The Jade Harem 1-13

“This isn't a good start,” Blackbast said as they stood on the trampled path, looking at what remained of a village. Most of the damage had been caused by desperate players hurling fire and destruction to try and stem the tide. Their efforts had been in vain, as the ruins were now abandoned. A few buildings were still smoldering, and player loot littered the streets. It was all that remained of the grisly feast the nylacs had made of their bodies.

“So they did come from his lands,” Roric said as the girls crowded around to witness the carnage.

“Could this have just been a random event?” Hannah asked as she looked at Frank.

“I doubt it,” Frank replied. “As Blackbast said, they never come in numbers this large unless somebody made it happen.”

“But what about that undead worm thing that was spawning zombies?” Hannah pressed. “That was super powerful, and it was random.”

“Was it?” Frank asked with a look that said he didn’t believe that.

“Of course it was, wasn’t it?” Hannah asked as she looked at Quinny. “You think it was, don't you?”

“I thought it was,” Quinny admitted.

“I have always wondered about it,” Frank said as he turned to look at the ruined town.

“Umm, can you fill those of us who weren’t there in on what you are talking about?” Jaina asked.

Hannah explained how, during the early days, they had come under attack by a relentless hoard of zombies. They battled the hoard through Quinny's forest until they discovered the source. It was a giant worm-like creature eating dead bodies and spitting out zombies. It nearly destroyed them, but luckily, they had the aid of a paladin who was a friend of Breanne.

“I have heard of those monstrosities,” Blackbast said. “They are only encountered outside the spawn ring.”

“But your graveyard was inside it,” Evalynn said.

“I know, and that’s why I am very suspicious of why that thing came to be there,” Frank said. “I felt like somebody was testing us.”

“Skullman said the same thing,” Breanne reminded them.

“Or it could have been plain stupid, dumb, random luck,” Hannah insisted, then waved her hand. “Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, it was intentional. Somebody is always prodding us for some purpose.”

“Do you think this could be related to your recent diplomatic efforts with Lord Dugal?” Evalynn asked.

“We don’t know how far this damage goes into his land,” Blackbast said. “Maybe it was just this one town.”

“Or it might have ravaged his capital and left him crippled,” Hannah replied.

“If we go any deeper into his land, we will be seen for sure,” Roric said. “I know he is a friend but we agreed to avoid towns until well outside our homes. It's a risk being here, for that matter. Sooner or later, players are going to start respawning.”

“This is probably a few hours old,” Breanne suggested. “I would say they should be popping back up any minute now.”

“So we are just going to run away and not help?” Gisley said in a sad voice.

“I don’t like the idea of running either,” Hannah grumbled.

“The damage is already done,” Frank said. “Besides, I am sure he would contact Gwen if he wanted our help. Otherwise, it would be risky to expose ourselves. Word would get out that we were outside the kingdom.”

“Actually, why don't we warn Gwen about it ourselves?” Jaina suggested. “She can send people to investigate and collect information without exposing us.”

“That is a good idea,” Blackbast agreed as she turned to Frank.

“Umm, I hate to be the one to say this,” Idris began as she turned nervously. “But, uh, weren’t there harem girls in this land doing research?”

“There were,” Frank said and turned to the girls. “Hannah and Jaina, go back and tell Rajeen what happened. She will relay it to Gwen and probably send her own agents to investigate. Ask her to update us on what she learns and tell her we are moving on before anyone sees us.”

Hannah and Jaina nodded and hurried for the coach. They climbed inside and activated the secret door, opening the way to the magic room. They stepped out of a dark archway into the small stone space and practically ran for the magic door inside.

“I don’t want to believe this attack was anything but a random event,” Jaina said.

“I did, too, but Frank is right. Things like this don't happen to us randomly. They happen because somebody is trying to control us,” Hannah said as they passed the magic door into another room. This room was specially set aside for the purpose of safety and contained only one exit, a heavily barred and magically sealed double door. It was guarded by over twenty tiger men, forty undead knights, and a contingent of Gwen's best guards. If somebody who wasn't allowed to use that door entered this room, they wouldn't live long enough to talk about it.

The girls hurried from this room down a hall lined with more guards. This finally opened into a palace hall that took them to the harem. Rajeen was in her usual place, presiding over the harem as girls kissed and played. By some stroke of luck, Gwen was there as well, sitting on Frank's throne as she and Rajeen spoke.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Jaina said as the two hurried across the room.

“Back so soon?” Rajeen purred. “I didn’t think you would be back until the lullaby.”

“There’s been an issue,” Hannah said as she tensed to explain the situation.

“What kind of an issue?” Gwen asked. “Do you need help?”

“No, but there may be some dead harem girls,” Hannah said.

Rajeen leaned forward, her eyes narrow as she asked Hannah to explain herself. Hannah told the story of the insanely large pack of nylacs and the trail of carnage coming out of Lord Dugal’s lands. She described the scene at the village and the fear that there might be more carnage like that further in.

Rajeen growled and pulled open her interface, quickly going to a list of her girls and tapping their current status. Hannah cupped her mouth when five of them topped the list as deceased. The respawn timer said the first one would respawn in eleven minutes, indicating that the attack had happened hours ago.

“That means the capital was hit for sure,” Jaina gasped.

“I will send scouts to scour his land,” Gwen said. “See if I can get a full picture of the damage.”

“Stariel!” Rajeen shouted as she stood from her throne.

“Here!” a woman with dark blue skin called.

“I want you to take Mavin, Crysta, and Linzel and portal to Lord Dugal's capital city. You are to find our five girls the moment they respawn and bring them home immediately. Do not waste a second more,” Rajeen demanded.

Stariel jumped as the other girls got up to run to their task before Rajeen began to pace angrily.

“This has to be some kind of retaliation,” Rajeen growled. “Somebody knows he was going to help us.”

“That’s what we were thinking,” Jaina said.

“How could anyone know?” Gwen asked. “It was all done in my castle under the heaviest of guard and protective wards. I would have known if somebody was watching them.”

“This sort of thing has happened before,” Rajeen said as she turned on Gwen. “You know the old rumors.”

“I am aware of the legend of Kevin’s super spy and assassin,” Gwen countered. “But would he really send such a person here? Are we that big a threat?”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Hannah whispered to Jaina as the two women began to argue. Rajeen wanted to lock everything down even more thoroughly and recall all her girls. Gwen insisted they not make any decisions until they knew the full extent of the damage. The goal would be to recover the girls and make a full assessment, then decide what to do about it.

Jaina agreed that this was likely a bad sign but did have to point out that it might not have anything to do with them. Lord Dugal had enemies of his own, and the other southern powers were prone to backstabbing one another. Gwen conceded this point as true but had never seen such a bold attack before. She couldn't even fathom how somebody managed to get so many of the deadly creatures in one place or drive them into his land. She reminded them that the land's ruler should have been able to drive them out. Meaning Lord Dugal either somehow couldn't see the attack coming, or was unable to stop it, both if which were very suspicious.

The girls were released to hurry back while Gwen went to send her scouts and learn what she could. Jaina and Hannah walked back in a daze, debating the unknowns. The fact was they had no idea how widespread the damage was or if it was an intentional attack. Jaina still held out a slim hope that this was an isolated incident or that it didn't connect to them. Hannah was sure it was because of them and wanted to know how anyone knew. How could somebody have known what she and Lord Dugal said in bed over those three days? They discussed this spy of Kevin's but didn't like the implication. If such a spy had been sent, it proved Kevin was aware of them and watching closely. He might even be preparing to deal with them and remove the problem.

They returned to the coach to find it rapidly on the move, with Frank running across the landscape to put distance between them. The girls relayed the information by climbing to the roof and reporting Gwen and Rajeen's reactions. They also shared the possibility that the presence of this ace spy would mean Kevin was threatened by them. Frank suggested that the presence of the spy might simply be a precaution. Kevin might be aware so he sent the spy to investigate and report back.

“You don’t think he knows we are secretly traveling?” Jaina asked.

“If he does, we are making an enticing target of ourselves,” Chandice replied. “We are miles away from help. They couldn’t ask for a better chance to wipe us out.”

“Could this spy be behind the attack on Jaina?” Quinny asked.

“I seriously hope not,” Jaina said in a nervous voice.

“I do, too,” Frank said as he looked around, expecting an ambush at any time. He didn't slow his steps, hoping to gain ground and vanish into the wilderness. He shared his fear that the mission might be a huge risk, considering the possible presence of this spy. Anyone who would go to that much trouble to strike at Jaina wouldn't waste an opportunity to potentially reset all of them.

“But they can’t reset us all,” Hannah argued.

“No, but they may not know that,” Frank replied. “Most of us are monster players, and being outside our lairs and protected lands means we are vulnerable. They have to know that some of us have dungeon hearts, but the chance that we might not is too good.”

Hannah and Jaina didn’t want to think of it and Hannah clutched at Webster like a support pillow. They discussed how anyone could know what was said between Lord Dugal and Hannah during their time together. His promise to aid them was made in a secure space and done to conceal his intentions from outside forces. Yet his land had been attacked, and nobody could think of a reason for it to happen aside from his promise to Hannah.

“I am sick,” Hannah said as she turned away. “And now I question if this trip is a good idea.”

“Hey,” Quinny said as she leaned into Hannah and hugged her. “We are doing all we can. You have said before that we can't sit on our hands or hide from your past. So, I think going after this hand is the best option we have. Looking for it might answer more questions and lead us to new information. This is what we need to do.”

“She is right,” Blackbast said from Frank's shoulders. “We are finally making a proactive move. If this spy is in the city, then your returning to sing was a wise decision. It may fool him into believing we are still there.”

“Maybe all of us should make appearances,” Roric suggested. “So none of us go missing for too long.”

“We planned to do that anyway,” Blackbast said. “But we could do something more public to ensure we are seen.”

They agreed that they needed to convince everyone they were still in the city. If Hannah had been spied on in Gwen's castle, then she needed to visit her mother often and be seen. They had to create the image that they were in the city and not doing anything suspicious.

There was nothing more they could do now but wait to hear from Gwen and Rajeen. Hannah decided to sit on the roof of the coach with her legs dangling over the side. Breanne and Evalynn came up to sit beside her and encourage her with banter about making her a lair in the Lovewood.

Hannah laughed at the idea as Jaina joined the conversation. It was something that had come up before but never acted on in any way. The plan was for Hannah to have a secret location where she could lure unwitting players for a special encounter. The location would be hidden well and potentially moved regularly so that a player finding it on their own would be unlikely. There would also be a shrine dedicated to Hannah that players could pray at for her blessing. If they brought her some flowers and placed them on the shrine, Hannah would become aware of them. Then, she could use a magical item to see the person donating the items and decide if she wanted to reward them. The reward could be a simple succubus blessing or something far more personal, like a visit from Hannah or one of her succubi girls.

“When would I have time to do any of that?” Hannah asked as she smiled at the idea.

“I am sure we could squeeze a little time into your busy schedule,” Jaina pushed. “You don’t always have to serve at the temple or the glory hole.”

“Hmm, but I happen to like those chores,” Hannah said with a smirk.

They laughed as the mood lightened, and Hannah decided to hold Webster in her lap and pet him. The coach rode on for hours but came to another stop late in the day. Roric jumped down to sniff at a region of the road ahead and looked back with concern in his eyes.

“What’s wrong now?” Hannah called from above.

“More trampled grass,” Frank replied. “It looks just like another Nylac path.”

“It was Nylacs,” Roric added. “The scent is hours old, but it is still strong.”

“Wait, you're saying that group turned around and went back in?” Hannah gasped.

“No,” Roric said as he looked down the trampled swath. “The grass has all been trampled in one direction heading away. This must have been a second pack.”

“Two packs?” the girls said in unison.

“I can't even fathom how this is possible,” Blackbast said as she stood on Frank's shoulder with perfect balance, her sharp eyes searching the horizon. “I can see smoke far to the north. More of his lands are burning.”

“One giant hoard is a mystery, but two?” Chandice said. “There is no way this is random.”

“We should keep going,” Frank said and turned to Hannah. “Let’s check our direction again.”

Hannah sighed and held up her right arm to ask the emerald bracelet where the hand was. A single stone glowed green, pointing a little north but mostly east. Roric climbed back up to the seat beside Chandice before Frank took off at a full run. His massive ghoul frame wouldn't tire for hours, even at this terrible speed, and he was determined to be away before anyone saw them.

Hours passed as they crossed as much land as they could. Several times, they had to cross a road or come close to what appeared to be player-inhabited areas. Each time, Zillix used his illusions to make them invisible, allowing them to cross unnoticed, or so they hoped. They encountered a few unfriendly creatures but used the same illusions to pass by safely.

Later that night, they stopped in a copse of trees and set camp out of sight. Roric produced a magical bag from a pack and set it in an open area. With the pull of a single string, the bag unfolded and billowed out, growing into a large central tent with two smaller wings.

Frank produced a similar bag that also folded into a tent with a large room and a smaller side room with a curtain door. Hannah loved how the magical tents worked, especially since they could be folded back up into a small, easy-to-carry bag. Any items placed inside the tent would fold up with it and weigh very little while in bag form. Frank had taken the time to fill the tent with a large plush bed, plenty of silks and cushions, and even a copper bath that magically filled with steaming water.

Hannah peeked into the side room set aside for Zillix to see a large golden cage. She smiled, wondering if he planned for her to be inside it and play as his little songbird again.

There was a nest of pillows on the floor in the middle for him and a girl or two to rest in, and she wondered if he might like her company tonight. She felt a tapping on her leg and looked down to see Webster looking sad.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Hannah said and snatched him up. “I keep neglecting you. I am always too busy to spend time with you.” She heard him in her head as he chirped and clicked, causing her to smile. “No, you sleep in this room with us,” Hannah said. “I think I am over you watching what I do.”

He chirped again, and she walked to the side, picking out a wide green cushion. She planted him on it and sat beside him, petting his back as he purred.

“Hey, your tent is very nice,” said Jaina as she walked in. “And, oh my god, is that a bath?”

“Yeah,” Hannah said as she smiled at the woman’s reaction.

“How is that fair?” Jaina grumbled and went to the door. “Roric, I demand a bath for our tent!”

“I demand you stop making demands,” Roric replied from outside. “If you want a bath, go jump in the stream.”

“Oh!” Jaina growled and walked to where Hannah was seated. “Why is Frank so much nicer to you girls?”

“I used to whine a lot about not having a proper tub to bathe in,” Hannah said with a smile. “I even made Frank carry a big wooden one up three flights of stairs for me. I suppose he thought it would be a nice gesture to provide one for me.”

“He really does think about you a lot,” Jaina agreed. “Roric thinks of us too, but he sometimes needs a little prodding.”

“Oh, look, the bed is huge!” Quinny shouted as she ran in with Umtha and Gisley fast on her tail. The three practically flung themselves into the bed and began to roll around as if claiming it.

“It won't be big enough if you three spread out like that,” Hannah quipped.

“This is fun,” Quinny replied as she crawled to the edge to look at Hannah. “It’s like we are camping.”

“We are camping,” Jaina replied.

“I know, but this is real camping,” Quinny insisted.

“How is this more real?” Jaina asked.

“It’s real because we are camping like people who travel in luxury motor homes do,” Hannah explained.

“Ah,” Jaina laughed as Gisley and Umtha piled in beside Quinny to share the conversation.

“So, any news?” Jaina asked.

“Somebody from the harem came over a minute ago,” Umtha said. “She was talking to the masters and gave Frank something.”

“No idea what she was saying?” Jaina asked.

“No, but she seemed worried,” Umtha replied with her ears drooping.

“Please, no more bad news,” Hannah begged.

“Just be strong,” Jaina urged. “We are expecting the news to be bad. Just remember that this trip is part of putting all these things right. This hand thing might lead us to that wizard who knows so much about your past. Who knows what he could tell us or what light other things might shed on some of our mysteries.”

“Hannah,” Frank called from outside.

Hannah looked up as he appeared at the door, holding a small wooden box. He motioned for her to stand as he approached and held the box out to her. She looked into his face to see concern as she took the small object.

“What is it?” Hannah asked.

“The box contains a sending stone,” Frank replied. “Lord Dugal gave it to one of Gwen’s scouts with a message that it was for you.”

“What’s a sending stone?” Hannah pressed.

“A magical stone that stores a single message,” Chandice said as she entered the tent with Roric, Blackbast, and Zillix. “It will give you an image of the speaker and give him a full minute to speak to you. Then the stone will disintegrate and be lost forever.”

“It triggers when you open the box,” Frank said as Hannah nodded.

“Why would he send me a message like this?” Hannah asked.

“Because he wants to ensure there will be no record of what he said,” Blackbast answered.

“And we suspect it means it will be bad news,” Roric added.

“Maybe you shouldn't open that now,” Jaina suggested.

“You may be right, but I have to know,” Hannah said, carefully opening the lid. Inside was a dull, clear stone, but the second the light hit it, it glowed.

“Hannah,” came the voice of Lord Dugal as his image appeared in the air over the stone. “I am sorry to contact you this way, but I didn't dare risk more direct conversation. They know Hannah. I don't know how, but they know about us and our promise. They devastated my city and the surrounding lands by opening portals inside the city and flooding it with Nylacs. Just before the attack, all nearby respawn points were destroyed by magical attacks. Hundreds of my players have lost everything and been reset. My lands have lost a huge amount of power and prestige, and it will take me years to recover. I am sorry, Hannah, but for the sake of my people, I don't dare see you again. This is the last time we will ever speak again. And please, don't try to help me. You will only make things worse.”

The image vanished as the box fell from Hannah’s hand. She burst into tears, covering her face as Frank swept her up before she collapsed.

“They punished him for being soft on Hannah,” Chandice gasped.

“They punished everybody in his lands for his indiscretion,” Roric said. “I bet hundreds of his players leave. He will be ruined.”

“Why!” Hannah screamed. “Why do so many people hate me so badly?”

“How could anybody even know?” Quinny asked. “All this took place in the castle. Gwen has that place locked down. Even Santos couldn’t sneak in there.”

“Hannah, I’m sorry,” Frank whispered.

“I can’t even help him,” Hannah sobbed. “He begged me to stay away from him because I hurt everyone I touch!”

“Oh, sweetheart, you do not,” Jaina urged as she rubbed Hannah’s shoulder. “None of us have been hurt.”

“Only because we got lucky,” Hannah cried. “If the dragon hadn't come, you would have been hurt too!”

“We don’t know if that had anything to do with you,” Jaina insisted. “I have made plenty of enemies on my own.”

They all tried to comfort her but nothing would do any good. Blackbast finally convinced Frank to hand her over, and she sat on the bed with Hannah in her arms, using her powers to soothe Hannah and make her sleep. Once Hannah was out, she was tucked into bed with Webster put to guard her while the rest stepped outside.

“This is terrible news,” Blackbast hissed.

“Even if they did know about the alliance, why punish him so cruelly?” Roric asked.

“They seek to isolate us,” Blackbast explained. “They did this to make an example of Lord Dugal so nobody else will dare to ally with Hannah.”

“But it still raises the question of how they know?” Chandice insisted.

“Could this spy actually be in our lands?” Frank asked as he looked back to the tent where Hannah was sleeping.

“He must be,” Jaina said angrily as she paced. “And when we find him, I want to dissolve him slowly over a week!”

“They made Hannah cry!” Gisley sobbed as she began to weep and fell into Evalynn’s arms.

“Oh, Gisley,” Jaina sighed and went to rub her shoulders. “She was just overcome by the situation. She will be fine after a good sleep.”

“I have never seen Hannah cry before,” Quinny said as she looked down. “I feel so bad for her.”

“These monsters have been wearing her down,” Breanne said. “One of her biggest fears is that this outside interference will never stop.”

“The only way to stop it would be to face the people causing it,” Chandice said. “Which means we would need to be sure about this spy.”

“Nobody has ever discovered who this spy is?” Roric asked.

“That is what makes his legend so dangerous,” Blackbast said. “He’s killed people in the middle of their heaviest defenses and wasn’t even seen. He seemed to be in multiple places at once, always alerting the enemy to our plans and striking when least expected. Some of the desert kings were slain in their throne rooms along with their guards.”

“How could he be that good?” Jaina gasped.

“I wish I could tell you,” Blackbast said. “All I know is these things happened, and no player was ever revealed to be the cause.”

“So, how do we find him?” Roric asked.

“If I knew that, we would have revealed him ages ago,” Blackbast replied. “We might even have won the war in the desert.”

“I hate to interrupt this tense moment, but the sky has darkened, and Hannah needs to sing the lullaby,” Breanne reminded, as the group looked tense.

“I don’t know,” Frank replied as Blackbast took his hand.

“She must,” Blackbast said firmly. “If this danger is stalking us, then we must do all we can to convince him we are still in the city.”

“I will go,” Gisley said as she wiped her eyes.

“That’s very kind of you, but you’re not Hannah,” Frank replied.

“No, but I can be,” Gisley said. “Roric's third class allows us to borrow powers from anyone in his collar. I will take Jaina's copy ability to become Hannah and sing for her. I will be able to copy her voice and everything.”

“Will that work?” Jaina asked.

“No,” Chandice replied. “Gisley can look and sound like her, but she can’t make night flowers bloom and glow like Hannah does.”

“Drellis,” Blackbast said with a snap of her fingers. “We get the druid to bless the city while Gisley sings. The effect will be nearly the same, and I doubt anyone will notice.”

“If that means Hannah can sleep for a while, I am all for it,” Frank agreed and turned to Umtha and Quinny. “You two go with her and sing to be seen and heard for the sake of our ruse.”

“Yeah, anything for Hannah,” Quinny said as Umtha nodded in agreement.

Frank sighed and then asked Gisley for a little glitter. Gisley said there were bottles of it in their tent and ran to get him one. She handed it over, and he asked her to hurry back after her song. He then headed for the coach and said he would be back soon.

“What are you doing?” Blackbast asked.

“Something for Hannah,” Frank replied and went inside.