(28) Face Off
Platick’s POV
Griffonbound Vendor
Two Minutes Before Ambush
Leanne and I set ourselves up on either side of a table in the show room with heavy cloth blocking every window. We even secured the edges to the frame so even candlelight wouldn’t shine out.
I originally thought Leanne would resist; to refuse to close her shop for the day. I mean, she certainly was at first. But after a small argument, she eventually relented and did as I asked. Not without a price though.
That last thought crossed my mind as she sat opposite of the table she set up for us, idly playing with my fifteen gold pieces. She was adamant about turning a profit with the supplies we recovered and paying her off was the only option I had.
Someone better pay me that money back, I groaned inwardly.
“You keep eyeing it like that,” she mocked. “I’m gonna start getting jealous.”
“You’re kidding.” I rolled my eyes. “You keep messing with it every chance you get. It’s getting annoying.”
“Well, what if we made tonight more interesting?” She picked one of the coins up and showed it to me, keeping it between her two fingers. “How’s about for each question you answer, I give you one back? Then everybody’s happy.”
“No thanks.” I held out my hand. “But that was a question. One gold piece.”
She pouted but said nothing more as she flicked the coin into my palm.
That worked? I avoided showing my surprise as I slipped the gold in a pocket.
“Welp, I give up. You’re no fun,” she declared before standing up from her seat.
I curled an eyebrow. “You expected me to be fun?”
“Oh, I dunno~” She shrugged, walking behind the counter as she went. “I guess, you know, the thought of being trapped in a candlelit setting with a literal strapping rogue protecting me would be...Meh, romantic? Urgh, sounds even dumber out loud.”
“Romantic?” I scoffed. “I know I left you in the dark but you really think that’s why I—”
“Yeah, yeah, stuff it,” Leanne huffed while she searched the shelves beneath the counter. A second later, she stood back up with a bottle of brandy in her hands. “Forget I said any of that. Care for a drink?”
She presented the bottle like it was a family heirloom. And, honestly, it might have been to most families. The glass itself was well crafted with a square bottom, large body, and a diamond-scale design beneath the neck. Meanwhile, the label was just as eye-catching, with a name any noble in Leodaav would recognize: Fressec Adamado; a long retired winery from the western coast.
I couldn’t help but whistle at the sight of it.
“I know.” Her grin was cocky. “I’ve only had it for about a week but a few sips add up. Still, I wouldn’t mind having a real reason to enjoy it, if you know what I mean.”
Leanne swished the contents inside to make her point. The seal was broken and it was missing a fifth of the contents but I didn’t think any less of it.
“Where do you get something like that?”
“Someone in town,” she admitted. “He wanted to give his wife a gift but he didn’t have much money. So we came to an understanding.”
Really? Poor guy. Well, actually, poor wife. That’s probably the best gift in town.
I gave a shrug, hiding my interest in the bottle. “His loss then.”
She nodded, placing it on the counter with a clunk. “So what do ya say? Wanna brush off a round or two.”
Before I could answer, the entire shop trembled as the supplies and trinkets littering the shelves threatened to shatter onto the ground far below. And along with the tremor came a huge crack of thunder as well.
Leanne clutched the bottle tightly, more than a little surprised as her head swiveled in every direction. “What in the sweet name of the Tra...Wh-What was that?”
I nodded to myself and stood up from my chair. Next, after picking it up, I walked towards the door with it. “That, was the signal.”
“Signal?” She blinked. “Signal for what?”
I stopped at the entrance and wedged the chair underneath the doorknob. And for good measure I pulled out a short coil of rope and took off a picture frame to reveal a nail. Then, I tied the knob down to said nail.
No one was coming in or out.
“Platick?” Her voice sounded like what you’d expect a raised eyebrow to sound like. “What are you doing?”
I didn’t get the chance to answer as a second Thunderwave rattled the building and town. This time, neither of us expected it. However, I did my best not to let it show.
There was only supposed to be one. I glared at my handiwork. How did they already botch the plan?
“The. Th-Those were from your friends, right?” Leanne questioned. “Some of the townsfolk mentioned sounds like that from the inn earlier. Are they okay? Is this some sort of plan or something?”
“Meh. Doesn’t matter anymore,” I admitted. “I didn’t have much faith in them anyways.”
As I turned around, I saw Leanne watch me with a mix of worry and confusion over her face.
Up till now, I left her entirely in the dark with what I was doing here. I simply told her she needed to close for the day and I bribed her to do it. Then, Ravathyra stopped by to pass off an officially signed curfew notice to defeat any reason Leanne had of opening up again.
Ravathyra also pulled Leanne off to the side and said a few things out of ear shot. Ever since, Leanne kept treating this like a date. Yay me.
But really, Leanne was smart. She realized we were all up to something. And seeing as how the Redbrands went after us originally, it wasn’t hard to figure out we were targeting them. I figured the date was more to get under my skin.
“W-Well?” Leanne finally gave me this odd look. “Shouldn’t you go help them?! What if those thugs get the better of them?”
“Nothing I do would help them more,” I started, returning to the table in the center of the room. I then sat in Leanne’s former seat and stared back at her. “Than to stay right here with you.”
Leanne opened her mouth but no words came out. Instead, she blinked a few times, her face contorting into this confused stare. “...Huh?”
“Let me ask you something.” I leaned over and put the gold piece she gave me back into the pile of gold she had. Let’s see if she honors her own game. “Can you see in the dark?”
Leanne squinted her eyes, now looking at me like I was a crazy person. “What?”
Huh. Question with a question. I reached back and reclaimed my coin again. “I said, can you see in the dark?” I shrugged. “Honest question.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” She said boredly. She watched me take a second coin and rolled her eyes. “No. I can’t see in the dark. I’m human, like you.”
“Trust me, that hardly matters,” I said with an eyeroll. It doesn’t stop Stostine anyways.
“Just curious,” I excused. “You see, back at the cave, you snuck up on me pretty well. I know when I was in there, the others had to guide me away from the stream so I wouldn’t splash around.”
“You had a torch,” she argued. “It wasn’t dark.”
“You didn’t follow me in. And the torchlight didn’t reach the tunnel from the room you found me in. That’s not an excuse.”
Her face switched back to a sarcastic smirk. “What can I say?” A third coin for me. “Maybe I’m just better than you.”
I hummed, knowing this wasn’t going anywhere. “Next question then. I wanna buy a crossbow. They cost twenty-five gold pieces, yeah?” I dropped the coin back in the pile. “That’s what you charged Stostine with the store credit you gave us.”
Her smirk dashed. “Okay, slow down, tough guy. What are you doing? What’s going on? Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your friends?”
Wow, three more coins for me. I’ve made five coins back. I think I like this game.
“Stop taking my money! We are not playing games anymore,” she said pointedly.
“Oh. Okay.” I pocketed all fifteen gold pieces anyway. Right in front of her. “Now let me remind you of something. They aren’t my friends. And, long as they follow my plan, the Dumbbands won’t be an issue after tonight.”
“Wait. You mean, at all?” Leanne watched me nod. “I love the confidence but how can you say that? There’s dozens of them and seven of you. Six, since you're here! They’re. You can’t just. Th-They have—”
“At least fifteen crossbows?” I interjected. “Crossbows you charge at least twenty-five gold pieces for.”
“Yeah, well, that’s the going fare for a light crossbow.” She sighed. “And they came by before they started acting all high and mighty. I even told you all they came here. Why are you acting like this?”
“You ordered a shipment of fifteen crossbows. You told us as much when we arrived. That means that you had, at minimum, fifteen crossbows before ordering new stock. Fifteen crossbows, times twenty-five gold pieces adds up to 375 gp.”
Leanne set the brandy on the table and rested her head in her palm and sarcastically fanned herself with the other. “Wow, how hot, you can do basic math. Why does this matter?”
“Why?” I mimicked. “Well, what grimy band of thugs would pay 375 gp when they can just barge in and steal whatever they want? They’re extorting every business here. Well, every business but yours, conveniently. That tells me they wouldn’t bother paying a high price for whatever they want.”
I expected Leanne to lean hard into the innocent angle, but no. Instead, it was like I flipped a switch. Without warning, she gave me this seductive stare. “Platick. Hot-shot. You should really stop talking now.”
“While we’re on the subject,” I ignored the tone shift and went on. “Those goblins had some really nice looking scimitars, didn’t they? Not at all like the dingy rusted up shortswords they had mixed in. Now tell me, in that armory of yours, you had just about every sized sword imaginable. You even said there was a greataxe no one’s touched in years. But you know what kind of sword wasn’t in there yesterday?”
She smirked. “Seriously doll. Stop. Before you say something you regret.”
“Regret?” The hand on my lap settled on the dagger I prepared. “You mean like the husband who ‘sold’ you that brandy? Think he regrets that? Mind if I take a guess at what his name was?”
Leanne forced herself not to snicker. “Last chance~”
“Oh, I know,” I growled, slowly getting up from my chair. “His name was Thel, wasn’t it?”
Leanne opened her mouth, only to close it with an eerie smile. “Huh. Thought you were the type not to get your nose in people’s business.”
I stood up but stepped no closer. She definitely had a weapon somewhere. “You didn’t buy that bottle from him. You either stole it from him that night or you swiped it when those Redbrands came to kidnap his family. You’re one of them.”
She said nothing, only chuckling as her hand slowly reached for something under the counter. “Oh Platick. I didn’t want to do this. I mean, I really didn’t want to do this. You have so much promise. So does Vareén. Even after this faux pas of yours.”
“You’re not recruiting me.” I pulled out my dagger, ready for any sudden moves. “That club of idiots doesn’t interest me. And I’m not working for their supplier either.”
“Is that right? That’s what you think I am?” She drew her hand out methodically, doing so in such a way as to let me see what she was bringing out long before she could ever threaten me with it.
But instead of a dagger or crossbow like I expected, it was a pair of glasses. Silver framed with these odd blue crystals for lenses. Lenses that had this...charm to them...
“Are you sure Platick?” She asked hotily as she slipped the glasses on. They framed her face so well. “Because from how I see it.”
She looked at me and I felt my heart skip a beat. “You’d love nothing more than to work with cute little me.”
...Cute Little Me...
...Cute Little Me...
...Cute Little Me...
...Cute Little Me...
...Cute Little Me...
“Make a Wisdom save, Platick,” Story said stiffly.
“Wait a second,” Rarity started, slamming both hands on the table. “Is it that spell?”
Story’s even stiffer nod made the fashionista gawk at Applejack. “Darling? Is your, erm. Well, how’s your...” Rarity trailed off when she saw the number on AJ’s paper and bit her lip.
“It ain’t good,” AJ confirmed as she rolled the dice around in her hands.
“Yo-You have advantage,” Rarity said with a second breath. “You’re aggressive towards her!”
“That he is,” Story said with a sigh of relief. “Roll twice, take the highest.”
AJ nodded, readying herself to throw her die. Only to pause. “Um. Girls? Who’s got that lucky die? Ah could use it, Ah think.”
Rainbow Dash tossed it as Applejack was finishing her sentence. And as the cowgirl caught it, she watched the die turn from storm clouds to whittled wood. “Right then. Here goes.”
She tossed out the die and everyone watched as it landed on an unsavory number. Four.
Right away, Applejack’s mind and heart started swirling up in loving distractions before she let out a huff and took the die back up.
“Advantage,” Rarity repeated. “Roll it again.”
“Ah know, Ah know.”
Applejack waited until her head was clear and then flicked the die with her thumb as though it were a coin. The group watched once again, albeit more hesitant. As it came to a stop, the mocking symbols of ‘+0’ appeared beside it as Applejack got visions once more that clouded her judgment.
Leanne’s alluring figure was certainly there but along with it was memories of Platick. The one thing she and Story prepared when they first made him was how he grew up with his mentor; an impeccably dressed elf with concerning teaching methods.
They would cast spell after spell into Platick’s mind on a daily basis. Sometimes to build a resistance. Other times to just make him more agreeable. Platick, and by extension Applejack, both understood and hated those memories but in this moment they weren’t the worst thing that crossed their mind.
The number on the die was at least better than what AJ rolled initially. Plus zero.
I was locked in a daze. This alien mindset began showing me everything that I somehow missed about Leanne. She was utterly breathtaking. Her flawless skin radiating in the candlelight, those shimmering eyes beyond the crystal lenses, that sharp tact and attitude she held with everyone; me especially. Every gripe I had about her as a person seemed to melt away as she smiled down at me.
Her gorgeous hair, tied back in this humble ponytail. The way she smiled at me with so much interest. I certainly didn’t deserve it. All the attention and joy she showered me with tonight made me feel better than I had in months. I almost felt like an idiot for nearly squandering it all.
She didn’t need to give me the time of day. I mean, Ricven or Ravathyra were the type of people others wanted to hang out with. Except, they weren’t here. Actually, she barely paid them any mind. It was always me she cared about.
And unfortunately, as she grinned beneath those alluring glasses, every reason I had for hating her came right back into my mind after it finished festering in whatever pocket it was jammed in.
Any appeal I thought she had curdled right back into nothing as my knuckles turned white against my dagger. I wanted this over with.
“Cute little you, huh?” I spat. “Funny. Not even magic can find me a reason to believe that.”
She clicked her tongue, removing the lenses before hanging them from the collar of her shirt. “Well! Unfortunately, it seems you missed a few other things too.”
She reached behind her and took a dagger in her hand, holding it in a reverse grip. “For instance. I’m not their supplier. I wouldn’t call myself their captain either.”
Then, she played one more trick. Something that sent a chill down my spine. Piece by piece, her skin started melting off her body. Globs of human flesh slipped off her muscles, hitting the floorboards with sickening splats. Then, clumps of her hair followed. Even her fingernails, one at a time, cracked and popped off her hands, giving way to semi-humanoid claws.
All of it revealed a blue, rubbery skinned creature staring at me with soulless yellow orbs for eyes. Her— its pants and shirt hung loosely from its lithe body as she jumped onto the counter in this crouching position like a predator poised to pounce.
“And~” It went on, ‘Leanne’s’ voice was exactly the same despite the blue muscle-y humanoid staring at me. “I’m not Leanne either~ No. But if it makes you feel better, I played her life exactly as she would have. So if those losers at the lodge haven’t killed her yet, you might have a shot, Platick Fortuna~ From what I gathered, she knew that name too. Has some...Nevermind. I’ll spare you the spoiler.”
The creature twirled the dagger in its hand before looking behind me at the door I blocked off and, despite having no lips, I could see the muscles that made up its face tighten as though it were smiling.
I tossed my dagger to my offhand and drew my rapier. This isn’t good, I thought. I didn’t know she was. It! What even is this thing?!
“What am I?” It asked abruptly, making me draw a cold sweat. “Why, I’m this kingdom’s boogieman! Or at least that’s how they treat shifters like me.” It stood at its full height on the counter and struck a pose. The ugliest mannequin I ever beheld.
“I~” It said sultrily. “Am a doppelganger. And once we’re done here, I’ll be someone new~”
It hopped off the counter and playfully spun its dagger so that it was pointed at my face. “I. Will be.” It tapped the blade against my rapier as though we were in a duel.
“You!”
Rava’s POV
Sleeping Giant
Meanwhile
“Half of you to the bar,” a furious voice demanded. “The rest of you? On them! Don't leave a single survivor!”
I let myself smile as Ricven kept up the violin at the back of the bar. “Platick’s plan worked like a charm! Ya ready fer this Glem?” I whispered.
Glem said nothing, instead holding up a solid thumb’s up from the opposite side of the doubled doors we were stacked against.
I didn’t understand the reasoning behind it, but Glem had wrapped her face up in some sort of patchwork mask made from the captured Redbrands’ cloaks. She wouldn’t tell us why either. Simply that it ‘was something from home’ and left it at that.
It did well to hide her face but she was the only half-orc for a fifty mile radius so I don’t know how much good that did her.
Thorn turned around, giving out this monstrous growl-caw noise as she stood in place behind Ricven. She was shaking a bit out of fear. Or, maybe she wasn’t? Whatever this animal Thorn became, I had no idea what it was or how it did anything. It was like a frail, boney mountain goat. It—
“RAVA!” Ricven yelled. “FOCUS!”
I whipped around just in time to watch Glemerr grab the first thug to run through the doors. As they screamed, she roared and threw them upwards, slamming their head against the ceiling before letting them crash back into the floor. Unconscious.
The next one tried jumping over her fallen friend but I was ready. With both hands, I swung my hammer and probably shattered the lass’s knee as she fell to the ground.
With all her adrenaline, the crook tried clawing her way back onto their feet but Ricven interrupted his own song to drag his bow across the strings for an evil hiss that made the crook froth at the mouth before his eyes rolled over. Dead.
We tried setting up again but the next two, another man and woman, came in at the same time and shoved me back while ducking under Glem’s punch. They got their foothold.
“Four of ‘em,” one shouted over his shoulder as a third figure stepped up to the porch outside.
“The Cortássian’s mine,” this heavy voice declared tiredly. “Kill the rest.”
“Ah, you must be Stalwart,” Ricven shouted over his performance. He was able to look out the door from his spot. ”Nice a’ you ta make it ta the party!”
I took my warhammer in one hand and readied my shield in the other just in time to knock away an incoming blade. Then I tried to ram the top of my hammer into the lad’s gut but he backed away in time.
“The brain melting gnome, I take it.” After a few footsteps, I watched a red skinned arm poke through the doorway as it fired a bolt from a smaller crossbow. Ricven’s music skipped a note or two as he ducked away. “That makes three magic users in your troupe.”
“Oi!” I called out. “Ya better be countin’ me n’ there too!”
“Ya got magic Lady Rava?” Ricven smirked. “Well wash me surprised!”
“Color,” I countered.
“Quiet,” Stalwart demanded. “I don’t care if you’re magic. Your mage made your choice for you.”
“How inclusive of ya,” I remarked as Glem side-stepped a sword swipe before smashing both fists into either side of the female Redbrand’s head. The lass tried shuffling away but Glemerr chucked her out of the bar and refocused on the lad beside me.
“Made our choice?” Ricven chuckled darkly. “Ya say that as though we made the wrong one. Meanwhile, yer outta yer depth!”
The words rumbled across Stalwart’s brain, echoing louder as they almost began to pound against his skull. Although none of it seemed to matter.
Ricven’s music slowed down for a second. “Hhhuh. That’s, uh. That’s the first time that’s eva’ failed.”
“Head in the game Ricven,” I taunted.
Thorn stepped up next. Galloping forward, she reared up beside the Redbrand beside me to crush him with her front hooves. I raised my shield to cut off their escape but the lad didn’t bother.
Screaming, he swung with his scimitar and sliced open Thorn’s torso. Instantly, blood mixed with her red fur and the scent of iron started to carry. Thorn trotted backwards, narrowly avoiding a follow up swing from the guy.
Only, rather than follow, the lad narrowly weaved past a swing from me and his attention was back to me.
“More incoming!” Ricven yelled, abandoning his first song before driving his bow into a quicker paced solo.
“How many?!” I demanded, stepping back as the lad dragged his blade against my shield in a sharp screech. “Watch it! Ya know how ‘ard it is buffin' out them scratches?!”
The man didn’t reply. Instead, I watched Stalwart step in and go for a chop at Glemerr. Somehow prepared for it, Glem spun away and the tiefling’s blade bounced against the floorboards.
Glemerr came to a stop several steps away as Stalwart twisted around to put as much force as he could into cutting me down while his lackey moved away. I blocked the attack all the same but this one nearly dented my shield as my boots slid back a few inches.
I turned my shield at an angle, letting Stalwart’s sword glance away with a metallic ring so I was clear to bash him in his ribs with my hammer. Only, he was more spry than I gave him credit for. Bounding out of the way, Glem and I answered by trading spaces. Her against the lad and me against him.
“Tell me somethin’,” I started. “Why do this? Why side wit’ a necromancer? An’ why so many of ye? Ya some sorta cult?!”
Glemerr went for a wild haymaker, startling the lad enough to retreat further into the bar with her chasing after him. As for me Stalwart moved to chop at me from above only to feint and come at me from the side. I side-stepped it and readied myself for the next strike.
“Nothing of the sort,” he admitted now that I was guarded. All with humor in his tone. “In fact, I hate just about any casters. Meanwhile—”
He cut himself off, making another feint which I leapt back far enough to escape the range of his longsword. But rather than follow through, he stepped back as well as the entrance was wide open for more Redbrands to spill into the bar. We lost our funnel.
“I’m not wholly unaware,” he went, watching as I was losing my temper. At the same time, one of the new thugs attacked Glem and missed while the other nicked at Thorn’s leg.
Thorn the animal was losing so much blood I was shocked she hadn’t passed out. And now Glemerr was dealing with two Redbrands instead of one. All while Ricven watched and I was left at the door with my second captain of the day and one more of his lackeys for good measure.
Stalwart wrapped his monologue up. “Necromancy’s a poison. One that consumes its user. But until that happens, Glasstaff’s a honey trap for the rest of you casters. And I get to clean up.”
“So a janitor then?” I sneered. “Pretty far cry from an ex-soldier, ain’t it? Oh, but you were fired from that, weren’t ya?”
He stared back angrily as I heard the grunt behind me gulp fearfully. “And just who was it that told you that?”
“Wouldn’t you like ta know?” I challenged, watching his grip tighten on his sword. But, rather than strike at me, he looked past me and gave the faintest nod ever.
Ready for it, I ducked low, batting behind me with my shield in time to block a sad attempt at cutting into my neck. Then, as Stalwart tried to join in, I raised my shoulder and let my pauldron catch the blade while my hammerhead unbalanced the grunt’s hip.
With the lad reeled back, I nearly pirouetted back to face Stalwart and cut the second swing with the crook of my warhammer. He harrumphed but was forced to back up when I put a hole in the floor trying to smash his leg.
“Why a pirouette?” Rainbow questioned, forgetting her accent for a second. “Ah said she spun ‘round n’ blocked it all, not do a bunch’a goofy ballet!”
“Too late! Story said it, so dat’s what ‘appened,” Pinkie pointed out in Glemerr’s voice, earning a few smirks.
“But! N-No! Tha’ don’t make it canon err whatever,” Rainbow tried arguing.
“My, what a lovely defense, Lady Rava,” Rarity said with Ricven’s tone. “There. Now it’s canon!” Earning a chorus of light laughter from most of the table.
“I didn’t know ya did ballet! Ya look so graceful.”
“Aw, shut it!” I tossed back. “Yer doin’ tha’ on purpose!” And as I stared back at him, I saw this ghostly orb of his magic begin floating beside me. It looked as though it were trying to form a shape.
“The heck is this?” I asked, quickly ducking underneath both lads trying to behead me. Instead, their blades clashed and I shuffled away. The shape had dissolved in the process though.
“Hold up, you saw that?” He shouted from behind his music. Then his face lit up. “Well consider it a gift, then!”
“Awrite then.” I stood at my height, catching both blades with my shield and knocking them skyward. Stalwart kept his footing but the other one had trouble with his bad hip. “Let’s put it ta use then.”
Stostine’s POV
Meanwhile
Vareén and I counted five Redbrands charging straight for us. Three humans and two Dwarves. I didn’t bother casting another Light spell this time. All of them heard us falling off the horse and my Fire Bolts did well enough to direct the humans towards us.
Vareén had it a little easier. Her arrows were impossible to see coming whereas my fire was, well, fire. Both missiles were equal in terms of speed but you could see and react to fire easier than an arrow in darkness.
However, the humans were running sporadically, veering left and right on purpose to avoid getting shot. Because of this, they were closing distance on us and were no weaker than when they started.
So Vareén changed targets.
Clicking her tongue, she prepped her next arrow, aimed with an arc, and fired. A few seconds later, the Dwarf trying to carry a torch and his crossbow at the same time found the arrow slamming into his shoulder.
“Nice shot,” I complimented, taking a second to say something other than arcane syllables.
“They’re getting close,” Vareén responded. “The humans can’t see us. If we kill the torch bearer, they’re useless.”
“Good call.” I leveled my hand at the same Dwarf, prepping a new Fire Bolt only for nothing to fire. Well, something was on fire. My sleeve.
I yelped, waving my arm around in hopes of putting the flames out while Vareén swerved away from me.
“What is wrong with you?!”
“I! It, erm, I’m. I—It-It—There’s a lot, okay?!” I stammered as a bolt sailed forward, cutting through my sleeve and splitting it open. It got the flames away from my arm but now I had a piece of fiery cloth dangling from my elbow.
“They can only shoot at us,” the Dwarf shouted from a distance. “Get in there n’ cut ‘em down!” Then he turned to the other Dwarf. “An’ what’re you doin’?!”
The second Dwarf said something too quiet and too far from us to hear but it made the first Dwarf growl and wave his crossbow threateningly.
“Ah don’ care ‘bout yer stamm’rin’ nerves! Either get in there err Ah’ll cut ya down ‘fore Stalwart gets da pleasah!”
As he screamed, every human chucked their crossbows and readied their shortswords. Then, they began running full speed at the source of my flaming robe.
With an angry yell, Vareén reached over and ripped the rest of the sleeve off my robe, spiked it on the ground, and stomped out the fire. “Do you have anything that’s not fire?!”
“Not anymo— watch out!”
I grabbed Vareén’s arm and tried pulling us out of the way of the humans closing in on us. The first one nicked Vareén’s thigh but the other two swords missed us by a mile thanks to me.
Vareén took the arrow already in her hands and fired it wildly at the Dwarf one last time before using the bow itself to block a second pass from the blind humans. That is, until a shot from the second Dwarf pinned her in the stomach.
I called out her name, summoning a new Fire Bolt and launching it at another human before they could cut towards the screaming Vareén. It struck him directly in the face, burning his skin and hair but also illuminating the scene well enough to spot Vareén again.
“Stop! Using! Fire!” Vareén pleaded as she threw her bow at the third human, disorienting him as she pulled out her own shortsword.
I backed up, eyes darting at each of our attackers as they blindly swung at Vareén like maniacs. Vareén was able to keep up thanks to the handicap, weaving away from wide swings and parrying when it mattered, but they kept pushing.
One cut her arm. Another on her leg. One nicked at her neck just before the first came back for a strike narrowly missing her scalp. They fell into a groove by accident as none of them gave Vareén much time to do anything other than defend.
That didn’t stop her from trying at first. But each time she did, she would cut into one of the three and left herself unguarded for the other two blind men to strike back. Sometimes they would reach their mark but even when they whiffed it forced Vareén to fall back.
Which, in turn, forced me to back up as well. Otherwise, I’d be caught in the struggle without any kind of weapon.
Still, it was a nightmare to watch. At one point, one human swung wide and his sword ran right into the torso of his ally. But when his friend screamed, the attacker didn’t realize it was his fault.
He simply drew back his blade, heard Vareén grunt when the third one clocked her in the shoulder with his pummel, and then repositioned his attack. They were so caught up in everything that they could have killed one another and never notice.
It made me sick. Physically as well. The only thing that kept me from going into a coughing fit was another bolt fired out and striking Vareén as the two Dwarves began closing in.
The one Dwarf was still carrying his torch. The light didn’t reach us yet but it was getting close. And when it did?
…we can’t do this, I realized. Vareén can’t do this. We’re outnumbered. We need someone else. We need...
Thorn Wielder’s POV
Back at the Bar
I dragged my front hoof against the wooden floor to shake the numbness out of it. I felt no pain from the animal I shared the same breath as but this form was turning weak. Too much blood had left it.
But upon seeing four humans and the devilkissed slowly outmatching us, I made my ca—
“GLEMERR! RAVA!”
My ears folded against my head. Beyond the clashing iron and the gnome’s music, Stostine’s voice was there.
I tried shouting out at the others to warn them, but all they heard was a heavy grunt. Oh right. Still deer.
“Is this thing still an elf?!” One of the humans, a fair-skinned, mid-aged man, asked to anyone willing to listen.
When no one answered, he cautiously stepped forward and tried stabbing at me with his sword as though it were a dagger. I stepped back, kicking a chair with my back leg and gave him a displeased look.
“Sh-Shut up. Deer,” he insulted before adjusting the grip on his sword.
I felt one of my ears flick impatiently as I let out a heavy exhale. The air around me whipped into a breeze that billowed the man’s red cape as I changed form.
The man tried making one more jab at me as this went on but by that point my front hooves shifted back into arms and I knocked the strike away with my shield.
“Still elf,” I taught him before the end of my vine coiled around his neck without prompt. He tried pulling at the vines but the thorns pricked his hand so much so that he pulled back by instinct.
So instead, he tried severing the vines with his sword instead. And still it failed. The vines stayed loose everywhere else so that nothing could chop through them. It was like batting at a drenched leaf with your hand.
“Thorn! Lift ‘em up!”
Ahead of me, Glemerr caught the wrist of one of her attackers and put all her force behind a single punch to the face. After they folded to the floor, she turned in time to watch her second threat go in for a tackle. Except Glemerr was nearly three times their size and not moving.
Seizing the moment, Glemerr brought down her elbow on the Redbrand’s spine while grabbing the arm that held their weapon and pulling their shoulder out of place simultaneously.
At the same time, I obeyed her request. As the man struggled, I tightened the vines around his neck and forced them to heft him up off the ground till he dangled just below the ceiling.
Glemerr then grabbed the Redbrand around their waist and picked them up over her head. With a war cry, she chucked the woman halfway across the room and into my victim. The two collided and I released his neck in time to let them both fall and smash through the table ahead of me.
“Aw yeah! Team takedown move,” Glemerr cheered with a thumb’s up which I mirrored. The mask hid her face but I knew she was smiling as wide as her face allowed.
But I remembered what I heard and frowned. “Glemerr! Stostine bad! Stostine yell!”
“Stostine?” The masked face flinched back. And then Glemerr’s hands clutched the sides of her face as she gasped. “Stostine yelled fer help?!”
“It was two of them versus six of us,” Stalwart gloated. “No doubt they’re already dealt with.”
“Look around ya, Hornsy,” the gnome mocked. “Yer grunts are droppin’ like flies and we’re still standin’! The lotta y’all are useless!”
The thoughts went in one eye and out the other as Stalwart snickered. “You call me useless? All you’ve done is play piss poor music.”
“Shaddup already!” Rava swung angrily, this time slamming her hammer into Stalwart’s shoulder as he buckled for a moment. “Yer fightin’ me now, ya got tha’?!”
With a growl, the tiefling shrugged it off and pointed a finger at Rava; his nail engulfed in flames. “Fraw dekat sim’gib!”
A thin string of flames as searing as lava fired from his finger and at Rava who hid behind her shield. The ray struck into the metal and then spread around and into the Dwarf as she writhed and squirmed in her armor as hellish flames began to cook her alive.
“Rava!” Glemerr tried running over but the last of the human Redbrands cut in. Before she could do anything about it, the man slid his scimitar along Glemerr’s leg, cutting just above the knee.
Glemerr hissed but looked down at the man from behind her unsettling mask. It helped add to his fear as she let out a vicious roar before kicking at his leg so hard it bent in the opposite direction.
But rather than leave him hobbling, Glemerr tossed the sword away and wrapped one arm under his shoulder. She then launched him over her head and onto the bar behind her with a crunch.
The man let out a raspy groan to signal he was still alive. Although he refused to do anything but lay there.
“L-Lady Rava?” The gnome asked cautiously, noticing how now all three of us looked visibly worn down. Shifting from deer and back helped dispel the numbness but now my wounds from the initial attack were back.
Meanwhile, Glemerr had earned several wounds throughout the fight. The Dwarf was the only one that seemed pretty healthy until she was burnt from within the metal clothes she wore.
“Ah’m. A-Ah’m fine guys,” Rava croaked as she stood back up but she was visibly weaker. “Glem? Ya gotta get ta the girls. They’re in trouble, aye?”
Stalwart chuckled at the scene. “What was it you said? You are fighting me now, yes?” He readied his blade. “Where’s your confidence?
Glem stared between Rava and the exit, bouncing between one foot and the next. No option seemed right to her.
“...Miss Glem,” the gnome spoke. “Back on the road, ya ran off screamin’ toward the goblins and ditched us. Ya remember, don’t ya?”
Glemerr turned, her mask staring at the gnome. “Dat ain’t what Ah was doin’. Ah didn’ mean ta—”
“It was a good call,” he cut in with a smirk. “If ya didn’t do that, Platick an’ I woulda talked y’all outta goin’ there. Sildar wouldn’t be alive. You’re the reason he is.”
Stalwart ignored our talks. Instead, he went for Rava’s neck only for her to look up and catch the swing with her gauntlet.
He twisted the sword, tearing it free of her grip and went for another swing but was stopped as a coat of frost formed around his throat. He coughed and backed up to break away at the frost until he saw me standing a distance away with my hand outstretched and traces of frost around my fingers and vines.
“So, what’s the play now, Miss Glem?” He asked her. “Use them instincts, ya hear? Who needs help?”
Stalwart scrunched up his neck and shook off the rest of the ice just in time to leap over a low swing of Rava’s hammer.
“Glem!” Rava turned and gave as good a smile as she could muster. “Ah got this! Ah promise.”
Glemerr watched as Rava and Stalwart both swung at the same time, longsword and warhammer catching one another before the two leaned forward for an equivalent shield bash that put them in a deadlock.
Rainbow Dash gave Pinkie a determined grin that the pink one traded with a bright smile.
“Okie-Dokie Dashie,” Pinkie cheered, turning to Story. “Glemerr’s gonna run out the front door as fast as she can after Stostine!”
Story nodded, his face a little hopeful but still stern. “Alright. They’re about...four turns away. If you disengage, you can dash for the next few turns and get to them.”
“Nah!” Pinkie said happily.
“N-Nah?” Story and the girls frowned. “Would do you mean nah?”
“Glemerr runs on this turn too! And then she’ll extra run!”
“Extra...Oh! Oh, that’s your—” Story cut himself off when he saw Pinkie raise her eyebrows a few times, eager to keep it a surprise. “Sorry. Yeah, you can definitely extra run.”
Sunset and Twilight shared a thankful look, visibly more relaxed than they were as they watched Pinkie reach over and tap Glemerr’s mini around the holographic bar map like a game of Chutes and Ladders.
Right past Stalwart’s mini.
“Wait, Pinkie, no!”
Glemerr nodded back to the red headed Dwarf. “Thanks Rava. Ah’ll get da girls.”
Rava gave her a smirk and a nod only for both to freeze as Glemerr started rushing the front entrance.
“What’re ya—”
Glemerr’s guttural war cry cut Rava off as she fell into a sprint for the front door. Rava, the gnome, myself, and somehow Stostine, Vareén, and Platick, all screamed for her to stop as Stalwart seized his moment.
Bashing Rava away, Stalwart knelt low and spun around; smacking Rava upside the head with his tail while simultaniously slicing the back of Glemerr’s calves.
We cried out defiantly as Glemerr tumbled over, crashing in the doorway as her legs started bleeding violently. She fell hard on her elbows, cutting one of them open on a loose nail that stuck out of the floorboard all while breathing through her teeth.
Before Rava could recover, Stalwart already leapt back to his feet and turned to crack the Dwarf’s skull open with his shield. She tried bringing up her own shield, but the force sent Rava tripping into a chair, smashing it to pieces under her heavy armor.
Stalwart scoffed, glancing over at Ricven whose eye twitched in shock. “So many big words from such a useless caster. And now, all your bravado’s gone. What’s your next move, gnome?”
“Fuck you!” the gnome spat, his accent devolving into that of a teenage girl. Unfortunately, it just made Stalwart laugh.
The reason Ricven’s voice was so broken was because he wasn’t the one that said it. It was Rarity.
“Why are you laughing?!” She glared at Story as kept up his evil laugh.
“Because,” Story said, accidentally still using Stalwart’s voice as he laughed. “Pinkie, you wanna say it or me?”
“I’ll do it!” Pinkie said gleefully before standing up and reaching over, plucking Glemerr’s mini and putting it back on its feet. “Relentless Endurance!”
“Relentless-what now?” Applejack asked from under her hat. She was hiding her disappointment at first until Pinkie started laughing too.
“I have one hit point,” Pinkie taunted. “Oh! Annnd Glemerr uses a ki point. Extra run!”
The game didn’t even bother making that gray void grow out from Pinkie’s character sheet. It was a little upsetting but Pinkie was still glad it didn’t spoil the surprise.
“...Pinkie Pie,” Rarity shouted flippantly. “Why were you so devious about that?! I was actually quite worried!”
“I. I-I think that was the first time I’ve heard you swear,” Fluttershy mumbled. “It startled me more than Pinkie’s character.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Rainbow agreed, able to hear Flutters from sitting beside her.
“Well, obviously I had to do that.” Pinkie giggled. “Everybody knows that in a huuuuge fight, when everything’s starting to go all sideways, there has to be that one NOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo— factor before everything turns around for us and we save the day,” she explained happily after having fallen to her knees, waving her hands like a maniac.
“And I didn’t ruin it because she pulled the same trick on me when she split from you guys,” Story tacked on. “Now where were we?”
But Stalwart’s laughing faltered when Glemerr pounded her fists into the ground, conveniently hammering the nail back into place at the same time.
Stalwart growled, turning to finish the job only for a flying Dwarf to collide into him. While he was pancaked against the wall, Glemerr broke into another sprint out the door and into the night.
“Well, would ya look at that?” The gnome chuckled. “Found my bravado. Right next to yer dignity.”
Stalwart’s growl turned to a scream as his head throbbed in agony at the same time that my vines wrapped and yanked at his sword-wielding arm. As it was nearly torn from his socket, he used his leg to kick the Dwarf back.
His freedom allowed my thorns to pull him towards the center of the room where he now stood surrounded by me, Rava, and the gnome.
Stalwart shook away my vine and raised his shield, eying each of the three as he considered his biggest threat. He was bloodied but Rava and I were but a breath from death. And the strongest of us had now gotten away.
He kept breathing, watching as I prepared my vines once more and the gnome began another song. But rather than focus on us, he turned toward the one who challenged him first; Ravathyra Dagarkin.
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Wow go pinkie! you can do it girls
Hay your featured cg :)
Can’t wait for Rava use her first divine smite. Will be a true epic moment
.....Ah..... right....... tiefling....... Hellish Rebuke.
Edit: GEEZ, Pinkie is smart with her Relentless Endurance! That's TWICE now that she's used it strategically!
Huh, I didn't expect you to use the doppelganger like that.
*takes notes*
Great chapter, I actually had to look up the doppelganger. And when I saw that CR I realized, appljacks in for it now.
Though I do want to ask, with how hard this fight is getting in some places, is there any chance Gilda and or Big Mac might have an excuse to jump on to the game with their characters?
Another excellent chapter, as usual.:D
11098595
I recognized it. And let me just say....
A man chooses. A slave obeys.
11098464
Unfortunately, Rava used up both her spell slots earlier today when the Redbrands first attacked. Actually, everyone's out of spell slots. But don't worry, when it comes time I won't glance over something as important as a first smite.
11098467
Yep. I designed each of the captains to be worse than the typical Bandit Captain. The Mountain Dwarf was the strongest of the captains and could use heavy armor if she found any, Stalwart had tiefling spells, and the third one, well...that one's ironically the most in-your-face out of the three.
11098583
The way the magic's described is that everything has to make sense. And sadly, Big Mac and Gilda's characters are on a completely different continent. Even if they wanted to stand in and play as NPCs (like Sister Garaele & Eglath), who knows what would happen. They'll have to play it safe and watch.
11098595
11099034
I don't think anyone ever said anything about it. I thought for so long it would end up as an in-joke for me. Nice to know people spotted it!
11098471
Thanks! I've played a lot of low level stuff, not really by choice. And when you're stuck in that kind of limbo, you try to make things as unique as you can. I hope it worked!
Wait a minute. Jelly-like blood, slimy blue skin, shifting organs.
Is Vareen....?