Jaina and the others were proud of Roric. As much as he wanted to run and protect his girls, he felt responsible for the townspeople. He had Gisley turn around and head for the town they had called home for such a short while. The fire creature was gone, but so were half the buildings, meaning quite a few players had lost a significant amount of invested points. When it came to building anything, all builders earned a small number of creation points per level. However, nearly every building class had a way to convert treasures or items of value into additional creation points. The problem was that once those points were spent, they were gone, and if your creation was later destroyed, those points were not recovered. Many in the town were in that position now, reduced to only the points their level offered.
One of the buildings that remained was the bank, as it was made of stone and iron. Roric made a quick stop to withdraw all their gold, dividing it between the two bags of deep pockets. They then returned to the rubble-strewn street and picked their way through the devastation.
"This is so horrible," Jaina said as she surveyed the damage from the magic disk. Gisley was once again on Roric's shoulders, her wings hidden away to avoid drawing attention. Evalynn walked beside him, still wearing her armor and ready for battle, but the fight here was over.
"I can't believe that woman did this just because you didn't want to be her slave," Chandice said.
"It wasn't just that," Evalynn corrected. "It was that Jaina wanted to be Roric's slave and not hers. She does not feel he has the right to own such a talented sex slave and was insulted when Jaina chose him over her."
"I never thought she was a nice person," Gisley added. "She was a big reason why I was afraid to play my class. Once I revealed what I was, I thought she might come looking to recruit me, and I didn't want to be her slave."
"I wonder if she knows you're a prostitute now," Roric said. "If she was angry at me owning a seductress, how mad did she become when she found out I snatched a prostitute right from under her nose?"
"Oh, I bet you're right," Jaina replied as they passed a smoldering shell that had once been the magic item store. "We know she was spying on us, so it makes sense she knows Gisley is a prostitute. She must have gone insane with rage."
"She doesn't have the right to own people just because they suit her needs," Chandice complained as they continued to pass charred buildings.
"Tell that to her," Evalynn replied. "I have been told she is a pleasant person when she gets what she wants."
"To think, just this morning, we were talking about how happy we were," Gisley said as she looked around. "Now, I just want to cry."
"Oh, please don't do that," Jaina urged. "If you cry, my heart will break."
"We can't afford to linger here for too long," Roric said as they turned a corner. "I hate to say it, but I think those assassins recognized what Gisley is. They said she was worth a fortune, and I suspect they will make further efforts to collect on it."
"Great, more trouble thanks to Alexandria," Jaina groaned. "What are we going to do if they kidnap her?"
"I can try to track her by scent," Roric suggested.
"I have a better idea," Gisley offered. "If for any reason I go missing, you should sprinkle some of my glitter over one of you and go to sleep. That way, I can find your dream and tell you where I am."
"Wow, that is a brilliant idea," Chandice said.
"You might not even have to use the glitter," Gisley added. "So long as one of you has made love to me recently, you will have been covered in it. Especially if you have eaten me out."
"I will make sure to do that to you every day," Jaina said as they looked down the street to see the inn they had once called home. It was a pile of smoldering lumber, charred beyond recognition. Natalie stood outside, looking at the ruins with tears falling from her eyes.
"Natalie," Roric called and hurried to her side.
"Roric," she replied and tried in vain to dry her eyes. "I am glad to see you and your girls are fine."
"Natalie, I am so sorry," Roric said as he took her hands.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Natalie asked. "People think some high-level summoner set that thing loose just to screw with low-level players. It's a sick joke if you ask me, but what can anybody do about it?"
"This is so terrible," Jaina said sadly as she looked at the ruins.
"I guess I will start over with a small tavern," Natalie said. "I am afraid it won't be large enough for you to dance in for quite a while."
"Surely you have some gold saved up?" Evalynn asked.
Natalie shook her head and let out a timid laugh. "I had too much, so I converted it to points to add a new basement level and a fourth floor. An hour later, that monster tore through, and it seems like it targeted my inn specifically."
Jaina saw Roric's ears droop as he felt awful for the poor woman. No doubt, many in the town had some gold to rebuild with, assuming they hadn't been reset in the attack. What made her even more proud of her master was when he opened his pouch of deep pockets and offered to give Natalie five thousand gold to rebuild.
"I can't take that from you," Natalie said in alarm. "You told me about your dream home, and I know all your girls have been working hard to make that money."
"You gave us a place to make that money from and asked for very little in return," Roric said as he started to count out coins. "And as much as it pains me to say this, I believe your inn was targeted because of us."
Natalie looked confused, so Roric explained the rivalry between them and Alexandria. He covered the events leading up to the assassin attack and how they admitted the fire elemental was sent to destroy their home points.
"I can't prove any of this, of course, but it is safe to assume they were telling the truth," Roric said as he took out a normal bag to fill it with the coins. "I won't be able to live with the guilt if I don't do something to help you rebuild."
"What a terrible woman," Natalie said in shock. "If there was some way to prove she was behind the attack, I bet we could get a bounty put on her head."
"I would be careful going after her," Evalynn interjected. "She seems to be well connected and more than willing to use violence to get what she wants. You might be asking for more trouble than it's worth."
"We are so sorry," Jaina insisted. "We thought we left her behind. We had no idea she would do something this drastic."
Roric filled a large sack with five thousand gold and laid it at Natalie's feet. He urged her to rebuild right away and convert the going to points before the assassins respawned. He then told her that it wasn't safe for them to remain in the town, and he was going to go south to hopefully escape the woman's notice.
Natalie was sad to hear it but fully understood why they felt they needed to go. She thanked them all and gave Roric a firm hug, wishing him good fortune wherever they went. She then looked up and suggested they go to a city named Klestton, several days' journey to the south. She said it was the first proper city from the spawn area, with a strong wall. It was also a world spawn city and had a sizable force of NPC guards who could deal with threats like the elemental.
He thanked her for the advice and asked for basic directions before wishing her luck. Roric and girls waved their goodbyes but made a dozen more stops, visiting shops and people they knew to give each of them a share of their gold to help them rebuild. Her saddest moment came when they found Sergius and had to tell him they were leaving. He was upset but fully understood their need to get away. He wished them well and wandered back into the ruins, searching for his missing girlfriend.
It was a terribly sad moment when they finally left, with significantly less gold and a heavyweight on their heart. They waited until they were a mile south of town before Gisley dared to take her wings and turn invisible. They flew off, with Roric holding Evalynna and Jaina in his arms as they lamented the turn of events.
They traveled across the wilderness, avoiding roads where they might be spotted. Roric didn't want anyone to be able to mark their passage and potentially point Alexandria their way. When the moon moved to the midnight position, Roric had them camp in the trees and closed the door flaps to hide the light. Gisley found a small pond to dance over and sing, filling the air with a remorseful song that echoed their mood.
Jaina curled into Roric's arms as he stroked her head and promised them they would find a home free from Alexandria's deprivations. For security sake, Chandice summoned a rogue demon and had it patrol the area around the tent while an invisible Gisley lurked inside to ensure their safety. Evalynn stayed in her armor and used her elvish gift to avoid sleep, insisting that if the assassins had long since respawned and may be following them.
Roric tried to address their fears, pointing out that they had flown here, leaving no trail to follow. Unless they were being pursued magically, nobody could possibly know they were they were. Still, it made sense they would be heading south, and groups might be out searching. He hoped to find Klestton in less than two days, assuming that Gisley's flying could cut a day or more off their travels. With three days of travel between them and Alexandria, she was less likely to locate them. Even if she did, the city sounded large enough where such a bold attack wouldn't get very far. None of them bothered with sex, it just didn't feel right considering recent events, but Jaina slept soundly in Chandice and Roric's arms.
The next day was spent speeding across the countryside while a light drizzle fell from a darkened sky. It left them damp and miserable, but Roric said it would help cover their trail. A skilled hunter would look for tracks in the mud and find nothing since they were flying above it. Late into the night of the second day, they found a small stream hidden in a valley. They camped beside it so Gisley could bath in the reflected moonlight while she sang. This song was a bit more beautiful, showing that she was looking forward to their new home.