘Where am I?’

The man was about to turn away but stopped.

‘I heard you came hard, but don’t you remember … this is Hachthrum’s encampment. We are about a dozen leagues east of Amuigh; the road to Caladh is in the valley.’

‘No, that’s in the game. I must be … somewhere outside Edinburgh,’ the last name proved tricky to pronounce.

Looking beyond the cluster of tents to the dense forest beyond, however, Kirstie knew she must have gone much deeper into the Scottish countryside and ended up at some kind of LARP summer camp.

‘No, this is the Forest of Uaine; I am sure you recognise it.’

Kirstie was exasperated. It was clear these guys were not going to let down the pretence.

‘I need to get back; back to Edinburgh.’

The man gave a weak smile. ‘There is no way back, for orcs anyway. I don’t know about humans, maybe even dwarfs. If they stay, new orcs are soon just orcs, though you’re not just an orc, you’re the warlord’s mate.’

For a moment, Kirstie felt as if the ground was opening up beneath her and she was going to fall into a chasm. However, while it continued to seem so real, this was all impossible; she just had to find someone who would be willing to drop out of role.

‘Well, where is my mate, then?’

‘Warlord Hachthrum is training, down towards the river. He says he feels like a new orc. Your coming has been good for him. He is talking about establishing a clan; his descendants. That had long worried him, but you look to be a good child-bearing orc female.’

‘Erm … thank you, but I am looking for more than simply calving kids.’

‘He said. Your reputation as a warrior is well known, I hear, at least to the North-West beyond Amuigh.’

‘Believe it. I think I’ll go do some training myself.’

The man, the orc, whatever he thought himself to be, bowed his head in acknowledgement. Kirstie guessed there was some benefit in having “coupled” with the “warlord” in terms of quickly establishing her status in this place, if her array of weapons proved insufficient.

Kirstie walked through the encampment. She idly ran her eyes over the tents with stalls out the front, realising she had not had breakfast and for some reason remembering a rare steak and red wine. With the traders this encampment looked as much the start of a village as a warband’s base and she wondered if that was Hachthrum’s intention. Maybe this was a good place for that. There was timber, rock and water in ample supply around them and, it seemed, no rivals for a number of leagues.

At one stall, a woman dressed as an orc was finishing cutting the hair of another looking much the same and then showing her the work in a polished bronze mirror. Kirstie bowled up curious to see how whatever make-up was on herself, appeared reflected. The hairdresser looked Kirstie as she approached. Her orc make-up was excellent and her garb, though civilian dress, looked to be well made.

‘Kah-ra, that is your name, is it not?’

‘Erm … yes.’

‘You came to be the warlord’s mate. It is good that we have these so-called new orcs; too few girls are born if we are going to be strong; defend against the humans, dwarves and elves,’ she said the last name with bitterness.

From somewhere Kirstie remembered hearing that before. Then it unlocked a whole chain of thoughts about whether if you had magic then you could transform people from one species to another; a human to an orc, to make up the numbers quickly rather than waiting for children to grow to adults. Who would have such powers? The kind of people who could build portals linking regions; straddling worlds seemed likely to be able to do much else.

‘Can I … can I just borrow your mirror?’

‘Of course.’

The female handed it across. The face reflected was familiar to Kirstie: it was Kah-ra rendered perfectly from ‘Zeth Rise’. Her head was shaved at the sides, but the deep purple hair rose to peak above and then fell down her back as a thick plait. The paired gold rings through the tops of her long, pointed ears; the septum piercing; the amber eyes; the length of the tusks, the tattoos - dark green on her orcish green skin - all matched precisely. Yet Kirstie could see and feel for herself that this was no construct, this was how she appeared; how she was; it was her body. It was never going to rub off; she was never going back to what she had had before. She understood now that her lust had made sure of that.

‘Thank you,’ Kirstie said softly and handed the mirror back.

Distracted, she walked on slowly towards the training ground that, somehow, she knew was in a meadow by the river. Slowly she accepted that while ‘Zeth Rise’ was a game but the world it featured, Saoghal existed for real. Of course, it was not precisely the way it was in the game. You could buy computer games of the Battle of Waterloo, Julius Caesar’s battles or the Second World War. They showed real places, even real generals and politicians, but what happened in the game usually soon diverged from what had happened in Earth’s history.

Saoghal was a violent place which was why people liked escaping there to fight in safety, but in the real Saoghal it meant shortages and for some species, notably the orcs, that was important, in their age-old battles with the other species. Some film buff she had known when studying had surely shown ‘Mars Needs Women’ or ‘Moms’ or some B-movie like that. Well, clearly, she understood now, Saoghal needed female orcs. She wondered if, given she only remembered her orc name, Reka-kla had made the same choice as herself. She promised to ride to Caladh to find out. It would be good to know someone who had experienced what she had; could recall a life on Earth.

Kirstie was now beyond the encampment and the clash of weapon against weapon or against shield rung out across the grass. The stink of orc settlement was less here, though she realised she had quickly become accustomed to it. Here there was the smell of the plants, unpolluted by anything industrial; the sky undisturbed by aircraft, though she knew she had to expect to see the occasional giant eagle or a manticore, perhaps even a dragon flying over.

A cluster of orcs, both male and female, stood round a ring of compacted earth and Kirstie went into a gap among them. Quick glances were cast at her. As she looked, she saw in the centre it was Hachthrum fighting an older male orc. Both were wielding long axes but one handed; round shields in the other hand. While the other orc was dressed in armour, her lover of the previous night; the one who had confirmed her orchood was stripped to the waist. Below were very tight leather trousers with a generous codpiece that Kirstie knew she could testify was needed. His green skin was slick with sweat and she shuddered pleasurably as she picked up all his rich scents; as they triggered her very orcish lusts once more. Abruptly Hachthrum stopped.

‘Cease. My mate has come.’

All the faces now turned to look at Kirstie.

‘Come, come forward, so I can introduce you properly.’

On impulse, Kirstie took some paces back and them charged to the circle, somersaulting over her bardiche so that as she came up standing, the blunt back was pressed against Hachthrum’s neck. He laughed deeply. Then Kirstie turned and looked around the ring of warriors.

‘I am Kah-ra, now warlady of this band; acknowledged mate of Hachthrum,’ she declared.

It was true, Kirstie Hutchinson was a human on a different planet. That did not apply to Kah-ra. There was a loud round of cheers. Kah-ra locked with her mate and they indulged in tongue-filled kisses until she sprung clear. Bringing her shield on to her arm she stood in a challenging pose ready to spar with her lover. This was what orcs did and she was certainly an orc.

THE END.