The City's Dark Truth

(The Real World)

Back at the table, Lori and her group were left speechless by the game's sudden twist. From the get-go, every one of them truly believed that the townsfolk of Maravillosa were a joyous and happy community. But after hearing what their parents and the rest of the Council revealed, they wondered if it was all a trick.

"Have patience, ladies" Principal Huggins urged in his normal voice, "all will be revealed shortly." With that said, the Council started up the game again; using the girls' real world shock as a means to describe their characters' current situation. "Upon hearing your concerned tones, the Innkeeper and his wife try to calm themselves down" Rita said in his Eliana voice, "the wife says 'please, my Lord and Ladies; do forgive my husband's behavior...he has been under a great deal of stress as of late.'"

This seemed to leave the five Loud Sisters feeling even more confused than before. But Lori realized that in order to get more answers, the game needed to progress a little further on. "Okay... here it goes" she murmured with a soft sigh, "after I get over my shock, I ask the Innkeeper if he or his wife was the one that wrote the note on the napkin earlier?"

Straightaway; Rita, while mimicking the voice of the wife, explain that she was the one who wrote the note telling them to come downstairs. "One of the other figures, who is actually the town's tailor, approaches you all and asks if you were followed" Mrs. Johnson asked in her Agathe voice, "she mentally prays you say no." In spite of them still feeling confused over the situation; Lola, while acting as her character, assured them nobody followed them down.

"Okay, now...the Innkeeper apologizes for the overall secrecy of their summons" Lynn Sr. stated, "but he, his wife and the rest of the townsfolk claim they wanted to speak with you in secret on an important matter." Before everyone continued on; Luna raised her hand and questioned if she, Luan or any of the bard troupe members were a part of this meeting as well. "Nope...so sorry, girls" Albert murmured, "but you all are still snug in your beds upstairs, completely unaware of what's happening."

This news did not seem to please the rocker at all, who felt like she was being gypped out of being part of a good mystery scene. "Don't worry, sweetie; your group's time to shine will come" Rita assured, "as for the rest of you...once you're all in the basement; the innkeeper quickly locks the door behind you, while the others are seen drawing odd symbols on the door itself and the walls." With this description, Lucy's small frown shifted slightly into a grin; thinking that there was about to be some magic going on.

Surely enough; once everyone finished drawing, the Council explained that the people in the basement wish for Ventris to use her magic on the symbols. "Okay...um, real-talk her for a second" Lori said suddenly, "why do these people want me to use my powers and what's with the symbols you're all talking about?" In response to this, the Council urged Lori to fulfill the Innkeeper's request; stating that everything would be further explained soon."

"GRR! Okay, fine; I'll do it" she groaned softly, "so...what are we talking about here, a shield spell or...or something else?" In response, Albert suggested that Lori should use an invisibility spell. "The strange symbols everyone drew around the room will help strengthen your magic, when performing the spell" Lynn Sr. stated, "let's just hope you'll get a good roll, hon."

Lori's face contorted to a light frown, leading her to think that even with the symbols helping her; a low roll might result in the spell not lasting very long. But then, much to Lori's initial surprise, her sense of determination suddenly kicked in. "C'mon, Loud; don't let this silly game literally intimidate you" she thought fiercely, "you can DO THIS!"

With this thought in mind, Lori took hold of the dice and began to shake it. She did it for so long and so hard that everyone at the table could hear it rattling like a maraca. Then, after almost ten seconds of shaking it; Lori send the dice flying. Miraculously, it only traveled about midway up the table; just as everyone started to fear they might get hit by it.

"Okay, hon; your roll is a...17" Lynn stated, "now, give me one more roll for a Wisdom Check." At first, Lori felt confused and bothered by the fact she would need to make another dice roll. But then, she realized it was necessary; due to the fact she needed to use the runes to cloak the whole room. "Okay...could you give me one more reminder" Lori requested, "do I roll the D20 or something else?"

At first, she expected the Council to be bothered by her question; before telling her "we already explained this to you." But instead; her parents quickly put her fears to rest, saying that it was natural to lose track of what dice to roll for certain things. "For this, you'll need your D5" Rita stated, "here's hoping you'll get a good number."

Lori plucked up another one of the dice and prepped herself for yet another roll. But before she did it, the eldest Loud Sister looked down at the dice...and kissed it lightly; proclaiming to everyone else that it was for "good luck." "Ordinarily, I would be bothered by the mention of doing something for 'good luck;' due to...past experiences" Lincoln murmured with a grimace, "but for this case, I'll make an exception...just this once."

Mere seconds after he said this, the Council (particularly Lincoln's parents) sounded off in agreement while also encouraging the girls to not base all their rolls solely on the idea of "luck." "Yeah, yeah; we get it" Lynn Jr. murmured, "now...can Lori please roll the ding-dang dice already?!" After dismissing her sister's "request" with a soft huff, Lori let the dice roll and crossed her fingers tightly; hoping to get a good number.

"Okay, now; let's see here" Pop-Pop murmured as he watched the dice roll along, "your Wisdom Check amounts to a...THREE!" Upon making this announcement; Rita and Lynn Sr. explained that by adding this to her earlier roll of 17, Lori gained an amount of twenty points! "This means that not only is your spell successfully cast, it will last for a long while" Mrs. Johnson stated, "that is, until one of you decides to leave the room."

Once that was settled, the Council proclaimed that everyone was now safely hidden away from prying eyes. Meanwhile, Lori and her group still believed that all these "safety measures" were a tad overkill. "Normally, you'd be right" Lynn Sr. stated, "but as the Innkeeper soon explains to you; it's the only way to keep everyone hidden from prying eyes."

(The Game World)

Once the spell was in affect, everyone within the basement room suddenly became as nervous as church mice; all while staring at the symbols intently. Neither Ventris nor her compatriots seemed to understand what was happening but chose to hold their tongues; for the time being. When the last of the symbols finally started glowing, the group of cloaked figures suddenly fell to their knees and groaned with exhaustion.

"Thank you...Thank you so much for your help, Madame Elf" said the innkeeper's wife with tears in her eyes, "if I had to spend another moment smiling like a fool...I'd go MAD!" Ventris was taken aback by this odd behavior, mostly due to the shock of how different everyone seemed; when compared to earlier. With this in mind, she proceeded to question everyone on what was going on.

"I'd like to know the truth for meself as well" Ezra growled softly, "are you lot tryin' to tell us that you're not as happy as you looked out in the streets?!" After choosing to ignore his rather harsh tone, the innkeeper explained that they had no choice but to appear happy and pleasant. "I...I do not understand" Ventris murmured confusedly, "are you implying that someone is...forcing you to be happy?"

With tired looks upon each of their faces, the small group of townsfolk answered with a slight nod; all while trying to keep a grip on their nerves. "It's all the doing of our 'illustrious leader,' Count Fastred" grumbled one of the cloaked figures (revealed to be one of the town gardeners,) "he has a mad obsession with perfection and will go to whatever lengths he can to keep his city as such." Feeling more confused than before, Ventris asked how one man could keep such a tight-fisted rule upon his people.

"It has been this way for three decades, I'm afraid" said the Innkeeper's wife, "the histories surrounding Fastred are long...and strange." From here, all the townsfolk present in the room began to regale the adventuring party with a most peculiar tale. "Once, long ago; Fastred was but a lowborn citizen from the western provinces" said the innkeeper, "but he despised living as such and hoped for the day he could rise up and become a man of high authority."

Intrigued, Ventris made a bold step in asking how Fastred came to earn his current position in life. Almost immediately afterwards; the innkeeper, his wife and all their associates looked at one another. From their expressions alone, Ventris could sense that if everyone spoke any further; they feared she might not believe them.

"Please, continue" the elf mage softly insisted, "we truly wish to help you but we can't do that until we know exactly what we're up against." After taking a moment to consider the options, the innkeeper nodded in understanding and told Ventris everything she needed. "There have been whispers, in the past...rumors that tell of a night where Fastred was once greeted by a stranger" he said in a hushed tone, "they offered him a necklace bearing a magnificent jewel claiming it would 'lead him on the path to greatness.'"

Upon hearing mention of a jewel, the party suddenly remembered the odd banners they saw outside the count's home. While she did have a strong suspicion on what the jewel might've been; Ventris felt that she needed to know more, before making wild assumptions. Coincidentally, her compatriots had the same notion and wasted no time in asking questions.

"What happened after Fastred was given this jewel" Ursa asked eagerly, "what did he do with it?" Once again, the group of Maravillosa citizens could only offer up pieces of hearsay; rumors about Fastred supposedly commanding "divine powers." "Folk claim that the man could, somehow see into the future" the innkeeper's wife said firmly, "or at the very least, know what one is doing at any given moment."

With all this information presented, Ventris began searching through her memory for anything she might recall about such mystical artifacts. Alas...being an apprentice mage, her knowledge was rather limited on such topics. However, when the idea of looking into the business of others was presented; Ventris recalled learning one thing from her mentors about it.

"I'm not fully certain on this, mind you" she said hesitantly, "but from your story, it sounds as though the count has come into the possession of a scrying gem."

(The Real World)

Back at the table, we find Lori and her group gawking oddly at the Council; who had just finished describing the current game scenario to them. "Okay, back up a little bit" Lola said flabbergasted, "what's this...'crying gem' you guys are talking about?" With a weary groan in her throat, Lil' Lisa was moments away from entering "Grammar Nazi Mode" and correcting her sister's word choice.

But then, Lucy beat her to the punch and did it herself; albeit in a less snide manner. "'Scrying' is a term is a term used to describe a method of looking into the future" she stated, "or in this case, spying on others." As if on cue, all ten Loud Sisters suddenly shivered with disgust and immediately called the spell "creepy."

"I mean...it literally makes me think of the time Lisa had those cameras up in our house" Lori shuddered, "or worse, when she had us all chipped." As expected, all others at the table exclaimed loudly with alarm at this statement. Meanwhile, Lisa glowered softly in her seat; all while complaining how her family refused to let her live both events down.

"I wish to state for the record that I've apologized countless times for those 'incidents' already" she muttered dryly, "rest assured...the local law enforcement and court system has made me swear to never perform such experiments again." While these words were true, the bitter memory of both situations still lingered in the Loud Family's minds and wouldn't go away anytime soon. Upon sensing the tension in the air, Albert reassumed his character and quickly snapped his fingers.

"Let us not linger on the past, young adventurers" he said in his Karuk voice, "let us resume the game...I sense things will soon become quite exciting." With that in mind, the rest of the Game Masters reassumed their roles and continued where they last left off in the game's story. While in character; Rita explained that after making so many successful "predictions" for his homeland, the ruling monarch rewarded him by giving him the title of Count.

"Wait, people can just...call you a Count or whatever like that" questioned Lana while snapping her fingers, "I thought you had to be born into it, like a prince or a princess." The Council shook their heads at the young lady and explained how noble titles like Count/Countess, Duke/Duchess and others were given unto those whom the royal family deems "trustworthy." "You see; before Fastred gained possession of the Scrying Gem, he was once a run of the mill schemer" Mrs. Johnson said in her Agathe voice, "he always knew just what to say to get what he needed...or wanted."

From here, she explained how Fastred was able to easily convince others that his victories were thanks to his own "expert intuition." Of course, not one of the Loud Sisters believed her; proclaiming that they would've easily known the man was a rat, if they'd met him. "Don't be so sure, ladies" Principal Huggins said with a light chuckle, "with enough practice, anyone can become a convincing liar."

With this, he began to tell everyone how his character was able to work his way to the top; despite his position in life. "Before gaining possession of the gem, Fastred used his wits and cunning to survive out on the streets however he could" he explained, "he always found ways to trick other beggars and thieves into sharing their 'bounty' with him." After hearing this part, Lana soon realized that Fastred seemed better at persuasion than Lola usually was.

"As a former thief, Fastred has strong levels of Charisma and Persuasion; which helps him persuade others into giving him what he wants" Rita said in her Eliana voice, "so, everyone...keep on your toes." Once that was said, the Council continued the story; describing how Fastred was later given his own city to watch over...Maravillosa. "'Of course, the city didn't look quite as 'marvelous' as it does today'" Rita said while mimicking the voice of the innkeeper's wife, "'once; it had dirt roads instead of paved stone ones, oceans of grassland, beautiful natural surroundings and everyone's homes was reasonably spaced about the plain.'"

Upon hearing all of this, Lana found herself sighing blissfully while also proclaiming "Classic Maravillosa" to be the better idea of a marvelous community than how it was now. "I'm right there with you, Sis" Lori stated, "I mean, I love the city sometimes but Maravillosa literally just feels...too clean and it's so creepy how everything almost looks exactly the same." The Council nodded slightly in both understanding and agreement with the young lady's words, informing her that such attention to detail was Fastred's greatest flaw.

"After spending so many years down in the gutter, the Count was desperate to make his new city perfect" Principal Huggins said in his normal tone of voice, "I'm not sure if you've noticed but...I've based a little of the Count's personality on my own." Almost immediately; those among the Loud Siblings like Lincoln, Lucy and even Lisa began making soft gasps of surprise.

Of course, Huggins could clearly sense their sarcasm and rolled his eyes. "Here's what I don't understand" Lucy murmured, "how long did it take for Fastred to build such a 'wondrous' city...and how did he do it all on his own?" In response to this, her father immediately reminded her about the Count's skills in persuasion and charismatic personality.

"The Innkeeper tells you that with these skills and the Scrying Gem at his disposal, Fastred was able to rise up the ranks of society little by little" Huggins explained, "and once he was given his own place to rule, he was determined to make it a 'beacon of perfection.'" With this statement, Lori and her four younger sisters all looked upon one another in silence; simultaneously thinking how creepy the situation sounded.

What made it even creepier was when they thought back to how painstakingly neat and tidy everything looked. "Pardon me, if this seems like a silly question to ask" Lucy said while raising her hand, "but...what happens if anything goes awry or if something doesn't look as 'perfect' as it should." The instant she asked this, the Council asked the wee Goth if she was asking this within the game or just to them; to which, Lucy chose to go with the latter option.

Without hesitation, she was given an answer that seemed too dark even for her. "Another of the cloaked figures, who reveals herself to be the local florist, steps forth and offers to answer your inquiry" Pop-Pop said in his Karuk voice, "she tells you that any instant the town's 'beauty' is tainted, a citizen 'vandalizes' anything or fails to hold the line...would be strictly disciplined." From here, he begins to tell of the last time such an incident happened; which involved a painter who accidentally applied too many coats of paint to the walls of Fastred's estate.

"That's it...that's literally all the guy did wrong" Lori blurted out in confusion, "doesn't seem like that big of an issue." Leni nodded in agreement and referenced a time where she did something similar to their house. Sure, it was a mistake; on her part...but neither Lynn Sr. nor Rita held it against her.

"This is true, girls" Mrs. Johnson said in her normal voice, "most people wouldn't take issue with such small things...but Fastred isn't like most people." After this; she revealed that the Count was so furious with the painter's "shoddy" work, he took them inside of his home...and whipped him mercilessly. "Before the painter went back outdoors, the Innkeeper tells you; Fastred told him to deliver a message" Huggins said in his Game Master voice, "he said 'show them your marks, let the townspeople know that if they make any attempt to ruin the 'perfection of Maravillosa,' they will meet a similar fate.'"

The girls all shivered with disgust, as the Council tells about how the painter was then roughly pushed out of his home and back into the streets. To them, Count Fastred seemed like Big Brother...times Ten-Thousand. "So...what's the story on everyone's creepy smiles" Lola inquired, "um...that is to say, my character asks everyone about why everyone smiles so much in the streets?"

Without delay, Lynn Sr. replies in referencing something that was mentioned just moments ago; Fastred's Scrying Gem. "This stone allows him to peer into everyone's homes and businesses at any given time" he said in his Acheron voice, "because of this; the townsfolk are then forced to act as calm, well-behaved and happy as they can...even if they don't feel very happy." Not long after this; he adds that if Fastred so much as felt them thinking anything negative, they would meet the same fate as the painter...or worse, be executed.

If the girls weren't freaked out by Fastred's authority over everyone before, they certainly were now. Then, Lori suddenly remembered all the weird rune symbols everyone drew on the walls and door of the basement room. With this in mind, she asked for the reasoning behind it.

"Another cloaked figure, who turns out to be one of Fastred's own guards, steps forth and offers up an explanation" Rita said in her Eliana voice, "she tells you that in the past, the only other people who knew of their plight was a group of wandering Clerics; who were making a sort of pilgrimage across the realm." Upon hearing this, Lisa suddenly became intrigued (much to her own surprise) and raised her hand. "The term 'Cleric' is the same as 'Monk,' yes" Lisa suddenly interjected, "if so...I was unaware religious followers were a part of this game."

The Council nods slightly at the young genius and proclaimed her assumption to be correct. Then, Rita (while speaking in her normal voice) explained that Clerics within D&D followed a different set of deities than real world people did. "Moving along, one of these clerics offered them something that would help keep them safe from Fastred's 'ever-watchful eye'" Huggins said in his Game Master voice, "a series of mystic runes that would keep the gem from peering into where they were."

Mere seconds after this; he tells the girls that before they came along, they weren't able to keep up the shield spell for very long. "No one in Maravillosa possesses skills in the mystic arts, you see" Albert said in his Karuk voice, "according to Fastred, such practices are 'the stuff of demons and rabble-rousers.'" Lori, who was playing as a magic user herself, felt slightly offended by this remark; much to her initial surprise.

She then rose from her seat and proclaimed that Fastred only said all this so no one could be "more powerful" than him. Then, soon after she said all this; the eldest Loud Sister noticed that everyone (except for her sisters) was looking at her slyly. "What...What's with all the faces, everybody" Lori asked self-consciously, "did I say something wrong?"

In response to this, Lincoln shook his head and said that they were all just smiling; feeling happy that she was finally getting into the swing of things. It didn't take very long for Lori to realize what her brother meant. She had become so engrossed in the backstory of Count Fastred and his authoritarian grip over his people, she didn't even realize she was slowly becoming more and more invested into the game.

"Let's...Let's just move the plot along, please" she murmured while trying to hide her blushing face with her hood, "the sooner we stop Fastred...the sooner we can continue on with the quest." Upon hearing her say this, everyone suddenly started asking how they planned on stopping the count. "Hold on...didn't the Count guy say something about a celebration happening two nights from now" questioned Lana, "if so, maybe...maybe someone could try and take the gem from him; either before or during the festivities!"

While the idea did seem plausible on paper, as Lisa would put it; the girls couldn't help but find a few flaws in it. "No matter how stealthy we are, what kind of spells me and Lori...er, Ventris use or what kind of distractions the Bard Troupe would make; that gem will still anticipate our every move" Lucy murmured matter-of-factly, "however...there is one thing I have in mind." Intrigued by this, every player at the table turned in her direction; feeling eager to know what the young Goth had planned.

"First things first, I would like to ask the Council something" Lucy stated, "just how do the powers within Fastred's gem work?" To elaborate further; she asked if he needed to be wearing it, in order for the powers to work. "That's a great question, honey" Rita praised warmly, "and you are right, the powers of the Scrying Gem only work when the user had it around their neck."

In addition to this, she revealed that Fastred wasn't always seen wearing it; which many thought was obvious. "No, you guys; you're not listening" Lola whined softly, "if the Count doesn't wear his necklace all the time, we can try to snatch it whenever he has it lying around someplace!" After taking the young lady's words to heart, everyone (specifically the members of Lori's group) thought she had a good idea.

But then, there was (as Lisa put it) a fundamental flaw in the plan; knowing the best opportunity to try and steal the gem. "Why not go for it now" Lucy suggested, "the Count is probably asleep back at his estate...seems like the best opportunity to try and get the gem." Though she felt proud of her idea at first; very soon...she would come to regret saying it.

Not only did everyone think Lucy's idea sounded pretty good, many went as far as to suggest that she be the one to attempt it. "Now; hold on, everybody" Lynn Sr. interjected, "it may not be a good idea for Lucy to go do this kind of heist on her own." No sooner had he said this, Lily suddenly jumped up from her seat and started yipping like her wolf pup character.

This, of course caused everyone to coo and giggle at how adorable she was being. But after a while, some of the other players started to realize the true meaning behind her actions. "Correct me if I'm wrong here, everybody" Whitney said from her spot at the table, "but it sounds like the lil' lady wants to go along with her sister."

Almost immediately, Lily nodded her head vigorously while adding a few excited whimpers for good measure. "I dunno you guys" Lori murmured, "what could Lucy and Lily hope to achieve together at the estate?" In response to this, Lucy offered up two ideas; the first one involved her using something from her character's spell sheet called "Mimicry."

"According to the manual; since Kenku aren't able to speak outwardly, the main sounds they make are any voices or sounds they've heard from around them" she stated, "am I right or have I misread something?" Almost immediately, the Council answered her inquiry with short yet silent nods of agreement. They...or more specifically, Lynn Sr. and Rita, were quite surprised to hear that one of their daughters had actually read from one of the manuals willingly.

After almost a minute and a half of stunned silence, the duo finally snapped back to their senses and resumed the game. "You're quite correct on your assumption, young Witchling" Rita said in her Eliana voice, "but might I ask, is this the only course of action you wish to take?" Lucy smiled slyly, shook her head and patted Lily lightly on hers; causing the little toddler to bark softly.

"While I'm outside, I'll make a sound near identical to that of something breaking or a creature screaming loudly" the young Goth explained, "this will...hopefully make Count Fastred leave his quarters to go out and investigate." The Council collectively nodded with nodded to one another with approval, feeling evermore intrigued by Lucy's plan. When the time came to explain Lily's part in it, she gave a soft yet playful chuckle.

"Once the Count is outside and far enough away, I use my magic to temporarily turn Lily...I mean, Lupa invisible" Lucy explained, "allowing her to go inside, find the Scrying Gem (hopefully) and snatch it away." Every player at the table sat in stunned silence, after this; which made Lucy feel mildly self-conscious. Seconds later, the first person to finally speak up was Lincoln; who kindly praised his sister on her idea.

"That's actually...a really good plan, Lucy" he said with a broad smile, "a very good one, in fact." Soon, other players began saying the same thing, even two of her fellow Goths; Haiku and Silas. This in turn caused Lucy's face to turn a light shade of red out of bashfulness.

Even the Council Members thought the idea was good, which made her blush even more (mostly due to her parents' and Pop-Pop's praise. In that moment, she was thankful to have had her hood up. This would keep others around her from seeing said blush.

After a minute more of sharing congratulations on Lucy's plan, the Council went back into "serious mode" and called for everyone's attention. "This plan of yours appears sound, young Kenku" Lynn Sr. said in his Acheron voice, "but to achieve it, you will need to make several successful dice rolls." The first of these rolls that Lucy needed to make was for her Mimicry idea, which the game called an "Ability Check."

The higher the number Lucy rolled, the more convincing her version of the noise would sound to Count Fastred. With this in mind, she picked up her D20 dice and began shaking it. "C'mon dice...c'mon" Lucy muttered softly, "show me something good here."

After this, she sent the dice rolling across the table and it stopped just inches away from where Huggins sat. "It looks like you've gained an...eighteen on your Ability Check, young lady" he said in his normal voice, "what sort of sound do you wish to make?" After taking a brief moment to think, Lucy decided to go with the sounds of cats yowling with anger.

"OOOH! Now that's a classic, honey" Pop-Pop said in his normal voice, "and it does just the trick for what you needed to happen." From here; he explained that with her "18" roll, the loud cat yowling noises cause Fastred to almost stumble out of his bed in alarm. "Feeling irritated, the Count puts on his robe and slippers and angrily stomps out the front door of his estate" Rita said in her Eliana voice, "he becomes so eager to find the 'mangy creatures' who disturbed his sleep that he rushes straight down the road...not even bothering to see where you were hiding."

This caused a lot of the young players (the teens and kids specifically) to giggle softly, mostly due to how the situation felt like a common issue people face in the real world. Once the laughter died down, Lucy put the next part of her plan into action. "For this part, honey; you will need to roll two dice" Rita said in her normal voice, "one for the Invisibility spell, which is listed under Illusion and the other dice roll is for Stealth."

Lucy nodded slightly in understanding and was handed back her D20, eager to begin her first turn. After shaking the dice between her hands for a few seconds, she let it roll and bit her lip with anticipation. Lucy looked down and saw that the number was a Sixteen; which seemed like a pretty decent roll, on its own.

But then, she recalled her "Plus 2 Intelligence Bonus" and added that to her roll; which added it up to eighteen. "Okay, things are off to a good start here" Mrs. Johnson said in her normal voice, "now, Lily...you're gonna need to make the next roll yourself, okay?" The toddler responded to this with a giggle and an excited "uh-huh, uh-huh" before picking up the D20.

Of course, the dice in question was much too big for her tiny hands. Therefore, she couldn't shake it like her older sisters were able to. Instead; she took hold of the dice, held it over her shoulder and lobbed it forward like a Little League player would throw a baseball.

The dice bounced slightly for about four seconds until stopping inches away from Luna's spot at the table. "Looks like you got a...Twelve on that one, brah" she stated, "which is still pretty good...considering." Despite the genuine optimism in her big sister's tone, Lily still felt rather disappointed in her roll.

"Hey...it's okay, Lily" Lucy said with a sympathetic smile, "once you're invisible, you'll still be able to try and snatch the gem; just make sure to be careful and quiet." With that said, the next part of the game's scenario went underway and the Council reassumed their roles. "After summoning your magic, you lightly touch Lupa with one of your fingers" Lynn Sr. explained in his Acheron voice, "then, in the blink of an eye...she vanishes."

As if on cue, Lily giggles and places her tiny hands over her eyes; as if she was playing a game of Peek-A-Boo. This prompted the Council, Lincoln, Clyde, Pop-Pop and even Lucy and Lori to look about the room in confusion. "What the...where did she go" Lincoln asked while stroking his dwarf beard, "Lil' Lupa was just here a moment ago."

As the little one in question giggled softly with amusement, Leni looked at everyone and tilted her head with confusion. "Um...guys, Lily's still right here" she said while pointing towards where the baby sat, "don't you see her?" In response to this, Lincoln patted her shoulder slightly and explained that this was all part of the game; everyone was just pretending that Lily/Lupa disappeared.

"OOOH! Okay, I understand now" the teen stated, "so, what happens next?" For the next part, the Council explains what is going on while moving Lily's game piece around the diorama of Fastred's estate. "Once you are invisible, Lupa, you rush through the door and into Fastred's chambers" Lynn said in his Acheron voice, "you sniff at the floor and several parts of the room...until you spot something glimmering on a nearby nightstand."

Lily giggles and cheers loudly with joy at this news, which causes the other players to laugh softly. But then, the laughter soon dies out; once the Council describes the next part of the scene. "You leap atop the bed and make your way towards the jewel, opening your mouth slightly" Mrs. Johnson said in her Agathe voice, "as you prepare to snatch the necklace, your ears twitch at the sound of approaching footsteps from outside!"

After this, she explained how Lupa then decided to leave the gem behind a desperate dash towards the nearest exit; the backdoor of the estate. But in her haste, she not only scuffs up the blanket on Fastred's bed; she also accidentally knocks the Gem from off the nightstand. "Oh, jeez; things are getting literally tense now" Lori murmured, "Lily's gotta do something quick!"

Feeling mildly afraid by this sudden turn of events, Lily soon starts to whimper like a scared puppy. Upon hearing this, Lori picks her up and rocks her tenderly in her arms. Within seconds, this causes Lily to calm down and her whimpers soon turned to into relaxed sighs.

"There we go, all better" Lori inquired while looking at her sister, "you...wanna keep playing?" In response to this, Lily bounced up and down in her elder sister's arms and barked happily like a wolf pup. While a small part of her felt pleased that her sister was okay again, another part of Lori hoped she would've chosen to back out.

"Okay, then...where were we" she murmured, "oh, yeah; who or what is outside of the house?" Straightaway, the Council revealed that it was Count Fastred returning home; who did not appear pleased. "When he discovered that there were no angry cats outside, the Count presumed they either ran away or that someone was playing a trick on him."

After hearing all this; everyone, including the Loud Sisters, agreed that both ideas would make anyone grumpy. But little did they realize that the Count would soon make a discovery that would make him feel even angrier. "Upon re-entering his home, Fastred makes his way back to his room; eager for a good night's rest" Rita explained in her Eliana voice, "when he arrives, he finds a disgusting mess waiting for him."

The description of the aforementioned mess included Fastred's bedspread being mussed up, papers that were scattered about and to top it off, muddy paw prints on the bed and floor...and he also notices his Scrying Gem lying upon the floor. Upon hearing all of this, both Lucy and Lily suddenly quivered nervously with fear. "Your invisibility spell, young Kenku did hide Lupa's form from being seen" Pop-Pop said in his Karuk voice, 'but because you only rolled a Twelve in Stealth, you still left traces of your presence behind."

From here, the Council added that along with the paw prints; Lily/Lupa's low Stealth roll resulted in leaving something else behind...her scent.

(First AN: Uh-oh...out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say. Will Fastred discover who attempted to break into his home, will the heroes be able to claim the Scrying Gem and keep it from him and what of the Bard Troupe, how will they react to all of this. Tune in next time, to find out)

(Second AN: As the Loud Sisters suggested, what Fastred does with his Scrying Gem is a reference to Big Brother from George Orwell's novel; 1984. While the character in question didn't use a magic gem to do what he did, both Big Brother and Fastred watch over the townsfolk like hungry buzzards; waiting for the chance that someone might screw up. Once that happens, they swoop in and administer "proper discipline" upon the offender)

(Third AN: For this chapter, I wanted to show the readers what was going on at the table; to have them see the Loud Sisters put in some work to help the story progress. I also wanted to show moments where the likes of Lori and Lucy were slowly becoming evermore invested into the game.

It's only a matter of time before they've all fully assimilated)

(Fourth AN: Fastred's character is lightly based off of Huggins' own on the original Loud House series...in a way. Sure; Huggins goes overboard with keeping things neat, tidy and orderly. But unlike Fastred, he knows when to cut loose a little; much like what he did with the Writing Club at the end of the episode The Write Stuff)

(Final AN: Another way to describe Fastred is that he...he's sort of like a mix of Huggins, Big Brother and Lord Petyr Baelish/Littlefinger from Game of Thrones. In terms of the third example; Fastred was also a "low-born" figure until he used his wits, charisma...and the power of his new Scrying Gem to earn a high position in society.

On that note, if you believe Fastred will meet an end as grim as Littlefinger's...you may be right. But we'll have to see if that happens, in the future)