Some were red in the face, obviously angry about the event, while others, like Aaron, were merely stunned. This was a first for Aaron. Although he hadn’t been playing long, he had already heard about people killing NPCs, assaulting them, abusing them, robbing them—even seducing and harassing them—but never kidnapping them. In the back of his mind, he had always believed that, at the end of the day, an NPC would simply reappear right where it first spawned no matter what you did, even if you killed it. Otherwise, the only conclusion was that it would be dead, lost and gone forever. If that happened, all quests associated with it would simply disappear, or so he guessed, and there was no way that could ever occur. The idea was simply too outrageous, even for a world as lifelike and real as this one. Like most players, he had never thought of the possibility that someone would just walk up and kidnap the Princess of Waldberg and then make off with her—much less while challenging other players to “come and get her” in the same breath.

“Is this . . . Is this how people do things in this game?” Aaron asked Prax as he mulled over the events.

“Not that I know of,” Prax answered.

“Never heard of it happening either,” Lars added.

“This will not do,” the king’s voice boomed through the growing murmurs, silencing everyone and waking Aaron up from his thoughts. “A woman, near and dear to me, one whom I thought of like my own child and cared for as if I had raised her myself, has been taken from my side by that . . . that . . . two-faced beast!” The ruler’s voice was shaking, his face was red, and the normally scrawny-looking Alfar seemed as sturdy and proud as an oak as he fumed in front of the crowd. “By law, however, I cannot seek justice. Those Imperium . . . they do what they want, they act as they please, and they brazenly press the knife to my throat so that I must beg for help like a coward!”

The king let out a breath as he finished, and he seemed to deflate some. He slid out of his throne and down onto his knees in front of it. “So, I will beg. Let me plead with you noble adventurers who are here having already proven yourself worthy of being called defenders of the Alfar people. Please, bring back my daughter. Please, save that child whose heart and soul have warmed me for decades.” Finishing his plea, he leaned forward until his forehead was pressed against the floor, fully suppliant on his hands and knees.

Quest: A Captive Princess.