Jaina and the others were tense as the time ticked by. They had fled the forest that was supposed to be their home and gone northeast. Hours later, they were well into the plains, hiding behind a large rock as Santos kept watch. By now, Roric had respawned and, if Evalynn was right, was about to give up waiting. He would make his way to this point, hoping the girls had escaped whatever doom destroyed his spawn points in the village.
The wait was maddening because there was no way to be sure what was happening to Roric. Was he safe? Was he on his way to them right now? They only planned to wait an hour since he would arrive by then if the timing was right. If he didn't, they would go looking for him, following the trail back to the distant town.
Chandice and Gisley were in a kind of shock, both having lost their special places. They had been killed in the opening attacks, then beaten to a pulp in the next waves. The two of them clung together, sharing a cry as they lamented all they had lost. Chandice had just begun decorating her shop, and Gisley managed only one dance over her pond. Their hope and dreams had been snatched from their very fingertips, and now they were hiding.
Evalynn was the rock in the storm, making hard decisions and vowing to recover Roric at all costs. Zorac, Gorm, and Santos followed her lead, agreeing to search for Roric in the nearby towns. Even now, she looked to the sky to see the sun move to late afternoon and declared their wait over.
"Gisley, summon us another disk," she said and took up her spear. "We will fly as close as we dare, then go the rest of the way on foot." She rooted around in Roric's pack and produced the magic tent. She quickly set about pulling it open, much to the surprise of Zorac and Grom.
Jaina wasn't sure why they needed the tent until Evalynn explained their dresses and other clothing was inside. They could put on their disguises and conceal their identity except under close inspection. Gisley was unhappy about having to dress but did as Evalynn asked. Chandice removed her dark robes and put on a sunny dress of white and yellow while adding a ribbon to her hair. Evalynn put a tunic of gray and green over her armor, marking herself as a knight from a distant land. Jaina decided to change to her female lizard man appearance and then donned a simple dress.
"I will pretend to be your wife," Jaina said as she hooked Zorac's arm. "Provided you are comfortable with that."
"I am honored by it," Zorac said as Jaina smiled and leaned into him.
They all climbed onto Gisley's disk, and the butterfly woman took off with her green dress flapping in the wind. They flew across the grasslands while keeping an eye out for anyone that might be coming. They still held out hope that Roric was on his way, and they wanted to be sure not to miss him in passing.
Hours later, their moods had soured as no sign of anyone was found. Evalynn urged them to stay calm and not to forget that unless the town wanted to destroy its binding stone, Roric couldn't be reset.
"Can't they force him to unbind?" Chandice asked.
"There are a couple of ways," Evalynn said reluctantly. "The simplest one is for the town's owner to unsummon the stone and make a new one. Then nobody will be set to it."
"What if that happens?" Chandice asked.
"Let's not assume the worst," Evalynn urged, but her voice lacked conviction. They could all see how worried she was, but what else could she do? She was in an impossible situation with no information to go on until they reached the town.
Jaina wanted to be strong and assume the town's owner wouldn't stoop to something like that. But after what she witnessed today and how some players didn't care, she knew it was more than possible.
Several hours later, the town came into view, and their hearts sank with worry.
"It's gone!" Gisley cried and came to a halt on a hill. "They removed the binding stone!"
They all looked to see the tree that the stone had once stood under. Now it was an empty patch of ground with no sign that it had ever been there. Jaina heard Evalynn curse as her hand tightened her spear so firmly she could hear it groan. Now they had to face their worst fears and hope he was still alive to be rescued.
Evalynn acted fast, asking Santos to go in ahead of them. Jaina and Zorac would follow a few minutes later, walking in as a couple, unaware of current events. The rest were too likely to be recognized and would remain just over the hill until they returned. Grom would stay behind as additional muscle in the event the group was discovered. Gisley would spread glitter over them and then use her fairy powers to make them invisible for a short while until the scouts returned.
Evalynn reminded them that this town probably hadn't heard the group had escaped the forest yet. But, she urged them to be careful just in case. If the town had heard, they might be suspicious of strangers, especially if they had captured Roric.
Santos nodded and faded from sight, the only sign of his passing the grass he disturbed. Jaina and Zorak twisted nervously as they waited a few minutes and then walked to the road. They would stroll right into town holding hands and pretend to be nothing more than travelers. They agreed to say that he was a barbarian warrior and she was a tribal shaman. They had both known each other from the real world and came in together a week ago. Now they were traveling to find a suitable place to build a home, preferably in a swamp or wet area.
They walked the distance, whispering about what they feared to find. The only reason to move the stone was because of Roric, and if that was the case, he was likely already reset. Jaina struggled to remain calm, and Zorac tried his best to encourage her. All he could say was they needed to be sure and not jump to conclusions. Maybe Roric appeared and got away, so they removed the stone before anyone else could use it. Jaina admitted it was a possibility, but her heart wasn't ready to accept it.
The town appeared as it had the day they arrived, with the exception of an unusual sight in the sky. New Eden had several moons, one very much like the moon of earth, a vivid white with a soft golden ring about it. Players often called it the bridal moon and had weddings under it when it was full. Tonight, however, not only was the bridal moon out but so was the tear, a smaller blue moon with a dark scar down one side. They were poised in the lower sky, ready to rise when the sun moved to set. It was an ominous backdrop to the town that undoubtedly knew what had happened to Roric.
They walked into the streets to see a few people about. Most of the shops were closed or closing, and only NPC villagers seemed to be out. However, they could hear a ruckus being made someplace deeper in, so they followed the noise and arrived at the base of the tall stone tower.
Magical lights illuminated a square filled with adventurers cheering at a man standing on a balcony of the tower. He looked like a wizard, complete with a purple pointed hat decorated with stars. He egged the crowd on, telling them the time should be soon and the second hunt would begin. Jaina was about to lead the way in when an invisible hand grabbed her shoulder, and Santos spoke.
"Get out of the city," he said as loud as he dared. "You're not safe here."
"What is going on?" Jaina whispered as she and Zorac tried not to react. Santos grabbed her by the wrist and pulled them behind a small wagon where they were not likely to be seen.
"Look closely at the base of the tower where the area is clear," he said.
Jaina and Zorac struggled to see through the crowds to a clear area below the wizard's balcony. They made out what looked like a yard with an iron fence that contained the town's binding stone.
"I don't understand what we are seeing," Zorac said. "Why is the binding stone so important?"
"It's inside a cage," Santos whispered without revealing himself. "From what I have learned, Roric had the misfortune of respawning while a group of adventurers were binding to the stone before heading to your woods. He was overwhelmed before he even knew what was happening. They took him alive to the wizard who decided to use him for sport."
"What do you mean for sport?" Jaina asked, incensed by the use of the word.
Santos lowered his voice and explained how the wizard had a cage erected and moved the binding stone into it. He used coercion to get Roric to rebind himself to the stone and then gave him a ten-minute head start. After that, the people ran after him hunting him down and killing him for fun. Now he would respawn in the cage and be used for the hunt because he was a dirty beastman, and they weren't worth treating like people.
"We need to get out," Zorac urged. "If they see us, we might end up in that cage too."
Jaina wanted to cry out with rage, but she knew they were right. If the players were determined to mistreat Roric for being a gnoll player, why would they accept a pair of lizardmen? They needed to get back and report the news to Evalynn before planning what to do.
They walked calmly down the street with Santos trying to alert them to anyone they might bump into. The tension was nerve-wracking, but Jaina refused to let it get to her. The only hope for Roric was with the others, and she needed to get back to warn them. Still, tears wet her eyes and ran down the sides of her face. Zorac tried to comfort her by assuring her that they would get Roric out and that Evalynn probably already had a plan.
A door opened and a dwarf walked out before they could react. He took one look at the two lizardmen and went to shout with a pointed finger. However, his cry was garbled by a sudden hand over his mouth, and a dagger buried deep in his back. Santos appeared and held on tightly as the two struggled until Zorac jumped in and helped beat the dwarf to death.
Jaina was appalled at what they were doing, but what else could they do? They hadn't come to cause any harm or be a threat to the neighboring towns. Now they were murdering hero players to keep them silent while poor Roric was being hunted like a dog for sport. She felt sick of New Eden and the people inside it and her hands trembled as Zorac grabbed it and pulled her along.
"Santos will hide the body inside," Zorac said as they hurried down the street.
"We just murdered that player," Jaina groaned.
"No, we didn't," Zorac corrected. "We killed a man who would see you and I thrown in that cage with Roric. He was going to laugh and shout as he ran us down and cut Roric open before your eyes. Then four hours later, they would do it again and again. He doesn't deserve your pity. None of them do."
"I thought this place was a dream come true," Jaina said as the edge of the village came into view. "We were supposed to live this magical life of sex, passion, and adventure."
"And you still will, but not here," Zorac insisted. "I am sorry, but somebody has poisoned the well here. You need to go far away and make a new home where you aren't being hounded by an unseen hand."
"Will the players be any different?" Jaina asked. "Or would they do the exact same thing given the same stupid motivation?"
Zorac was silent as they slipped out of town and began to run. Santos made his presence known when he told them they could slow down, but Jaina wanted to get back. She rushed over the hill with tears in her eyes and relayed the whole terrible story to the group. All eyes turned to Evalynn, who stood resolute like a champion among men.
