1-177
People looked out of doors and around corners as Roric and the others ran down the hall. A second loud crash ensued, followed by foul language, shouting, and threats of greater violence. Gwen wasn't holding back, and whatever Julliesta had done had brought out the protective mother in her.
When they reached the door, it was cracked and jammed on its frame, preventing them from opening it. Roric and Evalynn pressed their backs to it but couldn't make it budge. Frank then took his ghoul form, towering like a wall of gray flesh as his claws dug into the stone on either side of the doorway. With a shove, he caved the whole thing in, tumbling stone and marble as an opening to the room beyond was created.
Roric and Evalynn were first inside to find Gwen clutching Julliesta by the throat as the woman’s feet dangled above the ground.
“What did you do to her?” Gwen demanded with eyes full of anger.
The room was in shambles, with smashed furniture, torn tapestries, and even a few small fires. Zillix was in his humanoid form, huddled over the limp form of Jaina, using his body to shield her from the chaos around them.
“What happened?” Roric asked as Gwen turned to him.
“She threw a slumber powder at us,” Gwen replied, shaking the woman by her neck. “Jaina went down instantly, but when I didn't respond, she drew that knife.” Gwen pointed to a corner of the room where a black curved blade with blue glowing runes rested. “I immediately tried to stop her, but she dived passed me, yelling Hannah needed to be collected and stabbed her.”
“Is she alright?!?!” Gisley cried in alarm and ran to Jaina to inspect the damage.
Blackbast and Rajeen followed as Chandice went for the dagger, drawing her wand to begin trying to ascertain what it did. With a scowl, Roric focused on the woman in Gwen's grasp, approaching while letting a low snarl out.
“Her skin is covered in black marks,” Rajeen gasped as she turned Jaina’s limp arm over. “It’s some kind of parasitic attack.”
“What did you do to her?” Roric demanded as he faced the trapped woman.
“I did what needed to be done. She needs to be stopped.” the woman said as she beat on Gwen's arm. Her gaze shifted to the right to see Hannah standing by Frank. “How?”
“We knew you were coming,” Roric replied as he grabbed her face. “And our harem is full of shapeshifters.” He then turned to Jaina and used his master's power to purge negative effects. He felt a resistance to his efforts and had to concentrate, casting the spell again before the marks began to fade.
“And your magic won't finish its task,” he added when the marks were gone.
“You fools!” the woman spat and tried to kick him. “The danger will come eventually, and they need to be collected before then!”
Roric felt an intense desire to punish this woman and not in a playful way. Jaina was as close to his heart as anyone could get, and he wanted to visit some of his fear back on this Julliesta. He had to fight the urge to strike her and step back, going to the real Hannah to whisper in her ear. Hannah nodded and waited until the woman looked her way before striking her with an essence boosted seductive smile.
Instantly, the woman's eyes glazed over, and she ceased struggling. Hannah strutted her way, laying on her charms as the woman watched every little movement.
“What did you do to her?” Hannah asked in a soft, friendly voice.
“I was trying to collect her sample,” Julliesta replied. “It won’t have enough unless she dies.”
“You were willing to kill her for this?” Hannah pressed.
“She would have respawned,” the woman choked. “I was only doing what I had to do.”
Roric was grateful for Frank's hand on his shoulder as Hannah reminded the woman that her rambling wasn't helpful. She moved on to asking what a copy was and why it was so important to make Hannah one.
“Hannah will get the answer,” Frank assured him.
“Why are so many people against what we are doing here?” Roric asked as his hands curled into fists while his tail lashed angrily.
“I have been dealing with this since the first day I got here,” Frank replied. “I don’t know why people do it, but it always seems to be rooted in fear. They like to belong to a group and hate to see another group do better or appear happier.”
“I think some people just love conflict,” Evalynn added as she put her arms around the two men. “They need something to hate so they can fight over it.”
“It doesn’t matter what they want,” Frank replied. “Hannah made me realize that I could build a kingdom that was different, and I didn’t have to fear these people. Even if I fail, I will just try again, and again, and again.”
“I don't know where your perseverance comes from,” Roric said. “I can't stand seeing my girls hurt.”
“I don’t like to see them hurt either,” Frank replied. “But, they all knew what they were getting into when they chose to follow me. They knew there would be people like her that would believe they had to stop us from being happy.”
Roric didn't want to believe that people could be so vile, but he witnessed it here. Julliesta was somehow fighting Hannah's charms, forcing Hannah to glow blue as she poured more essence into the power. Finally, the woman broke and said something that made no sense.
“It's the only way to save them,” the woman said to Hannah before her head suddenly twisted to the side as if somebody had broken her neck. Gwen dropped her in alarm, and the woman collapsed in a heap.
“Why did you kill her?” Hannah asked.
“I didn't do that,” Gwen insisted. “I felt something moving under my hand, and then she jerked.”
“Look!” Evalynn cried and pointed to Julliesta as the woman's body became white and began to melt. It resembled Jaina in her fluid form but far less solid as she spread across the floor, becoming nothing more than a puddle.
“What happened?” Gwen gasped just before a loud chime rang out, and a black sphere formed over the bag that had been Julliestas. Air and debris were sucked into the black void that vanished a moment later, leaving a hole where the bag had once been.
“A sphere of annihilation spell,” Chandice gasped. “Somebody did not want us looking in her bag.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Roric asked as he turned his frustration to Jaina, who Zillix and Gisley were helping up. He went to her side and took her into his arms, grateful she was awake.
“Did you catch her?” Jaina asked weakly.
Roric didn't have the heart to tell Jaina she had been stabbed for nothing and carried her away. They returned to the palace, where Jaina was handed to her sisters to care for her while they debated what had transpired.
“Why did she melt?” Frank asked, opening the line of unanswered questions.
“Obviously, that woman was covered in magical defenses to prevent her capture and questioning,” Gwen said as she paced before them. “She struck me as perfectly normal and quite excited to make love until she went for the sleeping dust.”
“She seemed normal to me as well,” Jaina added. “She’s very big on playing mind games, but she never seemed like somebody who wanted to hurt anyone.”
“Could she have been a mimic like Jaina?” Breanne asked to explain her melting. Jaina replied that she would have known if Julliesta was a mimic and that a mimic didn’t melt when it died. It kept the form it was in when it was slain, leaving behind an easily identifiable body. What was odd was that Julliesta’s jewelry and other items also melted, meaning none of that was real.
Gisley suggested she could have been a solid Illusion like Zillix could make, but that seemed doubtful, too. His illusions vanished when destroyed, not turned into a puddle. No, this was something altogether different and a disturbing means of preventing capture. That there had been a magical spell to destroy her bag in the event of her death meant her presence here had been carefully planned.
“I think it’s safe to say she was the one providing Thexis with his magical devices,” Chandice suggested. “Speaking of which, that dagger is interesting.”
What’s so special about it?” Roric asked as Chandice held it out for everyone to see.
“It's called a succubus's kiss,” Chandice explained. “Most notably, it drains mana and stamina from the target. One hit and the dagger keeps draining so long as it is close to the target, raising a series of black marks to show the effect. We could have broken it by moving Jaina and the dagger apart or by letting a minute go by.”
“So she was using that to collect her sample,” Evalynn said. “How neat a package. The dagger collects the magical elements she needs as well as spilling blood.”
“I bet Thexis had one of these,” Chandice said as she turned the knife over. “He was probably using it to finish the girls off.”
“I didn’t find it on him,” Hannah said. “But he seemed to be on the run and probably left it behind where he murdered them.”
“I don't want to hear any more about that,” Rajeen said in a painful voice. “What we need to understand is what these samples were for. It's the key to what is going on, and all we know is they need the samples to make a copy.”
“Again, I don’t know of any spell or magical process where you can clone a full person,” Chandice said.
“Could that be why she melted?” Evalynn suggested. “Was that a copy we were fighting?”
The room went silent as they all considered the possibility that Julliesta had herself been a copy. If that was the case, then where was the real woman, and why had she sent a copy of herself? Could the real Julliesta still be at the estate, or maybe hiding someplace in the city? They debated the possibility that there could be more of these copies in the kingdom, working in secrecy to evolve some grander plan.
“Well,” Hannah said as she broke the silence. “There is nothing we can do but be vigilant and look for a way to detect these copies.”
“There has to be a telltale magical mark that will reveal them,” Chandice agreed. “A signature that shows they aren't real.”
“Then that is something we need to look for,” Rajeen said.
“I can save you the trouble,” Gwen cut in as she walked up the steps approaching the masters. She lifted her hand, raising her palm as a silver stone with a mirrored surface appeared. Roric knew this was Gwen's kingdom heart and the link to her land. She waved her other hand over it, bringing up an interface that showed them all the people inside the kingdom. She explained that unless players were taking measures to hide they were easily seen and some basic information about them revealed.
“Look here,” Gwen said as she pointed to a name on the list.
“Haslind,” Roric read, then looked at his status. “What does it mean that his current status is reviving?”
“It means he's dead but actively being resurrected,” Gwen said. “He's been like that for days.”
“How is that possible?” Rajeen asked.
“I don't know,” Gwen said, then brought up a map to show where this mysterious person was.
“Alexandria’s estate,” Chandice said with a scowl. “That place is becoming a problem.”
“It isn't her fault,” Jaina argued. She's created a beautiful lakeside lodge that draws visitors from the surrounding lands. She isn't trying to shelter the kingdom's enemies, and she can't help it if they use her services as a cover.
“Hmm, we should use them as well,” Gwen said as she closed her hand, shutting off the interface. “If political agents are so close to hand, we should work to use them to our advantage. We also need to quietly investigate this man who is perpetually reviving.”
“We should see if Julliesta is still at the estate,” Jaina said. “She may have sent the copy while remaining hidden. We can also talk to that other man who had met Thexis. Maybe he knows something useful.”
Roric and Frank agreed, but Hannah wasn't sure she liked putting Alexandria in that situation. Jaina agreed with Hannah, stating that Alexandria's estate only worked because she stayed neutral and didn’t play political games.
“That woman is married to Frank and Hannah,” Rajeen reminded her. She is involved, whether she likes it or not.”
“And if that secret got out, she would be ruined,” Jaina replied and looked to Gwen. I agree we should continue to spy on the people who visit the estate, but we should not involve Alexandria unless we absolutely have to.”
“How are we going to spy?” Quinny asked as she stepped up to join Gwen, holding her mother's hand as the queen smiled.
“Just like we are doing now,” Jaina replied. “One or more of us will work the estate in disguise and talk to the guests. You would be amazed at how much they love to talk about current events and their feelings about the kingdom. But under no circumstances can we go to the estate to arrest somebody or interrogate them. If these players feel they aren't safe, they will stop coming, and any benefit the estate offers will be lost.”
“Hmm,” Roric said as he sat back and looked between Rajeen and Frank. Jaina was right; if they started policing the estate, it would lead to these players leaving, cutting them off from the gossip. As much as it made him uncomfortable, they needed to trust Alexandria and let her do her thing. So long as they had girls who could shapeshift, they could always keep a spy at the estate. Frank reminded the group that his girls had the succubus ability to shapeshift and could do some of the spying.
Rajeen returned to the topic of these copies and how Gwen could detect them. She was particularly concerned that the harem girls who had already been sampled would be replaced at some point in the future. For now, those girls would not be allowed outside the harem, and new measures to protect the girls were put into place. Those out where the public could reach them would have an escort from two of Gwen's city guards.
“I don't think any of that will be needed,” Frank spoke up, turning heads in confusion. He explained that their strength was in the slave collars. They could copy girls all they wanted, but the collars would be fakes. All it would take was a quick test by a harem master to prove the truth, and the harem guards would know the difference immediately.
“He’s right,” Blackbast agreed with an approving nod. “The slave collars are the key to our protection. They can’t copy a slave girl without being detected.”
“But what if they copy a master?” Gisley asked.
“Then the slaves would know it,” Frank said as he looked at the other masters. “They can all feel a pull to be at your side. If they whisked you away and left a copy to pretend to be you, not only would the guards know, but every slave girl would feel an intense desire to come to your side.”
“Again, he is right,” Blackbast said. “So long as we are a harem, they cannot touch us for more than a few minutes.”
“But then why bother trying?” Jaina asked. They must know how pointless their actions are.
“Maybe they want the copies for another reason,” Frank suggested. “Something outside the kingdom.”
“That’s a disturbing possibility,” Gwen said. “They could cause us a great deal of trouble using copies of us to cause trouble elsewhere.”
It was a point none of them wanted to explore, so they moved on to other topics. They discussed the man at the estate, who was also linked to Thexis, and decided that Jaina and Evalynn would return to question him. It would be their job to get close and see what he had to say. Hannah said she wanted to visit the estate as a guest, mingling with the visitors to give them a chance to meet her. She suggested Breanne come with her, but Breanne didn't like the idea of prancing around as a succubus among guests such as the ones at the estate. An alternative was suggested in the vampire woman Lydia, who was well suited to political environments.
Roric suggested they let Jaina and Evalynn return to prepare Alexandria and give the woman a chance to voice any concerns about such a visit. Chandice volunteered to go, citing how examining a clone before it melted might be helpful. She would go with Hannah and Lydia, the three arriving for a few days of relaxation to mingle and share some gossip.
With that decided, Roric asked his girls to come with him, as he missed them dearly while they were away. He was grateful when they got up and formed a line, eager to follow their master as Chandice took his hand. They marched off, using the magic portals to reach first his camp, and then the Lovewood, where he took them to a flower-filled lawn on the river bank.
“Are you alright?” Jaina asked as he sat down to clear his head. He admitted to being troubled by the recent events and what all this copy nonsense might bring. He didn’t like the idea of any member of the harem being stolen away and replaced by a copy. He worried that they had a means to hide the detection power of the collar, allowing them to steal girls anyway. What a terrible fate to be imprisoned and your family not even know you were gone. It created a sense of hopelessness as Gisley sat in his lap and smiled.
“I know how to make it so they can’t hide anyone from us,” Gisley said.
“You do? How?” Roric asked.
Gisley held up her hand to reveal it was full of silver glitter. She reminded him that all they needed to do was glitter the harem, and she could find them no matter where they went. She could reach them in their dreams and learn of their location without alerting their enemy. She doubted anyone could hide their dreams unless they were a dream-focused race like her.
He nodded as she realized they were right. The slave collars were the perfect defense to this kind of attack. No matter where somebody took a slave girl, the master would be able to find them. They could run to the far corners of the world, and the master would still know exactly where they were. Frank was right; a copy would have a fake collar, rendering it easily detected. It would never be able to set foot inside the harem or cause them harm. What it did outside the harem was another matter, but what good would worrying about that do him?
“You are all on edge,” Jaina said as she rubbed his shoulders. “This woman has attacked us in a way none of us considered before, and we don’t know what her end game is. She said something about taking control, but that doesn’t mean the harem or the kingdom.”
“No, and she didn’t seem too dangerous,” Evalynn commented. “She seemed upset that we tricked her into attacking a fake Hannah.”
“Speaking of which,” Jaina said as she played with one of Roric’s ears. “I hope she kept you satisfied while we were away.”
“He only went to her once,” Chandice said as she sat beside him. “He didn’t want to burden her with his problems.”
“Roric,” Jaina sighed. “She’s a harem girl. She exists to serve your needs.”
“I know that, but she is also Frank’s wife,” Roric explained. “I can’t monopolize her time.”
“Oh, you have too considerate a heart,” Jaina said as she leaned into him. Her hands began to work through the folds of his coat, seeking to help undress him. Gisley and Evalynn assisted, and before long, he was lying back, his head in Chandice's lap as his girls attended to him. He groaned as Jaina began to stroke his sheath, coaxing his cock to slide free. Gisley kissed at his balls, sucking at them tenderly while Jaina and Evalynn kissed with his cock between their lips. They slid up and down, pressing their lips around him so they met.
“You missed your girls, didn't you?” Chandice asked as she brushed his cheeks. You should have played with more harem girls.”
“I had you, and that was more than enough,” Roric replied between moans. “Besides, Gisley arrived the second I sat down with a girl.”
“Ha, sorry,” Gisley said as she came away. “I didn’t know you were playing.”
“It’s alright,” Roric sighed as he closed his eyes and let his girls work. He savored the tender lips and hungry tongues as they lavished him with pleasure. Chandice encouraged him to keep his eyes closed as she leaned over and kissed his nose.
“Just keep them closed,” Chandice whispered as suddenly his cock was abandoned. Then a heat wrapped around the tip and sucked him in, the tender skin of his cock simmering as he felt a firm sucking.
“Who?” he gasped, knowing it had to be one of the succubi who belonged to Frank.
“Our favorite,” Chandice replied as she played with his ear. “Our sweet wedding present.”
Roric groaned and tensed as two women began to suck at his balls while Hannah’s soft lips sucked his cock. A gentle hand stroked the base encouraging him to cum inside that devilish throat as Hannah took him deep.
“You have just as much right to this girl as you do any other,” Jaina whispered as his world descended into a flood of sexual power. “Promise us that if we are away again, you will fuck this girl every single day.”
Hannah hummed her agreement as her soft lips wrapped around his knot. He tensed as the pleasure built, but Jaina wouldn't let him go. She demanded he promise to make love to Hannah without remorse if they had to be away. His body was on fire to cum under that relentless assault, but he could tell it was being prevented. Jaina admitted that Hannah wasn't going to allow him to cum until he vowed he would use her as a sex slave regularly and every day if his girls were gone.
He lost the battle when Chandice said it would make her happy to see him and her together. He promised that he would seek out Hannah whenever he felt the need and not be afraid to use her as a sex slave. No sooner were his words out than Hannah pressed down, her lips spreading wide as she swallowed his knot. He leaned up as his cock slipped deep into her throat and suddenly exploded.
Hannah used her Lilim power to amplify his orgasm, causing Chandice and Jaina to have to hold him as his cock throbbed. Every pulse sent a river of cum flowing into Hannah’s throat, pumping almost directly into her stomach. She prolonged it, forcing him to keep cumming as she shared every second of his orgasm. She moaned and cried around his knot as Gisely and Evalynn pulled away and went to her pussy to lap up the sweet honey that was flowing freely.
“Oh god, she is so good at this!” Roric cried as Hannah sucked him dry. He collapsed into Chandice’s lap to recover as Hannah waited for his knot to shrink. Despite the new dangers, their unique and massive family remained strong. He, Frank, Zillix, Blackbast, and Rajeen were still in power, ruling over an army of girls who wanted nothing more than to serve them. They were dedicated to building a home where the harem could live harmoniously with the players who made up their kingdom. No threat from outside would change what they wanted or alter their course. No matter what the challenge that came, he would fight to protect all the girls of the harem. This life was their dream come true. They would stand united against the world if needs be, and together would share the love as one massive family.