“Why is she always dead when we find her?” Quinny asked as she approached.
“Who is Grettah?” Umtha asked as she came closer.
“She’s a gerikimi player,” Frank replied as he looked over the body to see everything of value was gone. She had no pack, bags, or jewelry of any kind. The only item of note was her broken spear, which appeared to have been shattered by a great force. “We met her just after freeing Quinny, and she played in the haunted forest for a little bit.”
“Died in it, you mean,” Quinny said as she looked at the poor woman. “She kept getting killed.”
“She did die a lot,” Heather agreed. “I even killed her on accident once.”
“Yeah, but what is she doing here?” Frank asked as he looked around the room. “And what happened to her? These aren’t attacks by bite or claw. She was killed by weapons.”
“So, more of those rat things?” Heather suggested as Frank stood.
“More likely other players,” Frank said. “Maybe we should use our kingdom hearts to see who else is down here. Something is going on.”
“That's kind of cheating,” Heather replied, but she could hear the seriousness in his voice. She held out her palm and summoned the green crystal gem that was now her kingdom heart. With but a thought, the interface came alive, and Frank started guiding her efforts to locate the dungeon.
“Wow, look how big the dungeon is,” Quinny exclaimed as they saw it unfold on the map before them.
“It’s ten levels deep?” Breanne scoffed. “Why did you make it so big?”
“So people had things to do,” Frank explained. “Our kingdom is all about giving players places to play, so they don't need to duel one another.”
“How do I see who is down here?” Heather asked as she got lost in the array of information.
“Go to inhabitants,” Frank said as he pointed to the option. “Now check the box for players only.”
Heather did as instructed, and sure enough, a list of ten people showed up. They were on the list, but so was another group, a level below them, in a small room.
“Who are these people?” Heather wondered as she clicked on a name.
“Arderial, Battle priest,” Heather read aloud. “It doesn't say anything about what level he is.”
“It doesn’t even say what race or gender,” Quinny pointed out.
“No, it won't unless we are much higher than they are,” Frank explained. “If they were much higher than us, they wouldn't show up at all.”
“So why is any of this important?” Breanne asked as she tried to understand.
Frank looked down at the slain woman and let out a sigh. “I think they did this,” he said solemnly. “I think they killed Grettah.”
“What?” Heather said with an angry snap. “Why do you say that?”
“Look at the wounds,” Frank explained. “These were caused by at least six different weapons, and some areas look like spell impacts. So either Grettah somehow encountered a much higher level monster on the third floor, or those players found her.”
“You mean those players murdered her,” Heather stated, just to be clear.
“It is allowed in the world,” Frank insisted.
“It isn't allowed here,” Heather said firmly and pointed to the woman's body. “This is our city, and we set the rules for play. No PVP whatsoever. We wrote it on a wall in the portal plaza, posted signs in every public square, and the guards will tell anyone who asks. Players are forbidden to kill other players or goblins.”
“You can’t control the other players,” Frank explained.
“I don't need to control them,” Heather countered. “They are welcome to go someplace else and kill whoever they want. But they need to play by the rules if they want to play here.”
“We should also remember that Frank is only positing a theory,” Breanne cautioned. “We can’t be sure these people killed her.”
“Is there a way to be sure?” Quinny asked.
“Well, whoever killed her took her gear,” Frank said. “If we can prove they have Grettah's stuff, then we can safely assume it was them.”
“Or Heather could cut out her skull and ask her,” Umtha suggested innocently.
Heather coughed and shook her head as the idea of peeling back the skin to rip the skull out of a body didn’t exactly appeal to her. Quinny nudged her and told her to go on and do her necromancer thing, but Heather insisted on passing.
“Well, we can’t just walk up and ask them,” Breanne said. “We can count on them to lie.”
“I can get the information,” Heather said with a frown. “I will sneak up on them and pick through their packs.”
“And if they catch you?” Breanne asked with a concerned look.
Heather went to say they wouldn't dare harm a princess, then remembered she was in disguise. She had to consider the options carefully, as being caught by this group would likely mean the same fate as Grettah. Still, Heather needed to know if they were responsible for the woman's death.
She decided to take the risk but only with the others nearby. They would use the map to find their way down quickly and then hunt down the group. Once they were close, Heather, Webster, and Breanne would go ahead invisible and see if they could find Grettah's gear.
Frank was against the plan until Heather added Breanne for backup if things went wrong. He insisted she not take unnecessary risks and reminded her she wasn't really a rogue. Heather had him bend over so she could plant a kiss on his helmet, then promised to be careful. Frank led the way, taking them to a large set of doors that were blasted open to reveal a stairwell down.
The next level of the dungeon was a haphazard maze of crude tunnels and rooms that appeared to be in various stages of construction. There were piles of timber and cut stones as if workers had left them there and fled days ago. They found various slain monsters as they closed in until the map indicated the group was just a few rooms down the hall.
Frank watched in tension as Heather and Breanne went down the hall, the two fading from sight as they went invisible.
“I am sure they will be fine,” Quinny insisted as she took one of Frank’s arms.
“I hope so,” Frank replied as he flexed his long, razor-sharp claws. “Or they will pay for it.”
“Please don’t be upset,” Umtha encouraged. “I can use my elemental sense to detect her so long as she is nearby.”
“You can detect Heather?” Frank asked as he turned to Umtha. The goblin woman nodded and came to his side, leaning on him as he put an arm around the two women.
“I can detect an infernal presence nearby,” Umtha corrected. “And I can feel something of her power. If she starts using significant magic, I will know.”
“See,” Quinny urged and leaned into Frank too. “All we have to do is wait. I am sure she won’t do anything risky.”
“This is Heather we are talking about,” Frank protested. “Everything she does is risky.”
Quinny smiled at his attempt at humor and ran a hand over his armored chest. She smiled across him at Umtha, who was on the other side, also enjoying the embrace. Frank noticed the exchange and pulled them in closer, enjoying their presence.
“See, we should have been doing this all along,” Quinny said as she closed her eyes.
“Maybe,” Frank agreed. “But I think I would have messed it up. I needed time to grow and get comfortable with all of you. If we had done this too soon, I know I would have made a mistake.”
“I think you would have handled it like you do everything else, with bravery and heart,” Umtha said.
“See, she understands you,” Quinny said.
“I love you both,” Frank replied as he looked down the tunnel after Heather. “I will never stop being grateful for your love.”
“Aww,” Quinny cooed and leaned back. “You deserve it, big guy. And I promise to love you for as long as this world exists.”
“As do I,” Umtha agreed. “You give me a reason to enjoy being in this world.”
Frank was grateful for his armor so they couldn't see the look on his face as he struggled not to cry. He had four women who deeply loved him, and his life couldn't be any better. How it had happened was still a mystery, but there was one thing he knew for sure. He would do anything for them just to see them smile.
Heather crept down the tunnel a dozen steps behind Webster. She and Breanne agreed to send him ahead as his small size, and other skills made him hard to detect. They carried no light with them, using their various magical sight to see through the gloom as they progressed. The tunnel made a slight bend to the right just ahead, and they could see a glowing flicker. Webster went around the bend first as Heather looked through his eyes. She relayed what she was seeing to Breanne in a soft whisper, careful of her voice echoing on the stone walls.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Webster advanced on a source of light that appeared to be a glowing shield on a large warrior. He held a short but wide sword in one hand as five people stood around him. Heather nearly choked when she saw the woman from the adventurers guild and the snake-like woman who guided the flying disk. She realized this was the core pack that had been boasting about taking over the guild and kicking out low-level players.
Webster advanced to within a dozen paces and hid near a pile of stones. Heather could see they were well equipped with packs full of gear. She tried to see if anything looked like it might belong to Grettah, but the packs were all strapped down and sealed.
“What are they doing?” Breanne asked as Heather watched from her spider's perspective.
“They are at an intersection,” Heather replied. “They are discussing which way to go.”
“Sounds like normal adventuring banter,” Breanne said. “Do you see any of Grettah’s gear?”
“We don't even know what gear she had,” Heather said as she realized how difficult this task was. She didn't want to condemn these players for a murder they didn't commit, despite how much Heather disliked them. She needed solid evidence that they had killed Grettah, and until she had it, she couldn't take action.
“I don’t see any gear that looks out of place, but most of it is in strapped backpacks. I would have to get those packs open and look inside,” Heather said.
“I assume these packs are on their backs,” Breanne sighed. “You do realize you don't have sleight of hand or thievery skills of any kind.”
“I know I am not a rogue,” Heather grumbled. “But we have to find out if they are responsible.”
“Why don't we follow them off a bit and see if they say anything,” Breanne suggested.
Heather thought that was a marvelous idea, as it meant they could observe from a safe distance. She sent the mental instructions to Webster to follow them when they finally chose the left hall. She listened as they talked about the city and its people, making the occasional joke. However, it took a more sour turn when the topic of the goblins came up, and they began to complain.
“I don’t see why they treat the goblins like they are hero players,” the snake woman said. “This princess Hannah is a monster lover.”
“She married a carrion night,” the large warrior said. “What kind of woman want’s a man who is a ghoul half the time?”
Heather shook as a few of them laughed and made crude comments about what kind of person Princess Hannah had to be. They then suggested they would find out when they ranked up enough to get an audience with the Prince and Princess. The warrior suggested he could charm Hannah away from Frank with just a flex of his muscles.
“Oh please,” Heather grumbled. “Frank could rip those arms off and beat you to death with them.”
“What?” Breanne asked.
“They are trash-talking Frank and I,” Heather replied. “The warrior is planning to steal me away.”
“And you haven’t killed them yet?” Breanne asked.
“I promised Frank I would show restraint,” Heather sighed. “But I bet he would have killed them himself already.” Heather returned to listening as the group switched topics to the announcement of Hannah and Frank's plan to marry more women. The blond woman laughed and suggested she would like a relationship like that, but not with a bunch of losers.
Heather's hands curled into fists as they began to discuss the women presented, describing Quinny as a plain and Breanne as an elven harlot. She grit her teeth as they suggested that both women were probably regulars of Roric's forest and they should go there next to play with them.
“Oh, that’s it,” Heather growled as her eyes glowed red.
“What did they say?” Breanne asked as green fire began to dance on Heather’s horns.
“They accused you and Quinny of being whores,” Heather growled. “And suggested they make use of your services.”
“They did what!” Breanne snapped as her voice echoed down the hall.
“Did you hear that?” the warrior said and turned around. “It came from behind us.”
“It sounded like a voice,” A man in blue robes said as he peered back the way they came. “An angry voice.”
“We just cleared that tunnel,” the blond woman replied. “Unless we missed a secret door.” She stepped back and peered into the shadows before raising a hand and calling for a blessing. Her hand glowed with soft red light, and she focused on the sensation until her eyes went wide.
“It’s behind us!” she cried and fell back.
“What is?” The warrior asked as he took his place between them and the danger.
“I used a detect evil, and I felt something dark not far behind us,” the woman gasped. “It's a demon or devil, and it's very angry.”
“How did it get behind us?” the blue-robbed man asked as he drew a wand. “Could it be helping that goat woman?”
“Why would a demon be helping the goat woman?” the warrior asked. “She said she was new in town.”
“She wasn’t a goat,” the serpent woman corrected. “She is some kind of sheep or cow.”
“It doesn't matter what she was,” the warrior laughed. “She's dead now, and her gear wasn't worth the effort.”
“I can't believe she thought we were serious about taking her with us,” a man in chain armor said as he held a dark bow. “The stupid woman was eager to have somebody to adventure with.”
“It was so hard to wait until we were a few floors down before we killed her,” the warrior laughed, then heard another voice echo from the walls.
“I heard it again,” the blond woman said.
“I did, too,” the warrior replied. “But it was a different voice, and I swear I heard I say rise and serve.” He went silent momentarily, then tipped his head as if listening to the darkness. “Do you hear footsteps?”
The group looked up as shadows flooded the hall. Dark shapes came pouring down the tunnel at them as red eyes began to appear.
“Ambush!” the warrior cried as flames, and blue lights appeared down the tunnel. Suddenly bolts of magic began to hurl their way as skeletons in full rusty armor came at them with swords, spears, and axes.
The group desperately fought as the swarm spilled down the hall, but these skeletons were tougher than the normal fair. They had armor and decent health, as well as supporting spell casters further back. The warrior took the brunt of the charge, trying to keep them penned up in the narrow hall. But soon, it became impossible to stem the tide as the creatures began to slip around him and reach his companions. Walls of fire and circles of protection went up as the group fell back, but still, the relentless tide of undead poured on. They fought a daring retreat until a spectral light caught their eye.
“What is that?” the warrior cried as he looked over his shield to see it coming.
“Probably the leader of the hoard,” the blond woman replied as she wiped the blood from a wound on her arm.
They saw a woman in ghostly white with deep lifeless red eyes and skin that was gaunt and horrifying. She floated through the undead, unimpeded by their numbers, as she bore down on the players.
“Some kind of ghost!” the wizard cried and loosed a volley of flaming darts at her. A shield of blackness came up, absorbing the darts just before she floated through it. The archer fired a silver arrow tipped with a vial of holy water. The ghostly woman vanished in a puff of shadow and appeared again much closer, her hands nearly raking the warrior's shield.
“I am not afraid of you,” the warrior laughed and took an offensive posture, his sword suddenly gleaming with golden runes. He was about to attack when an ear-shattering wail filled the tunnel, and the group caught directly in its path.
“Banshee!” the snake woman cried as she fell to her knees. “And a damn powerful one!”
The warrior held his ground, weathering the attack as he ignored blows from the skeletons. He used his shield as a ram, blasting into Breanne as she once again collapsed into black smoke. She reformed out of the shadows further back with her hands raised high. A hail of black spikes pelted the party, shredding the already weakened group. The man in blue robes spoke a word and created a dome of light over them, shielding most of the party from the rest of the attack. A flash of green caught his attention, and he looked up just in time to see a woman with three green eyes.
She grabbed him, and he vanished in another flash, causing the protection to fade. The ghostly woman let loose with another wail, only this time, it caused the party no harm. Instead, the undead before her surged with magical might, purple fire dancing across their forms.
“She’s boosting them!” the blond woman cried.
“What happened to Rondel?” the serpent woman asked as she raised a staff and pointed at Breanne.
“All I saw was a flash of green, and he was gone,” the archer replied, and together they focused fire on the banshee.
Breanne was hit by the arrow and blasted by a ray of golden light. She felt holy damage burning her essence, but nobody accused her wives of being whores. She lashed back with a spell that caused tentacles of living shadow to erupt from the floor, battering the already beleaguered group. A terrible scream followed a flash of green light as a scythe of fire cut down the archer. He hit the floor as a coppery face smiled with pointed teeth before vanishing in another green flash.
“I saw the devil!” the snake woman shouted. “She just killed Venric.”
“I saw her too!” the blond woman cried as she limped away from three skeletons, holding them at bay with a holy spell to repel undead. “I swear that was the woman from the city.”
“The newbie rogue?” the warrior gasped as he nearly toppled, his injuries becoming too taxing. He was being hammered by spells from skeleton mages, and Breanne focused most of her shadow attacks on him. There were skeletons all around him, and he couldn't manuver to block them all. He eventually cried out for healing, but the blind woman had been pushed too far back.
“Drevin!” she cried right before he fell and then turned to the last two members of her party.
“Let's get out of this death trap!” the serpent woman cried and raised her staff as a circle of blue light formed around them.
A dark shape leaped from the ceiling and wrapped around her face. The woman screamed as she looked into Webster's terrible mandibles before flailing at him with both hands. He leaped away before she could cause him any harm, but her translocation spell was broken. A green flash revealed a woman born from the fires of hell already in mid-swing as a scythe burning with fire cut down. The serpent woman fell to her injuries, leaving the blond who had mocked Heather down on one knee.
“You!” the woman groaned as Heather stood before her. “I will get you for this.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Heather replied as a shadow bolt sent the woman sprawling to the floor.
“Don’t ever call my Quinny a whore,” Breanne said through clenched teeth as she took her solid form.
Heather smirked as she considered that statement and how readily Quinny would serve in Blackbast's temple if she could. She sighed and raised a hand, causing the skeletons to crumble to dust as she dismissed them. A moment later, Frank came around the corner followed by Quinny and Umtha. Heather prepared herself for the scolding soon to come, but Frank stopped short to take in the scene.
“Wow, what happened?” Quinny asked.
Heather explained how they decided to follow the group and spy on them. She explained what they overheard, including the insults, before finally admitting to killing Grettah. She ensured they all understood that the group had pretended to befriend the poor woman only to turn on her later. Heather lost her temper at this admission, but Breanne was incensed and had to hug Quinny to soothe her nerves.
“Nobody calls my zombie princess a whore,” Breanne growled. “Not if they want to live a moment longer.”
“I could get used to this,” Quinny said and hugged her back.
“So they did kill Grettah,” Frank grumbled and kicked one of the bodies over. “They lied to her, lured her down here, then killed her.”
“I hate hero players sometimes,” Heather mumbled before going to Breanne. “Let me heal those wounds.”
“So what do we do now?” Umtha asked as she looked over the scene.
Frank took a moment to consider the options and asked a few questions. He wasn't surprised to learn that Heather had been recognized and a promise of revenge issued. Breanne had been recognized as a banshee but not as the player associated with Heather. He realized it was too late to keep their identities a secret, but they could put some things right. He had them gather all the gear and hall it back to the surface, where they set guards to watch it. They then waited and watched through their kingdom's hearts until Grettah respawned. They sent Quinny and Umtha to find her and bring her back.
She was brought to the tower that marked the dungeon's entrance, where the others were waiting. Heather had guards at the door to prevent anyone else from entering until they had a chance to talk. She took off her crown and waited in her human form so the woman would know who she was.
“Heather! Frank!:” Grettah cried and waved one of her furry arms.
“Grettah,” Heather said with a smile. “It is good to see you again.”
“Did you come here to play as well?” Grettah asked as she approached the group and stopped to consider Breanne. “It's Breanne, isn't it?”
“It is,” Breanne replied with a nod. “I am glad you are here.”
“I wish it had been under better circumstances,” Grettah said with a sour note. “A group of jerks killed me in the dungeon, but Quinny says you got my stuff back.”
“We aren’t sure which stuff is yours,” Heather explained and motioned her to the packs. They encouraged her to dig through them and take back the stuff that was hers, as well as a small bonus in gold.
Grettah only needed a few moments to find her equipment, then returned to her earlier question. She wanted to know if they had come to find a home in the new kingdom. She said towns to the west were abuzz with people talking about, saying that monster players were welcome and that goblins actually lived in the city.
“The prince and princess sound like lovely people,” Grettah said. “I hope I meet them one day.”
“Yeah, about that,” Heather said with a nervous smile. “What do you know about them?”
“Not much,” Grettach admitted. “The princess is some kind of nature hero, and the prince is a carrion knight. I hear he's handsome, but people are torn over his choice of class. They think he's too close to being a monster player and say that he's the reason they welcome monster players here. I heard he even has a goblin concubine,” Grettah added and suddenly looked back to Umtha. “Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that was bad.”
“No,” Umtha said with a funny smile. “What else do you know about this prince?”
“Umm,” Grettah said as she tried to remember. “He's supposed to be very kind, and I just heard him announce that he and his princess were going to marry two other women. A tall elven woman and a dark haired….” Grettah trailed off as she looked from Breanne to Quinny. She blinked a few times as she considered Frank and Heather, as the whole group began to smile.
“I, uh, swear I heard that prince's name was Frank?” Grettah said.
“It is,” Heather replied and clutched Frank’s arm. “And he’s an amazing husband.”
“Husband!” Grettah cried. “Wait? You mean you two are the? And you're married? I mean, of course, you're married, but you're married?”
“I think you fried her brains,” Quinny laughed.
“I have a feeling this is going to happen a lot more,” Heather sighed and stepped up to Grettah. She introduced herself as Princess Hannah and made her promise to use only that name. She then introduced Frank as Prince Frank and Umtha as Queen of the goblins. Umtha insisted that Heather and Frank were Queen and King of the goblins as well and refused to let them downplay the title. Next, Quinny and Breanne were introduced as their fiances and would soon have all the same titles.
“How did you become a princess?” Grettah asked. “Last time I saw you, you didn't want to be here.”
“It's a long story,” Heather sighed. “I know a lovely inn we can sit down and have a drink at, and I will tell you the story.”
Grettah shrugged, and they headed for the jade temple and a bit of relaxation. Grettah was abuzz with questions, but Heather had one she wanted answered first. She wanted to know why Grettah was here, and the woman nearly laughed. She explained that rumors of a new power rising in the south were spreading across the land. It was the welcoming of monster players that had most people talking and the rumor that there was a magical forest full of sexy girls.
“Oh, yeah,” Heather said with a funny smile. “The love wood.”
“Everyone knows that part of the story is made up,” Grettah said dismissively.
Heather looked at Frank for support as he tried not to laugh. Grettah went on to share some of the wild rumors about the place and how women stalk the roads making love to unwary travelers. She waved it all off as Heather took a deep breath and steadied herself. She leaned over and told Grettah what she needed to know. People for a block around looked up as a single voice rose above all others.
“You mean that place is real!”