Prologue: A Moonlight Fright

Tuesday, July 15th

The flickering campfire broke the night's darkness with its dancing flames and crackling logs. Warm and muggy, the night demanded the fire be doused soon to avoid detection in the Glum Oaks. Located off Sword Way in the eastern center of the Realm, the road usually didn’t find travelers at night. However, a detachment of patrolling knights from the keep’s garrison wasn’t unheard of during this time of the year. Yet, down two members of their band, the Scattercrows didn’t assign a watch during their meal.

"We should replace Vollus if he doesn't return soon," Torac Halftooth suggested while chewing his meat. A half-orc and the group's battle commander, he didn't like the prospect of going into a fight in two days without their primary swordsman.

“Aye, we’ll give Vollus a fortnight,” a mysterious druid reminded them. Despite the heat, Bhorossa, the leader of the raiders, kept his hood up with guests around the fire.

“I thought Vinnie just went to his cousin’s wedding?” a pretty brunette asked.

“Aargh! Silence your wench, Daxer!” Torac roared

“Apologies,” the group’s rogue replied, holding up a hand before their boss intervened.

“Remember to stay IC, JiJi,” a slim, athletic blonde reminded her coworker while leaning past Crix Daxer, the handsome thief.

Both women wore low-cut, white peasant blouses with mid-length skirts: green for JiJi and brown for Ephrie. They also had on laced-front, black bodices with deep V-necklines to accent their décolletages. Both women also wore the traditional Lusty Sylph green chokers around their necks.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” the busty barmaid said, waving her hand for extra effect. Staying in character often seemed unnecessary to the young woman during downtimes.

Slightly ditzy, JiJi had started working at the Lusty Sylph only about six weeks ago. She’d been taken under the wing of Ephrie, a Realm veteran and a scholarly acquaintance from another plane of existence. While only a year older, the blonde had enough experience to work at the more demanding tavern/inn on the outskirts of the civilized lands.

Sitting next to the newcomer at their campfire, a somewhat portly goblin named Fridd Rotrumble paused with his tube of meat packed in a bun in his hand. Glancing over at Torac, Fridd winced when he caught his glare. As slowly and slyly as possible, Fridd slid his goblin mask off the fallen log where it had sat next to him and behind his body. A serious player, Torac still wore his prominent teeth and most of his gray paint on his exposed skin.

Crix made eye contact with Fridd. Lying somewhere in the middle of the preference for keeping in character, the live-action role-player certainly made exceptions when it came to beautiful women during their nights. A notorious ladies' man in the Realm, Crix had invited the two barmaids to visit their camp after their shifts. While Torac scowled at their arrival, the mysterious druid let the intrusion slide. Bhorossa knew their skilled thief required the company of women from time to time. It had been a major factor in his recruitment from another group a couple of years ago.

“How do you like your dinner?” Crix inquired softly.

“I don’t know,” JiJi admitted. “I don’t like bratwurst, but this doesn’t taste like one. It’s very garlicky. Oh! Is this one of those Italian sausages?”

“It’s a Polish sausage,” Ephrie informed her coworker. “It’s Bhorossa’s favorite. You know, maybe you can taste his personal Polish sausage while I handle Crix later tonight.”

“I…I don’t understand,” the airheaded beauty admitted while frowning in confusion.

“Em, that’s not—” Crix started to say, slipping by calling the barmaid by her real name.

“Silence!” the half-orc screamed. “This lack of decorum is an outrage.”

“Why are you looking at me?” Fridd responded, throwing up his hands while dropping his sausage onto his lap.

“Because you dare use a fucking bun!”

“Settle down, Halftooth,” Bhorossa commanded in a quiet voice that projected confidence that he’d be followed. While usually a stickler for staying in character, Torac’s demeanor went beyond his usual level tonight. The druid suspected it had to do with his own lady leaving the Realm for good. Even the most strident LARPer found the real world intruding on their fun at times.

“It tastes like crap without condiments. At least let me have a bun,” Fridd whined while gesturing around him. “I’m not the only one.”

“That is why you were not sent on reconnaissance to Crownhold,” Torac declared, jabbing his finger at Fridd.

“He also couldn’t go because he’s a goblin,” Crix reminded. “Besides, I think Oshunna had plans in town.”

“Plans? She’s only there to get the caravan’s details!”

“Which she will,” Bhorossa stated, sighing.

“It seems pointless. The Champions of the Scepter are going to be guarding the caravan,” Fridd declared.

“Maybe not. The Peacock Legion returned yesterday,” Ephrie revealed.

“They’re still better than dealing with the knights,” Crix remarked. “That’s what I’m concerned Oshunna will report back with.”

The only woman in the Skattercrows, Oshunna Lasha, chafed nearly as much as Crix at the lack of social interaction while they conducted raiding missions. Unlike the thief, their swordswoman wouldn’t also get drunk in town while picking up a bedmate. With the need to learn the precise time the Prospero Trading Company’s wagon would embark from Crownhold for Griffin Keep, Oshunna’s selection made the most sense with Vollus away.

“I shall keep watch,” Torac announced, taking a final bite before storming off toward the trees near the road.

With a guard in place now, Crix decided to take a chance to amuse his two female guests.

Soft music followed shortly from a small music box. A recent spoil of conquest, the high-pitched tinkling brought a nice break from the usual silence while the band of raiders camped in the Glum Oaks. The vintage lullaby melody sparked an idea in the mind of the Scattercrows’ flirt.

“Say, have you heard the tale about The Haunting of Hedy Medley?” Crix asked. Realizing his mistake, the rogue immediately corrected the slip-up. “I meant The Ghastly Ghost of Grisella?”

“N-No,” JiJi stammered at the mention of a haunting and a ghost. “She has two names?”

“It makes sense. There are two different legends,” Fridd mentioned, earning glares in return.

Ephrie shook her head at the brunette’s lack of awareness. “Let’s say one is an alias, or false name, while in disguise.”

“Ooh! I get it.”

“Right,” Crix winked before carrying on. “Grisella worked as a servant for the royal family during King Thane’s reign.”

“That’s the current king’s grandfather,” Ephrie whispered.

“Yes, this took place around thirty years ago.”

“When the fair was around?” JiJi asked excitedly, breaking character.

“That is correct, young one. This occurred before the Cataclysm,” Bhorossa confirmed, speaking as if he wasn’t only in his late twenties.

The druid referred to the Chivalry Renaissance Fair, which closed nearly fifteen years ago. The primary fair location comprised what they now call Crownhold, the Realm’s capital and sole city. Several other fairground buildings either still existed or volunteer LARPers had upgraded them. One fair setting, a tiny four-building fishing village, had been demolished, with a watchkeep replacing it along the shore of Lion Lake.

“Grisella originally started as a food server in Feasthall. A plain-looking girl, she apparently had a lively attitude that made her fellow castmates like her. This minor popularity kept her from being fired when her turbulent mood swings reportedly began. Removed from the Feasthall to a less-demanding role in the castle as a chambermaid, Hedy–I mean, Grisella- eventually was sent to Bobberburg, the old fishing village,” Crix recounted.

“Do I want to know what happened?” JiJi asked, appearing unsettled.

“You probably should,” Fridd replied, aware the story often came up on summer nights around campfires. “There have allegedly been a few recent sightings.”

“Bobberburg couldn’t be called the most exciting aspect of the fair during those years. So, Grisella took it as a demotion, which people said depressed her even more. The other legend Fridd mentioned involved a failed romance with one of the king’s knights. I can’t say if that was true or not,” Crix relayed. “Either way, this led to her mood swings getting wider and wider. Eventually, she covered herself with chains and jumped into the lake.”

“No!” JiJi screamed, feeling Ephrie place a hand on her arm.

“Yes, in her misery, Hedy Medley’s death led her tragic spirit to be trapped on these very grounds. Over the decades, people have often claimed to hear rattling chains or spot a ghostly woman in a white peasant dress in the distance. Cheating men and depressed women are the most common witnesses. Some even say her haunting caused the old fair to shut down,” the handsome rogue repeated.

“Why did you tell me that?” JiJi cried, seemingly ready to start sobbing.

“It’s nonsense. Don’t listen to him. Hedy–”

“I told you because you shouldn’t walk alone at night around these parts,” Crix stated, cutting off Bhorossa. “Which sounds like a fine idea to ensure that doesn’t happen tonight. Shall we return to the Lusty Sylph, ladies?”

Clapping, the flirty thief hopped to his feet before offering a hand to each of the barmaids. Frightened by the ghost story, JiJi wrapped her arm around Crix’s for protection. With the campfire tale working precisely as intended, the scheming rogue winked at Fridd before offering his other arm to Ephrie. His tight grip caused both pairs of breasts to push up against their lace ties while smashing into his chest.

“Don’t take too long,” Bhorossa warned.

“Who, me?” the giddy thief countered.

The warm, muggy air cooled slightly once they reached the dirt road, after making sure to bypass Torac’s watch position. A gentle breeze cooled the trio while blowing JiJi’s loose locks. Along the walk, Crix inquired about their coworkers, including the barkeep and another waitress, whom he briefly dated last summer.

At the bend where Sword Way turned into Goodnight Road, the trio turned west onto Crossroad, the generically named intersecting road that connected the two thoroughfare trails in the Realm. The Lusty Sylph sat on the corner of Crossroad and Hopewell Road, which led to and from Crownhold’s west gate.

Roughly halfway to the tavern/inn, Crix acted as if he’d just had a brilliant idea. The charming rogue suggested a way to protect the women from Grisella’s ghost. With JiJi relatively new, Crix could only hope that his former fling hadn’t told Ephrie about this move. The blonde’s apparent surprise gave the thief hope.

“I’m serious. The Shrine of Taithlor will bring happiness to you that will ward off that vindictive phantom,” Crix suggested, laying it on thick. “How do I know you’ll be happy? Trust me. Women are always pleased when we finish there.”

With nothing to do back at the tavern at this hour, JiJi reluctantly agreed with Ephrie’s shrug: “Why not?”

Entering the Enchanted Forest, Crix listened for any noises while leading his targets down the path. He didn't expect to find anyone else, not on a Tuesday night. However, one couldn't be certain. Last August, the thief and a sexy cougar enchantress had walked in on a pair praising the goddess while on her altar. With the same intention in mind for two women together with him for the first time, Crix hurried them along.

Upon reaching the moonlit clearing, Ephrie raised her eyebrows at the long, flat stone surface, which represented the Shrine to Taithlor. Several statues of a gorgeous, skimpily-dressed woman surrounded the altar. Crix couldn’t recall the name, but knew an older stone-mason LARPer had created the lifelike statues around a dozen years ago.

Pulling out a flask and a hand-rolled cigarette filled with weed, Crix helped the ladies settle onto the waist-high bench. JiJi swiftly forgot about the ghost story as a relaxed atmosphere filled the clearing. The trio continued chatting about their summer so far before loosening up and talking about their real lives. Both women attended different colleges, as did Crix, who studied farthest from home. As natives of the region, they also chatted and chuckled about their various hometowns.

Eventually, the liquor and weed progressed from the feeling-out phase to actually feeling each other up. Despite desiring JiJi slightly more, Crix made the first move on Ephrie. The year-older blonde might see through the womanizer’s intentions, so he couldn’t allow her the time to think or feel jealous.

Light kisses quickly turned passionate as they explored each other’s tongues and mouths. With a firm grip around Ephrie’s waist, Crix made sure to rub his groin and hard member against the barmaid. Choosing looser-fitting pants before the women arrived proved to be a smart call for the rogue. Envious, not jealous, JiJi eventually pushed her plush front against Crix’s back.

Breaking off his kiss with Ephrie, Crix turned to meet JiJi’s lips. A series of switch-offs took place over the next ten minutes, increasing everyone’s arousal. Conspiring toward this moment, Crix grinned wickedly when he pushed the two barmaids’ heads together, leading them to share a deep kiss.

The male third of the burgeoning throuple had run out of patience. He needed to get laid right now.

Spinning around, Crix climbed further onto the stone table. Wide enough to fit two people side by side, the scheming rogue planned to make three lovers fit. Holding out a hand, he helped JiJi onto the altar, then did the same for Ephrie. Almost at once, the two coeds tumbled onto the stone altar.

Laughing, Ephrie sat up, straddling the giggling JiJi so Crix could reach over and start untying her lace bodice. Understanding the endpoint of this new experience, JiJi began to undo her bodice while watching her coworker’s perky, medium-sized breasts appear. The ditzy brunette moaned lustily when Crix leaned in to gobble one of Ephrie’s breasts into his needy mouth.

After a quick fill of tits and nipples, Crix helped remove Ephrie’s clothes while JiJi wiggled herself naked under her friend. Fully exposed, the two nude beer maidens found themselves without a smidgen of privacy in case anyone appeared in the clearing. The threat of discovery sparked the pair's first thrills of exhibitionism.

Unable to wait, Crix hungrily bent over to get a mouthful of JiJi’s medium-to-large breasts. With Ephrie seeking to undress the thief from behind, the horny rogue explored JiJi. The nineteen-year-old’s C-cups and curvy ass experienced an impromptu massage before an almost naked Crix had to pull away to complete his undressing.

Out of nowhere, Ephrie turned his head to face her. With a flirty smile, the blonde tugged lightly on his pants, pouting when they wouldn't budge. Loving her sexy attitude, Crix lifted his hips, allowing her to tug his tights down past his knees.

Once a geek, Crix thanked his experiences over the last year or so since he gave up his old life and friends. Now, the pinnacle of those changes was about to result in his first-ever threesome. Leaning back on his heels, the marauding pillager grabbed his spear and shook it to life for effect. The move worked as Ephrie and JiJi climbed onto their hands and knees before Crix. The position wasn’t lost on the rogue as the girls lowered their heads down, as if praying to his slightly over mid-sized cock.

Gawd, I love this place, Crix thought once the two tongues tentatively reached out to explore the tip of his sword. The Realm was packed with hotness. There were neglected MILFs, newly divorced cougars, sexy workers looking to add fucking perks to their paychecks, local volunteers checking out the new blood, and school actresses around his age game for a summer fling under an assumed name. Crix knew he'd hit the jackpot when he’d turned from the light side to villainy last summer.

“You like that big dick, don’t you?” the rogue asked, using his fingers to raise JiJi’s head gently.

Smiling, the recent college freshman didn’t have the heart to tell him that she had seen bigger a few months prior. Instead, the busty brunette slowly lowered herself until her face was inches from the head of his cock. Sensing the need to move, Ephrie dropped down to focus on Crix’s balls, leaving JiJi to handle the thief’s tower. It was bulbous now, the skin taut and purplish. To please her customer, JiJi held Crix’s gaze as she slowly licked the tender underside. A dab of precum oozed out of the tip.

While she might come across as an airhead, JiJi had smarts where it counted in bed or on a hard, stone table.

She licked oozing precum off with relish.

The cheerful, grinning brunette slowly took the tip between her lips, gliding her tongue over and around the silky skin. It felt so good that Crix moaned involuntarily, his body squirming despite wanting to appear indifferent this early into their fun. While JiJi stroked his stiff shaft, and Ephrie cupped and massaged his balls, the buxom brunette slowly, rhythmically, took his cock into her mouth and out again, licking the sides, rubbing him against her cheeks. She used her whole face, her whole being, to pleasure him.

The thief’s nimble fingers found their way between JiJi’s splayed legs, to the velvety softness of her inner thighs. His explorations slowly felt their way upward to find her warm, wet lips. The dark-haired barmaid was on fire, dripping. Crix let his fingers slide between the luscious folds with utmost satisfaction.

JiJi’s mouth left his dick to stroke him instead, while Ephrie focused on his heavy, filled balls. The combined efforts made his head spin. The brunette formed a ring with her thumb and index finger and slid it over the tip, again and again. To Crix, it seemed like he’d pushed inside the tightest pussy ever after his fingers found the athletic blonde’s honeypot. It felt incredible.

With only a few soft murmurs, the new acolytes of Taithlor switched places.

Ephrie showed off an entirely different technique. She employed sharp, rapid head bobbing, like a piston working a machine, and fast, intense sucking. Already on edge for the past few minutes, Crix didn't think he would last more than a minute or two under this assault. While enjoyable, this wouldn’t do. Crix wanted to fuck both of the barmaids.

The horny rogue felt like he would explode at any moment. So he tapped them both at once. With his hands, some pushes, and a few soft grunts, Crix moved the girls into the positions he wanted.

With Ephrie crawling on top of JiJi, the girls shared a giggle when blonde dangled her perky tits over her coworker’s face. Never one to pass up a treat, the brunette began to explore those tanned globes.

Fuck yeah! I knew these two were down to fuck, Crix crowed internally. Already sensing he’d sealed the threesome deal, the greedy young man began to consider how to add to his fun. While tempted to yank Ephrie down to put her face even with JiJi’s pussy, Crix had a better idea.

The randy rogue adjusted the girls slightly so that their pussies were in alignment. With similar heights, this stopped JiJi’s tit licking and sucking; it brought the two barmaids together for a passionate makeout session.

Sliding his cock into Ephrie first, Crix marveled at the blonde’s tightness. It’s not that JiJi was loose. Not even close, but her blonde coworker felt as tight as a virgin.

I bet it’s her workouts, Crix speculated. He’d noticed the blonde barmaid last year performing yoga in front of aghast purists.

Pulling out, the thief already started planning his rotation while he slid into JiJi’s soaked pussy.

Hell, yeah! I hit the jackpot with this sexy thing, too! Crix crowed again in his head as JiJi looked around Ephrie’s head. Her face showed utter disbelief as her eyes went wide.

"Like my big dick, don't you?" Crix expected anything but the shift in JiJi's face from disbelief to sheer terror. "Hey, it's not really that big. I swear it won't hurt--what the hell?"

Thoroughly befuddled, Crix watched as JiJi crawled backward frantically. It wasn't easy with Ephrie on top of her. What the fuck? I thought she loved my dick when she saw--huh?

Sensing a presence behind him, Crix realized JiJi hadn’t been staring at him in terror, but behind him. Almost at the same time, Ephrie turned to see what had caught her friend’s attention. Her blue eyes widened immediately.

"Oh, I'm so going to kill whoever just wrecked..." Crix's arrogance vanished as he rolled over to face the voyeur and heard a rattling.

Standing behind Crix at the edge of the clearing was the glowing, decaying body of a young woman. Her white peasant dress clicked into place at the same time that the terrified thief saw the chains around her body.

Standing before him was the ghost of Grisella, aka Hedy Medley.

"G-G-G-Ghost!" Crix shrieked.

Rolling to his side, the once cocky college student continued to scream as he hopped off the altar. Half-running and half-crawling, Crix attempted to yank his tights up to his waist. Instead, he landed with a thud on the ground.

Glancing back, Crix saw the ghost girl slowly following him in a herky-jerky fashion. Scrambling to get up again, the terrified LARPer kicked his pants off entirely. Running full-steam, Crix Daxer didn't stop as Ephrie and JiJi screamed and ran into the woods in different directions with whatever they could grab. Nor did Crix stop as a sinister cackle filled the night. He never stopped running until he reached his camp, rambled about a ghost, grabbed his things, and raced off toward the parking lot beyond Crownhold’s front gate.