1-61 We can’t wait any longer.

Minutes passed slowly as Jaina huddled on the floor with Gisley and Chandice. Evalynn stood at the statue, giving them an update on the invaders prowling the forest. Zorac and his friend Grom watched at the doorway while Santos prowled the camp in stealth.

Every one of them was injured with Gisley's glitter pool spent. She lamented that she could draw more power if she had her magic pond, but it was corrupted and useless. Jaina was close to full health as her regeneration far exceeded the others. She could also absorb mass, converting a portion of the material into health and stamina. The process was slow, but she used it to power her healing kiss, restoring the group whenever she had enough stamina.

The girls were in a state of shock, unable to believe their plan to create a home had gone up in flames. It was impossible to imagine so many people would believe a lie simply because it was convenient. It gave them an excuse to behave badly, causing physical harm for their profit. Chandice was particularly upset, not at the loss of her shop but for Gisley's pond. The fairy woman had wanted to create a place of peace and beauty where travelers would be greeted by open and willing arms. Gisley had meant to give people intense and passionate sexual encounters, offering her love freely. Now people thought of her as the chief villain, using powers of suggestion and mind control to dominate other women. Roric was the mastermind, and Gisley was his bait, her beauty and charms carefully crafted to lure travelers to their doom.

Worse was the warning Santos delivered that people knew Gisley's true value. She and Jaina were worth a fortune to the right buyer, and there were people eager to make the purchase. Jaina couldn't believe that anyone believed she would go to them willingly. They couldn't force a collar on her, and they couldn't hold her with any binds. She could use her morphic ability to absorb materials to eat through ropes, straps, or even chains. Not to mention she could become fluid for a short period and escape any cage. They would have to contain her inside an acid-proof glass bottle and never dare to open it to have any hope of holding her.

Gisley could be held but never silenced. If she went to sleep, she could prowl the dreams of others, provided they had been sprinkled with her glitter. Rajeen and others had access to a supply of this glitter, and Gisley would find them in short order, bringing her allies running. She would never accept a collar from anyone but Roric, and no amount of coaxing would change that.

They debated how these silk princes could believe that either of them would accept being kidnapped and sold. Did they believe they had so much wealth and power that the girls would thank them for stealing them away to live in their palaces? It seemed ridiculous to believe, but then people often believed ridiculous things. Gisley suggested they might try to impress the girls with power and station, making them the gems of their collections. They would offer them anything they wanted in return for accepting their collar.

Jaina shook her head and said nobody had the wealth or power to buy her away from Roric. She began to lament that the collars weren't locked because that would change everything. If they were locked, nobody could remove them, and they would belong to Roric forever. Even if he were slain, a locked collar would remain, and he would know their exact location at all times. The only way one of these princes could gain possession of them would be if Roric decided to sell them. They all agreed that would never happen, at least not unless it was under safe conditions like Jaina’s sale to Rajeen.

The time trickled by as Evalynn grew more tense. Players were searching through every inch of the forest and drawing ever closer to the hidden entrance to their valley. Once they found it, it was only a matter of time before they spotted the village, and the carnage would begin.

“A group of seven is picking through the battle sight,” Evalynn announced. “Let’s hope that keeps them occupied for a bit.”

“That puts them near the valley entrance,” Zorac said. “How long until Roric respawns?”

“Another hour,” Jaina suggested but wasn’t truly sure. It was hard to gauge the time in the chaos that had erupted.

“And you are sure he will spawn here?” Zorac asked.

“I think so,” Jaina said and looked at Chandice. “Or maybe he will spawn where his totem is?”

“I think by default that is a spawn spot,” Chandice agreed. “But as the master of this area, he had the option of setting it to any bed in the village.”

“At least both places are close together,” Grom said as he looked away from the doorway.

“Why are you watching the doorway so intently?” Gisley asked as she stirred from her huddle.

“We are watching for flying players,” Zorac replied. “We don’t dare go out if somebody might spot us from the air.”

“All we can do is hunker down and wait for the respawn, then run like hell,” Grom insisted. “We run straight to Rajeen and bolt the doors behind us.”

“We can’t hide in Rajeen’s inn for the rest of our lives,” Chandice said. “We have to find a way to put a stop to this.”

“Rajeen is working on that,” Zorac insisted. “She told us she was pressing all her contacts to counter the lie and find out who was spreading it.”

“Santos said the same thing,” Jaina added. “He even paid a personal visit to Alexandria's brothel, but it was abandoned.”

“Did he say why?” Zorac asked.

“Something about her receiving a visitor from a group called the silken princes. Whatever her dealings are with them, this visit sent her into hiding,” Jaina explained.

“Huh,” Zorac said as he tried to understand it. “I wonder why?”

“I have heard of that group,” Grom said. “Supposed to be nobility or something in the far northwest. A collection of kingdoms outside the spawn ring. From what I hear it's a lovely place with large cities and many villages. I can't say I have ever heard anything particularly bad about them.”

“Santos said they had large harems and were fond of adding to their collections,” Jaina said before pointing out how she and Gisley were such rare race and class combinations that they would be prizes worth a fortune. Apparently, these silken princes competed for social status and standing. The prince who could possess them would be able to brag he had the most exceptional harem.

“I can see where that would entice them,” Zorac said with a nod. “Maybe Alexandria had some kind of contract to deliver you?”

“Nobody knows,” Jaina said and hugged Gisley to her chest. “All we know is she needed me for something, and when Gisley revealed her wings in the dungeon, she was added to the list.”

“I have heard of fairies being rare,” Grom agreed. “I can't rightly say I have ever heard of a morphic. A changeling or a shifter is more common.”

“Those are hero players,” Jaina sighed. “A morphic isn’t.”

The two men exchanged glances, and then Zorac looked at Jaina intently. “Are you saying you are a monster player?”

“Does that matter?” Jaina asked with a hurt expression. She could hardly believe the look of surprise on their faces as they reacted with shock at the news.

“No, of course not,” Zorac said quickly. “It's just I had no idea, and this makes the situation worse.”

“She will reset if they can get their hands on her,” Grom sternly said. “The rest of us can die and be fine, but we can't let her be killed.”

“I hid my anchoring object just outside the forest,” Jaina interjected. “It's a small glass cube, and we buried it behind a large rock. So long as I don't die too far away.”

“But Rajeen is far away,” Zorac replied and dropped to one knee before the girls. “And I don't care that you are a monster player. Do you think somebody could look like Grom or I and not be mistaken for monster players? So we understand what it's like to have people hate you just for what you are.”

“Thank you,” Jaina replied as she stroked Gisley’s head. “I meant to tell you.”

“You don't owe me an explanation,” Zorac said as he got up. “I would keep that to myself too. Roric and I share the rare distinction of being hero versions of what is typically a monster race. I have met lizardmen who are the monster varieties, and they have had some hard times.”

“You don’t get away unscathed all the time,” Grom cut in. “Remember that summoner in Dawnfast?”

“I would rather not,” Zorac groaned and turned back to the doorway. “We have been lucky so far. Nobody has found the valley.”

“Our luck is about to run out,” Evalynn said. “They have some kind of druidic sprite helping them. She has uncovered our path and is leading them to the canyon.”

“Damn,” Zorac grumbled and took up his club. “You stay at that statue. If the village comes under attack, you make the bridge and run. Jaina must not be killed or captured.”

“What about Roric?” Jaina pleaded.

“He will have to take his chances with us,” Zorac said. “Grom and I will hold this ground. We will delay them as long as we can. Maybe he will be able to escape too.”

“I could fly him over,” Gisley offered. “I can carry one light person.”

“Roric is bigger than all of us and wears medium armor,” Jaina pointed out. “Can you carry him on your disk?”

“No,” Gisley admitted. “The disk has to be near the ground. If I flew over the edge, the disk would fall to the ground below, and if it got too far away, it would vanish. Roric would fall the rest of the way and splat. When I get to level fifty, I gain fairy blessings that would help, but that's useless right now.”

“We are running out of time. This sprite is using some kind of spell to part the foliage and reveal our tracks. They are in the canyon and heading right for us,” Evalynn said.

“They won’t even search the valley then,” Grom said. “They are going to come straight here.”

“The ramp is gone. That should buy us some time,” Zorac insisted.

“Except for the climbers or the ones who can levitate or teleport,” Grom listed off.

“Still nobody that can fly?” Chandice asked.

“I am assuming that if they had people who could fly, they would have done so by now,” Zorac replied. “But that doesn’t mean I am right. They might be walking the ground because of the dense trees.”

“I am willing to bet you are right,” Grom said. “They probably can't see a thing from the skies, so they dropped down to walk. When they spot this village, they will shoot right up here.”

“Then we stay hidden until we can't hide any longer,” Zorac insisted. “The village looks deserted. Maybe they will assume we ran.”

“They are going to search the village,” Grom said. “Nobody is going to just assume we're not home.”

“They are in the valley,” Evalynn sighed. “They are following our tracks.”

“Ten minutes tops,” Grom said. “That valley isn’t so big.”

“We will have to fight,” Jaina said and got up, bringing Gisley with her. “We will help.”

“I would rather you stayed hidden,” Zorac urged. “Is there no secret place in this village?”

“Roric has a hidden cave where he keeps his totem,” Jaina said. “It is hidden behind a secret door on the cliff ledge and then behind a second door inside.”

“Then I would rather you went there and remained hidden,” he urged. “You three have spent most of your stamina. You will quickly deplete in a prolonged battle.”

“That's the funny thing about PvP battles,” Grom laughed. “Everybody burns their powerful skills and eats up their stamina pool. A few minutes in, and everyone is overtaxed.”

“Hey, I can still pull off a trick or two,” Jaina insisted. “I have a skill that requires no stamina at all.” She illustrated her point as her form turned gray and her body shifted. She grew slightly in size, widening as she sprouted a tail and covered her skin in scales. A moment later, she was a lizard woman with dark blue scales, a white belly, and large, firm breasts.

“Wow,” Zorac said as Jaina smiled. “I feel slightly aroused.”

“Now is hardly the time,” Jaina laughed. “But I can help a little in this form, and players won't realize it's me. If they manage to kill me, I will respawn just outside the forest and run for Rajeen.”

“Do those claws do any good?” Zorac asked as he took one of her hands.

“I can imitate claws, teeth, spikes, and most physical traits accurate enough to use them as weapons,” Jaina said. “In a few levels, I will even be able to imitate wings and use them to fly.”

“You can?” Gisley asked.

Jaina turned to her and smiled, saying that she would be able to sprout her own butterfly wings, and they could flutter about together. That seemed to bring some cheer back to Gisley's face, but the moment only lasted a few seconds as Evalynn informed them that the enemy had found the village.

“I have enough mana back to summon a pair of imps,” Chandice said as she stood. “I will order them to help you two.”

“Any help is appreciated,” Gorm said as he turned from the doorway. “But you girls should consider your escape route now.”

“Let’s not jump to that just yet,” Zorac suggested. “They might know where we are, but now they have to get up here. We can use her imps and your shadow skills to pick of fliers.”

“The hillside might be steep, but for a rogue or anyone with the climbing skill, it is only going to slow them,” Gorm insisted.

“They are gathering at the base of the hill,” Evalynn said. “It looks as if they are discussing how to ascend the slope.”

“You can’t hear what they are saying?” Jaina asked.

“No, they are using some kind of magic to shield themselves from my spying. I can’t hear anything they are saying,” Evalynn replied.

“They know we are watching them,” Zorac said as his face looked worried. “That means they are likely prepared to counter our efforts. They know we will use our ability to control the zone to our advantage.”

“Which is probably why they are using the druid woman,” Chandice said. “Somebody who can neutralize Evalynn’s control over the forest.”

“We might be in trouble,” Grom said solemnly when a voice cried out. They heard the clashing of steel and ran for the door to find Santos standing over a fallen man while fighting in a blaze of cuts against two women. One woman was a very short, lithe elf with daggers in each hand, while the other was blue-skinned with cloud white hair. She fought with a dagger and a slender sword, using it in a series of quick glowing slashes. Santos was a blur of motion, his form shifting from side to side, making him impossible to pin down.

“Stealthers are already up here?” Zorac said in surprise, unable to believe they had ascended the cliff that fast. Grom rushed passed him, the black chains on his arms growing longer as sharp hooks appeared on the ends. He lashed at the shorter woman, wrapping a chain around her waist before yanking her back. She screamed as she was thrown at the feet of Zorac, whose raised club was ready to strike.

“Camilla!” the blue woman screamed and vanished in a cloud of smoke. She appeared in Zorac's path; her sword and dagger crossed the block the blow.

“You will not hurt my master or my sister!” the woman yelled as she caught the blow and fell to one knee from the impact.

“Master and sister?” Jaina said as she rushed out to join the fight. It was only then she noticed the collars around their necks and realized they were slave girls.

Zorac pinned her under the blow and went to kick her off as Santos leaped into the air to plunge a dagger into the shorter one's back. Suddenly bubbles appeared around the women as their master's protection shielded them from harm. The man staggered to his feet as red energy streamed from both women, healing his wounds.

“What is this?” Zorac asked as he battered a bubble, unable to break it.

Jaina knew exactly what was happening but couldn't believe these three. More than anybody else, they should have sympathy for their plight. A master and his two slave girls should have seen through those lies, but here they were, just as eager to claim their heads. The idea sicked Jaina, but she was also familiar with the bubbles. Nobody could harm the two women for the next thirty seconds or so, but they couldn't do anything either.

“Kick them over the side!” Jaina yelled and pointed to the edge of the cliff.

Zorac immediately got the idea and swung his club like a bat, and the blue woman screamed in rage as her bubble was battered into a roll. She flailed helplessly as it went over the edge vanishing from sight. Grom used his chains to wrap the other and yanked her over the side as she beat on the walls. Santos was on their enraged master in seconds, the two rogues locked in a battle of skill as the man cursed them.

“Those bubbles will fail before they hit the ground!” the man yelled.

“Sounds like that’s your problem,” Santos retorted with a devilish smile. The man yelled a curse and ran for the edge, diving over the side to save his girls. The group looked surprised by his choice of tactic but quickly used the pause to regroup and hide in the throne room.

“How did they get up so quickly?” Zorac asked as they moved away from the door.

“They must have been here ahead of the others,” Grom suggested.

“A slave rogue slave master with two rogue girls,” Santos said with a pleased nod. “I wish I had thought of that.”

“You could have three slave girls if you ever build another layer,” Jaina argued.

“We had this discussion before,” he said with a nod. “It isn't so easy to plunk down a lair when somebody else is already there.”

“We can worry about that later,” Evalynn interrupted. “Those girls didn't survive the fall. The bubbles failed just before they hit the ground.”

“I kinda feel bad about that,” Jaina cringed. “But to think slave girls came here to hunt us.”

“I don't feel bad about it at all,” Evalynn said. “However, the man survived and has spurred the mob on. The druid woman is using her powers to grow giant roots and plants along the side of the cliff. She is building a ramp straight to the top.”

“How could this get any worse?” Chandice asked as she hung her head.

“More players are entering the valley,” Evalynn replied. “There are close to thirty players massing at the cliff base.”

“We can’t hold thirty for very long,” Grom insisted as he turned to Zorac. “Even if we tried to buy them some time, it wouldn’t be more than a few seconds.”

“Then we need to run now,” Zorac said with a sigh. “We can’t wait for Roric.”

Jaina shook her head and insisted they had to wait until the very last second. If they left Roric to this pack of animals, they would tear him to shreds and then camp on the spot so they could repeatedly kill him. Zorac apologized but didn't know what else they could do. Maybe if they ran to Rajeen, they could come back with her and an army of harem girls to recapture the village and save him.

Gisley was horrified that Roric might respawn nearly a dozen times in that time span, each time being abused at the hands of those players. She even pointed out that the slave master would likely take his frustration out on Roric, making him suffer before every death.

“I don't know what else to do,” Zorac insisted. “Grom is right; we can't stay here any longer. They will be here in minutes, and we no longer have the numbers to slow them.”

“I know what to do,” Evalynn said as she pulled away from the statue with a stony expression. “We destroy his totem and bed, forcing him to respawn at the binding stone near that town.”

“You want us to be the ones who destroy everything he built?” Jaina asked.

“It is all about to be destroyed anyway,” Evalynn insisted. “At least this way, we can save Roric from the fate Gisley just laid out.”

Jaina trembled with pain as Evalynn ordered her, Gisley, and Chandice onto the bridge she had already created. Zorac was sent into the secret caves to shatter the totem while Grom and Santos smashed Roric's bed. Now there was only one spawn point left in the whole region, and Evalynn turned to her statue to unmake her link. The statue cracked and crumbled, falling to the ground like sand as the tears fell from Evalynn's eyes. All the points they had spent were lost, and the gold they gathered was wasted. Their dream was over before it had even begun, and now they were bitter toward another player. She quickly dashed into Roric's bedroom and grabbed his pack with the last bag of deep pockets and the magic tent. She then ran with Grom and Santos to find Zorac leaving the cave, obviously disturbed by what he had just done.

“It couldn’t be helped,” Santos said to try and soothe the tense feeling being shared by the group.

“We have to hurry,” Evalynn said, trying to be strong. “I broke my statue, so the bridge will remain only as long as somebody stands on it. We have to get over it before the players show up.”

Zoric nodded and led the way to a stone arch that spanned the chasm between two hills. The nearby hill was a bit lower than the village, so the lower slope was a series of steps taking the ramp down. Gisley was the only one still on the bridge as she could fly if something went wrong, but she lingered to keep the bridge alive so they could cross. Jaina and Chandice were on the far side, waving them to hurry as a ball of fire rose into the air. One of the outer buildings was burning, signaling the players had reached the village.

“Go,” Zorac shouted and sent them running across. He took the rear, trusting in his mass of health should anyone attack from behind. They were halfway across when Roric't tent was rent asunder by some kind of lightning spell. As it collapsed in flames, he looked back to see angry faces and pointing fingers. They saw the bridged and knew the girls were escaping but had created a barrier of fire between them. Zorac was about to thank his luck when a shadow descended from the sky and dropped before the group, the angel-like woman spreading her wings.

“Your escape is over,” the blond woman said as she raised a sword glowing with golden light. She wore white armor etched with golden runes and hung with white ornaments. She was about to say something more when Gisley leaped into the air and unleashed a beam of glittering light that cut the sky like a laser. The woman blocked the beam with her sword, causing an explosion of rays in every color of the rainbow. However, the blast was too much, and it succeeded in pushing her from the bridge. She was forced to spread her wings and take to the air as the group ran on. She went to cast a spell, but Gisley rushed her, a fey sword in hand. The two locked in a spiraling conflict of blows as they flew in circles around one another. The battle looked nearly even until a red spear lodged in the woman's side. Evalynn used her powers to throw magical copies of her weapon, forcing the angel woman to retreat or be skewered.

“Gisley, let her go!” Evalynn shouted when the fairy went to pursue. “Get to the other side with the others!”

Gisley growled and flew back as spells began to streak by. The fire still barred the players on the hill, but they were taking random shots at Gisley. She weaved and darted while dropping down, hoping to get below their line of sight. A magical dart went through a wing, and an arrow clipped her arm, but she fluttered below the bridge and up the other side as they finally ran down the steps.

“We are almost across,” Zorac shouted as they closed the final gap. Desperate to be off the bridge before a hunter could get on it. He jumped the final distance, dropping to the hill with a roll, and came to his feet to see players had used spells to quell the fire. They were seconds from reaching the bridge when Evalynn's control failed, and it vanished in a rumble, nothing but dust to fall away.

“That was an inspired idea,” Grom said and looked at Evalynn. “Using the terrain mechanics to create a collapsing bridge only you can cross. You are a very clever tactician.”

“And thinking to shatter the spawns to shift where Roric will respawn,” Zorac agreed. “You may have saved him a lot of suffering.”

“And the girls seem to follow your lead,” Grom added.

“Evalynn takes charge of the girls when Roric isn’t around,” Chandice said. “She ensures they are cared for and safe.”

“A second in command,” Zorac said approvingly. “And a skilled warrior.”

“I appreciate the compliments, but we are a long way from being safe,” Evalynn said. “We need to move before they find a way to cross the gap.” She pointed to a narrow trail and explained she knew where it led. She had taken the opportunity to use her statue to scour the hills ahead of them and knew exactly where to go.

Jaina felt comforted that Evalynn was in charge and leading the way. She had done so on several occasions, always displaying good sound logic and reasoning. This time was no different as Evalynn laid out the struggle ahead. The problem now was that Roric was due to spawn any minute. He was going to spawn alone, nearly half a day's journey away. She reasoned that he would assume their base had been overrun and the girls killed. Thus he would linger near the spawn point and that unfriendly town, waiting to see if any of the others respawned there. After four hours, he would move to Jaina's hidden anchor assuming that if they had escaped, they would go there.

“So what’s the plan?” Zorac asked.

“We get out of the steep hills and get on Gisley's disk so she can fly us at speed to Jaina's hidden cube,” Evalynn replied. “If Roric isn't there, we make a straight line for the town, hoping to run into him.”

“And if we don’t find him?” Grom asked.

“We assume he was caught and is either dead or being held in the town,” Evalynn replied. “Santos and Jaina will go in and see if they can learn anything, while Gisley uses her invisibility to hide us nearby. If we have to, we will rescue him and then flee straight to Rajeen, where we will finally be safe.”

It was a sound plan but one filled with a lot of unknowns. Still, Evalynn proved Chandice's words accurate as the elf woman laid out their only options and took charge of saving Roric like she did weeks ago. She led them to the base of the cliff and then to the edge of a stream. Gisley could fly down the stream to avoid the trees while they followed on the disk. Even if the druid woman used her tracking, there would be no tracks to find, and they would be long gone.

Gisley was quick to summon her disk, and they all climbed aboard. She flew off in her fluttering way as the rest looked back to see black smoke rising over the hills. Everything they had worked for was being reduced to ash, and the dream of the love wood was over. It was a dark moment made darker still by the worry over Roric's safety. They could only hope they found him first, or Roric would suffer.