A Healer's Touch/A Warrior's Blessing
(The Real World)
"You return to the stocks sluggishly in a single-file line" Mrs. Johnson explained in her Agathe voice, "your limbs are aching, your throats are dry from screaming in pain and your spirits feel as though you've suffered through eons worth of torture." After hearing their dad going into such...shockingly vivid detail on the game's current situation, the Loud Sisters couldn't help but wince under their breath. At the same time, the likes of Lana, Lucy and especially Luan started rubbing their hands against their arms (as if they felt the very pain their father described.)
Of course, they knew full well that all the game's events were strictly in their own minds. But something about the descriptions behind all the methods of torture Gunari used on their characters just made them feel...spooked. The one who seemed the most shaken was Luan; whose character, according to her dad, got the bulk of the punishment. "As the dungeon master opens the gate to your cell, he insists that each of you gets a good night's rest" Albert said in his Karuk voice, "claiming that you will need it for tomorrow's battle."
Much to her own surprise, Lori couldn't help but feel (for lack of better words) bothered by her Pop-Pop's words. But at the same time, her teenage pride insisted she should appear as indifferent as possible. "At least we're all still alive, right" she asked, "we should literally be thankful for that."
With soft smiles on each of their faces, each member of Lori's team nodded and/or murmured softly in agreement with their sister's words. Yet they still couldn't help but wonder what would come next. They survived both the Beast Round and what Lynn chose to call the "Battle Royale" in the Colosseum. Now, according to hearsay among the other slave characters, all that remained was one final battle.
Of course, everyone knew that this would be no easy victory...not to say that the other ones were easy. To win, their characters would have to go up against Lynn Jr's and that made the girls feel even more afraid than they did during the torture scenario. In the past, each one of the Loud Siblings had experienced some form of Lynn's overzealous nature when it came to sports.
Now, they wondered what ideas she might have in mind in terms of what her character might do to theirs.
(Line Break)
After taking a quick five-minute break for some drinks, the game continued, and Lynn appeared ready to roll. But before she could pick up even one dice off the table, the Game Masters stopped her. "Stay your hand, young gladiator" Lynn decreed in his Acheron voice, "before we can play on...there are two other players that must make themselves known first."
No sooner had this been said, everyone could see Leni bouncing gleefully in her seat and giving off the most ecstatic of squeals. To her sisters, this only meant that the next part of the game might involve her character. However, they couldn't help but wonder as to who the other character would be and what purpose the appearance of both would serve here.
But when Lori finally chose to ask her parents about all this, the only thing they told her was to be patient. "Now, then...shall we continue, everyone" inquired Lynn in his Acheron voice, "I know two of you are eager for some excitement." While Leni responded with her usual giddy "eee" sound, Lynn Jr chose to show her enthusiasm by pounding her fists up against her chest like a movie barbarian.
In addition to this, she also imitated the sound of an elephant's trunk sounding off; as if to get herself into the Loxodon spirit. Once again, Lori and her group feared what might happen the moment they cross blades with their sister in the arena.
(The Game World)
Weary groans and anguished cries aplenty were heard all throughout the stockade. Every slave great and small languished over their sore limbs and wounds, all while mentally praising whatever gods they served for their survival. At the same time, they directed their attention towards the Adventuring Party; who were now huddled together within their cell in some sort of weary embrace.
It was clear that every one of them had suffered during their last venture into the arena mere moments ago. But the adventurers themselves...they appeared to be the worst off among them. Still, the other slaves felt thankful that the strangers took such punishment on their behalf.
"We still question why you chose to spare us earlier, Madame Elf" inquired the Leonin, Kira Nightclaw, "you were the clear victors...it was your right to slay us." Despite the pain that still coursed through her limbs, Ventris smiled at the warrior and proclaimed she would happily make the same choice again, if she were able to. "Agreed, us being forced into fighting is barbaric alone" Mituna said firmly, "but to be forced into killing each other is far worse!"
While no one could deny the truth of the Tortle bard's words, many of the slaves still felt that she and her companions were still mad for challenging Gunari's authority. "It's like the tortoise said, everyone...it matters not what the emperor does to us" Ezra proclaimed, "we will do whatever it takes to end this madness forever!" For a moment, many slaves felt that Ezra's words seemed like nothing more than mere wishful thinking.
But after everything that has happened up to this point, they suddenly felt a sensation they had not experienced for what felt like ages; genuine hope. However, at that moment, the main door suddenly started to open. Many assumed it was the Dungeon Master returning, intent on "playing" with the New Blood a while longer.
But what they saw on the other side instead was a much...smaller figure than the one whom they were expecting. Yet even with the cloak over her head, Ventris instantly recognized this stranger and smiled with a sigh of relief. "It's okay, everyone" she said reassuringly, "it's a friend...a dear one at that."
Upon hearing these words, the figure closed the door behind them and threw back their hood; revealing the kind face of Fatima. The sight of the young half-djinn filled every slave with a great sense of relief, and they greeted her with the kindest of words. "It is good to see you all as well; particularly you and your friends, Madame Elf" said Fatima with a bow, "I feared you might've died, be it from the battle...or the unjust abuse from Gunari's soldiers."
In spite of their pain, the Party smiled warmly at their friend and assured her they were quite well. But Fatima was not so easily swayed by such words and insisted that she use her magic to help heal them in some way. "Mind you, my healing powers are somewhat limited" she informed, "I can only heal two of you at a time."
Understandably so, the other slaves were shocked by this reveal and demanded to know why Fatima failed to speak of this before. In response to this, she reminded everyone that she was seldom allowed to venture within the stockades on her own. She was only able to come this time, after she managed to persuade Gunari in allowing her to help the New Blood.
"I told him that compared to most of you...seasoned warriors here, it would not be worth the risk in letting such 'promising' newcomers die too soon before the grand finale of the games" Fatima explained, "only then was I finally allowed to come here on my own." For a moment or so, no one had spoken a word; not even the aforementioned "New Blood" slaves in question. Finally, Varra broke the silence and questioned why Fatima chose to only heal the Party and not everyone else.
"It's as I said, my powers are limited" the half-djinn replied desperately, "being only a half-blooded Djinn, I cannot perform the same feats my mother could and my knowledge of healing is also rather sparse." With a weary sigh, Fatima revealed that Gunari's legions took her captive before she could complete her training within the Order. Thus, she only had enough knowledge to practice healing skills for a limited time.
"Afterwards, I would need to rest myself for a number of hours...just to replenish my strength" Fatima stated, "using such magic is not quite as easy as you lot might think." No sooner had all this been said, Shadow openly professed her agreement with the half-djinn's plight; revealing several instances where she too felt weary from practicing spells. "Once, I tried at an incantation that I thought would help restore my ability to speak" she said through her circlet's gem, "instead...I ended up having my beak vanish clear from my face!"
This confession caused many to gasp in shock while others chose to chuckle softly, as if the sorceress had attempted to make a jest. But their jubilation came to a quick halt, when Fatima suddenly approached Mituna and asked to see her arm. At first, the bard hesitated to comply; thinking this may be some sort of trap.
But when she looked into Fatima's eyes, Mituna saw only compassion and sincerity. This was more than enough to coerce her into sticking her arm out through the bars of her cell.
(The Real World)
"Ever so slowly, Mituna; you hold out your arm through the bars" Rita said in her Eliana voice, "after which, Fatima places one hand on the top of it and holds the bottom with the other." After this explanation, the Council turned their collective attention to Leni and asked her to make a quick roll of her dice. But as they watched her reach out for a D20, everyone quickly told her to stop.
"You won't be needing the big one for this roll, Sis" Lincoln stated, "instead, you'll need to use these." Before anyone had a chance to speak up, Lincoln's hand started fishing around a small dice box until he found what he needed; five pieces of eight-sided plastic. Afterwards, he opened Leni's hands up and placed these dice inside them.
Everyone watched in silence, as Leni seemed to stare blankly at the die she was holding. Then, her eyes sparkled brightly while she let out a loud gasp of realization. "OH! I think I get it, guys" she stated, "I roll each of these dice thingies at once and then, I count each of the numbers I get. The higher the total, the stronger my healing powers will be on Luan's character...right?" Not only did this statement leave her other ten siblings utterly shocked but Leni could see that everyone else at the table was just as surprised.
Finally, after she had managed to snap back to her senses, Lori broke the silence by saying "I don't know which scares me more, what you said or the fact you said it!" Meanwhile, the Game Masters simply chuckled/laughed with pride before telling Leni that her inquiry was quite accurate. "However, young Cleric...I'd like to add something to your discovery, if I may" Principal Huggins said in his normal voice, "along with the total number to your dice roll, you must also add an additional three points to it."
While most of the players, a fraction of the Loud Sisters included, felt that this all sounded like something out of Math Class; Leni didn't seem all that bothered. In her mind, this felt no different than the sort of math she used while going to a clearance sale at the mall. So, she clenched the dice tight in her hand and started to shake them vigorously for almost ten seconds.
When she finally let them fly, many players hoped she would get some high rolls on her turn; especially Luan (who was the one in most need of them.) Unfortunately, due to the force of Leni's throw, each of the die ended up at different areas of the table. This meant that each number had to be added up one at a time.
The first of the five landed just within range of where Haiku sat, who pulled down her hood slightly to read the number. "I think it's a...4 for this one" she announced softly, "what about the others." Upon locating each of the five D8 dice, several players sounded off the remaining numbers to Leni.
Stella: I have a One over here!
Zach: I think this one's a 3!
Cici: Another One for this dice!
Chaz: Chaz sees a 2 on this lil' die!
After each of the numbers had been revealed, Leni quickly did the math and discovered that it all added up to eleven points. At first, she thought this would be bad for both her and Luan...until she remembered what Huggins said about the additional points. "Okay, so...11 plus 3 equals...fourteen" she exclaimed, "is that good?"
The Council did not answer her straightaway; instead, they took a moment to deliberate amongst themselves about the result. Finally, almost two minutes later, they broke the huddle and Albert stood up from his seat. "In a sense, young Djinn; your roll has proven successful" he said in his Karuk voice, "however...fourteen is not enough to fully heal the wounds of a creature as large as a Tortle."
This announcement came as quite the blow for Leni, who wanted more than ever than to help heal her sister's wounds. Even though such an idea was strictly part of the game, her elder sister instincts were all quite real. As if sensing this, Lynn Sr (while re-assuming his role) quickly assured Leni that she did nothing wrong.
"You were still able to heal Mituna to a degree, make no mistake about that" he stated, "it is just...her wounds, while not quite as severe as they were earlier, still remain visible on the surface." After this, Lincoln explained this further by saying that Mituna's wounds looked like what happened after the time he got a papercut from a new comic he bought. Sure, it still hurt quite a bit but it wasn't bleeding nor was it infectious.
"Oh...then...I guess I did do good after all" Leni murmured with an ever-growing smile, "YAYSIES FOR ME!" Everyone chuckled heartily at the young teen's airheaded yet still innocent naivety and continued with the session. From here, the Council said that this display of healing power left Fatima feeling slightly winded.
But they told the rest of Lori's group that after a brief rest, Fatima would be able to heal the rest of their party. "In the meantime, let us continue the story...where Ventris' sharp elf-ears suddenly pick up a sound from outside the stockade doors" Mrs. Johnson said in her Agathe voice, "on that note...make a quick Perception Check for us, if you please?" With a soft yet begrudging sigh, Lori plucked the dice up from the table and sent it across without even giving it a shake.
In spite of that, however, she was still able to gain a 16; a rather decent roll. From here, her dad explained that the noise coming from outside the doors was that of heavy footsteps. Unfortunately, it was still unknown if there were multiple people approaching or if it was just one person. In any case, Lori's group felt rather alarmed and did their best to help their characters hide.
As for Leni; after she made a quick Stealth Check roll, it came up very low and she was left with no other choice but to remain where she stood. It was as if her character had been frozen with fear. Things seemed to only feel worse when the Game Masters started describing the game's situation in vividly suspenseful detail.
"The footfalls suddenly grow louder and louder, as if an entire garrison were marching its way towards the door" Mrs. Johnson said while using her Agathe voice, "yet many among you feel skittish...you can barely move or breathe." Ironically enough, many of the players did feel fearfully breathless during the whole schpiel (though it was mostly Clyde or Rusty.)
Then, without warning, Lynn Jr. Suddenly leapt over a crowd of players and slammed her figurine down hard atop the game table; almost knocking over everyone else's from the vibrations. Naturally, her parents were quick to chastise her about this; reminding her to remain patient. "Yeah, yeah guys; I know" Lynn murmured nonchalantly, "I'm just...super excited for my character to come into the spotlight again!"
In that moment, many players felt rather surprised about Lynn's excitement over the game; none more so than her sisters (or more specifically, Lori.
(The Game World)
Every slave within the stocks quivered madly with fear, as the heavy footfalls drew ever closer. The Party was especially nervous, thinking that Gunari's soldiers were returning to continue their malicious torture. As for Fatima, she could neither speak nor move...it was as if her feet had been frozen to the floor.
"Did Gunari send his guards to bring me back already" she thought fearfully, "I don't want to leave!" Soon, the footsteps came so close and sounded so loud that it was though everyone expected the doors to suddenly burst open and fly off their hinges. But then...the marching stopped, and all was deathly quiet once again.
Finally, everyone looked on anxiously as the doors started creaking open ever so slowly. Through the crack; everyone could see a large, hulking shadow pouring in from the other side. This led many to believe that Gunari may have sent one of his strongest soldiers to deal with them.
What came next, however was a surprise that no one among them would've seen coming. As the door flew open wide, they did not see a member of Gunari's guard or the Dungeon Master standing outside. Instead, it was Velra Spear-Tusk and she looked to be loudly munching on half of a sliced melon.
Although she still felt intimidated by the arena champion, mostly due to both their differences in size and stature, Fatima felt quite relieved to see her. "Gracious me...we all feared you might've been one of the guards, Velra" she murmured with a heavy sigh, "or worse, the Dungeon Master." After taking in another bite out of her melon, Velra informed everyone that the Dungeon Master had decided to retire for the evening; at Gunari's "request," of course.
Rather than feel relieved by this, the slaves all felt this would be rather short-lived respite before they would be sent back into the throng of battle the next morning. As if sensing this, Velra revealed that it was really her who asked the Dungeon Master to leave the slaves be until the morning. Yet again, no one found any sort of comfort in the Loxodon's words; least of all not the New Blood.
"Why the sudden show of compassion, barbarian" Ursa hissed coldly, "don't want to risk seeing your new 'toys' being broken before you can do it?" Upon hearing these words (and seeing the slight look of outrage in Velra's eyes) Ezra suddenly felt a lump lodge into his throat; causing him to cough violently. When he eventually recovered, he pleaded before the warrior and insisted that his sister was simply stressed from the fight.
"She meant no ill will towards you, Madame" the young druid chuckled nervously, "so...on her behalf, I apologize." At first, Velra offered up no response or reply to such words; she only kept a firm gaze upon each member of the "New Blood." Then, she ultimately realized that her words alone wouldn't be enough to show she meant no harm.
"I anticipated this might happen, so...I come bearing a peace offering" sighed the Loxodon, "something that may be of interest to your elf friend here." Her curiosities piqued, Ventris eased herself towards the bars and demanded to know what Velra was plotting. That's when she heard it, the soft yet unmistakable yipping bark of a puppy; one that she recognized all too well.
The look upon the elf mage's face was all Velra needed for her to continue one. With a soft smile beneath her trunk, she stepped off slightly to the side to reveal a wee wolf pup; one whom the Party knew all too well. "LUPA! Oh, my sweet baby" Ventris cried with glee, "I thought I would never see you again!" With a gleeful bark, Lupa raced through the bars of the cell and pounced into her mistress' open arms without delay.
Then, after showering Ventris with a flurry of tongue kisses, she proceeded to greet the rest of the Party the same way. But while this reunion was touching, many other slaved urged everyone to keep quiet. "If you keep up this noise, the Dungeon Master will return" a battle-weary dwarf proclaimed, "which means you may be libel to lose your hound yet again!"
Upon hearing these words; Ventris tenderly placed Lupa beneath her cloak, picked up a rock from off the ground and held it aloft in a threatening manner. At first, many feared she might have been considering striking the dwarf with said stone. Instead, she proclaimed that if any guard would attempt to take Lupa from her again; she would beat them with it, instead.
"HA-HA-HA-HA! You've got spirit, She-Elf; I like that" Velra guffawed with delight, "you will need it for what awaits you in the morning." With that, she said her goodbyes and prepared herself to leave; only lingering briefly to inform Fatima to return to Gunari once her work was finished. But then, just as she reached for the door...Velra suddenly froze still in place.
At first, Fatima began to fear for her life and thought the champion was having second thoughts about her remaining here. Instead, she and all the other slaves heard her mutter something in a language that was...rather unfamiliar to many of them. This gave the likes of the Twins the idea that Velra may have been slinging an insult in her native tongue.
"IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO US, BARBARIAN...TURN AROUND AND SAY IT TO OUR FACES" Ursa hissed angrily, "OR ARE YOU TOO MUCH OF A BRUTE FOR GOOD MANNERS?!" Her comrades suddenly yelped in alarm at her tone, fearing such words would cause Velra to strike her where she lay. Instead, much to everyone's surprise and confusion, she simply let out a quiet sigh.
"I meant no offense with my words, thief" murmured the Loxodon, "I was simply extending a warrior's blessing unto you and your friends in my native language." With this simple reveal, Ursa's bravado suddenly faded, and she soon felt a wave of shame wash over her like rainfall. Meanwhile, Mituna looked towards Velra and asked what it was she said to everyone.
"It's an old Loxodon war blessing" she stated, "the dialect is much too difficult for outsiders to understand...but simply put, it means 'may your wits be keen, your heart be mighty, and your axe be sharp.'" Despite however brutish and simple these words were, the Party couldn't help but feel...some sliver of confidence well up within them. After that, Velra said one final goodbye before leaving through the door.
Once more, the slaves were left alone in the dark silence of their cells. Yet in spite of that, Ventris and her comrades suddenly felt different about the Arena Champion. No longer did she seem like a vicious, blood-hungry brute they assumed during their first encounter. Underneath her fierce demeanor, Ventris saw a true warrior of honor; much like that of Prince Alexi of Lemerius.
Perhaps, in a different time or a different place, they could have been allies. The same thing could be said with Fatima, who looked as though she was in dire need of freedom. Of course, Ventris suddenly realized that they were but two individuals compared to the dozens that surrounded her; countless lives that were forced to battle one another for the amusement of Ciscero's people.
"If we survive this next battle, it won't just be us who will be leaving here" Ventris thought while casting a glance at her fellow adventurers, "one way or another...we will all gain our freedom from this wretched place."
(The Real World)
Back at the table, the room was echoing loudly with the sounds of cheering and thunderous applause. This was due to the fact the other players were feeling utterly astonished by what Lori had just said. Never before had any of them heard the young lady speak with such passion, such chutzpah about anything.
Even her family felt overjoyed/moved by Lori's words, especially Lynn Sr...but he was almost always emotional about stuff. As for Lori herself; for what felt like ages, she sat frozen in place within her seat with her mouth agape. But while she appeared silent on the surface, her mind was just a flurry of rapid thoughts.
"What the hoo-hah is going on here" she cried mentally, "I didn't even think of any of that...it just literally blurted right outta my mouth." The moment this thought popped into her head, another nearly similar one quickly popped up as well. At the start of the campaign, the Council of Game Masters spoke about how playing Dungeons & Dragons often had a strange effect on people.
If this brief piece of dialogue she just expressed was anything to go by, Lori was slowly but surely becoming like the others at the table. But due to her on-going sense of pride, she wouldn't dare reveal this truth openly to any of them; not even her own family. Speaking of whom, both Lincoln and the Loud Parents couldn't help but subtly notice the look on Lori's face.
It was the sort of expression one shows when they suddenly develop a strong sense of love for something...but struggled to come to grips with it. Lincoln saw it with Lola, when she discovered her love for reading and now, he was seeing it on Lori and her struggle to fully love D&D. "Talk about a sense of irony, huh" Lincoln asked softly the "viewer," "and it's in my favor, this time."
(First AN: You are so right, Lincoln; it is fun when irony happens in one's favor. Now that Lori's experienced yet another side of her inner nerd, it's only a matter of time until she fully becomes an official Dungeon Crawler like everyone else. The question is though, will she and the rest of her group be able to hold their own against Lynn/Velra in the next Arena Battle?
Tune in next time, to find out)
(Second AN: I won't reveal any spoilers for future chapters...but hypothetically speaking; if both Leni and Lynn's character join up with Lori's party, they'll officially have a full RPG party on their hands. They'll have a Mage, a Druid, a Thief, a Sorceress, a Bard, a Cleric and a Barbarian. Typically, most DMs would only allow a group of five or six to make up an Adventuring Party.
But considering the fact that Lincoln has ten sisters, Lynn and Rita will definitely make an exception)
(Third AN: Sadly, I wasn't able to find any words or phrases in the Loxodon language online. But regardless, it doesn't make what Lynn said through her character any less impactful)
(Fourth AN: While some may think that Leni didn't get to necessarily do that much in the chapter. I hope they'll understand that I wanted to make sure her part in the chapter was done fairly and respectfully)
