Chapter 26

Blood erupted from a headless body as it slumped to the ground. Poised over it was Gorthax, a tall gray-skinned man with tribal tattoos covering his entire body. He held a double-bladed greataxe covered in fresh blood and appeared to be coming out of some sort of blood lust rage as another figure, one more slender than he, emerged from the darkness. This slim figure was Nud’or, an elven woman dressed all in black with an assortment of daggers and poisons tucked into the creases and hidden areas of her cunning vestments. She put a reassuring hand on Gorthax’s shoulder as his breathing calmed until, eventually, his rage fully subsided.

“We’ve got you,” Nud’or said softly, almost as a whisper, whilst squeezing Gorthax’s shoulder in hopes of transmitting some much-needed love and assurance.

“I thought he could be trusted, but..” Gorthax was interrupted by a hug from another individual, dressed in heavy armor and seemingly radiating both love and light. This was Travis, a human, a cleric.

“Evil has a way of twisting things. He may have looked like your brother. However, I fear your brother’s soul has been gone for some time,” Travis said wisely.

Gorthax wasn’t used to hugs, or even trust for that matter, but this new crew was one he felt he could finally put his faith in. Unlike his blood brethren, this chosen family allowed him space to reflect not only on his actions but on his feelings too. His parents, brothers, and sister only valued a specific sort of strength: an aggression that had to be on display at all times.

Gorthax returned Travis’ hug, and the two stood stock still, holding each other in the vestiges of the dungeon where death had just run rampant. Nud’or’s grip never lessened on Gorthax’s shoulder. She wasn’t as prone to expressions of vulnerability and emotion as Travis, so Gorthax appreciated this bit of contact as a huge display of love and support from her. For the first time in his life, Gorthax felt accepted, that he needn’t prove anything to anyone, and that he still had the support of his family. His real family.

The significance of this moment was lost on the other members. Lisa Franklin stood next to them awkwardly, not paying attention. She stared blankly at the scene. Two additional figures flanked Lisa and gazed about the dungeon room, having a side chat. Both were half-elves that couldn’t have been more different. Jandale, the half-elf on Lisa’s left, was dressed head to toe in simple robes carrying no weapon save his flashy smile and inherent charm. Zachary Von Vandalsmith the third, the half-elf to her right, came from nobility and was equipped with everything needed for adventuring. The two were deep in serious conversation.

Jandale held up a crystal orb and practically shouted, “We can use this artifact to our benefit. It can help us stop whatever is coming.”

“It does not belong to us, Jandale. We have been hired to return this artifact to its rightful owner: which we are not!” Zachary stood his ground.

Jandale balled his hands into fists in frustration. “So it can waste away in some noble’s closet?! We can help more people if we break this contract and use it ourselves.”

“We can not break our oaths,” Zachary said firmly.

“You can not break your oath. Which, technically, you wouldn’t be. We can still return it once we’re done. It’s not like it will explode upon use!” Jandale switched tactics, laying on the charm.

“The gods will not see it that way, Jandale. We can revisit its rightful owner and ask them if we can borrow it. Once we explain the cause, they will surely not be able to refuse our request.” Zachary said.

Jandale rolled his eyes, “Haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission?’ But, fine. We can try it your way. Damn gods are always getting in the way.”

Zachary walked over to Gorthax, Travis, and Nud’or as the trio unlocked themselves from their group hug and pointed at the room ahead of them. “Nud’or, we need to check for any traps that might prevent us from entering the chamber ahead.”

Nud’or nodded, but as she was about to inspect the chamber before them, Lisa shouted, “Wait!” All eyes turned toward her. This was the first time Lisa had spoken since their adventure began. Everyone’s attention was on her as they held their breath, waiting for her to follow up her command.

But instead of Lisa’s voice, Ashley’s real-life words bled into the game, “Why are we here again?”

***

The group groaned while Ashley looked around, confused as Jax explained for the fourth time, “You are here on a quest to retrieve the orb of Dulthuna.”

“Ok, but why?” Ashley asked again.

“Because you were hired-” Jax started to explain before Ashley cut him off.

“No, I get that, I mean, why are we here, in this tiny closet?” Ashley asked, gesturing to the small space barely able to contain them all. “We have an entire Spire. Why choose this tiny itty bitty closet?”

Jax, June, Bailey, Bobby, Joel, Ken, and Ashley all sat around a table in what had to be the smallest room in any of the Heralds’ Towers. For a closet, it was actually pretty nice. But it was definitely meant to function as some sort of storage area, not as a board room or lounge space.

“Well, to be fair, this is pretty spot on to where most people play these sorts of games,” Joel half-joked, though it fell flat since most of the group was lacking the necessary reference point.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“If you don’t like it, you can leave!” Bailey’s words were laced with animus. She was unable to hide her lingering anger at Ashley, who shot her a nasty look back, ignoring the comment entirely.

“I’m sorry. I was just wondering…seems like something that people would want to watch.” Ashley had noticed that due to the room’s size and the dim lights, most of the camera drones had wandered off, likely on the hunt for more action.

Jax calmly replied, “What’s special about the game is that it’s for us. We get to experience this together and get to know each other better. I think it’s kinda nice that we can have a little private bonding time.”

“It’s true, Gorthax and I have been through a lot,” June backed her brother up. “Ever since he found the game, he would pester me about playing. When I finally relented, it was a little weird for me too, at first. But give it time. It can actually be really fun! Plus, in the Culling, I even used some of the tactical knowledge gleaned from past games that Jax and I have played in. So it could even be some help in future challenges.”

Ashley smiled, “Ok, sorry again.”

Ken didn’t want Ash to feel bad about asking the question, so he leaned over and whispered to her, “Don’t worry, Ashley. I was also somewhat confused, so I appreciate you asking the question.”

“Ahem… So you all stand before an empty chamber…” Jax narrated.

***

Nud’or carefully inspected the seemingly empty chamber ahead as the rest of the party waited. She didn’t find traps or anything else out of the ordinary until she investigated the far wall of the room. She noticed a tripwire that, when breached, would likely shoot several darts from the wall above it. She guessed they would be poisoned because, well, mysterious trap darts always seemed to be poisoned. Just as she was about to disarm the trap, a voice startled her.

“Need some help?” Lisa asked with a mixture of shyness and obligation.

Nud’or recovered from the seemingly needless intrusion and noticed the rest of the party giving Lisa a thumbs up. She guessed they were the ones behind this sudden act of friendship, urging Ashl...Lisa to give aid. “No, I’m fine, thanks though,” Nud’or responded.

“It’s just I have this spell thing called… guidance…” Lisa said, trying to contribute.

“It’s fine, really, I can do this on my own,” Nud’or said while crouching to disarm the trap. But unfortunately, she was distracted.

“Listen, I can-” Lisa was cut off by a dart that sank into her throat. She clutched the wound and collapsed to the ground.

“Shit!” Nud’or shouted as she turned to the rest of the party, who, seeing the whole thing unfold, sprinted toward their fallen ally.

Travis quickly knelt down beside Lisa, who was coughing up blood and losing color in her skin. She reached out to Travis, desperate for help. He grabbed her hand and began to pray to his patron god. As he did, a glowing light enveloped him and started to surround Lisa, but she was still coughing up a ton of blood. Too much blood. Once the magical light reached her throat, it stopped as if blocked by something. Travis concentrated harder. Sweat began to drip off his forehead. “Come on, Come on. You can’t leave! You can’t go yet!”

The light Travis summoned went dark like a candle being blown out at a kid's birthday party. And, just as quickly, so did the life in Lisa’s eyes. Her body went limp in Travis's arms, and silence swept the chamber. Everyone stood around Lisa’s body, unsure of what to do, when a voice shouted, “What the fuck Bailey?!”

***

The group all stared at the natural ‘1’ Bailey had rolled on her ‘disarm’ check. Any experienced roleplayer would know how unlucky rolling a critical failure is. But Ashley was not an experienced roleplayer and therefore was not as forgiving as most players would be in this situation.

Ashley stared daggers at Bailey, who returned them, refusing to back down. “I didn’t roll the worst thing you can fucking roll in this game on purpose!” Bailey yelled back.

“I call bullshit! You’re still mad at me about the protest thing yesterday, so you decided to take it out on me in this dumb game. You think you’re sooo clever, but I see you,” Ashley yelled.

“Yeah, I am still mad at you for that dumb stunt, but this has nothing to do with it. What do you want me to do, cheat and roll again?” Bailey easily matched Ashley’s volume. One perk of being a voice actor is knowing exactly how to control your decibel levels to maximum effect.

The group awkwardly stood by as Ashley and Bailey continued their argument that, like so many fights that start during roleplaying, had nothing to do with the actual game, and everything to do with the bullshit egos of the people playing it.

“Grow the fuck up! It isn’t going to ruin your precious brand to decline a simple request to join a protest. Which, by the way, is a very petty reason to get mad at someone. I thought we settled this shit!” Ashley was tired of going ‘round in circles with Bailey on the issue. It was not like she could go back in time and change what had happened.

“You don’t know shit about me, or my brand, or the shit I’ve had to do to get where I am. I’ve worked my ass off, and there is no way I’m letting you or anyone else get in the way of my dream!” Bailey’s anger was overriding her defenses, causing her to open up in front of the group.

But Ashley’s anger wasn’t allowing her to empathize. “Oh, so we are just puppets in your little play? How fake are you, Bails?” Ashley said.

“Don’t fucking call me that!” Bailey’s tone became deadly serious. That shift fell flat on Ashley, however, and she grinned like she finally had the upper hand: a weakness to exploit.

“Ooo, I’m Bails, I’m a cute little actress who loves to flirt and pretend to be friends with people so I can use them later,” Ashley mocked as she shimmied around the table, stopping at the entrance of the closet.

Bailey pulled out her new smartphone, quickly opened a drawing app, and using her new stylus, scribbled the word “push” on the screen. She used her ability to activate the word, and within an instant, Ashley crashed through the closet door, tumbling backward out of the closet into the main common room. The cameras swiftly returned and swirled about, capturing all of the juicy drama, along with the pure shocked expressions of everyone at the table.

Ashley stood up, removed a seed from her pocket, and infused it with life, creating a vine that she used to pull Bailey by her ankle out of the closet toward her. The force had the unfortunate effect of entangling their bodies and forcing them both to the ground. Once prone, they both threw tepid punches at each other for a few moments before they suddenly slumped backward, motionless and asleep. Joel moved to stand above them, willing his gifted powers to de-escalate whatever this was. Joel could sense the cameras circling them all, capturing everything. He felt a twinge of embarrassment on behalf of the two powerful girls. It probably wasn’t good for either of them that this would likely air on national TV.

Years later, Bailey and Joel would laugh about the incident. She would even admit that her actions during the Ruins & Ravens game were far worse than the situation Ashley had created by joining the protest.

But, as she and Ashley lay on the ground asleep, the seeds had been planted for a full-blown social media freakout by Bailey’s future self. When she awakened, she would experience the weight of having mass attention from random strangers asking her, “Who could win in a fight, Nud’or or Lisa?” or commenting on her catfighting prowess. She would need to come to terms with being The Petty Challenger to those who knew very little about her yet would feel free to comment and critique every bit of her life and her appearance nonetheless. To some, Bailey would forever be known for her worst moment, no matter the good she would go on to do in the world.