Chapter 22 by Cantalope

To which part of the zone do you travel?

With misgivings...the canyon.

Cautiously weaving your way through the forest, you emerge at the entrance to the canyon and stop. Your legs refuse to carry you forward. Oh how you hated this place... "What's the matter?" Nothing. I've just seen too much of this canyon. With a significant effort of will, you manage to put one foot in front of the other and soon you're walking cross the canyon floor...and if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other, soon you'll be walking out the door...

Ok...where's a good spot to lay an ambush? "We're laying an ambush? For who?" Oh sorry, I forgot to tell you didn't I? We are going to lay an ambush for the next party of heroes who comes through here and I am going to Level Up until I can keep you safe. The series of emotions that flicker across her face almost makes you burst out laughing. It's like watching Acting 101 except you know she's not acting: her face is just having trouble processing what her brain is thinking.

She settles on angry: "What?! We can't attack my fellow heroes! Only PKing assholes attack other players for XP!" PK who? "It doesn't matter, the point is you can't do this! It's wrong!" Dana...that is such an inaccurate statement I can't even explain all its inaccuracies. But I'll give you the condensed version:

I'm a monster. We attack heroes.
They are heroes and therefore ALL assholes. Present company occasionally included.
If I go around murdering other monsters for no reason at all, we're going to have a lot more than the spiders knocking down my front door.

"But-" No buts. You're the bait, you don't even have to do anything. "What?!" Just look like a maiden in distress and they'll come running. If you like, you can even pretend I captured you to be my sex ****. "You did capture me to be your sex ****!" See! You're already in character! Wonderful! Ah yes, this should do nicely. you settle the fuming girl just beyond a chokepoint, gagging and strapping her up with vines before retreating to hide behind a rock outcropping, doing your best impression of an oversized, oddly colored, sunflower.