Hello, everyone. I hope you're ready for another chapter of "Sideline: Another Story". Last time, Lapis was making sure that she was in good condition to fight after getting her vision restored and upgraded with cybernetic eyes. Soon after, Fragment Hunter went looking for Azalea as they explored Mirabelle. While they couldn't find her initially, they ended up getting new outfits and equipment upgrades before learning Azalea did the same thing. With everyone prepared to continue their journey, what will happen now?
Roll for initiative!
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and was created by Monty Oum (R.I.P)
The only things I own in this story are my Original Characters
It was a gloomy and cloudy afternoon in an icy and snow-covered swamp. The murky water was half-frozen and piles of fresh snow covered much of the plant life. The wind blew and kicked up loose snow, letting it dance in the swirling wind as it shaped snowdrifts. The frigid marsh was dreary to look at, but strangely beautiful at the same time. A small group of travelers made their way through the swamp, being careful to not fall into the freezing water. "This place gives me the creeps," a cloaked woman remarked as she looked at several logs and branches sticking out of the bog.
"We'll be out of here soon enough," said another girl.
As the group made their way through the swamp, a man looked around at their surroundings. Seeing one of the snowdrifts move suspiciously, he pulled out a dagger and prepared to fight. His associates saw his weapon drawn and prepared themselves just in time to see a trio of Pendra burst out from the ice and snow with their deadly poison dripping from their faces, staining the snow as they hissed. One of the girls conjured and threw a fireball at the Grimm, but the insectoid monsters dodged and the flames only collided with a snowbank. After that, the second woman thrust their sword into the eye of one Pendra, damaging it badly and making it dissolve before the group.
After the first Pendra died, one of the remaining Grimm spat a toxic glob of poison at the woman, but it only splashed onto her cloak and failed to do damage to her. When the Grimm's attack failed, the dagger-wielding man slashed at the Grimm and did minor damage to it before jumping back. Unfortunately for him, the second centipede creature was able to coil around him and restrict his movements. Seeing their ally in trouble, the first girl jumped at the Pendra and grabbed at the monster's skull-like face with a burning hand, making the creature hiss in agony before it turned into ash completely. "One left," the girl said as she helped her friend up.
"It's all mine," exclaimed another man as they jumped at the Grimm. But fate wasn't kind to them as the monster dodged and the fighter ended up crashing into the swamp's half-frozen water and ended up face-down in the cold mud.
("OH, COME ON!")
"Seriously!? Nat 1," exclaimed a furious Rua as she gestured at the 20-sided die she rolled.
"Sorry, Rua. It happens," Sunset remarked as she replied to the girl.
"Well, that was just humiliating," Rua exclaimed as she pointed at Sunset while Percival, Pinkie, and a few members of Fragment Hunter all sat around a table.
After a few days of intense training, a sudden snowstorm forced the members of Fragment Hunter to stay inside the Holstein Family home for the day. In order to avoid succumbing to cabin fever, Pinkie went digging through some of the games available in Azalea's house and found a few things for a popular tabletop role-playing game in Remnant, 'Graveyards and Grimm'. Thinking it would be fun, a number of the teenagers decided to play while the rest decided to just watch or listen in as they played card games.
"When do I get to join in? I want to go treasure hunting," Pinkie asked as it was her first time playing the game.
"You'll have to meet up with the rest of us at the inn when they get into town," Azalea explained as she had more experience playing the RPG.
"Not if Rua's character freezes in the mud," Vixen chuckled as she watched in amusement.
"Okay, let's continue," Sunset told everyone. "Slate, it's your turn."
Picking up his own dice, Slate thought of what to do before he said his next plan of action. "I take a flash pellet from my pocket and throw it at the Pendra, hoping to blind it from the blast," he said before rolling his d20. As the die clattered on the table, everyone looked at the result as Slate announced it. "19."
Sunset checked her notes before telling the players what happened in the game's story. "The flash pellet is successful in blinding the Pendra and it'll have a disadvantage until its next turn. Given that you haven't moved yet, what do you do," she said to Slate.
"I'll move closer to my ally in the mud and help them up," Slate responded.
"My turn," Vinyl told the group as she looked at the board on the table and all the pieces. "I cast a sound spell to hit the blinded Night Crawler." Rolling her die, Vinyl proved successful and managed to defeat the Grimm for her party.
Smiling as the encounter went fine aside from Rua's critical failure, Sunset continued the story. "After the Grimm turned to ash, your party soon makes it out of the Snowdust Swamp and reaches a new location. A large and prosperous castle town near the verdant forest and the vast sea. The capital of the land, Eclipsa Rosario," Sunset explained.
Making their way through Eclipsa Rosario, the adventurers soon reached one of the local inns, a tavern known as 'Rose Moon'. Entering the establishment, the group removed their cloaks and revealed themselves to the patrons of the tavern that looked in their direction. Three men and two women looked at their surroundings and a few people seemed interested in the party because of their attire. As the five took their seats at a table, a buxom barmaid walked over to them. "What can I get you," she asked.
"Ale," said the gunslinger of the group. He wore brown leather armor and simple clothing, a bandoleer of ammunition and small items, and holsters for a pair of pistols. One of his ears had a notch in it like it was cut or shot, his black hair was cut short, and he had short stubble on his jawline.
"I'll have some water," replied a wizard as she was reading through her spellbook. She had blue robes that reached her knees, long red hair, and an expression that showed great wisdom beyond her years. "I could go with that spell next. It would be useful," she said to herself.
"I'll take the special for today's menu, please," said a monk in simple robes with a sheathed dagger on his belt. He also had slight claws for fingernails, small fangs in his mouth, and beast-like eyes that seemed much kinder than one would think from his slightly monstrous appearance.
"Gimme a beer," a fighter demanded as he put his feet on the table, annoyed at how he fell in the mud earlier. His light metal armor and the sleeves of his tunic were filthy from that moment in the swamp, his shield and sword placed next to the table, and ran a hand through his blonde hair to get out any mud remaining.
"Another ale and maybe your name, gorgeous," said the female bard as she smiled at the waitress flirtatiously. She wore simple leather armor, a tunic, tights, and traveling boots. She had a short sword sheathed on her hip before she started strumming a lyre in her hands, winking at the waitress.
"I'll see what I can do about all of that," the barmaid said with a smile to the group, even returning a wink to the bard.
As the woman left to get the party's orders, they began to speak with each other. "Why is it that every bard I've encountered has always been a flirt," asked the wizard, only getting a shrug from the bard.
"Let's focus. We'll need to get some more money because we only have enough for a night here," said the fighter, placing a small bag of gold coins on the table to prove his point and to pay the barmaid when she returned.
"Where are we going to find some work," questioned the gunslinger.
As soon as he asked that, the barmaid returned with everyone's drinks and the monk's meal. "Two ales, one beer, some water, and today's special of roast chicken with sweet corn and white rice," the barmaid said. As everyone enjoyed their orders, the waitress and the bard smiled flirtatiously at each other before the former spoke up again. "If travelers like you are looking for a job, we have been having some trouble with bandits getting close to town. My family even has a farm nearby that supplies this tavern and they've been worried about possible raids. If you help them out, we'd pay you and give you a free night to rest here," she stated.
"Thank you very much," the bard replied. "That will help us a lot, Miss..."
"Jackie," the barmaid told the bard.
"Okay, enough flirting," the fighter said as he turned to look at the waitress, handing her the money the owed her along with a tip. "Tell where we can head off to accept this job, Jackie."
"Just head to the South Gate of town, then go west. The farm is about a 20-minute walk from then," Jackie said as she put the money in her top. "I'll just let you finish up what you have now," she told them before walking off.
While the group had their drinks and food, a couple of other patrons took note of them and approached. "Hey, what's up," asked a young girl wearing a hooded cloak that covered her blue hair, leather armor, and carrying a pair of daggers on her belt.
"What do you want, kid," asked the gunslinger as he took another sip of his ale, thinking the girl was a rogue.
"You're all going to fight and earn money? Well, I want to come with you," the younger girl stated. "I want to go exploring, hunt for treasure, fight monsters. It'll be fun!"
"You really want to join a group of people you never met before to fight bandits," the wizard questioned as she closed her spellbook.
"Bandits have stolen treasure, so why not steal it from them? Plus, I've always wanted to see the world, so I've trained myself to fight," the rogue told the group.
"Maybe she should come with us. More help means we'd have an easier chance against these guys, which would mean more money," the monk reasoned as he swallowed the last of his chicken.
"As long as she doesn't get in the way or take my cut of the reward," the fighter said before he finished his drink, slamming the mug onto the table. "Let's go."
"As long as my reward is a night with the lovely Miss Jackie," the bard remarked as she and the wench shared a flirtatious look. After their gazes met for too long, the gunslinger dragged the bard through the door while the rogue followed the party out of the tavern.
As the group went through town, the newest member of the party spoke up. "What are your names? I'm Jessica," the rogue said as she introduced herself.
"My name is Kuuga," replied the monk. "I'm traveling the world to continue my training."
"You can call me Kidd," says the gunslinger.
The bard simply plucked the strings of their lyre before saying her name. "Harper Harmonia."
The fighter sighed before saying his name. "Alexander," he stated.
"And I'm Ariella," the wizard told the youngest member of the group while they headed off.
Pinkie was bouncing around in her seat as her character finally joined up with the party and was excited to play with them. "This is going to be so fun," she said as she hugged Slate.
"If that name Vinyl went with doesn't scream 'I'm a bard', I don't know what does," remarked Silver with a chuckle.
"Just remember that your character has their own skills and equipment to use that the others don't. It'll be helpful if you remember what you have on hand," Azalea told the younger girl.
Pinkie nodded with a big grin before Terracotta walked into the room. "Graveyards and Grimm," the Bull Faunus asked as he cracked open a large can of soda for himself.
"Yup. Pinkie found a copy of the game in a closet and wanted to play," Slate explained.
Looking at the box that held notes, character sheets, and another few sets of dice, Terracotta chuckled as he saw some familiar papers. "I remember some of these. It's been months since I played, but the kingdom of Eclipsa Rosario is something I made while my friends and I played the game with Ivy. Even made her character the queen of the setting."
Hearing that, the members of Fragment Hunter immediately thought that it made perfect sense. "Wait, would that make Azalea a princess," Percival asked out of curiosity.
Azalea shook her head in response. "Not for this campaign. Maybe a different one. I want to go with my druid character," she explained.
"A druid makes perfect sense for you, Lea," Layla remarked. "You really have a way with animals."
"And you already look like you're a genie, so a child of one could work for you," Azalea responded with a smile.
Thinking about the idea, Layla was interested and decided to write up her own character to join in the game later, which made Sunset sigh. "I feel like I might regret being the Game Master instead of my sorcerer," the flame-haired girl muttered before continuing the game. "Alright. Everyone makes it to the farm that the barmaid told you about and you see several animals panicking as some bandits have started attacking. However, you notice that they aren't alone and are shocked to witness a small pack of Beowolves following their orders like attack dogs."
Surprised at this information, the players prepare to roll their dice as they continue with their adventure. "Okay guys, they haven't seen us yet. Get ready to attack," Slate said as the current players rolled their dice and Sunset was having a quick telepathic conversation with Azalea.
As the party saw the bandits looking around the farm, the Beowolves circled around and were ready to attack any intruders they spotted. Checking the bandits to see what they had on them, half of the group saw strange jewelry on the humans that had a subtle glow. "What's with the gems," Alexander whispered as he asked Ariella.
"Those stones are probably enchanted with a spell," the wizard told the group. "I can't tell what kind, though. I'd have to get one that's still intact before I can use an identification spell."
"How about if I steal one off of them," Jessica asked as she was volunteering to show her skills off.
Thinking it was a decent idea, the other five nodded. "Go ahead and show us what you can do, Jess," Kidd said as he drew his pistol in case things didn't go right immediately.
Grinning as she left, the young rogue started to sneak around the farm and easily avoided the attention of the Grimm and the bandits. When she got close enough to one of the bandits that was digging through a barrel of apples, Jessica reached to try and remove the ring from him. While the bandit's hand was on the edge of the barrel and he was leaning in to grab some fruit, the rogue swiftly removed it when he repositioned his hand. Quietly snickering to herself and showing the others her success, she started to head back. But when she did, a Beowolf turned in her direction and saw her make it a few feet away from the bandit. Growling as it glared at her, Jessica kept running and retreated before the Grimm leapt at her. However, it hit a nearby shed and alerted the others. "Ah crud," Jessica muttered before a gunshot was heard and a bullet flew into the shoulder of a bandit close to the rogue.
"Come on, let's deal with these guys," exclaimed Kidd as he steadied his smoking gun.
Focusing on the injured bandit, Jessica pulled out her daggers and slashed at the man twice. Taking bad damage from the blades, the bandit fell onto his side and started bleeding on the ground. With the bandit's last action before passing out, he held out his hand and the stone in his bracelet started to shine. When that happened, the Beowolf that was recovering from its crash into the shed focused on Jessica and leapt at her once more. This time, the attack was successful and she was scratched by the monster, tearing the hood of her cloak apart in the process.
As the Grimm howled and roared, Alexander was the next to attack and was able to make a running slash at the monster's back to injure it. Holding up his shield in case it tried to retaliate, the fighter was able to push the beast back and knock it into a nearby pitchfork, impaling the monster and making it disintegrate. "You okay, kid," the fighter asked.
"Yeah. I managed to get that ring off him," Jessica replied as she made sure the item was safely in her pocket.
As the battle continued, Harper taunted her foes as her magic inflicted psychic damage to them. "You couldn't even scratch a goblin with that butterknife," Harper exclaimed as her spell took effect and harmed a bandit. Taking the chance to attack, Kuuga hit the bandit with a flurry of punches and a final kick that sent them flying into their ally. Soon, Ariella used a Magic Missile spell to attack the rest of their foes. Unfortunately, the projectiles of magical energy missed and only grazed the thigh of one bandit.
"Annoying little... Grimm, attack," exclaimed the injured bandit as his armlet glowed green, making the remaining Beowolves look at the party with their eyes turning the same color. As they attacked the group, the bandit grinned while trying to escape despite his injured leg slowing him down. "How about we add another thing into the mix," the bandit remarked as he made it to a barn. With his hand glowing, he unlocked all the stalls for the animals before grabbing a red rock from his pocket. "Have fun, you meddling pests," the bandit said as he threw the stone at some hay and created a fire. The flames spooked the horses and cattle, making them run off toward the party.
After dealing with the Grimm, the party soon heard the sound of neighing and bellowing. Turning to look at the source of the noise, everyone was shocked to see the animals heading for them at away from the burning barn. "Stampede," shouted Kuuga.
"Get out of the way," exclaimed Ariella, who was ready to use a spell to stop the animals. But before she could, something caught everyone's attention.
Out of nowhere, a butterfly transformed into a woman with very long violet hair that reached her calves. Holding out her hand, she seemed to calm down the startled animals and made certain they wouldn't harm the others. Laying her hand on one of the horses, she soon turned to the direction of the burning barn and she used a spell to control the water in nearby troughs to put out the flames. After a bit, the fire was snuffed out and she saw the final bandit running away. Controlling some of the water, the woman grasped a few droplets in her hand. When she did, it froze into a dagger that she threw at the fleeing man. Because of the bandit's limp, he was unable to dodge the frozen knife and it hit his leg again before shattering into dozens of shards that injured him more.
Seeing off of that, the party was amazed. "Whoa! What was all of that," Harper questioned.
"She's a druid," Ariella explained. "A magic user with a strong connection to nature. Animals, trees, rocks. All of that."
The druid turned around to face the party and everyone was able to see her fully. She wore a green dress that reached her calves, a bodice that brought attention to her developed figure, and leather armor on her limbs. She also had a quarterstaff in her hands and wore a circlet that resembled deer antlers. But the most striking thing about her aside from her hair was that her eyes were pink and her pupils were shaped like butterflies. "Are you all okay? I saw you trying to protect this farm from those bandits," the druid said.
"Y-yeah," Kidd said as he couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman. "Who are you," he asked.
"My name is Mora," the druid told the group. "I was passing through the area when my friend noticed the bandits."
"What friend? You're the only one we see here," Alexander remarked.
Mora only smiled before a bird's cry was heard and everyone looked up to see something large flying in their direction. As the creature landed, everyone saw it was a large bird with big wings and a long neck. "Meet my friend, Blue," Mora told the others as she nuzzled the bird.
"A Great Blue Windrunner? I thought those lived in the mountains," Ariella said as she recognized the large bird that was big enough to carry a person or two.
"I found her hurt in a storm and helped her out. We've been inseparable ever since," Mora explained while Jessica looked at the animal. "Now, what should we do about that guy who's trying to crawl away," she asked, bringing everyone's attention back to the bandit that started the fire. Immediately, the giant bird flew over to the bandit and dragged him back to Mora and the others for interrogation.
"You know, that bird's name sounds familiar," Layla remarked as she was finishing up her own character for 'Graveyards and Grimm'.
"Wasn't it something in a story," Silver questioned as he thought he heard the species name before as well.
"Oh, it's an old thing, but the name just sounds majestic," Azalea stated as her mother arrived with a tea set. Noticing the drinks, Azalea smiled. "Is that jasmine tea, Mom?"
Ivy nodded. "I thought we could all have some while you enjoy your game," she stated. "I heard it's in Eclipsa Rosario from your father."
"Had to use it because it sounded nice," Sunset replied while Ivy poured tea for whoever wanted some. "Back to the game, now. After capturing the bandit, he refuses to say anything to any of you. Especially not the ones who injured his leg. What do you do?"
"Well first, I take off that armlet of his in case he tries using the magic from it again," Rua declares.
"I try to reason with the man and offer medical attention if he gives us a little info," Percival said while shaking the die in his hand. Rolling it, everyone looked at the result. "Dang it. 5," Percival complained.
As the others tried to figure out what to do for their next action, Lapis had her character examine the jewelry that the party took from the bandits. "Hmm, this is some powerful magic. It's capable of controlling demonic forces. Only a skilled warlock would be able to enchant this sort of thing," Lapis said as she voiced her character, Ariella.
"Where can we find this guy," Slate asked in-character.
Sunset explained that the bandit still wasn't talking, which only made Pinkie look determined. "I proceed to annoy the bandit into spilling his guts," the girl declared.
Hearing that, Slate had a worried expression before he leaned over to Sunset and whispered to her. "She does the same thing in real life. Normally to get more food, but it could be weaponized in situations as a perfect distraction. Just give her enough sugar."
Nodding in response to Slate's explanation, Sunset watched as Pinkie rolled a high enough number, then proceeded to talk everyone's heads off like a cartoon character. After about a minute or two of non-stop chatter, Sunset spoke up. "You're successful in pestering the bandit and he gives you the location of the warlock's current hideout, an old guild hall in the town's slums." Pinkie giggled happily as her brother ruffled her hair.
Making their way back into town, the party was joined by Mora as she wanted to stop the bandits and warlock. "These people are messing with forces that would not only kill people, but destroy nature. We're going to put a stop to these guys," Mora stated as she marched alongside the others with her bird companion following behind.
"We could use the help," Kidd states as he looked at Mora, drawn to her beautiful looks.
"Focus, lover boy," Alexander snapped, bringing the gunslinger out of his little trance. "We have enough trouble with the bard on our team," the fighter told him while Harper flirted with Mora.
"We're nearly there," Ariella said, getting everyone's attention as the group entered the slums of Eclipsa Rosario.
Seeing the older and unkempt buildings, everyone noticed just how different it was compared to the castle. "Who would make a guild hall here," Jessica questioned as the dingy gray colors made the area look depressing.
"Probably somebody that didn't want the attention or if their customers were the folks who lived in these slums," Kuuga remarked.
Soon, the party saw the largest building in the slums and noticed it was falling apart just as much as the rest of the area. However, they could still read the faded sign that said 'Briar Thorn Trading and Adventure Guild'. Stepping forward, the party was ready to investigate the guild hall. "This is it. What's the plan," Alexander asked.
Mora turned toward her Great Blue Windrunner and gave the bird instructions. "Blue, you stay out here and keep an eye on anybody that seems suspicious," the druid said to her animal companion. The large bird gave a cry before flying into the air and gliding around town, keeping a lookout at the area around the guild hall. "How about me and Jessica sneak in and scout ahead," Mora suggested to the others.
"Sounds like a good idea," Kuuga said in agreement.
"I'll join them," Harper voiced.
"Signal us if the coast is clear," Ariella told the three.
Mora, Jessica, and Harper all nodded before the druid transformed into a butterfly and flew in through the broken window on the second floor. Jessica and Harper snuck in through the side entrance nearby and the three looked around. Seeing nobody around, they did some more digging and Harper could feel a draft coming from underneath the bar. Playing her lyre, Harper was able to signal the others to enter the building. "There's something strange about the bar," Harper told everyone.
Looking at the bar itself, Kidd soon saw a switch underneath the counter and flipped it. When he did, the bar slid forward to reveal a hidden stairwell leading underground. "This is interesting," Kidd remarked as everyone prepared to venture into the unknown.
As they made their way down, the carved stairs soon ended and a cavern opening was seen. "Wow. What's with this," Jessica asked as they explored.
"Must be an old smuggler's tunnel from how everything is carved out smoothly," Mora guessed as she put her hand on the wall.
"Sounds like this guild was a cover for smuggling. This explains why it's in the slums," Alexander states, understanding why the warlock they were searching for was hiding out around the building. "Come on. I bet he's further down this way," he said as he noticed some lit torches.
Making their way through the caves, the party of adventurers soon found a large wooden door with an antique and ornate frame. "How much you willing to bet he's behind this fancy door," Jessica asked rhetorically.
Harper soon approached the door to inspect it and could tell there weren't any traps rigged to it. "Knock, knock," she said as she used a spell to unlock the door, causing a knock to echo around the caves. Throwing the door open, the party soon saw a warlock in dark robes in the center of what appeared to be a hidden bar. "Why hide a bar under another bar," Harper questioned.
"This must be from when Eclipsa Rosario had a prohibition on alcohol," Ariella remarked.
The warlock simply clapped in a slow and mocking manner. "Well, aren't we the studious one," he said. "I take it you're here about the Grimm attacks?"
"Why are you messing with Grimm," Mora asked angrily.
"And why were your bandits attacking that farm," Alexander added.
"Testing my experiments," the warlock said as he revealed he was wearing an ornate necklace. "The Creatures of Grimm are beings of darkness, negativity, and demonic power. There's already magic to control those, so why not focus on Grimm themselves?"
"You're messing with things that shouldn't be trifled with," Ariella stated.
"I can say the same for you," the warlock said before he pulled out a large colored stone. "I must take my leave, but I'll have a friend of mine keep you company," he told the group before his hand and the surrounding furniture glowed a dull blue. Tossing the stone onto a table, the furniture started to levitate and break apart before reforming into something else. "Farewell, adventurers," the warlock said before using a magic ring to teleport away, leaving the party to face what he left behind.
From the reforming tables and chairs, the wooden pile soon came to life. It grabbed nearby banners and other decorations to add to its body until the full form was revealed. In the underground tavern, the party of five soon came face to face with a large dragon animated from furniture.
("HAHAHAHAHAHA!")
After the encounter was set up, everyone in the room but Sunset and Terracotta started to laugh their heads off. "Hahahaha! A Table Dragon!? A literal dragon made out of furniture," Rua laughed, unable to believe the monster's appearance and concept.
"That's just... pfft..." Percival tried to talk, but could help but keep laughing.
As everyone was losing to a laugh attack, Sunset waited for them all to calm down. "It's literally what I found in the notes with all the character sheets and dice," she explained. "A dragon made out of wooden furniture with drapes for wings."
Everyone failed to stop laughing and only continued harder. "Yeah, lot of creative ideas for this game," Terracotta said as he remembered when he first made the monster idea. "But it's still dangerous. You'll see."
After another 5 minutes of laughter, everyone calmed down enough to continue the game with only a few stifled giggles sounding out before stopping completely. "Okay, then. Now, you find yourselves face to face with the warlock's animated objects that have transformed into a ferocious dragon," Sunset said as she returned to her role as the game master. "Roll for initiative."
Picking up their dice, everyone rolled to see who went first in the battle. "16," said Vinyl.
"13," Rua voiced.
"1," Lapis responded.
"3," said Percival.
"7," Slate told the group.
"9," Pinkie said.
"2," Azalea replied.
"And with all of that, the Table Dragon is the first to attack," Sunset stated before rolling her die once again. "It tries to slash at somebody, but all it ends up succeeding in is scratching the floor, showing the claws are no joke when a large gash is cut in the stone."
"Wow," Vinyl voiced. "I'll start by increasing defenses of everyone with a spell," she said, having her character buff the others.
"I'll go in for a slash on its head," Rua announced before rolling a 17 and inflicting good damage on the animated construct.
Pinkie thought of what to do and decided when she snapped her fingers. "I'll jump onto its back and slash at the wings," she declared and ended up rolling a 19. Succeeding in her move, Pinkie's rogue was able to cripple the dragon's movements and attack options.
"I shoot a Fire Dust bullet at the wooden dragon," Slate said, getting a modest roll and managing to hit the monster, but Sunset smirked.
"After shooting at the Table Dragon's torn wing, the flames start to spread across the monster's body until it's set ablaze," Sunset told the players. "Now it'll deal extra damage to you while it suffers burns every round."
Hearing that, everyone looked at Slate and gave him dirty looks. "Oops," the gunslinger muttered with a sheepish smile on his face.
"Yeah... 'Oops'... Good job, Slate," Rua said sarcastically.
"I try throwing a rock into the monster's eye," Percival declared, trying to continue the game, but rolled a 5.
"You throw a sharp stone that was clawed out of the ground, but it goes wide and hits a barrel instead," Sunset tells him. "Azalea, you're turn."
Thinking of what to do, Azalea focused on what Sunset said to Percival. "I go to the barrel and check its contents," she says.
"When you open it up, you see that it's full of old tap water," Sunset narrates.
"I'll use a Tidal Wave spell to douse the flames," Azalea announces before rolling her dice to see if it was effective enough.
With the die rolling a 15, Sunset told everyone what happened. "You manage to hit the burning Table Dragon with the wave of water, dousing most of the flames on it and inflicting some good damage. However, it still has a burning tail and front claws," she said.
Lapis went over what spells her character had at the moment, then decided. "I cast Magic Missile on the charred construct," she declares.
Rolling her dice, Sunset told Lapis what the results were. "Two of the three shots you fired hit, but the third goes wide and only hits the floor," she said before rolling for the Table Dragon. "Swiftly turning around, the dragon sweeps its tail and hits everyone close by."
Everyone who was in close-quarters with the monster groaned as they calculated how much damage they took. "We need a plan for this thing," Rua told the others.
"I have an idea," Percival said eagerly.
"If you say 'hit it until it dies', I'm going to do that to you," Rua said as she glared at the clawed Faunus.
"...I have no idea," Percival said after a moment of silence.
Facepalming at his correction, everyone else sighed in disbelief until Pinkie absent-mindedly said something. "How do you beat a wooden dragon that only hurts you more if it gets set on fire? Soak it?"
Hearing that, Azalea and Lapis looked at each other and grinned. "That's it," the two declared.
As the battle continued against the scorched Table Dragon, the party soon figured out what to do against it. After recovering from the attack, Harper began to play another magic song to help her allies. While the bard played her lyre, Alexander went for a slash at the wooden horns of the dragon and successfully cut one off. As the dragon roared in pain, Jessica slashed at the joints of the construct to leave openings. "Now," the rogue shouted as she jumped away.
At the signal, Kidd fired a pair of Ice Dust bullets at the Table Dragon, encasing its claws in ice and restricting its movements. This let Kuuga start attacking the dragon's chest and managing to inflict considerable damage. When the monk jumped away, Mora and Ariella worked together to attack the monster with water spells. Splashing and soaking the Table Dragon, everyone watched as the beast roared and broke free from the ice. But as it did, everyone saw the areas they damaged were swelling up from the wood soaking up the water. "I knew it would work," Mora exclaimed. "It's a false dragon made of wood. It can be burned to ash, but it also gets water damage like any furniture."
"Bet that's a good reason to use a coaster," Alexander joked as the dragon roared in anger and could barely move right.
The beast glared at the two magic users and took a deep breath. With a loud roar, it launched a storm of giant splinters and sawdust at them. The blast ended up sending a big splinter into the arm of Mora while Ariella was only grazed by the wood. "We need to deal with that next," exclaimed Ariella.
"Maybe if we deal with that thing the warlock threw to make it come to life," Kuuga suggested.
"It's probably something like a 'heart' for this thing," replied Alexander. "We'll probably need to break it to finish this dragon off for good."
Everyone nodded in agreement as they prepared to face off the Table Dragon once more. Wielding her short sword, Harper went in to attack the Table Dragon where the blue glow was concentrated the most. Slashing at the monster, she was able to cut into it more and deal a good chunk of damage. Soon, Alexander followed up and managed to inflict a shallow wound to the construct before Jessica inflicted two similar ones with her daggers. The dragon roared in pain as the damage was building up and its 'heart' was becoming exposed.
Kidd soon fired another bullet at the beast, but his aim was off and he was unable to hit the weakened sections of the Table Dragon. "Dammit," exclaimed the gunslinger. Kuuga's attempt wasn't any better as he ended up throwing a punch at the monster, only to end up breaking his hand against the thicker wooden hide of the enemy.
"My turn," Mora said as she used a spell, aiming for the scarred and burned chest of the animated furniture. "FIRE STORM!" With a surge of magic, the druid unleashed a literal storm of flames that concentrated around the fake dragon. The damage inflicted set the beast ablaze and turned the target she was aiming into ashes, exposing the magic stone that functioned as the heart of the monster.
Ariella soon took the chance before the dragon could attack, firing a Magic Missile at the stone and shattering it in the magical explosion. When she succeeded, the Table Dragon roared in pain and agony as it slowly fell apart and was consumed by the flames. When it became nothing but ash, the party all sighed in relief as they were able to best the warlock's Table Dragon. "It's done," Ariella said. "Let's see if there's anything he left behind."
"I just wish we could have caught him," Alexander complained.
Suddenly, Mora looked alert and seemed to be paying attention to something else. "I think you forgot about my friend outside, Alex," the druid stated with a smirk.
"After Mora's animal companion captured the warlock when he escaped, you all find various items in the warlock's chamber near the bar," Sunset said. "With the warlock imprisoned, the queen of Eclipsa Rosario personally thanked each of you for your bravery and heroism."
"And hopefully some medical attention, too," Percival joked, reminding the table about his character's broken hand.
As everyone talked about how the campaign went, there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be," Ivy questioned as she stood up. Opening the door, Ivy smiled as she saw who it was. "Come on in," she said, allowing everyone to see who it was.
"Thanks, Aunt Ivy," said Valencia Stonehaven as she walked inside.
"Valencia, what are you doing here," Azalea asked.
"I think the better question is why haven't I seen that tattoo yet," Valencia retorted playfully to her cousin. "But actually, there is something I'm here for," she said while reached into her pocket and gave Azalea a card.
Taking it, Azalea opened it up and read it aloud for everyone to hear. "You are cordially invited to a charity gala and auction at the Stonehaven Manor. This gathering shall help raise funds to provide aid and relief to the Kingdom of Vale after the Fall of Beacon. We hope that you may come to help with this noble cause." Azalea looked at the logo of the Stonehaven Foundation on the corner of the invitation and saw it came from her uncle. "You want us to come over?"
"Exactly," Valencia said. "If those annoying rich snobs around Anima were to meet some of the people who were there when Beacon fell, who fought to try and protect everyone there, they might donate more," she explained. "Besides, I can show you around the place like I wanted to."
Looking at the invitation, Terracotta saw that the event wasn't for another day or two. "I'm sure visiting family and helping them prepare for this will be good," the Bull Faunus stated.
"It would be fun to check out a mansion," Sunset remarked.
Soon, everyone was in agreement to helping out the Stonehaven Family with their upcoming charity gala. "When do we head off," Azalea asked with a smile.
And now this chapter is done. I'll admit this one was more of an experimental chapter and some filler because I wanted to go with a thing that's been in my head for a while, a Remnant version of "Dungeons and Dragons". It was a bit tricky to get everything done, but I enjoyed it and now we have a setup for the next story arc of my fic.
However, I won't be getting to that immediately as I want to focus on another story I've been putting off for a while. It's about time I continued my RWBY Power Rangers AU. I'll be focusing on that a bit, get enough of it done, then work on this story more. With the content in Volume 8 and it doing well, I want to see how I can work that into both of my RWBY fics.
I hope you all enjoyed this change of pace because it was fun to have my characters all relax and take part in the game. Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.