The Jade Harem 1-2

Hannah opened her heavy eyes to find a world of warmth and comfort. She was nestled into a bed of silk cushions with women snuggled in all around her. Quinny, Umtha, Breanne, Gisley, and even Blackbast were curled around her. She sighed and leaned her head, kissing Quinny and Umtha on the head as she whispered.

“I’m sorry I failed you,” she said. “I wasn’t strong enough.”

“You did your best,” came a familiar voice that made Hannah look up. Jaina stood in the doorway with nothing but her collar on. Hannah breathed a sigh of relief to see her as the dark-haired woman entered the room.

“I am so glad to see you are alright,” Hannah said as Jaina crawled into the pile of women.

“I was worried for a moment,” Jaina admitted as she lay directly on Hannah, their lips barely an inch apart. “But Roric tells me that Frank had an army ready to cut them off, and he was going to use masters protection to make them drop me if needs be. But they planned to unleash everything they could in the hope I died in the attack.”

“That’s terrible,” Hannah said.

“Better a respawn than being reset,” Jaina argued. “I would have respawned safely at Roric’s lodge in four hours and denied them their prize.”

“Why were they after you in the first place?” Hannah asked as that thought hung heavily in her mind.

“Nobody knows. Well, none of us,” Jaina replied. “But there is somebody who might.”

Hannah asked who that was, and Jaina told her they had managed to take a prisoner. Thus far, Gwen, Frank, and Rajeen had tried to question him, but the man was unwilling to cooperate. He claimed that all he was doing was a basic guild contract, and he had no concept of why Jaina was the target. Hannah asked if he told them where he got the contract, and Jaina said he refused to divulge any more.

“Where is he?” Hannah asked.

“A cell in Gwen’s castle,” Jaina replied.

Hannah lay her head back as Jaina pressed their lips together. They kissed for a brief moment before Jaina settled over her like a blanket, smothering Hannah in love. She then told Hannah she had done all she could and nobody could expect more. Not even Gwen could match all four of those players, and despite that, Hannah held on to the very end and survived.

That thought was little consolation to Hannah, who felt she had let her girls down. All three had died in the opening battle, and Hannah had nearly gone with them. That woman landed three attacks to every one of Hannah's and was toying with her for most of the battle. What was worse was that Hannah hadn't even realized Jaina had been carried away until it was too late. Then she didn't think to use her silver princess powers to locate Jaina until Gwen scolded her.

“I let you down, too,” Hannah said.

“Don’t you ever think that,” Jaina replied. “We all made mistakes, but you pursued them to the last ounces of your strength and never gave up. You burned so much of your essence we aren’t even sure you were in control anymore.”

“Why would you say that?” Hannah asked.

“Hannah, do you remember raging and using a necromancy spell to punish that woman?” Jaina asked.

“I…” Hannah replied as she tried to remember the battle and how it ended. She recalled fighting the woman while a dragon watched over them or was killing the others; she wasn't sure. Then she realized she didn't remember anything until she was apologizing in Frank's arms.

“I don’t remember the final moments of the battle,” Hannah admitted.

“We think the woman in the crown took over,” Jaina said as she nestled into Hannah's chest. “We think she finished the battle.”

“But she can’t,” Hannah said. “So long as I wear the ring, she can’t take over.” Hannah accentuated the point by holding up her hand to display the crystal blue ring. It was a magical interface that belonged to Hathlisora and thus her. It was a second panel, and according to the woman in the crown, it blocked her ability to take over. Of course, Hannah only had her word for that, as there was no effective way to test it, and she had been warned that the woman in the crown had betrayed her before.

“At least she said she couldn’t,” Hannah admitted.

“Even if you completely burn out?” Jaina asked.

“Umm…” Hannah replied as she tried to consider the options. The woman had freely admitted she could assume control whenever she wanted but only did so if Hannah was incapacitated. She then insisted Hannah's ring would protect Hannah from her domination. Now that Hannah considered it, the woman was enthusiastic for Hannah to put the ring on. Could she have been lying about how it worked? Could the ring somehow be helping her and Hannah was unaware of what it was doing? All she knew was that the mysterious woman insisted she could not take control if Hannah wore the ring. But did that mean only if Hannah was conscious? What if she was unconscious? What if she was unconscious and completely spent of her essence pool? Could the woman take control then? She couldn't truly answer the question and didn't want to consider the ramifications. She then asked how long she had been out and nearly leaped up when Jaina said it had been three days.

“I have been unconscious for three days?” Hannah gasped as she had never been out that long before.

“Sweetheart, you used all your essence,” Jaina explained. “You burned every last drop of it battling that woman for my sake.”

“And she was still winning,” Hannah said, then had a thought. “How do you know I used it all?”

“You share the pool with the others,” Jaina replied. “Frank checked his character sheet to see it was at zero. It’s slowly recovering, but it takes a bit longer than other power pools. He also thinks that the pool acts like a secondary health bar. It's like health, mana, and stamina all in one, and once it depletes, you collapse.”

“It would appear so,” Hannah agreed as she considered the observation but wondered if the others had felt anything from it being used up. Had Quinny, Umtha, and Breanne suffered in that conflict because Hannah had gone wild?

“I let my girls die,” Hannah said. “I should have protected them.”

“You did everything you could,” Jaina argued. “Gwen thinks that group was around level two hundred. Over twice your level and you still held your own. You should be damn proud of what you accomplished, and I am so in love with you.”

“What made you say that?” Hannah asked with a slight smile.

“Because you came after them to save me,” Jaina explained. “You could have bubbled your girls and carried them to safety, but you used every ounce of your strength to save me and then lay in a coma for days because of it. Hannah, nobody has ever risked so much for me or been so determined to protect me.”

“Of course I did,” Hannah said. “I love you and would do anything to protect you.”

Jaina produced a broken smile as her eyes grew wet. Hannah pulled an arm loose to wrap it around the woman and hug her firmly.

“Jaina, I would risk my own reset for you,” Hannah whispered. “You and all my girls are a part of me, and I will burn every power pool I have before I let anyone take you away. I would risk showing people what I really am if it meant keeping you safe.”

“Oh, Hannah,” Jaina sobbed as quietly as she could. She hid her face in Hannah's glorious red hair and let the tears flow as the devil woman rubbed her back. Breanne stirred and joined in, laying over Jaina to press the three deeper into the pile. It was how Hannah wanted it to be: a ball of girls sharing their warmth and love by hugging and caressing.

“It's good to see you awake,” Breanne whispered.

“It’s good to be awake,” Hannah replied. “But I have so many questions.”

“It can wait,” Jaina insisted. “Please, I just want you to hold me.”

Hannah smiled and hugged her two girls warmly as the others stirred. One by one, they grew excited to see Hannah was awake and snuggled in tighter to share in her power. They enjoyed the moment for an hour more before a sultry tiger woman with snow-white fur and magical blue eyes arrived at the side of the bed.

“Did you plan to keep us wondering if you were going to sleep forever?” she asked as her pawed foot tapped irritably.

“I was enjoying my girls,” Hannah replied as they began to unpack themselves from her arms.

“Now, do you see why I love collecting them?” Rajeen asked with an approving nod before stating that Hannah needed to speak with Frank. There had been an incident in the battle she needed to account for, and Frank was not to be consoled until she did.

“She’s talking about the necromancy spell?” Hannah asked as Jaina nodded.

Hannah got up and was swept into a hug by the tiger woman whose strong arms held her fast. Hannah admitted that she had no memory of using that spell, just a sense of shame when Frank picked her up.

“He needs to hear that from you directly,” Rajeen said as she let Hannah go. “He has not been himself since the attack and has spent most of his time either watching you or consulting your mother. Something deeper is troubling him, but I have to admit I am more troubled by him.”

“What? Why would you be troubled by Frank?” Hannah asked.

Rajeen explained that as the events unfolded, they learned that Frank had planned for the attack. He knew the players killed in the west were a decoy, so he sent a token force to appear they had taken the bait. Then, even before the real attack took place, he positioned the rogues, volunteer monster players, extra undead guards, and hundreds of goblins in the forest. He did all this because he was trying to draw the enemy out and used the girls as bait.

Hannah was shocked to hear Frank had planned in advance for the battle but was relieved when Rajeen said he had made a mistake. He assumed the target would be Hannah, but he had no idea they were after Jaina.

“Frank is super smart,” Quinny said as she stretched. “He plays like he doesn't care or think too much, but if you watch him, he's always thinking ahead.”

“Yes, he is rather brilliant,” Breanne agreed. “He makes plans within plans and always tries to anticipate what might happen next.”

“But nobody could plan for me being the target,” Jaina said.

“Why were you the target?” Hannah asked as she tried to puzzle it out.

“So far, our best guess is this was some kind of revenge attack,” Rajeen replied. “Jaina upset a carefully laid plan to target the harem, and by impersonating, you got the ring leader killed.”

Hannah recalled the odd woman who was collecting magical samples from harem girls. It seemed plausible that this attack might be revenge for Jaina's role in ruining her plans. It also occurred to Hannah that his group had used decoys, too. They sent mercenaries into Frank's tunnels to draw their attention away from the ringleaders at Alexandria's estate. But were they really decoys or just pawns in a larger game that were expendable if they got caught?

“Hannah?” Rajeen called, stirring her from her thoughts.

“Oh, sorry, just thinking,” Hannah replied.

“Ha, she was in her mad genius world,” Quinny teased.

“Something like that,” Hannah agreed as she and Jaina followed Rajeen out of the room and through the harem. Her presence caused a bit of a stir as women pointed her out and spread the word that she was awake. A few waved and told her they were happy to see she was up, and Hannah thanked them before moving on. A few magic doors later, they were in Gwen's castle, passing down the towering halls as Hannah grew more uncomfortable.

“Umm, wasn’t I supposed to be entertaining a guest?” Hannah whispered to Jaina.

“Oh, I am taking care of that,” Jaina replied. “He arrived the day after the battle and has been a somewhat cold presence in the kingdom. Frank hasn't wanted to deal with him but did take time to show him the monster guild and explain how it worked.”

Hannah nodded and asked who it was. She was surprised to hear it was the man with red skin and blazing eyes who had interrogated her during her trial. She didn't recall his name, so Jaina filled her in. He went by Lord Dugal, but his true name was something like Dugaliamsora.

“Why so complicated a name?” Hannah asked.

“He plays a race a little like an elemental spirit,” Jaina replied. “He’s an air Jinndari war master with a sizeable kingdom. He claims his castle floats high in the clouds and would cast a shadow over what he calls your meager palace.”

“I see he’s humble,” Hannah said.

“He most certainly is not,” Rajeen added as they rounded a corner. “I tried to ply him with some hospitality, but he is colder than ice and rather set in the belief that we are all beneath him.”

“He hasn't been much nicer to me,” Jaina admitted. “He will talk and socialize, but his mannerisms speak volumes about how he feels about us.”

` “I am grateful I was unconscious for so long,” Hannah joked.

“Oh, don't worry, he's still here,” Jaina cut in. “He was hoping to talk to you, actually. He was rather upset by your condition and claimed it was a ruse so you could avoid him.”

“Frank nearly threw him out of the kingdom,” Rajeen added. “He would not tolerate the man accusing you of being afraid of him. After what you did to save Jaina, none of us were going to stand for such an accusation.”

Hannah nodded as they rounded a final bend and entered a grand parlor where Frank stood beside Gwen at a window. His arm was around her waist as she leaned into his side, the perfect picture of two people in love as Hannah made a funny smile.

“Oh, you need to get over that,” Jaina teased quietly.

“It’s hard to see my mother showing so much affection for my husband,” Hannah whispered back.

“They make a fine pairing,” Rajeen added before announcing their presence. Before Hannah could say a word, Gwen came at her, arms open to sweep her into a hug. She crushed Hannah to her chest, nearly crying for joy that she was finally awake. Hannah had to pry herself loose and point out that her mother's chest was nearly suffocating her.

Gwen released her with a smile, but Frank swept her up in a hug filled with love.

“I missed you,” Frank whispered. “I am so glad you're awake.” He then stood her back and looked deep into her eyes before getting right to the point. He asked her what she remembered of the final battle, especially the moment she killed that woman. Hannah recounted her story from diving out of the sky until the dragon's fire swept the battlefield. She was out of her mind with anger over the slaughter of her family and the kidnap of Jaina. All she wanted was to make the woman suffer, but then she was dead, and Frank was lifting her up.

“So you don’t remember the final blow?” Frank asked.

“I don’t remember anything after the fire,” Hannah admitted as she trembled. “But they already told me about the spell. Oh, Frank. I am so sorry.”

“Shh,” Frank said as he put a finger to her lips. “Roric and Rajeen believe that woman was already dead before you uttered that spell. Even if she wasn't, she may have been too far gone to realize what had happened.”

“But, if she did know, then I may have ruined everything,” Hannah countered.

“Not if it wasn’t you,” Jaina insisted. “You have no memory of that strike. It had to be the woman in the crown.”

“Maybe,” Frank agreed. “It certainly makes sense.”

“I have to say that I know little of Hathlisora, but her temper is legendary,” Gwen added. “There used to be a saying that it was safer to face the abyss than anger Hathlisora.”

“Great, so I am an out-of-control menace,” Hannah sighed.

“You are hardly out of control,” Rajeen insisted. “You were under extreme stress, having witnessed the attack and deaths of your family. You were wounded beyond your normal ability to survive and in a race against the clock to stop them from resetting Jaina. That you only slipped up at the very end is a miracle of self-control.”

“She’s right,” Gwen agreed. “We all know you could have done so much more if you had dipped into your true power, but you held it in check until you blacked out.”

“And she took over,” Frank finished.

“But she’s not supposed to be able to take over,” Hannah said as she held up her hand to display the ring. “Or she lied about this.”

“It strikes me as a terrible contradiction that the woman who dominates your mind is also the one who told you the ring would stop her from doing so,” Rajeen said to point out the flaw in the logic. Hannah had to admit the flaw but described how eager the woman was for Hannah to put the ring on. She felt that the loss of control was nothing compared to what was to be gained in wearing the ring. But then Hannah told them about her encounter with a dragon long ago and how he said the woman in the crown had betrayed her before.

“Hezzrigozza said something like that,” Frank said.

“What do you mean?” Hannah said in shock, as this was the first she had heard of it. Frank explained how the dragon approached them after Hannah blacked out and what he had said. He warned Frank that if he failed Hannah again, she would never recover from the setback.

“Failing me and betraying me are two very different things,” Hannah said as she looked distressed.

“Either way, he seemed to think that if you had to reset and start over with no memories, you would never find your way back again,” Frank said.

“He never said any of that,” Gwen cut in. “You are assuming the meaning from his cryptic words.”

“What else could it mean?” Frank argued. “We know I have been at her side in the past. We also know I was working hard to help her realize her plan, but in the end, I failed, and she ended up reset with no memory of what happened.”

“So did you,” Gwen said as she tapped his chest. “Let’s not fawn over my daughter like her past is a tragedy while pretending you didn’t suffer exactly the same thing.”

“She's right,” Hannah said as she leaned into Frank's chest. “You suffered just as badly as I did. We both fell, and they took our past away from us.”

“I wonder if Frank has the same magical blocks put on him,” Jaina said. “We should put him in Legeis’s machine.”

“He has a matching crown,” Gwen said as she reminded them of the recently discovered crown of ten dooms. “They seem to be intricately linked in a story of chaos.”

“That seems to be the only story I know,” Hannah grumbled.

“I would like to remind you that this current story is about Jaina,” Rajeen cut in. “You were just a side character in this book.”

“Right,” Hannah said before apologizing to Jaina. The woman assured her it was fine and held her hand as Hannah turned to the others. She asked if they had learned anything more from the prisoner, but Gwen said he was resolute in his defiance. He claimed he was just doing a guild task and had no personal interest in them or the goal. He wouldn't say what guild or even what city it had come from. He wouldn't even tell them how far he had traveled to get there or who the others with him were.

“So, what are you going to do with him?” Hannah asked.

“I suppose we have to let him go,” Gwen replied. “I can’t hold him forever.”

“It would be cruel to do so even under the circumstances,” Rajeen agreed.

“But there are prisons?” Hannah asked, and she was assured there were. However, most places simply banished players and added them to the hostile list so all NPCs would attack them on sight. The issue was that no prison could hold anyone indefinitely as some rogue or wizard always found a way to slip in and set prisoners free. Gwen could hold him for a while, but it was pointless. The man refused to talk, and rotting in a cell for months was unlikely to loosen his tongue.

“Besides, there is always the risk that his allies might try to get him out,” Rajeen added. “By now, they must be looking for him, and if they learn he is being held, an attack on the castle seems likely.”

Hannah could see their point, and if the man was just a player doing a guild contract, he was hardly a threat to their kingdom. The real threats were the four high-level players that had run off with Jaina, but they had been killed to respawn elsewhere, safely out of their grasp. The man in the cell was likely just cannon fodder, meant to add some cheap numbers to the attack and left behind to die when needed. Still, if he could tell them where he took the contract and who it was from, it might shed some real light on who was behind it.

“Can we pressure him for the answers?” Hannah asked.

“If by pressure you mean torture, then absolutely not,” Gwen replied.

“I already asked,” Frank said with a funny smile. “She won’t let us abuse him even after the trouble he caused.”

“I will not have my kingdom being associated with such a vile practice,” Gwen said. “Other lands can do as they please, but it won't happen here.”

“I was just going to drain his strength and try to convince him it was permanent,” Frank said.

“There is also a risk involved,” Rajeen added. “Combat, suffering, and death are all part of the game, but taking too much pleasure in causing suffering has been known to draw the anger of the visitors. Players who cause such harm have been known to simply vanish.”

“That’s terrifying and interesting,” Hannah said as she wondered what happened to them. “But we need to know who hired him.”

“We know that, but none of us has the stomach to do what it might take to get the answer,” Frank said. “I can try my ruse, but it isn't likely to work.”

“Hmm,” Hannah said as she looked away. She couldn't torture him, but there were other ways to get information. Perhaps there was a way to pry his tongue loose without breaking the rules. “I want to speak with him.”

“I have already tried to reason with him,” Gwen said.

“I want to speak with him anyway,” Hannah reiterated.

“You can't torture him,” Gwen said with a glare.

“I am not going to torture him,” Hannah quipped. “I am going to use my powers to seduce the hell out of him and see if he is more pliable.”

“Oh, my god,” Jaina laughed. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“We were all so worried about Hannah’s condition that we didn’t think it through,” Rajeen sighed. “But this might be the best solution. It can hardly be called torture to arouse the man?”

“Then I can try?” Hannah asked as she looked around the room. Gwen tossed her head in indifference while Frank nodded and told her to do what she needed but be mindful of her essence. He pointed out that she was still very low and shouldn't dip into it unless absolutely needed. He also insisted Jaina go with her to ensure nothing went wrong. Maybe they could layer their attacks on him and convince him to do some talking.

“Then it's decided,” Hannah said with an evil smile as she considered her task. Her Lilim class was good in combat, but the bulk of her powers were focused on avoiding it. Instead, they enticed the target into her arms where she could feed her lusts and drain them of power. What good was her class if she wasn't going to put those powers to use? It was time to embrace what she was and weaponize her sexual skills to get the answers they desperately needed.