Explanations and Introductions
For what felt like ages, no one had spoken a word and the Council of Game Masters was growing rather impatient. Truthfully, none of the Loud Sisters knew what to say. Over the years, they've seen their folks go to many places; Karaoke bars, Bangers & Mosh, sporting events...they even saw them go Line-Dancing, on one occasion.
Yet, never once in any of their lives did they expect to find them in a dingy old building, dressed up in wizard cloaks, surrounded by nerds and speaking like (what Lynn considered) "Ren Faire rejects." As such, the girls were left in a stunned silence; unable to respond to their mother's earlier inquiry.
Then, within mere seconds; Lynn and Lisa suddenly found themselves overcome with a sensation far greater than fearful anxiety...laughter. At first, only soft giggles passed the girls lips; the kind of giggling one feels after feeling a soft breeze blow past their ears. But as the girls gazed at their parents and neighbors in their costumes, their laughter began to build up slightly.
Upon hearing these noises, Lori let out a nervous yelp and tried to stop them. "Stuff it, you two" she said in a firm whisper, "we're already neck deep in hot water as it is!" Alas, her warnings fell onto deaf ears; as Lynn and Lisa struggled to hold back their giggles. Soon; both of their faces were red from holding their breath, tears were streaming down their face like waterfalls and their arms were shaking violently.
As the other Loud Sisters gazed at the duo worriedly, some of them (like Lori and Luna) prayed that nothing else would happen that could set them off. But it seemed Madame Fate had other intentions planned. Soon, everyone heard the melodious tones of a pan flute playing and the girls turned to see where the music was coming from.
Then, Lynn spotted something (or someone) that caused her eyes to widen with shock. It was her friend and fellow junior athlete, Margot Roberts; dressed up as a Satyr from Greek Mythology. She had faux ram horns atop her head, her hair was tied into a braided ponytail, her pants were designed to resemble goat legs and her shoes resembled the look of goat hooves.
The sight of Margot not only dressed in this manner but also playing a "dorky" instrument like the pan flute almost pushed Lynn to her limit, which made her sisters feel quite worried. "Ah, dang it; Lynn's barely hanging on" Lana thought worriedly, "if anything else happens, she'll explode!" Then, Margot ceased playing her melody and bowed graciously before the crowd; causing them to break out in applause.
While the group of costumed folk clapped joyously; the girls felt as though they might be in the clear, thanks to this distraction. But then; Margot approached the Loud Sisters merrily, bowed in greeting and said "I bid thee welcome, Daughters of Eve to Castle Greyhawk" in a most melodious voice. That was it...hearing her friend speak to them in such a voice, coupled with how she was dressed was the final spark that helped set Lynn off.
Before anyone could stop her, the young jock suddenly fell onto her knees and broke out in a most obnoxious fit of laughter. "OH, MY GOSH; THIS IS A RIOT" she wailed loudly with delight, "I DUNNO WHAT'S FUNNIER; THE WAY YOU'RE ALL TALKING, THE FACT YOU'RE POSSIBLY PLAYING A NERD'S GAME...OR THE DORKY WAY YOU'RE ALL DRESSED!" Lori gawked at Lynn in shock at her lack of restraint, while the crowd surrounding her and her sisters murmured in disapproval.
"Now, see here; we shall not have you speak such offenses in our presence" grumbled Principal Huggins beneath his hood, "we demand that you apologize to us immediately." The moment he said these words, little Lisa (much to her surprise) suddenly burst out in her own fit of laughter. "No-No-Normally, I am...above the expression of uproarious contractions of the diaphragm" she said between breaths, "but...I must agree with my sibling, YOU ALL LOOK AND SOUND RIDICULOUS!"
Not long after, the two girls put special emphasis on their feelings towards how their parents were dressed; proclaiming it was "too early to put on their nightgowns." This caused many of the costumed folks to roar with outrage. One young lady in particular, who was dressed as a Minotaur, bellowed like a mad bull and pointed the tip of her sword mere inches from Lynn's forehead.
"You dare to insult the Council, Manling" she growled softly, "I should cut your tongue out and feed it to the rats." At first, Lynn felt concerned about this turn of events. But once she saw that the Minotaur's blade was a wooden one, her fears instantly faded away.
"Oh, no; I'm so scared" she cried mockingly, "don't unleash your flurry of splintery blows upon me, O mighty beast!" The Minotaur, feeling greatly offended by Lynn's tone, felt poised to strike her where she stood. But then a loud thumping echoed through the room; causing her to freeze still.
"Leave the child be, Warrior" Rita murmured firmly in a regal voice, "Game Master Acheron and I shall deal with her and the others ourselves." The Minotaur hesitated, for a moment or so; then...she sheathed her blade back into its scabbard and backed away, all while glowering viciously at Lynn. "Fortune smiles upon you this night, Manling" she murmured softly, "but know this...the sting of my blade pales in comparison to whatever judgment the Council will deliver."
With that said, the Minotaur took her place back amongst the rest of her "kinfolk;" leaving the Loud Sisters back in the spotlight again. Then, the Council noticed Leni raising her hand and granted her permission to speak. "We're totes sorry for passing your tresses" she murmured penitently, "but where is this Acheron guy we're supposed to talk to?"
In response to Leni's inquiry, someone dressed as a goblin pointed his spear at the thrones. "The man you seek stands before you, fair maid" he said in a hoarse voice, "but you may know him by another name, beyond these walls...Lynn Loud Sr." The moment this was said, the man in question stepped off his throne and approached the girls silently.
When he got close enough, the girls expected their father to lecture them in some form of Medieval Dialect. But much to their surprise, he suddenly broke character by asking "I have two questions, how did you know we were here...and why did you follow us?" Without hesitation; Leni revealed that Lisa put a chip in Lincoln's hair while he slept.
"To be honest, I think that's a weird place to put a chip" she said absentmindedly, "I mean, think of all the hair and dandruff that could cover a perfectly tasty chip." Before the other sisters could scold Leni for both putting such a gross image in their heads and blabbing about the tracker, a thought soon came to them. If both of their parents were here; then, where was Lincoln?
Soon, each of them began scanning the crowd; hoping to find some sign of their brother. But much to their dismay, the only ones with white hair were either boys much older than him or one or two girls. Then, at that moment; everyone's heads suddenly perked up at the sound of what the girls presumed to be singing. Though faint, it sounded like it was coming from somewhere outside of the hall.
Suddenly, a door swung open and a group of what appeared to be Dwarves came marching in; singing a loud song (presumably) about their people.
Born underground, suckled from a teat of stone
Raised in the dark, the safety of our mountain home
Skin made of iron, steel in our bones
To dig and dig makes us free
Come on, brothers; sing with me!
I am a Dwarf and I'm digging a hole
Diggy diggy hole, diggy diggy hole!
I am a Dwarf and I'm digging a hole
Diggy diggy hole, digging a hole!
This melody evoked mixed reactions from both the Loud Sisters and the crowd of costumed folk. While the latter group clapped, cheered, chanted and/or sang along with the Dwarves; the former simply stared at them in disbelief. "Dude, how can these people like this kind of music" Luna mumbled uncomfortably, "the chorus verse is just the same phrase repeated twice."
As the Dwarves began dancing to their song's instrumental; one of them cast a slight glance at one of the Loud Sisters, gasped in shock and suddenly bumped into his comrades. As the group fell hard onto the floor, helmets and beards suddenly flew about every which way. Overcome with concern, Leni gazed down at the floor and asked if the group was alright.
When the dust settled, the group of Dwarves was revealed to actually be Lincoln and his crew of friends; Clyde, Rusty, Liam and Zach. After taking a moment to dust themselves off, the latter three boys lightly scolded Lincoln for tripping them up. "We've rehearsed that song all week, dude" Rusty grumbled, "you could've warned us, if you were planning on stopping midway through!"
Upon getting back on his feet, Lincoln held up his hands defensively and proclaimed that his sisters threw off his rhythm. "What are you guys even doing here, Lori" he demanded, "you guys were supposed to stay home." Despite the firmness in Lincoln's tone, it did little to frighten his sisters; who were all glaring at him with equal intensity.
"If anyone has a right to be angry here, it's us" Lynn growled, "you said you were going to Clyde's to do homework but instead, we find you in some secret...nerd meeting!" Upon hearing the girl use such slanderous language, the other costumed folks began to shout angrily. "How dare this child use such language in this place" growled a grey-skinned Orc barbarian, "permission to punish her accordingly, My Lords and Ladies?"
Realizing that many of the people were still in-character, Lynn Sr. raised his staff high and called for silence. "Appreciate the idea, Chunk...but not right now" he muttered with a slight chuckle, "I...or we, the other council members and I, must first decide what to do with my daughters." Upon hearing himself be called by his true name, the Orc (revealed to be Chunk Monk) warrior frowned slightly and took a seat at the game table.
"If that's the case, mate; might I get a refill in me stein" he sighed dejectedly, "I need to refresh meself a bit, before we play." After that was said, Chunk made his way over to the bar; asking for a refill of "mead." "Hold it, dudes...are y'all...drinking here" Luna asked in disbelief, "you do realize that there are kids here too...right?"
When everyone heard her concerns, the crowd suddenly burst out in hearty laughter. Eventually, Lincoln calmed himself down enough to explain the truth. "Flip...or as he's known here, Bojan, is serving soft drinks at the bar" he stated, "in here; mead is actually Root Beer, Mountain Dew is called Fairy Ale, Dr. Pepper is called Alchemist's Froth and water is...well, just water."
Unbeknownst to the boy, all his words simply sounded like white noise to Luna's ears; for she was desperately trying to understand her current situation. It was one thing for both her parents and brother to be in this place. But the fact that her friend and roadie was amongst the rabble made things all the more confusing.
Meanwhile, Rita continued to grill the rest of her daughters; expecting to hear an explanation for why they all followed Lincoln. "It's like we literally said a moment ago, Mom" Lori groaned exasperatedly, "Linc told us he was going to Clyde's to work on a report with his friends." A second later, Lynn added that they only reason they followed the van was because they believed he was lying to them.
After hearing the young ladies' testimony, Mrs. Johnson turned towards Lincoln and gazed at him firmly. "What do you have to say about this, young man" she stated, "did you in fact, lie to your sisters?" At first, some of the sisters (namely Lori, Lynn, Lucy, Lana and Lola) expected Lincoln to be sweating nervously; before attempting to save himself with a lie.
What happened next however was so surprising; it even caused Lily to gasp in awe. Lincoln removed his Dwarf helmet, took a knee and bowed before the four adults. "It's the truth, I did lie to them" he sighed, "but I did it with good reason."
After that, Lincoln explicitly revealed that if he told them the truth at home, the result would've been both disastrous and annoying. "You all heard for yourselves how much they mocked us for playing this game" he grumbled, "I know it was wrong...but what else could I have done?" There was a soft murmur amongst the council members, which made both Lincoln and his sisters feel rather anxious.
After almost thirty seconds of waiting, the council's whispers ceased and they turned their attention back towards the girls. "After some deliberation, we have agreed that Lincoln still should have been open about his outings with his sisters" Mrs. Johnson said stoically, "however...due to the news of these young ladies often mocking him for his interests, we've decided to overlook this mild oversight, just this once." Lincoln smiled slightly at his teacher/Game Mistress' words, feeling happy that the council reached a middle ground in the situation.
With that issue settled, the time had come to decide what to do with the girls themselves. After all; even though Lincoln told them a white lie, it was they who committed the true crime of leaving the house without permission and following their brother to the "castle." There was also the matter of the tracking chip on Lincoln's person that needed to be addressed.
"Before we begin, the five of us would just like to know one thing" Rita said firmly, "have you anything to say in your defense, girls?" Despite the shame of their actions still swirling about inside of them; on the outside, the Loud Sisters did their best to appear strong and defiant. "Look, guys; we're all sorry for following Lincoln and our parents here...really" Lynn Jr. murmured halfheartedly, "but if you don't mind, we have some of our own questions to ask."
Despite everyone's opinions in saying her apology lacked any true sincerity, the council members decided to be lenient and offered them to ask anything they wish. The first to approach the floor was Lori, who had finally been released from the hold of her armored captor. "Okay, to start with...what is this place" she asked, "outside, it looked like a dingy old castle/fortress...and I didn't even know there were literally any such places in Royal Woods."
Everyone smiled at the young lady and revealed that the building wasn't a true castle. "This is actually a venue building made by Castle Farms" Principal Huggins explained, "on the outside, it looks like castle...but inside; it's full of 21st Century accommodations." To conclude his point, the council added that a team of painters and designers Community Art Department were the ones responsible for making the building look old and decrepit.
"I think Mandee did a particularly excellent job on the cobwebs outside" Rita chuckled with pride, "er...my mistake, I meant to say the lady Ebony Oakwood did an excellent job." Upon hearing her mother mention the name "Mandee," Leni's head suddenly perked up and she began looking around her like a confused hound. After a while, she finally managed to find her friend; who was standing on the sidelines with other members of Leni's posse.
Mandee (or Ebony Oakwood, as she was known in this place) was dressed in a form of clothing known as a kirtle; which was a bodice with an unlined, gathered skirt attached to it. The bodice was a light blue color (the same as her usual turtleneck) and her skirt was a dark green with a white underskirt beneath it. Though such garments were usually the kind worn by servants, the designs of Mandee's really looked stylish.
As she looked around at her other friends, Leni noticed that they were in costume as well. Miguel was dressed in a relatively plan-looking dark blue tunic, brown pantaloons, brown shoes, had a green cap upon his head with a red feather on the side and wore a white smock that covered his whole torso. Fiona was dressed in a kirtle almost similar to Mandee's.
But unlike the former; her bodice was red and the attached skirt was a sort of maroon color with a golden hem. Her hair had also been changed as well, braided into a long and beautiful ponytail. Lastly, Leni noticed that she wore a beautiful headdress bearing colors of violet and green.
The sight of her friends dressed in such a way caused the young blonde to beam with excitement. "OM Gosh, you guys" she cried, "you all look so adorable, do you having anything in my size?" Rather than answer her immediately, the foursome chose to cast firm glances her way; which were followed by faint "harrumphs" from each of them.
Shocked by her friends giving her the cold shoulder, Leni was on the verge of tears. But then, Lincoln approached her and dried her eyes with a scarf he kept on his chest plate. "Do not weep, fair one" he said softly, "it pains me to see a beautiful jewel such as you lose her luster by shedding tears."
While Lincoln's dialogue slightly confused her; Leni smiled at her brother, accepted his token, dried her tears and embraced him. "Thanks so much for cheering me up, Linky" she said sweetly; her usual demeanor returning; "I love your costume, by the way." Lincoln chuckled softly at his elder sister and thanked her for the compliment.
"This was the work of Madame Spindleshanks and her assistant, Miss Brandybuck" he stated, "their skill with cloth, fabrics and other apparel is truly astonishing." Feeling flattered by his compliment; Fiona (or Madame Spindleshanks) looks away, blushes and gives a shy "oh, stop it" hand wave. "As for the beard, I owe this to Miguel (A.K.A. Lawrence Pipping;) he's our resident hair stylist."
As if on cue, Miguel waved at Leni and put the final touches on some form of a wig. Afterwards, he carefully placed upon the head of one of the players dressed as an elf. While they didn't pay much mind to things like hairstyling or makeovers in the level Leni did, the other Loud Girls couldn't help but admire Miguel's handiwork.
A moment later, Rita noticed that Lana had her hand up and offered her the floor. "Sorry if I seem dumb, guys" she stated, "but what's with all the weird names? Upon hearing this question, Lori and Luna began asking the same thing.
"I mean; Lawrence Pipping, Madame Spindleshanks, Bojan" Luna listed off, "why not just call each other by your real names?" The council looked at one another for a moment and decided to explain things as best as they could. "You see, ladies; within these walls, we address one another by our character names" Principal Huggins stated, "for instance; in here, I am known as Game Master Fastred."
After this, the others began sounding off their alternate names as well. Lynn Sr. revealed himself to be Game Master Acheron, Rita was Game Mistress Eliana, Albert's/Pop-Pop's name was known as Game Master Karuk and Mrs. Johnson was Game Mistress Agathe. "Okay...we're kinda following you on the name thing" murmured Lucy, "but what's with all the kneeling and bowing, are you guys like...the Kings and Queens of this place?"
No sooner had they been asked this, the group of elders chuckled heartily at the young Goth. "No, pumpkin; we're far from it" Albert stated, "we are the Council of Game Masters and we are the creators of the realm!" This proclamation seemed to only make the girls feel more lost than they already were.
"As the Game Masters, we control the story of our game's world" Mrs. Johnson explained, "we present the events of the world to the players; namely, nigh everyone around us here and we decide the outcome of whatever actions they wish to perform." After this, the Loud Parents revealed a bag of dice to the girls. "Those are some weird looking dice" Lola murmured, "what are they all for?"
Before replying, Rita/Game Mistress Eliana reached into the bag and pulled out a die. This particular one had twenty different numbers on numerous parts of it, which almost overwhelmed the young toddler. "During the game, both the Game Masters and the players' roll die to determine the outcome of certain actions" she explained, "some of the high numbers, depending on the situation, can be good or bad for you."
When some of the girls asked which roll was which, Clyde quickly stepped in. "Let's say that...in the game, you're attacked by a wizard and he fires a fireball at you" he explained, "if your character wants to create a shield to protect them, you roll the dice and if it lands on a high number like, say...20; your character will be safe." Lana, Lola, Leni and even Lily nodded silently in understanding; while the others stood behind with either bothered or indifferent expressions.
"But what if the dice thingy lands on smaller numbers, like a 5" questioned Leni, "what happens then?" Without hesitation, Lynn Sr. revealed that such a roll would leave their character vulnerable to the attack. "Once the attack is made, one of us rolls a dice to determine how much damage you get" Mrs. Johnson explained, "if you're character loses all its health points, they're dead and can only be brought back through some sort of resurrection magic."
While the council continued explaining the game's nature, Lori and the other Loud Sisters simply groaned in exasperation. Lori, in particular appeared so bored, she was ready to rip her hair out. "I could literally be back at home, watching The Wingman or organizing my clothes" she thought to herself, "but instead, I'm trapped in this den of nerds and man-children."
As Lori felt herself being enveloped by an aura of boredom, a hooded figure suddenly approached her. "Amatúlië, Hiril vuin" the figure said in greeting while bowing slightly, "I bid thee welcome to our humble home." At first, Lori felt the desire to grimace at his dialogue; thinking it was "too dorky for her to handle."
But when the ranger raised his head up and she got a look at his eyes...she froze. Though his face was well-hidden beneath his green hood, something about his eyes made her feel somewhat, giddy inside. However, in spite of this feeling; Lori did her best to appear indifferent towards the ranger's behavior.
"Sorry, bub but this isn't really my sort of place to mingle" she said unemotionally, "you're welcome to try my other sisters, though." Upon hearing this suggestion, the ranger simply gave a soft chuckle and proclaimed he had his eyes on her alone. "Look...I'm sure you're nice guy" Lori murmured hesitantly, "but you're too late, I've already got an absolutely wonderful guy in my life."
The ranger chuckled softly at this statement and offered up the rebuttal "I'm certain his feelings are quite mutual, milady." Afterwards, he gripped the hem of his hood and drew it back. Once removed, the ranger's true face was then revealed to be none other than Bobby Santiago Jr.; Lori's beloved boyfriend.
The lad's black hair had been replaced with long, honey-blonde locks. He was dressed in green faux leather armor, matching green faux leather boots, small fake elf ears, a hooded cloak that looked like it was made of hundreds of leaves and had a scarf that covered up his mouth and chin. On his back were a large wooden bow and a quiver full of toy arrows (not the sort with suction cups on the ends.)
On his hip was what looked like a curved sword resting inside of its hilt. Despite it being made of wood; the blade looked rather impressive, nonetheless. Despite all these changes in his appearance, Bobby's familiar sweet brown eyes remained the same.
"Heya, babe; welcome to Castle Greyhawk" he greeted casually, "what do you think, am I as hot as Legolas?" Alas, poor Lori was unable to respond due to the many thoughts swirling about in her head. On one hand, she was utterly flabbergasted that her otherwise "cool and trendy" boyfriend would be joining in on what she considered a "dorky" game...by choice!
But on the other hand, as she looked him over from top to bottom; Lori couldn't deny how sexy he looked in tights. Not to mention that the elf ears he wore accentuated his jaw line so perfectly and his hair was absolutely gorgeous, despite it (possibly) being a wig. When Lori was finally able to speak, a moment or so later, the only words she could muster were "buh...buh...buh...buh."
Meanwhile, the other Loud Sisters appeared frozen still with shock; each of them amazed to find Bobby in this sort of place. "Okay, dudes; this is getting super weird" Luna murmured, "first...we find our parents here; then...we find Lincoln, his friends, two of his school's staff members and now Bobby?!" The rest of the Loud Sisters nodded silently in agreement, wondering how many other familiar faces were in this place.
Suddenly, someone popped up behind Lucy; causing the wee Goth to almost leap out of her shoes. Upon recovering, she took a look to see who it was that surprised her. It was a young boy around her age (possibly eight or nine years) with skin as black as pitch, red eyes, long hair as white as the snow and a cloak bearing colors of black and silver.
His vest was a mix of dark black and green colors, he wore a pair of fake black elf ears (almost similar to those that Bobby wore,) had a face mask drooped around his neck, dark green boots and matching gloves. Around his waist was what looked like a sort of chain weapon (which wrapped around him like a belt.) On the right side of his hip was a long knife inside of its sheath.
Beneath Silas cloak, Lucy could see that he was also wearing pointed shoulder armor of some kind and in his right hand; he held a long staff bearing a violet orb at the top. Much like how Lori felt, Lucy was shocked to find a fellow Goth and one of her crushes in this sort of place. Just then, Silas drew back his hood and did something she never would expect from him...he bowed courteously.
"Greetings, Human" he said softly, "I am Lokon Snowmane, master spy of Elesari and student in the Arcane arts." Upon listening to his dialogue and seeing his deliciously otherworldly attire, Lucy's otherwise calm heart began to pound like one-hundred war drums. "I...I-I...I am pleased to m-meet you, Lokon" she stuttered softly, as a blush formed upon her face; "I'm L-L-Lucy Loud, I...I like your cloak."
Soon, another Loud Sister had fallen victim to the atmosphere of this place; which made the remaining seven feel rather edgy. "We've gotta get outta here, dudes before another one of us gets roped into this" Luna said fearfully, "let's book it for the exit!" Not needing to be told twice, the group made a beeline for the exit door.
But just as it seemed like they were home free, something happened that caused Luna and Luan to stop in their tracks. Near the thrones, there was a band of minstrels playing; their music echoing softly and beautifully through the room. But as melodious as their instruments were, it was the voices of these minstrels (two in particular) that brought them to a halt.
As Luan watched them perform, her gaze soon fell upon a young bard playing the lyre. He was dressed in a violet cloak, a green hat (both feathered and wide-brimmed,) wore a dark blue jacket with a golden hem, dark blue pants and faux leather boots. As the bard continued strumming his lyre and singing, Luan suddenly found herself swooning slightly.
"OMG! That's the most gorgeous singing voice I've ever heard" she thought to herself, "I've gotta see who it is that's playing up there." Luna gave out a yelp of surprise, as she watched her sister break away from the group. "SIS, DON'T BE SEDUCED BY THE JAMS" the young rocker cried, "the guy may sound cool, but he's still a nerd!
Alas, her cries went unheard to Luan's ears; as she continued towards the stage. Upon getting close enough, she began scoping out every member of the band to find her mystery performer. When she did find him, Luan's eyes almost popped out of her head. For she soon discovered it was none other than her beloved Benny performing with the band.
"I had no idea Benny could play instruments" Luan thought to herself, "just like I had no idea he could sing so beautifully." As the young comedienne stood in place, inwardly swooning at her beau's performance; Luna finally arrived. "Brah, c'mon; we gotta get outta here" the pixie cut rocker begged, "stop with the goo-goo eyes and help me get the rest of the fam outta here or I...I..."
As Luna's eyes turned towards the band, her ranting swiftly faded into whispers. Within moments, she soon found herself enchanted by the music the group was playing (which was new to her due to it being an "old school style" of music. But more importantly, like Luan; Luna suddenly found herself drawn towards one of the band members.
At first glance; she appeared to be some sort of demon girl with brick-red skin, dark-blue hair that reached to her shoulder blades, pointed ears, eyes like golden orbs and thick, red lips. She wore a blue vest with a golden hem, had white sleeves over her forearms, blue leather boots, a white undershirt beneath her vest and blue pants that appeared as smooth as silk (which, to Luna's eyes, showed off her hips in "all the right ways.") But perhaps, her most astonishing features were her long tail and horns.
Said horns were stationed just above her eyes, both were thick and curved back behind her head (like a ram's horns.) The other feature in question was the demon girl's long tail, which stood out from the side beneath her cloak. It measured up to five feet long, was as thick as a log and had a sharp point at the end of it.
Despite this girl's demon-like appearance, Luna found herself utterly entranced by her. In time, the band's musical performance came to an end and the crowd happily applauded them. As the bard bowed graciously at everyone, his eyes soon fell upon Luan and he gasped.
"Uh...Hey, honey" Benny murmured shyly, "fancy meeting you here, uh...what brings you to Castle Greyhawk?" Luan said nothing in reply, for her mind was still caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. Some parts of her were shocked to find him in a place like this, while other parts were still mesmerized by his singing from earlier on.
Meanwhile, Luna was also lost in not only the beauty of the demon singer's voice but also in wondering just who she was. Once she had stored away her lute for the moment, the demon girl turned her head and spotted the pixie cut rocker staring at her blissfully. The girl smiled deviously at this sight and decided to toy with Luna.
"Greetings, manling" she said in a sultry tone, "I take it my skills have...entertained you?" As the demon approached, Luna saw her giving a little sway with every step she took. "U-Uh...yeah, brah; those were some r-r-rockin' tunes you were playing" the young rocker muttered shyly, "where did you learn to play like that?"
Deciding to be straight with her, the demon girl regaled Luna with tales of all the days she would play music in her leisure time. "But perhaps, I most enjoyed the days where I would join a band of humans and we would practice our musical skills together" she stated, "there was one in particular whom I've become quite drawn to." After that statement, the demon girl began to describe the "human" in question in great detail.
"From her odd yet unique clothing choices, her adorable freckles, the skirt 'round her waist to her beautiful pixie locks; this maid's image has haunted my slumber for many a night" she sighed blissfully, "not that I'm complaining, of course." Upon repeating the demon girl's words in her head, Luna raised her eyebrow quizzically. "Hold on a minute...sounds like you're talkin' about me, brah" she exclaimed, "but I've never even met you before, just who..."
Before she could finish her sentence; the demon girl suddenly grabbed Luna by her collar, pulled her forward and planted the wettest of kisses on the unsuspecting girl's lips. Upon breaking apart, seconds later; Luna found herself staggering about like a drunk on New Year's. "Whoa...dude, that was wild" she thought dreamily, "but wait...there's only one person I know who can rock my world that hard with a single kiss."
After snapping out of her daze, Luna cast a glance over at the demon girl; who appeared to be bursting out with jolly laughter. "Boy, oh boy; you should see the look on your face" she gasped between breaths, "I haven't seen your eyes grow that huge from a kiss in a long time, Lunes." Upon hearing the demon girl speak her nickname, Luna cautiously approached her and tried to get a closer look at her appearance.
That was when she spotted something sticking out slightly from the bangs area of her wig, a few small strands of blonde hair. It was then that Luna finally realized just who this girl was. But she still had difficulty in believing her own eyes.
"Sam...Samurai, is it really you" she muttered softly, "please, tell me I'm not seeing things." After letting out a soft giggle; the demon girl (who was revealed to be Luna's sweetheart, Sam Sharp) took Luna in her arms and nuzzled her cheek against hers. She did this for about five seconds, until both she and Luna fell over each other onto the floor.
After they each shared a good laugh, the girls stared dreamily at each other. Then, Sam pushed herself back up onto her feet and helped Luna up as well. "Never thought you'd be able to figure out who I was yet, hon" Sam giggled, "what gave me away...was it the kiss?"
Luna smiled at her sweetheart and revealed that it was only a small part of the reveal. "That's a nice wig you've got on, Sammy...but it doesn't cover up very well" she stated, "I spotted a few hairs stickin' out, a moment ago." Sam gasped in surprise at this reveal and quickly did her best to tuck away the aforementioned hairs.
Once she had finished, Sam looked at Luna nervously and did her best to explain why she was there. "Back in my old neighborhood; my lil' bro, Simon used to love LARPing with some kids he used to hang with" she stated, "long story short; I had to baby-sit him, once and he talked me into joining him on one of their sessions." With a faint blush creeping onto her dimples; Sam revealed how at first, she was prepared to hate being part of LARPing.
"So, why didn't you hate it" questioned Luna, "I mean, is dressing up in weird costumes all that great?" With great enthusiasm; Sam nodded and said that while she role-played, she felt like a completely different person. "Dressing up for LARPing or D&D allows me to express myself in ways that otherwise might not be 'socially acceptable'" she confessed, "plus...where else can you end up looking this good?"
Upon saying this, Sam swiftly wrapped her tail around Luna's waist like a vaudeville Shepard's hook; causing the purple clad rocker to blush furiously. Mere seconds later, Luna snapped out of her daze and sheepishly complimented her girlfriend on her costume. "But if I might ask ya, Sammy...what are you supposed to be" inquired the young rocker, "are you some kinda devil woman, a demon...or something else?"
Upon hearing the question, Sam blushed beneath her makeup and apologized for failing to explain her look right away. "You're kinda, sorta right about the demon thing" she stated, "but in actuality, I'm what the game calls...a Tiefling." As Sam expected, this reveal caused Luna to stare at her blankly; while also giving a sort of confused head tilt.
At first, she couldn't help but smile; due to her girl looking like an adorable puppy with her head tilt. But after a while, Sam came back to her senses and went into detail on her character. "Since you're kinda new to this, Lunes; here's the best way I can describe my character" Sam stated, "Tieflings are like humans, sort of...but with just a touch of demonic blood inside of us."
Despite being unfamiliar with both the game and the nature of Sam's character, Luna was still found herself captivated by her. Maybe it was the clothing she wore, the color of skin makeup she had on or perhaps, the weirdly unique look of her horns. Either way, Luna felt that Sam looked twice as hot as before...but kept it in her head.
Meanwhile, Luan questioned Benny if he was with everyone for the same reasons Sam was. "To a degree, yes" he stated plainly, "but it's only half the story, I mainly got into this game after some theater students talked me into joining a session of theirs." He then added that because of his natural talents for acting, his friends suggested that Benny should try playing the game more often...as a bard.
"A bard...you mean like those dude from Medieval Times who wear those weird tunics and puffy collars" Lynn inquired, "why would that be a character someone would want to choose for a game?" Upon hearing this, Lincoln turned towards his sister and smiled. "There's so much more to a bard in this game than that" he stated, "if you get a high enough number on the dice, you could hypnotize an enemy with a love song."
As Lincoln continued explaining the skills and perks of a bard character; to Luan's ears, it all sounded like white noise. All that she could think about was Benny and his earlier singing skills. If bards truly were capable of hypnotizing people through music, it certainly worked on her.
Meanwhile, Lori looked at the crowd around her with a disinterested look in her eyes. "Looks like I've lost a few more sisters to the dark side" she grumbled inwardly, "I best leave for myself, before anyone else I know sees me here." With that thought in mind, Lori turned away from the crowd and proceeded back towards the main door.
Just as she was a mere two feet away from freedom, a familiar voice echoed in Lori's ears. "Lori...Lori Loud, is that you" it asked eagerly, "OMG, I never expected to find you here!" As Lori turned her head, she already had a good theory as to who was calling her.
Then, without warning; she found herself being tightly squeezed by some girl in a cloak. After spinning Lori about for a few seconds, the girl finally put her down and collected herself. "Sorry...got a little excited there" the girl stated, "I just...of all places, I never would've guessed to find you here."
After she recovered from being spun around like a baton, Lori glared at the cloaked girl and demanded to know why she jumped her. "Whoops, forgot I still had this thing on" the girl chuckled, as she drew back her hood; "though...I'm surprised my voice didn't ring any bells for you." Once the girl's hood was pushed back; her long, blonde hair suddenly popped out and hung to the side.
Upon seeing the girl's hair, Lori almost fainted; for standing before her was her former rival/turned friend, Carol Pingrey. She was dressed in a violet covered sorcerer's robe with images of doves sewn onto the back, her hood was decorated with some stars and the hem of her sleeves and the bottom of her cloak were a bright green. Upon seeing Carol dressed this way, Lori (quite understandably) felt conflicted.
Part of her felt like laughing at the irony of seeing her in such a place. But another part of her felt that she looked rather stylish in her cloak. Either way, one question still needed answering; why was she here?
When Carol saw the confused look on her friend's face, she decided to try and explain herself. "Long story short, Lori; I've...been playing this game since I was little" she confessed, "we all have been." Confused, Lori asked just who Carol meant; when she mentioned "we?"
Then, out of the corner of her eye; they young blonde swore she spotted a gaggle of familiar faces on the far side of the room. The first of them was Whitney, who appeared to be dressed as some sort of assassin. Her skin was painted an odd yet strangely exquisite shade of purple, her eyes looked like white orbs, she wore form fitting leather body armor with mixes of red and blue colors, faux-iron arm armor, purple boots and a robe that was such a dark shade of black, she almost blended into the shadows.
The most astonishing part about Whitney's look was her hair. Instead of her usual poofy ponytail; it had, miraculously, been smoothed out. This was so they could fit a wig of long, silver hair overtop her head. With this new look of hers, Whitney appeared almost unrecognizable; to Lori's eyes.
Next to Whitney was another familiar face, Becky; who was dressed as some sort of...what was the word, hobbit. She wore long black boots on her feet, white pants, a leather vest over a white bodice, a red cloak, leather gloves and had a pair of fake pointed ears over her real ones. There was something else about her friend's look that Lori couldn't help but notice.
Upon studying Becky a second time, she couldn't help but think that she looked like a sort of...MMA fighter. "Becky, a fighter...no way" Lori mentally chuckled, "she's not the fighting type...unless there's a one-in-a-lifetime sale involved." The moment this thought came into her head, Lori immediately slapped herself.
"Snap out of it, Lori" she murmured firmly, "they may all look like your friends but they've turned to the dark side...the geeky side!" No sooner had she said that, Carol gave Lori a mildly disapproving stare and questioned her hatred for the game. "I used to be a bit like you, Lors" she stated, "there was once a time where, as I got older, I thought I was immature for liking this game."
For her next point, Carol directed her friend's gaze towards the crowd around them. "But by the time I got into High School, I saw that D&D had suddenly become mainstream" she said with joy, "nowadays, guys and gals of any age, gender or social status can play." Despite her friend's enthusiasm, Lori continued to question Carol's love for the game.
Meanwhile, the other Loud Sisters all voiced the same concerns to their friends and loved ones. "I mean...all that math, all those books; how could it possibly be fun" questioned Lana, "it all sounds like homework, to me." Upon sensing the girls' skepticism, Lincoln and his crew decided to help them understand the game better.
"With all due respect, girls; there's a bit more to this here game than that" Clyde stated, "while there is math involved, the game also requires the players' strong imaginations and the desire to take risks." Lynn couldn't help but scoff at the "taking risks" aspect of the game, before questioning how such things even happened. "I mean, all you guys do is throw dice across the table" she stated, "I don't see any risks there."
With this inquiry presented, Lynn Sr. decided to respond to it in another way. "Let me put it this way, hon" he began, "rolling a multi-sided die is no different than when you roll regular dice in other games." Rita nodded her head in agreement to her husband's words and decided to help with the explanation.
"Just like certain numbers reflect a player's positive or negative outcome in a game like Craps or Cho-han, over in Japan; the same thing applies in D&D" she stated, "sometimes, you may have to risk rolling for a high number." Despite feeling mildly intrigued, Lynn Jr. wasn't fully convinced and needed an example of her mother's point. "Let me tell you a story, then" Lynn Sr. interjected suddenly, "a story about a D&D session I was part of, when I was your age."
(Flashback to years earlier)
The place was Lynn Sr.'s childhood home and in this house, he was taking part in a Dungeons & Dragons session with a group of friends. Among them were people like Kotaro, Howard McBride and a young Flip. During their session, Flip found himself confronted by a fearsome Manticore.
"I fly into an epic barbarian rage and swing at the beast with my sword" young Flip said in a voice that was a mix of high-pitched and deep, "ain't no way I can lose against this critter." Lynn, the team's Game Master stared firmly at his friend and told him not to get cocky. "This manticore is incredibly strong, dude" he said warningly, "you'll need to roll a perfect 24 to beat him."
This didn't seem to make Flip feel all that worried, much to Lynn's surprise. "I can do this, guys" the boy said confidently, "all it takes is a good shake and a well-timed flick of the wrist." With that said, Flip took the 24-sided dice and began to shake it in-between his hands.
After a while, he finally sent it rolling and the scene seemed to go into slow motion. As the dice bounced slightly across the table, everyone watched it with eager anticipation. Then, as it came to a stop; it looked as though Lady Luck would grant Flip the blessing of a 24 roll.
But then, at the last moment; the dice tipped over and landed showed off the number 12 instead. The other three boys gazed at the die in shock, while Flip simply gulped a nervous lump down his throat; worried about what would happen next. "Sorry...but that's not enough to save you, Flip" Lynn Sr. sighed, "while your sword does strike at the Manticore's hide, all it does is leave a scratch...and makes the beastie angry."
In the end, Flip's character was ultimately struck down by the manticore and eaten alive. Upon seeing his barbarian fall, Flip flew into a real-world rage and ripped his shirt off in anguish; which caused him to be sent to the Principal's Office.
(Back to the Present)
By the end of the story, Lynn Jr. had a minor understanding of the risk-taking aspects of D&D now. "But still, it's all just in your heads" she said firmly, "if you can't experience the game head on, how is it fun." These words suddenly caused Lana and Lola to glare up at their sister in offense.
"We use our imaginations all the time and we have loads of fun" the wee pageant princess stated, "maybe if you had one, you'd be able to understand." Lynn growled at her little sister and was prepared to lash out at her...until Clyde intervened. "Everybody has an imagination, no matter how old you are" he stated, "all it takes is a little effort and concentration."
To help prove his bestie's words rung true, Lincoln asked his sisters to each close their eyes. "This isn't going to be a prank, is it" questioned Luan, "because pranking people while their eyes are closed is my shtick." Lincoln disregarded her comment and instructed everyone to close their eyes, once again.
Reluctantly, the Loud Sisters did as they were told and each shut their eyes good and tight. "Okay...now, I want you all to imagine yourselves in the following place" he murmured, "you all find yourselves trapped inside of a dark room, the rank stench of mildew emanates from the stone walls around you." While their eyes were still closed, the girls instinctively began sniffing through their noses.
Yet each of them speculated that it wasn't wet stones they'd be smelling but rather, Lily's diaper. "Okay, now what" questioned Lori, "does something attack us, do we have to fight it?" Lincoln chuckled at the suggestion and retorted in asking "how can you fight, if you're hands are chained to the walls?"
This reveal caused the girls to gasp in alarm, before they started feeling at their wrists; hoping not to discover metal cuffs around them. Upon realizing that they weren't actually cuffed to anything, the Loud Sisters sighed with relief. "What's the deal, dude" grumbled Luna bitterly, "why did ya have to go and spook us like that?"
Lincoln and his pals collectively held up their hands in defense and assured the rocker they did no such thing. "You only thought you were handcuffed, after Lincoln mentioned it" Rusty retorted, "the rest was just all in your heads." Upon realizing this; the girls blushed deeply in embarrassment, ashamed that they allowed themselves to be tricked so easily.
"To tell you the truth, girls; that all felt kinda...cool" Lucy murmured, "I mean, I actually felt like I was in that room Lincoln described; after I closed my eyes." Truthfully, the others couldn't help but agree with her. In spite of it all just being in their heads; with the aid of their imaginations, the girls truly felt like they were prisoners (something Lucy secretly wished was true.)
"Okay, so you might be right on the power of imagination thing" Lynn consented, "but what are you supposed to do, play the whole game with your eyes closed?" Lincoln and his parents chuckled heartily at the young jock's suggestion and prepared themselves to explain the next aspect of the game. Then, all of a sudden; a woman (who was actually Mrs. Bernardo) dressed up as a medieval town crier suddenly appeared in the room and blew through a wooden blowing horn.
After blowing it twice, she held her head high and shouted "the hour is now 9:50, ten minutes until ten of the clock!" This proclamation caused everyone to groan loudly with displeasure. "Nice one, Loud" grumbled Mr. Grouse, who was dressed as a sort of human/dragon hybrid; "because of your girls' snoopin' we missed out on tonight's game!"
Upon mentioning about the girls' intrusion, the crowd reminded the council members that they had yet to make good on their plan to punish them for trespassing. With this issue now back on the table; Lynn Sr. and Co. knew they had to pass their judgment, before they would call it a night. So, they slipped their hoods back over their heads and resumed their roles as the Council of Game Masters.
"Lords and Ladies of Castle Greyhawk, hear us" Lynn/Game Master Acheron exclaimed, causing everyone to turn towards him. "After much deliberation; we, the Council of Game Masters have reached a unanimous verdict" the council members said in unison, "for their crimes of trespassing, leaving their home without proper consent and placing a tracker upon their brother; we find the Loud Sisters...GUILTY!" The crowd cheered wildly with joy, upon hearing this decision; while the Loud Sisters lowered their heads in shame.
"Whatever their verdict is, it won't compare to what I'll do to Lisa for putting trackers on us" growled Lori, "I mean...what do you literally think we are, animals?!" In response; she muttered softly how, in her eyes, anyone with an intelligence quotient below her own was seemed no better than a knuckle-scrapping primate. Before anyone could verbally berate the girl for her comments, the room echoed with the sounds of wood slamming against stone.
Each of the ten girls turned towards the council and saw their mother glaring mildly beneath her hood. After ten seconds of silence, the council delivered their choice of punishment upon the Loud Sisters. "Because you have been found guilty; we, the Council, leave you with this sentence" she said stoically, "firstly, you are to remove any and all tracking devices from each member of your family and have them destroyed."
Lil' Lisa gasped in horror at this, before begging her mother to reconsider. "If it is 'wrong,' 'illegal,' or 'immoral' to have a means of tracking someone; should they get lost...you might as well send me to prison" she grumbled, "honestly...next thing I know, you'll disapprove of me studying everyone's scat samples as well!" As everyone grimaced and groaned loudly at the mention of "scat," Leni came close to questioning what the word meant...before Lori gently silenced her.
"Your family are human beings, child; not animals to be tested upon by your improper use of scientific study" Pop-Pop/Game Master Karuk said firmly, "as such, they are not meant to be tracked like common strays." Before Lisa could protest further, Lynn Sr. put his foot down on the matter (both figuratively and literally speaking) and demanded she followed suite on the order. "If you refuse to oblige, every piece of your lab equipment will be removed from our home and you will be banned from every faction of the Royal Woods Scientific Community" Lynn Sr./Master Acheron said threateningly, "so...what say you, child?"
Despite every thought in her mind telling her how she could easily "persuade" (or threaten) her father into forgetting about the punishment, Lisa relented. "I promise to remove the devices, Father" she murmured sadly, "though...I say again that you're not seeing the bigger picture with them." The council's response to her words was a collective and swift slam of their staves bases, which sent a resounding echo throughout the room.
After Lisa was rendered silent, the council prepared to deliver the next part of their judgment. "Secondly, for trespassing on the royal grounds and insulting our game; we felt it is deserving of a more...ironic form of punishment" Mrs. Johnson/Game Mistress Agathe chuckled, "therefore, we sentence you to play an entire session of Dungeons & Dragons here with us until said session is finished." After hearing this sentence, some of the girls felt rather relieved.
"That's it, we have to play a game with you guys" Lola laughed, "that doesn't sound that bad at all." The rest of the Loud Sisters agreed and proclaimed that they might be scot free in a matter of hours. "Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, babe" Bobby/Alexi stated, "the game's world is so big with so many challenges, most sessions I once played lasted almost a whole year."
With this reveal, the girls realized that their chances of freedom have now been shattered. After collectively falling to their knees and crying "NOOOO" in despair (with the exceptions of Leni and Lily,) the girls found themselves being escorted out of the hall by the same armored guards from before. "Hold up" Lynn Jr. called out suddenly, causing everyone to freeze in place; "once we get the tracking things removed, where do we go then?"
The other Loud Sisters murmured in agreement, realizing that driving the van or riding their bikes back home would take hours. "It's simple, you will stay here with all of us" Rita stated, "this facility is fully accommodated and has enough space for all of us to sleep in." The girls looked at one another silently and smiled, thinking things might not be so bad here.
"Of course, since you've just joined us; there are only a small handful of extra rooms left" Lynn added suddenly, "which means you'll all have to share them, just like at the house." Upon hearing this reveal, the girls' smiles faded into looks of annoyance. It was difficult enough sharing rooms at home; now, they had to do it here as well.
After the matter was settled, the two guards resumed leading the Loud Sisters out of the room. A moment later, Lincoln came following after them; still dressed in his Dwarf outfit. As she watched her brother pursuit them, Lori suddenly shuddered with dismay; thinking that she'll soon be dolled up like him and everyone else in this place.
(Line Break)
Moments later, the girls and Lincoln were inside of one of the establishment's restrooms; where Lisa (despite her wishes otherwise) was forced to remove everyone's tracking devices from their persons. Lincoln was the first to be called in and once the procedure was done, Lincoln left the room with a relieved grin on his face. "Maybe now, I'll have some form of privacy in my life" he stated, "which means you guys can't follow me around anymore."
Each of the Loud Sisters simply gave him a grumble in response, not because they were annoyed by his words. Rather, they were dreading the idea of each of their beautiful hairdos being ruined. In time, Lori was called in and she took her seat upon the toilet; while Lisa prepared her tools.
"I suppose we literally kinda deserved this" Lori said while looking at the viewer, "for shadowing our brother, we're not only forced to get our hair cut in most improper of ways...but we're being forced to take part in a game that could scar us socially forever!" As these grim thoughts filled her head, Lori's mind soon backtracked to moments earlier. Even after witnessing everything for herself, she still couldn't believe what happened.
In the span of one night; Lori and her sisters discovered that her parents, their brother, their grandfather, many of their closest friends and even sweethearts were all taking part in a game that has worshipped by nerds since the '70's. She didn't know whether to scream, laugh, cry or do some combination of the three; Lori was so confused. At the same time, though; she couldn't deny just how happy everyone looked while playing.
Lori was especially captivated by Bobby's behavior, when he was in character. To her, he acted like something out of a Shakespeare play; which made him all the dreamier. "Maybe things might not be as bad as we think, in the morning" Lori sighed while addressing the viewer, "but even if they will be, my sisters and I are Louds and that means we're tough enough to handle anything!"
The moment she said this, Lori heard the sounds of electronic buzzing from beside her. As she turned her head slowly, the eldest Loud Sister's eyes widened in horror at the sight of Lisa holding an electric razor. "Just hold still, Lori" the wee genius said stoically, "the shaving won't be so bad...it's the tracking device removal process that might be a tad painful."
As the razor eased slowly towards her head, Lori hoped that her hair would grow back quick enough in the morning; before the game would begin.
(First AN: And with that, the Louds have joined the party...almost. Come the morning *in the story's universe,* each of the girls will be properly suited up and brought into the game. But what will the future hold for them.
Will they hate the game the whole way through or...will they, by some twist of Lady Fate, come to love it as much as everyone else? Tune in next time, to find out.
(Second AN: The song that Lincoln and his friends are singing is a song made by YOGCAST Lewis & Simon, which originally was a simple silly phrase one of YOGCAST exclaimed while playing a game of Minecraft. This song was later covered by an Italian Power Metal band named Wind Rose. After hearing both versions for several days, I felt compelled to put it in the chapter; especially since Lincoln and his pals are all Dwarf characters)
(Third AN: The phrase Bobby says "Amatúlië Hiril vuin" means "Welcome/Blessed Arrival, My Lady" in Elvish. I felt it necessary to use that, when Bobby greeted Lori; considering the type of character he is.)
(Fourth AN: The Castle Farms building that the game is happening in is not only a real world venue building in Michigan. But it's also a place I've mentioned in my first Loud House story; Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang: Checkmate. I thought the place would be the perfect spot for their D&D session.)
(Final AN: The tracking chip thing is based on a moment from the Loud House episode Job Insecurity, where it's revealed that Lisa has each member of her family tracked...while smiling wickedly. If she wasn't already being punished with having to join in on a D&D session with everyone and to remove every chip, it feels like such invasion of privacy demands a stricter punishment...what do you all think?"