Extra Story 1 - DnD

*Takes place between PV1 and PV2*

Part 1

"The large double doors to the Necromancer's Castle stand tall before your group. Lanterns on either side are alight with green flames. They glow eerily, casting frightful shadows in the surrounding forest." Steven's voice was an ominous murmur. Everyone sitting around the coffee table leaned forward intently. Everyone except for Gabriel, who could hear him just fine.

"I try the door," Cass said.

Behind his cardboard divider, Steven picked up his dice. They were heavy and specially made from red glass.

Cass spotted the movement and quickly added "I ask everyone else to move out of the way and I ready my shield as well."

Steven arched a brow at her over the divider, but didn't object. He rolled his dice. "The door is locked," he announced simply.

Cass and Ricky both let out huge sighs of relief. Cass turned to Gabriel. "Looks like it's our Rogue's time to shine."

Gabriel was leaning his back against the arm of the sofa chair. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Not until I get my own set of dice."

Steven narrowed his eyes right back at him. "The vampire with the power to move objects with his mind doesn't get his own dice."

Gabriel lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. "Then it looks like I won't be helping the party pick a lock."

"You'll have to justify your decision in game," Chris pointed out.

"No I don't. My alignment is 'True Neutral'." He pointed to the spot on his character sheet. "I just say I don't feel like it."

"I knew we shouldn't have hired him," Ricky muttered to his sister. "Who in their right mind hires shady thieves in pubs?"

Angie gave the both of them a glance. Cass dropped her voice even lower, hiding her mouth with her hand as she spoke. "Shh, you know better than to disagree with the Gunner, Rick. Do you remember last time?"

Ricky shielded his mouth with his hand as well, but didn't bother dropping his voice. "Yeah, I wasn't able to sit down for a week." Chris, Steven, Cass, and even Angie laughed.

Angie reached under the table with her leg and used her foot to nudge Gabriel's knee, and not gently. He let out a sigh. "Fine, I attempt to pick the lock." He glanced at his sheet. "My Master's Lock Pick set gives me a plus three to-"

"I know." Steven rolled a wooden die behind the screen. "The lock was trapped." He rolled again. "You failed your dodge and were hit with a poisoned dart. You take one damage. You'll also take an additional point of damage every combat turn."

"Perfect," Gabriel muttered. "What else?"

"You know what else. Take a drink."

Gabriel let out another sigh. He reached out to the center of the table, were a collection of bottles were gathered. He picked up the clear one with no label and took a drink from it.

Steven continued. "The doors swing inwards, revealing pitch blackness on the other side."

"I cast 'Floating Lamp'," Ricky said at once.

"And I cast 'Cure Poison' on Gabriel," Cass added.

"I'll go first," Chris volunteered. "I draw my broadsword and stay alert."

"It's okay to loosen up and have some fun," Angie ribbed Gabriel.

"Oh, I will when I get my own dice."

"I can lend you mine…" She picked up a few of her dice.

"Don't make me confiscate those," Steven warned. "I will brook no cheaters at my table."

"What if he promises not to cheat?" Angie pleaded.

"I'm not making any such promise." Gabriel's expression was stubborn. "This game was made to have fun with, and cheating is how I have fun."

"The point of the game isn't to have fun," Ricky said, eyes wide. "It's to survive as long as possible while Steve tries his damnedest to kill us bloody."

"Rick is absolutely correct," Steven admitted coolly.

"If you don't want Steven rolling for you, then I can do it," Angie offered. She turned to Steven. "That's okay, right? I don't have any vampire telekinesis."

Steven's eyes narrowed to slits. "If I detect even a whiff of cheating..."

"Cross my heart." She drew an X over her chest with her finger.

He turned his attention to the papers he had hidden behind the screen. "You enter the main hall. It's a wide space, decorated with black iron lamps in the shape of skulls. The carpet under your feet is the color of blood. Across the room is a grand staircase, climbing up to the second floor. There are doors to the left and right of you."

"I use 'Detect Traps'," Gabriel said right away.

"There's a hidden trap door directly in front of Chris. Do you warn him?"

Gabriel appeared to think it over. Chris turned to him. "My character is the one that's paying you," he reminded.

"Fine, yes, I warn him."

"I don't step on the trap door," Chris said right away.

"I'll disarm the trap anyway, just in case," Gabriel offered.

"Roll," Steven said to Angie, who picked up the die dutifully.

Just as the twenty-sided die left her hand, Gabriel twitched one finger. The die landed on the table. "Natural twenty," Angie announced.

Steven glanced at Gabriel. "The trap is disarmed. The door drops open, revealing several skeletons down at the bottom of the pit. As the light from above touches them they begin to move, climbing up the wall and towards the group."

"I attempt to cast 'Fireball' down the pit before they reach us," Ricky said quickly.

"The skeletons appear to be unaffected by your 'Fireball' spell," Steven announced.

"Oh crap. They have immunity to magic. I hide behind Cass."

"I draw my sword and attack them as they emerge from the pit," Cass said quickly, picking up her die.

"Same here," Chris added.

They rolled at the same time. "Thirteen." "Sixteen."

"Cass misses. The skeleton counterattacks. Take three damage." Steven rolled again. "Chris' attack hits, roll for damage."

Chris rolled another die while Cass marked the damage on her sheet. She reached across to the middle of the table and grabbed a bottle of beer. She downed a third of it quickly.

By the time the fight was done, each of them had to drink at least once. Ricky had been hit the hardest, and had to finish a whole beer by himself. "I've got the least amount of hit points," he said sadly. "No fair..."

"You also have the lowest tolerance," Cass remarked, taking his empty bottle and placing it on the floor. "I cast 'Cure Major Wounds' on Rick."

"That's your only one," Steven warned.

"Yeah I know, but in his state a Dire Rat could kill him with one hit. Hopefully we'll find a place to rest somewhere in here."

"It's only the first room..." Ricky let out a small sob. Chris patted his shoulder comfortingly.

Cass looked at her fellow players. "Which way should we go? Left, right, or upstairs?"

"Left," Angie suggested.

"Right," Gabriel said at the same time.

"Upstairs," Chris said. "The Necromancer will most likely be on the top floor, right?"

"We should clear out the ground floor first," Gabriel said practically. "Or else when we get to him, he'll just call all his minions after us. It's what I would do."

"Okay, who votes for left?" Cass asked, raising her hand. Chris and Angie also raised their hands. "Three to two, we go left."

xxxXXXxxx

"I got this one," Chris said bravely, pointing his broadsword at the left door. "I think our Rogue's done enough for damage for now."

In the back of the group, Gabriel narrowed his eyes.

Chris didn't bother checking the doorknob. He raised his huge blade up and brought it down on the wood. The door shattered, pieces of wood and splinters flying. A few pieces clung to the hinges, but they could pass through.

The group filed into the room, stepping over the chunks of wood on the floor. The new room was dark. Ricky's lantern spell cast light in a small radius around them, but could not illuminate the entire room, especially above them.

There was a clattering sound overhead. "What the?" Cass looked up.

Ricky's eyes widened. "Everyone get out now."

They turned as a group, but the doorway they'd come in through had vanished, blank stone cobbles in its place.

"Not a one-way door..." he moaned. "We should have been paying attention."

The clattering overhead grew louder, till the noise became thunderous. A skeletal monstrosity landed on the floor in front of them. It was huge and batlike. The skull's hollow eyes peered at them intently. The jaw unhinged and out came a shriek that could wake the dead.

"It's a Dire Bat skeleton!" Ricky exclaimed. He grabbed onto his sister's shield arm and hid behind her. "Use 'Turn Undead'!"

"And make it go where?" she asked incredulously. "There's no way out of here!"

"Do Dire Bats normally get this big?" Chris asked, both eyebrows raised.

"They're only supposed to grow to about five feet," Angie said. "How did the Necromancer get ahold of this one?"

The monster was easily ten feet tall, with a bony wingspan of at least thirty feet. It swiped with those same wings, attacking the group.

"Spread out!" Chris shouted.

"It's only the second room!" Ricky wailed as he threw himself onto the floor. A massive wing bone just barely missed him, the appendage tore the back of his robe.

Cass swung her sword at the giant skeleton. The blade slid off the hard bones without affecting it. "It's immune to physical damage!" she shouted. "Rick! Take it out!"

"I'm a little bit busy!" he shouted back. The bat jabbed at him the the tip of one wing and he rolled away. "I need time to cast a spell! Can you distract it from killing me for a bit?!"

Angie drew her dual flintlock pistols and fired at the skeleton. Her bullets bounced off the skull without a scratch. "Wanna help me out here?" she asked Gabriel over her shoulder.

He held up his short dagger. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?!" he asked incredulously. "You said nothing about fighting skeletons when you hired me!"

"What did you think would be at the Necromancer's castle?!" She arched a brow as she reloaded. "Fluffy bunnies? Baby chicks maybe?" She fired at the bat again. "Maybe we were just taking you along for an egg hunt?"

"I know you're being sarcastic!" he shouted as he dove to the side, just barely dodging a massive wingbone.

"Really?! Do you really?! Are you sure?!"

"Ladies, please!" Chris yelled. "I'm wearing the toughest armor. I'LL distract it!" He threw himself at the bat skeleton, broadsword swinging.

The bat shrieked again, using both wings to attack Chris. Meanwhile Ricky got to his feet and started casting his spell. He had his hands out in front of him. Energy coalesced around his body, letting off a red glow. He opened his eyes and lightning sparked in them. "FLAME STORM!" he shouted, thunder in his voice.

A red lightning bolt hit the dire bat skeleton, which was promptly set ablaze. Chris backed away quickly to avoid going up as well. The skeleton fell apart as the flames died down, leaving behind a pile of blackened bones.

Ricky let out a slow, deep breath, the glow around him fading. He dropped his arms to his sides and looked around. "No sweat, right guys?" He grinned sheepishly.

Chris' tabard was smoking. He pounded one gauntlet on the small fire, trying to put it out while staring at Ricky hard.

"Hey, I found loot!" Angie exclaimed happily. She leaned both hands on a large chest she'd discovered in the corner of the room. "It's locked though…" she gave Gabriel a sly look.

"I get ten percent of everything we find in here," he reminded her. "And that's on top of my hiring fee."

"Yeah, yeah," Chris said as he approached them. His tabard was singed, but intact. "Now crack this baby open. Daddy wants a new helmet."

Gabriel picked the lock expertly, bypassing another poisoned dart trap. He lifted the lid and inspected the contents. "Some old books. A gold dagger, ornamental." He tossed it up. Chris caught it and inspected it carefully.

"A sack of silver coins." He handed that to Angie, who passed it on to Cass.

"This will make a lovely donation to the Church..." She pocketed in her armor.

"Lastly, there's this." Gabriel rocked back on his heels, a clear bottle in his hand. It contained a deep red liquid. He held it up to the light coming from the magic lantern. "It's a health potion." He quickly squirreled it away into one of his many hidden pockets before Chris could stop him. "It's mine."

"Can I see the books?" Ricky asked, stepping forward. Gabriel hefted three heavy tomes out of the chest and deposited them into his arms. He struggled to hold them all. They were covered with ancient dust. "These look like they're written in Alternian. It'll take a while, but I should be able to translate them."

"Knock yourself out," Gabriel told him.

"Anything in there for me?" Angie asked hopefully. "Maybe some ammo?"

He arched a brow at her. "Why would the Necromancer keep ammunition?"

She shrugged. "Reasons?"

Gabriel sighed and looked back into the chest. "The only thing left is this." He pulled out a cloth bag that had been squished under the pile of books. He slapped it against his thigh and a cloud of dust rose up into the air. "It's all yours," he said as he handed it to her.

She held it up curiously. It had a long strap and a large leather flap covering the opening. She flipped it up to look inside, but paused. "Are those... teeth?" She pointed at what appeared to be sharp fangs sewn around the bag's opening.

The bag moved suddenly, lunging forward, those teeth going for her hand. She dropped it on the floor quickly and drew a pistol. She aimed at the bag while it squirmed.

"Wait a minute!" Ricky stopped her. "That's a Bag of Devouring!"

"And that information is supposed to convince me NOT to shoot it?" Angie asked skeptically.

"There might be some good stuff inside!" he said quickly.

She lifted the barrel of her pistol up. "I AM a fan of stuff..."

"Inside is a pocket dimension that could hold anything that can fit through the opening."

She holstered her pistol. "Okay then, how do I get to the stuff without getting my hand torn off?"

"If you tear the bag then the magic will dissipate and it will turn into an ordinary bag. The only way to retrieve the stuff is to put your hand inside." His expression turned grim. "And there is always a chance you'll lose anything you place inside. Hands included."

She picked up the bag and closed the flap securely. She shouldered the strap. "Well, it might come in handy if we're desperate."

"So... In the next room, then?" Cass said wryly. "Knowing this place anyway." She looked over the way they came. "Oh hey, the door is back!'

xxxXXXxxx

"So I guess we go back and check out the room on the right," Ricky said with a small shrug as he looked over the diagram he was sketching out on a piece of graph paper.

"I smash the next door, too," Chris said. "It's a strategy that has served us well so far."

"Roll."

Chris complied. "Uh... Is a ten good enough?"

"You break half of the door down."

"Oh well, good enough. Everyone squeeze through."

"Just hit it again," Gabriel suggested.

"Can I do that?" Chris asked Steven. Gabriel rolled his eyes.

Steven nodded. "The door isn't fighting back."

"This time..." Ricky muttered ominously. Steven gave him a look and he ducked his head.

"I got a twelve this time..."

"The door is sufficiently obliterated."

"Cool beans, I lead the way."

"Roll."

"Dammit!" Chris picked up his dice again.

He failed his next roll, setting off a pit trap that opened up over a vat of acid. He managed to just barely squeak by on his next roll, his character grabbing onto the ledge instead of plummeting to his death.

Gabriel had a dark gleam in his eyes. "I stand over our Knight and gloat." Chris glared at him. He lowered his voice to a coo. "Now who's regretting insulting the Rogue?"

Chris was shaking his die in his hand as he continued to glare at Gabriel. "When I get out of this pit..."

Cass picked up her die as well. "I help Chris out."

"If Gabriel moves out of the way, then you won't have to roll," Steven informed them.

They both looked at Gabriel. "Give me a minute. I'm enjoying this." Angie kicked him under the table again. "Ugh, fine..."

Chris and Cass put their dice back down. "Well, let's explore the rest of the room," Ricky said cheerfully.

"This room is large with two doors besides the one you just entered. They are across from each other. A long red carpet runs between them. The wall opposite you is blank stone. Two suits of armor stand on display."

Ricky became instantly wary. "Are they armed?"

"One is displayed with a sword, the other a mace."

"Don't get too close to the armor..." Ricky warned the group.

"If there's any skeletons inside of them we'd better find out now," Chris stated matter-of-factly. "I approach the armor carefully, with my sword drawn."

"They don't seem threatening."

"Seem," Ricky muttered.

"I nudge one."

"It falls over in a haphazard pile."

"Any skeletons?"

"Not that you can see."

"I nudge the other one." Chris had his hand over his dice just in case he was told to roll.

"The other one falls over in a similar manner."

Chris, Cass, and Angie let out sighs of relief. Ricky was looking over his spell list.

"Looks like we're good," Chris informed the group. "Just some cheap junk..."

"Both sets of armor rise up, weapons in hand," Steven informed them. "They glow with an eerie light." He looked over at Chris. "Make a Dodge Roll."

Chris grabbed his dice off the table. "Son of a..."

Ricky was looking at his spell list in despair. "I don't have anything prepared that can take down Haunted Armor..."

Chris threw his twenty-sided die on the table. "Six. Mother..."

Steven rolled his glass die behind his partition. "Take three damage, then another two."

Chris drained the last of his beer as he marked the damage on his sheet. "Goddammed..."

"My healing spells might damage them," Cass suggested.

"We'll prolly need those soon," her brother replied ruefully. "For ourselves."

"I load two incendiary rounds," Angie said. "While one of the armors is busy attacking Chris, I aim so that the bullet will go inside the breast plate before exploding."

Ricky whistled low. "That's gonna be a tough shot to make..."

Steven's blue eyes were steely over his partition. "Roll."

Angie picked up her die in trepidation. She let it fall from her hand weakly. Under the table, Gabriel's finger twitched to the side. The die came up twenty. Ricky's eyes went wide.

Angie let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Steven's eyes narrowed. "You know, pistols aren't even allowed in this setting. I made an exception for you."

"Just tell me how much experience I get."

Soon the other armor was similarly dispatched. "Woot! Level up!" Angie threw her hands in the air.

"Stat changes don't come into effect until next session," Steven reminded her.

"Yes I know..." she replied in a sing song voice as she marked her sheet.

Ricky looked at everyone around the table. "So... which way next?"

Author's Note:

Just a silly story for you guys while you wait for 'PV3 – Lilith'. Something that shows what our heroes are up to when they're not being hunted or attacked. Let me know if you want more!

News:

VL1 – Bloody Memories is now available on Google Play! Amazon Kindle and paperback copies should be available by next week. *crosses fingers* I've added two new chapters to the book and rewrote a bunch of scenes so they make more sense. Definitely go check it out. It's only $1.99 on Google Play! If I have enough support from you guys hopefully I can quit my call center job and just write full time. O_O