Ascension Engine: Bluefire

Outside these Velvet Walls

There was no chime.No burst of light.

Just a faint shimmer in the corner of her vision.

Divine Seed Unlock Progress: 12%

The number ticked upward with no fanfare—only the quiet weight of her choices settling into the fabric of this new reality.

Raina didn’t stop to watch it this time.

She made her way back to her room in silence, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

She wasn’t shaking, not anymore—but there was a heaviness to her steps.

Not fear.

Just a lingering residue of what might have been.

His intentions clung to me, she thought bitterly, like slime I didn’t agree to touch.

Once inside, she locked the door behind her and headed straight for the bath.

This time, she didn’t rush.She didn’t cast convenience spells.

She filled the basin by hand with enchanted water and let the scented oils soak deep into the marble before stepping in.

The temperature kissed her skin like a lover’s palm, warm and protective.

She washed.Then washed again.And again.

“At least he was the only one,” she murmured to herself, fingers drifting over her arm.“At least in my backstory...”

But that thought brought others with it.Fragments.Threads she hadn’t planned to follow.

Two to three years in the brothel. That’s what I wrote.Learning, practicing, evolving. Then the adventurer’s exam. That was the plan.

She leaned back in the tub, staring at the ceiling as tiny droplets of lavender-scented steam clung to her lashes.

“But this isn’t a game anymore. This is real.”

She blinked slowly, a flicker of heat returning to her voice.

“So what if I don’t want to wait three years? What if I’m ready sooner? What if I do more... now?”

A smile ghosted across her lips.It was small, but it was sharp.

“Let’s see how far I can push this world before it tries to push back.”

As the bathwater cooled, Raina finally rose, droplets cascading from her pale skin like molten starlight.

She wrapped herself in a robe, loose and comfortable, and padded to the chaise lounge near the window, towel-drying her hair with lazy grace.

But her mind was racing.

I could stay the course.

The thought came clean and simple—familiar.Safe.

Follow my original path. Become a high-level adventurer, complete all the big quests, build my name in the capital. It worked in the game.

She exhaled slowly, gaze drifting to the flickering candlelight against her wall.

But this isn’t the game anymore... and I barely scratched the surface back then.

Her thoughts twisted, spiraling outward into possibility.

There were secret societies, hidden factions, NPC guilds that never showed up unless you hit obscure triggers.

I remember rumors about one in particular... they specialized in unconventional leveling.

A glint of excitement flashed in her eyes.

That could be useful. Especially for the way I level.

She pulled up her HUD again, flipping through her character sheet.

XP logs, stat gain sources, unlock requirements.

In the game, you could level through combat or sex.Both gave experience.

Some players min-maxed seduction builds, others went full dungeon crawl.

She scrolled further.

So the real question is: does that still apply here?

She chewed on her lower lip, the gears turning.

Can I still level up through standard questing and exploration?Or am I now locked into s*x-only progression because of my class?And if I can do both... how do they scale?

She sat forward, hair damp against her shoulders, robe slipping just enough to remind her that this body was hers now, completely.

I need to test this.

One standard quest. No seduction. No Blue Magic.

Her smile grew, sharp and clever.

Just old-school adventuring. Sword, spell, maybe a dungeon crawl with some mild property damage.

She tapped her HUD.

Let’s see what’s available outside these velvet walls. The next morning’s light filtered softly through the velvet curtains as Raina wrapped her thoughts in quiet certainty.

She knew the Madame would understand—after last night, a day of distance, of breathing space, was more than earned.

She made her way through the brothel’s back corridors, finding herself in front of the management office.

The door bore the scent of old smoke and harsher drink, even before she knocked.

Her knuckles tapped lightly against the wood.

“Enter,” came the familiar rasp.

The office was just as she remembered—cluttered, dimly lit, smelling of booze and time.

Papers were stacked in chaotic waves, and the Madame sat behind the desk like a queen ruling over paperwork instead of subjects.

“I’d like to request a day tomorrow,” Raina said, voice respectful but firm.“To go into the city. I need to retrieve a few things.”

The Madame studied her.Longer than usual.

Her dark eyes searched Raina’s face—perhaps looking for weakness, fear, or the lingering haze of trauma.

But what she found instead was resolve.

After a slow drag from her pipe, the Madame exhaled.

“Fine. One day. But be back by closing or your room goes to another girl. I won’t have dead weight taking up space.”

Raina nodded deeply.

“Yes, Madame. Thank you.”

She turned and left without another word, her pace quickening as she returned to her room.

Tomorrow... everything changes.

Raina leaned against the door as it clicked shut behind her, a slow, electric thrill winding through her veins.

This wasn’t just an errand.

It wasn’t just a break.

It was an opportunity.

A chance to test the limits of this world—and herself.

She gathered what little she owned now:A few simple clothes, a belt pouch for coins, and a sturdy dagger tucked into the folds of her silk sash.

Minimalist. Practical.She would look like a novice adventurer at best.

Good.

No one would expect what she could do now.

As she knelt by the edge of her bed to check the contents of her pouch one last time, her HUD flickered with a soft, eager hum.

Quests Available:

Local Bounty Board: Escort Missions (Low Risk)

City Guard Posting: Bandit Reports (Moderate Risk)

Undiscovered World Event (Hidden)

Her lips curved into a small, wicked smile.

Hidden quest detected already?

Maybe this world was more ready for her than she thought.

She rose, tying her belt securely.

One hand brushed the silver collar at her throat—still a symbol of who she was, but now also a reminder:

She was not a pawn anymore.

She was a player.

Tomorrow, she would walk out those velvet doors not as a courtesan or a doll for sale.

She would walk out as Raina Moonveil:A Bluefire Mage.An initiate of debauchery.A future goddess in the making.

The city of Veylith waited beyond the walls.And Raina was ready to meet it.

As Raina finished adjusting her belt and smoothing her skirt, she stepped out into the hallway with renewed confidence.Her boots clicked softly against the polished floorboards as she made her way downstairs—only to be met by the Madame’s sharp gaze at the foot of the staircase.

Pointed. Appraising. But... approving.

"Hmm. Since you’re headed into town anyway," the Madame said, voice like smoke over gravel, "you can grab a few things for the brothel."

Raina nodded. "Of course, Madame. I assume I’ll be taking the cart?"

The Madame gave a curt nod.

"Yes. Can’t have you carrying all of it back and ruining that back of yours. What we need is in here."

She handed over a scroll-bound parchment, sealed with the brothel’s sigil.

"Take it to the general store. They’ll load the cart while you do whatever it is you’re planning."

"Understood," Raina said with a respectful bow, hiding the smirk threatening to tug at her lips.

Moments later, she stepped into the early sunlight, the brothel’s small supply cart trailing behind her.The wheels creaked softly, but the enchantments on the frame made it glide far easier than it should have.

The Velvet Hand was nestled well within the city walls—deep in the Pleasure District, which lived up to its name and then some.Everything here catered to desire: luxury bathhouses, silk vendors, intimate theaters, alchemical aphrodisiac stalls, and pleasure shops so elaborate they could pass for noble salons.

Raina walked these streets like she owned them—because once, in a way, she had.

She greeted familiar vendors with nods, sidestepped a pair of drunk lovers still tangled from the night before, and steered the cart expertly through the winding lanes.

By the time she reached the general goods store, she barely broke a sweat.

She handed over the order list with a charming smile.

"Fill her up. I’ll be back in a bit."

The shopkeeper—an older woman with a tight bun and a looser moral code—winked and took the cart around back.

Free for a moment, Raina turned down a side street toward a much humbler sight: The Pest Post.

Wooden and covered in curling papers, it was the community’s go-to for mundane problems—giant rats, magic-evolved bugs, the occasional pocket-plane infestation. Simple. Annoying. Dirty. Perfect.

Raina scanned the bulletin board with curious eyes.

Just a basic one. Something I can solve with a spell or a knife—not a body.

She skimmed the listings:

"Buzzkill" — drunk stinger-bees terrorizing a brewer’s fermentation room.

"Needles in the Garden" — aggressive hedgehog-like pests.

"A Problem with Portals" — accidental magical bugs.

She chuckled at the stinger-bee job.

"Hard pass. I’ve had enough buzzing between the ears for one week."

Her eyes drifted lower—and landed on something far more her speed.

Basement BeastsThe root cellar beneath Moonmelt Bakery has become uninhabitable. Something is eating the flour sacks and growling at the apprentices. Possibly slugs. Possibly worse.Reward: 15 silver pieces and one deluxe pastry of your choice.

Raina grinned.

Pastry and payment? Yes please.

She tore the parchment free and tucked it into her pouch, then turned her steps toward the bakery district.

Moonmelt Bakery stood like a slice of decadence in stone and stained glass, its amber-carved sign enchanted to catch the morning light.It was... a bit much for bread.

Only in a fantasy world would a bakery have magical defenses for sourdough.

She pushed open the door, a small enchanted bell chiming overhead.

The scent hit her immediately—fresh bread, honey, butter, and a hint of vanilla—and her stomach growled in protest.

Behind the counter, a short, round woman wielding a rolling pin like a warhammer squinted at her.

Then she grinned.

"You here about the cellar?"

Raina held up the parchment.

"Basement beasts. I assume it’s not just yeast gone wild?"

The woman laughed, waving her forward.

"Come on, then. It’s mostly slugs. I think. But some of 'em are glowing now. And something hissed at me yesterday."

She handed Raina a rusty key and pointed toward a trapdoor near the back of the kitchen.

"If you scream, I won’t come running—but I’ll bake something in your honor."

"Fair enough," Raina smirked, tucking the key into her belt."Salt and steel should do the trick."

The trapdoor creaked open, releasing a wave of damp, fermented air.Raina descended carefully, boots sinking into two inches of slime with a disrespectful sloop.

"Lovely," she muttered."Exactly the spa day I wanted."

She stepped fully into the cellar gloom.Bioluminescent fungi clung to the walls, casting eerie blue light.

Then she saw them.

Dozens of glowing stalks.Some bobbed like mushrooms. Others swayed with eerie awareness.

One lurched toward her.

A slug the size of a lapdog—slick with mucus and faintly etched with runes—twitched its eyestalks in her direction.

Raina didn’t wait.

She drew her blade, dusting it quickly with enchanted salt.

"You scream, you slime, you die."

And she struck.

The blade hissed through the slug’s body, salt burning a clean path through the gelatinous mass.It writhed, screeched—and dissolved into a smoldering puddle.

One down.

The others turned.

Dozens of slugs pulsed toward her, bodies gleaming with sticky light.

She slashed—but the floor’s slime caught her boots fast.

I can’t fight like this.

Her HUD pulsed.An idea flickered into her mind.

Siren’s Kiss — Blue Magic (Tier I)Emit a charm pulse. Disorient enemies.

She didn't hesitate.

Closing her eyes, she exhaled a sweet, magic-laced breath.A ripple of warmth spread out in all directions.

The slugs slowed, confused. Some tilted upward like awkward dancers at a ball.

Gotcha.

Raina yanked free from the muck and dashed toward a dry platform stacked with flour sacks.

She reached it and spun, grinning.

Drawing a pouch of salt, she didn’t aim for the slugs directly—she flung salt at the floor.

The slime recoiled, sizzling violently.

A clear path burned outward.

"That’s good to know."

She moved fast now, blade flashing.One by one, the slugs shrieked and melted under steel and salt.

When the last one fell, the cellar steamed with the scent of scorched goo.

Raina slumped against the wall, breathless but victorious.

Chime. Chime. Chime.

Her HUD lit up:

[XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][Bonus XP: 25 – Unconventional Elimination Method][Bonus XP: 10 – First Slug Kill]Total Gained: 75 XP

She stared.

"So it works…"

She wasn’t locked into s*x-only leveling.

She had options.

Her fingers flicked the system menu open again, and a new notification pulsed brightly:

[System Log Updated]Tracking Path: “This Is Part of the Job”→ Dual Leveling Recognized: Intimacy + Adventuring→ Divine Path Splitting Available at 25% Unlock

Divine Path Splitting.

Raina laughed, a rich, low sound that echoed against the stone.

"Sword and silk. Charm and challenge. Let’s see how far we can take this."

She climbed the slime-slick steps back to the surface, boots squelching with every triumphant step.And somewhere deep inside her, a fire burned hotter than ever before.

You’re not ready for me, world. But you will be.