Reaver's Servants
Dunces and Dragons
Lunchtime in Bowerstone Market was probably not the best time to be shopping, but it was the only time the servants had. The hustle and bustle of the city market at high noon was frightening but nothing the servants couldn't handle. They were running errands about the city, since Reaver had given everyone the day off (except Barry, sadly) so he could do business at the castle. Willa and Rosie made their way to the bookstore, not knowing of the adventure they were about to have.
Through the crowd of people running errands in the hot midday sun, Rosie guided Willa. The crowd became a small maze, but people tended to stay out of Rosie's way. Rosie didn't mean to look as intimidating as she did, but she figured it came in handy when she needed it to. Bowerstone Market at lunchtime was a frightening place but when things needed to be done around Bowerstone, it was an unavoidable place.
Rosie glanced up at the clock tower and noted the time. She nodded to the clock tower, as if greeting an old friend and continued through the crowd. "Mr. Reaver said he and Mr. Hatch would be done in an hour, and we promised to meet him and the others for lunch at the café, so let's not spend all day in here again." said Rosie as they approached the bookstore. With their purses close to their bodies, the two walked in as the bell overhead rang softly. There were only a few people in the shop today, which was good when trying to escape the lunchtime crowd.
Willa rolled her eyes. "Alright, but this time, when someone tries to direct me toward the kids section, don't stand there and laugh." said Willa, as the two girls walked in. Rosie smirked and only nodded. Rosie was a woman of her word, but even she had to admit it was sometimes too funny to watch Willa be treated like a child due to her height. The shopkeeper looked up from what she was doing for a moment to greet Willa and Rosie. The girls nodded their hello to the shop keeper and ignored the three young men standing in front of the comic book stands.
The shopkeeper glared at the three young men as Willa and Rosie went up the stairs to the second floor. "Look, you three have been standing there for hours. Are you going to buy something or not?" asked the obviously annoyed shopkeeper. The three young men were dressed in red cloaks and one was wearing a mask.
The one wearing the mask (Mark) closed his comic book and glared at the shopkeeper. He stood with a self-satisfied stature and placed his comic book down. "If you keep interrupting us reading to ask us that, then maybe we'll take our business elsewhere." He said, sarcastically.
"Good! Then maybe people won't be so afraid to come in here anymore." shouted the shopkeeper. It was obvious she had dealt with these three before and each time she grew more and more impatient with their antics, once even having to call a guard. The shopkeeper put her ball up fist on her hip and scowled at the three young men. "You have another half hour to buy something or I'm calling a guard again!"
Upstairs, Rosie shifted through the philosophy books. "I didn't think you'd be one for philosophy." said Willa, picking up an adventure book.
Rosie glanced up from her book and only stared at Willa. "I've always liked the study of the mind. When Lord Logan stayed with us last season he said after he became the Queen's head advisor, he did some reading about certain philosophies from other lands. He said it really did him a world of good. It reignited my interest and I decided to read up on the latest books regarding some of my old favorites. I think a little study on different beliefs and ways of thinking is quite healthy."
Willa shook her head, but knew Rosie wasn't one to lie or make up stories. "For a guy that annoys you, you sure did enjoy spending time with Lord Logan." said Willa.
When it came to Rosie, just about anyone could annoy her. Despite that, Rosie was a patient woman who rarely showed her anger unless one particularly ticked her off. Those moments were rare, but there were a few people that had seen this side and didn't like to talk about it. "We had a lot in common. His travels seem to be more interesting than ours were though." said Rosie.
"That's because he gets to travel for the Queen. We just traveled to entertain idiots." retorted Willa, folding her arms.
Shrugging, Rosie placed her book back and went over to the cooking section. Though not the most dynamic cook, Rosie knew a few simple recipes that she was particularly proud of. "Miss Sarah promised to teach me how to make those crème puffs Mr. Reaver likes. I wonder if Lord Logan likes them too…" Rosie mused as her finger traced along the book spines.
"Rosie did something happen between you and Lord Logan?" asked Willa, as she walked toward the stairs.
Rosie blushed and looked away. "Don't be silly, we only had a few good discussions; that's all…" Rosie hid her blushing face in a random book.
Willa giggled and blushed softly. Despite being so short, things rarely went over her head. Willa always had a knack for figuring things out. All it took was a little detective work on her part. "If you say so, Rosie. Well, when you're done reading about how to make Auroran delicacies with fungus and mud, I'll be downstairs looking at the comic books." Willa walked downstairs as Rosie fumbled with the book she had. "By the way, that book is upside down."
As Willa descended the stairs, she overheard the tail end of an argument. She couldn't help to listen in. "No, you're wrong! Akio the Traveler is totally more awesome than Yuudai the Slayer." said the young man with blonde curly hair under his hood (Ben). "His spells are second to none! Didn't you see in issue number sixty-eight where he took down an entire hollow legion with just a flare spell? That right there is heroism, my friend."
His friend seemed to disagree. "Akio the Traveler can barely qualify as an action star. He's a monk that casts spells! Now, Yuudai can kill enemies with one swing of an axe without breaking a sweat!" shouted the one with brown hair (Jim). "Besides, aren't monks supposed to be peaceful? They can't even get their mythology right!"
Mark rubbed his eyes and watched his friends argue. By his sigh, one could tell Mark often had to separate those two. He didn't like either comic hero, but decided not to bother getting into this argument as there would be no clear winner. All he cared about was not getting thrown out again. "Come on you guys, you're going to get us kicked out again!" He said, doubting his friends heard him.
"You're both wrong!" shouted Willa, from behind them.
All three stopped to look at her. "Guys, it's a nymph!" said Jim, pointing to Willa. Willa scowled at the remark, but decided to let it slide. She folded her arms and waited for Jim's rebuttal. "Look, it's cute you want to help, Little Miss, but this happens to be an adult conversation, so why don't you just scoot along to the kids section. I hear they have some new Hi-Hi Pussycat books in stock." He cooed, as he bent down and patted Willa on the head.
Willa huffed and punched Jim in the gut as hard as she could, which made him fall over in pain. His friends would have laughed if they weren't in shock. "As I was saying, both are great heroes, but neither compares even the slightest to Frideswide the Strong!" Willa smiled self-assuredly as Mark and Ben helped Jim off the floor. "She doesn't need spells or fancy weapons to defeat her enemies! She uses her brute strength and her smarts! That is a true warrior!"
With her head in the air, Willa huffed and walked over to the other aisle of comic books. Helping up their friend, Mark and Ben watched as Willa opened a comic book and read to herself. "I think she punched my liver into my kidneys." Jim groaned as he regained his composure.
The three young men observed Willa from their corner. "She's obviously out of the ordinary." said Ben.
"How old do you think she is?" asked Jim, coughing a little bit.
Mark rubbed his chin and examined Willa. He could honestly say he'd never seen anything like her before. A young woman as strong as she was could prove useful. "Well, her height suggests a twelve-year-old, maybe even a thirteen-year-old. But seeing as she almost caused you to vomit your own stomach, her strength is that of an adult man, maybe stronger. Her manner of speech and the way she holds herself up, I'd say she's probably no older than twenty." The three young men poked their heads from around the book stand and watched Willa closely.
"Why are you watching my friend?" A forebodingly calm voice from behind asked. The three young men slowly looked behind themselves and found Rosie looking down on them with a book under her arm. Rosie slightly towered over the three young men, which made her presence even more terrifying to the three young men. Though she never intended to, Rosie looked quite intimidating. Rosie was a tall woman and most men (Reaver included, though he denied it) were scared of her. It was obvious to the three that there was more to Rosie than meets the eye.
"Amazon!" shouted Ben as he cowered behind Mark.
Rosie raised one eyebrow and walked over to Willa. Willa put one comic book back and picked up. "Those three guys over there were staring at you." Rosie said, as she approached Willa. Rosie turned her glance every so often at the three, who cowered behind a bookshelf each time Rosie glanced in their direction.
"Those losers? They wouldn't know good comic books if someone beat them upside the head with one." said Willa, not even glancing at the three young men.
The three young men observed the girls as they talked, but stayed focused on Rosie. Rosie turned her head around and glared at the three men. She let out a soft but audible growl. The three young men cowered behind their shelf as Rosie directed Willa away. Ben was the first to speak up after the frightened silence. "The tall one has a magical aura about her. Sinister, yet I can feel some good coming from her." said Ben.
"Do you think the others will take to them well?" asked Jim.
Mark shrugged and kept his eyes on Willa and Rosie. "Let's hope they do. It took a lot to get the Magicka Orb back from the Queen, so it has to work."
Walking up to the counter with their books, Willa and Rosie couldn't help but feel they were still being watched. The Shopkeeper, having stopped paying attention to the three young men, picked up each book and tapped some buttons on her cash register. The clicking noises and the loud DING that sounded when the total came up was slightly amusing to the two girls. "Alright, some comic books for the little miss…" said the shopkeeper, making Willa huff. "And some cook books and the official 'Hi-Hi Pussycat Collector's Guide' for her companion."
Rosie shushed the shopkeeper as she blushed. "Please, just ring us up." Rosie begged as the shopkeeper wrapped up their purchases.
After paying the shopkeeper, Willa and Rosie made their way out with their purchases. Mark, Jim, and Ben watched the two girls leave. "Ahh, a tough Amazon with a soft spot and a young barbarian type. They are perfect." schemed Mark, as he and his friends watched from a window.
Jim nodded as the three made their way to the counter with their books of choice. "We already have the white mage, the rogue, the paladin, and even the bard. Those two will be perfect for the barbarian and the black mage. All we'll be missing now is the Princess."
The three young men heard the impatient tapping of a foot before they felt angry hands grab the backs of their robes.
Neither Rosie nor Willa saw the three young men being thrown out of the bookstore by the shopkeeper. Both were too engrossed in their new purchases. Rosie smiled a she unwrapped the big pink collectors guide she bought. Willa smiled at her comic books, taking one out and opening it to the page she left off on. Rosie held her book close and looked down at Willa, who smirked at the contents of the page. "Aren't you a little too old to read comic books?" asked Rosie, as they stopped in the town square.
"Aren't you a little too old to be collecting dolls?" retorted Willa, pointing to Rosie's book. Rosie blushed as she hurriedly put the pink book back in the bag and attempted to change the subject. Willa giggled softly and looked up as they entered the town square proper. The lunch crowd had dispersed a little, which made walking around a little easier.
Rosie and Willa stopped almost directly in front of the clock tower. "Well, we have a little time to kill before everyone meets at the café." Rosie murmured, looking up at the clock tower again. It was barely after lunchtime and the sun was still beating down on Bowerstone. Rosie wiped a little sweat away from her brow and then looked back at Willa. "What do you want to do now?"
Before either could suggest something, he three young men from the bookstore approached the two, cautiously. Their robes were a little dustier than the girls remembered, though neither Rosie nor Willa cared enough to keep a mental image of these three. "Hello, ladies. Fine day, isn't it?" asked Mark, as they approached.
"What do you three want?" asked Willa, holding her purchases tightly.
Mark cleared his throat and straightened out his mask. "We would like to apologize for our friend's statement back in the bookstore. It was ungentlemanly of him. Right, Jim?" said Mark, nudging Jim in the side.
"Oww, I'm still in pain from the punch…but yes, I'm sorry, Miss." said Jim, rubbing his stomach.
Willa and Rosie looked at the three. Willa sighed and shook her head. She had a feeling these three were up to something, but decided to go along with it if not to get them to leave her and Rosie alone. "Alright, apology accepted. I guess I shouldn't have punched you so hard." said Willa. "I don't have much control over my strength when I'm mad." Willa rubbed her knuckles a bit.
Mark nodded and scratched his chin. "That is actually what we wanted to talk to you about. You almost managed to make our friend vomit lunch he had three days ago. Not even those ruffians at the pub we sometimes play at can do that. How is a girl like you so strong?"
Willa smiled proudly and held her head up. "Well, if you must know, my father was a strong man in the circus my friend and I used to be a part of. My father was one of the strongest men in Albion. He took his training very seriously, and he took mine even more so. He was training me before the circus shut down. He often used to joke that I got my looks from mom but my strength from him." Willa giggled softly.
"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Miss?" asked Jim, trying not to upset Willa again.
Willa huffed, making Jim cower behind Mark again. Ben chuckled softly, but stopped when Jim glared at him. "Well, for one, stop calling me 'Miss'. My name is Willa and I'm nineteen. I may not look like much, but seeing as your friend nearly keeled over when I punched him, I'd say I'm more than meets the eye." Willa corrected as she folded her arms.
Nodding, Mark smiled and kept his hand in front. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Willa. Now, on to business, shall we? I want to know if you and your friend-" Mark gestured to Rosie, who just stood there.
"Rosie. My name is Rosie." said Rosie, stoically.
With a nervous chuckle, Mark brought his hand back down and kept it to the side. "-Rosie, like to join us for a game? Think of it as an apology game."
"What kind of game?" Willa asked, pretending to care.
"Well, it's nothing threatening. A game of Hollows and Hobbes." said Jim.
"Hollows and Hobbes?" asked Rosie. Willa looked up at Rosie, who only shrugged. Rosie thought for a moment. "I think I heard Miss Sarah talk about that game. Some kind of table top board game, I think. She collects the figures and booklets." Rosie looked down at Willa, who did nothing. Rosie folded her arms and nodded. "Well, we do have some time before we meet our friends, I guess it can't hurt."
The three young men smiled wide. "Wonderful! Please follow us and we can get you properly attired." said Mark, as the girls followed them.
Walking through the crowd was tough, but somehow Rosie and Willa managed to keep a good pace behind "So, do you guys have names or do you just prefer to be called weirdoes?" asked Rosie.
The group stopped short of a side street and the three young men faced the girls. "I suppose, since you were nice enough not to kill my friend, we do owe you two ladies some introductions. If you must know, we are three magi on a special quest. I am Madron of a Thousand Faces." said Mark, gesturing to himself. "This is Ka'liv, Lord of the Fairies." He pointed to Ben, who waved softly. "And this is-"
"We meant real names." Willa interrupted, looking somewhat aggravated.
"Alright, I'm Mark, that's Ben, and he's Jim." Mark sighed, as they continued walking. Eventually reaching a house at the edge of the Marketplace, Willa and Rosie looked at each other, not sure what they had gotten themselves into. "Enter, fair maidens, and welcome to our palace of adventure!" A regular two story home, the "Palace of Adventure" had little landscape models on shelves and a vast table top scene on the table near the window. "Can I interest you maidens in light refreshments before we get started?" Mark asked, as he shut and locked the front door.
"No, we're fine." said Rosie.
"Just put your parcels by the door, and we'll begin shortly." said Mark, gesturing to the table next to the doorway. The girls placed down their things and followed Mark. Reaching into an old dusty chest, Mark took out two outfits for Rosie and Willa. "Put these on. Being in character is important." He said, handing them the outfits.
"You, Willa, will be the barbarian: a strong warrior with a sense of honor as big as her heart." said Mark, bestowing the costume to Willa. "And you, Rosie, will be the mysterious but all powerful black mage: though ruled by the dark arts, a pure spirit lies deep within." Rosie took the costume and raised an eyebrow. Shrugging, Rosie and Willa left the room to change. "You guys get the table ready. I'm going to fetch our princess." said Mark, as he left the house.
After a little while, Willa and Rosie emerged from the other room, dressed in their costumes. Willa was wearing a furry costume that looked like it was made from some unknown animal. While it fit her well, Willa didn't like the way it felt. Or the way it smelled, for that matter. "So, why do I look like I'm wearing a rug?" asked Willa, putting on the helmet that came with her costume.
"Technically, it's a goblin outfit, but it'll have to do since the barbarian outfit is too big." said Jim.
Willa glared at him as Rosie tugged at her robes, specifically around the bust. "It's a bit snug." said Rosie. Rosie's robes were dark and seemed to cover all of her body. Her costume was a little snug, but the oversized hat seemed to fit perfectly. Rosie grabbed her long hair and placed it under the hat, shifting the hat into place.
"Well, we're not accustomed to playing with women as buxom as you, Miss; or women in general." Ben laughed nervously. Trying to look surprised, Willa and Rosie followed the "magi" to the table top scene. The lights dimmed and Mark appeared with a green glowing ball. Ben smiled and moved out of the way. "Alright, ladies…hold on to this, and the game shall begin."
Willa looked at Rosie with a look of anxiety. The two slowly grabbed the orb and watched it glow as Mark mumbled a little chant. Suddenly, the two got an odd shrinking feeling and then everything went dark.
In a forested area, outside a small village
"Oww, my head…" said Rosie, as she awoke. Willa was lying beside her, still out cold. "I swear, if those guys did things to us and left us in the middle of nowhere…" Rosie grumbled, as she stood. She noted the ground felt odd under her feet, as if not made of dirt or rock, but of a weird kind of cardboard. Looking around, she also noted the bushes nearby looked like they were made of plastic. She tried to take a leaf off the bush, but it snapped back like a rubber band. "Okay…"
Rosie slowly walked back to Willa, who was just awakening. "Wha…oh, did those guys knock us out and leave us somewhere?" she asked, as she regained her composure and stood up. "Willa, something about this place isn't…natural."
Willa bent down and tried to pick up some dirt. She found her fingernails scraping the road, making a hollow sound as if scratching a cardboard box. "This road is painted on." she said, picking up a rock. "This rock doesn't feel…well, rocky." Willa tossed the rock against a nearby tree. It made a hollow thunk. "Rosie, where in Albion are we?" Willa asked, somewhat scared.
"I don't think we're in Albion anymore…" muttered Rosie. The entire forest gave off an artificial feel. The faraway scenery was painted on, though it looked very real to the undiscerning eye. Rosie tried to walk in the direction of the sprawling hills and hit a wall. She felt the wall and then came back to Rosie. "In fact, this whole place looks like some sort of play set."
"Finally awake from their rest, the newest adventurers ponder their surroundings before pressing on." said an overhead voice.
Willa hid behind Rosie. "Who is that? Where are we?"
"You are in the Elfwood Forest just outside of the sleepy hamlet of…what is the name of the village?" asked the big voice.
"I think it's Havenshire." said another voice.
"Alright, we'll go with that. The barbarian and the black mage get their bearings straight before pressing on to the sleepy hamlet of Havenshire."
Rosie squinted and tried her hardest to see through the cotton ball clouds. Her eyes widened when she saw Mark, Jim, and Ben through the clouds. Like giants, the three stared down at Rosie and Willa, overseeing the world like gods. "Willa, I think we're in their game." said Rosie. Willa squinted and her eyes widened too.
"Can we get on with this?" asked Jim.
Willa and Rosie looked at each other and then to the path. It was the only way to go, unless they wanted to stare at a backdrop. "I guess we have to walk." said Rosie. Without much else said, Willa and Rosie started walking down the path, which apparently led to the little cardboard village of Havenshire.
"Upon entering the gate, the two spy the rest of their party awaiting them by the fountain in the center of town." said Mark.
Willa looked over and pointed. "Hey Rosie, look!" she shouted, pointing to the group of people sitting around the fountain.
Looking up, Reaver (the rogue) smiled, as if knowing they would come. He was dressed like a ruffian thief, though he seemed to pull off the costume pretty well. He kept his gun by his side. "Well, I admit, this isn't much of a surprise." He said, as he walked to the girls.
"Mr. Reaver, what are you doing here?" asked Willa, as she and Rosie approached.
Reaver sighed and tugged at his outfit a little. Made from some unknown material, the thief costume looked uncomfortable and they could tell Reaver hadn't worn material this cheaply made in a very long time. If ever, for the matter. "Well, Hatch and I were on our way back from the castle when those three young fellows walked up to us. After assuring me they weren't beggars, they convinced us to join in their game, saying others would come. Had I known I would be shrunk into some kind of cardboard wonderland, I probably would have ignored these three and been on my way. I assure you, the others are here too. So, no need to fret." Reaver pointed to the others sitting around the fountain.
Beryl (the white mage) cantered her way over in her white robe with red trim. "Hey you guys!" she said, fumbling around with her staff. Beryl, who was bean-pole thin, seemed to fit her costume well. It was a simple white dress-like robe with a hood and red trim. It came with a small bag with a red cross on the flap, though whether or not it actually contained anything was unknown.
"How come she gets a staff?" Rosie asked, looking up at the sky.
"That's not really important right now, is it?" asked Gordon (the bard), as he walked up. Looking almost like the thief, Gordon's bard outfit looked a little more worn, as if it had been on many adventures just itself. On Gordon's back was a lute, though it had no strap. The girls assumed it was sewn on and the lute couldn't actually be played.
Barry (the paladin) stayed where he was. Barry's paladin armor was light and looked like it had been pieced back together many times. A dull white caress and matching pants were all that seemed to make up this holy knight's outfit. Barry didn't say it, but it itched something fierce. "Well, since you two are here, where is Miss Sarah?" he asked.
"She's not with you guys?" asked Rosie.
"Well, obviously not!" snapped Reaver. "Maybe she was lucky enough not to get sucked into this sanity-crushing boredom."
"Ohhh, they already know each other! That should make things more interesting. Friendship between characters is essential in proper team building." said Ben; his voice sounding like it was being carried by the wind.
"Umm, hello, omnipotent weirdoes that conned us into this game, can we get this going? We've been waiting for quite a while for two others. Well, they are here…" shouted Reaver.
"Our thief is an impatient one." said Mark. "I always figured a thief would need to be patient. What with all the sitting and waiting thieves do."
"Minor details we can work out later. Let's get this show on the road." shouted Jim.
"Fine, whatever; Ahem…" Mark cleared his throat, which sounded like booming thunder to the adventurers below, and began the story. "Our valiant party, having met in their usual meeting point, stand around the bard, who has their mission assignment from their unseen Master of Dungeons."
Everyone immediately looked at Gordon, who was obviously the bard. Gordon was dressed like a dusty wise traveler, with a lute on his back and all. Whether or not the lute actually worked was up for debate, but it was a minor detail. "Why in the hell are you all looking at me? I don't have anything on me about a damn mission." Gordon shouted, patting down his pockets and the small tote on his belt.
Gordon then felt a small balled up piece of paper hit him on the head. "There, now stop complaining." said Jim.
Rubbing his head, Gordon grumbled and bent down to pick the message off the ground. Opening it, he read the note aloud:
"Dear Brave Adventurers, your aide is required!
Our ruler, the kind and beautiful Princess Honey, has been kidnapped by the evil Hobbe King!
He plans to marry her, steal her powers, and take the kingdom for his own evil purposes!
It is up to you to rescue her before the entire kingdom falls into darkness.
Rewards for this quest: +100 exp., and a Spell Scroll of Invisibility +10
Good Luck, Brave Heroes; the Princess's life is in your hands.
~Master of Dungeons"
"This has got to be the stupidest…" Gordon walked back to the fountain and mumbled a few expletives.
"A girl named Honey? Sounds delicious in more ways than one." said Reaver, lustfully. "Well, it sounds like she needs saving, so…I guess we need to save Princess Honey."
"Finally, let's get this adventure going." said Jim, as the group started walking into town. The group walked into town and found mostly cardboard cut-outs of people, which they assumed would be villagers. "The group splits up to search the town for clues about Princess Honey's whereabouts. "The two mages wonder to the alchemist's shop, hoping for some information."
Rosie and Beryl stared at the cardboard cut-out of a man wearing a robe. Shrugging, Rosie tapped the "alchemist" on the shoulder. "Ummm…excuse me, would you happen to have any information on the whereabouts of the ones who took Princess Honey?" asked Rosie, not sure what she was doing.
The cardboard alchemist started moving on his own. "Ahh yes! Hello, fair maidens of magic! I have the information you seek, but first I require some assistance in a potion. Then, I shall grant you what you seek." said Jim, in a grumbly voice.
"What kind of assistance?" Beryl asked. Rosie just glared at Beryl, who shrugged. "Might as well play along." She reasoned.
"I require one small bag of powdered eucalyptus leaves so I may finish this potion of life." Jim's voice began to crack imitating the alchemist.
"As the mages go to a nearby shop to see if they sell what is needed, the rogue and paladin find the blacksmith."
Reaver rubbed his forehead with two fingers and walked up to the cardboard cut-out. "Alright, Mr. Cardboard Blacksmith, give me the information we need so we can leave this place." Reaver demanded.
"Hello, brave travelers! I am Clem the Blacksmith! Bring me some…" the cardboard blacksmith was interrupted by Reaver shooting his gun. Barry tried not to laugh as the cardboard head flew off. "Why would you do that? Do you know how hard it is to find a blacksmith for this edition of Hollows and Hobbes?" whined Ben.
"Obviously not or else I probably would have shot him sooner. Now, did that blacksmith have anything useful to say or not?" asked Reaver.
It went quiet for a second. "Well, not just yet, he was just going to say ask the milkmaid." said Mark.
Reaver sighed and glared at the sky. "Then we've wasted enough time here. Let's go find the others, Hatch." Reaver instructed. Barry stayed close to Reaver as they rejoined the group.
"The adventurers regroup in the center of town, feeling somewhat hopeless."
"This whole game is hopeless. I say we ignore them." said Willa, as everyone sit around the fountain in the town square.
"Well, I doubt they are going to let us leave until we find the cardboard princess. So, the sooner we find the plot, the sooner we leave." Rosie reasoned, sitting on a nearby foam rock.
Barry sighed and leaned against his hands as he sat on the fountain. The water wasn't even real water. It was clear blue plastic. "Well, I doubt any of the 'townspeople' have anything useful to say." said Barry, leaning against a plastic tree. "I'm just glad Miss Sarah was lucky enough to avoid these three loonies. I bet she's sitting in the café, worried sick about us." Everyone nodded in agreement
"Mark, they aren't doing anything." said Ben.
"There's nothing in the handbook about characters that won't do anything." said Jim.
"Well, they were supposed to reconvene and discuss their next course of action. While they were doing that, the blacksmith was supposed to overhear them and tell them about the abandoned farm outside of town. But the thief blew off his head." said Mark.
"Abandoned farm? I thought we were going with the peaceful meadow with the moon fairies." whined Ben.
Reaver stood and dusted himself off. "You heard the freaks, let's go find us an abandoned farm." The servants got up and followed Reaver.
"Other way, brave adventurers." said Mark.
Reaver and the others turned around and started walking toward an iron gate. Outside of town, the group found a peaceful field made of fake wheat. "Ben, did you replace the desolate field with a healthy wheat field?" asked Jim.
"Yes, I think the desolate, rocky field is too cliché. The quiet unassuming wheat field is more eerie." said Ben, as the group watched a bunny bound after a butterfly.
"Then what's with the bunnies and butterflies?" shouted Jim.
"That's…actually my fault. When I got the orb back, I wanted to make sure it still worked, so I tested it on some wildlife when I was visiting my parent's farm the other day." Mark commented.
"But why are they on the board?" asked Jim.
"Where else was I supposed to put them?" Mark's answer was met by an exasperated moan from Jim. "Oh, if you guys see a brown dog with black spots running around, please let me know. My parents want their sheep dog back."
The group made their way along the dirt path to an abandoned looking farm house. Inside, they found a group of hobbes sitting around, eating the plastic surroundings. "Hobbes?" the group shouted.
"Are they real?" asked Beryl, as she hid behind Gordon.
"They look real." said Barry, getting a slightly closer look. The ugly little hobbes looked over at the group and started shouting. The group backed up as the Hobbes got closer.
"Now what do we do?" asked Willa.
"Well, this is an adventure game, I say we fight them." said Reaver, brandishing his gun and an evil grin.
"Charging head on, the adventurers attack the hobbes, hoping to find any clues to the Hobbe King's whereabouts."
The servants charged forward, using anything they could as a weapon. After the group beat the hobbes senseless, one of the hobbes dropped a piece of paper. "Well, that's convenient." said Reaver, wiping the blood off his gun. Reaver picked it up and unfolded it. "It appears to be a map of some kind; granted, dripping with hobbe blood, but still a map none the less."
"That went by a lot faster than I had hoped. Maybe the Hobbe King will be more of a challenge." said Jim. "Our brave adventurers stumble upon a map to the evil Hobbe King's lair."
"Thank you, Sir Obvious!" shouted Willa.
"Don't get snippy, little barbarian." warned Jim.
"Oh, they're getting close to the good part. I can't wait." said Mark.
"Don't go too fast! It diminishes the excitement!" whined Ben.
"Fast paced gameplay can be good, depending on the game being played." said Jim. The group looked at the map, which were mostly scribbles in red crayon.
"Well, this is idiotic. I demand one of you tell us where our destination is." Reaver shouted into the air. "It's not much of an adventure if we keep telling you what to do." said Jim.
Rolling his eyes, Reaver examined the map. "According to this, I think we go into the ominous looking forest." He said, pointing to the forest behind the farm.
"Back on track, our heroes venture into the Forgotten Wood, following the map and the sounds of hobbe celebration."
The group entered the plastic forest, not really sure of what other idiocies they would find. "I hear music." said Beryl, clutching her staff close. The sounds of drums beating wildly could be heard coming from a nearby glen. In haste, the group (in a desperate hope that the game would soon end) ran after the music.
"Our heroes come across the celebration of the unwanted engagement of Princess Honey and the Hobbe King."
On a low cliff overlooking the glade, the group saw a figure dressed in a pretty white dress with a tiara on. Their jaws dropped. One hobbe looked over from preparing the feast and growled loudly enough for the others to hear. The music stopped as the group came forward. "You…can't be serious..." Reaver complained, as his right eye twitched. The hobbe tribe stood there, and stared the group down. Their king, a much bigger hobbe wearing tattered regal clothes and holding a magic staff, shouted almost audible sentences to his tribe. "Well, I can honestly say I didn't expect this…"
Tied to a post on the cliff near the Hobbe King was Miss Sarah, in a flowing white dress and a tiara on. "Oh, hello you guys!" she shouted happily.
"Miss Sarah, they tricked you into playing too?" shouted Barry, coming to the front of the crowd.
"Tricked me? Oh no, I love playing Hollows and Hobbes! They saw me looking at one of the newest editions at the hobby shop a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to join their group, since they were short a few players. I didn't have a group of my own and they needed a princess, so I thought why not?" Miss Sarah put on her sunniest smile.
"Miss Sarah, we've been over this; you're a kidnapped princess. You can't exactly be smiling if you're about to be drained of all your powers and unwillingly married to an evil hobbe." Jim scolded.
"Though, not particularly in that order, of course." Ben added.
"Oh…right…sorry." Miss Sarah cleared her throat. "Oh, brave adventurers! Please save me! I don't want to marry the evil Hobbe King!" Miss Sarah was a surprisingly good actress. The hobbes started forming a circle around the adventurers. "One of you must fight me. If you win, you will be the new king, and the Princess will be free!" shouted the Hobbe King, in a grumbly yet still audible voice. "Choose your champion, and we shall do battle!"
As if thinking as a collective, everyone shoved Barry into the center of the circle. "Good luck, Hatch, we'll be rooting for you!" shouted Reaver, as he and the group hid behind some rocks.
"What happened to teamwork?" Barry shouted.
"We decided, as a team, that you should fight the Hobbe King!" Beryl shouted, from behind their rock hiding place.
Barry took out his rather large dagger and tried not to show how scared he was. "Okay, Hatch; he may be the biggest hobbe, but he's still a hobbe…" he told himself, as the Hobbe King jumped down from his throne. With a monstrous roar and an odd glow from the sky (Mark, Jim, and Ben were using the orb again) the hobbe turned into a dragon.
"Of course…" said Barry, as he raised his sword.
The dragon chased Barry around the glade, shooting fire and roaring ferociously. The group watched at Barry ran around like a crazed chicken. "This is depressing." said Gordon.
"Be careful, Mr. Hatch!" shouted Miss Sarah, from her post. "I mean…be careful, brave champion!" Barry looked up briefly at Miss Sarah, and realized he couldn't make a fool out of himself in front of her. He dodged the dragon's swinging tail with accidental ease slashed at it. The dragon, of course, grabbed Barry and roared at him. Before he could eat Barry, a single gunshot pierced the beast's hand, making him drop Barry.
"Try not to embarrass me out there, Hatch!" shouted Reaver, as he and the troupe charged the monster.
Miss Sarah wiggled happily in her confinement. "How exciting...I mean, oh brave warriors! Do be careful!" she shouted as she calmed her wiggling down.
"It has to have a weak point! Find it while we distract it!" shouted Reaver, reaching for his gun. The troupe rushed the dragon, swinging their respective weapons, only to get pushed to the side by its giant claws. Willa jumped on its neck and attempted to wrestle it down. Rosie sat on a nearby rock and started to concentrate. "Now is hardly the time to take a break, Rosie!" shouted Reaver, as the dragon grabbed him by his leg and flung him into a bush.
Beryl had to bend almost all the way back to keep from getting hit by the dragons swinging tail. Gordon leaped away from its swinging arms with ease. "Beryl! I got an idea!" he shouted. Beryl nodded as she did a split to avoid the dragon's tail again.
"We have to keep it from breathing fire!" Gordon got a running start and leap frogged off Beryl's shoulders, grabbing the dragon by its muzzle. "Rosie, what the hell are you doing?" he shouted, kicking the dragon a few times in its chin.
Rosie's eyes forced themselves open and started to glow. "Mr. Hatch! The heart shaped patch of scales on its back! Plunge your sword into it!" she shouted, coming from her trance. Barry, running along the dragon's tail and up to his back, plunged his sword into the dragon's heart patch. It roared in agony and exploded into glittery dust, along with the other hobbes around.
"May the bards of the land compose symphonies in honor of our great adventurers!" shouted Ben.
"That was actually pretty cool!" shouted Jim, happily. "Our brave adventurers, having slain the beast, follow their champion and free the princess."
Scaling the low cliff, the group ran up to Miss Sarah and let Barry untie her. He slowly helped her down, both blushing as he held her waist gently. "That was terrific! You all were marvelous!" said Miss Sarah, clapping happily with a smile.
"And now, Princess Honey calls forth the heroes, and give them their prize, of 100 exp. and the Invisibility scroll." said Mark.
"But she has a special reward for the champion who slayed the dragon. A kiss, as well as her hand in marriage." Ben swooned. Barry and Miss Sarah blushed, not realizing Barry was still holding onto her waist.
"Let's not turn this into a love story." complained Jim. "Their adventure over, the brave heroes and the Princess leave the glade, onto their next adventure!"
A bright light started shining and the next thing the group knew, they were back in the house, in front of the three young men, who were cheering for them. After getting dressed, the group was again met by cheers from the three young men. "You guys have to be some of the best adventurers yet!" said Mark, with Ben jumping happily behind him.
"It was great; could have been better." said Jim.
Willa walked up to Jim and punched him in the stomach again. "That was horrible…" she muttered, as she and the others left the house.
"If I see you on the street, I can't guarantee I won't kill you." said Reaver.
"Last time I talk to anyone wearing a red cloak and a mask." muttered Gordon. "Today has been a waste of a day off." said Beryl, with Rosie nodding. Rosie picked up her and Willa's earlier purchases from their place by the door.
Barry and Miss Sarah left the house as Mark and Ben went to help up Jim, who was collapsed on the floor, holding his stomach. "Same time next Wednesday, you guys?" asked Miss Sarah.
"Of course, Miss Sarah, and remember, it's your turn to bring the snacks!" shouted Mark, waving good-bye.
"I think my stomach imploded…" whined Jim, as Ben helped him upstairs.
Walking side by side, Barry and Miss Sarah blushed and laughed as they made their way home.
Reaver flicked an oddly shaped dice piece across his desk, which Reavie chased after happily. "Well, Reavie, I must say I am jealous of you. You spent all day here while me and the circus rejects were trapped in a magical board game." Reaver muttered. Reavie looked at him curiously as he took out his journal. "Don't look at me like that, I'm telling the truth!" he shouted, as he filled his pen with ink.
"With my business at the castle done, Hatch and I were talked into partaking in quite an odd game this afternoon. What I assumed would be an afternoon of watching scantily clad people sit about a room talking nonsense turned into quite an adventure. Plastic trees, cardboard townspeople, and high adventure! I must say, and I don't want this repeated to anyone, I actually enjoyed myself. Reminded me of the time I gallivanted around with Sparrow all those years ago. Maybe I was too quick to judge those young men.
Something in Hatch's eyes twinkled when he helped Miss Sarah off the post she was tied to…is something going on between them? Hmm, I wonder…it's no secret Hatch has a crush on Miss Sarah, and I often suspected she had the same feelings for him. But something tells me it could unwind this demented little family we've become. Personally, I am not one to disrupt love, unless it benefits me somehow, and of all people I don't want moping around my home like a heartbroken teenager, it's Barry. I shall be keeping a close eye on this juicy little development…"
Reaver closed his journal and looked at Reavie, who gave him a disapproving look. "Don't give me that look, cat!" Reaver got up and left the office. He walked toward the dining room, where he found Barry and Miss Sarah, sitting at the end of the table. She was showing him pieces of a Hollows and Hobbes game. He looked curiously at the pieces and bits of paper. Reaver watched from a corner as Miss Sarah put her hand on Barry's, instructing him to do something. He watched them blush and giggle, just enjoying each other's company. Reaver frowned and left the doorway, without a word.
"I will have to keep an eye on those two…the day when Hatch beats me to a conquest is a cold day in the Underworld indeed!"
N'cha, N'cha, N'cha you guys!
Well, as you may have noticed if you lurk around my stories (I love my stalkers lol) I have been doing a bit of spring cleaning on each of the chapters. For example, in the Tea Time story, I changed King Sparrow to Queen Sparrow (I didn't realize I made that mistake until I was reading my own stories haha). But, I am a literary perfectionist, so it irked me until I changed it Haha.
Well, as I have said before, my belief is that if a writer is not satisfied, the reader won't be satisfied, so I deleted the original chapter twenty one. It is now floating around in my oblivion of a recycle bin, never to see the light of day again. It never happened…*backs away slowly* never happened…
To those wondering about the last line, no, Reaver isn't in love with Miss Sarah. He's more of a conquest kind of person. Of course, Reaver is a complex character; you're never quite sure what's going on in that perfectly groomed head of his haha. He might have some kind of feeling for her, but as far as I write, it probably won't go farther than wanting bragging rights. Of course, he respects Barry more than he's willing to admit, so maybe it's the growing relationship between Barry and Miss Sarah that he's jealous of…who knows, I haven't planned that far ahead.
Well, I'd like to apologize for this taking so long, a lot of crazy things happened these last few days that kept me from writing. For the most part, everything is fine now. OH! Have you guys checked out my newest fic yet? It's in the mature section here in the Fable area, so you don't have to go far haha. It's called "A Maid's Story" and while I don't really plan for it to intertwine with this story in anyway, who knows. It's more serious and graphic but I won't be updating it as much as I have mentioned before, serious stories…not my thing. But go check it out and tell me how you feel about it.
Bad news about my BioShock fic…I don't think I'll be continuing it anytime soon. Inspiration for that…well, it's gone. I might delete it and work on it in my spare time, but as of now, I won't be continuing it anytime soon. Sorry, you guys. I hope, if I do redo it, I can add some things. Oh, pick up the BioShock novel. I promise you, you'll love it. I read it; oh man…I just HAD to play BioShock again after I finished it. Which was at like one in the morning so haha…
Next Installment: Reaver needs to test out some new products for his company. Guess who the lab rats are…cake and grief counseling will be available at the end of the testing period lol.
As always, thank you for your patience with my insanity and your loyalty. I seem to be getting a cute little fan base for this story and that makes my heart happy hehe.
Review and be merry, my friends. Tatty-bye until next time!
Reaver, Barry Hatch, and (of course) Mark, Jim, and Ben belong to Lionhead.