"Jess! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Nishan called
"Hey, Nishan, what's up?" Jess asked
"Okay, this is a little embarrassing to admit." said Nishan
"Go on." said Jess
"But back at my old school, a few friends and I would always get together to play the latest expansion of Creatures and Caverns-" said Nishan
"Oh, is that sort of like Dungeons and-?" Jess asked
"Nope! Definitely not! CNC is 100 percent its own thing! Listen, I know you probably think of me as this suave, sophisticated guy, part genius, part debonair heartthrob." said Nishan
"'Probably' is a strong word." said Jess
"But the truth is, I can't be that way all the time! Sometimes, I need to kick back, relax, and score some epic loot in Middlandia! Plus, I'm only one sword fragment away from forging the EverBlade!" said Nishan
"And that's good?"
"Does Nessy swim by the Deeprun Tram?"
"Uh..."
"She does."
"Well, playing Creatures and Caverns sounds interesting, at least... I'm sure there are other people here that would love to play the game with us."
"Us?"
Danny: "You didn't think I'd let you play without me, did you? Meet me at lunch, and I'll see if we can get a group together!"
At lunch Jess gather Julian and Payton
"Jess, you did it! I had no idea there were so many people willing to try Creatures and Caverns at this school!" Nishan smiled
"Honestly, me either." said Jess
"I heard there'd be snacks! Where do I get my grub on?" Julian asked
"And where is all the treasure Jess was telling us about? Do we get to try on the jewelry?" Payton asked
"Um, about that..." Jess stuttered
"The treasure isn't real, is it?" Payton asked
"You'll treasure these memories?" asked Jess
"Not the same!" said Payton
"Maybe not, but Nishan promises we'll gave a good time! Isn't that right, Nishan?" Jess asked Nishan
"I know I will!" said Nishan
"So no snacks?" Julian asked
"Before we begin our quest for the final sword fragment of the Everblade, you'll all need to create new characters. Look over your character sheets and decide what class you think you'd like to play as." said Nishan
"Ooh! Can I be a Cleric? I really like their outfits!" said Payton
"I'm thinking Warrior! Kinda fitting, if you think about it." said Julian
"Because you're a jock?" Jess asked
"Because my dog is named Warrior. ...but actually, yeah, the jock thing makes sense too." said Julian
"Jess, what do you want to be?" Nishan asked
"I'd like to be a wizard." said Jess
"Ooh! Good choice... sometimes only magic can lead the way!" said Nishan
"What about you, Nishan?" Jess asked
"I'll be playing as my character from previous campaigns, a Level 85 Knight!" said Nishan
"Level 85! Cool! What level are we?" Payton asked
"Well, you just started, so... one! But there's nowhere to go but up, right? Now can we begin?" Nishan asked
Nishan opens up his quest book. 'Your party journeys toward the fire-scarred plain of Rakehold and the volcanic mountain at its center. There, inside a remote castle, lies the final fragment of the EverBlade! Ahead of you rests a treacherous pass. You should send a few of your party to scout ahead.'
"Eh, I got this one. Anything jumps out, I can beat on it with my greatsword." said Julian
"Okay, that's one. Jess, who else should go?" Payton asked
Julian, Zayn and Brandon went next.
'Julian, Zayn, and Brandon scout the treacherous pass ahead of the rest of the party... Overhead, they can hear the screeching of ravenous creatures. The sounds are getting closer and closer.' said Nishan
"So about me being in front." said Julian
"Aww... is the big Warrior a scaredy pants?" Zayn asked
"No! I'm a brave... uh... loincloth... thing... Let's just keep moving!" said Julian
"Yeah, but let's be extra careful. Something about this place doesn't feel right..." said Brandon
Nishan flips to the next page of the quest book. 'Your party travels onward after what seems like three hours, your party emerges on the other side of the pass! Suddenly, a hunting party of troll cannibals leaps down, attacking the three party members who were scouting ahead!'
"Wait... does he mean US?" Zayn asked
"Do something!" said Brandon
'Zayn and Brandon hesitate! They are devoured by the ravenous trolls!' said Nishan
"That quick?!" Jess exclaimed
"Gross!" said Payton
'Next, the trolls leap at Julian!' said Nishan
"I roll to attack!" said Julian
'Julian rolls an 11 and drives the trolls back long enough for the rest of the party to join in the fracas. Outnumbered, the trolls retreat into the hills!' said Nishan
"So what happens now? Are we still heading toward the volcano after being attacked?" Payton asked
"Seriously! I was almost eaten by troll cannibals! And I'm not even a troll!" said Julian
"Well, there is an inn nearby. We could rest up there... Plus, it might be a good place to collect info on the dragon guarding the final fragment of the EverBlade!" said Nishan
"Dragon?" Jess asked
"Obviously! Mystical sword fragments are always guarded by Monsters of Legend!" said Nishan
"But how are we supposed to fight a dragon?" Jess asked
"Remember the part where lame trolls almost turned me into Troll-burger Helper? I'm guessing dragons are worse!" said Julian
"Well, yeah... but that's the whole point! If the quest wasn't totally impossible, we wouldn't be REAL adventurers, would we?" Nishan flips to the next page in the quest book. "Now about the inn... 'It turns out the innkeeper is refusing to open the door for strangers after dark... Through the peek hole, you can see that the innkeeper is young, beautiful, and wary.'" said Jess
"Forget that! I'm not pretend-sleeping in some pretend-woods. Tell her to open the door or else!" said Julian
"Or... just flirt with her! People always give me what I want when I turn on the charm!" said Payton
"Jess, what do you think we should do?" Nishan asked
"I think we've been standing around long enough. I'm going to seduce her!" said Jess
'Jess approaches the door, knocks softly, and waits for the peek hole to open up. When it does, Jess tells the innkeeper..' said Nishan
"I may be a Wizard, but YOU'VE cast a spell on me!" said Jess
'The door opens up and Jess slips inside. A few torrid minutes later, Jess steps out bearing tidings. The innkeeper agreed to let us stay the night, but she won't let us stay for free. Loosen your purse strings! 'Your party pays the innkeeper for food and lodging and then settles in for a hearty meal of mutton and mead.' said Nishan
"Grog me, wench! Then tell me what grog is!" said Julian
'After you've had your fill, the innkeeper wanders back over bearing a tattered treasure map... a gift!' said Nishan
"A treasure map! What does it say?" Jess asked
Nishan consults the quest book. "'The map shows the exact location of the final fragment of the EverBlade! It also tells of the Earthtremor Drake, the shard's fearsome guardian!' Good work, Jess! This will definitely come in handy!" Nishan flips to the next page in the quest guide. 'Using the map as a guide, the questing party travels through a magma-filled corridor on the way to an ancient throne room filled with treasure! Sitting atop a heap of hold is the massive Earthtremor Drake... And glinting at its feet lies the final sword fragment of the legendary EverBlade!'
"Whoa! That's the big boss monster, right?" Julian asked
"Ick! Why is pretty treasure always guarded by gross things?!" Payton asked
"This is it! Adventurers, with me... ATTACK!" said Nishan
"Um... should we follow the weird, little dude or what?" Julian asked
"Actually, I was looking at the map, and I saw a hidden passage off to the side. You two come with me. Everybody else, follow Nishan!" said Jess
"Okay, Jess, so what's the plan?" Payton asked
"We're going to go around back and flank the dragon's behind. Are you both cool with that?" Jess asked
"Heh... dragon's behind. Is that like dragon butt?" Julian asked
"I mean to say... we're going to attack the dragon's rear!" said Jess
"BWAHAHA!" said Julian
"Never mind! This way!"
The group takes a hidden passageway, while the remainder of your party attacks the dragon head-on, dodging fireballs and hiding behind piles of treasure!
"This is it! We're behind the dragon, and it hasn't noticed us yet! ...CHARGE!" said Jess
The group joins the battle from the back, while the rest of the party attacks the dragon head-on!
"I cast Healzies! Oh wait... is anybody hurt yet?" Payton asked
"AFK!" said Julian
"Julian, you do know this isn't a computer game?" Jess asked
"Sorry... AFKKKKK... a Flamin' Hot Cheeto just went down the wrong pipe!" said Julian
Jess rush forward! "My Wizard casts Lightning Bolts! KZZZTT!"
The dragon screeches in pain and flies up and away, bursting through the stone roof of the cavern!
"Yes! We did it! Now to collect the sword shard!" said Nishan
The throne room shakes violently, and a fissure opens up through the center of the room! The sword shard falls in... and so does Julian! "Uh... little help here!"
"But I can't reach you AND the sword shard!" said Nishan
"Yeah, yeah... just let me fall to my untimely death, so you can have your sword already." said Julian
Nishan lifts Julian to safety, and the Shard of the EverBlade splashed into the lava below!
"You... you saved me... haven't you been after that sword shard for, like, ten billion years?" Julian asked
"Yeah... But there will be other swords. Good traveling companions... those are hard to come by!" said Nishan
"Thanks, Nishan! And I gotta admit, this nerd-game wasn't as nerd-awful as I expected." said Julian
"Really? So you want to play again?" Nishan asked
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." said Julian
"Well, that's the end of the campaign, Jess, thank you for helping me organize this event!" said Nishan
"My pleasure!" said Jess
"So Jess, are you ready for more wild adventures in the realm of Creatures and Caverns?" Nishan asked
"Sure, maybe when the next update comes out." said Jess
"Oh, the next update is going to be great! It's called Legend of the Minotortoise!" said Jess
"Like a minotaur... and a tortoise? How does that even work?"
"You'll have to find out!"