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I should have had this done two weeks ago. Sorry.\n\nI'll try to catch up. writers block and RL stuff don't mix well though. So sorry in advance.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Real life has me so freaking borked. I should have had this done two weeks ago. Sorry.

I'll try to catch up. writers block and RL stuff don't mix well though. So sorry in advance.", "writing": "Collared Chapter 12: One Shot\nBy TerraMGP\n\n\tThe Urbosh mines. They were a far cry from the magnificent city sat above them. There were no grand walls or noble statues. No vast open spaces under gemlit stone skies. Before them was nothing. Nothing but dim gemlight lamps hammered into the corners of otherwise rough hewn walls. Nothing but dark shafts barely big enough for three dwarves to walk abreast.\n\n\tOnly they weren’t dwarves. Tiss, for her part, was able to avoid taking too much space in the tunnels. The fairy mage had shrunken herself down and sat alight on the shoulder of Lord Blackrose. Her tiny body added some silvery light to the dim gem lamps and her incessant rambling cut though the otherwise cold silence.\n\n\t“I wish she’d be quiet.” Faiza muttered. The blue scaled skink made no effort to hide her foul mood. She walked at the front of the party with her eyes quickly scanning this way and that. Every step soft and the Teifling woman seemed ready to jump back before applying any pressure as she went along down the tunnel.\n\n\t“Normally I’d agree.” Alistair Blackrose glanced at the girl on his shoulder and then back to the woman before him. “But I get the feeling they already know we’re coming.”\n\n\t“It’s the safest thing to assume.” An amethyst scaled dragon girl from the rear muttered “I can’t believe we were so stupid. We practically handed Pim to them on a silver platter.”\n\n\t“Opportunism makes sense for vampires.” Alistair chimed in “He was something they could use to blame the recent attacks, and Dwarven law apparently doesn’t account for examining less obvious possibilities when a clear one is sitting right in front of you.”\n\n\t“All the more reason to be quiet!” Faiza hissed under her breath. The skink then stopped abruptly. Her wings spreading on instinct. Ready to fly, as if there were anywhere to fly to in the cramped space. She leaned down and scooped up a rock from the dirt by her feet. She hefted it in her hand, then tossed it like a skipping stone. The small projectile thudding and bouncing its way down the shaft floor and off past the point where any of them could see clearly.\n\n\t“What was that?” Tiss whimpered. The fairy red panda flitted herself up to stand on her pauldron perch and tossed both hands up in preparation for a spell.\n\n\tThat spell never formed. Darkness, loud rumbling stone, and the four adventurers found themselves tumbling off into the dark.\n\n\tAlistair was the first to come to. A very unpleasant feeling considering that his legs were now pinned under a draconic woman in full plate. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust and the dark vision to kick in. Shadowy muted colors slowly pulling themselves into shapes around him.\n\n\tMost of him was focused on the painful pile of other furs in armor on top of him. They hadn’t all been crushed by rocks, so that was a good sign. Less good was the decent sized cave they found themselves in. a cave cut smooth and filled with all manner of benches and equipment. \n\n\tThe Lordling’s mismatched eyes then crossed ever so slightly. All of his attention fixed on the thick blue steel barrel pointing down at him. Leading up to a haggard looking Gnome girl at the other end.\n\n--------------------\n\n\t“Ok, so I can loot your stuff now, right?”\n\n\tGroans rose from the Table, all directed at Gretchen. The poor mole girl could do little more than slump back into her place on the couch and take a heavy sip of her boba tea.\n\n\t“La Allah, I thought you told her how to play.” The exasperated sigh came from a slumped gecko sitting in a computer chair at the other side of the table. The beanpole of a girl sat slumped in barely repressed frustration while gripping at the dark bits of hair poking out from her hijab. \n\n\t“We did!” Justin groaned “I mean, I thought we did.”\n\n\tThe red panda sitting next to Gretchen slipped a paw against her cheek and turned it, smiling at her pet with sweet condescension. “Pet, why are you trying to rob us?”\n\n\t“I mean, isn’t that how you win the game?” The mole cast her eyes around the table again. From Master Justin behind his DM screen and laptop, to Mistress Hui, to the two new people she was trying very hard to interact with politely.\n\n\tThe gecko girl shot forwards and reared up from the table. A hammering rant was on her lips. Instead it died thanks to a firm paw on her forearm. A squat, chubby brick of a badger girl with fiery red headfur and eyes very similar to Justin’s. “Esme, I know what you’re going to say. But come on. This is her first session. Like, ever. She hasn’t even done anything yet.” \n\n\t“That’s easy for you to say. You and Hui both have things to keep you busy. Meanwhile I’m still waiting to hear back from schools and Drama hasn’t even settled on our next production. I was looking forwards to finally getting our game back, and now” Esme’s arms gesticulated wildly in Gretchen’s direction “This.”\n\n\t“Breath, Esme, Breath.” Becky’s gruff voice as always served as the anchor of reason. She gave her friend a small pat on the arm and then turned to the newcomer. Some of her own annoyance slipped out behind the diplomatic smile she wore. The badger brushing back some of the curly red hair that had fallen out of place and gotten in her face. “Esme’s been a bit worried lately. If I can give you some advice, just relax. Just remember that we’re all on the same team. Right? It’s not a zero sum game.”\n\n\tThe mole was clearly lost. She barley made any effort to hide it, either. Meeting new people and being in a strangers basement had set her on edge. All she could really do was smile and nod while Justin cleared his throat to let them continue\n\n--------------------\n\n\tAll five furs sat in silence. The only noises to fill the room were some grunts from Alistair as Tiss bandaged up his arm and the occasional unnerving sound of a large firearm shifting in the hands of the disproportionately tiny gnome hedgehog who’s home the companions had unintentionally invaded.\n\n\t“So, if you four are done” the gnome finally muttered as she gestured the rifle towards Alistair “Mind telling me what you people are doing invading my home like this?”\n\n\t“It would help if you pointed that thing somewhere else.” Lord Blackrose grunted from his unceremonious seat on the semi-finished stone floor.\n\n\t“This ‘thing’ is an 8x45 rolling block rocketball rifled musket. Blued steel with mithral inlay. Petrified blackthorn stock. I call her Bessa. In ten years this kind of weapon will be standard issue among Dwarven home guard militia.” \n\n\tThe whole party loosed a series of disinterested murmurs amongst each other. Faiza scoffed and glanced around the space again. Now fully lit by strange little lamps of sparking electricity. “We should not trust her, Blackrose. For all we know she’s one of them’. Perhaps your little fairy knows a daylight spell? We could always use that to check”\n\n\t“I’m sorry, but who should trust who?” The gnome hefted her bulk back and aimed the rifle at the teifling. “You are the ones who broke into my lab. Now you’re accusing me of something?”\n\n\tA mailed glove shot between the two. Valaria dragged herself between the gnome and her own companion. Her purple scales shon with a mixture of patronizing diplomacy and familial contempt. “Look, there’s no reason to start a fight. We did not choose to be here, and she obviously did not choose for us to be here. Otherwise she’d have opened fire right away. Or, if she were a vampire, just tried to cast a dominate spell on us and use us for food.” \n\n\t“What the hell are you talking about, Vampires?” The gnome girl let her rifle drop more, but tensed around it. The impossibly huge thing resting in her lap but ready to spring up and fire at any moment. \n\n\tFaiza relaxed. Her knuckles tensed into a fist and then moved away from the hilt of her sword. Valaria caught the gesture and smiled warmly before turning her attention to the gnome and offering a half-bow. About as much as the heavy plate would allow. “I am lady Valaria Pendragon. Heiress of Alboria. My companion here is Captain Faiza Mehr of the Lucky Dinar. The brooding otter is Lord Alistair Blackrose of the High Moorlands and the lovely fairy beside him is Tiss Sprigbind of Strixhaven.”\n\n\tThe gnome rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat. She cast a quick glance at the assembled quartet and then offered a half-greeting with one paw. “That’s nice. Never heard of any of you. Still doesn’t tell me what any of you are doing in my home.” Another short pause. The four furs all gazed at their unwilling hostess. Finally the gnome slumped and grumbled her frustration “Fine. Greetings. My name is Opal Garnet Sapphire Alexandrite Ruby Silverburrow. I welcome you to my home. Now what are you doing here?”\n\n\t“That’s… a name.” Alistair muttered\n\n\t“Or a bag of gems” Tiss giggled, the flittering fay getting flicked for her flippant comment.\n\n\tValaria sighed and bowed her head once more. “Forgive them. Since we have invaded your home, unintentional as it may be, I suppose it’s only right to tell you. Especially since this may concern you as well. Our companion has been arrested by the Thane. Apparently there have been a series of vampiric attacks in the city and they have managed to frame him. As such it’s upon us to clear his name. Not to mention the need to help secure the safety of the city from this vampire attack.”\n\n\tOpal looked positively nonplussed taking this all in. She listened blankly, sat for a while, and then finally offered a small nod of understanding. “So there are actual vampires in the hold, as opposed to just the metaphorical ones usually involved in politics? Why should this concern me? I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I didn’t exactly set myself up here because I love the city life.”\n\n\t“Because.” Alistair chimed in “The attacks only started after this mine began working these new shafts. Meaning whatever we’re dealing with, it’s likely close by”\n\n--------------------\n\n\t“Pizza time!” Becky hopped up out of her seat and snagged her phone off of the table.\n\n\t“Wait, we didn’t order any pizza.” Justin blinked\n\n\tThe badger shrugged and offered a coy smile “Didn’t have to. Dad got one of those wood fire thingies you keep on the back patio. He said he’d text me when he got a few done. Hope you guys aren’t too disappointed.”\n\n\t“If I am, then there’s no bonus XP for you!” Justin called out. He then slumped back into his seat and sighed happily to himself. “God I missed this. I swear if this ‘napping all the time’ shit doesn’t clear up by next semester I’m going to just pass out at my damn desk.”\n\n\t“What desk?” Hui giggled\n\n\t“The schools still have desks” Justin offered the biggest smile he could and then slumped back down, shaking his head and casting his eyes to the rest of the table “I guess I just didn’t realize how much of a slacker I was before now. The classes aren’t even that hard, but I care now. Which sucks. Plus I have to work, which sucks more. And not just odd jobs now and then for gas money. Four hundred for rent, which is a steal but still hurts. Then you have fifty for the net. Cooling is insane because of how old the house is and I don’t even want to imagine what the heating bill will be. Quarter of that is probably what I’d pay on my own in a new house. Gas, food, save up for next semester.”\n\n\t“Your parents don’t help with any of that?” Gretchen chirped the question before seeming to realize how bad it was. She then quickly shrank back into her seat and whimpered a quiet ‘sorry’ under her breath.\n\n\tJustin, for his part, simply offered a smile and waved a paw. A dismissive gesture which rang quite hollow. “It’s fine. They probably want to. But you saw mom. Soon they’ll have someone to worry about who will be a literal actual baby. I gotta stand on my own. Just kinda regret not listening to Xiulan when she told me to stop being a lazy little prick.”\n\n\t“Oh he, she never said it like that.” Esme scoffed\n\n\tJustin rolled his eyes and gave his best wry half-smile. “You’re just too used to how polite she used to be around you guys. Our resident Chucky Finster could be a real little bitch when we were alone. Though I guess I probably wasn’t any better.”\n\n\t“She seems like a bitch all the time.” Gretchen winced and quickly tucked herself down from Hui’s gaze. Once again taking a deep sip of her drink. “So, uh, We get to do combat next, right?”\n\n\t“Soon.” Justin smiled “Everyone, give me a notice check”\n\n--------------------\n\n\t“Hold” Lord Blackrose shot a paw out to his side. The sound of tinkling armor and heavy footfalls paused at once. Only the sound of breathing persisted as it bounced against the cave walls and rippled its way deep into the darkness. \n\n\tThere was nothing. Nothing but stone and dim lights. No sounds, no sights. Everything dark and still. Alistair’s paw clenched tight. Shimmering unlight sparking from it into the rough jagged shape of a massive sword. From it a foot-long hilt of oak wrapped in Displacer Beast hide sprang into being. Its ring pommel and sweeping curved cross guard both heavily silvered with deep mithral inlay. That same blue-silver mithral sheen crept along the four foot length of the blade itself, broken up by the satiny black covering the weapon’s flat.\n\n\tOnce it had formed Alistair readied Ravenchild before him. His slender frame braced in a rooted stance.\n\n\tIn a split second the others had taken formation. Faiza eschewed her already small sword for a long curved dagger while her free hand drew forth a hand crossbow and notched it from a hook on her belt. Valaria hefted her shield forwards with the Pendragon family crest somehow sparkling and shimmering in the darkness. Her maul was pulled free of its bindings on her hip and held low in hand while she took deep breaths in preparation to unleash her powerful breath. Tiss shrank down to her normal size and flitted up with both hands forwards as silver-black energy swirled between her palms.\n\n\tThe surprise was the newcomer. Opal had remained at the rear. The gnome had ditched her simple brown work clothes for an ornate set plate armor. Like her name might suggest, the mithral blue plates were set deeply with a wide array of gemstones somehow inlaid to geometric shapes carved into the overlapping and bizarre structure of the suit. Shimmering ruby and sapphire, barding made of smoky quartz. Large artificial moonstones were set deeply into the helm as a set of goggles, now shining in oily blackness. They gave the already odd suit a cartoonish look. \n\n\tStrange glyphs and sigils flashed in reverse within those lenses. Opal dropped to one knee between Alistair and Valaria. Her massive rifle pulled up to rest on her shoulder amid the creaks and whines of her suit. The trigger was pulled, and a split second later the bullet struck something in the darkness. \n\n\tThat something was illuminated by a momentary purple flash. The flicker of a staff with energy just starting to coalesce into it before being stopped. It was enough to give details. Details of slavering things that were once dwarves now moving along on all fours with pale skin and thick sickly clawed fingers. Impressions of the figure holding the staff, wearing flowing purple robes inlaid with gold. Impressions of the figure’s head. A large rubbery oval with long tentacles wriggling and writhing about where a mouth should be. Letting out a burbling scream as it fell backwards into the blackness from the headshot.\n\n--------------------\n\n\t“Yay, I killed the bad guy!” Gretchen squealed “How many XP do I get?”\n\n\tThe rest of the table was silent. Four other furs all glaring at her. Pizza and pop held mid bite or sip while the girl was simply forced to take in the awkward glances. “Did, uh, Did I do something wrong?” the mole muttered.\n\n\tJustin loosed a drawn out sigh and did his best to force a smile on his muzzle. “It’s not dead. I never said it was dead. You just got a critical. A good critical,”\n\n\t“It was a good critical” Hui chirped reassuringly “twenty damage is a very good opening.”\n\n\t“But I shot it in the head! What kind of thing gets back up after you shoot it in the head?” The mole hung her own head and sighed while scooting up closer to her Mistress. Graciously Hui put an arm around her chubby little love and gave her a soft kiss on the spot where frizzy hair met downy mole fur on her forehead.\n\n\tBy now Esme had pulled her long legs up and sat perched in the borrowed gaming chair that bore her negligible weight. The gecko girl pushed her hijab to the side a bit and tucked a few stray strands of hair back into it while looking between the new player and her friends. “Gretchen. I know we just met, but I feel I need to ask you something. Who is your character?”\n\n\t“Um, Opal?” Gretchen muttered. The girl clearly confused.\n\n\tThe gecko shook her head and leaned in over the table. “No, I mean, Why are you so eager to get the first shot in and kill the bad guy? I’m trying to get a read on the kind of character you’re playing and I just can’t get my head around her?”\n\n\t“Oh that?” Gretchen’s grin began to return “Well she’s an Armorer artificer. See she wears a suit of armor and-”\n\n\t“That’s not what Esme means.” Becky’s voice was far more tempered. Her diplomatic tone shining though as ever “I think we’re just a bit confused. We didn’t get much of her before the fight started, and you seemed really eager to take out this target. Does she know something about the caves we don’t? Because it’s fine if you and Justin worked something out on her backstory to include that.”\n\n\t“That’d be great, honestly” Esme nodded “Maybe keeping it a secret and hoping to use our party to aid in her dirty work? Some kind of revenge? A lone gnome isn’t gonna set up in some random cave tunnel with no reason. Oh, wait, maybe that’s it!”\n\n\tThe comment didn’t particularly go over well with the poor mole. Gretchen instead shrank back against Hui and looked over at Justin with a pleading shimmer in those big garnet-brown eyes. “I, she’s an artificer. I made her a gnome because everything online said that was one of the best races to use for them. It helps raise Intelligence and constitution. Granted everyone was talking up the DPS of the artillerist. But that seemed too much like something from a first person MOBA and I didn’t like paying those when I tried them. So I went with the second suggestion and asked if I could use a firearm.”\n\n\t“But that name” Esme’s voice cracked a bit as she chimed in\n\n\tHui offered up a paw and sheepishly smiled. “Uh, I kinda suggested it. She asked me for help on a good gnome name. She said she had an idea. I guess I didn’t think to ask if it was about the mechanics.”\n\n\t“I fucked up again, didn’t I?” Gretchen pulled herself into a ball and yanked her hoodie over her head until she was little more than a mound of grey sadness contrasted against the tacky afghan hung over the couch back. Esme leaned forward and winced as her legs slipped forward and she was gut-checked by the table. One long lanky arm shot out towards Gretchen before collapsing down into the piles of books and papers at the center of the table. “Look, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. We’re just trying to help you get up to speed.”\n\n\t“Yeah, but you said this was your first game in a while, right?” Gretchen muttered.\n\n\tBecky snickered and glanced towards the otter behind the DM screen. “Yeah but that’s my idiot cousin’s fault for not managing his time better. The goal is to get us all doing this weekly anyways.”\n\n\t“Right.” Esme’s tone was now chipper and bright. A smile crossing her face as she situated herself in her chair once more. “It’s a bit like those games you might watch on Youtube. Except instead of Matt Mercer, we have this loser.”\n\n\t“Hey!” Justin whined\n\n\tHui did her best to stifle her giggle and scooted in closer to her pet “It’s our fault for not checking more with you before we did this. Meeting new people is already a lot for you. You’re actually doing very well with that, pet. No fainting or running out of the room or anything!”\n\n\t“Yeah, but could I run out of the room now?” Gretchen sighed\n\n\t“If you do I shall be taking that Boba.” Esme’s tone sweet and teasing now. “Look, I am sorry. Why don’t you just try playing her a bit more as yourself for now. Then I can give you my Discord info in case you want some help learning how to get into character later.”\n\n\t“Does it have to be voice chat?” Try as she might Gretchen couldn’t muster enough layers of misanthropy to cover her shyness. Luckily for her the attempt got her a peck on the mostly hidden cheek from Hui and assuring rubs against her back.\n\n\tEsme shook her head and glanced at Becky “It can go however you want. And we can get Becky to help too. Just keep in mind I’ll be less able to discuss things when auditions start up again. \n\n\tThe sea of uncomfortable support continued to crash over Gretchen. It left the mole feeling both elated and terrified. Her whole being wanted to reject this kind of kindness and bolt. All, perhaps, but one small shining kernel of happiness. Not just at her beloved Hui embracing her, but that she dared to imagine maybe these people weren’t so bad.\n\n\tIt was Justin who eventually broke the long silence. That pseudo-suave tone returning to his voice. “Ok then, so Opal just royally fucked up the mind flayer. Spoilers, that thing is a mind flayer. Xe is also ‘super’ pissed. Next up in order is Faiza”\n\n\tEsme’s grin grew sinister now as she leaned back in the gaming chair like some B movie super villain. “I see. Well then, Let us see about ruining this creature’s whole day.”\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Collared Chapter 12: One Shot
By TerraMGP

\tThe Urbosh mines. They were a far cry from the magnificent city sat above them. There were no grand walls or noble statues. No vast open spaces under gemlit stone skies. Before them was nothing. Nothing but dim gemlight lamps hammered into the corners of otherwise rough hewn walls. Nothing but dark shafts barely big enough for three dwarves to walk abreast.

\tOnly they weren’t dwarves. Tiss, for her part, was able to avoid taking too much space in the tunnels. The fairy mage had shrunken herself down and sat alight on the shoulder of Lord Blackrose. Her tiny body added some silvery light to the dim gem lamps and her incessant rambling cut though the otherwise cold silence.

\t“I wish she’d be quiet.” Faiza muttered. The blue scaled skink made no effort to hide her foul mood. She walked at the front of the party with her eyes quickly scanning this way and that. Every step soft and the Teifling woman seemed ready to jump back before applying any pressure as she went along down the tunnel.

\t“Normally I’d agree.” Alistair Blackrose glanced at the girl on his shoulder and then back to the woman before him. “But I get the feeling they already know we’re coming.”

\t“It’s the safest thing to assume.” An amethyst scaled dragon girl from the rear muttered “I can’t believe we were so stupid. We practically handed Pim to them on a silver platter.”

\t“Opportunism makes sense for vampires.” Alistair chimed in “He was something they could use to blame the recent attacks, and Dwarven law apparently doesn’t account for examining less obvious possibilities when a clear one is sitting right in front of you.”

\t“All the more reason to be quiet!” Faiza hissed under her breath. The skink then stopped abruptly. Her wings spreading on instinct. Ready to fly, as if there were anywhere to fly to in the cramped space. She leaned down and scooped up a rock from the dirt by her feet. She hefted it in her hand, then tossed it like a skipping stone. The small projectile thudding and bouncing its way down the shaft floor and off past the point where any of them could see clearly.

\t“What was that?” Tiss whimpered. The fairy red panda flitted herself up to stand on her pauldron perch and tossed both hands up in preparation for a spell.

\tThat spell never formed. Darkness, loud rumbling stone, and the four adventurers found themselves tumbling off into the dark.

\tAlistair was the first to come to. A very unpleasant feeling considering that his legs were now pinned under a draconic woman in full plate. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust and the dark vision to kick in. Shadowy muted colors slowly pulling themselves into shapes around him.

\tMost of him was focused on the painful pile of other furs in armor on top of him. They hadn’t all been crushed by rocks, so that was a good sign. Less good was the decent sized cave they found themselves in. a cave cut smooth and filled with all manner of benches and equipment.

\tThe Lordling’s mismatched eyes then crossed ever so slightly. All of his attention fixed on the thick blue steel barrel pointing down at him. Leading up to a haggard looking Gnome girl at the other end.

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

\t“Ok, so I can loot your stuff now, right?”

\tGroans rose from the Table, all directed at Gretchen. The poor mole girl could do little more than slump back into her place on the couch and take a heavy sip of her boba tea.

\t“La Allah, I thought you told her how to play.” The exasperated sigh came from a slumped gecko sitting in a computer chair at the other side of the table. The beanpole of a girl sat slumped in barely repressed frustration while gripping at the dark bits of hair poking out from her hijab.

\t“We did!” Justin groaned “I mean, I thought we did.”

\tThe red panda sitting next to Gretchen slipped a paw against her cheek and turned it, smiling at her pet with sweet condescension. “Pet, why are you trying to rob us?”

\t“I mean, isn’t that how you win the game?” The mole cast her eyes around the table again. From Master Justin behind his DM screen and laptop, to Mistress Hui, to the two new people she was trying very hard to interact with politely.

\tThe gecko girl shot forwards and reared up from the table. A hammering rant was on her lips. Instead it died thanks to a firm paw on her forearm. A squat, chubby brick of a badger girl with fiery red headfur and eyes very similar to Justin’s. “Esme, I know what you’re going to say. But come on. This is her first session. Like, ever. She hasn’t even done anything yet.”

\t“That’s easy for you to say. You and Hui both have things to keep you busy. Meanwhile I’m still waiting to hear back from schools and Drama hasn’t even settled on our next production. I was looking forwards to finally getting our game back, and now” Esme’s arms gesticulated wildly in Gretchen’s direction “This.”

\t“Breath, Esme, Breath.” Becky’s gruff voice as always served as the anchor of reason. She gave her friend a small pat on the arm and then turned to the newcomer. Some of her own annoyance slipped out behind the diplomatic smile she wore. The badger brushing back some of the curly red hair that had fallen out of place and gotten in her face. “Esme’s been a bit worried lately. If I can give you some advice, just relax. Just remember that we’re all on the same team. Right? It’s not a zero sum game.”

\tThe mole was clearly lost. She barley made any effort to hide it, either. Meeting new people and being in a strangers basement had set her on edge. All she could really do was smile and nod while Justin cleared his throat to let them continue

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

\tAll five furs sat in silence. The only noises to fill the room were some grunts from Alistair as Tiss bandaged up his arm and the occasional unnerving sound of a large firearm shifting in the hands of the disproportionately tiny gnome hedgehog who’s home the companions had unintentionally invaded.

\t“So, if you four are done” the gnome finally muttered as she gestured the rifle towards Alistair “Mind telling me what you people are doing invading my home like this?”

\t“It would help if you pointed that thing somewhere else.” Lord Blackrose grunted from his unceremonious seat on the semi-finished stone floor.

\t“This ‘thing’ is an 8x45 rolling block rocketball rifled musket. Blued steel with mithral inlay. Petrified blackthorn stock. I call her Bessa. In ten years this kind of weapon will be standard issue among Dwarven home guard militia.”

\tThe whole party loosed a series of disinterested murmurs amongst each other. Faiza scoffed and glanced around the space again. Now fully lit by strange little lamps of sparking electricity. “We should not trust her, Blackrose. For all we know she’s one of them’. Perhaps your little fairy knows a daylight spell? We could always use that to check”

\t“I’m sorry, but who should trust who?” The gnome hefted her bulk back and aimed the rifle at the teifling. “You are the ones who broke into my lab. Now you’re accusing me of something?”

\tA mailed glove shot between the two. Valaria dragged herself between the gnome and her own companion. Her purple scales shon with a mixture of patronizing diplomacy and familial contempt. “Look, there’s no reason to start a fight. We did not choose to be here, and she obviously did not choose for us to be here. Otherwise she’d have opened fire right away. Or, if she were a vampire, just tried to cast a dominate spell on us and use us for food.”

\t“What the hell are you talking about, Vampires?” The gnome girl let her rifle drop more, but tensed around it. The impossibly huge thing resting in her lap but ready to spring up and fire at any moment.

\tFaiza relaxed. Her knuckles tensed into a fist and then moved away from the hilt of her sword. Valaria caught the gesture and smiled warmly before turning her attention to the gnome and offering a half-bow. About as much as the heavy plate would allow. “I am lady Valaria Pendragon. Heiress of Alboria. My companion here is Captain Faiza Mehr of the Lucky Dinar. The brooding otter is Lord Alistair Blackrose of the High Moorlands and the lovely fairy beside him is Tiss Sprigbind of Strixhaven.”

\tThe gnome rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat. She cast a quick glance at the assembled quartet and then offered a half-greeting with one paw. “That’s nice. Never heard of any of you. Still doesn’t tell me what any of you are doing in my home.” Another short pause. The four furs all gazed at their unwilling hostess. Finally the gnome slumped and grumbled her frustration “Fine. Greetings. My name is Opal Garnet Sapphire Alexandrite Ruby Silverburrow. I welcome you to my home. Now what are you doing here?”

\t“That’s… a name.” Alistair muttered

\t“Or a bag of gems” Tiss giggled, the flittering fay getting flicked for her flippant comment.

\tValaria sighed and bowed her head once more. “Forgive them. Since we have invaded your home, unintentional as it may be, I suppose it’s only right to tell you. Especially since this may concern you as well. Our companion has been arrested by the Thane. Apparently there have been a series of vampiric attacks in the city and they have managed to frame him. As such it’s upon us to clear his name. Not to mention the need to help secure the safety of the city from this vampire attack.”

\tOpal looked positively nonplussed taking this all in. She listened blankly, sat for a while, and then finally offered a small nod of understanding. “So there are actual vampires in the hold, as opposed to just the metaphorical ones usually involved in politics? Why should this concern me? I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I didn’t exactly set myself up here because I love the city life.”

\t“Because.” Alistair chimed in “The attacks only started after this mine began working these new shafts. Meaning whatever we’re dealing with, it’s likely close by”

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

\t“Pizza time!” Becky hopped up out of her seat and snagged her phone off of the table.

\t“Wait, we didn’t order any pizza.” Justin blinked

\tThe badger shrugged and offered a coy smile “Didn’t have to. Dad got one of those wood fire thingies you keep on the back patio. He said he’d text me when he got a few done. Hope you guys aren’t too disappointed.”

\t“If I am, then there’s no bonus XP for you!” Justin called out. He then slumped back into his seat and sighed happily to himself. “God I missed this. I swear if this ‘napping all the time’ shit doesn’t clear up by next semester I’m going to just pass out at my damn desk.”

\t“What desk?” Hui giggled

\t“The schools still have desks” Justin offered the biggest smile he could and then slumped back down, shaking his head and casting his eyes to the rest of the table “I guess I just didn’t realize how much of a slacker I was before now. The classes aren’t even that hard, but I care now. Which sucks. Plus I have to work, which sucks more. And not just odd jobs now and then for gas money. Four hundred for rent, which is a steal but still hurts. Then you have fifty for the net. Cooling is insane because of how old the house is and I don’t even want to imagine what the heating bill will be. Quarter of that is probably what I’d pay on my own in a new house. Gas, food, save up for next semester.”

\t“Your parents don’t help with any of that?” Gretchen chirped the question before seeming to realize how bad it was. She then quickly shrank back into her seat and whimpered a quiet ‘sorry’ under her breath.

\tJustin, for his part, simply offered a smile and waved a paw. A dismissive gesture which rang quite hollow. “It’s fine. They probably want to. But you saw mom. Soon they’ll have someone to worry about who will be a literal actual baby. I gotta stand on my own. Just kinda regret not listening to Xiulan when she told me to stop being a lazy little prick.”

\t“Oh he, she never said it like that.” Esme scoffed

\tJustin rolled his eyes and gave his best wry half-smile. “You’re just too used to how polite she used to be around you guys. Our resident Chucky Finster could be a real little bitch when we were alone. Though I guess I probably wasn’t any better.”

\t“She seems like a bitch all the time.” Gretchen winced and quickly tucked herself down from Hui’s gaze. Once again taking a deep sip of her drink. “So, uh, We get to do combat next, right?”

\t“Soon.” Justin smiled “Everyone, give me a notice check”

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

\t“Hold” Lord Blackrose shot a paw out to his side. The sound of tinkling armor and heavy footfalls paused at once. Only the sound of breathing persisted as it bounced against the cave walls and rippled its way deep into the darkness.

\tThere was nothing. Nothing but stone and dim lights. No sounds, no sights. Everything dark and still. Alistair’s paw clenched tight. Shimmering unlight sparking from it into the rough jagged shape of a massive sword. From it a foot-long hilt of oak wrapped in Displacer Beast hide sprang into being. Its ring pommel and sweeping curved cross guard both heavily silvered with deep mithral inlay. That same blue-silver mithral sheen crept along the four foot length of the blade itself, broken up by the satiny black covering the weapon’s flat.

\tOnce it had formed Alistair readied Ravenchild before him. His slender frame braced in a rooted stance.

\tIn a split second the others had taken formation. Faiza eschewed her already small sword for a long curved dagger while her free hand drew forth a hand crossbow and notched it from a hook on her belt. Valaria hefted her shield forwards with the Pendragon family crest somehow sparkling and shimmering in the darkness. Her maul was pulled free of its bindings on her hip and held low in hand while she took deep breaths in preparation to unleash her powerful breath. Tiss shrank down to her normal size and flitted up with both hands forwards as silver-black energy swirled between her palms.

\tThe surprise was the newcomer. Opal had remained at the rear. The gnome had ditched her simple brown work clothes for an ornate set plate armor. Like her name might suggest, the mithral blue plates were set deeply with a wide array of gemstones somehow inlaid to geometric shapes carved into the overlapping and bizarre structure of the suit. Shimmering ruby and sapphire, barding made of smoky quartz. Large artificial moonstones were set deeply into the helm as a set of goggles, now shining in oily blackness. They gave the already odd suit a cartoonish look.

\tStrange glyphs and sigils flashed in reverse within those lenses. Opal dropped to one knee between Alistair and Valaria. Her massive rifle pulled up to rest on her shoulder amid the creaks and whines of her suit. The trigger was pulled, and a split second later the bullet struck something in the darkness.

\tThat something was illuminated by a momentary purple flash. The flicker of a staff with energy just starting to coalesce into it before being stopped. It was enough to give details. Details of slavering things that were once dwarves now moving along on all fours with pale skin and thick sickly clawed fingers. Impressions of the figure holding the staff, wearing flowing purple robes inlaid with gold. Impressions of the figure’s head. A large rubbery oval with long tentacles wriggling and writhing about where a mouth should be. Letting out a burbling scream as it fell backwards into the blackness from the headshot.

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

\t“Yay, I killed the bad guy!” Gretchen squealed “How many XP do I get?”

\tThe rest of the table was silent. Four other furs all glaring at her. Pizza and pop held mid bite or sip while the girl was simply forced to take in the awkward glances. “Did, uh, Did I do something wrong?” the mole muttered.

\tJustin loosed a drawn out sigh and did his best to force a smile on his muzzle. “It’s not dead. I never said it was dead. You just got a critical. A good critical,”

\t“It was a good critical” Hui chirped reassuringly “twenty damage is a very good opening.”

\t“But I shot it in the head! What kind of thing gets back up after you shoot it in the head?” The mole hung her own head and sighed while scooting up closer to her Mistress. Graciously Hui put an arm around her chubby little love and gave her a soft kiss on the spot where frizzy hair met downy mole fur on her forehead.

\tBy now Esme had pulled her long legs up and sat perched in the borrowed gaming chair that bore her negligible weight. The gecko girl pushed her hijab to the side a bit and tucked a few stray strands of hair back into it while looking between the new player and her friends. “Gretchen. I know we just met, but I feel I need to ask you something. Who is your character?”

\t“Um, Opal?” Gretchen muttered. The girl clearly confused.

\tThe gecko shook her head and leaned in over the table. “No, I mean, Why are you so eager to get the first shot in and kill the bad guy? I’m trying to get a read on the kind of character you’re playing and I just can’t get my head around her?”

\t“Oh that?” Gretchen’s grin began to return “Well she’s an Armorer artificer. See she wears a suit of armor and-”

\t“That’s not what Esme means.” Becky’s voice was far more tempered. Her diplomatic tone shining though as ever “I think we’re just a bit confused. We didn’t get much of her before the fight started, and you seemed really eager to take out this target. Does she know something about the caves we don’t? Because it’s fine if you and Justin worked something out on her backstory to include that.”

\t“That’d be great, honestly” Esme nodded “Maybe keeping it a secret and hoping to use our party to aid in her dirty work? Some kind of revenge? A lone gnome isn’t gonna set up in some random cave tunnel with no reason. Oh, wait, maybe that’s it!”

\tThe comment didn’t particularly go over well with the poor mole. Gretchen instead shrank back against Hui and looked over at Justin with a pleading shimmer in those big garnet-brown eyes. “I, she’s an artificer. I made her a gnome because everything online said that was one of the best races to use for them. It helps raise Intelligence and constitution. Granted everyone was talking up the DPS of the artillerist. But that seemed too much like something from a first person MOBA and I didn’t like paying those when I tried them. So I went with the second suggestion and asked if I could use a firearm.”

\t“But that name” Esme’s voice cracked a bit as she chimed in

\tHui offered up a paw and sheepishly smiled. “Uh, I kinda suggested it. She asked me for help on a good gnome name. She said she had an idea. I guess I didn’t think to ask if it was about the mechanics.”

\t“I fucked up again, didn’t I?” Gretchen pulled herself into a ball and yanked her hoodie over her head until she was little more than a mound of grey sadness contrasted against the tacky afghan hung over the couch back. Esme leaned forward and winced as her legs slipped forward and she was gut-checked by the table. One long lanky arm shot out towards Gretchen before collapsing down into the piles of books and papers at the center of the table. “Look, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. We’re just trying to help you get up to speed.”

\t“Yeah, but you said this was your first game in a while, right?” Gretchen muttered.

\tBecky snickered and glanced towards the otter behind the DM screen. “Yeah but that’s my idiot cousin’s fault for not managing his time better. The goal is to get us all doing this weekly anyways.”

\t“Right.” Esme’s tone was now chipper and bright. A smile crossing her face as she situated herself in her chair once more. “It’s a bit like those games you might watch on Youtube. Except instead of Matt Mercer, we have this loser.”

\t“Hey!” Justin whined

\tHui did her best to stifle her giggle and scooted in closer to her pet “It’s our fault for not checking more with you before we did this. Meeting new people is already a lot for you. You’re actually doing very well with that, pet. No fainting or running out of the room or anything!”

\t“Yeah, but could I run out of the room now?” Gretchen sighed

\t“If you do I shall be taking that Boba.” Esme’s tone sweet and teasing now. “Look, I am sorry. Why don’t you just try playing her a bit more as yourself for now. Then I can give you my Discord info in case you want some help learning how to get into character later.”

\t“Does it have to be voice chat?” Try as she might Gretchen couldn’t muster enough layers of misanthropy to cover her shyness. Luckily for her the attempt got her a peck on the mostly hidden cheek from Hui and assuring rubs against her back.

\tEsme shook her head and glanced at Becky “It can go however you want. And we can get Becky to help too. Just keep in mind I’ll be less able to discuss things when auditions start up again.

\tThe sea of uncomfortable support continued to crash over Gretchen. It left the mole feeling both elated and terrified. Her whole being wanted to reject this kind of kindness and bolt. All, perhaps, but one small shining kernel of happiness. Not just at her beloved Hui embracing her, but that she dared to imagine maybe these people weren’t so bad.

\tIt was Justin who eventually broke the long silence. That pseudo-suave tone returning to his voice. “Ok then, so Opal just royally fucked up the mind flayer. Spoilers, that thing is a mind flayer. Xe is also ‘super’ pissed. Next up in order is Faiza”

\tEsme’s grin grew sinister now as she leaned back in the gaming chair like some B movie super villain. “I see. Well then, Let us see about ruining this creature’s whole day.”

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