Dungeons and Darkners
Part 4
"In the tent, you meet Seam," Bambi began.
A large bluish fluffy teddy bear of a cat with one button eye appeared on the table.
"He's this big fluffy… cat teddy wizard," Bambi continued. "His eyes are like buttons, but one of them is missing. He didn't always look like this so… I was planning to give him this backstory, where he has a wife who's really nice to him and loves him very much. She's this cat who made him his body after he… lost his old one, but I haven't really figured out how to add it in here so… just imagine it, I guess?"
"Sounds cute," Francisca said.
"I still can't believe Francisca decided to attack the checker piece," Emmet said.
"You mean C. Round," Bambi corrected.
"Yeah that," Emmet said.
"Hey, first of," Francisca began. "Susie attacked the checker piece, not me."
"How is that different?" Emmet replied. "She is your character. It's not like you didn't make her do it."
"I was just doing what she would do," Francisca said apologetically. "Y'know? Role-playing?"
"Whatever you say," Emmet said quietly.
Francisca noticed his disapproval, yet she decided not to bring it up.
"Also, in my defence," she continued. "I wasn't expecting to roll an exact 20."
"You could've, I dunno, not attacked it?" Emmet suggested.
"Well, erm… y-you saw that thing," Francisca excused. "It was coming right towards us. It was self-defence on my part."
"Hey, can you two not do this again?" Bambi asked gently. "Besides, Francisca? I think Emmet kinda has the right idea. Since we are heroes, we have the power to make a peaceful future. For all people. So from now on, maybe try not to fight, ok?"
In a way, Francisca wanted to protest her words, to debate little Bambi's ideas in some, perhaps rude, manner. Yet, there was just something about her voice and words, some sweetness in her tone that just reached deep within the young-adult Frisk almost like a spell, and so Francisca just nodded with hesitance.
"Alright, fine," she simply replied. "I'll keep it in mind."
"Good!" Bambi said and smiled sweetly. "But if that's too much for you, then you can just weaken the enemy, not kill them mind you, just weaken them enough so that my Ralsei can put them to sleep with his spells."
"Mmhmm," Francisca replied. "That's fair, I guess."
Emmet felt himself sense something in her voice. Some tone that showed a sense of fear or hurt.
"Hey, is something wrong, Francisca?" Emmet asked.
"Wha- no, there is nothing wrong," Francisca replied. "Let's just keep playing. I feel like I've been in this dream or whatever for months now."
"If you say so," Emmet replied.
He shook that hunch from his thoughts, assuming he was simply overthinking it.
While Francisca looked over the table, her face wracked with confusion and self-doubt, Bambi proceeded to lean closer towards Emmet. Just as she did, Emmet turned to her direction and was mildly spooked by her sudden closeness to him.
"Psst, Emmet?" Bambi whispered. "I think we might have to warn future enemies… about her. Since she's so violent."
"I get you," Emmet replied.
"Also," Bambi added. "Is your Kris the love type? Because I feel like Ralsei may or may not start to feel… y'know what for them?"
"Y'know what for them?" Emmet asked back, puzzled at what she could be hinting at.
"Hey what are you whispering about?" Francisca asked.
"Oh crab," Emmet muttered.
"Erm… nothing?" Bambi said as she leaned back, face red with embarrassment.
"Just about… strategies," Emmet said. "For this game, you know?"
"What kind?" Francisca pried.
"Erm… fighting kind?" Emmet replied with a bit of unease.
Francisca looked at Emmet for a moment, and then towards Bambi, crossing her eyes analytically. Then she shrugged.
"Sounds fair," she said. "I guess it doesn't matter that much."
"Yeah, that's… right," Emmet said before turning towards Bambi. "So where were we again?"
"Oh right," Bambi said. "Ahem. So the three heroes find themselves in the tent of Seam."
"So what's this cat teddy bear thing's deal again?" Francisca asked.
"He's like a shopkeeper of sorts," Bambi answered. "And a magician."
She cleared her throat a bit.
"He, he, he, welcome travellers," she said in an attempt at an old man's voice.
"I'll, uh, I guess I'll ask him who he is," Emmet suggested.
"Alright," Bambi said in her normal voice.
She cleared her throat again.
"My name is Seam," Bambi began with her older man's voice. "Pronounced Shawn. And this… is my little Seap. He, he."
The other two looked at her for a moment, clearly a bit confused.
"Uhh…?" Francisca muttered.
"Yeah, I don't think this joke works when spoken out loud," Bambi said.
"What does that mean?" Emmet asked.
Bambi cleared her throat one more time, clearly ignoring Emmet's question, either by ignoring it intentionally or because she didn't hear it. Truth is, she didn't know how to answer it.
"Over the years I've collected all sorts of odds and ends," she continued. "That's Seam talking by the way."
"Yeah we got that," Francisca said.
"Good," Bambi said. "Ahem. 'Course, I've no attachments in any of it. It's just a hobby of mine. Around here, you learn ways to pass the time."
Suddenly, the little girl leaned closer on the table.
"…or go mad like everybody else," she said, sounding slightly more devious.
She smiled in evident amusement. But for the other two, it was like someone had pressed a button that completely changed the mood from charming to eerie.
"What kind of a kid are you even?" Francisca asked, taken back.
"Erm… sorry about that," Bambi said. "I… I may have gone a bit too far there."
"It's alright," Emmet said. "I've had worse. So… what else can he… tell us?"
"Well, he can tell you the story of Lighteners and Darkeners," Bambi said.
"Haven't we already heard that?" Francisca asked. "You know. From your prince guy?"
"Yeah but… this story is slightly more detailed," Bambi said. "I had a whole page written down and everything."
"Written down?" Emmet asked, intrigued. "Since how long have you planned this exactly."
"When did I say I planned this myself?" Bambi asked back.
There was an evident genuineness in the tone of the question that both Emmet and Francisca noticed, that made the mood even eerier for them two.
"Uh… let's just continue, alright?" Francisca said.
"Ok, where was I?" Bambi said. "Oh yeah. So erm… sorry, but I think I'm not gonna use that voice again. Hurts my throat. Erm, dream throat, I meant."
"Did she just call it "dream throat"?" Francisca muttered to herself. "That's adorable."
"So Seam tells you about how you Lighteners used to live in harmony with them Darkeners until you all vanished one day," Bambi continued. "And then the king decided to take up arms against you because he's angry you all left, even while some Darkeners still hold up hope of your return."
"The king?" Emmet noted. "I thought you said earlier there were four?"
"I'm just getting to that," Bambi said. "So the next thing Seam tells you of is the kingdom. Four kings used to rule it, from Card Castle to the east. But one day, a strange knight appeared, and three of the kings were locked away. But one remained, and he put himself and his son in power."
"I'm guessing this son is the bike kid," Francisca said. "Lancy or whatever."
"Correct," Bambi said. "And his name is Lancer, bee, tee, dubs."
"But which one is Ralsei?" Emmet asked.
"Sorry?" Bambi replied like she didn't understand the question.
"You said there were four kings," Emmet began. "And I'm guessing from all the cards on the table that they're all based on card suits. I'm guessing Lancer and his dad are of the Spade suit because the card you use for Lancer is a spade. But what about Ralsei then? You said he was a prince, right? Just curious is all."
Bambi looked at him for a good few moments, crossing her eyes somehow even more than they were already. She was hard at her thoughts, yet the answer just wouldn't come to her head.
"I… I don't know," Bambi then admitted.
"You… don't know, or you haven't thought of it?" Francisca asked.
"I mean, I honestly don't know," Bambi said. "Most of these ideas, they just… they just come to me is all. Honestly, I'm not certain I'm coming up with most of them myself."
"Why not just, I dunno, make it up then?" Emmet asked. "Don't want to be rude but… let's just say he's the Prince of Hearts then or something."
"It doesn't work that way, sorry," Bambi said. "I appreciate your suggestions but… I'm sure it will come to me later."
"Alright then," Emmet replied.
He was, actually, still confused after that answer but decided to roll with it anyway.
"So anything else to ask Seam or whatever?" Francisca asked.
"Eh…?" Bambi said. "Not really."
"Have we even introduced ourselves?" Emmet asked.
"Oh, yeah that," Bambi said. "So what do you say."
"We'll tell him we are the legendary heroes of the prophecy of… whatever it was," Francisca said.
"He just laughs at that," Bambi said. "He doesn't believe you."
"Oh, so he's an askhole?" Francisca said. "Well fork him. Let's just leave."
"Erm, alright," Bambi said. "So where to next?"
"I was about to ask that," Emmet said.
"Weren't we going east?" Francisca said. "I thought you were controlling this game."
"Yeah," Bambi began. "But… I don't want to be… overcontrolling."
"You're… you're not overcontrolling," Emmet said. "Don't worry."
"Not so far at least," Francisca muttered.
It was clear she had not expected any of them to hear it, to her dismay, as Emmet and Bambi both proceeded to look at her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emmet asked.
Francisca looked at him, feeling almost like she's being trapped into a corner.
"N… nothing," she excused. "I was just… thinking out loud."
"Mmm," Bambi replied unconvinced. "I too think you've just said something. Is something wrong? Wanna talk about it or-?"
"Let's just continue!" Francisca said quickly. "East, right? Let's go east then. Let us finish with this game before this… this stranger arrives, ok?"
"A bit on edge are you?" Emmet said.
"On edge?" Francisca replied, smiling anxiously. "Pfft, no. You're… you're on edge."
"That doesn't even make sense," Emmet muttered quietly.
"Not used to talking about your problems?" Bambi asked empathetically.
"Who said I had problems?" Francisca said and laughed anxiously. "And even if I did I… I don't have problems talking about my problems, w-whatcha talking about? Can we keep going? With the game?"
"Is she losing it?" Emmet thought to himself aloud.
"Hmm… alright then," Bambi said.
Meanwhile, however, Emmet just felt confused by Francisca right now. Annoyed too, but only to an extent. Mostly, he wasn't sure how to think about her. Was this truly supposed to be another version of him? Or was this just a dream and these other two were merely fake figments of his mind? Would that still matter? Would them not being real mean he should act any different.
"Did you say something, Emmet?" Bambi suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Emmet replied. "Oh no, I… I don't think so."
"You don't think so?" Bambi asked. "Alright then. So… where should we go?"
"Oh, right…" Emmet said. "Well… I know we should head east but is there is something west or…?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," Bambi said. "If you head east you meet these group of Jigsawry, who are people who are also jigsaw puzzles."
She pointed to a pile of blank jigsaw pieces that had formed by one side.
"What do they do?" Emmet said.
"They give you guys erm… tutorials and tips," Bambi explained. "Even though they were made for puzzles and not tutorials, but the cruel Spade King has… removed them from that role."
Emmet looked across the strange board for a moment, thinking.
"Ehhh, let's skip it," Emmet said and shrugged. "I think I'm getting the hang of this game."
"Fine by me," Bambi said. "So you head down the road east. After a moment of walking, you meet Lancer again, in a small field."
"That guy again?" Francisca asked. "I thought I told that little blue smurf to leave us alone."
"Did you just call him a smurf?" Emmet asked, one eyebrow raised.
"That… was not enough, sorry," Bambi said to Francisca.
"Stubborn little guy, is he?" Francisca said. "Alright. What's he up to now?"
"Give me a moment," Bambi said. "Ahem. Ok, here goes. Well, flip my flapjacks! The clowns are back in town! Well, bad news! Since you last saw me several minutes ago…I've created a brand new fighting team ready to stop you! Not even the purple girl(referring to your Susie, Francisca) can stop me now! Ho, ho, ho!"
Francisca couldn't help herself at that moment and proceeded to laugh softly, holding her mouth to prevent it from turning into a burst of hysterical laughter.
"God damn, what was that?!" she exclaimed.
"That was… his evil laugh," Bambi said. "Isn't it scary?"
"Really?!" Francisca replied. "Cause it sounded like a baby Santa Claus."
"You mean… you don't like it?" Bambi asked back with a bit of disappointment.
A look of guilt washed over the older girl as she absorbed her words and tone.
"Oh, no I didn't mean it like that!" Francisca cried out. "I mean yes- I mean- I'm so sorry kid! I… I-!"
"Jesus," Emmet said, thrown back by her reaction. "Bit of an overreaction, isn't it?"
"Erm… sorry I…" Francisca said and tugged her t-shirt collar. "Sorry. I really suck at expressions. Heh. Erm... Bambi? It's not that it's bad but… it needs a little practice I'm saying. Or not, I… I dunno. Oh god. I feel like I'm losing my mind here."
"Ehh… it's alright," Bambi said, not sure how to react. "But let's go back to the game. So, Francisca, how will Susie proceed."
"Well…I'll…" Francisca continued, palm on her head. "I guess I'll just… intimidate this clown. Like last time."
"Alright, roll," Bambi said.
And so Francisca did. Out of it came a 15.
"Aw fork yeah!" she exclaimed, her anxiety fading. "Now… Susie is gonna show this little kid what real scary looks like."
There was an eerie hint of aggression in her voice, perhaps even some darkish glee as well, which made Emmet and Bambi feel slightly uncomfortable. Emmet more so, however.
"So Susie walks towards Lancer while he shakes and trembles," Bambi said, herself growing nervous from her tale. "Once you're, you lift him and… proceed to threaten him."
"Imma tell him I'm gonna eat his forking face off," Francisca said.
"Geez, Francisca," Emmet said, surprised by her sudden brutality.
"Relax," Francisca replied, still glaring over the board. "Susie's not gonna- sorry, I'm not gonna do that, y'know."
"Erm, you tell Lancer that…" Bambi says a bit anxiously. "He… well, he trembles in your arms."
"Good," Francisca added, smiling. "To finish, I'm gonna laugh. Hard. Show him what a real laugh is!"
She then lowered her head and placed a palm on her mouth.
"Hot dance," she muttered. "When did I become such a frigging sadist?"
But then, Bambi got an idea. Or maybe, as her moving mind racing to set all pieces in their proper places began considering, this story always had this idea. She smiled, inwardly, as she felt she had solved this scary dilemma.
"Well then…" Bambi said, trying to hide her devious excitement. "In that case, Lancer begins to thank you greatly."
Francisca's wicked grin faded as she turned to the little girl, confusion growing strong.
"Sorry, what did you say happens?" she asked, unsure if she misheard.
"Lancer thanks you!" Bambi said, smiling. "He tells you he's grateful you showed him what a proper villain laugh is like, and then he breaks free your grasp!"
"Hey, I wasn't-" Francisca began.
She did not finish her protest as she saw Bambi's face. Her smile was almost hypnotic in a sense, and alongside her giant and glittery puppy eyes which were now wide open, Francisca couldn't bring herself to argue with her.
"Then…" Bambi said, building anticipation. "Then he summons his warriors to TRASH YOU!"
Out of a sudden, she reached under the table and rose back up with several blank jigsaw pieces, before hurling chaotically them all over the table.
"Lancer then laughs again," Bambi continued. "Properly this time. A true evil laugh, I mean. And then he bids you Merry Christmas and leaves once more."
"Merry Christmas?" Francisca asked, confused. "Wait, what day is it? Heck, in that case, what have we even established what time it is?"
"Dunno," Bambi said.
"It's October, right?" Emmet asked. "I seem to think it's October."
"Mmm," Francisca replied, thinking. "Nah. That doesn't sound right."
"Hey, what are Kris and Susie gonna do now?!" Bambi asked. "Because a group of Jigsawrys block our way!"
"Oh right," Emmet replied. "Well… I'm gonna try mercy."
"Fork that," Francisca said. "Let's fight back. Show them what's for."
"I don't wanna kill them," Emmet said.
"I never said we should kill them," Francisca said. "But we should hurt them in the very least. Remind them and their king not to mess with the so-called "heroes of the prophecy" next time."
"Well… you're not much of a hero if you attack so much," Bambi replied.
"Whatever," Francisca replied without looking. "Agree to disagree kid."
"Anyway, without further adieu, THE BATTLE BEGINS!" Bambi exclaimed. "Now… ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!"
"I don't think that's what "without further adieu" is used for," Emmet stated.
"Oh, my mistake, but ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!" Bambi exclaimed.
With her excitement out of the way, they proceeded to roll.
Once more, Emmet went first, Bambi second and Francisca third.
"C'mon!" Francisca exclaimed. "What are the chances?"
"First again?" Emmet said. "Well… I ain't complaining."
He leaned forward as he proceeded to ponder his options.
"Psst, Emmet?" Bambi whispered to him. "Remember what I told you to do? Regarding her?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Emmet whispered back.
"Wait, you're talking about me?" Francisca pried. "You know I can hear you guys."
"N-no, we're, pfft, we're not… we're not talking about you," Bambi said and smiled awkwardly.
Francisca eyed her suspiciously but then shrugged, assuming she just imagined it.
"Alright, if you say so, kid," she said.
"Ok, I've decided," Emmet said. "To start with, I'm… I'm going to warn the enemies about Susie."
He rolled his dice and got a decent 10.
"Wait, seriously?!" Francisca exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm gonna do that too," Bambi said and rolled as well. "The more the warning, the more serious they'll take it."
Her dice stopped at another 10.
"What the…" Francisca muttered. "Are you guys seriously helping the bad guys?!"
"We're not helping them," Emmet excused. "We're just-"
"Yeah, we're helping them," Bambi answered. "Why not?"
"Because… because they're trying to kill us!" Francisca said, sounding baffled.
"I'm sure they mean well," Bambi simply answered. "Maybe they don't want to."
"But… but then they wouldn't be…" Francisca began before shrugging. "Alright, fork it. I'm just gonna attack them myself with full force."
She rolled her die and got a 12.
"Awesome!" she exclaimed. "Well, how bad is it for them?"
"Eh… not enough, sorry," Bambi said. "You barely scratch them."
"Seriously?" Francisca asked. "But… I got 12. That's over the average."
"Yeah sorry," Bambi said. "But… since Emmet and I warned them, they were able to prepare for it. And you thus needed a higher number."
"Oh, that is such… nevermind," Francisca said. "It's just a game. I shouldn't be that angry."
"Alright, what now?" Emmet asked Bambi. "Should I convince them like we did those worm guys, or do they work differently or something?"
"What do you think, Emmet?" Bambi asked.
"Well…" Emmet began, thinking. "I guess I can… try to get them to stop fighting."
"That's good," Bambi said. "Cause they don't wanna fight either way. Turns out they're just scared of us. And of their king."
"Ok then," Emmet said. "Good to know. That ought to… make it simple then. Guess I'll just talk."
"Great!" Bambi exclaimed. "Now roll for charisma!"
Emmet took his dice and threw once more. As Francisca stared at the die roll on the strange cosmic table, a great doubt hit her as she began feeling slightly unsure about almost everything that was going on right now. It was like time had slowed down at this moment, as all the thoughts arranged themselves from the mess in her head. Eventually, the dice stopped, and Francisca's thought did as well.
"A 15," Emmet said, reading the now still dice. "That's good, right?"
"That's great!" Bambi said cheerfully. "You talk with them and even manage to befriend them. The Jigsawry's look at us with a smile on their faces, and then I put them to a good night sleep with my pacify spell. We win!"
"Well,… cool," Emmet simply said.
Bambi turned towards the older girl, a smile on her innocent-looking face.
"See Francisca?" she asked. "Battles can be won, not with violence, but with words and understanding instead."
"Yeah yeah," the older girl simply replied.
A moment later, the trio found themselves facing another obstacle. Other than the growing dissonance between Francisca and the other two (Or rather, between just Francisca and Emmet) a large spiked fence had formed on the table.
"Now," Bambi began. "You found yourself in front of a locked spiky gate. Around you are also several boxes and switches on the ground."
"So… what then?" Emmet asked.
"Let's read the instructions!" Bambi said excitedly.
"Weird thing to be enthusiastic about but ok," Francisca muttered to herself.
Bambi then reached under the table and pulled out a white paper with something written on it.
"Was this there all along?" Emmet asked.
Bambi, not knowing how to answer it, proceeded to ignore his question. She gave out one more small cough as if to prepare for a presentation.
"God that's adorable," Francisca muttered, referring to that cough.
"It says…" Bambi begins. "Thoust fools, thou will never figure it out now!"
She had changed her voice briefly to what could only be described as a kid's attempt to sound pompous and or dignified. This voice change was a bit of a surprise to the other two, but not by much as Emmet and Francisca were getting somewhat used to it.
"Ruining instructions," Bambi said. "That's definitely against the rules."
"Erm… yeah?" Emmet said.
"Also," Bambi continued. "There is a P.S. which says P.S: I make my own rules. Signed. RK."
"So… I guess we're meeting that guy soon," Emmet said.
"Maaaaybe," Bambi answered and smiled. "I am not gonna spoil."
"Well," Francisca began unenthusiastically. "I'll just climb up the spiky gate and-"
"Hold on!" Bambi interrupted. "Sorry, but I think Kris- sorry, Emmet should be the one to solve this. Or at least have the first try."
"Why?" Francisca asked.
"Because… he's the leader of the group," Bambi answered.
"Really?" Francisca replied. "When did we decide that?"
"Erm… thanks, I guess?" Emmet replied, clearly surprised.
"I just assumed your character, Ralsay or whatever, was the leader," Francisca said. "Since you're the DM."
"Ralsei," corrected Bambi. "And no. He's not the leader."
"Then why is Emmet the leader?" Francisca asked.
Bambi did not have a proper answer to that question, once she was now thinking about it.
"Erm… because he's the only knight in the group?" she answered and shrugged.
"Let's just… I dunno, make it a vote then," Emmet suggested.
"Mmm… just forget it," Francisca said. "It's not a big deal."
Emmet looked at her, quietly for a moment. As if to examine her. Bambi did as well, growing worried for her.
"Are you alright?" she gently asked Francisca. "You've been really quiet these past few minutes."
Francisca gave out tired sigh.
"I've told you like a thousand times," she said without looking at her. "There's nothing wrong."
"Well… that was back then," Bambi said. "But now? Is it because of the battle with the jigsawry's?"
"Of course not," Francisca said. "I've already mostly forgotten about that."
"If you say so," Bambi said. "But remember, I'm always here if you need it."
"Alright then," Emmet said, turning his thought to the obstacle at hand. "So… the puzzle. Well, I guess I'll just… move the boxes onto the switches and then… that's it."
"Good job, Kris- I mean Emmet!" Bambi said. "Puzzle solved! The door opens!"
"Dance, didn't get to impale myself," Francisca muttered. "God, what I wouldn't do to wake up from this place."
"What was that?" Bambi asked.
"Nothing," Francisca said. "Just thinking out loud."
The heroes proceeded onward, with an uncomfortable silence growing between all three of them. Emmet was busy focusing on the weirdness of the place, and Bambi was busy planning the story on the spot, or maybe, absorbing or remembering the ideas. Francisca, meanwhile, was engaged in thinking. She was thinking a lot now like she usually did every day. Right now, most of her thinking was about the other girl in the room, Bambi.
Francisca wasn't sure if she was metaphorically bewitched by her or literally, but she felt herself to be very much under her whims. Or maybe, as Francisca's mind began to tell her, she was just under the whims of herself. Of a girl that was more or less just a dream, perhaps. She wasn't sure what to think about this situation anymore.
What would she represent, in that case? Her innocence? Is that why she couldn't bring herself to be one bit harsh to her? Is that why she felt a bit bad whenever she went against her wishes, despite how much she disagreed, and even despite telling herself over and over that neither of the kids was real? Or was that just her inner sympathy speaking? The type one would have towards fictional characters?
This sort of abundance of overthinking was always in her head in the waking world. Every day, every moment she was alone, her mind seemed to be continually racing, tangling itself with overanalysis' and nonsensical rabbles simultaneously. Mostly, she was disappointed her habit of making aimless trains of thoughts, followed her into this lucid dreams as well. A mind inside a mind, she figured. Reminded her of a century-old movie she once saw a while back. What was that movie called again? Insertion, maybe? Something along those lines, she figured. Was it Incursion? Oh yeah. It was called-
"Umm, Francisca?" Emmet asked her out of the blue.
"W-what?!" Francisca exclaimed.
She always felt spooked from being pulled abruptly from her rambling thoughts like that. It was like a micro version of being forced awake while you're half asleep. Then again, weren't dreams mostly just thoughts that are-
"Sorry, can you speak up Francisca?" Bambi said. "I can't understand what you're saying."
"Huh?" Francisca replied. "I wasn't saying anything."
"Yeah, you were," Emmet replied. "You were, like, rambling on and on about dreams and some old movie I think? You were kinda loud."
Francisca couldn't describe the unease she felt. Did she really just say all that out loud?
"Erm, yeah you did," Emmet answered.
"Holy forking shirt, what the fork?!" Francisca exclaimed with fright.
"They've been hearing my thoughts all this time?!" she thought.
"I think we have," Bambi answered.
"Ok, can we continue the fork on?!" Francisca said, feeling sweat run down her neck. "I don't wanna think about this right now! Heck, I don't wanna think in general anymore! Please?!"
"Of course!" Bambi answered with her cheerful smile. "Now, where were we again? Ah, yes!"
Meanwhile, a realisation dawned on Emmet.
"Wait, have I been thinking out loud as well?" Emmet pondered. "In that case… oh god. Am I currently saying this out loud right now?"
"The three heroes find themselves all in a strange place," Bambi began. "
"Like we haven't been already," Francisca muttered quietly.
"A long corridor with tiles of red and black," Bambi explained. "Like a big, checkerboard."
On the map in front of them, there appeared a long hallway following that description.
"Neat," Francisca said. "Very Alice in Wonderland esque."
"God, is that supposed to be like a subconscious metaphor for my life right now?" she then thought to herself. "Like… how in the "real" world, I fell into a hole leading to a strange land full of-"
"Uh… what?" Emmet asked, confused. "Subconscious metaphor? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, fork me, that's right!" Francisca said, slightly embarrassed. "You guys can hear my thoughts. Whatever. It's nothing."
"Well… it's not an intentional metaphor," Bambi said. "I mean, I love that story though. Very relatable. But it's fine if you-"
"Just forget it!" Francisca said. "Erm… sorry kid. I just… w-what happens next, ok?"
"Hmm," Bambi replied, feeling unsure. "We… erm… oh! We discover that the floor is very odd. Not just because it's shaped like a checkerboard, but because it seems to… erm… blink."
"Blink?" Francisca asked.
"Yeah, blink," Bambi reiterated.
The trio then noticed that blinkings light began emanating from the table suddenly, seemingly on random. They then saw that, on the checkerboard, some light was indeed appearing and disappearing on some of the panels on random.
"This hallway is our next puzzle," Bambi explained. "Step on any of the light, and you're sent back to the beginning."
"Another puzzle so soon?" Francisca asked. "Hmm. Alrighty then."
"Why, you don't like puzzles, Francisca?" Bambi asked.
"What?" Francisca replied, feeling caught off guard by that question. "No I-, sorry yes but… no as in… not that! I can dig puzzles, kid. No need to worry."
"Then what is it?" Bambi asked kindly.
"Nothing," Francisca excused. "As usual. It's nothing. So, how do we proceed with the puzzle? Emmet, any ideas?"
"Oh?" Emmet began, surprised she was asking him. "I guess we'll just… avoid the glowing panels. Or… do they hurt us?"
"Mmm Nah," Bambi answered.
"Ok, in that case," Emmet said. "I guess that means that… there is no harm in just running through?"
"Just throw a dice and see," Bambi answered.
So Emmet did. But before he could see what he got, Bambi suddenly seemed to grow very energetic and excited.
"Great job, puzzle solved!" Bambi said.
"Already?" Francisca asked.
"But… I only got an 8," Emmet said.
"Oh… eh, I'll allow it," Bambi said.
"Well, personally," Francisca began. "You get no complaints from me kid."
Bambi was unsure whether she should feel pleased or not from her comment, so instead, she just smiled back at her. Truth is, she kinda did decide to end this puzzle early. Whether she did it for Francisca's case, even Bambi didn't know for sure herself.
"Anyways," she continued. "Now free from the clutches of the teleporting room, you walk onwards and…"
She paused for a moment as she smiled with excitement.
"Guess who you meet?" she said.
"Oh boy," Francisca muttered quietly.
A single ace of spades card appears on the checkerboard, and Emmet and Francisca immediately knew what it signified
"Man, that boy is stubborn, isn't he?" Francisca asked.
Suddenly, it was as if the room grew darker somehow, despite there not being any visible light sources anywhere. While Francisca became confused, and Emmet a bit uncomfortable, Bambi just proceeded to smile in amusement. Almost like she was behind this sudden change of mood.
"Ha, ha, ha…" Bambi laughed with a surprising amount of menace. "So you've begun to cross the great board. The halfway point to our castle. Hmm… impressive. So, it's a shame… you won't make it a step further! 'Cause my guys are about to smash you into blood! Lots of blood! Splooshing blood! Very gross and bad!"
Suddenly, the young girl began to cackle and laugh. Her laugh was brief, yet effective, and the other two Frisks were thrown back by it, thinking for a moment some third, much evil version had taken over her now. But as the strange mood faded, her behaviour changed much faster, almost like on the flip of a switch.
"So how was that, Francisca?" she asked, cheerfully excited. "Was that… scary?"
"What the fork was that?!" Francisca asked, bewildered. "When did Lancer turn into the kid version of Hannibal Lecter?! Were you possessed again by a third entity or…?"
"Replaced," Bambi corrected. "And no. Lancer just… he just wanted to be scary. To impress you."
"Wait… to impress me?!" Francisca exclaimed
"Yeah," Bambi answered. "Turns out, Susie scaring him actually inspired him. And now he wants to be as scary as you."
Francisca stared at her, looking as if she couldn't comprehend that. Emmet thought he even saw her sweat for a moment.
"Erm… that's great," Francisca said awkwardly. "And I mean… the new laugh isn't that bad…and him telling us he's gonna turn us into blood is… cool."
It was then that Emmet was the first to notice the strange new addition on top of the cosmic table.
"But…" Francisca continued. "I don't think that looking up to me is necessarily the best-"
"Hey, is that a bucket?" Emmet asked.
The other turned to look, and indeed, there was now a bucket on the table. A small blue bucket with a black spade logo, seemingly having come out of nowhere. Even Bambi felt confused by it, though she sort of expected something like it beforehand.
"Oh yeah," Bambi said. "That's… that's to put the blood in."
"Really?!" Francisca asked. "Man kid. that's… that's surprisingly dark, coming from you. And even hardcore."
"Why thank you," Bambi said and smiled.
"Yeah, that little girl is definitely just part of my mindscape," Francisca thought out loud.
"Sorry, can you speak louder?" Bambi asked.
"Erm… nothing," Francisca said. "Just… thought of something. I forget here and there about the… y'know?"
"Wait a minute," Emmet began, having realised something else. "Does anyone else feel like this whole… thinking out loud thing is like, I don't know, a recent development? Like… I don't think it was there a few hours ago, or whatever time has passed here. Is it just me?"
The other two Frisks looked at each other. An air of eerie foreboding came over them, over all three of them. None of them hadn't given proper thought about it til now.
"Hmm, now that you say it," Bambi replied.
"W-what could that mean, if anything?" Francisca asked.
"Perhaps, not much," Bambi said with optimism. "Maybe it's just because we are growing closer together. Or maybe… maybe they're getting closer."
That last line gave Francisca a bit of a chill, and maybe Emmet slightly nervous, even though Bambi didn't mean to.
"Ok, let's just continue," Francisca said. "I'd rather not think about all that creepy stuff right now."
"Fine enough," Bambi said. "So… now that Lancer has us, the legendary… erm… the legendary…"
A look of strange blankness came over the little girl as if she's stuck in deep thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Emmet asked her.
"Did we… ever come up with a name?" Bambi asked back. "To our group, that is?"
"Don't think so," Emmet answered.
"I just called ourselves the heroes of the prophecy or whatever," Francisca answered.
"Hmm," Bambi said, thinking. "Not sure I personally like that one. Should we come up with a name?"
"Right now?" Emmet asked.
"It's a bit late into the game for that, isn't it?" Francisca asked.
"No, no!" Bambi replied with another burst of excitement. "You know what? Us three should come up with new names, and vote the one we like best."
"I'm not… I'm not good at coming up with names like that," Emmet said.
"No problem!" Bambi said. "In that case, how about you, Francisca, and I just come up with names, and Emmet picks the one he likes the most."
"Why should he pick?" Francisca asked.
"Because he-" Bambi began.
"Oh right, because he's the leader," Francisca said, a bit dismissively.
"Erm… yeah that…" Bambi answered. "A…and because he's only one not writing… anyways. Let's start writing!"
Two pens and a stack of blank note papers magically materialised on the table, but with no sound or effects signalling their arrival. Still, none of the kids felt particularly shocked by it, as if they had grown used to it.
Francisca just grabbed one pen and grabbed one note from the pile, and Bambi followed suit but took two notes instead of one.
"Now," the little girl began. "You, Francisca, will write down your name of choice while I will write two, and then once we're done, we'll place the notes into the bucket."
"Hang on," Francisca began, confused. "Two? Why are you allowed to come up with two names, but I only one?"
"I… I think one is supposed to be from me," Emmet suggested.
"Nah, one is from Ralsei, and the other is from Lancer," Bambi answered. "I don't want to leave him out."
"Huh?" Francisca replied, sounding as if she didn't understand a word. "You don't… you don't think these characters are actually real, right?"
Bambi did not hear her reply, as she was too invested in writing down the names on the two papers while humming cheerfully.
"Sorry, were you saying something?" Bambi asked her gently.
"Nothing," Francisca lied. "Nothing at all."
While Emmet stood by and watched, Francisca stared down at her blank paper, note in hand.
"Ok, what's the first dumb thing that comes to my mind?" she said to herself. "Huh. I can say "dumb", turns out."
It did not take Francisca a long time to think of something. It pretty much came for her in an instant, and it made her chuckle. She smirked as she wrote it down onto the note, despite knowing how completely immature it would seem to her hopefully imaginary friends.
"God, I'm the oldest yet the most childish person in the room," she muttered to herself. "And likely the only person, but whatevs."
"What did you say, Francisca?" Bambi asked.
"Just thinking out loud again," Francisca answered dismissively.
But her smirk faded as she read through it, her expression turning into almost a sort of disappointed realisation before she shrugged, crumbled the paper down and threw it into the bucket, trying not to think of the weirdness.
"Done!" Francisca said.
She decided not to tell about the strangeness on her note just yet, although Emmet could tell she was hiding something. Bambi meanwhile was utterly clueless.
"Ok, let's start!" she exclaimed.
The little girl then grabbed the bucket and shook it mildly in her arms before pouring the notes into a pile on the table. Then she casually threw the bucket away behind her and it seemed to disappear into the void.
"So…you have three options, Emmet," Bambi said, looking over the letters while. "You can call yourselves either The Legendary Heroes: The Heralds of Fun and Friendship-"
"Wow, that's a mouthful, ain't it?" Francisca asked.
"I mean… it's true ain't it?" Bambi asked. "You know? Because we're friends. And we like to have a lot of fun."
Francisca felt herself almost freeze solid from her words. From being genuinely called a friend. And so casually. Yet, she also felt immense discomfort in her chest. Was this dream now mocking her? Was it trying to convince her it was real? However, Francisca tried her hardest to hide those thoughts, a palm on her mouth to hide the mumbling. But it was still clear to the other two that something was wrong.
"What is it?" Bambi asked.
"I…I'm just thinking about our enemies," Francisca said quickly. "Don't think any of them are gonna take us seriously."
"Then what name are you suggesting I use instead?" Bambi asked gently.
"Well, for starters, how about…" Francisca began.
The older girl stopped herself.
"Not gonna say it," she said.
"C'mon," Bami said sweetly. "I promise I won't laugh."
Francisca looked at her and sighed. She couldn't resist her sweetness.
"How about…" she continued, embarrassed. "The F-Fun Gang?"
"Great idea!" Bambi exclaimed. "The Fun Gang it is then!"
The little girl began picking up the rest of the notes.
"As I was saying, Emmet," she continued. "Your choices are, The Fun Gang, Lancer's Fanclub or…"
Bambi paused a bit as she tried to make sense of the last note.
"It…" she began. "It just says $!$? Squad."
Bambi shewed the note to the other two, and indeed, that was what's written on it.
"Gee, I wonder who wrote that," Emmet said sarcastically.
"Heh, I was mostly just checking if this magic censoring shirt worked on a written text as well," Francisca excused. "Seems like it does. Oh well."
"Hmm, ok then," Bambi said and turned to Emmet. "So… Emmet? Which one do you wanna pick?"
"Well…" Emmet began, thinking. "I think that "The Fun Gang" sounds the best."
"Awesome!" Bambi exclaimed with excitement. "The Fun Gang it is then."
"I mean, it was two against one," Francisca simply said. "Plus, I don't actually care."
"No, no, it's alright," Bambi reassured gently. "You also had a hand in that name, remember?"
"Mhmm," Francisca simply said.
"It's perfect! Lancer says," Bambi said. "And then he leaves."
"Let's follow him," Emmet suggests.
"Good idea!" Bambi exclaimed.
And so they did. Emmet threw his dice and led the others onward. They dodged through the second set of glowing patterns until they reached what Bambi described as a small corridor. There, they met two strange living statue figures named Mr Elegance and Mr Society. These two were utterly grand in manner and speech, and along with their odd names, they looked like they would guarantee a deep and fascinating philosophical insight to our heroes. However, they were also completely and utterly insignificant in this story so they will be promptly ignored and forgotten from here on out. After that, The Fun Gang met Lancer once more.
Only, for some reason, the little Spade Prince stood utterly still, according to Bambi.
"Ok, what's his deal now?" Francisca asked. "Why ain't he moving?"
"Patience, Francisca," Bambi answered.
"I'm not… nevermind," Francisca replied.
She turned to think to herself again. This time, she tried to make sure her thoughts were as quiet as possible.
"Am I just being nice?" Francisca muttered to herself. "Or does this little kid have some sort of spell over me? Under a spell from myself? If that is a thing. God, why does my mind have to be such a chaotic mess all the time"
Unfortunately for her, Emmet could hear her mutters loud and clear, although he decided not to mention it. Bambi heard nothing though, as she was too busy trying to remember the words for the next part.
"Hohoho…" Bambi said in "her Lancer's voice". "Well, step on my boots."
"Who the heck says that?" Francisca asked herself.
"If it isn't the Friendly Fun Gang," Bambi continued. "You boys or girls better turn back while you can."
"Why is that?" Emmet asked, a bit sternly.
"Hohoho…" Bambi continued, building more anticipation. "I'm simply warning you…! Something EXTREMELY dangerous is lying ahead! Hohoho! It's actually really inconvenient!"
Bambi leaned closer towards the others, as they began to grow uneasy at the anticipation of what that thing could be.
"Ha!" Bambi said, speaking in the same voice louder now. "I can't go home at all because I'm so scared!"
"W-what is it?" Emmet asked, a bit nervously.
"Behold!" Bambi exclaimed in her normal voice.
Then, right in front of the ace of spade card on the table, a small, yet familiar-looking red checker piece had appeared. Unsurprisingly, Emmet and Francisca were a little disappointed.
"Oh, it's… him?" Emmet said. "It? Her?"
"Pfft, this little guy again?" Francisca replied unimpressed. "C'mon. We kicked the shirt out of it last time."
"You did…" Emmet corrected.
"Impersonal we," Francisca replied.
However, unbeknownst to the two, Bambi had a bit more planned under her sleeves.
"But suddenly," she began, building anticipation. "You see something shiny from above. You see it's a crown. A crown is falling from above, and it falls, further and further, until it lands right on C. Rounds head."
Then, as neither of the other two Frisks were expecting, the checker piece on the table grew to almost three sizes, and a small golden crown appeared above the drawn smiley face.
"Ok, what the fork is happening?" Francisca asked, feeling a bit weirded out.
"Now, you are facing King Round!" Bambi exclaimed.
"King?" Emmet asked curiously. "King as in-?"
"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, K. ROUND IS COMING AT YOU!" Bambi yelled excitedly.
"Oh crab," Emmet said with surprise. "Emm… what do we do?!"
"Imma go fight it," Francisca simply answered.
"That seems like your answer to everything here," Emmet replied.
"I know," Francisca simply replied and grinned.
"Well, in that case, I'm gonna warn… them?" Emmet suggested. "And convince… them. If I can, that is."
"Ok, throw," Bambi said.
So they all did. Francisca rolled first and ended up with a decent 12, and Emmet followed with a high 15.
"Ok, erm, Francisca," Bambi began, obviously making it up on the spot. "You hit K. Round, and it loses some health. About a hundred or so."
"Ok, not bad," Francisca said. "Not bad."
"Meanwhile, Emmet," Bambi continued and turned to the boy. "Kris tries to warn K. Round of Susie while explaining to it the value of friendship."
"Ok, how do I do?" Emmet asked.
Bambi looked across the table as if she was reading something. Suddenly, her face turned to clear dismay.
"Oh, no!" Bambi exclaimed. "Turns out that K. Round doesn't seem to understand you, Emmet! Doesn't understand us!"
"Really?!" Francisca exclaimed with a growing thrill. "Perfect!"
"And now it attacks!" Bambi said. "ROLL FOR DEFENSE!"
Emmet rushed to grab the die and shook wildly, hiding his anxiety while Francisca followed suit. Fortunately for them, their rolls both ended with success.
"Ok, good," Bambi said. "So K. Round tries to strike us with its attack called Star Kick. It kicks and stars come out of its big legs and thighs."
"Big legs and thighs?!" Francisca exclaimed and chuckled a bit. "It attacks by shooting stars from its, and I quote, big legs and thighs?!"
"Yeah, I… kinda got the idea of that attack from someone I know," Bambi confessed.
"Someone… you know?" Francisca asked, confused yet intrigued. "God dance. Are you now my inner horniness or something? Wait. If you're a child, then… oh god. I don't like the possible subconscious implications of that."
"Erm, no?" Bambi asked, starting to feel very confused. "Anyway, you dodge and defend from its big legs and thighs very well, losing no health in the process."
Francisca tried to hold in her chuckle.
"God, "big legs and thighs" sounds like some sort of horny Dr Seuss book," she muttered under her palm.
"W-what do I do now?" Emmet asked, a bit anxiously. "I don't wanna kill them."
"Think Emmet!" Bambi said intensely. "There has to be a way for mercy!"
"Yeah, beat the crap out of it!" Francisca said excitedly, her smile on the verge of maddening.
Emmet stood by, frantically thinking. All of it felt so real to him. This whole game felt real, and thus his anxiety felt only worse for it.
But he tried not to think of that now. He knew his thoughts were audible as mumblings to them, but he didn't care about that either as he rushed through every corner of his mind.
"So the checker piece thing has a crown," he muttered. "A crown that seems to give… it… it's power. But how can I remove it without attacking too hard?"
"Man, I think this game is starting to get good!" Francisca exclaimed. "Alright, time to hit that schmuck again."
"Then… roll," Bambi said with unease.
The little girl was starting to grow a bit uncomfortable towards the older one's attitude now, but she decided to play along for now at least.
"Fork yeah, 20!" Francisca exclaimed as she read her throw.
"You, erm, hit K. Round very hard," Bambi said. "It is… very hurt."
"Oh, shirt!" Emmet said with a bit of urgency. "Ok, erm…"
Suddenly, Emmet finally had an idea. He thought it a pretty dumb idea, and he figured it only came to him in desperation. But it didn't feel that far off from how the game was played, so he thought he might at least try.
"I'm gonna… bow," he suggested. "Bow courteously."
"Pfft, your move," Francisca said dismissively.
"Ok then," Bambi said. "Your Kris bows. And then K. Round bows back."
Suddenly, Bambi gasped in excitement.
"That's it!" she exclaimed. "We should bow, Emmet! Bow and make K. Round bow back until the crown falls off, and they will surely turn back into a little guy!"
"Yeah, that… that was my idea," Emmet said.
"Really?" Francisca said, surprised and befuddled.
"Yeah!" Bambi said. "You should join along! Bow with us Susie- I mean, Francisca!"
"Nah," Francisca said. "I'll make it come off my way. By smashing its face! And its big legs and thighs!"
"Ok, let's… agree to disagree," Bambi said. "But either way, K. Round strikes again. This time, it is gonna try jumping on us with its Stomp attack."
"Jumping?" Emmet asked. "Well, alright-"
"HURRY UP AND ROLL TO DODGE!" Bambi yelled out with excitement.
"Ok, geez!" Francisca said and rolled. "Don't need to yell all the time, y'know?"
Unfortunately, none of the Frisks got a double-digit number.
"Well dance," Francisca said.
"So K. Round jumps and jumps," Bambi began. "It jumps until it manages to land on all of us, and…"
She rolled the die and got a high 16.
"Ouch!" Bambi exclaimed, wincing as if in pain. "K. Round hits us all for a lot of damage."
"How much?!" Emmet asked.
"Like… a lot," Bambi simply answered.
"How high is "a lot of damage"?" Francisca asked.
"I dunno," Bambi said. "I guess maybe… one hundred?"
"One hundred?!" Francisca exclaimed. "But that means… it's taken like half my health so far. And I'm the tank. I'm supposed to be made of health! Ok, fork that. I'm gonna push harder on it. Do I have some abilities? Something to kick it's… you know what, harder?"
"Well… you have an attack spell called "Rude Buster", but-" Bambi said.
"Sounds awesome, Imma use that!" Francisca said without hesitation.
"Erm, alright then…" Bambi said, unsure how to feel now. "Roll."
Francisca grabbed the die and threw with an unnerving amount of passion gleaming on her face.
"Fork yeah, another 20!" she exclaimed happily. "God dance, I'm on a roll! No pun intended."
"Eh… Susie strikes K. Round with the Rude Buster," Bambi explained. "It hits it down to… less than a third of its health."
Cracks were suddenly beginning to form on the large checker piece on the table.
"Yes!" Francisca blurted out with hype. "Almost there!"
"Ok, erm, should we bow again, Bambi?" Emmet asked quickly.
"Of course!" Bambi answered.
The two younger kids grabbed their dices and rolled, first Emmet, then Bambi. The dices stopped as 17 and 16 respectively.
"Alright!" Bambi said happily. "So Kris and Ralsei bow deeply to K. Round. It bows back to us as a sign of respect, and without our combined effort, the crown loosens greatly."
"Ok, sounds good," Emmet said.
He only now noticed his hands were trembling slightly from stress. He didn't expect to get this invested in it. He figured it was maybe another strange effect from the game like the sensation from running and falling at the start or the water manifesting on Francisca's shirt after her character was sprayed.
"K. Round is gonna attack again this turn," Bambi said.
"Wait, it can do something else?" Francisca thought to herself.
"This time, its gonna use its Charged Stomp attack," Bambi continued. "An upgrade from its normal stomp, since its normal stomp attack was not enough. NOW ROLL!"
The other two rushed to grab their dices and rolled. Unfortunately, it turned out to be pretty lacklustre this time, being a 4 and 3.
"Fork…" Francisca blurted out.
"Oh no!" Bambi said. "K. Round stomps around the room and… it hits our health down near the bottom."
"Was it my shaking hands?" Emmet asked himself quietly.
"The crown is now about 70 per cent loose!" Bambi said excitedly. "C'mon, Emmet! We can do it, ROLL!"
With adrenaline pumping in their veins(assuming, of course, they even had physical bodies in this place) the kids proceeded to throw. Even though neither of them wanted to openly acknowledge it, Francisca and Emmet were now in a race. A race to end it their ways, through violence or actions.
Emmet dice was the first to stop. A decent 10 came out of it.
"Ok, that seems good," he thought with optimism.
But then Francisca's dice stopped afterwards, and his nervousness returned once he saw its number.
"Fork yeah, 18!" Francisca exclaimed. "Not another 20, but still pretty good."
"S-sorry Emmet," Bambi said and smiled apologetically. "But since you got less than a 15… K. Round has a chance to counter the bow."
"Oh no," Emmet muttered. "Bambi, help me bow then."
"Eh, sorry Emmet," Bambi said. "But we're low on health so… I gotta heal us."
"Hmm ok then…" Emmet said, disappointed but understanding.
Bambi grabbed her dice and rolled. Once it stopped, she almost gasped with joy as she saw the perfect number.
"Wow, 20!" Bambi exclaimed with a thrill. "Oh, sorry, ahem. Don't think I've ever gotten a 20. I think I now know how you feel, Francisca."
"Thanks," Francisca said and smiled back
"Why are you cheering her?" Emmet muttered quietly.
"Now for K. Round," Bambi said.
Without saying another word, Bambi grabbed her dice and rolled.
"Oof!" Bambi said. "K. Round rolls a 15. Kris'-sorry, our bow fails."
"Fork yeah," Francisca said.
"Well… dance," Emmet blurted out.
"So Kris bows," Bambi began, her voice sounding worried. "And fails. Meanwhile, Ralsei heals the group by one third and Susie attacks K. Round with a heavy strike, putting it down to… less than a hundred HP."
"Less than a hundred?!" Emmet exclaimed.
More cracks grew, covering the checker's still smiling face. The piece now looked like it was fragile enough to break from a simple touch.
"Oh, crab, what do we do Bambi?!" Emmet asked with urgency. "Francisca is about to kill it next turn!"
"I… I don't know…" Bambi answered, not with worry but with disappointment.
"Can you maybe, I dunno, heal it?!" Emmet suggested.
"I'm sorry Emmet," Bambi said. "But I don't have enough TP for it."
"Sorry kids," Francisca said. "You win some, you lose some. But if it's any consolation, I am not exactly planning on killing it. Or at least not intentionally, so if it goes wrong… you know."
"Great, that definitely makes it better," Emmet said sarcastically and sighed.
"Hmm, there must be something," Bambi said thoughtfully. "I swear there is. Maybe-"
Suddenly, the little girl's eyes opened and lit up as she remembered a brilliant idea. A simple, relatively quaint one, but one she had hidden in her mind just in case of emergencies like these.
"Of course!" she exclaimed with great joy. "How could I forget?!"
"F-forget what?" Francisca asked, her excitement waning as she noticed Bambi's happy tone.
"K. Round, realising its very hurt begins to grow stressed," Bambi explained. "But thankfully, it had decided to bring along with it a special item this morning. And now its gonna use its turn to drink it."
"Wait, what?" Emmet asked, confused at where she was going.
"So now K. Round reaches into its item inventory," Bambi said, smiling at her plan. "And pulls out a full cartoon of… almond milk!"
"Almond… milk?" Emmet asked with a puzzled look.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Francisca asked, now just confused. "Cause I thought you said almond milk."
"It did," Bambi began. "He opens up the cartoon, and drinks the milk, healing itself by 300 HP!"
"Wait what?!" Emmet said, feeling his determination return back.
"Oh c'mon, seriously?!" Francisca exclaimed. "Oh, now that's just cheating."
The cracks on the checker piece now faded away, leaving it looking almost as clean as when it first appeared.
"Emmet, let's finish it," Bambi said, smiling.
"Oh no you don't," Francisca said determinedly. "I still have a turn, remember?"
"I know," Emmet answered sternly.
"Alright, Rude Buster turn 2, coming up-" Francisca began.
"Hold up!" Bambi said. "You don't have the TP for it."
"What the heck is… whatever," Francisca said. "Just a normal attack then."
"I'm ready," Emmet said.
They all eyed each other intensely like cowboys in a standoff before they both rushed to grab their dies. They shook and shook, and watched their shaking hands with intensity Finally, they threw their dices in unison. The dies rolled and rolled, and the Frisks all looked nervously on, a pit growing in all their stomachs. Then the dies stopped. Francisca's stopped at 1, Emmet's at an 11… and then Bambi's at 18.
"Yes!" Emmet exclaimed in relief.
"God da… whatever," Francisca said and sighed. "Just a game."
"Great, but It's not over yet, Emmet!" Bambi said. "Remember, since you only got an 11, that means K. Round has some chance to resist."
"Oh?" Francisca said, her enthusiasm returning as she turned to look with intrigue.
"Susie strikes K. Round with her axe," Bambi said with nervous anticipation. "But only bruises it a little bit. Meanwhile, Kris and Ralsei bow deeply to K. Round once more, and then…"
She rolls the dice one more time onto the table. The dice for K. Round, and hopefully the last, in Emmet's and Bambi's case. It rolls around intently, seemingly never stopping. They all three stared at it instantly, as if their glare would have a major effect. At last, it stops. Standing still, the dice says 1.
"And HIS CROW LOOSENS!" Bambi yelled happily. "It falls off!"
"Yeah!" Emmet cried out with relief. "Finally."
"Oh well…" Francisca simply said. "Healing itself from almond milk, what?"
"Due to the combined bowing of Kris and Ralsei," Bambi explained, a bit calmer now. "The crown falls off much quicker, and so K. Round loses its power, turning back into the small C. Round. Then it smiles happily as it rolls away into the distance."
As she told the story, the checker piece on the table seemed to mimic every step she told, down to shrinking down to its old size before vanishing into the distance. Whatever their personal views were on it, the trio had a feeling they wouldn't encounter it again any time soon.
"Yay, we did it!" Bambi exclaimed.
"Mmhmm," Francisca said, clearly disappointed. "We… sure did."
"No thanks to Francisca," Emmet muttered to himself.
Francisca looked at the young boy, having heard that fully.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him.
Emmet looked away, didn't answer.
"Erm… Francisca?" Bambi began. "I think he means-"
"You know what I meant," Emmet said after a while
"Do I?" Francisca asked.
Emmet turned to her, looking clearly unhappy with her.
"Erm, yeah," Emmet said a bit feistily. "I mean, all you do is attack and make it harder for us. Why is your solution in this game to just attack everything in sight?"
"I'm just expressing myself, ok?" Francisca replied. "That's what's this game is about, right?"
"By… attacking and killing everyone?" Emmet asked.
"Wha- no!" Francisca said. "Of course not. I'm not killing anyone. Just being aggressive, that's all. That checker thing was attacking us. It's fair defence."
"I mean, it's not just this guy," Emmet stated. "There was also the deal with the baker. Why terrorize him for example."
Francisca realised she did not know the answer to that question herself.
"Because… that's what Susie would do?" she answered awkwardly.
She didn't even believe the answer herself. No one in the room did. And seeing Emmet's unconvinced look, made the older girl turn to the only other kid in desperation.
"C'mon, back me up here, Bambi," Francisca asked.
But Bambi didn't want to do that. Even though the little girl had grown to like the older one, Bambi realised she had to be honest.
"I'm sorry, Francisca," Bambi began. "But Emmet is right. You… didn't help at all. You only made it worse."
"What?!" Francisca asked. "Are you for real!"
"If you didn't attack C. Round the first time," Bambi continued. "You… we could have avoided that entire battle."
"Well sorry kid," Francisca said, almost dismissively. "It's not like it wasn't attacking us. It's not like I was keeping it at bay."
"It's not just that," Bambi continued. "You also… you also terrorised those troops from before."
"They were enemies," Francisca added.
"And then there was the cake you destroyed," Bambi added.
"Well… cakes are also my enemies," Francisca excused badly.
Bambi looked at her, her large and bright eyes open and showing disappointment.
"Francisca…" she said gently. "You want to be a hero, right? Well, heroes are supposed to be… heroic. You should be better and encourage others to be so as well, even our enemies."
"Wait," Francisca began. "So if I'm a hero… does that mean that I can't attack anyone?"
"Not really," Bambi said gently. "Heroes don't do that. Everyone has their reasons, even those trying to fight us. Now if you want to be a hero. Then maybe… can you try being one?"
Francisca didn't know what to say. She couldn't bring herself to argue with her. With the little girl, despite feeling like she wasn't giving her much choice in this game. But it was just a game, wasn't it? Then why was she so invested? Why did she feel like this little game they were playing was real? And if this was a dream, then why did she have this little voice telling her these two kids were real as well?
Then again, a part of Francisca was growing towards Bambi's suggestions. She agreed to a certain extent that being good to your enemies is rewarding in its own right. Maybe she should be a bit friendlier, perhaps relax more. But if they weren't real, then why would it matter? Why bother playing nice to what was simply her dream imagination, especially since she would most likely forget all of this once she woke up?
Maybe, this little girl her was subconscious talking to her. Like the ones she occasionally had when doing an evil playthrough of a game. That's when something hit her. What if this wasn't a dream? What proof did she have? Then again, why was she so adamant, so stubborn in that idea, especially since her grasp on the world was being challenged in the real world? What if she was just telling herself that… perhaps… just to refuse this new reality? Was this her mind's way of fighting things that didn't fit her grasp on a singular existence and thus entering a sort of denial mode? She thought about it for a few moments more, even though it felt like hours worth of thoughts and ponderings.
But her refusal grew dominant. It had grown thus for the past hours of being in this strange place. This place, these children, and this game… were a dream, she thought to herself. They didn't matter. None of this mattered in the slightest. It was all in her head.
And since it was so, why not try pushing it to its limits at the very least? Test how far her will would go. How far would she go… to be someone else? This Susie? What if this dragon lady could be her… dark side.
She looked across the table, leaning forward with her hands on the edge, thinking of what to do next. Bambi didn't think much of it, while Emmet did not like the look of her. He felt like something was going to happen. He felt a bit nervous and considered maybe warning Bambi ahead of time.
"Hey, Francisca?" Emmet said, slightly worried and regretful. "Sorry for being so hostile. Lost my cool there, but… is everything alright? You've just been standing there, mumbling for like a minute or two."
Having finally decided, Francisca looked up towards the other two Frisks and shrugged.
"Fork it," she said, smiling deviously. "I'm with the "bad" guys now."
Author's note:
Man, I'm starting to think I may need an editor or 2. Maybe more. Much more.
Either way, here is Dungeons and Darkners Part 4. After many months and several delays, it finally returns, with what I think is the longest chapter so far.
Frankly though, I'm not sure how to feel about it right now. I will give it a bit of a thought and then give a more detailed description in the future.