Roric, Jaina, and Evalynn crouched low in the dense brush of the magical forest. Jaina was doing her best not to cry as they stared at the lifeless body lying on the road not fifty steps away. Gisley looked battered from where they hid, but unless they were willing to inspect her closer, it was impossible to know for sure.

“Why would anybody do this?” Jaina said in a low moan.

“We have plenty of enemies,” Roric replied. “And some players do not distinguish between hero or monster types. They see a lone player and think easy experience.”

“And here I thought we were finally going to be happy,” Jaina sobbed and wiped her eyes. “But it lasted less than a day.”

“This is my fault,” Evalynn replied. “I should have spent more time establishing patrols and guards for security.”

“No,” Roric replied and looked back at the two upset women. “This is my fault.”

“How is this your fault?” Jaina asked.

Roric closed his eyes as his ears sank. “I should have known we weren't going to be safe just because we moved a little further north. Deep down, I did suspect the danger, but I wanted to stay close to Rajeen. I let my attachment cloud my judgment and put you all in danger.”

“Don’t you take the blame for that,” Jaina insisted. “We all wanted to be close to her. You were just taking our desires to heart.”

“I knew this was foolish,” Roric replied. “I knew we were probably being watched and stalked, especially after they struck at us in the dungeon. They know our every move and are always waiting to take advantage of us when we lower our guard.”

“We should have gone to look for that witch,” Evalynn agreed. “That would have taken us weeks away and maybe well out of their range of interest.”

“We should have,” Roric agreed. “But I made a bad decision.”

“What are we going to do now?” Jaina asked. “We have spent nearly all our gold here.”

“We are going to hope this was a random high-level player,” Roric said as he stood up.

“What are you doing?” Evalynn asked.

“We need to get closer,” Roric said with a pained look in his eyes. “I have to know for sure what happened.”

Jaina and Evalynn watched in stunned silence as Roric left the safety of cover. He cautiously made his way toward the still form while sniffing the air for danger. He growled in anger as he caught the scent of one of the killers, making a note to remember it for the future.

He reached the body of the loving fairy and trembled with tears in his eyes as he turned her over. She was cut from head to toe by what looked like four different weapons, indicating she had encountered a group. There were also lines burned across her back and wings that he was pretty sure were caused by lightning. Gisley had been ambushed and overwhelmed by a superior force that showed no mercy. He had felt it when she was first wounded, but the whole battle lasted seconds, and she was dead by the time he jumped from his chair. He sniffed at the air to see if he could pick up additional scents and found several, but none he could place.

“I am sorry,” he said as he knelt to take Gisley's lifeless hand. “I failed to protect you.” A tear fell to her hand as he lifted it to rub on his cheek. He knew she would be alive again in four hours, but it did little to stem the pain. With a look skyward, he sincerely hoped this wasn't another strike from Alexandria. He couldn't fathom what could be driving that woman to such acts of cruel desperation.

He felt awful leaving Gisley's body in the road, but there was little he could do for her. Right now, his priority was the girls who were still alive, and especially Chandice, who was far to the north on her own.

“Were they cruel to her?” Jaina asked in a strained voice as he blended back into the foliage.

“She was attacked by a group who gave her little time to react,” Roric said, trying to sound calm. “We need to find Chandice and make sure she is safe.”

“I can get us there through back trails,” Evalynn said. “My control over the forest will allow us to move almost unseen except when we have to cross a road or open area.”

Roric nodded and told her to begin as Jaina covered her face to cry. He took her under his arm and assured her that Gisley hadn't suffered. He also reminded her that Gisley would be alive and well in a few hours but admitted he felt terrible about it too.

Evalynn used her powers to cause overgrown paths to sudden clear, revealing a meandering trail that took them north. It was longer than going by the main road but far more concealed as they worried about being ambushed themselves. Several times they had to cross an open area, darting from one side to the other and hoping they went unseen. They never saw another player or detected any sign of their passing, but as they closed the last mile to the giant tree, they all began to smell the smoke.

“Please let Chandice be alright,” Jaina begged as the path wound its way closer to the giant tree.

Roric had doubts but kept them to himself, not wanting to upset Jaina any further. They raced along behind the thick growth until the massive tree came into view.

“Oh no!” Jaina cried as they saw the flames spreading through the lower branches. The entire shop was in a massive blaze, with fire already spreading through the surrounding forest. The air was filled with burning embers as parts of the shop collapsed.

“Chandice!” Evalynn cried and went to rush out, but Roric grabbed her arm.

“Evalynn, no,” Roric urged and clung to her arm. “If she is inside that, she is already gone.”

“But her respawn point will be set inside there!” Evalynn argued.

“And Gisley’s is at her pond,” Jaina said.

“All of you can respawn at my totem,” Roric assured, trying to give them some measure of peace.

“But we are far from a town with a public spawn stone,” Evalynn argued. “If we lose your totem, we might reset on our next deaths.”

Roric understood the danger of the situation, but the next logical step was to retreat to the gnoll village and immediately spend more points on guards. He would flood the plateau and area around it with generic guards to help ward off the danger. The odds are the enemy wouldn't even find the village, but the totem had to be protected just in case.

“We need to get back to our village,” Roric said, urging them to run. It took nearly an hour by back trails that crossed over hidden ponds and giant branches of trees. When they got close enough, Evalynn ran to her statue and used its power to search the forest. She confirmed that there was a single party of eight players near Gisley's lodge, all of which were listed as high threats.

“Do you think this is just one fluke group of high-level players?” Jaina asked.

Roric began to hope that was true for their sakes. They had seen blog posts about high-level players behaving like jerks. Once they got too high, they felt they had the right to bully anyone lower than themselves. In a world where there was little in the form of law and justice, might was all that mattered. Even Evalynn had played by these rules, and the townspeople had a healthy fear and respect for Gisley. Now a group that out-leveled and numbered them was in the forest, and they were the ones being persecuted.

“Move your statue to my village,” Roric said after considering the thought. “It will be too hard to protect down here.”

“These people register as a high threat,” Evalynn said. “Gisley only registers as dangerous to me; that means they have to be slightly higher than her.”

“We will have the advantage of NPC guards,” Roric replied. “Besides, I doubt they know where we are. My biggest concern right now is they are at Gisley's pond. I worry they know she is going to respawn there.”

“You mean they are waiting to kill her again?” Jaina said in alarm.

Roric nodded as the two women looked shattered. He stressed the need to move the statue and waited for Evalynn to finish the task before taking them to the hidden village. They went right to the cave to find the totem and statue standing side by side. Roric and Evaly used the devices to begin making changes, and soon the forest was crawling with gnoll warbands and elven hunters. He set them to wander in packs of twelve, with six heavy fighters, three healers, and three war casters. He used a large sum of their remaining points and placed ten such packs, setting them to patrolling the roads. Every single pack was tasked with checking Gisley's lodge, and one by one, they would converge on the place.

Much to everyone's dismay, the group of adventurers hadn't moved. They were sitting and waiting for poor Gisley to spawn so they could kill her again.

“I am going to take fifteen of my guards and attack the lodge,” Roric said as he grew frustrated. “Evalynn, as soon as I engage, have one of your hunter patrols move to reinforce.”

“Wait, are you saying you want us to stay here?” Jaina asked.

“I need Evalynn to manage the forest,” Roric replied. “And I am afraid you are not very combat effective.”

“I can use my charms to hinder them,” Jaina protested.

“Jaina, please,” Roric said and came to take her into his arms. “I love you both, and I can't bear the thought of losing any more of my girls today. I need you to stay here where you are hidden and safe just in case it is you they are looking for.” He could see the shattered look in her eyes, but she nodded her understanding. He went to leave but she took his arm and begged him to wait.

“I know this is a terrible time to think of it, but please take your buffs,” Jaina insisted and turned around to bend over. “Just get it over with and go save Gisley.”

Roric nodded and came to her body, lifting his armor away so he could use her for buffs. For the first time since they had come here, sex with Jaina felt wrong, as he was too unhappy to enjoy it. Nevertheless, they did the task mechanically, and he took the buffs without hesitation. When he was done, Jaina used her kiss to grant extra strength and then urged him to use her as a health battery.

“If I have to, I will,” Roric said as he rubbed her cheek and then turned to head off.

“I can watch him from the interface,” Evalynn said as she held the statue. “He is taking nearly a third of the guards.”

“This was supposed to be a new day for us,” Jaina cried. “And now it’s ruined. Alexandria is going to pay for this.”

“It might just be a wandering band of players pretending to be bandits,” Evalynnn argued. “We have no evidence that she has anything to do with it.”

“Has anything bad happened to us that she didn’t have something to do with?” Jaina asked with too sharp a tongue and then felt bad. “Oh, Evalynn, I’m sorry. I am just so hurt I want to run away and cry.”

“I am hurting too,” Evalynn replied as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought this was the beginning of something beautiful, but we mustn't give up just yet. Let's drive these fools out and see what comes in the next few days.”

“We have so many points invested in this,” Jaina groaned and hugged her from behind. “We will lose all of it if we have to run now.”

“I wish I was going to pay them back,” Evalynn sobbed. “I can’t believe anyone tried to hurt Gisley.”

Jaina held her tight as she watched Roric move through the forest. She tapped as various patrols and ordered them to the lodge, determined to give the fools a fight they couldn’t win. As Roric closed on the group, she sent a patrol of gnolls in ahead of him, engaging them in combat so he could take them by surprise.

“The battle has begun,” Evalynn said as she focused on the sight. “They are fighting with a patrol of gnolls, and Roric is about to reach them.”

“Please, let him win,” Jaina begged anyone who was listening.

Evalynn relayed the details as Roric burst into the fight, leading just over twenty gnolls with him. Spells and powers went off all over as the group of heroes were rapidly overwhelmed. To add to their dismay, Evalynn had elven hunters moving in; they began to add arrows and magic to the fray, focusing on spell casters to keep them busy.

Evalynn felt tense as gnolls began to fall, no match for the stronger players. Once half their number was gone, a second patrol arrived, reinforcing their numbers. Roric took injuries as Jaina and Evalynn felt every one of them. Roric's power to share his damage to his slaves was helping, and Jaina healed quickly enough to offer some extra advantage. If they had Chandice, she could offer to transfer health, but she too was dead and could lend no help.

“I wish I could see what was going on,” Jaina sighed.

“Here,” Evalynn said, taking one of Jiana's hands to mix her fingers. She pressed them to the statue, and Jaina gasped to see the interface Evalynn was using. They watched the battle as if floating in the void looking through a window that could move to different spots and angles. Jaina felt a certain sense of satisfaction to see two players were already dead and the others were severely wounded.

They watched as the battle turned against the players, and one by one, they dropped until Roric was holding the last man by his collar. He had his spear pressed to the man's throat as he demanded to know what they were doing in the forest. Jaina and Evalynn were shocked to hear the reply. They had come because of the rumor that gnolls were kidnapping women to use as sex slaves. They knew about his little group and how they lured women into their trap. They were told he sold them to slave masters in other cities after he was done with them. Roric demanded to know where he had heard such a rumor, but the man laughed and drew a dagger. He was dead before he could stab Roric, leaving them with terrible questions.

“Evalynn,” Roric said to the air as he looked around at the mess. “Order the gnolls that are left to carry the dead bodies to the north edge of the forest and toss them into the plains.”

“Why?” Evalynn asked, her voice a disembodied sound on the wind to Roric.

“I don't want them returning for their equipment,” Roric answered. “Let them collect it outside our forest, and maybe they will stay out.”

“So they came in here to kill us over a rumor?” Jaina asked, her voice carrying through the interface to where Roric was standing.

“It would appear to be so,” Roric replied and placed a hand over a bleeding wound.

“I am coming to you,” Jaina said. “You need healing.”

“Is the forest clear?” Roric asked.

“I detect no other players in it,” Evalynn replied. “But high-level stealthers can still hide even from me.”

Roric nodded his consent as he sat on the couch to await Jaina's arrival. He and Evalynn spoke about the issue and how to tackle this rumor. The first task was to figure out how it started and who was spreading it. He would use Gisley to get into a dream to speak to Rajeen about it and see if the rogues could turn anything up.

The gnolls worked to remove the bodies while the elven hunters moved the borders to watch for more intruders. Jaina arrived to give him a healing kiss, soothing away his injuries while trying not to notice the carnage and blood. She sat with him as they waited, talking to the ghostly voice of Evalynn, who guarded the camp. Just over two hours later, a white flash appeared on the island in the lake, and Gisley lifted her head as if from a long nap.

“Gisley!” Jaina cried and ran across the bridge to sweep the fairy woman into a hug.

“Jaina?” Gisley muttered, then nearly jumped up. “Jaina, there are bad people in the forest!”

“We know,” Roric said and joined the hug, his tears falling on Gisley’s head.

“You know?” Gisley replied and looked around to see where she was. “Did I die?”

“You don’t remember?” Jaina asked as she stepped back.

Gisley thought hard about where she was a moment ago. It felt like five minutes ago to her, and she explained how she fluttered onto the road and headed for her pond. Something stung her back and burned her wings, causing terrible pain. She dropped to the stones, unable to fly, and then people surrounded her. She felt the stabs and then a sense of drifting like she was going to sleep.

“Those monsters!” Jaina cried. “They didn’t even try to speak with her.”

“Why did they attack me?” Gisley asked.

Roric took her hands and explained what the last man had said. Gisley was shocked that anybody believed that and asked how that rumor had spread. A moment later, Evalynn announced that Chandice had respawned and was in tears over her shop.

“What happened to her shop?” Gisley asked.

“They burned it,” Jaina sobbed. “With her inside it.”

“They did?” Gisley said as her antenna unfurled all the way up. Her eyes flashed with a sad blue color as she looked to Roric, who nodded it was the truth.

“But why?” Gisley cried.

“Chandice says they killed her before she burned alive,” Evalynn announced.

“That doesn't make it any better,” Jaina snapped and then put her face down in her hand. “Oh, I am so sorry, Evalynn. I keep taking my anger out on you.”

“Come back to the village,” Evalynn said sympathetically. “I think we need to spend some time together.”

“I agree,” Roric said and looked directly at Gisley. “I also need you to send me into Rajeen's dream. I want to see if she can help us figure out where this rumor is coming from.”

“We know where it's coming from,” Jaina stated. “And that which is going to pay for it.”

“We don’t know for sure,” Roric countered. “But if you turn out to be right, I am going to help you run her down.”

Jaina nodded as they headed back to the lodge, and Gisley could see the blood and dead gnolls firsthand. Roric asked Evalynn to reset the area, and in a flash, it was back to the way it should be. Gisley clung to Roric's arm the whole way back, sniffling in pain as Jaina tried to comfort her. They reached the gnoll camp to find Chandice in tears, lamenting how many points she had spent on her shop.

“Evalynn can rebuild it,” Roric assured her as they all swept her into an embrace.

“But she can’t replace all the details I spent points on,” Chandice sobbed and looked into his eyes. “I already spent a ton of the gold. You have no idea how much I had done.”

“I'm sorry,” Roric replied and pulled her tight. Seeing her pain stabbed his soul and made him feel like he had failed them. He had no idea how much their happiness meant to him, and to see them suffering was the worst feeling in the world. He stroked her head while trying to remain strong for them, but the pain was becoming unbearable. They had created a home meant to welcome visitors and tempt them with sexual adventures; instead, they came to hunt them.

He took them all to his throne room and had Evalynn move her statue beside his throne. They sat down on the pillows, holding one another as they tried to recover from the terrible events. Roric still had a full bag of deep pockets and some treasure in the magic tent. It would be more than enough for Chandice to rebuild but was it wise to do so? They agreed that it was foolish to waste more gold until they dealt with the rumor and stopped any further aggression. So together, they settled in and waited for nightfall, hoping Rajeen could provide some answers.

Roric was nervous as Gisley searched the dreams for anyone using her dust. She was pleased to announce that Zorac was using it, hoping for a night with Jaina.

“That poor creature is so in love with you,” Evalynn sighed.

“Says the woman who has a rogue wrapped around her little finger,” Jaina countered.

“Droslin is very nice,” Evalynn agreed. “But he isn't a big strong lizardman who cherishes powerful, intimate moments.”

“You can spend the night with him if you want,” Roric said. “But I need him to tell Rajeen to use the dust so I can speak with her first.”

“Oh, I am not going to miss Rajeen,” Jaina said firmly. “Gisley put us both in Zorac's dream.”

Gisley nodded and used her dust to send the pair to sleep. Evalynn would keep watch with the statue, using its power to observe the forest. Chandice had her devil warrior summoned, and gnoll warriors surrounded the tent. All the patrols had respawned, and the forest was well hunted by elves hidden in the dark recesses.

Jaina smiled as Zorac jumped up, excited to see her. However, he was less excited when Roric appeared and quickly stepped back, clearing his throat.

“I am sorry to intrude on your dream like this,” Roric said. “But we need another favor.”

“Are you under attack again?” Zorac asked in alarm.

“No,” Jaina said soothingly. “But somebody did attack us earlier. We learned something from them that we hope Rajeen can help us with.”

“Maybe I can help?” Zorac asked, hopeful to be of use to Jaina.

“You can help by getting us to Rajeen,” Roric stated.

“I will tell her immediately,” Zorac replied. “I assume the fairy girl is going to wake me up.”

“I sure am,” Gisley said as she appeared in the dream. She lifted her palm and blew a cloud of glitter over him, and he vanished.

“How long do you think it will take him to fall asleep?” Jaina asked.

“I don’t know,” Roric replied. “She is some kind of monk. Maybe she knows a meditation technique to fall asleep quickly.”

They waited in the empty dream of Zoracs room at the inn as Gisley teased Jaina about wearing out the man's bed.

“Hey, he did that himself,” Jaina insisted as Gisley pointed out how it sagged in the middle.

The wait went on for what seemed like an hour when Gisley announced Zorac was asleep again and in a new dream. She took them to that dream where he told them their message had been relayed, and Rajeen was informed. It was an awkward moment because she was holding on to Roric despite his feelings for Jaina. She had warned him many times that there was no contest between them. She belonged to Roric, and their relationship only existed because he allowed it. There was a moment of relief when Gisley announced that Rajeen was asleep, and they all stepped over to a new dream.

They arrived on one of the balconies overlooking the city under the night sky. Rajeen leaned on the railing in a simple blue silk robe, looking out at the distant stars. She turned her head to see Roric and quickly rushed to his arms, taking his head in her hands to kiss him.

“You have already been way too long,” Rajeen whispered. “My bed is not the same without you.”

“Wait, do those two love each other?” Zorac asked as Jaina smirked.

“They love each other as deeply as one can,” Jaina replied.

“And this doesn't bother you?” Zorac asked.

“Why would it bother me?” Jaina asked. “I love seeing my master happy.”

“I may never understand how your relationships work,” he said as Jaina and Gisley tried not to laugh.

“So, tell me, what is it you needed to talk to me about? The messenger said it was urgent,” Rajeen said.

Roric took a deep breath and explained the situation. They had indeed liked the location Rajeen sent them to and decided to build their home. He took a moment to describe how beautiful and magical the forest was so Rajeen could admire it. Gisley even took the initiative, creating a dream pocket of her lodge and lake so the group could marvel at the serine beauty.

“This is amazing,” Zorac said as he looked over the magic pond glittering in the moonlight.

“Such a place of peace and beauty,” Rajeen agreed. “But you would not have come to me so urgently if all was well.” She made her point by looking into Rorics eyes as hers narrowed in preparation for the rest of the story.

“We were attacked,” Roric said. “Gisley and Chandice were killed.”

“By who?” Rajeen growled as her hands curled into fists.

Roric relayed the story in detail, describing the well-organized ambush that killed Gisley in second. He didn't know much about the magic shop battle as Chandice said she never saw them coming. Her shop exploded as it was blasted by fireballs from outside. He then described how they repelled the invaders and questioned the final man.

“A rumor?” Rajeen hissed as she paced the railing at the water's edge. “This place has existed for less than a week. Only one person might be watching you closely enough to know where you are. And didn't you say she was a deceiver? Surely she has all the right skills to spread such a salacious lie.”

Roric could only agree, but he wanted to know for sure. He asked Rajeen if she had any influence over nearby towns and if the rogues could help. He wanted to know where this rumor had started and, more importantly, how to cut it off.

“I will send agents to every town, village, and city around you,” Rajeen replied. “I will also alert Santos and his guild to begin making inquiries. Perhaps I could send them to you if you had caves or a small dungeon for them to set up in.”

“We could certainly create something for them,” Jaina urged as she took Roric’s arm.

“I want to help too,” Zorac interjected. “I have a few friends who paid to spend some time with Jaina and the others. They would be glad to help if they can.”

“I suppose I can't turn down help,” Roric agreed. “If people start to come in greater numbers, I might need all the help I can get.”

“Hmm,” Rajeen purred as she rubbed her chin. “The first task should be to secure your borders, and you need to create spawn points outside the forest as a fail-safe.”

“Oh, that's a good idea,” Gisley agreed. “Chandice already lost her primary one when her shop burned.”

“I will speak to the rogues and send your friend here with whatever help he can muster,” Rajeen said as she paced with her tail twitching angrily. “I will also look for this, Alexandria. It is time we met face to face and discussed her interest in your family.”

“Please be careful around her,” Jaina urged. “She is very well connected to rogues and assassins. She is also very resourceful. Don't forget she can manipulate your mind.”

“All slave masters end up connected to the shadowy guilds,” Rajeen laughed. “That will only make her easier to find. I will stand before her and we will see which of us has the stronger will. My monk training comes with mental disciplines that make me near immune to mental attacks. She will be lucky if she can manage to annoy me.”

“I don’t know how to thank you for your help,” Roric said.

“Hmm,” Rajeen purred again as she looked around the lake. “It would seem we have found the perfect place to make love. You can thank me by spending a few hours with me in your arms. Send Jaina and her lover away so they can share a moment of their own, then let me show you how much I have missed you.” She crawled into Roric’s arms, rubbing her body against his as she whispered words of love and passion in his ear.

Jaina didn't need to be told and took Zorac's hand to lead him away. Gisley ran up and asked if she could go with them, so Jaina took them both and headed around the lake to a hidden nook in the trees.

For the rest of the night, the five made love, Roric with Rajeen and Zorac with Jaina and Gisley. It was a wonderful release from a day full of stress and provided a ray of hope for tomorrow. Help would be coming, and Rajeen would be after the root cause of the problem. With some luck, this would all blow over soon so they could resume building and enjoy the love wood as intended.