Your Turn To Roll

by WaterDragonMaverick

Luz Noceda and her friends all get together and play Dungeons and Dragons together. What sort of fun will they have and what threats will their DM throw at them? I guess it's time to roll the dice and find out for yourselves. Human AU

17. The Brawl Continues

Hello, everyone. WaterDragonMaverick here with the newest chapter of "Your Turn To Roll", my Owl House Dungeons and Dragons fanfic. When we last left off, our heroes were participating in the Mountain Bird Brawl and managed to get halfway through the first stage of the single-person matches. Next up, we'll be continuing those fights. And for one of them, I plan on testing a homebrew idea I've been planning and getting feedback for. You'll see exactly what it is in a bit.

Round 2, Fight!

The Owl House is owned by Disney and was created by Dana Terrace

Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast and was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson

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After returning from their break, Luz and her friends gathered around the table with Eda and Camila watching in the background. "Okay, we've finished our break both in real life and in the game. After about an hour of rest, the mages of the Order of the Mountain Bird are ready to take the contestants to their next location," Vee stated. "After everyone is gathered, they teleport everyone to a bamboo forest on top of a smaller mountain to the northeast of Mount Sajinya."

"I gotta say, this is one impressive island. So many different locations," Luz remarked.

"Okay, I'm going to do something a little different for this battle," Vee said before handing Willow some papers. "I'm going to have Willow play as this character to test something out."

"Wait, really? What's happening," Amity asked.

"You'll see," Vee said as Willow looked at the character sheet and the notes with it. "When the barrier is set up, Jachun introduces the contestants for the start of Block C. On one side is a dwarf wearing chainmail and holding a large pickaxe. His black spiky hair seems to blend in with the large beard he has, making it seem like he's a hairball with eyes," she described, getting a chuckle out of Eda and the younger players. "On the other side is a human wearing emerald green robes that expose one of her arms, revealing an intricate tattoo of red roses on her shoulder."

"Huh, that sounds like something Willow would do," Gus voiced.

"The dwarf speaks up first," Vee said before doing a voice that sounded like arrogance was in every single word the character uttered. "So this is the opponent I have to face? This will be child's play! This woman looks like she should be tending to a flower garden rather than fighting. I'm going to enjoy plucking this weed out from my boots after I stomp all over her."

"If I can say something as the character, I just want to say one thing to the dwarf that makes me think of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z," Willow said.

"Go for it," Vee allowed.

"I'm going to break his arm," Willow said in a calm and deep voice. "And she's saying this to Jachun."

"Jachun simply shrugs," Vee said before speaking as the Tortle. "I'll allow it. Just don't kill him."

"Good to know," Willow said as the tattooed human.

"Block C's first battle. McCabe Ironfist VS Salix. Let the brawl begin," Vee said as Jachun.

"Time to roll initiative," Willow said before picking up her d20 and rolling it. "I got a 3 for 7."

"That means McCabe goes first," Vee declared. "He attacks with his war pick and… he got a natural 1 to start. As he rushes in attempts to strike you, you just trip him and he ends up prone. He tries to swing at Salix again and because of the disadvantage, he misses the second swing and can't get up just yet."

"Hahahaha! I can't believe he failed right at the start," King laughed.

"Ha! Yeah, that's pretty hilarious," Amity agreed.

"My turn," Willow said. "Since I have advantage on melee attacks, I'll attack with two punches, then use Flurry of Blows for an extra two attacks."

"Go ahead and roll me the four attacks with advantage," Vee requested.

"Okay, the first strike hits. The second does as well. And for the Flurry of Blows, the third misses before the last one hits," Willow declared. "My first punch does 10 damage, my second does 8, and my third attack misses. However, that last one makes up for it as when I go for the last hit in the combo, a cluster of vines wrap around my fist and I punch him," she exclaimed, surprising the other players at that description. "With this feature, I can roll an extra martial arts die to increase the damage whenever I spend a ki point to do Flurry of Blows. That means this attack is a 6 and a 5 for a total of 15 damage. Together, everything I deal to McCabe is 33 points of bludgeoning damage as I punch him in the face while he's down on the floor."

"Okay, what is that move? I never heard of a Monk that makes plant punches," Eda asked.

"It's a homebrew subclass I've been working on with Vee. I call it 'The Way of Ancient Thorns'. I wanted the focus to be a Monk using their ki to work with nature for travel and heavier damage," Willow said.

"The Verdant Palm feature at Level 3 allows for that move along with some spells. There's also some big plans for later levels, but I'm just letting Willow test out the early features to start," Vee said.

"Well, I hope this idea works well so Willow can use it as a new character when needed," Luz exclaimed.

"Okay, back to the battle," Vee stated. "McCabe groans in pain before using his movement to stand up," she said before voicing the dwarf. "You just got lucky! I'm more than capable of besting you!"

"If you insist," Willow retorted in the voice she did for Salix.

"McCabe now attacks with his war pick again. Both of his attacks miss as Salix deflects the weapon. He gets angry and glares at you to end his turn," Vee said.

"Salix will attack again," Willow told Vee. "The first attack is a natural 20, but the second is a 3 for 10. I'd have this attack be a kick to his stomach and with a 5 on the die, I'll double it to make the total damage be 14."

"McCabe is looking pretty hurt at the moment," Vee said.

"I'll spend my next ki point to use Patient Defense," Willow declared. "This means I take the Dodge action. Let's see if he can actually hit me."

"McCabe growls as he swings. His first attack this turn just manages to hit you," Vee said. "The second attack does as well. As you attempt to avoid his attacks again, he just manages to dig his pick into your body. The first attack hits Salix in the shoulder for 11 points of piercing damage thanks to his fighting style. The second does 9 damage. That's a total of 20 damage on Salix," the DM told the players.

"Oh man, now he's hurting her," Hunter remarked.

"Salix's turn. I think I'll go for style points here," Willow declared. "I'll use the next feature of the Ancient Thorns Monk and use Rootslide. This allows me to use a bonus action to teleport to another spot within 30 feet as long as I'm at a plant. Like a patch of grass, a tree, or some of the bamboo higher above us," she explained, smirking at the last example.

The others all grinned as they realized what Willow was doing. "As Salix's arm is dripping with blood, she smirks and sinks into the ground. As everyone is surprised, she's then seen higher up as she emerges from the bamboo 30 feet up and starts falling down," Vee narrated.

"I'll then use my reaction to go with every Monk's feature of Slow Fall, negating any damage I'd take up to five times my Monk level," Willow added. "As I do this, I want to do a spinning axe kick that strikes at McCabe."

"Roll for the attack," Vee said.

"15 on the die to make 22," Willow said. "Since I know that hits, the damage is a total of 10 for that heel drop. I'd follow up with a punch to his stomach after I land, which I got with a modified 20. I end up dealing another 8 damage with that."

"Okay, I love this flower Monk," King laughed.

"I think this homebrew's doing well," Amity said, impressed with how well the character was doing.

"Same here, but these are only the first could of features," Vee said. "Back to the fight, McCabe screams in anger as he swings his pick twice. The first attack just misses, but the second strikes Salix in the leg. Luckily for her, it was a shallow wound and only dealt 8 damage."

"I'll attack again," Willow declared. "I got an 11 for 18 on the first attack and a natural 20 on the second. The first hit deals 7 points of damage and the second does 10 damage because I'm doubling that new 3 on the die. I'll also spend a ki point for a new Flurry of Blows, which gives me a 16 for 23 and a 7 for 14. If that last attack misses, then my vines gather around my last attack and I strike him for 13 total."

"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, getting everyone to cheer for the victory of the homebrew subclass.

"I said it before, so I'll use it here. After I punch the dwarf in the chest, vines cluster around my leg and I finish my opponent off with a Rider Kick to his arm," Willow declared.

"When McCabe takes the punches, he watches as Salix backs away a few feet before jumping forward and the vine-covered foot slams into his shoulder with a flying corkscrew kick, breaking his arm and sending him down to the ground. He tries to pick himself up, but collapses and passes out from the pain," Vee describes. "Jachun declares you the winner before Mercy Monks begin to heal McCabe's injuries and tend to Salix's wounds."

"Cool. Who would be next," Gus asked.

"The next battle is announced and will have Philomena face off against a Genasi girl named Layla," Vee states.

"Okay, time for my turn," Amity said, ready to see how her character did in the battle.

"When the Mountain Bird mages transport everyone, you face the Genasi girl on a large rocky hill. When you get a good look at her, you see that she appears human at first glance, but you see her purple hair flickering like fire and her blue eyes shining like a gem inspected under torchlight. Her skin also looks like a shade of red mixed with an olive skin tone," Vee described. "She wears what looks like a belly dancer's outfit with a sequined top, harem pants, comfortable slippers, and various chain accessories. You also notice an old brass oil lamp on the belt of her pants."

"If she basically looks like a pretty genie girl, I think Philomena would stare at her for a bit before shaking herself out of it," Amity said, then began voicing her character. "If you're going to dress like a dancer, maybe one of the taverns around here is hiring."

"I already did a show last night. Very generous pay," Vee said in Layla's voice, sounding like an energetic and friendly girl. "Let's see who can win this fight."

"Let's," Amity replied before she and Vee rolled for initiative. "I got a 4 to make 7."

"Layla takes the first move. When Jachun signals the fight to begin, Layla raises her lamp and you see magical energy crackling from its nozzle. The first blast is a natural 1, so it kicks up a cloud of dust right in front of her, giving her next attack from the spell disadvantage because she can't see you," Vee said before rolling her d20 again. "The second beam of energy goes wide as it clears away the dust before it gets in her lungs."

"Whoa, her lamp is a gun!? What is this? Power Rangers Mystic Force," Gus asked.

"I love the source material series a bit more, but that season was fun," Luz remarked.

"If I see her lamp is a weapon or an arcane focus, I'll activate my Bladesong and prepare for a spell of my own," Amity declared as she rolled her die. "I'll cast Chromatic Orb and make it a toxic ball of slime for poison damage. But I only got a 3, so that makes it 11."

"While you spin around and a magic aura surrounds you and your rapier, you send out the ball of slime like a cannon firing. However, Layla sees it and jumps out of the way," Vee narrates. "She then fires her magic beams from her lamp again. The first attack is a modified 20 and the second misses. The beams fire at you and while one goes wide, the second hits you in the shoulder for a very strong 14 points of force damage."

"Whoa… From one hit? What kind of spell was that," King asked.

"That's what I want to know. I'd like to make an Arcana check to identify that spell," Amity asked. "I got an 8 for 16."

"You recognize the spell as something exclusive to those who make a pact with a magical being to gain their magic. This spell is a cantrip known as 'Eldritch Blast'. When the user gets strong enough, they can fire multiple beams at once. Thanks to getting over 15, you also know that Warlocks can actually improve the capabilities of that cantrip with restricted knowledge known as 'Eldritch Invocations'. These can include casting spells without any issues or modifying the Eldritch Blast they have," Vee explained.

"If that's the case, then I'll head in for physical combat with my rapier," Amity declared. "I got a 7 for 16."

"That hits. You rush up toward Layla and thrust your rapier into her side," Vee said.

"I end up dealing 5 points of damage to her," Amity declared as she rolled her +1 rapier's damage.

"After that hit, Layla has a determined glare in her eye as her fiery hair flashes red for a brief moment and a flaming scimitar in her open hand," Vee declared. "With her casting Flame Blade, she swings her sword at Philomena, but misses as you gracefully dodge out of the way."

"If she wants a sword fight, I'll cast Haste on myself to boost up my speed and attack capabilities," Amity declared. "Then, I'll use the attack I get from the spell to strike at her with a 12 on the die to make 21."

"That'll hit her," Vee told Amity.

"I end up dealing 7 piercing damage to her," Amity said.

"With you casting magic that increases your speed, you strike with a thrust that gets Layla in the shoulder and she hisses in pain. She counters by swinging her flaming scimitar again, but you deflect it with your rapier," Vee said.

"My turn. I'll attack with my rapier again. Natural 16, so that's going to hit. As for the second attack, I ended up with a second one. Looks like I stab her twice," Amity told everyone. "The first strike does 12 damage and the second hits her for… 7 points of damage. That's 19 total."

"And 31 through the battle," Hunter added.

"After those successful hits, Layla's body surges with flames as she casts Hellish Rebuke," Vee declared.

"What does that do," Camila asked.

"After the user gets hurt, they can use their reaction to force a Dexterity saving throw on who hurt them. They take 2d10 of fire damage on a fail and half of that roll on a success. And that's just at 1st-level. Each spell slot higher increases by an extra d10, so Philomena's going to need to make a save or she takes 4d10 of fire damage," Vee explained.

"Whoa, this will be intense," Eda remarked.

"Good thing that Haste gives me advantage on Dexterity saving throws," Amity said before she started rolling her d20. "My first roll is 10 for a 13. My second is a natural 1."

"Unfortunately, you'll be taking full damage from this," Vee declared.

"Oh no… I'm already at 21 hit points now," Amity muttered as she worried what her opponent's spell would do to her.

"Her Hellish Rebuke activates as she points at you and flames erupt from beneath your feet," Vee described. "She ends up dealing 13 points of fire damage to you, so that's a lucky break."

"Yeah, but now I'm at 8 hit points," Amity declared.

"Maybe you could use a potion," Hunter suggested.

"I'd be holding the bag after Carmen went for her turn," Gus said.

"Then what's going to happen here," Luz asked.

"You're about to find out after Philomena needs to make a saving throw on her concentration to stay up for Haste. The DC is 13," Vee said.

"I've got a bonus for Concentration checks thanks to my Bladesong. It's an extra 5 to it, but I got a natural 1. I lost my concentration after that spell and I can't move because I feel too tired," Amity told everyone, hanging her head as she was upset at the roll.

"Okay, time for Layla," Vee said before rolling her d20 again. "Layla swings her burning sword once again, but just misses. Turns out all her good rolls are being used to maintain her concentration on the spell she's using for the sword," she chuckled. "But since Philomena's turn is basically skipped, she'll attack again and misses thanks to a natural 5 on her die."

"Okay, my turn. I'll use Maximillian's Earthen Grasp to clutch at Layla," Amity declared. "She'll need to roll a 16 on a Strength saving throw or be restrained."

"You're lucky that she doesn't have much Strength," Vee said before rolling her die. "The hand made of mud and soil breaks from the rocky hillside and grabs at Layla, keeping her held down as the force crushes her. Roll for damage," she stated.

"I end up dealing 4 bludgeoning damage to her," Amity says after rolling her 2d6.

"With the hand crushing at her body, Layla attempts to strike with her Eldritch Blast again, but these attacks have disadvantage," Vee said as she rolled to attack. "You're very lucky with that move because the first one was a natural 20 before the disadvantage made it a 2. As for the second beam, it's a 12 for 19. That one hits for 5 points of force damage," she stated.

"I got over 10 on my concentration check for Earthen Grasp. Natural 16 on the die, but I'm now at 3 hit points," Amity declared. "I'll go ahead and use Lightning Bolt on her since she's trapped in the stone hand, which causes her to have disadvantage on the Dexterity save," she told everyone.

"Oh, that's a good move," King said in excitement.

Vee rolled her d20 twice and nodded her head as she saw the results. "Layla fails the Dexterity save, so she takes full damage from the lightning bolt, but is using her reaction to cast another Hellish Rebuke," Vee said. "You'll need to roll a Dexterity save again, Amity."

"Okay," the purple-haired girl agreed before rolling her dice. Looking at her d20, she made her rolls before saying the result. "I got a 17 to make a modified 20. I pass that, so I have a slim chance of staying up," she said. "As for the damage done, my lightning spell does… 34 points of damage," she added as she counted the 8d6 she rolled.

"Nice! That's a great move," Willow exclaimed.

"The Hellish Rebuke flames surge as Layla gets zapped into unconsciousness, dealing 32 damage halved to 16 fire damage to Philomena," Vee stated. "Both spellcasters fall to the floor." Everyone in the room gasped in shock at the results that happened. "Oh my gosh, I made myself gasp," Vee muttered out loud.

"Then who wins," Camila asked.

"The officials of the tournament rush to see how the contestants are. After a few moments, Jachun speaks up," Vee said before speaking as the Tortle. "With both participants knocking each other out, the winner will be whoever stands up first," she declared as the monk. "Now, we just do death saving throws, even though neither is dying. First to get the three successes needed wins with no modifiers added as they'll wake up."

"That sounds fair," Amity said before she rolled her d20. "My first roll is a 7."

"Layla gets a 13," Vee said.

"17 for Philomena," Amity told everyone.

"11 for Layla," Vee stated.

"3 for Philomena," Amity said with worry.

"Layla gets a 14. She's the first one to stand up," Vee declared. "Philomena soon wakes up and hisses in pain as the burns affected her a bit. Layla then approaches and speaks to you," she said before voicing the genasi. "You had me on the ropes there. If I had to give you any advice, learn to take a hit more. Thanks for a good battle."

"Yeah… You're welcome. I'll listen to that advice," Amity said as Philomena.

"And the Witch Blade Pirates have one less shot at winning," Luz said sadly.

"I need to get the Tough feat for extra health," Amity remarked.

"It'll be good in the long run," Willow voiced.

"After the Mercy Monks start tending to the wounds of both participants, Layla Carbuncle is declared the winner before they're taken to the infirmary at the monastery," Vee said. "The next battle takes place in a meadow on the north side of the island, where Tifaret of the Bubblegum Renegades faces off against a dwarven cleric."

"Is Tifaret that human of the team," Gus asked.

"Yes, she is," Vee said before describing the character. "She has golden blonde hair and a sweet innocent smile on her face as she's wearing a frilly pink dress with long sleeves and pink shoes. She holds a wand in her hand as the bows in her hair jingle thanks to the bells on them," Vee described. "Her opponent is a dwarf with chain mail and a warhammer in his hands. His fiery red beard looks as if he was singed numerous times, like he works as a blacksmith that kept burning his hair. He gives a grin and prepares to fight the human."

"Okay, let's see who wins," Luz said before Vee rolled her dice a few times.

"The battle starts with Tifaret casting Magic Missile with a Quickened Spell, allowing it to be used as a bonus action. She is able to hit the dwarf with 12 points of force damage before she points her finger and sends out a beam of bluish-white light from her wand that gives the air a chill. The Ray of Frost hits and ice coats the dwarf, dealing a total of 9 cold damage," Vee stated. "The dwarf attempts to charge at her, but the ice and frost covering his body slow him down and he can't get within melee range. So he casts Sacred Flame instead, but Tifaret is able to make the save and dodges out of the way."

"This girl's not bad," King remarked.

"After that, Tifaret will cast a Chromatic Orb that ends up missing, so she has to run to another part of the meadow," Vee says. "The dwarf shakes off the ice and tries to rush at her, but is unable to reach her even with a dash. Tifaret then decides to use another Quickened Spell with her sorcery points, allowing her to cast Chromatic Orb again, but this goes wide in her panic at the dwarf with the hammer charging at her. Instead, she uses another Ray of Frost to slow him down as she runs away. This one manages to hit and she deals 5 cold damage to him."

"Hope she can win," Amity remarked, not wanting the Sorcerer to lose.

"With the ice covering the dwarf cleric again, he decides to cast Spiritual Weapon to try hitting Tifaret. His weapon takes the form of a giant fiery axe made of molten steel before he sends it at the human girl," Vee described before rolling her attack. "The axe hits and deals a full 13 points of force damage as it slams into her side."

"Maybe she should have casted Mage Armor like Amity forgot to," Hunter remarked, earning him a glare from his sister's girlfriend.

"Tifaret is able to stay up and cast Spirit Guardians, which take the form of adorable little angelic sheep frolicking in the air around her. The chorus of baas echoes around the meadow, but Tifaret decides to allow the dwarf to get closer to her by simply running around the Spiritual Weapon and to the other side of the dwarf. But since she ends her turn there with the dwarf within range of her spell's effect, he needs to roll a Wisdom saving throw," Vee stated before rolling her d20, then laughed at the result. "And he got a natural 1 on it. He takes a full 3d8 of damage from the sheep gently bumping against him, then bite at his exposed skin."

"They nibble! They nibble hard," Gus exclaimed with a laugh.

"Reminds me of Edric at the petting zoo when we were younger," Amity chuckled.

"He takes 9 points of radiant damage from the sheep flock, then attacks Tifaret with his hammer, hitting her for another high damaging hit with a 10 on his two-handed swing. He deals 13 damage, then tries to get the axe he summoned to move," Vee stated. "Luckily for Tifaret, she got a natural 20 on her Constitution save for her concentration on Spirit Guardians. She keeps it up before healing her own injuries with a Cure Wounds spell."

"Divine Soul Sorcerer. They're a pretty good subclass," Luz remarked.

"At the start of the dwarf's turn, he rolls his Wisdom save and succeeds it, so he only takes half damage from the sheep attacking him. That's 14 reduced to 7 damage," Vee said after her rolls. "As for the dwarf's move, he moves in to attack and lands a hit for only 4 damage this time. Tifaret doesn't make the save and her sheep guards vanish. The axe ends up getting a natural 20, which causes 11 points total. Tifaret is still up, but just as wounded as the dwarf."

"This is getting good," Eda said while snacking on popcorn.

"Tifa casts a 2nd-level Chromatic Orb at the dwarf, which ends up finally hitting him with 21 points of thunder damage. The powerful concussive sound ends up knocking him out as he hears a loud ringing sound," Vee says. "The officials name Tifaret the victor and after the monks tend to the wounds of both combatants, the magic users bring everyone to the next battlefield. The new location is a large basin where many waterfalls from around the mountain flow and meet up, causing a deep area that's perfect for the battle. Many large lily pads are around to act as platforms, there are plenty of rocks to stand on, and a variety of trees line the shore with branches hanging out over the water," she tells the players.

"Whoa, sounds like an awesome swimming hole," Eda remarked.

"Jachun speaks up after everyone takes in the sights," Vee then said before doing her voice for the Grand Roshi. "Our next battle will be Sariel Belladonna VS Roxanne Holstein-Quartz."

"Wait, one of the bull boy's sisters? This could be interesting," Luz voiced.

"Sariel would go into the battlefield and stand on one of the lily pads to see about its strength," Willow said.

"You stand on the pad and see it's surprisingly strong, which fits its giant size," Vee said.

"I'll use Druidcraft to make the flowers near the pads bloom, showing water lilies around the place," Willow said, wanting to make flowers appear for fun.

"As you cause the flowers around you to bloom, you see your opponent standing on a nearby rock. She's a short human-looking girl with small black horns sticking out of her head. She's dressed up in a black goth dress with purple spade designs decorating it, which includes an emblem that resembles a butterfly that has a spade for a body and eclipsing moons as the wings. To complete her outfit, she adds a splash of color by wearing a short red hooded cloak. Her hair is black with some teal highlights and curled into ringlets that make her hair resemble a swath of roses," Vee described. "Her eyes and lips are both a bright red that appears intimidating, but she has a very friendly look on her face as she gives a warm smile and you see a beauty mark under her left eye. She's holding a parasol as a black kitten pokes its head out from her… ample chest, we'll say."

"Willow's fighting a bombshell goth girl," Luz exclaimed in surprise. "I'll say it immediately. Carmen's drooling over that pretty witch chick."

"Philomena would too," Amity added.

"Ah, what the heck? Wrenn's gawking at the gorgeous girl too," Gus declared.

"Caleb will just put his hand to his face as he sees his allies being dopes for a pretty girl," Hunter said.

Vee snickered at everyone before she spoke. "After everyone's eyes are on her, Roxanne's siblings are cheering her on, but Viridian glares at anybody making catcalls at his sister, shutting them up after they see him. Roxanne then speaks to Sariel as she pulls out a crystal ball," she said before speaking as the goth girl in a friendly tone. "Hello, I'm Roxanne. You're my opponent? Sariel, right? I hope that you give it your all since me and my siblings want to face whoever we can. If we win, it'll help out our family a lot."

"The four of you? I'm sure you'd do well with some sort of prize," Willow replied as Sariel.

"Oh, there's a lot more than us. We have more sisters back home, but we were the ones who wanted to come here since our mom and grandpa fought and won in this tournament before. So for now, we want to keep going since we got here. If at least one of us makes it to the finals, we can tell everyone back home we managed to only lose to the best of this year," Vee said in Roxanne's voice. "Plus, we're still in the team tournament as well. Either way, we'll be able to show exactly what we're made of."

"I like your spirit. May the best girl win," Willow said as Sariel.

"Same to you," Vee replied as the goth girl.

"This will be fun," King cheered as he watched Willow get her dice ready.

"Jachun speaks up as the spellcasters summon the Wall of Force to protect everyone around the waterfall basin," Vee said before announcing as the Tortle. "Sariel VS Roxanne. Let the brawl begin!"

Immediately after, Vee and Willow started rolling their dice. "I got a 12 for 13," Willow declared.

"Roxanne's got a 15 on her die," Vee said. "Our starting move goes to Roxanne. She'll start off by casting Mage Armor on herself, creating a shimmer around her body for a moment to show the arcane protection that will help her in battle. At the same time, her cat makes its way around the basin's natural platforms and Roxanne prepares herself by moving to a spot closer to the waterfall itself."

"Okay, I'll get myself closer to the girl and cast Thorn Whip. I got a 7 on the die for 15," Willow declared after rolling.

"Thanks to her armor, the magic deflects your whip and is unable to grab at her," Vee states, making Willow snap her fingers in frustration. "After that, Roxanne casts a spell on herself and begins flying in the air. She stays 60 feet above you and holds her parasol above her head to give herself shade as she does."

"If she's going to be flying, I'll cast Call Lightning and summon storm clouds high above the waterfall pool, making a bolt strike down at her," Willow declared. "She needs to make a Dexterity saving throw or take 3d10 of lightning damage. She'll take half of that on a successful save."

"Ooo, that'll be fun," Gus remarked as he was ready to see Willow try to zap her opponent.

"Or it would be if she can cast it again. Roxanne sees Sariel raising her staff and the clouds forming, so she casts Counterspell and it negates your attempt to summon the lightning," Vee stated, making the players all groan. "Roxanne spins her parasol before launching a Witch Bolt spell at you from her crystal ball. With a total of 19, that hits and you take 14 lightning damage as you get zapped."

"Oh, that's not good," Willow muttered as she marked her health down. "I think I'll use my Wild Shape to turn into an ape and dash into the nearby trees so I can get behind one."

"Smart thinking, Willow," Amity said.

"When you get behind the trees, Roxanne stops casting her Witch Bolt and flies closer to the trees to find you. With her increased speed thanks to her Fly spell, she's able to find you before casting a Fire Bolt at you," Vee said. "But it's a natural 1, so she rushed her casting and the shot ended up being sent into the water."

"The water. That's it! I'll use my Fey Step while still an ape and get into the water, then dash as I swim for it," Willow declared as she had a plan.

"Since you're dashing in water as a creature that doesn't have a swim speed, you only get 30 feet into the waterfall basin," Vee stated. "As for Roxanne, she flies toward you and casts another Fire Bolt that successfully hits you. She deals 15 points of fire damage to you."

"I'd be in pain in that form, but continue swimming," Willow declared.

"What is she doing," Eda asked, curious about Willow's strategy.

"Roxanne seems confused by what you're doing, so she'll get closer out of curiosity and use Toll the Dead to damage you. Roll a Wisdom save," Vee said.

"Natural 20 on my saving throw," Willow declared.

"Nice, but thanks to Roxanne being an Evocation Wizard, she's able to harm you for half the damage roll," Vee declared before rolling her dice. "Since you were hurt, this will be a pair of d12s. A 10 and a 6 for 16, but it's lowered to 8."

"I'm taken out of ape form and return to my Eladrin form," Willow declared after marking her current health. "I'll now use my second Wild Shape in the water to turn into a giant octopus that I saw on the boat ride here to Indahm Isle. With it, I'll use my tentacles to grab at her and pull her underwater."

"Nice idea," Vee complimented as everyone realized what Willow's plan was. "Go ahead and roll for an attack."

"18 on my die for 23," Willow said as she looked at her stats as the octopus.

"That succeeds and you grab Roxanne out of the air because she got too close to you," Vee stated. "Roll for damage."

"Okay, that's 2d6 plus 3 for the damage, so I deal a total of… Oh yeah, that's a 5 and a 6 for 14 total," Willow said after looking at her dice. "I also pull her underwater so she can't use her spells since she's grappled and can't breathe."

"Very clever, but I hope you know to let her go soon," Camila said.

"Of course, I will. I just want to make sure she doesn't do anything to me just yet," Willow replied.

"Roxanne will start by attempting to break free of your grapple, but fails to do so. Instead, she'll use her bonus action to cast Misty Step and teleport away so she can climb onto a nearby lily pad," Vee declared after rolling her dice.

"I could still try to attempt the same move again to burn out her spell slots," Willow decided. "I'll attack with my tentacles again. That's an 8 on the die, so a 13 won't work."

"She sees the tentacles coming and jumps away. Since she lost her concentration on the Fly spell, she's grounded and retaliates the attempt to drown her again by casting Magic Missile at a 2nd-level. This means four darts of magic energy speed toward you and pierce into your tentacles for… 15 damage total," Vee declared.

"I'll just attack with my tentacles again," Willow said. "I got a 19 total."

"That works, so roll damage as you grab and crush her again," Vee stated.

"I only got 6 damage this time," Willow said. "But I'll still drag her underwater."

"With another failure on the escape for the grapple, she uses another casting of Misty Step to get away and swim to a different lily pad," Vee states.

"Time to repeat this again," Willow declared as she rolled her die. "14 total, so that fails."

"Roxanne dodges your tentacles, but it's a close call. She casts Toll the Dead so you have to roll your save," Vee said.

"17 for 25," Willow replied.

"That's half damage, which works well as both dice are the same result. You take 11 necrotic damage from the spell. She then tries to escape closer to the trees," Vee said.

"If that's the case, let's see her try and do that from underwater again," Willow declared before rolling her die. "Ugh, that's a 5. I don't get it."

"With her making it to the trees, she casts Witch Bolt again since she can see you in the water," Vee stated. "She manages to hit you for 8 lightning damage."

"I'll swim away and get onto a rock, then transform back to normal," Willow declared.

"With her spell unable to zap you again, she casts Fire Bolt, but the attack goes wide and hits the water again," Vee states.

"I'll use my Fey Step again and teleport close enough so I can cast Thorn Whip again," Willow said before rolling her d20. "6 for 14. That won't work."

"Your vine is deflected by Roxanne's parasol, then she counters by casting another Fire Bolt, which hits for 6 damage," Vee declared after she said the roll was successful.

"I cast another Thorn Whip and with an 18 for 26, that works. I deal 9 piercing damage to her and pull her back into the water," Willow said.

"Roxanne splashes down into the water and casts another Toll the Dead on Sariel," Vee said.

"I got another natural 20," Willow declared.

"That makes the 11 damage be reduced to 6," Vee told the girl.

"I'll now cast Call Lightning again. She'll need to roll her saving throw like I originally planned," Willow declared.

"As you summon the storm clouds again, a bolt of lightning falls down and as Roxanne is able to make her save, she ends up taking half damage," Vee stated after rolling her saving throw.

"Shouldn't the lightning hurt her more anyway since in the water," Hunter asked.

"We can say it's the Mage Armor protecting her," Luz remarked.

"Good idea," Willow said before rolling her dice. "I rolled 22 on my 3d10, so she only takes 11 damage."

"After that strike, Roxanne is feeling hurt and after she climbs onto a rock nearby, she casts another Fire Bolt, which hits for 10 damage," Vee declared.

"Okay, after everything, I'm at 16 hit points, but after rolling for concentration on my spell, it stays up," Willow declared. "I'll cast Cure Wounds at 2nd-level to get back 11 hit points," she added after rolling her dice. "As for my bonus action, the lightning strikes again and she has to make a save."

"Roxanne makes the save again, so she'll take half damage," Vee said after rolling her d20.

"Okay, that makes the damage 20 reduced to 10," Willow declared.

"Roxanne casts Magic Missile once again at 1st-level, so it deals a total of 14," Vee said.

"I'm still alive, so let's roll my concentration check," Willow said before looking at her roll. "17 on the die, so I keep it. I'll cast Thorn Whip again to attack. With a 12, that makes it a modified 20. I deal 3 piercing damage, but that also means I pull her closer to where the lightning will strike with my bonus action."

"Roxanne makes the save once again, so this will be half damage," Vee said.

"Okay, that's a 9, an 8, and a 6. That's 23 total, but reduced to 12," Willow said.

"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, confirming Sariel's win against Roxanne and getting everyone to cheer.

"I'll make it so she's thrown into the lightning bolt and lands on a lily pad," Willow declared before speaking as Sariel. "I guess you needed that umbrella after all."

"With Roxanne thrown and zapped, she's unconscious on the natural platform. With her knocked out, the monks rush to her aid and make sure she's okay before Jachun speaks up," Vee said. "The winner is Sariel Belladonna."

"Way to go, Willow! I thought she'd get you," Gus said.

"Yeah, it was like my battle against the bear girl," King added.

"After Roxanne is healed up a bit, she speaks to Sariel," Vee said before voicing the goth girl. "Okay, I wasn't expecting the whole octopus thing, so you got me there. But I'll just say the rest of my siblings aren't going down easily."

"You didn't either," Willow replied in Sariel's voice. "I wanted to use my lightning from the start, but you stopped it and I needed to do something."

"I have to say that you were able to do that. Nice work. I hope my brothers and sister can fight against your team later," Vee said as Roxanne. "After that, her cat comes up to her and she picks up the kitty before she's taken to receive more treatment."

"I hope to see the other siblings too," Luz said.

"You won't have to wait long. After the spellcasters transport everyone to an old village, Jachun speaks up," Vee said before voicing the Tortle again. "We've now reached the final block of the single-person matches. Our first battle of Block D will be Wrenn Shadowcloak VS Logan Holstein-Quartz."

"Guess I'm up," Gus says. "I'll make sure I have the Bag of Holding. Since magic items are allowed, I've got an idea."

"As you meet your opponent, you see he's an auburn-haired boy with small horns, freckles on his cheeks, and is wearing a raspberry-red shirt with black pants and traveling boots. You see he looks very much like Viridian, but he seems like he's not a powerhouse," Vee explained. "What you do see is a belt around his waist with a set of tools on the sides and an ornate buckle on the front."

"Huh… would I be able to recognize it," Gus asked.

"Nope. It's unfamiliar to you," Vee explained. "As you look at Logan, he speaks to you, she added before voicing the character. "Looks like I'll be your opponent. No hard feelings, but I'm going to fight with my best."

"So am I," Gus said in Wrenn's voice, replying to his opponent.

"I get the feeling Gus will beat this guy easily," Hunter said, confident in his friend's skill.

"As the fight is about to begin, Logan takes a stance and gives a determined glare at Wrenn before he says something in a different language," Vee said before voicing her character. "Henshin!"

"Wait, what," Luz exclaimed as she heard the iconic phrase from Kamen Rider.

"At the command, armor forms itself all over Logan's body and he gains an entire foot in height and he now resembles a metallic minotaur when a horned helmet forms over his head," Vee described.

"Oh my gosh, Gus is fighting a Kamen Rider," Willow said in shock. "Would any of us recognize the word he said in the game?"

"Anyone speak Draconic," Vee asked.

"Caleb does," Hunter replied.

"Caleb recognizes it as a word that translates to 'Transform', which he realizes is a code phrase for how he activates his armor," Vee explains. "As for the battle, Jachun announces the fight to start. Gus, roll initiative."

Picking up his d20, Gus rolled to see if he could go first. "I got an 11 for 15 total."

"Logan got a natural 20. He's going first and does so by rushing up and throwing a pair of punches with his gauntlets," Vee stated before rolling her 20-sided die again. "The first attack is a natural 19 and the second is a total of 11."

"Only the first one hits," Gus said.

"The first gauntlet slams into your head for a total of 7 thunder damage. But the second one misses as you dodge out of the way," Vee told the table.

"Thunder damage? This must be an Artificer I heard about," Amity remarked. "Armorers like to modify armor for combat, like making a mech suit in anime or something."

"Yeah, I thought having a Kamen Rider armor would be fun after I saw some stuff online with Luz," Vee admitted. "As for the end of his turn, Logan will activate his Defensive Field to give himself 5 temporary hit points."

"Extra health too? Oh, this will be tough," Gus remarked as he thought of what to do. "I guess I'll start by casting Misty Step so I can get out of melee range. After that, I'll pull out the Eversmoking Bottle from the Bag of Holding and open it up, letting a cloud of smoke obscure the area heavily as I put it down," he said. "With it, he'll be blinded within the 60-foot radius of me opening it."

"Clever move, Gus. I forgot we had that thing," Willow said.

"This will at least give me some time to get my defenses up as I run more," Gus stated.

"With the thick plume of smoke blocking vision, you and Logan are hidden from view," Vee narrated. "The horned Artificer is surprised by this trick and decides to get by the cloud by casting Magic Missile to automatically attack you."

"I counter with a Shield spell," Gus replied.

"With the magical darts flying out of the cloud and looping around to strike at you, everyone watches as a light blue barrier forms momentarily to block the spell," Vee states.

"I'll now cast Mage Armor so my AC becomes 17," Gus said. "After that, I'll head out of the cloud since I'm just out of the radius."

"With a shimmer of arcane energy, you feel the Mage Armor take hold and get ready to protect you. Meanwhile, Logan decides to cast Detect Magic to see through the smokescreen. The large eyes of his helmet glow as he sees both the Eversmoking Bottle and the gnome running outside of the smoke's current range. He'll then give chase and go for Wrenn," Vee stated.

"Clever move on his part," Amity remarked.

"Yeah, you can say that again," Gus voiced. "With Wrenn out of the cloud and hearing the armored bull boy coming after him, I'll cast Fireball at him. He now has to roll a Dexterity save of 16 or higher if he doesn't want to take the full 8d6 fire damage from my spell."

"Fireball! Fireball! Fireball," Luz and King chanted as they wanted Gus to succeed on the attack.

Rolling her d20, Vee checked to see what happened with her opponent for Wrenn Shadowcloak. "That's a failure with a total of 8. Gus, roll the damage," she said.

Grinning with his friends, Gus soon gathered the dice he needed before rolling them all. "Okay… 4, 6, 3, 3, 4, 2, 3, 4… that's 29 total fire damage as my fireball blasts him as he's chasing me in the smoke," Gus declared.

"With your orb glowing as you cast the spell, an explosion sounds out behind Logan and the flames hurt him as he doesn't get out of the way in time," Vee narrated.

"Alright! Way to go, Gus," Hunter cheered.

"Logan then makes his way further out of the cloud before casting another Magic Missile," Vee stated.

"Shield to block it once again," Gus declared.

"The arcane darts fire from the gauntlets and helmet of the armor Logan is wearing, but Wrenn blocks the spell with another barrier. He'll activate his Defensive Field again to gain another 5 temporary hit points," Vee says. "Gus, what's Wrenn's next move?"

"I think it's time for another Fireball," Gus said as he gathered his d8s again.

"Okay, let's see if Logan can dodge this time," Vee said as she rolled her d20. "Oh, so close. Logan got a 15 total on his Dexterity save. He'll take full damage from this new roll," she told Gus.

The other players were leaning on the edges of their seats as Gus rolled his dice and counted the total. "Okay… 1, 4, 5, 3, 1, 3, 5, 5… 27 total fire damage," he declared.

"With another powerful explosion, Wrenn blasts Logan and he's unable to dodge out of the way. He's looking pretty hurt and could go down soon," Vee narrated. "After that blast, Logan then rushes up and gets as close as he can to you with a Dash action. After that, he activates his Defensive Field one final time."

"This guy took two Fireballs to the face and is still standing? Armorers are tough," Luz remarked.

"And he could punch hard enough at the start," Gus added. "That's why I've been running. But with this, I'm out of 3rd-level spells. I'll use Tasha's Mind Whip to try and get him down. He needs to roll an Intelligence saving throw or take 3d6 psychic damage. If he saves, he only takes half as much."

"Okay, I'll roll," Vee said before tossing her d20. "That's a total of 23. He makes the save and it only does half damage. He also doesn't suffer any effects aside from not taking a reaction."

"Dang… Then the damage he takes is 14 reduced to 7," Gus stated. "I'll try and get away from him right now."

"After you move, Logan recovers from the spell and runs up to you to throw two more punches with his Thunder Gauntlets," Vee declared. "The first attack misses, but the second one makes contact. As the first strike slams into a barrel next to you, the second hits for 11 thunder damage as it slams into your stomach."

"Ouch. This doesn't seem good," King remarked.

"I'll try and use Fire Bolt on him to try and hit," Gus said before rolling his d20. "Ugh, natural 1."

"The mote of flame ricochets off the armor and to determine the result, roll me your percentile dice," Vee said to Gus.

"Oh, this could be bad," Amity said before Gus picked up what he needed.

Rolling the d10s, Gus looked at the results. "97."

"The mote of fire bounces off the armor and does nothing as it hits the ground, scattering embers that snuff out when a small breeze passes by for a moment," Vee narrated. "Taking this chance, Logan strikes again. The first hit is a natural 20 and the second is an 18."

"This is going to suck. But I'll use a final Shield to block that second hit," Gus gulped.

"The first Thunder Gauntlet punch is 7, so that doubles to 14 and the total is 19 points of thunder damage," Vee said. "After the gauntlet slugs you in the face, you just manage to bring up your Shield spell to block the second attack."

"I'm at 3 hit points now," Gus exclaimed.

"Oh no… I just hope this next attack can hit," Luz said, worried that Gus would lose.

"I'll cast Magic Missile at 2nd-level to send four magic darts at him with my last spell slot," Gus declared before rolling his d4s. "That's 4, 1, 2, and 3. That's 14 force damage."

"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, confirming Wrenn's victory over Logan and getting the party to cheer.

"I'll send the darts at his gauntlets, helmet, and belt to strike him at the same time to knock him out cold," Gus exclaimed.

"With precise aim, you manage to strike Logan's hands, waist, and head. The impacts of the arcane arrows make the boy stumble around before falling unconscious," Vee narrated. "With Logan defeated, Jachun announces your victory."

"That's great to hear. I was out of spell slots after that. Before the next battle, I make sure to get the bottle back and close it before returning it to the bag," Gus remarked.

"As the Mercy Monks tend to the Armorer and after you collect the Eversmoking Bottle, the magic users bring everyone to the next location for the upcoming battle," Vee said. "You find yourselves on a mountain pass where dozens upon dozens of rock pillars fill a nearby canyon. The remaining competitors all watch as Jachun is balanced on one of the pillars with ease as he announces the next match," she stated before voicing the Tortle again. "Our next match will be Mariposa Holstein-Quartz VS Sora Kiboh."

"Sora Kiboh? That sounds interesting. Who's the last sister fighting," Willow asked.

"You see the half-elf from Grinberryall step forward and stand on one of the rock pillars, looking calm and collected as he looks at his opponent with the wind blowing around him," Vee narrated. "The last Holstein-Quartz sibling participating in this battle looks a lot like her sister, making it clear that they're twins. However, she's a human with pink hair and a beauty mark under her right eye instead of her left. Her viridian eyes are focused on the half-elf in front of her as she's wearing traveling pants, a tank top, and a bolero jacket. She holds a quarterstaff in her hands as she places a mask with the image of a butterfly over her face."

"Wait, is she a Mercy Monk? They all have masks and I remember the mask options having a butterfly for the Way of Mercy subclass," Willow wondered.

"You'll see," Vee said before rolling her dice for the two NPCs. "Huh… they're tied. This would be tricky. Let's roll again," she muttered before rolling once more. "Okay, the half-elf will go first. Before Jachun announces the start of the battle, Sora begins by wordlessly holding out his hand to allow a trident to materialize in his grasp. When the battle begins, he points the weapon at Mariposa and after she feels something happen, he unleashes an Eldritch Blast at her for two beam attacks."

"Oh, this might be bad for her," Amity said as she remembered her fight against Layla.

"The first beam strikes her and the second one hits with a natural 20," Vee stated. "The first roll is 7 force damage and the second in an 8. Altogether, that's 23 points of force damage. Not only that, but she's forced back and is nearly pushed off the pillars and takes an extra 6 damage because of the Hexblade's Curse. Luckily, she got a good Acrobatics check and is able to stay on. For her turn, she'll rush up and jump from pillar to pillar. She strikes, but her first attack misses. On Mariposa's second attack, she manages to hit him with an unarmed strike and spends a ki point to use the Hand of Harm. Now, she'll get to deal bludgeoning damage with her Dexterity modifier and necrotic damage with her Wisdom modifier," Vee explained.

"Whoa, with one attack," King exclaimed, surprised at the move.

"The bludgeoning damage is 8 and the necrotic damage is 6. 14 points of damage total on that successful hit, so she'll strike him with another kick," Vee said before rolling for another attack. "That succeeds and she deals 9 points of damage to him."

"Hope that there's no Hellish Rebuke like I had to deal with," Amity remarked.

"I hope so too," Luz said.

"The Warlock thrusts his trident forward and pierces it into Mariposa's shoulder twice for a total of… 11 on the first hit and 12 on the second hit. 23 damage total," Vee said after rolling for the opponent's turn.

"Oh jeez, that's rough," Gus said, surprised at the attacks done.

"Mariposa's not out yet. She's looking rough, but attacks with her staff," Vee said before rolling her d20 again. "The first attack nearly lands, but Sora uses a Shield spell to defend against it. Mariposa will keep attacking, but that second staff strike misses. So right now, she'll spend a ki point to do Flurry of Blows to attempt two more unarmed strikes. But since she's a Mercy Monk, she can use one of them to heal a creature she can touch instead."

"Cool. Combat and healing," Willow whispered.

"The third attack misses, so she'll heal herself by a roll of her Martial Arts die plus her Wisdom modifier," Vee said. "She succeeds in using her own ki to heal her injuries and gets 9 hit points back. After that, she'll run off to another pillar to try and gain some distance."

"Hope she can get the win," Luz said.

"Sora will get closer, then use his Eldritch Blast again," Vee said before rolling her dice. "The first attack misses, but the second manages to graze her and push her back 10 feet after dealing 4 force damage."

"That's good," King said. "Let's see if she can fight back again."

"Mariposa jumps each pillar and makes her way to Sora for her new attacks. The first staff attack hits and so does the second," Vee said after rolling some good results. "She deals 10 bludgeoning damage on the first strike and 7 on the second. After that, she'll spend another ki point to use Flurry of Blows again. This time, it'll be two unarmed strikes."

"Come on, Mariposa," Hunter said, wanting the Monk girl to win.

"The first unarmed strike hits, but the second misses," Vee said. "The damage she deals is only 6 bludgeoning damage as she slams a fist into the guy's handsome face."

"No! His perfect jawline," Eda exclaimed in an overdramatic manner, getting everyone to laugh as she snorted.

"After taking that strike, Sora attempts to stab his trident into Mariposa's leg," Vee said before rolling her dice. "The first strike hits as her shin gets grazed for 12 damage. Then the second hit is a 19 which means it's a critical hit with the Hexblade's Curse. It doesn't matter what I roll since the total is high enough. Sora manages to slam his trident's shaft into Mariposa's stomach and knocks her out."

"Oh, dang… And she could have won," Willow said.

"Especially since our Warlock had 4 hit points left. If that last unarmed strike hit, he would have been knocked out instead," Vee confirmed.

"Wow. She did well," Hunter said.

"As the monks help the competitors after Sora is named the winner, Mariposa's back with her family and they comfort her after that loss. As the girl's twin sister helps her get to where she's needed, Viridian then looks at the Witch Blade Pirates and the Warlock. He silently cracks his neck and makes it clear he's ready to fight any of you," Vee said.

"I think that means he'll be after me first," King said, remembering the blocks.

"Soon, the next battle takes place and is brought to a lush green forest with plenty of trees giving the area shade and dim light," Vee said. "Jachun then says the next battle will have Valafar Orphic VS a human girl with a battleaxe."

"Oh, let's see how this guy does in battle," Gus said, wondering how the winged Tiefling would fight.

"I'm with you there," King exclaimed, excited to see what'll happen.

"When the two make their way into the designated battlefield, Valafar gives a cocky laugh," Vee said before voicing the character. "AHAHAHAHA! I was wondering when I'd finally get to battle. You shall all TREMBLE before my power and I will avenge my fallen minion's honor by winning this tournament!"

"That all depends on if you can beat me," Vee then said in a calm and collected female voice.

"Oh, I'll be sure to beat you, axe lady," Vee said as Valafar.

"As fun as watching Vee talk to herself is, let's see what the battle has for us," Eda remarked as she wanted to see who the winner would be.

"Okay, let's get to the battle then," Vee said before rolling her dice. "The Mountain Bird mages bring up the Wall of Force, which signals the start of the battle. Valafar will go first by spinning the large bat-like greatclub in his hands before resting it on his shoulder. He then points at the human girl and speaks to her again," she described before voicing Valafar. "Prepare to suffer defeat like a loser, you nerd!" Vee then rolled a d20. "The human woman doesn't make the Wisdom save and the Vicious Mockery spell does 4 psychic damage to her."

"Insulting someone to damage them? That sounds like my kind of class," Eda chuckled.

"I just said a goblin was short and he exploded," Gus joked, making everyone laugh.

"On her next attack, she misses her first swing thanks to disadvantage given to her by the Vicious Mockery," Vee says. "The second attack just manages to clip his wing and he takes some serious damage. He's hit for 10 slashing damage, but he spends a Bardic Inspiration die to use the Cutting Words feature, reducing the damage by 8."

"Whoa, that's cool," Luz and King said in awe.

"He'll then fly up as high as he can, but the human girl takes a swing at him with her axe. She's about to hit, but Valafar just laughs and taunts her again," Vee said before voicing Valafar. "That first hit will be the only one you land on me," she declared in his voice. "With that, he expends another Bardic die to lower the attack roll to miss him. After that, he chuckles and a roiling ball of magic forms in his hands," she described. "Have a taste of my Lava Grenade!"

"Lava Grenade? Is that actually a spell? Let me roll to see what he's casting," Amity said as she tossed her 20-sided die onto the table. "I got a 19 on my die."

"Philomena knows for a fact that there is no real spell named 'Lava Grenade'. But what she does see is a familiar spell being cast by Valafar. You see a small diamond shimmering in his pocket before watching the magic take the form of liquid flames," Vee stated. "You watch as he chucks a Chromatic Orb spell at his opponent and it hits her for 11 fire damage as it hits her in the shoulder."

"I guess he just likes to name his spells differently in order to throw off his foes," Hunter guessed.

"After that hit, she pulls out a handaxe and throws it at Valafar, but it just misses as Valafar does a flip in the air while laughing in a taunting manner," Vee states. "That's his third Bardic Inspiration die used to avoid more damage, so he doesn't have many left."

"That means he's got a limit," Willow remarked.

"Valafar then laughs as he dramatically points at his opponent," Vee said before voicing the character. "Like I said, you'll have to do better than that if you want to actually hurt me again!" Vee then did another cackle before declaring the Tiefling's next move. "He'll then fly backward and with himself out of her range, he'll cast another Chromatic Orb. With that one successful, he hits her for a total of 14 acid damage."

"This guy's not just talk," Amity noted.

"With her axe stuck in the trunk of a tree, the Fighter decides to pull out a light crossbow and takes aim at Valafar," Vee said as she rolled her d20. "This one hits and deals 11 piercing damage along with an additional 4 damage. Now Valafar needs to make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. And since he's in the air, being prone would send him crashing to the ground," Vee declared before rolling the d20. "He just manages to make it, so he only gets a crossbow bolt to his wing."

"Oh, I hope he's okay," Camila said, worried for the character in the story.

"Oh, he's fine. Especially when he decides to get serious with her," Vee says. "Valafar laughs and declares that his next attack will be one of his strongest yet. He pulls out a lute and with a guitar pick made of magic, he plays a power chord that sends a Fireball spell at his opponent. She manages to make the Dexterity save, but still takes half damage. From 22 fire damage to 11 points."

"That's so cool," King exclaimed.

"Hahahaha! I'm now thinking he basically did that one move from Kamen Rider Geats where it's literally rock music that does fire attacks," Willow said between her chuckles.

"I like to think the magic guitar pick he made is pink with hot rod flames," Luz said, getting more chuckles from everyone.

"The human girl aims her crossbow again and takes another shot," Vee described. "The attack hits and hits for 9 damage. After that, Valafar jams out on his lute again and sends out a second Fireball," she declared before rolling her dice. "The girl can't get out of the way in time and she takes the full damage from the spell. She ends up taking a total of 27 points of fire damage. With that blast, she's sent into a tree and is knocked out cold. Valafar is declared the winner and he cackles in victory," she said. "AHAHAHAHA! As I said, you would tremble before my power! I am victorious! Like a vicious dragon, I shall claim all the coolest treasures this place has to offer! Hahahah- hold on, are you okay? Here, let me just," she said in Valafar's voice, going from cocky to concerned in a heartbeat. "After that, he'll spend a 2nd-level Cure Wounds to heal her up by seeming to create a liquid that he has her drink."

"Arrogant and a bit of a dork, but a good kid," Eda remarked.

"With the monks taking over and bringing the girl to the infirmary, Valafar looks over at all of you, especially Reverence," Vee said before voicing Valafar again. "I hope you're all ready for what will come. Consider this a portent of despair from the new reaper of this realm. If you face me, you shall suffer before my flames."

"Jokes on you! I don't burn easily," King exclaimed in Rev's voice.

"Hahaha! I look forward to seeing how you do against everyone else. I'm going to enjoy fighting at least one of you Witch Blade Pirates in this tournament before the team matches," Vee said as Valafar. "Until then, let's see what that soldier has to show," she added, pointing to Hunter to show Valafar was talking about Caleb.

"You'll see just what my training in the Empire and my travels have given me," Hunter declared as Caleb.

"Let's see if Caleb can advance or if he joins Philomena on the sidelines," Gus said.

"The Order of the Mountain Bird then transport everyone back to the monastery, where Jachun speaks up to announce the last battle of the single-person tournament's first round," Vee said before voicing the Tortle yet again. "Today's final match shall be Caleb Xiloscient VS Kondai."

"I'm going against Kondai," Hunter asked both in and out of character.

"Alright! This will be great! I can't wait to see which of us goes to the next round," Vee said as Kondai. "May the best combatant win."

"Thank you. Let's see what you can do," Hunter said as Caleb.

"The two of you then head up onto the same battlefield Carmen fought her opponent in, then prepare yourselves for battle. Kondai has his quarterstaff out and is ready to fight, giving a determined look with a smile on his face," Vee said.

"Caleb will have his sword and shield at the ready, preparing to fight the Aasimar Monk with as much effort as he can give," Hunter declared.

"Okay, Hunter. Roll for initiative," Vee declared as she picked up an orange d20 and rolled it. "Kondai got a 10 for his roll," she said.

"Caleb got a 13. He'll be going first," Hunter said. "He'll start by swinging his sword to test how Kondai will handle himself," he declared before rolling his d20 twice. "Total of 13 on the first attack and second one is 15."

"Both attacks miss as he swiftly dodges the sword swings, making them barely graze his hair," Vee said before she rolled her own attacks. "Kondai attacks and his first roll is a modified 20."

"That hits me. Caleb has an armor class of 20 with his armor, shield, new Defense Fighting Style with Fighting Initiate, and Ring of Protection," Hunter said, reminding everyone of his defenses.

"It just manages to hit. The first swing of his staff does 6 bludgeoning damage as he swings it up into Caleb's chin. With a total of 23 on his second attack, he then follows up with the staff being brought down on your head, dealing 10 bludgeoning damage," Vee said.

"I'm at 44 hit points now," Hunter said.

"Kondai will now use a ki point to use Flurry of Blows to attack two more times," Vee said before rolling her d20 again. "The first blow misses. He tries to balance on his staff after bringing it to the ground and strikes at you with a kick, but you block it with your shield. The second is a natural 1, so his second kick is pushed back and he's separated from his quarterstaff."

"I'll kick it away from him so he can't get to it easily, then attack twice again," Hunter declared. "My first hit is a natural 20," he exclaimed. The players and the mothers cheered in excitement. "I'll make this a two-handed swing," Hunter said before rolling his d10. "That's an 8 for 19 damage total," he said.

"Ouch. That's gotta hurt the guy," Gus remarked.

"For my second attack, that's 21 total. I hit again with another two-handed swing, but it's only a 1 for 4 slashing damage," Hunter says.

"With the first swing being a strong blow, you cut into Kondai's chest and leave a huge gash in him. The second hit manages to get him in the shoulder and Kondai just smirks at how strong you are," Vee said. "He rolls a 21 total to hit you and manages to punch you for 9 bludgeoning damage. He'll also spend a ki point to use Stunning Strike. Now you have to roll a Constitution saving throw of 14 or higher or be stunned until the end of your next turn."

"Oh, this could be good," Eda remarked.

Rolling his d20 and checking his character sheet, Hunter looked to see what he got for his save. "I got a total of 14," he declared.

"You feel this surge of energy try to enter your body from the point of impact, but immediately shake it off as it fails to take effect on you," Vee described. "As for Kondai's next attack, he got another 21 and deals 8 bludgeoning damage as he kicks you in the stomach. He then spends one more ki point to use Step of the Wind. Now, he can Disengage as a bonus action and does so by going all the way to the end of the arena with all his movement, which is 45 feet."

"Why would he do that? Is it because his Flurry of Blows and Stunning Strike didn't work earlier," Willow asked.

"Either way, I'll use my Lay on Hands to heal myself. I go from 27 to 50 hit points," Hunter declared. "I wasn't going to be able to attack him anyway."

"Good to know. Kondai holds out his hands and you see orbs of energy form in his hands and he fires them at you," Vee declared. "The first attack is a 2 on the die, so the shot misses as it just hits the tiles next to you. But the second hits with a 23 and does 9 force damage. He then moves around to get to the corner," Vee declared.

"Wait, that's not a Sun Soul Monk like I thought he would be," Amity said.

"I decided to do another homebrew update for it to make the powers a little more obvious for what I'm referencing," Vee admitted. "My friends outside this group were watching old episodes of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z again, so that got me thinking about improving Sun Soul."

"Cool," Luz said in excitement.

"Okay, if this is going to happen, then I'm going to need to Dash up to him and have my shield at the ready," Hunter said, taking his turn to prepare for battle.

"Kondai now attacks with his fists again that just hits with a dirty 20," Vee declared. "That deals 6 points of bludgeoning damage. The second misses with a 16 total. He then uses his bonus action for one more attack, missing this one as you block with your shield," Vee declared.

"My turn. I'll swing with my sword and I got a modified 20. I'll make this into a Divine Smite with a one-handed swing," Hunter declared. "That's 4 points of slashing and 7 radiant."

"As an Aasimar, Kondai resists radiant damage, so that'll be lowered to 7 damage total," Vee said.

"Then I'll attack again. And I got the same mod 20," Hunter declared. "If that's the case, I'll roll the same Divine Smite slash," he said before rolling his d8s again. "Less damage this time. 4 slashing damage and 3 radiant lowered to a total of 5 damage total."

"Philomena would say Caleb's giving it his all, but Kondai's not going down easily," Amity remarked.

"Yeah, this is awesome," King exclaimed enjoying the battle like a puppy let loose in a water park.

"Kondai's turn," Vee said as she rolled her dice. "He misses the first strike, but the second one is 22. That hits for 10 bludgeoning damage. He'll then use his bonus action for another punch, but that misses. You avoid his first punch, get a knee in your stomach, then back away from the final punch."

"Dang, this guy's tough," Eda said.

"Caleb will attack. The first swing of my sword is 14 to make a modified 20. This will be with two hands," Hunter declared before rolling his d10. "That's 7 on that swing, so I'll attack again. The second is 12 for 18 total."

"That hits," Vee confirmed.

"Another two-handed swing. But that's 5 slashing damage on it this time," Hunter said after rolling his die again.

"With some good slashes, you manage to cut Kondai's gi apart, showing his physique off to the spectators as you battle him," Vee said.

"Basically Goku after enough damage or choosing to remove his weighted clothes," Luz chuckled.

"Yeah," Vee admitted. "Kondai smiles and laughs as he enjoys the battle, then attempts to hit Caleb with another series of attacks," she said before rolling her orange d20 for the character. "Total of 22 on the first one, a miss on the second, and his third using his bonus action is 24. Two out of three attacks hit. The first punch to Caleb's head deals 10 damage and after the punch to his chest is blocked by the shield, a kick to the knee deals 6 damage."

"I'm down to 9 hit points," Hunter exclaimed. "I'll use my action to heal myself back up as much as I can. "I'll use my remaining 12 to get myself up to 21," he said.

"Kondai laughs as he enjoys himself," Vee said before voicing the monk. "This is fun! You know what? I'll show you just what my training has given me," she said. "He'll then back away, giving you an attack of opportunity."

"17 on my die for 23. That'll hit with a one-handed swing because I was healing myself with the other," Hunter said before rolling his die. "6 slashing damage to him."

"As he takes the damage, he's backed away to 30 feet away from you. Kondai then cups his hands at his side and spends the last of his ki to perform this move," Vee said as she cupped her hands together in an iconic stance.

"No. Way," Willow said as she gawked.

"Hunter, roll a Dexterity saving throw for Caleb. If he doesn't make the DC of 14, he'll take full damage," Vee told the paladin's player.

"Half if I succeed," Hunter asked, getting a nod as confirmation. "Okay, let's roll to see what I get," he muttered before tossing his golden d20 onto the table. "Oh no… Natural 1."

Everyone winced at hearing this, but Vee continued to narrate the action of Kondai. "Since he's spending the last three ki points he has to do this, the attack's damage is increased. And luckily, it's the maximum he can boost it," she explained. "For this, I made it so it has to be two rolls of his martial arts die normally. But by spending a ki point up to a max of three, he can add another die to it. Up to a maximum of 5 rolls of his martial arts die."

"I'm basically taking a weakened Fireball," Hunter griped.

"More like Lightning Bolt, but yeah," Vee remarked as she shook the dice needed in her hands, then tossed them in front of her screen. "In any case, Kondai's ki is poured into the attack and when it finishes building up, he fires the blast right at you. Luckily, it seems that he didn't put everything he truly had into it," Vee said. "The Ki Blast Wave deals a total of 11 force damage to you."

"I'm alive? I'm alive! Oh, that's great to hear," Hunter exclaimed.

"That's definitely a good attack idea," Gus voiced. "Is it only in a line?"

"Yeah. It's a 30-foot line that's 5 feet wide that deals force damage," Vee confirmed. "But now, Kondai can't spend any more ki. After seeing Caleb withstand the blast, he smirks and gets ready to charge forward when ready."

"I'll attack with my sword again after I run toward him," Hunter declared. "I'll make these into two-handed swings and if they hit, I'm spending my 2nd-level spell slots for Divine Smite."

"Oh, do or die with this kid. Well, more like do or get punched," Eda remarked.

Rolling his d20, Hunter looked at the result of his first attack. "That's 16 for 22. That'll hit," he said before rolling his d10 and 2d8. "I deal 4 slashing damage and 3 radiant, but that's cut down to 5 damage total," he remarked before rolling his 20-sided die once again. "And for the second attack, that misses with a 5 to make 11."

"You just gotta survive," Willow said, cheering Hunter on.

"Kondai hits with a 23 total on this first move," Vee said. "He hits you for 9 damage."

"I'm down to 1 hit point," Hunter gulped.

"Then with this next attack being 25, no need to roll the damage. With a fast and strong punch, you're left disoriented enough to be pushed back with a palm thrust that knocks you over and you pass out," Vee said. "Jachun declares Kondai the winner as the Mercy Monks treat your injuries, letting you wake up in a few seconds."

"Well, at least I'm not the only one who didn't make it to the next round," Amity said. "But I at least had the excuse of low HP and not using items. That and bad rolls on the draw. If she went out cold the moment I hit her instead of Vee allowing the admittedly cool idea of the reaction being taken at the time she fell, I could have advanced."

"It's okay," Hunter said. "Caleb would see this as a reason to keep up his training and push himself further. He won't let the Empire down after this battle."

"At this moment, Jachun speaks to everyone," Vee said before voicing the Tortle monk. "This concludes our first day of combat in the Mountain Bird Brawl. To our advancing combatants, I hope to see you prove your skills further against your newest opponents tomorrow morning. As for the ones who didn't claim victory, you have another chance to participate if you signed up for the team brackets as well," she says as the Grand Roshi. "Tonight, everyone get rest and enjoy dinner. We're making curry in the kitchen."

"Oh boy," Vee then said as Kondai. "The monk then starts running toward the kitchen, forcing several of the mages to wrangle him with magic so he doesn't eat everything before everyone else," she added, getting a laugh out of everyone.

"Alright, if Kondai's heading for food and gets held back, maybe we should see what the other competitors are up to," Gus suggested.

"We have Viridian and his siblings, that Grinberryall guy, Scalnoir, the Bubblegum Renegades, and that dragonborn guy," Willow listed.

"Oh! I just remembered Reverance can read minds," King exclaimed. "I'm at Level 5, so I get the spell 'Detect Thoughts' as the Tiefling subrace I chose."

"We could use that. See if Scalnoir's preparing a new recruit or see what that Grinberryall half-elf is doing," Luz said.

"Who's everyone going to try and check on," Vee asked.

"I'll try listening in on Scalnoir to see if he's recruiting more people," Hunter said.

"I'll try reading that Grinberryall guy's mind," King said.

"I'll overhear what the siblings are all talking about," Willow declared.

"Maybe I should do that instead while you check on the Dragonborn guy," Amity suggested.

"Okay, I could do that," Willow agreed.

"I'll go with Wrenn to check the rest of the people advancing in the tournament," Luz said.

"Okay, everyone splits up to find who they want to look for. Everyone, please give me some Perception checks," Vee requested.

Everyone rolled their dice and listed off the results. "I have a natural 20," Willow said with a grin.

"16 total," Gus declared.

"Same for me. 16 total," Luz said.

"11 for me," Amity told everyone.

"Straight 11," King said.

"And I have the third 16 of this roll," Hunter said.

"With those, Sariel easily finds the Dragonborn barbarian, Novahdam. He's seen sitting in the corner of the room with a large helping of food as Scalnoir approaches him," Vee said. "With your natural 20, you hear every word they say while Caleb is by your side."

"What are they talking about," Hunter asked.

"You manage to overhear everything," Vee said before voicing the characters. "Your power is very impressive. I'd like to see how well you'd do working for me when this is all over," she said in Scalnoir's voice.

"You want me to work for you? What do I get out of all of this," Vee then said as Novahdam, using a gruff voice for the dragonborn.

"If you join me, you can have all the treasure you'd want when we handle our mercenary work. Nobody will complain if some money disappears from a fugitive's bags after they're captured," Vee said as Scalnoir.

"Bite me. I'm not interested in gold all that much," Vee said as Novahdam. "You then watch as the barbarian starts to walk away, passing by you two while Scalnoir huffs in annoyance. He then steps away as Novahdam left."

"So the dragon guy's got standards and isn't after gold? Maybe he just likes to battle," Willow guessed.

"Either way, we can breathe easier knowing he's not allying with Scalnoir," Hunter said.

"Yeah, that Persuasion roll wasn't great, so Novahdam isn't working for Scalnoir and his new Echo Knight," Vee admitted.

"What about us," King asked. "We still have the bull guy and his family, that Grinberry elf, and the others in the tournament still."

"Wrenn and Carmen go around and look for the Bubblegum Renegades and the monks that made it into the next round. You see them minding their own business while the girls of the Renegades are caught up in this petty squabble about if Geist can actually make potions out of the drinks and insects around the island. Nothing really important as they're just getting into that argument," Vee said.

"Guess we're fine at the moment," Gus remarked.

"As for the Holstein-Quartz siblings, Philomena sees that Viridian has just left. Likely to rest up or talk with his defeated siblings," Vee said.

"And the elf guy," King asked.

Rolling a d20, Vee checked to see if the final character was hidden from view. "You manage to find the half-elf in a secluded corner, looking like he's thinking to himself."

"I'll get within 30 feet of him and use Detect Thoughts since I'm a Dispater Tiefling," King declared.

"Reverence begins to fiddle around with a copper piece and you manage to hear the surface thoughts of the half-elf," Vee described.

"Hehehehe, I get it. A copper coin," Camila laughed. "It's literally a penny for your thoughts."

Upon pointing that out, Eda and the kids all chuckled at the realization as well. After that quick laugh, Vee continued describing what happened. "When you use the spell, you hear this from the half-elf you know as Sora Kiboh," Vee said before doing the character's voice. "Get some rest later, Gilford. You'll need it if you want to win."

"Gilford? I thought you said his name was Sora," Hunter questioned.

"Hold on, I think I can read more of his mind," King said. "I'll see what this guy is worried about."

"Detect Thoughts can do that, but I need him to roll a Wisdom saving throw to see if you can actually find that information out," Vee said. "What's your spell save DC?"

"That's what again," King asked.

"Tieflings use Charisma as the stat of choice for their bonus spells," Luz said. "So it would be 8 plus your Charisma and your proficiency bonus."

"Then that makes it… 12 for the DC," King said.

"Good to know," Vee said before rolling her d20 again. "You manage to delve deeper into his thoughts, you sense that he's worried about the sick queen of his country, who happens to be his mother," Vee stated.

"He's a prince!? No wonder he's a pretty boy," Eda remarked.

"After you sense that, the half-elf senses something in his head," Vee declared. "Roll me an Intelligence check contested against his own," she told King. The two rolled their dice in view of everyone and looked at the results. "Wow… both are 4. But with the bonuses, he just barely beats you and the spell ends. When he sees you nearby, he goes to confront you," she explained.

"This won't be good," King gulped.

"I know you were probing into my mind. Why," Vee asked in the half-elf's voice.

"I was just curious is all," King said as Reverence.

"What did you learn," she asked as Gilford.

"I know you're a prince trying to help your mom. What's wrong with her," King replied as Reverence.

"Roll me a Persuasion check," Vee requested.

Picking up his die, King rolled to see if he could get answers from the elven prince. "That's… a modified 20. Got a 19 on my die," he said.

"Gilford sees you're being honest and sighs as he whispers into your ear," Vee said before voicing the prince again. "She's been sick for the last month. I thought that if I were to win in the tournament, I could acquire this special medicine that's rumored to heal any illness."

"Why not have a Paladin help her out? Ours helped deal with this whole disease thing in Helhemichi. I could tell him about your plight and he could help you out," King replied as Reverence.

"From the Alexandrian Empire? No. My kingdom will never ask for their help. That's why I'm here. That cure will be mine. I just have to make it to the highest rankings," Vee said as Gilford. "Your gnome friend won't stand much of a chance if he faces me. Best to warn you now since I'll be facing him tomorrow."

"Yeah, and I'm fighting that dragonborn guy. But I'll show everyone why my crew will be far superior in this tournament," King declared as his tiefling.

"We'll see. Overconfidence can destroy civilizations, after all. Hubris is the downfall of many of all walks of life," Vee said as Gilford. "After that, he walks away to return to his room."

"Well, I guess I'll go tell the others about everything," King said.

"When everyone gathers again, you tell them of Sora Kiboh's real identity and his mission," Vee said.

"That's terrible," Luz said as Carmen.

"I wish we could do something to help him," Amity said as Philomena.

"I just wonder why he'd refuse help from the Empire," Hunter questioned in Caleb's voice.

"Probably best to talk with him later," Gus said. "For now, we should probably get rested up for tomorrow."

"Wrenn's right. We need to get ready for the next part of the tournament," Willow voiced as Sariel.

"Fine by me. I just wonder if I'll be able to deal with that dragonborn guy you saw rejecting Scalnoir's offer to join him," King said as Rev.

"Could always try using some items like I did," Gus mentioned as Wrenn.

"Good idea. Let's figure stuff out in the morning," Luz declared as Carmen.

"Yeah, I think all our characters would just get dinner and then turn in for some rest," Amity said.

"Okay, then. After your discussion, you get yourselves nice helpings of curry as Jachun and the rest of the Mountain Bird monks managed to chain Kondai up before he got his food," Vee said, getting laughs out of everyone. "After everyone got their share, he's released and allowed to have what's left, which he devours with fervor."

"Please don't make us roll more Wisdom saves," Willow requested.

"After enjoying your meals, you return to the sleeping quarters and get to sleep. With that new long rest, we'll stop here," Vee declared.

"That went longer than I thought," Hunter remarked.

"At least most of us are in round 2," Gus said.

"I think it's best we get some takeout now," Camila suggested.

"I'm craving Japanese," King chuckled.

As everyone began packing up their supplies, Vee made sure to figure out story details at the same time. She smiled to herself as she thought of something in case of the choices the others made in the game. With plans made, she prepared to figure out details for them as everyone brainstormed what to get for dinner.

---

And with this chapter, Round 1 has finished. Bet you were expecting all of the heroes to advance, right? Well, sometimes the dice are just like that. I thought the bit with Philomena's opponent using a reaction like that before going down worked for some extra drama. If you say that the reaction wouldn't work if going to zero HP, I just wanted to make the battle more fun in that scene.

And with that scene with Sora/Gilford, we've got a new plot point possibly coming in. We'll see what our heroes do later on. Right now, they have more battles to handle. But I will say that for Gilford Grinberryall, his kingdom will come into play later and you'll learn why the Empire isn't liked by them. Here's a hint, though. It's actually not about the magic restriction.

I would have gotten this chapter done sooner, but there was work to be done so I could earn my paycheck and then I got some new video games, so basically ended up procrastinating. I'll at least say that "Mario and Luigi: Brothership" is a very fun game that's quite similar to the original Superstar Saga game I remember playing on the original GameBoy Advanced.

As for the battles upcoming, here's the current list. Luz/Carmen will face another Monk, Scalnoir will be facing Geist of the Bubblegum Renegades, Novahdam the Dragonborn Barbarian will face King/Rev, the Circle of Stars Druid will fight Viridian Holstein-Quartz, Salix will fight Layla, Tifaret of the Renegades will battle Willow/Sariel, Gus/Wrenn fights Sora/Gilford, and Valafar Orphic faces Kondai.

The match-ups brings me to my next thing in this Author's Note. The homebrew monk stuff I mentioned. Salix uses a homebrew subclass I call "The Way of Ancient Thorns", which gives extra damage and some plant magic at Level 3 along with Nature and Survival skills. Level 6 gives Rootslide's first feature of teleporting yourself with plant matter and the power to ignore plant-based difficult terrain. Level 11 allows Rootslide to take one ally with you, a power to heal yourself or others based on the ki you spend to roll that many Martial Arts dice, and the power to make plants around you into living terrain that can hinder enemies and increase your damage slightly. But my favorite has to be Level 17's feature, which allows the monk to use Wall of Thorns normally or as a new tower of thorns like a spiky beanstalk, then they can run or teleport up the plant to punch whoever is restrained by the summoned thorns. Perfect for catching and punching dragons in the face! Hahaha!

The second monk homebrew is basically a Sun Soul Monk update to make them more like the warriors in Dragon Ball Z. This includes changing the Radiant Sun Bolt to any attack made and the damage is force at Level 3, as well as getting a Kamehameha attack by channeling ki into it and adding damage up to a certain point. Level 6 allows spending ki to cast Haste and/or Fly, but you need to spend a ki point to keep the concentration or burn through a round as the effects of Haste wear off. Level 11 gives a Spirit Bomb attack that does force or radiant damage (need to decide on which one myself), which uses several rolls of the Martial Arts die and spending extra ki to increase the damage. And for Level 17, it would be a version of the Sun Soul Monk's Sun Shield that actually does damage to anybody who hits the user with a melee attack. I just thought these were a good update for the existing Sun Soul Monk, so doing them as a sort of homebrew, but need a good name for the idea. Any suggestions?

And to wrap up this VERY long chapter update and Author's Note, I'll say that I'll also be expanding on the world of Hieronyma by actually giving names to the different seas around the world, which would be separated by the larger landmasses. I'll get to naming them when the plot takes us toward those areas. But since this is based on The Owl House a bit, I can at least say some names are inspired by the Boiling Sea's name.

With all of this done, I'll see you next time for the next round of the Mountain Bird Brawl. WaterDragonMaverick, signing out.