《Mysteries of the Q Files - Roll of Fate》


 Prologue

    Hey everyone, it¡¯s Ruben again! So that last story from a few months back was a little dark and depressing. Like I said before, strange dreams. But I had to get them out! It¡¯s been a while since I last had much of a chance to be Naomi and Trick in their adventures, but now things are coming to me. Honestly, it makes sense after everything they went through. But I can assure you now this mystery case will be much more upbeat and exciting! Also, they are in a bit of a better place, as you¡¯ll see in the first chapter.


    And one day I¡¯ll be able to write these stories down with some greater consistency for you all. In the meantime, I think it¡¯s better if I hold off on the author¡¯s notes again, unless they are absolutely needed! But I will have some fun pictures to go with each chapter. I think you¡¯ll really like where this one goes. Let us begin!


    Last time, our intrepid heroes had defeated the Troll Lich King, with his cannon arm and army of undead trolls. It was a hard fought battle, but in the end with the magical Angels¡¯ Wings Rod, wielded by the lovely half elf, priestess Izmerelda, our heroes triumphed! They purged the cursed treasury and looted it, discovering such wonderful, ancient relics like the Mithril Wristbands of Zarxzur, the Tome of Spells Moste Foule, and the long lost sword Foe Burner. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Richer than they could have hoped months ago, carrying items of untold glory and returning to an anxious kingdom, they could indeed be called heroes! Garfunkle the Dwarf bought the first round of drinks for everyone at the King¡¯s personal tavern. Layzlie the Orc Bard, played a merry tune for everyone as they danced. The Dragonborn, Dragorick, was fawned over by women as he put away keg after keg. The human ranger, Swordalot, chatted with Izmerelda and the Drow Wizard, Akerbaza.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what amazing spells are contained in this tome,¡± Akerbaza said happily.


    ¡°If you can find one that¡¯ll get you a hot drow, it will have been worth it all,¡± Swordalot laughed. ¡°Come, let¡¯s enjoy Layzlie¡¯s song! It¡¯s not often that she plays for the public!¡±


    As he started pulling the other two from their chairs, Izmerelda said, ¡°When do you think we¡¯ll be going on another quest?¡±


    ¡°Soon! I hope,¡± the drow wizard answered, still trying to read the ancient book as Swordalot threw him in the arms of a busty bar wench. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see,¡± Izemerelda began hesitantly. ¡°I really want to take a trip to the beach.¡±


    Little did they know then that desire would rule the fate of many...

 Chapter 1 - Distracted

    In retrospect, there were better places to go than Miami, Florida for Spring Break. But Naomi and Trick were making the best of it.


    It was only Tuesday after all. Trick had gone through a small growth spurt since the winter and he now wore his hair a little more stylishly. The once notorious prankster had changed into a model student since the case with the Jeds and the divine beings of Christmas at Memmelsruhe. He hadn¡¯t touched a case or a prank in months and had been spending more time with Naomi. Naomi had remained much the same, except she was letting her hair grow out and had fashioned into a mohawk. She intended to grow it long, which Trick was honestly curious how that was going to work out. Her My Little Pony shirt clashed terribly with it, but Naomi being who she was didn¡¯t care a negative fig what others thought of her appearance.


    Trick and Naomi had gone for the week-long break to meet up with some old pals of Naomi¡¯s, who wanted to give them a taste of the college dream, by being near where all of the action was on the beach. The two guys had however done nothing more than challenge them to a relentless barrage of video game competitions. Naomi easily held her own against the two older boys, but this kind of stuff wasn¡¯t Trick¡¯s forte. He could play a game for an hour or two before he grew bored.


    As Reggie, the chubby, bearded African American, and Phineas, the creepily mustached Irish American, ganged up on and clobbered him in Super Smash Brothers, Trick allowed his thoughts to wander back to the people he had been with in Memmelsruhe. He and Naomi had both made leaps and bounds in moving on, but what they had seen had still haunted them if they weren¡¯t preoccupied. Cameron was lost in some other dimension, fighting the Mother Jed, an incomprehensible and evil being who was fleeing from an even greater threat! Agent Stacey Miles, the bossy, blonde haired FBI agent had broken her leg and had to take time off to recover. Trick¡¯s mother, Agent Susan Brown had been transferred to another unit briefly while Agent Howard ¡°Sphinx¡± Conturbatio had been sent off on a special operation.


    Currently, the Q Files were closed for investigation after the last case they had been on. The bizarre office within the Federal Bureau of Investigations that actually operated like the thriller, mystery series the X Files, to solve crimes everyone else thought unsolvable, because of their crazy and supernatural circumstances. Trick and Naomi had been a part of three cases in half a year¡¯s time and helped resolve all of them. The first was a series of kidnappings by vengeful teens using vampires and werewolves from another dimension. The second case had been of beings from another world using a family¡¯s entertainment as a portal to escape to Earth from the same war that the Mother Jed had been fleeing. That particular adventure had come to a head in a movie theater as velociraptors had broken through the silver screen. And there had been Memmelsruhe¡­


    Trick was happy to put all of that behind him, even if his life had become more boring since then. Sankt Nikolaus had told him he had not been living up to his potential. Yes, that¡¯s right, he had seen and talked to a real version of Santa Claus! Since then, he had become the boy his parents and teachers had wanted him to be. It looked like he would be going into his last year of high school as a student poised to take the top tiere of his graduating class! If only living up to his potential wasn¡¯t so¡­ boring! Maybe it was just his perspective on the matter.


    And it wasn¡¯t just boring, but Trick also felt like something was missing. That was part of the reason why he hung around Naomi more, even if they sniped at each other. They had shared three crazy, improbable adventures together! Surely she was feeling the same. Right? Hopefully they could help each other out. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    In any case, with the Q Files closed, he wondered what the Agents Conturbatio and Miles were up to. Especially the Sphinx! His mother confided in him that it was an operation that was deep undercover in some nature. He had gone completely dark, and even certain public records of him had disappeared.


    ¡°Come on Patrick, get your head in the game,¡± Reggie complained. ¡°It¡¯s no fun if I can clobber you with Jiggypuff! JIGGLYPUFF! Of all characters, and in under ten seconds!¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry,¡± Trick apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use mate,¡± Phineas said, staring at the screen intently. He laid the Irish accent on thick, which Naomi had said was not even his real voice. ¡°The lad¡¯s just not into this. He wants to be out there drinking and licking whip cream off the lasses out on the beach! And here with your girlfriend, too!¡±


    Trick and Naomi shared a look. They weren¡¯t dating and hated it when other people insisted that they were. With that shared look, Naomi communicated to him that she understood that he was getting lost in thought. Who knew before this that raised eyebrows could mean so much?


    ¡°Well, I was hoping to get in trouble at more parties,¡± Trick admitted, half joking.


    ¡°Then you want to go to the big parties at the end of the week, mate! That¡¯s what we¡¯re doing. Lying low, and waiting for the real fun to start. No reason blowing good cash before the main events!¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not just saying that because you can¡¯t get a date, Phineas,¡± Naomi jabbed. ¡°You have to find a girl all partied out and smashed to make your move?¡±


    Trick and Reggie laughed at that. Phineas wasn¡¯t too pleased.


    ¡°Not at all lass! It¡¯s only common sense and good Spring Break etiquette!¡±


    ¡°But there isn¡¯t supposed to be etiquette during Spring Break,¡± Trick pointed out.


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t mind me throwing your lousy Cloud hide off the platform, will you,¡± Phineas sneered as he used Luigi to toss Trick¡¯s character off the screen.


    Naomi then snuck up from behind and used Captain Falcon¡¯s signature ¡°Falcon Punch!¡± punch to send Luigi soaring. With that, both Trick and Phineas were taken out of the match.


    ¡°And now I get rid of Jigglypoop,¡± Naomi growled, as she chased Reggie¡¯s character all over the map, finally snatching him up and body slamming him into oblivion.


    The match still continued as Reggie had one more stock life, making him and Naomi equal. The two displayed their master prowess by duking it out into high damage percentages. Namoi finally took Jigglypuff into a hold, jumped off the platform, then kicked up, sending Reggie downward and out the game.


    GAME!


    ¡°You know, if we played with items again, I think it would be more fun,¡± Trick suggested.


    ¡°Boo! That¡¯s for noobs,¡± Reggie whined.


    ¡°Come on guys,¡± Naomi said stubbornly. ¡°If you want to keep playing, let¡¯s make it at least a little interesting for Trick.¡±


    ¡°What!? And we should cradle him more by doing unlimited stock,¡± Phineas sneered.


    Trick sighed, ¡°No reason to roll out the red carpet for me guys. I just thought it would be something fun to do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, already on it,¡± Naomi informed him. ¡°You might just want to use a character who requires a little less finesse than Cloud to operate.¡±


    Right then, a shockwave rattled through the apartment. To Trick, it felt like everything turned grey for a second. As if life reverted to black and white television before snapping back to crisp color and high definition.


    The smell of old pizza, dirty laundry, and dust evaporated. Everything suddenly got very bright and loud. Trick blinked his eyes and discovered he was standing next to Naomi and the guys. Right before them was a large character board and a set options. A massive, white gloved hand floated down and a booming voice rattled their teeth as it spoke.


    ¡°Welcome Contenders! Choose your characters!¡±


    ¡°Oh crap¡­ We¡¯re stuck in another game,¡± Trick muttered.


    Naomi slugged him in the arm. ¡°You weren¡¯t stuck in the last one! This is your first time, and that was my line!¡±


    Reggie and Phineas looked dumbfounded as the hand spoke again, ¡°You will play a tournament style game! To the Death!¡±

 Chapter 2 - Brawl!

    ¡°Hold on everyone,¡± Trick said, holding up his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s think this through! We¡¯ve just been pulled into a video game designed for friends to beat up and kill one another. Id this really something that we want to do!?¡±


    The White Glove, the Master Hand, rumbled, ¡°Yes you do. Otherwise none of you will leave! And you will become collectible digital trophies!¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes it very easy,¡± Phineas. ¡°I¡¯m no trophy boy! Unless, I¡¯m going into Samus¡¯s room¡­¡±


    Everyone gave him an odd look before Reggie called up to the Master Hand, ¡°Can we do team matches, or is this a free for all?¡±


    ¡°You may team up,¡± The Master Hand confirmed. ¡°But you may not all be on the same team. This is critical. The price for freedom is blood! One must perish!¡±


    Reggie sighed and looked with grim resolution at Naomi. ¡°Naomi, team up with me and Phineas. This is a very simple. Trick sucks at this game. We can team up against and save ourselves. This is the best solution to our current predicament.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? Are you for real,¡± Naomi screeched. ¡°That is not an option Reggie! There is always another way.¡±


    ¡°Naomi, snap out of it!¡± Reggie drew himself up and walked over to them, shoving Trick to the ground. ¡°We are in a video game! I know how these stories go! This isn¡¯t some SAO bullshit! We can¡¯t just program ourselves out of here! These games in all stories are straightforward and easy to understand. Someone has to die, otherwise we¡¯ll be trapped in here and who knows what will happen to us?¡±


    ¡°Listen here, Reggie, I have been in a video game before,¡± Naomi insisted. ¡°There are always other ways that we can deal with these problems. There is a solution that we do not see. We just have to take the time to see it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just trying to save your pathetic boyfriend there,¡± Phineas sneered. ¡°Why did you bring that wimp with you anyway!?¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Reggie said, holding up a hand. ¡°We are fortunate. If she hadn¡¯t brought him one of us would have to die. I consider this fortunate. Please Naomi! We need to work together if we are going to get out of this!¡±


    ¡°I agree! But not by murdering Trick!¡±


    ¡°I should get some say in this,¡± Trick mumbled weakly. He was so shocked that Naomi¡¯s friends were willing to kill him so quickly, that he was barely able to speak. He was glad that Naomi was there to defend him.


    ¡°Master Hand, how do we do this thing,¡± Phineas called up to the giant, floating glove.


    ¡°You will choose an avatar and become that being,¡± Master Hand declared. With a flourish the cast of selectable Nintendo characters appeared. ¡°You will then decide on the parameters of the fight, your stock, items, and time limits.¡±


    Phineas and Reggie looked over to Naomi and nodded between them. Reggie called out, ¡°There will be two teams. Reggie, Phineas, and Naomi versus Trick-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Trick finally found his voice. ¡°This is not right!¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Phineas drawled loudly.


    ¡°There will be two teams,¡± Naomi shouted fiercely. ¡°Myself and Trick against Phineas and Reggie!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the two guys snarled together.


    ¡°Yes! You either fight me and Trick, or we don¡¯t fight at all! Though I can tell you right now which option is preferable.¡±


    Reggie grimaced and Phineas looked murderous. ¡°Fine, if that is what you want.¡±


    ¡°Are you guys seriously set on doing this? It¡¯s not too late to stop this and work together,¡± Trick pleaded. ¡°We¡¯ve been through something like this before. We can still find a way out! There¡¯s a tournament option, isn¡¯t there? That might be another way!¡±


    ¡°Only death,¡± the glove thundered.


    ¡°That settles it,¡± Phineas spat. ¡°We¡¯re doing this. Sorry Naomi, but I don¡¯t want to be stuck or die in a video game! We¡¯re ending this on our terms!¡±


    Naomi screeched loudly to the Master Hand, ¡°There will be two teams! Trick and myself against Phineas and Reggie! We¡¯ll have three lives each, no time limit, and all items are available!¡±


    Reggie gave her a hard look as the Master Hand asked, ¡°Are all in agreement?¡¯


    ¡°Sure,¡± Reggie sighed. ¡°Phineas and I will kill you both. This is going to be difficult to explain with two missing people.¡±


    ¡°It is decided! Choose your avatar!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait until later to figure that out,¡± Phineas said angrily, glaring at Naomi. ¡°I¡¯ll be Donkey Kong!¡±


    ¡°Donkey Kong!,¡± the announcer¡¯s voice for the game rang out, causing them all to shake.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be Pit,¡± Reggie announced.


    ¡°Pit!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be Lucina,¡± Naomi declared.


    ¡°Lucina!¡±


    Trick thought for a moment. He sucked at this game! But there were some characters who particularly aggravated the two guys, and they had allowed him to live longer than with most. He grinned at Naomi and gave her a quick wink.


    ¡°Metaknight!¡±


    ¡°Metaknight,¡± the announcer echoed.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for that choice of yours, Patty,¡± Phineas sneered. ¡°I¡¯m going to love killing you.¡±


    ¡°And that is why you should be locked up,¡± Trick said lightly.


    ¡°Fight!¡±


    The board of character disappeared, and the display of potential arena popped up. The three other players quickly agreed that selecting the randomizer was the most fair way of playing the game. However, Trick got the feeling from what Phineas had said and the way Reggie was looking at that they felt confident that they could defeat him no matter the arena. The real problem was going to be Naomi.


    With the boys having chosen two highly mobile tank characters, Trick knew that he was at a disadvantage, even without his deplorable skills in the game. His only hope would be to use what tricks he did know about Metaknight to help him stay alive. But that brought up another problem.


    ¡°How do we use our characters,¡± he asked the Master Hand.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°You will be them! And by being them, you will have access to all of their abilities and powers.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Trick said, still feeling a little confused. He would somehow magically know everything that he needed to in order to operate a video game character he was becoming? That made total sense.


    The randomizer chose Dream Land, and with brilliant flashes of light all four of them were teleported to the stage. Trick instantly felt different as he stumbled out of the portal of light. He felt, well, shorter. And heavier. It was probably from the helmet that covered his entire avatar. The sword was in his cute, ball-like hand, and a cape billowed out from behind him, making him feel cool despite his diminutive size and shape.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    Naomi walked gracefully out of her portal next to him. She was exactly like Lucina, with flowing black hair and a kick butt red uniform. She rocked that sword! After getting stuck in Legend of Zelda that one time, she said she always wanted to walk around with an open blade. Even months later, she still talked about.


    ¡°Sure, we should restrict access to guns, but Trick! Having swords would solve s many problems! Just think about it,¡± she would always gush to him.


    ¡°Two!¡±


    Donkey Kong and Pit popped out of their portal across from Trick and Naomi. Reggie and Phineas glowered at Trick. He knew that they would be after him first. They hated it when he used character with cheap tricks, fast K.O.s, and the unique ability to dodge. Essentially, the hated noob characters.


    But Trick realized in that moment that such an attitude would be their downfall. If they focused on him, Naomi could easily engage them from behind and deal some serious damage. All Trick had to do was not die too many times, and his partner could make short work of them!


    ¡°One!¡±


    Then again, Reggie was a killer with Donkey Kong! And these two ¡®friends¡¯ of Naomi¡¯s were out for blood. They did not think they could escape the game without killing someone. And maybe they were right. But Trick did not want to die today. And definitely not in a video game! He hoped his face didn¡¯t betray his fear before remembering he had a helmet on.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Donkey Kong struck out immediately, grabbing Metaknight and launching him hard across the arena as the happy, but fast music of Dream Land played over them. Metaknight quickly recovered and started flying back to the platform. Donkey Kong flew up to meet him. Metaknight pulled up and brought his sword down.


    He hit, but Donkey Kong took a hold of him again and dragged him down.


    What is he doing, Trick panicked, as he was brought beyond the edge of the platform. They were sinking to oblivion!


    Donkey Kong finally released him with another hit and whirlwinded his way back to the top. Metaknight flapped after him, trying to avoid death. As he reach the edge of the platform, He was shot with an arrow. Trick felt himself falling off to the side. It hurt so bad to get hit with that.


    He tried course correcting in the air. He sucked at this part. But kept getting hit! Pit was there, lobing arrows into him, and following him with his own wings. Trick noticed that Donkey Kong was now slapping the ground and pummeling Lucina.


    Crap! They figured they would tag team us! Pit can move fast enough to evade Lucina while Donkey Kong would put me in this predicament! Then they swap and kill us this way. Damn them!


    Trick thought no more as he was pushed beyond the boundary by Pit¡¯s arrows. He blew up.


    Death wasn¡¯t too bad, Trick thought, as his body reformed in the portal of light. He felt his body and soul knitted back together, and he felt pretty strong, almost perfect, as he came back to life. He also felt a few other things. He appeared right above the fighting, where the massive monkey and the juvenille angel were trouncing Lucina. Trick was about to push himself back into the fight to help his friend. But then he noticed something. A few somethings.


    He could see off in the distance the damage counter for all of the characters and their stock of lives. It was like a strange scoreboard off in the distance, but large enough for all to see. That didn¡¯t help him too much, it was just good to see that there was a way of tracking the damage that was dealt out. But what was better was that he noticed more about himself. He not only felt Metaknight. He was Metaknight!


    Trick was not just flexing an avatar¡¯s cute hand. It was his hand, and he looked to his sword, and he knew he could wield it as a perfect extension of himself. He could feel all of his abilities flowing through him, and he understood strategies. But there was another bit in there too that he recognized. How should he describe it?


    The portal booted him out and he landed on the platform again. Right as Lucina was blown off the map. Trick¡¯s enemies rounded on him. He glanced at the scoreboard and saw that they had not taken much damage, especially that blasted Pit! It distracted him, and the others pounced. But looking at the board proved to be good fortune.


    There was Pokeball there!


    That¡¯s right! Items!


    Trick snatched up the ball and hurled it as hard as he could at Naomi¡¯s one-time friends. Pit easily dodged, but the ball took Donkey Kong straight in the stomach, and hurled him back. It opened and something large shot upwards. Metaknight could not see exactly what it was as he and Pit started sparing.


    Metaknight knew how to use his sword, but Trick felt that there was something else¡­ Something more he could do.


    Wait a sec! I¡¯m not just me, or Metaknight. I¡¯m both of us! That¡¯s it! I can use both what I know about fighting, and what Metaknight can do!


    Snorlax came crashing down and smashed Pit. The angel went flying, and without any sense of direction. Lucina came out of her portal at the same time! Metaknight swooped past her and slashed the confused Pit. He knew exactly what to do now, and he looped through the air, stabbing his sword upwards. The shot blasted Pit even higher and beyond the stage¡¯s boundary. He exploded it light.


    Metaknight then plummeted downwards, right at Donkey Kong. he could almost hear the ape calling him foolish, as he moved his hands to clap. But that was the thing. The regular Metaknight would have been launched to the side with massive damage. But this was Trick-Metaknight! He angled his sword downwards and took Donkey Kong right in the face.


    A barrel appeared and Metaknight heaved it over his little body. He then chucked it at Donkey Kong knocking him backwards. Items bursted out everywhere.


    Metaknight flew over to Lucina and said hurriedly, ¡°Naomi? Ca you feel it? We are a combination of both the game characters and ourselves. That means that we can change how we fight!¡±


    Lucina gave him a look and said, ¡°You know what? I enjoying looking down on you.¡±


    She started laughing and gasped, ¡°You have the cutest blush! You should stay in that form!¡±


    Metaknight harrumphed and said, ¡°All the more reason to get out of this quickly! I don¡¯t know what people would say if I came back to school as a little blue ball!¡±


    Donkey Kong took up a mighty tomato and healed himself quickly. Metaknight picked up a flaming flower and blew on it, sending a stream of fire towards Reggie. Lucina jumped up and slammed into Pit. She weaved her sword expertly, and got around the angel¡¯s defenses, landing hard blows. He was forced to summon his shield as Lucina hammered away at him.


    Reggie jumped and and span over to Lucina to ward her away. Metaknight used his cloak to shift his position and got right behind Pit as Donkey Kong engaged Lucina. Pit dropped his shieled as Lucina was forced to retreat. Metaknight took the chance, and started thrusting at high speed.


    Pit screamed in pain as he was shot backwards. There was a sudden ringing sound and someone shouted, ¡°Homerun!¡±


    Donkey Kong flew off screen. Lucina held the homerun bat, it glimmered dangerously. She had taken some bad damage to hold her ground, but the item had wonderfully fallen and given her a chance against Kong.


    A hammer fell from the sky and Pit took it, plummeting back to the arena. Metaknight dodged and watched at Pit and Lucina went at it. Hammer music and homerun ring clashed. Both were launched off the platform and out of the bounds.


    Metaknight found himself alone, but the lights were already appearing heralding that everyone would soon be back. Metaknight noticed that they were matched in stock between the teams. But Lucina was down to one life. They would gang up on her and take her out! He needed to prevent that!


    He positioned himself right where Donkey Kong appeared and performed a very noob move. He blew on the flower and washed the oversized monkey in a stream of flames. Reggie roared and started smashing the ground, causing an earthquake. Metaknight leaped into the air and avoided the hit. He began tap dancing on Kong¡¯s head, the strange down-pinning movement the little knight had.


    Pit took flight to the side of the platform and started launching arrows as quick as he could. Lucina cut them from the air, and tried to make her way to the angel. He flew over her and to the other side of the arena. Metaknight could not help her, as he was fully engaged in taking on Donkey Kong!


    Lucina scooped up a Bob-Omb, and threw herself into the air.


    Pit laughed and shouted, ¡°You¡¯ll never hit me with that!¡±


    But she twisted at the last second and pitched it right at Donkey Kong. It exploded and engulfed the monkey is another wave of flame, dealing out a lot of solid damage. Metaknight started slashing, pushing his foe upwards. Lucina twisted once more in the air and landed a solid strike right down Pit as he hovered stunned in the air.


    Donkey Kong did not stand a chance as Metaknight knocked him further and further into the air. He felt sick to his stomach as he realized that he was about to kill someone. He felt the cold of his night in memmelsruhe. He smelled the iron scent of spilled blood, and sweet scent o Oreos. The tell tale signs of a Jedspawn killing someone.


    But¡­ Just like then, if he didn¡¯t act, someone he cared about was going to die!


    Metakngiht flew into a loop, and knocked Donkey Kong off the map. He blew up, and the announcer shouted, ¡°Donkey Kong, defeated!¡±


    I just killed someone, Trick realized with horror.


    Lucina was launching items at Pit, driving him back to the edge of the boundary. Once he was far enough away, Lucina jumped at her foe. It was a very quick exchange of leaps and charges in the air. It happened so quickly, Trick couldn¡¯t follow it, but Pit was again thrown away and blew up.


    Lucina zipped back and clung onto the edge. Metakngiht reached to help her up, but she jumped and flipped back onto the ground.


    ¡°Reggie is dead,¡± she stated. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll take care of Phineas. There¡¯s always been something wrong with him.¡±


    Trick was confused by that nonchalant way of addressing her friend¡¯s death. Hem just shrugged his cute hands and followed Lucina to where Pit now jumped out. Phineas went right at it, throwing arrows their way. He made his way to landmine and tossed it their way. Lucina snatched a Pokeball as it fell from the sky and tossed it coolly at Pit. He dodged, but she made sure not to throw it over the side. It opened up and unleashed a deluge Beedrills.


    The insect Pokemon covered the entire arena and stung Pit, trapping him in the sky with their barrage of attacks. Lucina once more jumped into the sky to dispatch her friend in the way he had done just before. This time, however, Pit managed to evade through a set of dodges and shields.


    Lucina barely managed to rush back to platform before falling into the void below. Just then, the great wind for the arena blast them, blowing Pit farther off course. A wand fell from the sky and again, Lucina plucked it as if it were an everyday thing.


    She threw it with tremendous force and struck Pit in the chest, launching him out of bounds.


    As her friend blew up, Lucina turned to Metaknight and said, ¡°That was a good tip. We caught Reggie off guard, and it allowed me to take down one of Phineas¡¯ lives. However, he learned from our two exchanges. We just got very lucky with the items dropping. Otherwise, Pit might have won. He is too OP a character if used correctly.¡±


    ¡°Pit, Defeated!¡±


    There was a flash of light, and both Lucina and Metaknight were forced to swing their blades and pose in epic glory. They found themselves atop a high platform, and the Master Hand descended from spotlights above.


    ¡°Victors! Congratulations! You escaped this game, but now your quest begins!¡±


    He snapped his finger, or really himself. Strange, thick sheets appeared in their hands with scribbles and shapes they couldn¡¯t make out in the light.


    ¡°And for your rewards! Lucina! The Sword of Heritage! Metaknight! The Cloak of Transition!¡±


    There was another flash, and Trick and Naomi found themselves in Phineas and Reggie¡¯s apartment. The same old smells assaulted their noses. It was all familiar, but the guys were gone. And in their hands, the sheets of paper and their video game prizes.


    Naomi forced Trick to sit down and said, ¡°Alright, before we lose our heads here, we need to talk. We need to figure out what exactly is going on here!¡±

 Chapter 3 - Charactr Sheets

    Naomi was glad for her way of thinking. Sure, it made her odd and impersonable at times, but for disasters such as this one it came in handy. She could reason that in truth Reggie and Phineas were terrible people and deserved what they got. Willing to resort to murder so quickly was not a sign of good mental health.


    But I hope you two are respawned and enjoy living in the game you loved so much. Because receding into mere data just sounds like a nightmare!


    However, that was all the thought she could spare for Reggie and Phineas. There was once again strange things afoot. She wasn¡¯t even going to waste time wondering why her? Why them? Why now? Why video games? They had clues, there was a mystery to solve, and she needed to head off Trick before he did something stupid.


    After forcing him down and demanding that they talk about the predicament, she said, ¡°First of all, what do you remember about us getting trapped in the game?¡±


    Trick opened and closed his mouth like a fish, but he recovered his wits and replied, ¡°There was a really strange feeling. And a weird wave of grey, I think.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that will probably be important to answer later on,¡± she said. ¡°But we will not solve that problem right now. We don¡¯t have enough information. And it was tied to how we got stuck in the game and why we were released, so we won¡¯t get very far poking around there. That means we need to focus on these!¡±


    She waved her paper in front of Trick¡¯s face and shook her newly acquired sword dangerously close to his ear. Just so he got the message.


    ¡°I get it! I get it! But what even are these things? The Cloak of Transition? That does sound cool, but it also sounds like nonsense. Balderdash!¡±


    ¡°Balderdash,¡± Naomi asked, cocking an eyebrow.


    Trick shrugged. ¡°I got caught up in the moment¡­ But seriously! I cannot understand this sheet. It¡¯s definitely not your average, everyday paper. It¡¯s more like old school parchment, and there are a lot of blank lines. Is this a fill in the blank challenge?¡±


    Naomi was chagrined that she had not glanced at her sheet first, giving Trick the win there. Good to keep him in the dark about that. He didn¡¯t need another thing to inflate his overlarge ego, even if he had been improving since the disaster at Memmelsruhe.


    Why even keep such a game running in her mind? A fun distraction. A way of keeping track of when and what to make fun of Trick for. And because, though she was loath to admit it, this reformed prankster was proof that street smarts could contend with book smarts. And she was not about to let otakus, shut-ins, and nerds everywhere down by allowing their book smarts be outdone by someone like Trick!


    Okay, quick! Figure this thing out before he catches wind of what it could be.


    She smiled a split second later, the exact moment she realized what it was she held.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet,¡± she said, almost laughing. ¡°All those blank places are there for your stats, equipment, skills, your name, and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°D&D!?¡± Trick blanched. ¡°This is the kind of stuff i try to avidly avoid!¡±


    ¡°That explains why you suck at Smash,¡± Naomi deadpanned.


    ¡°I sucked at Samsh- I emphasize sucked, because I just helped you take down those psychos! And, I prefer a good PlayStation game or Halo, thank you very much!¡±


    Trick¡¯s expression grew a little more somber, and he apologized, ¡°Sorry, Naomi. They were your friends.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Naomi replied. ¡°Seriously, Trick. They were nutters, to put it nicely. The fact that the gravitated to such a barbaric and simple answer when we could have explored other options is unsettling to say the least. But nothing ever truly dies in a video game. If Digimon has taught me anything.¡±


    ¡°You and your nerd references,¡± Trick said, shaking his head. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    She cast her eye over the tall, skinny teen. She missed his unkempt hair. It was the only style that worked with dirty blonde hair, and those shifty eyes. What he didn¡¯t know was that everyone was a nerd. The only question to pose was what was it that made a person reveal that nerdy side? For some it was cars, for others sports. For just as many people who loved anime, statistics, computers, or trading cards, there were three just as equally geeky for soccer alone. Though she might have to remove anime from that statistic, considering that the Japanese form of entertainment was becoming more and more acceptable by the day.


    After taking in her friend, she made sure that her eye roll was grandiose.


    ¡°Getting back to the matter at hand, Trick. Whether or not you like it, we are stuck in another case. And our way through it is to embrace the unadulterated nerdiness that is Dungeons and Dragons!¡±


    She stood up dramatically. ¡°It is time to make a character!¡±


    It was Trick¡¯s turn to cock an eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯re going to make characters?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s only logical.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it will change us,¡± he asked, looking down at the sheet. ¡°Much like what just happened to us?¡±


    Naomi rubbed her lips and mumbled, ¡°I think we should operate under the assumption that we will. That is the nature of D&D. You create a character that you would want to become.¡±


    ¡°Escapism,¡± Trick muttered. ¡°Alright, how do we go about making these characters then?¡±


    Naomi was about to answer that question, when the sound of cheesy, made for T.V. thunder rolled through the apartment. A small storm cloud formed just under the ceiling and it rained two sets of dice. One set was blood red inscribed with black, and the other was bone white with royal blue numbers and carvings.


    ¡°Dibs on the white,¡± Naomi screeched as she dove for the dice.


    Trick groaned. ¡°We¡¯re actually going to use dice? And what¡¯s up with this storm!?¡±


    As he complained, the cloud dissolved, making the room muggier than it had been before. The place would be smelling even more unpleasant soon. Those boys never did a proper job of cleaning up after themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s all part of the game, Trick. We just have to deal with it,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get started on this. Putting together a character takes a lot of time, and I don''t want to waste any in case there is a timer somewhere. Life might be turning to resemble a game, but that doesn¡¯t mean that it will necessarily act like one all the time.¡±


    ¡°I gotcha! Timed events and community happenings will not wait for us. Maybe not even planned encounters,¡± Trick replied.


    Naomi nodded. He was already catching on. Maybe games were part of what Trick in particular nerdy. She would have to keep a close eye on him to collect data and see if her hypothesis was correct.


    She talked him through how to build a character. Trick took on quickly on how things worked. He tried to drop the 20 sided die to his benefit, but Naomi insisted that everything was done correctly and honestly.


    ¡°Naomi! This could mean our lives,¡± he protested.


    She countered with, ¡°And what if we are punished with an unbeatable foe for breaking the rules?¡±


    Trick didn¡¯t have a good comeback, and just muttered under his breath about ambiguous and undefined rules. Otherwise, he remained cooperative and relatively silent as they continued. He annoyed her with sticking to a human for his character. In fact, everything about his man, Trickster the Quickhand, was essentially Trick. Just with a fancy name and some supernatural abilities.


    Naomi had to admit that even despite his attempts to cheat earlier, he still had some very lucky rolls. For a level one character, he was pretty stacked! Thankfully, her character was nothing to turn her nose up at either. She had gone the route of a half orc-half elf mix. (You normally didn¡¯t come across that mix, so she decided to represent.) And she had taken the name of Ru-lah. Trick was a thief, so she went with something a little more dignified and made herself a paladin.


    What was odd was that the sheets reacted on their own to what they wrote on them. Whatever they penciled in with their own handwriting bled into ink and morphed into wavy calligraphy. Furthermore, numbers automatically filled themselves in different slots. Naomi did her best to remember all of the algorithms and rules for determining the more particular stats, and everything checked out as far a she could tell.


    Furthermore, the sheets quickly showed of their own accord the items they possessed. Respectively, the Cloak of Transition for Trick and the Sword of Heritage for her. It was very interesting to read their perks. The cloak was an unimpressive +1 to armor and defense, but it had two incredible attributes. It could allow the wear to transport themselves up to fifty feet away from where they stood just by selecting a place in sight mentally and ducking under the folds. And Trick could also hold it up to ¡®mist¡¯ himself for up to five seconds by hiding behind the length of the cloak. He would be impervious for those five seconds and would have to wait a minute for the perk to recharge.


    Naomi¡¯s Sword of Heritage made her excited. It had a +3 to attack, which was fair, but the longer it was used, the more of its history it would reveal, allowing her to use different and exotic moves. The sword could also gain new abilities and compound them. What that translated to was that her blade could become extremely overpowered the longer this strange game went on.


    ¡°We need to check out how else the items on this sheet might work,¡± she suggested. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up something that might be of value and see if they appear on the sheet.¡±


    ¡°Already on it. My dice are on the parchment,¡± Trick informed her. ¡°The Dice of Fate. They allow me to challenge the actions of others, usable up to three times a day. Okay, that is something.¡±


    He sounded impress with that. Naomi checked her own sheet, and saw the same dice listed among her resources. She then got up and wandered over to the kitchen, and took up a large cooking knife. A regular dagger appeared on the list.


    That clarifies that, she thought.


    Soon, they had added to the list their phones (though they couldn¡¯t contact anyone with them, despite their signals being clear), cooking knives for daggers, backpacks, writing material, an extension cord for rope, and flashlights for torches. Leftover pizza and Chinese cuisine became rations.


    ¡°Well, everything that we could add, oddly enough,¡± Trick remarked. ¡°If you¡¯re right, and we have places to be yesterday, we should get ourselves going. But it doesn¡¯t look at though we¡¯ll be transforming into our characters anytime soon.¡±


    Naomi was very disappointed about that, but she made sure that it didn¡¯t show.


    Speaking in a clipped tone, ¡°Then let¡¯s proceed. We¡¯ll only find our answers out there.¡±


    ¡°That sounds ominous¡± Trick remarked, his signature grin returning to his lips. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡±


    They opened the door and found an ancient stairwell leading down. They shared a look and proceeded cautiously. Thankfully, there were no traps, and sputtering candles lit the way down to a peeling iron door with a modern push bar. Trick grimaced and shoved the door open. Bright light and humid wind engulfed them.

 Chapter 4 - Street Battlers

    Trick blinked away the black spots and stumbled out onto the sidewalk. He felt a lot warmer than he should have. Stuffier too. He grasped his arms, feeling as if they were wrapped up. They were. He was wearing tight fitting, grey and black pants, a shirt, a vest, and of course, the Cloak of Transition with its long, sable look. He even had a light scarf tied around his neck and mouth.


    ¡°Scratch that. We have become our- Woah!¡±


    He looked over to Naomi, and where his friend had been was now a towering woman with dark green skin, spotted with curved patches of black. She had long, red hair, trimmed to be flowing mohawk. Small tusks jutted out from her lips. She turned to him and smiled, revealing jagged teeth and crinkled, dazzling blue eyes. Eyes alight with magical fire. And she was fit! Trick suspected she could crush him in half with a hug.


    Well, she got her wish. She¡¯s become her own character, he thought, taking in her exceptional, armored form.


    ¡°Why do nerds believe that all women in these games are busty and beautiful?¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that, Trickster,¡± she snarled, with a dangerous glint in her eye. ¡°I¡¯m not complaining. At least I¡¯m not stuck in a metal bikini.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the cops would be all over us. They still might be,¡± Trick said.


    He looked up the road, expecting something to jump out at them any second.


    ¡°It feels really good,¡± Naomi said happily. ¡°I feel¡­ Powerful!¡±


    She drew her sword from a scabbard with a powerful gust of air. He conceded that she looked impressive.Even her hair flew up all anime-like, making that mohawk look workable.


    ¡°Stop staring Trickster,¡± she chided with a small grin.


    ¡°But you became a tall, sexy half-orc, half-elf warrior!¡±


    ¡°Paladin,¡± she corrected him.


    Trickster was about to ask what exactly that meant when the information came to him. Of course he knew exactly what her class meant. Paladins were holy defenders of faith and the gods. They stood in defiance of evil, darkness, and the undead. Blessed with small magical abilities, healing, and powerful insight, as well as being heavy hitting tanks! Really, that worked for her. For Naomi. Who was also, well, Ru-lah.


    That was right, just like with the Smash game when he experienced what it was like to be Metaknight, Trick was also Trickster. In fact, this felt even stronger than before. He figured it might have come from having made Trickster himself, and making the character an extension of himself. The backstory Ru-lah had insisted be apart of the character building became firm and clear memories. Life in the dirty streets of the eight level in the High City Erralial. How he learned from painful experiences how to snatch food and clothing to survive. He still bore the scars on his hands and back, the former he always kept covered with some kind of gloves.


    But he was older and wiser now. He knew how to wield knives expertly, strangle with wire, pick any lock, and even wield a sword or axe at need. He remembered how he had joined the Blue Raven, an elite gang of thieves that made up one of the Five Fingers to the Black Fist, the rulers of Erralial¡¯s underworld, and controlled most of the shady dealings throughout the empire.


    He had betrayed them all by smuggling out a high lady¡¯s daughter right out of a kidnapping and ransom scheme. He had his limits, but the Blue Jays and the Black Fist knew none. Trickster now lived off his wits and playing off the enemies to those who were once his friends. How did he get here then? Oh yeah, he had met Ru-lah and got to know her as they¡­


    As Trick and Naomi. Yes, that was right.


    Okay, this is weird. I have to try to keep my head on straight while we figure this whole thing out! We need to contact my mother, and hopefully get the Q Files up and running again! We need their help, because this already feels much larger than two teenagers can handle.


    Almost as if she had read his mind, Ru-lah said, ¡°Trickster, this is going to be a complicated puzzle. Stick close to me. We need to find a way to either beat this game, or escape it and contact Conturbatio.¡±


    ¡°You have a direct line to him,¡± Trickster asked incredulously.


    ¡°No, but your mom does, and you have a direct line to her,¡± she answered simply. ¡°But first, I think we have another challenge out here.¡±


    ¡°Ru-lah? Do you also feel the merging of identities? Like we are two people rolled up into one?¡±


    He was glad to see her nod and say, ¡°Yes. This is really strange, but I guess it should make sense. Dungeons and Dragons is a role playing game. That means that you are supposed to act like your character as you play. This is us literally becoming them then. Thankfully, we retain enough of our original selves, it appears. This allows us to play the game with a little more understanding and keep our goals in sight. I think.¡±


    ¡°That is comforting,¡± Trickster said under his breath. ¡°Alright, where should we go first?¡±


    As if to answer him, an orange and flashing arrow appeared just over the pavement and directed them towards the beach. That was about a mile and a half away, but looking down the street, it seemed to be a direct, unobstructed shot to the waterfront. That smelled of danger and traps to Trickster.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go the opposite direction,¡± he said, and turned around. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    He took five steps and came across an unseen barrier. It was a very thick kind of air. It didn;t obstruct his vision or breath, but it resisted his every move forward. No matter how hard he shoved, he could not gain an inch.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a classic video game,¡± Ru-lah grumbled. ¡°We are forced to go in the direction the game wants. We have no choice.¡±


    ¡°Crap! I was afraid of that,¡± Trickster spat, whirling around. ¡°And I think I know exactly what kind of game this is.¡±


    Taking a step onto the road, the arrow moved ahead a little bit, and items started appearing on the asphalt. A lead pipe. A pizza box, a dented can, and a trash can. He went over and picked up the pipe. Ru-lah snickered at him.


    Trickster struck his most heroic looking pose, slapping the pipe against an open palm, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    Ru-lah heaved the trash can over head with one hand and said, ¡°No need to tell me!¡±


    He noted the gleam of excitement in her eyes and they started down the road. As they walked forward, Trickster could feel the air barrier move behind them, hedging them ahead and blocking off any kind of retreat. So much for going back to the apartment. Very quickly, things got dicey on the road.


    Two ninjas and three guys with ripped jeans vests and classic 80s attire jumped out from the shadows, an ally, and out from a dumpster. They all bobbed to some kind of unheard music. They also shouted the occasional, ¡±Hi-yah!¡±


    Trickster sauntered forward to one of the thugs. The man with a wispy, blonde beard dropped low and kicked out as his feet. The life-long thief knew exactly what to do. This was child¡¯s play! He leaped over the clumsy attack and brought the lead pipe down hard. The thug bounced backwards from the hit and and flashed brightly, an classic video game BOOP sounding. There was a great crash, and one of the ninjas went flying after the trash can slammed into him. He winked out and disappeared.


    A thug pulled out a knife and thrust it at Trickster.


    Now is as good as time as any to try this thing out, Trickster thought.


    He held up the Cloak of Transition, and he felt himself blur and become one with the wind. The knife passed through him. The thug barely registered what happened. He only grunted and thrust again.  Trickster sidestepped him and clubbed him over the head with the pipe. He bounced and flashed white the same as the previous guy, just as said previous guy leaped to his feet.


    One man cried out and Trickster caught out of the corner of his eye a thug go down with the word COMBO rising over his disappearing body. The second ninja vanished in a flash of smoke and reappeared behind Ru-lah. Trickster yelped and covered himself completely with his cloak as both thugs jumped him.


    He flew on the air, unseen, and reappeared right behind the ninja, just as he has wished. The cloak worked even more easily than he had hoped! It was incredible! He celebrated by thumping the ninja hard across the back with the lead pipe. Ru-lah spun about and slashed the ninja¡¯s torso, sending him back at Trickster.


    ¡°I knew he was there! Take care of your guys!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for helping me Trick! I¡¯m ever so grateful,¡± the thief shot back, whacking the ninja over the head.


    ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m doing just fine on my own,¡± the irate paladin scoffed, battering the ninja right back.


    Trickster clobbered the ninja, sending him crashing back at her. ¡°That¡¯s not the point! Never look a gifted horse in the mouth!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed you know that saying,¡± Ru-lah replied, cutting the ninja yet again.


    ¡°Why do you think so little of me,¡± Trickster growled, slamming the ninja with a homerun smash.


    TEAM COMBO!


    ¡°Well, you do have that idiot aura about you,¡± Ru-lah said, bringing her fist lazily over her should, punching one of the thugs in the face. ¡°Like, all the time!¡±


    Trickster barreled around her and swung the lead pipe into the gut of the last assailant. The thug went down hard, and Ru-lah laid into her opponent. The two thugs did not stand a chance as the two friends took them apart with vicious blows from lead pipe and sword. As the the last thug vanished, a katana flashed into existence. Before Ru-lah could grab it, Trickster snatched it up.


    ¡°And this is why I added a dual wielding ability to my character,¡± he said happily.


    Ru-lah lifted an eyebrow and said, ¡°A lead pipe and a katana. You¡¯re definitely going to get a disadvantage with your attacks.¡±


    ¡°Just you wait and see! I make this look good! A thief like myself survives on the streets by using everything that comes into our hands.¡±


    And so it went, the two unlikely friends making their way down the road. At regular intervals, various thugs, ninjas, and dirty cops would come out of the woodworks and attack them. Everything was so arcade game cheesy. Even the bullets fired by the cops moved slow enough to dodge. As more and more assailants emerged, Trickster was very happy for his cloak, which made him nearly impossible to hit. Ru-lah was a tank, taking all of the hits and dealing them out even harder. At times, guys would drop shakes and pizza, which would heal them of their wounds. Trickster also picked up some dynamite, a dagger, and a broken bottle (which didn¡¯t last long), while Ru-lah passed over most things except for a pair of gold brass knuckles.


    Following the arrows, Ru-lah and Trickster did not make it all the way to the beach. Twice, they took turns that lead back into the city and deeper among the high buildings. They had no idea exactly where they were going, but it was clear that they were getting to their destination as the different assaults became increasingly difficult.


    Finally, a fancy, black car rounded the corner and five burly men in suits clambered out. They all hefted swords and bats with nails. Two cop cars came from behind, pointlessly blocking off retreat. Four men emerged with guns. Then came seven ninjas and eight thugs.


    Trickster bellowed, ¡°Seriously!? This is just getting ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the nature of older video games,¡± Ru-lah said with a shrug. ¡°They always get harder and harder as you advance through the levels. They¡¯re supposed to get to a point where only someone with thousands of hours of practice could possibly hope to survive.¡±


    ¡°We aren''t shooting for that level, are we?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± the paladin growled, and stepped for the the fancy car.


    ¡°I¡¯ll watch our back,¡± Trickster said, taking out the dynamite.


    He walked slowly, but moved fast enough to dodge the bullets fired at him. Four ninjas and three thugs converged on his position. He jumped up to the two cars and pulled up his cloak right as the cops pulled out their night sticks. Eleven enemies surrounded him and pummeled at him, but their attacks were ineffective. He tapped the dynamite, lighting it, and then swirled away in his cloak.


    As Trickster reappeared between the gathering of opponents and Ru-lah, he swooshed his Cloak of Transition over his shoulders dramatically as the dynamite ignited. Everything blew up behind him in a perfect movie poster moment.


    The fancy car charged Ru-lah, trying to run her over. She sidestepped and swept her sword across the tires. The wheels ruptured and the car flipped over head. She then charged into the suits and started swinging gracefully and wildly to take them all on at once. Trickster pulled out his katana and pipe and started taking on the rest of th thugs.


    The two friends maneuvered their way towards one another, giving the enemy as much pressure as they could. Both Trickster and Ru-lah took a lot of damage, and started flashing dangerously with their low health. A handful of thugs and ninjas went down, as did two suits, but it was not enough.


    Once they came back to back, Ru-lah shouted, ¡°Trick! Throw that cloak over us both and take us to that car!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he shouted back, and di so, teleporting them. ¡°Why did you have me do that though? It¡¯s a bit difficult to escape in this cramped space. And we can''t leave until we have defeated the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Just watch,¡± she grunted, as she picked up the car and heaved it over head.


    ¡°Your strength modifier is over 9,000,¡± Trickster said with awe.


    ¡°This is a video game. Everything is like a natural 20,¡± the paladin replied with a grin, and tossed the car at the cluster of enemies.


    It landed with a massive CRASH. The car flattened two more suits, and injured most of their foes, sending them to the ground and momentarily vulnerable. A shake and a pizza popped up. The friends rushed for the extra health before slaughtering their down enemies. Soon, only one more suit was left standing, and the two worked together to TEAM COMBO him as they had with the ninja so many fights back.


    With the final opponent dead, the arrow popped up again. A large bag of gold coins also appeared. Ru-lah was quicker this tim and pocketed them. The arrow lead them around another corner where they came face to face with a two story, dingy tavern. It had a swinging sign hanging over the misshapen door. It read, ¡°The Spilled Goblet.¡± The arrow lead them right to the door.


    ¡°Well, I was not expecting that,¡± Trickster said.


    ¡°It looks like we are returning to the D&D aesthetic,¡± Ru-lah observed. ¡°Considering we just went through a lot of fighting, this is probably a character development stage in the campaign, as well as a time for exposition and advancing the plot. Come on, let go on in.¡±

 Chapter 5 - The Spilled Goblet

    ¡°I trust you have no problem with underage drinking,¡± Ru-lah asked.


    ¡°My dear paladin, I have been stealing swings of every mug since I was six!¡±


    ¡°That explains a lot, actually,¡± she replied, turning to conceal her smile.


    Trickster snorted derisively as she opened the door to the bar. The building¡¯s interior was quite the sight. Sagging pillars held up a treacherously low and ill built second story. Mismatched tables and chairs were littered all over the place. A large fire burned in a hearth wreathed with hunting trophies and weapons on display. In a strange corner of the common area, three musicians played lazily on their stringed instruments and flute.


    Ru-lah was interested with the many pictures hanging on the walls. Some were painted well and others not so well. Others looked like something more akin to real photographs. There were also many scrolls nailed between the pictures and protruding candles, which helped to add some light to the large, slumped room. Two boards displayed different jobs that needed doing. One was near the long bar, and the other was right by the entry.


    A haze of smoke, colored with many different smells lazily hung in the air. Opening the door caused them to visibly swirl. There were a handful of patrons. At least nine with an initial count, not including the musicians and two barkeeps. A few of them looked up from either their platters of drinks to give the newcomers a quick glance and then returned to their business.


    Exactly what Ru-lah would have expected for a bar.


    Though maybe this was a little more colorful than what she had supposed they would find. She led Trickster right up to the bar and took a seat. There was no need to rap for the bartender. He came right to them.


    He was a tall creature with blue fur, slicked back oily. He had long, pointed ear with white tuff. He had both tusks and fangs. He wore a vest and white shirt that sported a lot of stains from food and drinks.


    ¡°What can I get you two adventurers,¡± he asked in a rumbling voice.


    ¡°I will take a mug of your best ale,¡± Ru-lah said.


    Trickster slid onto his seat and replied, ¡°I would like a mug of butterbeer.¡±


    Both the paladin and bartender gave him a strange look.


    ¡°What? I really like the taste of the stuff! And if I can get it here, that¡¯ll be even more memorable than going to Universal!¡±


    The bartender replied slowly, ¡°Well, if you have business to be about, good Master, then I guess a drink merely for the taste will be just fine. And a mug of our home best for the Lady Paladin. Very good!¡±


    He then shuffled off to get them their drinks, and Ru-lah hissed to Trickster, ¡°We¡¯re here to blend in and get information! You need to order something that will help out with that! Butterbeer is weak stuff.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Trickster shrugged. ¡°So we¡¯re here for information gathering. Real classy.¡±


    ¡°More like it¡¯s classic. We can find some good information here fi we ask the right questions. And for that to happen, I¡¯ll be the one to ask them.¡±


    ¡°What? I was the one who led the investigation with the werewolf!¡±


    ¡°And you bungled about in the dark most of the time until those kids made a hasty decision with that vampire,¡± Ru-lah reminded him.


    ¡°And if I need remind you, you confused lichen with lycan for most of that adventure,¡± Trickster laughed.


    She slugged him hard in the arm and he toppled out of his seat. That made her laugh. As he got back up she started talking to him again.


    ¡°That was an easy mistake,¡± she said lightly. ¡°If you don;t know proper pronunciation when looking at the word on paper, it is easy to mispronounce it and get it mixed up with another word. Could happen to anybody. Now stop it! Stop, or I¡¯ll hit you again.


    ¡°We need to see what this bartender might know about the situation. In these types of role playing games bars, shops, and back alleys are the best places to find information that is helpful to understanding the overall plot. Beats finding a boss and fighting him to get what you want.¡±


    The bartender returned with their drinks and informed them that it would be one gold and two silver for the drinks. Ru-lah opened the sack of gold that they had gotten from the dead enemies on the street. She fished out two gold and handed them over. There was also a necklace with a golden sun crossed with a crescent moon and a ruby shaped like a star in the middle. As the bartender made change for her, she pulled out the necklace and inspected it. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Looking up from his cash drawer, the furry barkeep yelped. ¡°Where did you get that pendant?¡±


    Perfect, Ru-lah thought. Looks like this is going to be even easier than I thought. Our reward was more than just gold.


    Trickster gave the necklace and appraising look, but said nothing. He just sipped his butterbeer. The barkeep leaned forward, his eyes wide. It was just then that Ru-lah remembered something. Berating herself, she held the necklace away from him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch your name. What is it?¡±


    Licking his lips, he said, ¡°My name is Rumbleton, my good paladin.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Ru-lah. A little interesting isn¡¯t it, that a barkeeper would omit the traditional niceties and not greet us with his name? I should have seen it.¡±


    ¡°My mistake,¡± he said shakily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you, and not spread this bad reputation everywhere I go if you will answer my questions in full,¡± Ru-lah insisted.


    ¡°That sounds like a fine trade,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Yes, I think that will work just fine.¡±


    ¡°Great, then we can start with this,¡± she said briskly, holding up the strange pendant. ¡°Where does it come from?¡±


    Rumbleton shrugged. ¡°Search me about where it comes from, but I saw it around the neck of the Drow wizard, Akerbaza. He was a part of the guild, the Motley Lot.¡±


    Trickster snorted. ¡°The Motley Lot?¡±


    The bartender frowned. ¡°Surely you¡¯ve heard of them! They are among the most heroic and capable warriors east of the Storm Seas! Look, I even have a portrait of them!¡±


    Taking their mugs, Ru-lah and Trickster followed Rumbleton to the far side of the room where some of the best paintings and pictures hung between bright candles. It depicted a typical, multi-racial Dungeons and Dragons group. They were all striking heroic poses with one exception being an orc bard. She was rocking out on lyre-guitar-horn thing.


    A big dragonborn dominated the background of the picture, with a drow on his left, a drow with a floppy, once pointed hat with all kinds of ruins on and his robes. One the right arm was a half elf priestess, with stereotypical blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. And then there was a burly, scruffy man, dressed as a warrior-ranger, taking up the center. Ru-lah almost missed him, but there was also a dwarf peering over the edge of the picture frame. They looked the part of a capable but silly party.


    ¡°The Motley Lot,¡± Rumbleton said, with a flourish of his hand. ¡°You had Swordalot as the dashing ladies man of the group, though the dragonborn Dragorick could give him a run for his money. They always new the right things to say and do. Men claim to know women, but these men actually did.¡±


    ¡°Fat chance of that,¡± Ru-lah muttered. ¡°But what makes them such a revered group?¡±


    Rumbleton rapped the picture with his knuckles and said, ¡°You see that drow there? Akerbaza wanted to redeem his people¡¯s name, and so he teamed up with Izmerelda to find the things that they could do well in the world. First they used their magic to bless others and provide solutions to difficult problems. They ran into Garfunkle there, the dwarf that is almost out of the picture. Yes, that¡¯s right.


    ¡°See, the drawfish mines of Dwenovar were overrun by Grey Gnomes and drakes. They hired extra muscle in the form of Dragorick, and along the way they ran into Swordalot and his good friend and companion Lazylie, the orc right there. They were an odd group, to be sure, but they were exactly what was needed to free Dwenovar.¡±


    It was almost as if Ru-lah could feel the dice being rolled. She quickly understood that the Grey Gnomes were a strange breed of gnome created from a failed experiment. It left them with only half a soul. As a result they became vicious and very greedy, hard to kill, and magic resistant. But it came with the cost of their intelligence.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Ru-lah said. ¡°It was Akerbaza and Izmerelda who figured out how to outfox the Grey Gnomes and dfeat them?¡±


    ¡°Precisely! They got them to all converge in an underground pit and a well under construction. By creating a choking point with a clever trap, they dumped half the army into the pit and well, clogging them with bodies. The drastic change in numbers allowed the dwarfs to rally and win the day,¡± the bartender explained animatedly.


    ¡°It looks like the drow really liked the half elf,¡±Trickster observed.


    ¡°What makes you say that,¡± Rumbleton asked.


    ¡°He found someone close to his race who sympathized with him and worked with him. Plus, she¡¯s too beautiful to not be attracted to,¡± the thief explained.


    Ru-lah turned to him and asked, ¡°How is that important to us?¡±


    Trickster shook his head and said, ¡°It means nothing until we meet them. Except that this pendant that we found is around her neck.¡±


    He pointed back to the painting. With another glance Ru-lah saw that it was true. Trust Trickster to catch these little details. That is what had kept him alive against so many enemies all this long while.


    ¡°Did it look like they were close,¡± Ru-lah asked Rumbleton.


    Rubbing his chin, the big man replied, ¡°They were very close friends. But it was clear as day to me that Swordalot really cared for Izmerelda, and by all accounts I¡¯d wager she felt the same for him. She and Akerbaza were just good friends.¡±


    Trickster¡¯s face darkened. ¡°This is beginning to sound very familiar.¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but we cannot draw that conclusion yet. We need to know more.¡± Ru-lah then asked, ¡°Where is the Motley Lot now?¡±


    ¡°After their excellent performance in the mines, the Lot were asked to do many things for many different people. However, they only took the jobs that Akerbaza felt would do them the most good. So they traveled the continent, helping poor kingdoms, town, and besieged cities. Last I heard, they took up the very dangerous task of battling the Lich Troll King. And they won, too! How they managed, I cannot say.¡±


    ¡°Troll Lich King,¡± Trickster asked frankly.


    ¡°Aye,¡± the barkeep said, bobbing his head. ¡°A big, undead troll, with command over the undead and an army of trolls to boot! He was created as a curse upon the land. Destined to overthrow every kingdom it was said. Three smaller princedoms and a kingdom already fell to him before the Motley Lot had their way with him and his armies.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating. I would love to learn more,¡± Ru-lah said. ¡°But for now, I think the important question is how a pendant that was obviously important to two people in the Motley Lot fell into the purse of street thieves who attacked us here?¡±


    ¡°As to that, I would have no idea,¡± Rumbleton admitted. ¡°The Kingdom of Tocahacot is far away from here. It was their king and his family who hired the Lot for that particular job.¡±


    ¡°Then I think we have found the object of our quest,¡± Trickster said. ¡°It must be to locate this group and find out what has really happened to them.¡±


    ¡°Or it could be a side quest,¡± Ru-lah pointed out. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions too hastily. But this could be an important clue. The pendant and the story. But for now, let¡¯s just rest and get a bite to eat.¡±


    ¡°I can make sure your bellies are filled,¡± Rumbleton promised.


    They took him up on his word and ordered large platters of chicken, bread, and vegetable stew. As they waited and later ate, Ru-lah continued to press for more information about what was going on in the world. It disturbed her to hear that there was nothing big or dangerous going on, except for maybe a lot of strangers passing through.


    She figured it meant that what they were experiencing was multiple games stitched together. Many different stories, worlds, and plots were being haphazardly stitched together. What that all exactly meant, she was not sure. But it gave her a feeling similar to what they had experienced with the weirdness in Utah and the attack from the Jed in Memmelsruhe.


    The idea of stories and worlds colliding. There was a common thread between these four cases they had had. Werewolves and vampires working together to open a door. Some kind of doors were being opened to admit creatures from movies, stories, and different universe all to come to Earth. But it was always localized and hushed up. What exactly was going on?


    As she pondered all of this, Trickster spoke up, ¡°We¡¯re about to have some real trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°The fact that about twenty armed men are about to enter through the front door.¡±


    And that is precisely what happened next.

 Chapter 6 - Betrayed

    Trickster stripped a chicken leg of its remaining meat, but kept the bone in his hand as he got up. Ru-lah was furious. Her red mohawk almost stood on end with angry energy as she rounded on the innkeeper.


    ¡°Rumbleton, what is this?¡±


    The barkeeper looked crestfallen as he mumbled out, ¡°There is a high bounty on two people meeting your descriptions. Your thief friend no less. There are a lot of people who want to get their hands on him. I needed the cash¡­ Normally, I would not, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± the younger man behind the bar suddenly screamed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have done if I hadn¡¯t gone out and summoned the garrison troops! Trickster is worth a fortune! And we need the money!¡±


    ¡°Where''s your hospitality,¡± Ru-lah spat.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it, Ru,¡± Trickster grunted. ¡°This is just my life. But we can take them.¡±


    ¡°We''re already on nicknames?¡±


    ¡°Of course! We''re team aren''t we?¡±


    Ru-lah smiled ruefully and shook her head. ¡°If this were an actual game of D&D you would be the biggest pain in the patella.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I do third best,¡± Trickster said with a wink.


    The two put some distance between them, forcing the soldiers to spread out as they entered the inn. The other patrons also produced knives, swords, and axes of their own for the fight. Trickster saw one guy unsling a gun. He would want to keep an eye on that. Probably swipe it if he could.


    Twenty troops took up their positions throughout the main room. Four guys hung back threw up three tables to make a barrier around the door. One had a short bow and the others had crossbows. That was going to be problematic.


    Trickster quickly noticed how lopsided the formations were. More than half of the soldiers were gunning for him, as were nearly all the patrons. That made nearly thirty against him with maybe a dozen against Ru-lah. That meant that he was going to have to work more on dodging and evading than damage dealing.


    ¡°You see thirty nine soldiers and patrons turned foes surrounding you,¡± Rumbleton said. ¡°Roll for initiative!¡±


    ¡°Really!? Not helping,¡± Ru-lah fumed.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This is how encounters begin in D&D, but usually they are not this lopsided! This is an almost impossible fight.¡±


    ¡°But we survived-¡±


    ¡°A video game, Trick! We survived a video game! This is something very different! This is meant to hurt us if we even survive!¡±


    ¡°Ray of sunshine you are,¡± Trickster snorted. ¡°Think you can take in your guys?¡±


    ¡°No problem, but those archers are going to cause some problems.¡±


    Trickster smiled widely. ¡°Consider it solved!¡±


    Trickster used his cloak to jump behind the archers. Once behind them he snagged the short bow and slammed it into the man''s neck.


    His survival roared to life and he instinctually swirled in his cloak to teleport right back onto the top of the bar.


    There was a pain in his thigh. There was shallow cut. He glanced back and saw one man clawing at a quarrel in his shoulder. Two more archers filed in to back them up.


    ¡°We''ve got more men outside,¡± he shouted to his paladin friend.


    ¡°Got it,¡± the half orc-half elf shouted back as she beheaded a drunk patron with her sword. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°And with that roll, you take off his head Ru-lah, but you are still surrounded and they are closing in,¡± Rumbleton said. ¡°Trickster, you''re about to be beset by more than ten men. What are you going to do?¡±


    Trickster wasn''t sure what he thought about the play-by-play commentary, but he did know that standing where he was he would be shot and slashed to ribbons. Luckily, the Cloak of Transition gave him a special edge.


    He made himself one with the wind. And he leapt into the middle of the oncoming soldiers. It worked just as he hoped it would. The men ended up hacking at each other with wild swings. But each blade passed through him.


    Trickster burst through the group and four bolts and an arrow came right at him. They passed through harmlessly, just like the swords.


    You couldn''t hurt the wind.


    Trickster knew that once he used this trump card his cloak would be ineffectual for a while. But that was okay with what he had in mind here. He ran right through the barrier, his effects finally running out.


    He yanked out his sword and knife and slashed into the stunned archers. He then tossed himself back over the barrier as more twangs sounded. He heard screams and a death rattle. Rumbleton was saying something, but Trickster didn''t register it.


    He was very aware that he was now corporeal. Trickster angled his way towards Ru-lah , bringing all of the other assailants with him. The paladin had already felled six of her own opponents, but she was bleeding and not looking too great. He knew that if there was ever a time to roll the dice for some kind of luck, the time was now.


    Trickster drew out the dice and tossed one.


    ¡°What do you want to do,¡± Rumbleton screamed over the din.


    ¡°I want to dance between these guys and cut them up. Kill them,¡± he said desperately.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be two dice,¡± Rumbleton responded.


    Trickster threw the second.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Rumbleton said, amused. ¡°You dance through the enemy, your sword and knife spinning crazily. You lose you knife in one man¡¯s eye, but no one can stop as you get going.¡±


    ¡°For how long,¡± Trickster found himself asking.


    Rumbleton answered with, ¡°30 seconds.¡±


    Just enough, Trickster thought.


    He launched right into the oncoming soldiers. He sheared two throats open with his blades. He then stabbed one man in the eye, and sure enough, it got lodged in there good. But it allowed him to swing with both hand to split another soldier¡¯s chest wide open, even though he wore armor.


    As Trickster literally disarmed another fellow, he plunged his sword into another soldier¡¯s unarmored back. With both hands free, he threw healing potion to Rulah, yelling for her to catch. In the same moment, he swiped the gun from the drunken patron who turned against him. Using the man as a shield and getting him run through thrice, Trickster fired a shot into the captain¡¯s face, dropping him. He pocketed the gun and drew out his sword.


    He continued the dance, dropping five more men easily before he could feel his lucky running out. Trickster tore for the bar once more. He passed by six men on the ground in various stages of wounded. Those who had taken bolts or slashes from earlier.


    Trickster managed to throw himself behind the shield of the bar before the crossbows sang and stuck quarrels in the bar and wall.


    Rumbleton¡¯s helped drew a knife and rushed for him, yelling. Trickster grabbed a bottle and flung it into the man¡¯s face. It hit and the assistant stumbled. Trickster ran him through with his sword. Getting up, he angled the dying man¡¯s body to be a shield.


    And good thing, too, because an axe and sword went right for him. The assistant groaned as he died. Trickster knew he was cornered. There were still a lot of men left to fight, and even the wounded could still come at him. The initial shock of losing a limb or getting a slash would wear off as adrenaline and the will to survive and kill took hold.


    The two men closest to Trickster were suddenly cloved in two.


    Ru-lah had appeared. She still looked beaten up, but Trickster could tell the potion had helped her out. He opponents were all dead and mangled behind her. With the momentary distraction, Trickster took some glass cleaning clothes off the assistant¡¯s dead body and rammed them into some nearby bottles. With a candle on the wall, he lit them. He managed to throw them right towards the archers.


    Two of them got the message and dodged out of the way. The others got doused and were soon on fire. Ru-lah kept getting stronger as she swung her sword. The Sword of Heritage. It kept getting more powerful the more she killed. One of the patrons or soldiers must have had a magical weapon, because her sword started glowing with blue flames. They ate up any flesh they touched. Quickly!


    Trickster leaped over the bar once more to go and help his friend. Even though they vastly outnumbered the two adventurers, the soldiers and the others quickly folded under their ferocity. They jumped through the windows and fled, leaving their wounded. Trickster went to the man whom he had stolen the gun from and raided him for bullets and powder. He also quickly stole a couple of purses and coin pouches for good measure.


    Ru-lah was gathering up their own belongings as Rumbleton said, ¡°Congratulations! You just solved my barroom brawl puzzle!¡±


    ¡°Say anything else other than what I want, and I will kill you,¡± the paladin snarled. ¡°There are more soldiers out there! How do we escape!¡±


    Rumbleton shook and grew pale. ¡°There are three doors to the back. One just leads to the backyard, while the other two take you to other places.¡±


    ¡°Where,¡± Ru-lah interrogated.


    ¡°One takes you to the city, the other takes you to the witch.¡±


    ¡°Ru-lah, the soldiers outside are marshalling for another assault. When that dead kid there said he brought the garrison, he wasn¡¯t kidding.¡±


    ¡°Just how much is your bounty worth,¡± Ru-lah asked, exasperated.


    ¡°Enough for some people to buy their way into nobility,¡± Trickster added.


    ¡°You are that player!¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Trickster said, hurriedly. ¡°We need to get out before they get in. I have only one dice left. And I think I just got really lucky!¡±


    ¡°Insanely lucky,¡± Rumbleton grumbled.


    ¡°What about this witch,¡± Ru-lah suddenly asked. ¡°What is her deal?¡±


    ¡°She can cast any spell based on the deal you make with her,¡± the barkeeper answered. ¡°That¡¯s the best, quick answer I can give.¡±


    ¡°Then witch it is. Come on Trick!¡±


    ¡°Are you certain,¡± Trickster asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ru-lah snapped. ¡°Rumbleton, show us the door! Now!¡±

 Chapter 7 - Shroom Witch

    Ru-lah took in the bizarre surroundings. It had been daytime when they had been at the bar. Now it was the middle of the night, all by stepping through a door! She and Trickster walked along a well marked path overgrown with weeds. Massive, luminescent mushrooms lined the walkway. Strange trees grew out of some of the mushrooms, and poisonous colored vines wrapped themselves like pythons around many of the strange fungi.


    ¡°It smells like decay,¡± Trickster complained, stuffing a piece of paper into his back pocket. ¡°And something way too sweet, if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Better than fighting an entire garrison,¡± Ru-lah said, glancing over her shoulder. ¡°Which does make me wonder why no one is following us.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s like in a video game, you pass through a level and then the enemies stop following you,¡± Trickster suggested.


    ¡°But that is not how D&D works!¡±


    ¡°And since when did D&D start off with the video game opening,? Or with a strange grey bubble swallowing you?¡± The thief chuckled. ¡°Man, that is weird!¡±


    Ru-lah gave him a quizzical look. ¡°What is?¡±


    He answered simply, ¡°Remembering that two lives exist in one body.¡±


    The half orc, half elf paladin thought about that statement. It was true, it was really strange to have two people technically inside one body. Though she thought they were more closely connected than Trickster believed.


    She was Naomi. A teenage African American girl who wanted a sweet mohawk like this. Who was a true blue nerd, and was completely unabashed about it. But she was also Ru-lah. A paladin of the holy order of Sareenotch. Sareenotch was an organization that worked towards coaxing out evil in order to summon greater good and heroes to help purify the world. They were often looked down on for doing very unorthodox rituals and first bringing about greater evils.


    Her parents, an orc scout and an exiled elf servant, had left Ru-lah with a letter and some jewelry at a Sareenotch monastery. The orc band had not wanted the young family, there was no place for them among the elves, and various politics had driven her parents to desperation. They left Ru-lah with one of the few groups in the land that was not prejudice and would give their members a fair amount of personal freedom. It gave Ru-lah a chance to become her own woman.


    And, well¡­ Becoming a paladin and becoming her own woman had led her out here. Now she had fallen in with Trcikster on their misadventure to wherever it was they were going. The only clue they had to go off of was the medallion they got in a loot bag that belonged to a drow wizard from an adventuring gang called the Motley Lot.


    What does it all mean, she wondered. Maybe the answers are at the end of the road here.


    ¡°How long do you think it will take to get to this so-called witch,¡± Trickster asked.


    As if in answer to his question, there was a sudden bend in the road that opened up on a strange house. It was a massive, hollowed-out mushroom. It had three different chimneys coming out the top of the blue and purple roof, each belching a different colored, glittering smoke. Multiple, strange trees grew out of the mushroom¡¯s shaft, a single slim door stood open. Light stabbed into the darkness.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Smurf house,¡± Trickster deadpanned.


    This earned him a shoulder slug from Ru-lah. Though, she secretly agreed with him. Her eyes narrowed as a shadowy figure stepped into the light.


    ¡°Welcome travelers, I have been expecting you.¡±


    The witch was a curvy creature with green skin and long, blood red hair. She was had a very attractive face, and her figure was accentuated with a revealing, bejeweled dress. She had a belt of different animal skulls, and each finger flashed with a gaudy, oversized ring. Her eyes were violet and piercing.


    Trickster whistled, earning him another slug.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting for us,¡± Ru-lah asked skeptically.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the witch purred. ¡°Please, come into my home, and we shall talk. There is so much to say. But where are conversation turns, and where it ends up depends entirely on you two.¡±


    Ru-lah slapped Trickster¡¯s butt and gave him a meaningful look. His face split into a wide smile, and he followed her into the mushroom house. It smelled really strange inside. There were too many foreign spices and perfumes wafting about in the air.


    She swept the room with her eyes and took in the cluttered area. Small tables with all kind of potions, weavings, and projects took up most of the circular room. Three chimneys were full of fire and large cauldrons. In the center of the room was a smaller black cauldron sitting in a high bed of glowing coals. Ru-lah noticed that o steam rose from the cauldron, and wondered if anything was in there.


    There was a circular staircase to the back the crept up the wall and to the mushroom¡¯s top. Ru-lah guessed that up there was where the witch slept. Weird red and orange crystals stuck out of the walls and ceiling, and they glowed faintly, adding to the strange color within the house. The light that had pierced the darkness had been of a yellowish color. Ru-lah spotted many ordinary candles all over the tables and on the floor.


    When had the witch found the time to light them all?


    Magic, of course.


    Out of the corner of her eye, Ru-lah saw Trickster covertly inspecting different tables and prodding their contents. His eyes were alight with mischief. She wondered if he had already pocketed anything for the witch.


    ¡°Please leave my things be. I doubt any of them will matter much to you at the present,¡± the witch said sweetly. ¡°They may serve a future need you have. But then again, that entirely depends on our conversations.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly are these conversations supposed to be,¡± Ru-lah asked suspiciously.


    ¡°I make deals, my dear paladin,¡± the witch replied. ¡°Indeed, I have made some deals already with others of your order. But I sense that your current mission is not entirely in line with Sareenotch¡¯s overall aims.¡±


    With a wave of her hand she continued, ¡°In any case, that is neither here nor there at the moment. I know you¡¯ve chosen to come and see me. Please, take a seat, and we¡¯ll get better acquainted.¡±


    As she spoke, two spindly, but cushioned seats rose up through the floor, like stick emerging from a deep pong. She shared a quick glance with her thief companion, and they gingerly took their seats across from the witch.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the witch smiled. ¡°I believe introductions are in order.¡±


    With two fingers she gestured first to Trickster, who immediately said, ¡°My name is Klarenz, Son of Dead End. I never knew my family, but I was raised on the streets. They call me Trickster for the way I stole and swindled to survive and rise through the ranks of the Black Blades.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating, but I suppose there is more to you than just that. How very interesting,¡± the witch mused. ¡°I look forward to getting to know you better, Klarenz.¡±


    Her violet eyes snapped to Ru-lah and as she repeated the gesture. Ru-lah found herself suddenly speaking, incapable of stopping herself.


    ¡°My name is Ru-lah Norkvak Halenstol Sareenotch of the Iron Ward Monastery. I am a third level paladin of the sacred order.¡±


    ¡°Your name bespeaks your dual orc and elfish heritage,¡± the witch surmised. ¡°But just like Klarenz, that is not all who you are. At least you are more open about this side of your identity than he. Nevertheless, you are still fascinating.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Ru-lah snarled and said, ¡°There was no need to magic the information out of us! You could have asked!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I had every need. People always edit their words as they speak to hide a piece of themselves. Even those who claim that they speak their mind at all times attempt to conceal a part of their precious soul through the word they choose. No one wants to be laid bare before others. Not even the ones they deeply love,¡± the witch explained, a smug expression pulling back her green face.


    Ru-lah wanted to smack her for it.


    ¡°But we said so little,¡± Trickster protested. ¡°Or, at least she did!¡±


    The witch turned slightly to face him and replied, ¡°Because she like so many paladins is stereotypically straightforward and caught up in how righteous and bland their overall quests and reasons for living are. Oh sure, she harbors a desire to find her family, but even that is as straightforward as her name. I take, Klarenz, that you had never heard her whole name until just now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer Trickster. And no, I had not,¡± he said.


    ¡°The she has been guarding a piece of herself. It does not take many words to reveal something is deep and dear to an individual. It just takes the right words spoken and a keen ears to fully understand another¡¯s soul.¡±


    Ru-lah wasn¡¯t buying any of that, but she let it go for the time being and said, ¡°So you managed to get out of a few words who we are. And it helped that you extracted that information with the little hand wave of yours. But what is your name, witch?¡±


    She put real emphasis and spite into that final word. She saw Trickster flinch a little from her venom. A shadow briefly crossed over the witch¡¯s face and she momentarily scowled. Ru-lah felt pleased for getting a rile out of her, but she supposed she would have to pay for that slight later. It wa a good thing Trickster held the key to them getting out of this situation if the need arouse.


    The witch regained a friendly composure and answered, ¡°My name, dear paladin of the third order, is Yelnir.¡±


    Ru-lah made a mental toss of the dice right as Trickster yelped.


    ¡°You¡¯re Yelnir? The enchantress of wishes and questions?¡±


    ¡°The very same,¡± Yelnir answered with an appreciatory smile towards the thief.


    The dice landed and Ru-lah also understood and realized she had heard about this particular witch before. She was famous for seeking out heroes and villains, as well as being sought out by adventurers and beggars. She would always grant small wishes and give true answers to any question, but always at a price. It was said that one could gain a lot from Yelnir, but with each question and request, the prices became steeper.


    And Yelnir always collected.


    Ru-lah was now very grateful for the precautions she had taken right after they had gone through the door. But she began to fear that maybe Yelnir would catch onto what their contingency plan was. She hoped that Trickster would keep his composure and wits about him as they treated with this witch. Pulling on all her training, Ru-lah calmed herself internally and became the dictionary image of paladin serenity.


    ¡°Now, where shall we begin,¡± Yelnir asked. ¡°It would appear that both of you know me, considering your actions and words. So please, tell me what you are on about?¡¯


    Trickster waved his hand, like a school boy eager to give an answer. Yelnir again smiled at him as he spoke.


    ¡°We¡¯ve found ourselves on a very strange adventure. First, we made characters, if I remember correctly. And then we fought our way through city streets, against a ton of gangsters, ninjas, and ruffians. Then we ended up in a bar, and there we learned about some guys I¡¯ve never heard of before, fought soldiers from the local garrison, and then ended up here. So what in all the unholy blazes of Asgeroth is going on!?¡±


    ¡°That is quite a tale, and it has a very dark revelation to it, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Yelnir said with sudden somberness. But then her lips twitched with an eager smile. ¡°For that knowledge, you will have to answer me true to my own question. Are you willing to make that trade?¡¯


    Trickster considered her for a moment and then bobbed his head with an eager. ¡°That sounds fantastic!¡±


    What is he getting at? It feels like a play, Ru-lah thought.


    Yelnir leaned in closely to Trickster and nearly whispered, ¡°You say your name is Klarenz, Son of Dead End. But that is only part of your identity. Trickster is just an alias to protect yourself. What is the other part of who you are? I can see part of it, but I do not understand it. Who are you really?¡±


    Trickster went rigid. It was as if something had suddenly uncoiled in the pit of his stomach and was spreading throughout his body. He shook a little as he began to speak.


    ¡°M-My name is¡­ My name is Trick. That is why I went with the name Trickster as I was creating my character. I am a junior in high school. Back on Earth. A very different place from here. Just outside Washington D.C., not that that means anything to you, I think¡­ But I was in Miami. I was with my friend Naomi and her loser pals from homeschool. We were caught up in grey bubble or something like that and found ourselves fighting in Smash Bros.¡±


    He paused for a moment and then nodded to himself. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. My name is Patrick Brown. My friends called me Trick because of all the pranks I used to play on others during school. I raised hell for my teachers and the faculty. I also was a torment to my parents in many ways. I thought I was just too smart. School no longer entertained me.


    ¡°So, when my mother took me to work to keep an eye on me, and I heard that there was a funky case to be solved, I decided to go and try it myself. Solving the case, I mean. I kinda dragged Naomi into it, which is how we met and got to know each other. It turned out to be kids summoning werewolves and vampires through something called a Door. But-¡±


    ¡°Trick,¡± Ru-lah snapped. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    ¡°Is it though,¡± Velnir hissed.


    Trickster shook himself and then slumped. He wheezed, ¡°Yes. Yes, that is enough. I remember now. Holy crap, I remember! It¡¯s so weird.¡±


    ¡°What is,¡± Ru-lah asked urgently. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    The witch regarded them both hungrily as the thief explained. ¡°As I was talking, I saw and felt this Patrick guy. Trick. Yes, that¡¯s right¡­ He was me, and I was him, or¡­¡±


    He bolted upwards and said, ¡°How could I have forgotten? We are truly in a D&D game!¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ru-lah said flatly.


    ¡°So did I, but it felt so real! You¡¯re Naomi! Try to recall that!¡±


    Ru-lah knew she was Naomi, but when she tried to access that part of her identity, all she came across was a remembrance that she was naomi. Very, very little else came to her.


    ¡°That is disturbing,¡± she admitted. ¡°How could I have forgotten?¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Velnir snapped. ¡°It is time for Patrick to receive his answer. Because you stopped him before he could fully tell his tale, I¡¯m afraid that my answer will also be incomplete.¡±


    She laid a hand on Trickster¡¯s. He immediately clasped it as she began speaking.


    ¡°Many worlds are combining,¡± Venir said in a cold and low voice, which did not match the eyes looking dreamily at Trickster. Ru-lah wanted to gag. ¡°It is the same here as it is in other places. Forces beyond our control are on the move and soon war will come to all. Here, the passions of gods clash and mix, forming a strange world. Heroes must rise to meet the coming darkness. Only those bonded by the purest of friendship and love will be able to turn back the great Beast before it is too late.


    ¡°And you will have a part to play in that, I foresee.¡±


    Velnir did not say anymore after that. Ru-lah snorted, ¡°Well that was very little for a lot taken from him.¡±


    ¡°It is what was fair due to the payment. The more you give, the more I can give you,¡± the witch said derisively.


    ¡°¡±Excellent. Well, I can put two and two together, so I already know who this band of friends is,¡± Ru-lah said, hefting the pendant from the bag. ¡°Tell me about the Motley Lot. I need to know where they are now and why we have this pendant that belonged to their wizard.¡±


    Velnir sneered at her and said, ¡°If the paladin already knows so much, is she sure that she needs information from me regarding the whereabouts and fate of the Motley Lot?¡±


    ¡°She is sure, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be asking.¡±


    Trickster suppressed a giggle as best he could as Vlnir pulled her hand away. The witch regarded Ru-lah coldly, not speaking for a good minute. Finally she relented.


    ¡°Ru-lah, if it is the whereabouts that you want to know, then you must tell me where your heart lies.¡±


    Ru-lah felt a strange power creeping into her body. It felt like something thick flowing through her veins and working to make her muscles move of their own accord. She felt herself beginning to speak. Luckily, this was an easy answer.


    ¡°My heart is my own. Though I really love my mother. She¡¯s kept me motivated to pursue my future and learn as much as I can. She is a single parent. My father left us when I was very young. For another woman if I remember correctly. Honestly, I don''t give him or the ordeal much thought. He''s gone now and it¡¯s just me and my mother. I love her and appreciate everything she has done, despite her working long hours for the FBI.¡±


    As she spoke, Ru-lah could more clearly envision Naomi. This was her secret heart! She felt a tear fall down her cheek. Naomi was over her father leaving. But she was always touched when she thought deeply about her mother. She didn¡¯t like betraying emotion to others, so she would never have brought this up otherwise.


    ¡°I guess it is true what they say,¡± Ru-lah continued. ¡°Home is where the heart is, and in my case, my heart is really at home.¡±


    At first Velnir looked disappointed, but then she glanced back at Trickster and was happy. Ru-lah inwardly rolled her eyes. Trick always had a knack of attracting bad girls to him. He was going to end up being used up by some skank one of these days. Maybe today would be that day, if Velnir¡¯s eyes had anything to say about the situation.


    ¡°And? What is your answer to my request, Velnir?¡±


    The witch pried her eyes away from Trickster. If she had do that many more times, Ru-lah thought the witch would find at least one of her eyes permanently glued to the thief. Velnir needlessly smoothed her dress before responding.


    ¡°The Motley Lot are broken up at moment. And they will be difficult to find even when apart. I do know where you can find most of them, and even how you can get there. They are at the beach in a place called Miami.¡±


    Trickster nearly leapt out of his seat as his face lit up. Ru-lah felt the excitement too.


    But why would this story takes us here then, when we were already in Miami to begin with?


    ¡°You must cross through a gathering a strange and fearsome beasts in order to make it to where they are at.¡±


    ¡°And how do we get there,¡± Trickster asked.


    Velnir smiled and said, ¡°I can easily grant you passage there, my fine friend. Or you can take the slower route through these woods. But given the great Beast that is coming, you¡¯ll probably want the faster route. But that will again cost something from you.¡±


    ¡°And what do we have to give this time? A cherished childhood memory,¡± Ru-lah asked, exasperated.


    ¡°No. This time I require deed on my behalf. If I will be giving you a shortcut to where you wish to go, then I¡¯ll need something of equal value,¡± Velnir answered.


    ¡°And what might that be,¡± Trickster ventured.


    ¡°I need you to clear away some pests within this forest,¡± Velnir said silkily. ¡°You will find them to the north of here. Little blue creatures given to song and desperate to carve a way through woods like ants.¡±


    Something about that sounded vaguely familiar to Ru-lah, so she asked a qualifying question, ¡°Can you describe these little blue creatures further?¡±


    Velnir almost shuddered as she said, ¡°They are horrid small things. They war naught but white trousers and hats. They are for the most part bald. They might not seem like much, but they have uncanny luck, magic, and a fortitude that makes most trolls seem soft and squishy.¡±


    Ru-lah hurried over to Trickster and whispered, ¡°I think she¡¯s talking about Smurfs!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure,¡± Trickster asked, bewildered. ¡°Aren¡¯t they supposed to be myths?¡±


    The paladin slugged him in the shoulder and hissed, ¡°No! I think like the kind of Smurfs from where Trick and Naomi come from! Only, this time, real!¡±


    Trickster nodded slowly and then spoke up to Velnir who was watching them closely. ¡°Miss Velnir-¡±


    ¡°Just Velnir will do¡± she purred at him.


    ¡°Velnir,¡± he repeated. ¡°Does the subject of magical doors ring any bells to you? And I don¡¯t mean like a regular door with magical properties. I mean like a gateway that connects worlds. A Door?¡±


    ¡°What do you know about Doors,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°Only that we¡¯ve encountered them three times already,¡± Trickster answered. ¡°And if these little blue guys are Smurfs, then it sounds like we are dealing with our fourth again.¡±


    Velnir stared hungrily at him and said, ¡°Complete this task for me, and not only will I grant you passage to the gathering of creatures, but we will discuss deeply the matter and lore of Doors.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ru-lah suddenly said.


    ¡°What,¡± the witch and thief asked together.


    The paladin stood her ground as she said again, ¡°No! We will not. It is fine to trade information, but to go and kill helpless Smurfs. Sorry, but that goes against my orientation as a character!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine either way,¡± Trickster said. ¡°But it sounds like we might want to hurry.¡±


    ¡°And killing innocent creatures will save us time? I don''t think so. Come on Trick, let¡¯s go!¡±


    The witch¡¯s front door slammed shut and the lights all burned so low that nearly became dark. Ru-lah smiled to herself.

 Chapter 8 - Another Boss Fight

    ¡°And just who do you think you are, Ru-lah Norkvak Halenstol Sareenotch of the Iron Ward Monastery? I am the Witch od Deals and Fulfillment. None deny me! And not only have you refused me, but you have been blatantly rude and dismissive! Kings have kneeled before me!¡±


    ¡°I am exactly who you said I am,¡± Ru-lah said coldly, turning in the semi-darkness to face the witch. Her violet eyes pierced the gloom. ¡°And I know that when someone has to demand reverence and respect, they do not deserve it.¡±


    The witch howled.


    Trickster came up to her and asked, ¡°Can I see something?¡±


    Rulah covered her smile as she handed Trickster her large sword. The witch¡¯s violet eyes narrowed, as she saw the exchange.


    ¡°And what little scheme have you two concocted?¡±


    ¡°I never trust a witch until she has proven herself,¡± Ru-lah said. ¡°SO we took some precautions.¡±


    ¡°In vain,¡± Velnir screeched.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame. She was really cute, too,¡± Trickster sighed.


    Ru-lah hit him again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to use my arm anymore if you keep doing that,¡± he protested.


    ¡°Then stop being an idiot,¡± Ru-lah snapped.


    ¡°You were both fools to think you can defeat me! Under my hand, armies and cities have fallen!¡± The witch started undulating and grew in size. Her shape changed and her voice became lower. ¡°And by my own hand, many stronger and worthier than you have died!¡±


    Ru-lah shouted, ¡°Trick, now!¡±


    Trickster used his cloak and became one with the wind. Carrying Ru-lah¡¯s magical sword, he passed right into Velnir. The witch screeched and backhanded the paladin, sending her flying into the mushroom wall. It was a lot more solid than she would have guessed. And it hurt!


    Violet light wreathed Velnir, illuminating a creature with four long arms and dangerous claws. She had lost her beautiful looks and had become monster more akin to a serpent with many horns crowning her head than anything else.


    Fire appeared in Velnir¡¯s four clawed hands and she threw the flaming balls right at Ru-lah. Sensing that she would not survive getting hit by those projectiles. Ru-lah cast herself to the side with a mighty push. Her hair was singed as the wall caught fire with four big explosions. The room was illuminated for a moment by the explosions, and the paladin saw a giant tail whipping right for her.


    There was no way to dodge. She took the hit and was bowled right back into the wall.


    Tables, chairs, experiments, and glass all shattered as Velnir moved. A great claw thrust forward to take Ru-lah. A voice in the back of her mind told her that is she was caught now, she would die. He own hand plunged into a pocket for the dice. Her fingers closed around one and she threw it right at the claw. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Velnir¡¯s fingers stopped mere inches from Ru-lah¡¯s face. She could feel that something was prompting her to make a decision of how she would escape this attack. Right as she was formulating a way to jump and roll along the witch¡¯s arm to deliver a punch to the face, a voice reverberated around the room.


    ¡°Clever, but I have some dice as well,¡± Velnir hissed.


    There was the sound of die clattering to the floor. The silence.


    ¡°Wonderful. I rolled higher than you. You die now!¡±


    This was accompanied by a grizzly crunching sound. Ru-lah instinctively clutched herself. But she was unharmed. Velnir suddenly cried out in pain. The witch pulled back, writhing and jerking about.


    The paladin whooped with joy and relief as she not only survived narrowly, but saw her friend cleave his way out of Velnir¡¯s body with her own sword.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Trickster coughed, as Velnir crashed to the side. ¡°I couldn;t use the sword while I was transitioning. Really weird. And when I was inside of her, it was hard to move around. Wow¡­ That sounded very sexual¡­¡±


    ¡°Get your mind out of the gutter and toss me my sword,¡± Ru-lah snapped.


    Trickster flung the sword in her direction spraying blood and gore all across the floor. It splashed up her arm as well when she caught it.


    ¡°What¡­ What made you do that to me, Patrick? I thought¡­ I thought we had a connection,¡± Velnir wheezed, shrinking back to her former form, a large hole in her stomach.


    ¡°Ru-lah was right,¡± the thief responded sadly. ¡°She was worried we wouldn¡¯t be able to trust you, and that this part of the quest would require us to do something bad. She decided that if it came to that, I would use both the cloak and sword to deliver a quick killing blow so that we wouldn''t be caught in a long, drawn out fight with a powerful opponent.¡±


    ¡°Very¡­ clever,¡± Velnir agreed. ¡°But this¡­ is not enough to kill me¡­¡±


    She held out her hand and a small object flew right into her palm. Ru-lah shouted for Trickster to stop her. He reacted immediately and took hold of Velnir. They both vanished with a flash of bright light.


    Ru¡¯ah stood where she was in shock. The finally the scream came out. She started searching frantically for something, anything to help her. The room smelled of blood and fire. Luckily, the mushroom walls were wet enough to not entirely catch fire, and were only scorched. After shifting through the debris of the ruined house, Ru-lah took out another die.


    If ever there was a time to use another, it was now.


    ¡°I need to find Trickster,¡± she said, as she tossed it.


    A natural 20.


    Ru-lah went tp pick up the die, but it faded away into dust. So that was what happened to them. And now she down one powerful tool. She only had one left. But she felt this would be worth it.


    She remembered the trajectory of the mystery item that had flown into Velnir¡¯s hand. She went back in that direction and searched through the stuff she found there. There was another cell phone there, a Nokia to be exact. She pocketed it. She found more detailed D&D character sheets. Loads of gold and gems. A special poison dagger that could kill even high ranking beings with a resistance to poisons. Finally she came across what she wanted.


    It was a portfolio about objects that would allow someone to teleport to specific locations. She found the others that had been in a small box. They would all take Ru-lah to different hideouts and labs. But the one that was missing was the only one that could have taken her to where the witch and Trickster disappeared to, a mountain fortress hundreds of miles away.


    Ru-lah slumped down and shed a few tears. She hated herself for telling her friend and try to stop the witch. If only she had known it was not a buffing item that Velnir had used, but this stupid teleporting device! She was about to go and out of spite start wrecking the witch¡¯s other hideouts, but decided she still needed everything she could get her hand on to help her out.


    She raided the rest of the mushroom house. She found three other massive bags of holding and filled them with items. Bombs, potions, spell books, cursed weapons and items, papers on specific spells and plots, letters to various dignitaries and other people of note, and she found even more riches to steal. She would use everything Velnir had left behind to ruin her!


    Right as she was done and about ready to decide which hideout to strike first, there was a flash of light. Trickster reappeared. Ru-lah gasped and ran right for him, pulling him into a crushing hug.


    ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch! Pleas let go of me,¡± he protested weakly.


    ¡°Sorry! I just thought- I wasn¡¯t sure,¡± she said began saying, pulling back from him. Ru-lah then stopped short and gave her friend a close look.


    Trickster¡¯s low lip was bleeding. He had been bitten. There were scratches on his face and neck. He was very disheveled.


    Ru-lah was about to speak when Trickster cut her off, ¡°I had to get back. And we needed a way out of this. She healed herself, and I¡­ paid the price.¡±


    He held up a small glass talisman and continued, ¡°With this we will be able to make it out of the woods and get to this congregation of beasts. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    They walked out into the night. Ru-lah was stunned into silence. Trickster seemed to know where to go, or maybe he was getting pulled along by the item. In any case, she followed him. The forest parted for him and a new path opened up.


    After a while, Trickster finally spoke up, ¡°I thought I was the thief here, but you cleared that place out.¡±


    Grateful that they were talking again, Ru-lah said eagerly, ¡°Yeah, I wanted to get revenge on her. I was going to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking.¡±


    ¡°Trick, if you need to talk about what happened-¡±


    Trickster gave her a hug and started sobbing. She herself started crying again, and returned the hug. Together, they held one another and cried. What a dark turn this game had taken.

 Chapter 9 - Lifeline

    Trickster was feeling much better. He had taken a health potion to take care of his wounds. That did not help much with what had happened inside¡­ But he had needed that private moment with Ru-lah. She was a good friend. She had not probed. And they both needed that cry.


    And well, what was done was done. He wished he could have avoided that last encounter with Velnir, but at last they were on the right track. And while he made love to her as part of their agreement, she had been very open. He figured that she was a talker when doing that sort of thing.


    The witch had opened up about how the Motley Lot were not just some of the biggest heroes on the continent, but they were the biggest heroes. However, they had suddenly dropped off the face of the earth. She had kept a close eye on them and had to hunt them down to keep tabs on them. For her own protection.


    Akerbaza was the first to resurface, and he was seen a the dreaded and forbidden Isle of Bardook. A place one went to when they wanted to make a deal with the dreaded gods of the Banished Dimension. Such things were forbidden throughout all the world, and the island was heavily guarded How he had gotten there, Velnir did not know.


    But from there, Velnir said she followed the heartlines, the physical manifestations of relationships, back to other members. That is how she found them at the Miami beach. From everything that Trickster had gathered from Trick, Ru-lah, Velnir, and what they had stolen from the witch, they were looking for D&D players. He had shared all of this with Ru-lah as they took an inventory, and she agreed with him that he was likely right.


    ¡°Look,¡± the paladin said, handing Trickster one of the sheets. ¡°It¡¯s un updated version of our own. I checked.¡±


    Trickster took the heavy parchment. It was a long scroll, and had a perfect ink sketch of him, right down to the minutest detail. All of his stats were on display as well, all updated. There was a very long inventory list in spidery handwriting. It was kind of cramped, but still legible.


    ¡°Finally, someone got the nose right,¡± Trickster said.


    Ru-lah snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself. You¡¯re no Eugene.¡±


    Trickster smiled at the fact that she caught onto the reference. ¡°That would be Flynn Rider, thank you very much! And I¡¯ll have you know my good lady that I have a very dignified nose that deserves to be drawn properly! And proportionally, too.¡±


    The half orc, half elf maiden gave him a very warm smile. He could see it in her eyes. She was glad that he was acting more like his normal self than he had right after being with Velnir. Well, it wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t sex before! It was just a very, very different experience doing it with that witch.


    He had put a massive hole in her stomach after all, so she had not been gentle with him.


    ¡°As for my picture, this is going up in my room,¡± Ru-lah declared.


    ¡°Are paladins allowed to have such trivial things?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that thieves were privy to know what paladins are and are not allowed to possess,¡± she countered.


    Trickster cocked an eyebrow and gestured to himself. ¡°Master thief? I¡¯m pretty certain I¡¯ve nicked a thing or two from some prestigious paladins.¡±


    ¡°Not a wise thing to admit to in the presence of another paladin,¡± Ru-lah laughed. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I see that we are now level four,¡± Trickster said, looking back down at his lengthy character sheet. ¡°I like the sound of that, but how did we get there?¡±


    Ticking the answers on her fingers, Ru-lah replied, ¡°We started off already as level ones, though we really should have gotten a boost from the Super Smash side quest. However, that probably doesn¡¯t count since that happened before we became who we are now. Then there was the fight through the streets. There was the rumble in the tavern, and then finally the fight with Velnir. All big and highly improbable challenges. Those would be enough to take up from level one to four.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the highest level,¡± Trickster asked.


    ¡°20. I mean, you could go beyond that really, but most players cap themselves there, because then your character just becomes too OP for the game to be much fun after that. See there? Your abilities continue to increase as your level improves. This means that everything from mundane stat checks to the more complicated stuff becomes progressively easier.¡±


    Trickster nodded. ¡°Do you think that part of this quest is for us to get all the way to level 20?¡±


    ¡°Could be,¡± Ru-lah shrugged. ¡°But I sincerely hope not! It requires a ton of time and effort to get to that point! And by the sound of things from that bitch, we don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°I agree, which is why I think that we need to try something out right here,¡± Trickster said, plunging his hand into one of the sacks of holding. Withdrawing the Nokia, he said, ¡°We need to try this out. Look, I know that our, or I mean Trick and Naomi;s phones don;t work, but Velnir would not have this unless there was a possibility. We need to connect with the outside world if we can and figure out what is going on!¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Ru-lah agreed. ¡°We need to find out if the phenomena that is affecting us has also spread throughout the city. If so, we need to be informed of what others are doing to solve the situation, and also let them know everything that we have found out.¡±


    ¡°And you think I never use my noggin,¡± Trickster teased.


    ¡°You just never use for anything that doesn¡¯t cause mischief,¡± the paladin huffed.


    Trickster laughed to cover his nerves as he began dialing his mother¡¯s number. Even if the Q Files were closed, she would know who to talk to about anything weird going on in Miami. Plus, he trusted his mother with this kind of information and situation. She had proven herself a badass on three different occasions with the supernatural so far and had kept her cool.


    He was very proud and fond of his mother after everything he had seen since learning about the Q Files.


    Trickster held his breath as he pressed the SEND button. As if against all hope, it rang loud and clear. The call was going through!


    Both Ru-lah and Trickster looked at each and fresh tears stung their eyes. He held the phone shakily as his mother¡¯s voice came over the receiver.


    ¡°Hello? Who is calling this? This better not be a prank!¡±


    Trickster nearly dropped the phone, before he shouted into it, ¡°Mom! It¡¯s me, Trickster, er I mean, Trick! Patrick!¡±


    ¡°Patrick?¡± His mother sounded confused. ¡°Is everything all right?¡±


    It was so weird. Just like when Velnir had questioned him, there was a clash of identities. Something was warring in him. It wasn¡¯t like there was a true him that was struggling to get out, but more like two true hims were wondering how they should work together to answer the question.


    ¡°Um, mom, have you heard anything about what is going on in Miami?¡±


    ¡°Why,¡± Susan Brown asked sharply. ¡°Did something just happen?¡±


    Trickster breathed a sigh of relief and then said, ¡°Well, there is both good news and bad news. The bad news is that Naomi and I got sucked into another game situation like back in Provo. We think another Door or something like that has opened up. But the good news is then that it isn¡¯t as extensive as we feared.¡±


    Even saying that made the situation feel worse. He laughed nervously. His mom did not laugh and launched right into interrogating him.


    Honestly, it just felt wonderful to be able to hear her voice and speak with her. Trickster eagerly told his mother, as she went full FBI agent on him, about everything that had happened. He explained the strange, grey ripple, being pulled into a death game, creating a character, and now playing everything out from there!


    Thankfully, Nokias are hardy phones whose batteries just keep cranking out juice, and so Trickster was able to relay everything he needed to. Susan told her son that she had heard nothing about any strange events in Miami. She had just checked credible news sources, and there was nothing to report. She assured her son that she would come to Miami soon with backup to help them out.


    He explained that they were trying to find an old Dungeons and Dragons group called the Motley Lot and find out how they were all connected to the events that were transpiring. He relayed the address where he and Ru-lah had been staying with Naomi¡¯s friends (it was still difficult to know exactly how to refer to whom) and they agreed to meet back up there as soon as possible.


    Ru-lah said that she wished to talk with her mother. After a drawn out goodbye, Trickster hung up and reluctantly handed the Nokia over. As his paladin friend made her call, Trickster went about packing up their things so they could continue through the forest.


    Talking with his mother was a like a healing spell. He felt lighter and better than he had before. It was almost as if what he was going through wasn¡¯t exactly real. That didn¡¯t make much sense, but it comforted him. And it enforced the notion that he and Ru-lah needed to press forward and bring about an end to whatever was going on.


    He glanced the at the strange, glass talisman Velnir had given him before she sent him back. He no longer shivered looking at it. He wrapped his fingers around it and swore that he would soon see his mother again and end whatever this was that was happening to him and Ru-lah.

 Chapter 10 - Congregation of Beasts

    ¡°Well, that is unexpected,¡± Ru-lah flatly.


    Both she and Trickster were staring at a slightly rusted and faded, metal door marked EXIT. It stood by itself, without any walls to hold it up. Ru-lah said it reminded her of the funky, magical door at the end of the book Prince Caspian. Trickster took her word for it and checked it and found that it was locked. He quickly set about working it open.


    ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t make that annoying buzzing sound when I open it.¡±


    The paladin huffed, ¡°I honestly think that is the least of our concerns. Let us hope that this takes us to wherever or whatever this congregation of beats is supposed to be. And if we get there, let¡¯s hope that we don¡¯t have to fight our way out of it. That could be messy and bad for us if there are too many of them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a worry wart,¡± Trickster said as he got the door unlocked. ¡°Yes! Gotcha! I could do this even without my high stats. After you, m¡¯ paladin lady.¡±


    He bowed as he opened the door for Ru-lah. She gave him a smile as she walked in. Her mood had brightened considerably after getting a chance to talk with her mother. And after hearing what Velnir had pried out of her, it all made more sense to Trickster. But what did make sense to Trickster is what they saw on the other side of the door.


    The first thing to assault their senses was the smell. It wasn¡¯t a barnyard stench. That would have been welcomed! No, this was nauseous reek of sweat. Stifled, adolescent and poor body image sweat.


    Following on those stinky heels was the sight. What Rulah and Trickster stood gapping at, was a convention of Furries. Furries were parading around everywhere. Tons of wolves, bears, horses, a number of unicorns, zebras, otters, puppies, cats, and even more. But where they would have been in costume, the costumes were now the people.


    Bright and overstuffed cosplay suits had taken on a life of their own. It was not a Five Nights at Freddy¡¯s vibe of cartoonish creatures, bt a strange blend of the realistic with a dash of 90¡¯s cheese. In a word, it was all wrong.


    ¡°Okay¡­ We found the congregation of beasts. But where do we go from here,¡± Trickster asked.


    ¡°I think we need to find a way out of here,¡± Ru-lah answered carefully. ¡°Look! Those are electrical lights. And this looks like your usual cliche hotel where these kinds of conventions could happen. And the air is really humid.¡±


    ¡°That helps account for the stench,¡± Trickster deadpanned.


    ¡°Indubedebly,¡± his friend agreed. ¡°So it would stand to reason that once we break out of here, we should be back in Miami proper. And then Akerbaza is supposed to be near water, and the rest of the gang, right? We need to beeline it for the beach!¡±


    ¡°This is just getting so weird. This isn¡¯t even D&D anymore!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s thing. D&D can become whatever you want it to be. So many role playing games are based in the fundamentals that makes Dungeons and Dragons what it is,¡± Ru-lah said. ¡°It can be tweaked to accommodate adventures in space, battles on the high seas, post apocalyptic landscapes, and so furry conventions could only be plausible.¡±


    Trickster grimaced and said, ¡°And now it is reality. Well, let¡¯s get out of here as fat as we can. People are already giving us odd looks.¡±


    Indeed, animals all over were giving them weird looks. Some of them were muttering about humans being present, and how they didn¡¯t belong. Some were also a little too interested in the strange forest behind them. As they walked through the doorway and closed the exit behind them, the talisman in Trickster¡¯s hand crumbled into white ash.


    Noses wrinkled all over and animals started parting ways. A few complained that security should come and throw out the intruders. Some asked if that was even plausible given current circumstances. Others just complained that it was a strong smell. It was the second group that caught the friends¡¯ attention.


    They tried to chase down some animals to ask them some questions about what was going on, but whenever they got close, the Furries would yelp and scamper off. Mining information was going to be difficult. Trickster and Ru-lah just gave up and started looking for another exit or at least the entrance. Oddly enough, they didn''t find anything. And when they retraced their steps back to the exit door, it wasn''t there anymore.


    Standing later on a balcony overseeing a large ballroom crowded with dancing and mingling Furries, Trickster complained, ¡°This is another puzzle! This sucks! Why did we have to come here to find the Motley Lot!?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Ru-lah mused. ¡°Why would we have to come here? We need to get somebody to talk to us.¡±


    ¡°But everyone just runs off because we are not animals!¡±


    ¡°Nice for once to not be seen as one,¡± Ru-lah commented dryly.


    Trickster shook his head. He was not going to comment. He wondered if he should use his last die, but decided against it. He just needed to watch the crowd. Ru-lah took a seat and relaxed as he continued to scan the crowd. He needed to find someone who was acting out character for this strange convention.


    He finally caught something that looked promising. There was a small band that appeared to be having a animated debate, with one of them trying to escape through a large set of double doors. It was a salamander accompanied by a nervous looking giraffe, a neon colored red panda, and neon leopard. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Furries, he grumbled to himself.


    ¡°Hang on a second, I think I might have found some people who can help us out,¡± He said to Ru-lah. ¡°I¡¯ll be back quick!¡±


    Before she could respond, Trickster sped off down the stairs to head them off. He used his cloak to get down there even faster and pass through the crowd of strange animals. A lot of them got really worried as he passed by, but they seemed too shocked to know what to do.


    Soon, Trickster pulled up in front of the group and became corporeal again.


    ¡°Hi guys! Can I talk to you for a second?¡±


    The leopard reached out and took his hands and shook him fiercely. ¡°Another human! At last! I can''t tell you how happy I am to know that there is salvation to our situation! When did you turn back?¡±


    ¡°Turn back? I haven¡¯t,¡± Trickster began to say.


    ¡°Neon Leopard, I don¡¯t think this guy was a furry before,¡± the red panda said.


    ¡°He looks more like a guy from ComiCon,¡± the giraffe said.


    ¡°My name is Neon Leo-, arg! Vin-Vince,¡± the leopard, named Vince, finally managed to say. ¡°Damn, I hate this! This place has completely screwed up our identities!¡±


    ¡°Slapper Mander, where are you going,¡± the panda called out.


    ¡°You guys can chat with the human,¡± The salamander said. ¡°I need to get out of here that Wenchful Wolf catches up with me!¡±


    Wenchful Wolf, Trickster thought wildly. What is up with furries!?


    ¡°Wait guys, please hang on a second,¡± Trickster said quickly. ¡°Please, what is going on here?¡±


    ¡°Well, things got really crazy when out suits became our bodies,¡± the giraffe began saying. ¡°We came here to check this place out, and then there was this strange ripple thing, like whooohooo!¡±


    The giraffe began shimmying and waving his neck about like a rubber band.


    ¡°Jed! Never do that again,¡± the panda said seriously.


    ¡°How come you can say his name right, but you struggle with mine, and N-N-N-Nate¡¯s,¡± the leopard complained.


    ¡°Because Neon Leopard, you can¡¯t forget Jed¡¯s name!¡±


    Shivers ran up and down Trickster¡¯s spine, but he suppressed it as the red panda yanked Slapper Mander back with a yank of his tail.


    ¡°Youch! I need to get out of here! I can see her coming,¡± he protested.


    ¡°Fine, we can talk and walk,¡± Trickster said, giving a passing group of chuckling heinas a wary look.


    As the group began walking, he began again, ¡°So let me get this straight. You guys came willing to a furry convention-¡±


    ¡°I was just joking when I said we should go,¡± Neon Leopard, actually Vince, said shakily. ¡°I didn¡¯t ever imagine that we would go through with it.


    ¡°-and you then experienced a strange shimmer that turned everyone here into this. Was it grey?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the other four said together.


    ¡°And it made everyone start going really strange. Some people started acting way more like animals. And I mean in all kinds of ways,¡± Slapper Mander, actually Nate, quickly said, glancing behind them.


    ¡°The same thing happened to me and my friend, but we got stuck in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.¡±


    ¡°You are into D&D,¡± the giraffe said, brightening up. ¡°Would you like to play sometime?¡±


    ¡°Neon Neck, arg! I mean, Jed,¡± Vince stammered. ¡°I think now is not the time for that!¡±


    ¡°Why the mix up with the names,¡± Trickster asked.


    ¡°We chose these as our furry names,¡± the red panda said. ¡°I¡¯m Neon Panda by the way.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure,¡± Trickster said, gingerly shaking her hand.


    ¡°Oh Slapper Mander,¡± a high pitch voice sang out.


    Nate visibly paled. ¡°Oh no guys. Pumpkin patch! Pumpkin patch. PUMPKIN PATCH!¡±


    ¡°Pumpkin patch,¡± Trickster asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s his safe word,¡± Neon Panda said, shrugging.


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible safe word,¡± Trickster said as a busty, sandy wolf jumped right into the middle of the group.


    ¡°Hello Slapper Mander,¡± she said in a suddenly husky voice. ¡°Come, they¡¯re playing the call of the wild back on the dance floor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on your own, buddy,¡± Neon Panda said.


    The wolf snatched up Slapper mander¡¯s tail and started dragging him off. He clawed at the ground helplessly as he was pulled away, shrieking, ¡°Pumpkin patch, guys! Pumpkin patch!¡±


    ¡°He was a good salamander,¡± Trickster said, lowering his hood. ¡°With a very unfortunate name.¡±


    Other animals started howling, hooting, roaring, and making a general ruckus as the unhappy amphibian was carted away. Trickster began to feel a little more uneasy than before being around all of these furries, one of whom was about to cross the species divide in all kinds of wrong ways.


    ¡°Maybe we should go and help him out,¡± Jed suggested.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Neon Panda said. ¡°He¡¯ll figure things out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m morbidly curious to see how this goes,¡± Vince said, transfixed on hi screaming friend.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not and say we did,¡± Trickster replied, but the other three were already moving. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t listen to the human.¡±


    ¡°Look buddy, we would also love to figure out what on earth is going on here,¡± Neon Panda said. ¡°But all we know is that one moment we were sweating to death in these costumes, and then it was like some kind of wave hit us, and we became these creatures! And it feels like we¡¯ve always been them! And everyone is stuck in here. We can¡¯t find a way out.¡±


    ¡°We even tried holding a hand against one wall and following it to the exit,¡± Jed said. ¡°But we came back to the spot we had been just after three turns! There¡¯s no sense to this maze!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because no one has any time for your logic, Jed,¡± Neon Panda snapped.


    ¡°Pumpkin Paaaaatch!¡±


    ¡°Darn, Ru-lah and I were thinking of possibly trying that, but we figured it was best to first get some answers from the people who had been here longer,¡± Trickster griped.


    ¡°How come you¡¯re not an anthropomorphic animal like the rest of us,¡± Vince asked.


    Trickster shrugged and replied, ¡°Well, my friend and I were playing Super Smash Brothers when the same wave that hit you guys hit us. We then had to play her roommates to the death within the game to win our freedom.¡±


    ¡°That sounds so cool,¡± Red Panda gushed. ¡°I would have been Captain Falcon and Falcawn Pawnched Jed in his stupid Jed face!¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± the giraffe protested.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s true Jed. You¡¯re the wooooorst!¡±


    This got Vince laughing. Trickster managed a chuckle. How could they be so calm with everything that was going on? And with their friend getting dragged off to be violated?


    ¡°Puuumpkiiiiin Paaaaaaatch!¡±


    He then said flatly, ¡°I can tell you, it wasn''t really that fun. But since you brought it up, ever since this whole episode started, I¡¯ve felt like I;ve been multiple people in one body.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s called going insane,¡± Neon Panda quipped.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get that. But, I¡¯m not really Trickster, the guy you see before you! But I feel like I have always been him! And when I was in the Smash Bros game, it felt like I was MetaKnight.¡±


    ¡°You played as that plep! We could never be good friends,¡± Red Panda huffed.


    ¡°That¡¯s just because she sucks at fighting off MetaKnight and Kirby,¡± Jed laughed.


    ¡°Quiet you!¡± Red Panda suddenly looked very angry.


    As they re-entered the ballroom, Trickster averted his eyes from the center of the dance floor. He had already had enough of that will Velnir to not want any part of this. As he looked elsewhere, he saw that Ru-lah was having an animated conversation with two interesting figures. Both wore robes and had hoods up to cover themselves. One had big furry ears that poke through the hood, while the other had large spikes and spines that protruded menacingly all down the back.


    At first Trickster was worried, but he then saw that the paladin was speaking happily with the two figures. He excused himself from the sad group and made his way back up the stairs. Once he was at the top, Ru-lah waved him over.


    ¡°Trickster! These two just ran into me, and I think they can help us. Let me introduce them. This is World Eater and Starsinger.¡±

 Chapter 11 - Tea and Cakes

    Starsinger was a well endowed anthropomorphic wolf with sable fur punctuated with glistening white and silver on her fur. She looked like the night sky come to life. She had long, red hair that fell down her shoulders like mane, which complemented her blue eyes but clashed horribly with the rest of her ensemble. She wore forest green robes and a hood. Trickster admitted to himself that she looked really cute with her ears sticking through the fabric.


    World Eater was dragon with black scales, ivory white spines and horns, and veins of gold flowing all out over his body. He appraised Trickster with piercing red eyes. Trickster also noticed a very nice, golden sword belted at World Eater¡¯s side.


    At least these guys don¡¯t have horrible sounding names, he thought to himself.


    The two robed and hooded beasts took him and Ru-lah to another balcony overseeing a another ballroom. Thankfully, this was less populated and had less debauchery happening on the dance floor. World Eater ordered cakes and tea for them to enjoy. Soon, a small assortment of different cake flavors and peppermint tea in too cute cups was before them. It had been brought by a parade of penguins and bunnies snappily dressed for serving.


    ¡°Furries,¡± Trickster grumbled under his breath.


    ¡°I hear you, there,¡± the dragon World Eater said. ¡°We would not be here if there was not something profoundly wrong going on in Miami. Though, it can¡¯t be said that we are even really here.¡±


    Trickster caught the insane smile the briefly lit his face and flashed in his red eyes. That comment has some much needed meaning and context that he and his friend needed.


    Before he could ask anything, Ru-lah beat him to the punch. ¡°What exactly do you mean by not being all here? What exactly is going on with this place?¡±


    ¡°You told us that you started experiencing strange things once a strange ripple crossed your path,¡± Starsinger said. ¡°The world turned grey for the briefest moment, and then everything changed to something it wasn¡¯t. Getting caught in a video game for instance.¡±


    The wolf sipped he tear tea demurely as World Eater snapped up a piece of lemon cake with his long tongue. The action halfway reminded Trickster of a frog, though he felt a dragon would not appreciate the comparison.


    ¡°What was that ripple anyway,¡± Trickster asked. ¡°My friend and I have found ourselves in less than a year mixed up with these things called Doors. They always open a way to another world. We were told that some kind of war is going on, but frankly none of it makes any sense to us! Are you both from another world?¡±


    The two animals shared a glance between one another.


    ¡°You ask for some very personal information,¡± Starsinger finally said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you want something from us in return,¡± Ru-lah growled. ¡°We¡¯ve already had enough of that with a witch in our travels.¡±


    World Eater leaned in and spoke softly, ¡°It¡¯s not that we require something from you, but you have to know that if we reveal ourselves to you, it will bring you further into this war. Yes, there is a war going on. Are you sure that you really want that?¡±


    ¡°This is our fourth encounter with things like this,¡± Trickster reminded him. ¡°I think we¡¯re getting pulled into whatever this conflict is, whether we like or not.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± World Eater said, nodding slowly. He quickly took a sip of his own tea before continuing. ¡°But first, please tell us how you came to hear about our war, and the Doors? What have others been trying?¡±


    Trickster and Ru-lah both began explaining the mysteries that the Q Files had investigated. They spoke about finding the werewolves and vampires summoned through a Door. They explained the string of crazy events in provo, and finally the nightmares they had facing the Mother Jed in Memmelsruhe. Ru-lah also added in how these events aways disappeared and seemed to be covered up. Trickster finished with how the Q Files had been closed.


    The entire time World Eater appeared to get progressively angrier with each detail.


    Finally, he spat, ¡°The Abominations are further along with their plans than we had anticipated! I thought that this incident felt very familiar to the war we fought on Makavar. But George was stopped¡­ And yet I can still smell his touch even now.¡±


    ¡°I think you are getting ahead of yourself, Flame of my Heart,¡± Starsinger said cautiously. ¡°That may or may not be the case just yet. Right now it is clear that the Abominations have made more attempts at breaking the barriers than before. At the very least, their actions have inspired others to do so.¡±


    ¡°They are using refugees and scared souls to do their dirty work. No one world possesses the ability to punch through to Reality,¡± the dragon snarled. ¡°The Guardians must have known, but they have told us nothing!¡±


    ¡°Most still hate you for what happened back at the Towers,¡± Starsinger said quietly.


    World Eater snorted loudly and glared up at the ceiling.


    Trickster could feel that these two had an extensive history. The way they spoke and handled themselves spoke volumes. Sadly, those times were in a language he could not read. He needed to pry out more to get what he wanted.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he began. ¡°I can tell that you two have a lot on your plate and all. May I ask what exactly drew you both here? And what is your relationship, really? Did you also get stuck as furries?¡±


    Ru-lah gave him a scathing look as World Eater replied, ¡°That¡¯s complicated.¡±


    ¡°It is an overly long and fascinating tale,¡± Starsinger said at the same time, and then added, ¡°And it¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    Trickster held up his hands and said, ¡°Alright, I know when I¡¯ve asked too much! Sorry.¡±


    Ru-lah slugged his shoulder anyway.


    World Eater suddenly chuckled and said, ¡°It is understandable why you would ask such things. To satisfy some of your curiosity at the moment, we are both travelers in the Realms of Imagination. This is a collective universe of everyone¡¯s, you guessed it, imaginations. Almost infinite worlds reside there, and at the moment, they are all being drawn into a war between rival factions.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°The most important at the moment are the Abominations. And pray you never meet one,¡± he added in a growl.


    Starsinger stepped in and added, ¡°We came here through the rift that was caused by whatever is being used to momentarily merge Reality and Imagination. We sensed that something was very wrong with the Realms¡­ We¡¯ve experienced this before. And the results were almost devastating.¡±


    ¡°What exactly caused this rift? Why do you say ¡®momentarily¡¯,¡± Ru-lah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what caused the rift,¡± World Eater admitted. He then snatched up another cake with his tongue and spoke around his food. ¡°But it feels similar to a time when a kid created a D&D style world that was used to forge connections between other worlds in the Realms. We didn¡¯t learn until later that it was a kind of travel hub experiment of the Abomination. Using a dead boy¡¯s creations to invade a girl¡¯s mind and take over her body.¡±


    Ru-lah gasped and Trickster felt his stomach swoop uncomfortably at the thought. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but as the couple before him talked, he felt reassured of their every word. It was as whatever truths they were speaking were sinking into the very marrow of bones. And even deeper into his soul.


    ¡°We defeated the Abominations that oversaw that world,¡± Starsinger said. ¡°It was a brutal and close contest. And eventually our champions were able to restore order to the world.¡±


    ¡°But it still feels like Makavar,¡± World Eater said tersely. ¡°I just wish I understood why. Something is blocking my Sight.¡±


    Ru-lah gasped again and then said hurriedly, ¡°Trickster! Remember? Akerbaza went to an island where he could commune with gods of different plane, and it was associated with death! He must have connected with this world from a dead boy and these Abominations!¡±


    She quickly explained everything to the dragon and wolf that they had learned from Velnir and how they thought it was relevant to their quest.World Eater reached over and gently rested a claw on both Ru-lah and Trickster¡¯s foreheads. They jumped slightly from a shock. The dragon soon pulled back and grumbled a little.


    ¡°Well, this is very interesting. We are caught up in a Story my dear. And this is one that we if we try to break, we might bring ruin down on everyone.¡± He then gave the friends a fierce smile. ¡°But that doesn''t mean we cannot influence it directly.¡±


    He then leaned back in his chair, which groaned and splintered under his weight and spikes. ¡°Alright, Trick and Naomi, let¡¯s start getting things set straight in your own minds and then we can get started.¡±


    Trickster recoiled as memories, scents, sensations, and thoughts exploded from him and flooded into him simultaneously. It was insane. He saw Trickster¡¯s life fly past and through him, from surviving on the streets as a kid, to joining a gang as a teen, and becoming a thief who rattled the cages as an adult. Then there was MetaKnight. It was kind of sad to see how often he defeated by that little pink ball Kirby.


    Then there was Trick. He saw himself as a kid and pouring over books and weird stuff on the internet experimenting with toys, gadgets, and chemicals, getting into wayy too much trouble as a kid. And he embarrassedly remembered all of the dumb stunts he led until right before his first adventure with the Q Files. He then re-lived each crazy adventure and mystery up until this one.


    Each life was complete and its own. Yet each was a part of him. Oddly, the question wasn¡¯t who was Trick. Instead, it he had to ask himself the question, who wasn¡¯t Trick? Each identity was part of a greater whole, and made him the ever evolving and living character he was.


    A glance to the side allowed him to see that Ru-lah was going through the same thing. But no, Ru-lah was only part of who she was. He was looking at Naomi, wearing the character of Ru-lah. A figure just as comfortable and real as Naomi. He began to appreciate even more just how unique and special his friend was.


    Once the episode ceased, Naomi said shakily, ¡°Wow. That was a rush. And¡­ That was not what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°How so,¡± World Eater asked.


    ¡°I never thought that each character I had ever played as could really be a part of me,¡± Naomi said, looking at her hands, admiring her mixed heritage as a D&D character. ¡°People do role playing games to live a life that isn¡¯t there own. That is a large part of the appeal. That¡¯s one of the reasons why Trick sucks so much at this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, flatly.


    ¡°But that¡¯s exactly the thing,¡± the dragon said, raising a clawed finger. ¡°Everyone has many bits of identity within them. We can pull out these little pieces and give them even more personality and history. They can in effect become a whole new person. But, they will always be a part of us. Embracing these many different parts of our overall identity makes us much stronger than if we leave them seperate, or if we do not embrace them at all.¡±


    Starsinger gave her companion an impressed look and then growled, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you explain that to me earlier?¡±


    ¡°Because the Story,¡± he offered.


    ¡°Not good enough,¡± she said, not letting up.


    ¡°Because I feared you would have tried running away or running me through,¡± he sighed.


    ¡°Well, that was well reasoned,¡± Starsinger said somewhat sourly. Then she added slyly, ¡°At least in one situation.¡±


    ¡°Come again,¡± Trick asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter right now,¡± World Eater said gruffly. ¡°What does matter right now is what we are going to do. By sorting out your complete selves, you will find that your abilities and faculties will have increased. But there is more.¡±


    He reached into a pocket that was sown inside his robes and pulled out a small bag. He placed it on the table, and two brightly wrapped candies clattered on the surface as well. The dragon smiled slightly.


    ¡°Rare candies. Like what they have in Pokemon. This will let each of you progress a level.¡±


    ¡°But there are drawbacks to using them,¡± Naomi pointed out.


    ¡°If too many are eaten, yeah, they are no substitute for real experience. But sorting you two out will definitely balance everything out once you have taken them. It¡¯ll help you become even more powerful for what comes next.¡±


    ¡°And what is that exactly? You said this was similar to something you have fought before,¡± Naomi said.


    ¡°You are stuck in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign,¡± World Eater explained. ¡°You have to pursue it to its end. I am not sure what you will find at the end, but it will likely be something that is acting like a Door.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and again, what is a Door,¡± Trickster asked, as he opened up the bag and checked its contents.


    ¡°A Door is a magical connection between worlds that will allow instant traveling. Usually only a few can use Doors. They are an ancient kind of mix of technology and magic. But the Abominations have found a way of using them in abundance, and now you¡¯ll find them much more often throughout the Realms. There are those who think that a Door could allow them to come to your world, our Reality.¡±


    Starsinger added, ¡°But what is happening ere is not the work of a traditional Door. Instead, this is the effect of the Grey World, the in-between place that bridges Imagination and Reality. The Grey World can flux and cover an area of Reality, giving people a moment when they live out a place and time in Imagination.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the time that has passed would be less than a minute already,¡± she laughed.


    ¡°But we talked to our mothers,¡± Trick said slowly.


    The dragon leaned forward and said quietly, ¡°Time ia a crazy thing. But chances are, you parents were also dragged into the influence of the Grey World bubble for a brief moment. And that is a terrifying thought. But to stop its influence, we need to end this as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°You gave us more candies,¡± Naomi said, looking into the bag that Trick¡¯s hand was rummaging around in.


    ¡°You¡¯ll both find a brief letter explaining those wonderful little candies,¡± World Eater explained. ¡°They pack a wonderful punch when you use them! But that is not all.¡±


    He reached into another pocket and brought out two rings. He explained that they would fit perfectly to the friends¡¯ fingers and boost their stats further.


    ¡°But that is not the last of it. Here Trick, a dagger that you will find very helpful,¡± he said, placing a silver handed dagger with a curved, black sheath. ¡°A curse or two can always come in handy, even if they are dangerous.¡±


    He shared a wink with Trick as Starsinger pulled out a necklace from her own robe. It was a sparkling, black thread with crystal teeth tied to it.


    ¡°Naomi,¡± she said. ¡°While wearing this, your access to spells will increase. It¡¯s time that you put your paladin status to good use.¡±


    ¡°And with that, so sorry to eat and run, but it is time that you two were off. Finish up your tea,¡± World Eater instructed.


    Trick drained his now cooler tea as Naomi asked, ¡°But how do we get out of here?¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± World Eater laughed. ¡°We¡¯re like walking, living, breathing deus ex machinas.¡±


    ¡°We break the established rules all the time,¡± Starsinger assured them.


    ¡°Then why not help us further,¡± Trick asked.


    You might catch sight of us again before the end. Now, quick! Time is of the essence,¡± World Eater replied.


    He snapped his fingers and Trick and Naomi found themselves facing the many double, glass door of a convention center. Behind them was the noise of many shuffling and partying furries. But they were alone. The candies were in their hands. Trick also had a small chocolate cake.


    ¡°Somehow, I feel like our story just got hijacked,¡± Trick finally said.


    ¡°Well, whatever it was that just happened, I think they just gave us a fighting chance,¡± Naomi said, checking out her ring before popping a rare candy into her mouth.


    Trick did the same. It was¡­ Well, it was the taste of life. Bitter and sweet, quick and long lasting. It was fantastic and scary to eat it and feel a rush throughout his body. Somehow, he already felt older and different.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got all that weirdness behind me. And that was a lot! Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± he said grimacing. ¡°The smell of furries is beginning to get to me.¡±

 Chapter 12 - A New Encounter

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


    ¡°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.

 Chapter 13 - Beach Day

    ¡°Miracle of miracles, we¡¯ve made it without further incident,¡± Trick commented dryly.


    He took in the whole beach, with its surprisingly few visitors, and the sparkling, beautiful ocean. The waves crashed musically not too far off. And the sun did not feel too hot. Though he thought Naomi might feel different with her armor and padding on.


    Sure enough, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with so I can get out of this skin and into something more comfortable, like my own.¡±


    ¡°Your skin?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes. Orc blood is much hotter than I would have thought, and though I am half elf, my skin is thicker and tougher, too. Even if I shed all of this armor I would still be hot. Orcs were not made to spend a day at the beach.¡±


    ¡°Then where do you suppose we start,¡± Trick asked, clapping his hands together.


    ¡°Follow, the music, I should think,¡± Naomi said simply.


    Swinging his arms stupidly, Trick tried to pick up any hint of music above the pleasant din of the waves. The moment his friend started moving to the right of where they ha come, Trick picked up the faint notes. He quickly felt in beside her and thanked his lucky stars that his boots were high enough to prevent sand from getting in.


    ¡°They had a bard,¡± Naomi said. ¡°And bards can never help but play some kind of music. They can¡¯t stand it when things get too quiet or dull.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t she also an orc,¡± Trick asked.


    Naomi grunted and said, ¡°Layzlie. Yes, she is an orc.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed you remember her name! Ru-lah rolls off the tongue. But Layzlie? Not so much,¡± Trick said.


    They continued down the beach until they saw a pair of colorful tents with the flaps floating gently on the ocean breeze. Before them was an assortment of various fantasy characters, all dressed in bright right swimsuits. The obvious orc was playing a pan pipe while the others played sand volleyball.


    ¡°I thought you said orcs were not made for the beach,¡± Trick said.


    Naomi slugged his arm.


    ¡°Careful! I might need that arm later!¡±


    ¡°You only need one hand to foolish cram magical candy into your mouth,¡± she snorted.


    ¡°Yeah, I should probably double check to make sure exactly what those do,¡± Trick admitted with a chuckle. ¡°But let¡¯s first check these guys out. Yup, even from here they look just like themselves in that picture. We should probably book their painted or something.¡±


    Before they could hai the Motley Lot, one of them pointed and cried out. Layzlie stopped piping and they all rushed Naomi and Trick. For a bizarre second, Trick felt like he was seeing the D&D version of Baywatch play out in front of him. He was happy that the orc was wearing a one piece.


    ¡°Woah, who are you guys,¡± a rugged looking man asked.


    ¡°I perceive that they are lost, though maybe not as bad as us,¡± a half elf woman said.


    Trick noticed that she unabashedly wore a very revealed two piece swimsuit. He lowered his hood over his eyes to cover any blushing he might be doing.


    ¡°Careful,¡± the towering dragonborn cautioned. ¡°These two look they could handle themselves in a fight. And I smell fresh blood on them.¡±


    This got the attention of everyone in the group and they took a collective two steps backwards.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a problem,¡± Trick explained. ¡°We just killed an assassin that was sent to take me out for betraying one of the five largest crime syndicates in the entire empire. No biggie.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had to fight a lot of people to make it this far,¡± Naomi added. ¡°We believe that we were supposed to find you. We found a painting of you all hanging up in bar after we found this.¡±


    She quickly rummaged through a bag and pulled out the necklace. The half elf gasped and bounded forward.


    ¡°That¡¯s my necklace! Akerbaza gave it to me! Erm, I mean¡­¡± She struggled for a moment and then gasped, ¡°R-Richie! He was the one who gave it to me!¡±


    ¡°Dammit, we¡¯re still having trouble remembering our own names,¡± the dwarf at the dragonborn¡¯s thigh grumbled. ¡°We know who we are. We can picture it clearly in our own minds! But it is so hard to fully recall who we were before¡­ Before all of this.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°We know what you mean,¡± Naomi said. ¡°The same was true for us. We only not even an hour ago finally got everything sorted out. And even then it was only with the help of a dragon who is trying to stop what is going on here.¡±


    ¡°A dragon, you say,¡± the half elf said skeptically. ¡°You always have to be careful when speaking with dragons. They are capable of great deceit and manipulation.¡±


    ¡°I will happily be decieved any day to get out of a magical furry convention,¡± Trick said.


    ¡°A magical what,¡± the man asked, confused.


    ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t want to know,¡± Trick assured him.


    ¡°You look to be a rogue, somewhat similar to our own ranger, Swordalot here,¡± Layzlie observed.


    That¡¯s right. They all have super weird names, Trick remember with an inward sigh.


    ¡°And a human too, by the smell of it,¡± the bard continued. ¡°And you. You are definitely a mix of orc and something else. Elf perhaps? Very nice.¡±


    The way she said it and how she was looking Naomi up and down, Trick knew instantly which team Layzlie was batting for. Naomi looked down on her and snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get any funny ideas. We¡¯re here to figure out what happened to you guys and put a stop to this craziness. An entire convention of misguided fools are trapped as animals. Some former friends of mine are eternally trapped in a video game, and the gods know who else is trapped in some nightmare or another out there!¡±


    The half elf gestured graciously to the tents. ¡°Then let us sit down and talk things over. We might be able to puzzle everything out together.¡±


    ¡°And we have some pretty good lemonade, if I do say so myself,¡± the dwarf added, proudly.


    The Motley Lot led Naomi and Trick into the shade and offered them some tall glasses of lemonade, wet with condensation. The drinks were perfectly sweetened, and Trick happily took two large gulps. Naomi didn¡¯t bother with hers until she had asked her questions.


    ¡°So how did you guys get here? And where is Akerbaza, or Richie I should say? And how did you lose this necklace?¡±


    Before they answered, the group asked for a quick exchange of names. Trick and Naomi introduced themselves. Izmerelda introduced herself as the half-elf priestess, Garfunkle the dwarf, Dragorick the dragonborn, and of course Layzlie and Swordalot. With the introductions finally complete, they explained that they had come to Miami on vacation from upstate Pennsylvania. And of course, they were all in the same D&D group.


    Akerbaza had been there Dungeon master and also their drow wizard. He had not accompanied them to Miami, so they were confused if he was even really caught up in the whole mess. The necklace was gone from the instant they had been transformed into their game avatars. And for the entire day they had been stuck on the beach. They had tried leaving, but whenever they tried to go through the city, all of the streets inevitably led back to the beach.


    ¡°Just like the convention center,¡± Trick muttered. ¡°Whoever made this place must like labyrinths.¡±


    ¡°That is a good movie,¡± Garfunkle quipped. ¡°Maybe something like that is happening to us?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear to be chased down by a man with such tight pants,¡± Layzlie groaned.


    ¡°That¡¯s not really what is going on here,¡± Naomi informed them. ¡°The dragon we met, World Eater, said that what we are experiencing is an overlapping of worlds. Someone has forced this on us. Trick and I have dealt with this before.¡±


    ¡°In real life,¡± Izmerelda asked. ¡°That¡¯s kind of spooky.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Trick said. ¡°This is delicious lemonade by the way, thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome,¡± Garfunkle said. ¡°Made it meself.¡±


    ¡°This small one loves his drinks,¡± Dragorick rumbled with a grin.


    ¡°In any case,¡± Naomi said sourly, glaring at Trick for the interruption. ¡°We learned through our journeys that what is happening to us right now is very real. We¡¯ve experienced it before. But this time, we are much more involved with these other worlds than ever before. This is called a Grey Bubble, and we can burst it and set everything back to normal if we finish the Story.


    ¡°Which means, if we are going to do that, we are going to need to know your campaign story. We need to know what happened to Akerbaza.¡±


    As the Motley Lot all took their turns to describe the adventure of fighting lich troll king and his massive armies of the undead, Trick took some time to inspect the candies World Eater had given them. In the bag he found a note that explained that blue wrapped candies contained mints that would allow the eater to blow a steady stream of cie. The red candies were obvious fire breathing candies. Then there were the jaw-breakers, which made the one sucking on them to become impervious to damage. There was taffy that made your skin become elastic. Candy that heightened the senses, and green wrapped ones that for a short time improved luck.


    He smiled to himself as he read the note and contemplated what he could do with them. He finally caught the end of the campaign, but the players went on to describe how they came to Miami and Richie, or Akerbaza as they kept calling their friend, stayed behind to work. He had been sour that he couldn¡¯t come and had begged that they stayed with him.


    ¡°You know,¡± Izmerelda finally said. ¡°It make total sense if this was all some kind of punishment for leaving him alone.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that,¡± Naomi asked.


    ¡°Akerbaza doesn¡¯t have many friends,¡± Dragorick said with sigh. ¡°In fact, we might be his only friends! And he can get pretty possessive of us.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no way he could be able to do all of this,¡± Swordalot insisted. ¡°And why would he do this anyway, even if he could? He would rather be here with us, I can tell you that! Even if he would be stuck in the tent the whole time.¡±


    ¡°And not just because he¡¯s a drow, either,¡± Layzlie put in.


    ¡°What¡¯s the significance of this,¡± Naomi asked, finally handing the necklace over to Izemerelda.


    The priestess explained, ¡°It is a symbol of his home clan. Where he comes from, as a drow. It allows one to tap into darker magics. He said i should have it because it would help balance me out as a spell caster.¡±


    ¡°Or because he likes you,¡± Trick said.


    ¡°Look who is finally contributing,¡± Garfunkle jibed.


    Trick ignored the comment and plowed on. ¡°It only makes sense. It is a practical item to have, which is meant to cover his intentions. When Naomi and I were coming up with these characters you see before you, and explained the roles of the different classes, a priest or priestess is a healer and buffer. Why would you really need darker magic when you have a drow to already compliment you?


    ¡°Also, have you seen yourself lately? You¡¯re gorgeous. Richie sounds like a total nerd. He would be drooling all over that. The cliche is so strong with this one, Darth vader would sense it across the galaxy!¡±


    The players finally shared their own uncomfortable looks, and Swordalot said, ¡°Well, Izmerelda and I are kind of a thing.¡±


    ¡°And I got that, because this is a cliche we are talking about here,¡± Trick said.


    ¡°The Lord of the Rings is strong with this one,¡± Naomi added.


    This got a weak laugh from the gang, but Izemerelda said, ¡°Akerbaza knows that, though, and he is fine with it.¡±


    ¡°How long as he known,¡± Naomi asked.


    ¡°Since just before the break,¡± Swordalot said.


    Trick did an epic facepalm. ¡°You guys are morons.¡±


    There was a very awkward silence for a moment and then Layzelie cried out, ¡°Well, I think we have a lot to mull over. Let¡¯s give all this information some time to be properly processed and get our feet wet? What do you say, Naomi?¡±


    ¡°No thanks!¡±


    Naomi and Trick watched the Motley Lot play in the ocean, splashing each other. They stewed over the group they had found. It was not what they had been expecting.


    ¡°These are the best warriors on the entire continent,¡± Trick asked, dumbfounded.


    ¡°They are a bunch of idiots,¡± Naomi agreed in exasperation.


    ¡°How many times did they even try to escape this place? While we¡¯ve been roaming around, killing people left and right and doing all manner of insane things just to find these bimbos! How did they even survive the lich troll king?¡±


    ¡°Because then they had purpose. They had their entire team. And they had a good Dungeon Master,¡± a low voice said behind.


    Jumping and whirling about, their weapons at the ready, Trick and Naomi faced a drow in sweeping robes with ancient book tucked under one arm. He had sunscreen plastered on his nose, and a straw hat shading his head. There were slits cut for his ears to poke through.


    They hadn¡¯t found the drow. The drow wizard had found them.

 Chapter 14 - Akerbaza

    ¡°Akerbaza, I presume,¡± Naomi asked.


    ¡°The one and only,¡± he said softly, given them a short, stiff bow. ¡°And it is rare to see such a small campaign party. Please, give me your names.¡±


    He pointed at Trick and he felt himself unable to keep from answering, ¡°I¡¯m Trickster.¡±


    Woah! What was that? He forced me to answer, but I gave my D&D avatar¡¯s name!


    Naomi was just as helpless as she said automatically, ¡°Ru-lah.¡±


    The drow wizard gave them a small smile and nodded to them both in turn. ¡°I can see that you both have had a run-in with Velnir. She is a very dangerous, but helpful creature. I¡¯ve met with her twice before. That¡¯s where I picked up that little trick, Trickster.¡±


    Naomi shared a quick look with him. There was a hint of triumph there, and he understood why. Velnir had coaxed out them their real names and had dived deep into them. Well, deeper than they would have liked. This drow might have copied her, but he was definitely not the witch, and had only partially extracted information from them.


    Akerbaza might have felt like he was in power. That he was in control, but the that was not the exact truth of the matter.


    ¡°We would ask for your name, Richie, but we already know it,¡± Naomi said with a smirk. ¡°How about you tell us instead what you have been doing around here?¡±


    Richie jumped when she had said he name and he looked angry. ¡°How do you that name?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been asking the right questions,¡± Naomi answered cryptically.


    He raised a hand, but Naomi drew her sword and snarled, ¡°Paladin vs wizard. We both know who wins this fight.¡±


    ¡°I am very confident that I outstrip both of you in terms of leveling,¡± he seethed.


    ¡°And I am very confident I can freeze you where you stand,¡± Trick countered, getting up. He put a knife to Richie¡¯s back. ¡°Now, let¡¯s sit down and have a talk. We need to know how to end this whole thing that is going on. You and your friends would appear to be connected to it in some way, this Grey Bubble. So you¡¯re going to help us pop it.¡±


    Richie lowered his hand and said, ¡°Very well. We will talk. But you will address me as Akerbaza. Richie is not of this particular plain of existence.¡±


    ¡°That is an unhealthy way of thinking about, but fair,¡± Naomi said, gesturing with her sword for the wizard to sit.


    Akerbaza took his seat almost demurely as Trick stayed standing right behind. Naomi pulled up a seat right in front of the drow and sat across from him.


    Spreading his hands, he asked, ¡°So, what would you like to know?¡±


    ¡°For starters, we¡¯d like to know everything that you know about the Grey Bubble,¡± Naomi said.


    Scoffing, Akerbaza said, ¡°Grey Bubble? What an inaccurate and wholly unimaginative name. It¡¯s the Overlap. Multiple worlds have been brought together, all concentrating on location. It is something that a great engineer worked on, bringing worlds together through another world. It is a way to bring multiple timelines and stories together, intertwining them to become something much more than they were on their own.¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°That¡¯s clear as mud,¡± Trick commented dryly. ¡°Come, Akerbaza-doodle-doo! My friend asked you a straightforward question, and you¡¯re giving us crap!¡±


    ¡°On the contrary Trickster,¡± Akerbaza said, irritatedly. ¡°I have answer Ru-lah truthfully. You call this mix of worlds the Grey Bubble, but it is the Overlap.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s focus on this then,¡± Naomi said, sounding just as irritated. ¡°How did the Overlap come about? And why everything related to a game or puzzle in some kind of way?¡±


    ¡°Now those are far better questions,¡± Akerbaza commended. ¡°The Overlap was created through a combination of spell and key. They was once a world that sought to bridge hundreds of others, across all kinds of worlds and realities. That world fell into ruin, but some of it survived. A certain artifact in particular, which happened to be a dungeon master¡¯s journal.


    ¡°I happened upon it and read through it. It listed out some incredible details, spells, and plans. I worked them out, and one of them allowed me to speak with the departed spirit of that world. It called me to the forbidden isle where the dead and imprisoned gods may yet be heard. I went there and learned all that I could.¡±


    He gave them a grim smile and said, ¡°I learned there that these beings could not be trusted. But since I had made contact with them, a link was forged, and through that they could possibly find into our world. So I used the book and initiated the Overlap. I am here now to reunited with my team so we can complete my plan, by summoning the champion of these dead and gone gods. Through the rites of combat, when we prevail, we will able to sever the link and seal the breach between worlds once and for all.¡±


    Naomi looked impressed with the tale, but Trick had heard enough. He had seen where the drow¡¯s eyes darted as he spoke. And he had seen Izmerelda to know enough. Plus, Trick had been in the business of digging up secrets, plots, and exposing the truth. That was a major part of what it took to pull off the masterful pranks he was still notorious for. Even if he had hung up his mantle by now.


    ¡°That¡¯s a load of bull,¡± Trick spat. ¡°The Overlap, why you¡¯re here, what you are planning on doing. You¡¯re only telling part of the truth!¡±


    ¡°What do you know about it,¡± Akerbaza snapped.


    ¡°You rolled low on that lie of yours,¡± Trick said, now grinning over at Naomi. ¡°There was shiver when you said that you came across the book.Were that the case, and your shiver was the awe you felt about the book, you would have explained to us that experience. But you didn¡¯t, and a nerd like yourself loves to describe in excruciating detail the things that get your nerdy heart beating so fast like uncovering a magical book where you least expected it.


    ¡°You got it for someone most likely, not somewhere.¡±


    Akerbaza started sputtering. Trick had struck true. It was now time to strike again.


    ¡°Trick,¡± Naomi said in a warning tone.


    Trick held up a finger and continued on, ¡°You conjured up the Overlap not to just defeat some god, or champion, or whatever. You did it to impress Izmerelda over there. Yes, she is pretty hot, but she¡¯s with that rugged ranger, with the stupid name.¡±


    ¡°Swordalot,¡± Akerbaza hissed. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think! I knew they were dating!¡±


    Trick cut him off. ¡°Which is why this whole scenario is just too perfect. Your friends, gone without you on vacation. An almost romantic one at that! And lo and behold, they get caught in a magical trap! And who should suddenly appear with all the answers but Akerbaza! The priestess would only have eyes for you!¡±


    ¡°That sounds so dumb,¡± Naomi snorted. ¡°Who would honestly think that something like that would work?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever walked through the school library when the social rejects are playing games during lunch? You get to hear things you would never believe any sane person would say! And something about what little Bazzie is saying here is reminding me of those conversations. And not in a pleasant way.¡±


    ¡°You have a point,¡± Naomi said, scratching her head. ¡°I can see it in his eyes. He does have some special plan in mind.¡±


    Akerbaza frowned and looked out at his friends, playing in the sparkling water. Trick and Naomi followed his gaze. It was like watching a bizarre anime play out before their eyes.


    ¡°I wanted to come with them. I could have taken time off, but it just didn¡¯t feel right,¡± Akerbaza admitted. ¡°I did not want to be the awkward third wheel, like I am so often in real life.¡±


    ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere,¡± Trick breathed.


    The wizard sighed, ¡°I had already received the dungeon master¡¯s book from an unknown source. I read through it and it spoke to me. More accurately, it spoke to me in my sleep. I was shown amazing worlds and possibilities. You wanted to know why everything has been game themed? It is because of the book;s nature. It is all about games, and the worlds of those games.¡±


    He slowly got up, even though Trick protested. ¡°I wanted to impress them all. I want to impress her. I don¡¯t care if I will never have her in real life, but hopefully here I can have her eyes all to myself and now her affection. In a place where I feel myself and feel alive.¡±


    ¡°Akerbaza? What are you doing,¡± Naomi asked, laying her sword across his neck.


    ¡°Living out my fantasy. The spell is complete, and the champion has been summoned with my coming here,¡± Akerbaza said. ¡°Look.¡±


    Trick and Naomi glanced at the ocean and saw massive, black storm clouds growing rapidly in the distance and approaching quickly.


    ¡°I must go to them and see that they are prepared for what comes next. It will be a hard fought battle,but I am ready to help my team win. I will be the hero,¡± Akerbaza said fervently. ¡°And you two will be good bystanders and watch.¡±


    Trick and Naomi felt the spell take effect and they were stunned, held perfectly in place. Akerbaza stepped away from Naomi¡¯s blade. He inspected his handiwork and nodded to himself.


    ¡°Trickster, Ru-lah, I am impressed with you two. After the battle is won, we can talk further about your own adventure and how you became tangled up in mine. This was not my intention, but the Overlap was more powerful than I had intended. Well, I must be off!¡±


    Akerbaza strode out from the tent, the sky becoming increasingly darker with each second. The drow changed his clothing with a wave of his hand. He was dressed in battle robes, with a sharp wand in one hand and a large book in the other. His silver hair danced with the cold wind coming from the ocean. Lighting streak across the sky and thunder boomed shortly afterwards.


    In the distance, the flashes of lightning illuminated the silhouette of a massive, horrifying monster.

 Chapter 15 - Final Boss

    Trick activated the Cloak of Transition. Even though he was stunned, he felt the connection with his magical cloak. Instinctively, he knew that if he used it right then it would break the spell. Naomi was still stuck, but he could tell that she was working really hard to overcome the spell in some way.


    Outside the tent, Akerbaza was hailing his group. They were rushing him, looking very happy at his return. There was lso alarm at the sudden storm. From what Trick had glimpsed in the distance, there would soon be even more to be worried about.


    Once he became corporeal again, he took off the power ring World Eater had given to him, and he forced it onto Naomi¡¯s hand. Sure enough, just like he hoped would happen, she finally had the strength to throw off the binding spell.


    Taking off the ring and handing it back to Trick, she snarled, ¡°When I get my hands on him, I am going to break every bone in that guy¡¯s body! He¡¯s insane! He¡¯s summoned an Eldritch monster as the dead and banished gods¡¯ champion! I don¡¯t care if these guys are level 20 they are not going to survive that thing!¡±


    ¡°What even is that thing,¡± Trick asked.


    ¡°From what I can tell, it some of kind Eldritch monster or abomination. A beast that defies all reason and exist to destroy the natural order of things,¡± Naomi explained as they began stalking after Akerbaza. ¡°You know Cthulhu, right? This will be something similar, and definitely very, very powerful!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what that means, but I can see from here that that thing is very, very bad,¡± Trick said, shaking his head.


    Up ahead, they saw Akerbaza hand some things to his teammates, and they all quickly changed with a swirl of colors into their battle outfits. The Motley Lot quickly transformed from fantasy Baywatch rejects into the poster children from hardcore RPG games on the internet. They immediately became super imposing and fierce in appearance.


    ¡°Yup, they are definitely level 20s right,¡± Naomi commented dryly. ¡°And that still won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that? Remember, you¡¯re dealing with somebody who doesn;t play this game!¡±


    Naomi explained, ¡°While a party of level 20 players is about the best you can hope for in the game, the right kinds of monsters created by the DM can still provide an incredible challenge, especially with the right conditions. Richie over there unleashed a champion of the gods, and an Eldritch monster at that. This means that reality can be entirely warped and all kinds of strange things can happen.


    ¡°If they can¡¯t think on the fly or quickly adapt, they¡¯ll be dead!¡±


    ¡°So what does that say for us? We¡¯re not even level 10!¡±


    Trick¡¯s friend smirked. ¡°But we have our own little surprises. We have been equipped with some powerful objects of our own throughout the game so far. We¡¯ll let these losers take the brunt of the attacks while we use our heads to beat this monster. We can do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely convinced by your plan,¡± Trick admitted. ¡°But what the hell, we¡¯ve got to beat this in order to get out of here!¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget that we still have a die apiece to help us in case things get tight,¡± Naomi reminded him. ¡°They¡¯ve saved us before. They should be able to do it again!¡±


    Trick handed her a jawbreaker. ¡°Here, suck on one of these during the battle. It¡¯ll protect you from nearly any kind of harm.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that was a generous gift,¡± Naomi said, surprised.


    They both crammed the candies into their mouths and fell in with the rest of the Motley Lot. Akerbaza looked a mix of surprised and annoyed. The others were more happy than anything else.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Dragorick roared. ¡°With our party at full strength, plus some, we¡¯ll be unstoppable against this thing!¡±


    ¡°Careful,¡± Izmerelda cautioned. ¡°I am sensing a very great evil emanating from that creature. Its aura is unnatural.¡±


    ¡°Which is why it is a good thing I brought this along,¡± Akerbaza declared, hefting up his large, dusty looking book. ¡°Spells Moste Foule has all kinds of tricks just for this kind of impossible occasion!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be a little more careful with that,¡± Sowrdalot suggested.


    ¡°Are you all sure you¡¯re not going to ask how insanely convenient this all is,¡± Trick butted in.


    Akerbaza opened his mouth to say something and got socked across the jaw by Naomi.


    As he hit the sand, she snarled, ¡°These are your best friends! They deserve the truth! Don¡¯t leave anything out! This boss encounter hasn¡¯t begun just yet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s getting pretty close,¡± Layzlie pointed out, a tinge of worry to her voice.


    Rubbing his jaw, Akerbaza said nothing until Naomi pointed her finger at him and commanded, ¡°Speak the truth!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some Zone of Truth,¡± Swordalot breathed as the effect of the spell washed over everyone.


    Akerbaza was now seriously shocked. Trick immediately puzzled it out. If he stayed silent with two strangers condemning him, he might as well vocally admit his guilt. If he tried moving away, it would be the same. And now, there was no escaping telling the others about his plans.


    Growling, he said, ¡°Fine! This! All of this! It¡¯s my doing! I got my hands on a magic book, a real magic book! Not like this! I could have made time to go with you all to Miami, but I instead wanted to try this out and give us an amazing experience as our own beloved characters!¡±


    The others were in shock themselves, and unsure of what to say.


    ¡°On second thought, was this a good idea,¡± Trick asked Naomi.


    She ignored him and pressed on, ¡°Tell them everything, Richie.¡±


    Grimacing now, Akerbaza said lamely, ¡°And I hoped to impress you Izmerelda. I didn¡¯t want to get between you James back at home, but impress you here. I mean, can¡¯t I have that one fantasy?¡±


    Swordalot reached down and offered his hand to the drow. Akerbaza took it with an unsure expression across his face. The ranger hoisted his teammate to his feet and brushed him off a little.


    ¡°Akerbaza, we¡¯ve all known about your little crush. Maybe we should have said something earlier on before things went from awkward to this, but what is done is done. Right now, we need to finish what you started, and then we can speak to one another honestly and openly about what you¡¯ve done. For right now, let¡¯s just take the anger we feel and unleash it on that abomination!¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°And now I see why she went with the other guy,¡± Trick whispered to Naomi.


    ¡°Alright everyone, we need to spread out,¡± Swordalot shouted. ¡°We can¡¯t give a bunched up target for that beast to fire at! Akerbaza, Izmerelda, take opposite flanks and support us. Layzlie, take the rear! Dragorick and Garfunkle take the center. Friends, can you guard Izmerelda, and I¡¯ll watch Akerbaza. Go!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re goofs, but they know when to get serious,¡± Naomi commented. ¡°This is going to be a good fight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a good fight if we don¡¯t die,¡± Trick muttered.


    Once they were all arranged, Akerbaza shouted out, ¡°This fiend¡¯s name is Davacticus! He represents all those who have died violently at sea. And where he goes, all other harbingers of death may soon follow.¡±


    ¡°Lovely,¡± Izmerelda sniffed.


    Suddenly, the water before them exploded and massive tentacles shout out. One swept the beach while three others jabbed right down. Trick activated the Cloak of Transition instinctively, whereas Naomi catapulted herself into the air with a massive leap and Izmerelda did a quick teleportation. Once the tentacle got to Dragorick he used a massive ax to cleave the tentacle, stopping its devastating motion. Akerbaza cast up a shield to repel one of the tentacles, but Garfunkle and Layzlie were not so lucky.


    The orc and dwarf were clobbered and hammered deep into the sand.


    ¡°Healing,¡± Swordalot shouted.


    ¡°On it,¡± Izmerelda called back, casting a healing spell in the direction of her two friends.


    Trick chided himself for using his cloak so soon, but it was hard to remember in the moment that he was impervious to damage. But it also helped to not get thrown across the beach.


    Well, this just makes things very interesting, he told himself.


    The water continued to churn and a small horde of skeletons and waterlogged zombies came running out of the sea. Many wielded cutlases and pikes. Others had an assortment of axes, knives, chains, and one had a massive crossbow with a harpoon.


    Coming up behind them were four figures shrouded in cloaks and hoods made of kelp. They had sickly, glowing yellow eyes. Trick could hear eerie singing coming from their direction.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got spell casters,¡± Dragorick roared as he jumped to intercept the first of the undead.


    His axe brought devastation as he crushed them and hacked away their limbs. He went into a positive rage, screaming incoherently as he went to work. However, even as he broke their bodies, the undead quickly repaired themselves. Their limbs sprang back together, their bones resealed, and their muscles knitted themselves. As they put themselves together, they scored vicious slashes and blows all across the fierce dragonborn.


    Their attacks only served to enrage him further, but if this kept up he would go down quickly.


    ¡°Cast an aura of healing,¡± Akerbaza called. ¡°It should instantly kill the undead and take care of Draorick! Those spell casters in the back are making them undead keep coming back. I¡¯ll deal with them!¡±


    Sparks and arcs of arcane magic began flying as the drow engaged the four spell casters from afar. Izmerelda did as she was told and healed her friend and the undead. Sure enough, the zombies and skeletons quickly crumbled into beach sand, but something terrifying also happened.


    The severed tentacle regrew. And it came back, this time slamming Dragorick into the sand.


    ¡°Casting healing spells like that will heal Davacticus,¡± Naomi called out. ¡°We¡¯ll have to deal with his minions that hard way!¡±


    ¡°You remember his name,¡± Trick asked, astounded as he became corporeal again.


    ¡°Of course! Now watch her while I help at the front,¡± Naomi snarled rushing forward.


    One of the spellcasters shot a devastating spell her way, but the paladin just shrugged it off. The jawbreaker was doing its job. Trick heaved a sigh of relief. He then saw the water roil again and figured that because this attack had worked so well before, that of course this deity of death stalking ever closer to them would try it again.


    Here we go, Trick thought grimly, as sure enough, the tentacles rose once more out of the water to do their dirty work.


    However, he had a little idea in min. He spat out the jawbreaker into his hand and quickly crammed in two of the ice breathing mints. As the tentacle came for him he spat out the ice and froze the tentacle in its tracks. He then dodged the an aggressive tentacle from above, barely. The smell was horrifying.


    Let¡¯s see about this cursed dagger.


    He yanked out the weapon World Eater had given him and plunged it into the tentacle that had just tried flattened him. It was nearly ripped out of his grasp and as the disgusting limb retreated into the ocean. He then rushed and stabbed it through the ice into the sweeping tentacle.


    This time he did lose his weapon as the frozen appendage was pulled quickly back under the water. There was a cry in distance from Davacticus. Trick spun and saw that one of the other limbs had gotten Naomi, but she was unfazed. Again, thanks to the magical candy.


    We are so broken right now, Trick thought ecstatically.


    ¡°How did you do that,¡± Izmerelda asked, looking a little shaken at what had just happened.


    ¡°I know one heck of a candy dealer,¡± Trick smiled back.


    The priestess ended up just shrugging at his response and got back into position. She had healed up the rest of the Motley Lot. Naomi reached one of the kelp covered spellcasters and bisected them. Akerbaza had already killed one on his own and was taking down another as Garfunkle jumped the fourth and used short sword to hack off its head.


    ¡°Okay, so this is going to be one of those fights where we have to DPS the boss as much as possible while dealing with adds until the big guy finally catches up,¡± Swordalot shouted.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll want to bring down Davacticus before he gets too close,¡± Layzlie shouted. ¡°Kind of like fighting Bowser on Yoshi¡¯s Island. Remember?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to be so easy,¡± Naomi shouted, and jabbing her sword at the ocean. ¡°Look!¡±


    A large ship erupted from the ocean. It was an old battle frigate. And it had guns.


    Those guns roared to life and cannonballs showered the beach. Trick crammed his jawbreaker back into icy mouth just in time as one slammed into his chest and threw him backwards. Izmerelda cried out, but he quickly waved her off, not even feeling winded.


    Akerbaza opened up his book and began chanting. Fire swirled in the air above the ship and became pillar of blinding light that streaked down and consumed the boat. It was incinerated instantly.


    ¡°And that is why I love spell books at level 20¡± the wizard cried out happily.


    There was piercing note of chilling music that came from Davacticus. Where the ship had once been, pale green fire sprang into the air and arced right from the drow. He threw up a shielding spell. Layzlie chanted something and Izmerelda also shouted out a spell. Swordalot looked at a loss. He and Akerbaza were consumed with the green flames.


    This followed by an explosion that threw everyone to the floor.


    Once the sand settled, Trick could see that both ranger and wizard were burned to a crisp. Akerbaza¡¯s book was gone. Izmerelda shrieked and set about bringing them back from the dead. Layzlie lent her some power and buffed the others from the next attack that came.


    The tentacles returned, this time there were six, one for each of the standing warriors left. These tentacles grew ugly, dripping spikes from them and they rained down blows on the party. Tick got caught by one of the spikes and was pushed down. He barely rolled out of the way to spare his cloak as the tentacles came back.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naomi stab upwards with her sword and pierce the rubbery flesh. The blade then grew upwards through the tentacle and she severed it from the rest of the creature. Again, Davacticus howled in the distance. The other limbs retreated back into the ocean, with the Motley Lot looking ready to come apart.


    ¡°I love what this sword has become,¡± Naomi said to herself, smiling.


    The tentacle she had sheared free from the main body began dissolving, as opposed to the other which lay lifeless on the beach. Trick squinted at it and saw black veins covering the rubbery flesh. Instantly, he started putting two and two together.


    ¡°Naomi! The dagger World Eater gave me! It¡¯s similar to Mat¡¯s knife from Shadar Logoth!¡±


    She turned to him and said, ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°It makes sense! The tentacle didn¡¯t like getting stabbed, there are dark veins, and the body is deteriorating!¡±


    ¡°I get that! No, what astounds me is that you know about the Wheel of Time!¡±


    ¡°So what if I do? It¡¯s classic!¡±


    She pointed triumphantly at him and screeched. ¡°You are a nerd! Just admit!¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± he huffed.


    ¡°Guys, lovers¡¯ quarrel later, please,¡± Layzlie said, panting.


    ¡°Wait! This gives me an idea,¡± Trick said, getting out the bag of candies again as more undead came up out of the sea.


    He saw that Akerbaza and Swordalot were now revived. That was good, because they were going to need a group effort for this. He took out another jaw-breaker and gave it to Izmerelda.


    ¡°Suck on this. It will protect you from harm, just like it does for me,¡± he explained.


    She gave him a look of sudden clarity as he moved on, handing other candies to the rest of the gang.


    ¡°Listen up guys, there¡¯s a cursed knife in one of the tentacles! We need to keep it in there so it slowly kills that beast out there! In the meantime, we hold off his forces right here on the beach!¡±


    ¡°And I can impede Davacticus¡¯s movements with buffing help from Akerbaza and Layzlie,¡± Naomi said. ¡°Now that this sword has gotten a taste of him, it will do its job very well.¡±


    ¡°Who are you two,¡± the drow wizard asked, astonished.


    ¡°Two teens who just want to go home,¡± Trick answered. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get them!¡±


    And with that, they fell into a rhythm. Trick and the heavy hitters, Swordalot, Garfunkle, and Dragorick fought to push back the undead as Akerbaza, Layzlie, and Izmerelda countered the spell casters. Naomi swung her sword and sent arcs of magic back at Davacticus and slowed down his movements.


    He was getting closer, and Trick could clearly make out his head, an ugly cross between a mantis and octopus. He had bug-like limbs, tons of tentacles, and a human torso. He countered Naomi¡¯s pells with his own devastating kind. But she stood her ground with the jaw-breaker.


    Even with more ships and more undead soldiers rising from the depths, the Motley Lot finally began proving themselves the champions. The tentacles always came back to pummel them, but they got creative with the candies to keep them back. Each one now had some black veins.


    Naomi used her sword to devour Akerbaza¡¯s charm and increased her magic tremendously, and with the charm from Starsinger she was combining spells in an artistic way. She was like a angel of death. Finally drawing near enough for his yellow eyes to cast their sickly glow on the group, davacticus cast one last spell.


    Trick and Naomi both knew what to do and used their dice to counter the spell. Their dice melted away from the blast. Akerbaza and Izmerelda interceded and were thrown back dead. The two teen sleuths were crushed into the sand under the weight of an almighty spell. Their jawbreakers dissolved into liquid sugar in their mouths.


    Trick could feel his life leaking away, but finally Davacticus screamed and pulled back. He looked up and saw black veins all along the massive monster. The curse was finally taking its effect.


    Davacticus scratched at his skin and began casting spells, but there was nothing to be done. With a mournful note, he whirled about and made his way back into the storm. And just as abruptly as he had come, the Eldritch beast vanished.


    Trick passed out.

 Chapter 16 - Leaving the Grey World

    Trick found himself slapped awake. He bolted upright to see Naomi, still as Ru-lah right next to him.


    ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°To get you up of course,¡± she smirked. ¡°We¡¯re done! We won! Barely.¡±


    A familiar voice then added, ¡°Well, you can¡¯t go battling a god that is supposed to defy all reason and expect to come out unscathed. I say, that without our assistance, you all probably wouldn''t have made it.¡±


    Coming into Trick¡¯s field of vision were World Eater and Starsinger. The robed dragon and wolf casually strolled up to him through sand. Both were smiling.


    ¡°How did we survive,¡± Trick then asked., feeling confused.


    ¡°The attack was focused clearly on us. Izmerelda had enough magic and potions on hand to revive us,¡± Naomi explained. ¡°We were all hit pretty bad, but you and I got the brunt of it, so the others remained alive.¡±


    ¡°Lucky us,¡± Trick muttered.


    ¡°Lucky indeed,¡± Izmerelda sighed. ¡°We could have all died if wasn¡¯t for you two. That was no ordinary boss encounter!¡±


    ¡°I should never have used that book,¡± Akerbaza said with a trembling voice.


    He sat in the fine sand and hugged himself, looking thoroughly distraught.


    ¡°World Eater and I might have been unable to directly intervene, but it is a good thing we found Naomi and Trick,¡± Starsinger said. ¡°Things can work very differently than you expect in a D&D campaign. That beast came from a world where different stories from so many worlds and especially D&D quests converged. It requires a merging of many different magics and items from other worlds and timelines to even stand a fair chance against such monsters. If he makes it back to his portal and passes through it, he¡¯ll recover.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯ll be sealed up again. Because plot,¡± World Eater chuckled.


    ¡°Now what,¡± Swordalot asked, giving the two newcomers a wary look.


    ¡°First of all, we need to send Trick and Naomi on their way,¡± World Eater said. ¡°They have others things to do, I believe. And soon, this Grey Bubble will burst. It was created for a specific purpose, and that has been more or less fulfilled. With that done, the pull of the story has lessened, and I can now easily break it.¡±


    ¡°So many rules to all of this,¡± Naomi said offhandedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the nature of the Realms,¡± Starsinger said, a grim angle coming about her mouth. ¡°But the Grey World is particularly particular, and extremely aggravating. It is something that should never be used. It is meant to serve as a barrier between worlds, not as a tool.¡±


    A dotted line suddenly appeared before Naomi and Trick.


    ¡°Please follow that back to your friends¡¯ apartment,¡± World Eater instructed. Naomi gave the dragon a curious look, and he winked back at her. ¡°You¡¯ll want to be there went the bubble bursts. Most people are still where they were when everything went haywire. It will be better for your transition if you are there when everything goes back to normal.¡±


    Trick gave the Motley Lot a quick glance and he said, ¡°Okay, I know we¡¯ve been asking a lot of questions, but it feels like we just got to the end and all explanations are being pulled out from under us. What is going to happen with them? What is going to happen to everyone and everything when when the Grey Bubble is burst?¡±


    ¡°It should all go back to normal. And as for these guys, leave them to us. We have some talking to do. There is still a mystery that we need to sort out,¡± World Eater replied.


    Starsinger gave Naomi a hug and then pushed her down the path. She waved to Trick as he passed by. He looked back and saw World Eater using his wings to usher the Motley Lot along further down the beach. It was an odd look. And he felt it was a dissatisfying ending.


    As they followed the line, he muttered, ¡°Thanks for everything, Trick and Naomi. You helped save the day! Great job! Now toddle off back to your home and just expect everything to be done! We should double  back and watch them, try to eavesdrop.¡±


    Naomi placed a strong hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°For once, let¡¯s not poke our noses in any deeper. We wanted to get away from all of this, remember? We now have a chance to get away. Let¡¯s take it.¡±


    Those words shut him up, and Trick walked alongside her. But they also got him thinking. He went through everything they had just lived through in one day! It was incredible! It was haunting! It was memorable! And there was something about it all that had been beautifully exhilarating.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Okay, so there had been all those stupid ninjas and gangsters, a pointless brawl in a bar, an Eldritch god, and Velnir¡­


    And yet, it all made sense. Like this is where he belonged. Or more accurately, going on these adventures was where he belonged. Wasn¡¯t that what brought him and Naomi together in the first place? Chasing after a real-life werewolf and breaking the rules that bound him! He had found an unlikely friend who could keep up with him and challenge him. And after going through everything that he had with Naomi, he realized that it was foolish to try and run away from what they had experienced.


    Whether through some kind of cosmic coincidence or because powers they did not understand was after them, it was clear the the mysteries the Q Files investigated were not through with them. Alone and against all odds, Trick and Naomi had survived. They had helped win the day and bring to light a dark, but-not-so-sinister secret that had helped fling everyone into this mess.


    And it was clear that there was even more ahead for the world. Whatever the conflict was in the Realms of Imagination, it was spilling out into Earth. Someone needed to something and help to save others.


    Trick finally voiced his train of thought to Naomi and he ended with saying, ¡°Then, why not us? Why should we not step in to help others. To clean up the mess and try to resolve it from our side?¡±


    Naomi was silent for a moment. Trick pressed, by simply asking, ¡°Well? Your thoughts?¡±


    Speaking slowly, she said, ¡°I think you are absolutely right, Trick. What we experienced in Memmelsruhe was unspeakable. But if we had not gone through that, I don¡¯t know if we would have been ready for today. And not just then! Everything from when we first met seems to have been building up to something.


    ¡°I think we should do something after this. We need to meet with your mom and Conturbatio. We need to share with them everything that has happened and what we have learned, It might help do just what you say, to help stop whatever is going on. Yes. Yes we need to do this.¡±


    Trick smiled up at her and she returned it.


    The line indeed led them safely without incident right back to the apartment where everything had started. Before they ascended the stairs to see what had happened to the jerks that had tried to kill Trick in a game of Smash the air warped and rippled in front of them.


    World Eater stepped out of the strange blur and appeared before them.


    ¡°Excellent! You two made good time,¡± he said happily. ¡°It¡¯s good to see that you two can follow some simple commands. You have made progress.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡± Naomi snapped. ¡°What has this all been about.¡±


    The dragon reached a claw up and taped near his eye. ¡°I have the power to See into others.  Can read a lot about a person, their history, their personality, and gain insight into who they can become. You, Naomi, as brilliant and straightforward, but not necessarily adventurous. And yet, here you are, and I can sense a subtle, but powerful change within you.


    ¡°And you Trick,¡± he said, turning his gaze towards him. ¡°You are a troublemaker, rebel rouser, and have a tendency to poke your nose where it most certainly does not belong. But just like Naomi, something has changed within you, and you are more and better than who you once were. Both of you are still in so many ways who you were before you got involved in my war. However, you are better versions of yourselves. And that is why I feel no real harm in giving you these.¡±


    He reached into one of his many pockets and took out a battered book.


    ¡°Richie¡¯s book,¡± Naomi gasped.


    ¡°Yes,¡± World Eater chuckled. ¡°He was loathe to part with the book that gave him the power to create this Grey Bubble. But, with the right words and threats, he relinquished it. He¡¯ll be much happier for it. But there is something I have for you.¡±


    He tore out two pages and handed them to Naomi and Trick. One had an image of Trick as Trickster. The other was Naomi as Ru-lah. There was cramped handwriting with all their items, abilities, their points, and their levels.


    ¡°All of that, and we¡¯re only level 12? Well, it¡¯s something at least,¡± Naomi sighed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous to use that book,¡± Trick asked.


    ¡°It is, and the Guardians would wage war on me if they ever find out I gave you two these,¡± World Eater said, now laughing. But then he grew suddenly very serious. The change caused Naomi and Trick to flinch. ¡°However, there is a very good chance that another Grey Bubble could be created, or that you come across another Door. If you do, you can use these to assume forms of power to help you in your battle to reverse the effects of the Bubble or Door.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Trick said, taking in what the dragon was telling them. ¡°Thank you. We were honestly just trying to survive and figure out what was going on.¡±


    ¡°And that kind of honesty makes me feel better about arming you two,¡± World Eater replied. He then summoned a massive, long sword, wreathed in red lightning. ¡°Now, get back into your apartment. I am going to collapse this Dungeons and Dragons alternate reality and return everything to normal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, again,¡± Naomi added. ¡°Trick and I would not have survived if you and Starsinger had not helped us out. I mean, we would like to know more, such as why you couldn¡¯t have broken this all yourself before and set things right.¡±


    ¡°Ha! There¡¯s a lot that you still have yet to learn! Maybe someday you will,¡± World Eater said, striding off.


    He stabbed his sword to the side and it sank into the air, the blade disappearing. Trick could feel it. The very fabric of reality had just been punctured, and something was flooding in. It was frightening.


    ¡°Come! Let¡¯s go,¡± he said to Naomi.


    Together, they rushed up the stairs. Right as they rushed through the door, there was a violent, grey ripple and flash of red. They found themselves back to their normal selves, with just the sheets of paper in their hands. Reggie and Phineas were out cold on the floor before the television.


    Naomi went up to them and kicked them both hard in the balls.


    Late that night Naomi and Trick met with Susan Brown, Agent Miles, and surprisingly Agent Conturbatio in a dingy McDonald¡¯s. They had their bags packed; they were not going back. Susan and Agent Miles had immediately reached out to Conturbatio, and somehow the Sphinx had managed to connect with them and arrive at about the same time.


    They got some food and then began driving their way back up to D.C. Trick and Naomi eagerly shared their experience and everything they had learned. They explained about the sheets of paper and who had given them. The adults were terrified and taken aback, but they were also very proud of the teens.


    It struck Trick that in the past no one in their right minds would have believed them. But everything they had gone through, fiction had become fact. And there was something in how Conturbatio spoke that indicated that since they had last met he had learned more than he was letting on. The Sphinx was now more a keeper of secrets than he had been before.


    ¡°Naomi. Trick,¡± he finally said. ¡°I know you have been through a lot already, but it is clear to me that you two especially have been wrapped up in a much larger conflict than we had previously supposed. There are many players in this war that you have learned about, and unwittingly you have become some of them. We¡¯ll train you and keep you safe until it is over. I promise you that!¡±


    Trick found himself smiling, ¡°Does this mean we are junior agents now?¡±


    Naomi rolled her eyes and his mother gave him a sharp look.


    Conturbatio gave him a grim smile. ¡°Yes. From now on we will be working together more closely.¡±


    ¡°But about the Q Files,¡± Naomi asked.


    ¡°They were just reopened,¡± Miles answered. ¡°We just got the word.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all too convenient,¡± the Sphinx replied. ¡°But it matches up with everything that I have learned. Like I said, there are many players in this war, and many of them are on this side of Reality. We¡¯ll have to deal with them soon, I fear.¡±


    ¡°This is nowhere near over, unfortunately,¡± Trick¡¯s mother said sourly.


    ¡°Maybe not, but I have some leads,¡± the Sphinx said with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see how they play out. The Q Files are back, and this time we have some teeth.¡±


    And with that, they continued to talk, discuss, and drive into the inky blackness of the night. Dawn was still hours away.


    THE END


    FOR NOW...