Chapter One - Welcome to LifeSynced

“Congrats, man,”

“That’s amazing,”

“You’re on fire, dude!”

19-year-old Harry Walker accepted the plaudits and congratulations as he confidently strode down the public hallway of the Digital Studies building at Pacific Coast University. He was a digital marketing major, but more importantly, he had become one of the fastest-rising stars in the video game streaming industry.

Yesterday, Harry surpassed 1 million subscribers to his GlitchCast account, and his ‘friends’ were keen to voice their praise. Truthfully, Harry never had many friends growing up. However, since his account blew up last year, life had gotten much easier for him.

“Thank you, thank you,” Harry raised his voice and addressed the small crowd that had settled around him. “I have a big announcement to, hey!” The brunette local celebrity paused, distracted by the glimmer of blond hair at the back of the crowd. Pushing through, Harry grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and pulled her towards him. As he embraced the beautiful blond, he gave her a firm kiss on her prominent painted lips. Breaking the kiss, Harry rested his hand on his girlfriend’s ass, giving it a little squeeze, prompting the blond to roll her eyes and sigh.

“Anyway,” Harry continued, ignoring the girl’s response. “I received an email this morning from the Vice President of R&D at EchoLife Gaming.” There was an excited murmur amongst the crowd. EchoLife was a local games developer responsible for smash hits such as SoulSim I, II & III. Antworld, AeonPath. Rumors about the studio working on an innovative new product had been abound for months.

“They are about to begin marketing their newest IP, and they’ve invited yours truly to help with that.”

The nerds surrounding Harry were excited and began talking amongst themselves. Harry ran his free hand through his shaggy brunette hair and grinned, embracing his girlfriend tighter. He was a good-looking man, but his socially awkward personality always prevented him from building friendships or striking lucky with women.

However, his personality transformed in the virtual world. Harry found it easier to be himself, and once he began streaming, he discovered a niche in playing simulation games, and his viewer count began to rise.

Once the money started flowing in, Harry no longer felt invisible. Women were throwing themselves at him, and men were clambering to be in his presence. He began dating Georgia Roberts three months ago. She was a beautiful cheerleader with a lithe, athletic body. What she lacked in the chest area, she more than made up for with her breathtaking face and pouty plump lips. She would be the first to admit that she started dating him to jump on his popularity. Still, the more time she spent with the gamer, the more his true arrogant and misogynistic personality filtered through.

Harry ushered the crowd away, and a sinister grin crossed his lips, scanning the corridor and resting his eyes on a gangly man drinking from the water fountain. He softly bit his lower lip and began approaching the bespectacled man. Georgia tugged her boyfriend’s arm. “Harry, no. Come on, babe, just leave it.” She tried to plead with him.

The wealthy content creator winked at the beautiful blond. “How about you brush your hair or read one of your magazines while the big boys chat babe,” he said patronizingly before walking away from her.

Michael King pressed the button and tentatively took a sip of water from the fountain when he felt a firm hand press against his uncombed black-haired head and push his head inside the water bowl.

The nerd’s eyes widened in panic, and he gurgled the water as he resisted the hold, but the hand on his skull was clasped too tightly, and he was unable to breathe until he was pulled back up, his face soaking wet.

“What the-?” Michael cried out, but his angry eyes turned to fear when he came face to face with the culprit. “Ohh, hi, Harry,” he said timidly. “I’ll just be on my way.”

The bespectacled man attempted to usher past the musclebound star, but Harry cornered him. What’s the rush? Don’t want to congratulate an old friend?” He grinned. “You’ve heard the news, right?”

Believe it or not, Harry and Michael were friends throughout high school. Their friendship ended as Harry’s popularity exploded. The brunette’s new ‘friends’ enjoyed seeing him beat down his former buddy, and Harry became drunk on the power. Michael had tried to launch his own streaming account but never earned more than 2,000 subscribers.

“Y- yes, congratulations,” Michael said. “If you’ll excuse me.” He tried to skirt past the bully again. Harry fiercely pulled his clenched fist back, and Michael flinched in anticipation.

The brunette star grinned at Michael’s reaction and lowered his hand. “It was nice to catch up,” he patted his former friend on the shoulder before triumphantly walking away. Michael’s heart raced. He hated that man.

❖

“This is where the real magic happens,” the energetic and slightly irritating studio tour guide explained to Harry as he toured him through the building. “The Art department brings all those characters you know and love to life. It’s truly incredible what they do.”

Harry ignorantly yawned as he strode through the large open-plan offices. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but the college student thought he might fall asleep if this droned on any longer. The 19-year-old was tired of listening to the touring lackey. The man didn’t even know what graphics API the team used or how they customized their AI framework to make the NPCs react naturally. Fortunately for Harry, they were approaching the end of the tour.

“I hope you enjoyed the tour. This is Ms Claire Kirkland. She is the Vice President of Research & Development. Ms Kirkland will explain everything you need to know before setting up the beta.” The tour guide offered his hand to Harry, but the teenager was distracted by the beautiful woman before him.

Claire Kirkland was double Harry’s age, but the 38-year-old was stunning. She was tall and shapely, with prominently sized breasts protruding from her chest. She wore a plain white dress that seemed to hug every curve on her well-put-together body. A thick black belt tapered in her extraordinarily thin waist and accentuated her curvaceous rump. The dress covered the entirety of her legs, but Harry knew they were long and shapely.

Her blond hair was held in a tight bun, and her bright green eyes were magnified by the glasses on her nose. Her sexy, plump lips were shaded a bright matte red, contrasting her subtle makeup choices. In Harry’s mind, she was a goddess.

“Nice to meet you, Mr Walker,” she spoke. “I trust Larry here hasn’t bored you too much.”

“I’m not bored anymore,” Harry replied, staring at the woman. “I think I just arrived in Heaven.” The tall woman rolled her eyes and silently began walking to her office, beckoning the gaming streamer to follow.

Claire strutted into her office and took her place at her desk. “Take a seat, Mr Walker. We have much to discuss.”

Harry followed and sat opposite her. “Perhaps it would be better to chat over candlelit dinner?” He quipped.

Ms Kirkland sighed but didn’t address his poorly worded statements. She was used to being constantly hit on and dealing with arrogant content creators, but she had learned not to let anything phase her.

“We will shortly be releasing Lifesynced to the general public, and we would be honored to have you showcase the live gameplay to your million subscribers.” Harry couldn’t hide the subtle grin on his face at the mention of his recent accomplishment.

“Lifesynced?” He asked. Harry had heard the name used on Reddit and 4Chan message boards, but EchoLife had been tight-lipped about the game’s development, and all attempts at leaking in-game footage had failed.

“Yes. Lifesynced is an all-immersive modern city life simulation that promises to blur the lines between the virtual world and reality.” Claire announced.

Harry grinned. It was apparent Ms Kirkland had been rehearsing that pitch for some time. “So, it’s a VR game?” He pressed.

“Ohh, it’s not just a VR game. It is so much more than that.” It was Claire’s turn to smirk as she pressed a button on a nearby remote, and a video appeared on the TV beside her. “Lifesynced uses groundbreaking technology to put you inside the game. Not only will you see everything around you, but you will smell the game, react to touch, and even feel pain. Our technology has the ability to put you inside the game like you’ve never felt before.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “This all seems too good to be true,” he dismissively said. “But if I’m receiving the game for free, sign me up.”

Claire smiled. “Of course. But there are a few key details we need to discuss first.” She slid a piece of paper across the desk. “These are the details of our agreement. Specifically, you may not slander the company or the game in any way during a live broadcast, and you may not disclose any proprietary information not already released.” She continued. “There are several ‘dark spots’ throughout the game where you’ll be unable to stream to your audience. The game will inform you once you’ve entered a dark spot.”

Harry began reading the long list of rules as the blond vice president continued. “You will receive all add-ons available at launch, including the adult mod and the extra outfit add-on. All we ask from you is that you commit to the game for two hours daily. Do you have any further questions?”

“Umm, yeah,” the brunette replied. “When can I start?” He grinned at the woman. His account was going to explode the moment he launched this game.

Claire nodded. “Right away, Mr Walker,” she slid a thick document across the desk. “We have handpicked 100 streamers to test out this version of the build. If it’s successful, we will expand the selection further until we release the game at the end of the year.” She paused momentarily. “This is a standard contract. Sign it, and we’ll set you up.”

As Harry eagerly signed the contract, Claire pulled out a nondescript cardboard package. “Welcome aboard, Mr Walker,” she smiled. “You will find all the required equipment and installation instructions inside the box.” Ms Kirkland gestured to the man standing in her office doorway. “Larry will escort you out.”

Harry grasped the box, much heavier than he expected, and took one last look at the beautiful vice president before thanking her and following the tour guide out of the building. He couldn’t wait to get home and reveal the game to his fans.

❖

Harry rushed back to his luxury apartment and wasted no time unpacking the box. Expecting to find a traditional CD, the streamer was surprised to see the game loaded onto a flash drive. He immediately inserted the drive into his PC tower, and the files began installing onto his computer without a warning prompt.

Approximately five minutes later, the game had been completely installed. Harry sat in his comfortable gaming chair before loading the program. The brunette picked up the accompanying controller, but a message appeared on his PC monitor before he could settle in: ‘Please Attach Neural Device’.

The teenager leaned over, picked up a thin black band from the box, and read the instructions. ‘Once the program has been installed, load the game and attach the neural device around your neck before continuing.’

Harry complied with the instruction and wrapped the plain band around his neck, gasping as it clasped automatically into place and tightened around his neck. As he felt faint prickling sensations around his neck, Harry wondered if he should have asked more about the technology before diving in.

Before he had a chance to remove the device, the choker began to glow, and Harry’s vision faded until the game’s menu appeared directly in front of his eyes. His bedroom had disappeared from view and was replaced by a pitch-black environment with the game’s menu ahead of him.

Harry clicked the ‘Connect to GlitchCast button’, but an error message informed him he needed to create a character first. He scrolled down to the ‘Create a Character’ option and pressed select. Suddenly, a long list of options appeared, with each field pre-populated with his details.

Basic Information

• Name: Harry Walker
• Nickname: N/A
• Age: 19
• Gender: Male
• Sexual Orientation: Straight

Physical Attributes

• Height: 6’0”
• Weight: 170 Lbs
• Skin Tone: Caucasian
• Hair Color: Reddish Brown
• Hair Length/Style: Short/Shaggy
• Facial Features
  • Eye Shape: Hooded
  • Lip Shape: Thin
  • Nose Shape: Grecian
• Eyebrow Style: Bushy
• Body Hair: Naturally hairy chest, arms and legs
• Body Modifications: None
• Allergies: None
• Voice Description: Smooth baritone

Personality & Behavior

• Personality Traits: Confident, Extrovert
• Likes: Sexy Women, Dumb Women
• Dislikes: Michael King, Disrespect
• Communication Style: Smooth, Flirtatious

Relationship/Sexual Traits (Only Available With Realism Adult Mod Activated)

• Relationship Status: Permanently Single
• Penis Size: 8”
• Pubic Style: Natural
• Libido: Moderate
• Sexual History: 20 Women
• Secret Kink: Loves scantily clad women
• Sexual Traits: Virile, Extra Stamina

Background

• Occupation: Unemployed
• Education: College Educated
• Skills/Talents: Great negotiator
• Financial Status: Trust Fund Bonus (As a beta tester, you have been rewarded a boosted status)

He was shocked at the accurate level of detail in the customization screen. Had EchoLife been invading his privacy, or had this information been received directly from his brain? The information created an avatar that looked eerily identical to his own face.

He was amused that Michael was listed as one of his dislikes. Was his hatred of that boy so much that it needed to be vocalized in a simulation game? Harry found that he could edit certain traits, and he increased his penis size to 8”, and his sexual history to 20 women. He wanted to be seen as a smooth-talking player in the game, and although the sex with Georgia was incredible, he longed to enjoy the experience with other women.

He upped his education level to college-educated and smirked at the sight of the boosted financial status. Claire had told him that an entire economy was built into the game, and starting off wealthy would give him a leg up.

Before launching the game, he needed to select three unique attributes for his character. The list must have included over 100 options and descriptors, but after twenty minutes of careful deliberation, he chose his favorite three.

Unique Attributes (Characters May Select Three)

• Womanizer - Everything he says makes a woman swoon.
• Witty - Always able to reduce the tension with a witty remark.
• Dominant - Able to take control of any situation.

With this setup, his character would be irresistible. He couldn’t wait to show his adoring fans his handiwork. Finally, the ‘enter game’ option lit up, and Harry clicked it.

He waited with anticipation as a swirling loading disc displayed ahead of him. Below the disc were various game tips, but Harry paid no attention to them. Suddenly, the brunette’s attention was drawn to an ominous error beep filling his ears and a message appearing ahead of him: ‘Corrupted Files Found - Searching For Backup’.

A shudder ran down his spine. Corrupted files? It was just his luck that the company handed him a broken game. Just as he anticipated a crash dump, the message was replaced with a new line of text: ‘Backup Found - Loading Backup Data for H Walker’.

Harry calmed down and grinned. It was wise of the developers to install a backup system. Harry began to feel lightheaded as the files loaded and the text ahead of him blurred. It didn’t take long for darkness to overwhelm him, and he passed out.

❖

Fluttering his eyes, Harry was no longer sitting on his comfortable gaming chair. The gamer was instead lying on a dirty, thin mattress inside a filthy building. A popup appeared in the center of his vision, asking him if he would like to connect to his GlitchCast account. He must be inside the game. Astounded by the realistic graphics surrounding him, he immediately selected ‘Yes’.

He sat up and felt sore. A line of text appeared in the top left of his vision as his viewers began commenting. Harry read through the initial comments but immediately found himself confused. ‘Wow, who is the babe?’, ‘Did Harry create a female character?’, ‘Where can I get this game? I want an evening with her’.

The streamer stared down at his body and immediately cried out when he found two protruding lumps stretching the dirty rag covering his torso. What the hell happened? He brought up the player attribute screen and saw an attractive brunette female twirling on the screen ahead of him. Beside the beautiful woman was his character sheet; only the attributes were altered.

Basic Information

• Name: Hayley Walker
• Nickname: N/A
• Age: 19
• Gender: Female
• Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Physical Attributes

• Height: 5’3”
• Weight: 100 Lbs
• Skin Tone: Caucasian
• Eye Color: Blue
• Hair Color: Reddish Brown
• Hair Length/Style: Long/Messy
• Facial Features
  • Eye Shape: Large, Round
  • Lip Shape: Cupid Bow
  • Nose Shape: Button
• Eyebrow Style: Thin, Arched Brows
• Body Hair: Hairless
• Body Modifications: None
• Allergies: None
• Voice Description: High-pitched

Personality & Behavior

• Personality Traits: Unknowingly Flirtatious
• Likes: Confident Men
• Dislikes: N/A
• Communication Style: Timid, Flirtatious

Relationship/Sexual Traits (Only Available With Realism Adult Mod Activated)

• Relationship Status: Single
• Breast Size: 32C
• Pubic Style: Natural
• Libido: Heightened
• Sexual History: Virgin
• Secret Kink: Turned on by confidence
• Sexual Traits: Blowjob Expert (boosted due to virginity trait)

Background

• Occupation: Unemployed
• Education: Junior High Education
• Skills/Talents: Undisclosed
• Financial Status: Poor

Unique Attributes (Characters May Select Three)

• Exhibitionist - The sluttier their outfit, the higher their confidence (Any attire labeled ‘modest’ will be unavailable)
• Naive - This character will believe almost anything they are told.
• Submissive - This character hates taking charge.

Hayley Walker? Had the game confused his file with another player with a similar name? As obvious as that sounded, some of his characteristics were too similar to be a coincidence. He read through the profile. He was still 19 years old but was now described as a bisexual female. He almost vomited at the thought of it.

His height and weight had dramatically diminished, but his eyes and hair color remained unchanged. However, the tangled strands were much longer than they were previously. His facial features had been altered, giving him big round eyes and full, cupid-bow lips that seemed to pout permanently. His character was completely hairless from the neck down, and she supposedly spoke with a high-pitched voice.

As alarming as his physical traits were, they were not the most significant cause for alarm. He was described as unknowingly flirtatious, whatever that means, and liked confident men. He was a confident man and certainly had no attraction to them.

Then there were the sexual traits. He was listed as having 32C breasts and a heightened libido. In contrast, he was labeled a virgin with no previous sexual partners. The profile listed him as being attracted to confidence and referred to him as a blowjob expert. A blowjob expert? What type of game was this?

His beta testing financial boost had been eliminated, and his education level had been severely reduced. If the game had confused the two profiles, this Hayley Walker had a dim view of her life, Harry thought.

Worst of all were the unique attributes. With hundreds of options to choose from, this Hayley appeared to pick the worst three. An exhibitionist, naive, and submissive? Were they attempting to create a simpleton?

Harry knew he needed to talk to the game developers before he progressed any further. Perhaps they would reward him with even greater perks as an apology once he explained his mental anguish. He scrolled down to the Log Out option but found it grayed out. A tiny subtext appeared with the words ‘Log Out not available. Realism Mode activated. Realism users may only log out in their home bed or a temporarily allocated location. Tooltip: Try booking a room in a hotel.’

Harry’s eyes widened, and he gasped with his newfound high-pitched voice. The game wouldn’t allow him to log out? Surely that wasn’t legal. He was trapped inside the virtual world.

He unsteadily rose to his feet and immediately noticed his center of gravity had shifted. He wore a long, dirty gray rag dress over his body and nothing on his dainty feet. Harry caught the stray, straggly strands of hair in the periphery of his vision and gently slid them out of view, noticing immediately how small his hands suddenly looked.

The gamer studied his surroundings and figured he was in some starter zone. Considering his newfound ‘poor’ status, he must have started in some type of homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Despite the mix-up on his profile, Harry couldn’t deny how breathtaking the graphics were. It felt like he was inside a real homeless shelter. The computing processes to generate a world like this must have needed enough power to supply a small country.

Harry looked around and found a man behind a table handing out bowls of food. The word ‘Unknown’ was floating above the man’s head. Harry moved his avatar toward the anonymous man, who smiled in his direction. “Hey there, lass. I’m Jake Johnson, one of the volunteers at the shelter. Welcome to Lowtown.” Suddenly, the word above the NPC’s head was replaced with his name and the description ‘Lowtown Guide’. Harry was amazed. It appeared as though you needed to meet a character before information appeared about them. Did that mean other players would need to meet Harry before his humiliating character sheet was revealed to them?

“There are five districts in the City of Maplewood. Each district has its own flavor and level of affluence. Lowtown is the poorest of the districts, but we believe it has the most character.” The NPC chuckled to himself. “You look hungry, lass. Have a free bowl of slop.”

The man handed Harry a bowl, and the brunette noticed he was hungry. A vitals screen in the lower right corner of his vision displayed a low ‘hunger’ bar. He brought the spoon to his lips and almost spit the food back out. As his hunger bar filled slightly, Harry gagged at the disgusting taste of the slop. How was he able to taste the computer-generated food?

Dropping the item in a nearby trashcan, Harry scanned for an exit. It appeared a hotel room was the only way for him to log out with this damn realism mode addon activated. He didn’t intend to hang around in this virtual body any longer than he needed to, no matter how extraordinary the graphics were.

As the transformed gamer walked around, he noticed the leering eyes of other characters lingering on his body. They all looked dirty and unkempt, and Harry wasn’t sure if they were all NPCs to enhance the immersion or other player characters.

Harry found the building’s exit and stepped towards it, but before he could leave, a homeless man stepped in the way. “Hey, sexy thing,” the man said with a strong Southern accent. “You look tasty. How about you use my body to warm yourself up?” The stranger grinned.

A shudder ran through Harry’s virtual spine. The man was filthy, brash, and smelt like garbage. However, he was confident, and Harry liked confident men. He felt a subtle tingle in his crotch, prompting his eyes to widen in alarm. Harry didn’t like confident men. What the hell was he thinking?

Harry rushed past the unkempt homeless man in horror and hurried into the bright doorway.

The gamer was expecting a brief loading period, but he transitioned seamlessly into the next scene, finding himself outside the shelter, with dirty streets and wayward used needles scattered along the sidewalk. The developers truly went all out with the immersion.

Harry could feel the dirty, hard concrete of the pavement beneath his bare feet. He could smell the faint stench of rotten food and urine hitting his nostrils, and he shuddered as the air brushed against his bare arms and face. It was unbelievable how EchoLife managed to pull off this feat without leaking any proprietary information. If he hadn’t entered the game in the wrong body, he could definitely see himself in the game world for hours at a time.

The streets were practically empty, which Harry preferred, given his transformed state. ‘Is this a game or a video stream?’, ‘Where’s Harry? Is he pranking us?’ The comments kept appearing in the top left of the gamer’s vision, reminding him of the thousands of fans watching his humiliating plight. He tried to disconnect his Glitchcast account, but the option was grayed out, informing him that he must be in a safe zone to do so. The best he could do was remove the comments from his UI.

On the corner of the next block, Harry found a broken neon sign above a large wooden door. Both of the door’s windows were smashed in, and the light in the hallway was flickering on and off. The sign declared the business a motel, and so Harry hurriedly made his way inside.

❖

The scene once again seamlessly transitioned to the inside of the motel’s lobby area. The reception room was narrow, rustic, and dusty, which was in keeping with the district’s style. A potbelly man lifted his head from the newspaper he was reading and introduced himself. “Well, good evening, sweetie. Welcome to Dustin’s Motel. I’m Dustin. Are you looking for a place to stay?”

Harry stepped forward. Now he was getting somewhere. “Y- yes,” he stuttered. His voice was sweet, high-pitched, and incredibly melodic. The sounds escaping his lips distracted Harry momentarily. “How much for one night?”

The man smiled and showed off his dirty, crooked teeth, “Usually, I charge 150 Echo Bucks a night, but for a pretty thing like you, I’ll rent a room to you for 100 bucks.”

Echo Bucks? They must be the in-game currency. Harry loaded his wallet and gasped when he read the words ’0 Echo Bucks’. His character sheet described him as poor, but he never expected to be completely broke. Wasn’t he equipped with a starter pack or something?

“Umm, I’m sorry,” Harry said sweetly. “I don’t seem to have any money right now. Do you mind renting me a room, and I’ll pay you back tomorrow?” The transformed gamer wasn’t sure how sophisticated these AI NPCs were programmed, but he imagined they had some decision-making abilities. If an NPC saw a player character truly stuck, perhaps they would show leniency.

“I’m sorry, lass,” he replied regretfully. “I can’t just hand a room out for free.”

Harry was crestfallen. Was the game attempting to break his spirit? Had he activated some kind of hard mode he hadn’t noticed? Defeated, he turned around and began to exit the premises.

“However,” Dustin said, prompting Harry to perk his ears up. “I also own the bar next door. My previous waitress thought she was too good for the job and just disappeared. If you promise to take her place for 7 days, I’ll give you a room for the week.”

Harry shuddered. A waitress? The sight of him presenting as a woman while serving drinks to men could destroy his reputation. His options were limited, but he couldn’t demean himself in front of his fans like that.

“I promise to pay handsomely as well,” Dustin said. “It will give you a nice bit of starter cash, and you can keep all of your tips. You won’t find a better offer in all of Maplewood.”

Harry turned back toward the large man. He wanted to ask more questions, but his naivety trait forbade him from doing so. The man made a promise, and Harry’s character believed him. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Perfect, follow me,” the man grinned and stepped out from behind the desk, leading the cute feminized character through a side door. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“Harry,” were the words the gamer attempted to say. However, they weren’t the words that escaped his lips. “Hayley.”

Dustin smiled. “That’s a pretty name for a pretty girl,” he complimented Harry. “Now, we need to get you out of those rags. We have standards to adhere to, after all.” The gamer raised an eyebrow as he examined the bar. Standards? The establishment was almost empty, with a couple of drunkards slouched over the bar half-consciously.

“We’re quiet now,” Dustin explained. “But this place picks up when the sun goes down.” He smiled, leading Harry inside a small broom closet.

“You can get changed in here,” the large NPC said, tossing an outfit in Harry’s direction.

Harry unfurled the brief garment and parted his cupid bow lips, gasping. “You can’t be serious!” He squeaked out.

“Look, I know it’s a little small, but it’s the required uniform.” Dustin’s tone shifted, becoming more commanding. You can either wear it and get to work, or you can refuse and take your chances on the streets.” Harry looked back at Dustin pleadingly. Trust me, those streets aren’t safe for a broad like you at night.”

Harry shuddered. Given those two options, he knew he had no choice. The man was confident and commanding, which appealed to his character’s submissive instincts. “Okay,” he said meekly. “I’ll wear it.”

Searching for buttons or a zipper, Harry tried helplessly to figure out how to slip the humiliating garment on, and Dustin looked on humorously. “Were you born yesterday?” He taunted the newbie.

The motel owner watched the woman attempt to figure out the outfit for a few more moments before he clicked his fingers. Suddenly, the rags on Harry’s lithe feminine body disappeared, and the slutty maid outfit in his hand surrounded his frame.

Dustin grinned. “Looking good. Perhaps you’ll consider a permanent position when the week is through.” He offered before leaving Harry alone in the closet. As Dustin closed the door behind him, the gamer gasped at himself in the full-length mirror hanging on the freshly closed cupboard door.

The black and white French maid’s outfit was made of a shiny, form-hugging material. Harry had never thought of C-cup breasts being particularly large. He had made it clear to his girlfriend that he was prepared to pay for her enhancements if she agreed. Now they were on his own body; they felt huge. The deep-lying cleavage and the push-up cups gave them a prominent appearance in the mirror. The tiny dress covered the front and back of his torso, with keyhole slits down the side, and the hem stopped just below the curve of his plump, feminine ass. He knew that bending over was not an option if he wanted to maintain any modesty.

Thigh-high black fishnet stockings decorated his slim, hairless legs, and a pair of 4” black patent high-heel stiletto pumps gave him back a little bit of the height he had lost. A white apron wrapped around his thin waist and settled at the front of the latex dress, and a ruffled black and white choker wrapped around his neck, matching the cuffs on his wrists.

His reddish brunette hair was stylishly tied back in a ponytail, with a maid cap sitting proudly on his crown. The words’  Dustin’s Bar’ were written in bold cursive across the front of the cap.

He examined his face and noticed the subtle lined wings drawn off the edges of his eyes and the glossy pink shade over his exaggerated cupid bow lips, making them appear incredibly alluring. His own reflection was turning him on, and the gamer felt a sudden pleasurable sensation against his crotch.

His pleasure turned to horror as he reminded himself that the gorgeous woman in the mirror was himself. He needed to get out of there and demand an apology from those developers. Had they done this to humiliate him? Perhaps they didn’t like how he flirted with their vice president and thought this was some kind of fitting punishment.

Part of Harry refused to leave the tiny cupboard. He had subjected himself to enough humiliation, and he wasn’t prepared to let his viewers watch him parade around like some dumb slut serving drinks to NPCs. However, his boss had told him to get to work, and he didn’t want to disappoint him. Harry shook his head. This game was messing with his head. Nonetheless, he wrapped his dainty hand around the doorknob and stepped back into the main bar.

While it felt like Harry was only in the cupboard for five minutes, the bar was almost full, with every table occupied and a bustling atmosphere filling the room. “Hey, lass,” Harry heard Dustin call out from behind the bar. “You gonna stand there all day? What am I paying you for?” Harry bit his lower lip and approached the bar. “Good girl,” the NPC said condescendingly. “Take these two beers and deliver them to table four in the corner over there.” The owner pointed to two men wearing white wife beater vests and denim pants.

Harry nodded and took the tray. Despite never walking in heels or holding a serving tray in his life, the transformed maid found himself tottering around with ease. As he filtered through the crowd of mostly men, he stopped at the table near the window. “Your drinks, Sirs.” He politely found himself saying.

“See, Brad,” one of the men commented. “This bar always has the best broads.” He grinned, looking up at the scantily clad gamer. “How about you take a break and sit on my knee?”

Harry shuddered. The man oozed confidence, and he appreciated how the brunette was dressed. His exhibitionist trait prompted Harry to giggle. He shook his head, attempting to ignore the sensations running through his character’s body. “I’m sorry, Sir. I really must get back to work.”

“A shame,” the man replied. “Maybe next time.” He grinned and smacked Harry’s barely covered ass as the maid turned away. Harry gasped out but felt a warming emotion run down his gut. What was wrong with this game?

Harry’s shift continued in much the same vain. He ran around in the tall heels, serving drinks to various tables. He was the recipient of numerous ass-smacks and lewd comments, and he even had his barely covered breasts groped twice. Each time, Harry couldn’t find the courage to put the men back in their place. The gamer had oozed confidence since his channel had taken off, but that confidence contradicted his character’s profile, and he couldn’t seem to do anything that opposed his character sheet.

After five hours of serving, the bar began to filter out, and Dustin turned the ‘Open’ sign in the door around, signaling his business was closed. He approached the sexy maid. “You did well tonight,” he complimented Harry. “Here,” he said before handing the streamer an old key. “Room 24. I expect you back at work at 6 PM sharp tomorrow.” He commanded before leaving the feminized gamer alone.

Harry rolled his eyes. The moment he logged out, he wasn’t going anywhere near this game again until the company recompensated him. He smiled as he stared at the key. Finally, things were going his way.

❖

Safely inside his room, Harry glanced around. The space was bare, with nothing inside except a rustic wardrobe, a crooked bed, and a bedside table. There was a door presumably leading to his private bathroom, but he had no use for that.

Before approaching the bed to log out, Harry received a notification informing him that he had been paid. He loaded up his wallet and groaned at the amount displayed: 65 Echo Bucks. Apparently, the standard rate for this room was 150 bucks. He would need to subject himself to 3 nights of torture just to afford one evening in a grotty motel room. The developers needed to fix the economy system, he thought.

The transformed gamer approached the bed and attempted to log out, but the button remained grayed out. A new message appeared with the words ‘Incorrect attire selected. Please use appropriate sleep attire.’ Harry raised an eyebrow. They went all in with the realism.

He approached the closet, and Harry’s available outfits appeared before him. The majority of ‘starter’ outfits were grayed out. As Harry hovered over them, a new popup appeared; ‘Exhibitionist trait detected. Outfit unavailable.’ The feminized man shuddered. If Harry were in a focus group, these are precisely the types of features he would recommend. However, being on the opposite side of the equation, the gamer had a different opinion.

Only one option was labeled ‘Sleepwear’ and available to pick. He selected the outfit and snapped his fingers like the motel owner did in the bar. Suddenly, his brief maid uniform was replaced with a white semi-sheer nightgown. The pajamas did nothing to hide his avatar’s sexy body.

Wasting no more time, the feminized avatar climbed onto the rackety bed. Harry was relieved to find the Log Out option illuminated and immediately pressed it. A message asked him to confirm his selection before his eyelids felt heavier and his sight blurred. Within moments, everything went black.

❖

Harry’s eyes shot open, and he gasped for breath. He was sitting back on his luxury gaming chair in his bedroom. The choker had automatically unclasped around his neck and sat on his lap.

Harry pressed his hands against his white t-shirt-covered chest and felt relieved to find the C-cup breasts he sported in the game had disappeared. It was crazy how realistic the game felt. It was almost like he had been transported to an alternate reality, a reality he had no intention of returning to.

The brunette rubbed his eyes and stared at his PC screen. He had received numerous comments from his fans. ‘Great show today’, ‘I can’t wait to see Hayley tomorrow’, ‘You make one good-looking babe’. Harry rolled his eyes. It was going to take months to repair his reputation. EchoLife was going to pay for this.

The streaming star rose from his chair and strolled out into his hallway. As he walked, he felt the loose t-shirt brushing against his skin, sending shivers down his spine. Why was his skin so sensitive all of a sudden, he thought to himself.

Harry stood in front of the grand mirror in his hallway, lifted his t-shirt off, and his jaw dropped in horror. Since starting college, Harry had taken an interest in fitness, and his well-defined six-pack showed how much he valued his appearance. The six-pack remained. However, his muscles were not the cause of his panicked reaction. His abundant natural body hair had always been a source of pride and masculinity for the gamer, but as he stared hopelessly at his physique, every hair from the neck down had disappeared, leaving his skin extraordinarily smooth and sensitive. “What the fuck?!” He cried to himself. Did the game do this? There was no other explanation. Someone was going to pay for this.

End of Chapter One