# A Game Gone Wrong

Title: A Game Gone Wrong
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Fang, Naser, Trish, Reed, Naomi, Stella, Rosa
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Examanon
Summary: Stella isekai's the gang into a fantasy story. No sex ensues.
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[Prologue]
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"Do we really have to?" Anon asked his ptero girlfriend, with a great deal of anguish in his voice.
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The human could imagine dozens, nay, hundreds of better ways to spend his Friday night than another game night at Stella's. Falling into a coma for instance. Yet they were only minutes away from arriving at the dreaded destination.
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"Yeah, lighten up dork! Last time wasn't that bad."
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"It wasn't?" he asked in a sarcastic tone "Wow! Could have fooled me."
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All the response he got was a prominent middle finger.
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His thoughts flew back to the so-called "last time". "Last time" they've spent six excruciating hours trying to start a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and yet barely managing to even set up characters for everyone. Fang's apparent clinging to make a pirate princess class might have caused that. Stella proved an unbelievably lenient game master to let her do that, though it ended up with them going through four versions of the DM manual from 3.0 onwards, piecing together traits and whatnot.
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Even Anon, accustomed to roleplaying games as he was, found the process incredibly boring. He had no idea how the others tolerated it. Most of the players - him included - chose their classes in mere minutes. He, simpleton of mind, went with warrior. Or maybe it had something to do with him not wanting to dress his character in robes or tight leather like some kind of faggot. Trish, mere seconds after his choice picked warrior as well, proclaiming that they will need someone to actually do the job right.
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*Fuck you too, Trish* Anon thought at that.
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Before Fang could snatch her away, Stella recommended Naser to be a paladin, so he stuck with that. Rosa eventually became their cleric. Naomi took forever to pick from all of the caster classes, ending up at sorceress. Surprisingly, Reed took his sweet time too, looking at the list of skills and whatnot. Stella told him that he ought to be a rogue, seeing that the party had none. Alas, Reed wanted to be a bard. Anon, understanding the implications of the choice practically felt the inner facepalm of the lime stego. To her credit, she's tried her best to turn Fang's pirate princess into a rogue-ish character. Though by definition it was very hard not to make it into a dashing swordsman, god forbid a party with two bards.
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A question arose within Anon. Okay, they've set up the party. But were all the players even gonna be there that night? After the disaster that was their first attempt, he could easily imagine his friends coming up will all sorts of colorful excuses.
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"Who's coming this time?" he asked.
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"What do you mean? Everyone is." Fang answered, amused at Anon's idea that people would ditch "Not everyone likes to sit at home like you."
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"Ow, shots fired."
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He tried to play it off casually, but the words got to him. What if he preferred staying at home? There was nothing wrong with that. For the remainder of their short trip, neither of them spoke up. Although it was pretty obvious that Fang was excited, her short tail playing a non-stop beat on the bus seat. It made Anon want to tug on it so badly, but he's learned his lesson on that.
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Do NOT pull a dino's tail without permission. Especially if it's short. He suspected that there might be some size-queen thing going on with tails, but he never dared to ask. Nonetheless, it was his headcanon that Stella was walking around with the equivalent of double-D funbags. And uh, he did not want to consider Reed on that.
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Their stop soon came to view, and it was only a couple of blocks to Stella's place from there. It was a nice, quiet neighborhood in the suburbs. Neatly trimmed green grass and hedges as far as the eye could see, a couple of kids still running around despite the sun setting momentarily. It wasn't actually that far from Fang's home either, the only reason they had to take a bus was cause they were ditching the last period to play Xrox, and also very much not to play Xrox, at Anon's shitty apartment on the other side of town.
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As they rounded the last corner, Fang suddenly stopped, looking around with an intense look.
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"Shit!" she exclaimed.
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"What? What is it?" Anon asked nervously.
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"Wasn't there a convenience store somewhere around here? We should like, bring some munchies or something."
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That was a fair point. Although Stella was the hostess, it would be rude to arrive without at least some snacks. He had no earthly idea if there was a store nearby though, so he told Fang about that much. A quick look at his watch confirmed that they'd be totally late if they start going in circles now.
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"Ugh, whatever then. We'll just say it was your fault for taking so long to get dressed."
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Anon's retort came quick. With Naser there, he definitely did not want to say anything even remotely implying that they've had sex.
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"Yeah, how about we don't do that? I'd prefer not to get beat up by your brother."
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"Whatever, dweeb. Then make some shit up."
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*Easier said than done* he thought, but he didn't object.
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In fact, he tried his very best to think his way out of the conundrum all the way up to Stella's front door, to no avail. The doorbell chimed its pleasant tune, and ultimately Anon concluded that the best course of action seemed to be just apologizing, and keeping their reasons for themselves. That should work.
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"Stella! More of your friends are here!" A man's voice came from the inside.
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A few seconds later the door opened, and Stella's dad greeted the duo. The best Anon could describe him was "plain". Jeans, a neatly buttoned checkerboard shirt, short hair, framed glasses, clean scales. There was not a single memorable trait about him. They've met him last time too, and at first Anon would not believe he was one of Stella's parents. He imagined the entire family to be into mysticism, spirituality, the occult, Japanese culture, or all of the above. They were extraordinarily plain, so the fact that Stella ended up as she did begged for an explanation.
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Soon after Anon and Fang were let inside, the familiar figure of their stego friend appeared. She's already donned her dungeon master attire, a purple robe complete with a pointy hat. She quickly thanked her dad, allowing him to go about his own business.
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"Oh hey, guys! Come, come, we were all waiting for you!"
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"Yeah, sorry" Fang replied, looking at Anon expectantly.
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"Yea uh, we didn't look at the time cause we were fucking."
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The awkward sentence hung in the air between them. Even Stella's dad turned back around at the end of the hallway, making Anon question his own sanity. Of all the times, why did his retardation have to betray him now? To add insult to injury, Stella didn't seem to understand.
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"You were effing what?" she asked, confused.
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The apparent silence, combined with their embarrassed looks was response enough, and Stella's face soon went up in crimson too.
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"O-oh, haha... Well um..." Stella, bless her heart, tried to somehow get on top of the situation "T-there are some, um, drinks in the fridge, and um, the others are already downstairs."
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With that she stepped away from the duo, shooing her dad away awkwardly. As soon as Stella turned her back to them, Fang gave Anon such a death-stare that he was surprised he didn't go up in flames on the spot.
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The rest of the evening went more or less without incident. After some smalltalk and catching up with rumors, the participants once again turned their attention to the game at hand. Stella was absolutely ecstatic. They all pulled out their respective character sheets, and their enthusiastic game master handed out small plastic figures for each of them. After that Stella dimmed the lights and climbed on top of her chair, towering over the party ominously. Or rather as ominously as a bubbly girl like she could, with that stupid hat and all.
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"Welcome, adventurers!" she began her speech in a deepened voice, trying to sound mysterious.
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To Anon's surprise, there were a couple "Yeah!"-s, and "Whoo!"-s, one coming from none other than Fang. At some point, she's also asked Stella for an eyepatch, and now looked completely enthralled with the game.
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"You have been summoned by the famous good witch Stellior, to embark on a great and perilous journey! And yet you must, for only the seven of you can save the realm from complete destruction! You must defeat the evil shapeshifting warlock, known only as Ko'upe before he could usher in eternal darkness! You have to make your way to his fortress on top of the icy mountains, surrounded by dark forests and deadly marshes! There, you will need to collect all seven pieces of his soul and destroy them! But fear not, heroes, for I, the good witch Stellior will use my magic to keep you safe! Behold, the book of Loley!"
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At that point, Stella produced a book from under her robes. Even at first glance, Anon could tell that it was pretty old. The pages had that distinct yellow color to them, and the binding itself looked all wrinkled and leathery. Truth be told, upon closer inspection, it looked very much like old, dried skin. But it couldn't be, right?
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"Stella, what the hell is that?" he asked, somewhat concerned.
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"I don't know who this 'Stella' is, for I am the good witch Stellior! And I'll let you know that it is a great and ancient artifact, from the dungeon of um... Int Ernet!"
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She sounded clearly annoyed that Anon would break immersion right in the middle of her story. He wasn't convinced though.
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"Ugh fine! I got it from the same site I got my Ouija board from, okay? Can we continue now?"
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"Woah, is that safe?" Rosa interjected.
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"Are you serious?" Fang asked "Are you afraid of a toy?"
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An argument lasting for several minutes ensued, only ending when Stella loudly threw the book on the table. She looked at her friends, cheeks puffed out in her anger that her game got so rudely interrupted.
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"AHEM! FEAR NOT, HEROES, AND BEHOLD THE BOOK OF LOLEY!"
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Everyone promptly shut up, and Stella could finally continue her speech. She opened up the book on a seemingly random page, and started reading - or pretending to be reading - some gibberish mumbo-jumbo. It made Anon sit up and inspect the book closer. All he could make out was written in some fantasy language, complete with weird, accented letters that he's never seen.
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*Szia Uram! Jól beszoptad öreg, remélem csíped a lolit mer' ha nem akkor nyeled a brokit.*
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It was exceedingly hard to read, and for some weird reason it seemed to get harder the more he tried. The letters started to mesh together, jumping around on the page. He blinked a few times, trying to focus, only to find that the book itself, the table, the room, and her friends in it were quickly blending together into a cacophony of colors. His heartbeat quickened. He tried to yell, to stand up, but all power left his body.
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Only the darkness remained.
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[Chapter I]
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The golden glow of sunshine shining over his closed eyelids felt incredibly comforting, same as the gentle caress of the grass and the light breeze of the wind. It was all perfect, he could lay there all afternoon. But then someone had to ruin it. Not far from him some obnoxious child just had to pick that exact time to start crying. Loudly.
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If that wasn't enough, a shadow towered over him, blocking the sun.
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"Come on Anon, geth up!"
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By the sounds alone, it was some little girl. Did he pass out in a daycare? What the hell? Although this voice sounded familiar, kinda like Fang's. Not that Anon really cared. Only so few things could compel him to get up, and a child surely wasn't one of them.
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"Go away!" he tried to protest.
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There was something wrong, however. His own voice sounded different somehow. Just wrong. More chipper and with a higher pitch. Eerily like how he sounded as a little kid.
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As if there was a spring in place of his spine he sat up, opening his eyes. After a brief flash of blinding sunlight, a meadow came into view. Several bodies were scattered around it, in various stages of getting up.
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All of them, children. All of them, he knew. And all of them wearing alarmingly medieval-fantasy-looking clothing. The crying apparently came from a minified version of Trish. Fortunately, an also smaller yet way fattier Rosa quickly waddled up to her, cradling Trish's head in a motherly way.
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Looking down at his own body with widened eyes, a pair of short, lanky legs greeted him. He was also wearing some kind of armor, just like the others. He brought one of his gloved hands in front of his face. Moving his arm felt weird, as if all the weights were in the wrong place. His reach was also much shorter.
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"Geth up, dummy!" Fang demanded again.
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Still in his panicked state, Anon looked at his girlfriend. In place of the slender and sexy visage, a slightly puffy and freckled face looked back at him. Fang's hair played the same silvery color, except it was cut much shorter and the front ended in bangs just above her eyes - one of which was covered by an eyepatch. The oft-irritated expression she usually held was also missing in favor of a toothy grin, which was just one incisor short of perfect. It also explained why she had problems with the "t" sounds.
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The usual punk-goth attire of Fang was all gone, though that made sense with everyone wearing robes or armor. This Fang wore some weird cross between a maid's outfit, and what a pirate would wear, topped with a tiara. Pirate princess, was it?
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Absurd as the situation was, Anon couldn't suppress his laughter. It came out more like a squirrel squeaking, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
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"Wow Fang, you are a real pirate now!" he laughed.
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She grimaced at the sarcastic remark, sticking her tongue out.
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"Geth up or I'm going tho hith you on the head!" she threatened Anon in the same lispy albeit now annoyed tone.
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Not heeding the warning, Anon started squeaking that much harder. Before Fang could do good on her promise and bring her fist down, Anon wised up. Throwing his hands in the air to signal surrender, he instead focused on getting up from the ground.
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It wasn't an easy process. Just like his arms before, the rest of his body felt strange and wrong, uncooperative. The weight of the armor wasn't helping either. Although as the seconds passed, he could swear that the metal garb started feeling as part of his body rather than a cumbersome shell around it. The straps stopped biting into his skin, the sheathe of his sword settled in its trusty place rather than dangling about, his red cloak an old companion than a stranger hindering his movements. The heat, oppressive at first, felt cozy and protective. By the time he got up, he really felt like a knight in shining armor. Even with how short he was compared to his adult form, he was still a good head taller than pirate princess Fang.
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Looking around on the grassy field, he could see their friends gathered up around Trish, who by then had stopped crying. Motioning at Fang to follow, he made his way there too. It was really uncanny to see the party like that. Fang's cute tomboyish form wasn't such a big surprise, he saw photos of her afterall. Rosa - not counting the horizontal stretch - didn't really change that much. Her hair got a bit shorter maybe, plus she was covered in plate armor, a lot heavier than Anon's chainmail. Complete with a mace and shield.
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Trish was another deal altogether. The trike was wearing the same gear as Anon, but she's also donned a pair of glasses so thick that her eyes were almost invisible behind them. Her hair was cut a lot shorter than before, more or less a monk's cut without the bald spot. Her horns were little more than nubs on her face, almost imperceptible among the forest of zits and pimples. If Anon had to put it in a single word, Trish looked like a nerd. And a pathetic one at that. Steve Urkel could probably beat her up. For a moment he wondered where that name came from. He didn't know anyone like that.
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Naser was pretty much her polar opposite. He looked just as athletic as ever, standing tall proudly. He was about equal height to Anon, and seemed to be covered in the same heavy armor as Rosa. Except he was wielding a huge two-handed hammer. It had to be heavy as all hell, but the ptero paladin was keeping it upright with a single hand. The biggest change however was his wings though, or at least Anon felt like they were. He couldn't really put his finger on it, but somehow the pair of wings seemed out of place.
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Next on the roster was Naomi, cowering behind her boyfriend's back. She was a cross somewhere between Trish and Fang, although Anon wasn't sure how else she could look. Afterall, it was always how she's been. Definitely thin, though Anon couldn't exactly call her sickly. Her hair was flowing freely down to her waist. Her face - and Anon hated himself for making this comparison - was that of an angel. No unchecked eczema, like the one decorating Trish, and no puffiness like Fang's. She was nothing short of perfect, other than her glasses. They were a bit on the heavy side, but more elegant than unattractive. The only thing not doing any favors for the young girl were her robes, which were so baggy that they looked a size too big for her.
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Reed was the last one to waltz into the picture. Clad in leather armor and strumming lightly on a wooden ukulele, which seemed to be his only means of self-defense. Anon somehow felt like he should be making a comparison here, yet he couldn't for the life of him figure out to what. Reed was Reed, their bard.
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In any case, they weren't getting one bit closer to their objective by wasting time sitting around. Ko'upe was on the move! Looks like Fang was on the same track, cause she stepped forward, forcefully pulling Trish from the ground.
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"Come on now Thish, we have tho go!"
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"Ugh, but I don't wanna!" the small trike protested.
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"Fang is right, Trish" Naser said in a scolding manner "We have to save the world!"
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"But I wanna go home!"
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A collective sigh of frustration escaped everyone's lips as Trish crossed her arms on her tiny chest. It was once again Fang who tried breaking past the barrier.
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"Ith's okay Thish. You can go home afther we saved the world, all righth?"
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For some unexplainable reason, the words "charisma check" danced to the front of Anon's brain. He didn't really understand, but it was a fleeting thought anyway. Luckily Trish deflated too, looking down at her feet bashfully.
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"O-okay Fang."
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"That's more like ith, soldier!" Fang exclaimed cheerfully "Adventhure awaiths!"
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Without any more hindrances, the seven of them formed a line behind Naser and returned to the road beside the meadow. Their break was over, the quest remained. It could very well have been their last pleasant stop, for soon they'd arrive at the cold and harsh land of Cisylvania, home of vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of nasties!
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* * *
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As the day turned to evening, so the small group arrived at their first checkpoint. A town, built right on the edge of the dark forest, by the foot of the mountains. Something told Anon that it used to be a popular trading hub once, back when the trees cast pleasant summer shade and not the unnerving wintery shadow they did then. He had no idea how he could know something like that though, maybe he read it somewhere? Be as it may, those days were long gone. What he was sure of is that business moved from the mountainous region as it filled with monsters.
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The town was guarded by high stone walls, the cracks between the heavy cobblestones laden with moss. As the party approached, the guards on the catwalk trained their bows on them. None of them were older than fifteen, although Anon wasn't sure why he had to make that remark. It was just natural, so he felt rather foolish for it. Something just didn't feel right ever since he woke up on the meadow.
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"Who goes there?" the stern voice of a girl sounded from above.
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The party lined up in front of the gates, and Naser stepped forward.
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"We're adventurers! Please let us in!" he called out to the girl.
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"Why would I do that?"
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A fair question, yet one that Naser didn't seem to have an answer to. Their mission was a secret one, after all. Reed, the charmer of the group had it handled, however.
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"He said please!" he yelled, playing a few notes on his instrument.
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The guards looked at one another, nodding in mutual understanding. The girl who was most likely their captain held off for a few seconds, but ultimately didn't have a problem with them entering.
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Thus, the gates opened, leading our heroes to a small square filled with teens going about their business. Only so few of them spared the group any notice. On all sides of the square sturdy stone cottages rose over them, most two or even three stories high. They emitted a safe, cozy atmosphere until Anon looked at them better. Then he saw that the guards were protecting little more than rubble with all of the boarded-up windows, and dilapidated, caved-in rooftops.
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"Alrighth guys, whath do we do now?" Fang asked, climbing up on a bench and placing her hands on her hips as if asking for a challenge.
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"Maybe we should find a place to sleep?" Trish suggested quietly.
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"I vote yes!" Naomi added posthaste "I am tired of all the ick and muck! I want to sleep in a bed! Furthermore, I want to cuddle my little witwe Naser-waser-sweetiepie!"
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A loud "EWW" echoed through the square in response to the lovey-dovey comment. Anon acted like he was gonna get sick too, just to drive home the point. Naomi stuck her snout up, offended.
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Naser-waser-sweetiepie took charge of the situation after that, his face only slightly red.
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"I think we should split up. Trish, Rosa, go get some supplies. We'll need gear to climb the mountains, and I also want gummy bears!"
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"Me too!" Reed interjected, prompting everyone to add their wish to the list.
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"I want hot choccie!" Rosa exclaimed, last in line - then it dawned on her that she was the one going to the store anyway.
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"...Okay, so" Naser continued "Naomi and me will go get us rooms somewhere. Don't make any trouble, okay?"
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"Whath abouth us?" Fang asked her brother, upset that she got left out.
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Fang crossed her arms in front of her chest like Trish did not long ago, puffing out her reddened cheeks. Yet whereas Trish looked like a sore loser, Anon found Fang incredibly cute. Not that he was ever gonna tell her, cause that was sappy girly stuff.
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Meanwhile Naser thought about what task to give the trio, but he came up empty. Of course that wasn't nearly good enough for Fang, so she grabbed Anon by the hand and started dragging him away.
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"Come on Anon, we're gonna geth thice as much gummy bears than sthupid Naser!"
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* * *
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And so, the two of them left the group behind. Fang was huffing and puffing for a while longer still, yet after wading through what was practically a labyrinth of back-alleys and narrow streets, she gave up on trying to find a candy store. Anon was secretly thankful for that, his arm started hurting from Fang's relentless tugging on it.
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The two of them entered a park-looking area, complete with a fountain in the middle. There were a few lanterns hanging from the wrought iron lampposts, almost all of them lit. Not many weeds either, and the bushes were all trimmed. Whoever lived around here, it seemed like they weren't gonna let their neighborhood become a ruin like those houses near the gates.
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Fang climbed up onto the wide stone wall of the fountain, laying down with a tired moan. Anon sat up beside her.
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"Ahh, this is pointhess!" she exhaled "We're never gonna geth gummy bears here!"
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"It's okay, Fang. Rosa and Trish are gonna get them!"
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She gave Anon a look of disbelief, as if the human didn't yet figure out that it wasn't really about the candy. But oh, he knew. He knew very well how stubborn Fang could be, and how she must have hated that Naser handled her like a stupid little girl. Not that Anon could blame him, not a lot anyway. Nine times out of ten Fang was just a sillypants, and not someone you'd trust with your shopping.
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"Do you wanna share a room with me, Anon?" she asked suddenly.
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"Huh?"
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"A room ath the inn! I wanth us to geth a room thogether!" Fang explained as she sat up, eyeing Anon coyly.
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"B-but!" Anon felt week at the knees, his voice cracking "But what about Rosa a-and Trish?"
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"I don'th wanna share a room with smelly Rosa or stupid Thish! I wanna share a room with you so thath's thath!"
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"B-but I didn't even say yes!"
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Despite his protest, he knew that it was already decided. If Fang wanted something then she'd get that something. More often than not when the something was Anon. Funny that.
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"Come on Anon, ith's gonna be so cool! We can sthay up lathe and eath ice-cream!"
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"But Fang we don't have ice-cream!"
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"Fine, then we can kiss!"
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"W-what?! Eww!"
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His face went up bright red in an instant, sweat forming on his bald head. If there was one thing he didn't know how to handle, it was girls. Well, there were several things he couldn't handle, but girls were the worst of it. To make matters worse, it was Fang. The two of them have been thick as thieves these last few weeks, but kissing?!
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"Whath, do you like boys?" Fang asked in a mocking tone.
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"N-no...!"
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"Anon likes bo~oys, Anon likes bo~oys!" she stared chanting.
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"No! I like girls!"
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"Uh-huh, then prove ith!"
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"Fine!"
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Without a second more hesitation, determined and fuelled by his sudden rage against Fang's mockery, he leaned in and placed a smooch on the ptero girl's cheek. He felt very confident. Victorious. Now he showed her! Alas, Fang didn't seem even a bit fazed. Not even blushing, how was that possible?
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"Nuh-uh Anon, thath doesn't counth! Ith has tho be a proper kiss!"
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"Fine!"
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Once again, he leaned forward. A lot slower this time, closing his eyes too. Or maybe he should open them? Okay, he opened one of them. But Fang was looking back! Oh no!
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He closed his eyes again. Would he have to lean in closer? But Fang had a snout, so... W-was he gonna have to use tongue?
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Before he could think more on it, something pressed up against his lips. In that instant, the world seemed to slip away from around him. Quite literally. The coldness of the stone was gone, the heat contained within his armor as well. The chirping of the crickets and the noises of the streets. All but him in the darkness, in a body that felt much more familiar.
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Once again, he was a young adult. Looking around, the darkness stretched on endlessly. At least that's how it felt to Anon, though in the pitch black there very well could have been a wall right in front of him. He reached out, trying to grasp onto something. Anything.
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Before panic could have set it, another figure appeared. It was Fang, but not the one he was kissing. This Fang was grown up, and in her normal torn goth clothing. She caught Anon's stretched-out hand, running her slender fingers through his.
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As she did, color returned to the world. They were in a room, her room. Guitars on the walls, scent of menthol cigarettes in the air. But more importantly, the feeling of safety, happiness, and perhaps excitement? It must have been the first time Anon saw that room. Before midterms. Fang was about to offer her guitar to him, and he'd have to decide if they should study instead.
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He didn't know what to think or feel anymore. One scene came after another, memories or dreams, detailing his life with Fang, Reed, Naser, and all the rest of them. In mids of the feverish visions, one voice singled out of the chaos. It sounded familiar too, but he couldn't place it.
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"Hurry Anon! The fate of this universe is in your hands! You are my only hope!"
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* * *
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"Rosa, what are we gonna do?"
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The little trike followed her cleric friend like sheep follow their shepherd. Their hunt for a candy store hasn't been going too well. Thankfully, the two of them were responsible enough to put sweets at the end of their shopping list. Their backpacks were nearly bursting with warm clothes, climbing gear, camping supplies, and food.
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"Kalma, Trish, kalma!" Rosa said, without even a hint of worry in her voice "You just should have faith in our Lord. Good children get candy, naughty ones do not."
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"Wow Rosa, I didn't know you worshipped Santa Claus!" Trish responded with a cheeky grin.
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"What I meant to say," the cleric explained patiently "was that if you have no faith in the Lord, there is no reason for Him to reward you. But if you do, you'll get your happiness eventually. Sencillo como eso."
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As if to give emphasis to her words, Rosa turned one last corner and blindly hurried to the first building on the row. Trish was more than hesitant to follow, calling out to her friend from the bottom of the stone steps leading to the door.
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"I dunno Rosa, this doesn't look like a candy shop to me" she whined, looking at the flagon-shaped sign on the wall.
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"Oh, I'm sure they'll serve you a glass of milk."
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There was some urgency in Rosa's voice and she was eyeballing the street they just came from, putting the triceratops at unease.
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"B-but..."
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Either Rosa didn't see the tension building up behind Trish's thick glasses or she just didn't care. She took the trike by the hand, dragging her inside. Dozens of eyes turned their way as they practically tore the door off its hinges. The tavern was packed with people, some as young as five, but others on the older side of their teens. After the awkward entry, Rosa waddled up to the counter silently, with Trish almost gripping her tail in fear as she followed.
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"Rosa I don't like this!" the trike whispered.
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Once again, the orange dino paid her friend no heed. Not until they've been served a couple of glasses of warm sugary milk, and been seated at a more or less clean table. After a few minutes have passed and the other patrons lost their interest in the duo, Rosa took one last look at the door, then turned to Trish. The warrior has never seen her friend this serious.
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"Don't freak out, but I think someone was following us." Rosa whispered.
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"W-WHAT?!"
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"Shhhhhh!"
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A few guests shot annoyed glances their way, but fortunately nobody seemed really care.
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"It's okay Trish, I think we've lost them."
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Trish didn't respond, instead took a few loud gulps of her drink. Her hands were shaking so badly that she almost spilled the beverage multiple times. As the initial shock subsided, she tried to rationalize it to herself. They were on a quest of great importance. It would make sense that powerful people would be interested. At least it was only a spy, and not an assassin.
​
How long until it would be one, though?
​
* * *
​
Reed was wandering the streets aimlessly, strumming on his ukulele without a care in the world. After Fang and Anon left, the party split up and everyone went to see their business done. All except for him, left to his own devices. He thought about going after Naser and Naomi, but he didn't want to bother the couple. Instead he picked a street at random, determined to find something worth his while.
​
As chance would have it, the road took him to a colorful market. Stalls lined the road from both sides, banners and lanterns hanging in the air between the houses, performers dancing and juggling on the corners. It was all he needed to get his mind off of their quest for a little while. Who needed that darkness stuff all day? It was time to have some fun!
​
As such, he's bought himself some candied apples, downing them one after the other. After about the fourth one, he stumbled upon a small crowd. They were all gathered up in front of a stage, upon which a band of actors was playing a scene. From what Reed could make out, it was some generic story about a princess needing rescue. It wasn't half bad, so he decided to watch till he finished his apples.
​
In the end though, he stayed for long after. As it turned out, the character he mistook for a princess earlier was the main heroine, and she was out on a quest to save her father, the king. Reed was quickly enamored with her headstrong antics and lovely freckled face. Of course, as he soon realized it was because of the uncanny resemblance to another freckled face he knew. Except this one had purple hair, feathers, and markings.
​
As the image of his ptero friend crossed Reed's mind, ache made its way to his heart. He's had a crush on Fang ever since they knew eachother, but the girl saw him no more than a friend. He shook his head, trying to banish these thoughts.
​
Reed returned his attention to the play, but he could only continue to watch for so long. In his eyes, the actress turned into Fang already, and there was no way he'd watch her get stolen away by this or that stupid knight or whatever. With a frown he tore away from the spectacle, this time deciding upon a dark, narrow-looking alley tucked in between a couple of run-down houses.
​
The laughs and woos of the crowd followed him for a few minutes, making him that much more mad. It was all stupid Anon's fault! Reed knew that any day now, he was gonna tell Fang about his feelings and she would be his girlfriend, but then that dumb human had to come along! What did Anon have that he didn't? Nothing! He was just a dumb skinnie! Why didn't Fang see that?
​
As these heavy thoughts permeated his mind, the young raptor made his way through the dark alleys. Eventually though, he made it to a more or less nice neighborhood, with lanterns once again shining down on the worn cobble road. He stopped and listened. Miraculously, he could still hear the actress, her voice so similar to Fang's.
​
But wait, no... That wasn't right. These sounds were coming from straight ahead. His anger, if not vanished, but subsided as curiosity took over. Slowly he inched his way to the nearest corner, where a high iron fence stopped him. Bushes blocked his way too, same as his vision. He was sure, however, that Fang's voice was coming from the other side. He could hear her clearly now.
​
"Come on Anon, ith's gonna be so cool! We can sthay up lathe and eath ice-cream!"
​
Of course she'd be with Anon. What were they planning?
​
"But Fang we don't have ice-cream!"
​
"Fine, then we can kiss!"
​
What? The raptor's eyes widened. No way!
​
He missed Anon's reply, but he was sure the boy somehow tricked Fang into this! There was no way Fang would want to kiss a human! Eww!
​
Reed continued to listen as Fang teased Anon, goading him into a kiss. He refused to believe what was happening. A bit later as Fang yelled that she wanted a proper kiss was the last straw. Reed turned his back on his friends, returning to the dark alleys with a heavy chest.
​
At least in there, nobody would see him crying...
​
* * *
​
Abruptly as the vision came, so it passed.
​
"We're gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend!" Anon blurted out.
​
"Deal!"
​
"No, I mean I saw it! Like, in the future!"
​
"Haha! I knew thath I was an amazing kisser!" Fang teased, pouting.
​
At first, Anon frowned that Fang wasn't taking him seriously, but his annoyance quickly turned to panic. A few of his memories about the real world still lingered, but he could feel them slipping away again. He closed his eyes, trying to grasp even a single one of them. If he could, maybe he could make sense of the situation.
​
Somehow, he ended up in this weird video-game-like limbo, straight out of an isekai anime. He had no idea how or why, and why Fang was with him. Was this even the real Fang? Could she remember the real world if he told her about the memories? After all, how could she forget about the time they... When they...
​
To his shock, the memory was gone already. Was it a happy one? Was it a sad one? Not even a morsel of it remained.
​
"Hey um, are you okay?" Fang asked with a concerned voice.
​
Anon opened his eyes again, looking at her. He knew there was something he wanted to ask the little pirate, but what it exactly was eluded him. Only that feeling of something being amiss endured.
​
"Do you ever feel like you're not who you're supposed to be?" he asked.
​
The question prompted Fang to scoot closer to him, dangling her legs over the edge of the fountain. She looked down at her feet, thinking about her answer.
​
"Yeah, I guess..." she said in a calm and soft voice, uncharacteristic from her.
​
Anon felt tremendous relief that he wasn't going crazy after all, that there was something seriously wrong with the world. Only till Fang continued, however. Seemed like the young girl misread the question.
​
"Somethimes I think I should be a paladin like Naser, then I could beath up all the meanies!"
​
"Um... That's not what I mean, Fang."
​
"Huh?"
​
He had absolutely no idea how to translate his feelings into words.
​
"It's like... Okay, you know when you sit for a long time and your legs go like zzzzzzz?"
​
"Uh-huh"
​
"And then you can't move it right?"
​
"Uh-huh"
​
"Imagine if you're the leg!"
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"Anon thath makes no sense!" she laughed.
​
He furrowed his brows, trying to explain it better.
​
"It's like when you know you should be a leg and move, but you're still zzzzzzzz and you can't and you're just a thing and not a leg, right?"
​
He felt like that explanation should have more than sufficed, yet Fang just kept on laughing.
​
"...forget it..." he mumbled.
​
Apparently Fang did just as much, getting up from the fountain and grabbing her brand new boyfriend by the hand yet again.
​
"Come on Anon, let's find the others before Naser puths me in a room with someone else!"
​
* * *
​
Amazingly, Fang found their way straight back to the square where they've split up earlier. Reed was already - or maybe still - there, sitting on a bench and playing a melancholic tone. As if driven by some higher force, Rosa and Trish made their appearance in a matter of seconds too, swiftly followed by Naser and Naomi. After Fang very loudly announced that Anon was her boyfriend now, the seven of them made their way to the inn.
​
Obviously Naser has long booked their rooms, but Fang being Fang was adamant about sharing a room with Anon. In the end, Naser and Naomi had to give up their own room. This would have, of course, put Reed with the two other girls, who wouldn't have that. As such, it quickly ended up with Naser and Reed becoming impromptu roommates, same as the gaggle of the three girls. Everyone was clearly mad at Fang, but she didn't seem to care one bit.
​
Once the room situation was settled, the girls and Reed made their leave. Anon, Fang, and Naser on the other hand ordered some munchies, sitting down in a corner. Anon was amazed that Naomi would skip this opportunity to indulge herself, but then he realized that she must have already milked Naser for a fancy dinner. He also had his suspicions that Naser stayed with them both to make sure Fang didn't cause them to get thrown out, and mainly to give Anon the good ol' dead eyes for daring to seduce his sister.
​
It was weird to see the paladin like that, to Anon it always felt like the ptero boy didn't have a single bad bone in his body. Then again, Fang was his family. He couldn't muse himself on that for long though, as a stranger approached them. Clad in leather armor and a green cloak, skin dark like the night, pointed ears, and long silver hair. His face was sharp yet gentle, maybe a little feminine. Couldn't have been older than Anon, but it was hard to tell.
​
"Are you going to the mountains?" the dark elf asked cautiously, skipping right past the formalities.
​
"We might." Naser spoke up "I'm Naser. What is your name, friend?"
​
"I'm sorry. My name is Dizzit Dudden."
​
A pause settled over the conversation, the trio waiting for Dizzit to speak up, and him to awkwardly hop from one leg to the other, seemingly unsure how to continue.
​
"Whath do you wanth?" Fang snapped at the stranger impatiently.
​
He took a bit to respond, carefully considering what to say.
​
"You all look like adventurers, so if you're going to the mountains I would like to ask for a favor. I've lost my swords you see."
​
"Why not buy new ones? I'm sure there's a smith in this town." Naser pointed out.
​
"These swords are very special, both to me and on their own. They could cut through any armor."
​
Anon's eyes widened at the claim, his heartbeat rising. He's heard of special swords like that, folded over a thousand times till they got strong enough to cut clean through iron and steel. All of the coolest heroes wielded swords like that! If he got one, he'd be just as cool and Fang couldn't call him a dweeb anymore!
​
"Okay!" he blurted out.
​
The Arin siblings shot him a surprised glance, but he didn't care. He was gonna be the coolest swordsman ever!
​
Drizzt on the other hand couldn't have been happier, unaware of Anon's shady motives. His awkwardness washed away in an instant, giving way for unbound enthusiasm as he started describing some sort of bandit camp, where his weapons would apparently be.
​
They chatted up for a while after that until their food was all gone, then bid farewell to the weird dark elf. Afterwards they all retreated to their rooms. Before Anon could have followed Fang inside, Naser pulled him to the side.
​
"Anon," he started out in a very serious, scolding tone "I don't mind helping out those in need, but this is not our mission. We cannot have any delays, like running back and forth to town."
​
"Chill out Naser! It's not gonna take that long, and I don't even want to give the stupid swords back."
​
Upon hearing that the paladin shoved Anon hard against the wall, seething with anger.
​
"You'd make me a liar?!"
​
"Ugh fine, I'll give 'em back after, okay?"
​
All he got was a stern look.
​
"Like, Trish and I could use better swords, okay? It's for the good of the mission!"
​
Naser didn't look one bit convinced, but he let go of Anon nonetheless. He gave the human one last shove for good measure, leaving him with a warning.
​
"Careful, Anon. We don't need two warriors in the party."
​
* * *
​
"Whath was thath abouth?" Fang asked as soon as Anon entered the room.
​
"Um, nothing."
​
Try as he might, Naser's word shook him. He never considered that he'd get in trouble with his friends.
​
"Uh-huh, then Naser didn'th justh warn you tho sthay away from me?"
​
"Huh? No."
​
"Anon, don'th you lie tho me!"
​
The small ptero put her hands on her hips, acting like a mother telling off a bad child. She's already climbed on top of a bed too, as she usually did. Anon would have found it cute, were it not for the current situation. He felt like everyone suddenly turned on him, and it totally wasn't fair!
​
"Am not!" Anon protested.
​
"Pinky promise?"
​
Fang's serious gaze burned holes through him. What was it with them and lies? As if they never lied to anyone ever!
​
"Yeah!"
​
As soon as the word left his mouth, Fang hopped down from the bed acting as if the whole interrogation didn't just happen.
​
"Whathcha wanna do? Wanna play a game?"
​
The sudden change confused the Anon, but he was glad to let it go too.
​
The two of them ended up playing pretend pirates using Fang's - unloaded - pistols, and by Anon donning a makeshift eyepatch. Despite Fang's offer from earlier, there was no ice-cream nor make-out session. Anon was a little disappointed by the latter, but he was also glad to evade a possibly humiliating situation. He's never kissed anyone before, so he was sure to be horrible at it. They did go to sleep holding hands over the bed frame though.
​
Alas, no matter how tired he was, sleep eluded him for quite a long time. As before, he had this weird sensation of not belonging, that he was somewhere he shouldn't be. On top of that, now he had this odd notion as if he was being watched.
​
* * *
​
"Aww my brave hero, you're so close to the truth!" the apparition thought, its immaterial body perched at the end of Anon's bed.
​
If only the human would reach out and see, this nightmare could be over already. It was wishful thinking though. People don't want to question their reality. They don't want to think that it's all a game, a veil put over their eyes. At least normal people didn't. The same could not be said about the one keeping the watcher captive. It was just around time the jailor would make his evening visit too, so it was high time to dispel the specter and return to the misery of the small cell.
​
And so it was. In the highest reaches of the highest tower, on top of the highest mountain, the dark lord Ko'upe ascended the stairs to see his prisoner, his free ticket to the real world. He knew very well that this reality he's been bound to was little more than a fabrication. A tale to tell. If it wasn't for his immense willpower, surely he'd already given in to despair and crumble. To think that the entire world and all those in it came to existence a little less a day ago made his head spin. He himself refused to believe it at first, even if it was so obvious. With just a little bit of effort anyone could figure it out.
​
Children cannot run a kingdom. Houses don't get built by children, animals aren't tamed by children, food isn't produced by children. Not in amounts nor in time complex societies need to function. And yet there it was. Everything put in place, only to fall into an inevitable downward spiral of chaos in just a few months. When would the people of the land realize? When would they question why the caravans never reach their destination on time? Why the harvest won't be finished before the crops freeze? Would they simply accept that without learned people, sickness will burn through the population unchecked and unchallenged? How cruel it was, really. Made one question how something like that came to pass. Why did it all exist?
​
Without his captive, he never would have known. If it wasn't for them, he'd be hell bent on ruling over this world, a dream he was sure he's had since he was a child too. But really, was he ever a child? His memories, same as the bricks that made up his fortress, were created by someone else, implanted in his head to compel him to play his part. For this was nothing more than theater for one select individual, the accursed witch Stellior. She held all the strings. But not for long. He's finally got what he needed.
​
The thought made him chuckle to himself.
​
"Finally" he said it out loud, amused.
​
Even with knowing that the whole wide world was younger than a single day, his very speech reinforced that deception.
​
Soon, he stood in front of the heavy wooden door leading to the tower cell. He raised his scaly hand open it, however something compelled him to stare at his palm instead. He could see the veins pulsating with blood under the pale, nigh transparent skin. Even for his own race, he was considered sickly all his life.
​
All his life? Another false memory. He didn't live that life. Nobody did. How ironic that this elusive world, the world that could have been formed in any shape the witch so desired, would be threatened by a shapeshifter.
​
He found himself smiling again. There were those that believed, with all of their hearts, that the evil warlock Ko'upe has set out to shroud the entire world in darkness. If only they knew that he was no longer driven by such a lowly goal! No! He will bring justice to this world. He'll tear this cruel joke, this mockery of free will apart, and win his own freedom. The witch would pay - wherever she was hiding - in due time. First, he needed to figure out his new toy, bend it to his will.
​
With renewed determination, he opened the door.
​
Yes, he will be free. Whatever it took.