JTSS 1-187 A day in the forest

The morning air was moist as a gentle rain fell over the tall trees of Lovewood. Jaina, Roric, Evalynn, Gisley, and Chandice walked down a narrow trail flanked by tall trees and lush, colorful brush. The three slave girls were naked and leashed, casually being walked by their master, Roric. The water ran down their naked bodies, cooling their skin as they headed deeper into the forest.

Bare feet walked on mossy soil, easily turning away stones and small sticks thanks to the protection of the slave collars. The group passed easily and undetected, arriving along the mountain's edge as they entered a vast valley.

Jaina knew this was the pass through the mountains made by Gwen to allow them to spread to the other side. Evalynn had been working on it for over a week, carefully crafting the forest and its landmarks to create an area of greater challenge, where some areas were reserved for combat. A main road traversed the area connecting to the existing forest road right next to Chandice's shop. It would act as a way across the mountains from the east, opening up easy passage for players seeking to compete in Frank's new games.

“So what are you planning to do that is special here?” Chandice asked as they walked down the relatively flat trail.

“Well, we have a second gnoll village, a large bridge over a river, some caves, and ruins along the cliffs,” Evalynn explained. “One of the caves has been turned into a barrow mound full of undead and treasure. The other is a flora and fauna cave, full of aggressive plants and animals.”

“What happened to the area you wanted to put demons into?” Chandice pressed as she recalled the testing of their access to some of her minions. Evalynn explained that there were some demons in the ruins, but all they could summon were her dogs. They simply didn't have the kind of access they needed to her skills unless Evalynn married them.

“We should all get married,” Gisley offered. “Then we can share build options like Frank can with his wives.”

“I figured Evalynn would be married to Breanne by now,” Jaina joked and nudged the woman to see her face fall.

“Is something wrong?” Roric asked when he noted the change in expression.

“It’s nothing,” Evalynn insisted and put on a strong face. “It’s just, sometimes I wish I could.”

“Oh, Evalynn. I didn’t mean to rub a sore spot,” Jaina pleaded. “Honestly, I have to learn to think before I say things.”

“You couldn't have known,” Evalynn sighed, then put an arm around Jaina. “But I love her very much and wish to spend more time with her.”

“You are free to spend as much time with her as you like,” Roric said as he turned to face her.

“But my duties to you and the camp,” Evalynn began, but Roric took her hand and smiled.

“Sweet Evalynn, those were put in place because, at the time, they were what made you happy,” he said while rubbing her fingers. But if your heart has changed and you long to spend more time in your lover's arms, then I command you to do it.”

Evalynn's eyes went wide as they rimmed with tears. She threw her arms around him, thanking him profusely and assuring him that she loved him.

“This is why he’s a good master,” Jaina said with a pleased smile. “Nothing makes him more happy than seeing his girls happy.”

“He’s so sweet,” Gisley agreed with a dancing flutter of her wings.

Roric held Evalynn in a hug as he questioned Evalynn and learned how the two women were playing at being married and living in the elf village. They were creating a second fantasy life where they were always together. Roric commanded her to build a proper home and make it theirs. He would speak to Frank about setting a day or two aside every week where they could spend the entire night together. Evalynn was so overcome she had to wipe her eyes but Roric wasn't done. He wanted them to enjoy their fantasy, and if it turned into something they wished to keep, he would allow Evalynn to marry her.

“You would?” Evalynn gasped as tears ran down her cheek.

“I would do anything for you,” Roric said, gently wiping the tears away with his thumbs. “You are one of my treasured slave girls, and all I desire is to see you happy.”

“Ohhh!” Gisley cooed with a happy dance full of glitter. Evalynn fell into his arms to cry for joy as Roric stroked her back soothingly.

Jaina smiled as she grew proud of the man who took such wonderful care of his girls. Roric made wearing the collar a joy and an experience like no other. She was honored to be called his slave girl and, most importantly, grateful to belong to such a good master.

When Evalynn could stand alone, they continued down the trail, with Roric holding her hand like a lover. They discussed various ideas for using this part of the forest and making it a higher-level challenge. Chandice suggested they consider adding succubi to prowl the trees, preying on the unwary and dragging them back to their lairs for a steamy encounter. Jaina loved that idea and then recalled a conversation with Hannah in which they discussed giving Hannah a hidden lair in the druid's grove.

“How does that work?” Roric asked.

“First, we ask Drellis if it's possible,” Jaina began. “Then he gives Hannah a space in his grove to make into her sexy lair. She uses the grove's magic to lure men into her clutches and has her way with them. When she's done, they fall into a deep sleep and wake up in the regular forest again.”

“So putting the lair in the druid's grove is just to avoid people ever finding it by accident,” Roric surmised.

“It would have to be,” Chandice said. “If Hannah had a known location in the forest where she had sex with anyone who showed up, half the city would come.”

“This way, she can pick and choose who she lures into her clutches,” Jaina said.

“I don’t see any reason why we can’t do this, but it’s Frank’s call, not mine,” Roric replied.

“Of course,” Jaina agreed. “I would never expect you to make a decision about Hannah like that.”

“I love the idea of Hannah prowling the forest,” Gisley added. “But, shouldn’t all her girls do it too?”

“I think so,” Jaina agreed with a flirty bat of her eyes. “But that’s not our call.”

“I can talk to Frank about that when I discuss Evalynn and Breanne with him,” Roric replied with a nod.

They walked on with loving smiles as Roric held Evalynn while Chandice held Jaina and Gisley's hands. They eventually came to a broad stone bridge that crossed over a shallow river a dozen feet below. It was a beautiful, lazy stream full of lily pads bordered by swaths of polished stones.

The bridge was a flat roadway of aged rock, well worn as if a hundred years of wagon traffic had crossed over it. They stopped in the center where the tree canopy couldn’t reach and gazed up at a stormy sky filled with rolling gray.

“I always loved the rain,” Roric said before taking a deep breath. “It always makes the air smell fresh. As if the whole world had been renewed.”

“I love the sound of distant thunder,” Gisley added. “I like to lay in my lodge and watch the drops on the pond, while listening to the storm.”

“I can’t believe this is our life,” Jaina said as soft rain fell on her face. “We walk in beautiful places and plan romantic adventures.”

“It is hard to believe it turned out like this,” Roric agreed.

“Everything keeps changing for the better, and it's wonderful,” Jaina sighed.

“Speaking of changes, when are you going to tell us about your new friend?” Chandice asked as she squeezed Jaina's hand.

“What new friend?” Jaina asked in confusion.

“You know, the one that’s part snake,” Chandice reminded.

“How did you find out about that?” Jaina laughed, then looked at Gisley. She had been the only one Jaina had told so far, and by the look on Gisley's face, she had been the leak.

“I couldn't help it,” Gisley said. “I accidentally let slip that you met somebody, and Chandice wanted to know who. I told her it was a secret, but she summoned her two imps and had them tickle my feet until I gave in.”

“Oh, now that’s cruel,” Jaina laughed.

“What does she mean, this woman part snake?” Roric asked with raised ears.

Jaina explained the naga woman named Ambersal and how she could appear human but, in truth, had the lower body of a snake. She told them all about the encounter with Zorrak and the sex that resulted from it. She drew attention to the heat that built between the two as Ambersal seemed enthralled by Zorracks, reptilian nature.

“So two reptile people found love,” Chandice laughed.

“Well, I don't know if I would call it love,” Jaina argued. “But I know somebody who will fall head over heels for her.”

“Rajeen,” Roric said. “She loves to collect exotic women, and there is no woman like that in all the harem.”

“Yes, I have been afraid to tell Rajeen about her,” Jaina laughed.

“She will probably demand to know why you didn’t bring her directly to the harem,” Chandice agreed.

“Where is she now?” Roric questioned.

Jaina explained that after the sex, Zorrak volunteered to take her to the monster guild and show her around. From there, she would look for a lair and set up a shop to do her monster thing. Chandice was thrilled to hear she was a wizard, as that meant she would need ingredients and other magical items. Roric suggested that Rajeen be told about the woman soon, and if she wanted to meet her, Jaina would arrange it.

Jaina was pleased with the idea of the very exotic woman joining the harem but wasn't sure she would bite. She seemed a bit headstrong to submit, but nobody was as headstrong as Hannah, and look where she was. In the end, it would be up to Rajeen and Ambersal to make that decision, and hopefully, it would end the way Jaina wanted.

They pushed on, crossing the river and moving into the northlands at the end of the mountain gap. Roric explained how all of this would become the Lovewood as well, making their forest one of the main routes into Gwen’s kingdom. Evalynn hadn’t done much with this region, allowing only the generic forest with colorful trees and undergrowth.

“So what should we do here?” Evalynn asked from Roric’s arm.

“This region needs a marker at the border,” Roric replied. “I was thinking of a statue of Jaina, blowing a kiss.”

“Oh, I like it,” Jaina said with a broad smile. “And where will my other hand be?”

“You are such a harlot,” Chandice laughed.

“The idea is to show people what lays ahead,” Roric said with a twitch of his ears.

“Oh, there will be plenty of that ahead,” Jaina said.

“Well, if you ask me, there should be a second elven village here,” Chandice said. “Something more normal where people can ask questions and maybe get a few quests.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea,” Roric agreed. “That way, players can be sold maps of the main roads and told about the magic shop.”

“And the cities,” Jaina added.

“So the road goes straight east?” Gisley asked as she fluttered up to look across the vast distance.

“Frank has goblin teams laying a handmade road straight east,” Evalynn replied. “He’s going to link our closest neighbor and offer them goblin work teams for other projects.”

“He’s really trying to win them over,” Jaina noted.

“He’s doing his best,” Roric replied. “But from what you learned at Alexandria’s estate, it’s Frank most people are afraid of.”

“The mastermind behind the chessboard,” Jaina added.

“He doesn’t like that comparison,” Roric countered.

“Let’s be honest, that’s exactly what he is,” Chandice said.

“How can you say that about him?” Jaina protested. “He’s a very sweet man.”

“He’s wonderful,” Chandice agreed. “And I will never be able to thank him enough for my wedding present, but all the ideas that shape the world around us are his. He’s the one who built their kingdom, created the guild systems, suggested the Jade Harem be the face of power, and then created the titles for monster players and the guild for them. Now, he's power leveling his girls at an insane rate while building a loyal power base of monster players.”

Jaina had to blink a few times to focus. Chandice had listed a dizzying assortment of achievements that could only be attributed to Frank. Now that it was put into perspective, she could see why people thought of Frank as the true power. Hannah was just his slave girl, a weapon in the arsenal of the rising ghoul king.

“Could he really be an evil genius?” Jaina questioned as she began to wonder. Maybe giving Hannah as a wedding present had been a calculated way of earning their unwavering loyalty. He had even insisted on using the rogues to test Hannah, buying their loyalty, too. Was all this a calculated plan to ensure those closest to him would die for him if need be?

“Ok, now you got me thinking about it,” Jaina sighed. “I think Frank just likes to be kind to people, and that kindness is often seen as manipulation.”

“All I am saying is from the point of view of our neighbors, Frank looks suspicious,” Chandice insisted.

“He does, and he hates it,” Roric said. “He told us the other day that he wanted to be less involved but was afraid people would see that as him trying to hide his plan.”

“The poor guy can’t do anything right now,” Jaina said.

“This contest he’s planning might help,” Roric said.

Jaina knew about the contest, but was a little fuzzy on the details. Roric explained it as an invitation to their neighbors to come and play in the dungeons and lairs of dozens of monster players. Special tokens would be earned for completing various dungeons and challenges, and the kingdom with the most at the end of a month would win.

The various kingdoms had to buy into the contest and field a team of heroes to compete. The team that won would get the combined pool, plus some extra rewards and recognition in the guild. It was meant to foster friendly competition between the kingdoms, with Frank and Hannah serving only as hosts of the event. They would make money by selling items and services, but the true goal was the points and levels the monster players would earn.

Gisley asked what would happen if a team died, so Roric explained how Frank planned to implement a system where all player gear would be returned minus a small fee in gold. He would even create special shops to sell much-needed items like healing potions, ropes, backpacks, and torches. He was hoping Chandice would put a small stall in the city's market to sell common potions.

“Oh, you’re branching out,” Jaina teased.

“Hardly. He wants the stand limited to simple potions like healing, climbing, dark vision, and cure poisons,” Chandice said. “Anything more advanced, and they must travel to my shop. I will also sell some basic magical items, like ever-burning torches and cloaks of slow falling.”

“This is a much larger enterprise than I originally suspected,” Jaina commented. “Has he been planning this long?”

“He says he just came up with it,” Roric replied.

Jaina found that hard to believe, especially considering how well thought out it appeared to be. Frank was creating a system to bring all their neighbors into his land so they could benefit from his greatest resource, monster players. It was a bold and daring move but then that was why they all eyed Frank with suspicion. He simply had too many good ideas that always led to his power increasing. Hannah was quickly becoming the symbol of his power, the beautiful devil woman whose silken voice sang them to sleep and greeted them in the morning with flowers.

“Hmm, Frank is walking a dangerous line,” Jaina said. “But I don’t see that he has a choice. So long as he's a monster player, they will say that building a kingdom is dangerous. At least if he invites them in with open arms, they might see we don’t pose a threat to them.”

“We could be a huge blessing to our neighbors,” Evalynn said. “They will collect treasure and experience in our lands, bringing it back to their kingdoms. After a while, they might even see us as a valuable resource worth protecting.”

“I think that's what Frank is betting on,” Roric said as they crossed out of the forest into an open plains. The land before them was a green field of mystery, with only the goblin-made road to indicate that anyone had ever been there.

“We should put the village just inside the forest,” Chandice said. “It should be the first thing anyone finds when they enter.”

Roric agreed and they moved into the trees far enough to be slightly hidden. Then Evalynn began to create, adding ornate wooden houses with spiraling patterns and green roofs that settled into the land naturally. She added artwork, benches, and magical streetlamps that glowed as if filled with fireflies. An hour later, there were a dozen NPCs, including one called Mallisa, who acted as a fortune teller and sold maps of the forest that would lead to the city. She would also sell healing potions and send people to the magic shop to find more.

Gisley fluttered about as the village grew around her. She offered ideas on how to decorate the space and make it look more fantastic. Before long, there was a sprawling village with a dozen homes, a small shop, and an inn that served meals and had only two rooms to rent. There was a magical pool with a monument to the moon to indicate it was linked to Gisley. Anyone who drank the water would be enchanted as if they had ingested her glitter.

An elven hunter gave one quest, asking players to bring her ten forest cat pelts. The reward was a token that, if thrown into the moon pool, would summon an image of Gisley who would give them a kiss, conveying a buff to stamina that lasted one hour.

“I love building the forest,” Evalynn said as she sat in Roric’s lap so they could look at her interface together.

“Don’t forget to add a home for you and Breanne,” Roric reminded. “I expect you two to spend a lot of time there.”

Jaina wanted to sigh as she saw Evalynn's eyes go wet for joy. She nodded softly and added a stone archway right on the forest's border with a sign indicating the village of Shadrador was just ahead. Gisley wanted to add a quest where players had to go to a nearby pond and catch a fairy, then bring it to her lodge deeper in the forest.

Chandice suggested one where they had to collect some basic ingredients and turn them into her shop for a reward. Roric looked at Jaina and asked her what kind of quest she would like. Jaina was taken aback by that request, as she had no permanent presence in the forest.

“Hmm,” Jaina said as she paced the mossy road. “I don’t really know what to do. I don’t have a subclass that needs anything, and I don’t have a home here in the forest like Gisley does.”

“I have an idea,” Chandice said as she came up behind Jaina to wrap her in a hug. “Put a statue of Jaina in a shrine somewhere near the mountains. The quest will be that you have to go to the statue and kiss her hand.”

“What good will that do?” Jaina asked.

“You are the Dark seductress of the forest,” Chandice replied. “We can have the fortune teller warn people that your statue is dangerous. She will tell them not to touch it and, in particular, not to kiss it. If anyone kisses you, they will get a small buff to health, but you will become aware of them. If you happen to be free, you can use a nearby forest door to sneak in and seduce them.”

“Oh, I love it,” Jaina laughed.

“Why not take it a step further,” Evlaynn said. “Like have something more happen if they kiss a breast or her rear.”

“Or her pussy,” Gisley giggled. “Oh, make it so if a woman offers herself to the statue, Jaina can take her to a nearby cave and have her way with them.”

“This quest is getting better and better,” Jaina laughed. “But how far can I go with it?”

“What do you mean?” Chandice asked.

“Well, if a woman does offer herself to me, could I give her a quest to masturbate in the magic pool and receive the forest mark?” Jaina asked. “Could I then give her a chain of sexual challenges and offer some kind of special reward when she completes them all?”

The others debated the idea and ultimately agreed there was no reason she could not. The question was what the reward would be and how many tests a woman would need to complete to get it. They decided to discuss the matter with the other masters and see if they could integrate it into other things.

For now, they would place her statue, add a simple quest to find it, and offer flowers to protect them from the forest. They went back to working on the village and playing as Gisley begged them to add a noodle shop just because she thought it would be funny.

It was a happy day in the most beautiful and magical place in all the world as four women shared their love, with the man who owned their hearts.