Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.

"Your such a shitheel!" A man yelled. "You always pull this every time we play!".

"Pull what? A little ol' Ogre too much for ya Jeb?" Another man taunted.

"If this was further in the session it wouldn't be, but for bein the THIRD ENCOUNTER it is! First encounter goblins, second encounter also goblins, third encounter OGRE! Where's the build up?!"

"Jeb calm down, we can handle this." A third and noticeably calmer though exasperated man says.

"We shouldn't have to "handle this" so soon if Morty didn't go on a powertrip every time he DM's!" Jeb countered.

"Not my fault your Paladin is shit Jeb." Morty retorted.

Jeb turned to Morty, bloodlust in his eyes.

"You will not speak ill about Squire Doogle Morty."

"Can we please get back to the session before the whistle blows?" Clive said despite knowing that this session was a bust already.

Morty leaned forward, a shit-eating grin on his face and mischief in his eyes and said.

"Squire.

Doogle.

Is." He paused, the last word on his lips and his brain debating if following through was worth it.

"Shit."

It was.

Jeb's face turned red, hands clenched and knuckles popped.

"Jeb, remember it's just a game." Clive said, now more concerned about his friend's temper than the lunch whistle going off.

"Yeah Jeb, its just a game." Morty taunted.

"Not helping Morty!" Clive hissed.

"Remember Jeb, if something or someONE is bothering you. Just count to ten."

"One, Two, Three." He counted through gritted teeth.

"Four, Five, Six." He continued, the redness leaving his face.

"Seven, Eight, Nine." His breathing becoming more calmer and steady.

"Ten." He finished with a huff of breath.

"Better?"

"Yeah."

Clap, Clap, Clap.

"Aw aren't you two sweet, are you gonna kiss now?" Morty jeered at them.

"Damnit Morty." Was all Clive could get out before Jeb went to swipe the Game Book from Morty.

"I'LL KISS THIS BOOK ACROSS YOUR FACE!" Jeb snarled.

Morty and Jeb both grabbed separate halves of the book and the two entered a tug-o-war for it.

"Come on now Jeb, it was just a lil razzin is all, remember to count the breaths or sheep or whatever." Morty pleaded, holding desperately to the book so that his friend wouldn't make good on his threat.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Damnit you two are gonna-" RRRIIPPP

The sound of the book ripping in half was deafening.

But not as deafening as one half of the book crashing through the breakhouse window.

The three men went stalk still. Then with a great rumbling came the Boss's voice.

"JEBADIAH! ASS OUT HERE NOW!"

"Whelp that's my que to beat it back to the mine, good luck Jeb."

Morty said as he collected his Foreman's coat and giving a salute as he made his getaway out the back.

"Come on Jeb, lets get this over with." Clive said as him and Jeb packed up what was left of their game and made their way out.

"Didn't hear him bellow your name Clive, 'sides I can handle myself." Jeb said.

"Like how you "handled" Morty?"

"You know how he is Clive!"

"I do, I also know that he does it because he knows he'll get a rise outta you." The two continued as they left the breakhouse and entered the cloudy afternoon at the Jameson Railyard and the Boss's red glare.

He held the half of the book up in his fat meaty hand.

"Wanna explain this Harry Potter book Jeb?"

"Its not a Harry-"

"THEN WHY DID IT FLY THROUGH MY WINDOW!"

Jeb looked at the ground as if it would give him salvation from the stout man yelling at him.

It did not.

"Sir it was an acc-" Clive started before the Boss held up a thick sausage finger to silence him.

"Your a good kid Cliven, always have been. 'Bout the best thing he did was have you as a friend and if it wasn't for that damn Mortimer getting under his skin he'd be a good kid too."

"But-" Jeb started. The Boss rounded on him, fat finger pointing at him.

"But, a MAN needs to learn that there are consequences to his actions." He firmly said.

The man threw the rest of the Game Book into a nearby fire barrel.

"Now Jeb, here is what's gonna happen. You are going to clock out, go get supplies which are going to come out of your pay, come back and fix that window. Then you are going to go home for the rest of the day and think about how today went and how it SHOULD have gone."

"Yeah." Jeb said weakly.

"Yeah, what?" The Boss said.

Jeb finally brought his head up to meet his father's eyes. "Yeah, Pa."

Jeb, saying goodbye to Clive, trudged to his truck and made his way into town. Heading to the General Store for supplies for the window Jeb flashed an eye towards the Library.

They might have a old Game Book that Jeb could get off 'ol Matty to continue their game session with Jeb thought.

Jeb pulled in front of the General Store, pulled his coat closer, went inside, and made his way to the front.

"Hey Skeeter, I need a couple panes of glass." Jeb said to the store owner/family friend.

"Sure." Skeeter grunted before going to the back of the store for the glass.

"Well, well, well. The eldest son in trouble AGAIN, imagine my SHOCK!"

A sickeningly sweet voice chimed behind Jeb. He stifles a groan as he turns to find his baby half-sister smirking at him.

"Hello Sammy, what fortuitous timing it is to see you here." Jeb says with an equally sweet smile.

"W-w-well you know w-w-what they say Jeb, "Bad n-n-news tra-"

"No one cares Greg!" Sammy. screams at the wispy man hiding behind her ample frame.

"Honestly Greg, with how fast bad news travels I'd 'ave thought my sister here woulda lost her baby fat by now." Jeb says in a tone matching his sisters in faked sweetness.

Greg tries to stop a snicker from leaving his lips and only just managing to do so, but not enough and earns a glare from Sammy.

"Heh, heh, heh." Skeeter chuckles as he returns from the back.

"Hey Skeeter." Sammy says. "Still wasting away in this store I see."

"Well someone has to waste away since it clearly ain't gonna be you." Skeeter retorts.

Greg isn't fast enough and lets out a bark of laughter before he can clamp his hands over his mouth.

Sammy glares at her brother and Skeeter before huffing and turning her nose up and storming out the store with Greg shadowing behind her.

"Brat." Skeeter says before ringing up Jeb.

"How much?" Asks Jeb.

"On the house, getting to dig at Her Royal Smugness was payment enough."

"Come on Skeeter really, how much?"

"Its fine, I'll get it from your old man at this weeks poker game."

"Thanks Skeeter." Jeb says grabbing the glass and heading out.

Jeb loads up the glass and heads to the Library to check on a Game Book.

As Jeb heads in, the smell of old books and older people hit his nose and he turns to look at 'ol Matty. Jeb is pretty sure she's older than the town with how old and decrepit she looks and all she does is stay in the Library and watch her shows on a small tv.

"Hey Matty, I'm looking for Game Books you know if you have them or where they might be?" Jeb asks the ancient woman. But all she does is stare at the tv and he watches as what he thought was a mole buzzes away.

"Great talking Matty, I'll just look around myself." And Jeb begins heading toward the "Fantasy" section, hoping that he'll find one there.

Looking through various books of lovestruck vampires, teen wizards, and lovestruck teen vampire wizards Jeb finds an old book bound in heavy leather and what appears to be real gems in the cover. Jeb looks for a title but can't find any, and any attempt to open the book fails as its strapped with gold metal clasps and no matter how hard he tries he can't get it open.

He thinks about putting it back but there's something about the book that makes him reconsider like a buzzing at the back of his head. "Maybe I can pry it open back home." So Jeb brings the strange book up to the decrepit woman.

"Hey Matty, can I take this?" He asks the old woman, earning nothing but a blink as a response. "Alright, I'll leave a few bucks here then, stay warm Matty." Jeb says after leaving some money for the book and leaving the Library behind.

Unaware of the smirk on Matty's face, the golden glow in her eyes, or the smell of magic on the wind, Jeb leaves her with a John Denver song and without a single clue of what ancient forces had in store for him.