Backstories & Bad Jokes

(The Game World)

The sun had just risen over the city of Arnost, greeting everyone with another beautiful new day. Every citizen from the most common of people to a collection of Gunari's most trusted lords arose from their sleep and were eager to start their morning. But at the center of the city, deep beneath the Coliseum; the slaves recoiled at the sight of the rising sun.

For them, every new morning only reminded them of one thing...another battle between life and death in the arena. None felt this more than our heroes, who arose from their shoddily made cot beds with many a weary groan. While their sleeping conditions were inhospitable in itself, what truly left them unable to rest soundly was what happened mere hours ago.

Even now; Ventris could not shake the feelings of dread she felt earlier that morning, after Fatima spoke with her and her friends. Although, she could not decide if it was the half-djinn's warning of the coming arena fight or the story of how she ended up in Gunari's "service" that troubled her most. "Regardless, we must do whatever we can to save Fatima" thought Ventris, "not to mention the other slaves...and to a lesser extent, the people of this kingdom."

While the Elven mage took a moment to think of what to do next; her comrades, just as she did, arose from their in a most sluggish and disheveled manner. Shadow let out a tired chirp while stretching out her legs, the Tabaxi Twins stretched their bodies out like a pair of house cats, Mituna (much to everyone's surprise) had popped her head out from her shell; revealing that it was a preferred sleeping method for Tortles. All five adventurers groaned loudly with discomfort while trying their best to stand up.

But unfortunately, they still felt the aches and pains of their earlier battle grip at their spirits like iron chains. "UGH! By my grandfather's whiskers...I've not had a sleep that bad since my last visit to a tavern" Ezra groaned with a yowl, "had too much ale and ended up sleeping on the floor the whole night...remember that, Sister?" Begrudgingly, Ursa acknowledged the...less than amusing memory of her brother's inebriated state and cleared off some grime from her claws.

Just then, the door suddenly flew open wide; causing many of the slaves to either scream/shriek/cry out in alarm or fall out of their beds. Much to their relief (albeit slightly so,) it was only a trio of guards coming in; one holding a collection of wooden bowls in her hands and the other two carrying what looked like cooking pots. As the guards passed by them, the scent of whatever food was boiling in the pots soon filled the air; permeating through each of the cells.

Feeling eager and rather hungry, Ezra wasted no time in sniffing at the air around him; wondering what sort of meal they were about to receive. Sadly, this will soon be a decision that the young druid would ultimately come to regret. The instant the steam of the food filled his nostrils, Ezra suddenly fell into a mad coughing fit while thrashing about the floor.

Alarmed by this, Ursa rushed to her brother's side and asked what it was that made him react this way. "He must've been smelling breakfast, little minx" chuckled the female guard, "hope you'll enjoy it...His Excellency wants you all to be at full strength for today's games." With that statement, she gestured for her subordinates to pass out the food to every slave; adding that they give an "extra helping" to the New Blood.

With wicked laughs in their throats, the secondary guards dipped their ladles into the food pots and started pouring out something into several bowls. Now, the Party knew full well that they would not receive a meal fit for royalty; due to their current "lowly station." But after their apprehension, sailing on a ship for who knows how long and their recent arena fight; their bellies were practically screaming to be fed.

As such, the likes of Ezra and Mituna would happily accept even the smallest wedge of cheese or a bowl of lumpy barley gruel for a meal...so long as they were fed. "It's interesting you two should bring that up" chuckled the female guard, "because what we have here...is some of the finest gruel the arena cooks have to offer." With that said; one of the male guards collected a small collection of bowls and filled them all with so much gruel, they were almost overflowing.

Then, they slid each bowl roughly through the bars of the Party's cell; not caring if even one or two of them had "accidentally" spilled over. Afterwards, the guards went about giving the same bowls of gruel to all the other slaves. "Enjoy your breakfast, slaves" said the female guard, "even though you'll all soon be dead before it's digested! HA-HA-HA-HA!"

With their business there now finished, the guards made their way back out the door; their snide laughter echoing loudly through the room. After a while, Ursa picks up one of the still full bowls of gruel and gives it a sniff; immediately recoiling with disgust afterward. "GAH! This smells abysmal...it's like someone threw up into the gruel pot before the guards brought it in" she snarled, "who in the world would actually want to eat this?"

As if Fate had overheard her cries; in response to Ursa's inquiry, the Party friends suddenly heard the sounds of mad slurping and guzzling coming from the other cells. Naturally, this display disgusted Ursa right to her core and her comrades felt equally bothered...only to realize just how starving the other slaves must've been. "Think of it...we have only been here a day while they must've been trapped here for decades" grumbled Mituna, "if I were them, any meal would look appetizing."

While she knew her friend spoke the truth, Ursa still disapproved of how quickly everyone had guzzled down their bowls of gruel. No sooner had she said this; the gnomish rogue, Zita Fizzlebang, confessed that this was the first time a few of them have been fed in almost two weeks. "That's inhuman...it's one thing to be fed slop that even a starving hog wouldn't eat" cried Ursa, "but why would the emperor starve you all like this?!"

With a bitter scoff in their throat, the changeling known as Jinn stepped out from the shadows of their cell and told her that this was simply "the way things were" for all slaves. "How we are fed and how much we are given solely depends on how big of a show we put on for the people" they grumbled bitterly, "take a wild guess on who gets the best meals down here, kitten?" Rather than feel insulted by the changeling's words; Ursa pondered on their words carefully until, at last the truth finally dawned on her...Velra Spear-Tusk.

"AH! Good guess, not bad for your first try" cheered the goliath, Makon; "she's the best fighter in the city, which means she gets all the tasty food while we get...the gruel."

(The Real World)

Back at the table; after processing what Chaz had said while in character, Lola finally cracked from disgust and fainted in her seat. "While I may not be as...dramatic as my sister, I literally feel the same way" Lori grumbled, "why the heck are all the slaves given slop to eat while big shots like Velra eat like royalty?!" Almost immediately; Lisa let out a light cough, stood up in her seat and offered to provide what she considered a "professional" explanation.

According to her, real world gladiators were like today's modern professional athletes; namely that they were highly beloved by the people who watched the arena games. As such, the Roman or Grecian monarchy would always ensure that they were well-fed; so that they would be properly energized for the coming fight. "Furthermore, what my sisters' characters and the other slave characters call slop was actually an example of what gladiators ate" Lisa added, "barley, wheat, beans...and the occasional addition of meat or fish were all part of their daily diet."

Now, as it turned out; this explanation created a rather mixed response from the players surrounding the wee genius. Some like the Game Masters Council found it quite informative with Huggins adding how he came across similar facts during his own research for this session. Some others, meanwhile groaned loudly with exasperation; complaining that Lisa's lecture was not only boring but also too difficult to understand (at least for those like Liam, Rusty and especially Leni.)

"My point is under more realistic circumstances, what the slaves have been given to eat was considered a 'gourmet meal'" she sighed with a slight eye-roll, "however...I must agree that only feeding the slaves a rare number of times seems rather cruel." Upon hearing this, Mrs. Johnson gave a knowing smile and commented that despite her informative explanation on the diets of gladiators; Lisa had neglected to recall what the slaves had said mere moments ago. "But again, this seems to go against what is realistically known about the Games" Lisa retorted, "all slaves and fighters were given a fair share of food during the time of Ancient Rome."

Once more, the Council applauded the wee genius on her extensive knowledge on the subject matter gladiatorial combat while some players reiterated their earlier complaints about her being "boring." That's when Rita reminded everyone that while everything her daughter said was true, the events of the arena scenario in their session held only some glimmers of realism. "Totally, Mrs. L." said Phoebe from across the way, "everything we've said up to now was all improvised for the sake of good drama."

Now, the Loud Sisters (including Lori's group) knew that the teen's words were 100% true...but they still felt that their game's current story felt a little too real for them. With this in mind, Lil' Lily raised up her hand (which had a slip-on wolf paw glove over it) and asked what it was that Velra ate compared to everyone else. "Turns out, Sis...Loxodons, that's what my character is, eat a whole lotta fruits and veggies" Lynn replied, "which kinda makes sense, when you think about it; since they're elephants."

Everyone chuckled, giggled and laughed merrily at her comment; proclaiming that she had made a rather good joke; much to Luan's mild chagrin. But rather than dilly-dally on the subject for much longer, Huggins called for everyone's attention and asked to continue with the game. "Oh, right...sorry about that, Wilbur" Mrs. Johnson chuckled shyly, "let me just get into character again." After taking a few moments to practice some vocal warm-ups, which included her quoting the phrase "a gorgeous gal gifted great guavas, to a gaggle of gabbing goofs" to herself, the teacher had reassumed her role/voice as Game Mistress Agathe.

It was here that she offered the floor to any other "slave" character to speak next, which Stella happily agreed to. "Very good, young lady" Mrs. Johnson stated while in character, "would you kindly share with us a little about your character?" Not needing to be asked twice, Stella performed the same vocal warm-ups her former teacher did and the very next moment she spoke...she sounded like a new woman.

"'My name is Miranda Stoneheart, a member of the Shadow-Steppers'" she said with a sort of grimly stoic tone, "'we were some of the finest mercenaries on the western shores; if you needed something stolen or if there was a rival that needed to be...dealt with, the Shadow-Steppers are at your service.'" For a few brief moments, no one at the table dared to speak a word...their minds appearing too stunned to even think of something to say. But Mrs. Bernardo, on the other hand was simply beaming with pride at the girl's performance; claiming that she hadn't seen passion like that since she was her age.

As expected, some of the children (mostly the high schoolers/former high schoolers) all felt like telling the woman she was being delusional. But they quickly remembered the rule about respecting all players and thus, chose to hold their tongues. Meanwhile, Lana raised her hand up and asked for Stella to explain why she was called a "shadow-stepper." "OH! It's actually a name of a thieves guild in this fantasy book I'm reading" Stella replied, "see...they're called 'Shadow-Steppers' because they move so quickly and silently, people mistake them for 'living shadows.'"

In addition to this, she explained that mercenaries were essentially "soldiers for hire" who offered up their skills to any military group or lord who offered to pay them well. To young Lana, this description seemed to have painted Stella's character as an "anti-hero" style character. "Good comparison, Sis...but that's not always the case, especially here" Lincoln interjected, "some mercs can be anti-heroes, especially for this game but they're mostly people who do stuff for a price."

The Loud Sisters were all quite surprised by this reveal, mostly because of the fact that none of them expected hear such a gentle girl like Stella describe a character in such a grimly vivid detail. That's when Lincoln urged them to not underestimate the likes of her, whether it would be inside or outside their game. "Trust me, girls when I tell you this" he stated, "my friends and I have done that before...and paid the price for it.

(A quick flashback shows a dodgeball game up at Royal Woods Middle School between the boys and the girls. As expected, the match becomes quite heated with the Girls Team having a surprising edge over the Boys)

(During the game, Lincoln and his pals are cornered by Stella; who is holding a dodgeball tight in her hands. At first, Rusty assumes she'll go easy on them due to their friendship. These words suddenly cause a mischievous gleam to shine in her eyes while a devious grin appeared on her face)

Flashback Stella: "Sorry, guys...this is gonna hurt me more than it will hurt you."

(With these words; Stella clutches the ball tightly, winds up, seeks out her target and throws the ball in slow motion. When the ball finally hits, the camera flashes back to the present after the rubbery "THUNK" of the dodgeball sounds off)

After the memory had flashed through his mind, Lincoln couldn't help but quiver with dread; as did his guy friends. Meanwhile, Stella's face was glowing with a soft blush while she giggled sheepishly under her breath at the memory in question. "It was nothing personal, boys; trust me" she stated, "but you know how crazy I can get during dodgeball."

With a soft smile on his face, Lincoln assured his female bestie there was no bad blood between them; as did Clyde, Rusty, Liam and Zach. "The point your brother's trying to make, girls is to never underestimate the role-playing abilities of those around you" Albert stated, "although some people here might not look it, they might be capable of crafting very unique personas for their characters." No sooner had this been said, Cici (while in character) asked if the game could proceed before the night got too late.

"Oh...yes, sorry about all that" Lynn Sr. exclaimed while face-palming himself, "where was it that we left off again?" In response, Leni reminded her father that they were at the moment where Lola...or rather, Ursa was complaining about being served gruel and several slaves were explaining why they were being given it. "Thank you, honey" Lynn Sr. said gratefully, "now...let's get back to business; maestro, the music!"

Not needing to be asked twice, Albert picked up his phone and accessed a track from his library labeled "Epic Fantasy Tunes." This led to the room filling with the echoes of a powerful orchestral melody, one that almost sounded like a marching song. Truthfully, everyone thought this mixed well with their game's current setting and were eager to begin.

(The Game World)

After the Party had finished (or at least, sampled) their meals, they were soon approached by the guards from earlier; who proclaimed that the time of their next contest was at hand. As much as she detested the idea of being forced to fight again for the people's amusement, Ventris knew it had to be done. "If we just keep on fighting, we might just make it to the final round" she thought, "then, I can think of a plan to help free us and the other slaves...hopefully."

Before she could contemplate her plans any further, a guard arrived and wasted no time in roughly placing shoddy pieces of battle armor upon her. Naturally, Ventris both verbally and physically protested against being manhandled in this way; to the point where she made an attempt to head-butt the guard. But before she could arch her back even slightly, the Elven mage felt the sudden prick of the guard's spear touch up against her throat.

Rather than put herself or her friends at any further risk, Ventris begrudgingly relented and assumed a more submissive posture. The guard smiled maliciously at this, pulled back her weapon and commanded her associates to outfit the "New Blood" in the last bits of armor they required. "Chin up, She-Elf; you and your friends have made it this far" the guard said with a snide chuckle, "if you can hold your own well enough against the Emperor's pets, fighting a few of your fellow slaves here should be just as easy."

With that, she and the rest of the guards said their farewells and returned to their original posts elsewhere; leaving the Party alone in the hall. For what felt like ages, they found themselves silently debating on what they should do next; return to the barracks and attempt to fight the guards for their freedom...or continue forward. "Personally, I vote we go back and face those armor-clad cowards" Ursa hissed venomously, "they need to pay for our humiliation...especially mine!"

While he knew that some small part agreed with his sister's desires, Ezra firmly reminded her of far more dire things to worry about. "He's right...besides, even if we did try to fight the guards; it would only put the other slaves at risk" Mituna said matter-of-factly, "I won't allow the blood of innocents touch my hands. For a moment, Ursa considered bitterly reminding her comrade that they would all be fighting their fellow slaves regardless; the instant they move out onto the battleground.

But after about twenty seconds of mental debate, the young rogue only hissed bitterly and raced off towards the distance on all fours; causing the rest of the Party to give chase after her.

(Line Break)

After regrouping with Ursa, the Party found themselves standing before the large portcullis that separated the outside of the coliseum from the lower levels. The sounds of the crowd's clapping coupled with their cheers echoed so loudly, both Ventris and the Tabaxi Twins were forced to shield their ears. Then, they watched in grim silence as the portcullis gate slowly started to rise up.

Although every rational thought in their mind urged them otherwise, the Party begrudgingly marched their way out onto the arena floor. Their arrival caused the crowd to roar even louder with excitement, much to their initial displeasure. Meanwhile, up in the royal skybox; Emperor Gunari said lazily upon his lectus sofa while serving wenches fed him his meal.

The pompous nobleman reveled in his pampering while his citizens all cheered loudly around him. But not to far away; Fatima, his "newest slave," found his behavior utterly abysmal and was prepared to tell him so. She took a step towards Gunari then, two more before her stride became much bolder and more confident. When she finally got within earshot, Fatima cleared her throat as loudly as she could; hoping to get Gunari's attention.

"M-M-My Lord...the new slaves have just arrived" she murmured, "should we start the next round of the games soon?" Gunari said nothing in reply, save for a quick groan of annoyance, and cast an equally annoyed glance at Fatima. Meanwhile, the concubine on his right stood still as a statue; holding a plump grape gingerly between her two fingers.

She, like all of Gunari's servants, knew he did not enjoy having his relaxation be disturbed and seeing the disgruntled look upon his face made that all the more apparent. Then, mere seconds later, Gunari glanced upwards at the concubine and began jabbing his finger over his still gaping mouth. This caused the poor woman to snap out of her brief trance and resume feeding her master his grapes.

After taking a moment to properly chew and swallow his morsel of food; Gunari stretched out his body like an overgrown house cat, rose from his sofa and took his seat upon his skybox throne. As he expected, the people of Arnost roared loudly with cheers at the sight of their leader; which caused a content grin to cross his face. Then, he cast his eyes down at the arena floor where the "New Blood" slave stood and his expression changed almost instantly.

While still keeping up his proud visage for the people, Gunari still felt some contempt for these strangers; whom he believed were nothing but trouble. "I do not know where these slaves came from or what they did to get this far" he thought bitterly, "but I doubt their luck will protect them against the others!" With this thought in mind, Gunari gave a gentle wave of his hand; thus summoning for the chamberlain to step forward.

(The Real World)

"As the chamberlain steps forward, the crowd's cheers become almost deafening" Lynn Sr. said emphatically in his Acheron voice, "he greets the citizens with a...slight yet kindly smile and thanks them all for coming for another day of gladiatorial games." Soon after saying all this, he gave a quick signal and Kotaro pressed the "Play" button on his phone; which caused the familiar sound of a cheering crowd to play loudly. This in turn caused several of the players to cheer with equal enthusiasm, all except for Lori's group.

As much as they disliked the idea of their characters going into another battle situation, there was one other thing that made this so much worse; at least for Lori. In a matter of seconds, she and her sisters would be going up against a few of her best school friends. As such, she feared that one (if not all of them) would end up holding a grudge against her; if she managed to win. "This is almost exactly like what went down at the last golf game between me and Carol" Lori thought worriedly, "only this time...we're playing a board game, instead."

As the poor girl's mind started dipping further down into her thoughts, she was almost oblivious to the sound of what seemed like fingers snapping. With a yelp, Lori opened her eyes wide and decreed that she was "awake;" which inadvertently caused some people to giggle at her. "No one is accusin' you of sleeping, missy" grumbled Mr. Grouse, "we just didn't want ya missin' out on your friends' big moment."

Upon hearing these words, Lori glanced over towards the other side of the table where a group of her friends sat; specifically Whitney, Becky and Dana sat. Each one was fully outfitted in their characters' costumes and deep down, Lori couldn't help but admire them. Becky sported a pair of pointed ears like her own, her usual hairstyle was done up into a small yet adorable ponytail and after taking a quick glance beneath the table, Lori swore she saw hair on the girl's feet.

This led to her giving out a sudden cry of shock, as well as bang the back of her head slightly up against the table; which caused the table to shake (albeit slightly.) "'Steady on there, She-Elf'" a voice cried out in dismay, "'the battle has yet to begin and yet, you seem set to topple the kingdom beforehand!'" Lori said nothing in reply, at first; choosing to instead nurse the painful lump throbbing on the back of her head.

Feeling concerned, Luan called out for anyone to bring her something cold; be it a packet of ice or a can of soda (which Flip/Bojan called a "HP canisters.") Surprisingly, it was Lily who offered to retrieve the item in question...and she did so in the most adorable way possible. After properly adjusting her costume, the littlest Loud got down on all fours and proceeded to run towards the Refreshments booth like a wolf.

Upon arriving, she wasted no time in barking urgently at Flip; which (to the eyes of the players) made her look even cuter. Sadly, Flip himself didn't quite share the same sentiment and thought the little girl was going too deeply into character. "Just play along, Flip...what's the harm in that" Albert called out from his seat, "after all, the rules say we must be fully in character while in these walls."

Although every other part of the man urged him to do otherwise, Flip had no choice to begrudgingly agree to these terms...but not before stressing that he be "appropriately compensated for bartering with the pup." Despite her age; based upon her family's experiences with the man, Lily knew exactly what he was looking for. With that in mind, she reached into her costume and collected what looked like a tiny coin purse made to resemble her favorite character; Blarney the Dinosaur.

Upon opening it, everyone gasped in astonishment when they saw Lily pull out a crisp one-dollar bill and handing it over to Flip; thus earning the drink. This time, she chose to return back to the table while walking normally; so as not to cause the soda to accidentally burst. In time, she returned to her seat beside Lori and handed her the can with a giggle.

"Thanks a million for that, Lily...I owe you" sighed the teen while she held the soda behind her head, "now, I have questions...who was that voice that just spoke to me and when did Becky's feet get so hairy?" In response to the second question, Paige raised her hand up and jokingly proclaimed that hairy feet "ran in their dad's side of the family." This, of course earned her a firm glare from Becky, which seemed to say "I'll get you back for that."

"In all seriousness...these are actually slip on Halfling shoes I bought from the mall just last month" she stated, "didn't think they'd have a pair in my size, to be honest." In that moment, Lori couldn't decide which left her feeling the most uncomfortable; the pain in her head or the fact that one of her besties was shopping for hairy feet shoes. But before she could ponder anymore on that, the unfamiliar voice from before called out for attention; screaming "OI! Don't look at the Halfling, She-Elf; look at me!"

Feeling mildly frustrated (both from the rudeness of the statement and her mild headache,) Lori turned her head slightly and saw that a laptop had been placed upon the table. This caused her to think back to when Ronnie Anne played via a webcam from home. However, the voice didn't quite sound like her; even with the character voice alteration.

"Guys...just who is it that's trying to talk with us" questioned Lori, "they don't sound like anyone I know." No sooner had this been said; the "mystery guest" gave a light cough and her earlier stern voice suddenly shifted into a much softer tone. Soon after that, the camera on their end had finally adjusted itself proper; thus allowing her image to appear crystal clear on the screen.

She was a young half-Chinese teen with long brunette hair, black eyes and freckles upon her face. Of course, her freckles were almost barely noticeable due to the lines of dark red facepaint she coated slightly over her eyes and cheeks. Said facepaint was done in such a shocking way that, to the eyes of some, it looked as though some large animal swiped its claws deeply across her face.

She appeared to be dressed in some form of battle armor (possibly homemade,) wore a pair of thick leather bracers over her forearms, her hair was braided beautifully into a sort of crown-like shape and she sported what looked like a torn leather skirt around her hips. There was a mixed reaction from many people at the table, after they carefully studied this girl's look. Some, like the Game Masters, found her costume to be quite impressive; others like the Loud Sisters were utterly confused as to just who she was.

But there was a selective group of players among them who seemed utterly ecstatic to see this young lady; namely Lincoln and the Gal Pals. "HEY, SIDDO! Long time no see, girlfriend" Cici called out loudly, "how are things up at the city?!" Without the slightest hesitation, the young lady suddenly went on a tangent on almost everything that happened with her the past few weeks. Some of her stories involved her hanging out at the park with Ronnie Anne and her skate crew (Casey, Sameer, Nikki and Laird.) Other things she spoke about involved her parents and their jobs in GLC, be it the latest story about her dad's job at the subway or her mom's job at the city zoo. When Lana happened to overhear this part of the story, her face shined brighter than a thousand strings of Christmas lights.

Her other sisters, on the other hand, didn't quite seem so impressed with their "guest's" stories (more specifically, Lori and Lola.) "Okay, people; timeout here" cried the eldest Loud Sibling, "I have some questions; just who is this girl, why is she on Video Chat with us, what is she wearing and...do Lincoln and his friends know her somehow?" In an instant; the Gal Pals crew swiftly realized their mistake, chuckled sheepishly and gave Lincoln the stage to introduce the newest player to their game.

"Girls, I like you to meet Sid Chang; Ronnie Anne's bestie from the city" he said while gesturing at the laptop, "me and the Gals met her during our weekend trip there, last summer...and she also happened to catch some parts of our family trial on TV." After hearing the latterreveal and taking another close look at the girl's face, the Loud Sisters gasped in unison and suddenly recognized her. Despite a few key changes she had in her appearance (namely her makeup job,) her voice and smiling face were unmistakable.

Sid glanced around at all the players looking her way, chuckled sheepishly and gave a slight yet friendly wave. "Hey, everybody; thanks again for letting me play with you guys" she said gratefully, "I've been wanting to try this game out with people ever since I heard Lincoln's story about how one friend of his almost busted a 'secret meeting' he had with his crew." The moment this was said; in a seat not too far away from where the laptop was, Phoebe could be seen sinking low to the floor in shame.

Even now, the poor girl still regretted how far she was willing to go to become part of the Middle School's news team. But just when she thought her humiliation would get the better of her, Phoebe suddenly felt some hands softly patting against her head in a reassuring manner. She looked up and saw that it was Lincoln and Clyde smiling at her, as if silently telling her the memory was all "water under the bridge."

Of course, Sid couldn't help but feel teary-eyed by this display of friendship; confessing how much it reminded her of what she and Ronnie Anne had. That's when she glanced over at the other end of the table and spotted Lincoln's sisters chattering amongst themselves in impatient whispers. Although she didn't want to hold things up for much longer, she decided to introduce herself accordingly.

"Nice to see you again, Loud Sisters; this time under more friendly terms" she giggled softly, "you like my look...I was trying to put on the finishing touches with my makeup before I got the camera on." At first, Sid half-expected to hear everyone laugh or hear them say she looked ridiculous in her costume. Instead, she heard a few of the Sisters openly complimenting on her look with Lola appearing the most impressed.

"Seriously, your makeup work is incredible for this look" gushed the wee pageant princess, "and you've gotta give me the number of whoever did your hair!" While every other part of her wanted to "bring her sister back down to earth," Lori confessed that even she was rather pleased with Sid's look; which caused the young lady in question to blush softly. This went on for a few more seconds until at last, the Council called out for the girls' attention.

It was here that Rita (in her Eliana voice) asked for Sid to introduce herself and provide some info on her character. "Right-O, Mrs. Lou...uh, I mean, my Lady" she said with a light bow, "just give me a moment to get into character again." With that said, Sid took a quick moment to properly adjust her camera's angle and focus before taking a seat down on her bed.

After that, she crossed her legs slightly and started performing a series of soft breathing techniques; as if she were meditating. Of course, it didn't take long for the Louds to recognize this behavior; having seen Lynn utilize such techniques to properly hone into her competitive coach-like demeanor (thanks in part to her Anger Management and Sensitivity classes.) As for Sid, it was clear that she was using such techniques to properly get back into the "zone" she was in earlier with her character.

She breathed in and out as deeply through her nose as she could and then, after one final exhale...Sid was ready. "'Hello, everyone; fancy another spat in the sand, eh" she chirped pleasantly with a sort of thick accent, "'I've got some new spells just for you lot!'" Not long after this, she introduced herself to the table as Katrina Storm-Spear; a sort of Druid/Warlock multi-class character.

"I know, Katrina doesn't sound like that scary of a name" Sid informed with her normal voice, "but trust me when I say you do not want to get on her bad side." Without even the slightest hesitation, the Council and all the players assured Sid that none of them had any desire to mock her; some choosing to do so in a playful manner. After that, Mrs. Johnson proclaimed that Katrina Storm-Spear sounded like the perfect name for such a character.

"All that we ask is you keep at least, one part of your character's name rooted in the Half-Giant background" Mrs. Johnson said in her normal voice, "now then, you said your character is a combination Druid/Warlock...tell us about that." Sid's face suddenly lit up like a star with joy, when she was asked this; then, she pulled open her backpack and brought out her own personal character sheet. To say the least, everyone thought the picture looked very well-drawn; especially the Loud Sisters.

With the exception of the character's height and some extra muscles on the illustration, the face looked near identical to Sid's own. "You see, everyone; Katrina's seen as a bit of a...misfit in the eyes of others in her tribe" the young lady explained, "while most of the males and even females enjoyed physical combat, she was more drawn towards the wonders of magic." At first, many players found this story confusing and asked how Sid's character was seen as a misfit amongst her fellow Giants.

"I know that typically, anybody could have a Giant or Half-Giant character that does spells" she explained, "but for the sake of the story, I thought it would be more...dramatic if my character's community would feel iffy on the idea." Following this, Sid went on to explain the second reason why her character was deemed a misfit; her appearance. In terms of height; under normal circumstances, a Giant stood at a height of up to seventeen feet.

Meanwhile, Half-Giants stood about a height of ten to twelve feet; which made them...nearly equal in stature to their kin. But in terms of Sid's character, she was approximately six feet and eleven inches; a tall height for most humans...but something that was considered rather small for even a Half-Giant. "Lily feel sad for Sid" murmured the littlest Loud Sister, "Lily know what like to be small."

Naturally, even though this statement did carry a sad message behind it; many players couldn't help but coo tenderly with affection at Lily. Of course, part of the reason they behaved this way was for the fact her words carried some truth in them. When you're the smallest in the group (be it in terms of age or in stature,) people don't seem to take you seriously.

Needless to say, Sid couldn't help but break character and gush at this. "Aww! Thanks a bunch, lil' lady; I really appreciate the love" she stated, "looks like my little sister has some competition for cutest toddler." No sooner had she said all of this, the door to Sid's bedroom suddenly flew open and a little girl suddenly popped her head in screaming "I HEARD THAT!"

(Line Break)

After she politely shooed her sister, Adelaide out of her bedroom; Sid got back in front of her laptop and the game continued on. "Excuse me, Sid but might I ask you a question" Lucy interjected while raising her hand, "you said your character's fellow giant-folk felt leery about her practicing magic...is it not commonly practiced among their people?" In response to this, Sid explained how her character was a more "humanoid version" of what a typical half-giant is within the game.

"A very good point to mention, Miss Chang...or should I say, Lady Storm-Spear" Huggins said in his Game Master voice, "if you recall from Chapter Thirteen of the Monster Manual, everyone; true Half-Giants are more connected with the elements of nature." Without delay, he pressed a button on the right arm of his throne; which caused a small film screen to lower behind him and his fellow Game Masters.

Afterwards, Huggins pressed yet another button and everyone saw an image of four large beings on the screen; each one showing off a different elemental look. "Do not worry, everyone; seeing as how we're pressed for time...I shall make this brief" the elementary school principal assured, "but as you can see, most giants...even half-giants have some form of connection with the elements." No sooner had he said this, Huggins then went into a small lecture on the numerous giant tribes of D&D.

As one might expect, several players felt rather bored by this; particularly among the Loud Sisters. At the same time, however...there were a few of them who found it all very informative; even going as far as to take notes. But after a while, it seemed to be going on for far too long and it was time for someone to finally speak up. "OKAY, WE LITERALLY GET THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES" Lori interjected suddenly, "just...just what does any of this have to do with Sid's character?"

At first, the Council (more specifically Lynn and Rita) found it rather rude of her to disrupt an important moment like this. But after taking a moment to look at their phones, they realized just how quickly time was ticking away and decided to dismiss the issue...this time. "Okay, so...being one of the few human-like half-giants was awkward enough for Katrina" Sid explained, "but there were those in her tribe felt her interest in sorcery was something evil."

The moment this particular statement was made, Lincoln couldn't help but smile slightly beneath his thick Dwarf beard. Of course, his sisters were able to notice this right away and asked what it was he found so funny. "Nothing, girls; nothing" he said half-truthfully, "I just...I can't help but empathize with a character whose interests have been seen as weird by those around them!" While making this exclamation, Lincoln went about sending firm glares at half of his sisters; who all seemed to be sweating rather nervously.

For several years, they had quite a history in mocking their brother's interests; whether it was his love for Ace Savvy or more presently, board games like this. Now, they were right smack dab in such a game; surrounded by scores of people who seemed just as "nerdy" as their brother. But much to the girls' surprise (and collective relief,) everyone decided to momentarily disregard this issue and continue on.

"Okay, where was I...OH, YEAH" Sid muttered, "because of her people's opinions towards magic, Katrina chose to practice it in secret in her own home or in the forests outside of her village." At this point in her story, she explained how her character's secret lessons only managed to help teach her small/basic stuff; such as light spells or wind spells. But then, she was soon approached by an odd stranger wearing a hood and russet-colored clothing that seemed to have vines etched into the fabric.

"Katrina did not know it, then" Sid stated, "but she would soon learn that this stranger was none other than Obad-Hai, high guardian of nature!" Upon hearing this name, several of the Loud Sisters opened up their manuals and found an illustration of the strange being from Sid's story. He looked like a regular, bearded old man with a walking stick; to the eyes of Lynn and Lola. But the Council quickly reminded them that Obad-Hai was one of the primary nature gods in D&D.

"He is the God of the Woodlands, of Freedom and all beasts of the wild" Mrs. Johnson said in her Agathe voice, "to all druids and other worshipers of nature, he is highly revered." Upon hearing this, Lana was simply beaming with joy and made a mental note to learn more about this Obad-Hai character in the future. Meanwhile, Sid continued her character story; explaining how Katrina meeting this being was all but a mere dream.

"Whether or not this was a 'dream' didn't matter to Katrina" Sid chuckled slyly, "because either way, Obad-Hai had granted her a gift; a small fraction of his great knowledge of the woods." If Lana didn't seem interested before, she most certainly was now and so were some of her sisters. After this point in the story, Sid explained how Katrina went on to become a "professional druid;" which involved practicing different types of nature magic (from growing plants to communicating with animals.)

"Of course...her tribe didn't quite approve of this, thinking that she was performing several acts of witchcraft" Sid stated, "which in turn led to Katrina being viewed as a sort of 'warlock' instead of a druid." With these few words; everything started to become clear about Sid's character, now. But one question still remained...how did she end up in Gunari's arena?

"I think I have a pretty good idea what happened" Lucy murmured, "Katrina's people must've felt her practicing magic would put their tribe too much at risk; so, they decided to arrest her and sell her into slavery." After all this had been said, no one could decide which felt darker; what Lucy said or the fact that it seemed disturbingly accurate. After she took a moment to shake away her chills; Sid revealed how one night during a feast, someone had drugged her food and she passed out in mere seconds.

"When she came to, Katrina found herself locked inside of a wagon and was being led out of her village" Sid murmured sadly, "the last thing she heard was her people cheering 'the witch is gone, the witch is gone!'" There was a mild uproar of displeasure from everyone at the table, after this was said; which made the whole room sound like something out of Jerry Springer. It was one thing to feel dismissive of someone's interests but to exile them for it was nothing short of pure evil.

"Dang, kid...I dunno where you got the idea for your character's backstory" Luan murmured, "but I gotta give you props for it." Sid blushed bashfully at the teen's comment and confessed how she got some inspiration from a Lucha Libre match her and Ronnie Anne once watched. The athlete in question had a sort of "Aztec Priest" motif and had a backstory near similar to the one she just used.

"Well...wherever you got the idea from, it really works" Albert chuckled, "okay, now...who's the next gladiator to step forward?" The first to answer the call was Becky, who introduced herself as the Halfling Fighter named Zenda Brandywine. According to her, Zenda was a wandering vagabond who dedicated herself towards defending the oppressed and downtrodden all across the world.

"Sadly, while Zenda is a capable fighter...she's got very little restraint" Becky murmured, "in the Alignment System, you could probably place her in the...Chaotic Good tier." As expected, not one of the Loud Sisters seemed to understand what Becky was saying. Thus, Lincoln offered to help explain things in the best way he felt his sisters would understand.

"In the Alignment System, girls; there are three separate tiers" he began, "there's Good, Neutral and finally, Evil." At first, it looked as though Lincoln's sisters seemed to actually be paying attention to what he was saying. Then again, some speculated that they were possibly "faking it;" so as not to risk the ire of their parents. But after taking a closer look at the likes of Lana, Lucy, Lily...and even Leni and Lisa; it seemed as though they were listening to their little/big brother's words.

As for the remaining bunch, the appeared to either be indifferent or confused by what Lincoln was saying. "Okay, bro; not to seem rude here" Luna chimed in, "but we're all kinda savvy with what good and evil is in popular stuff." While the young rocker's words did have some truth behind them, the Council was quick to remind her that there was far more to both sides than meets the eye.

"This brings us to the second half of the Alignment System" Lynn said in his normal voice, "which also happens to have three tiers to it; Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic." Upon hearing the middle tier's name once more, the Loud Sisters asked what the word "neutral" essentially meant. In response, the Council explained how being "neutral" meant one's character didn't side with any side of an argument; be it good or evil.

"To explain it one way, girls; someone who's purely/truly neutral has the makings of what's known as an 'anti-hero'" Lincoln stated, "they don't care who's side they're helping or fighting for, they just go with whoever pays them the most." Another way the adults chose to describe a neutral character was to reference the "undecided voters" in an election, which ultimately flew over the heads of most of the teens. Thus, they ultimately decided that Lincoln's explanation was the most informative (and the easiest to understand.)

"But what about that term Becky used...Chaotic Good, was it" questioned Leni, "does that mean she's a bad guy?" The teen in question smiled softly at her bestie, gave a gentle shake of her head and patted her shoulder reassuringly before explaining further. "When someone's being 'Chaotic Good,' it just means they're willing to go above and beyond to do the right thing" she said matter-of-factly, "even if what they do ends up...breaking a few laws down the line."

As an example, Becky brought up the character of Robin Hood and how he was famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor. This is what inspired her to come up with the character of Zenda, another character who stood up for the little guy. "Sadly, like all Chaotic Good characters; Zenda's actions may have pleased some people" Becky murmured, "but the royal guard who watched over the cities and towns she visited saw her as nothing but a pint-sized brute."

While this part of her story sounded pretty sad, the Loud Sisters couldn't help but praise this character for what she did; adding that someone had to be there for people who couldn't help themselves. "Am I right in guessing that Zenda's behavior is what caused her to end up a slave in the arena" Lucy asked softly, "if so...I'm genuinely sorry to hear that." Yet again, the table was shocked by how well the young lady was able to deduce how a player's character ended up in Gunari's clutches.

Of course, a few other players felt the build up was easy to predict; whether or not Becky's character was Chaotic Good. "During the period she had been imprisoned beneath the Coliseum, there was little Zenda could do to free herself" Becky explained, "she tried fighting the guards to get the key to her cell, of course...but she ended up being put in chains, as a result." Everyone groaned softly in dismay at this reveal, thinking that such an outcome was something nobody would want.

Of course, the final nail in the coffin came during Zenda's first few rounds in the arena. "At first, she thought she could defeat her opponents as quickly as those she battled in her travels" Becky stated, "but...as she would soon find out, fighting battle-hardened gladiators was a whole lot harder than fighting drunks in a tavern brawl." No one could deny the truth behind her words, not even the Loud Sisters; who couldn't help but admire the Halfling character's moxy.

As Becky's tale soon drew to a close, she explained how being in the prison cell beneath the arena for so long actually did something good for Zenda...it taught her the value of patience. "Bear with me...nobody likes to be a prisoner, right" she asked bluntly, earning a few nods and murmurs from the crowd; "well, after being forced to sit all by her lonesome in her cell...Zenda decided to use that time to help clear her mind of all the anger that helped bring her there in the first place." As the story continued, Becky explained how she was able to learn from the mistakes made by all her fellow slaves who survived their battles above-ground.

She learned to not just go running in fists a-flyin', whenever someone might battle against someone twice their size. She learned that it was more important to survive a battle than it was to win it, she learned how to properly learn about each fighter's preferred style of fighting from the stories her fellow slaves told. Most of all; Zenda learned that if someone could not outfight their opponent, they could always outthink them.

"Remember that, kids; the next time any of you happen to find yourself up against bullies at school" Huggins stated, "not...that I'm saying you should go out fighting anybody, mind you." After everyone had a little bit of a laugh at the principal's comment, all eyes fell over in Dana's direction; who appeared to be (quite literally) quivering with anticipation. "You're next, young lady" Mrs. Johnson said with a gentle wave of the hand, "what can you tell us about your character."

Without even the slightest hesitation; Dana cleared her throat as politely as she could and, after getting into the proper zone, immediately delved into her persona. "My character's name is Kira Lightclaw and she is a Leonin Fighter" she said with a soft yet stoic tone, "and for those wondering...no, Leonins are an entirely different race/species of creature than the Tabaxi." From here; she explained how Tabaxis bore more of a resemblance to housecats, leopards, cheetahs and other "small" feline breeds.

"Meanwhile, as the name implies, Leonins have more of a resemblance to lions" Dana stated, "or in my case, lionesses." In addition to all of this; Leonins were described as being taller, bulkier and in some cases, stronger than Tabaxis. Of course, all of this sounded like a bit of a challenge to Lana and Lola; who both agreed to save Dana's character for themselves.

But they had little time to think on that, as the teen in question resumed giving her character description. She described Kira as the same height as herself with slick black fur, piercing green eyes, large hands with razor-sharp claws at the end of her fingertips and toes and that her breastplate hid a jagged scar she had across her chest; one she earned from a battle outside the Coliseum. "Like Becky's character, I am also a fighter" Dana stated, "but while she fights for the good of others...I do it out of pure survival."

From this small statement alone, the Loud Sisters suddenly felt an icy chill run up their spines; as if somebody left the door open and a winter breeze came fluttering in. Meanwhile, everybody else wasted no time in placing Dana's character in the neutral spectrum; which they thought was fitting. "Deep in the jungles of Oreskos where she grew up, every day was like a fight for survival for Kira and her fellow Leonins" Dana said while flexing the fingers of her lion paw gloves, "to put it one way...Leonins are essentially the same as Lions, if they were able to think like people to."

Everyone laughed softly yet ironically at the young lady's words, thinking it was the best way anyone could describe such a unique group of creatures. Then, Dana went into the next part of Kira's backstory; which involved the culture of Leonins. "To outsiders, they see their society as something tribal or primitive...almost like barbarians" she explained, "but they have a society that's actually similar to that of a normal lion's pride."

Upon hearing mention of Lions, Sid suddenly beamed with excitement before calling herself a "self-proclaimed expert" on such creatures. "I've hung out with them loads of times at the zoo" she stated, "not...up close and personal like my mom does but from a more...safe distance." Here, the young lady mentioned how all lions lived under the watchful eye of the "Alpha;" be it the male or the female.

In response to this, Dana said that Leonins truly were like their primitive cousins of the wild. However, the main difference was that some parts of Leonin culture were slightly inspired from human society. "As such, the 'Alpha Lion' has more of a royal stance in Leonin culture" Dana stated, "and my character was one of her king's most gifted fighters."

When everyone then asked how she found herself as another one of Gunari's prisoners, she replied with only two words; human hunters. "OM GOSH! That sounds just like what happened to you and your team, Lori" Leni gasped in shock, "did your character at least put up a fight, Dana?" With a proud smile on her face, the teen proclaimed that Kira gave her captors quite the show of force; revealing that the breastplate she wore was from the very soldier who captured her.

"HOLY COW...That is boss" Lana exclaimed, "maybe I should've gone with a Leonin character instead of what I have now." Her parents chuckled softly at this and told her that she could be a Leonin, when the time comes that they get to play a new campaign. "Moving on...While Kira did manage to put up a good fight, the guards who attacked her pride proved to be too strong for her" Dana murmured sullenly, "eventually...they got the upper hand, threw a net over Kira and dragged her to a cage they brought with them."

Naturally, everyone felt quite shocked and stunned by this story...yet they remained hopeful that Kira's diversion managed to help give her pride some time to run for safety. Thankfully, Dana revealed that their assumptions were correct; which seemed like a good consolation prize to her. "But what about Whitney" questioned Lori, "how did an angel end up a slave to a human?"

Rather than give her a straight answer, the Council decided to ask Lori to make an Investigation Check with her dice; claiming that it would help provide the answers she wanted. With a light shrug; she picked up her d20, gave it a light shake in her hand and rolled it along the table. When it stopped, Stella looked closely at the number and cried out "YEAH, TWENTY-FOUR" in a victorious tone.

"Nicely done on the roll, Big Sis" Lana said with great praise, "and it looked like you weren't even trying on that one." At first, Lori wanted to declare right then and there she had every intention to fail her roll on purpose. But then, after hearing about the number she had received; she could not help but feel...just a little proud of her success.

Considering how slim the chances of getting Nat 20s and above were, this gave Lori a small sense of victory she hadn't felt since the first hole in one she got at Fairway U. But just as she was about to be lost in thought over this, the Game Masters Council lightly cleared their throats in unison; thus snapping Lori out of her daydream state. Afterwards, Mrs. Johnson (while in character) went on to say that thanks to this high dice roll; Ventris is able to see something around the neck of Whitney's character.

"Using your keen Elf vision, Ventris; you see that it's some form of golden collar" she explained, "one that looks near similar to the one Fatima is wearing!" Upon hearing this, Lori and her group gasped loudly in shock before wondering just how Whitney's character ended up as another of Gunari's slaves. As if expecting this response, Mrs. Johnson faced the young lady in question and asked her to describe what her character was like.

"Okay...My character is an Aasimar Paladin" murmured Whitney with an unsure tone, "it's sort of like a human that has a supernatural heritage...or as the manual calls it, 'extraplanar bloodlines.'" Naturally, after hearing her say all of this; the Loud Sisters stared blankly at Whitney with looks of pure confusion on each of their faces. However, it seemed like she had expected this to happen and asked for Lori to turn to a page within the Monster Manual.

Against her better judgment, she and the rest of her group did as they were told and opened up their books. When Lana finally reached the page Whitney spoke of, she saw something that almost made her eyes pop from her head. "WHOA! Guys, you've gotta see this" she exclaimed, "I didn't know angels were a part of this game!" Surprised by this, the rest of the Loud Sisters flipped through the pages of their manuals and spotted an illustration of what Lana spoke of.

Just as she described; the Aasimar creature looked like some form of angel with long wings, an otherworldly skin tone and their pupiless eyes seemed to be glowing with heavenly light. But outside of these few features, the creature looked almost...human; which seemed rather confusing to Lori. "By the look on your face, She-Elf; I can sense you harbor some confusion towards my race" Whitney said with a light chuckle, "permit me, then to share a little about what we Aasimar are truly like."

With that said, she gave a light cough and faced the rest of the table; appearing ready to give her monologue. "My character's name is Arkoni" she began with a sort of stoic tone of voice, "she is a paladin, a warrior trained by the Order of the Five-Pointed Star." Following this, Whitney explained that the seve-pointed star (or septagram as it was more commonly known) was a symbol to represent the seven virtues a knight or paladin needed to follow.

When some players happened to ask exactly what those virtues were, the Council (with some assistance from Mr. Grouse and Mrs. Bernardo) each recited them in order.

Principal Huggins: Honor

Mrs. Johnson: Mercy

Mrs. Loud: Compassion

Mr. Loud: Discipline

Albert: Loyalty

Mrs. Bernardo: Courage

Mr. Grouse: Justice

"Wow...that sounds like a lot to remember" Lola interjected, "and just what does an Aasimar actually do in this game?" With a soft smile; Whitney went on to explain that when Arkoni was very young, she had great difficulty controlling her powers. Of course, she only learned about them after a run in with some bullies in her village.

"Some of the children viciously mocked her because they thought she was a monster" she stated, "she didn't look like the other children in her community and...well, you know what happens when kids see something they don't understand?" This inquiry not only made Lana, Lola and little Lily shiver with mild dread; it even had the same affect on Lucy. This alone was all the answer Whitney needed to know that her point had been made.

"Moving on...one day, when some really big kids were pelting Arkoni with spoiled fruit; she got mad" she stated, "and I mean reeeealllly mad!" What happened next left nearly everyone at the table speechless with amazement and even slivers of dread. Within seconds, Whitney started describing how her character's unusual power started to show itself for the first time; all while acting out her story through pantomime.

She made explosion noises, fluttering gestures with her hands and whenever she described moments where Arkoni's eyes were glowing, she wiggled her fingers above them. Needless to say, everyone was rather impressed by the girl's performance; especially the Louds. "Then, Arkoni got so angry that when she screamed...she created a flash of energy that almost blinded everyone who saw it" Whitney declared emphatically, "when she finally saw her handiwork, she got super scared by what she had done and ran away as fast as she could."

After finishing her story, Whitney finally collapsed in a slump on her chair and started panting loudly with exhaustion. In her mind, she didn't expect herself to go off on that sort of tangent during her turn...but it was worth it. Then, just as she was about to doze off; the teen heard the sound of thunderous applause ringing through her ears.

All around her, every player was hooting and hollering loudly with great praise...even the Loud Sisters couldn't help but join in. "Brah...that was the single most awesome show I've seen yet" Luna gasped in awe, "and I've seen plenty of 'em, believe you me." Several more of her siblings echoed their sister's comments about Whitney's pantomime skills, even their parents felt it was quite impressive.

But she simply blushed heavily with bashful pride and proclaimed that what she did was nothing really special. "I wasn't even in proper character during the whole thing" confessed Whitney, "that would've been more impressive." Just as her girlfriends (namely the Gal Pals) were prepared to challenge their bestie's claims, Mr. Grouse suddenly gave a whistle and reminded everyone they were all "on the clock."

"Ah...yes, thank you ever so much for that reminder" Lynn said while reassuming his Acheron role, "now...tell us how Arkoni found herself trapped as a slave to the arena, young lady." After taking a moment to collect herself, Whitney went on to explain how her character spent much of her life alone in the streets or on the run. She never stayed in one place for very long, afraid that doing so might attract the attention of others.

Should that ever happen, Arkoni's anxiety would get the better of her and she would come close to losing control over herself...just like in her home village. "Then came the day where her life would finally change for the better" Whitney explained, "just when all hope seemed lost, someone found Arkoni in the streets shivering like a leaf." As if on cue, everyone at the table cooed softly with sadness at the mention of a young child shivering; which Lori thought was simply her friend looking for "cheap brownie points."

When someone asked who it was that found Arkoni, Whitney said it was a member of the Seven-Pointed Star; something the game called a "knight errant." "For those of you unfamiliar, a knight errant is a warrior that travels all over the land" Huggins explained, "they lend their skills to any people who were in need of help." To the minds of some of the younger players, the description of a knight errant immediately made them think of vigilante superheroes.

But in a flash, Huggins suddenly squashed their ideas; reminding them that knights and the knight errant were the "cool heroes" long before comics came around. "The point I'm getting at...is when the knight found Arkoni and looked into her eyes, he didn't run away" Whitney said with mild impatience, "he didn't see a monster or a 'freak of nature,' he only saw a lost child in need of a home." As if on cue, Lil' Lily raised her paw-gloved hand up and asked if the "nice knight" took Arkoni home with her...and Whitney said yes.

"For many years, she lived with the knight and his comrades at their keep; learning all about the virtues of the Seven-Pointed Star" she explained, "they also revealed to her the exact type of being she was...someone who was blessed by the divine, an Aasimar." There were many gasps of delight from the players, even a few "ooh's" and "aah's" from the Louds; which (to Whitney) meant that she was doing a good job with her story.

By the near end of the story, she expressed in great detail how dedicated Arkoni was towards mastering her abilities and learning the knight's code. When she finally reached adulthood, she was finally ready to go off on her own to be her own kind of knight errant; using her powers for the good of those who were in the greatest need of help. "In time, her travels led her to the land of Arnost" Whitney stated, "she had heard countless stories about how its ruler would capture innocent souls and force them to fight each other for the twisted amusement of his people."

Upon hearing their friend go into such morbid detail over the story, the other Gal Pals couldn't help but shiver slightly; mostly out of an odd mixture of fear and mild excitement. As for the Loud Children; Lincoln was greatly invested into his friend/guardian's backstory, while his sisters' feelings ranged between amazed and shocked (mostly on Lori and Leni's part.)

(Line Break)

In the few minutes that passed by, several other players had come forward and presented some very well-thought out stories for their characters. Among them was Cristina, who introduced herself as of Anya Pumanath; a Tritonian Monk who was taken captive by members of Gunari's naval forces. Another was Phoebe Shutter; who had already went into some detail behind her Changeling Rogue type character, Jinn sometime ago.

But in terms of how she ended up imprisoned within the coliseum, this was where things went from feeling comically light-hearted...to downright grim. Apparently, Jinn had a reputation for being a notorious mischief-maker in the village; using their shape-shifting skills to trick any "sucker" she could find. However, at the start; most of their mischief making consisted of only small pranks like mimicking voices or startling folks.

But then; Jinn went a little too far, one day and inadvertently "got on the bad side" of some guards. "The next thing Jinn knows, they find themselves shoved inside of a prison transport wagon" Phoebe murmurs sadly, "weeks later, Jinn sold off to Gunari's guards and they assign them to be his personal entertainer." This revelation had, understandably left many players feeling shocked and alarmed; to say the least.

After allowing all the players a few moments to let out their emotions, the Council firmly demands for silence and they proceed to ask Phoebe how Jinn faired with their new position. "For a few weeks, it started out pretty smooth" the shutterbug stated, "a few jokes, some fun stories, an impression or two; that sort of thing." The whole time they listened to her, the Loud Sisters couldn't help but feel that aspects of Phoebe's character reminded them of a "certain someone" in their family.

As such; those like Lori, Lana and even Luan herself started to think things would be taking a very dark turn very soon. Meanwhile, the Council of Game Masters decided to have a little fun with the players and asked for Phoebe to tell them a joke while in character. "'Anything for my fans, dearies'" she said in a suave yet sassy tone, "'here's a good one...can anyone tell me what's green and has wheels?'"

Almost immediately, several players shouted out their answers; which ranged between a bike, car, truck or even a wagon that might've been painted green. But much to their surprise, Phoebe shook her head and clicked her tongue in dismissal of all of them. "'One more time...what's out there that's green and has wheels'" she asked slyly, "'the answer is...GRASS, I LIED ABOUT THE WHEELS!'"

As expected, this joke elicited a few groans and grumbles from the table; most of which came from Phoebe's fellow Gal Pals. But upon listening to everyone's tones more closely, she noticed that only a few of them sounded irritated. Everyone else, meanwhile proclaimed that the joke was something they called "so bad that it's actually good." Either way, Phoebe felt a little proud that she won over the crowd...at least a little.

"So, then; your character was Gunari's court jester for a time" Lisa inquired, "in which case, I have a small hypothesis on how they found themselves within the stockades." Feeling genuinely curious, both the Council and several players asked the young genius for her theory; all while reminding her to not make any sort of wisecrack at Phoebe's expense. "Firstly, everyone; wise-cracking is more my elder sister, Luan's forte...not mine" replied Lisa in a matter-of-factly tone, "secondly, my explanation holds actual historical knowledge behind it."

Just as she was about to begin explaining herself, Mr. Grouse urged her to "keep things short;" adding that they only had a short time left until it was time to close things off for the night. "Understood...to get to the point, Court Jesters/Royal Fools had been looked upon as great sources of merriment for years during the Medieval period" Lisa stated, "but overtime; the public started to find their type of humor either crass, mean-spirited and in layman's terms, stale...thus causing their popularity to decline." To end her "lecture," Lisa revealed that some (if not all) of these jesters were either dismissed from duty or sentenced to imprisonment for their poor performances.

Once the wee genius finished speaking, Phoebe could not help but stare at her aghast; all while thinking that her explanation sounded eerily accurate to Jinn's backstory. When she finally revealed this to everyone, they also felt quite shocked by this; none more so than the other Loud Family members. "Is what my sister suggesting true, though" Lori inquired, "did Jinn literally end up a prisoner due to her jokes...loosing their luster?"

Rather than answer her in a plain and simple manner, Phoebe decided to do so by offering up yet another joke; which ultimately caused the Loud Sisters to slightly grimace in dismay. After taking a moment to reassume her character role, Phoebe presented her final jest in the form of a story. "'An owl and a squirrel are sitting in a tree, watching a farmer pass by them'" she began, "'the owl looks over to the squirrel and says nothing because owls can't speak...the owl then eats the squirrel because it's a bird of prey.'"

If the first joke left everyone feeling mildly annoyed; then, this one left them feeling utterly disgusted. All around the table and up on the Game Masters' thrones, nearly everyone was crying out loud exclamations of disapproval at what they've just heard. Only three people seemed relatively indifferent by it; Haiku, Lucy and (surprisingly) Lana.

Now, it was expected to see that the two Goth girls appeared unfazed by the nature of Phoebe/Jinn's jest; considering their...somewhat cryptic interests. But when everyone asked why Lana seemed okay with it, her answer left them so shocked that many fell right out of their chairs. "Don't get me wrong, I do think the 'punch-line's' pretty gross; even for me" she stated, "but...it's just the law of nature at work, owls eating squirrels."

In spite of themselves, players and game masters alike couldn't decide which one shocked them the most; what Lana said or the fact it was her that said it all. In any case, everyone now had a clear idea of what brought about Jinn's imprisonment but still felt they didn't really deserve it. "Is there anything we can do to help Jinn and the others" question Luan, "maybe...maybe Lori/Ventris could use her magic to blast a hole in one of the walls and we can escape!"

While they agreed that the young comedienne's idea was a strong one, everyone quickly pointed out its one glaring and fundamental flaw...the Party's weapons were nowhere to be found. "Seriously! I can't do any spells without my staff thingy" Lori exclaimed angrily, "how am I supposed to literally defend myself, then?!" In response to this, the Council revealed that magic users in D&D didn't always require staves to work their magic.

At the same time, Huggins (while speaking in his Fastred) voice reminded everyone that staves often helped amplify the strength of a magic user's abilities. "If you were paying attention from a session...while your character still possesses some magical skill, it's not quite as strong" he stated, "at best...you will be able to summon forth basic offensive and defensive spells." After taking a moment to process everything she'd just heard, Lori had a slightly clearer idea on what to do next.

She and her team would have to do their very best to try and survive the coming arena fight...or at least, find a way to end it quickly. This way, they would all be one step closer towards freedom and "returning to the real world." But just as she and her younger sisters took their dice in hand; Mrs. Bernardo entered, took in a deep breath and gave her fanfare trumpet a loud "toot."

This coupled with the echo that followed caused everyone to plug up their ears painfully, all while crying out in annoyance as well. "YEAH, YEAH; WE HEAR YA ALREADY, LADY" Mr. Grouse shouted, "YOU CAN STOP THE RACKET NOW!" As if she heard him; Mrs. Bernardo ceased blowing on her trumpet, cleared her throat and announced that the clock was now five minutes shy from striking Ten.

This meant it was, once again, time to wrap up their game for the night and go to bed. Needless to say, a lot of players felt rather disappointed; particularly those among the Gal Pals. "Seriously...that really tanks" Whitney grumbled dejectedly, "Arkoni didn't even get the chance to spread her wings yet...literally!"

Becky, Dana, Phoebe and several members of the group echoed their bestie's displeasure; along with Chaz, who felt that this would be his moment to shine as well. But very quickly, the Council helped calm everyone down; all while assuring them that their game would continue right where they left off in the morning. "I certainly hope so, Daddy" Lola grumbled while leaping out of her seat, "after the way she was treated in the stockade, Ursa is eager to let out some steam!"

With that said, everyone said their goodnights/goodbyes to one another before heading off to their respective sleeping quarters while Sid simply shut off her webcam. But before she did so, she looked towards Lori's group of six and wished them luck in the next session; adding that they were "going to need it." "She's right, you know" Becky said while passing by Lori, "some of us have played the game for quite a few years and you've barely scratched the surface of your character's skills."

On the one hand, the eldest Loud Child was prepared to chastise her friend for acting so "smug" about her still being a newbie to D&D. But on the other hand, she remembered the rule regarding letting any issues she had affect her relationships; inside and outside the walls of "Castle Greyhawk." Thus, she took in a deep breath and told Becky to not underestimate her playing abilities; just as the Council said about Stella.

"I won't make any promises, mind you" she stated, "but I think me and my sisters just might surprise you all in the next round." Her point now made, Lori proceeded to walk her way out of the game room and into the hall.

(Line Break)

The following morning, after everyone had got dressed and ate a hearty breakfast; the game was ready to continue. But rather than do any dice rolling immediately, the Council allowed one final person to present their character backstory for their current scenario...Chaz. Without hesitation, the boy had put his game face on and went about telling his story.

"'My tale isn't quite as tragic or lengthy as my comrades, I'm afraid'" Chaz said in a guttural yet accented voice, "'one day, Makon was with members of his herd on a hunting venture; high up in the mountains near their home...when suddenly, a fierce snowstorm brew up and it he became blinded!'" As if on cue, both Lana and Lily raised their hands up high; asking why Makon's group was called a "herd" when they weren't animals. "To tell ya the truth...none of us really knows" Albert said with a light chuckle in his own voice, "my guess is the game creators thought 'herd' sounded cooler than 'tribe.'"

After that explanation, Chaz went further into his story; revealing that the snowstorm had caused his character to lose sight of his fellow warriors during the hunt. He spent many hours shouting and calling out their names but the howling winds seemed to drown out even Makon's boastful baritone. "'Overtime; Makon grew tired, cold...and very hungry'" Chaz grumbled sadly, "'he became so desperate that he vowed to shoot and eat the very next thing he saw, rather than starve or freeze to death!'"

After a while, the Loud Sisters started to feel a slight whimper of déjà vu in this story; thinking that they had a strong hunch on what would happen next. As if he could read their thoughts, Chaz revealed that there came a moment where Makon was mere moments away from "biting the big one." "Then, his ears suddenly picked up the sound of snow crunching loudly" Chaz exclaimed, "it was somewhat soft yet sounded very, very close to where he lay."

After this, Chaz started performing a series of odd body movements to emphasize what his character was doing. Most of it consisted of odd crawling mannerisms, shielding his eyes from imaginary snow and even shivering gestures/blowing air between his hands. This helped make his "performance" look all the more believable in everyone's eyes, especially Leni's.

"For what felt like ages, Makon pulled and dragged his immense body through the snow; the spark of life slowly phasing out of him" Chaz said grimly, "then, just when hope seemed lost; he saw something moving within the heavy fog and snow." This reveal gave everyone a bit of hope, thinking that things were finally looking up for Chaz's character. But then, Fate went and threw a monkey wrench into the whole works; a wrench in the form of Makon committing "accidental murder."

"In his weak and hungry state, his mind assumed there was a herd of animals ahead of him" Chaz said sadly in his normal voice, "but after letting two arrows fly...he heard some very human sounds of pain, once they've made their mark." The whole table grimaced and gasped in alarm at this revelation, even the Game Masters recoiled in distress. But then, Leni raised her hand politely and reassured everyone in saying things might turn out for the better; once Makon explained he hit them by accident.

"You're a sweetheart, Leni; really" Chaz said with a loving smile, "but I'm afraid people don't take kindly to misfires of weaponry, even if it is accidental." Following this, he revealed that the figures Makon hit were actually a pair of armored soldiers that were on their own hunt for food. The pair's other comrades assumed Makon was attempting to ambush him and took immediate action; beating him senseless and binding his limbs with rope.

"OM GOSH...That is totes the most awful thing I've ever heard" Leni cried sadly, "even worse than the time I heard a customer call Fiona's new leggings at Reininger's tacky!" Not too far away from the table, the aforementioned teen growled softly under her breath with red cheeks of anger; remembering how humiliating the event in question felt to her. But when compared to someone close to dying in the snow being beat up by armored goons (even in a pretend scenario,) it all seemed pretty shallow by comparison.

In the end, everyone now had a clear idea on how Makon and everyone else ended up in the arena. Under different circumstances, Lori's group of characters would welcome them as allies on their quest towards the Bloodstone Keep. But instead, they would have to fight each other to the death and neither side looked like they wanted to lose. After all the stories were said and done, all was deathly quiet in the room...save for the sounds of Flip chugging down his morning OJ rather loudly.

But when he caught sight of the Game Masters Council all glaring at him sternly, he nervously swallowed the last drop of it and hid himself away behind his bar. After that minor distraction was dealt with, the Council's eyes slowly fell upon the players; many of whom were quivering slightly in their seats with excitement. Then, with a sly grin upon his face; Lynn Sr. cleared his throat and four simple words..."everyone, roll for initiative."

(First AN: How's that for an ending stinger, huh; the Game Master telling their players to roll for initiative. Who do you think will make the first move, will Ventris and her fellow adventurers be able to survive the coming battle and what about Gunari; just how many slaves does he have collared? Find out the answers next time, as the adventure continues)

(Second AN: So sorry for taking so long with this chapter, everybody; I've been pretty busy. I've been working on another fanfic alongside this one, had my usual duties at home to attend to, went to the Ren Faire all of last weekend *and loved it* and I wanted to make certain every character involved with this chapter got their fair amount of "screentime" *so to speak.* Thank you for your patience, as always; hope you'll enjoy reading this and don't forget to leave a review)

(Third AN: Stella's "gorgeous gal gifted great guavas, to a gaggle of gabbing goofs" was loosely based off a similar one from Disney's The Ghost & Molly McGee; where instead of "gorgeous gal," it's "ghostly ghoul" but I digress. Speaking of Disney; the title of Shadow Stepper for Stella's character was based on something from the animated series, Fangbone. I thought Shadow-Stepper would sound like a cool guild/group name for her, since Stella's character in the campaign is a merc)

(Fourth AN: Just to give everyone a head's up...Phoebe's character is canonically female in the Loud House series, despite only having presence in one episode. Meanwhile, her character Jinn is a shape-shifter and a non-binary one at that. As such, whenever Phoebe's speaking about her character or whenever said character is speaking/doing something within the game world; the story will address them via they/them pronouns.

To put it another way, Jinn's character will share the same pronouns as Sasha Baskerville from A Day in the Life of the Gal Pals. Thank you for taking note of this, just thought I'd give you all a head's up on the topic)

(Fifth AN: Although they've seen her during the trial chapters of Gal Pals, this is the Loud Sisters first official meeting with Sid *albeit through a webcam* on more pleasant terms. This would explain why her voice didn't quite register with them, when they heard it through the laptop)

(Sixth AN: The historical factoids presented by Lisa about gladiators and court jesters are in fact real, it's another reason I took so long in publishing this chapter; I wanted to make sure my facts were correct)

(Final AN: Just in case any readers might get confused; the figure of Obad-Hai that Sid mentions is, in fact a figure found within the D&D game. He is known as the patron deity for nature priests and druids from all races, which makes him important to both Lana and Sid's characters)