The Jade Harem 1-5

Sorry about the incorrect post earlier. That should have been 1-4

Jaina sighed as she looked down on Paradise City from the high balcony of the palace. Since the attack, the girls were not free to wander the forest or play in any location that wasn't heavily guarded. She felt confined and trapped for the first time, and oddly, it had nothing to do with being a slave girl.

Gisley was even more unhappy because she couldn't be alone at her pond to sing under the moonlight. Roric allowed her to go, but only with a contingent of thirty guards who were always nearby. She also wasn't allowed to be out more than an hour before having to return to check in. While she was in the forest, Evalynn would be tasked with being at her interface to monitor the comings and goings of players. They were concerned about another attack and wanted the earliest possible warning.

Worse, there was tension among the masters with Frank, who used the girls as bait to draw the enemy out. He had alerted the masters to the danger and planned extra protection for the girls, but he failed to share that he intended to use the girls. Frank assured them he had taken every possible precaution, including asking the hero and monster guilds for champions to help in an attack.

Rajeen argued that every precaution would have included sharing his plan. Zillix was upset that he and Idris had been sent on a pointless task and taken away from helping. Frank insisted the task wasn't pointless as surely somebody was watching to see how they responded. If there had been no response at all, the enemy might have assumed they were on to them. This might have caused them to go into hiding and strike more secretively, making them much harder to stop.

Now, the harem that spent its days sharing love and happiness was tense and worried. A dark cloud hung over them as they slowly worked through the variables and tried to make sense of things. Unfortunately, the information was sketchy, and the facts were hard to come by. What they did know made them even more worried as it showed the danger had grown.

Up until this point, all the danger had been focused on Hannah and Frank. Now, that focus appeared to have shifted its focus to Jaina. Somebody had placed a huge bounty on a successful reset of her character in a city far to the northwest. They had no idea why anybody was after Jaina specifically or why her reset was so important. Their only theory was that it was a revenge attack for Jaina's role in exposing the spies trying to collect materials from the harem. Rajeen was critical of that idea, stating that this was far too much effort for so simple a reason. She insisted that this was something bigger and darker, moving against them for reasons they didn't understand.

The one bright light had been the fact that they took a prisoner, and Hannah plied her skills as a Lilim to get information out of him. He told them the city was named Kellinhall, after its lord Kellin Golden Axe, a dwarf war master. The guild was the Kellinhall Adventurers Guild, and the poster signed the contract only with the name Yen. He hadn't met this person or know who they were, but the guild guaranteed the bounty of fifty thousand gold just for participating. That kind of money went a long way, and he was looking for a quick payday. He didn't know many of the others who signed up, but he was pretty sure the four group leaders knew each other well.

He gave them the name of a Sealing woman called Tofflean and said she might know who posted the bounty or, at the very least, point them to somebody who did. She was apparently a trusted friend of his who could be counted to keep the matter private.

Santos went to follow up on this contact personally, taking three of his best assassins with him. Thus far, he hadn't returned, but it had only been a few days, and nobody expected quick results. The man was still in the cells of Gwen's castle, waiting for a planned release date. Gwen refused to hold him too long, citing that not only would it be cruel, but she feared an effort might be made to break him out. The last thing they needed was a very public battle at the castle to cast worry over the city. As it stood, the word was already spreading that there had been an attack, and the harem had been the target. Thus far, most people assumed it had been focused on Hannah, and the masters were content to let it stay that way. People knew that Hannah came with baggage and that people still believed she was a necromancer. Since her very public speech where she explained her plight the city had been well prepared for trouble relating to her.

Jaina sighed again as she missed the woman who was so dear to her heart. Hannah had gone to the castle to act as a liaison to Lord Dugal and, for the past few days, had scarcely left his bed. Blackbast had been in to visit them a few times as Hannah was in her collar and couldn't be away from her master that long. But by all accounts, the two had been making love the whole time.

Now, she sat bored and alone, wishing things were different. All they wanted was a home where they could play out the fantasy they had come to live. It was so tangibly close that she could taste it, but the world beyond their borders would not leave them in peace.

“Hey,” came a soft voice as an arm went around her back. Jaina knew the tender touch of her first girlfriend and quickly leaned into Chandice's side. “Still upset about what happened?”

“How can I not be?” Jaina asked. “I can’t even leave the palace or go to the Lovewood. This was supposed to be our safe haven and a place where we could be a family. Now it’s tarnished and I can’t do anything without an armed escort. It’s a constant reminder that our home isn’t safe.”

“Oh, sugar, it won't be like this for long,” Chandice urged. “The masters are just being overprotective while they work out why anyone would want to reset you.”

“I am more worried about Hannah,” Jaina replied. “Frank seemed visibly wounded when I told them that my kidnappers were afraid of her because they believe she is something called an ascendant.”

“He did react strangely to that,” Chandice agreed as she recalled how Frank made Jaina repeat herself twice and then pried to know if they elaborated on that.

“He sounded angry at me,” Jaina pointed out. “Like my bringing this up was somehow making it worse.”

“He wasn't angry,” Chandice insisted as she rubbed Jaina's back. “But he loves Hannah deeper than any of us can grasp, and any threat to her strikes at his heart.”

“I guess you’re right,” Jaina sighed.

“Hey, don't you forget that he was worried about you as well,” Chandice reminded. “He apologized to you for not realizing that you might be the one in real danger. He admitted he was so wrapped up in Hannah that he had been blinded to other possibilities. I think he was truly upset that he had put you in harm's way.”

“Maybe he was,” Jaina agreed. “Should I go talk to him?”

“Later,” Chandice said with a smile and hug. “I have another task for you, and I think Gisley and Umtha.”

“You have a task for us?” Jaina asked with a raised brow.

“It doesn't involve ropes, bondage, and imps,” Chandice quickly corrected.

“Oh, pooh,” Jaina laughed. “Here, I got my hopes up.”

“Well, don't give up on the idea,” Chandice urged. “I have been thinking that it might be time for Hannah to have her first bondage session with my imps. You should do it with her. I can summon four imps now to keep you two fully engaged.”

Jaina felt a tingle run across her skin to be bound and helpless to Chandice's imps as they ravaged her. She would get to share the experience with Hananh, being there for the woman's first experience with the creatures.

“And now your horny mind can’t stop thinking about it,” Chandice laughed.

“How am I supposed to not think about Hannah’s body being punished by imps?” Jaina asked. She imagined being bound and helpless as the imps pressed her face into Hannah's pussy, forcing her to clean the mess they had made.

“And now I am on fire,” Jaina groaned.

“Well, don't get too wet,” Chandice urged, taking Jaina by the wrist. “Now common. If you're a good girl, I will tie you up and give you a private session.”

“So, where is this place we are going?” Jaina asked as Chandice took her back to the palace. She was delighted to hear it was the rogues guild, which meant she would be allowed to leave the palace. Apparently, the masters agreed that the guild was safe enough, and the rogues had promised to watch them carefully. There were even going to be NPC guards outside and milling about as if they were regular players to be on hand if needed.

They arrived at a magical door that would take them to a secret room in the rogue's hideout where Gisley and Umtha were already waiting.

“Hey, little girls,” Jaina said as they bounced to her and embraced in a firm hug. Jaina savored the pair of lovely women with Gisley's soft purple skin and rolling lavender hair. Umtha was green with darker green hair and small black tusks for horns. Her eyes were green with red slits, and she sported a long rope-like tail that ended in a fork. She had an impressive chest with perky round breasts that begged to be fondled. Her most interesting features were her long, pointed ears that stuck straight out of her head like a goblins did.

Both girls were dressed in slave silks, with Gisley in blue and Umtha in black. They smiled warmly and expressed excitement to be allowed to leave the harem.

“So what are you going to do?” Umtha asked as Chandice led them through the magical door that took them across the city in a single step.

“I hope it’s have sex with the rogues,” Gisley replied. “Or we could work the bar room as whores.”

“You are as bad as Jaina,” Chandice laughed.

“Worse, if you ask me,” Jaina added.

“I am not,” Gisley argued. “I just like to make the boys happy.”

“And what about the girls?” Jaina pressed.

“Oh, those I like to make fall in love with me,” Gisley replied. “I want them all to be my girlfriends.”

“You all keep collecting girlfriends,” Chandice said as they went down a back with barrels, extra tables, and chairs stacked along the walls. “Soon, I won't even be considered.”

“Oh, you will always be our best girlfriend,” Jaina assured her as they headed for a door. “And I am still holding out for a proposal.”

“I was sure you were going to marry Hannah first,” Chandice said.

“I think it would be better if you and I married first,” Jaina said. “You are my first girlfriend, and as much as I love Hannah, I need you.”

“I need you too,” Chandice agreed before leaning in for a quick kiss. “Now, on to our task.”

She threw open the door, revealing a large room with stone walls and oak beams across a high ceiling. It had two arched windows of yellow glass cut into diamond shapes that obscured the view of the city beyond. A great stone oven blazed with a vigorous fire while the mantle above was stacked with copper pots. Herbs hung from the oak beams, drying in the fire's heat and filling the air with their sweet scent. Barrels of fruit were stacked along one wall, with small crates of vegetables beside them. Every wall was covered in shelves on which where jars full of food stuffs, as well as additional pots and pans. Extra wood for the oven was tucked into a space below it with tools hung nearby. A massive wooden table of thick-hewn logs dominated the center of the room. A white cloth covered the surface on which were stacked trays of baked bread made fresh that very morning.

“It smells so good in here,” Umtha said as she sniffed the air.

“I love the kitchen,” Gisley cried and quickly bounced in. “The fire reminds me of how warm Hannah and her succubi are.”

“Well, get used to it,” Chandice said with a smile. “Because you three are going to help me do some baking.”

“We are?” Jaina asked. She knew Chandice liked to cook, and they had first met in an inn where Chandice did all the cooking for guests. However, Chandice usually only asked Gisley to help her, and then only sometimes. Thanks to Chandice being an enchantress, she used magical cooking implements to do most of the real work.

“I thought we could help boost the mood in the harem by making some special treats,” Chandice replied. “And it gave you three a chance to get away for a while. I asked the others, but Breanne and Evalynn were playing, and Quinny was in Rajeen's arms.”

“Oh, I have never seen how you humans make your food,” Umatha said as she moved to the table to sniff a bowl. “This smells like wood.”

“It's flour,” Chandice said dryly. “And yes, it does smell like wood, but let me assure you it tastes better once it's been prepared.”

Umtha shrugged and wandered about the room, looking in every barrel and box with goblin curiosity. Chandice went to the far door leading into the dining hall and leaned out to call a name.

“Zillix, we are ready,” Chandice called.

“Oh, Zillix is here,” Gisley said happily. “So we are having sex.”

“Will you stop assuming every man is here to hump you,” Chandice scolded.

“I trained her too well,” Jaina laughed as the small, colorful dragon the size of a housecat flew in on his little wings. He landed on the table as Chandice called Gisley over and explained her plan to the both of them.

“What are they doing?” Umtha asked as Chandice asked Gisley to put her and Zillix to sleep.

“I'm not sure,” Jaina replied as Chandice sat on the floor and leaned into a barrel. Gisley put her and Zillix to sleep before sitting on the floor and joining them.

“And now I feel left out,” Jaina scoffed.

“Is she showing them something?” Umtha asked.

“I don't know, but it had better be special,” Jaina said. “I have been feeling left behind recently. I really wanted to help Hannah with Lord Dugal, but she had to do that alone. Then the masters didn't think it important to include me in their discussions about the attacks.”

“They didn’t let any of us stay once they heard our stories,” Umtha said. “I think they don’t want to scare us.”

“Well, it doesn't make me feel any better to know somebody wants me reset, and I have no idea what they are planning,” Jaina added as Gisley stirred and bounced to her feet. She taped Chandice on the forehead, instantly waking her, then took Zillix from the table and kissed his snout.

“So you can do that?” Chandice asked after a yawn.

“That’s easy,” Zillix replied. “But what is all that stuff you showed me?”

“You don’t know what snow is?” Chandice balked.

“I have never seen snow in my life,” Zillix admitted.

“Snow?” Jaina asked.

“Oh, just wait,” Gisley laughed. “Chandice has a fabulous idea.

“There is snow on the mountains all around the city and the valley,” Chandice argued.

“I had no idea that’s what it was,” Zillix replied. “And I never flew up there to see. I just thought the mountains had white rocks on the top.”

“Well, you should go visit,” Chandice said as she turned to the windows. “Now, show them.”

Zillix nodded as his body began to glitter with colors, his tiny scales like little flashing lights. A second later, the yellow windows were replaced by open arches to what looked like a magical winter wonderland. The landscape was a rolling alpine forest with towering fur trees. The ground and branches were covered in snow while fresh flakes blew in a gentle breeze.

Jaina could hear the wind and even imagined she smelled the chilled mountain air. The one thing she didn't feel was cold as the windows were open arches to the landscape beyond.

“Ohhhhh!” Umtha cried and ran to the nearest window, being stopped by Chandice a moment before impact.

“Careful,” Chandice urged. “Those are illusions. The glass is still there, and you don't need to smash your head through it.”

Umtha made a funny face and reached a hand into the open space to tap at a glass she couldn’t see.

“It looks so real,” Umtha said.

“Chandice had me show Zillix one of her memories,” Gisley said. “She used to vacation in the mountains.”

“Why the theatrics?” Jaina asked as Chandice smiled.

“I just wanted to set the mood,” Chandice said. “The best baking is done in the winter when the kitchen is the warmest place in the house. I can remember the smell of the kitchen as my grandmother baked away to make cakes and treats for our holidays. I used to spend hours in the kitchen with her, learning all her little tricks to make things come out just right.”

“I have never really heard you talk about your real life,” Jaina said. “It sounds wonderful.”

“It should have been,” Chandice agreed before shrugging. “But I have everything I could ever dream of and more here.”

“This is so amazing,” Gisley said as she bounced. “It feels like Christmas.”

“Do they do that in Japan?” Jaina asked.

“Of course they do,” Gisley laughed. “Well, I mean, not everybody celebrates it, and it's not like it's a national holiday, but a lot of Japanese people love Christmas. You should see some of the light shows the cities put on. They fill huge sections of the city and parks with lights, and there are always special events.”

“We might have to see one of her dreams about that,” Jaina said.

“I would love to show you,” Gisley replied. “But why haven't we gone back to our school day fantasies?”

“Roric is too busy,” Chandice replied. “And to be honest, so am I. Melody has put a huge burden on my time. She runs people out of the shop if they ask too many questions.”

“You should have invited her to come bake treats,” Gisley urged.

“I wanted this to be a happy experience,” Chandice replied.

“Oh, I bet she would love it,” Gisley pouted.

“My sweet butterfly,” Jaina laughed. “Always so eager to make everyone happy.”

“Is this Christmas another one of your hollow days?” Umtha asked as she studied their faces.

Jaina wanted to giggle, and Chandice corrected her and helped her say holiday. Jaina often forgot that Umtha and zillix were not from earth and some words simply had no translation. Chandice did a fantastic job describing the event, showing a surprising amount of knowledge about its pagan origins. She talked about how it evolved into something less meaningful, but its deep roots remained. She also talked fondly about it, always referencing the snow and cold as a reason to be indoors around a fire with family.

“I had no idea family was so important to you,” Jaina said when Chandice was done.

“I love having a family,” Chandice said as she looked around the room. “And now I have a giant one.”

“You certainly do,” Jaina agreed and joined her at a window to look at the landscape. “This is from your past?”

“Yes,” Chandice replied with a nod. “When I was a very little girl.”

“Thank you for sharing it with us,” Jaina said. “Now, it's time you took your grandmother's place and showed the rest of us how to do it right.

Chandice laughed with a bright smile and looked at Gisely and Umtha, who were raiding the apple barrel.

“And this is a good start,” Chandice said as she picked up a spoon. “You two will behave, or I will give you a good spanking with this.”

“Oh please, Gisley is going to misbehave just so you spank her now,” Jaina said with a roll of her eyes.

“I am not,” Gisley replied as she tried to hide an apple behind her back. “Well, maybe a little.”

“Just spank her now to get it out of her system,” Jaina urged with folded arms. Chandice shrugged and went to the unruly girl, taking her by the arm to the wall. She made Gisley put her hands on the wall as she pulled away the silk, revealing the tender purple rear. Umtha practically jumped when the spoon made a loud crack across that tender skin, and Gisley cried out in happiness.

“Why is she hitting her?” Umtha asked.,

“It's called a spanking,” Jaina said. “It's a kind of punishment for unruly children who can't be talked down or reasoned with. Most people don't do it anymore because we have matured, but some people, like Gisley, get a thrill out of being spanked.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?” Umtha asked with a flinch as Chandice demanded to know if Gisley was going to be a good girl.

“Of course it does, but that’s part of the thrill,” Jaina said as she shot Umtha a sideways glance. “Would you like to try it?”

Umtha's eyes went wide as she rapidly shook her head. Her long tail coiled over her rear in defense as if Chandice were about to strike her. Jaina giggled and assured her this was only happening because Gisley liked it, and Chandice knew her limits well. She would never truly hurt the woman or cause any lasting harm. Though Umtha insisted she didn't want to try it, she still looked on with curious fascination.

Gisley finally cried out that she would be good, and Chandice pulled her from the wall with a hug. Both women then shared a kiss before turning back to the others.

“Alright, now let's get cooking,” Chandice said. The first thing they would make would be a simple and traditional apple pie. It would be spiced with raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg, along with a dash of juice from a fantasy fruit, much like a lemon.

Umtha and Gisley were tasked with peeling the apples while Jaina put a portion of the flour into ten bowls. To these, she added an exact amount of water, butter, salt, and other ingredients. Chandice busied herself cutting the apples into thin slices and adding them to a huge metal pan laid out over the top of the over. She added the spices and a little flour while mixing the apples slowly to precook them. It wasn't long before the kitchen was filled with a wondrous scent that made the girls sigh.

“Why does this smell so good?” Umtha asked as she went to the apple barrel for more apples.

“I suppose we humans have really advanced our knowledge of cooking,” Jaina said.

“It smells good because it’s being made with simple ingredients and love,” Chandice cut in.

“You can put love into your food?” Umtha balked as Gisley giggled at the woman’s innocence.

“I forget you're not from Earth,” Chandice replied. “It's an expression we humans use to say that the person doing the cooking is putting her heart into the work. We are doing this to help bring some cheer back to the harem and because it feels good to cook for others.”

“It does?” Umtha asked as she filled a bowl with apples.

Chandice smiled and explained that a lot of earth women had what they called a motherly nature. They enjoyed caring for a family and being the heart of the home. She saw that nature on full display in her grandmother, who showered her family with love through her food. It was one of the many ways a woman could express her love and fill her home with a mother's blessing.

“Did your mother cook?” Jaina asked.

“Yes, but not like my grandmother,” Chandice sighed. “My mother was a more modern woman with a career and little time to be the heart of the home. That's why I spent so much time with my grandmother.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a painful memory,” Jaina said.

“Don't worry, I am not bothered by it anymore,” Chandice replied. “I am glad I got to see the world through my mother and grandmother's eyes. I choose to follow my grandmother's path and take care of my very strange family.”

“Ha, we are strange,” Jaina agreed as she began to roll a ball of dough. “Who would ever have believed you would end up in a world like this.”

“Yeah, now you’re a wife to a gnoll, and your family is a harem of slave girls,” Gisley pointed out.

“And it’s wonderful,” Chandice agreed as she looked over her shoulder. “Now, keep peeling.”

Gisley and Umtha jumped at their task as Jaina moved on to shaping the dough into disks. One by one they made pie shells and began the process of filling them. Soon, the kitchen was alive with the smell of six pies baking in the stone oven while Chandice started the next treat. It was a special moment but Jaina wished Hannah could be there. Sighing, she took some bowls to a nearby sink where a magical brush would clean them in the warm water.

“What was that sigh for?” Chandice asked as she looked over her shoulder.

“I know this is silly, but I miss Hannah,” Jaina replied.

“She's only been busy for a few days,” Chandice pointed out as she smiled and returned to coating some cherries in sugar.

Jaina agreed but explained that Hannah was always busy. She was always pulled away, even when they were told to spend time together. She wanted Hannah to be around more often so they could share experiences like this and be the family Jaina wanted. Even when they had a free day in the forest, they got attacked before they could spend any real time together.

“It isn’t about sex,” Jaina added. “I just want to share these experiences with her.”

“She should be free any time now,” Umtha said. “That man was supposed to leave this morning.”

“He was?” Jaina asked in surprise. Umtha nodded, causing her long ears to flap. Jaina looked to Chandice, who turned around and looked at Jaina with a funny smile.

“Well, What are you waiting for?” Chandice asked. “Go get her so we can get back to cooking.”

Jaina smiled and thanked Chandice before running from the room. She crossed her fingers and prayed that Hannah hadn't been entangled in some other demand as she headed for the magical door to the harem. With any luck, she would finally be able to spend some time with the mysterious woman who had long ago captured her heart.