The sun blinded Benji the halfling as he struggled to hold back the axe of the Bandit Lord Caltho. His muscles burned as he held the axe back mere inches from his face. He could hear the rushing of his allies as they sprinted toward him.
Xander was the closest to his ally and lifted his large two handed claymore and swung, the wind screaming as the sword rapidly approached Caltho. The Bandit Lord broke his stalemate with Benji to avoid the massive weapon and to put distance between the giant that had came to the aid of the halfling. The two allies got into ready stances as their last other comrades met them on the field of battle.
Benji Truefoot was a halfling thief who stood a mere four feet tall. He was covered in leather armor and wore a hood to hide his face. His eyes glowed yellow from within the shadow created by his hood. He held his twin ebony daggers in front of himself in a battle stance.
Xander Mighty was a Giant of the Northern Clan in the Daggerspine mountains. He was ten feet tall and towered over all of the occupants of the field. He wore a mixture of plate armor and chainmail along with a massive claymore. His head was covered by a monstrous horned helm. His black beard held bones that had been woven within it's braids. He bellowed loudly as he stood firm and ready.
Kento Swift stood beside Xander, an elven ranger of the forests of Evenfall. He stood six feet and wore brown leather armor beneath a green woolen traveler's cloak. He too had a hood over his head, his eyes glowing blue from beneath it. His enchanted Yew longbow was drawn taught and an elven arrow notched and ready to be loosened upon the enemy.
Leoric of Chaos, human Warlock, was...he was….
"Butters!" shouted a cloak wearing Dougie from his place behind the DM screen that sat directly across from Butters. Craig, dressed in a blue poncho over his blue hoodie and wearing his signature Chullo hat, was snapping his fingers in front of Butters face from his left. Butters snapped to attention and shook his head side to side..
"What? Oh, sorry fellas..." said Butters with a sigh.
Kenny sighed from his spot on the left side of the square wooden table and set his character sheet and d20 down. He was wearing a brown cloak over his usual orange zip up hoodie, white t-shirt, and blue jeans. The sound of his brown leather logger boots hitting the concrete as he stood up drew Butters attention.
"I'm getting soda, anybody want some?" asked Kenny, his green eyes sweeping across the group that resided in Craig's Parents' basement.
They were all gathered around an old wooden square table in a mix match of chairs that were somewhat hard to see in the dimly lit basement. Butters was seated on a brown wooden chair that had once been part of a set from the kitchen. Craig was sitting next to him on his left side. He was seated atop a stack of plastic crates that he claimed were 'good enough'. Dougie sat directly across from in an old green wingback chair that had been relegated to the basement years ago. Kenny had taken his seat, an old seat out of a car, from his parents garage and was currently on the left side of the table. Jimmy was sitting in a traditional metal fold up chair on the right.
Craig shook his head no, as did dougie and Butters in response to Kenny's question.
"I'll t-t-ta-take an o-orange s-s-so-, pop please!" said Jimmy.
Kenny nodded and proceeded to walk up the stairs and out of the basement. Butters looked around the group, remembering that they were playing their weekly game of Dungeons and Dragons, minus one player. Butters frowned as he remembered the letter that Alex had given him. He kept rereading it and comparing it to other letters that they had written, but something about it just seemed...wrong. Dougie looked at his friend with concern.
"Butters? Are you still thinking about what happened with Alex?" Dougie inquired.
Dougie knew the answer to the question already, but he asked anyways. Butters had refused to let the loss of his best friend go to the wayside. He kept reading the letter, analyzing it, and refused to believe that something else more sinister wasn't going on. Dougie had tried several times to tell Butters that, like everyone says, shit happens.
Butters looked at Dougie and frowned, his eyes darkening. He straightened up in his seat and turned to look Dougie in the eye.
"I know that you don't believe me, but I know that something isn't right with all of this. Alex wouldn't give up on m-" Butters stuttered "-us. He wouldn't abandon us."
Dougie frowned as he watched Butters shift in the chair.
"I don't know who you think Alex was, but abandoning his 'friends' isn't that unlikely. He betrayed Cartman a bunch when we were younger. Butters, people change. He's just full of himself and thinks he doesn't need us. So what?" said Dougie, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.
Butters' frown deepened as he let Dougie's words sink in. He didn't understand why none of his friends seemed the slightest bit concerned by Alex just abandoning them. He was their friend, a member of the group, someone they could all count on. Why couldn't they see what Butters saw?
"I have to agree with Dougie. Alex has always been an asshole." said Craig.
Butters mouth fell open as he stared at Craig. How could he say that about Alex? The guy that had saved his relationship with Tweek, saved his pet, and never left him behind.
"What are you saying?" asked Butters. Craig crossed his arms and glared at the table.
"I'm saying that I don't care if some asshole doesn't want to be friends with us. He never talks, he barely cares about anyone or what's going on. Hell, he only seemed to talk to us if you were around. Guy is a prick, good riddance." said Craig. Butters stood up from his seat in anger. How could Craig sit there and slander Butters' best pal that way!
"How can you sit there and say that? Alex has saved everyone of us several times. If it wasn't for Alex, Scott Malkinson would be dead! You would probably still be fighting with Tweek and I'd still be grounded!" said Butters, his voice steadily rising and his blood starting to boil.
Craig, for his part, just sat there with a blank look on his face and an air of indifference. That somehow made Butters even angrier. He balled his fists up and held them close to his side.
"Have you forgotten about how he stopped Eric? How he beat the sixth graders? What about helping stop the Police when they were worshipping an Elder god? He fucking-, He saved us!" said Butters with fire in his eyes.
Craig just stared impassively at Butters and shrugged.
"Dude, he saved us years ago. I'm grateful. He was super cool. The last year though? He barely talked to any of us. He kept to himself or he was glued to you. To be honest, Tweek thought you two were...ya know." said Craig, his hands forming a circle and a finger entering it repetitively.
Butters sputtered at the, not so subtle, accusation. Where would he get an idea like that? Sure, Alex was a good lookin fella, but Butters never thought of him like that. Did it really seem that way? He glanced to Dougie and watched him shrug.
"I'll be honest, I thought the same thing Boss. If it wasn't for D&D and LARP sessions, we probably wouldn't have seen him. You're the only reason we still talked with, well, to him." said Dougie.
Butters had had no idea that his friends felt this way. He glanced to Jimmy and his heart fell as he noticed the way he shrugged. Did everyone think that Alex was not their friend? How long had they felt this way? So many questions, but Butters wasn't going to give up. He face hardened and his knuckles turned white as he addressed the group.
"So, you're just letting him go? Just like that?" asked Butters.
Craig sat straight in his seat, something in the tone of Butters voice seemed...ominous. Craig usually wasn't phased by much, but that tone was familiar. It sent a chill up his spine.
"W-well, Bu-butters, w-w-whaat can we do?" asked Jimmy.
Butters slammed his hands down on the table. The force of his palms hitting the tabletop caused the DM screen to topple and the dice atop it to jump.
"You don't give up! I refuse to believe that Alex truly wants to abandon us! That asshole Cakousky has something to do with it and I'm going to get to the bottom of it!" yelled Butters to the shock of the group. Butters never raised his voice and he rarely ever got angry. Dougie knew that voice and tone. It's something he hadn't heard in years.
"Butters, what are you gonna do?" asked Dougie.
Butters just balled his fists and glared.
"Anything I can. I am saving my friend, even if you've all forsaken him." declared the usually soft spoken blonde. Butters grabbed his bag off the floor and stomped out of the room and began stomping up the stairs.
"When you assholes decide what side you're on, text me!" Butters shouted.
As Kenny was coming down the stairs he was pushed out of the way by an angry, red-faced Butters. He looked bewildered up the stairs and then to the group sitting awestruck at the table.
"What the fuck was that?" asked Kenny.