Oglo soared through the air in shock, watching that dastardly player Isabelle the Dragon Slayer grow smaller and smaller as his distance from the ground grew further and further. How had she managed to do this to him? How had she managed to conjur up a gust of wind in her lungs with such power that it could send him flying through the air like an ant, especially considering that Oglo had an anti magic field?

It was no matter. Oglo was a seasoned fighter, and he knew how to take a fall from incredible heights, so he took deep breaths and stayed calm as he soared over the river of Thres, over the great stone boundaries of Cloud Reach, and slammed into the dusty ground.

"Holy shit," said Oglo, spitting dirt from his scaly lips as he pulled himself to his feet. "She sent me all the way to the Horns!"

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the cobwebs. Isabelle had been known to be a bit of a trickster, but this was going too far.

"Well, I suppose it's good practice for my next match against her," he muttered to himself. Oglo decided then and there that he wouldn't chase after her. Isabelle the Dragonslayer, the Mage of Shadows, had an awfully bad habit of creating trouble for herself, and Oglo was confident that he would be better served to tend to his wounds and gather more intel about her mysterious new abilities instead of rushing back over for another fight.

He began walking towards the town, knowing that he would have to take care of himself before he could take care of anyone else.

----------------------------------------

Oglo sat at the bar and tossed the barkeep two pieces of copper for an ale. He stared into the drink, wondering what he should do next.

What he wanted to do was beat the shit out of Isabelle. He wanted to see how powerful she really was, and whether or not she was actually capable of sending him flying through the air like that again or if it had been some nefarious trick. But Oglo knew better than to give in to such feelings. He was a teacher first, a fighter second, a mage third. But he was never an object of revenge, and though he did feel in his bones that Isabelle would have to be destroyed, he couldn't allow himself to act on those feelings.

"Sleepless day?"

Oglo looked up from his drink. There was a kobold sitting to his right bearing the seal of the Cult of Chox, a large bloodied eye, on her chest.

"You look weary, traveler," said the cultist. "And it's only just the evening. Did you have a sleepless day?"

Oglo sighed. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold his tongue.

"In a way, yes," he admitted. He'd had to cast all those anti magic fields, after all, but he wasn't going to tell this cultist that. "Woke up with a headache, sore muscles, and a raging thirst."

"Aye, I can imagine. What are you doing here, anyway?" asked the kobold.

"I'm a teacher, of sorts. I've come to the Horns to train," said Oglo.

"Oh? A teacher? That's quite a big step for a young kobold. What are you teaching?" she asked.

"Life lessons," said Oglo, sipping his ale. "That's why I'm here. I want to learn more about life. I want to understand it better. And I think that I'll get a better understanding by observing it closely, rather than reading about it in books."

"Ahh, I see. Still, I sense there's something you're not telling me," said the cultist. "There's always a reason behind every action, isn't there?"

"Indeed there is," said Oglo. "But I don't know if I'm ready to share that reason with you yet."

"Fair enough," said the cultist. "What do you think of the Overlord?"

"The Overlord?" asked Oglo. "What do I think of him?"

"Yes, the Overlord. You know, the one who rules all of these lands," said the kobold. "Sorry, used to rule. I guess I should ask what you think of the queens, now... I was just trying to try out some small talk to build up a rapport with you, if I'm being totally honest."

"Oh, well, I think that they're both very pretty," said Oglo. "Though I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that they've managed to duplicate the Overlord's system. It's very troubling to think about at times. And I think that it's a good thing that the Overlord is out of power, but I worry about the consequences of losing him."

"I see," said the kobold. "Well, I suppose we'll find out soon enough. The queens have been preparing for this day for years, rumors say. So, what do you think of the dragons, then? It's a little strange that they're back so much earlier in time than expected, isn't it?"

"Of course," said Oglo. "It's a little concerning, to be honest. Especially considering how much property they're destroying and the fact that they seem to be working together. They should be fighting each other, shouldn't they?"

"I don't know, I don't know much about dragon on dragon crime," said the kobold. "And, of course, I do have to ask how you feel about the new player."

Oglo choaked on his sip of ale a little bit. "I think she's a bad influence," he said. "She's got the whole town acting like a bunch of fools. I don't trust her."

"I see," said the kobold. "So you're not really a fan of Isabelle, then?"

"No, not really," said Oglo.

"Oh, well, I'm glad to hear that. I was starting to think that maybe you were too soft on her. But, then again, I suppose that's to be expected, given your profession," said the cultist. "Then again, what do I know? I'm just a simple follower of Chox. And I mean, we worship Chox, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we're all super-duper nice people. We might have our own agendas."

"What in the hell are you getting at?" asked Oglo.

"Sorry, excuse my lack of clarity," said the kobold. "What I'm trying to say is that my expectations for you are informed by my own worldview. It wasn't meant in a derisive way. I just figured you might be sympathetic to the player. Why, if you're unhappy about the dragons, wouldn't you support someone who slays them?"

"You're right, I suppose," said Oglo. He cleared his throat. "I'm just not sure I agree with everything that she does. I mean, she's made a lot of enemies, after all. She's killed a lot of people. I don't think she's actually done anything to help the city, either. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that the player is only doing what's best for herself."

"Well, I'm sure you're not alone in that sentiment," said the kobold. "But, do you really think she hasn't done any good? Or won't do any good? I mean, not that that's an unpopular train of thought, but I just assumed you might be a little more optimistic, given your proclivities as a teacher."

"That's a fair point," said Oglo. "I guess I'm just a little pessimistic when it comes to her."

"Oh, come on," said the kobold. "Next you're going to tell me you actually believe she's the mage of shadows or something."

Oglo chugged the rest of his ale. Some of it spilled over his neck and cheeks. He hacked.

"Are you okay?" asked the cultist.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Oglo. "Just a little drunk. Sorry."

"Don't apologize," said the kobold. "It's understandable. If you want to stay here a little while longer, I'll get you another drink. You look like you could use it."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"No, that's okay," said Oglo.

"You sure?" asked the cultist. "Money is nothing to me. Money isn't anything to anyone in Chox. It's part of our philosophy. We don't need money, because we don't have to worry about things like money. We don't have to work, either. That's why we have a philosophy. Because we're so lazy. And the only reason we have a philosophy is because we're so damn lazy. So, yeah, I'll get you another drink. Just let me know if there's anything else I can do."

Oglo felt a little apprehensive, but it was hard for him to really feel suspicious of someone who kept talking about how lazy they were. Sure, Oglo prized discipline over laziness, but how untrustworthy could someone be when they'd admit to such a shameful thing? Plus, he'd had an absolutely shit day so far. Isabelle had tried to burn down his damned house, for fuck's sake!

Oglo looked at his empty ale glass, and then back to the cultist.

"Fuck it," he said. "Let's get hammered."

----------------------------------------

Oglo was pretty tipsy. The kobold had gotten him a second, third, and fourth mug of ale, which was very generous of her. They'd moved from the bar to a table as they sat around and drank. The cultist talked about the philosophy of Chox, which was mostly just a bunch of nonsense. She also spoke at length about how she didn't care much for Isabelle.

"I mean, I'm sure she's a great person, or at least an accomplished person," said the cultist. "I just don't think she's the best leader. Hell, her party members deserted her the split second they got the opportunity to! That says a lot about a person, doesn't it? I mean, I'm sure they've all got their reasons, but still. It's just weird."

"Oh, fuck it," said Oglo. "I fucking hate that gods damned player. I want to flay her alive. I want to rip out her eyes and stuff them into her mouth. I want to put her head on a pike outside the gates of the city and watch as every single one of her enemies walks by and pisses on it. I want to kill her with a sword. I want to strangle her with a rope. I want to stab her in the face with a fork. I want to shoot her in the eye with a cannonball. I want to cut off her fingers and toes and make her wear them as earrings. I want to tie her to a rock and drop her into a pit full of fire ants. I want to cut off her arms and legs and force her to play a musical instrument. I want to shove her up my ass and watch her scream. I want to throw rocks at her until she dies. I want to fuck her dead mother, and I want to fuck her dead father, too. I want to eat their livers and then I want to bathe in their blood. I want to--"

"Okay, okay," said the kobold. She chuckled. "Man, that's some serious hatred you've got going on there. I'm not even sure what you're talking about half the time."

"I'm sorry," said Oglo. "It's just that Isabelle tried to burn down my house today."

"Ah," said the kobold. "Why didn't you say so? I'm sorry to hear that. I guess you've had a rough day."

"Yes," said Oglo. "A very rough day."

The kobold smiled. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I'm pretty drunk," said Oglo. "So I should probably go take a piss. But, um, you won't tell anybody I said all that stuff about Isabelle, will you?"

"Of course not," said the kobold. "I'm your friend, remember? You can trust me."

"Thanks," said Oglo. He stood up and wobbled towards the bathroom.

Oglo pushed the door to the bathroom open and breathed in the dense, musty air that only a row of toilets could provide. Yes, it was really caked with odors of decay and ammonia. Classic. The room was dimly lit by a single magic bulb, which flickered with each passing moment. It must've been put up by a weak spell.

There was a line of men waiting to use the facilities, but Oglo didn't pay them any mind. He just pulled his pants down and let loose a torrent of urine onto the floor. The smell was terrible, but he didn't care. It felt good to relieve himself after the stressful day. He turned around to wash his hands, and that's when he saw her.

She was sitting on the toilet seat, reading a book. She wore a red dress, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"Uh, why are you in the men's room?" Oglo asked her.

"Because I'm a woman," said Isabelle.

"You're a woman?" said Oglo.

"I am," said Isabelle. "And you're a man."

"Isabelle? What are you doing in the men's room?" asked Oglo. "Also, I hate you, you bitch."

"Don't be like that," said Isabelle. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Oglo.

"I want to ask you a question," said Isabelle.

"What?" asked Oglo.

"Why are you in here?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Oglo.

"Why are you in the women's bathroom?" asked Isabelle.

"I'm not, I'm in the men's room," said Oglo.

"No, you're not," said Isabelle. "This is the women's bathroom. Or did you not see the line of women waiting to use the bathroom before you pissed all over the floor?"

"That's weird," said Oglo. "But okay, fine. Let's say I'm in the wrong bathroom. Why are you here?"

"Because I'm taking a piss, asshole!" said Isabelle.

"But don't you have mage of shadows stuff to do, Isabelle?" asked Oglo.

"What the hell are you talking about? My name's Regina!" said Isabelle.

"Regina?" asked Oglo. "What, did you get a name change after you slaughtered the Duke?"

Regina started screaming. Then, Oglo noticed that the men that had been waiting in line to use the bathroom were also screaming. He also noticed that they, too, were women. And it finally occurred to Oglo that, somehow, he'd managed to walk right on in to the women's bathroom, piss all over the floor, and confuse a random lady in the room for Isabelle.

He tried to explain this to the ladies in the room, but they weren't having any of it. They all began to attack him with their wands and spells. Oglo had never seen anything like it. He was thankful that he had an anti magic field, because he was fairly certain that if he hadn't, he would've been turned into all sorts of unsightly creatures.

Oglo ran out of the bathroom and immediately bumped into the Choxian cultist.

"Ah, fuck," said Oglo. "I went into the wrong bathroom."

"Yea, I noticed that," said the cultist. "I was just about to go get you. Those ladies sound pretty pissed off with you. Also, you never pulled your pants back up. Just a heads up."

"Oh, shit, thanks for letting me know," said Oglo. "Gods. Guess I'll try to make sure I don't piss all over the place next time."

The Choxian cultist nodded. "That's always a good policy to have. But what's say we just get the hell out of here? I've already paid for our drinks."

"Fair enough," said Oglo. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

They left the bar, and Oglo immediately began to feel sick.

"Are you feeling alright?" asked the Choxian cultist.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Oglo. He dry heaved. "It's just a little stomach bug. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"If you're sure," said the Choxian cultist. "Just keep an eye on yourself."

"I will," said Oglo. But, before he could cast an eye keeping spell, he sprayed a pool of vomit all over the ground right near the doorway to the bar. "Ah, shit. Sorry about that."

"No worries," said the Choxian cultist. "Come on, let's find an inn or something. I know it's just barely evening, but you seem like you need to relax for a bit."

Oglo followed the Choxian cultist down the street and immediately began to feel worse.

"Do you think maybe you should lie down for a while? Just here by the side of the walkway?" asked the Choxian cultist. "I don't have a lot going on today, I can make sure you're okay until you feel good enough to look for an inn. Also, heads up, you still haven't pulled your pants up so if anybody walks by they'll see your junk."

"Oh, shit," said Oglo. "I didn't even notice. That's embarrassing."

"Don't worry about it," said the Choxian cultist. "Just, you know, think about covering yourself."

"Right," said Oglo. "I'll do that."

He bent over and vomited again.

"Ah, shit," said Oglo as he wiped vomit off his mouth. "What a pain in the ass." He pulled his pants up and fastened them tight. Then, he heaved and hacked again, but this time he only coughed up a little bit of spit.

"You seem better now," said the Choxian cultist. "Good."

Oglo took a deep breath and felt himself getting better.

"You're right. I feel great," said Oglo.

His kness buckled. His legs shook like bowls of gelatin, and Oglo suddenly sensed that he had no balance. And then, no senses at all. Everything went black.

----------------------------------------

Oglo opened his eyes. He was laying in a soft, silky bed in a dark room.

"Welcome back," said a voice. It was low and husky, and it came from the corner of the room.

Oglo turned his head to the left and saw a woman sitting on the edge of the bed. It was the kobold, the Choxian cultist from earlier.

"Where am I?" asked Oglo.

"In my room," said the Choxian cultist. She stood up and walked around the bed towards him. Her breasts were large and round and scaly, and her hips swayed with every step she took.

"Your room?" asked Oglo. "What, did we go to an inn?"

"Not exactly," she hissed.

She grabbed Oglo's hand and pulled him up. "Come with me."

Oglo followed her out of the bedroom and down a hallway. There was a window set into the wall and curtains hanging behind it, but there wasn't any light coming through.

"What night is it? How long have I been unconscious?" asked Oglo.

"Only three days," she replied.

Oglo noticed he was dressed in a soft, white robe with the Choxian seal on it. The robe was loose and baggy, and he felt like he'd been wearing it for days.

The Choxian cultist stopped at the end of the hall and looked back at Oglo. "Come on, keep walking. There are a few things I want to show you."

Oglo followed her down another hall and into a large room. It was a library filled with bookshelves and more books.

"What's all this, then?" asked Oglo.

"This is a collection, an archive of every relevant document related tio the Cult of Chox," said the Choxian cultist. "And some other stuff too."

"Like what?" asked Oglo.

"Let's start with this," said the Choxian cultist. She pulled on an old, tattered book. Its containing shelf quickly slid out of place, revealing a dark passageway.

"I'm not sure I understand," said Oglo.

"It's a secret passage," said the Choxian cultist. "There are many ways to get into the main Choxian temple, but this one is the most convenient."

"And why again do we want to do that?" asked Oglo.

"You want to get back at Isabelle, do you not, Oglo?" asked the Choxian cultist.

"Of course," said Oglo.

"Then you will find this extremely useful," said the Choxian cultist. "I've got a plan, and I need you to help me carry it out."

"A plan?" asked Oglo.

"Yes, yes, a very good plan. But first, I need you to come with me to the temple. We must speak with the High Priest."

"High Priest?" asked Oglo. "That sounds important."

"It is," said the Choxian cultist. "He's going to help us kill Chox."

"Kill Chox? As in the Cult of Chox?" asked Oglo.

"Yes," said the cultist. "Now follow me down this passage and I'll tell you everything."