1-62 Beware the Fairy!

Jaina and the others were tense as the time ticked by. They had fled the forest that was supposed to be their home and gone northeast. Hours later, they were well into the plains, hiding behind a large rock as Santos kept watch. By now, Roric had respawned and, if Evalynn was right, was about to give up waiting. He would make his way to this point, hoping the girls had escaped whatever doom destroyed his spawn points in the village.

The wait was maddening because there was no way to be sure what was happening to Roric. Was he safe? Was he on his way to them right now? They only planned to wait an hour since he would arrive by then if the timing was right. If he didn't, they would go looking for him, following the trail back to the distant town.

Chandice and Gisley were in a kind of shock, both having lost their special places. They had been killed in the opening attacks, then beaten to a pulp in the next waves. The two of them clung together, sharing a cry as they lamented all they had lost. Chandice had just begun decorating her shop, and Gisley managed only one dance over her pond. Their hope and dreams had been snatched from their very fingertips, and now they were hiding.

Evalynn was the rock in the storm, making hard decisions and vowing to recover Roric at all costs. Zorac, Gorm, and Santos followed her lead, agreeing to search for Roric in the nearby towns. Even now, she looked to the sky to see the sun move to late afternoon and declared their wait over.

“Gisley, summon us another disk,” she said and took up her spear. “We will fly as close as we dare, then go the rest of the way on foot.” She rooted around in Roric’s pack and produced the magic tent. She quickly set about pulling it open, much to the surprise of Zorac and Grom.

Jaina wasn't sure why they needed the tent until Evalynn explained their dresses and other clothing was inside. They could put on their disguises and conceal their identity except under close inspection. Gisley was unhappy about having to dress but did as Evalynn asked. Chandice removed her dark robes and put on a sunny dress of white and yellow while adding a ribbon to her hair. Evalynn put a tunic of gray and green over her armor, marking herself as a knight from a distant land. Jaina decided to change to her female lizard man appearance and then donned a simple dress.

“I will pretend to be your wife,” Jaina said as she hooked Zorac’s arm. “Provided you are comfortable with that.”

“I am honored by it,” Zorac said as Jaina smiled and leaned into him.

They all climbed onto Gisley's disk, and the butterfly woman took off with her green dress flapping in the wind. They flew across the grasslands while keeping an eye out for anyone that might be coming. They still held out hope that Roric was on his way, and they wanted to be sure not to miss him in passing.

Hours later, their moods had soured as no sign of anyone was found. Evalynn urged them to stay calm and not to forget that unless the town wanted to destroy its binding stone, Roric couldn't be reset.

“Can’t they force him to unbind?” Chandice asked.

“There are a couple of ways,” Evalynn said reluctantly. “The simplest one is for the town's owner to unsummon the stone and make a new one. Then nobody will be set to it.”

“What if that happens?” Chandice asked.

“Let's not assume the worst,” Evalynn urged, but her voice lacked conviction. They could all see how worried she was, but what else could she do? She was in an impossible situation with no information to go on until they reached the town.

Jaina wanted to be strong and assume the town's owner wouldn't stoop to something like that. But after what she witnessed today and how some players didn't care, she knew it was more than possible.

Several hours later, the town came into view, and their hearts sank with worry.

“It’s gone!” Gisley cried and came to a halt on a hill. “They removed the binding stone!”

They all looked to see the tree that the stone had once stood under. Now it was an empty patch of ground with no sign that it had ever been there. Jaina heard Evalynn curse as her hand tightened her spear so firmly she could hear it groan. Now they had to face their worst fears and hope he was still alive to be rescued.

Evalynn acted fast, asking Santos to go in ahead of them. Jaina and Zorac would follow a few minutes later, walking in as a couple, unaware of current events. The rest were too likely to be recognized and would remain just over the hill until they returned. Grom would stay behind as additional muscle in the event the group was discovered. Gisley would spread glitter over them and then use her fairy powers to make them invisible for a short while until the scouts returned.

Evalynn reminded them that this town probably hadn't heard the group had escaped the forest yet. But, she urged them to be careful just in case. If the town had heard, they might be suspicious of strangers, especially if they had captured Roric.

Santos nodded and faded from sight, the only sign of his passing the grass he disturbed. Jaina and Zorak twisted nervously as they waited a few minutes and then walked to the road. They would stroll right into town holding hands and pretend to be nothing more than travelers. They agreed to say that he was a barbarian warrior and she was a tribal shaman. They had both known each other from the real world and came in together a week ago. Now they were traveling to find a suitable place to build a home, preferably in a swamp or wet area.

They walked the distance, whispering about what they feared to find. The only reason to move the stone was because of Roric, and if that was the case, he was likely already reset. Jaina struggled to remain calm, and Zorac tried his best to encourage her. All he could say was they needed to be sure and not jump to conclusions. Maybe Roric appeared and got away, so they removed the stone before anyone else could use it. Jaina admitted it was a possibility, but her heart wasn't ready to accept it.

The town appeared as it had the day they arrived, with the exception of an unusual sight in the sky. New Eden had several moons, one very much like the moon of earth, a vivid white with a soft golden ring about it. Players often called it the bridal moon and had weddings under it when it was full. Tonight, however, not only was the bridal moon out but so was the tear, a smaller blue moon with a dark scar down one side. They were poised in the lower sky, ready to rise when the sun moved to set. It was an ominous backdrop to the town that undoubtedly knew what had happened to Roric.

They walked into the streets to see a few people about. Most of the shops were closed or closing, and only NPC villagers seemed to be out. However, they could hear a ruckus being made someplace deeper in, so they followed the noise and arrived at the base of the tall stone tower.

Magical lights illuminated a square filled with adventurers cheering at a man standing on a balcony of the tower. He looked like a wizard, complete with a purple pointed hat decorated with stars. He egged the crowd on, telling them the time should be soon and the second hunt would begin. Jaina was about to lead the way in when an invisible hand grabbed her shoulder, and Santos spoke.

“Get out of the city,” he said as loud as he dared. “You're not safe here.”

“What is going on?” Jaina whispered as she and Zorac tried not to react. Santos grabbed her by the wrist and pulled them behind a small wagon where they were not likely to be seen.

“Look closely at the base of the tower where the area is clear,” he said.

Jaina and Zorac struggled to see through the crowds to a clear area below the wizard's balcony. They made out what looked like a yard with an iron fence that contained the town's binding stone.

“I don’t understand what we are seeing,” Zorac said. “Why is the binding stone so important?”

“It’s inside a cage,” Santos whispered without revealing himself. “From what I have learned, Roric had the misfortune of respawning while a group of adventurers were binding to the stone before heading to your woods. He was overwhelmed before he even knew what was happening. They took him alive to the wizard who decided to use him for sport.”

“What do you mean for sport?” Jaina asked, incensed by the use of the word.

Santos lowered his voice and explained how the wizard had a cage erected and moved the binding stone into it. He used coercion to get Roric to rebind himself to the stone and then gave him a ten-minute head start. After that, the people ran after him hunting him down and killing him for fun. Now he would respawn in the cage and be used for the hunt because he was a dirty beastman, and they weren't worth treating like people.

“We need to get out,” Zorac urged. “If they see us, we might end up in that cage too.”

Jaina wanted to cry out with rage, but she knew they were right. If the players were determined to mistreat Roric for being a gnoll player, why would they accept a pair of lizardmen? They needed to get back and report the news to Evalynn before planning what to do.

They walked calmly down the street with Santos trying to alert them to anyone they might bump into. The tension was nerve-wracking, but Jaina refused to let it get to her. The only hope for Roric was with the others, and she needed to get back to warn them. Still, tears wet her eyes and ran down the sides of her face. Zorac tried to comfort her by assuring her that they would get Roric out and that Evalynn probably already had a plan.

A door opened and a dwarf walked out before they could react. He took one look at the two lizardmen and went to shout with a pointed finger. However, his cry was garbled by a sudden hand over his mouth, and a dagger buried deep in his back. Santos appeared and held on tightly as the two struggled until Zorac jumped in and helped beat the dwarf to death.

Jaina was appalled at what they were doing, but what else could they do? They hadn't come to cause any harm or be a threat to the neighboring towns. Now they were murdering hero players to keep them silent while poor Roric was being hunted like a dog for sport. She felt sick of New Eden and the people inside it and her hands trembled as Zorac grabbed it and pulled her along.

“Santos will hide the body inside,” Zorac said as they hurried down the street.

“We just murdered that player,” Jaina groaned.

“No, we didn't,” Zorac corrected. “We killed a man who would see you and I thrown in that cage with Roric. He was going to laugh and shout as he ran us down and cut Roric open before your eyes. Then four hours later, they would do it again and again. He doesn't deserve your pity. None of them do.”

“I thought this place was a dream come true,” Jaina said as the edge of the village came into view. “We were supposed to live this magical life of sex, passion, and adventure.”

“And you still will, but not here,” Zorac insisted. “I am sorry, but somebody has poisoned the well here. You need to go far away and make a new home where you aren’t being hounded by an unseen hand.”

“Will the players be any different?” Jaina asked. “Or would they do the exact same thing given the same stupid motivation?”

Zorac was silent as they slipped out of town and began to run. Santos made his presence known when he told them they could slow down, but Jaina wanted to get back. She rushed over the hill with tears in her eyes and relayed the whole terrible story to the group. All eyes turned to Evalynn, who stood resolute like a champion among men.

“What do we do?” Gisley asked.

Evalynn looked skyward as her mind worked on a solution, and she came up with a plan in a flash. “We snatch Roric from under their noses when they turn him loose. We will be waiting to intercept him and carry him off before they even start hunting.”

“I like the plan, but I am sure there will be players who can match Gisley's speed,” Zorac said.

Evalynn looked back at the sky and smiled as the sun began to move. It raced across the sky while the two moons rose, shining brightly as they hovered above one another. The stars filled the heavens, and Evalynn turned to Gisley.

“Tonight is rare conjunction of two full moons,” Evalynn said.

“So?” Grom asked. “That only means they will be able to see us better. We will have no place to hide.”

“We don't need to,” Evalynn said as Gisley's skin began to glow with silver light. “We have a lunar fairy, and lunar fairies are much more powerful when the moon is full.”

“Do two moons make them even more powerful?” Santos asked as Gisley smiled and nodded while blue fire began to crawl over her skin.

A bell rang out, and they heard distant cheers announcing that Roric had respawned. Gisley summoned a disk twice the size as usual, then spread her butterfly wings to reveal they were now florescent and giving off rays of silver light.

“They are going to see her for miles,” Grom pointed out as they climbed onto the disk.

“Let them,” Gisley said as she fluttered into the air. “And get on the disk.”

The group hurried to get aboard as Gisley flew high and spread her arms to the moon. She called out in a song to the two orbs hanging in the sky, her silken voice carrying over the land as she readied to fly. Then, when all settled, she leaned forward and took off, streaking across the countryside in a blur as her passengers clung to each other for support.

The cage doors were thrown open, and Roric was ordered to run. He condemned the people as monsters, but they laughed and told him his time was running out. He had no hope of escaping so many, but he ran anyway, hoping for a miracle; then he heard a voice on the wind.

“Gisley,” he whispered and ran like the devil himself was chasing him. The people laughed and cheered, calling that he was going to die tired. He didn't care about their insults as this was going to be his last run for their amusement. He hurried down the streets and minutes later broke into the open countryside. He knew the wizard was watching his every move with magic, but this was his only chance. He raced in a straight line, looking for any sign of his girls, then he saw the blur of blue and purple glitter coming right for him.

“Roric! Jaina cried as Gisley flew directly at him. A moment later, she stopped, and Roric was yanked onto the disk by Zorac and Grom. Gisley turned to fly off, but a thunderclap deafened their ears as the man in the wizard's outfit appeared in a flash.

“How dare you spoil my hunt!” the man roared and waved a hand, producing a hail of flaming stones falling from the sky.

Gisley's blazed like the two moons and lifted a hand, creating a wall of glittering light boosted by the power of two moons. Normally spells had a decent chance to penetrate it but enhanced as it was, it absorbed nearly all the stones.

“A fairy,” the wizard muttered as his eyes went wide. “You must be the mind controller. Your powers won't work on me, girl. I have metal adept four and a spell of mind shielding on at all times.”

“I am not a mind controller, and you stupidly believe a lie,” Gisley cried. “We do not enslave people!”

“Who cares,” the wizard shrugged. “Players kill each other all time. It's part of the game, and nobody is going to cry over a few dead beastmen. You, on the other hand. I will let you live if you promise to serve my needs.”

“Omae wa bakada!” Gisley spat as her wings flared wide.

They looked on in awe as Gisley glowed brightly. A dozen tendrils of glitter burst from each side, racing in large arcs for the wizard, who looked absolutely stunned by the display. They converged on him like sledgehammers, each blow battering him while also searing with lunar fire.

The man staggered to the side with smoke misting from his seared robes as Gisley reached to the sky with both hands, and a laser-like beam of silvery moonlight crashed down, burning him yet again. When this still didn't put the man down, she hit him again, then again, until he was prone and reaching up with a trembling hand.

“Gisley, just leave him,” Roric urged. “He isn’t going to stop us now.”

Gisley turned about with tears that glowed with moonlight streaking her face. She was about to say something when torches appeared in the distance, alerting them that the hunting players were coming. She cursed and flew off at a terrible speed, her powers boosted by the dual full moons so that every beat of her wings carried them much further. She put the hours to good use, applying the speed to race across the countryside and ever closer to Rajeen. Despite the tenseness of the situation, there was a certain beauty to it. Gisley flew at a speed she could not normally reach while blue and purple glitter tailed in her wake. The group found themselves hurtling across the landscape under the canopy of stars while their disk rode on a sea of fairy glitter. The glitter swirled around them, creating a surreal and magical moment that was hard to ignore.

Roric found himself crushed between three women as they hugged him tightly. Tears poured from wet eyes as they told him about the destruction of their home and how cruel the players had been. The rogues were nearly wiped out, and if not for Zorac and Grom's timely arrival, they would have been too. He was told how Evalynn took charge again and led them to safety. She designed their escaped and planned the search for Roric that brought them here.

Evalynn wasn't looking for compliments; she just wanted to be in Roric's arms. Still, he went out of his way to thank her for taking care of his girls again. He also thanked Zorac, Grom, and Santos for their parts, and apologized for dragging them into this conflict.

“You didn’t drag us into this,” Zorac said. “We came of our own volition.”

“I came because I can't let my guild's favorite girls go unprotected,” Santos added with a smile.

“Is that so?” Jaina said with a weak smile. “I will have to thank you and your guild later.”

“We will look forward to it,” Santos replied.

“Whatever your reason, I am grateful you came,” Roric said as he hugged his girls tightly. “I was terrified you four were in cages being carried away.”

“I would never have allowed that to happen,” Evalynn replied.

“She was certainly doing her best to prevent it,” Zorac agreed. “When we got there, she was fighting them all alone.”

“Evalynn is my champion,” Roric said and rubbed the back of her head. “I am so grateful you accepted my collar.”

“I am so sorry I couldn’t protect our homes,” Evalynn said. “We lost all those points.”

“I am sure we can make the money back,” Roric urged. “But let’s not worry about that now. All that matters now is we are together and rapidly heading toward safety.”

“Rapidly is a good word for it,” Chandice said as she looked over the disk. “I feel like we're flying over a hundred miles an hour.”

“Gisley is supercharged right now,” Roric said as he looked up at the moons. “Another amazing treasure in my life.”

“You are a lucky man,” Zorac agreed. “Few people can boast to such committed relationships.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it,” Jaina said as she cuddled him tightly. “Roric is so wonderful he makes women love him.”

“Touching as this moment is, we are still in grave danger,” Zorac reminded. “I am afraid Gisley’s light is probably visible for miles, and they may be tracking us magically.”

“Can anybody catch us at this speed?” Chandice asked as she looked about, expecting an attack.

“I doubt they can catch us,” Grom said. “But they can use magic to get in our path and intercept us.”

“So we might fly into a group waiting for us,” Evalynn said. “We could try changing course frequently, but then we won't cover as much ground.”

“If we keep on at this speed for the next few hours, we will be less than a day away from Rajeen by the time the moons set,” Jaina said. “Gisley doesn't need to sleep and could fly us all the way there.”

“If we are ambushed, it won't matter how close we are,” Chandice cited.

“We fly straight,” Roric said and rubbed the three. “But I am going to sleep. Rajeen agreed that one of her girls would be asleep at all times and dusted with glitter. I will relay the message of where we are and where we are going.”

“So she can send help,” Jaina said with a nod.

“If we get close enough, she might be able to secure the rest of the journey,” Roric said.

“My rogues have respawned in the city by now,” Santos said. “I am sure they have reported the battles to Rajeen. She might already be making moves to secure you.”

“Then all the more reason to tell here where we are,” Roric replied and yawned. “Besides, being bathed in Gisley’s dust makes you sleepy.”

They all agreed the dust had a soothing effect and that sleep was appealing. With the disk so large there was room for Zorac and Grom to lay down, while Roric slept sitting up, and wrapped in his women. Gisley stopped her flight to ensure he was sound asleep, then searched for the distant dream. A moment later she put Roric into the dream of a harem girl and resumed her mad dash across the countryside.

They all fell out and slept, the day's tension taking its toll. Gisley let them be as she pushed hard to gain as much ground as possible. By the time Roric opened his eyes the moons had moved and Gisley was back to her normal speed. He asked why she hadn't woken him up, and she insisted they all needed rest to recover spent stamina and power.

He couldn't argue the point as she was right and judging by the flat terrain they were perhaps six hours from Rajeen. He even recognized a distant hill with a player's home perched at the peak, smoke drifting from a crooked chimney.

With a yawn he laid his head back on Evalynn's shoulder, unable to believe the chaos of the last few days. Thankfully it was almost over, but a sudden stop brought him to attention as Gisley shouted.

“Oh no!”

The others awoke to the sudden cry as Roric looked up to see a line of forms standing in the countryside. They formed a barrier between them and safety with spells at the ready for when they came in range.

“Can we go around?” Jaina asked as she looked to the sides to see more players closing in.

“It looks like they let us fly into a pocket,” Zorac said as he struggled to shake off the sleep.

“They must have used magic to portal ahead of us,” Grom said, then pointed to a prominent form standing on a flying carpet. “That's the wizard you fried.”

“He had a spell on me that allowed him to track me,” Roric said. “He must have used it to figure out where we were headed. I should have let Gisley kill him and break the spell.”

“Likely, he doesn't know the city we are going to, only the direction you were headed in,” Grom suggested. “But we are close.”

“But it isn’t close enough,” Evalynn replied as she stood and held her spear. “But I swear they will regret trapping us.”

“Oh, I am sure they will,” said a familiar voice.

“Droslin?” Evalynn asked as she looked all around for the hidden man who was madly in love with her.

“I am to your left,” he said. “All the rogues are here.”

“Where is Rajeen?” Santos asked. “Is she nearby?”

“No,” Droslin replied. “She had a lead on who was behind the posting and took thirty girls to run them down. She put bounties on the heads of Alexandria, the unknown poster, and anyone hiding them.”

“Then who else came to help us?” Roric asked.

“Them,” Santos said as he appeared and pointed to the distant line.

Behind the wall of players came a new line of mixed shapes and sizes. Spells began to flare, and people shouted as the second wall fell on the first, and open battle raged.

“Who are they?” Jaina asked as they watched the equivalent of a war break out across the landscape.

“Your customers,” Droslin said. “Rajeen put the word out all over the city that a group of sadistic players was hunting you. She told them what you were trying to build and showed them the lies being spread. People loved the idea of your forest and were excited to visit it. You should have seen how mad they got when Rajeen showed them that notice. You have a lot of friends, and they lined up to come to your aid. Even the duke sent a platoon of NPC soldiers to aid in bringing you back safely. He said you had a positive influence on the region and didn't deserve this mistreatment.”

“We made that big an impression on the people?” Evalynn asked.

“We had sex with them all,” Gisley laughed. “Of course, they consider us friends.”

Jaina felt her heart lifted high as her faith in players was restored. The people who knew them before the lie didn’t believe a word of it and came to their aid. Now a hundred players fought in a pitched battle tearing one another apart over it.

“We need to help them,” Gisley said.

“No,” Droslin cut in. “Everyone agreed you were to be rushed out when the fighting started. You are to fly to Rajeen as fast as you can and not stop until you are safe inside the city. The city guard is programmed to protect you over all other causes. They will escort you from the gate to Rajeens inn then protect it from the streets.”

“What if there are more players waiting down the road?” Roric asked.

“Rajeen arranged for that too,” Droslin said as he was pulled aboard the disk. “Look up.”

They looked up to see a dozen forms circling in the skies overhead. Some had wings, some magic carpets, and others simply flew with arms spread. One had a broomstick, and Jaina asked if that was a witch.

“Her name is Agatha, and she is a good friend of Rajeens,” Santos said. “She makes special potions for Rajeen.”

“Oh, so that's who makes those potions,” Jaina said as Gisley took off. A moment later, their aerial escort swooped in and flew beside them on both sides, sweeping aside any threat. Gisley couldn't help herself as they passed close to the wizard. She called down another moon strike just to annoy him and blasted by before he could respond. For several dozen meters, it was chaos as bodies began to litter the ground, but they came out the other side and kept going without looking back.

The battle vanished into the distance as their escort kept pace. Soon they would reach the borders of safety and then they could lick their wounds. Roric huddled his girls in his arms except for Evalynn, who was too busy hugging Droslin. They dared to believe the worst was over and looked forward to a rest. It had been an ordeal filled with sadness, but in the end, they saw that people did care, and maybe the love wood could rise again.