"Heal." Aleda smiled softly down at her mate, and laid down beside her, sweat drying on her flat stomach. "Does it still hurt, love?" Lura shook her head.

"No one is as big as my wife." Lura said with fire in her eyes. "What brought this on, big girl?" She said silkily, and sat up to clean off her lover's member with her mouth. Her teeth clinked on the metal band. "Why won't you have it anchored, baby?" When Aleda grimaced, she chuckled. "You know you'll heal up quickly."

"I'm just not interested in getting spikes driven through my dick, that's all." She growled. "If you want to know what brought this on, be good, and clean it properly." Lura smiled, and submissively obeyed. Her wife, her only lover, had taken her as her personal mare over a century ago, and she would take no one else. Lura admired her loyalty, and her love.

"That's it. Your tongue and mouth always feel good." Aleda sighed and laid back on their overly large bed. "That stranger had just taken out a wolf pack when I arrived. They attacked him, seven grey wolves at level ten or lower, and one level twenty blue wolf."

"Really? That is odd, isn't it?" Lura asked.

"Yes, to be honest. Though that blue wolf acted like an alpha, he was not one. That pack chose to hunt together. While he served me some blue wolf organ meat, a black bear came into camp to steal some meat." Lura stopped.

"A black bear? That isn't funny." Lura said, her eyebrows puckered a bit as her concern came through.

"It wasn't a joke. He slugged it, and killed it. When he was killing that bear, another blue wolf came at me. That's the one in our kitchen." Aleda said.

"Let's go." Lura threw the cover off, but had her hand captured.

"No need." She knew her mate was going to check the condition of the wolf's muscle and fat. "Your suspicions are correct. They are starving. The reason we haven't seen any wolves lately is because there is nothing to eat. So they only came at Baris because they thought he would taste good." Aleda said quietly.

"And that bear?"

"A little bit lean, but probably eats the wolves he can run down. Baris mentioned to Jarbuk that there weren't any deer or rabbits around the rear of Noobville. Not that long ago, he was in the grove. It still had food, but only a few deer." She said quietly.

"That place usually has a herd this time of year." Lura said, but she didn't need to say anymore. Her mate got the picture long before her.

"There is something out there eating all the prey."  Aleda said, but didn't seem to be in a hurry. Lura looked at her lover, and tapped her naked chest. "What?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lura asked, and watched a bit of confusion cross her face. "What happens when the new predator runs out of food to eat?" The look in Aleda's eyes told her all she needed to know.

She hadn't thought that far ahead.

* * *

"Shaala, come upstairs." Aleda said later that night. She had her passions doused firmly with cold water, literally doused from the well in back of her home, and now wanted to see about certain things.

"What's wrong?" Shaala asked after Aleda closed the door.

"Have you noticed any odd behavior around town?" She asked, after she made sure no one was near her door, and there was no one in, or near the room, with 'Area Scan'.

"I take it you mean more odd than normal. Not just the disdain they show us elves?" Aleda nodded. "Some skulking around in random areas, guards being secretive and quiet, whispers that stop when one of us enters the room. Yeah, I've noticed." Shaala watched the Guild Master's eyes.

"Grab your fairy friends and head to Noobville." She said firmly. Shaala's mouth fell open. "The wolves are skinny, Shaala. All of them." Shaala closed her mouth, and thought for only a minute before she came to a conclusion.

"Crap. Either an army, or monsters we haven't seen. Adventurers don't go out. Do they really think it's safe behind these walls?" Shaala rolled her eyes. "What's your plan?"

"I'm going to gather the non humans in the craftsmen district. You can flee to Noobville, or you can stay. Your choice." Aleda said quietly. Shaala watched the elf, and realized why her superior was sticking around.

"You think they may come to their senses." Shaala said, and snorted. "Unlikely, and you're going to risk your wife on that hunch."

"No, I'm going to ask that you take her to Noobville. Less humans, more dwarves, two other elves are there, and a hidden guard watching over my foolish younger sister." Aleda growled.

"Alright. A hidden guard should be able to help solve a lot of things. I'll take them there now." Shaala left quickly, while Aleda walked swiftly to the smith. With the quick actions of the dwarves, their gates were oiled, and freed, ready to swing into place. The Dwarven district was a fortified area within Steepbell, and would be extremely difficult for a human army to breach, let alone an army of adventurers.

Not long after they were ready, Shaala came through the doors with her two girls, and Lura.

"We're too late, Aleda. Close the gates." Shaala was a lot more pale then normal.

"What's wrong?" Aleda asked in a low voice.

"Dungeon goblins, and orcs. Hundreds of them." Shaala said, and helped to push the gate closed. Aleda blinked.

"Hundreds? What did they do, build a dungeon?"

* * *

"This waiting sucks." The human gate guard said. "When are we going to kick these freaks out of our lands?" His friend smirked.

"Don't worry. The guy said we just have to hold on for a while longer. The coin we get from him is pretty decent, and I don't have to go out to risk my hide for elves anymore." He grimaced. "Damn things don't even look like elves. More like--hurk."

"Ben?" The guard walked over, but what he saw turned his blood cold.

"Hrrraarrr!" A swarm of goblins had ripped Ben into pieces, and now they looked at him.

"Dungeon goblins?" He started to tremble. "No wonder he didn't worry about spending so much silver on us. We would die anyway." His last thoughts were not of himself, but of all the other people in Noobville that would die because they believed a strange man's words.

He betrayed the only people that could now protect his family that were stuck inside Noobville, while dungeon goblins swarmed up the outer walls and into the unsuspecting town.

The world went dark when a goblin bit out his throat.