It was still so strange. He was again rick, but he was in the body of Trickster, with all of Trickster’s memories and abilities. But he was 100% Trick.

Probably best not to think too much about it, he told himself.

“This is totally weird,” Naomi mumbled. “I knew I was a half-elf, half-orc paladin before, but seeing myself in this situation with another set of eyes, essentially, everything is… It’s different. It’s more meaningful. It’s like having 20/20 sight on life.”

“Don’t think about it too much,” Trick said, echoing his own self-given advice. “With all of this different world stuff going on and everything, it would take more time than we have to figure it out.”

“But this is just something so very different than anything else we have encountered,” Naomi said. “I was stuck in Legend of Zelda, but that was entirely different from this experience! This whole process is so much more immersive. It’s like what D&D players would almost wish what would happen to them!”

Trick cocked his eyebrow. Naomi noticed and rolled her eyes as she drawled, “And I stress the word almost. If anyone knew what this was exactly like, most would never pick up a 20 sided die ever again.”

“I don’t know,” Trick shrugged. “You nerds really like some crazy things. I could see this becoming a whole new fetish.”

“Don’t talk like you’re not a nerd. We both know at heart you are one of us,” Naomi retorted.

“Yeah, right.”

“Look at how well you’ve survived everything so far! You’ve been keeping up with me, using your items to their fullest extent, negotiated with different characters, took on a whole new persona, battled your way through multiple games! You have nerd blood in you Trick. And one day you’ll have to square with that, just saying.”

Trick was almost certain Naomi had just appropriated a quote from Pirates of the Caribbean, but he knew if he asked or pointed that out she would pounce and keep up the tirade. He let it drop, and his friend’s disappointment flashed briefly across her face. It made him smile inwardly.

He could like some geeky things. That was fine. But he was not a nerd like Naomi, or her smelly friends! May they forever be stuck in an ocean of ones and zeroes...

As they started walking away from the convention center, moving in the direction of the beach just off in the distance, Trick spoke up, “Naomi, you’re right. This is one of the weirdest experiences. I’m not really sure how I should feel about this, or what I should think about it, but…”

“But what, Trick?”

“Well… It kind of feels good to be back in the action of dealing with all of this crazy, nonsensical stuff. Yeah, memmelsruhe and that Jed business was awful, and this is not too much better. But it feels right. Does that make sense to you?”

Naomi gave him a brief smile. “Yes, Trick. Yes it does.”

“At last Trickster! I’ve found you!”

Trick and Naomi both looked up to the source of the harsh voice, echoing above them. Hanging from the side of a shear wall was a tiefling in a long, overcoat. His skin was a sickly green color, and his horns looked to be sharpened. Swords bristled at his sides and on his back. A nasty barb was attached to his swishing tail.

Trick recognized him instantly.

“It’s Alakster! The Iron Hedgehog,” Trick gasped.

“The Iron Hedgehog,” Naomi snorted. “That is a terrible nickname!”

“Not as terrible as you will both look when I am done with you, for no one insult the Iron Hedgehog,” Alakster cried out dramatically.

He jumped and flipped through the air before landing gracefully in a crouch. As he tumbled through the air, he pulled out a sword from his back sheath. This way, he was already prepared for action by the time he hit the ground.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“I was not expecting another encounter so soon,” Naomi muttered. “But I guess it can’t be helped since the Furry convention was more of a puzzle than any kind of combat situation.”

Trick couldn’t help himself and snorted, “Try telling that to Slapper Mander.”

He twisted to the side as two knives came right for his face. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the tiefling assassin charge him. The green-clad man arced his advance to the side, away from Naomi to avoid having the paladin intercept him. The Iron hedgehog was all about killing his targets and then getting out. He had survived long in this dangerous business by only killing the people he had to.

Through the memories of the part of him that were Trickster, Trick knew Alakster pretty well. It was not just here say and reputation, but Trick knew him from two different encounters. He was a specialized hit man who worked solely with the five organizations that made up the Black Fist. The first time he had seen him was during a very specialized operation in which the Blue Raven wanted to bring down a growing, rival gang. Alakster was chosen to eliminate all of the leaders and their elite guards. Trickster had been young then and worked more with hitting the surrounding storehouses and swiping the gang’s contraband.

The few witnesses who saw the Tiefling get to work spoke in hushed tones about what they saw.

The second time he had met Alakster was during a big dinner before Trickster broke away from the Blue Raven. He was talking with Captains Gamak and Helis-nuar then. Trickster never knew what they were talking about, but everyone knew that when the Iron Hedgehog came to town, there would be some high profile murders. He knew a young lady was found dead, who belonged to some upper class family, but by then he was on the run from the Blue Raven and their allies within the city.

To think that he was now facing this legendary killer from the underworld.

“Naomi! Cleave right through me,” Trick shouted as he activated his cloak.

Naomi did not miss a beat and swung her massive sword right through him, intercepting Alakster right as he stabbed for Trick’s ribs. Trick jumped backwards and passed through Naomi. She gasped as he did so, even though his passage did nothing to her. She still lunged forward, trying to push the tiefling back.

Alakster slapped her sword aside and attempted to sidestep her to get after Trick. Naomi slapped him with the flat of her sword. He then ducked and lunged past her blade to strike her with his sword.

“Fall backwards,” Trick shouted.

His friend complied right in the nick of time. Her armor was good enough deflect Alakster’s blade. What was most important was avoiding the barb on his tail. It was notoriously poisonous. He missed her by mere millimeters.

Naomi fell with a crash and Alakster leaped over her to bear down on Trick. His cloak would soon render him corporeal again, and then he would find himself struggling for his life against a very accomplished killer. However, he did have a slight advantage. Alakster would be expecting to fight Trickster, but instead, he was facing Trick!

Trick jumped right at the tiefling. The Iron Hedgehog hesitated for a brief second and then pulled back. He was smarter than Velnir and realized that this new sorcery could be the end of him. Trick plunged his hands into his pockets and pulled out one of his his knives. He also grabbed up a small vial of potions.

Well, this is going to be a waste. Oh well!

Right as he transitioned back to his regular self, he threw the knife and then followed it up with the vial. Alakster leaped back even further and batted the knife away with his sword. Trick also jumped back, putting extra distance between the two of them. He then drew out the bag of magical candies.

His fingers dove into the bag and he pulled out three candies. He jammed them into his mouth. There was an immediate explosion that sprang from his mouth. It was a curiously wonderful sensation of hot and cold.

The next thing Trick knew, he was plaster to the wall of a nearby building. There was a deep groove in the ground before him, with fire burning in the ground and ice all along the untouched street. Naomi was coated with a light dusting of ice herself. Somewhere in the groove, Alakster got up shakily. He reached around his neck and ripped off four smokin necklaces.

“Trick! He had protection charms!”

Then why did he jump back from me earlier, he wondered. Oh… It could have been that he was unsure if my powers would not have been blocked by his charms. Crap! I am becoming a nerd! I now need a vacation away from Naomi!

Groaning, Trick pulled himself out of the wall and collapsed to the ground. Thankfully, Alakster was not looking too good either. His clothing was no longer a good, sparkling green. And many of his knives were gone and his swords appeared to be melted. His sharp, silver eyes flashed dangerously.

The Iron Hedgehog reached into another pocket and with sword handle. It had no blade. At least, it didn’t when he drew it, but soon, liquid metal sprang from the hilt and swam upward to coalesce and form a wavy, curved blade. On unsteady feet, Alakster charged Trick. Trick managed to draw his own sword and prepared to parry.

He was unable to keep up with the tielfing’s movements. Even weakened by such a vicious attack, the assassin was still exceptional. His blade slammed into Trick’s neck. He struck with enough force to knock him down.

But, miraculously, there was no cut. Trick felt like he might have chipped a tooth on something hard. There was something in his mouth. He spat it out. It was a jawbreaker.

Both he and Alakster looked at it as it rolled through the grass. The tiefling was then bowled over to the side as a massive sword took him in the side. Naomi appeared right where the Iron Hedgehog had been.

“Like I said,” she snarled. “It was a stupid name! But not as stupid as what you just did!”

“It kept me alive,” Trick coughed. “Whatever it was, that I did.”

He looked over and saw Alakster, shocked that he had been struck and shocked with the sudden pain of being cloven nearly in two. The poor suck er was still alive. He most likely deserved this pain.

Alakster was reaching for yet again something else in one of his pockets. Naomi raised a hand and chanted a quick spell, blasting the assassin;s hand back. She also exploded off a couple of finger. Alakster finally cried out in pain.

Trick started walking up to him, his sword ready to finish off the fiend.

“Do you have any idea what this means,” the tiefling spat.

“Yes,” Trick answered.

“Really? Because that is not the way anyone would respond if they truly knew what was coming for them after today,” Alakster wheezed. “By killing me, you have spat at the feet of not just the Blue Ravens, but all five syndicates. The Black Fist will come for you. There will be nowhere to hide!”

“The Black Fist will have to wait,” Trick said calmly. “I want to first get out of this crazy world.”

Alakster gave him a confused look right as Trick plunged his sword with both hands right through the assassin’s heart. The Iron hedgehog died without making another sound.

“I call dibs on that strange sword of his,” Naomi said, walking past Trick to retrieve the strange sword Alakster had used.

As her sword began consuming the strange ability of the other sword, she added, “That was super cool what you said just now. If this were a regular D&D campaign, this would set up an epic side quest or something like that.”

“All the more reason to find the Motley Lot and put an end to this place. Trust me, we do want to fight a two man war against the might of the Black Fist,” Trick said. “Come on, the beach is in sight. So long as nothing else weird happens, we should make it there in good time. And hopefully, we find them soon!”

“Knock on wood,” Naomi said, kicking a bush.