Escaping the Arena/Going Underground
(The Game World)
With the wall destroyed and their binds now broken, the newly freed arena slaves made a mad dash for freedom. The royal guard that remained in position remained in position, of course but half of them soon realized that the numbers were not in their favor. Yet anytime they made even the slightest attempt to retreat, their captain would discipline them accordingly (with a swift backhand and a fierce insult.)
Meanwhile, Gunari did everything he could to stem the tide of chaos. "GOOD PEOPLE...PLEASE, REMAIN CALM" he shouted while flailing his arms frantically, "THIS IS ALL BUT A SIMPLE MISHAP! ONE THAT I WILL SOON..." Just as he was about to finish his statement, a small dagger suddenly flew by and sliced itself across the emperor's cheek before stabbing through one of his decorative pillows.
Gunari winced softly in pain, as his hand stroked across his cheek. He soon gave out a great hiss upon doing so; realizing that while mild, the dagger blade managed to cut just enough into his skin. As he drew back his hand and saw the faint traces of blood upon his fingertips, Gunari demanded to know who his assailant was.
"Be glad you only got a scar from that, you pompous fraud of a royal" a voice growled from below, "my next dagger won't miss!" With an annoyed grunt, Gunari cast his eyes down to the arena floor and spotted Ursa; her eyes flaring red with anger and lips contorted into a fierce snarl. Not too far behind her, the rest of the Adventuring Party was safely escorting the slaves towards the opening.
The emperor glowered at them with great intensity, utterly furious at the fact a ragtag group of strangers had caused so much chaos in only two days. "GUARDS! GUARDS...WHOEVER'S LEFT STANDING IN THE ARENA" roared Gunari, "STOP THOSE SLAVES HOWEVER YOU CAN!" Alas, his orders fell on deaf ears due to the loud screams and clashing of blades that echoed through the air.
Meanwhile, what remained of the guard down below was trying desperately to keep order in the arena. But with the townsfolk in such horrid disarray and the newly freed slaves' numbers far outweighing their own, their efforts proved fruitless. This chaos gave the Party the necessary opportunity to make their escape.
"Quickly, everyone; we must leave" Ventris ordered, "we've already done enough to help everyone here!" Ezra, Shadow and Lupa all sounded off in agreement before making their way towards the hole in the arena wall. But before they could leave, they realized that Ursa had yet to join back up with them. "I'm not leaving yet" hissed the rogue, "not until I make that fiend pay for all the indignities he put us through."
As if she expected Ursa to say such a thing, Velra offered to save the trouble of bringing Gunari down. After taking a moment to flex her muscles loose of any tension; she picked up her axes, held them back and sent them flying upwards like heavy stones. Fearing that at least one of the axes might hurt him, Gunari gave a yelp and hid himself behind the wall of his balcony.
This provided little cover for him, however as both blades suddenly broke through the stonework; just barely nicking the bridge of his nose. Mere seconds after that, the entire wall of the balcony started to crack. Those same cracks slowly worked their way downwards until they were just barely below Gunari's feet.
The poor fool could barely let out a shriek of alarm, when the stonework finally crumbled from underneath him; causing him to fall. Like a potted plant, Gunari fell straight down towards the sandy floor and crashed. This caused everyone to momentarily cease their quarreling and turn towards him, wondering if the fall killed the emperor.
Alas, despite being covered in multiple layers of sand and feeling only slightly winded from the fall, Gunari was still very much alive. "Those wretched slaves" he grumbled while dusting himself clean, "one way or another, I will take control of this chaos and when I do, I will..." The disgraced emperor's train of thought suddenly came to a halt, when numerous shadows suddenly surrounded him.
It was here that he noticed many of the newly freed slaves forming a semicircle around him, each one holding either a weapon or a bruised guard in their hands. Among their ranks was Velra, who did not appear very pleased to see Gunari.
(The Real World)
"So, noble warriors...what say you" Lynn Sr. snickered in his Acheron voice, "your oppressor now lies before you, half his forces have either retreated or have been beaten soundly by your hands; what do you wish to do with him?" Almost immediately, Lucy offered to have Gunari tortured as retribution for what he had done to all the people he'd enslaved. Lynn Jr. seconded her little sister's notion, proclaiming that her warrior code demanded satisfaction.
"You do remember this is just all in our heads...right, girls" Lola interjected dryly, "still, I'd like to see the big jerk squirm for what he did to everybody!" While he shared the young lady's thoughts on this all being just a game, Kotaro still felt rather uneasy about his character's fate. Meanwhile, Lori (as per usual) remained totally silent on the matter; her mind apparently focused on other things at the moment.
She suddenly found herself wondering how and when she found herself back in this situation again. Just last Sunday; they were making crafts, vlogging, playing music and so many other things. Sure, it was all still D&D oriented, but it was (to her) a well-earned departure from the campaign.
Then came the moment when Mrs. Bernardo arrived in full regalia and announced that the "hour of rest was upon them." This meant it was time to head off to bed and make their journeys home the next morning.
(Flashback to Sunday Night)
"AW! BOGUS! Do we really have to leave now" Luna exclaimed, "Ruth was just about to teach me how to use a dulcimer!" Soon after this was said, many of the other Loud Siblings voiced similar complaints of their own. Leni wanted to finish working on a royal gown she and Fiona were working on.
Lana said that she wanted to make some accessories for her pets back home, to see if she could make one (if not all) of them resemble the creatures in the game. Lucy confessed how she had grown to love writing poetry in the Drow Elf language and wanted to see if she could do just as well with the others and Lily...well, she just liked having fun altogether in this place.
"Believe us, kiddos...we've had just as much fun today as you did" Albert chortled, "but don't worry, there's still next weekend and who knows what the rest of the week holds for ya." With that said, the Council of Game Masters gave one final decree for everyone to pack their things to take home and/or store away their supplies until next time. When everybody had finished, they said their goodbyes before loading up into their cars and heading off for home.
During the drive, most of the Loud Siblings were simply quivering with delight from all the fun they had...all except for Lori. Yet at the same time, she didn't look quite as dower and frumpy about the whole thing as she did from the beginning. After watching all her friends and family making merry, she seemed to feel...slightly more at peace with everything than she did at the start.
Still, deep in the farthest recesses of her mind, her teenage pride continued to try and claw its way back; to remind her not to be "suckered into" everything. As a result of this, her siblings could swear they saw her giving the oddest looks on the drive home. "You okay, Lori...you've been acting all fidgety for almost the whole ride" inquired Lana, "maybe too much of Mrs. Johnson's Dragon Chili?"
Upon hearing the idea their sister might be on the verge of chili-related stomach issues, Lily (who was the one nearest to it) rested her hand atop the car window button; prepping for the worst. Soon after, their parents interjected on the conversation and insisted that Lori hold in her discomfort for a while longer...or at least until they were within walking distance of their house.
"First off, everybody...as I've literally told you before, I do NOT have gas problems" she grumbled firmly, "secondly, I've just got...stuff on my mind." The family heaved out a collective sigh of relief, happy to hear that Lori wasn't having a moment of intestinal distress. Yet, at the same time, they couldn't help but ask what she was thinking about.
As Lori opened her mouth to speak, she could hear the voices of her inner pride going to war against her inner nerd. As a result, she couldn't quite think of the right words to say. In the end, the best thing she could do was tell her family four short words; "it's nothing, don't worry."
Of course, the family wasn't quite buying it; Lynn and Rita especially. But after a while, everyone agreed to not push Lori about whatever was on her mind. "Thanks for understanding, everybody" she said gratefully, "maybe I'm just tired from all the stuff we did today." This statement seemed to convince the family a lot more easily than her earlier one, as evident from their simultaneous nods and murmuring.
In time, Vanzilla finally arrived back home, and everyone piled out single file towards the house. "You kids head on upstairs and get yourselves ready for bed" Lynn Sr. decreed, "except for you, Lori." Mere seconds after that, Rita added to her husband's words by asking Lori to hang back on the porch for a moment or two.
As expected, the other Loud Siblings murmured and hooted naughtily under their breath; believing their big sister might've done something wrong. "No one's in trouble, kids; we just wanna talk" Rita said firmly, "now, scoot your boots into the house." Under different circumstances, the Siblings would remain in place and continue heckling their big sister.
But they were too tired from the day's activities, as well as the drive home. So, they unanimously agreed to obey their mother's wishes and head straight to bed; leaving Lori behind to have a private word with them. Once they saw that the door was closed, Lynn Sr. approached his eldest daughter and gave her tender yet loving embrace.
Naturally, Lori was rather surprised by this sudden show of affection, but she returned it, nonetheless. "Not that I've complaining or anything" she murmured, "but what was that for, Dad?" Upon releasing her, Lynn gave her a smile and said that he was feeling proud of her; which only made Lori feel even more confused.
Soon after, Rita joined in and gave Lori a hug as well while also extending her own pride for her. "Okay...you two are literally not making sense here" she said baffled, "what exactly are you so proud of me for?" Without further hesitation, the Loud Parents proclaimed that they were proud to see Lori stick with them on their Game Night weekends over the past month.
While it was true the whole thing was part of some punishment towards Lori and her sisters for leaving home without permission, no one expected them to stick with the campaign for this long. "To think Flip tried to get me, Principal Huggins and your Pop-Pop into a bet with him" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "we refused, of course but he'd probably lose by now."
This reveal not only caused Lori to gawk at her father in shocked astoundment but also led to Rita giving him a swift jab on the arm. When she finally came back to her senses, Lori questioned what the supposed bet was for? "Well, honey...it's like this" Lynn muttered while nervously tugging at his collar, "I believed you'd stick with the game the whole way through, whereas Huggins felt you and your sisters would quit before the quest even started."
This statement earned the Loud Patriarch yet another jab in the arm from Rita, who looked utterly disappointed in her husband right now. Meanwhile, Lori felt utterly shocked by all this; not so much by the bet itself but by the fact that people believed she would weasel out of the game. Mind you, this applied to the other Loud Sisters as well...but it seemed that it was Lori herself whom everyone seemed to have less faith in.
"I can't believe people were making bets on when I would back out of this game" Lori thought indignantly, "I wonder who else was in on it?"
(Line Break)
As the new week rolled in, the Loud Siblings went about enjoying their summer break in the usual way; playing, swimming, hanging with friends (not necessarily in that order.) One day, Lori herself was doing exactly that with Carol at her place. At first, they sat together in the Pingreys' living room; browsing their socials and chatting together.
But then, Carol said something that threw everything off the rails. "You gotta see this, Lori" she squealed joyfully, "my vlog post from last Sunday just got gained 10K Likes!" Upon hearing these words Lori felt her whole body tighten up; as if her very insides were cringing.
At first, it felt as though old wounds from the past were being reopened. Then, she realized that it wasn't really the amount of "likes" that set her off but rather the post itself. Upon delving back into her memories, Lori recalled that she and Carol briefly sat together for a Cosmetics Vlog the latter gal had been working on.
When Lori asked what inspired her bestie to do this sort of thing, Carol claimed it was "a number of things." "After watching a few of Carlota Casagrande's own posts, I thought I could try that kind of thing out myself" she explained, "I may be taking some business classes like Daddy wanted me to...but I want to indulge in my true passion, working with hair!"
Before she had the chance to speak up, Lori was suddenly pulled off the bed and brought over to Carol's vanity mirror. Soon after that; she found herself caught in a whirlwind of brief hair-pulling, curling, crimping and clipping. Many times over, Lori tried to get her friend's attention with either a firm "DON'T PULL THAT" or a simple "WHAT IS GOING ON" but Carol wouldn't listen.
When the "assault" was finally done, five minutes later, Carol took one look at her stunned bestie and murmured softly with approval; as if she felt proud of her handiwork. "Not bad...not bad at all" she stated, "what'cha think of the new 'do, Lori?" It took the young Loud Gal in question a good thirty seconds to stop her head from spinning.
When she finally looked in the mirror, she froze. The back of her hair had been let down, which allowed it to flow slightly past her shoulders. But she noticed that portions of her hair on the sides and along the base of her skull had been elegantly braided. Perhaps the most eye-catching element of this new hairstyle was what looked like a collection of small flowers nestled between the braids.
"Bear in mind, I've mostly done these kinds of braids on the heads of test mannequins" Carol confessed, "just...give me your honest opinion here." For what felt like ages, Lori stared at her reflection in the mirror; unsure of what to say to her friend. On the one hand, she absolutely loved the look...but on the other, it only made her stresses about liking the game come back even stronger.
After a while, Lori finally mustered enough willpower to give Carol the softest of grins and say "I like it" in the nicest possible way. "EEE! Thanks so much for the feedback, Lors" Carol squealed while giving her a hug, "you mind if I take a pic of us with this new look...I wanna show it to my instructor, next time I get the chance." Lori could only nod in reply, while the voices in her brain were practically screaming a whole plethora of obscenities about Carol's desire immortalize her "new look" with a selfie.
But with the same willpower she used moments ago, she let out a quivering sigh and "politely" requested that the pic wouldn't be shared online. "If that's what you want, Lori; I'm okay with it" Carol replied, "besides...I wouldn't want you to be victim to any comments people might make, if I did post it." Lori thanked her bestie for her kind (albeit mildly insincere) words and asked if she wanted to check out anything on TV.
With a hearty clap of her hands, Carol bounced out of bed and proclaimed she'd race Lori to the living room; which led to the young lady in question smiling playfully.
(Line Break)
The following day, the family took a trip down to Tall Timber's Park; thinking that being in the great outdoors would be a good break from being at home. Upon arriving at the park, the youngest Loud Sisters proceeded in playing make-believe...but with a twist. First, Lana plucked a long stick from off the ground and proceeded to imagine herself as her druid character (Ezra.)
"Come along, fellow adventurers" she declared emphatically, "there are plenty of beasties to tame in this enchanted wood." With that, Lana rushed over towards the nearest tree and proceeded to seek out any critter she could find; be it a fuzzy squirrel or a mighty hawk (Rita hoped it wouldn't be the latter.) Meanwhile; Lily, following her sister's lead, wasted no time in running about the grass on all fours.
Any passersby who might see this would think the child was pretending to be a dog. It wasn't until they heard her howling that they realized she was something else. Now, Rita and several of the older siblings felt this behavior was pretty ding-dang cute but Lori simply felt embarrassed.
"Stop it! You two are literally making a scene" Lori whispered through clenched teeth, "aren't we supposed to keep our 'game business' private or whatever?!" As if expecting to hear her say this, Lisa retorted to her sister's statement by reminding her of what the actual rule said; in that any personal issues within the game or outside life must remain separate from one another.
"However, this rule does not prohibit us from mimicking our characters anywhere we live" she added, "so long as no person is hurt, no disturbances are caused, or property damage has been made while doing so." Realizing that yet another attempt to call out the game on its rules had failed, Lori tried to think of something else to "save herself."
But before she could get even the smallest word out, the skies suddenly rang loudly with the words "Baruk Khazâd!" The next thing Lori heard was the sound of something crashing in water. This led to the poor girl thinking someone fell into the lake nearby. In that moment, her "Big Sister Mode" kicked in and she leapt into action.
"HANG ON, GUYS" she cried while running rapidly, "I'LL SAVE YOU!" In less than a minute, Lori finally reached the lake and discovered that...everything was fine. Make no mistake, she did find someone in the water (namely her brother.) But in her haste, she assumed he fell in by accident...instead, she found him safely in the water, splashing and playing with some of her other sisters.
"GRRR! Lincoln...do you realize what you did" she chided firmly, "when I heard that scream, I thought you or literally someone else had fallen in." With a sheepish chuckle in his throat and a light blush on his cheeks, Lincoln sincerely apologized to Lori for scaring her. He then explained that the thing she heard was him letting out a Dwarvish war cry.
"I thought it'd sound cooler than me just shouting 'cannonball' like usual" he murmured, "sorry for scaring you, Lori." Lori, feeling like she was already at the end of her rope, looked ready to yank Lincoln out of the water and throttle him for making her worry. But then, she ultimately realized that it wouldn't be right to vent her aggression out on her own brother for something that wasn't even his fault.
So, after using a breathing technique she learned from Anger Management the previous summer, Lori calmed herself down and gave her brother the softest of grins. "It's...I-It's literally nothing, bro" she murmured, "I guess I just haven't been sleeping well or something." Lincoln gave her a soft yet understanding expression and told her it was alright, adding that everybody had rough nights, at times.
Just then, the sound of a dinner bell rang out from nearby; which signaled that lunch was about to be served. Lincoln, after getting back on shore, swiftly wrapped a towel around himself and made a beeline for the blanket. At least, he would've done that...had he not chosen to hang back briefly to offer some kind words to his sister.
"Just wait till this weekend, Lori" he said while drying off his hair, "playing D&D is the perfect way to help forget one's real-world troubles." With that, he resumed his dash towards the picnic blanket; intent on getting some of his dad's newly crafted turkey nuggets before the girls did. Meanwhile, Lori remained frozen where she stood; staring blankly at her family while her brother's words echoed through her mind.
"I wish the game could help me forget my troubles, Lincoln" she whispered, "that is...if the game wasn't literally the cause of them in the first place."
(Flash Forward to the Present: The Game Table)
Back at the table, the Council waited patiently for Lori's group to come to a decision regarding Gunari's fate. One side (consisting of Lola, Luan and Lynn) considered having him beheaded in front of all the spectators. No sooner had she said this, however; Lola suddenly cringed outwardly in disgust.
"Did I seriously say I wanted to see someone executed" she pondered, "guess my character is rubbing off on me." Meanwhile, Leni was quivering in her seat with pure disgust at the idea of someone being executed (even when it's an imaginary scenario.) "It seems the choice falls to you, Ventris" Lynn Sr. said in his Acheron voice, "what fate do you feel is best for Gunari?"
In that moment, Lori considered going the usual route and using some sort of snarky response like "literally, do whatevs" or something similar. But somewhere deep in the back of her mind, her inner voice was telling her this was her chance to really get into the spirit of role-playing. This inner debate went on for almost two minutes before someone finally called for Lori's attention.
"Lor...are you okay" Becky asked with concern in her voice, "if you don't feel up to this, we can have one of your sisters go instead." Realizing that she was unintentionally holding things up, Lori snapped out of her thoughts and came up with the best idea she could think up. "Are there any broken chains or...whatever lying on the ground" she asked blankly, "I'd like to try something out."
In response to this, Albert urged his granddaughter to perform a Perception Check; which is used to keep a look-out for specific things in an area (hidden items, footprints etc.) With a soft sigh, Lori plucked her dice off the table and made the roll. After barely skipping halfway along the table, it stopped and Cristina proclaimed that it landed on 17.
"Upon scanning the sands around you, you discover some remnants of the chains that once bound your Party's wrists and ankles" Huggins said in his Fastred voice, "what do you plan to do next?" Without delay, Lori proclaimed that she wished to use her magic to link all the broken chains back up into one long rope of chains. Afterwards, she intended to have Velra tie them around Gunari as tightly as possible.
"Yes...that could work" Rita murmured softly, "but is that all you intend to do?" Much to her own surprise, Lori gazed down at the figurine of Gunari on the table and glowered at it bitterly. "It's more than enough for him" Lori muttered intensely, "whatever happens to us next, I want him to live a long life, alone with his cowardness." This quote from the young lady garnered quite the response from everyone, to say the least.
Some of her friends commented on how powerful her words seemed to them, others proclaimed it felt rather edgy...why the likes of Rusty and Simon felt they'd both heard that line from a movie. Regardless, it seemed to gain the Council's approval and the game was able to continue on.
(The Game World)
Without further delay, Velra and Ursa both had the defeated Emperor in their grasp; struggling to keep him down on his knees. Meanwhile, Ventris was using this time to properly focus her mind for the Transmutation spell she intended to use. "Are you certain you wish to do this, Ventris" questioned Mituna, "can you perform such a spell well enough without your staff?"
Ventris offered no reply to this, she was far too deep into focus to let herself be distracted. Yet deep in her mind, she knew her comrade was right to be concerned. Despite her skills, Ventris was still a student and had not yet practiced using magic without her staff until now.
Her headmaster; Alarian, the Grand Archmage of her village, was among the few elves gifted with the ability to use arcane magic at will. Before coming on this quest, Ventris was still learning at his school and would have been on the verge of perfecting her skills. Then, the blight reached her homeland and the Archmage ordered the city guard to lead her to safety.
"I hope Master Alarian is still doing well" she thought worriedly, "this will be my first time using an advanced spell without his tutelage." Just as Ventris was on the verge of being swept up in her own mind, she felt a sudden tug at her cloak. She looked down and saw Lupa pulling at it, in an attempt to gain her attention.
Ventris also happened to notice Velra straining to keep her hold on Gunari, who looked ready to rip himself free from her grip at any moment. "So sorry to interrupt your meditation, Mage" Ventris murmured through gritted teeth, "but would you mind using your blasted spell already?!" Upon realizing the situation they were in, Ventris returned to her concentration while holding a hand over the broken chain parts.
In time, both of them were encased in a light blue aura; which many assumed was linked to her magic. In time, all the broken pieces of metal began too slowly ease themselves closer to each other. This phenomenon not only astonished Ventris' comrades but also Velra as well, whose grip on the emperor had slightly begun to loosen.
This proved to be the ample opportunity for Gunari to make his escape. With as much strength as he could muster, he wrenched himself out from Velra's massive hands and made a mad attempt to run for the nearest exit. Alas, before he could move so much as five paces away, Ventris' spell was finished and a newly formed link of chains was created.
Afterwards, the Tabaxi Twins picked up the item at both ends and gave chase for the emperor. Upon tackling him, they wrapped the link around both his torso and legs to ensure he would not slink away. "How dare you treat me like this" Gunari snarled while wiggling pathetically on the sand, "I am lord of the Gunarian Empire...you're nothing but a pack of filthy slaves!"
Upon hearing this; Velra let out an annoyed grunt, plucked both her axes from off the floor and stomped her way over to her former master. With an icy look in her eyes, she informed him that it was thanks to these "filthy slaves" were the finest warriors she had come to meet. "How can you side with the likes of these" Gunari demanded, "you're my champion...the people's champion!"
In response to this, she held the tip of her trunk up to the emperor's face and tooted softly through it; blowing sand into his eyes. Afterwards, she removed every piece of ceremonial armor given to her for her victories in the arena; revealing only a few scraps of leather underneath. "I loathed every moment I killed for your amusement, Gunari" she whispered venomously, "there is no glory to be found in such senseless conflict."
With that said, Velra gave her final salute to her defeated master (albeit a crude one) and urged for the Party to follow her out through the hole Fatima created. But before they left, Shadow revealed that all of their provisions and weapons were still locked away down in the holding cells. No sooner had she said this, Zita and Jinn appeared with armloads of familiar items.
"Picked all these outta the Dungeon Master's storage box once we were free" chuckled the changeling, "figured you all could use them, rather than hawk them for coin." Upon collecting their gear, the Party thanked their former fellow slaves for their help and vowed to repay their kindness...somehow. But they had little time to ponder on the matter, as members of Gunari's guards were making advances towards them.
"Go, run for freedom" Zita urged, "we'll hold off these fools for as long as we can!" While she could not deny the bravery of her fellow rogues, Ursa couldn't bear to let them face such insurmountable odds on their own. "We won't be fighting them alone, little kitty" Jinn chuckled coyly, "and besides...we're not as helpless as we seem."
Upon saying this, Jinn form slowly began to change shape until they assumed the likeness of a fully grown grizzly. Afterwards, they along with Zita charged towards the guards; giving the Party the chance they needed to escape.
(The Real World)
"Hold it...Hold it right there" Lisa exclaimed suddenly, "I see nothing within the guidebooks that say Changelings can assume animal or beastly forms." The moment this was brought up, Phoebe found herself sweating slightly; which caused a bit of her face paint to run. When she finally got up enough nerve to speak, Phoebe claimed to have "blanked out" on what form her character should take.
"I knew the others needed something strong to help keep those guards away" she explained, "so, like...I, uh...I just thought up the first idea that popped into my head." Now, it wasn't so much the reveal that left the Loud Sisters feeling perplexed. Rather, they assumed she was as much of an "expert" on this game as their parents or brother.
So, they thought that Phoebe had already known her character's abilities by heart. But before they could say anything, the Game Masters quickly interjected; initiating something they called the "Rule of Cool." "What the heck's this 'rule of cool,' you guys" questioned Lori, "and why hasn't my group literally heard about this until now?" In response to this, the mouths of the Council and every player at the table sounded off with the same answer; "because you never asked!"
With a frustrated grunt, Lori pulled her hood over her head as far as it could go; desperately trying to hide the embarrassed blush on her cheeks. Meanwhile, Albert brought back everyone's attention and went about explaining the "Rule of Cool" to his granddaughters. "Now...this game was long before my time, ya understand" he chuckled, "but the Rule of Cool is that rare moment where us GMs allow you players to do something outside of the game's established guidelines."
To elaborate further; Rita added that while Changeling characters like Phoebe's weren't typically known for changing into beastly forms, they would grant her the opportunity to do so...but just this one time. "Cool! So...Jinn plans on distracting Gunari's guards by taking on a Grizzly Bear form" Phoebe explained, "what do I role for that again?"
While everyone else went about with the technical stuff, Lori ceased this moment to ease a small murmur of a headache that was thumping deep inside her brain. But she couldn't decide whether it was due to her feeling confused by what's happening or due to her continuing stubbornness. Either way, Lori hoped that the turn would be over quick and that her Party could be free to move on.
One quick dice roll later and everyone watched as Phoebe's minifig was momentarily removed from the table and replaced with one resembling a grizzly. Afterwards, Phoebe made yet another roll of the dice; this time to see how hard her attack would be against the guards. "C'mon, now...be good to Mommy" she murmured to herself, "show me somethin' good here!"
After wringing it between her hands for almost fifteen seconds, Phoebe finally sent the dice flying across the table. When it finally stopped mere inches away from where Simon sat, he lifted his dragon mask slightly and glanced down. "I can't really see it that well" he muttered, "but I think it's...a fifteen."
This reveal caused both Phoebe and those who sat beside her to cry out in dismay, while the Game Master clicked their tongues lightly; as if to say "ya win some, ya lose some." "Once you are within range of a guard, you stand upon your back legs and loom over her with a menacing visage" Mrs. Johnson described dramatically, "yet even with all your beastly strength, all you are able to do is smash the knight's shield out of her hands."
Yet again, the table sounded off in disappointment but made sure to congratulate Phoebe for her efforts. Meanwhile, the rest of the Game Masters each stood up and collected each of the Party's figurines; moving them slightly outside of the arena model. The whole time they did this, Rita (in her Elianna voice) explained how Lori used this moment of chaos as their chance to escape.
"Okay, cool...we're out of the arena" Lana murmured with uncertainty in her voice, "so, now what?"
(The Game World)
For what felt like ages, the Party ran through the streets of Cicero; racing and weaving like a pack of desperate thieves. They rushed through alleyways, rushed through crowds and (in cases like Ezra and Ursa's) climbed up to the rooftops of any buildings near them; leaping along as far as they could. Yet no matter what they did, Gunari's royal guard remained in pursuit of them.
"We need to think of a way out of this...quick" Ezra panted heavily, "I don't suppose...you know of any...teleportation magic, Elf!" In spite of the pain in her chest, Ventris cast a mild glare in the druid's direction before informing him (yet again) of her novice status as a mage. Even if she knew of a proper teleportation spell; at the moment, she couldn't properly concentrate hard enough to take them anywhere.
"Consider yourself lucky, Madam Elf" Mituna heaved between breaths, "us Tortle Folk weren't meant to run this way...least of all, not very often!" Needless to say, the Party was already starting to feel the grip of exhaustion overtake them and they were only midway through the city. Then, without warning, Lupa suddenly tripped over a stepping stone on the road.
With a yelp, she flipped in the air for almost five seconds before crashing back on the ground. This did not go unnoticed by Ventris, whose ears were already twitching from Lupa's earlier fall. She stopped herself from running and made an immediate retreat back to collect her, much to the objection of her comrades.
"WHAT IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING" Ursa hissed angrily, "WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING BEFORE THE..." The rogue's train of thought was suddenly cut short, the moment the guard finally caught up with Ventris. Before long, they had already surrounded her in a semi-circle; spears drawn and ready to strike.
This site caused Lupa to whimper loudly, not only out of fear for her mistress' life but also in shame for separating her from the others. But just when things seemed at their bleakest, an orb of light soon appeared in the circle and a voice called out to Ventris saying "MAGE...SHIELD YOUR EYES!" Not needing to be told twice, Ventris pulled her hood tight up over her head while she shielded Lupa protectively beneath her cloak.
"YOU OTHERS...DO AS SHE DOES" the voice called out to the other Party members, "SHIELD YOUR EYES IMMEDIATELY!" Without delay, the others went about protecting their vision in any way possible. Shadow followed Ventris' example and held up her hood as well, the Twins placed a paw tightly over the other's eyes and Mituna sought shelter deep inside her shell.
Meanwhile, the royal guard simply stood in place; murmuring amongst themselves over what was happening. Then, without warning, the orb suddenly burst; unleashing a flash of light so blinding that it could very well burn the eyes of any exposed to it. Alas, even with their helms on, the guards were only partially shielded from the flash.
As a result, some guards screamed in pain from it while others stumbled blindly about; desperate to find anyone nearby to help them. During this time, the same voice the Party heard from before urged them to keep running; adding that the main gate out of the city was just five miles ahead. "That's all well and good" murmured Ursa, "but how the devil are we supposed to find our way with our eyes closed?!"
In response, the mysterious speaker urged the Party to follow the sound of her voice. For a brief moment, they hesitated on the idea but realized that the guard wouldn't remain blinded for very long. So, having no other choice, they decided to take a leap of faith and follow this voice to "safety."
(Line Break)
After running for a short while longer, the Party (albeit breathlessly) questioned how much further it was to the gate. In response, the voice told them that it was just up ahead of them. "Go, quickly" it said to them, "you will find friends there who will take you out of the city's border!" Having already ran for so long, the Party felt as though their legs would fall off soon.
But when they heard that the door way to freedom was quite literally within reach, they chose to press through the pain. Finally, Ventris' eyes cracked open slightly and she could see the portcullis just up ahead. But then, she also saw that it was suddenly starting to close itself. That's when she looked up and spotted a guard on the wall manning the gate.
"This is hopeless...hopeless, I tell you" cried Ursa, "it will take a miracle for us to get out of here, now!" As if Fate had overheard her cries, a figure suddenly appeared beneath the portcullis and caught it in their hands; stopping it. "Quickly...I can't hold this for very long" the figure urged with a strained tone in their voice, "move through before the guard gets closer!"
Though still rather confused of the situation, the Party knew not to question an opportune situation when it's presented. Thus, each member made a mad dash for freedom through the opening. Afterwards, the figure let out a heavy grunt of effort before moving back slightly; allowing the portcullis to close.
Sadly, the guard would come to notice this far too late before crashing against the bars in a heap. Miraculously, the gate remained intact despite the collision. Meanwhile, the figure took a moment to ease the slight tension in her forearms from holding it open.
Much to the Party's surprise, they discovered that it was Velra who came to their rescue. "What the...you saved us" Ursa gasped, "just a few moments ago, you were poised to kill us in front of your 'adoring public.'" Velra simply responded to this with a deep blow of her trunk, as if to tell her something...profane.
Once the tension in her limbs had subsided, she went on to add that her actions were "at the behest" of another party; one who planned on joining them soon. Mere seconds after this was said, an orb of light appeared before the Party and burst like a balloon before them; creating a near-blinding flash. Once everyone's vision had cleared, they were surprised to see Fatima standing before them; no longer dressed in slave garments and chains but a beautiful golden-white robe.
"I am pleased to see you have escaped, strangers" she said with a smile, "but we mustn't tally here, the guard will soon find their way here!" Not needing to be told twice, the Party followed their two rescuers off into the distance; far away from the boundaries of Ciscero. But unfortunately, they had been running for so long already that their limbs had finally given in.
One by one, they fell hard to the ground with heavy groans or tired gasps escaping their throats. "Well...we've escaped" Shadow thought with an outward squawk of weariness, "but...it's like what Fatima said, the guard...will soon find us and capture us again." The Party and their two associates looked upon one another in worry, wondering what Gunari might do if his men brought them all back.
Desperate, they looked about the area they were currently in; hoping to find somewhere to lay low until further notice. That's when Ezra caught sight of a cave along the side of a nearby mountain. "We'll hideout in there until tomorrow and if no one has come for us before then, it should be safe" he explained, "what say you?"
Almost immediately, Ursa cried out in objection to her brother's plan, mainly for the fact that she knew running into unknown caves "always" invited disaster. But Ventris and the others, however saw that there was no other way around their predicament. "I'd rather take shelter in a cave and risk whatever may lie in there than go back to Gunari" Fatima said firmly, "I say we go!"
Mituna quickly sounded off in agreement with the half-jinn, followed by Shadow then Velra and finally Ventris. Upon seeing the number of hands raised, Ursa realized the odds were stacked against her and thus had no choice but to comply. With that settled, everyone collected their gear and hurried into the cave as quickly as possible.
"Fair warning, everyone" she grumbled, "if something does happen to attack us while we're lying in wait...I'm never speaking to you all again." After everyone let out a few mild chuckles at their comrade's words, they went further into the cave...and further and further and further still. It was in that moment they soon realized that the cave was no ordinary crevice on the mountainside; it was a tunnel.
As they went further in, the world around them suddenly went dark. This prompted Ventris to activate a Light Spell with the aid of her staff, which everyone felt thankful for. "This won't last for very long, I'm afraid" Ventris muttered softly, "I only hope we'll find our way out of this tunnel before it does." The others could only murmur softly in response, thinking that risking the chance of being captured by the guard might've been preferable to this situation.
But Ventris urged them all to push such thoughts out of their minds immediately. "The sooner we reach the end of this cave tunnel, the sooner we can look for a way back outside" she stated, "keep your weapons close and be ready." Weary and bereft of anything resembling the courage to forge on, the others submitted to Ventris' command and continued following her deeper into the darkness.
(First AN: Out of the frying pan and into the fire...or the dark, in this case. Now that Lori's Party has escaped the arena, what sort of challenges await them next and how much longer can she hold on to her teen pride and act like she's not having fun with the game? Tune in next time, as the campaign continues)
(Second AN: Originally, during the parts outside the campaign, I thought about having the Louds doing their make-believe game at Camp Mastodon. But while that particular location is already canon within the original show, it has yet to "make its debut" *so to speak* within my series of Loud House stories set in the Gal Pals universe. Thus, I chose to have it happen at Tall Timbers Park; another popular outdoorsy location in the show.
But make no mistake, I do have an idea on how to add Camp Mastodon into my stories. I just...haven't figured out when to do that yet)
(Third AN: For those wondering...yes, the Rule of Cool does exist in both Dungeons & Dragons and all other types of popular TTRPGs. While not often, this "rule" allows players to make a cool/funny/imaginative action in the game; so long as it's well within the character(s) abilities. An example of this would be using the famous "Fastball Special" known within both the Marvel and DC Comic Universes)