Fate Works in Mysterious Ways

Moments later, Nella introduced her find with a flourish. "Here he is! Say hi."

A young man in a white t-shirt and blue shorts waved sheepishly. "Uh, hello guys."

"Honestly, he's a little green. But I'm sure he can help you out!"

In demonstration, the kid drew a short sword, and brandished it in the air. However, he quickly lost control of it, and it clattered to the floor, making the others in the bar wince. "Ah! I didn't mean to do that! I swear."

"His name is Tahu. He's a good friend of mine, so do your best to keep him out of trouble, 'kay?" Nella smiled warmly.

Resda, Kai, Twilight, and Lakelis looked at the warrior. "Uh, are you sure that he's up for it?" Lakelis asked.

"Sure he is! Right, Tahu?" Nella turned to her friend.

"Uh... I guess so..."

"Let me discuss this with my associates," Resda said. The three of them gathered in a huddle.

"Nella must be kidding! We can't take him!" Kai said.

"I agree," Twilight whispered. "He's far too inexperienced. He would be a burden."

"Well, I know that," Resda said. "But do we have anyone else in mind?"

Kai looked around nervously. She spotted a person and pointed him out. "There! How about him? Anyone's better than this guy!"

Resda and Twilight looked where she was pointing. A young man stepped out of the back room carrying two large bags of ice. His blue hat and robes made him stand out immediately. The three of them ducked down again before he noticed them. "I don't know... can he even fight?" Resda asked.

"Sure he can!" Kai said. "I'm sure of it!" Kai stood up straight and turned to Nella. "Sorry, Nella, but... uh... we're already a group of four."

Nella raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Kai raced over to the worker and pulled him into their huddle. "You! You're joining our party, okay?"

Omega leapt back. "Wh-what? I don't even know you!"

Kai took Omega's hand and shook it vigorously, pulling him back into their huddle. "Hi, my name's Kai. It's nice to meet you. Now join our party!"

Omega jerked his hand out of her grip and glared at her. "No way! You can't just walk up to someone and force them to do something for you!" He turned around and began to storm off.

Twilight and Resda rushed over and whirled him around, back into the conversation. "Come on. We could use your help," Twilight said. "You can fight, right?"

"Uh... yes. I'm a spearman."

"That's great!" said Resda. "Your help would be greatly appreciated. You see, Lakelis needs a group to go in and investigate the dungeon... something's going on down there."

"Interesting," Omega thought aloud. After looking around, he continued. "And for the record, I don't really want to be here anyway."

"Well, if you help us, everyone wins," Twilight said. "Do we have a deal?"

"Sure. But I have to warn you..."

Before Omega could finish, the three of them turned towards Nella. "This is our guy!" Resda said. "His name is... uh... oh..."

"Who? Omega?" Nella said. The three nodded, gave thumbs up, or otherwise made gestures that meant yes. "Well, if you're sure." Nella yelled at the bartender. "Oy! We're stealing Omega, okay? I'm paying his tab!"

"Whatever! He was a deadbeat anyway," the bartender grumbled before going back to wiping down glasses.

Lakelis, meanwhile, was content to smirk at the events unfolding in front of her. "Well, now that that matter's settled... If you could get your belongings, then we can get started."

As they trailed behind Lakelis, Resda took the opportunity to start some conversation. "We never really introduced ourselves. My name is Resda."

"My name is Twilight," he said.

"And you already know that I'm Kai," she finished.

"I am called Omega. It is nice to meet you all, despite the circumstances," Omega replied.

Simultaneously, the four of them felt chills run down their spine. Kai shuddered as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Is it just me, or does something feel off?"

"I'm not sure..." Twilight said, looking around. Suddenly, he was struck with a compulsion. "Omega, would you happen to have a little red charm in your possession?"

Resda reached for his pendant. "It looks like this," he said, pulling it out. He was surprised to see that it was glowing - something it had never done before. Kai and Twilight looked at their own charms, and made the same observations. "Whoa..." he gasped.

Omega stood agape. "You three... you're the champions, aren't you?"

Twilight looked at the others. They decided that there was no use denying it. "Guilty as charged," Twilight responded. "Why do you ask?"

Omega pulled on a chain around his neck. A similar charm was suspended on it, and it too glowed brightly.

Back at the bar, Nella shook Tahu's hand. "Sorry about making you humiliate yourself, Tahu. But thanks a lot! I was hoping to get those four together eventually."

"Eh, I owed you one anyway," Tahu draped his mage's robes over his white undershirt and blue shorts.

"My services don't come cheap," Nella said, wagging a finger. "Maybe you'll remember that next time."

Tahu laughed as he replaced his hat on his head. "But why are you so intent on getting them together?" he asked.

"Oh, no reason in particular," Nella replied.

"You know something, don't you?" Tahu asked, with an air of suspicion.

"Of course I do. I always know."

This chapter is a little bit of an inside joke. When I had run this story before, a lot of people had to say "OOH! OOH! OMEGA'S GONNA JOIN THE PARTY!" Which was the obvious choice.

But I was at a stage of my life where alienating my readers was fun for me. (It still is.) So Omega joined their party, but only as a last resort.

That and it's fun for things to happen in ways you don't expect.

Continue your perusal of this storylike fiction!

- Resda