Dormrooms & Dorkwads
Chapter One
By Lightningstrxu
Betas: Paulternative/Archivist of Nyx
Bold equals out of character
Lucina Darkbane had blundered. She had been told that coming here would lead her to clues to find the monster that had massacred her family, But instead it had only been a ruse; one to trick and entrap all those who would dare oppose the dark spectre that haunted this land. Now she was stuck in this cage, her wrists bound with cursed shackles, sealing away her power.
She stared at the ceiling of her confines, hoping to devise a way out of her current predicament. She was suddenly snapped out of her musings as the two skeletons that served as her wardens collapsed into dust as a boomerang slammed into them, before retreating to just beyond the range of even her formidable darkvision.
"Cheers, love. The cavalry's here." One of her saviors said as they came into view. They were…
"Jaune what's your character look like"? Yang asked her classmate.
"Oh, yeah, sorry." Jaune chuckled sheepishly.
He was flamboyantly dressed in garish colors, no one garment of clothing matching the next. "Who are you?" Lucina's eyes narrowed. She was untrusting by nature as she had experienced great soul pain in the past.
"I believe the proper word is thank you," the stranger said snarkily. "However, if it is introductions you desire..." He bowed removing his cap revealing slightly pointed ears. "I am Narilan Epsilon Karlis Eidolon Vambrose, the Fifth."
"I thought it was the second?" Neptune interrupted.
"I could have sworn it was the fourth last time," Velvet added.
"Guys this really isn't the time for this," Jaune groaned.
"Right, sorry."
"Well, that's certainly a mouthful," Lucina chuckled. "But thank you."
"Very good." Narilan stood back up, smiling jovially.
"Oi, Narilan, wotcha fine?" Another figure came out of the gloom. This time, a small and wild looking goblin with a massive boomerang held on her back.
"Wow, laying that accent on thick." Yang smiled at the rabbit faunus' exaggerated delivery.
"Jus playin up me own natural Menagerian accent," Velvet replied.
"Oh hey, Momo." Narilan turned to what Lucina assumed was a compatriot of his. "Just found this lovely little bird all caged up. So I'm going to let her out."
"Careful now. You know wha happen' last time ya thought with ya sword."
"Yes, I remember the succubus incident, you don't need to remind me." Turning to face the cage, her garish rescuer reached into his pack, pulling out a set of lockpicks. "Don't worry, you'll be out in a jif."
The cage door unlocked with a metallic click. "Think you can take care of these as well?" Lucina held up her shackled wrists.
"Sure thing."
It took a few moments, but finally her bonds loosened, and with it she felt her power return. Her pale skin glowed faintly, as her eyes became pools of divine light. "Yes, I can feel it, my power, it flows through my veins once again!" She proclaimed triumphantly as she stood.
"Oi crikey!" Momo drew her boomerang. "I warned ye, Narilan, she a witch."
The clatter of metal echoed throughout the cave as two more figures came out of the tunnel.
"We saw the light, what's going on?" The first one asked a tall lanky and lightly armored man as he brandished his glaive.
"By Moradin's beard!" The second newcomer explained, a dwarf as stout as he was short, his form encased in heavy plate armor. "It's an aasimar!"
"Sucks to your aasimar!" Velvet laughed.
"You've been waiting to say that, haven't you?" Jaune asked. To which Velvet nodded.
"What? I don't get it, something weird about that word?" Cardin looked at the girl next to him confused.
"Moving on." Yatsuhashi interrupted before the conversation got out of hand.
After a moment, Lucina's divine glow subsided. "Well, that was certainly an interesting display." Narilan commented. "But you may want to dial it back, before my friends decide to dismember you."
"I may be indebted to you strangers, but don't think you have any right to command me. Lucina Darkbane, foe of demons and slayer of darkness," the warlock boasted.
"Well then, that answers my next question." Narilan turned to his companions. "Everyone, this edgy little angel is Lucina."
"Yeah, we gathered that," the tall one said as he rested on his glaive. "But what is she doing here?"
"I came here seeking clues about the foul demon who killed my family. The monster known as Demiurge."
"Ayy then. we're in the same minecart then, lass," the dwarf added. "Demiurge be an agent of our target, the dread undead mage Ainz Ooal Gown."
"Yea, he a right spooky guy, that one is." Momo spoke.
"It sounds like our goals are the same, and they say the more, the merrier. If you'd like?" Narilan offered.
Lucina looked over the group as she pondered Narilan's proposition. She worked alone, it was better that way. People around her tended to get hurt by her power; it was uncontrolled. Raw divine might channeled through her mortal coil. But even with her considerable power, she had been bested by the fiends of this place. "Very well, we shall work together for now."
"Very good. You have already met myself, but allow me to introduce the rest of our merry band." Narilan smiled gesturing dramatically to his group.
"Ay now! I'm mo than capable of introducing meself." Momo interjected. The goblin stood proudly and with a bearing of a creature three times her size. "Momo Chan the Skull Piler." She hefted her large boomerang onto her shoulders. "An this 'ere is my Bangarang."
Yang doubled over in laughter. "Velvet, I can't. I don't know if I can handle a whole session of this."
Jaune patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "It's fine. You get used to it."
"Bah you and that stupid hunk of wood. It naught do a thing against fine dwarven steel." The plate-clad dwarf bellowed. "I am Falgrin, son of Fulgrim, firstborn of House Stoneseer." He bowed. "It is an honor to have one of angelic blood such as you with us, lass."
Lucina smirked, well at least one of them knew how to show proper respect. Her gaze fell on the last of their party. "And you are?"
With a cocky grin he spun his glaive around, the polearm twirling in an intricate display. "I'm Falcon Lightwing, star gladiator of The Crucible. It's nice to meet you." He gave a sly smile and a wink.
Lucina rolled her eyes. Great, a flirt. That was exactly what she needed. "Very well, now that introductions are done. Shall we move on? I feel that time is of the essence."
"Yes, quite right. Alright everyone let's move out." The group of adventurers made their way out of the dungeon and back up into the main hallway of the tomb. Despite this place being known as a tomb, the main part of it was lavishly lit. Tapestry and treasures everywhere, the undead lord of this place certainly lived in style.
Moving forward, they came to a large room, stairs leading up to a large, ornate door. At the top of the stairs was a young woman dressed as a maid, with red hair tied into two large braids. She drew her weapon, something that Lucina could best describe as an axe. "You have gone far enough, intruders. You stand before Lupusregina Beta, one of the esteemed maids of the Pleiades. Stand down now, and you will be allowed a swift and merciful death." She snapped her fingers and in a flash of light nearly a dozen skeletons appeared and surrounded them. "Or resist, and suffer in agonizing torment as one of my victims."
"Never!" With a wave of her hand, Lucina conjured a scimitar and brandished it at the nearest skeleton. Her blade glowed and from it shot a beam of energy. The Eldritch Blast hit the undead square in the chest, blowing it apart.
With that. the battle began. Narilan moved with the grace of a dancer, bobbing and weaving through the skeleton horde, his rapier striking out with the speed of a serpent.
Momo flew into a frenzy. Screaming like a maniac, the goblin smashed and bashed her way through the mob.
Meanwhile, Falgrin steeled himself against the horde. His shield held high, the symbol on the front began to glow. "By the might of Moradin! I command thee foul abominations, return to death!" With a flash of divine light, some of the undead cowered, while others crumbled to dust. With a triumphant roar, he brought his warhammer down into the skull of another.
"Oh yeah, slice and dice!" Falcon boasted, he and his glaive becoming a whirling storm of blades, cutting down foes left and right.
With one last Eldritch blast, the last of their undead foes fell. All eyes turned to Lupusregina. The red-haired woman's eyes narrowed. "I guess I'll have to take care of you myself." With a single leap, she reached the bottom of the stairs. With her axe raised high, she screamed, but as seconds passed her screams transformed into a howl. As her shape began to twist and change, fur sprouted from her flesh as bones cracked and reshaped themselves until she stood there. A perfect hybrid of woman and wolf.
Lucina couldn't help but smile, a lycanthrope. A foul beast of the night, she would slay it and there would be one less monster in the world. Her heart raced, as adrenaline surged through. This would be the fight of her life. This would be….
*BRIIIIIING*
The sound of the two scrolls going off simultaneously snapped Yang back to reality, as both Yatsuhashi and Velvet looked at their scrolls.
"Looks like Coco's calling an emergency." Yatsuhashi looked up from his screen. "We'll have to pause here until next time."
"Sorry guys." Velvet frowned as she stood.
"Yeah it's fine these things happen." Jaune shrugged.
"See ya, Vel." Cardin waved as the two upperclassmen left.
Yang could only sit there, it was over...no it couldn't be over. She was just getting started! It was like yanking a lollipop out of a kid's hand after only a single lick.
"Shame you couldn't finish the session." Jaune stood packing up his dice.
"There's always next time." Neptune offered as he sipped on a can of soda.
Next time…
NEXT TIME!
She had another chance, another moment to feel the thrill of dice rolling across the table, of never knowing what lay behind every door. But could she take it? If she accepted, she would look eager. She had the excuse of being bored tonight. But next Friday, would she have that same reason? She would only be here because she wanted to be, and that would be bad for all the cool girl rep she had built up.
It was fine; she could twist it, she could work with it.
"Yeah, I might as well at least finish the dungeon before I pass judgment on you all." Yang chuckled. "You certainly are an interesting group."
"We try to be," Cardin bragged.
"Well, you are. You're probably the last person I'd expect to be here, considering…" She trailed off her eyes flickering back and forth between Cardin and Jaune.
"That he used to shove me into lockers and torment Velvet?" Jaune answered the unspoken question.
"Yeah, that...Care to elaborate?" Yang turned back to Cardin.
"After what happened in Forever Fall...it made me realize things. I almost died because I was a jerk. If Jauney boy over there hadn't been the bigger man and just stood back and did nothing, I wouldn't have blamed him. It's what I would have done. But I wouldn't be sitting here now, would I?"
"No, I guess not."
"But in short, I reached out to Jaune to apologize, and suggested this as a sort of healthy outlet for some of my issues. It took a little convincing to let Vel give me a chance. But after a while we managed to bury the hatchet. " He shrugged. "And well, here I am."
Well, that was certainly a story.
"But either way, glad you had a fun time. It was nice having you. Your character is so edgy it really contrasts well with us." Jaune smiled as he stood starting to pack up his things. "Can I have the rest of my dice back?"
His dice...that's right, she had borrowed Jaune's. Did she really need to give them back? They had rolled so well for her. "Yeah, here." She handed the precious plastic polyhedrals back to him. Yang stood. "I have to go...the others are probably wondering where I am. I forgot to tell them where I would be. Sorry I can't help with the clean up."
"No problem, have a good night." Jaune and the others waved.
As soon as the door shut, Yang ran off in a dead sprint. If there was time, she could still make it before it closed for the evening. Heading to the CCT tower that was conveniently on campus. Plugging her scroll into the terminal she dialed home.
"Hey dad, weird favor but as soon as you can, would you be able to get something for me. Under my bed, there should be a box labeled 'cursed items'. If you can send that to me ASAP, I'd really appreciate it. I'll pay you back. Thank you!"
Her message left, she disconnected her scroll. Hopefully her dad would get it soon. If she was going to be dabbing in B&B again, she would need the contents of that box to do it properly.
Hopefully, unlike the fairy tales of old, once this box was opened, it wouldn't unleash horrors upon her world.
Another chapter done, I'm pleased with the reception this story has had so far. This was an experimental chapter of sorts. Did you like the portrayal of it from the point of view from the characters, or would you prefer to have it from a players perspective to have more interpersonal interaction? It will change how sessions will be portrayed in future chapters. Also we have cover art now, or adorable awkward young dork yang.
Narilan Epsilon Karlis Eidolon Vambrose
Rogue Level 3
Swashbuckler
Half-Elf
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 17