Round One: Bring Forth the Beasts
(The Game World)
As the first light of dawn shined over the land; deep within the holding cells of the arena, the Adventuring Party's slumber was suddenly disturbed by the sound of thunderous stomping. The first to awaken was Ursa; who, despite her chains, leapt to her feet and furiously slashed her claws at the air. "Comrades! Rouse yourselves, quickly" she cried, "we are being attacked yet again!"
Despite however much their bodies ached from a lack of proper sleep and being bound in chains, the rest of the Party quickly woke up and demanded to know who was approaching them. It was here that one of their fellow slaves, a Tritonian female named Anya Pumanath, informed them that the noises were caused by the spectators up above them. "It is a brand new day, strangers" she murmured stoically, "which means it's a new day for brawling in the arena."
Upon hearing these words, every member of the Party grimaced with disgust and their bodies quivered with dread at the idea of hearing further carnage ensue above them. Then, mere seconds later; a group of soldiers suddenly entered the barracks and marched their way past through several cells. As they watched them walk by, many slaves fearfully scurried to the farthest corner of their cells; praying they wouldn't be noticed.
Upon noticing this behavior, at least one or two of the soldiers took a moment to linger behind...but only so they could cruelly toy with the slaves. With wicked smiles upon their faces, the armored men and weapon struck their spears against the bars of each cell; causing nearly every one of the poor creatures to quiver with fear. The mere sight of all this caused the Party's collective blood to boil like molten tar but they did their absolute best to hide it...for now.
Then, Ursa happened to notice one of the soldiers making his way towards their cell. That's when an idea began to form in her mind; true, it might not help herself or her friends in escaping...but at least she might have some fun with the manlings. With great patience, Ursa waited for the soldier to bring out his spear; where he would attempt the same cruel joke his comrades performed with everyone else.
"You must be one of the new blood that was brought in just the other day" the soldier chuckled, "ain't seen a Tabaxi 'round here before; don't worry...we'll put that pretty fur of yours to good use, once you're dead." That did it, seeing this pompous fool tormenting the other slaves was infuriating enough. But after hearing him say he intended on skinning her, if she happened to die within the arena, was an insult.
As the soldier eased his spear towards the bars, Ursa's moment to strike had finally arrived. In a flash; her tail shot forward, lightly coiled itself around the point of the spear and pulled it forward. This caused the guard to suddenly fall towards the bars with a "crash" and fall over like a stone. Not only did the blow create a rather strong echo throughout the barracks but as expected, it also brought many of the other slaves to laugh at their captor's expense.
"GRR! Go ahead, laugh it up you scum" grumbled the guard as he pushed himself back onto his feet, "just for that...your funny new friends here will be today's newest fighters!" In an instant, every one of the slaves' laughter suddenly died down and all eyes glanced towards the "new blood." Meanwhile, Ventris took this opportunity to try and appeal to the soldiers' humanity; hoping to persuade them into reconsidering their plan.
(The Real World)
Back at the table, Lori is seen practicing a 4-7-8 Breathing technique that Lola taught her; hoping it might calm her nerves a little. The reason being was for the fact that after describing what she hoped to do with the guard, the Game Masters told her to make a...slightly risky Persuasion Check. To add further insult to injury, the Council of Game Masters decided to add...a bit of a challenge to the young lady's roll.
If Lori could manage to roll a 15 or higher, her use of Persuasion would work successfully on the guard. But if she were to get a 14 or lower, it would be a total bust. "Furthermore, young Mage...be warned" Albert announced suddenly in his Karuk voice, "this shall be one of the few times within the game where your Intelligence points cannot be used to save you."
As expected, Lori felt a great deal of shock and mild betrayal towards her grandfather's words; feeling as though the Game Masters were cheating to spite her. But all too quickly, Mrs. Johnson (while in character) firmly told the eldest Loud child that neither she nor her comrades had a desire to spite her. "Every once in a while; there will come times within the game where you mustn't rely on any strength, stealth, agility or in your case, intelligence modifications during a crisis moment" she explained, "only the main dice roll matters at such times...remember this."
After taking a moment to appropriately process all of this information, as well as take in one final calming breath for luck, Lori plucked up the dice from the table and shook them like crazy between both hands. When she finally decided to let them roll, she and her team were all practically chewing at their lips or nails with anticipation; hoping for something good. Finally, the die came to a stop midway across the table; causing Phoebe to stand up slightly from her seat and glance down briefly at the number.
When she did, the young photographer/changeling player's only reaction was a sudden look of dread upon her face; which only seemed to make Lori feel even more on edge. "What is it...please, tell me it's something good" she murmured, "I am literally on the edge of my seat here!" Much to her dismay, Lori only saw three other players look down at the dice and later put on the same worried expression Phoebe had; which only made the poor girl feel more anxious.
Finally, after what felt like ages; it was revealed (thanks in part to Clyde) that Lori had managed to roll...a one. "I hope you won't take this the wrong way, Sis" Lincoln murmured uneasily, "but around here, we call these kinds of rolls a 'Critical Failure.'" With these two simple words, Lori suddenly felt the weight of her failure fall down on her shoulders like overloaded shopping bags after a Clearance Sale.
Despite not being a die-hard player herself, even she knew that rolling a one in this game was the equivalent of rolling Snake Eyes in Vegas; it was an automatic failure. As a result, the Council not only revealed that Lori's Persuasion method failed but it also made it all the easier for the guards to take her party to the Arena floor. Needless to say, the Twins were more than ready to show their disapproval towards their sister's mistake.
"Nice work with your roll, Lori" Lana grumbled, "at least Lola was able to get a hit on the guard with her sixteen earlier." Following this, Lola clicked her tongue in disapproval at her eldest sister; telling her that if her dice rolls kept coming out so small, it would take a miracle for them to survive the Arena. The instant this was said, every player at the table flinched in alarm; fearing that a possible Loud Sister Quarrel was on the horizon...and it certainly looked like it was.
Infuriated by her baby sisters' comments, Lori glared at them with such rage in her eyes that it looked like they were on fire. She pushed herself out of her seat, stomped her way over towards the Twins and loomed over them like some sort of vengeful deity; appearing ready to smite them. But before anything else could happen, the whole room suddenly echoed with the sound of three mighty clacks.
Startled, the three Loud Sisters all nervously glanced over to the side and saw the Council of Game Masters glaring at them; their parents appearing the most annoyed. Then, Mrs. Johnson (while utilizing her Game Mistress Agathe voice) pointed her finger threateningly at the three young ladies and proclaimed "BY THE BRISTLY BEARD OF GYGAX, CEASE YOUR QUARRELLING!" Miraculously, this simple yet imposing phrase was just enough to get not only Lola and Lori to quiet down but the rest of their siblings as well (even though most of them did nothing wrong.)
"I must agree with Game Mistress Agathe, young adventurers" Huggins said firmly in his Fastred voice, "have you forgotten one of our bylaws already...do not allow personal issues to interfere with the game!" While the three Loud Sisters vividly remembered the aforementioned rule; Lola, after getting back her usual spark, was quick to point out Lori's "lousy roll." In response to this; her father, Lynn Sr., retorted in saying that mocking another player's style or mishaps was part of the "no quarreling" bylaw.
"Dad...er, Game Master Acheron is right, girls" Lincoln said matter-of-factly, "besides, even if Lori succeeded in her dice roll; her victory would only be short-lived." With these words, he explained to his four sisters how no matter what happened; they were pre-destined to be brought into the arena. The only true way to get out came in three possibilities; victory against Velra in the final round, breaking out of their cell (which would be a method saved best for a nighttime scenario) or...death.
"So, you're saying we have to fight right now" Lucy inquired worriedly, "sigh...Fate truly can be a cruel mistress." Despite the young Goth girl's usual monotone voice, everyone could clearly hear the fearful tone it carried; which meant that she was genuinely afraid of what might happen next. As if expecting to hear this from her, Luan decided to try and help lift her sister's spirits by reminding her of what the guards said last time.
"Remember, girls; we won't be fighting Lynn...I mean, Velra right away" she said reassuringly, "we've gotta work our way up the ranks to do that." The Game Masters all applauded the young comedienne's knowledge, proclaiming to all that every word she said was true. But in spite of this news, both Lori and Lola knew that there wasn't much to celebrate about.
"Agreed, need I remind everyone about what one of the other prisoners said the previous night" Lucy murmured, "that is, within the game?" Without missing a beat, the wee Goth girl reminded everyone that according to the other prisoners; she and her sisters would have to face off against some of Gunari's "pets." "Hmm, that doesn't sound so bad" Leni interjected happily, "maybe he just wants you to play with them."
On the one hand, the other Loud Sisters were prepared to point out the many errors in the girl's logic. But on the other hand, as strange as it seemed; Lori actually found them...rather uplifting. At the moment, she assumed they would be facing off against the usual collection of random critters; lions, tigers...maybe even a bear or two.
But then, reality suddenly reared its ugly head; as Whitney informed her that the world of D&D was home to all kinds of creatures...both natural and supernatural. "All I'm saying is...keep on your toes" she said firmly, "I don't wanna see you or your sisters get axed too early in the game." Lori couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly at these words, thinking that while she knew her friend meant well; they didn't really seem all that comforting.
(The Game World)
After having been "politely" escorted out from their cell, Ventris and her comrades found themselves being roughly outfitted in what looked like scraps of used battle armor. The breastplates were quite thin, the bracers were shoddy at best and their helmets had clear signs of dents present; indicating that whomever wore them last...may have suffered sever head trauma. Once they were armored up, every member of the Party was then given a shield and a short sword (known as a Gladius.)
"What about our own weapons" Shadow demanded telepathically while giving out an outward squawk, "what have you done with them?!" Without showing even the slightest glimpse of fear on her face, the soldier glared at the Adventuring Party and forcefully shoved their weapons into their arms. Afterwards, she informed them that all of their usual goods had been confiscated in the name of the emperor.
"You will all have them returned to you, in due course; rest assured" she said stoically, "that is...if you happen to survive." With that final word delivered, she commanded her squadron to bring the "New Blood" up to the battlefield; stressing that the audience was feeling anxious for a show. The soldiers all bowed their heads obediently, saluted their leader and moved the Party up towards the gate; all while prodding them with their spears every moment or so.
Despite every poke and prod she was given, Ursa did her best to suppress every urge she had to strike back. While she was able to deliver a swift blow to one of the soldiers mere moments ago, she had the cell's iron bars to protect her. This time, however; she and her comrades were out in the open, which meant the soldiers would have a far better advantage in bringing them down (should Ursa attempt to strike again.)
As the Party walked further up the causeway and towards the gate ahead of them, their ears suddenly rang with the sounds of mad cheering; the same sound they heard just this morning. "Do you hear that, strangers" chuckled one of the guards, "the crowd is eager to see you fight...hope you'll give them what they paid for! HA-HA-HA!" Much like Ursa, Ventris could feel the sudden rush of anger course through her body; bringing her ever so closely towards wanting to strike the armored warrior soundly across the face.
But like Ursa; she, too could sense that fighting back against any of their captors would mean certain doom for them. Thus, she could only try to push these feelings of rage deep down into her core; thinking it would be better used out on the arena floor. Then, at that moment; the gate ahead of them started to rise with a slow metallic creak.
Like lambs to the slaughter, every member of the Party was then roughly pushed through the gateway and out onto the battleground. Some like Ventris or Shadow managed to keep their footing, in spite of this...but Ezra and Ursa suddenly stumbled outside like a pair of drunks and came close to falling atop the sandy floor. Thankfully, after only their first tumble; the Twins' cat-like reflexes kicked in and they saved themselves by each performing a successful flip.
This display of accidental grace managed to catch the eye of some of the spectators up above them, which brought them to either cheer or laugh merrily with delight. "What is this, why are those humans laughing at us" questioned Ursa with a slight growl, "I'm not some circus animal brought here to amuse you!" After saying this, the young rogue drew out her claws and was prepared to show them in a most threatening manner at the laughing crowd...had Mituna not arrived in time to stop her.
Despite having barely recovered from her own tumble mere seconds ago; when she noticed the look of rage in Ursa's eyes, the young bard leapt into action immediately. "Stop! Don't make any rash moves you will regret later" she insisted softly while holding Ursa back slightly in her arms, "in case you haven't noticed...we are being watched!" Upon saying this, she gave her head a slight nudge towards the side and urged her comrade to look up above them towards the east.
It was here that the Party recognized the all too familiar visage of Emperor Gunari, looking just as pompous and arrogant as he did when he "graced" the slaves with his "magnificence" down in the barracks recently. However, at the same time; the Party also happened to notice that the emperor wasn't the only one watching the "entertainment" down below. On his right, there was a rather lovely yet equally distressed young woman; wearing magnificent violet robes, golden arm bands around her wrists and around her neck was what looked like a bejeweled collar of some sort.
(The Real World)
"OOH, OOH! THIS IS MY PART, YOU GUYS" Leni exclaimed suddenly, "I AM SO EXCITED TO FINALLY GET A CHANCE TO PLAY!" Back at the table, long before the Game Masters brought up anything about the mysterious woman seated next to Gunari; the second eldest Loud Sister appeared ready to burst with excitement. Meanwhile, Lori and her group couldn't help but give her the oddest of looks; appearing amazed by the amount of enthusiasm Leni was exhibiting.
Of course, they half expected to hear her describe her character in the same way she would for a dress she saw at the mall. But then, all too quickly; the Council brought a halt to the merriment and told Leni that it wasn't her time just yet. "Don't you worry, hon" Albert assured, "when the right moment arrives, we know you're gonna wow this crowd!"
While making sure to keep her voice down, Lola grumbled softly under her breath and said that the day someone like Leni would "wow" her would be the day she eats one of Lana's mud pies. "Alright, everybody...back to business" Rita stated, "could someone start up the soundtrack again, please?!" Not long after this request was made, Chunk took out his own phone and played the same melody that was heard mere moments ago.
Then, the Council reassumed their roles and announced that the first round of the day's gladiatorial games were about to commence. "Ventris...you and your party carefully walk out to the middle of the field" Lynn said with his Acheron voice, "we would like for you all to make a quick Insight Check, please?" Understandably, the girls all stared at their father in mild confusion; wondering why they needed to roll now of all times.
When Lucy decided to present this "concern" to the Council, there mother said it was to get a look at the crowd; to see just how many people were actually excited about the oncoming bloodshed. "If you are lucky; perhaps, some of them will be able to persuade the emperor into sparing your lives" she said grimly, "that is...if you turned out to be the losing side." As expected, the four Loud Sisters didn't quite feel much inspiration from their mother's words; going as far as to think she wanted them to lose.
That's when it happened, when Lori's sense of "sanity" finally kicked in and revealed to her the big picture. "If we end up losing in the arena, our characters will literally be dead" she thought giddily, "which means I can finally leave this place! HA-HA-HA...IT'S THE PERFECT PLAN!" With all this in mind, Lori took hold of the dice and shook it like mad between her hands; urging her sisters to do the same.
The moment they saw the crazed look in her eyes; Lucy, Lana and Lola all knew not to question her wishes and did just as they were told. After a while, they sent their dice flying and waited with baited breath to hear the results. When each one stopped rolling, the Council looked down at the dice and called out the numbers one by one.
Lynn/Acheron: "EIGHTEEN FOR VENTRIS!"
Rita/Eliana: "SEVENTEEN FOR SHADOW
Albert/Karuk: "TWENTY-TWO FOR EZRA!"
Mrs. Johnson/Agathe: "TWENTY FOR URSA!"
After the announcement was made, everyone at the table cheered loudly for the girls' high results; with an extra hearty cheer being sent Lola's way for her roll. Meanwhile, Lori sat in her seat glowering underneath her hood; wondering if any of her sisters were on her side during this "ordeal."
(The Game World)
With morbid curiosity, the Party cast their collective gazes up towards the stands; wondering just how eager these humans were to see creatures fight one another. What they found were people either roaring with impatience, cheering with glee, chanting incoherently or some sort of mad combination of the three. This behavior carried on for almost two minutes until Gunari's herald arrived on the battlefield and called for silence.
"Greetings, noble citizens of Arnost; welcome to today's gladiatorial games" he announced boastfully, "allow me to introduce today's competitors...a ragtag rabble who were caught making camp illegally within our Lord's territory!" Straightaway; every man, woman and child in the stands either started booing the Party or vehemently jeering them for their supposed "crimes." Baffled by this behavior, the Party desperately tried to prove their innocence; insisting that the emperor was lying to them.
But try as they might, their pleas/cries of outrage were immediately drowned out by the crowd's thunderous booing. This behavior carried on for a moment or so until finally, Emperor Gunari raised his hand and then...the crowd fell silent. Afterward, he gazed down at the Adventuring Party with a most incredulous stare; indicating that he cared very little for their jabbering.
"It matters little whether or not you are criminals, strange ones" Gunari decreed emphatically, "in the arena, there is only one way to prove yourselves to us...through battle!" With that, the emperor granted the floor to his herald; who looked quite eager to start the day's games. After taking a moment to look over each member of the Party, a wicked smile appeared across his face; leading Ventris to wonder what he was planning.
"Seeing as how these strangers are New Blood amongst the gladiators, we shall start things off...small" chuckled the herald, "today, you shall test your mettle against some of our Emperor's pets!" Upon hearing the word "pets," Ventris came to a sudden and grim realization; their party was one member short. Since their capture, neither she nor any of the others knew what became of Lupa. It was here that she came to one rather grim conclusion...that she may very well be imprisoned somewhere; perhaps down in the cells with the other slaves.
Meanwhile, Ezra wasted no time in venting his displeasure to both the herald and his lord about their first trial. "You expect us to fight innocent creatures for your own twisted amusement" he hissed venomously, "as both a druid and a Tabaxi, I find the idea hideously morbid!" The rest of the Party all shouted in agreement with Ezra; expressing that no one, man or beast, should be subjected to such indignities.
But much to their annoyance, not only did Gunari outright dismiss their concerns but the crowd's jeering was evidence enough that their cries went unheard. "It matters little to us who or what you once were, strangers" said the herald, "in the arena, your sole purpose is to do battle for our pleasure...as your friend so eloquently put it." At first, Ursa considered knocking her brother soundly in the back of his head for inadvertently digging themselves deeper into trouble.
But overtime; she, too understood that their current situation was both barbaric and demeaning. Meanwhile, Gunari's herald gave a signal and a sudden creaking sound was heard from the middle of the battlefield. The Party turned with a start and saw a small section of the floor moving slowly; indicating that there was some sort of gate being opened.
Upon seeing this, Ventris assumed that this gate must be stationed somewhere within the barracks; possibly close to where the other slaves were held. "If we manage to survive this battle, we could all use that as our way out" she thought to herself, "but...we'll have to deal with whatever's coming up first." For what felt like ages, the Party waited for whatever lay down below to show itself; hoping that it would be a...less hostile threat.
What she heard next, however was the unmistakable sound of vicious roaring and yowling. While each of them had more than their fair share of monstrous encounters, including their most recent exploits; the Party still dreaded what they might be facing next.
(The Real World)
"The cage continues rising up from the hidden door in the middle of the arena" Mrs. Johnson explained in her Agathe voice, "it rises ever so slowly until, at last...you see it." No sooner had this been said, Lynn Sr. reached blow the table and brought out a strange looking statuette/figurine of a wolf. At first; everyone, especially Lori's group, presumed it looked like an ordinary wolf.
It was two times bigger, had an equally long tail, thicker fur on its back and its eyes were a frightful blood-red. But perhaps, the thing the girls found the most noticeable about the wolf was its teeth...or more specifically; the pair of long, pointed fangs protruding out from its upper jaw. "Girls, you're about to go up against one of the game's most fearsome creatures" Lynn said in his normal voice with an excited giggle, "meet...the Saber-Fang Wolf!"
After hearing only the creature's name, the five Loud Sisters currently playing each showed a different reaction to it. Lola immediately grimaced with disgust, saying that the beast looked like a mangy mutt off the streets. Lana felt it was perhaps the "coolest" critter she had ever seen, Lucy seemed indifferent on the surface (as per usual.)
But the young Goth later revealed that she had very little opinions on wolves, calling herself more of a "bat girl." Luan also felt the creature looked strange, much like Lola but chose to make a quick joke about its teeth (one that very few laughed at.) As for Lori, she looked upon the creature with an expression that appeared both confused...yet slightly wary.
"I've read about these guys two days ago in the Manual" Lana laughed giddily, "it's said that the Saber-Fangs are among the most vicious and cunning predators in the game's world!" The instant they heard this from her, everyone at the table either clapped their hands or lightly cheered/praised the young lady for her knowledge; even the Game Masters Council. "Very good, young Druid" praised Huggins in his Fastred voice, "truthfully, we did not expect you or any of your sisters to fulfill our study request."
Sensing that this mild "insult" was directed at her (along with her other sisters,) Lori rose from her seat and proclaimed she also studied the assigned manual chapters. "I may have done some things in life I'm literally not proud of" she decreed, "but when Lori Loud is given a task, she follows through...even if it's something nerd related." While everyone lightly commended the eldest Loud Child on her resolve, many at the table still groaned under their breath; apparently annoyed by her continued shaming of nerd culture.
As for the Council, they ultimately chose to disregard her comment; preferring to instead praise her for doing as she was told. After that, Albert (while still in character) decided to reveal what he called a "small surprise" he had in store for his granddaughters. "You see, girls; you won't be fighting the Saber-Fang together" he stated, "you'll have to deal with the entire wolf pack!"
Upon making this revelation, he along with the rest of the Game Masters placed four more Saber-Fang figurines upon the game table. At first, Lori and her group didn't think this was...too difficult a challenge; pointing out that they were only animals. But then, they suddenly remembered what Lana brought up earlier; how the manual described the wolves as both vicious and cunning creatures.
Then, at that moment; Lori came to yet another sudden realization...she and her sisters' characters were going into battle unarmed. "Gasp! Lori's right, our weapons were taken from us after we got captured" Lucy exclaimed softly, "where could they be?" In response to this, Albert suggested that the girls bring this question up with Emperor Gunari.
After nodding to each other in silent agreement, the girls did just that...after they had made a series of Persuasion dice rolls first. "Okay, let's have a look see here" Kotaro said while watching the girls' dice roll along the table, "who here will be able to get my attention?" After what felt like a lifetime of waiting, the five die finally stopped rolling and the Council took a moment to see whose was the highest.
"It looks like...Ursa's roll was the most successful" Lynn announced in his Acheron voice, "as such, the emperor hears your concerns and tells you your goods would all be returned...if you survived the final trial." While this explanation wasn't quite all that informative, Lola could sense that her team's weapons and wares had all been confiscated until further notice. Such a revelation reminded her of all the times her own things were taken from her; whether by teachers at school, by neighbors or her own parents.
In any case, this meant that the five ladies would all be possibly going into their first fight unarmed. That's when they remembered what classes and races their characters were. "Between the Twins' claws, my character's shell, Shadow's beak and Ventris' magic; we should be okay" Luan exclaimed, "but...just in case, do any of us need our staves or whatever to use our powers?"
Unanimously, the Council agreed that her question was an important one; especially in a situation like this. But Huggins was quick to point out that the manual provided a proper explanation/answer for it, if she had truly studied the specified chapter. "I really did study it, honest...I just forgot to take notes while reading certain parts" Luan retorted, "but anyway, is it possible?"
Before answering, the Council took a moment to speak amongst themselves; which everyone guessed was them deliberating on what to say next. When they finally stopped their discussion, they five adults gazed down at Luan firmly...and each gave a nod. Furthermore, they explained that classes like Bards and Druids don't always need a tool to help with their magic all the time; just their free hands or their voices.
"However...magic is rather unpredictable and utilizing tools such as staves, wands, spell books or any other such components helps the user harness it properly" Mrs. Johnson explained, "so, I wish to urge Ladies Ventris and Shadow to take great caution in the battles ahead." In that moment, Lori didn't know how to react to such an info dump; should she be nervous about what to do next or should she use this knowledge to find a quick way to kill off her character?"
As for Lucy, she herself was already aware of the unpredictable nature of magic; as such, she made a mental note to use whatever spells her character already knew with the greatest of caution. The next to speak was Luan, who asked how she could use her bard spells without a lute or mandolin...or anything music related on hand. "It's just as Game Mistress Agathe told you, child" Huggins said in his Fastred voice, "your spells don't come from just the melodies you play...but in how you sing and speak them as well."
While this information didn't quite apply to either of them just yet, both Luna and Sam wasted no time in writing it down; thinking it could be useful at a later date. In the meantime, everyone else at the table was loudly stomping their feet; indicating that they were ready to resume the game. Not needing to be asked or told twice, the Game Master Council each drew up their hoods and pointed their fingers at Lori's group.
"The battlefield is set, the audience is eager for the fight to come" Rita chuckled slightly in her Eliana voice, "all that remains, Adventurers...is for all of you to roll for initiative." Almost immediately; the girls plucked up their D20s, shook them violently between their hands and sent them flying along the table. When they finally stopped, the numbers were all listed from lowest to highest.
Lincoln: "Seventeen for Lana!"
Rusty: "Same with Lola over here!"
Joey: "Sixteen for Lucy!"
Carol: "Nat 20 for Luan!"
Straightaway, everyone started cheering the young comedienne on her successful dice roll; causing her to blush. But then, the Council reminded everyone that Lori had yet to make her roll. Soon, all eyes fell onto the young lady in question; who was currently rubbing the dice so hard between her hands that she could feel her palms burning. This carried on for almost a minute until finally, Mr. Grouse stood up from his seat and cried "ROLL THE DING-DANG DICE ALREADY, MISSY!"
Whether it was due to the old man's outburst or her own genuine desire to move the game along; with a yelp, Lori threw out her arm and sent the dice flying across the table. When it finally stopped, everyone gazed down at it like a flock of hungry vultures; while Lori mentally prayed that she got a low number. Sadly, what she got instead was the whole table suddenly crying out with joy "TWENTY-FIVE!"
"Impressive work there, young one" Albert laughed heartily in his Karuk voice, "by receiving the twenty-five, you shall face the wolf pack first." While doing her best to push down her inner frustrations; Lori gave everyone a wide, toothy grin and muttered out two simple words through her teeth, "hoo...rah."
(The Game World)
The instant the game went underway, the cage holding the saber-fang pack suddenly disappeared and the beasts were free. This, of course did not go unnoticed by the Adventuring Party and they wondered how such a phenomenon had occurred. Of course, they had little time to focus on the issue; as one of the beasts suddenly made a leap towards Ventris.
"If I only had my staff on hand" she grumbled to herself, "let us hope my magic is strong enough without it." With that, she pressed both hands together and quickly summoned a small yet blazing ball of fire; which she then sent flying towards the wolf. The attack struck the beast successfully in its muzzle but unfortunately, all it seemed to do was make it angry before it resumed its charge.
Meanwhile, one of the other Saber-Fangs darted towards Mituna; who seemed to be frozen in place with fear. "What can I do" she thought worriedly, "I don't have any instruments on hand to help me...and I'm far too nervous to say anything, let alone sing." Just then, the wolf suddenly threw itself at Mituna; delivering a few scratches to her underbelly.
Thankfully, the attack did little to penetrate Mituna's shell; which gave her some small sense of relief. But this was rather short-lived, unfortunately and she could see another one of the wolves making its way towards her. This time, however; it decided to pounce at Mituna from behind.
With a great leap, the Saber-Fang landed atop her shall and gave the bard a quick nip at her neck. Thankfully, she was not only able to break free almost a second later but she also dipped her head within the safety of her shell. This made the wolf unable to bite at her face, no matter how much it tried to push its snout through the hole.
Upon seeing their comrades being overwhelmed, the Tabaxi Twins took immediate action and divided their ranks accordingly. "You got get those beasts off of Mituna, Sister" Ezra commanded, "I will attend to Ventris!" Not needing to be told twice, Ursa crouched down atop all fours and made a dash towards the eastern side of the battlefield; where she quickly leapt at the wolf and kicked it off Mituna's shell.
Afterwards, she helped her friend get as far away as they could; all while trying to think up a plan of attack. "If I only had my daggers or my wrist crossbow" Ursa growled in annoyance, "one well-placed shot and that beast would be down for the count." While she also felt naked without her own tools, Mituna was quick to remember that they could still utilize their skills in one way or another.
One such example were the "natural weapons" both Ursa and her brother already had at their disposal, namely their teeth and claws. "What...you expect me to maul that mangy creature like a savage" the young rogue grimaced, "I would not soil my hands in that way even..." Before she had a chance to finish her tirade, Ursa was suddenly knocked down to the sand by the Saber-Fang she momentarily bested mere seconds ago.
The two wrestled about the ground, each one trying to subdue or overpower the other but they were surprisingly well-matched in strength. The Saber-Fang snarled viciously and prepared to sink one of its pointed teeth into Ursa's arm until what looked like a large ice shard suddenly struck the beast's side. While not a fatal blow; this attack did, however sent the Saber-Fang flying three feet away and left it momentarily winded.
Free to get back on her feet, Ursa turned slightly and spotted Shadow; who appeared to be clutching a black feather in her hand. She then looked at the ground and noticed an odd marking in the sand, a rune of some kind. "Shadow must've used her own feather to draw that" Ursa whispered, "she must also be the one who threw that ice shard."
With this in mind, she smiled at her comrade with a slight bow of thanks and leapt back into the battle. Meanwhile, on the western side of the arena; Ezra was trying his best to fend off the other Saber-Fang. But without his staff, he felt helpless; as did Ventris, who was desperately trying to think of a strategy.
Just then, she suddenly remembered what Shadow had done a moment ago and an idea began to form in the she-elf's mind. "If Shadow is able to use mystic runes without her spell book...perhaps, Ezra and I can do the same thing" she surmised, "but how will I be able to focus while I'm..." Just then, Ventris' train of thought was suddenly halted; when she felt something sharp slash across her arm.
She looked down slightly and saw only a few scratches but they still looked rather deep and (as evident by her demeanor) felt quite painful. But in spite of it all, she could still move her arm well enough to fight; which was all she would need. "This is but a mere flesh wound" murmured Ventris with slight confidence, "but rest assured, beast; what we have in mind will feel far worse."
Not feeling the least bit intimidated, the Saber-Fang growled fiercely and pounced straight for the she-elf; unaware that it was doing exactly what she wanted. As she extended her palm out towards the beast, as if tempting it to bite her; Ventris gave a shout and a plume of smoke suddenly shot forth. Afterwards, she urged for everyone to cover their mouths immediately; lest they risk of falling victim to her attack.
Although confused, the other Party members did as instructed and pulled their shirts up slightly over their mouths; creating makeshift protective masks. As for the one saber-fang; the moment it was exposed to the strange smoke, its eyes were watering violently and the beast started letting out frustrated growls of displeasure. This carried on for a few seconds until, at last; it fell unconscious upon the sand.
Upon seeing its companion fall, the second saber-fang groaned softly with dismay; as if thinking it has died. Then, the beast's eyes flared red with anger as it turned his attention towards the Adventuring Party. With a terrifying roar, the beast made an immediate charge towards Ventris; intent on "avenging" its fallen comrade.
But just as she saw it come within range of her, the elf mage turned to her side and shouted "NOW!" Mere seconds after that, the audience heard the sounds of another beast roaring in the arena. But understandably so, no one knew what it was or where it came from.
With one of the two Saber-Fangs out of commission, what else was in the arena with the slaves? That's when they saw it; a large, oddly pigmented bull elephant stampeding towards the remaining saber-fang with great speed. The audience watched as the strange elephant, with but a swift swing of its trunk, sent the wolf flying into the air before it crashed back onto the sand.
With its opponent defeated, the elephant lifted its trunk high into the air and let out a triumphant "toot" of victory...before it suddenly changed back into the form of Ezra. Not long after that, the rest of the party hurried to their comrade's side, wasting no time in helping him back on his feet. "Excellent use of your power, my friend" praised Ventris while she dusted the young druid off, "the same applies with the rest of you."
For a brief moment, the others felt proud of themselves; still finding it difficult to believe they had defeated such vicious beasts with only basic spell knowledge.
(The Real World)
Back at the table, Lola was offering her thanks to Lucy for her quick rescue and asked if she knew of any other sort of spells or runes that could save them. "Sigh...without her spell book, I do not think Shadow can be of much help" the young Goth murmured, "all she is able to do are whatever spells she knows already, like runes or a few basic Cantrips." Upon hearing mention of this term; Lana, Leni and even Lori (surprisingly) proceeded to ask what Cantrips were.
Once more, the Council was prepared to question the Loud Sisters if they actually did study the chapters they had assigned unto them. But before even one of them could do so; Lori, once again reminded everyone that she and her sisters did perform their assignment as told. However, the eldest Loud Child added that there was one moment where she and Lana some minor difficulty in understanding spell terminology.
"Hmmm...You may very well be telling the truth, Miss Loud" Huggins hummed in his normal voice, "however, you should remember that Cantrips are a rather simple spell for magic oriented characters to perform. As if on cue, Lynn Sr. reminded his daughters that the term was meant to describe simple yet moderately affective spells or tricks a magic user would call upon during dire situations. "Some of them are rather useful in a pinch, girls" he stated, "there's one that you and Luna could even use, Luan!"
Following this, he handed his daughter a small list of Cantrip examples and urged for Luan to look for something labeled "Vicious Mockery." Upon finding it, Luan opened up her notebook to refresh her memory on what it meant. When she did, a sort of Grinch-style grin slowly formed upon her face. "Oh-ho-ho! This sounds promising" she chuckled, "I just hope I'll get to use it, when it's my turn."
(Line Break)
Once they had got the proper understanding of what Cantrips were, the game continued on and surprisingly...the girls were able to continue on with the Beast Trial in the arena battle. "Nice use of your claws during the one turn, Lols" praised Luan, "and how about when Lana tied up that mammoth with those vines!" Upon revealing this, the other players wasted no time in congratulating the twins on their victory in the first beast round.
Meanwhile, Lori sat low in her seat; arms crossed tight and her face contorted into a bitter grimace. Sure, her younger sisters did a lot of work in their victory...but she felt like her own efforts were being dismissed. "What about when I used that Poison Cloud on the one Saber-Fang earlier" she inquired, "that was cool...right?" In an instant, everyone's chatter quickly ceased and they directed their attention over towards Lori; which made her feel rather nervous.
But then, it all swiftly faded when she felt the soft pat of Lucy's hand upon her shoulder. "You're right, Lori; what you did was a big help" the wee Goth stated, "very nice work with that." It was surprising enough for her to hear words of praise coming from one of her more stoic sisters. But when she saw the small but genuine smile on Lucy's face, Lori's mind was blown.
But she had little time to linger on that, thankfully; it was now time to finish what she thought was the final leg of the Beast Trial.
(The Game World)
After narrowly defeating the great mammoth, the Party prayed that the worst was behind them; that they could finally have a moment to rest. But as Mituna cast her eyes up slightly, she could see a look of great impatience upon Emperor Gunari's face. With his cheek lazily resting atop his left hand, he found himself feeling quite vexed by these newcomers.
Just then, the herald approached the emperor; his head hanging low in a most respectful bow and he wasted no time in sharing his input on the spectacle thus far. "These new blood are putting up quite a fight, it seems" he said matter-of-factly, "wouldn't you agree, Sire?" Gunari glared firmly at his herald, glanced down at every one of his "pets" that either lie unconscious on the battlefield or "cruelly" bound up and gave a rather bored yawn.
"Have you forgotten what this arena is known for" he inquired his herald monotonously, "combat, skill...and bloodshed!" No sooner had he said all of this, the strange woman standing next to Gunari tenderly cleared her throat and asked if the new blood wasn't giving the people just that. In response, Gunari lightly shoved her back and warned her to never speak out of turn.
"As for your inquiry...these strangers are skills and quite the fierce band of fighters" he murmured, "but the people have barely seen them suffer so much as a scratch from my pets!" With this in mind, he gave a quick snap of his fingers and commanded his guards to have the "Beast Master" in the gallery send up one of his more...exotic creatures. Meanwhile, down on the battlefield; the Party appeared on the verge of heavy exhaustion and were wondering what Gunari might send at them next.
Of course, the very instant they had this feeling; there came the loud sound of gears cranking and chains rattling. Ventris turned with a start to find one of the hidden gates on the ground was slowly opening up. "Everyone...be ready" she whispered tensely through gritted teeth, "we do not know what this creature might be or what it's capable of."
Without pause, the rest of the Party assumed their defensive stances and formed a sort of circular formation; ensuring that every side would be prepared. The whole time they waited; they expected to see another wolf, a bear or any other kind of beast standing before them. Instead, they found something that seemed to be...not of this or any other world.
From a distance, the thing looked like a massive glob of muck...but somehow, both Ventris and Shadow felt there was more to this "creature" than meets the eye. As for the others, Ezra and Ursa burst into mad fits of laughter while Mituna rubbed at her eyes in both confusion and disbelief. "This is it...this pile of goo is what the emperor sends out against us" scoffed the young Tortle, "for a moment, I truly felt like we were in deep trouble."
Upon saying this, Mituna soon started to approach the goo pile; thinking she could easily "dispose" of it. Of course, as she watched her comrade leave; Ventris desperately tried to get her to stop. But it was too late; in time, Mituna was just two feet apart from the mass and was currently bombarding it with small pebbles she collected off the ground.
"You must be losing your edge, 'Your Highness'" she called up in a mocking tone, "if you expect my comrades and I to fear this thing, you're sorely..." Just before Mituna could finish her statement, something long and...slimy suddenly lassoed itself 'round her ankle and started trying to pull her down. Mere seconds later; she also felt a rather hot, stinging sensation on that very leg before she immediately realized something was burning her.
"AHH! HELP ME, ANYONE...PLEASE" Mituna cried, "THIS...THING IS TRYING TO BURN AWAY MY ANKLE!" Desperate to break free of whatever latched onto her, the young bard called upon her own natural strength and pulled her leg back as hard as she could. Alas, after only three attempts; Mituna fell to the ground with a "thud."
It was here that she finally caught a glimpse of what had taken hold of her. Much to her surprise, the seemingly "lifeless" mound of goo had not only started moving but had also sprouted a small series of tentacles; which it used to grab hold of the Tortle that assaulted it a moment ago. "WHAT THE DEVIL...THIS THING IS ALIVE" Mituna cried in alarm, "WHAT UNHOLY PIT DID YOU COLLECT THIS FROM, GUNARI?!"
Rather than answer her respectably, the emperor simply let out a coy chuckle and proclaimed that "it was a secret." She glared daggers up at him, feeling great annoyance towards the blue blood's pompous bravado. Then, in an instant; she felt a sudden and very sharp painful sensation in her ankle.
Mituna glanced down for a split second and noticed a strange, slimy tendril wrapped around it. It did not take long for her to deduce that this was connected to the slime mound, both figuratively and literally. But what shocked Mituna initially was the fact that the thing was actually alive.
But she had little time to ponder on the matter, unfortunately; when the tendril gave a sudden yet powerful yank on her leg. Like a falling stone, this move knocked Mituna right off her feet and crashed with a mighty "thud!" Then, the slime tendril proceeded to drag her along the ground towards the mound; which was now making a series of unearthly gurgling sounds.
Naturally, this circumstance horrified not only Mituna but her companions as well; who were currently in a desperate search to find something that might help her.
(The Real World)
"WHOA! HANG ON THERE, TIME OUT...STOP" Lola exclaimed loudly, "you're seriously telling us that this yicky glob of slime...is alive!?" While doing their best to appear respectable, the other players and the Game Masters couldn't help but snicker or giggle slightly at the young pageant princess' outburst. Being a newbie to the game still, everyone half expected that she would have such a reaction to slime creatures within the game.
"There are quite literally bunches of different creatures made of slime, sweetie" Rita stated, "some look like puddles, others (more famously) look like giant Jell-O cubes...and there are even some that can walk around like humans." Upon hearing mention of humanoid slime monsters being in the game, all of the color drained from Lola's face and she fainted backwards into her chair. At the same time, however; her sisters did not appear quite so concerned...at least, not yet.
Straightaway, Luan proceeded to ask how and why the slime thing's tendril was burning away at her ankle. "It's quite simple, really" Huggins said after reassuming his Fastred persona, "slime creatures of any variety have an acidic body chemistry; which makes them rather handy minions for a villain to have in their stronghold." Soon after this; he added that slimes possessed a natural instinct to consume anything in its path and that any object, armor pieces or weapons that touch them melts away/dissolves instantly.
"Are you guys literally being serious right now" Lori cried out indignantly, "if any weapon we use just melts away, when we hit the slime; how else are we even supposed to fight it?!" As if on cue; Lola, Luan and Lucy started shouting out similar cries of confusion/dismay at the Game Masters...but Lana appeared silent as a church mouse. Upon taking a closer look, some other players noticed she was skimming through some pages of the Monster Manual.
When the Council eventually took notice of this, Lynn (while speaking in his Acheron voice) asked if she was paying attention to their discussion. "Yeah, guys; I am" Lana replied, "it's just...after hearing what you said about slime creatures being made of acid and some weapons not being affective against them, I wanted to double check the Manual to see if it had any helpful hints or info on the subject." Everyone, including the other Loud Sisters, gawked at the young lady with pure astonishment; appearing seemingly amazed by her response.
When they finally snapped back to their senses, the Council urged Lana to continue with her research. In the meantime, they asked the rest of her group to make an Insight Check on the surrounding area for signs of discarded weaponry. One quick dice roll later and it was decided that Lucy would be the one to make the next move.
"I get down on the ground and start smoothing my hands around me" she explained, "I'm hoping to find something that might help me save Mituna." The Game Masters nodded slightly in agreement and asked for her to make a quick Insight Check, all while wishing her the best of luck. The young Goth girl let out a soft exhale beforehand, thinking it might calm her mind a little before taking the d20 in her hands.
Soon, everyone could hear the familiar sound of dice rattling before Lucy finally sent it flying along the table. While no one could see what kind of expression she had (due to her bangs covering up her eyes,) from the way she chewed at her lower lip; it was clear that Lucy was feeling quite nervous. When the d20 finally came to a halt, Mr. Grouse glanced at it slightly and let out a soft yet pleasant chuckle.
"Congratulations little lady, you just earned yourself a sixteen" he announced, "which could mean good news for ya." With her fingers crossed slightly, Lucy glanced up at the Council and asked if she had made a successful roll; even a mildly successful one. "You have, Young Sorceress; be certain of that" Rita assured in her Eliana voice, "although you cannot see the object very clearly due to the sand; eventually, your hand comes into contact with something sharp."
Upon finding the object, Rita asked for both Lucy and Luan to make a Dexterity dice throw; one side would be rolling for a successful throw while the other does it for catching. Both sisters shook their dice in their hands so hard that, to the ears of all the other players, it sounded as though they were shaking maracas. Finally, they thrust their hands forward; letting their dice fly out like bullets along the table.
Both Luan and Lucy waited with bated breath with fingers crossed and their eyes shut tight, hoping to receive a successful roll. The dice tumbled so quickly across the table that they, surprisingly, bounced off the board on the other side and rolled backwards. "Whoa...maybe you two should roll a little more gently next time, girls" Lynn Sr. chuckled in his normal voice, "but let's just see if that extra boost will help you."
After what felt like ages of waiting, both die finally came to a stop just inches away from where Lori sat. At first, she barely even glanced down; choosing to take the opportunity to examine her nails. But after about half a minute, her genuine curiosity (along with several players egging her on) got the better of her and she looked at the die closely.
What she saw was so surprising to Lori that she came close to falling out of her chair, after shooting back upright suddenly. "What the what...both of you got Natural 20's" she exclaimed, "or rather, Luan got a 22 and Lucy got a 24...but still, that's nuts!" As if on cue, the other players started showering the two young ladies with praise for their success until the Game Masters quickly called for order.
Without delay, Mrs. Johnson (while in character) explained how the successful roll not only made the duo's actions successful; it also allowed Luan's character the chance to make a quick escape.
(The Game World)
After smoothing about the sand for anything that could help her, Shadow's hands finally came into contact with a discarded sword. Upon taking it in hand, she lobbed it with all her might towards Mituna; hoping that she might catch it. Alas, she was currently being dragged ever closer towards the massive slime that loomed before her; which had suddenly spawned a gapping maw to swallow her whole.
The young Tortle feared all hope seemed lost but then, she caught a gleam of sunlight shining off the sword that was flying towards her. Thinking quickly; she reached out as high as she could, caught it by the hilt and in one swift movement, sliced it through the slimy tendril that held onto her ankle. The great beast screeched shrilly so loudly with pain, everyone in the arena clasped their hands over their ears; including Gunari.
After having a moment of pride for the success of her plan, Shadow thought she found a way to dispose of the beast. But then, the nostrils in her beak suddenly caught the aroma of burning metal; causing her to immediately glance down at her blade. It was here that she saw the residue from the Slime's tendril eating away at it like acid, causing her to throw it down in alarm.
Meanwhile, Mituna (now free of the creature's hold) rolled away slightly until she was a safe enough distance from the creature. Of course, while she did this; it only seemed to make the pain from her burn mark feel even worse. After feeling just a smidgen of sand rub at the sore, Mituna quickly stopped and clutched at her leg with a hiss.
"AH! GODS THAT STINGS" she cried painfully, "but...all the same; thank you for the quick rescue, Shadow." The Kenku sorceress squawked softly, gave her companion a thumb's up and turned her attention towards the slime; desperately trying to think of a way to defeat it. Then, at that moment; she looked across from her and saw Ezra trying to catch her attention.
Although the stinging sensation in her leg hindered her momentum greatly, Mituna still did her best to slink over to her comrade. Upon reaching Ezra's side, she flipped her body over and used her massive shell as a sort of shield barrier; hoping it would be strong enough to protect them both. Upon seeing this; Ventris, Ursa and Shadow joined the duo as well...but not before momentarily fighting off a few of the Slime's tendrils.
"If either of you two have an idea...be quick about it and share" Ventris shrieked anxiously, "I doubt even a Tortle's shell can withstand the creature's acidic juices!" Not wanting to waist anymore time, Ezra cut straight to the point and presented his idea; since conventional weapons were essentially useless against the Slime's gelatinous form...they would need to try something else.
"You aren't making any sense, Brother" hissed Ursa, "the only other method of attack we could use is magic and Gunari confiscated Mituna's instruments along with everyone else's staves!"
(The Real World)
"Time out...can I call a time out here, please" Luan requested, "I have to agree with Lola here...how can we possibly use any kind of magic without our gear?" After taking a brief pause to talk amongst themselves, the Council believed that Luan raised a rather valid concern and asked Lana to explain her "idea" further.
Before she did so, however; the young lady in question suddenly snatched up one of the manuals on the table and started flipping through its pages at near breakneck speed. When she finally stopped, Lana lightly slammed said manual atop the table and triumphantly pointed to a page discussing magic use. "During the round, I was reading through this chapter and found something that could help us" she stated, "says here 'while classes like Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers etc. often use staves to help harness their power; they aren't really necessary to cast spells in general!'"
Upon taking a moment to process everything their sister had just said; Lori, Luan, Lucy and even Lola were prepared to make some sort of snarky/sarcastic remark...but nothing came. It was here that Lisa, despite not playing at this point, decided to take a look in the manual herself; to see if Lana spoke the truth. When Huggins finally came across the paragraph in question, everyone swore his jaw almost fell off in shock.
"By the Gods...she's right" exclaimed the principal, "it seems you and your sisters actually did study the chapters I assigned you." In that moment, no one could decide who appeared the most shocked over this; the Game Masters themselves or the Loud Sisters. Then, Lori quickly snapped back to her senses and decided to challenge Lana's knowledge by questioning how her character could use magic without her staff."
"In the realm of fantasy media, it is known that a staff is but one example of a conduit used by magic users" Haiku chirped suddenly, "other examples include spell books, talismans, pieces of jewelry containing mystic energy, magical orbs and the more iconic magic wand." Once more, the Loud Sisters were left in a stunned silence by another sudden info dump from a rather unexpected source. When they finally managed to find their voices, Lola proclaimed she didn't know which surprised her most; everything Haiku said...or the fact that it was her that said it all.
"Seriously...how do you know about all this stuff, brah" questioned Luna, "I thought Goth kids were more into horror stuff and gloomy things." Initially, a part of Haiku actually expected to hear such a response out of someone else; as such, she didn't appear...too offended by it. However, as a response to this; she revealed that there was far more to "Goth Culture" than "Normies" assumed.
"I myself have been a fan of fantasy stories ever since I first saw my grandparents and their troupe perform at the Michigan Ren Faire" she stated, "some of you might know what I'm talking about." Straightaway; the Gal Pals, Lincoln and his guy friends started chattering nostalgically amongst themselves about the memory in question. But then, Lynn (after assuming his Acheron persona) lightly tapped the base of his staff upon the floor and requested that Haiku reach the overall point of her tale.
"Oh, yes...of course, sorry about that" the young Goth murmured with a light blush, "my point is...in my reading of several Fantasy stories, I've learned about the three different classes of magic; three separate pillars or stages a spell-caster practices to assume full mastery of their art." When asked what these supposed "stages of magic" were, Haiku responded with only three simple words; Incantation, Hands and Thoughts. Surprisingly, it didn't take very long for Lori's group to come to...some sort of an understanding about all this.
Yet, they still wanted to make 100% certain their ideas were correct and decided to question the Council on what Haiku had revealed. "For starters...the hands part" Lana began, "I'm guessing that deals with channeling your power through your fingers or something like that?" The Council nodded emphatically and proclaimed that the young druid was half-right, adding that certain magic users relied on their fingers as well.
They also added the fact that D&D classes like Druids, Clerics and even wizards (specifically, an Illusionist) often performed their spells this way. "In your character's case, Lana; Druids are able to do all kinds of stuff with their hands" Lincoln said excitedly, "they turn into animals, cause vines to sprout up from the ground and attack people...they can even enchant stones, nuts and acorns!" Naturally, Lana felt confused by the nature of her brother's third example and asked for the meaning behind his words.
But rather than tell her about this, Lincoln decided to show her something that he hoped would provide the right explanation. Before anyone could speak up; he took the game manual from Lana, flipped through a few pages and showed everyone an illustration of a druid using magic. However, what really got their attention were the small pebble-sized fireballs seemingly flying out of the character's open hand.
"Those aren't fireballs, guys...they're actually a couple of acorns this druid plucked off the ground" Lincoln explained giddily, "they've been enchanted with fire magic and the druid's using them as a sort of...flammable hand grenade!" Upon hearing that her character could create such weapons, Lana was left completely awestruck; as evident by the joyful sparkle in her eyes. That's when the Council of Game Masters suddenly interjected, informing both her and Lincoln that a think like exploding acorns did exist within the game; specifically under the name "Fire Seeds."
"All that does sound pretty cool...I guess" Lori murmured softly, "but what about mine and Lucy's classes, what do we get?" In response to this, the Council explained that in order to help reduce confusion between their classes; they decided to...change up one of their stats slightly. When asked which of the two received this change, all fingers pointed towards Lucy and the young Goth was actually surprised by this.
"Allow us to explain, dear" Mrs. Johnson stated, "while your older sister here holds the standard sorcerer spells; Fireball, Frost, Acid Splash and even some minor form of a healing spell; we decided to make yours more akin with that of an Illusionist." When Lucy happened to ask why the Council chose this particular spell-caster type for herself specifically, her father said he felt inspired by her "unique" ability to suddenly pop up behind people at any given moment.
Following this, the Council had several players pass down a sheet of paper down Lucy's way; one that contained all the known spells a Warlock/Witch could perform. When she came upon something known as "Booming Blade" on said list and read what it was capable of, her curiosity was piqued. "Hmm...This one could actually prove useful in our current situation" she thought to herself, "that is, if one of us can actually find a decent sword on the battlefield."
While Lucy went about studying her own spells, the Council went on to explain everything Lori's character could do; specifically all the spells that could help her team against the Slime creature. "Since the critter you're dealing with is a Green Slime; it's vulnerable to any fire, frost or radiant damage" explained Pop-Pop, "for those of you wondering, 'Radiant Damage' is an attack that deals loads of damage to demonic creatures like devils or the undead." For a brief moment, Lori and Lucy felt intrigued by the description of this spell; thinking it could prove useful to them.
But then, in a flash; any and all ideas the duo had for using Radiant Damage were dashed, when they saw the Council turn towards their direction. "We applaud your enthusiasm, ladies; truly" Mrs. Johnson said in her Agathe voice, "but the truth is...the only classes who can use the spell are Clerics and Paladins, which is a class of holy knights." Upon hearing this reveal, the girls all groaned loudly in annoyance; assuming that the Council was either messing with them or trying to cheat them out of a win.
But then, Lana directed her sisters' attention to the manual (specifically to a chapter discussing Clerics) and revealed that what they heard was true. "Don't lose hope, though" she assured, "Lori could still use an ice attack and I could hurt the slime a little by using the Fire Seeds attack Huggins mentioned earlier." Yet again, the Council applauded the young lady for her knowledge of the game; much to her other sisters' chagrin.
In the end, they all agreed to go along with the plan and were ready to continue on with the game. But before anyone could roll for Initiative, Huggins quickly called for their attention to deliver one final piece of information. "Make certain to destroy every bit of the slime creature...leave no trace behind" he decreed, "otherwise, its severed forms can become duplicates and you will soon have an entire horde of the things to deal with!"
Within a matter of seconds, every one of the Loud Sisters suddenly felt a wide variety of emotions about this reveal. Lily squirmed fearfully in her seat, Lola squealed in fear while murmuring "GROSGROSSGROSSGROSS" out loud, Lucy (surprisingly) felt a twinge of alarm at the thought of facing multiple slime creatures, Luan struggled to not make a sort of pun about the situation, Luna felt inwardly thankful to not be in her other sisters' shoes at this time, Lynn felt a rare sensation of horror, Lisa felt oddly fascinated by the Slime's regenerative qualities.
As for Lori and Leni, the two of them huddled together in a fearful embrace; all while crying out the same words of "grossgrossgross" that Lola said a moment ago. "Are you serious here" Lynn exclaimed, "you're saying that if my character went up against these things, attacked the slime and managed to, somehow cut her axes through it...the dismembered parts grow into new slime creatures?!" While Lisa was prepared to make a sort of dry remark at this statement, the Council simply smiled at Lynn and proclaimed "that's about the size of it" in unison.
This was enough to get Lori's team back into the game and think of a good plan. "Okay, here's what I've got" Lana started, "I use my Fire Seeds attack to momentarily distract the slime, giving you and Lucy a chance to try and use a combo attack on it!" When her older sisters asked her what sort of combo she had in mind, Lana said they were going to give the Slime a bit of "a hot and cold shoulder."
(The Game World)
Without any further delay, the rest of the Adventuring Party leapt up from behind Mituna's form and enacted their plan; starting with Ezra. Thinking quickly, he collected a small handful of stones from the arena floor and placed a fire enchantment upon them. Then, he proceeded to lob them towards the slime mass but only two of the stones managed to hit it; whereas the others landed on the ground.
However, while this attack didn't cause a grand amount of physical damage; it still managed to do something that benefited the Party greatly. First, the two stones that did manage to hit the mass directly caused it to squeal with great pain. Then, when the remaining stones landed around the area near it, the creature let out a more fearful cry and attempted to slink away.
"Good, the Slime is distracted" Ezra proclaimed, "now...Ventris, Shadow; use your magic in unison while I collect more stones!" The two spell-casters nodded in understanding, each took in a deep breath for luck and charged into the fray; all while collecting a few discarded shields upon the sand. The Slime beast roared an unearthly gurgling sound and launched one of its appendages towards Ventris, hoping to catch her.
Thinking quickly, the Elven mage held her shield up high and planted her heels deep into the ground; taking the full force of the blow. While the shield itself did not provide much protection against the Slime's corrosive juices, unfortunately; it gave Ventris the necessary distraction she needed. With but a quick wave of her hand, a gust of frosty air flew off her palm and off towards the Slime's tendril and froze a portion of it instantly.
Seizing this opportunity, Ventris held up her shield and slammed it down upon the ice; thus severing the creature's appendage. "EXCELLENT WORK, SHE-ELF" Ezra called out gleefully, "now...dispose of the severed piece before it can regenerate!" As if expecting to hear this, Shadow drove her beak down upon the frozen slime tendril and shattered it to numerous tiny bits.
Meanwhile, the beast shrieked in agony in pain over the blow before another tendril attempted to lash out at the adventurers. This time, Shadow was the one to land the next blow by conjuring up a small but rather intense Fire Bolt and launched it at the slime mound like a rocket. Upon making contact, the resulting explosion destroyed half of the Slime's mass; making it appear no bigger than a boulder.
"I think it's working, everyone" Mituna cried delightfully while nursing her injured leg, "if we keep this up, we might just win!" While he also shared in his friend's enthusiasm, Ezra urged her to not become too confident; not until the rest of the Slime was dealt with. That's when they noticed that the creature was making its way towards some...shall we say, discarded pieces left behind by past gladiators.
This sent a chill of fear through Ezra's body; who knew that if the Slime were to consume any organic matter in the area, it could grow in size. "You heard him, Shadow" Ventris shouted, "keep on the offensive; we must bring this beast down, no matter what!" Not needing to be told twice, Shadow gave her wrists and fingers a few stretches before assuming the proper battle stance.
As for Ventris, she took in a deep breath and started chanting in her Elvish tongue in a tone so soft that no one other than her or the Tabaxi Twins might hear it. Meanwhile, up in the stands; the people of Cicero were a feeling a mix of impatience and mild intrigue towards the new blood. In terms of the former, no one expected this group to last so long within one round; after witnessing several others die rather quickly in the past.
But on the other hand, the people were more than happy to be getting their money's worth through such a display. As for Gunari and his mysterious concubine, neither of them realized that this band of strangers would be so skilled before bringing them up. "If I knew that these strangers had magical skills, I would have thought of a way to inhibit them" he thought, "perhaps, I should keep this in mind for the second round...if they happen to survive."
(Line Break)
Back down on the battlefield; Ezra, Shadow and Ventris were still putting up quite a fight against the ever-dwindling Slime. But although their collective skills provided the proper offense against their enemy; the battle seemed to be lasting for ages and soon, the "mystic trio" felt themselves growing weak. "I...I-I don't know if I can keep this going for much longer" Ventris murmured wearily, "we need find a way to destroy this thing completely."
While still trying to keep the Slime distracted (as well as keep it from eating any one of them,) the Party desperately tried to think of one final plan of attack to achieve victory. It was here that Ursa, while distancing herself slightly from the conflict, felt something cut itself lightly up against her left foot. As a result, she tripped and lightly scraped her knee...but there was no severe damage to be seen on her leg.
That's when she saw it, some sort of object in the sand that the sun was slightly glaring against. After quickly dusting her paws over the surface of the ground; she saw a small, shattered but still surprisingly sharp dagger (possibly one belonging to an unfortunate soul who died in this place.) Upon seeing the object, an idea began to form in the Rogue's mind; one that she hoped would work.
"Elf, come over here...quick" she called out loudly, "I think I've found something that could help us!" Against her better judgment, Ventris turned her attention away from the Slime and raced over towards Ursa's side; all while hoping the others could stay strong until her return. When she arrived, Ursa quickly placed the dagger into Ventris' hands before she even had the slightest chance to question what the Rogue needed from her; insisting that it was "all part of her plan."
"Now...I need you to channel some of that frost magic of yours into this" Ursa explained, "after that, I want you to give it back to me...so that I can stab the bloody abomination right in wherever its heart lies!" Although she initially found her companion's sense of courage admirable, Ventris still called her quite foolish for wanting to make such a risky move. But Ursa insisted they go along with it, pointing out that their group would not be able to defend against the Slime for much longer.
"It's the only thing we haven't attempted yet" she said matter-of-factly, "besides, one way or another...we were bound to be harmed in this place." Although every other instinct within her urged her to reconsider; ultimately, Ventris decided to go along with the plan and began chanting her incantation. But just as she reached the midway point of her spell, something quite large and moist suddenly touched itself against her foot.
She looked down with a pained start and saw that the Slime, now no bigger than a house cat, had globbed itself atop of it. Ventris winced loudly with discomfort, as the creature's acidic juices burned at her skin; just as it did to Mituna not too long ago. But in spite of the pain, she still continued with the incantation; all while attempting to shake the creature off of her.
She swung her leg back and forth, up and down; any direction or way possible to try and get the creature away from her...but it seemed to have too tight of a hold upon her foot.
(The Real World)
Back at the table; Lori was going out of her mind with fear and disgust, after hearing the Council's description of her situation. She demanded that someone come and help her, anyone...but her sisters regretfully told her they had no idea of what to do for this scenario. "It's okay, Lori...remember, this is just in your head" Lynn said calmly in his normal voice, "there's nothing on either of your feet."
Like a flash of lightning striking across the sky; Lori's mind quickly snapped back to reality and then, a heavy blush of shame soon coated her cheeks. Afterwards, she openly apologized to everyone for freaking out the way she did; saying that it was "literally unlike her." "It's okay, honey...really" Albert said in his sweet voice, "when you really start to get into the swing of things, that's when the game feels real."
The moment she let her grandfather's words process in her mind, she could already feel her "sense of sanity" practically screaming for her to stop playing before she got in too deep. But this feeling paled in comparison to her usual competitiveness, her drive to push forward and more surprisingly, the fun sensation Lori was feeling overall about this (though she'd never admit the last part out loud.) After giving the girl a moment's pause to collect herself, the Council asked her to make one final Strength Check; hoping it might help get the Slime off of her.
"Okay...I really hope this works this time" she whispered, "if not, that Slime thing will probably burn my character's foot off!" With that in mind, Lori took hold of the d20 and shook it like made between her hands; not caring about all the glances being sent her way. Finally, after letting it fly; she waited anxiously with fingers, toes and even her eyes crossed to see what she would get.
When the dice finally stopped rolling and everyone looked to see what number Lori rolled, a great cheer of celebration went out that was so loud that it nearly shook the walls. "Congrats, Lor; you just got yourself a 24" Carol said giddily while giving her a golfer's clap, "good thing too, I'm surprised that Slime stayed on you for this long." Lori gave her bestie a thumb's up of approval, glanced down at the table and gave the wee Slime figurine beside her a most vicious glare; all while making a sort of "you're goin' down" gesture.
The other players chuckled heartily at this display for a few second and then, the game went back underway.
(The Game World)
Ventris, now lying upon the ground, grimaced loudly as the Slime creature reached her knee; the rest of her leg appearing covered in small yet painful burns. But in spite of her pain, she was not willing to go down so easily; least of all at the non-existent hands of a blasted mound of ooze. After taking in a deep inhale for luck, Ventris called upon whatever strength she still had left and thrust her leg forward.
Much to the surprise of herself and the crowd in general, the Slime flew off Ventris' leg and soared across the way; giving her just enough time to dispose of the acidic residue on her skin. But just as she was about through with that, the Slime let out a vicious shriek and lunged itself towards her like a pouncing wild cat. This did not alarm the she-elf, of course; for it granted her just the right opportunity she needed to strike back.
With near lightning-fast reflexes; Ventris reached beside her, plucked up the knife she had enchanted and hurled it with all her might. The blade struck the Slime creature dead center in the middle of its gelatinous form before the both fell down to the sand with a "thud." At first, the crowd half-expected to see the weapon dissolve instantly within the creature's gullet; just as it happened many times before during other matches.
But as the acid started to cover over it; the dagger's blade suddenly radiated a bright blue glow and then, the Slime let out a piercing shriek of pain. This noise echoed so loudly that even the spectators and the emperor himself plugged up their ears, all while wincing in pain. Meanwhile, Ventris kept her grip upon the dagger's handle; barely withstanding the stinging sensation that ran through her fingertips and palms.
"Just for a few more seconds...it's almost over, now" she thought to herself with an outward groan, "just let the spell do its work and then..." At that moment; the small Slime creature had let out one final scream of agony and then, it swiftly evaporated into a cloud of green steam. The crowd watched in stunned silence, as a soft gust of wind suddenly wisped passed the Elven mage and blew the green steam off into the sky. All was eerily quiet for what felt like ages, after that; leading the Adventuring Party to almost believe they were in trouble.
Then, all of a sudden; a small group of spectators on the east side of the arena erupted into a fit of joyful cheers. Soon after, over on the north edge; more people started cheering for them. From all around the arena, the people of Cicero seemed to be pleased with what they have just witnessed but the Adventurers did not seem to care.
As for Gunari, he could not help but stare down at them in silence with a mildly suspicious glint in his eye. He did not know where the mercenaries found the group nor did he seemed to care, all that mattered was that these new blood were giving his people greater satisfaction than any other warriors who came before them. "These strangers seem more impressive than I anticipated" he murmured with a light grin, "let us see if their luck will continue on to the next round."
The herald standing beside Gunari gave a light murmur of approval, bowed his head low and immediately made his way down the stands; eager to inform the new blood of his "good news." Meanwhile, the strange woman sitting beside him looked down upon the arena with great remorse; not just for the new gladiators but for all the creatures who were forced to fight them.
"With the exception of that...horrid Slime beast; I can, at least find comfort in knowing that these strangers showed mercy to the beasts they faced" she thought wearily, "I just wonder if...no, it is a fool's wish; they would never accept a request from me."
(The Real World)
Back at the table, nearly every player was staring over at Leni with looks of both confusion and mild intrigue upon their faces. Of course, when she happened to notice these looks, the poor girl suddenly felt self-conscious and tried to hide away the blush on her cheeks from view. "Why you are all staring at me" she inquired timidly, "did...d-did I say something wrong, was my delivery not strong enough; I'm totally sorry, if that's the case."
After hearing these words, the Council of Game Masters were the first to snap out of their daze and quickly apologized to Leni for their behavior. "You did nothing wrong, honey; trust us" Lynn Sr. assured, "it's just...your performance was just so...emotional and real! We were all just at a loss for words; right everybody?" Straightaway, every player and helper in the room vocally praised Leni on her character performance; despite the fact that she wasn't playing yet.
Her friend group, much to the teen's delight, was also deeply moved by it all; as evident by Miguel looking like he was on the verge of tears. "Seriously, Leni-Boo; nothing has touched me on that deep of an emotional level since I saw last season's finale of It Never Ends" the teen gasped emphatically while drying some tears away, "and I still feel shook after seeing that particular moment." Following this; Jackie, Mandee and Fiona also praised Leni for her brief character performance.
As expected, the young lady found herself blushing deeply; not from embarrassment or shyness but because she felt genuinely touched by her friends' words. Before agreeing to play, Leni was worried she might struggle with getting into character like everyone else did. But after getting a chance to say a couple of lines, it all felt...rather natural to her; as if she were taking part in a school play.
With this in mind, she became even more excited to play and was ready to roll some dice...until Lynn Jr. quickly interrupted things. "Okay, guys; before we keep playing, might I make a quick request" she asked, "my gut...er belly...or however you say the word in Olde English is rumbling like mad, could we have a quick snack break before the next round?" After about ten seconds of silence, this request was met with a soft yet eager cacophony of approval from the other players; who also appeared eager to have something to eat.
The Council looked upon one another in silence for a moment and then, Huggins and Albert glanced over at their stein cups; both of which appeared to be nearly bone dry. With this in mind, they along with the rest of the Game Masters agreed to pause the game momentarily; thus allowing players to have a quick snack break. "Just don't take too long, everybody" Mrs. Johnson called out, "thirty minutes to eat, drink and chat; then, it's back to business before we head off to bed."
The other children all sounded off obediently and approached the buffet line in single-file fashion, lingered at the very end; chattering amongst themselves about what had transpired thus far. "WOW! That was the best round yet" Lana exclaimed in delight, "I thought this game was cool before...but what we just did made it even cooler!" While doing her best to not appear...too rude, Lynn shrugged her shoulders slightly and proclaimed that they didn't actually "do anything."
"Remember...anything we do in the game is just in our heads" she stated matter-of-factly, "you didn't fight in any real arena or battle any real slime creatures." In response to this, Lucy popped up (quite literally) and said that even though the game was make-believe; something about it filled even someone like her with a strong sense of empowerment. "I mean...we're expressing ourselves in ways we never thought possible, just like our parents and Lincoln said" she stated, "I never knew I had it in me all this time."
On the surface, Lori tried to appear indifferent about what her sisters were discussing...but on the inside, even she still felt the rush of what happened moments ago. Maybe it was the background music Chunk played to set the mood, maybe it was the body movements/pantomiming she did to help emphasize her character's actions...or maybe it was the moment where she managed to finally get that grody slime monster out of the game.
Whatever the case, a small part of Lori found herself thinking that even she was starting to get into the full swing of things and expressing herself in a whole new way; just like Lucy said. Sadly, even with this sort of positive idea in mind; her teenaged ego slowly took over and did its best to try and keep her focused. "Just keep playing along, Lori...and don't be swayed by the dork-ness" she thought firmly, "there's literally nothing else these guys have up their sleeves that could make me want to play this game for longer than I've already been."
(First AN: Once again, Lori is forcing herself from fully enjoying the game; how much longer do you think it will be until she finally "cracks," fellow Dungeon-Crawlers? Tune in next time, to find out)
(Second AN: For those wondering; yes, Leni's character will be making her full debut in the future. But now isn't the time for her to make her presence known, as they say. I just hope that when I do present her, the character she is playing will make sense to all of you)
(Third AN: In my quest to find different beasties to have Lori's group go up against in the arena fight; I had to think of ideas that weren't copyrighted/trademarked by Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro or any other company affiliated with the D&D franchise. As such; I discovered that I possibly can't use creatures like Beholders, Mind Flayers or even the famous Gelatinous Cube in this chapter.
HOWEVER...In terms of the last example, I found a way to work around it and decided to have Lori's group face off against a slime blob; along with the other beasties. The mammoth, meanwhile is a real creature that's been used in a few pieces of fantasy media; such as Skyrim and Lord of the Rings, in the form of Oliphants.
As for the Saber-Fang Wolves, I was inspired by the wolves from WoW; thinking it might be the perfect kind of beast to pit the likes of Lori or Lana up against...what do you think?)
(Final AN: I made a slight change in Lucy's character and class, not just in this chapter but also in the Characters and Settings page of this story. Since Lori's character's a mage, which is otherwise known as a Wizard or Sorcerer in the game, I didn't want to have Lucy play the same class for her character. So, I decided to make hers a Warlock, thinking it matches well with her Goth persona)
