Hitting the Books
(The Real World)
With their latest session at an end; the time had come, once again for all the players to depart from the table. Goodbyes were shared, hugs were given, best wishes for next game were exchanged on all sides; truly, there were loads of good vibes in the air. However, the Loud Sisters didn't seem to share in the good mood everyone else was feeling.
At the moment, at least half of them were either skimming or flipping through several pages of the Monster Manuals the Game Masters have given them. According to Principal Huggins; they would need to study as much information they could find about the creatures in D if the girls were to "survive" the next session. But as anyone would expect, none of the Loud Sisters were keen on studying during Summer Break.
"This is literally asking too much of us, guys" complained Lori, "how are we supposed to study this stuff and keep our game nights a secret while we're trying to do our usual summer activities?!" In response to this; the Council quickly pointed out none of them bothered to bring this up, when the campaign first started. "True...but we were not required to research anything about the game during such a point either" Lisa retorted, "thus, how do you expect us to engage in our summer activities and perform this task without breaking the 'no talking about the campaign in public' rule you have enforced upon us?"
After taking a moment to think over her words, the Game Masters and all the other players suddenly realized that Lisa raised a good point. How would Lori's group be able to perform the research assignment without being discovered by "unwanted outsiders" during the week and still have time for their own things? Then, like a flash; an idea suddenly popped up in Lincoln's mind, one that he believed might solve all their problems.
"I'm just throwing this out there, mind you" he began, "but...what if the girls could put in at least one or two hours of Gamer Manual research during the week while still using the rest of the day for fun?" For a moment; no one, not even the Game Masters themselves offered up a response to this idea. All was oddly quiet in the game room, save for the sounds of Lily playfully babbling while toying with the mini figurines on the game table.
Then, the Council suddenly brought out each of their phones from their cloaks and started typing their thumbs away at the screens; all while muttering thoughtfully under their breath. When they finally stopped, Lynn drew his hood back and revealed a broad smile upon his face; which made Lincoln feel pretty relieved.
"That's a great idea right there, Son" he said with pride, "plus...they can do the one or two hours of studying the manuals while either in their rooms at home or when they're hanging at their friends' places!" Soon, the whole table erupted with joyful cheers at Lincoln's idea, which admittedly made him feel rather bashful. While he was known for being the "Man with the Plan" by friends and family alike, it was rare for any of such plans to be met with such approval.
Meanwhile, his sisters (or rather Lori, Luan, Lucy and Lola) felt...somewhat conflicted about the whole thing. Sure, one or two hours a day studying the game books between then and next Friday night didn't seem like a lot. But for the three of them; their schedules were pretty full with other "more important things" to do.
"It's just two hours, girls; what harm could it do" questioned Carol, "besides, you might end up discovering something neat about each of your races for the next session." With that statement and a playful wink, she waved goodbye to everyone and made her way towards the exit. But before she left, Carol couldn't help but sneak in one more squeeze from Lincoln; all while playfully telling him "see you next week."
Soon after that, everyone else started leaving the game room with the Loud Sisters trailing behind them slowly. "It's bad enough that we're still gonna be playing this next week...but now, we have to study as well" Lori whined bitterly, "I thought everybody said this game was supposed to be fun!" As if expecting her to say this, Carol and her crew surrounded the eldest Loud child in a group hug; hoping it might ease her stress.
Then, Dana suggested using one of the weekdays to come together at her place for a sort of "Study Date" with her and Chaz; adding that they could make it into a sort of sleepover. "I mean...I know you're in college now, Lori" she said matter-of-factly, "but I'm sure even your classmates have some fun together in their dorms." The instant this matter was brought up, Lori suddenly found herself wishing she was back in Fairway U right now; back where (in her mind) people were "sane" and things made sense.
That's when she realized the "awful" truth; just like public schools, colleges also allowed their students to be dismissed for Summer Vacation and this included Fairway. On the one hand, she felt happy to be back at home with her parents and siblings; especially after certain "events" that happened before she left for college. But on the other hand, she thought they would all be doing the usual summer stuff together; camping, beach outings, trips to Dairyland etc.
Lori never once imagined that her weekends would be spent playing a kid's fantasy game and studying. Meanwhile, not too far away; Benny was offering the same sleepover idea unto Luan. "Think of it as the two of us rehearsing for a play together at school, hon" he said with a smile, "it could be a lot of fun." The moment she heard the invitation, Luan suddenly felt her mind becoming woozy with bliss.
Her face was glowing lightly, her eyes glimmered with heart-shaped highlights in her eyes and the unmistakable squiggly-lipped grin of happiness slowly formed across her lips. When she was finally able to speak, Luan gave Benny a thumbs up and murmured "sure...I'll see if I can squeeze you in" before fainting. To the eyes of the other players, this display looked amusingly adorable but to Lori, it was yet another sign that she was "losing" her sister.
"Don't fret, Lori...it's only a few more weeks or so of this stuff" the eldest Loud Sibling thought mentally, "you can get through this without literally losing your mind!" The instant these words echoed through her head, Lori did her best to quickly get rid of such thoughts; murmuring that she didn't wish to go down that path again anytime soon. Then, at that moment; she felt something grab her by the arm.
With a frightened yelp, Lori started looking around her fearfully; trying to see what or who was trying to "snatch" her away. When she looked down, she was surprised yet relieved to see that it was only Lily; who (while still playing in-character as Lupa) was trying to tell her that the family was leaving. "Right...time to head for home again" Lori murmured while picking up her sister, "I gotta head home and clear my head for a few hours."
With that, she rejoined the rest of her family and followed them back to the parking lot outside; eager to head back home to the "real world."
(Line Break)
As the new week began, everyone was happily engaging in all manner of summer fun. There were joggers running through Ketchum Park, people roasting barbecues out on the lawn, kids playing in pools all across town and even couples engaging in summer romances. But behind all of this; our favorite family was pulling double duty, as they say.
As their parents and peers told them, they were required to study up on as much info within the games Monster Manuals for their next session. However, this didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy their usual fun time while doing so. On one such day; Carol, Becky, Whitney and Dana made good on their promise to hold a sort of "study date" together.
On the morning of said date, Carol invited the girls to her home; where they could read up on the books and squeeze in a little fun gossip time every once in a while. The others were more than happy to accept but Lori, she was a different matter entirely. "C'mon, Lor; don't be a pickle-puss about this" Dana grumbled with a pout during their video call, "tell ya what...if you agree to come; maybe, just maybe...we could conference in Bobby to join us."
Upon hearing the thought of her precious "Boo-Boo Bear" joining them, Lori's complaints about the game had almost completely faded away...almost. But she was quick to point out that Bobby had already done his part in playing with them not so long ago. As such, she didn't think he would still be involved with their campaign anymore.
"That's true, Bobby's chapter in the game has been completed" Carol said matter-of-factly, "but that doesn't mean we won't be seeing him, Ronnie Anne or any of their crew join us again later." Not long after this, she revealed that Bobby was also putting in some brief D&D study periods back at his own place; even while he was at work in the Mercado. Of course, his Abuelo only allowed him to do this on such time if there weren't any big customer crowds coming in.
"Before you say anything, Lori; understand this" Carol said suddenly, "the other reason he's pulling the same study sessions as the rest of us is to help you." Under different circumstances, the idea of Bobby coming to help her in any way always filled Lori with joy; making her think of him as a sort of "knight in shining armor" coming to her rescue. However, she wondered why he would want to help her in something like this?
"Even if some of us won't be able to play during a round or a session, we can still be of assistance" Becky pointed out, "you know; give advice, share info...or just be there for moral support." After taking a moment to let all of this information properly sink in, Lori found herself at a loss for words. The idea that so many people with so many different lives would go out of their way to help each other play a "silly game" like this seemed...unheard of to her but she didn't say it out loud.
However, Lori didn't have to; as Carol was quickly able to sense this from her by the troubled look on her face. But like her bestie, she decided to hold her tongue on whatever thoughts she had and presented the study date offer one last time. "If I do accept; just answer me this one thing, girls" Lori requested, "how are we gonna hide this from your folks?"
As if expecting this sort of question from her, the four teens all smiled coyly at her and answered in unison "don't worry about it...they already know."
(Quick Cut to the Pingrey Residence)
"Anybody want a refill on their 'healing elixirs" questioned Mrs. Pingrey jokingly while holding out a pitcher of lemonade, "how about food, you girls okay on that?" In response to the refills, all five girls sounded off in approval (with Lori's reply coming across as rather uneasy.) But as for the food, Carol declined the offer and suggested on holding off on eating until after their study period had ended.
"Noted; have fun reading, ladies" said Mrs. Pingrey as she walked out of the room, "and Lori...I wish you good fortune on the battle ahead within the arena." In that moment, the eldest Loud Sister couldn't decide what shocked her most; the fact that Mrs. Pingrey was aware of their campaign, that she knew about where she herself was playing...or the "fancy" way she said her words. All these thoughts and others were buzzing through the poor girl's mind like a swarm of wasps in a hive.
Meanwhile, the others had already opened up the books and were eager to get started on reading. All they needed was for Lori to join them but her mind appeared to be elsewhere. Thinking quickly; Whitney plucked out an ice cube from her cup, eased it over towards Lori's cheek and lightly touched the skin with it.
This resulted in the poor girl letting out a frightened yelp, followed by her falling backwards out of her beanbag chair. As Lori did her best to recover from the scare, she soon noticed the other four girls all giggling madly at her expense. "Oh, ha-ha; very funny" she grumbled, "I'll remember that the next time Leni notifies me about the next big sale at Reininger's."
Once everyone had calmed down, Carol brought out her phone and put out a video call to Bobby; who answered almost ten seconds later. The moment she saw his face appear on-screen, Lori almost felt the urge to pluck the phone out of Carol's hands and smother the screen with kisses...but she ultimately resisted. "We're super glad you could join us for this, Bobby" Becky said gratefully, "we hope your grandfather doesn't mind."
In response to this, Bobby assured everyone that his abuelo was more than okay with him taking part in their study session; considering that he was on his lunch break at the Mercado. "Unfortunately, I've only got about twenty minutes to do this" he revealed, "I've got Parr coming in today with some deliveries and I can't miss him." The girls all nodded in understanding, thanked Bobby one more time for his help and began their study session.
But before anybody could so much as read off the first page, Lori quickly stopped them; demanding to "get some answers on some things." "To start with, I can literally understand how Bobby's family might know about what we're doing; considering that his mom and sister joined us that one time" she murmured, "but...Carol, could you please explain why and how your mom is part of this?" With a smile on her face and a playful twinkle in her eye, Carol proclaimed that her mother had been a "Dungeon Crawler" since the beginning.
"To elaborate; she played with a few friends of hers back in the mid-80's, when she was in college" she stated, "long before she met my dad." Upon bringing this bit of information up, Lori questioned what Mr. Pingrey's thoughts were on his wife being a player. Of course, deep down; she hoped that he would've been either shocked or rolling with laughter at the idea.
Instead, what she heard next threw Lori's world completely upside-down; so to speak. "It's true; as someone who grew up in Huntington Manor, he thought such games were...rather silly" Carol sighed, "however, when he started dating my mom; she helped him loosen up on a few things." Almost immediately, the girls questioned how Carol's mother was able to achieve this with Lori adding that was almost never easy to get rich people to loosen up.
"That's the thing about relationships, Lori" Carol retorted, "both sides can like their own things...but it's a good thing to try and compromise every once in a while." Following this, she explained that if her dad agreed to try out the game a few times; her mom would give something he enjoyed. One such example was watching a bit of golf on T.V., which Lori believed might've been what led Carol to become her golfing rival years later.
"It's the same story with my own folks" Becky interjected, "only my Dad played the game mostly in the basement of is bestie's house for a few years before coming clean about it to my granny." In spite of herself, Lori questioned what the woman's response was to the news; to which Becky replied with "she was...surprisingly cool with it." "Granny believes that you should be free to enjoy whatever you like" she said proudly, "as long as you're mature enough to admit it...and that the thing doesn't seem all that hurtful."
Just like with Carol's earlier words on compromise, Lori suddenly found herself at a loss for words by these. Meanwhile, she could feel a "battle" of sorts going on between her sense of logic and her teenage pride. One side wanted to actually dive into the game a little deeper, develop a stronger interest in the game; even if it was just for her friends and boyfriend's sake.
But then, there was her aforementioned teenage pride and how it desperately tried to remind her "stay sane;" no matter what. This inner struggle went on for almost five minutes until Carol suddenly snapped Lori out of her stupor with a light finger snap. "Sorry, you were spacing out; so...I thought I'd try to wake you" Carol said with a light chuckle, "shall we begin?" For a brief moment, Lori didn't reply; her mind still cloudy due to her earlier mental debate.
But once she came back to her senses; she decided, in the end to meet her friends in the middle. She agreed to take part in the manual studying...but she had zero intentions in enjoying it all. "Okay, then...let's begin" Carol murmured uneasily, "since you and your group will be in the arena next session, you're gonna need to learn a few things about some of the game's creatures."
With that, she gave the signal and Dana whipped out a book labeled "Monster Manual;" which had a rather standard picture of a dragon on the cover. Upon opening it, Lori saw that every page contained an illustration of a creature from the game; big and small. One of the first she saw was that of a wood elf, which immediately reminded her of Bobby.
Another page showed off an illustration of a group of dwarves, which made her think of Lincoln and his group of guy friends. The next illustration after that showed off a collection of animals, which the chapter called "Familiars." When she glanced down at the image of a snow-white wolf on the page, Lori's mind instantly thought of Lily in her costume.
All these thoughts and more flooded the young lady's mind, the more she looked at the book's pages. But just when she thought she might go crazy from all of this; Lori suddenly yelped in alarm, after she felt someone's hand touching her shoulder. She turned sideways and saw Carol beside her, giving her a confused yet slightly concerned look.
"Dozed off a little on us there, Lor" she stated, "are you okay; we can do this later on, if you want." Not long after this, the rest of the girls echoed the same idea while also assuring Lori that they didn't want to push her too hard in her research. At first, the eldest Loud Sibling was amazed by her friends' concern for her; touched even.
But all too quickly, her pride kicked in (albeit slightly) and she did her best to come back to her senses. "No, no...I'm fine, girls" muttered Lori, "let's just get through this while there's still time, okay?" With that said, she picked up the manual and wasted no time in reading over every word right down to the final mark. But through it all, Lori found herself wondering exactly why she was doing this to begin with.
Aside from risking the chance of being punished by her parents for any attempts to weasel out, she didn't find any other reasons to keep this charade going. But that was the thing; if she or her sisters even considered the idea of quitting now, who knows what their parents would do to them afterwards. "Guess there's literally no other way out of this mess" Lori thought to herself, "the best thing I can do is suck it up and keep going, no matter what."
(Line Break)
The next day, in another part of town; we find Luan down at Benny's house for their "study date." Much like Lori had done, the previous day was spent in studying a few of the different creatures found within the game. This time, however; Benny offered to do something he knew his lady would love.
"Now, Luan; as we both know, your character is a bard" he stated, "but...are you fully aware of what the Bard Class is known for in the game?" After taking a moment to think the question over, Luan came to the most basic conclusion she knew; that bards were known for being entertainers in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. "They do all the usual stuff our history books tell us, right" she surmised, "dance, sing, act...those kinds of things?"
To say that Benny was surprised by her response would be a tremendous understatement; truthfully, he was astounded. At first, he presumed that Luan got all this knowledge from one or more of the game books. But then, he quickly remembered all the times they learned about bards in history class back in school; not to mention the fact they were both part of the Royal Woods High Drama Club.
So, it was no wonder that Luan's knowledge on her character seemed rather extensive. Still, he remembered how different the game's version of bards was from the real thing and he was more than prepared to let her know about it. "You're on the button so far with your knowledge on the subject, my Lady" he said with a smile and a gallant tone, "however...the nature of Bards within Dungeons & Dragons holds many secrets."
Upon hearing this, Luan's curiosity got the better of her and she anxiously urged Benny to share more with her. He agreed to do it, almost immediately...but he would need something to help teach her, his mandolin. "Wait...you're telling me that thing you had during your part in the game is real" Luan gasped, "where did you even buy it?"
Without the slightest delay, Benny revealed that he earned his money through taking up a part-time job as an entertainer for hire; something that Luan herself had done for a few years already. "I just...well, hearing all those stories of all the parties you've entertained for and all the people you brought smiles to" he murmured bashfully, "I thought...I thought maybe I could try the same thing." Following this, Benny confessed that while he wasn't able to start his own entertainment business like Luan had done; the local recruitment agency was a big help for him.
"Anywho, to make a long story short; when I first started playing our game and made my character, I decided to buy some instruments to help me get into the spirit" he explained, "so...I saved some cash to buy myself a mandolin, a lute, a harp, a pan-flute even a drum." Upon mentioning the final example; Benny rushed to his closet, searched through it madly for a few seconds and brought forth a large hand drum.
When he started to play a sample, Luan suddenly found herself feeling mesmerized; so much so that she could feel her hips wiggling slightly with every beat. Of course, when Benny suddenly stopped playing; she was taken off-guard by this so quickly that she almost fell over herself. "Whoops...Sorry about that" she giggled shyly, "you're telling me a bard plays all of this stuff in the game...why?"
As if expecting this, Benny responded in saying that a bard's magical skill resided in the music they play. Every note they played, every beat they made, every chord they delivered would help them achieve amazing feats. "Look at it this way, hon; you know how wizards and witches would sometimes use a wand for their magic" Benny inquired, "bards are the same way, except they often use instruments for their spells."
As the young lad continued speaking, Luan found herself taking notes on everything he said with her phone; believing it could prove useful later. But about halfway through, she suddenly realized the one fundamental flaw in her boyfriend's explanation; the bard's musical skill. "See, I'm a comedian; Luna's the musician" she muttered shamefully, "the best 'instruments' I can play are whoopee cushions, animal sounds on a keyboard...and my own armpits."
After all this was said, all was quiet for what felt like ages; save for the occasional sad sniffle from Luan's nose. Then, Benny scooted over and gave her a most loving hug; assuring her that it didn't matter if she wasn't a prodigy in music. "For a bard, it's about performing from your heart's fire" he said proudly, "you know...that intense spark inside of you that helps fuel your passion!"
Following this, he revealed that while a bard's magical skill came through their instruments; there was one other way they could use it...their voices. "Bards need more than just music to help use their power" he said with a grin, "they also need their voices to help give it that extra oomph they need to do stuff." Feeling mildly curious about all this, Luan asked what a bard's voice was capable of; to which Benny responded with two simple words..."practically anything."
"Let me explain" he stated, "through their performing skills; Bards can do stuff like hypnotize people, heal them...even tame things as big as a dragon." At first, Luan was prepared to call "shenanigans" on her boyfriend's claims until she was asked to take a look inside the game's manual. When she got to the chapter addressing bards, Luan was astounded by all the traits and feats they had.
On one page, there was a paragraph describing something aptly named "Bardic Inspiration;" which allows the bard to provide a slight power boost to any allies who might be close by. Another went on to describe how a bard could use the "power of suggestion" through their music; thus allowing them the chance to implant an idea into an enemy's head. But the one thing that caught Luan's eye the most was something labeled as "Critical Mockery."
"OOH! That spell is one of Sam's favorites" Benny gushed excitedly, "basically, every word you either sing or speak is mystically enchanted to hurt anyone or anything that hears you." To help give a more familiar example of how the spell works, he then referenced the all too familiar "Yo' Mama" jokes teens often used on one another. In addition to this, Benny said referenced the age old rhyme "sticks and stones can break my bones but words/names will never hurt me."
"Only thing is...in the game; when a bard's involved, words and names can hurt you" he chuckled playfully, "just imagine hurting a bad guy with one of your puns." Upon taking this suggestion to heart; a rather devious, Grinch-esque grin slowly formed on Luan's face. Sure, skills like these would be limited to just the game's world but the idea of hurting someone with music or her own words would seem awesome.
However, all too quickly; reality suddenly reared its head and Luan remembered the flaw in Benny's logic; her overall lack of singing and general musical skills. But all too quickly, he could sense that she was having these thoughts and told her that talents with instruments weren't...that important for tabletop gaming. "I've only been playing so that I could get myself into character" Benny stated, "kind of like how Mrs. Bernardo does at times.
Following this, he reminded Luan that her character could still use her powers through singing; if the Game Masters would allow it. "OH...and one last thing" Benny said suddenly, "not only will certain spells not be able to work on beasts, they won't work unless they're actually a sentient creature." As expected, this bit of information left Luan feeling rather confused and she wasted no time in asking for more.
Rather than tell her directly, Benny simply opened up one of the game books and revealed a chapter discussing "sentient creatures." Straightaway, one of the very first things Luan saw was the very definition of the term; which was a creature who could actually think (Humans, Elves, Dwarves etc.) But then, as she read more into the chapter; she saw a few examples of creatures that weren't classified as typically "sentient."
Upon looking through the list; her facial expressions shifted between perplex, disgusted, alarmed and confused all in less of a minute. When she finally chose to speak, Luan proceeded to question Benny on what she had just read. "Some of these creatures don't sound right to me" she cried, "I mean...living slime, Frost Vipers, creatures that copy the appearance of common objects; next thing you'll tell me is there are aliens in this game!"
With a light yet respectful chuckle, Benny told Luan that many of the creatures in the game were known to be "alien" in appearance and behavior...but she wasn't laughing. After that, he explained that there would be many strange creatures on display during their campaign; perhaps even during their next session. "In which case, you'll need to understand the best way to defend yourself against these baddies" Benny stated, "not to mention learn their weaknesses."
With that settled, their study session had officially begun and Luan secretly hoped she would be prepared during their next game.
(Line Break)
It was Thursday afternoon and down at the Loud House, D&D manuals could be seen from the living room sofa to the dining room table. Similarly, the Loud Sisters could be seen reading through almost all of them...that is, the sisters who knew how to read (save for Lily.) When Lincoln and his parents happened to see all this, they felt a strange combination of pride and mild concern.
"Um...girls, do all of you really need to read this much material" questioned Lynn Sr., "need I remind you that only five of you will be playing in the next session this Friday." While they knew that their father's words made sense; Lori, Luan, Lucy and Lana were quick to point out that they wanted to be prepared for future challenges in their game.
"I mean...I mostly read the stuff about the monsters and animals myself" Lana chuckled, "can you blame me, though; they're awesome!" Soon after this, she whipped up Lynn and Rita's copy of the monster manual and showed off several creature illustrations she thought looked cool. But the one thing she wanted to bring up was a little tidbit regarding her own character...why didn't she have a beast companion like Lori's character did?
"I'm sorry to tell you this, honey but Druids don't get such a thing in the game; only Rangers" Rita said apologetically, "however...you do get something else that's just as good." For a brief moment, Lana was prepared to get upset over being denied a chance to have a creature be her traveling pal. But when she heard her mom claim there was something "better," she withheld her tantrum.
It was here that Lynn Sr. took the book from her, turned the page to the chapter on Druids and pointed out two particularly interesting spells; "Animal Friendship" and "Speak with Animals." Almost immediately, Lisa was prepared to make a statement on how similar she believed both spells sounded...but her parents beat her to the punch. "Before you say anything, honey...know this" Rita said in a mildly firm tone, "although they may sound similar, 'Speak with Animals' allows the caster to momentarily communicate with whatever creature's closest to them; whereas Animal Friendship is a riskier version."
Following this, she pointed to the spell's description in the book and pointed out that its purpose was to tell a beast that you meant them no harm. In other words, it was like a...slight version of taming a creature but not completely. "I say the spell is risky because it mostly works on creatures that are a certain level, like dogs or horses" Rita explained, "if it's something that's Level 4 or higher, you'll need to perform a quick Wisdom throw with the dice."
The whole time the girls listened to their mother's words, at least half of them felt like their heads were about to explode from having so much info thrown at them. Lisa appeared to be the worst among them, considering how she would often make dry quips about there being "no room in her brain for trivial nonsense." Meanwhile; those like Lana, Lily and even Luan appeared to be trembling with excitement.
"I'm actually pretty psyched myself, believe it or not" Lynn Jr. announced, "in no time, I'll finally get my chance to show my stuff in this game." To say that Lynn Sr. felt proud of his daughter's enthusiasm would put things mildly. Truth be told, he was almost brought to tears by the whole thing.
While he knew his kids didn't quite share the same level of passion for cowbells and cooking as he did, Lynn took comfort in knowing that they were sharing a passion for D&D...well, some of them at least. Meanwhile Rita was quick to bring her daughter back down to reality by reminding her that the game was only in their imaginations. "Therefore, Junior; when your time to play does come, promise me you won't go overboard" she asked with a mildly desperate voice, "the last thing any of us wants is for you to regress back to your...overzealous self."
(Cue a montage of Lynn's most aggressive moments before the family trial. These include times where she either cheered obnoxiously, rammed through crowd and/or lines of people to get somewhere first, rubbing her victories into people's faces and most notoriously, her superstitious behavior)
At that moment, nearly everyone in the family suddenly quivered/shivered with disgust after thinking of those memories; regardless of whether they were witnesses to them or some of her intentional/unintentional "victims." As for Lynn, she could only cross her arms with a light scowl on her face...but the look in her eyes also showed signs of the same dread her family felt. She had worked very hard to improve herself from what/who she used to be and as the family's designated champ, Lynn wasn't about to stop now.
"Don't you worry, guys; I've got this" she assured the family warmly, "I promise not to trash talk anybody...too much, when the time comes." While they didn't quite enjoy the tone she used on her promise, the Loud Parents took some comfort in knowing that Lynn would do her best to keep in control. "Okay, girls; I think that's enough research/studying for tonight" Lynn Sr. stated, "time to get our grub on!"
Not needing to be told twice, the Loud Sisters were moments away from stampeding their way towards the dining room table for dinner. But then, Rita stepped in their path and gestured towards the stacks of books that were spread along said table...and the floor and the living room furniture. It didn't take long, of course for the girls to get the message; if they wanted dinner, they had to put their books away first.
"You heard them, ladies; let's get to it" Lori ordered, "just make sure not to overload your rooms with these things, alright?" With that, every member of the family went about closing and neatly storing away every book they could find. The whole time they did this; Lori and her group couldn't help but hope that they would be prepared, come Friday night.
"I mean...it's not like care about whether or not I win the next session" she thought to herself, "I mean, if my character dies...I'm literally free!" Although this thought brought Lori some comfort, at first; there was a small nagging voice in her head that kept telling her not to get sloppy. Furthermore, this same thought presented an idea that a part of her couldn't help but dread.
If by some chance her character were to die somewhere in the campaign, would that automatically kick her out...or would the Game Masters decide on having her create an entirely new one? With this in mind, Lori felt her chances at freedom were slipping further away from her even more so. That's when she came to a decision; one that, to say the least, left her feeling rather surprised with herself.
"When the next game comes along; you've literally gotta give it your all, Loud" Lori thought mentally, "the last thing you need is to die and possibly restart the game from the very start."
(Scene Change: "Castle Greyhawk")
Time passed by and soon, Friday Night had arrived but while everyone else in town was either hitting the nightlife or goofing off; the Loud Sisters rejoined their friends and family down at their meeting place at Castle Farms for their next D&D session. As expected; everyone was fully dressed in their costumes, once more (even the ones who wouldn't be playing this round.) Meanwhile, the Council of Game Masters were all seated upon their thrones and were waiting for everyone to take their seats.
"We'll be right with you, My Lords and Ladies" Dana said with a light bow of her head, "just as soon as my dear brother has had his fill from the snack table!" Soon, every head turned towards the eastward side of the room; where they saw Chaz (dressed as his character Makon) creating a large stack of food on a single plate. Straightaway, the Council was quick to call him out on this and told the young man to save some food for Snack Break.
"Sorry, us Goliaths tend to eat a bit more than other beings do" Chaz murmured while using his character voice and accent, "but I wasn't planning on eating this all meself." As if to prove his innocence, he scuttled over to his seat and started offering up pieces from his stash to anyone who wanted something. While the Council didn't quite approve of how he obtained the food, they were willing to dismiss it...but only because Chaz chose to be generous.
"Now that we are all properly situated, the time has come to resume our tale" decreed Lynn Sr. in his Acheron voice, "Brother Karuk, ready the atmosphere!" Not needing to be told twice; Albert (A.K.A. Game Master Karuk) took out his cellphone, accessed his music library and started playing a rather epic soundtrack sample. At the same time, the rest of the table started either chanting loudly or stomping their feet and clapping their hands in rhythm.
All of this was meant for one purpose...to set the scene at the Gladiator Arena. The whole time this went on, Lori and her five younger sisters alongside her felt themselves shivering slightly; mentally dreading what was going to come next.
(First AN: And that...is where we will leave things off for now; gotta leave people wanting more, right? What sort of challenges await the girls in the arena, will all their research help them in the long run and more importantly, how much longer until Lori finally gives in to the "Dork Side?" Find out next time, as the campaign and the story continues)
(Second AN: In case anyone is wondering, this fanfic does in fact take place within the same universe as Gal Pals and A Day in the Life of the Gal Pals. To be more specific, this story happens after the latter story has concluded; so, expect to hear a few references or see some other familiar faces pop into the story from time to time)
(Third AN: As it turns out, college students can be sent home for Summer Break; at least, here in the U.S. When I first wrote this, I didn't quite think that much on how Lori could be joining in on the session and doing her college stuff at the same time. But this isn't always the case; at times, some students would take up intern jobs over Break. With this in mind, I'll bet some of my readers will wonder why Lori didn't go for this option...but that's another matter entirely)
(Fourth AN: I had to be real careful with this chapter; as it turns out, both the cover image of the D&D Monster Manual and some of the creatures from the game are copyrighted by WotC. As such, I'm not sure if content creators like me could outright mention some of the aforementioned creatures in their work without risking getting into trouble with the parent company. So, I had to look up specific creatures that were more within the lines of what's known as "public domain."
These are creatures you would see in all sorts of fantasy media like elves, dwarves, faeries, dragons and even living slime. In short, I hope as we move forward with the story; I won't have any issues with the creatures I use for the next chapter or two)
(Final AN: Speaking of being careful, I had to make absolutely sure to do just that when delving into Luan's musical capabilities during her study scenes. Sure, we've seen her do...some version of singing within the Really Loud Music special but it's unknown if Luan is as good of a singer as Luna or if she can play a musical instrument. If anyone knows anything about the subject, you're welcome to point it out in your reviews; thanks in advance)
