D&D Tag Along
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Group
A/N: This will be the second attempt at posting this fic. I tried once before, but this fic was removed because someone didn't like the fact I attempted to be creative with a story inspired by a freeware movie. I've changed it quite a bit since then. I know that some of the characters are stereotypical D&D roles. Hopefully I changed it enough for everyone's liking.
This is a story about a modern age teen, who is brought back in time to the age of when Dungeons and Dragons would have taken place. I know that it is a familiar, if not overused, theme. Hopefully this fic will prove to be a worthwhile exercise. This teen tags along with a band of adventurers and tells their story through his perspective. Please read and review. I accept anonymous reviews.
There may be some language or violent situations that occur throughout this fic. Please tell me if I have given this the proper rating.
Legal disclaimer: This applies to the entire fic. Although I do play D&D I do not own it. This disclaimer also applies to anything that I make reference to in this fic.
Regular speech is regular text, thoughts are italicized.
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"For the last time, I will not allow that in my campaign." I was growing tired of this constant complaining.
"Come on Tint! You let Joey create a Teifling for a character." A guy sitting across the table from me argued.
Let me explain some things about myself. I am a DM, and a pretty damn good one at that. I am currently seventeen years of age and am in my final year of high school. Because of my good looks, you wouldn't expect me to be a nerd, but I am. I play hockey at the high school level and because of that am in pretty good shape. Last year I set a league record for penalty minutes. The coach keeps me on the team because I stick up for the tinier players on our team.
If you are wondering, Tint is only my nickname. I got that name because I wear a tinted visor on my hockey helmet. My real name is of no importance. I don't really fit in with any particular group. You wouldn't expect a hockey player to play Dungeons and Dragons. I don't touch drugs and I drink just a tiny bit on good occasions. Overall, I am a pretty popular guy and have decent luck with the girls.
"I know that I allowed Joey to be a Teifling, but you want to be a Mindflayer Lich! One by itself would be a god character. The two combined forms an indestructible force." I tried to explain to the guy.
"I want to cast Magic Missile!" A girl called out. The comedian of the group. Everyone began laughing at the joke but I shook my head.
This group was a very uneducated bunch. They were all 'kick down the door and kill' style of players. Not a single one of them wanted to do anything other than kill everything they were faced with. At the mention of a character they were ready to rush into battle. One day I inserted a Nymph into the fray. A bunch of level twos against a Nymph. They lasted three turns.
"Look guys. The main point of this game is to role-play. I bet half of you don't even know what your characters are." I offered a challenge to the players. The look of embarrassment was enough of an answer for me. "This session is over." I announced and began collecting my books.
We had gathered in the public library for our regular weekly playing session. I had gotten used to the laughter of the punks who judged us. They thought that they were so cool with their skateboards and cigarettes. Quite often they would try to steal our dice, just to be pains in the ass. Today was no different.
I had walked out the front door and turned down the alleyway that ran besides the building. I was about half way down the alley when I noticed that the opposite end had been blocked off by these punks. I turned around to return the way I had come. Approaching me was a second group of punks. In total, I counted seven of them.
"What do you want this time?" I asked the guy who I knew was their leader.
The leader gave me a sneer. "It's time to put the nerd in his place." He announced. For the first time I noticed the knife in his right hand.
This wasn't too far out of the ordinary where I this town. Instead of gang wars our town had a running conflict of nerds against the drugged up punks. Strange little town I lived in. Usually the fights involved nothing more than fist fights. This was an exception. The nerds actually managed to hold their own quite often. It was because we all collected medieval weaponry and knew how to use them.
But here, I was unarmed and seriously outnumbered. I rolled up my sleeves and wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead. I was going to have to use my hockey fighting skills. "How many morons does it take to beat me? Eight and you've only got seven." I joked.
"Why you insolent geek! How dare you!" One of the punks rushed forward and began swinging wild punches. I ducked beneath his swings and bounced back up with an upper cut straight to his jaw. He was soon lying on the ground in an unconscious heap.
The others looked surprised when they saw their fallen comrade. They had encircled me and were carefully moving inwards. I waited for one of them to make a move. I didn't have to wait long because another guy had rushed forward.
I ran towards the guy and delivered a quick punch to his gut. He doubled over in pain, falling to his knees. I reached behind him and grabbed the edge of his shirt, pulling it over his head. A noise behind me alerted me of a guy trying to sneak up on me. I sent a blind kick backwards and was rewarded when it struck somebody. I focused my attention back on the guy who had been jerseyed. I grabbed his head and slammed it into my knee.
"Three down, four remaining." I thought to myself as I watched the still conscious punks gather together for a quick strategy meeting. I never did mention that I had studied the martial arts and had received two black belts, one in karate and a second in jujitsu. Combine this with my street brawling skills and hockey fight experience. I'm sure this was coming as a surprise for my opponents.
I was ready for anything they were planning. "They will probably all come rushing at me and try to overwhelm me." I concluded as they broke up from their little meeting. Then I felt a sudden twinge of pain coming from my gut.
Maybe I wasn't ready for everything. The leader had caught me off guard and threw the knife at me. I was expecting them to rush forward, not using projectile weapons. I clutched my stomach as I collapsed against a nearby wall. They were encircling me, ready to finish me off.
I could hear a siren off in the distance. The punks looked at each other in surprise before booking it away from the sound. A second siren sounded from the opposite direction of the first one. From what I could hear, the punks were surrounded by the police. I managed a smile as I could hear the police yelling at the punks to surrender.
A face appeared in front of me. It belonged to a police officer. "This one's hurt pretty badly! Call an ambulance!" He called out. That's when I blacked out.
I awoke quite a bit later, finding myself propped up in a hospital bed. There were a couple of police officers waiting at the bedside. "So the guy made it through." One officer commented.
I tried to sit up but one of the officers held me down. "Don't push yourself too hard. That's a pretty nasty wound you've got there on your gut. Lucky for you that we arrived when we did." The officer stated.
He was right. A long scar ran across my stomach where the blade had embedded itself. I looked up when the first officer began speaking. "You did quite well against those odds. We received an anonymous hint about a fight that was shaping up where you were. We thought that it would've been a battle of a larger scale."
The second officer chuckled. "We looked into your history. Two black belts, enforcer for the Sabers hockey team, and a prominent figure in these conflicts. No wonder they wanted to get rid of you."
I smiled. "Am I in any trouble?" I asked.
The officers shook their heads. "Nope, we consider your actions self defense. Don't worry about it. The police force is cheering for you guys to win." The other officer nudged his partner slightly. "We best be taking our leave. Good luck on your recovery." With that the officers left the tiny hospital room.
I picked up the remote control for the tiny television that was hanging on the ceiling above my bed. I pressed the ON button. The tiny screen flickered to life. It was the evening news. Unfortunately, it was the only channel in the entire town, so I had to settle with it.
"Tonight we bring you an update on the conflict between the teenagers of this town. Earlier today, a brawl broke out on the alley between twentieth and nineteenth avenues. Police arrived at the scene and took all participants into custody. One teenager, it is unclear what group he belongs to, was taken to hospital for treatment for a knife wound. We will bring you any news on this situation when we receive it."
I turned the TV off and relaxed. "You fought really well back there." A female voice commented from the doorway. I turned my head to look at the visitor and was struck breathless by what I saw.
She was about my age, with long blond hair that extended well below her shoulders. Gorgeous blue eyes that sparkled with a hint of a mischievous spirit. An absolutely stunning body that would make any man stop and stare. I tried to say something, but the words came out sounding more like a stammering idiot.
"Let me do all the talking." She said with a smile. "My name is Deanna. I have been watching you for the past few weeks. I think that you have what me and my partners are looking for. Go home and collect your best weapons. Meet me at the library before sunrise." With that she was gone.
I was left to ponder what she had said. "Stay here and recover or do what the hot chick said. Hot chick wins." I quickly reached a decision that would change my life in ways that I never could have expected.
I called a nurse into my room. I asked her if I could check myself out. She said no, I hadn't recovered enough to be released. That left me with one option, sneaking out.
The clock beside my bed gave off a faint red glow. The numbers told me that the time was one o'clock in the morning. The hospital staff had mostly left for the night. The only ones remaining were some janitors, a security guard or two, and the night emergency crew.
I quietly slipped out of bed and over towards the door. The hallway was empty, with only the faint hum of a life support machine from a nearby room. There was a security camera positioned at the far end of the hall. A little green light on the camera told me that it was active.
I waited for the camera to rotate away from me before making a hurried scamper to a waiting area. The camera couldn't spot me here. I looked out a window that overlooked the courtyard. I found myself counting the number of windows to discover that I was located on the tenth floor.
There was a staircase opposing the waiting area. I would have to cross the path of the camera once again in order to reach it. I silently waited for a few seconds before dashing to the stairwell. A faint light illuminated every floor's landing. I stealthily made my way down to the main floor.
I pushed the door open a crack, allowing me a glance at the main lobby. I could spot the glow of a guard's flashlight as it swept across the floor. His back was turned to the stairs so I took the opportunity to sneak behind the main desk. The front door was probably locked. There was a switch located on the wall that opened the emergency door for the ambulance. It would alert the guards and staff that there was someone inside, but it would give me access out into the open world.
I reached up and toggled the switch. The large garage door began to slowly raise itself, making a horrendously loud noise at it did. Suddenly, I was covered with a bright beam of light from the guard's flashlight. "What do we have here? Show me your hands and walk out into the open." The guard ordered.
He had a gun trained on me. I decided that it would be best if I listened to what he said. I raised my hands into the air and slowly moved out from behind the desk. The guard went back to the desk and pressed the switch to lower the door. I saw my chance. Before the guard could do anything, I ran over to the door and slid beneath it just as it closed.
I made a mad dash across the courtyard. The door was opening beck up behind me and chances were the guard was calling for backup. I arrived at the road that ran in front of the hospital. There was no traffic at this time of day, so I had a clear path to the residential buildings on the other side of the road.
My house was about eight blocks away from the hospital. I found myself running beneath the street lights. Sirens were sounding from nearly every direction. Apparently the police had been alerted of my escapade. A squad car turned round a corner and headed in my direction. I had just enough time to duck beneath a tree in the person yard. The car passed by and I continued my trek towards my house.
It was about a half hour later when I arrived at my destination. My family was out of town for the week and had left me a spare key underneath the welcome mat. I retrieved the key and let myself inside. To my surprise, the telephone was ringing.
I made my way over to the phone and picked up the receiver. "What do you want at this time in the morning?" I asked, attempting to sound extremely tired.
"Good." The voice on the other end stated. I couldn't determine anything about the person on the other end. The voice was all muffled. "You got out of the hospital. Now hurry up and collect your weapons. You have less than three hours until sunrise." The person on the other end was hung up, leaving me with silence.
They were right. The clock on my wall stated that the time was currently three o'clock. It was the middle of summer and the sun rose at a very early time. I made my way towards my room, where I kept my collection.
I opened up the door to my room and entered. I flicked on the light and looked over my collection. "Let me see… Seventy eight swords… Two hundred knives… Five axes…" It was a fairly impressive collection although nearly every piece was a display item only.
The first thing I did was slip on my chain mail shirt. I covered it up with a bulky sweater. I quickly selected an assortment of knives, ten in total. I placed them in a sash and slipped it over my head. Next, I took a small battle axe and slipped it into my belt. Then I grabbed a katana and hooked it onto the belt on the opposite side compared to the axe. Toping the weaponry off, I grabbed a long sword and attached the scabbard behind my belt.
The phone began ringing, the sound filtering itself down towards my room. I quickly shut the light off and slammed the door behind me. I rushed down the hallway and picked up the phone. "What do I need these weapons for?" I asked.
The person on the other end was laughing. "Don't ask questions. I will explain everything to you once you reach the library. By the way, nice touch with the chain mail." Once again, I was left in silence, confused as to what exactly was happening.
I was just about to head out the front door when I saw the red and blue lights in front of the house. Two officers were approaching the door. One reached forward and pressed the doorbell. The sound echoed through the house. "Open up this door! We know that you are here!" One cop announced.
I didn't listen to him. I was already heading out the back door. "Let's check around back!" I could hear an officer say. Their flashlights peaked around the corner of the house. I had one chance to escape them. I headed towards the fence and quickly scaled over top of it, descending into the neighbor's yard.
"Why are they so interested in me?" I thought to myself as I crossed the yard. I could hear a loud bang come my house. They had taken a battering ram to the door and were now inside, searching.
The library was located right in the middle of town. Surrounded by neon lights for bars and twenty four hour convenience stores. At every street I had to duck into cover because of a squad car passing by. There was one house that I was sneaking past. I was about to run past when I heard voices. "Sorry to wake you, Madam. We just are telling everyone in the neighborhood that there is a crazed lunatic on the loose. He is considered armed and very dangerous."
I looked around the corner and saw two police officers informing an elderly woman about the danger. "I thought that the police were on my side." The squad car silently pulled ahead to the next house.
I had made it to the edge of the business district, which ran along the train tracks that went through town. That meant that I only had four blocks remaining. This part was going to prove to be very difficult. There was only one alleyway and it was still considered a crime scene from the fight. Every building was illuminated by bright signs proclaiming 'Buy one, get one FREE!', 'Eat at BP's!', and 'Open 24/7'.
A loud horn blaring caught me by surprise. A train was making its way into town. To top it off, it was headed in the direction that I needed to travel. I hurriedly approached the train and waited. It was slowing down, as if it was inviting me to jump on. I grabbed hold of a ladder and climbed aboard.
I counted the floor clocks and jumped off the moving train. I managed to stay on my feet, propelling me towards the library. It was smooth sailing from then on. The street lights on this street never were working, which meant that I had the cover of night. I arrived at the front doors of the library, panting from the exercise that I had gotten.
"You're early." A voice commented from the shadows of the building. "The sun will not be rising for another twenty minutes."
I could make out Deana's figure even among the darkness. "I'm here. Now tell me what this is all about." I demanded.
"Come into the shadows more. You may be seen where you are standing." Deanna ordered. "Now for your explanation. Have you ever seen the anime Inuyasha?"
"I've seen it a few times." I replied.
"Good, then you will have some idea what I am talking about. Do you know how Kagome travels back to Feudal Japan?" Deanna asked.
"I came here for answers, not to be asked questions!" I stated angrily.
Deanna chuckled. "So you have. Just answer the question."
"Fine. She travels back in time through that well that is located on the temple grounds. What does that have to do with anything?" I inquired.
"It has everything to do with everything." Deanna replied. "Follow me." She ordered as she began heading towards the alleyway. I hesitated momentarily before following after her. This was turning out to be one confusing night.
Deanna stopped in front of a large dumpster. "This is the reason why those goons attacked you today. They thought that you were heading for this."
"But there is nothing here!" I protested.
"That is only to your untrained eye. Watch." She commanded as she stepped up beside the dumpster. She placed her hands against the dumpster and pushed the object aside. Located beneath where the dumpster had been was a trap door. Deanna bent over and tugged the door open. All that I could see was a ladder descending into the darkness. "Go ahead in." She ordered.
"Wait a minute. Are you telling me that passageway leads to some other time?" I asked in disbelief. Judging from the look on Deanna's face she was serious. "If what you say is true, then why do you want me?"
Deanna looked up towards the horizon. The sun was just beginning to show a sliver of light. "We don't have much time left. Just go inside and I will explain on the way."
"What do I have to lose?" I asked myself as I lowered myself into the opening. Deanna quickly followed after me and shut the trap door behind her. After a short while of climbing, I reached solid ground. I waited for Deanna to reach the same level as me before stating, "I'm not going any further until I get some explanations."
Deanna let out a sigh. "You sure can be stubborn. Alright, I will explain what is happening. There is a tunnel down here that will lead us through to another time. It is the time period when Dungeons and Dragons would have existed."
"Sure it is." I said skeptically.
"I didn't believe it myself when I found this path myself. I went through here and sure enough, I found myself in the world of D&D. I joined up with a band of adventurers and have gone on a few quests with them. Since I arrived in this world I have gained the power to use magic." Deanna attempted to explain.
"You sure have gone crazy." I commented.
Deanna shot me a quick glare. "If you don't believe me, watch this." She made a quick pattern with her hands and whispered a couple of unintelligible words. Then, suddenly, a bright light illuminated the room. After a few seconds of adjusting to the light I could make out the source of the light. A large stone was glowing. "Now do you believe me?" Deanna asked.
"Create light spell. Standard level zero sorcerer or wizard spell. Or maybe just a nifty little trick." I stated. "So if everything that you are saying is true, why me?"
"You really are a hard one to convince." Deanna shook her head. "The group of adventurers that I am part of needed another member. The world on the other side is suffering from the rule of a very oppressive ruler. Practically everyone has been turned into mindless slaves because of his brainwashing techniques. Our world is the only place remaining to recruit people from. I chose you because you have knowledge about this world and are an experienced fighter. Need any more information?"
"I'll believe it when I see it." I said as Deanna started along the illuminated path. I didn't really have any choice but to follow her.
"I am surprised you don't remember me, Tint." Deanna stated after a minute or so of walking.
"Should I?" I replied.
"Back in the other world, my father owns a game shop. I was working there the day that you bought your D&D books. I originally thought that you were just some jock who was stopping by to cause trouble. Then you placed those books and the dice on the counter. My entire perspective of you changed." Deanna explained.
I was surprised. That had occurred nearly two years earlier. "That was you? Wow, you sure have changed since then." Maybe it was possible that there was some credibility to her story.
A big wooden door was ahead of us. Deanna stopped at the door and turned to me. "On the other side is the D&D world. Try not to be too surprised or judgmental. The group should be in there somewhere." She grabbed hold of the door handle and pulled the door open.
We walked into what appeared to be a bar. The place was packed. Behind the counter was a guy pouring drinks from large kegs. There were about a dozen people seated on the stools talking silently among themselves. That was when I saw my first non-human species.
At first I thought that the man was just really short. He was about half my height and he had little pointed ears. "Do not stare. He is a halfling." Deanna whispered to me as she pulled me over towards a set of tables over in the corner.
I was really surprised. She had been telling the truth the entire time. This really did look like the world of D&D. I scanned around the rest of the room. Within a short time I identified an elf and dwarf. There was also a half-orc passed out near the bar. "I apologize for doubting you." I whispered back to Deanna.
"No need. I was so incredibly scared when I first came here. There the gang is." Deanna replied as she pulled me towards the table in the far corner. "Hey guys! I found someone! I introduce you to Tint!" She was smiling happily as the group looked me over.
"Nice assortment of weapons, lad." A short stocky guy said in the corner. I was quickly introduced to every member. This short guy was a dwarven cleric of Moradin. He went by the name Rurik Gorunn. His head was entirely bald, but he had a large red beard that protruded from his chin. There was a long jagged scar that ran beneath his left eye, which he had received from a Red Dragon.
Seated next to him was a female halfling. Her name was Jillian Tealeaf. She claimed to be the sole survivor of an order of paladins. The group had been annihilated in a war against the army of an evil cleric. I was quick to learn that she was the leader of the group.
The next guy was an elven ranger. He was on a quest to find the fiend who had raped his mother. Tagorus Liatheon was his name. Tagorus had an eagle perched upon his shoulder. Apparently, this eagle was his animal companion and had been named Aeria. He appeared to be very distrusting of everyone around him especially of his younger sister who he had been forced to bring with him on his quest.
His sister was standing in the shadows. She was the offspring of that fiend. She had a large pair of black wings that she had wrapped around herself like a cloak. A pair of short horns protruded from her forehead and a short spiked tail extended from her back. I was told that she had deviated from her evil nature due to the upraising of the elven community. Her name was Gabriel.
"I do not detect any evil aura coming off of you. But, I do sense a chaotic tendency towards violence. Good choice Deanna." Jillian commented from her seat.
"How much did you explain to him?" Tagorus inquired.
"I only told him that we needed another member. And a little bit about what Boneheimer is doing to the people." Deanna explained in a lowered tone.
Meanwhile, I had approached Gabriel. I was looking her over with interest. "I've always wanted a tail." I commented.
Gabriel gave me a snarl, revealing her sharp teeth. "Insolent human. You are lucky that you are joining us. If I had the chance…" She picked up a bone from the floor and snapped it in half. "That is what would have happened to you."
I quickly backed away from the half-fiend and joined the others at the table. Rurik had taken an interest in my assortment of weapons. "Can I see your axe and long sword? They appear to be quite fine weaponry." He asked.
I complied with his request, unhooking the two weapons and sliding them across the table. Rurik quickly looked over the sword and passed it back. The axe had him memorized. "Amazing quality for a blacksmith from your time period. It has an extremely keen edge and perfect balance for an axe. Would you be willing to part with this?" He asked.
I was busy sheathing the sword back in its scabbard. "I don't see why not. I have enough weapons to hold my own." This comment caused Rurik to chuckle in amusement. "Aye that you are, lad. Is a hundred gold pieces a suitable price for you?" He asked to which I nodded my head. Rurik quickly pulled out a pouch of coins and tossed it across the table to me.
"What is so important about that axe? I have never seen you spend more than twenty gold for a weapon." Tagorus inquired from his seat.
"It has an aura about it that is quite strange." Jillian explained. "I sense that it has some sort of hidden power that has yet to be untapped. Maybe we can take it to the master weaponsmith of Dondoria. He may be able to find out what the power does."
"Isn't Dondoria the capital? What if we run into Boneheimer?" Deanna asked.
"Boneheimer is currently overseas. We are safe until he returns." Jillian answered. "Now you and Tint can go get the cart ready."
"Sure thing. I will have the cart waiting on the outskirts in twenty minutes time." Deanna assured the group before pulling me towards the door. "So, what do you think of the group?" She asked once we were outside in the bright midday sun. We were located in a bustling marketplace, full of activity.
I think we're going to have fun." I answered with a smile.
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A/N: I hope you like this story. Please tell me if I should continue. If yes, it will be over a week before I find time to get another chapter done. I still am not sure about what Tint will become. He'd make an excellent rouge, or a monk, or even a fighter. Other than that, I believe that this could turn out to be a very good, hilarious, and maybe even romantically inclined adventure. Till next time, Tint out.