“What?”
“That’s such bullshit! My plan should have worked, but I couldn’t roll over a freaking ten and you got like, three crits.”
“Dave, relax. That’s just how the game goes sometimes.”
I leaned back in my seat, eyeing the table before me. A battlemat we had drawn some rough features on with wet-erase markers, a handful of minis for our characters (and Arkosh), and a bunch of M&Ms for the faceless mooks that had filled the battlefield.
Moments ago, it had been like I was transported to another world, and now…
“Yeah but it’s total bullshit! We’ve seen Arkosh fight, and I should’ve been strong enough to kill him after that Shadow Flurry I opened with.” Dave had stood up and was now pacing and wildly gesticulating as he ranted. He was large and not the most coordinated guy, so Hannah ducked her head and watched him carefully to make sure an errant, flailing arm didn’t accidentally knock her senseless.
“Yeah, maybe if the rolls had been different you could’ve been a big damn hero, but that’s not what happened. We talked about this when we started playing this game: I roll in the open because I value the way the results create stories we might not expect. It sucks that you died, but the fact that it sucks for you means you’re invested, right?”
Rob, our GM, was a big guy too—but where Dave’s mass sat heavy on his frame and looked unhealthy, Rob was just a big guy. Large frame, large bones, large everything. He sighed, shoulders dropping, as Dave began to argue again.
“Yeah, but why did Arkosh focus on me once Colranth was in range too? You could have spread the damage out a little bit!” He wiped his forehead, slick with sweat, grease from his not-washed-often-enough hair, or both, and turned his ire to Hannah and Chelsea before Rob could continue.
“You two could’ve helped a lot more, too. Gretchen could’ve rushed to Arkosh, you’re tough enough to take a little damage. And Bullseye could have, I dunno, tried to prioritize putting down the enemy commander instead of a bunch of small fries!”
Hannah had had enough, standing up whirling around to stare him down. She was tall—over a head taller than Dave—and capable of utilizing her height to seem more imposing than her gangly body really was. Her sandy hair, tied back in a loose ponytail, whipped around as she came to a stop.
“Listen, asshole, if I’d just pushed through I’d have brought a whole army to you, and then you would’ve been getting flanked by tons of enemies. If Chelsea hadn’t taken out all the mages, they would’ve gotten off whatever spells they were casting. And if you hadn’t charged in before we were all ready, and if you hadn’t kept fighting a one-on-one duel with the big boss, then this fight would’ve been easy!”
Beside me, Chelsea sighed as their bickering continued. She was always a bit quiet, but in good circumstances that was because she was observing what went on, just waiting for the perfect moment to interject with a witty quip or insightful observation. At times like this, though, she was only going to lose interest in the game for the rest of the night. She had already slouched down in her seat, pulling out her phone and staring at it through her auburn bangs.
I glanced at Rob, who had begun rubbing his temples, and decided to do something about this myself. We’re so close to finishing this adventure, dammit. I’m not letting us get derailed right at the end.
“Hannah, lay off a bit, okay? Dave was out of line calling you out, but of course he’s upset. We were all pretty engrossed in the moment. Dave, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save you. I really tried. I don’t need much loot though, so I can use my share to pay for a resurrection if we win this. So let’s just get through the rest of this fight, okay?”
I wasn’t quite as tall as Hannah, but Dave still had to look up at me as I stood up, walked around the table, and placed a hand on his shoulder. I gave him the friendliest smile I could muster.
You wouldn’t think it to look at us, but Dave and I had been friends for almost as long as I could remember. He was a surly, withdrawn misanthrope; I was a social butterfly. Puberty had hit him hard with acne and weight gain; I had taken great pains to take care of myself, getting in shape and keeping my skin clear.
But we were both nerds who had bonded over games, and who gamed together to this day. If his meltdown led to this game falling apart, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep helping him socialize with other people. I’d already gone to bat for him with Rob, vouching for him in spite of his reputation at school.
I squeezed Dave’s shoulder as he opened his mouth to speak, a gentle reminder that he should watch his words. Finally, he sighed.
“Fine. Sorry for side-tracking us, Rob.” He sat down heavily in his seat, pulling his phone out.
I knew Hannah was still spoiling for a fight, so I preempted her next remark. “Hannah, Chelsea, wanna finish this fight so we can finally wrap up this adventure?”
“Yeah, sure.” Chelsea, thankfully, hadn’t fully lost herself in scrolling through her timeline. She put her phone away and leaned forward, picking up her dice. “Whose turn is it again?”
Rob glanced at me as I sat down, gratitude plain on his face, before saying, “Well, Colranth just did his big breath attack and Gretchen charged through the horde, scattering them. Arkosh took out Moon, and the remaining orcs… are mostly beaten, actually. Let me roll a morale check real quick after all that… Oof. Yeah, Arkosh may have taken one of you out, but that’s not enough to rally them. It looks like the remainder of the orcs are running. Arkosh is the only one left. Chelsea, it’s Bullseye’s turn—Jason, Colranth is on deck next.”
* - * - *
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“Hey, thanks for running, Rob! It was a great game.” I flashed an easy smile, slapping Rob on the back as everyone packed up their sheets and dice.
“Yeah, aside from one small hiccup. That wasn’t your fault, though,” said Hannah, sending a scathing glare at Dave. I was about to intervene before a fight could break out again, but Rob beat me to the punch.
“It was all great. And don’t worry, I’ve got something in mind for Moon’s resurrection. Dave, you think you’d have time for a little solo mini-session sometime?” Hannah rolled her eyes, but Rob paid her no mind, waiting for Dave’s answer.
“...Yeah, I guess I could make some time for that. Do you wanna take a break for a little while, though? I’ve got a great idea for a short adventure to give you time to prep for what comes next.”
I raised my eyebrows. Dave had some strong opinions on what made a good game session, but he’d never run one before, as far as I knew. This could be good… or I might have to run damage control if he does something to piss off Hannah.
Surprisingly, it was Chelsea who spoke up first. “Might be fun. Change of pace and all.” She was still a woman of few words, and so those two short sentences seemed to sway Rob.
“Yeah, alright. A few weeks to polish everything up might be nice. Thanks, Dave.”
“He’s probably just planning to kill our characters because he’s mad at us,” Hannah whispered to Chelsea. I hoped it was too quiet for Dave to hear.
“Great! I’ve been kicking the idea around for a while, so I’m sort of prepped already. I’ll need a little time, but I should be ready to run at the same time next week. We can hold the game at my house,” said Dave, smiling broadly. It had been a while since I’d seen him smile like that.
Maybe this’ll be fun after all.
* - * - *
A week later, after finishing up a session at my uncle’s boxing gym, I checked my phone in the locker room as I got changed. Our group chat throughout the week had been pretty quiet—Dave had told us all to play our usual characters, with the understanding that the adventure he was running would be non-canon and have no long-term bearing on the rest of the game, so there wasn’t much need for the players to do anything before the game. Only Rob needed to make a character, and they had handled that when they met for his and Dave’s solo session.
I was a bit disappointed at the fact that I wouldn’t have a chance to try a different class. Dave had always made Shadowblades look fun, and after playing for so long without a healer it would have also been fun to try rolling a Saint. Still, playing as a Dragon-Blooded Mage was great. I loved having tools for physical combat but still being able to use awesome magic, so I supposed I couldn’t really be too upset.
What was a little bit upsetting, though, was the message I had received from Dave. Not in our group chat, but a personal message. My eyes scanned the text again.
Hey, man. Thanks for going to bat for me last week when Hannah got all pissed. I appreciated that, so I’ll let you know that you probably shouldn’t show up to the game tonight.
I messaged him back asking what he was talking about, but he just stressed that I shouldn’t come and then stopped responding.
“Come on, Dave. Did you plan this game to be some dumb, petty revenge scheme?” If that was the case, and he followed through with it, that would be it. Dave would basically have no chance at having a social life anymore until he graduated, aside from hanging out with me.
I’d better go. Maybe if I’m there, he’ll feel bad and try to pivot into a game that isn’t social suicide.
Tired but determined, I jogged from the gym to the bus stop. I had to hurry to make sure I got there on time. Thankfully, my efforts meant I was able to catch an earlier bus than I planned, and before long I arrived at my stop. After a short walk, I reached Dave’s place: a small, one-story home in the suburbs, with white siding and a black shingled roof, just down the road from a convenience store. That store was probably partially to blame for Dave’s… overburdened physique. I knew the only regular exercise he got was walking there to buy unhealthy snacks, despite the nice front and back yards he had access to.
I had hoped to arrive before anyone else, but as I approached the door, I heard conversation from inside. I rang the doorbell, and a few moments later it opened to reveal Dave. He looked a bit pale, and stuttered as he said, “J-Jason! Hey, good to see you!”
“Dave, whatever you’re planning, you need to stop. I try to help you out, but if you’re gonna do something to tank your reputation in this group, then I can’t—”
“Dude, relax! I’m not planning anything. If you’re talking about those messages, I left my phone unlocked. I think Chelsea decided to play a prank. You know how she gets all weird sometimes, right?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I’m serious, man! Now—” Dave was interrupted by Hannah, who caught sight of me as she walked past in the inside hallway.
“Oh hey, Jason! You finally made it. We’re just about to start. Get your butt in here!”
“Yeah, can’t wait to play!” I smiled and waved as she continued on her way towards the kitchen.
“Okay, now listen,” said Dave. “I actually need your help. You know that pizza place down the road?”
I nodded. “Yeah, hang a left at the store and it’s halfway down that block. Why?”
“Well, I wanna order pizza for everyone, but they charge crazy delivery fees. We’re literally a two minute walk away, but I’d have to pay like, half the price of the order just for delivery. Do you think I could just give you some cash so you can go pick them up in person? I’d do it, but I…” he trailed off for a moment, looking into the house behind him. “I feel kinda weird about leaving a bunch of people in my house alone.”
I stared at Dave, thinking. He certainly did seem anxious somehow, and I wanted to believe that he was telling the truth, but…
“Fine. Call ahead and place the order. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, man. You’re a lifesaver.”
* - * - *
“That’ll be $26.89, please,” said the bored teenage boy behind the counter. I handed over the money and looked behind him while he counted out the change. I could see one pizza had already been made and the second was being put into the oven.
I stretched and then sat down at one of the many empty tables—it seemed like business was quite slow tonight—sitting my backpack on the seat to me. Even if my order was only a minute away from being ready, I was pretty tired from the gym session earlier, and couldn’t wait to finally get off my feet and just play for a few hours. I felt my phone vibrate and I checked it, only to see a message from Rob.
Oh boy, Dave’s brought out some weird, old-looking book. Seems like he’s going in hard with some props. Hurry back! Looks like it’ll be a fun night.
I smiled and put my phone away. The cashier had just turned around to go fetch our order, so I stood up and took it, thanking him before hurrying out. The outside air was a bit cool, so I took off at a jog to get inside before the pizzas cooled down too much.
I passed the convenience store at the corner and turned, eager to get back so the others wouldn’t have to wait too long to start.
And then, I saw the house and froze, dropping the food in shock at what I saw.