The fair maiden Viola has been stolen from the lands of the Alfar people. She was once a beacon of hope to them, and her loss has already been felt by all of the people in Waldberg, most deeply so by her adoptive father, the king. Due to diplomatic reasons and the threat of war, the Alfar people’s hands are tied. That is why you must go out and rescue the princess on the king’s behalf. Save their beloved princess and restore hope and happiness to the people of Waldberg.

Even without the quest prompt, Aaron couldn’t help but be moved. Just the sight of the king—the most noble man in the kingdom—and the sound of desperation in his voice was enough to rouse Aaron. He could feel the passion, and he could see the tears that were staining the wood floor beneath the king’s face.

“We have to save her,” Aaron’s said as he clenched his fists tightly. “What that madman has done is unforgivable.”

“Yeah,” Lars agreed. “He really did cross a line. That girl clearly didn’t want to go with him.”

“I’m going to kill them all,” another voice next to Aaron practically screamed.

“Wait!” Prax shouted, stopping them. “I want to go off and rescue the princess as much as the rest of you, but we have to think about this more clearly.”

“Think about what?” Aaron asked. “The princess is waiting there, and Bella could be there too. Our mission and answers to the question I know we’re all thinking are both in the same place. Let’s just go already.”

“I think we should call Bella first. I think we’ll find that this imposter just has an uncanny resemblance, or someone saw a picture of the Witherington family’s only heir and thought, ‘Yeah, I want to look like that, but with fox ears and a tail,’” Prax said.

“Right,” Aaron agreed. He was beginning to calm down a bit after the initial shock, and Prax’s words were reasonable. That the Were-Fox had borrowed or been given Bella’s face was the only thing that made sense. There was no way that Little Miss Prude, whose parents had never let her take so much as a sip of alcohol, would be playing a game that was so well known for its realism and all the deviant stuff it let you do. “Well, I’ll log off and call her to find out what's going on. You guys wanna take a short real-life break? I could use some lunch anyway.”

“Let’s check the forums while we’re at it,” Prax suggested. “There were at least fifty players here when that lunatic pulled his little stunt, and at least a few of them have to know what’s going on.”

“Got it,” Aaron agreed. “Meet you guys back in 20 minutes of real-life time then.”

“See ya!” Lars said too, his avatar going still after he initiated the logout process.

——-