Nick winced as all the dice clattered against the table. There was a moment, giving Tyler the time to add it up, before placing his pencil down. “With an anger and rage Grizzizzik was all too familiar with, Akshi turned toward his… nemesis. He raised his hands, then shot a bolt of lightning into Grizzizzik’s chest. You take thirty-five lightning damage.”
Nick shook his head, hands in his hair. “Grizzizzik’s down. Again.”
“Dead?” Tyler asked.
Nick did some quick counting, then the tightening in his chest loosened. “Not yet.” But if Akshi doesn’t kill him tonight, I will.
“Holy shit, Akshi’s rage is not to be messed with,” Rafael said.
“Evelyn? Princess Clarissa and Moonsparkle are next,” Tyler said.
“Moonsparkle tries to stab Akshi again with her horn.” Evelyn picked up the d20 and rolled it before wincing. She did the math and glanced at Tyler. “Thirteen?”
Tyler shook his head. “Misses. Moonsparkle tries to swipe at Akshi, but the delight at seeing Grizzizzik unconscious on the ground gives him the boost needed to dodge the horn.”
“Moonsparkle stands over Grizzizzik and heals him,” Evelyn said, picking up two d8’s.
“Thank you,” Nick muttered.
She shook the dice. “I can only do two more of these. Don’t waste them.”
Nick shook his head, wishing Grizzizzik was smarter. “I’ll try not to.”
The d8s tumbled to the ground, and Evelyn did the math. “Twelve.”
“I’ll make it up to you somehow,” Nick said.
“Tell that to Grizzizzik,” Evelyn grumbled.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Tyler leaned back in the chair. “With a brush of the golden tail, the electricity fizzling Grizzizzik’s mind disperses, and with a gasp, the rogue wakes up, seeing the back of a unicorn and feeling quite vulnerable.”
“My elf princess would like to stab Akshi again,” Evelyn said.
“There’s a list of people here who want to do the same,” Derek grumbled.
Her smile was small as she rolled the d20 and deflated. “Fourteen?”
Tyler shook his head again. “Sorry. Just Misses.”
She pursed her lips. “It’s fine.”
“The sword gets dangerously close, but Akshi evades it, snarling at the elf princess,” Tyler said. “Which makes it Grizzizzik’s turn.”
“He is also on that list who want to stab Akshi.” Nick picked up the d20. It clattered to the table, landing on a seven. Nick hit the table with a fist, and from the corner of his eye, Alejandra flinched. He pushed the emotion he felt at her reaction to the back of his mind. “Eleven.”
“That thing did not spend enough time in jail. Get it back in here.” Derek ushered the dice jail toward him. Nick dropped the dice in the jail, no longer caring. He folded his arms and leaned back enough to see Alejandra concentrating on her character sheet, making a point not to look at him.
“Akshi laughs as Grizzizzik stumbles to his feet, trying to swipe, but failing again to hit. ‘You will never take my place as crime lord. I knew you were always weak.’”
Nick curled his fingers against the table as he closed his eyes, Grizzizzik’s roleplay taking over. “‘I will be there when you take your final breath, because it will be me that plunges my fist into your chest and squeezes it out of your lungs myself.’”
There was a pause as everyone glanced at Nick as he opened his eyes. He returned no one’s gaze, mostly because he could feel Walt’s gaze among them.
“Alright then.” Tyler reached over and grabbed Pippa’s figurine, moving it next to Milo.
Derek rose a hand. “‘Okay, okay, look Pippa. We can talk about this. We… don’t need to resort to these kinds of things. We had a good run, but we just weren’t meant to be. We can split amicably, right? No need for death and destruction.’”
Tyler rubbed one of his temples, closing his eyes. “‘Sometimes, sugar, a woman is placed on this earth to remind a man that he isn’t nearly as good of a person as he thinks he is. It’s been my absolute pleasure to be that woman for you, and it’s time to send you to hell.’ Which she then makes her torn and tattered dress drop right off her body.”
The spine of the book hit Walt's knee as he stared right at Tyler. “What happens to her dress?”
Sometimes it was jarring to remember Walt was there. Tyler seemed to freeze, his eyes snapping open, then glanced at Walt. “Uh…”
“She’s part succubus, dad. It makes sense for the character,” Evelyn said.
Walt narrowed his eyes, and Tyler cleared his throat. “As… absolutely nothing happens to her clothes.” Tyler gave Derek a pointed stare. With Walt being the adult supervision here, nothing happened to her dress. But during the actual battle, there was no doubt Milo had a different view of Pippa. Tyler cleared his throat. “Make a wisdom saving throw with disadvantage.”
Walt gave Tyler a soft glare before returning to his book. Tyler’s gaze darted toward Walt before focusing on Derek again.
Derek picked up his d20, muttering something under his breath as he rolled. “Shit.” Derek picked up the dice again and rolled again. He pursed his lips. “Dammit, Rafael, you complimented the rolls. You never compliment the rolls! It throws everything off!” He covered his face. “Four.”
Nick shook his head, noticing Rafael was already terrified as it was. “Come on, Derek, it’s simple statistics. Disadvantage and what not.” Rafael’s terror dropped, filling instead with surprise as he glanced over at Nick, who shrugged. “Am I wrong?”
“I… guess not.” Rafael still sounded surprised. Nick kept his arms folded, realizing Rafael was more surprised Nick would defend him.
“You are now charmed by Pippa,” Tyler said.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Derek dropped his forehead against the table. “Okay.”
“‘Give me the swords, sugar,’” Tyler said.
Derek sighed. “With a hand that trembles only slightly, Milo takes out the two swords from his inventory and drops them on the ground.”
“And now it’s Hraktar’s turn,” Tyler said.
Alejandra nodded, glancing at her character sheet. “Hraktar touches his diamond bracelet and says, ‘Milo! Pippa’s gone! Is she with you? Where are you?’”
“‘Don’t answer that,’” Tyler said.
Walt rolled his eyes.
“Hraktar doesn’t wait for an answer. He’s already running toward where he last saw Milo,” Alejandra said.
Tyler nodded, grabbing Hraktar’s mini and counting under his breath. “That gets you here, where you see… Pippa. And Milo with a red glow to his eyes.”
“I pull out my crossbow and aim for Pippa’s back,” Alejandra said.
Derek flinched. “You sure? If you miss, you could hit Milo, too.”
Alejandra picked up the d20. “She’s not…” she trailed off, shaking the die. “Something tells me her AC isn’t as strong as before.” Tyler gave a short nod as Evelyn snorted, the die clattering on the table. “Fourteen.”
“Hits. Roll damage,” Tyler said.
Alejandra did so. “Eight.”
Tyler wrote it down. “A crossbow bolt digs into Pippa’s… shoulder. She turns her head, sneering at Hraktar, and…” Tyler picked up his phone, texting. “You hit her.”
Nick had the distinct impression that there was a lot more Pippa had to say, but due to Walt being there, they were getting the censured version.
Tyler checked something behind his screen. “Rafael, strength saving throw.”
Rafael rolled the d20. “Eighteen.”
Tyler closed his eyes, giving a gentle shake of his head before he opened them. “The wererat, with a boost of strength, tears itself from the vines and stumbles out. It blinks wearily, then spies Princess Clarissa. It takes out the mace, shrieking as it runs toward her.”
Tyler pointed to Rafael, who rolled his d20, waiting for it to stop clattering before he glanced at her. “Nineteen hit?”
“Yes,” Evelyn mumbled.
“With a shriek, it brings the mace down hard.” Tyler again pointed to Rafael. Another die clattered to the table, and Rafael held up seven fingers. “Slamming against her shoulder, bones cracking. You take seven points of damage.”
Evelyn stared at her sheet, then winced before closing her eyes. “‘Ezekiel, please. I know you don’t…’” She froze, then opened her eyes to look at Rafael.
Nick at first was confused until his mind filled in one of the logical endings of that sentence.
I know you don’t want to hurt me.
The chair squealed against the ground as Rafael shoved himself from the table, walking away toward the kitchen. Nick watched him go, then glanced at Evelyn, who looked away. Tyler watched her and Rafael closely, then gave Evelyn a questioning look. His sister did nothing, still staring at her character sheet.
Nick winced. “‘Ezekiel is gone, Princess. Kill the wererat. I’ll take care of Akshi.’”
“Is Ezekiel gone?” Evelyn asked.
“Make a history check.” Tyler unscrewed his water bottle.
Evelyn did so, checking her list. “Eighteen.”
He finished taking a drink. “Spending your time in your parent’s house for so long, you recall a bit of information. Any were creature this close to a full moon can turn into the were form under stress. But if you kill the creature, you are certain it will turn back into Ezekiel.”
Evelyn nodded. “‘Moonsparkle, we must kill the wererat inside him before we leave.’”
“Milo’s up,” Tyler said.
“Is there anything I can do?” Derek asked.
Tyler sighs, then turns toward Derek. “‘I’ve missed you.’” Tyler was clearly trying to tone down the seduction, what with Walt being less focused on his book and shooting Tyler glares.
“‘I’ve missed… I’ve missed…’”
“‘Say it, sugar. You missed me, too,’” Tyler said.
“‘I’ve missed you too,’” Derek said.
“‘That’s a good boy.’” Tyler reached over and patted Derek’s cheek. “‘Now shoot Hraktar with your special little crossbow.’”
Derek winced, studying his sheet. “Milo takes out his wrench and smacks it against his crossbow. It glows with a blue light.”
“‘Milo,’” Alejandra said, holding up a hand. “‘Milo, don’t do this. It’s me. Your friend.’”
“He holds it up, aiming right between Hraktar’s heart, and shoots.” Derek rolled the d20, then shook his head, glancing at Alejandra. “Twenty-one?”
Alejandra’s shoulders slumped. “Hit.”
Derek rolled a d8 and a d6, doing the calculations. “Eleven.”
She gave a sigh. “Okay, twenty-three hit points are feeling worrisome.”
“Hraktar realizes too late that Milo, his friend, isn’t in his right mind. He tries to dodge the arrow, but the blue streak of ice digs into his shoulder as he lets out a grunt, stumbling back. Ice webs its way through his shoulder as Milo calmly lowers his crossbow,” Tyler said.
“Shit,” Derek said, rubbing his chin.
Tyler turned towards Nick. “Akshi tries once again to bite Grizzizzik.”
“And my last tattoo takes it.”
“Yeah. Your last,” Tyler said. “With poisonous jaws, Akshi clamps down on Grizzizzik’s wrist, filling the tattoo until it blips out of existence.”
“I’d like to take a reaction and stab Akshi,” Nick said.
“Go ahead.”
The d20 appeared, and he rolled it. He wanted desperately to smack the table again, but resisted. “Thirteen?”
Tyler shook his head. “It’s close enough that Akshi doesn’t notice, but you stab nothing but air.”
“Put ‘er back in here,” Derek said, opening the lid.
“I’m thinking dice jail is pointless,” Nick said.
“Believe in dice jail, and it will work for you,” Derek said.
Nick gave Derek an annoyed look, and his friend sighed, closing the lid. “Fair enough. Your unbelief will taint my jail, anyway.”
Nick rolled his eyes.
“Moonsparkle and Princess Clarissa. What are you doing?” Tyler asked.
“My unicorn is slamming her hooves into the wererat and slicing him with her horn,” Evelyn said.
“Roll to hit.”
“Hooves twenty-two. And horn… thirteen,” Evelyn said.
“Both hit.”
“Nice.” Evelyn picked up two d6’s. “Hooves…” the dice clattered to the table. “Fifteen total. The horn…” she picked up a d8, and Nick raised an eyebrow as it landed on a seven. Evelyn quickly did the math. “Eleven.”
Tyler’s eyebrows quirked up in surprise. “Nice.” He did some math. “With a glimmer in the frightfully bright moon, Moonsparkle slams her hoof into the wererat’s chest.” Tyler made a noise like a dull thud. “The wererat stumbles before also receiving a deep gash in the stomach by the horn. Since a unicorn is a celestial being, the bludgeoning attacks hit, and the wererat is covered in his own blood, feeling mighty weak.”
Evelyn picked up the dice. “And the princess picks up her flame blade to stab him.” She dropped the d20. “Twenty-three.”
Tyler momentarily closed his eyes. “And… yeah. Obviously hits.”
Evelyn picked up the dice, giving it a good shake, before counting the numbers. “Fourteen.”
Tyler blinked, then glanced at his notes. “The flame blade digs into the wererat’s gut. It gives a rat squeal before it changes to a man’s shout of pain.”
“I immediately take the blade out,” Evelyn said.
Tyler nodded. “The features change, the fur dropping off his body. The muscles changing. Blonde hair, far more matted and thin, come back, and the green eyes return to their normal brown. He is… very much knocked out.”
“I hug him, holding him tight to keep him from falling. I’m crying, repeating for him to forgive me,” Evelyn said.
“He can’t hear,” Tyler said.
“It doesn’t matter. I still do.”
Tyler pointed to Nick. “What’s Grizzizzik doing?”
“Stabbing Akshi.” Nick picked up his d20. “Again.”
Tyler nodded, bracing himself for the roll. Nick picked up the d20 and rolled it. He paused long enough to understand the weight of the situation. Evelyn took care of Ezekiel in one turn. He needed to do this. He rolled the d20 again, watched it tumble to the table. It landed, the number staring up at him, taunting him. Evelyn hissed next to him as he rubbed his jaw. “Nat one.” Nick glanced at Tyler. Two nat ones in a session. Judging by the look on Derek’s face, Nick shouldn’t have insulted dice jail, and he should have expected this punishment.
Tyler placed his hands in his hair, staring at the things behind his game master screen. “Grizzizzik goes for a stab, which Akshi easily side steps. With a strength Grizzizzik did not expect, Akshi grabbed his wrist, sneering at him. ‘You are weak. You will always be weak. Always at someone else’s mercy. You are stuck in a prison with a fellow prisoner, are you not? With Ni—’” Tyler pulled short. He looked at the table, at Akshi’s figurine, eyes growing wide.
Did Akshi just mention him? Emotion clawed at his throat as he exchanged a worried glance with Evelyn. The silence returned, and Nick wasn’t sure he wanted to know the rest of Akshi’s sentence. Tyler rubbed the thin gray mark across his neck, then picked up his phone, texting. “‘You are dead,’” Tyler said. It was a long text. There was too much silence at the table.
The silence made the vibration of Evelyn’s phone all the louder as Tyler lowered his phone. Evelyn picked it up, then covered her mouth to keep in a gasp.
“Pippa’s next,” Tyler whispered.
Evelyn passed her phone to Nick.
Stuck with Nick Larsen and his weak spine. He will be your undoing. I wonder what will happen if I kill that boy. Will it kill you too? It’s almost worth a try, isn’t it? Though I might kill you easily tonight. I guess we’ll see, won’t we? It is, after all, a roll of the dice.