“Akshi reaches forward and bites down on Ezekiel. Poison fills his body as he stumbles away from the attack. He is ragged, the bags under his eyes more pronounced under his night goggles he doesn’t need anymore. His thinning hair grew greasy with sweat as the poison ran its course. Ezekiel looks bad, his sharpened nails touching his forehead,” Tyler said as Rafael swore again. “Princess Clarissa, you’re up next.”

Evelyn nodded, concerned as she studied her spell list. Her brows furrowed, and she almost said something when she froze. She set the spell page down, her eyes widening as she stared at nothing. Her eyebrows kept rising up her forehead, then she shot a gaze at Tyler, who looked confused.

“Everything… okay?” Derek asked.

A slow smile crossed her face. “Princess Clarissa speaks in elvish. ‘My friend, you found us.’” Evelyn’s smile became surer as Tyler’s jaw dropped. “‘Please, help us! Attack Akshi. He’s too powerful for us all.’”

Tyler still stared, slack jawed, at Evelyn before he blinked. It brought him back to himself. “Roll to attack. With advantage. For the surprise attack and plain badassery that was.”

Evelyn smiled as she picked up the d20, rolling it twice. “Twenty-one.”

Friend? Who did Evelyn mean? All her friends were here.

Tyler smiled, turning around and searching through one of his totes. “In the moonlight, you see a streak of pure white with a golden mane.”

“Shut up,” Derek said, excited.

“A spiral horn lowers as it heads right for Akshi.”

“Shut up! Shut up!” Derek partially lifted himself from his chair in excitement. “Shut the hell up! No way!”

Alejandra covered her mouth, tears of relief in her eyes. Tyler turned around, placing a unicorn figurine on the battlefield, slamming into Akshi. Tyler rolled a d20, smirking. “Moonsparkle gallops into the battle, head down, deadly horn ready. Akshi only has enough time to look up before the horn slams into his stomach, throwing him a few feet as he lands on the ground, prone. How much damage for a charged horn attack?”

Another paper appeared next to Clarissa’s character sheet. Evelyn rolled the three d8s that appeared. “Twelve.”

“And the hoof attack?” Tyler asked.

Evelyn rolled two more d6’s, doing the calculations. “Ten.”

Nick felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. Holy shit, they might actually kill Akshi.

“Princess Clarissa then casts Flame Blade,” Evelyn said.

“Roll with advantage, since he’s prone,” Tyler said.

Evelyn did so, smiling. “Eighteen and a nat one.”

Tyler sat back down. “You are incredibly lucky. And incredibly badass right now.”

Evelyn beamed as she picked up three d6’s and gave them a roll. “And that’s another twelve points of damage.”

Nick couldn’t help but clap his sister on the back as Derek whooped, standing up and walking around, hands in the air. Alejandra was smiling at her, and Rafael was staring at the sheet, but didn’t hide his huge smile.

“In the darkness, a flame blade appears in Princess Clarissa’s hand. She walks forward to the prone Akshi trying to recover from getting a puncture to the gut. Clarissa slams the blade right where the horn entered. Akshi screams in pain as flames light up the night sky. The druid princess pulls the blade out, and a flickering blackness covers the wound back up. Akshi is looking very beat up and rethinking some choices he made tonight.”

Evelyn lifted a hand. “Moonsparkle saved everyone’s asses again. I need you all to say it.”

Nick smiled, shaking his head. Evelyn started waving her hand, leading them in the chant they always had to say when Moonsparkle dealt more damage than any of them in a round of combat.

“Everyone needs a unicorn in their life,” everyone said. A stipulation she made years ago when everyone rolled their eyes at her choice of having an elf druid with a pet unicorn.

Tyler was still chuckling as he made a note on the page behind his game master sheet. “Alright, well, that’s a high I’ll be chasing for a while. Grizzizzik, you’re next.”

Nick didn’t even have to question it. There was no way his character would ever use magic in front of his father. “Goes for the obvious hit with his rapier.”

Tyler nodded. “Akshi’s still prone, so roll with advantage.”

Nick picked up the d20 and rolled. It landed on a five. At least he had advantage. Until the die landed on a six. “Seriously?” he grumbled. He wasn’t getting any hits in, and he felt Grizzizzik getting frustrated, too. He did the calculations. “Ten.”

“That does not hit,” Tyler said.

Derek lifted his dice jail. “Does it need a minute in here?”

Nick tried not to roll his eyes. The idea of placing these dice in a jail felt weird. “I’ll be fine.”

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“It’ll help. I promise,” Derek said.

“Derek has been rolling pretty spectac-” Rafael’s words were cut off by Derek making a lot of shushing noises. Derek dropped his dice jail and started stroking the seven dice.

“He didn’t mean it. Don’t listen to him. He didn’t say anything,” Derek said to the dice before glaring at Rafael, covering his dice with his hands and giving a strangled whisper. “We. Do. Not. Acknowledge. The. Positiveness. Of. The. Rolls. Outside. The. Initial. Roll.”

Rafael held in a smile until Derek was no longer looking at him. There was the smallest moment where Nick and Rafael made eye contact. It was the first time Nick wasn’t glaring at Rafael, and he wasn’t shrinking back from his gaze, and both of them wore small smiles on their faces at the crazy antics of their mutual friend that they didn’t often understand. It lasted all of two seconds, but it happened.

“Grizzizzik moves forward with determination, slamming his rapier down toward Akshi’s throat, but again, with a skill that is making Grizzizzik worry, Akshi dodges it. The crime lord gives a laugh, rougher with the battle’s fatigue, but one that still causes hurt and anger to travel through Grizzizzik. ‘I thought you’d actually be a challenge.’”

Nick winced. “Yeah, that makes him want to bite him.”

Tyler gestured toward Nick to roll. “You still have advantage.”

He rolled the d20 twice. The first time landing on a nine. The last one on a seven. “Goddammit,” Nick said. “Eleven?”

Tyler shook his head. Derek popped open the lid of the dice jail, shaking it toward Nick. Nick didn’t know what else to do, so he surprised himself by dropping the portal dice in the jail. Derek gave a solemn nod as he closed the lid.

“Grizzizzik’s teeth get longer as he tries to bite Akshi, but again, it’s a miss. And again, Akshi laughs, beaten as he is, by Grizzizzik’s attempts to cause him pain.” Tyler glances over at the miniature battlefield in front of him, placing a finger around where Pippa is. “Uh, Hraktar, and Ezekiel, make a strength saving throw.”

Alejandra and Rafael picked up their d20s before dropping them on the table. “Twenty-three,” Alejandra said.

“Uh, four,” Rafael said.

“In the darkness, vines sprout out of the ground, entangling upwards under the feet of Hraktar and Ezekiel.” Tyler made a whooshing noise as he lifted his hands. “Hraktar easily slices them before backing away from the entanglement, but Ezekiel cannot escape. Thick, thorny vines wrap around his ankles, keeping him pinned as they creep up his thighs.” Tyler rolled another d20. “Hraktar? What’s your AC?”

“Sixteen,” Alejandra said.

Tyler winced. “Right.” He picked up a couple more dice and rolled. “Pippa says, ‘I suppose I should have tried to seduce you. Your strength is more what I’m looking for.’ She then whacks Hraktar with the club. A nasty cut appears across his head, and you take seven points bludgeoning damage.”

“Oh no, I’m down to thirty-four hit points,” she said in mock concern. That caused Derek to snort.

Tyler pointed at Rafael. “Ezekiel, make a nature check for me, please.”

Rafael nodded, feeling worried. “I still have my wildlife coin. It should work, right?”

“Yes. Go ahead,” Tyler said.

Rafael picked up the d20, then slid the d4 off the table. “You’d think magical dice would be easier to pick up,” he muttered as he gave the two dice a good shake. They clattered to the ground. The tension in Rafael’s shoulders stiffened, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Rafael slowly glanced up at Tyler. “Six.”

There was a low hiss from everyone. Tyler nodded, grim. “In…” the game master trailed off, the grim look turning far more defeated. He glanced at Rafael, almost apologetically. “In the moon's light, your muscles grow.” Rafael glanced down at his character sheet, which Nick noticed was shifting and blurring. “Your eyes turn green. Fur sprouts all over your body. Your mind dissolves into madness, and you are no longer Ezekiel Watson, cleric of the Great Lady of Light. You are an evil wererat, your choices not your own. In the darkness, Akshi laughs.” Tyler lifted his hand. “Give me your character sheet. The wererat is now mine to control. I’ll still ask you to roll for the attacks, but I get to choose what they are.”

Rafael’s face crumpled as he lifted his character sheet. “I’m… sorry, everyone.”

“Not your fault.” Derek popped open the dice jail lid. “It’s the roll of the die.” Rafael mumbled something, placing the d20 and the d4 in the jail.

“‘Ezekiel!’” Evelyn said, hands to her cheeks.

Nick shook his head, knowing exactly what Grizzizzik would say. “‘We do not need this shit right now.’” They couldn’t survive this. They needed those swords, then they needed to run. But they couldn’t leave Ezekiel behind, either.

“‘Keep Akshi distracted! I’ll… take care of both!’” Alejandra said.

“Can Ezekiel infect anyone else with his bite right now?” Derek asked, glancing at Tyler.

“I….” Tyler took the sheet, glancing through it. “Insight check.”

Derek picked up the d20 and rolled it. “Twenty-two.”

Tyler raised an eyebrow. “Uh… no. No, it won’t. Despite the wererat taking over, Ezekiel is not a fully formed wererat, since he has not experienced the first rising of the full moon.” He then glanced at the board before his eyes moved to Rafael. “Make a strength check.”

Rafael grabbed the dice back from jail, but rolled low. Tyler shrugged. “The fully formed wererat is still pathetically weak, and though it gives a cry of strength, it’s well entangled.”

Rafael almost put the d20 back in jail when Derek closed the lid.

“Wererat Ezekiel is not supposed to roll well. So… dice jail worked,” Derek said.

Rafael shrugged. “I suppose you’re right.” He set the d20 on the table before staring worriedly at the scene.

Tyler glanced at Derek. “What’s Milo doing?”

Derek let out a sigh, staring at the mini battle. He glanced at his chart, then at Milo. Tyler turned around, reaching into his stack of mini figures and pulled out another one. This one was the section of the house where Mr. Stower was in and placing it near Derek. Tyler set the Milo figure right outside the door. “Does this help?”

“Yes.” Derek’s eyes calculated the room. He counted with his fingers. “Okay, he’s going to do it.”

“Seriously?” Alejandra asked.

“Come on, Derek,” Evelyn said.

“He is rattled and wants to get out of here.” Derek picked up the figurine and counted, getting to the room. “Milo picks up the two swords, placing them both in his inventory, and books it out of there.”

Tyler gently slapped Derek’s hand away as he tried to move the figurine too far. Tyler made a count, going from inside the room, picking up the swords, to partially away from the figurine of Mr. Stower. “You are there, and that ends your turn,” Tyler said.

Derek groaned, covering his face. “I prepare for the worst.”

Tyler gave a noncommittal nod, which inspired fear in Nick. Tyler sighed, glancing at the battlefield. “Akshi gets up, smiling as a portal opens up beside Pippa and she slips through.”

“Shit!” Derek shouted. Tyler grabbed Pippa’s miniature and moved her into the room, blocking the doorway and therefore Milo’s escape. “Milo… is frightened all over again.”

Tyler glanced at Nick. “Make a dexterity throw, Grizzizzik.”

The dice jail vibrated before the dice disappeared and reappeared next to him. Nick’s hands shook. Akshi was ridiculously more powerful than him, and their cleric was currently a wererat. Nick picked up the d20, truly worried Grizzizzik would die.

“Do you have any buffs?” Derek asked, picking up on Nick’s nerves.

Nick shook his head. “Nothing but the tattoos.”

Derek watched with nerves as Nick rolled the die, trying to will it to be high. The die clattered before coming to a stop. Nick dropped his hand, not daring to look at anyone. “Nat one.”

Alejandra covered her mouth. Tyler gave a defeated sigh, then picked up a shit ton of dice.