1-58 The lie exposed
“I can’t believe we are doing this,” Chandice said as they walked down the road toward a distant town.
“We don't have a choice,” Roric replied as he pulled his hood low. “Rajeen is right; we need to move our bind spot to someplace outside the forest.”
“It feels strange to be dressed in so much clothing,” Gisley added as she pulled at the full dress Chandice had given her. “And why did you make my skin green?”
“So no one will recognize you,” Roric replied, hoping that would be the case. It had been three days since the initial attack, and two more had taken place. Roric intercepted each group, giving them a chance to speak and explain themselves. Instead, they explained by attacking, claiming they would drive him away. Evalynn was always watching, and guards were nearby to assist, running in to aid Roric and crush the players. All of this was reported to Rajeen, who was growing increasingly frustrated. She promised help was on the way but hadn't learned anything useful yet. She implored them to be careful and create a secondary bind point outside their home.
They had left the forest and headed due west, where Rajeen said there was a small town. The plan was to bind themselves to the town binding stone so they would spawn someplace safe if the forest was destroyed. Of course, considering the rumor going around, this town was likely not a safe place, but no other town was close enough to use. Rajeen warned them to travel in disguise, fearing that their descriptions had been circulated. To accomplish this, the girls wore full outfits with cloaks and hoods to help disguise who they were.
In addition, Roric put the cosmetic power of the collars to use. As the master, he could alter minor cosmetic features of a slave, so he turned Gisley from purple to green and added soft blue stripes. Evalynn didn't bother with a collar, wearing her armor with a good long cloak and carrying a shield. Jaina used her shape-changing powers to alter her appearance to look like a human man in green leather. She carried a bow to give the impression that she was an archer or perhaps a scout class. Chandice wore a sunny dress in bright colors with her hair braided. She wanted to avoid being seen as a warlock, so she avoided dark hues. Roric was the one who would be hardest to disguise as silver mane gnolls were rare, and his appearance was striking. So he wore a heavy hood to hide his face, and his tail was hidden under a cloak.
Rajeen knew a few people in the town ahead and promised to send word. With any luck, they had allies waiting to help or, at the very least, steer them away from danger. She was also sending agents to the regions around the forest to spy on the settlements and see if they could uncover more about the danger. They would speak to her every night in a dream to see if she had learned anything.
They cautiously approached the village, hoping the people would know nothing about them. It was a small village like the one near the spawn, with a scattering of player houses among some NPC structures. It didn't have a wall for defense or even a central keep. The only building of any note appeared to be a round tower on a small hill, probably the home of a local wizard.
“The stone should be right on the edge of town,” Roric said as they drew closer.
“But which edge?” Jaina asked, hoping they wouldn’t need to pass through the town to get to it.
“I don’t see many people,” Gisley said as they got closer. “It doesn’t even have town guards.”
“Is that tower the home of the owner?” Evalynn asked as she eyed it warily.
“We can only assume it is,” Roric replied as they got close enough to notice the stone obelisk standing beside a tree in the road ahead.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Chandice sighed to see the binding stone was easily reached. “We won’t have to go into town to use it.”
“This is terrible,” Jaina interjected. “We wanted to build a home where players could find sexual adventures, and now we're hiding from people? We should be going into that town to invite people to come to have fun.”
“Somebody made people believe we were kidnapping women,” Chandice countered. “That rubs a lot of people the wrong way.”
“But nobody thought to investigate it?” Jaina pressed. “They just assumed it was true and ran with it?”
“Maybe they were deceived,” Gisley suggested, reminding them that Alexandria had the power to persuade people.
“Maybe,” Roric agreed. “But we have no idea if this town has been infected by the lie or not.”
“It might be wise to find out,” Evalynn suggested and looked at the others. “Jaina could slip in unnoticed.”
“Jaina is the last one of us who goes in alone,” Chandice countered. “She is a monster player and will reset if she dies out here.”
“But she has the best chance of not being noticed,” Evalynn countered. “She doesn’t even vaguely match any description of her appearance.”
“I don’t mind going,” Jaina offered. “But only for a little bit. I don't want to be there long enough for people to start asking questions.”
All eyes turned to Roric, who let out a frustrated sigh. He hated the idea of Jaina going into a strange town that might be hostile, even if nobody would recognize her. It was even more dangerous, considering how easy she was to reset. Perhaps it would be wise to send her back to Rajeen, where she could be protected in the harem. Still, it was wise to gather information, and Jaina was best suited to the task.
“Alright,” Roric said as he looked sternly at Jaina. “Just wander about and see if you can find out what people are talking about. If anyone asks you part of a group that just arrived and doesn't know anything about the local news.”
“Got it,” Jaina said nervously.
“I could go with her invisible,” Gisley offered.
“Plenty of people can see through invisibility,” Chandice countered. “And if somebody did, it would raise their suspicion as to why you were trying to hide.”
“I have to agree,” Roric said. “But I can feel Jaina through the collar. So if she gets hurt, I will know.”
“What if they kill her like they did Gisley and I?” Chandice asked, drawing attention to the fact that they had both died in seconds.
“That group was out hunting,” Roric replied as the binding stone came tantalizingly close. “People in the town will be slow to react if Jaina is somehow discovered.”
“Nobody is going to discover me,” Jaina insisted as she changed her voice to sound like a man. “Now use the stone and wait in the road while I poke around.”
One by one, they placed their hands on the stone and recited the words of binding, giving them an additional spawn point. If their homes in the forest and Roric's totem were destroyed, they would have one final spawn point a safe distance outside. Of course, Jaina wasn't safe as she had to create a lair and bind herself to a region. That region was inside the forest now, and she would reset if killed here in this town.
“Please be careful,” Roric said as their eyes met.
“I can do this,” Jaina said with a smile. “Besides, this town probably hasn’t heard of us. We are worried over nothing.”
“It is so weird seeing you as a man,” Gisley said and ran a hand over Jaina’s cheek. “Can we have sex like this?”
“Ha, is that all that ever goes through your mind?” Jaina laughed and took her hands. “We can spend some time together later. Let me go see if anything is going on in this town.”
“Be careful,” Gisley said, repeating Roric’s earlier comment as Jaina waved and headed for the town.
She did her best not to look worried as she wandered into the first street winding through some modest buildings. The first people she saw looked like simple villagers dressed in a fantasy peasant way. She assumed these were NPCs and moved on, heading for the center of town where there appeared to be a market square. She began to pass obvious players, but none of them paid her any mind. She was just another player going about her business in a small village of no importance.
Jaina noted that there were about a dozen player homes, not counting the tower and that this town was either new or not very popular. She did find a decent fountain of a dragon in the town square and a few shops that had to be player businesses. However, it seemed like a rather boring village with little to offer. She decided to pause at a market stall and ask if there was an inn. The blue-skinned woman at the stall pointed down a street and told her there was one on the left. Jaina thanked her and headed off, feeling more relaxed by the moment. Thus far, this town seemed open and inviting, with no hint that they knew about the love wood.
She found the inn after passing another few players who all seemed too busy to notice her. She walked up to a stereotypical medieval inn and paused at the door. A notice was posted that a group of slavers had set up nearby and called for aid in driving them out. The document wasn't very long, but it contained a detailed description of Roric and all four girls. It claimed that Roric was a slaver, capturing women traveling on the road and forcing them into collars. He then sold them to brothels far to the south so no one could find them. It listed the girls as his accomplices and warned that the purple fairy was the most dangerous of them all. It claimed she had mind control powers and used them to trick women into collars. They also waylaid and robbed by tempting travelers with lurid sexual acts and then killed them when they were most vulnerable. It offered no reward, just a call to arms to drive the wicked players away.
Jaina looked around to see if anyone was watching, then tore the notice from the wall. She folded it up and put it in her pouch before entering the inn to see what people were talking about. Inside, all felt normal, with a dozen tables scattered about a small room. A human man stood behind the bar while three women of various races cleaned or delivered drinks. Only a dozen patrons were at the tables, six of which were sitting together near the window. Jaina went to the bar and ordered a drink, plunking a few coins on the counter as the man brought her an ale.
She turned to watch the barroom as she sipped, listening to the chatter of the nearby players. To her relief, they were talking about the notice, but the group seemed divided. Half of them didn't think the notice was real and asked why none of them had heard about this Roric before. Surely a man this despicable would be well known, especially around the spawns. The other half didn't care; it was just another reason to go on an adventure and plunder a nearby player's home.
Jaina listened as the group argued with two of its members refusing to go, citing the notice could be a fake. Nobody knew who posted or why, and there was no way to verify if this Roric had actually done any of this. One of the women wanted to go just to see if the women did lure people with sex. She was soundly ridiculed by one of her male companions, who said she would end up in a slave collar.
“That's not very nice,” Jaina said in a low voice to avoid being heard. “I would love to show her how welcome she was in our forest.”
She listened for a few minutes while slowly drinking her ale. Four of the group were going to go and were very upset with the two who refused. Jaina felt angry that these people would march into her home and kill her family over a random notice posted on a wall. She decided to do something risky and approached the group as they debated.
“Excuse me,” Jaina said in a masculine voice. “I couldn’t help but overhear what you said about the forest nearby.”
“If you are interested in helping us raid it, we have room in our group,” an elf warrior said as he gave the two dissenters an angry glare.
Jaina smiled and shook her head, explaining that she already belonged to a group of six. She said they had just arrived in town and come through the very forest they were talking about. She then wove a story about how most of her group were women, and they encountered no danger in the forest. Instead, they encountered two women who were very friendly about their affections and had been more than willing to share them.
“That's disgusting,” one of the women said. “So they are a bunch of whores.”
“I bet they didn’t dare attack him because he wasn’t alone,” the elf warrior suggested.
Jaina hadn't considered that logic and tried to steer the conversation. She did her best to say she had seen none of the things they notice outside claimed was going on. They asked if she had met this Roric, and she said she had not. She briefly described Gisley and Evalynn, trying to paint them as friendly and wonderful people. She said they had told her that their forest would be a place of beauty, full of sensual adventures.”
“I think they have him brainwashed,” one of the women said. “The notice said the purple one could do that.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to claim,” Jaina protested. “My entire group would tell the same story if they were here.”
“They are probably all under her sway,” the woman laughed. “I bet your missing a member or two and don’t even remember it.”
Jaina was shocked to see how resistant to another opinion they were. They wanted to raid the forest and would not accept that what they were doing might be wrong. That posting gave them permission to behave like monsters, so they were going to do so no matter who they hurt. She thought to use her seductress powers for a moment, softening the opinion so she might get through. However, the risk was too great, and a sudden shift of attitude by some of them might make others suspicious. All she could do was insist that the two women she encountered were very nice and that whoever posted that notice was lying.
“Maybe we shouldn’t discount what he says,” one of the two who didn’t want to go along suggested. He appeared to be a human wizard with a magical tattoo around one eye. “You are essentially saying they are guilty because it suits how you feel.”
“Shut up, Grembly,” the elf warrior groaned. “Who cares what happens to them? They will respawn and go somewhere else.”
“After you burn down their home and force them to reset?” Grembly asked.
“It's all part of the world,” the warrior laughed. “Besides, there aren't any monster players to hunt anymore.”
“That’s because people persecuted them for choosing to play a monster,” a short woman with long silver hair countered.
“Hey, I didn't make them choose,” the warrior said as he pointed an accusing finger at the woman. “If you two want to level like snails, that's your choice. But the rest of us are going to earn some experience. You know tons of other players are going to rush out there. Better to get some XP before they reset and play something else.”
Jaina felt her blood boiling to hear the callus way he spoke about other players. If they weren't in his circle of influence, they were just experience to be harvested. All it took was somebody to point him to the forest and give him a reason to go.
“I'm sorry, I need to meet up with my party,” Jaina said to excuse herself. She fled the inn and hurried into the street, eager to report what she had learned to the others. Just as she was about to round the corner and head out, somebody placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Running off so soon?” a familiar voice asked.
Jaina nearly jumped and turned to see the smiling man who leered back at her.
“Santos?” Jaina asked. “Do. Do you know who I am?”
“I never forget a face,” Santos said as he smiled wide. “But I never want to see you undressed in this form.”
“How could you possibly know it was me?” Jaina gasped as she couldn't believe he had seen through her disguise. Santos laughed and admitted his men were watching the spawn stone. They saw her party arrive, and he approached Roric just after she had gone. Roric gave him a description of Jaina and asked him to look in on her.
“Oh, well, that makes me feel better,” Jaina sighed in relief. “I thought my disguise had some fatal flaw.”
“No, it’s perfect,” Santos said as he leaned over to look at her more closely. “But I find this look disturbing. I much prefer the sexy seductress.”
“I bet you do,” Jaina laughed. “But we weren't sure it was safe to enter the town as ourselves, and we were right,” she added and fished out the folded notice from her pouch. She handed it to him, and he read it over, nodding as he reached the bottom.
“We have found similar notices in other places,” Santos admitted. “Rajeen wants the person posting them found, but thus far, nobody seems to know who it is.”
“Well, we need to find out soon,” Jaina insisted. “I just talked to some people at the local inn. They are planning to raid the forest because of this notice.”
“I imagine there are groups in all the nearby towns planning to do the same thing,” Santos replied. “I hate to say this, but it might be wise to give up now.”
“Are you nuts?” Jaina balked. “Do you have any idea how much gold we burned into points? We would have to dance and fuck for another three weeks to earn even half of it back.”
“Look, I understand,” Santos replied with a hand over his heart. “But somebody has it out for you, and it isn’t just about revenge.”
“What do you mean?” Jaina asked as she felt a sinking feeling.
“Why don’t we return to your master,” Santos suggested. “I think you all need to hear this.”
Jaina nodded, and they walked boldly through the street like they were just another pair of adventurers. They found Roric and the others half a mile from the spawn stone, waiting nervously for her return.
Jaina showed them the notice and then described the scene at the inn. Santos again suggested that this was only one of many groups on their way to ravage the forest.
“What are we going to do?” Gisley asked in a hurt tone.
“All we can do is fight,” Evalynn suggested. “This is our home now. We can't just give it up.”
“I suggest you do,” Santos urged. “Or things may get ugly.”
“Right, you wanted to tell us something important,” Jaina said.
“Indeed,” Santos replied with a tip of his head. “Rajeen has pulled every string she has. Being such a prominent figure, she has a bit of influence in the local area. She has learned that the leader of that dungeon attack is furious that your group got away. In particular, a woman who calls herself Aqua is angry about losing the bounty on your heads.”
“Aqua?” Roric repeated. “You don’t think that’s the woman who could turn into water?”
“Oh, so you know her?” Santos asked. “She’s a water spirit blade thrower. Deadly at medium range from what I’m told. She sells her service as a kind of bounty hunter. Specializes in bringing people back alive.”
“That has to be her,” Evalynn snarled. “But why is she our enemy now? We didn’t even kill her.”
“I put that imp curse on her,” Chandice said with a pleased smile. “What I wouldn’t have given to see her punished by my imps.”
“I am interested in seeing that now,” Santos said with a broad smile.
“All men are the same,” Jaina laughed. “We will show you later.”
He laughed with her but took on a somber face as he continued his story. Thus far, they had been unable to locate Alexandria, and he even visited her brothel. It turns out the brothel is closed, and the woman hadn't been seen in days. The local rogues didn't want to talk to him, but he managed to get a few details. Somebody had come to visit Alexandria, and whoever that person was made her desperate. The details were fuzzy, but it appeared Alexandria owed a debt, and she was hoping to pay it with Jaina.
“She needed me to pay a debt?” Jaina asked. “What kind of trouble is she in?”
“We don't know,” Santos admitted. “But we do know the visitor represented a group from the far north. They call themselves the silken princes and are well known to have large harems. We suspect Alexandria brokered a deal with them that involved her selling new girls to their harems.”
“I suspected she was cruel,” Roric said with a shake of his head.
“On the contrary,” Santos interrupted. “My men and I have been to her brothel many times. She always treated her girls like gold and did her best to make them happy. She gave them time off, money to spend and encouraged them to practice their classes. She even let them go if they became unhappy, giving them a little cash to see them through until they could establish themselves someplace else.”
“Wait, are we talking about the same Alexandria?” Chandice asked. “Because all I ever saw was an angry, manipulative scoundrel who would do anything to get what she wanted.”
“I assure you we are,” Santos replied. “That is why I worked with her on the plan to steal your gold.”
“So Alexandria isn’t a cruel person?” Jaina said in surprise.
“Then why is she sending an army of players to burn our home?” Evalynn asked.
“We don't think she is behind this,” Santos replied. “As I said, she's gone into hiding and released all her girls.”
“So she didn’t lock any of her collars,” Roric noted and looked to the others. “Which means she values the girl's freedom to some extent. Her behavior would suggest that whatever she is involved in has put her under a great deal of pressure. It would appear somebody has a knife to our adversaries throat.”
“And she was hoping to use Jaina to escape the trap,” Gisley said and looked at Jaina. “But why you?”
“I have no idea,” Jaina replied as her head started to spin. “All my encounters with the woman were unpleasant. She hated the idea that I wanted to serve Roric instead of her.”
“She never confided in me what she was involved in or why you were so important to her,” Santos said. “But I do know that gold she tried to steal was another way to attempt to escape the noose.”
“She needed the money to buy them off,” Roric said as he began to wonder. “More and more, I feel we have missed something important.”
“All of this centers around slave girls,” Gisley said. “Alexandria was collecting them and probably shipping the best ones to these silken princes.”
“And who makes a better slave girl than Jaina?” Chandice asked. “A shape-changing seductress that loves being a sex slave. She must be worth a fortune.”
“Ten fortunes,” Santos suggested. “But I hear rumors they have found a girl just as valuable.”
“Who?” Evalynn asked as Santos turned a sad expression on Gisley.
“Me?” Gisley cried. “Why do they want me?”
“I am afraid that people know what you are,” Santos replied. “We overheard them talking about how a rare fairy player lived nearby. Certain people are already offering lofty sums to anyone who can bring back some of your glitter. Some people are offering a lot more if they can bring you back. I am also told that people now suspect you are playing a prostitute class. You have no idea how valuable that makes you.”
“Oh, this had gotten out of control,” Jaina cried. “All we want to do is have fun and play. We even established a home where players could come to have sexual encounters with us for free. Why are people so against that?”
“People think it is too good to be true, and our unknown adversary is leading many to see it as a trap,” Santos said.
“Just as the notice said,” Roric growled. “We use the lure of sex to rob the men and enslave the women. Selling them off, probably to these silken princes.”
“I am afraid that is how many see it,” Santos agreed.
“Hold on, Something doesn't make any sense,” Chandice said. “If Gisley and Jaina are so valuable, why did they kill Gisley the other day? Wouldn't they have tried to capture her?”
“I am afraid we have been trying to figure that out since you informed Rajeen about your deaths,” Santos said. “In all the towns where we have discovered these notices, it never mentions capturing any of you. It always says you need to be driven out, which is a polite way of saying reset. Rajeen and I spoke about it, and we agree that the goal might indeed be to reset you both.”
“Why?” Gisley asked.
“Because it will make you far easier to capture,” Santos replied. “And we have it on good authority that the nearby spawns are being watched. The real hunters are probably at the spawns while they stir up the mob to do their dirty work. Let the mob reset you, and then they can pick you up easily when you reset and return to the nearby spawn ring.”
“I am shocked,” Gisley cried. “People want to reset me just because I am a fairy prostitute?”
“You have no idea how rare that race and class combination is. To be honest, I am not sure it has ever happened before. I have heard of a seductress, but I have never heard of anybody playing the prostitute class. You are as rare as they come. There are probably three lunar faries in the world, and you are the only prostitute anyone has ever heard of. Jaina's race is also rare but a little more common. But to pair it up with a seductress that wants to be a sex slave instead of using her powers for herself. That makes you a rare gem among rare gems.”
“Great,” Jaina sighed. “And now people think they have the right to own us.”
“That's probably how they see it,” Santos agreed. “I am sure they would take care of you like Rajeen takes care of her girls, but the bragging rights to the other silken princes would be unmatched.”
“What good are bragging rights?” Evalynn asked.
“Are you kidding?” Santos laughed. “Bragging rights and social status are all that's important to the high-level players. Once you get high enough, the game changes. Players establish kingdoms, lands, and areas of control. Their social status among their peers is all that matters, and having something that no other player can get is worth a fortune. The silken princes all have harems, but none of them has a fairy prostitute or a morphic seductress. The one who manages to gain possession of you two will be the most powerful.”
“I wonder how they keep such large harems?” Chandice asked. “Even Rajeen couldn’t collar even a quarter of her girls.”
“I regret I do not have the answer,” Santos replied with a funny smile. “But if I ever figure it out, I will consider changing to that class if I reset.”
“Ha, I bet you will,” Jaina laughed.
“Then maybe I can play secret games to acquire you both,” Santos said with a smile.
“Or you can just establish a new lair so we can resume being the guild whores,” Gisley pointed out.
“Ah, yes,” Santos sighed. “Unfortunately, every town in the area already has a thieves guild hiding nearby. You would be surprised how hard it is to find a good place to lair.”
“If we can stop these attacks, you are welcome to establish a lair in our forest,” Roric said. “Evalynn can create a hidden cave system for you to populate.”
“Hmm, a tempting offer,” Santos replied and rubbed at his chin. “I would love to build a guild under your forest, but I fear it isn’t going to last.”
“We can’t turn our backs on it now,” Evalynn insisted as she turned to Roric. “We used nearly all our gold. It will take weeks to make that back.”
“Maybe we should run to Rajeen,” Jaina said. “We would be safe and could start earning money back.”
“Can we go to Rajeen?” Gisley asked. “It sounds like the people involved can make trouble even for her.”
Roric went to reply when a voice called out and made them turn. Jaina felt her skin crawl to see the group from the inn, minus the two players who didn’t want to go.
“So this is your group,” the elf warrior said as Roric pulled his hood low. Santos quickly stepped in front of him to help hide his appearance. Jaina stood defiantly and met the man's gaze as he stopped with his party to look them over.
“So you came through the slave woods alive?” he asked.
“Love wood,” Evalynn corrected.
“Yes,” Jaina cut in, carefully using the masculine voice. “The girls we met called it the love wood.”
“Ha, I bet they are all charmed a woman who looked like a thin dwarf said. “Probably lost half their gold just crossing through it.”
“I doubt that,” Santos interrupted. “The forest is beautiful, as are the girls who prowl it. However, if you fools are going there to cause trouble, you will soon regret your decision.”
“Ha,” the elf warrior laughed. “We can handle a few naked girls.”
“I would like to handle them,” one of the other men added.
“And what about this, Roric?” the woman asked. “Are we going to look for him?”
“We will look for them all,” the warrior said as he shouldered a sword. “We will figure out where their binds are and break them.” He paused to look at Roric's group and invited them to come with him. There were rumors that this Roric had immense amounts of gold and a few prized magical items.
Santos answered for them, shaking his head as he bid them good luck. The group moved on, heading down the road in search of the mysterious forest as the group breathed a sigh of relief.
“Those were the people you were telling us about?” Roric asked as Jaina fumed.
“That was them,” Jaina sighed. “We’re just free experience to them.”
“A pity they won’t be earning any,” Santos laughed.
“Why do you say that?” Roric asked.
Santos smiled and made a low whistle, followed by a slitting gesture at his throat. Around the group, hidden forms moved in the grass, barely making a sound as Santos smiled wider.
“What did you just do?” Jaina asked.
“I tried to warn them that they would regret their decision,” Santos said innocently. “I am afraid they are never going to reach the forest.”
Jaina looked to the distant group and realized that Santos had sent his guild after them. They were being trailed by invisible rogues who would strike when they least expected it. It was a sad ending to a sad day, but at least they knew more about what was going on, and a secondary spawn point was secured. With some luck, Rajeen would find the source of this terrible situation and drag them into the light. Until then, there was nothing to do but go home and hope that with Santos and his guild to aid them; the danger could be forestalled.