Canterlot High's D&D Club

by 4428Gamer

(11) Warlord Klarg

Story put down his phone down as he stared back at the map with an indifferent frown. Thirteen minutes before we need to start winding down. I wonder. Should I end the game after they take on the boss? Or do we hold out a little longer after that?

"Story, are you listening?!"

"Huh?" He looked up, scanning each of the girls for whoever said that. It was Twilight. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"

"What do you mean he came out?!" Twilight asked in shock. "We're not all there! We're still on the other side of the cave!"

Story gave her a deep nod. "Yes, you are. But Thunderwave is focused thunder. If thunder can shake a house then nearby thunder can definitely shake the underground. And everyone, bugbear included, felt it."

"I am so sorry," Rarity spoke into her hands. "I didn't know he was right there. I didn't, I— you saw what we were dealing with!"

"We know," Sunset reassured her. "No one's upset Rarity. You had no way of knowing that was going to happen."

What the two of them were talking about was Ricven and Vareén splitting from the party. They dispatched the goblin that had gotten away but they learned the hard way how many goblins made up the reinforcements.

"How long will it take to get back to them?" Twilight pleaded.

"Well, that's why I waited to see what you did after that spell went off. Tell me, did you guys turn around right after Ricven did that?" Story watched as both Twilight and Rarity's faces sunk as they realized their mistake. Then the two froze when they realized that they had yet to even leave.

"Twilight, you're faster," Rarity reminded her.

"I run back to the tunnel," she told me.

There it is. Story nodded, writing down a number to remind himself later. "Okay. In that case, I'll tell you what turn you get there. It'll take some time though. So."

Story sat up in his chair and faced forward with his hands folded on the table in front of him. He put on his best neutral grin. "Sunset? Pinkie? Applejack? Fluttershy? Rainbow? Initiative if you'd please."

As he said that, the foldable screen that blocked his notes from the girls' prying eyes began to wisp magic around the edges. The side of the screen facing them originally had this picture of a large, majestic red dragon flying far overhead a burning island city with a beautiful, sunset sea setting around it.

In a blink the image vanished. Like a television turning off, it became a black screen. Then, stemming out from the five girls Story named, wisps of aura slithered to the aura, made up of five distinct colors of aura, focused itself towards the center of the screen towards the bottom.

The first aura, a bright pink, hardened and stamped onto the screen into an image of the female, ashy gray skinned half-orc named Glemerr whose muscles could outweigh stone. She had crimson eyes and coal black hair too choppy and uneven to tie into any hairstyle and wore a ruined sleeveless tunic that was far beyond outgrown with cloth wrappings around both her arms as she held a boxer's stance. Glemerr was staring on with a determined grin but that didn't hide her exhaustion.

Next, the orange aura folded and shifted into shades of brown until it resembled a thin framed human by the name of Platick Fortuna. His hair was a brunette, disheveled and messy to somewhat distract from his baby face while his clothes and armor looked unassuming and plain; all by design. Platick held one dagger as a rusted shortsword rest at his hip. The only thing that stood out about him was the glimmering platinum medallion dangled around his neck as he stared forward with unease.

The third was a bright blue aura that compacted itself into a short and stout shape before the color changed into metallic silvers. Unlike the others whose appearances were clearly visible, this one wasn't. Their plain silver shield hid their face while chain mail covered everything else. Only Ravathyra wore armor heavy armor like that which helped identify her. Although it was covered in scratches and fresh blood.

Fourth was a pale yellow light that whittled itself down into the shape of an elf named Thorn Wielder with wild orange hair and bright emerald eyes that matched her nearly bronze skin. She wore a mismatched set of clothes that ranged from a peasant skirt cut at the knees to a noblewoman's blouse long unwashed. Sharp thorned vines were tightly bound around her right arm as she reached for the scythe on her back. Paired with the wild appearance, her expression matched that of an animal backed into a corner.

The final light, a warm red, settled into a calming blue as it made up the heavy robes that formed around the sickly pale woman that was Stostine Swordhand. Dusty blonde hair peaked out from under her hood as she stared forward in shock from the center of the group. Her hands were folded and clutched against her chest as they and her eyes gave off a faint glow of magical power. Meanwhile, stitched inside the cuff of her left sleeve, a small gemstone was glowing baby blue.

As the five figures finished forming onto the screen, Story rolled dice behind it. Rather than have the same malevolent tendrils of dark energy spider out, a new image formed on the screen behind the five adventurers. A large figure looming over them, all details cloaked in shadow. It had the physique of a daunting Bigfoot and the only color was the sick yellow tint his eyes held to them. In one hand the silhouette of chains leading to a mangy wolf was visible. Its predator eyes also the only color that appeared from the shadow.

The picture was so realistic that the girls' minds tried tricking them into thinking they saw blinking or breathing; any movement to prove it wasn't a picture. When they realized that the magic finished its job, they returned their focus to the game.

Some of them psyched themselves up for a moment before picking up and rolling the dice. As each of the five girls counted up their total, all of them slowly arrived at the same two emotions. Dread and disappointment.

Not a single one rolled higher than a ten.

"Ripper! Claim your prey!"

Rather than unchain him, Klarg simply chucked the chain towards the group and let Ripper run free. The crazed wolf never bothered waiting for a command. It rushed across the cave, paws and claws cutting across rock before it lunged for the closest one; Thorn Wielder.

With a glare, she brought out her vined arm. The wolf's sank into it before it shook violently as though to rip her arm apart to reach the first ounce of fresh meat it had seen in months. However, after a few tugs the wolf was forced to release before coughing blood and thorns across the floor. Its tongue and gums riddled with stabs.

At the same time, Thorn's vines had chew marks but they didn't last long. Wherever the wolf cut the vines, more thorns grew at a rapid speed until her arm looked like a sea urchin of spikes. Then she brought down her scythe.

The wolf side-stepped it, then a second wide arc before trying to lunge at Thorn Wielder again only for her to not only block the attack but the wolf's skull with her buckler. It sprawled to the floor before letting out a sharp bark as Thorn sliced her blade across the wolf's shoulder.

As the wolf got up to try again, driven by rage, Klarg then turned his attention to its first target. All of his foes had yet to charge like the cowards he saw them as. Still, Klarg new better than to run to them. They were all grouped together. So instead, he used his now free hand to pull out a long, bloody javelin and brought it back, weighing his options.

There was the Dwarf in armor. Dwarves were hardy and aside from the frail human with his dagger, she was the only one with a weapon drawn. But that shield dissuaded him. There was the woman with thorns but Ripper had her distracted. The only worthy challenge was the beaten orc who held no weapons but two javelins she had on her back. Though she had not reached for them. Why?

Wait. This one, Klarg realized, throwing the javelin before its target could react. It was another frail human but female and with a crossbow. That was her only visible weapon. It must be some sort of archer, the bugbear figured.

The human held out her hand as the javelin closed in and...

"Sunset?" Rainbow and the others watched her holding out her hand as if she wanted to stop the attack but Sunset started to curl her fingers into a fist.

Time for a gamble, Sunset thought as she tried thinking several steps ahead of Story. "I take it."

"What?!" Applejack stared at her. "Ya got six points! This might do ya i—" "I take it," Sunset insisted.

Whether she was too late or decided it on purpose, Shield never happened. Instead, the javelin sailed right under her outstretched hand and into her side. The spearhead ran through her flesh before emerging out the back.

"Gaaack!" She tried to scream but all that came out was a cough of blood. Whether from the wound or her weak condition, she had no idea but as tears came to Stostine's eyes she weakly stomped a foot in the ground and stared back at the bugbear. She held the javelin's shaft in place so it wouldn't sag and pointed with her still outstretched hand.

"KILL IT," she boomed as loud as her bloodstained mouth allowed.

Quick to obey, Ravathyra and Glemerr ran across the room with hammer and fist raised. Once they closed in, Glemerr ducked under a deadly swipe of the bugbear's morningstar and found herself on the opposite side of her Dwarven ally.

Rava went first, throwing her shield away before taking the hammer in both hands before putting as much strength she had into her swing. But the bugbear saw it coming.

Following through with the swing he cast at Glemerr, Klarg brought it down and slammed the morningstar against the iron warhammer. Splinters and a whole nail broke off but the majority of the weapon stayed firm. Then Klarg pushed on it, bringing the head of the hammer to the ground and Rava leaning down to keep her grip as Klarg bent over her.

"You Dwarves are pathetic," he laid on. "Thinking you strong when all you know is rocks and treasure. Lazy. Lazy and worthless!"

"Ya think so, eye?" Ravathyra whispered. "Eh. Maybe yer righ'. But we got one other notch in our belts too. Fightin'."

Letting go of her hammer, Ravathyra brought up her red head as fast as it would go and rammed into Klarg's jaw, cracking a few teeth and having him reel back up at his full height.

"Thanks," Glemerr shouted before driving her fist forward and—

"Nat twenty," Pinkie screamed like a war maniac, making the others explode in cheering behind her.

Story, while a little upset, didn't show it. "Welp. Three dice for Glemerr then."

"Wait, three?" Twilight paused. "A natural twenty only doub—"

"Savage Attacker," Pinkie dismissed. "Half-orcs like Glem-err get more! Oh, and I have a second punch."

Yep, Story groaned inwardly. And...yeah, that's a lot of damage, he admitted as the girls started cheering louder for Pinkie. Even with the bonus HP I gave Klarg, that's already half. Ouch.

Klarg used his morningstar to keep from knocking over but as he stood back up, Glemerr slugged him again. Then again. The only reason she didn't then do it again was because by that point swung wildly to strike Glemerr. Still, the half-orc was as fast as she was strung and before the morningstar could even connect he had already danced backwards out of the way.

Back on the other side of the cave, Platick turned to Stostine and tried inspecting the javelin. It was hard thanks to Stostine's Light spell going into a strobe effect the second she was skewered alive.

"You need to lie down," Platick told her.

"Just shut up and help," she demanded, startling the rogue. "Kill the freak, then we deal with it!" As if the lack of eloquence wasn't enough, her hands started collecting not embers but flames, setting the javelin on fire as she held it.

"Uh, yeah, r-right," he stammered, turning to the fight as he stood between Stostine and the bugbear out of instinct. But with Glemerr and Ravathyra surrounding it, he took out his dagger and eyed Thorn Wielder.

The wolf had a few more scratches and cuts as well as loose thorns stuck in his side while Thorn Wielder was entirely untouched if not a little out of breath. Some of her vines were starting to brown as both they and Thorn's shield had some new claw and teeth marks around them.

Still, Ripper the wolf was not done. It lunged for Thorn Wielder one last time before she ducked low and drove an uppercut. Rather than her fist come anywhere close to it, her vines gathered against her fist like a boxing glove and she clocked the wolf in its jaw, shattering it before it landed a couple feet away on its back.

"Stop," Thorn Wielder spoke in a language no one but the wolf could possibly know. "I wish for this to be painless. If you keep moving, I cannot promise that."

But the wolf did not care. With any self-preservation beaten out of her, the wolf rose again with weight on only three limbs as she tried to bark against its jaw's wishes. Klarg had taught it to kill and only to kill. A fate, Thorn believed, worse than death.

"So be it," she declared. "Goodbye dear. Creature..."

The wolf fell to its side, the last breath leaving her as Thorn spotted a dagger embedded in the side of its body just where it heart lay. "Thorn Wielder. The bugbear!"

Thorn's head whipped around, her first instinct being to kill whoever would attack a pitiful creature. But as Platick stared right back at her, with a still stabbed Stostine waddling around him and over towards her while holding the still on fire javelin in her abdomen, Thorn remembered the situation.

Klarg brought out his shield, blocking another punch from Glemerr before kicking Rava's hammer away before she could swing it herself, he looked back towards his chambers and screamed "What are you waiting for?! FIRE!"

"If you say so," Stostine breathed, leveling her flaming hand forward. One projectile was fired. With two more following soon after.

The first one hit Klarg between the shoulder blades before spreading across the back of his torso and head, burning off every inch of hair the flames licked. Klarg quickly dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding a sloppy hammer swing from Rava, and trying patting out the flames. Next, two crossbow were shot from within Klarg's chambers from two new goblins summoned by the sound of battle.

The first bolt twanged off of Ravathyra's chain mail, not leaving a single dent before hitting the floor at an angle and skirting off. The second bolt had, unfortunately for the adventurers, found its target in Glemerr's thigh.

Glemerr fought to keep her knees from buckling as they bobbed like pistons before she glowered at the goblin who tried getting in the way of her fight. The goblin sneered back, proud of himself as he started to load his next bolt. But as he pulled the string back, frost built up across his fingernails before each finger turned to an eggplant purple.

As the frost started traveling up the goblins arms, turning more skin purple, the vapor from Thorn Wielder's hand dried out. At the same time Platick ran in, rolling over Ravathyra like she was a railing and reached behind him between his back and cloak, drawing a long thin blade. He made a three-point landing and hopped forward, running the rapier without the slightest resistance.

The tip of the blade went through the goblin's armor, then skin, then straight through its heart before Platick brought the handle of the blade upwards. The goblin, crossbow falling out of its limp arms, glided off of the blade and landed on its back. Dead before it could blink.

Platick quickly flicked the blood off the blade, folded his other arm behind his back, and leveled the rapier under the shivering goblin's chin with the poise of a master fencer. The goblin didn't waste any time thinking and dropped his weapon.

"Idiot," Klarg demeaned. He rose to his feet, catching Glemerr's elbow and throwing it aside as he towered over her once more. "Pick up your weapon! Fight for your leader!"

Ravathyra brought up her hammer once more but wasn't prepared. With speed matching that of Glemerr, Klarg spun and smashed her in the side with his morningstar. The armor creaked for a moment before the Dwarf was torn off her feet and tumbling to the ground.

Glemerr started throwing more punches into Klarg's spine, hitting where the skin had peeled and blistered from Stostine's flames. With a roll of his shoulders he brought an elbow of his own into her fist, dislocating a couple fingers before he turned around with his weapon raised high to pound her to the dirt before a set of vines coiled around it.

"Infestation," Thorn Wielder denounced, pulling her arm to try and tear the morningstar away. Right beside her, Stostine collected the flames on the javelin in her hand to ready another bolt of flame.

Without much choice Klarg released his weapon and went into a squat, stealing Rava's warhammer before launching it across the room straight at the mage. With a yelp she dove to the side, letting the hammer pass where she stood and destroy a thin stalagmite.

It wasn't without sacrifice. As Stostine hit the floor, the end of the javelin got wedged in the ground. The javelin snapped in half at the shaft thanks to the fire that was raging across it but the tension forced the javelin to widen the wound.

Platick turned to do something but only just managed to see the goblin move for the rusted blade on its side. Rather than do the monster in immediately, Platick brought the blade back under its chin.

Finally, with all the other threats dealt with, Klarg looked back to the half-orc in time to catch her fist in his palm. Then the second fist in his offhand.

"It takes five of you to fight Klarg? Pathetic." With a shove, he shoved Glemerr into the wall and the back of her head into a rock. She clutched it, vision swirling and leg on fire from the arrow that was still lodged in it as she slid to the ground as a tired mess.

"You wanna know something? Half-blooded orc?" Klarg drew his second javelin. Counting this one, he had four left. Enough for every coward with the witch already wearing hers. "Maybe if you brought a clan of your kind rather than cowards, you'd live to see Klarg slaughter each and every one of them. Before—"

"—I got to you!" Story screamed in a monstrous shout. To his credit, the voice had done well to keep the majority of the group engaged. Even if it did terrify Fluttershy at the start. Also whenever Story made fighting motions. Which was every time Klarg attacked.

Story leaned over to his dice and rolled gave the same one he had been using a roll. However, as it came to a stop, his voice caught in his throat.

"Huh," Story sounded after a moment.

"Did it hit?!" "How bad?" The girls asked. After the goblin shot her in the leg, Glemerr only had one hit point left. She was lucky. And that luck was running a bit further.

"...He rolled a natural one," Story admitted with a small chuckle.

"You're kidding." "Yes!" Rainbow pumped a fist. "That means he drops the weapon, right?"

"Well. Well now that you bring it up." Story picked up more dice and tossed two of them out in the open for the group to see. Both had ten sides on it with one reading '80' and the other with a '5.'

"What, wh-what's that for?" Rarity asked, staring down at them. There was no magic anywhere near them like all the other rolls.

"It's a personal thing I have," Story explained. "In boss fights, whenever there's a natural one, I have a small table. The higher the number, the worse for the person. That eighty-five is the second worst thing. So. Pinkie?"

All eyes fell to her. "You get a free attack on him," he said.

Pinkie took a second to blink. "I do?"

"Yep." He nodded. "He misses regardless but you can roll to hit."

Pinkie's face slowly ballooned into a happy grin before she scooped up her die and rolled it with a 'Wheeee~' as it landed onto a '12' with the words '+5 to hit' appearing in bright pink aura beside the die.

"Seventeen work?" She smiled, resting her elbows on the table and knitting her hands together as if to hide her Cheshire grin while the girls looked back to Story.

"Roll damage." The girls then turned right back to Pinkie who plucked her die with a sound effect and rolled with more numbers appearing in the same pink aura.

"Six damage." She and everyone looked back to Story. While they did, they watched the screen in front of him change once more.

Rather than show everyone, this time it was only two figures; Glemerr and Klarg. Both of them were bloody, battered, and ready to keel over as Glemerr sat against the wall of the cave with Klarg standing over her with his javelin ready the same way Story acted out.

Except this time, rather than an image everything was moving in slow motion. Klarg holding the javelin like a battering ram and Glemerr face glaring up at him with a fury none of the girls had seen in real life. The only place they had seen something like this was in films.

So as Pinkie watched, Glemerr's expression tensing as Klarg stumbled on the ground, it was as if she was watching a story she wrote come to life. She didn't come up with a background for Glemerr. Or, rather, she didn't have one for Story Spinner. She was too busy kept coming up with all these wild ideas that she knew deep down didn't make too much sense but she bounced them off him anyway. More to see how much she could get him to react to it. Then she asked him about this imaginary world he made up half out of interest and half because he smiled even more when he was asked.

Eventually, Story headed out and Pinkie ended up asking her oldest sister Maud for some ideas. And, as always, Maud offered her the best idea ever. Even if it was a little sad. Have Glemerr grow up with a whole community of people, or, well, orcs to be more specific, raising her. That way, even if she didn't have a family by blood, Glemerr's would have one of the strongest families there were.

So if what Story said as Klarg was what Glemerr heard, about slaughtering all of them, Pinkie instantly recognized Glemerr's anger. Not only that, but she knew exactly what Glemerr would do next.

"Okay." Story leaned back smiling at her. "Pinkie? How do you want to do this?"

Pinkie watched the screen a little further and stood up herself before she started describing it, watching as the screen reenacted everything she said perfectly.

First, Glemerr reached out, guiding the javelin off target and into the rocks behind her, snapping the spearhead off the wall. Then, while Klarg was off balance, Glemerr bounded up and brought a stiff palm to Klarg's jaw shattering a few teeth in the process. He dropped what was left of his javelin to hold his face, letting Glemerr catch it in mid air before twirling it around in her hands.

One, two, four times Glemerr struck him with the pole, spinning it around like it was a quarterstaff before breaking what was left of it over Klarg's face. Before Klarg could recover, Glemerr reached behind her and pulled out one of her javelins, swinging down and driving it straight through the bugbear's foot.

As Klarg hollered in pain, bending over in agony, Glemerr now stood over him with a look of utter disgust.

"Ya know. Ah got dis code thingy," she explained, ignoring Klarg's cries of pain. "It's somefin' mah Uncle Mord taught me. Da only thing dat separates us from da Red Walkas an' Rot Anglas is how far we're willin' ta go."

Klarg tried to get a hold of the javelin. To tear it free. But Glemerr simply took the javelin in her hand and twisted it, making Klarg a writhing mess.

"Ya see, da Angla's an' Walka's? Dey don't care. Dey'll kill whoever tries opposin' 'em. But Uncle Mord didn't. He used ta tell me neva' kill a person...But ya know what my Sister Rafta always said ta dat? Persons are only persons if dey got humanity. Now, Ah don' know how everyone has dis 'humanity' thing when not everyone's human. But."

Glemerr caught Klarg's forehead in her other hand, crushing it as she held it in place.

"Ah don't think you got any."

With a shout, Glemerr took Klarg's head and forced it down, slamming it into the flat end of the javelin's shaft. The javelin pinning Klarg's foot partially in the rocks before he sprung backwards. He fell to his back, his leg at an awkward angle as all the tension left Klarg's body.

Unconscious. Not dead.

The screen faded back to the image before, the five characters and Klarg and Ripper's shadow looming over them. However, it changed too. Klarg and Ripper faded away like smoke before somewhere in the corner of the entire screen, a new picture of a pathetic, beaten bugbear knocked unconscious appeared. Almost like a badge that got collected.

Pinkie sat back down, staring back at the image of Glemerr that reappeared. That determined grin of hers was infectious.

Pinkie didn't say the whole speech Glemerr gave. Only the part about Uncle Mord's Code. She had no idea who the 'Rot Anglers' were but she remembered 'Red Walkers.' They were a gang of orcs that operated in Alderstone; a city Story had told Pinkie about. However, the girls heard Glemerr give that speech from the screen. Again, it was like a movie to them. And as far as Pinkie was concerned, if Glemerr was talking about the Red Walkers like that, then that meant she was from Alderstone. Something Pinkie would make sure to remember.

I stood there, looming over Klarg as the face of every member of my family crossed my mind. Rafta. Myev. Huru. Vola. Keth and Nil. And Uncle Mord. Them and every other neighbor from East Alderstone was right there as though I had never left town.

Like every time we were in one place, I could hear them arguing. Half of them would be calling for this thing's hide and the other half would say to let it wake up and feel his wounds. Uncle Mord would take that second choice.

"How's everyone feelin'?" I called out.

Amidst the sea of groans and ache, Platick cleared his throat. "Before that. What do we do about this one?"

The rest of us turned around to see the frostbitten goblin trembling against Platick's crazy thin sword.

"When'dya get dat thing?"

"Had it all along," he told me. "Like I said when we all met, appearances are deceiving. Besides, I didn't need it until now."

"Just put the dob down already." Ravathyra propped herself up on her elbows. "All it's gonna do is pesta' anythin' it finds 'till it's out ta pasture."

"Nah," I cut in, taking a step towards it. "Let it go. It's ain't fightin' no more."

"Just decide, now, please," Stostine breathed. "And can. Can someone help?" Her voice started to go as she about fell over. Before she could though, Thorn put a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.

"...Fine," Platick caved before staring down the goblin. "Leave. And if we see you again." He used his sword to make one last slice along its shoulder before making a feint at it, making it flinch.

"Yes! Me leave! BYE," it screamed, running for his life past Platick, myself, and Ravathyra before barreling down the tunnel. Any of us could have done him in but at this point no one cared.

"Okay. Now then." I started towards Stostine, picking up a piece of Klarg's shattered javelin and wrapping it in some of my clean bandages. Then I held it up to the her face. "Here. Put dis in yer mouth."

She stared at it weakly before eyeing me. "W-Why?"

"Because when Ah get dat javelin outta your hip, you're gonna clamp yer teeth hard. Can't have ya choppin' yer tongue out."

It took a moment for her to register what I said before nodding and taking it in her mouth. "O-Okeh. Makesh shense."

Next I took out another bandage and used it to wipe the javelin for any splinters and soot. Stostine flinched a bit before I inspected the back of her hip. The javelin's head had made it out the opposite side entirely. Good. If it was halfway it would have been worse.

"Okay. Now relax a bit. You bein' all tense'll jus' make it harder ta get out." She did after a moment and some careful breathing. "Right den. Ah'm gonna be quick about dis. it'll hurt, a lot, but ya gotta get it now. Dis javelin ain't nearly as clean as one from da streets. And dat's sayin' somethin'. I'm gonna count down from three. Stay as relaxed as ya can, alright?"

Stostine nodded from behind the piece of wood while I pulled out a whole roll of clean bandages. "Good. Now, Dwarf?"

"Gotta name ya know," Ravathyra scolded. "Lemme guess. Need me ta hold 'er?"

I nodded and Rava came over, reaching up to hold Stostine around the lower ribs. "This ain't gonna be pretty." Stostine took another deep breath and stared up to the ceiling where her bag of sand was still floating. The light helped.

"Pinkie? Make a medicine check," he told her. "With all the prep you did and Ravathyra helping you, you get advantage."

"You got it! Don't worry Sunset, Dr. Glemerr's knows exactly what she's doing!"

Sunset smiled and nodded just long enough for Pinkie to look down at her dice. Then she bit her lip at the prospect of it all.

After a little clattering, Pinkie gave a overdramatic sigh of relief. "Thanks Dashie, I needed that! Or, well, Sunset needed that. Fifteen!"

"Here we go," Glemerr warned. "Three—" "GMMMMMMMMMMMMM-!"

The javelin came out cleanly in one tug while Stostine fought against Rava to writhe in pain while her teeth barred against the stick. While they kept squirming, I got the bandage set only for Thorn Wielder to step in. Apparently, as we were getting ready, Thorn plucked the thorns out of the end of her vine as a yellowish moss began growing out.

"What're—" "Bloodmoss," Thorn Wielder answered, taking my bandages and spreading some of the stuff on the inside of it.

"Smart," Platick complimented as he watched the scene unfold. "It's also called Moss Rub. It takes fresh blood and adheres to wounds. Makes good aloe too."

"Arro?!" Stostine said before spitting out the stick. "Aloe doesn't go in open wounds!"

"It's used to make aloe," Platick specified as I wrapped the bloodmoss and bandages around her lower abdomen. "Mercs stuff their wounds with this all the time. Keeps 'em from bleeding out. Like you are."

Stostine slowly stopped writhing as I kept wrapping and spent a few seconds to focus on her breathing. "I've...I've never been. Run through with a. A javelin before."

"Ya? Well, I've never gone toe-ta-toe wit' a bugbear either! Firsts fer all, annit?"

"Well, all except for Vareén and Ricven," Platick reminded. "Still never found out what happened to them."

"Well, ya could try askin'!"

Most of us, except for Stostine who didn't bother, looked over towards the rope bridge. On the other side of it stood Ricven looking completely fine with an injured Vareén and a semi-conscious man draped over her shoulder.

"Y'all alright?" He called out, looking incredibly concerned when he saw the state we were in.

"Alright?!" Platick scowled. "Weren't you the one saying that a Thunderwave wasn't a good idea in here?!"

"Yes I did. However, somebody," he turned to throw a glare at Vareén who stiffened up. The exact opposite of how she was coming in here. "Thought it'd be a good idea ta try countin' goblins on our own. If I didn't set off that powder keg, the two of us would be carved into welcome mats."

Vareén didn't try to correct him. She just nodded along.

Platick held his brow, swearing under his breath before looking back up. "At least tell me they're all dead."

"Splattered on the walls," Ricven raised. "Though it seems I did a numbah ta this cave in the process. Someone mind securin' the bridge on that side so we can join ya?"

Ravathyra decided to volunteer. With a few swings of her hammer, the pegs were knocked low enough into place that the bridge was stable enough for the three of them to bring themselves over. But just as they did, it collapsed in on itself with one side falling into the path below.

As Ricven took a moment to size up all of our injuries, his eyes settled on the bugbear on the floor. "I'm guessin' that behemoth was the leader of these rotten kernels?"

"Yes." Stostine nodded. "He and some...'retainers,' rushed out of his room after the boom. Also, I don't know if it's my being delirious but. Is he still breathing?"

"Yep." I frowned. "Ah don' kill people. Came close dough."

"Well allow me ta be useful." Ricven stepped forward, pulling out the mace at his hip.

"Wait. No," the man on Vareén's shoulder wheezed. "Ke. Keep him alive. He's the one who passed Gundren over."

We all turned to stare at the man for a few moments before Stostine and I started recognizing him amongst all the cuts and purple bruises.

"Sildar." Stostine smiled. "I guess that is one victory for us then."

"There's more than that," Sildar assured. "That bugbear's room? Loaded with supplies. I saw it when I we were first dragged here. They've been here a while."

"Ricven?" Platick looked up. "You're the only other one not falling apart. You back me up?"

"Ta ransack a bugbear's treasure hoard? Ya kiddin'? 'Course I'm in." He started to stroll on over to the entrance with Platick holding his cool sword at the ready. After a few seconds, we heard the gnome call out. "All clear in here! There's a fire goin' too if y'all wanna dry off from the flood."

"You know what," Stostine announced. "I think a fire sounds great right about now."

"Oh. Oh! Ya know what we should do?!" I asked. "Dat cart we were carryin's still got dat Dwarf ale, yea? How's 'bout we crack dat open an' start up a party?"

"Glemerr throws parties too?" Sunset smirked.

Pinkie blew a raspberry. "Of course Glemerr throws parties! You think I would make a character that didn't like parties?!"

"As. As nice as that sounds," Stostine started with a painful expression. "That alcohol still is not ours. We cannot just drink it."

"...Wait," Sildar said slowly. "By any chance, was it in a cherry wood cask? Labeled 'RockVine Red?'"

"Oh yeah," Rava confirmed. "Ah wouldn'ta fergotten a name like that. Felt like knockin' out the magic lass 'ere a few times fer always stoppin' me."

"I am right here," Stostine said plainly.

"Ah know what Ah said."

Sildar chuckled a couple times before he stopped, clutching his ribs. "Gundren you idiot. The whole time on the road he was losing his mind about that cask. He nearly turned around for Dreiweg to make sure he didn't leave it behind. I've never seem him sober that long. It still out there?"

Five faces all nodded at him.

"Then in that case; as your employer, sort of, one of you bring that cask in here."

"YES!" Ravathyra and me high-fived before rushing towards the exit. "Be right back!"

"Bring the tankards," Stostine shouted behind us. She sounded way more excited when she said that. "All of them!"

"Yes ma'am!"

By now, Story had already packed up half his stuff as the game was winding to a close. The girls still saw their die glowing and the screen had gone back to a normal with the same dragon it had before. Somehow, it seemed much less interesting than the pictures of their characters showing up on it.

"As you all begin splitting off, getting supplies and doing one last scan of the entire hideout," Story narrated. "You find some solace knowing that all the danger has been cleared out. Not only that but as Platick and Ricven soon discover, the supplies in Klarg's room were all from different wagons. These goblins had been attacking honest drivers for possibly a few months.

"Upon going in, some scrap wood is thrown on the fire and you guys find this large padded dining chair that had seen better days as well as a bench with one of the sides propped up with a smaller crate. Even given the goblin smell, it's." He shook his head side to side. "It's not the worst place to set up for the day. Especially considering how exhausted all of you are.

"But as the drinks start getting poured out and Klarg is secured somewhere else, you all give yourselves a chance to let your muscles relax...It's been a long day. And you feel that you deserve a well needed rest. And I think that'll end it."

As Story concluded his monologue, all the magic floated up off of the dice and materials and floated up into the air, forming into seven warm glowing orbs of light.

"Well, except for one thing," Story admitted. "You guys all level up."

One after another, the seven orbs floated down to each of the girls and was drawn into them. They felt a warmth across their body envelop them the same way the they felt whenever they ponied-up. But somewhat calmer.

"Does that mean we get more magic or something?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, some of you get more magic. You and Twilight specifically," Story told them. "You also get some new stuff and some more health."

"Yes," Sunset said excitedly. "How much? I only have six points."

"You all see the die in the hit die box, right?" Each of you roll that die."

The girls took a second to figure it out, some faster than others, before they each one in their hands.

"Wait! Let's all go at once," Pinkie offered.

Applejack smiled. "Ya know what? Yeah."

"I'm up for it." "Sure!" "Alright. On three?" "Two." "One!"

Different sized dice all from different directions were tossed to the center and right away the girls all met with different reactions.

"What?!" "Not bad." "Yes." "Noooo..."

Sunset let her chin fall to the table, staring at her die mixed in with all the others. Most everyone had eight-sided dice or better while she was the only one with a regular cube. And out of all six sides, it landed on a one.

I'm not alone either, Sunset thought as she noticed Fluttershy's die. It was just as bad.

"I guess now would be a good time to mention the mercy rule," Story spoke up, earning Sunset's pleading eyes. "You reroll ones for this."

"Oh thank Celes...err, goodness," Sunset corrected before getting her die back along with Fluttershy. Haven't made that mistake in a while.

They rolled again, with Sunset sinking in her seat out of relief when she saw the '6' show up this time. Fluttershy wasn't as lucky but it was at least not a '1'.

Story smiled. "Add your Con to it and then add all of that to your hit points. And with that six, you're now all above ten hit points."

"Pfft, screw ten, I'm at twenty!" Rainbow gloated only for Twilight to lean back with a smirk.

"Twenty. Three," Twilight said in a rare moment of one-upping the jock.

"What?! How?"

The group spent the rest of the time going over all the stuff that they got as Story finished packing his stuff. By now it was almost five o'clock and that meant they needed to be out of the school before the janitors started busting out their mops.

So as the time started counting down, the eight of them put Ms. Cheerilee's room back the way it was for her and started out the door. Along the way, Rarity realized that there wasn't any sort of group messaging system for the club while Pinkie took it even a step further when she remembered none of them had a way to talk to him outside of the club.

The whole scene was something drastically different from what was happening in the game and none of them thought it was a bad thing. When Tuesday rolled around next week they could get back to whatever was coming up next for their characters. Story had already imagined the same. Which was exactly why he left out a few things to tell them about next week. Like what Sildar knew or what his condition was.

After all, it wasn't like Sildar's leg or wrist had anything to do with what was going on outside of the game. Besides, Story had other things he was more concerned with. Like with what happened to Ms. Cheerilee. She never showed up today.

Weird.