1-48 Trapped

“Honestly, we aren't doing too badly,” Chandice said as they crossed a dingy room that had been guarded by four zombies.

“We do seem to be doing well,” Jaina agreed as she held Gisley’s hand.

“We are improving on our tactics,” Roric said as he tested the four exiting tunnels with the touch. He found one that caused the flame the flicker and blew the light smoke into the room.

“These zombies were easy to drop,” Evalynn added as she checked them for loot. “But I still think this proves something of an undead nature is down here. That snake thing was a construct, meaning a player is involved.”

“Could this player be working with our stalker?” Jaina asked as Roric sniffed the air at his chosen tunnel.

“I don't think so,” Roric replied as he became satisfied this was the right path to take. “I don't know much about constructs, but I doubt that creature was easy to create. More likely, our foe knows the dungeon well and can drive us into conflict with this other player. I suspect she is hoping to capitalize on a few of us dying off, making it easier for her to capture Jaina.”

“And what happens if I am the one who dies?” Jaina asked.

“I believe she is willing to take the risk,” Roric said. “She can’t touch us inside Rajeen’s inn, so this was her best option.”

“I know this isn't going to be a popular idea, but we may need to confront Alexandria,”

Chandice said. “She is not going to let us live in peace.”

“I wish I knew why,” Jaina sighed as they collected at the hall Roric had chosen. “I know using her form upset her, but this much?”

“We mentioned this before,” Gisley added. “Something more is going on. The dancing in her form was just the thing that made her hate you. Prior to that, she wanted you to work for her.”

“Your right,” Roric said as his ears went up. “She wanted Jaina to work for her at first, but now this is revenge. I keep thinking she still wants Jaina as a slave, but what she really wants is to hurt Jaina.”

“And every time she fails at it, she gets more desperate,” Evalynn said as she took the lead. “Burning a town to the ground just to try and reset her was a good indication of that.”

“So we either run so far away she can’t reach us, or we confront her?” Jaina asked.

“It might be the only option,” Roric said as he walked beside Evalynn. “Maybe if we can get her to explain her anger, we can do something about it.”

“In my experience, a hateful person doesn't need a reason to hate, only a target,” Jaina said.

“I hate to say it, but I agree with her,” Gisley said with a sigh. “Some people just hate.”

“But those people can’t get into New Eden,” Roric said. “The system doesn’t accept people who are violent or criminal in nature. They can make a character, but the portal won’t translate them over.”

“I heard about places claiming they were going to empty their prisons or get rid of their undesirables by forcing them into New Eden,” Gisley said.

“Some places tried,” Roric answered as they reached an intersection in the tunnel. “And some people bragged they were going to come in to ruin the experience for others. But the visitors have some way of knowing who is here for the right reasons and can reject the problem people.”

“Which means Alexandria came in for the right reasons but changed once she got here,” Jaina said. “Speaking of which, do you think that rumor about there being a prison world someplace is true?”

“I heard about that,” Evalynn said. “It was all over Reddit. People were calling it Abbadon.”

“If there is one, Alexandria needs to be sent to it,” Chandice suggested.

“I would not want anybody sent to such a place,” Roric said as he tested the three tunnels for airflow. “As much as she is a pain in the ass, I wouldn't want Alexandria to be locked away. I would rather she came to her senses and left us alone.”

“The air is flowing from the right,” Evalynn said as he held his torch in the tunnel.

“Yes, but it smells damp,” Roric said, indicating a nearby water source. Hopefully, if their friend showed up, the imp whore curse would send Chandice's pets after her. The curse was supposed to make the woman crave the imps as well, but she seemed to resist it. Chandice believed that no mind-affecting spell could bend somebodies will completely. It could magnify an existing desire, but it couldn't make somebody kill a loved one or commit a crime that would haunt them. It was strange how the visitors gave players a huge degree of freedom but built subtle protections into the system. Though Jaina was his slave, the collar would only lock around her neck if she wanted it to. It would unlock if he ever dared to abuse his power and control over her. If he knowingly ordered her to harm herself, he could not only lose her forever but be stripped of his class.

Roric gave Evalynn a nod, and she took the lead with him just a step behind. The tunnel was wide enough for them all to walk side by side and went up a good ten meters to a rounded arched ceiling. It was made with what appeared to be ancient bricks cut by some long-lost civilization. Cobwebs clung to the walls and arch, creating curtains of shimmering silk that danced in the faint breeze. The ground was littered with dust, loose stones, and the occasional gnawed bone. The one thing he didn't see were footprints, an indication that this passage hadn't been used in a while. That fact made him nervous, considering that Rajeen's harem girls made regular forays into the depths.

“Gisley, can you sense anything?” Roric asked as he looked about.

Gisley unfurled her sensitive antenna and waved them about in the air. She looked from side to side as if confused about something, then dared to reach out and touch the wall, only for her hand to pass through it.

“It's an illusion!” Jaina cried as she saw the hand pass through. A second later, the tunnel filled with light as something like an explosion went off. The entire group was thrown to the ground with the exception of Evalynn, who weathered the blast. The sudden attack caused the illusion to vanish, showing they were actually inside a large rectangular room.

“How unusual,” a woman said as she floated in the air on a glowing disk of light. “Very few people notice my illusions.”

The room had an upper ledge with a stairwell on one wall that took you to the walkway. The ceiling was a good twenty meters up and crisscrossed with wooden beams. The woman wore gray robes decorated with black patterns that resembled spirals. She had short black hair and dark eyes, but her oddest feature was a curious ball of glass that floated near her head. She laughed as the group struggled to recover from the blast, but her laughter faded a second later when Evalynn leaped into the air.

[lvl 2 Glaive knight skill: Crushing swing] Leap into the air and deliver one heavy attack. A modest attack that does 20% more damage and lowers a target's defense for 12 seconds. You can leap up to ten meters up and fifteen across even if encumbered.

“What!?!” the woman cried as Evalynn was suddenly in her face, the glaive coming down in a deadly arc. The weapon passed through her, and Evalynn twisted, her arm pulling back as the second illusion faded.

“Ha, did you think it would be that easy?” the woman laughed as her real form appeared in the far corner. She began to dance her hands while chanting, preparing another spell.

Evalynn was still falling as she threw her weapon, letting loose with a primal shout as the glaive raced through the air.

[lvl 11 Glaive Knight Skill: Distracting hurl] Throw your weapon at a nearby target, causing a guaranteed interrupt if successful.

“Ow!” the woman cried as the weapon tore her side. She cupped a hand over the wound as her magical disk carried her away from the weapon.

Evalynn rolled as she hit the ground and threw out a hand, causing the glaive to race back to her grasp.

[lvl 6 Glaive Knight Skill: Recall] Summon any weapon you have just thrown back to your hand.

“Gelric!” the woman screamed. “Keep that tank busy!”

A third illusion faded to reveal a tunnel on the far wall. Standing inside it was a man with broad shoulders and plate armor decorated with red skulls. He leveled a black-bladed sword Evalynn's way, and suddenly skeletons appeared out of black mists, charging at her with spears.

“Roric,” Jaina groaned as she crawled to where he lay on the floor. Whatever that blast was, he had been the center of it, taking the explosion full in the face. She turned him over to see fur had been singed away, revealing burned and blistered skin around eyes swollen shut. “Oh, Roric!” Jaina cried as tears began to well up. She quickly pressed her lips to his, giving him the healing power of her kiss. She felt the pain of that blast as his slave master power forced her and Gisley to share a portion of the damage. She wasn't sure how much she had to give him, but when the healing began, she was grateful he wasn't dead.

“Oh, no. You don't get to heal him!” the woman on the disk cried and pointed a wand at Jaina. A black tentacle-like arm appeared around her waist. She was yanked off her master and dragged to the wall at one side, where a mass of smaller tentacles wrapped around her to hold her in place. Jaina immediately used her slick skin ability, slipping from the grasp of some of the tentacles, but there were too many to break free completely.

[lvl 3 Morphic skill: slick skin] You can cause moisture to bead up on your skin, making you appear to be glistening with oil. This slickness makes you hard to grapple or hold, giving opponents -30% chance to grab you.

Chandice was sure her health was dangerously low as that blast had thrown her back almost a dozen steps. Her imps were killed in the explosion, and her robes were torn. She fumbled for her warlocks staff, knowing she needed to put pressure on the flying woman. She got hold of the weapon and, with a snap, brought two imps to life as Jaina was dragged passed her by a black arm. She ordered the beasts to blast the woman, but the shadow bolts hit a sort of shield being projected by the glass orb.

“Sorry, sweetie,” the woman laughed. “You can't touch me with spells, and you can't reach me with physical attacks.”

“The hell I can’t!” came an angry voice as Gisley stood up, smoke wafting from her bare skin. Her eyes blazed with red light as she threw out a hand and her fairy sword formed.

“Oh, are you going to throw that at me?” the woman mocked.

“Gisley, no!” Chandice said too late as a pair of butterfly-like wings unfolded and carried the angry woman into the air.

“You can fly?” the woman said in alarm as the angry fairy raced at her, sword leading the way.

“I am going to cut you to ribbons!” Gisley shouted as the woman tried to fly away.

Evalynn used a shockwave to blast the skeletons aside so she could deal with their master.

[lvl 22 Glaive knight skill: Shockwave] A powerful sweeping attack that creates a wave of concussive force that throws targets back up to ten meters.

The man strode confidently at her, his sword trailing a black mist as evil red letting danced along the jagged blade. She knew a death knight when she saw one and prepared to deal with draining attacks. She knew from experience that any wound caused by that sword would fester and could cause a number of effects. The trick was going to be to focus on defense, but that meant being tied down when the others needed her.

“So you’re the heavy hitter,” the man said as he locked eyes with her. “Turn your back on the others and walk away. The bounty doesn’t include you.”

“I belong to my master,” Evalynn snarled. “And I will never leave his side.”

“Suit yourself,” he replied and lifted the sword. “My blade doesn’t care whose life it drains.”

Evalynn charged in, her weapon leading the way as he tapped the floor with the tip of his blade. Suddenly sharp spikes of bone jutted from the floor, doing little damage to her armored feet, but tripping up her steps. He took advantage of her stumbling to rush, his weapon coming round in a powerful swing that hissed as it cut a line across her armor.

She swung back with her glaive, but he easily blocked it, then shoved her back while creating a cloud of green gas. Evalynn choked on the mists, feeling them causing necrotic damage. Still, she had a significant amount of health, and he would have to do better than that if he wanted to stop her.

Jaina was wrapped by tentacles, fulfilling her worst anime-based nightmares. She ignored the strong limbs and focused on the scene before her. Gisley was airborne, chasing the deadly woman while Chandice huddled over Roric, trying to wake him. The two imps were firing on a few skeletons while a man in plate armor was holding Evalynn at bay. Jaina needed to get to Roric to turn the tide and decided that her absorb skill might eat the tentacles away. She used it and quickly felt them loosen, but to her surprise, the limbs regrew as fast as she could consume them. In frustration, she threw her head back, nearly in tears that she couldn't help. Then she remembered the earlier fight with the blue-haired woman and remembered she could take a fluid shape. In seconds she melted into slime and seeped around the grasping tentacles. They tried to grab her repeatedly, but her form flowed around them. She fell to the floor like a river of ooze and raced across the room to where Roric lay.

Chandice cried in alarm as Jaina formed into a wave of slime and fell over Roric's face to use her healing kiss. In moments the healing power began to flow even as her form started to reshape.

“You scared the life out of me!” Chandice gasped as Jaina held the kiss, wiping away burned flesh as fur started to regrow. There was another explosion, and Chandice looked up to see Gisley darting about, fresh smoke wafting from her wings as the woman on the disk prepared another spell.

“I can't get through that woman's magic shield, and my imps are useless against her,” Chandice said as Roric's hand finally twitched. His eyes came open, and he immediately began to draw healing from Jaina, accelerating the rate of his recovery. In seconds Jaina pulled away to gasp as Roric rolled to his feet to survey the chaos going on around him.

“Chandice, Summon your fighter devil and switch all of your attacks to the death knight,” Roric commanded as he grabbed his spear. “Jaina, use your seductress powers to keep breaking the woman's concentration.”

Chandice nodded and threw out a hand, chanting a new spell as her imps faded in puffs of smoke. A circle of red light appeared on the ground with hellish symbols dancing inside just before a man-like creature with dark red skin, yellow slits for eyes, and a pair of black horns jutting from his head rose out of the center. He wore polished obsidian armor with red lettering and carried a large two-handed sword. Chandice ordered him after the death knight before attacking with her curses, doing all she could to weaken the opponent.

Jaina tried to get the woman's attention as Gisley fluttered about in the air, the woman constantly casting little darts that were leaving dark bruises. Gisley, on the other hand, had tried to put the woman to sleep twice, but both times the glass orb that circled her produced blue light, and the woman resisted the effect.

“That woman is resistant to mental attacks,” Jaina muttered as she considered that all her seduction powers were mentally based. Still, she needed to lend Gisley some aid, so she quickly went for allure to draw the woman's attention.

[lvl 3 Seductress skill: Allure] Cause people to notice you even when they are distracted. Requires line of sight. Can be upgraded to a single target.

The woman and the death knight paused to look Jaina's way as she used a seductive smile to try and prolong the pause.

[lvl 1 Seductress skill: Seductive smile] [boosted 5] Smile at a chosen target to cause them to feel great arousal for you. The target becomes amorous and will follow you for up to 1 hour.

Gisley connected with a battery of swings when the woman suddenly turned to gawk at Jaina. Her flowing blade drew blood three times before the foe was able to recover and cause the orb floating nearby to produce a lightning-like sting. Gisley was thrown back, more angry than hurt, but a dark line had been burned across her chest. The woman was pointing a wand and muttering something as four copies of her image appeared and began to shuffle around. Gisley countered the illusion with a magical glow causing a single image to blaze with a silver light.

[lvl 4 Lunar Fairy Skill: Magical Glow] Cause all living things within a ten-meter radius of the spell's center to glow with a silver light for one hour.

“You annoying insect!” the woman howled and pointed her wand again, producing a hail of colorful darts tearing at Gisley's skin. She was bleeding from a dozen wounds, but the woman was being pressed back as she fought desperately to stay out of reach of the fairy sword. She suddenly paused to stare at Jaina again as Gisley launched a fluttering assault.

Fluttering assault – Your attacks come from all directions as your flutter around your opponent. You are 20% harder to block or parry for 30 seconds. You must be flying to use. (Unlocked by Flight Butterfly + sword dancing 10)

The woman was struck again and again as she tried to recover. Gisley darted all around her, slashing and hacking while leaving her no direction of escape. When her assault was about to end, she used Dazzle to produce a blinding flash, causing the woman to flail with magical darts in the vain hope of driving the fairy away.

[lvl 5 Lunar Fairy Skill: Dazzle] Produce a burst of glittering light that blinds an opponent for 10 seconds.

Now the woman was in trouble and tried to fly off only to slam into the wall and skid along it, her eyes blinded by the flash. Below her, Jaina was thoroughly frustrated as blindness rendered the woman immune to all her seductions.

Roric and the devil charged into a fight that was equally matched. Evalynn pressed the Death knight hard, but every time he landed a blow, that wicked blade leeched some of her health and strength. It also caused her armor to corrode, leaving her more and more vulnerable. However, Roric's opening charge took him by surprise and landed with a heavy blow. Just as he turned to deal with the new attacker, the devil swung his wicked two-handed sword delivering yet another wound to the outnumbered man.

The death knight growled and planted his sword into the floor, causing a sickly green cloud to fill the air around him. Roric began to choke as his lungs and skin burned to be inside that cloud and quickly jumped back, as did Evalynn. The devil ignored it completely, and so did Chandice, who lobbed fire bolts safely from outside the effect.

“Roshla!” the death knight yelled. “Use the damn horn!”

“We will lose half the money!” the woman shouted back as she fired another lightning-like bolt from her glass ball at Gisley.

“Screw the money!” the Death knight yelled as he locked blades with the devil. “Your fighting an evolved fairy. That means she is at least level forty! We can't win this if you are tied down!”

The woman roared and vanished in a flash to appear across the room with a small curled metal horn in her hand. She lifted it to her lips and blew, producing a loud, clear note that echoed from the walls. A dozen glowing rings appeared scattered about the room and rapidly grew to the size of doorways. Through them came people, some in robes, some armor, all of them eager to join the battle.

“Out the other door!” Roric shouted before her family was surrounded. “Gisley, glitter bomb the room!”

Gisley nodded and filled the air with thick clouds of glitter, blinding everyone in the effect.

[lvl 10 Lunar Fairy Skill: Glitter storm] Create a five to twenty-meter cloud of swirling glitter that blinds foes that rely on traditional sight to see. Lasts up to ten minutes.

Roric grabbed Evanlynn as he ran for the door, dragging her away even though he couldn't see. He ran for where he last saw the doorway and was relieved when he found it. He threw it open before tossing Evalynn into the hall, then turned to run back in for the others. Thankfully Gisley was right behind him, dragging Jaina and Chandice with her. Roric slammed the door and ordered everyone to run, recklessly charging down the dark corridor as cries of anger echoed from behind.

“We can’t possibly win against so many,” Evalynn panted as she limped along. “We are never going to make it out of here alive.”

“Why do so many people hate us?” Gisley asked as she barely kept up, her body a patchwork of bruises and burns.

“They don’t hate us,” Roric growled. “They are mercenaries, and Alexandria is paying them.”

He ran to an intersection and ordered the group to the right, wildly guessing and praying they didn’t run into anything dangerous that would impede their escape.

“I can heal some of these wounds,” Jaina said as she looked at the others. “But we have to stop running so I can kiss you.”

“We can’t stop running,” Roric urged. “We run until we find a way out, or we are cornered.”

“We are going to blunder into a monster any moment now,” Evalynn insisted. “And then they will catch up to us while we are in combat.”

“They will divide into smaller groups at the intersection to search all the paths,” Roric said and hoped they didn’t have skills or magical means to determine which hall they had taken. “If we can divide them with a few more intersections, we will be able to manage the small groups.”

“But for how long?” Jaina asked as she looked back nervously, expecting danger to leap out of the darkness at any moment. “We have no idea how many came through those portals. There could be fifty people down here hunting for us.”

“We have to find an exit,” Chandice panted. “I am pretty sure I can’t take another hit like that fireball.”

“I don’t think that was a true fireball,” Gisley said. “It had a lot more force than flames, and all of that woman’s heavy spells were coming out of that glass orb.”

“We can figure it out later,” Roric said as the hall passed a doorway. He yanked it open as they passed but kept running, hoping any pursuers would investigate the open door first. The hall entered a round chamber with four exits but near the center of the room was what appeared to be a giant crab that scuttled at them. “Ignore it and run down the right hall!” Roric commanded and turned to face the crab alone, using his spear to fend it off while his girls escaped. Once they were safely down the tunnel, he ran after them, narrowly escaping a pincer. The tunnel was too small for the crab to follow, and they quickly ran on, determined to get away. The next room had more skeletons in it, but these they paused to fight. Jaina was ordered to heal Chandice, then Gisley, while he and Evalynn dealt with the undead.

They paused after the battle to heal Evalynn as well, but Jaina had to admit she was running out of stamina. She couldn't keep up this reckless pace, and they would have to rely on Gisley's healing circle in the next large battle.

Roric took them down another hall, nearly tripping over another giant snake, only this one wasn't a construct. In a short battle, they killed the beast, but it cost precious minutes and more stamina. On they ran, finding a room that had a stairwell down, taking them further from their goal. They didn't have much choice and headed down, hoping an exit could be found lower. An hour later, they had fought their way through five more rooms, and Evalynn was injured when she fell into a deep pit trap. Gisley had to levitate her up and then use her once-a-day powerful heal to restore her to fighting power. They were just over the pit when a party of three bounty hunters caught up to them, and in the ensuing battle, Roric was badly wounded, forcing him to draw on Gisley and Jaina. They managed to defeat the three and flee deeper into the tunnels, but it was only a matter of time.

Now they were huddled in a room made from irregular stones and had iron grates along the floor resembling drains. Everyone was near exhausted, and when Roric dared to open the door ahead, they discovered an empty room.

“A dead end,” Jaina moaned.

“We will have to double back,” Chandice said and peered into the dark hall. “Was it five rooms back we saw that side tunnel?”

“We can’t keep going,” Gisley panted. “I am almost out of glitter.”

“I am nearly out of stamina,” Jaina agreed. “If we run into a patrol, we will be slaughtered.”

“I am at near full power,” Evalynn said as she stepped down the hall. “Why don’t you risk a rest while I guard the tunnel.”

“That last group will be discovered, and they will converge on these tunnels,” Jaina said. “You won't be able to hold off the next pack alone.”

“I will stand watch with her,” Roric said and shouldered his spear.

“You will not,” Jaina insisted. “You didn't take a full rest the last time we stopped. The best thing we can do right now is have Chandice summon her devil and have it stand watch with Evalynn. She will have to cry out and alert us if somebody attacks.”

“This is hopeless,” Chandice said. “If we get attacked here, we have nowhere to fall back to. This will be our last stand.”

“Do you think Rajeen has noticed we have been gone too long?” Gisley asked as she sat down to huddle in a corner. “Maybe she will send people to look for us?”

“If Rajeen knew we were in danger, she would send her private army to scour the tunnels,” Jaina said. “But I doubt she realizes it, and we have no way to contact her.”

“Contact her!” Roric said as his ears went up. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Chandice asked.

“We need to contact Rajeen,” Roric said. “And I know how to do it!” He turned to Jaina and took her by the shoulders. “We have been down here for hours, well beyond what we originally planned. By now, it has gotten dark, and people are going to bed.”

“So?” Jaina asked.

“Remember, I gave your lizardman lover a small bottle of Gisley’s glitter. Tonight is meant to be the first night you visit his dreams,” Roric said.

“If he is asleep,” Jaina said as her eyes went wide. “I can tell him what happened, and he can tell Rajeen!”

Roric nodded and pulled Jaina to Gisley, urging her to huddle with the fairy. Gisley immediately used some of her glitter to put Jaina to sleep and then fell into her power, searching for the lizardman's dreams. In moments Jaina was standing in the very room they made love those days ago, and to her surprise, she looked exactly like she did that day. The door opened, and the lizardman walked in, his eyes full of hunger for the woman standing before the bed.

“It worked?” he said with a pleased tone. “You are really here?”

Jaina was stunned for a second, then quickly gathered her wits, running to the lizardman and throwing herself into his arms.

“Please, you have to help us!” she begged. “The are dozens of people hunting for us, and we're trapped!”

“Wait, what?” the lizardman said, holding her out at arm's length. “Slow down. Is this part of the dream?”

Jaina started crying as she explained that she was really here, but her body was asleep in a dungeon complex below the city. A rival who wanted to enslave Jaina paid bounty hunters to ambush them, and now they were trapped with no escape. At this very moment, there were at least twenty people hunting for them, and some of them were high level. They were out of power and had nothing left to fight with when the hunters finally found them.

“How do I get into the tunnels?” the lizardman asked in desperation, but Jaina shook her head.

“You need to demand to speak to Rajeen,” Jaina pleaded. “Tell her that Alexandria laid a trap in the dungeon, and Roric and his family are trapped.”

“You want me to demand to speak to Rajeen?” the lizardman balked. “They will throw me out of the inn before they allow that.”

“Tell them Jaina is in danger, and you have a message from her,” Jaina pleaded. “Please, they will take you seriously.”

“I will do whatever I can,” the lizardman said. “But how do I wake up?

“I can fix that,” Gisley said as she appeared in the dream.

“You are the girl who dances with her,” he said in surprise.

“I am Jaina’s slave sister,” Gisley replied. “Now, I am going to force you awake.”

He nodded as Gisley held up a hand, expending the last shreds of her power. A moment later, she and Jaina jerked awake as Gisley was unable to maintain the dream.

“Did it work?” Roric asked as he knelt before the exhausted girls.

“He was there, and I delivered the message,” Jaina said. “But I have no idea how close to the inn he is or if he will be able to reach Rajeen.”

“I got the impression he was staying at the inn,” Gisley said. “He said they would throw him out.”

“Let’s pray he is,” Roric said as he pulled both women into a hug. “And let's pray Rajeen can reach us before the hunters do.”