Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Monika was in dismay. She leaned against the desk of her homeroom teacher and let out a weak sigh that just barely escaped her lips. Her frustration hung over her like a dark cloud. Past the storm gathering overhead, she looked out over the sea of empty desks to scout out the individual faces of each of her club members.

Yuri was closest to her, sitting in the second row. A tall, wiry girl with flowing locks that cascaded to her waist like a purple wave. She had a quiet grace about her, but her inability to break out of her shell had severely limited the interactions she was able to have with the other members of her club.

She was currently nose-deep in one of her occult horror novels. She had explained her love for the novels to the rest of the girls, including Monika, but her gushing had quickly been shot down by both Natsuki’s look of disgust and Sayori’s trademark head tilt of confusion. Monika had done her best to encourage and relate to her, but it simply wasn’t happening. Like a snail that had extended herself only to be burned by the bitter touch of salt, Yuri was back in her shell. With seemingly no desire to extend that burned hand again.

Monika shifted her gaze to the very back of the classroom. Just by the door, in the center of the row Sayori quietly hummed to herself, cheerful as could be. Sayori was a ball of sunshine given a glimmering grin. That smile was what drew the eye every time Monika looked at her. Even her flamboyant red bow on top of her head was not enough to draw away from that dazzling smile. If she was being honest, Monika had actually felt a tiny nibble of jealousy when she first saw Sayori. First for her bow--which Monika had dubbed her signature accessory--secondly for the way her smile seemed so warm and inviting. Monika knew how to smile, but no matter how kind was behind it, her smiles always seemed to be iced over with a layer of polite formality.

Monika encouraged her to read during their club meetings, but more often than not that had just led to Sayori propping up a book and playing some cute game on her phone with cats and...toast? She wasn’t entirely sure what she had seen when she peeked over Sayori’s shoulder, but she seemed to be enraptured in it. Unfortunately it wasn’t even a multiplayer game, so there was no chance of the rest of the club joining in.

And curled up in the corner was the tiniest member of the group: Natsuki. Easily mistakable for a freshman, Natsuki just barely scratched at the surface of being five feet tall. Her petite frame paired with that diminutive height almost made her look like a doll. Her bright pink hair and complex hairstyle, which seemed to be something more akin to three hairstyles fused into one, didn’t help her with that. Natsuki really looked like she’d be the last doll on the shelf that you’d see nervous parents fighting to take home to their pouty children on Christmas Eve.

That toy was in her own little world, with a grin that had been stuck on her face so long Monika was beginning to suspect maybe she really was a doll. She finally moved when she shut the manga volume she finished reading and slid it back into its appropriate place. That boxset had been read over and over again for weeks now. From the looks of it, Natsuki was about halfway through another reading, and showing no signs of slowing down. When she’d tried to share her own hobbies, it was Yuri’s turn to shoot her down with a stifled laugh at Natsuki’s insistence that manga was true literature. Monika had held her tongue, for fear of discouraging Natsuki, but Sayori only took a baseball bat to Natsuki’s fragile ego by telling her how much she had loved that series...when she was 8 years old. Much like Yuri, she had retracted herself.

Monika threw her head back and began counting the ceiling tiles. It had been nearly two months since the creation of the literature club. And while she hated to say it...she was disappointed. Things had been rocky from the start. From personal disputes to having difficulty recruiting new members, the club had been stagnating for a few weeks now. Monika could still recall how devastated Sayori had been when her childhood friend had denied her invitation to join the club.

Monika curled her fist. The memory put a sour taste in her mouth. From what Sayori had relayed to her, her friend had told her to her face that he was planning on checking the club out, and Sayori was beaming about it the entire day. Yuri all but made flash cards to prepare for new conversations, and Natsuki had even made cupcakes for the bastard. Monika herself had even practiced her official welcome speech all morning. But when the time came...they waited. And waited. But no one came. Watching Sayori’s radiant smile slowly dim every time she looked at the clock filled Monika with a protective rage she didn’t know she had. At the end of the day, he had bailed on Sayori, and she hadn’t heard back from him since.

All Monika could think was how much she wanted to give Sayori a big hug and comfort her, but they simply weren’t there yet. She was president and Sayori was vice president of the club, but beyond that they were practically strangers. All of them were just strangers gathering in a quiet room because none of them really had anything better to do.

But Monika wanted more than that. She wanted this club to be the place that everybody loved, the place that every member looked forward to and did their best to improve. She didn’t want to place any blame on anybody, but nobody really seemed to care about the club all that much. The most participation she had been able to do was basically just assign them homework.

“Like a teacher,” Monika grimaced. Yuri cut her eyes up for a moment at Monika’s sudden disturbance, but it wasn’t long before she returned them to the musty pages of her book. Every night she encouraged the girls to write a poem and share it the next day. It was an idea she had had that would hopefully bring out some of those hidden emotions each girl held, but it hadn’t really moved anything along. If anything, it had only split the group further by putting everybody into different categories. Yuri’s eloquent writing style and immense vocabulary had left Natsuki with birds circling her head, Natsuki’s cute, snappy-lined poems had produced the opposite effect of what she had been going for, and Sayori’s had been cobbled together at the last minute, making very little sense in the end.

Monika’s own poems had felt like a kind of a boast. Like she had organized the whole activity just to show off. The idea of how narcissistic she must have looked that first day made her stomach turn, but she pushed on with the poem ideas nonetheless...until now. She had been brainstorming for weeks. They were a literature club, but having group readings was out of the question and the poems weren’t cutting it, but Monika had discovered something of a radical idea. After a quick Google search followed by several hours down a Youtube rabbit hole, Monika felt she might have finally found what she needed to bring this group together. Now all she needed was the confidence to do it.

Confidence. Right. That’s all it took. Which is why Monika was still standing around idling like she was a budget NPC in a cheap video game. She couldn’t understand why it was so hard for her. It sounded silly, but she could spin it! She was on the debate team for God’s sake! Monika took one last deep breath, then absolutely shattered the silence with her melodic voice.
“Okay, everyone! Listen up! Your club president has an announcement.” Yuri finally lifted her head, Sayori all but dropped her phone, and Natsuki rose from the ground, still barely visible behind the desks.
“What’s up, Monika?” Natsuki’s high-pitched voice piped up from the back.
“We already did poems, didn’t we?” Yuri looked around for confirmation. That sent a pang through her heart. Was that really all they had done? No, she needed to keep it together. She needed to keep rolling.
“Yes, but I have a new idea.”
“Ooh! Is it that thing I suggested?” Sayori stood from her desk and rushed to the front of the room.
“No, Sayori, I told you movies aren’t literature. Ah, no. Even if they do have written scripts.” Sayori deflated, giving her the puppy dog eyes the entire time. “What would you guys say to...well, uh...we’ll call it oral storytelling.” Monika was afraid to drop the name before explaining properly.
“What do you mean? Like story time? What are we in kindergarten?” Natsuki, who had meandered her way up to the front, inquired with a scowl on her face.
“No, no, nothing like that! Uh...so the premise is that we’ll all be telling a story, uh, through verbal means. So it’s going to be like literature, but we’re not gonna write any of it down, if that makes sense.” Monika was rambling.
“Oh, like Beowulf?” Yuri’s slow, sultry voice was heard once more.
“Uh, yeah! It’s a lot like that! Only you guys are going to be the characters in the story!”
“Monika, we’re not putting on a play, are we?” Natsuki questioned.
“Well, no, not exactly. We’re not really performing, we’re--ah, screw it. Okay, guys, do you wanna play Dungeons & Dragons?” And Monika might as well have grown a third arm right in front of them.
“Do we what?” Natsuki sputtered.
“What’s that?” Sayori’s head was an oscillating fan as she searched for answers.
“Monika, isn’t that a game? We’re not really a gaming club,” Yuri reminded her.
“I know, I know! But hear me out. Do some research on it. It’s like telling a story, like Beowulf, like you said! It’s collaborative storytelling...with tabletop gaming elements.”
After some silence, Sayori finally spoke up.
“So it’s a game? Like a video game?”
“No, ugh...it’s not just a game! It’s--oh! It’s like an interactive novel! You’ve seen those right?” That caught some nods and affirmations. “Yes! Exactly like that, but way more detailed! Think of a whole world that changes with your every action. It’s an incredible way to tell a story, don’t you think?” Monika could feel the hesitation. Her stomach was a sinking stone, but she pushed on nonetheless. “Okay, everyone. Club homework for the night is to research the game Dungeons & Dragons. Does everybody get that? Okay, good. When we meet tomorrow, I want to get your answers. If you like it, then we’ll get to work, if not...then...I guess we’ll do something else.” Monika cut her eyes to the floor, feeling a sort of dread at the idea of rejection.

The other girls caught this, Sayori especially.
“I’m sure it’s awesome! I don’t really know what it is, but it sounds cool! I mean I like Dragons!”
“And Yuri likes dungeons, I bet,” Natsuki jabbed. Yuri sputtered like a pickup truck from the first World War.
“W-What does that mean exactly?”
“It means whatever you want it to mean, I dunno.” Natsuki shrugged and turned her shoulder to gather her things.
“Thanks, everyone.” Monika perked up a bit. “I’ll see you all tomorrow, okay?”

Monika’s walk home was full of both anxiety and excitement. The truth was: ever since she discovered the game she had fallen in love with it. For two weeks straight she had been researching and watching videos of it. She had even found several podcasts and shows on Youtube that played D&D, and she was incredibly surprised to find so many celebrities played as well. Much to her chagrin, she had always heard the game’s name and had a gut check response to be put off. When she imagined the game before, she imagined sweaty, basement-dwelling introverts huddled around a board. But she was surprised to find how common the game had become in recent years.

She had immediately decided that she would be running the game. Monika would take on the title of Dungeon Master, DM for short. She would craft an entire world for the girls to play in. The challenge ahead of her was immense, but she was never one to back down from it. For the past two weeks she had been filling a binder with sheets, maps, notes, and everything in between. Honestly, it was more work than she had put into most of her classes! But she could give these girls nothing but the best if she were to draw them in. One bad session was all it took to drive them away from the idea forever.

She only had one shot to impress them. And she wasn’t going to waste it. Once she arrived home, she was delighted to find a package sitting on her desk in her room. She swiftly sliced the packaging tape with a thin pocket knife tucked away in one of her drawers. Inside was the gold. All the books she needed to play the game. The manuals, the guide, and even a big stack of character sheets. This was all she needed to create an entire world--no! An entire narrative universe! Monika had stars in her eyes. She would be writing an entire world that shifted and twisted with every single narrative decision. Character deaths, major events, plot twists, all of them raced through her head! She was the god of a brand new world!

She held the player’s manual up to the light to admire the artwork on the cover. It was beautifully illustrated inside and out. Every page was so detailed and meticulous. Each illustration a work of art that she’d love to have framed and put on her wall. She thumbed through it, but in truth, she had already gained nearly all the information she needed online. She coughed to herself as she glossed over her temporary piracy.

“It’s not illegal if you buy it later, right?” She questioned herself as she flipped open another book to retrace some of her steps. In no time at all, she had surrounded herself with notes and sheets once more, her hands scribbling and drawing faster than she could keep up with. By the time she was confident she had everything she needed to present tomorrow, it was already past midnight, a rare occurrence for Monika. She shut all the books and attempted to pack them into her normal backpack, but found the extra weight and girth to actually forbid her pack from zipping shut.
She chuckled at the fact that she had to withdraw another spare backpack from her closet. It was a much rattier purple one from a previous year that she thought would never see the light of day again. But no matter how aesthetically displeasing it was, it sure did hold things. And at the end of the day, that was all Monika could ask of it as she stuffed her organized chaos into the bag.

Monika drifted through her classes the next day with little care. She had an entire world to write and explore. How could she care about real history when she had to make her own? She found herself stuck on several major events in her universe. The idea of wars over the use of magic intrigued her, but overall felt a little too cliche for her to use. It was a relief to her that she really only had to tell the girls what she wanted them to know about the world. That gave her time to finish the rest of it. It was like walking through an artist’s gallery to find they had put a curtain up, and were furiously hacking away at it to finish it before you peaked behind it.

But she was getting ahead of herself. They hadn’t even said yes yet. Not to mention that they still had to get through character creation if they did. Characters. Now that would be an interesting part. She tried to remember all the classes off the top of her head. A couple of the magic users slipped her mind, but she had a pretty good guess at which classes and races they would pick to create their characters. With only twenty minutes left to her last class of the day, Monika was all but white-knuckling her D&D bag. The bell had rung, this was it. The moment of truth.

Monika usually wasn’t the first into the club. Usually she found herself second, sometimes even third, but rarely ever last. But not today. For all the girls had gathered in the room before her. They had all arrived early. She wasn’t even late this time! She hoped that was a good sign.
“Okay, everyone!” Monika tried to halt the shake in her voice. “Did everybody do their assignment?” The girls shared glances. Monika couldn’t decipher what the looks meant, but after some tense moments of silence, Monika felt like hiding her bag. How pathetic would it look if they denied her invitation, and here she was hopefully clutching a bag full of books like a little kid?
“So, we’ve been talking,” Natsuki started.
“And while it is a lot, and it seems like a lot of work, especially on your part,” Yuri continued.
“We’re in!” Sayori finished. Monika all but jumped for joy.
“You mean it? You guys really want to play?” Natsuki blushed.
“Geez, don’t get so excited. It’s just a game.”
“Oh, hush, Natsuki!” Sayori put an arm around her tiny shoulders.
“She was going on and on about how excited she was!”
“No I wasn’t! I was talking about how excited Monika would be! Shut up!”
“I do have to agree with Sayori, Natsuki. You were definitely talking about how fun you thought this would be. If I’m not mistaken, you said this was just like a manga you had rea--”
“Alright! Shut it! Unless you want me to change my mind!”
“No, no!” Monika cut in. She could feel bubbles in her belly, and a giggle was rising up her throat like steam from a hot spring. “Everybody leave Natsuki alone.” Monika chided, sounding too much like a mother for her taste. Natsuki blew a raspberry at Yuri, winning a fight that only she knew she was having.
“Well, Monika, if I’m not mistaken in my research,” Yuri started again, sounding like she was about to give a lecture on biology. “The first step is character creation. At least for us.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t really figure all that out,” Natsuki chimed in. “It was a lot of reading.”
“I wanna be that cool demon thing! With the horns!” Sayori yelled so quickly Monika had to take a second to register what she had said.
“Oh, a Tiefling?”
“Yeah! A tea fling!” Her incorrect pronunciation caused Monika to flinch slightly, but she didn’t want to dampen the girl’s spirit.
“Okay, well, let’s back it up a little. First off, let’s get these desks together and get you guys some sheets.” And like a well-oiled machine, the girls assembled four desks into an even square, and Monika began placing a character sheet on each one, like she was setting a table for dinner. “Alright, how about we go around the table starting with Natsuki.” As the petite girl took her seat, she looked taken aback.
“Uh, why me?” Her voice cracked ever-so-slightly.
“Well, you usually prefer going first, don’t you?” Monika used her pride against her. To be honest, Natsuki was the one she worried about the most. All it took was one slight, one miscalculation and she might storm out, tearing her sheet up behind her.
“Duh! Yeah, okay. So...uh…”
“Would you like to look at the book for a minute?”
“Yeah! Thanks!” Natsuki snatched the book from her hands, breathing a sigh of relief for the moment to think as all eyes went off her.
“I already know what I’m gonna be. A tea fling!”
“Tiefling, Sayori,” Yuri gently corrected her.
“That’s what I said.”
“No it’s not two words. It’s one.” What followed was a lengthy back and forth of Yuri repeating the word Tiefling, and Sayori desperately trying to parrot her. By the time Natsuki made her choice, Sayori had almost gotten it down.

“Okay, I think I got it. I wanna be a barbarian!” A wide grin stretched across Natsuki’s face. Monika was spot on.
“Ooh, what do they do?” Sayori leaned over her to peak at the book.
“What do you think barbarians do? They get mad and smash stuff!” Natsuki pounded her fist on the desk, nearly sending her pencil clattering to the floor.
“It’s called Rage. It lets the barbarian do a whole lot of things, but getting resistance to damages and extra damage output is the big one.”
“Yeah, that sounds awesome!” Natsuki was clenching both fists, looking like she was about to attack somebody herself.
“Alright, well, first we need to get your ability scores. Wait, what race are you going with?” And Natsuki paused. The words were caught in her throat for a moment as she muttered.”
“Dwarf.” Fitting, Monika thought, but didn’t dare say. Natsuki lifted her head, ready for the insults and mocking to begin, but Monika was pleased to see that nobody had taken the opportunity. And Yuri even extended an olive branch.
“You know that’s an excellent choice for that class from what I’ve read. Strength and Constitution are very important for the barbarian, and you get a significant increase from your racial traits. That’s a very well-thought out choice, Natsuki.” Natsuki coughed, and lifted a hand to scratch her nose, but in reality it was an attempt to hide her blushing face.
“I mean...yeah! Duh, ya know? Anybody could see that. I’d be an idiot if I couldn’t at least do basic math like that. But, uh, thanks.” Monika got the strong feeling Natsuki had simply picked the class because its small stature spoke to her, but she didn’t want to spoil the moment.

“Alright, so before we do anything, we need to get your ability scores. These are what you’re going to use to modify your rolls. In other words they’ll be used in just about every single aspect of the game. But no pressure!” Monika definitely applied pressure. “Uh, hey! You can do a few things to decide! You can roll for them, or use the point-buy system, or even take the standard setup.” Monika could hear the birds beginning to chirp around Natsuki’s head. Monika was painfully aware of how much she needed to slow it down.
“I-I think I’ll just take the default or whatever you said.” Monika nodded, and helped her write down and calculate her ability scores. When all that math was said and done, Natsuki had a pretty decent character, with only one negative modifier: her intelligence score. Yuri leaned over and saw this as well.
“You don’t think you might need that later?”
“I’m not very smart. Uh, my character, I mean. Obviously. Barbarians don’t have to be smart, dummy. If you’re so concerned with it, why don’t you be the smart one?” Natsuki shot back, but thankfully Yuri kept her cool. Meanwhile Monika felt the bile rising up her throat with every little spark.
“Well, I think you’ll be delighted to see what I’ve got in mind when you’re done then.”
“Alright, Natsuki almost through here, just a few more things. You gotta have a background and a backstory. We can work on the backstory more later, but you gotta pick a background from this list here, see?” She handed Natsuki the book again for her to review. After some time she pointed to one called Outlander.
“Yeah, that makes sense for a barbarian. Pretty useful too.” Natsuki nodded and scribbled it down.
“So, barbarians don’t really wear armor, so we just have to pick a weap--”
“Greatsword! I want a greatsword! The big one you hold with two hands!” Natsuki got so close and so excited that Monika could smell her breath. It smelt like peppermint for some reason.

“Alright, calm down, tiger, we can get you a sword. Alright, I can help you with all the little stuff from here, but the last big thing we need is your name.”
“Uh, it’s Natsuki?” The genuine confusion of that statement induced a ten second silence.
“No, your character’s name, Natsuki.”
“It has to be different? What?”
“Yes, you’re playing a role, Natsuki,” Yuri chimed in.
“Like acting! Or pretending!” Sayori included herself in the conversation.
“Uh...then make it...N-N...Natsu.”
“Natsu? You sure?”
“Yeah! Why not? It’s a cool name!”
“Of course, of course. Whatever you want, Natsuki.” She gave a little huff as she crossed her arm and looked away. “Alright it’s looking like Natsuki is ready, how about you two?”

“Okay, me next,” Yuri proudly took up her sheet, which she had semi-filled out already. “I took the liberty of following along, and you may check my sheet if you’d like.” She handed the slip of paper to Monika. As she glanced over it, the first thing she noticed was how articulate Yuri’s handwriting was. It was almost like calligraphy. Monika made a mental note of that. She could get her to do some prop work for her later in the campaign.
“My character’s name is Levarna Nightingale, she’s a half-elf who struggles between the world she was born in and the one she was introduced to. Always fighting. Always struggling between her nature and her desire.” Yuri seemed to fade away from the table as she began giving this monologue. Monika had the strong desire to shine a spotlight onto her. “Her mother was a powerful witch of the woods, bending nature to her will, and befriending animals to use as her allies. None could oppose her. But her father, a dashing rogue, stole not only her most treasured possession, but her heart as well. When she finally caught him, she found herself seduced by his charms, and unable to resist him.” Yuri’s tone began to grow more and more dramatic as she continued to this part of the backstory. Monika cut a glance at Natsuki, who was looking equally concerned. “His body was covered in more scars than any tree in the entire forest. His hair was a matted tangle of chestnut locks that framed his face just so. He was a god among men, and the only one who had ever been able to penetrate the cold layer of ice around her heart. And then--”
“Yuri, I hate to stop you, I really do. Trust me, but uh...how long does this go on for?” Yuri looked genuinely taken aback.
“I wrote...16 more pages last night.” Natsuki sharply sucked through her teeth.
“That’s...listen, that's wonderful. And I will happily read through that later. But uh, let’s just stick to the important details okay?”
“But it’s all important! Every little detail is what inspires her decisions in life as she struggles with the rapscallion nature her father taught her, but the willpower her mother instilled in her--”
“Yuri, we’re running out of time.”
“Oh...oh, well...I picked Half-Elf for my race and Ranger for my class.” Monika reviewed her sheet, and Yuri had put it together nearly perfectly for somebody who had only heard the instructions second-hand, and her stats were pretty well balanced as well. Monika beamed at the thought that Yuri might be a natural at this.
“Hey, let me see!” Natsuki snatched the sheet from her hand. “Pft! You have, like, no skills! Rangers suck!”
“T-That’s not true! Look at how many languages I can speak. And-and all my proficiencies!” Natsuki paused for a moment and compared her meager roster of languages compared to that of Yuri’s. And in a trademark move of Natsuki, she laughed boldly.
“Barbarians don’t need to talk. We fight our way through things.” Natsuki flexed a tiny arm, producing a muscle you’d need a microscope to see. Monika was beyond jovial to see how into the role Natsuki was getting...even if it did mean mocking Yuri for a bit.
“Well, Yuri, uh...you nailed it. This’ll work.”
“Are you sure? Because you can review if you need to.” It seemed Yuri was actually a little disappointed that Monika didn’t need more time to look over her sheet. She considered it, but a brief glance at her watch changed her mind.
“No, you got it in one go, but we can look over it later if we need to. Alright, Sayori, let’s do this!”

“Tiefling!”
“Got that. But first let’s get your scores. How do ya wanna this?” Sayori popped her finger and thumb under her chin for a moment, thinking deeply before lighting up the room with another smile.
“I wanna roll for it!” Monika bit her lip.
“Are you sure about that?” Monika asked the question every DM would become very familiar with.
“That seems like a bit of a gamble, Sayori. You could end up with terrible stats,” Yuri leaned over to provide advice of her own.
“Pft, who cares? It’s a game! Let her roll!” Natsuki encouraged the girl.
“Alrighty then.” Monika dug through her bag to produce a small drawstring bag about the size of the palm of her hand. From inside it she retrieved four standard dice.
“Alright, real quick lesson. I know we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, but you see these six-sided dice?”
“Lookin’ right at ‘em,” Natsuki deadpanned.

“Well we’ll call these D6’s. Every die is labeled like that. D8, D10, D12, and D20, which is this one.” She held up a twenty-sided die. On the 20 of the die, there were little lights that would blink when you rolled it. Monika was terribly excited for the first natural 20 of their game, but it could be sometime before that happened. “Moving on, Sayori roll four D6’s for me, okay?” Monika gently handed Sayori a handful of the monochrome dice. In truth, she had ripped those exact ones from a board game box, but nobody needed to know that.
“Alrighty, don’t fail me now!” Sayori called out as she watched the dice bounce and dance across the flat surface of the desk.
“Alright, so after we take away the lowest one...that’ll total up to...11! Okay, not great, not terrible. Let’s see what else we can get. I’m gonna need you to do that five more times.”
“I’ll keep track,” Yuri volunteered, scribbling on a sheet of notebook paper. Monika could already tell Yuri was going to be a valuable asset.

And so Sayori repeated this process a number of times. 11, 14, 14, 16, 16, and 12 were the numbers she ended up with. Monika breathed a sigh of relief, as she feared Sayori wouldn’t be having any fun if she had totally botched her rolls. Frankly, Sayori had ended up with the best stats of the club, which Natsuki was fuming about.
“What? She doesn’t have any negatives? Do over!” Sayori chuckled, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth.
“Sorry, I’m just a natural roller! See, Monika, I’m already winning!” Monika smiled. Maybe this wouldn’t be a disaster after all.
“Okay, so, you wanted to be a Tiefling, we got that, what about your class?”
“The music one!”
“You mean a bard?”
“Yeah, I wanna play the little...the tiny guitar? Kinda like a ukulele?”
“I think she means the lute.”
“Yeah, loot!” Monika basically took over for Sayori on the writing down of all her stats and other tidbits, but Sayori stopped her when she started to write down her background.
“Uh...I want to go with Charlatan.”
“Oh, yeah? So, your bard is good with disguises and stuff?” Sayori bit the inside of her cheek.
“Yeah! You could--you could say that.”
“Okay, now how about the name? There’s a little list in the book if you need some inspiration.”
“Sunflower!”
“You want your bard to be named Sunflower?”
“Yeah, I love sunflowers, so why not?” Monika couldn’t fault the logic. And so with one deft movement, she printed the name “Sunflower”.

“Alright. We might have to take another look over everybody’s sheets before we play, but I’ve got one last little idea. And this is something new, this is what’s called “Homebrew” on the internet.”
“Homebrew?”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“It means it’s an idea I had that’s not really...standard. It’s just a little thing, I don’t think there’s gonna be very much homebrew in this campaign.” Oh, how Monika from the future would cackle at that statement. She cracked the player’s manual to a page with a long table of seemingly completely random items. “Okay, everyone, welcome to the trinket table. What I want everybody to do is roll two D10’s to decide what trinket you get. Oh, a D10 is the die that looks like this.” Monika held up an oblong shape that she had no idea the name for.
“Oh, that’s a pentagonal trapezohedron!” Sayori pointed out, much to the surprise of literally everybody. “What?”
“Sayori, I didn’t even know that,” Monika replied.
“I thoroughly enjoyed geometry.”
“Didn’t you say you cried over your algebra homework everyday for a week?” Natsuki inquired.
“Yep!” Sayori simply replied, then left it at that.
“Okaaay. Well, anyway. Go ahead and roll first, Natsuki.” She handed over the dice that she would never remember the name of.
“Alright, I’ve got great luck. Here we go! 13! My lucky number!”
“Doesn’t 13 usually mean bad luck?” Natsuki scowled.
“So what? It’s my number!”
“Well, you goooot...A tooth from an unknown beast!”
“Oh, that’s rad! I wanna wear it around my neck like a necklace! Can it be like this long, like a fang? Like a wolf?”
“Maybe, we’ll see about it. Anyway, Yuri you’re up.” Natsuki begrudgingly handed off the dice, obviously not finished talking about her tooth.

“Okay, here we go. Um...93! That’s high, right? That’s good.”
“Unfortunately, in this exact situation high doesn’t really mean much, but hey, that’s still a good roll! You got...an empty wine bottle with a pretty label that says “The Wizard of Wines Winery, Red Dragon Crush, 331422-W.” And before Monika even finished, a flush crept up Yuri’s neck, and a cackle shot out from Natsuki’s.
“Ha! It’s the wine bottle you brought last month! Good to see ya finished it! Haha!” Even Sayori and Monika had to join in on the laughter. That memory had almost completely slipped from Monika’s mind. In truth, it was a little sad. It was one of Yuri’s first attempts at branching out, only to miscalculate once again. But it was good to see it getting some laughs, and after Natsuki’s prodding, even Yuri was able to let out a chuckle about it.

“Okay, I’m up. Don’t fail me now pentagonal trapezohedron!”
“Please stop saying that,” Natsuki groaned.
“Alrighty, it’s a...95! Hey that’s an A!”
“You got...oh...a...petrified mouse.” Monika wasn’t sure how Sayori would take that, knowing her love of animals. But surprisingly, her mood didn’t dampen at all.
“Yay! I’ll call him Jack!”
“Jack?”
“Yeah, like Colby-Jack! Ya know? Cheese? Mice and cheese? Eh?” Sayori nudged Natsuki who put an elbow to her shoulder.
“Boooooo! Not funnyyyy!” Natsuki extended melodramatically.
“Well, you don’t have to be such a muenster about it.” Monika chuckled as Sayori continued her onslaught of puns. As she gathered all the paperwork together, and looked over the sheets, she was filled with a strange sense of excitement. There was a whole new world of adventure out there, all she had to do was start putting pen to paper. Starting tomorrow, there would be dragons to slay and dungeons to explore.

Chapter Text

The next day was a strange one for everybody in the club. For Monika, it was a deluge of both creativity and self-doubt. For every great idea she had, ten bad ones came to mind before it. She had actually procured a notebook specifically for noting down ideas, and at this point, she had already filled out a quarter of the pages.

And about half of those ideas were crossed out, some with notes beside them such as “too confusing” or “not very fun.” But occasionally Monika had an idea she enjoyed so much she felt the need to highlight it in bright green. On the first two pages of this notebook she had clearly and concisely planned today’s session out so that it would run smoothly and quickly. Unbeknownst to her, Murphy’s law would soon show its ugly head.

On the player side of things, between classes Yuri, Sayori, and Natsuki had planned to come together to discuss some matters of importance. Sayori practically skipped down the long white hallway. It was mostly barren down this wing except for the occasional poster or cork board with trivial reminders pinned to it. Her bag hung lazily off her slender shoulder. The top of the bag remained unzipped, with about enough room for somebody to put an outstretched hand through. Sayori went about her day, blissfully unaware of the precarious nature of her bag.

She approached the stairwell, where two silhouettes stood in the shadow of the landing. She called out to them, waving both hands with vigor. The curvier silhouette gave a shy raise of the hand, while the miniature form rose and approached. It was Natsuki, of course. Sayori could have spotted her from a mile away with that height.
“We’ve been waiting forever,” Natsuki complained as Sayori approached.
“It’s okay, Natsuki, calm down,” Yuri said.
“Yeah, Natsuki, don’t worry about it! I’m here and I’m all ready.” Natsuki raised an eyebrow, then looked her up and down. She clicked her tongue.
“You got your notebook?” Sayori slid her bag from her shoulder to her hand, and began rifling through it.
“Yep!”
“Pencils?”
“Yep!”
“Got your character sheet?” Sayori dug into her bag all the way up to her elbow.
“Uhh, yep!” She retrieved the crumpled, creased piece of paper and held it up proudly. Yuri sighed in the background, and Natsuki sucked her teeth.

“Gah! You gotta put it in a binder or something! Don’t just throw it in there! Geez! Give it here.” She snatched the paper from Sayori and attempted to flatten it out enough for it to be presentable.
“I agree, Sayori, you can’t be so careless with that sheet,” Yuri’s voice resonated with a slight echo, making her already gentle voice sound like lavender and silk. Natsuki had flattened out the sheet against the wall and was now using her forearm to try and iron out a particularly stubborn wrinkle.
“If you let this thing get all torn up, Monika’ll think you don’t care!” Guilt was beginning to gnaw at Sayori’s gut. She opened her mouth to murmur an apology, but all that came out was a nervous chuckle. “Monika’s put a lot of work into this, we can’t let her down.” That made Sayori break out into an ear-to-ear grin.

“Aw, Natsuki.” She stopped her ironing to throw a sideways glance at the beaming girl.
“W-What?”
“It’s sweet to see you care so much.” A powerful heat crawled up Natsuki’s neck and over her cheeks.
“It’s whatever! I just don’t want her to be all mad at us, alright? Geez, Yuri, could ya do something here?” Yuri chirped at the sound of her name.
“Oh, yes. Maybe try this.” Yuri delicately took the paper from Natsuki’s equally delicate hands and began rolling it over the edge of a small table that was left in the hallway. From what they could see it seemed to be at least moderately more effective.

While Yuri was dealing with that, Natsuki turned back to ask her final question.
“Oh, you got your dice?” Sayori confidently nodded as she began rifling through her bag once more. That confidence slowly dripped out of her as she exasperatedly slid her hand through the bottom of the bag, only to feel nothing but the edges of books and papers. Anxiety quickly took its place.

Sayori upended her bag onto the floor, sending a scatter of papers fluttering through the air.
“Sayori!” Natsuki exclaimed as she snatched one of the rogue bits of homework from the air. Yuri turned back from her repairs to notice the outburst. Sayori was on her hands and knees shuffling through papers and flipping binders open, desperately searching for her dice.
“No, no, no!” She cried.
“Sayori, calm down.” Natsuki’s eyes widened as she witnessed Sayori’s increasingly frantic search.
“I lost them! I lost the dice! I’m such an idiot!” Fat, hot tears of dread began filling Sayori’s eyes, but she blinked them back. It only now occurred to her how outlandish her episode looked from the outside. She had to recover. She couldn’t let them see it. She couldn’t let them know.

She forced a laugh. She prayed it sounded genuine.
“I’m sorry. I just...I know I had them, ya know? I checked just a minute ago.” Sayori began gathering her papers and books with the help of Natsuki and Yuri.
“Well, geez, that’s what happens when you leave your bag open.” Natsuki sighed and shook her head. A wave of relief washed over Sayori. She didn’t suspect anything.
“If you checked a minute ago, then they couldn’t be far from here. I’ll go take a look.” Yuri handed Sayori the sheet and began searching the hallway she’d come from with a sense of purpose.
“I just felt bad, ya know?” Sayori continued her apology. “Everybody got so ready, and here I am holding us up. Hehe.”
“Don’t worry about it, we’ll find em. Nothing to go tossing your bag in the floor for. Oh, dang, we missed one.” Natsuki spotted the last sheet of paper. A simple sheet of notebook paper that had half-hidden itself under a set of lockers.

Sayori’s eyes widened as she recognized a doodle in the corner of the margin. Her stomach dropped out like a rotten floorboard. Above all, nobody could see that paper. Natsuki reached forward, but it was much too slow against Sayori’s full-body dive toward it. She shielded the paper from view with her body, then tucked it into the inner pocket of her school uniform blazer. She then rolled over, still on the ground and gave a radiant smile.
“Too slow!” She extended a peace sign and a wink. Natsuki shook her head and snorted.
“So weird, Sayori.” The petite girl rose, then offered a hand to her.
“I know. But somebody’s gotta be, right?”
“I guess. Oh, hey, Yuri looks like she found something. Yuri!” Natsuki traveled down the hall, leaving Sayori behind. In that moment of solitude, Sayori bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood. That had been beyond too close.

The final bell tolled. It was a call for freedom for most, but for some it was a call to action. Students weaved and bobbed their way through the exiting crowds to find safe haven in various rooms. Some were all but fished out of the crowd by their eager clubmates. Natsuki was one of those fish struggling against the raging rapids that was the student body. Not to mention the terrible disadvantage her diminutive size gave her. Eventually she was able to all but throw herself from the crowd and find a moment of respite against a pillar.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she gave the crowd a few moments to pass by and decompress. She struggled to see the tail end of the pulsating river of people, but waiting was out of the question. She refused to be late. Not today. She took a moment to formulate a plan. Once she had, all she had to do was choose a target.

“You!” She cried as she snatched the hand of a tall, lanky young man. He cawed like a crow in shock when she snatched his clammy hand, then spun him around to face the crowd.
“Who are you?” was the question he decided to go with. Natsuki ignored it as she put a hand on his back, and pushed him forward still holding his other hand like a handle. He stumbled and nearly tripped as he made contact with the first person ahead of him.
“Hey, watch it!” the shorter boy shouted as he was pushed to the side, nearly drowning in the uncaring river.
“Who are you?” he repeated, only to be ignored again. Natsuki could see the stairs to her left. She just needed a little more room. The lanky boy she was currently using as a battering ram began to wisen up to the situation and yanked his arm away from her.

She tried to hold on, but her own arms simply weren’t strong enough. That was okay. She had feet. She pulled a leg up to her chest, placed her foot on the young man’s backside, and launched him forward. This time he did trip. Thankfully, he was unharmed, just incredibly confused and discombobulated. As his giant form toppled over, it cleared enough of a path in the shuffling student body for Natsuki to leap over his prostrated form and find safe passage on the other side of the river.
“Who are you?” he called out to her one last time.
“Natsuki! Thanks!” She replied gleefully, not even wasting the time to turn around to see his confused expression.

Yuri sat at her desk, thoughtlessly tapping her pen. Monika had already arranged the desks for the game, so there wasn’t much she could find to do to kill time as they waited for Natsuki’s arrival. She looked Monika over. The club president was in her own world, and if Yuri listened hard enough, she could hear her muttering to herself. It sounded like she was trying out character voices. Sayori to her left had thankfully recovered from her fit a couple hours ago, and was back to her cheery self.

All were ready and raring to go...so where was Natsuki? Yuri chewed on that question for quite some time. She saw the enthusiasm in Natsuki’s eyes, so she knew for a fact she hadn’t ditched the club. Yuri figured that she perhaps had a prior engagement she may have forgotten about. Or perhaps something silly like somebody held her up to confess their love for her like in her mangas. Yuri smiled at the thought of that.

Sometimes she couldn’t help but notice Natsuki’s adoption of manga characteristics. Her feisty, lively temper, her pouting, her denial of feelings. She was a classic...Yuri struggled to remember the word. It ended with “dere” she remembered, but the beginning escaped her. She found that odd. With as much time as she spent in her own head, Yuri figured she had her thoughts locked down tighter than that. She valued her vocabulary above all. Without it, her poems would be significantly weaker.

She sighed. In fact, she spent too much time in her head, and not enough out of it. Here she was, surrounded by friends, yet she sat in silence pointlessly remembering words when she could be doing something. She could be striking up a funny conversation, sharing a personal anecdote, or perhaps making some suggestions for the game ahead of them. All of those would have been wonderful choices, Yuri realized. And yet she did nothing. How could it be so easy for the three of them to just speak their minds without worrying about sounding foolish? To Hell with it, Yuri thought, and parted her lips.

Just as Yuri cracked open the abandoned cavern that was her mouth, Natsuki busted through the door, huffing and puffing.
“Sorry! I got held up! People! I hate people.” Natsuki said through heavy breaths. Yuri tightly shut her lips. Back into the shell she went.
“Good, you’re here!” Monika exclaimed, finally snapping out of her trance. Natsuki trudged through the room and took her place across from Yuri, who couldn’t help but notice she smelled slightly of sweat. Yuri had a sharp nose.
“Did you run here?” Yuri braved the social stigma of asking that question.
“Hell yeah I did! I didn’t want to be later than I had to.” Natsuki spun her hand in the air in a quick circular motion. “Come on, let’s get moving. Where we at?” Natsuki sat her bag down and retrieved her binder and other supplies. The others did the same, readying their own sheets and writing utensils.

Monika cracked a big smile as she shut her own notebook and brought out a binder.
“Okay, everyone. Is everybody ready for their first session of Dungeons & Dragons?”
“I am excited!” Yuri piped up surprisingly quickly.
“Good to hear! Did everybody go over their sheets? Does everybody understand their--”
“Yeees! Let’s go already!” Natsuki cut in, to the surprise of nobody. Monika nodded, taking the hint. She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. It was show time.

&&&&&

A rustling resonated through the desolate forest. From between two trees as thick as a giant’s femur, a small silhouette stomped its way through. A dwarf with fiery red hair that draped her shoulders like a blanket. Her simple clothing and adornments did little to hide the tight, dense muscles of her diminutive stature. Her countenance, nearly always set in a snarl, was a plain one, with the most notable features being the occasional scar that squiggled across her face like a rogue lightning bolt. From a distance, it would not be uncommon to mistake her for a male dwarf, but that was a problem among many dwarves. She wore no jewelry or accessories, unless one could call the mysterious tooth that dangled from her neck on a leather cord jewelry.

Natsu wandered through the thicket, kicking bushes and pushing low hanging branches aside. After one particularly irritating one hooked its way up her nostril, she let loose a low growl as she snatched the branch completely off the tree and sent it careening into the forest. She heard a low-pitched yelp immediately after. She shrugged it off, assuming it to be an animal of some sort, but a voice in the Common tongue proved otherwise.
“Hello? Is somebody there?” Natsu didn’t reply, she merely attempted to sneak up on the figure.

&&&&&

The girls at the table all waited with bated breath as Natsuki shook the large die in her hand. With one flick of the wrist, they went crashing and careening across the face of the table, eventually coming to a stop with their selected number facing up.
“Aaaand that’s a 2,” Monika declared as Natsuki stared down at her first roll of the game with dismay. “Plus your modifiers, that's…a 3. Well…” Natsuki’s eye twitched.

&&&&&

Natsu trudged through the bushes, crunching every leaf, twig, and even a pile of animal bones on the way. Needless to say the stranger was anything but surprised when she finally appeared through the bushes. The eye contact they made, followed by several seconds of strained silence was more than awkward for even an outlander barbarian.
“Sorry to sneak up on ya.”
“You didn’t.”

&&&&&

A burst of laughter from Sayori held the game up for several minutes as the girl attempted to compose herself after that brief interaction. Natsuki could feel that familiar heat creeping up on her, as could Yuri. Neither of them had really ever done any kind of character acting, so the two of them were in the same boat. But Yuri’s side seemed to be slightly better off as she cleared her throat and continued through.

&&&&&

“Hello, traveler, are you lost?” The half-elf before her asked. She was a woman bathed in a glimmering aura. Her pale skin all but sparkled in the sunlight, her midnight hair was intricately twisted into thick braids that hung over her shoulder, and her thin physique practically danced across the undergrowth of the forest, making next to no noise at all. Natsu was stunned. Stunned at the gaul of this half-elf to presume she was lost.

“Pft, I don’t get lost. I discover,” she replied in a thick, roaring voice that sounded like molasses poured through gravel. “For instance, I just discovered you. Why are you trespassing on the land I just discovered?” The half-elf threw a hand up to cover her mouth.
“I...I’m doing no such thing!”
“Oh, really? Well, then I assume you’re here to pay homage then. Alright, go ahead. Whatever ya got’ll be fine.”
“Wh-What?”
“Gold, silver, jewels, anything shiny and valuable would be nice.”
“Are you attempting to rob me?” This question was asked both in and out of game.
“That all depends on what ya got.”

&&&&&

Monika was genuinely blown away by how this first encounter had gone. While it was chaotic without a doubt, Natsuki at least seemed to be having fun. The petite girl smirked as she watched Yuri become increasingly more flabbergasted by this conversation. Monika wasn’t sure how fair it was using Yuri’s real-life social anxiety against her character, but there wasn’t much Monika could do besides break it up before Yuri’s first character ended up penniless. She looked to Sayori for assistance. She gave a knowing nod. Monika nodded in return.

&&&&&

The bickering between the scruffy dwarf and the delicate half-elf was broken by the sound of wood beating on metal. A fairly standard sound for these parts: the sound of combat.
“We’ll finish this deal later,” Natsu said as she rushed past the half-elf.
“There is no deal!” she called out, tailing her. After a short sprint through the densely packed foliage, the duo came upon a clearing with two creatures: a tiefling, and a goblin. The goblin, only about a foot shorter than Natsu, was a disgusting thing. It had mucus dripping from its elongated nose, its finger and toenails, uncut and uncleaned, dug into the dirt with every step, what few yellowed and jagged teeth it had looked as if somebody had carved them out of sulfur, and what little bit of hair it had it kept in a loose top-knot that shook and swayed with every swing.

The creature it was swinging at was much easier on the eyes. A bright yellow tiefling with horns curled like a ram’s on the side of her head. She had a mop of brown curls that bounced and shook with each step. Her eyes were large pools of caramel, with pupils so wide they nearly overshadowed her irises. Natsu rolled her eyes at meeting yet another beauty in the woods, but what struck her as odd about this one was that her smile remained bright, even in combat. Losing combat, she might add.

“Hey, you!” Natsu called out to the creature. It paused its attack momentarily to cock its head and glare at Natsu. Sunflower took this moment to step back, huffing and puffing, shortsword shaking in her hand. Laverna rushed to the tiefling’s side as Natsu engaged with the goblin.
“Are you quite alright?” Her prim and proper tone cut through the air like a thrown dagger.
“Yeah, I’m good.” There was a brief pause. “I mean...yes, I am quite alright.” The tiefling gave her rescuers a sheepish smile as she sheathed her shortsword. “That guy’s tough!” She pointed at the goblin whom Natsu was currently circling with. Laverna gave her a sideways glance.
“Surely you jest. 'tis but a solitary goblin.” She chuckled haughtily, sounding not unlike a seagull. “We’ll have this done in mere moments.”

Natsu traced circles in the dirt as this goblin mirrored her. A quick step forward here, a fake-out there. Combat was all about the mind games. And she kinda knew how to play them. It was when the goblin found the nerve to blow a raspberry at Natsu did she finally rush forward. With her enormous sword in both hands, she reeled her entire body back, and with a force powerful enough to make the very air sing, she completely missed her target by a mile. The blade went soaring over his head, not even coming remotely close to hitting him.
“Gah! Seriously?” Natsu cried indignantly. Her blow had failed, and now it was the goblin’s turn to swing at her.

The tiny creature leapt into the air, club raised with both hands in an attack that looked exactly like a rewind of Natsu’s. Natsu watched in slow motion as this tiny creature enveloped her vision. The next thing she felt was a dull, disorienting pain as the goblin’s club clocked her on the crown of the head. Natsu felt a wave of heat rising up from her stomach. Anger and humiliation, a potent combination that brewed Rage. Unfortunately, she would need a moment to gather that rage together.

In the meantime, Laverna finally chose this moment to step into the fray with her longbow. She had been quite smug watching the display Natsu had put on, and she felt it was her time to shine. As she notched an arrow, the same way she had a hundred times, she cut a sideways glance to Sunflower, smirked, then loosed the deadly projectile. And how deadly it could have been.

Had it not only grazed the goblin for minimal damage. If anything, the goblin seemed more irritated by her attack than fearful. Needless to say, it was not the intended effect. Lavern huffed, shaking a loose strand of hair from her vision. She turned to Sunflower.
“Don’t you have any spells you can use?” Sunflower drew her lute from a case on her back and began fiddling with it.
“Uh...um…” It seemed as if the girl was taking a mental inventory of the abilities she had. Laverna grew rather impatient as she watched this goblin continue to mock her presence on the battlefield. “Uh, yeah, here’s one!” And Laverna watched as this gentle tiefling began strumming on her instrument, singing a few notes of an equally gentle song. Just a snippet of this gorgeous song filled her with joy and relief. So much relief that it infuriated her.
“Ma’am...did you just heal me?”
“Yep! I sure did!” There was a moment of silence between the two, and a distant outburst from Natsu as she tangled with the surprisingly hardy goblin.
“I appreciate the sentiment...but I’m not hurt.”
“Oh.” Sunflower took a survey of the battlefield and realized her mistake quickly. “Ohhh.” She coughed and kicked the dirt.

Meanwhile on the other end of the field, Natsu was readying herself for another attack. This time she planned to put her back into it. The dwarf gave a loud growl of fury, then raised the lengthy sword high above her head--which wasn’t all that high, relatively speaking--and then brought it down in a straight arc onto the goblin’s head. Well, that was the plan at least. To her credit, she landed a solid hit.

Instead of splitting this goblin in half like a ripe watermelon, instead Natsu brought the heavy blade down onto the creature’s shoulder. The attack had definitely drawn blood, but frankly, it seemed like the weight of the blade did more damage then anything. Nonetheless, it was an improvement. The goblin wasted no time in retaliating.

He slid away from the blade, leaving a trail of blood behind him as he sidestepped Natsu and clubbed her once more, this time in the gut. She doubled over, the wind leaving her lungs with a kiss on the lips to remember it by.That hit had definitely found home. Her rage found no end as she watched the goblin dance and weave his way behind her. She spun around to face him. Unfortunately, even her small frame was still enough to block Laverna’s shot. Even more unfortunately, this was not enough to deter Laverna.

The arrow went sailing through the air, and it struck with absolute confidence and certainty. It struck the wrong target. Natsu lurched forward as an arrow slammed into the area right between her shoulder blades. She made sure to make time to turn and glare at the moronic half-elf who had shot it.
“If you didn’t owe me before, you do now!” She bellowed. Laverna shuddered and muttered an apology across the battlefield.

The goblin inched closer and closer to the forest’s edge. He planned on escaping, Laverna could see that. They didn’t have much time left. They had to end this quickly. She looked to Sunflower once more.
“Don’t you have any spells that can deal damage?” She asked, heaving a puff of exasperation.
“Uh...hm...oh yeah!” A light bulb appeared over the tiefling’s head. “I’ve got one!”
“Then use it!” Sunflower planted her feet steadily. She straightened her back, and with one deep breath, she called out.
“Thunderwave!” She ripped a powerful note on her lute that sent out a visible shockwave. The trees and bushes shook and rippled, pebbles leapt into the air, puddles danced and exploded as this shockwave made its way past like an angry giant. And unfortunately, both the goblin and Natsu were in its path.

First this blast shook Natsu. She dropped her weapon, putting both hands up defensively, as if she were shadow boxing some invisible opponent. She stood her ground, but definitely not without issue as this terrible shockwave rocked her entire body. The goblin on the other hand by no means was able to boast the same constitution. The sheer force of the blast sent his tiny body flying into the underbrush, rolling and tumbling for some time before coming to a stop in the foliage. Whether he was dead or unconscious none could tell, and most did not care. Sunflower took this as a victory either way.

Laverna sighed.
“Finally. That’s over.” Sunflower made her merry way over to Natsu, who was still standing in the same defensive position she had been, unmoving and unwavering.
“Oh, sorry about that!” She laughed. “I guess I forgot how that spell worked, huh? You did great though!” She slapped Natsu on her firm, muscular, incredibly tense shoulder. She got no response from the barbarian. Like a statue with a loose base, as Sunflower slapped her, Natsu slowly tipped forward, then collapsed on the ground, much to the surprise and terror of both conscious party members.

&&&&&

“And Natsu is now unconscious,” Monika declared matter-of-factly. “If somebody doesn’t stabilize her, she’ll need to start making death saving throws.” Sayori shrunk in her chair under the silent glare of Natsuki. No words. No outburst, just a disappointed, annoyed glare that could have started a bonfire. Yuri could feel the heat of that glare on her as well, but she pretended not to notice.

&&&&&

“I think it would be in our best interest to heal this woman,” Laverna commented, now standing over the unconscious body of the barbarian.
“Right! Right! Uh, it’s times like these that we have healing word and healing touch!” Sunflower kneeled in the cool dirt to place both her hands on the tense back of the downed Natsu.
“Well, what is the healing word?” Sunflower took a deep breath, and a radiant yellow glow began to form around her delicate fingertips and pearly teeth.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she cried hysterically. With each frantic syllable, Natsu seemed to stir more and more until she was finally able to turn her head in the dirt to face both her attacker and rescuer.
“Shhhhhhut up.” Natsu weakley put a hand to Sunflower’s lips. The tiefling nodded.

After a few minutes of receiving some tender--and magical--love and care, Natsu was back on her feet, and back at it with her loud mouth.
“Okay, so today I learned to never help people. That’s useful,” Natsu complained quite openly to the sheepish girls.
“At least you were resistant to it?” Laverna replied in no more than a whisper.
“I’m sure not resistant to thunderwave!” She locked her eyes on the tiefling, who was all but a few seconds from launching into another apology.
“Let’s forget about all that. Let’s start with introductions. Hello, my name is Laverna Nightingale, I am a proud half-elf, my mother was quite a powerful--”
“I’m Sunflower!”
“Wasn’t finished.”
“Natsu. It’s not been a pleasure meeting you.” The dwarf turned her back to the two.
“Wait, where ya headed?” The tiefling swiftly circled around to block Natsu’s path.
“Not here.” Sunflower blocked her with each step.
“Well, why don’t we travel together? Doesn’t that sound like fun?” The glare she received was all the answer she needed.

“She brings up quite the good point. These roads are dangerous, as we have seen.” She spared a hateful glance at the bushes that were now the resting place of the goblin. “ ’Tis only to get more dangerous from here, surely it would be safer to stick together.” Natsu sighed.
“If you two are volunteering to be shields, then fine by me. But we’re goin’ wherever I say, got it?” Laverna cocked an eyebrow and a hip while she was at it.
“Oh, yes?”
“Yeah.”
“Then where are we going?” Natsu’s jaw snapped shut. Suddenly everything was a lot more interesting to her than this conversation. The dirt, the sky, the entire area around Laverna’s head, all of it was pretty tempting to look at. “We’re...going to…wherever is smartest, duh.”
“Ah, I see.” She smirked. “And that would definitely be the closest town, correct? Where we may resupply and find shelter?”
“Why are you wasting time stating the obvious? Let’s go.” Natsu stepped forward and pushed through the wall of green with an overextended huff. About ten seconds passed before she returned.
“Wrong wa--”
“Yeah, I know, wrong way.”

&&&&&

Monika looked at the clock with shock. Two hours had already passed somehow. All they had done was meet and fight a goblin! How long could that have possibly taken? Needless to say, Monika was blown away with how little progress they had made. A short glance at her notes only had her checking off the first two bullets of her baker’s dozen long list.

While she herself felt quite frustrated, she noticed the girls were having fun without a care for progress or time. They were making in-character conversation, which involved a lot of Natsuki insulting Yuri, and Yuri replying with snide comments while Sayori tried to delegate. It wasn’t very different from their usual back-and-forth, but this time, there was no real anger or discomfort in their talks. Each insult came with a suppressed smile, and each eye roll was followed by a chuckle. They were getting along for once. It was nearly too much for Monika to bear. Could this actually be the success she had hoped for? Had she finally broken through that wall? She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but Sayori seemed to be having the same thoughts as she made eye contact with Monika, then the duo shared a warm smile. What a time to be club president.

Chapter Text

The entire party was dragging along at a lethargic snail’s pace. The dreaded goblin had not been the last of their encounters in the Winding Woods. They had faced natural hazards, animals with fiesty tempers, and worst of all, internal conflict. Three separate times they had made a complete circle because the only method they could decide on when it came to traveling was to take turns choosing the paths.

Laverna found this particularly frustrating because of her abilities as a ranger, but nonetheless, Natsu’s headstrong nature forced her to compromise. The sun was beginning its slow descent, like a flaming giant falling from his castle in the sky. Natsu continued to stomp her way through the mud and twigs, ignoring Laverna’s carefully chosen words of advice.
“If you look at the moss on a rock, you can actually tell--”
“Shut up! Found it!” Natsu forcefully parted two bushes to reveal the glory of civilization nestled in a valley between two hulking mountains.

It was shaped rather like a horseshoe, with one long, winding main road that made its way through the small town, then reappeared back at the front gate; if you could even call the entrance a gate. What “protected” the town was a low wall that even Natsu could leap with a running start, and the gate the barred entrance was made of rusted iron that anybody with any kind of battering ram, or just a strong shoulder and a can-do attitude could demolish. Half of the gate wasn’t even fully on the hinge; it drug through the dirt, digging a line in the ground whenever it swung open.

The inside of the town wasn’t that much more impressive. It boasted a few shops: what looked to be a dilapidated bakery, an overcrowded inn, and a blacksmith with a sign that was held on by mere threads of frayed rope. In between those buildings were rather unimpressive single-story homes that were made cheaply and quickly. On the outside of town, just a few dozen yards from the gate, two pens containing livestock gave the visitors a wonderful preview of what they were to see inside the town: more shit.

None of the trio were impressed by the tiny town, but all three were quite relieved. Even as they made their way down the hill, they were still forced to push through a wall of forest. The entire town’s perimeter was uncomfortably surrounded by foliage that threatened to take the town back with one good push. Obviously, nobody had cared enough to continue the groundskeeping.

As the trio finally emerged from the forest, they were greeted at the pens by a rambunctious mongrel, barking and snarling at them as they approached the animals.
“With this smell, he probably thinks we’re forest predators,” Laverna commented, lifting her arm to smell the stench of sweat and mud that had overpowered her flowery perfume.
“I’m not in the mood to deal with this,” Natsu huffed, throwing her head back. Meanwhile, Sunflower practically leaped to the front of the pack to introduce herself to the dog.
“Hi there, buddy!” The canine lowered his entire body, and his ears shot straight up.
“Sunflower, be careful,” Laverna outstretched a hand to her companion.
“Eh, let her get bit. She’ll learn.” Sunflower then crouched down and outstretched a hand to the defensive creature.
“Come on, I won’t bite.”
“Yeah, but he might,” Natsu leaned over to watch the conclusion of her animal handling.

And much to the party’s surprise, the dog ceased his snarling, and lifted himself back up, even wagging his tail as he began to sniff Sunflower’s outstretched hand.
“Aw, there’s a good boy. See?” Sunflower began to immediately pat and pet the dog all over, rubbing his head and belly until his leg began to kick ferociously.

“Oh, Max!” the voice of a young man called out. “Max!” A short boy with ragged black hair came marching down the path to the pens. The dog, hearing his name, shot up and ran to the boy’s side. “Boy, what did I tell ya about barking at strangers?” The young man looked to the visitors and gave a gap-toothed smile. “Howdy, my name’s Bart, and this is Max. I’m awful sorry if he gave you any trouble.” Laverna opened her mouth to speak, but much like prior conversations, others took the lead. Both Natsu and Sunflower spoke at once.
“He’s a pain in the ass.”
“He’s a wonderful dog!” Bart wasn’t entirely sure who to respond to, so he just gave a nod as he collected his dog and began his walk back to the town.
“Oh, if you’re waitin’ on a welcome wagon, you might as well just come on in. There ain’t much to spare in Woodrot.” And without another word, the boy made his way back up the path to slip into the grimy town.

“Woodrot? What kinda name is that?”
“Well, it certainly doesn’t mislead.”
“I like it. It’s nifty!” The girls all gave each other a shrug, and followed the boy’s path. Once they slid the unguarded gate open, they were greeted by smells and sounds that were only slightly more pleasant then the pen outside. Dozens of people were winding their way through the streets carrying all manner of things from fruit baskets to deer carcasses.The dirt roads were all but washed out by rain, and each step could easily send you crashing into the ground, which the girls witnessed happen twice on their walk to the inn. Woodrot lived up to its name, as nearly every house they passed Natsu was confident she could bring to the ground with one swift kick. The sturdiest building they came upon was the inn, which was named the Sour Donkey with a hoof print stamped below the name on the sign.

They stepped onto the rickety porch, passing an old man with less teeth than fingers playing a tune on a pan flute.
“You think teeth make a difference with a flute?” Sunflower spoke up for the first time since entering the town.
“What?”
“Teeth. You think having less teeth makes it easier to play a flute? Or harder?” Neither Natsu or Laverna cared to reply to that question, but it did stick with them. Inside the inn was at least moderately more comfortable than outside. There was a roaring fireplace in the far wall, but each table surrounding it was already taken by patrons who had drunk themselves to sleep hours ago.

Not surprisingly, this inn was also the local restaurant, bar, and bathhouse, so finding peace and quiet here was all but impossible. The girls weaved their way past the wooden tables to find the bartender/innkeeper/bathhouse attendant. He was an older man with slicked back hair and a crooked nose. His eyes were small and set deeply in his skull, making him look quite a bit like a ferret. This thought entertained and preoccupied Natsu’s mind for the majority of the conversation.

“How much for a room, good sir?” Laverna lead.
“2 Silver for a night. 5 if you want breakfast.” Natsu scowled at the idea of actually paying for things. As Laverna began to reach for her purse, Natsu pushed her aside.
“How about a trade? What will this get me?” And without any warning, Natsu slapped a dead badger onto the counter. Natsu had had a time with this one. She had the scratches on her ankles and face to prove it. However, this incredible feat of badger-slaying didn’t seem to initially impress the innkeeper.
“Um...I don’t really have a need for that at the moment.” Natsu’s cold scowl quickly became a fiery glare as she wordlessly pushed the badger along the counter.

The older man’s wrinkled hands made contact with the corpse of the mighty beast. Natsu gave a slow nod, and after a moment of pondering, the innkeeper decided giving up a room was cheaper than a trip to the apothecary.
“W-Well, okay. But-but there’s only one room available!”
“Fine with me. They can figure that out.” Natsu passed the counter to ascend the stairs.
“Last room on the left!” he called up the stairs, leaving the two girls behind.
“We’re sorry about her.”
“She can be a little intense.” The two gave crooked smiles to the shaken man, then followed their compatriot up the stairs. The innkeep stood silent for several moments before finally looking down and observing the dead badger. He gave it an experimental prod and sighed. Hopefully he would be able to find a use for it.

&&&&&
“Okay, everyone, that’s where we’re gonna call it for the night,” Monika announced. All three girls felt like they had just come out of a trance. They hadn’t left the in-game world for two hours straight, and hearing an outsider’s voice felt like being shaken awake from a deep sleep.
“Oh, man, really?” Natsuki asked.
“Yeah, we’ve been at it for four hours now!” Monika exclaimed with wide eyes. Never before had four hours passed so quickly for her. It was as invigorating as it was strange.
“Oh, my,” Yuri quietly commented as she gave a glance at the clock.
“The sun’ll be going down here in a bit, we should probably all get going. I doubt any of our parents expected a literature club meeting to go on for this long.” Monika gave a sheepish laugh as she stood up. Her knees almost buckled. Her legs had fallen completely asleep.

She caught herself, and attempted to remain upright with some dignity, but all the girls saw it. Before they could laugh, they attempted to stand up themselves, feeling the same dead weight below their waists as well.
“Ah, pins and needles!” Sayori exclaimed as she shook her feet.
“A break in the middle might be of some good to us next time,” Yuri poked the air as she spoke. All shared a laugh except for Natsuki, whose eyes had a shadow creeping into them. None could really tell what was going on in her head, but it was not unusual for Natsuki to distance herself.

As the girls all gathered their materials, Monika piped up.
“Okay, everyone, I hope you all enjoyed our first session of D&D.” She was met with a handful of cheers and appraisals. The majority of which came from Sayori. “Well, same time tomorrow then?” A wave of nods gave Monika the approval she so desperately hoped for. “Awesome! I’ll see you then!” As the door shut behind her, Monika could not contain the raw joy in her heart. She leapt into the air and gave a squeal of glee. She then immediately scanned the perimeter, praying that nobody had seen that. When she was sure she was in the clear, she straightened out her skirt and continued down the hall, eager to start her planning once more.

Sayori was the next to go. She rambled on for several minutes as she hung around the doorframe, obviously trying to wring out every last second of enjoyment from this session. Even as she finally passed the threshold, she still called out to Yuri and Natsuki, making jokes about the game. When her echoing voice finally disappeared, only the two were left: Yuri and Natsuki.

Yuri felt a tightness in her chest, and it felt as if she had a lump in her throat. She wanted to speak so badly. She wanted nothing more than to continue talking like friends do, but without Sayori as a buffer, and without Monika as a leader, Yuri found herself unable to think of even a single thing to say. Her jaw unclenched slowly, as if she were prying open a bear trap. A warm breath slipped past her pearly teeth, and the trap snapped shut. Natsuki threw a confused glance at her, and Yuri’s lips curved unevenly to form a cartoonishly strange smile.

Beyond simple conversation, Yuri wanted to talk for a deeper reason. She saw that look in Natsuki’s eyes. She wasn’t sure, but she thought that she recognized it. That was dread. The shadow of fear and anxiety clouded her bright eyes, and made her look half-a-corpse. Yuri recognized that look because she had seen it in the mirror many times before. Natsuki was suffering. There was something she didn’t want to face at the end of the day, at the end of the literature club meetings. How had Yuri never seen that look on her face before?

As she watched Natsuki pack the last of her paperwork into her adorable pink backpack, Yuri’s mouth finally opened, and she practically shoved the words out of her mouth.
“Do you need help?” Yuri blurted out, then immediately tried to vacuum the words back into her mouth. Natsuki’s head shot up, and her face scrunched up tightly. “With--with your bag, I mean. I could…” Yuri trailed off. There was no saving that.
“No...thanks,” she said slowly and quietly. Natsuki turned and left the room, shutting the door gingerly behind her.

Yuri felt a wave of warmth wash over her. Never before had she heard a “thanks” from Natsuki that sounded so genuine. It tore at her heart. She was so vulnerable in that moment, and Yuri couldn’t do anything. That was her chance to connect, and she failed. She put her head in her hands. What if she never got another chance? Yuri gave a groan of frustration as she finished her own packing. Yuri then decided to idle around the room for a few minutes, glancing at objects in the room and reading whatever she could find that was laid out. The idea of having an awkward meeting as she caught up to Natsuki petrified her, so she decided to play it safe and just wait it out. She sighed. Yuri couldn’t have felt more alone if she were the last person on Earth.

Natsuki felt a similar feeling of loneliness. Only it was accompanied by an intense wave of fear. Each step was an effort for her. With each one she heard a voice in her head screaming to go back, to leave, to do anything but walk through that door. But as she approached the front gate of her home, and saw the beat-up sedan in the driveway, she knew it was best for her to just face the problem head on. After all, brave people didn’t need words, they fought their way through things. Right?

Natsuki desperately clung to that bravery as she attempted to put her key in the front door, missing on the first few attempts. She steadied herself with the other hand and finally found the hole. The door unlocked with a click that seemed much too loud to her, and as the door swung open, she felt that courage disappear through her fingers like smoke. She was just a scared little girl, and the monster she was facing was sitting on the couch across the room.

“Jesus Christ, there you are!” he shouted, irritation creeping into his tone. A man with bedraggled chestnut hair lounged on the couch with one arm over the back of it. Around his neck a tie was loosened to its limit, his shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned down to his chest, and his shoes were kicked across the room haphazardly. Under his glaring eyes were dark circles. Natsuki could tell from a distance that he hadn’t slept much the night before. That only added to the danger of the situation.
“I’m sorry, papa, I didn’t realize what time it was.”
“For four fucking hours? Yeah, bullshit. Where were you?”
“I was at the literature club meeting.” He leaned forward, putting both elbows on his knees to stare deep into her soul. It took everything in her not to look away. That would only set him off further.

“Natsuki,” he said with authority, “tell me where you were.”
“I was at the meeting, I promise!” Natsuki felt a heavy weight in her stomach. Her lip was quivering.
“Fine. Don’t tell me, then. Just know I know you’re lying.” Natsuki felt a wave of indignation. She never lied, but he never believed her. He always thought the worst of her, but it was never her place to correct him.
“Okay, papa,” she said meekly.

He stood with an extended groan. He walked with a limp. He was always in pain, Natsuki knew. It was always a toss-up whether it was his head, feet, or back, but he was always in some sort of pain.
“I-Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked with a hint of hope in her voice. He was always more gentle with her when she had something helpful to do. He limped past her to lean on the kitchen counter. He wiped his face with one hand and pointed behind him with the other.
“Dishes need done.” Behind him a stack of plates and glasses were piled up in a pool of dirty, grimy water. The smell alone was enough to make her gag.
“On it, papa.” She sat her bag down by the door and removed her blazer. She wanted to get to work as quickly as possible. The sooner she smoothed things out the more comfortable she would be. He murmured something as she passed, but it didn’t sound entirely negative.

He failed to mention the fact that it was his turn to do the dishes, but Natsuki would overlook that. This was a relatively easy task anyway. All she had to do was close her nose and not think about how horrendously disgusting the feeling of wet food chunks of her hands were. And so for ten silent minutes Natsuki rescued the dishes from the bilge water and rinsed them with clean, joyous hot water. It was quite satisfying to watch the disgusting plates stack into a nice, orderly pile of clean white porcelain on the counter beside her.

“Hey, you remembered to dry ‘em this time,” her father mumbled, sounding half-asleep. She didn’t want to say anything to break that peace, so she took the backhanded compliment and rolled with it. Once Natsuki was about halfway through the pile, her father began speaking to her more frequently. He asked her idle questions and made small snippets of chatter. One question in particular stuck out to her.
“So what do ya wanna do this weekend?” The question made her freeze.

Her father had made somewhat of a habit out of taking Natsuki out somewhere on the weekends. She assumed it was him taking a tackle at being a good dad, but rarely ever did it end without him getting angry at her, or her wanting nothing more than to return home silently. Truth be told, it was an activity they hadn’t done in many years, and had only picked up in the past few months. Before that, Natsuki hadn’t gone out on the weekends since her mother was around.

“Well?” he asked, drumming his fingers on the countertop impatiently.
“A-Anywhere you wanna go is fine with me, papa.” He took a sharp inhale, then sighed.
“That’s helpful.” It was like a videogame to Natsuki. It was like there was a bar that represented affection and mood above her father’s head, and with each sentence it merely chipped away piece by piece. When it got down to its last, she would have no chance of salvaging it. Each choice in dialogue had to be carefully picked.
“Well, what about that place by the river? We could go eat there.”
“Charlie’s? Yeah, I guess. Their shit always gives me heartburn.”
“It would probably help if you didn’t drink with every meal,” Natsuki so desperately wished to say. “We can go somewhere else, if you want,” is what she actually ended up saying.
“Nah, it’s fine.” Her father finally lifted himself to the counter and walked past her toward the front door.
“You forgot to lock the door! Again!” Natsuki flinched.

A few moments passed by of silence. Natsuki heard the dead bolt click into place, and then the realization hit her. She had left her bag by the door. What if he checked it? What if he saw? The entire scenario played out in her head, and in no way did it end well. She couldn’t let that happen. She sat down the plate she was drying and wiped the excess water off on her skirt.

When she came around the corner, her horrors were coming true before her very eyes. Her father was glancing at her bag. He hadn’t touched it yet, but he was standing over it, giving it a heavy-lidded glare, as if he could see into its contents if he squinted hard enough. It wasn’t the first time he had checked her bag without her permission, but more often than not, she had nothing to hide or explain. But this was something she hadn’t told him about, and seriously didn’t wish to. There was no way she could make him understand. It would be the same catastrophe as when he had discovered her stash of manga.

Her father rolled his shoulders, and with a groan, began leaning down to rifle through the bag. Natsuki knew she had to stop him. She could tell him to stop, but that would only infuriate and encourage him. She could try to stop him physically, but her father was so much stronger than she could ever hope to be. And she didn’t feel like explaining to the club why she had bruises on her cheek. The only option left to her was a distraction. And the only idea she could come up with wasn’t a good one, but it was the best she could think of in those desperate seconds.

Natsuki’s father shot straight up, and released the bag when he heard it. It was a familiar sound that triggered his rage instantly. The sound of a plate shattering. God, how it got on his last nerve.
“I’m sorry, papa!” Natsuki had skulked back into the kitchen. “It slipped!”
“Jesus, Natsuki, are you serious?” He stomped his way back around to see her. She was facing the wall, her shoulders hunched. At her feet, the plate was now in dozens of tiny fragments. Natsuki could feel his rage like a sunburn on the back of her neck. “How many more of these damn plates are you gonna break?” He was getting closer. Natsuki told herself to be brave. She clenched her fist. “Are you listening to me?”

Suddenly she felt a firm grasp on her shoulder, and without warning, she was spun around to face her father. Once again she found out that holding onto courage was easier in theory than reality. From this close she could smell the beer on his breath. It made her want to gag, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even speak. Natsuki gave a quick nod. Looking like a deer in the headlights.
“Just move.” Her father all but shoved her out of the way. “I’ll do it. I have to do everything, don’t I?” Her father shook his head and muttered several swears as he rolled up the sleeves on his button-up. “Just go to your room.” Natsuki stood there. She had so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to do. “Are ya deaf? Go!” Her father snapped at her.

Natsuki lowered her gaze to the floor as she left the kitchen. She made sure to covertly collect her backpack on the way up the stairs. She had succeeded, but she knew the rest of her night would be filled with cruel comments and spiteful glares. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t let him destroy what Monika had worked so hard on. As she slipped into her room, she locked the door behind her and retrieved her character sheet. Natsu the Barbarian stared back at her.

Natsuki laughed at herself. Natsu wouldn’t have stood there like a good little girl. She would have told that asshole what he deserved to hear. She would have cracked him across the jaw and told him to shut up for once. She would...she wouldn’t be there in the first place. Natsuki clutched the paper to her chest as she felt a wave of hot tears well up in her eyes. She sank down against the door, and pulled her knees to her chest. She had so many things running through her mind in that moment, but one trumped them all. Why couldn’t she have the courage Natsu did?

Chapter Text

Sayori awoke to the blaring of her third alarm. She knew it was her third because she set each one to be louder and more vibrant than the last. This one was causing her phone to vibrate so violently that it was slowly edging closer and closer to the end of her bedside table. Groggily, she rolled over, slapping her hand onto the dancing device. After a few missed attempts, she deactivated the screeching alarm, then checked the time. The petite girl let out a groan that was larger than she was.

It was about an hour before school. Sayori knew she should get up. There was a weak effort given. She did somewhat of a pushup before collapsing back into the sweet embrace of the bed. The colorful phone bounced back onto the table, and decided that the fourth alarm would be the charm.

When it came, Sayori felt no stronger than she did before. Now she had 45 minutes. Even less time, and what did she have to show for it? She wiped the crust out of her eyes, and flicked the loose strands of hair from her vision.
“Okay, for real this time,” she muttered to herself in her scratchy morning voice. She gave her cheek a weak slap in an attempt to motivate herself. It didn’t work. In no time at all, she felt her eyelids falling like the blade of a guillotine. She dropped just like a corpse. Number 5 it was, then.

In the end, Sayori had only had fifteen short minutes to ready herself before rushing out the door. Her hair was a tangled mess, both eyes were still clouded with the influence of sleep, and the buttons on both her shirt and blazer were out of place by one, leaving one too high, and the other too low. Her feet pounded the pavement as she rushed down the path to the school.

Her stomach gave her a sharp bite. Food had not been at the top of her priority list, unfortunately. Sayori was exhausted, hungry, and irritable as could be. But she would iron out those creases of crossness before she arrived at school. She couldn’t let anybody see the Sayori that just rolled out of bed.

Her speedy gait decelerated to a lazy amble as Sayori’s brain began to slip into daydreaming. She thought about the one person who had ever seen her in that state. The boy next door. She couldn’t even remember his entire name, but he always shortened it to MC. Soon, the rumble in her stomach wasn’t the only pang of pain she felt.

Her gaze went to the house looming over her. It was by no means remarkable to most, but to Sayori, it held a plethora of memories, both enjoyable and painful. She didn’t have the time to stop, but she slowed down considerably to reminisce. It was abandoned now, awaiting a buyer to move in and give it new life. It had been that way for nearly a decade now, but before its life support was cut off, it was a sanctuary of peace and joy for Sayori. Well, it was more about who lived in the house rather than the house itself.

They had spent years in each other’s constant company. For so long, they had walked to school together every single day. It was at this moment the crushing wave of loneliness caught up with Sayori. She wasn’t just by herself, she was missing somebody. There was a vacant, gray slot where a colorful, warm body should have been. She clenched her tiny hands into fists. They had grown up together, how could she have not fallen in love with him? His goofy smile, his constant jokes, the way he always had confidence in every situation; Sayori drank it all in. He was so radiant, and so warm.

“Like the sun,” she muttered to herself. She continued down her path with a sense of haste, but her mind was still fogged over. Every memory they shared was one she treasured like a fine jewel, or an antique photograph. She held onto each one desperately, even as they slipped from her mind. With each passing day, those moments only seemed further and further apart until it seemed impossible that those memories even belonged to her. She wanted to take those shining memories and hold them to her heart. She wanted to be his sunflower.

A lump formed in her throat, and then a hollow hole in her gut appeared. That radiance turned to a vicious sunburn when she saw him. His tall, sturdy frame swayed lazily down the way. He walked without a care in the world. Not a second thought about who he had hurt. She glared at the back of his head like she was trying to put a hole in it. How could he not have seen it? How could he still not see?

Her shaky rage fumbled in her heart as she admired those chestnut locks. The way they curled to and fro playfully made her want nothing more than to run her hands through them. His thin hips swayed back and forth as he meandered; she wanted to wrap her arms around them, pull him close, and never let go. She couldn’t see it, but she knew he was smiling. That dazzling smile that put all others to shame. The one she tried to copy. The one she wanted to have.

MC truly was her inspiration, if not her role model. Sayori didn’t know how to smile before he came along. People had always told her to “chin up” but that only confused her as a girl. No matter what way she twisted or turned her face, she couldn’t find a smile that seemed right. She had hated pictures, and every time she saw one of herself, she would hide or dispose of it.

Until the day she met him. His was right. His was perfect. In that moment she knew what she had to do. She could still remember the way her mother cooed and cried when Sayori brought that smile home. Maybe it was that moment that led her down this path of pain.

It had snowballed from there, until the two would look like twins walking down the street. She copied everything he did, right down to his jokes. And somewhere along that slippery slope, he had caught her heart. Unfortunately, that was not a sentiment they shared, and nor was it one he seemed interested in copying himself.

When he moved away, she had tried for so long to get him out of her mind. But no matter what, she still saw him in the mirror every morning. In every picture she saw him. In every single reflection in the windows she passed she saw him. He wouldn’t get out of her head. There was no hiding the sun, but she could eclipse him for some time.

That eclipse lasted for years. Several lonely, painful years until she decided she couldn’t take it any longer. The eclipse wavered, and the full sunburn hit her all over again, but she didn’t hesitate to meet it. She had put her heart on the line with that club invitation. It was her last chance to bring that radiance back into her life. Those hours might have been the most painful of her life. She waited in that heat; struggling to sit still among the roaring inferno that was love. It burned so brightly, but it was no use. Every fire dies out with enough time. And that one lasted for exactly two hours, forty-eight minutes, and thirty-two seconds.

He slipped around the corner, and with that, she was back in darkness. She stopped in her tracks. The street was silent for several minutes. The sound of leaves being gently swept away by the chilly autumn wind was the only sound she could hear. She slowly lifted the sleeve of her blazer to her face. With slow precision, she unbuttoned, then rebuttoned her blazer. She flattened down her hair. From her bag, she retrieved a stick of gum to chew on. It wasn’t much, but it helped. She moved forward with a stalwart determination. She practically stomped forward. Crushing the dirt beneath her feet as she accelerated further and further. Sayori didn’t even realize it until she was sprinting.

In no time at all, she had passed him. She vowed to herself to not even give him a passing glance. He didn’t deserve it. That didn’t stop her from throwing a quick look over her shoulder. For only a second she saw his face. That smile wasn’t there, it had been replaced by a look of confusion and distaste. She took a moment to laugh at herself as she kept moving. What a fool’s game she was playing. The school came into view. She had made it on time after all.

&&&&&

Natsu awoke with a grunt. The barbarian sat up to survey the dingy room around her. Before she could do any of that, reflexively, she swatted away a stray mouse that had been nibbling on her boot. The place was a dump. The bed was too small for them to share, even if Natsu hadn’t adamantly insisted she needed it to herself. Laverna had sat herself down in a rocking chair in the corner of the room with a blanket over her lap, and Sunflower had curled up on a rug by the soot-coated fireplace. They looked like an old dog and an even older grandma. Natsu chuckled to herself at the thought of that. She rose from the rickety bed with a grunt, gathering her things and gathering her companions.

“And I got a crick in my neck because the mattress felt like it was stuffed with rocks!” Natsu belted out as she descended the stairs with her compatriots. The two girls looked worse for wear. Laverna had circles around her eyes so dark that she imitated a racoon. And Sunflower couldn’t stop yawning long enough to finish a sentence. Natsu’s complaints fell on deaf ears.

However, the innkeeper’s ears did prick up as he heard the trio descend the stairs.
“Ah, good morning, ladies! A fine how-do-you-do to all of you today!” His chipper outburst gave all three of the girls pause.
“What do you want?” Natsu practically spat the words at him.
“Oh, my, nothing more than to serve you, who brought me such a lovely gift!” Arithmetic practically circled Natsu’s sleepy head as she tried to work out what had happened the day before.
“Wait...the--the badger?”
“You jest,” Laverna cut in.
“Oh, not at all! Look!” The innkeeper held up his hand to reveal a gorgeous ring of gold with a ruby the size of a walnut. The girls practically spilled over each other to get a look at it.
“You gave him that!?” Sunflower found this shock enough to break her out of her yawning spell.
“What? No! I didn’t!” Natsu defended herself.

“Ah, but you did!” He coughed. “Well, maybe not entirely intentionally,” he said with one breath, “but when I was hacking that magnificent creature up for a stew, in its belly I found this wonderful prize! Along with a man’s finger, but those are small details. Nonetheless, I thank you endlessly!” He bowed. “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Finsworth, Heinz Finsworth, at your service, and you are welcome in my inn anytime! And please, try the stew!”

This entire situation settled strangely on Natsu’s tongue. It was a bubbling mix of confusion, regret, pride, and what she assumed to be gratitude boiling inside of her. She decided to abandon those complex feelings and stick to the simpler ones. Like satisfying her hunger, for one. With a wave of the hand, she was able to have a bowl of stew summoned to her, and accidentally for the two with her. Badger had a strange taste: kind of like ham.
After a breakfast full of complaints and awkward conversation with the overexcited Finsworth, the girls emerged from the belly of the filthy inn to explore the town. Not more than twenty seconds after leaving the inn, Sunflower was narrowly missed by a carriage racing by, carrying milk drums and other foods that were quick to spoil.
“At least the man has a sense of haste,” Laverna commented. After a short bit of walking, all three paused. They took a look around themselves, then shared a confused glance.
“Uh...what do we do now?”
“Um, well, I suppose we should…”

&&&&&

Yuri bit her lip and raised her eyes to the ceiling. Natsuki stared at Monika with raised eyebrows. Sayori looked equally lost.
“Well?” Natsuki questioned.
“Uh...I mean…” Monika hadn’t had an answer for this question prepared. “You adventure!”
“But how do we do that?” Sayori leaned forward. Yuri looked as if she wanted to answer, but couldn’t quite catch all the words she needed. Monika scratched her chin. While planning all these incredible adventures and ideas, she hadn’t thought about the basics.

How could she kickstart this adventure in the first place? Such a gleaming oversight made a heat flush through her cheeks. A pause lasting several minutes was induced. When it hit Monika, she shot straight up out of her chair.
“Okay, so this is what you see.”

&&&&&

Almost like magic, a building across the street came into view. Somehow the girls had not noticed it upon exit, but it was right there the entire time. A young girl stood outside with a copper bell in her hand, swinging and shaking it to get the attention of all who passed.
“Quests! Jobs! Missions! Work for all, pay for all! Good pay for good work!”
“Ah, you’ve caught my attention,” Natsu said to herself as she approached the young girl.
“I wonder what they have that needs done.”
“Can we do a fun one?” The trio of girls approached the young crier. She was a girl halfway through her teens, yet she was still taller than Natsu by a head. A pair of spectacles were the most catching feature on her small, sheepish face. Her large eyes shone with excitement when the party approached. She momentarily stopped ringing her bell.

“Hello, travelers! Have you come for work?” Before Natsu could speak up, Laverna cut in.
“It depends on the work.”
“Do you have any work with animals?” Sunflower popped up behind the two.
“Uh...I think farmer Redbowl has some work.” The girl took a step back, begging for some air from this invasive party. “Just head inside and you’ll be given the spread.” She gestured towards the large dark oak door that stood at about twice Natsu’s height.

“Hm, nice door. Good craftsmanship,” Sunflower commented as the three passed through, causing the hinges to squawk in a high-pitched whine. Inside was a rather quaint setup. On the far side, the entire face of the wall had been turned into a quest board, with papers and documents pinned from floor to ceiling. At a cursory glance, it seemed the quests were organized by importance in relation to proximity to the middle. In the direct center of the board was tacked a paper with gilded edges and adorned with fine, almost ornamental handwriting. Laverna wasted no time in examining it with euphoria.

The walls were quite modestly decorated with what few trophies the guild could boast. A few weapons were hung on the wall, in a corner, a tarnished suit of armor stood vigilant, and the mounted heads of some strange beasts loomed over the door frames. Upon closer inspection, Sunflower noticed that most of those trophies had belonged to now deceased adventurers. She gulped, then scurried back to join her party.

There was a decently long hallway between the board and the door, and in that hall were several long tables. On a busier day, many would flock here and wait their turn for quests. Some would eat and even sleep at these tables while waiting. The girls had a hard time believing it at the moment, but this was a very important and very busy location for the town of Woodrot.

Across the long wood floor, a desk sat beside the staircase. A locked door hid wonders of all kinds in the background, but other than that, it was a rather plain little work station. A large, rather prickly-looking man with long hair covered by a hat embellished with the feathers of several beasts sat with his feet up. His desk was a mess of papers and partially-drained bottles. It seemed like he had given up halfway through both. The stubble of his beard coated his jaw like a fine powder. His hooked nose was slightly crooked, giving tell of a tale of either battle or drunken misconduct. Overall, he had the look of an adventurer, but one whose glory years were now drowning behind him.
He came to attention when he finally noticed his guests.

“What can I do fer ya?” he spoke in low tones, even more gravelly than Natsu’s. Something resting in his cheek slightly slurred his words. Laverna, who had been caressing the fine parchment tacked on the center of the board, turned to face the man.
“Oh, we were looking for work. Uh, quests?”
“Jobs?”
“Missions.”
“Welp, you came to the right spot. Though you’ll find the good work is already took.” He gestured with a gloved hand to the bald spots around the center of the board. “We post every week. Startin’ on Monday.” The girls paused, almost as if they were asking an outside force what day it is.
“Oh, yeah, it’s Thursday,”
“Yep, you’ll see that the best stuff is already gone, but feel free to look through the scraps and see if ya can’t find something decent. If ya have any questions, please ask everybody but me first.” Without another word, the man at the desk put his feet back up, tipped his hat down, and in a few minutes, he was snoozing away.

The girls huddled around the large board, and began picking and nitpicking quests.
“Hm, how do you feel about turtles?” Laverna asked the party.
“Adorable!”
“Too bitey.” Laverna didn’t even have to turn from the board to know their answers, she just went ahead and struck it from the list.
“Hm...repairing a fence?” Laverna said, her voice barely rising to the occasion.
“Eh…” Sunflower said through the side of her mouth. Another nope.
“Oh, hey, this one! Go hunt down the Winter Wolf!” Natsu poked the parchment with a stubby, dwarven finger.
“Are you insane?” Laverna cut in with genuine shock. “Look at the quest rating!”

While things may have seemed confusing and disorganized form the outside, the guild ran a decent business. Folks from all cuts of cloth would bring in their requests, have them appraised, revised, and approved, and once a reward was agreed upon, their request would be tacked up onto the board until it was taken or it expired. At the top of the page was always the name of the quest giver, their request, and the rating for danger and difficulty. The guild followed a 10-star system. This quest ranked astronomically high with 7 stars. Which was more than enough for the novice adventuring party to turn away from. But not without complaint from Natsu.

A few moments of board browsing passed by without conversation until Sunflower finally broke the silence, as she was wont to do.
“Ooh, I love this one!”
“No, we’re not gonna do that,” Natsu shook her head.
“Whaaat? Why not?” Sunflower whined.
“I’m not chasing a cat around all day. I’ve got better things to do.”
“Such as?” Laverna cut in. Natsu stood dumbfounded for a few moments. When she sighed, Sunflower knew she had won.

Natsu slid through the mud at full speed before coming to a stop at the base of a tree.
“Almost had it!” She punched the dirt. As the dwarf stood, her half-elf and tiefling companion came into view, looking equally as filthy.
“He’s quick,” Sunflower laughed.
“Too quick,” Laverna said. The trio watched the cat leap his way up the tree with absolute grace and speed.
“Alright, that’s it.” Natsu pulled her sword from its scabbard. Even now, it looked ridiculously large for somebody of her stature. She lined up her swing like a golf player getting ready to sink a hole in one. The sword went over her shoulder, and began its descent with a “whoosh”.
“Hold it!” Sunflower jumped in front of the sword’s path. Natsu pulled her swing back just as Sunflower ducked the blade, allowing it to harmlessly bounce against the tree, creating a small sliver in the bark. The dwarf dropped the blade and rushed forward, huffing like a bull.
“I. Could. Have. Killed you!” Natsu shouted as she shook the curly-haired tiefling by the shoulders. “What is wrong with you!” When Laverna finally pulled Natsu off of Sunflower long enough for her to explain, she was practically foaming at the mouth.

“You might hurt the kitty if you cut the tree down! One of us should just climb up there and get him!”
“If he gets hurt, that’s his fault for climbing up a tree! Also, don’t like...cats always land on their feet or something?”
“That may be true, but I don’t think that law applies if a tree falls on top of them,” Laverna poked the air as she spoke. Natsu rolled her eyes and sheathed her enormous sword.
“Fine, go for it. But you can count me out. I don’t do heights.” Laverna held her short comments to herself. They didn’t need any more violence from Natsu at this delicate stage. This was up to Laverna and Sunflower.

“Okay, so who should climb it?” Sunflower pondered.
“If I’m being honest, I’m not exactly...the strongest climber.” Laverna massaged her rather miniscule biceps.
“I think I’m in the same boat there.” Sunflower held up her arm and tried to make a muscle, only to make a small ripple under her smooth skin. Natsu coughed, drawing the attention of both girls. She was stretching, and flexing her impressive muscles all over. The way they bulged against her hide clothes gave Laverna a strange tongue-twistedness.
“Hm? What?” Natsu asked, innocent as could be. “You guys need something? No? Oh, okay.” She turned, still flexing. Laverna shook her head.
“There’s no use sitting around thinking about it. Let’s give it the old college try, right?” Laverna swung her arm forward with a thumbs up, looking like one of those unsettling 1950’s posters.

The half-elf cracked her knuckles, then began her climb. Her delicate, pale hands clamped onto each sturdy branch she could find. It wasn’t long before she was about five feet above the ground.
“See? This isn’t so hard!” she said, her voice shaking with effort.
“Woo! You can do it!” Laverna nodded and continued on, stepping on branch after branch until she came to the halfway point of the tree. The cat was in sight, resting on the top branch of the tree, licking his paws and staring down at her with that condescending attitude only a cat could muster.
“Here, kitty! Pspsps!” Laverna continued climbing until she placed her foot onto a branch with a large crack in it. It gave way immediately, and she began freefalling with a scream. The ground was hurling towards her at alarming speed. As she was falling, a sturdy looking branch came into view.
“Catch it! Catch it! Catch it!” Sunflower called from the ground.

And with one swift motion, Laverna did catch it, and even brought the branch with her. It wasn’t as sturdy as it looked. That was the last thought she had before she hit the ground with a painful thud. The world above her spun in a slow circle, and the cat only looked more arrogant from further down. Sunflower came into view over her.
“You didn’t catch it.” Laverna groaned as she sat up, rubbing her lower back. Natsu’s laughter served as background noise.
“Yes, thank you, Sunflower, I am aware.” Laverna limped her way over to a log and sat down, trying to recover both her physical state, and emotional one, which Natsu was currently hacking away at with each guffaw. Laverna averted her eyes as the heat of humiliation washed over her.

“Well, I guess it's my turn!” Sunflower’s cheery disposition never dampened.
“Be careful! Laverna called out as the tiefling faced the tree.
“Or don’t. It’ll be hilarious!” Natsu called out in similar, less helpful fashion. Sunflower did a quick bout of stretches before she began her climb, and in no time at all, she was practically tossing herself up through the branches. Her light, bouncy frame leapt higher and higher through the branches until she reached the spot Laverna had.
“Well, she might actually make it,” Natsu commented, jinxing Sunflower terribly.

The tiefling looked like a shooting star as she completely missed her next leap, soaring right between the space of the two branches, and falling in a straight arc to the ground. Laverna stood to try and catch her, but it was far too late. All she was able to do was approach her as she babbled incoherently on the ground.
“So, you didn’t catch it, either,” Laverna couldn’t help herself. Natsu said no words, only continuous, roaring laughter, and the occasional slapping of her thigh. The half-elf offered the dazed tiefling a hand.

The two reconvened at the base of the tree once they had gotten their bearings back. Laverna now sported a bruise the size of a tomato on her backside, and Sunflower a knot on the back of her head that was about the size of her fist. They had maybe two more attempts left in them before calling it quits.

The two stood muttering and whispering to each other for enough time for Natsu’s laughter to finally die down as she looked for another way to entertain herself. She dropped the leather bag she carried at her feet, and began rifling through it. After discarding a few items she had forgotten she even had, Natsu produced what she was looking for: a pan flute. She let loose a string of coughs loud enough to echo across the empty fields. She also caught the attention of the other girls.
“I call this one Two Dummies Climb A Tree.” And before Laverna could retort, Natsu began playing a melody on her pipes.

It was strangely beautiful to be so mocking. Neither Laverna nor Sunflower could deny that Natsu genuinely had talent at something other than hitting things and being sarcastic. The half-elf even tried to gift her a compliment, but her velvety voice was unable to pierce the high-pitched tones that were echoing across the fields.
“She’s no bard, but she’s got potential!” Sunflower beamed.
“I...I have to agree.” A smile played at the corners of Laverna’s mouth as she watched Natsu envelop herself in this tune. Two realizations struck her at once. The first being that Natsu would never open herself up honestly. This was her being honest. She was extending herself, but she wouldn’t do it without being guarded. Suddenly, Laverna felt she understood Natsu a little better, and Yuri felt she understood Natsuki a lot better.

The second realization was a lot more relevant to the situation.
“We’ve been doing this all wrong!” Laverna said.
“You’re not gonna cut the tree down, are you?” Sunflower took a step toward the tree defensively.
“No. What I mean is that we’re doing this wrong. We’re using the wrong skills!”
“I don’t follow.”
“Just take after me.”

Sunflower stood at the base of the tree with her hands cupped together. She watched as Laverna sprinted down the field toward her. It was strangely terrifying, but she would hold nonetheless. The half-elf’s thin frame was able to pick up quite a bit of speed in such a short time, and when she finally got to Sunflower, it took all she had to not bumble the next move.

Laverna’s foot found Sunflower’s cupped hand, and with one smooth motion, Sunflower tossed her into the air as Laverna performed a flip that rocketed her halfway up the tree. Sunflower hollered and cheered for the half-elf, and the sound of Natsu’s pipes stopping abruptly only encouraged her more. Without losing any momentum, she flipped once more, but this time backwards. She soared between the gaps in the branches, finding a foothold on a thick, sturdy branch. With one more good jump, she found herself face to face with the dreaded rescue victim. The cat immediately raised up on its hind legs and hissed at the girl. Laverna slowly reached into her pocket, bringing back a small piece of salted meat. She gave a glance at the ground and nodded.

And now it was up to Sunflower. With her lute firmly in her grasp, the tiefling began belting a tune of her own. Her melodic voice pierced the thick canopy of orange leaves, rising higher and higher until its magical effects finally reached their target. Her voice served as a tranquilizer. The cat lowered itself calmly, and a big smile crossed his furry face. It was at this point he happily took the morsel of food from Laverna, and allowed her to cradle him in her arms. Sunflower could barely contain her excitement as she watched Laverna begin her slow descent.

“Itty bitty kitty!” Sunflower cooed as she rubbed the cat’s belly. The cat’s purring was more than enough invitation for her to continue.
“Oh, thank you, dearies.” An old, paper-thin voice said. The girls found themselves back in the guild hall. Sunflower had kept Patches, the cat, busy the entire walk back, and was still continuing to do so as Laverna and Natsu finished up their business. Ms. Withersbee, their employer, was a woman just a decade shy of a century, and she shook with each movement, even with a cane supporting her.
“I do hope he wasn’t too much trouble.”
“Oh, none at all, ma’am,” Laverna said. Natsu began to open her mouth, but Laverna planted a firm foot on top of her less subtle companion’s. It shut her up for a moment.

“Well, you dearies earned it, although it’s not much. Here you are.” The ancient woman held out a small pouch that jingled with each shake of her hand. Laverna politely took it before it made any more ruckus, and thanked her dearly. “Come along now, Patches. And don’t you be running off again, alright? Mama can’t afford this every week.” The cat came bounding to his master’s side, leaving Sunflower in desperate need of something else to pet. She began rooting through her bag.

Laverna felt a warm feeling come over her. As she watched that elderly woman slowly make her way out the door, it became clear to her that she could have never done what they had today. They brought that woman so much joy, and did something that only they were able to that day. This was the nature of a good deed, this was the nature of adventuring. To help those in need by being the ones that can and will perform. Laverna felt incredible in that moment. She felt the need to share that feeling.

“Natsu, I just wanted to say--”
“Geez, is this really all we got?” Natsu dumped the coins onto a table and counted them. “Ten gold, five silver, what is this...eight copper. Eh, I mean decent, I guess.” Laverna sighed and shook her head as she and Sunflower took a seat across from Natsu.
“Okay so that’s like...three gold each...and then the silver...I uh--is that a dead mouse?” Natsu looked up from her accounting to see Sunflower caressing Jack.
“No, he’s petrified!”
“That’s disgusting.”
“He’s adorable, shush!” Laverna couldn’t help but laugh. This was her party.

&&&&&
Natsuki pantomimed trying to snatch the imaginary mouse from Sayori’s hand. The jovial girl turned her entire body away from her, holding the imaginary rodent close to her chest for safe keeping. Both were so in the moment that you’d think it was all real. Monika watched on with a grin. She was more than happy to let the two have their moment. Yuri smiled as well. Yes, this was her party, and these were her friends.

Chapter Text

Yuri awoke to the subdued, steady beeping of her alarm clock. Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly deactivated the device. She rolled her neck, forcing a couple cracks and pops out of it as she stood from her plush, lavender-colored bed. It was large enough for three of her, yet somehow she always found a way to nearly roll off of it every night.

She wasted no time in getting herself ready for the day. Every few minutes she would toss a nervous glance at her alarm clock. She had nearly two entire hours to prepare herself, but all she could do was think about the minutes. How many minutes would it take her to shower, how many minutes would it take her to dress, how many minutes would it take her to eat? What about the walk to school? What if she came into an obstacle along the way? Yuri always tried to be at least ten minutes early to anything. Sometimes she was early to being early, and had to meander about, trying not to look awkward as she waited for a time to come where it wouldn’t be too early for her to show up.

Even now, as Yuri pulled her blazer on and readied her bag for the day, she stared at the clock to see she had another hour before she even remotely needed to set out. She sighed and sat her bag down on her gargantuan bed. Her bag unzipped slowly as she retrieved her binder. It was an unassuming thing. Black, with no special adornments to show that it was any different from her ordinary school materials. However, when she cracked it open, it displayed a wondrous spread of fantasy paraphernalia. Immediately upon opening, she was greeted with a painstakingly detailed drawing of her character.

On the other side, her sheet itself. It was just some numbers and some meaningless sentences to anybody on the street, but that sheet was everything to her. It was a portal to another world. A gateway into joy and friendship. Without it...she had nothing. Yuri gingerly removed both sheets of paper and traced them with her finger lovingly. Behind her character sheets were some standard notebook papers with various notes on them, but she didn’t particularly feel like reviewing her notes at that time.

Instead, she closed her binder and used it to continue her drawing. She had been working on this drawing for days now. Since the moment Laverna had become even an idea in her head, she felt the need to make her real, to make her tangible. And she was more than ecstatic at the idea of showing the girls her drawing. At least, in theory. In reality, the idea terrified her. What if they didn’t like it? What if they said they had seen better? Yuri bit her lip as she tried to push those thoughts away.

Her delicate hands filled in the shadows of Laverna’s face. She couldn’t help but realize the similarities between herself and her character. Had she meant to do that? Or was it merely a coincidence? At first, she thought less of Natsuki for basically making a copy of herself in their game, but as the sessions drew on, she couldn’t help but see the similarities between all of them. It was then that she actually began to admire Natsuki’s decision. She had the bravery it took to quite literally put herself out there. She didn’t flinch away from anything, and she hid nothing. How could somebody be so brave?

Yuri found her hand coming to a slow stop as she continued to think of Natsuki. She was such a tiny, ferocious creature, but Yuri knew there was a sweeter side to her. And deep down, Yuri knew she wanted nothing more than to see that side of her. She wanted to get past her walls, she wanted to get close to her. She wanted to get close to all of them. But how could she? That wall seemed impervious to her.

And then it hit her. Inspiration and determination swelled within her as she dug through her bag once more to find her sketchbook. She flipped past several dozen drawings of various images and silhouettes to find an empty bit of real estate in the large black book. Her hand began moving quicker than it ever had before as she worked. A smile worked its way across her pale cheeks as her hands worked themselves into a frenzy. A curve here, a dash there, there was so much to do, but Yuri was determined.

Before she realized it, her wait for school was nearly over. When she finally put the pencil down, she found her hand had a stiff cramp in it. With her other hand, she cradled it gently and laughed. It had been quite some time since she had felt such inspiration, and she was more than excited to continue her work.

Even with her distraction, Yuri still made it to school on time, as she always did. It was about halfway through the day at this point. She had used every bit of free time she had to slap her sketchbook onto her desk and continue her work, even if it was only for a few brief moments. The teachers had given her several strange looks when she caught their eyes, but Yuri didn’t mind. Not today, at least.

She passed through the halls with a sense of determination. For every second she was early, she had more time to work. She wanted to finish her work before today’s session, but there was simply no time. She wouldn’t want to show them anything that wasn’t completely up to her standards.

Almost as if simply thinking about her friends could summon them, Sayori and Natsuki appeared down the opposite end of the hall from her. It surprised Yuri to see them together. Outside of the club, she had only ever seen the girls apart, save when they had to meet for whatever reason.
But the girls didn’t look like they were sharing anything important. Natsuki rolled her eyes and elbowed Sayori, who broke into a laughing fit. No, they were simply talking...like friends do. Yuri felt a hollowness in her gut. Her door was coming up, but they were still so far away. Did she stop and wait for them? Go to them? What if they didn’t want her to be part of their conversation? What if she ruined the rest of the day? Yuri could feel her pulse racing as the safety of her door came into view. She clamped a hand onto the doorframe like it was a safety rail.

And then it happened. All her fears melted away as Sayori simply waved to her, with a big grin on her face. Natsuki gave a much smaller, more casual wave. With a shaky hand, Yuri waved back, turning to face them. She decided she wouldn’t run from it. She’d stand her ground. She reassured herself as they approached. The shy girl released her grip on the doorframe and took a step towards them.

“Yo,” Natsuki greeted her.

“Yuri, we’ve got a question.” Yuri felt a pang of nervousness shoot through her. Had she made a mistake joining?

“I mean, not really, but go for it.” Natsuki shrugged.

“So, you go to like...a food truck or something, okay?”

“Or a stall.”

“Yeah, like a vendor stall. Okay, so if you go to one, and there’s a line, like a really long one, is it okay for you to go to somebody in the line and give them money to buy your food so you don’t have to wait in line?” Natsuki didn’t wait for a reply to cut in.

“No! Because they still have to make your food. It’s the same amount of time, just without you waiting.”

“But like you said it’s the same amount of time!”

“Yeah, but everybody else had to wait! They earned it...I guess.” A blush appeared on Natsuki’s cheeks as she became more heated.

“What do you think, Yuri?” Sayori and Natsuki turned to her, and the taller girl couldn’t help but give a chuckle. Yes, these were her friends without a doubt.

The surprisingly heated conversation continued on for several minutes, drawing the attention of several passersby and a couple teachers. Eventually, the bell split them, but Natsuki proclaimed that this conversation was far from over. And that thought made Yuri overjoyed.

The few hours left of her school day felt like an eternity to her. Her leg was bouncing like a piston as she waited for the final bell. She had been able to get some solid work done, but now all she could think about was the upcoming session. What would they do today? What challenges awaited them? Puzzles, combat, roleplay? She couldn’t wait any longer. The bell was a starting gun for her as she rushed past all the other students.

Truth be told, her long legs didn’t require her to do much to pass the sluggish pace of the others. When Yuri wanted to, she could be quicker than most, and this was why she had a strong lead on the horde of tired students behind her. She kept her eyes to the floor, as to not make eye contact with those she passed. Normally, a feeling of anxiety would be gnawing away at her, but instead joy took its place. She imagined herself as Laverna, and these halls were here forest. The neat tiles beneath her feet were tangles of underbrush, the pillars were mighty oaks, and the scowling students were her fellow woodland dwellers. She lifted her head with a smile as she continued onward to adventure.

&&&&

Laverna strode into the guild hall with an air of confidence.
“Good morning!” she called out. Inside, her two companions were already looking over the quest board. Natsu slapped away Sunflower’s hand as she reached for a particularly frilly looking note. The young girl with the copper bell was conversing with the desk attendant, who looked as if he could fall asleep at any minute. It was all a familiar scene except for a stranger sitting on the end of a bench.

He was a tall, lanky man wearing a leather helmet that barely contained the straws of hay that were his hair. The rest of his body was also covered in similar light armor, but parts of it had been torn away or pierced. He had a pointed, long face with a nose like a hawk’s beak. He wasn’t doing much but sitting around and glaring into the drink in his hand. This man piqued Laverna’s curiosity. She approached the lad, startling him and nearly causing him to spill the frothy ale he had been staring into.
“Ah! Don’t ya know not to sneak up on people?” he cried out in a high-pitched voice that reminded her quite a bit of a weasel. At a closer look, he couldn’t have been much older than 20. A light peach fuzz carpeted his cheeks and chin--obviously a desperate attempt at growing a beard.
“My apologies,” she said. “I merely wanted to inquire as to why you were looking so...anxious.” The young man settled back into his seat.

“Oh. That.” Without another word, the man slipped a note onto the table. It was a crumpled quest posting. Immediately the danger level caught Laverna’s eye; it was 3 stars.

“Oh, my. You took this on by yourself?” She lifted the crumpled note gingerly, noticing that it had a few drops of blood smeared across it. Casually, she threw a glance over at her new acquaintance to notice he had several fresh cuts and bruises. No comment was made, however, and Laverna continued to read the note. It read as so:

***
Mr. Jamison
Them trees are movin’ again. Anybody gonna step up and do somethin’? Or are we all just on board with livin’ in the shrubs? Go in them woods and kill these damn trees before they take root in Woodrot!

Below that was a rough sketch of the enemy the note described. Laverna wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be though. It looked like a tree-human hybrid, with somewhat of a face. It had no mouth, nor eyes, but had indents and holes where both of those would be. Its face looked somewhat like a mask. It was a bit shorter than she was, from what she could tell, and its body didn’t look to have muscles, but vines and twigs where they would have been. Under the sketch, the name “Blight” was written. Whatever it was, it was unsettling.

“Who is Mr. Jamison?” she asked.

“That’d be me, girly.” The man in the feathered hat lifted his head just long enough to answer before dropping it back down.

“What is this about trees taking the town?” Laverna shook the note above her head, but it was not enough to regain Mr. Jamison’s attention. She turned to the boy next to her for answers, but he looked just as eager to talk. He sunk down into his ale.

“Go ask Clarissa. She’ll give ya the details.” Laverna inferred that Clarissa was the girl with the bell and spectacles. As she crossed the hall, her companions joined her.

“What was that about trees?” Natsu bluntly inquired.

“I’m not entirely sure. Excuse me, Clarissa, dear? Could you tell me more about this...quest?”

“Job,” Natsu cut in.

“Mission!” Sunflower hollered with a grin. The mousy girl took her eyes to the floor for a moment.

“Oh, that. You’re new, so you don’t really know about the problem, huh?” All three girls shook their heads. “We’ve got a big problem. Us and every other town in the region.” She leaned against the desk. “They call her The Witch of the Woods, and she’s out to destroy every town in the area.” Natsu whistled.

“Sounds rough.” Laverna popped her on the shoulder.

“It’s been an ongoing fight for about a year now. Nobody’s really sure what caused her wrath, but we’ve all suffered from it. She’s cut every town off from one another. She’s taken over the roads with her overgrowth, and beasts patrol the woods, attacking anybody foolish enough to wander too far. We’ve had nothing to do but sit and wait for the tree line to take us over. And it sounds like that won’t be too much longer.”

She threw a glance at the boy. “Tommy did his best, but he just wasn’t equipped to handle what was thrown at him. None of us are. Unfortunately, you’re looking at the best warrior this town’s got.” She stepped away to show Mr. Jamison in all his drunken glory.

“Oh, you guys are screwed.” Laverna popped Natsu once again, harder this time. That comment was nearly enough to make Clarissa shed a tear. Her voice became husky with emotion.

“I don’t know what we’re gonna do. Everybody’s too scared to go out and fight her, and every day she moves her plans further.”

“So, why don’t we go and help?” Sunflower’s optimism lit up the room, as it always did. Both Laverna and Natsu gave her a look that was somewhere between pride and concern.

“You would? You’d help us out? Honest?” Clarissa practically leapt forward to take Sunflower’s hands in her own.

“Sure! Why not? Right, guys?” She beamed a smile bright enough to blind a man, and unfortunately, bright enough to make her compatriots agree reluctantly.

“Oh, thank you, thank you! You have no idea what this means to me! To us! Hang on, where’s that note?” Clarissa began scouting the area.

“I gave it back to Tommy,” Laverna provided. Clarissa nodded and crossed back over to the tables where Tommy was brooding. The note was still clutched in his hand.

“Tommy, can I just get that from you?” She leaned forward and took hold of the note, but found that it wasn’t so easy to retrieve it. “Tommy? Let go.”

“No,” he replied, his lips set in a straight line. His other hand curled into a fist. “I’m not giving up!” He stood suddenly, nearly causing his drink to slosh onto the floor. His fiery eyes met Clarissa’s and the two stood in silence for a few moments. A beautiful shade of red was painted across both of their cheeks.

“Somebody’s got a cruuuush,” Sunflower sung quietly to herself. Laverna also popped her on the shoulder, but gently.

“I mean...I don’t wanna give up. I’m gonna try again, okay?” Tommy’s grip loosened, as did his face. Clarissa nodded, quietly mumbling.

“Hey, ya don’t gotta give up, ya know?” Natsu piped up. The two at the table turned to face the dwarf.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it seems like we’ve all got something to gain here. We go on this quest, get some loot, and you get to redeem yourself.” Laverna popped her on the shoulder. “And ya know, some loot for you too.”

“You wanna work together? As a team?” Natsu hesitated, then immediately cut in.

“Let’s not be hasty with the labeling. Team is a strong word. Let’s go with...alliance.”

“Right. Right. I’m honored to be parta this alliance!” The boy stood and put a fist to his chest, looking almost somewhat like a knight. “And thank you, all of you, for giving me another chance...especially you, Clarissa.” Their eyes met once more. “I won’t let ya down,” he said softly, causing Sunflower to squeal into her hands.

“It’s so cute,” she whispered in Laverna’s ear so closely she felt like the tiefling’s words had touched her brain.

The party wasted little time in gathering what meager equipment they had in preparation for this mission. As they walked through the muddy streets, Sunflower and Natsu’s voices bounced off the dilapidated wooden buildings that loomed over them.

“Potions?”

“Nope.”

“Backup plan?”

“Not a one!”

“Entertainment?”

“I got that covered!” Sunflower began playing a wonderfully upbeat tune as they trudged to the edge of the town.

“You’re not casting a spell, are you?” Laverna asked, a touch of worry across her brows.

“Not unless that spell is called ‘cheer up my friends’ then no!”

“It’s a lovely song,” Tommy said politely.

“Wait till the end. It’s a real knock out,” Natsu took the lead of the group.

“I said I was sorry!” Sunflower cried, pumping her slender legs as fast as they could to catch up to the stomping Natsu. That left Tommy and Laverna trailing at the back of the group.

“Y’all are some pretty interesting folk.” Laverna sighed and smiled.

“Interesting is what we do best, I suppose.” The half-elf sped her own pace up, leaving the boy behind as well.
“Wait, you don’t know where you’re goin’!” Tommy yelled, then began sprinting up the hill.

Eventually, the party reconvened. Tommy lead them through the last of the town, and into the looming woods. Back through the path they had once came. Tommy was currently stepping into a clearing.
“Hold up. The ground’s been disturbed here. Somebody must’ve been fightin’.” Laverna’s ears went red as she shared a glance with the other two girls. Tommy continued his investigation. “It must have been at least a few days ago. I see lots of footprints and skids in the mud here.”

“Oh, well, maybe we should get going then,” Sunflower piped up, but was ignored.

“It looks like...there! The bushes have a divide in ‘em. Hm, there’s a dead goblin here! I wonder what could have happened here? I mean, it looks like there’s three sets of footprints, so I can’t really understand why there would be so much scufflin’ over one goblin--”

“Alright, that’s interesting, time to go!” Natsu ended the investigation as she took off further into the forest.

“She’s absolutely right, let’s not waste any time, Tommy!” Laverna followed the dwarf.

“What they said!” Sunflower fell in line. Tommy raised a hand to ask several questions, but as he watched all three of the girls step through a mud puddle, and then recreate the exact same footprints he saw around him, the cogs in his head began spinning at overdrive.

“W-Wait up!” He called, trailing after the party once more.

The goal wasn’t much further. The four rounded the top of a hill that overlooked a small pond that stood in the shade of a large oak tree. In this clearing were a few other decently sized trees, and a couple tinier ponds, but nothing out of the ordinary.

“Okay, so you wanna tell us what’s up?” Natsu whispered, shimmying over to Tommy’s side as the four lay prone on the crest of the hill.

“So, like the note said, the trees have been moving forward...but that’s not quite right. There are these things they call Blights that actually come out of the trees--or, no, they’re hiding in the trees. Look, I’ll show you in a second. Ya see those two?” Tommy pointed to the pond in the center of the clearing.

“Nope.”

“Look harder. They’re hiding on the sides of that tree. When we come out, so will they. That’s what happened last time, anyway.” Tommy looked quite sheepish at that moment, but Natsu just looked bored.

“So, you got beat up by two twigs?”

“It’s more than that! They’re like...magic...twigs.”

“Alright, I’ve seen enough.” Natsu then stood, dusting herself off and loudly clapping the dirt off her hands as she began casually strolling down the hill.

“Natsu, wait!” Tommy called, still trying to keep the element of stealth.

“Sorry about that,” Sunflower apologized as she readied herself, then strode down the hill.

“She does this,” Laverna followed in similar fashion, leaving Tommy alone on the hill.

“Alright, come out. I see you.” Natsu drew her enormous greatsword and pointed it toward the oak tree. “Yeah, you two in the wood. Yeah, you can come to me or I can come to you, either way is--” and before she could finish the sentence, two Twig Blights emerged from the side of the large tree. “Ha! See, now all we gotta do is--” and before she could finish that sentence, two more blights of similar nature emerged from two trees near the edge of the clearing. “Hm...okay, well--”

“Please stop talking,” Laverna said, drawing her longbow.

“Looks like a fight!” Sunflower drew her lute, just as Tommy came sliding down the hill. This was where the fight began. The first step of this intricate dance of combat was taken by one of the blights in the far edge of the clearing. Its body was covered in hundreds of sharp thorns, and as it raised its arm, it became quite clear its method of attack.

A salvo of those razor-sharp needles descended upon Natsu, whose bravado had quieted down immensely as she put up her arms to shield her face. The missiles tore away at her leathery skin with incredible precision. In no more than a few seconds, both her arms were covered with slick crimson blood. She bit her lip, then turned back to face her party.

“Ya know, I wouldn’t be against getting some assistance!”

“On it! On it!” Sunflower called out as she ran forward. She quickly placed her hands on Natsu’s back, and that yellow glow appeared once more, like a sunbeam bouncing off a glass pane. Natsu felt a wave of relief fill her as the many slits in her arms began to scab over and heal before her very eyes.

“That’s some good stuff!” Natsu called out with a laugh.

“Let’s not get too dependent on it!” Laverna said as she knocked an arrow. But before she could act, her vision was filled with flailing wooden limbs. Surprisingly quick for a creature of such stiff material, the Twig Blight rushed Laverna as she fumbled with the arrow in hand.

Slash after slash from these wooden claws missed Laverna as she gracefully ducked and dodged, never letting the arrow in her hand loose. She was on the backfoot, but she wasn’t against the ropes by any means. As she ducked another slash, she finally loosed the arrow directly into the sky, sending it straight above her.

“What the hell are you doing?” Natsu called out as she witnessed the display before her. Laverna danced and weaved around this creature for several seconds before finally slipping under one more of its attacks, then it hit. The arrow she had loosed struck the creature on the top of the head.

Laverna stepped back just as the shower of splinters flew her way. The arrow had pierced a tunnel straight from head to toe of the creature, killing it instantly. The wooden monster fell to the ground, as inanimate as the trees it used to disguise itself. A faint clapping from sunflower rang out through the trees, and Laverna couldn’t help but feel proud of herself.

“Shouldn’t you be using those hands to heal me?” Natsu reminded her.

“Right, sorry! That was just really cool.” Natsu chewed on the thought for a minute, fighting a smile.

“Alright, yeah, that was pretty rad.” Just as the final word left her mouth, another one of those pointy needles flew past Natsu, just barely missing her upper lip. The other Needle Blight was making his own attack, but as Natsu put her arms up to defend, she found the attack wasn’t aimed at her.

It was with horror that she realized the attack was aimed at the defenseless Sunflower. When it hit her, the girl was still smiling at her, but that smile quickly turned as a rush of those thorns struck the girl in the chest, immediately causing a pool of blood to form on the center of her shirt.

It happened so suddenly that the girl hadn’t had time to react, but as she clutched the bleeding wound, she still gave out a weak laugh.
“At least it’s not a goblin, right?” she struggled to put a smile on her face. Natsu’s vision went red.

Laverna heard it before she saw it. Natsu’s cry of rage as she sprinted forward, splashing through the pond and stomping through the mud before she leapt into the air with her sword drawn high, and her teeth grit in fury.

She repaid the damage they had done to her and her friends in kind. With her sword she cleft the creature in twain, leaving its two separate halves to fall to the ground lifelessly. Even in the moment, with all her rage, Natsu still noticed that these creatures had no organs, nor any kind of organic matter. They truly were sticks and vines bonded together. This astute scientific observation would have to wait though, as the other Needle Blight began its rush toward her. She welcomed it with a war cry.

Wood clashed against metal, and splinters of wood fell like rain as Natsu defended against the blows of this lethal creature. Eventually, one of the creature’s overhanded blows caught her sword, and Natsu engaged in a contest of strength with the monster.

“You’re not that tough! You can’t do shit when I get up in your face!” A mad grin passed over her face as she overpowered this blight. Unfortunately for her, this was the perfect distraction for the second Twig Blight to catch her off guard.

Seconds before it struck, Natsu kicked the Needle Blight away, then parried the claw of the oncoming monster mere seconds before it struck. Two more blows came her way, but she parried both with ease. The third slipped past her sword, but with one hand she caught the claw inches from her face, holding the panicking creature in a vice-like grip. Natsu grinned.

Laverna was mesmerized by the display. Whilst she had shown dignity and grace, Natsu had shown unrivaled bravery and raw power. It was beautiful. Different in all regards, but lesser in no way. Like the difference between the majestic beauty of a grizzly bear and the fine craftsmanship of an ornate teacup. Both incredible, but completely different. This fascination caused her to drop her guard for mere moments.

Unfortunately, a hidden assailant chose to use this opportunity. From a tree directly to Laverna’s right, another blight appeared, leaping forward to strike her. She wasn’t even aware until it had hit her. Its wooden claw raked across her pale cheek, drawing blood immediately. Laverna stumbled back, bow still in hand, but no arrow readied. She cursed herself for being so unprepared. The creature readied itself for another onslaught, but as it rushed forward, it was caught in mid-air by the lip of Tommy’s shield.

With a grunt of effort, Tommy launched the creature five feet back, causing it to sprawl through a mud puddle and slide.

“Are you okay?” he called out nervously, still trying to uphold his posture and look like a true knight. Laverna gave him a nod, to which he smiled, and then turned to face his opponent. It stood and leered at him with malice. With no mouth, only empty sockets where it seemed eyes should have been, these creatures emitted a strange, unnerving aura.

Tommy stood his ground as it approached, catching its first blow with his shield. Two more came before he finally countered by using his weight to throw the creature off balance. As it stumbled back, Tommy lifted his club high, and ironically, used a weapon made of the same material to demolish the creature. It fell apart with each blow, but Tommy wasn’t confident in his victory until it was in at least more pieces than he could count with one hand. When he finally finished his battle, he looked to Laverna with a big, dopey grin.

Natsu was unable to witness his victory as she now battled two opponents at once. A nonstop barrage of claws slashed and prodded at her, leaving her little room for error. The smaller, less intimidating blight had swarmed her, not doing any damage, but distracting her effectively. She hadn’t even noticed the Needle Blight had disappeared until he was already behind her. The next thing she noticed was the sharp pain of wooden claws stabbing into her back.

She gave out a grunt of pain as the creature twisted its claws into her back, just below her shoulder blades. The thin hides and furs that she adorned herself with did little to protect her, and the doeskin shirt she wore quickly became stained with that same crimson she had seen before.

Her blade caught the Twig Blight’s claw once more, and Natsu was granted a very brief reprieve. She caught her friends in the corner of her eye. Both were bleeding, but both were okay. She felt a feeling gnawing at her guts. Worry? Fear? Anger? She couldn’t be sure, but she knew what she felt when she saw Sunflower, absolutely leaking blood, shakily stand up. The tiefling cupped her hands around her mouth, straightened her back, then leaned forward, absolutely belting her encouragement.

“Hang in there, Natsu!” she called out to her very heart, and Natsu felt something incredible: inspiration. Inspiration to fight on, and to protect those she cared about. She would win this fight, not for herself, but for them. Laverna caught her eye. She was back on the offensive, and had an arrow ready to go. The two met eyes. Natsu nodded, and with no delay, an arrow went shooting past her shoulder.

It struck the blight behind her in the chest, causing it to immediately dislodge its wooden talons from Natsu’s back. Natsu wasted no time in using this advantage to push the blight that she had caught back. With a thick, heavy boot, she launched the creature backwards. It swiped and clawed at her as she did, but it was to no avail. She put her foot on the creature’s chest, and raised her greatsword high.

She caught Sunflower in her line of sight, who was still cheering for her. With a grin, she drove the blade through the squirming monster’s head, stopping all its movements in one stab. The girl, feeling quite triumphant, was all but ready to call out her victory, but there was still the matter of the final blight.

It looked more like a pile of scrap wood after the devastating arrow shot, which was still stuck in its chest cavity. But that didn’t stop it from rushing forward and attacking her. What did stop it was coming face-to-face with the steel of Tommy’s shield. The creature had leapt into the air with all its force, and unfortunately for it, Tommy’s unwavering shield was the rock upon which the tides of its body crashed.

Debris flew all over the place as the creature exploded upon impact, killing itself quite effectively. Tommy stood there the entire time, eyes closed, both hands on his shield, even after the creature had already been slain.

Natsu gave out a triumphant laugh as she pounded her chest.
“We won! Our first fight! Haha!” She raised both fists in the air as the party reconvened. Sunflower wasted no time in bringing back that healing glow, but she did put up a fight when the entire party insisted she take care of herself first.

“I’m okay, you guys did all the fighting! Let me heal you first!”

“Absolutely not. You got sideswiped by those things! Besides, I’ll be fine.” Natsu wiped a small trail of blood from her mouth discreetly.

“Y’all were incredible. I could have never done this on my own,” Tommy said.

“You’re right.” Natsu’s bluntness incited a five second silence, followed by a minute-long fit of rampant giggling.

“I can’t wait to return to the guild. This is a small victory, but it will--”

“Small? Did you not see what we just did?” A silence followed. Not like the one before it. It was heavy, pregnant with anxiety and caution.

“We’re knee-deep in more trouble than we can handle, my friends...but this small win is where it starts. Today the trees, tomorrow the generals!” A look passed through the girls once more. A look of confusion, and then a look of anxiety.

“Who are the generals?” Laverna asked, Sunflower placing her healing hands upon her back.

“Now that...is a more concerning question.”

&&&&

Monika looked all around, basking in how enthralled everybody at the table was. Everybody was on the edge of their seats, quite literally. It made this next moment so delicious.

“Okay, everyone, that’s where we’ll end the session for today.” The table practically exploded.

“Come on, man! Ya can’t do that!” Natsuki complained.

“Who are the generals? What does that mean?” Yuri, more animated than she had ever seen her, practically grabbed Monika by the lapels to get the answer.

“That’s the beauty of suspense. It’ll give you guys something to think about over the weekend.” A beat passed as the rest of the table realized it.

“Oh, yeah...it’s Friday,” Sayori said, sounding more than a little disappointed.

“Damn, and this was such a good session!” Natsuki said with enthusiasm.

“Language, missy!” Monika chided, giving her a playful “tsk tsk tsk”.

“I’ve never heard you swear before today, Natsuki,” Yuri said.

“Yeah, I mean...it’s whatever ya know? Some people don’t like it so, like, I try not to do it until I get to know somebody better. Kinda gauge their response.”

“So, you’re saying we’re cloooose?” Sayori wrapped her arms around the petite girl and pulled her in for a tight hug. Natsuki gave a very weak defense, but she didn’t pull away. Monika and Yuri, the de facto adults of the group, gave a smile and shook their heads. By the time Natsuki finally pulled away, the sun was beginning to set, basking the club room in the beautiful pinks and oranges of twilight.

Nobody was too quick to pack up. Everybody had something they wanted to say right before they left, which became a never-ending cycle of “Oh, but before I go, I--”. But who could blame them?

“I really just can’t wait for Monday,” Sayori said, forcing a laugh.

“I know, right? Like, God, why can’t we just keep going, ya know? Haha.” There was another pregnant pause as the question hung heavy in the air. Monika froze. Her blood ran cold. Was this the time? Did she do it? Should she push that boundary? Should she finally show her hand?

“Well, why don’t we then?” Monika’s confident voice was the light in the darkness the girls needed. Their expressions switched to absolute joy in a matter of milliseconds.

“Are you saying--”

“Sleepover!” Sayori called out, giddy as a puppy. Monika felt a blush come over her at the word “sleepover”, but that was what it would be for all intents and purposes.

“Nothing too much. Just hanging out. If--if everybody wants to.” Monika tried to backpedal a bit, but she was already stuck in forward motion.

“Absolutely!” Sayori cried.

“It sounds like fun,” Yuri’s soft voice dared to ring out through the joyous shouts of Sayori.

“I mean, it’s not like I’m doing anything else,” Natsuki said, never truly accepting, but going along anyway. “B-But I’ll need to get some stuff from my house before I go.”

“I thought so. How about we all meet at my place tomorrow? Around 12 sounds good for everybody?” A chorus of agreement replied, although Sayori seemed a bit bummed that she couldn’t follow her home right this instant. “Alright, awesome! I’ll see you all tomorrow, then. I’ve got some planning to do!” And that she did, both in-game and out.

That night, when Monika returned home, she shut the door to her bedroom behind her, and locked it. She sunk down against the door, as she had dozens of times before, but this time, it was not a breakdown. More like an overload. The joy inside her came out as hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She clutched her knees and pulled them close, squirming and squealing with joy.

She fell onto her side, and she couldn’t help but laugh at herself as she sprawled out on her bedroom floor, staring up at the ceiling with tears dripping onto the carpet. She simply couldn’t contain the joy at the thought of not being alone...even if it was just for a weekend.

Chapter Text

Monika had been standing in front of the mirror for nearly an hour at this point. It was a repeating dance of her dressing, checking herself out in the floor-length mirror, shaking her head, then trudging back to the closet to start the cycle anew. She’d gone through nearly half her closet, and nothing seemed to work.

Her first outfit looked too formal, yet the second looked too relaxed. The third looked like she was trying too hard, while the fourth was just hideous. She didn’t want to look like she was trying to show anybody up, but at the same time, she didn’t want to make it seem like she was a lazy slob.

Monika was about at the point of tearing her hair out as she tossed a pair of shorts and a tank top onto her bed. She sat down and took a deep breath.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t even matter,” she said to herself. “Not even a little bit. Nobody cares.” It didn’t matter how much she told herself that; the nagging thoughts wouldn’t go away.

This was too important to just throw caution to the wind. This was essentially a first impression. It had been years since anybody had entered her home, let alone her club members. Visitors weren’t very common in her home. Both her parents were typically working while she was home, and at home when she was at school. Days would pass by without her saying more than ten sentences to her parents; however, it was not a cold relationship by any means. Just a busy and conflicting one.

And so that dynamic lead to her home being a deathly silent one, more often than not. Monika would sometimes blare music just to kill the silence, but that felt too disruptive for her. So she would sit in the quiet, the television being the only thing brave enough to make a sound in that tomb of a home.

Monika was lonely, but she had grown quite fond of the quiet. It was like a gentle friend, always standing in the background, smiling at her softly, but never reaching out to interact with her. It was a peaceful existence, but not the one she wanted.

Butterflies hatched in her stomach at the thought of her home being filled with laughter and enjoyment. Jokes and jeers, smiles and shouts, all were so alien in her undisturbed home that she almost worried it would somehow wake up and tell them to quiet down.

But a warm smile crept over her face at the thought of it. She took a few deep breaths, as she was known to do when stressed, and shook the anxiety out of her head. It would be okay. She repeated that to herself like a lullaby until she was finally able to decide on her outfit.

She went with the shorts and tank top. It was one of her favorite outfits, even if it was a bit chilly outside. The top depicted a fantasy scene of an open field with a dragon flying high above. The sky was, oddly enough, a bright magenta, and the full moon loomed over the entire scene, even though it was clearly daytime in the design. Monika had given it some thought if perhaps the designers had split the work up and forgotten some core details, but nonetheless, she had bought it months ago.

This was her first time wearing it in front of anybody she knew. She worried that it would be too on-the-nose, but she pushed that dreadful thought out of her head in favor of more exciting and enjoyable ones. She meandered her way downstairs, only to be greeted by more silence. Monika’s stomach had done loops at the thought of having to ask her parents for permission.

It was a classic scene she had seen in movies a dozen times before. The teenager would go to their parents and ask for permission to hang out with their friends privately. Their parents would always say “Well, okay, but no parties!” And they would give the teenager a side-eyed glance as they slipped away, plotting their evening. Monika had the entire thing planned out in her head, but when she got there, her parents simply told her that they would be away for the weekend. Her mother traveling for a conference, her father taking care of a sick relative.

It was a strange mixture of relief and disappointment. She told them her plans anyway, and they merely gave her a nod. They had no need to worry. She was Little Miss Perfect, and never would she have to be worried about. Never would she have to be scolded, or given rules and curfews. She could do whatever she wanted...so why did it feel so wrong to do what she wanted?

Monika brushed a hand over the counter top and sighed. Her breath was the only sound that rang out over the quiet hum of the electronics in the house. All there was left to do was get ready and wait. She had decided the dining room would be the most appropriate place to have their game.

Crossing past the living room, in a small room off of her kitchen, Monika’s dining room had been transformed in only an hour. Candles were lit in each corner of the room. Pines, berries, wildflowers, and rainwater were the scents she had chosen. She had had doubts, but the smells mixed together quite well, leaving a fairly realistic imitation of the scents of the forest.

All her materials lay on one end of the table. Her “DM chair” as she had dubbed it. A foldable screen that contained all sorts of important information blocked the player’s view of her work, leaving her dice rolls and scribblings an absolute mystery. Monika hadn’t thought it terribly necessary, but the mystery added an element of fun to the table.

A bluetooth speaker at the far end of the room was connected to her phone, with a playlist she had stayed up making the night before. She had planned it perfectly. A looping soundtrack for each scenario of the day. It took her more than two hours to decide on the perfect music for combat, but she was proud of it. She was proud of all of it.

Monika took a step back and admired her work. She slipped her phone out of her nearly dreadfully shallow pocket and checked the time. Only four more hours of waiting to go. She sighed. She was going to go insane.

*****

Yuri shook with each step. She was so close, yet so far. In truth, Monika’s house wasn’t more than a twenty minute walk away, but it might as well have been a trek over a mountain. About five times she had turned back, sure she had forgotten something before realizing that, no, she hadn’t. Her nerves ate away at her the entire way there.

Yuri stopped to check her reflection in the front-facing camera of her phone. Her hair had refused to cooperate that morning, and her long locks were plagued with more fly-aways than she could count. She smoothed her hair out with her hand, inadvertently playing with it--a nervous habit of hers. It was a soothing motion, to run her long, purple hair through her hands like water. If Yuri could boast anything, it was that her hair was remarkably soft to the touch.

She snapped out of her trance and slid her phone back into her purse. She had chosen a rather bland but comfortable outfit to wear: a large beige sweater with a pair of black leggings. She had wrestled with the idea of adding a bit more flair to her outfit, but the thought of being the only one to stand out made her nearly upchuck her breakfast. No, this was fine, she decided.

The last leg of her walk was the hardest. She checked the time. It was a quarter to twelve when Monika’s home came into view. Her fears of being too early eased when she saw a familiar, tiny, pink figure standing behind the wall that fenced in Monika’s home. Her arms were crossed, and she was biting her lip. Yuri nearly had to use her other arm to force herself to wave to the petite girl.

Natsuki caught her immediately, and practically jogged over to her.

“Hello, Natsuki,” Yuri said. “It’s nice to see you.” Yuri feared that sounded too formal for friends, but she didn’t linger on it for long.

“Yeah, hey, you too. Have you seen Sayori?”

“No. It’s still early, she might be on her way.”

“Ugh. I just hope she isn’t late. I’ve been waiting here forever, but I didn’t wanna go in because...well…” Yuri’s eyes lit up, and a smile crossed her pale cheeks.

“It seemed like it was too early?” Yuri couldn’t contain her joy.

“Yeah.” Natsuki gave a cool nod.

“I know that exact feeling! It happens to me all the time.”

“Yeah...I try to be on time. Especially when it’s like...important, ya know?” A blush found itself quite welcome on Natsuki’s round cheeks.

“I know that all too well, Natsuki.” Yuri smiled. Natsuki struggled to meet her gaze.

“A-Anyway, now that you’re here I guess we can go on inside, right?” Natsuki didn’t wait for a reply before trudging through the front gate and knocking on Monika’s door. It was flung open in a matter of seconds.

“Hey! It’s great to see you’re all here!”

“Well, minus Sayori. She’s probably on the way. Well...probably.”

“No problem, no problem. Come on in.” Monika held the door open for the two girls of varying heights. They found themselves staring wide-eyed at the high ceilings and wide, airy living room.

“Yo, Monika this place is huge. Are you rich or something?” Natsuki shot the question with a toothy grin.

“I must say, it is quite nice in here.” Yuri admired the slight echo of her voice against the walls. Monika put her hands up defensively.

“No, no! Nothing like that. This house is actually kinda old. It’s my grandpa’s house. And I think it might have been his dad’s house before him? I’m not really sure, but it’s seen a lot of remodeling. Some of this stuff is older than anybody in the family.” Monika gushed about her home as she walked around aimlessly. She stopped quite suddenly and turned to the girls. “Right, sorry. You probably don’t care about all that. Ha, I ramble when--” she stopped herself suddenly with a cough. “Yeah, it’s a really old place, but it’s not like--no, it’s not dangerous or anything.”

Natsuki and Yuri gave her a reassuring smile as she cooled herself down. She ushered the girls into the kitchen and offered them a drink. Monika repeatedly checked the time on her phone as the minutes ticked by. The girls decided to linger in the kitchen to kill some time.

“Natsuki, are you wearing makeup?” Monika craned her head forward with a grin. The small girl turned her face away from her club president.

“No, it’s nothing. Just...a little blush.” Yuri could see that that wasn’t quite true. It wasn’t too noticeable, but she had most definitely dolled herself up a bit.

“Well, you blended it quite well, Natsuki. I never knew you were into makeup, let alone so good at it.” The complement flowed through Yuri more naturally than any compliment ever had. She was shocked as it slipped past her lips.

“R-Really?” Natsuki looked up into her eyes. It was an innocent look, a pure, genuine look that seemed to be so rare from the feisty girl. “I’ve never--I’ve never really heard that before.”

“That’s surprising to hear. It looks great!” Monika chimed in, making conversation look easy. “How often do you wear makeup, Natsuki?”

“Only on special occasions, and sometimes when Papa takes me out somewhere.”

“Well, I’m honored that you call this a special occasion, Natsuki,” Monika smirked, causing the petite girl to recoil and scoff.

“I never said that! I just...I got some new brushes and I was bored waiting around all day, so I thought I’d try them out.” Natuski turned away from the taller girl, her cheeks puffed and pouting. Monika looked to Yuri with a grin.

Before that conversation could continue, a rhythmic knocking appeared at the door. It was a song, no doubt, but none of the girls could quite place it. For a short while, that guessing game was the main topic of conversation until Monika finally opened the door to reveal a beaming Sayori.

“Was that Queen?”

“Yep! Can you guess which song?” Monika gave it some genuine thought for about ten seconds before answering.

“‘I Want to Break Free’? ”

“Nope! ‘Bicycle’!”

“Oh, I love that song,” Yuri said. Sayori quickly slid her way inside, holding her binder and dice to her chest like a kindergartner on her first day of school. She found herself equally mesmerized by the home, whistling for a minute just to hear it reverberate.

“This reminds me of that one show from when I was a kid.”

“Which one?” Natsuki questioned.

“I dunno. It had a family though.”

“Most shows do,” Natsuki answered, rolling her eyes.

“But they were really weird, and really fun! I always wanted to visit that house.” Suddenly Sayori caught Monika in her peripherals. “But I like your house too!” Monika chuckled, then escorted the girls to her dining room.

&&&&&

Laverna slipped through the underbrush silently. She scurried her way up a tree, not unlike a squirrel, and found herself a good position. She pried apart the shroud of leaves to reveal their target. Three Twig Blights, and three Needle Blights. The groups were growing bigger, but fortunately, the party was growing smarter. Laverna turned back to face her three companions.

Natsu hid herself among the shrubs, and Tommy and Sunflower kept their backs to the trees. Laverna made a motion with her finger that imitated piercing, then held up three fingers. All three nodded. She then did the same again, but with a wispy finger movement. They understood the message. Laverna readied her longbow as she watched her companions begin stealthing their way forward.

Sunflower slipped forward like a cat, bouncing from foot to foot almost as if she were dancing. She made her way to cover behind an oak tree on the ridge overlooking their foes, who were currently idling, but not hiding, for some strange reason. She paid it little mind as she watched Tommy go next.

His lanky body crouched, then took very awkward, slow steps, much like a penguin. Laverna gave a concerned look toward their quarry, but they showed no signs of alarm as Tommy waddled his way into cover. Natsu was considerably less agile as she practically kicked her way through the bushes, rattling leaves and sticks violently as she made her way forward.

Laverna snapped her eyes shut and cringed, but when she popped her eyes open again, Natsu was in cover, and their enemies were still unaware somehow. The girl credited it to the terrible hearing of creatures without proper ears. She breathed a sigh of relief as they began enacting the plan. Laverna would be the one to kick it off, but the others would follow close behind.

She wrapped an arrow in cloth that had been soaked in oil. Her eyes scanned the tree range, seeking out each of her companions. Sunflower with lute in hand, Tommy with his shortbow, and Natsu with her handaxes. They had the element of surprise, all they had to do was not waste it.

In one swift motion, Laverna sparked a flame and ignited the arrow. Before her enemies could notice the light in the tree, Laverna sent the flaming arrow sailing through the sky. It found a comfortable home in the wooden chest of the center Needle Blight. It gave out a strange shriek that sounded like wood dragging against stone before it fell to the ground, crackling and roasting. It was at this point, the rest of the enemy group noticed the handaxe and arrow flying towards them as well. Tommy’s arrow took the head clean off of a Twig Blight, and Natsu’s axe pinned one to the tree behind it, killing it as well.

The Blights scrambled to action as the attack finally dawned upon them, but their surprise attack was not finished yet. The most powerful member had yet to act. Natsu and Tommy gave Sunflower the thumbs up as she stepped from cover, playing her lute. She sang a beautiful, haunting melody that rang out through the trees. The Blights didn’t have any clear facial features for hearing, but they could indeed hear her song.

They rushed up the hill toward her, claws and needles ready to launch, but as the only remaining Twig Blight took his first step onto the hill, he found his energy sapped from him as the light in his eyes began to slowly dim and dull. His legs wobbled, and he fell forward, asleep. The two Needle Blights did the same, only before they succumbed to the magical slumber, they both attempted to launch an attack. Their needles shot no more than ten feet before hitting the ground harmlessly. And with that, all three enemies had fallen victim to Sunflower’s sweet song of slumber.

The tiefling put a hand on her chest as her song finished. She turned to her party members with an ecstatic grin. Right before she could open her mouth, Natsu slapped her hand over it. The barbarian put a finger to her lips, then pointed to the sleeping enemies below them. Sunflower nodded. Natsu only took her hand away when she was absolutely sure. Laverna descended the tree to meet up with her allies.

“That went well!” Laverna whispered.

“Yeah, we really got this business down!” Tommy scratched the back of his head and smiled.

“We’re a real team now! Look at us!” Sunflower beamed.

“Job ain’t quite done yet,” Natsu said, making her way down the hill carefully. This bit was a bit more gruesome than most were willing to do. Putting an enemy down in the heat of battle was one thing, but to take them out while they were sleeping was a bit harsher. Thankfully, Natsu’s stomach was made of stronger stuff than that.

The team stood by as Natsu took the heads off the two Needle Blights. It wasn’t until she got to the last Twig Blight that Tommy finally had his idea. He slid down the hill, waving his hands.

“Wait, wait!” he called out just as Natsu raised her handaxe above her head.

“What, did you call dibs or something?”

“No, no, I just had an idea!”

“Firewood?”

“No! What if we took this one back with us?”

“Oh, well, that’s a weird pet idea, but I guess if you get a good leash it’ll be alright.” Sunflower chuckled at that one. The creature stirred slightly, but didn’t awaken. Sunflower put the hand over her own mouth this time.

“We might be able to study it, and maybe learn somethin’ useful!”

“Oh, alright, yeah, that’s a pretty good idea.” Natsu stowed her handaxe. “But how much longer does the spell last?”

“About another three seconds,” Sunflower chimed in.

“Oh,” Natsu said right before the creature leapt to its feet and attacked her. The two went rolling as Natsu punched and wrestled with the twig creature.

“Remember! Don’t kill it!” Tommy cried.

“Easy for you to say!” Natsu shouted back as she finally caught one of the creature’s flailing arms and pinned it to its back. After another quick bout of swinging wildly, she finally caught the other one and held them together. “Help would be nice! Anybody? Anybody at all with about a foot of rope?”

“Oh, right,” Laverna said, finally springing into action to secure the creature’s arms. They were a bit strangely shaped, with rounded claws almost like paws on thin, spindly arms, but she was able to find a configuration that kept it contained. The restraints didn’t stop the creature from wriggling and writhing though.

Natsu took hold of the extra rope that had been attached to the creature’s bindings.

“Ha, ya know, that’s not too bad a pet.” The creature leapt at Tommy, but Natsu yanked it backwards. “Down, boy. Alright, if we’re gonna get this thing back we might wanna get moving.” And suddenly, a strange feeling came over Natsu. Not just Natsu, but both Sunflower and Laverna as well. A strange, new feeling. Like they finally gained enough experience in their travels to hit a new level.

“Hm, on a scale of one to twenty, how do you girls feel?” Natsu questioned. “I’m feeling like a two right now, if I’m being honest.”

&&&&&

Natsuki stared at her expectantly. The entire table joined in. Monika restrained a smirk as she shook her head.

“And with that, you have finally reached level two,” Monika confirmed.

“Oh, yeah, baby! That’s what I’ve been waitin’ for! That’s what it’s all about! Woo!” Natsuki called out. Yuri figured that specific statement may have been a reference of some sort, but it was definitely one that escaped her.

“Natsuki, how did you know we were on the verge of leveling up?” Yuri inquired.

“Oh, I might have done some research...just a little bit.”

“Lies! You had like six tabs open on your phone that entire time!” Sayori cried out.

“What? Were you watching me?” Sayori got uncharacteristically quiet for a few moments.

“I mean...maybe. I do that sometimes.” She made a triangle with her fingers, tapping them together lightly, looking like a guilty child. “Yuri shops online a lot.”

“Um, maybe we don’t need to talk about that,” Yuri felt a heat begin washing over her as she stepped into unusual territories of socialization.

“For real? What does she buy?” Yuri looked to Monika for support, but the club leader seemed just as interested as Natsuki. Yuri was mortified at the answer.

“So, Monika what do we do now?” Yuri piped up, perhaps louder than she ever had before.

“Oh, uh, right.” Monika was shaken out of her trance. “So, we’ll have to do this one at a time, I guess. I can start with you, if you want.” Even with her efforts to change the topic, Sayori still managed to lean over and whisper the answer to Natsuki. She knew she had told her because for the next few minutes, Natsuki’s eyes seemed to be drawn to her chest. Yuri felt like burying her face in her hands and hiding under the table, but she knew if she did it would only be confirming the answer. It was best to retain deniability.

And so the party stepped up to the next level, quite literally. Monika went over the basics for everybody. At this level, it was mostly a bump in hit points, and an introduction to a new ability. Monika frantically promised the party that higher levels would bring them more fantastic abilities, but frankly, the girls were quite pleased with the small bump in power they had received.

Yuri, having unfortunately botched her hit point roll, was mainly focusing on her new ability: spellcasting. Sayori was overjoyed to have another magic user in the party, although she was only allowed two spells. It seemed a simple choice for most, but these two decisions were massive to Yuri. These could save lives or ruin them; how could she make such a choice in a matter of minutes?

The party left Yuri to ponder the spell list of the ranger, and moved onto Natsuki, who was all but bouncing in her chair in anticipation. First came her roll to increase her hit points. It was a decent roll that landed just about right in the middle; it was a five. Nothing to get excited about, but with her constitution modifier, it was nothing to sniff at either. Natsuki shrugged and smiled either way. Her next ability had her more than excited.

“It’s called ‘Reckless Attack’, right?” Natsuki cut in, throwing Monika off her rhythm slightly.

“Uh, yes. You know what it does?”

“It gives me advantage when I attack, right?”

“Yes, if you declare it, but enemies get advantage when they attack you as well.” Natsuki sat in silence for a moment, contemplating something.

“That’s cool and all, but...what’s advantage?” Natsuki inquired.

“Ooh, oh! I know this one!” Sayori chimed in. “It was on your phone earlier. Advantage is when you get to roll twice instead of once, and I think you get to take the higher one? Right? Yeah! How’d you not see it?”

“I don’t always read the whole thing. I skim it sometimes. And stop looking at my phone!” Natsuki huffed as she shooed Sayori from her shoulder. The cheery girl merely giggled as she continued to hover just out of Natsuki’s reach. Monika shifted her gaze from them to Yuri, who was still muttering to herself about choices.

“I could go with some of the more supportive healing options, but Sayori seems to have that covered...but it would be nice to have the extra support.”

“You okay over there?” Monika asked. Yuri practically jumped out of her chair.

“Oh, yes. Sorry, was I being too loud?”

“You’re good. Don’t overthink it. Just pick whichever one you think you’d get the most use out of.” Yuri gave her a thoughtful nod as she returned to reading the spell list off her phone. “Okay, Sayori, you’re up.”

The girl slid her chair over to Monika’s, leaving very little wiggle room between them. Monika gave a light chuckle before giving her a tiny shove back. Sayori fought back playfully, sliding her chair back in place each time. Eventually, the club leader gave a sigh, and relinquished the space to Sayori, who was now leaning on her shoulder.

“So, you get a new spell. I’ll let you pick that one out when you want, and two new abilities.” Monika mumbled to herself as she read the description, but Sayori surprisingly spoke up before she could repeat the information back to her more clearly.

“Song of Rest. I can spend a hit die at the end of a short rest to give an extra D6 of hit points to any friendly creature that can hear it. Got it.” Sayori scribbled it down hastily. Monika was taken aback at how quickly the girl was able to pick up on things. Many people might have written her off as air-headed for her clumsiness, but Sayori was perceptive, if anything. Even if that big, goofy smile might be distracting, there was a wonderfully active brain behind those eyes.

“Monika? Monny?” Sayori drug her out of the vast, roaming hills that were the landscapes of her mind.

“Right, sorry. Got distracted. The other thing you get here is called ‘Jack of All Trades’. It lets you add your proficiency bonus rounded down to any ability checks you make that aren’t already using it. Hm, interesting. That’s kinda crazy.”

“Ooh, I can do anything!”

“Well, you can get a plus one to anything, that’s for sure.” Monika had to wrestle with the logistics of that skill for a moment. She questioned how becoming a bard could give you skills in survival techniques, but far be it from her to write the rules. Besides, Sayori’s smile was too adorable to deny her the ability to do whatever she set her mind to.

By the time the girls wrapped up, Yuri had finally made her decision. Natsuki and Sayori leaned over the table to see what she had chosen.

“‘Fog cloud’? What’s that?” Natsuki questioned, already pulling her phone out to look it up.

“It lets me create a dense cloud that--”

“Ooh, ‘Hunter’s Mark’ sounds neat!” Sayori interrupted.

“Oh, that is quite a useful ability. I can do a lot more damage--”

“Just looked it up. She’s basically a fog machine.”

“Well, I think it has a lot of practical uses in--”

“Hey, maybe we could use that to make a cool entrance!”

“What, like an 80’s band?”

“Yeah, that could be our thing!”

“What thing?”

“You know, our thing! Our trademark, our brand!”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, think about it!” Yuri shrank away as the conversation went far above her head and into the clouds. Trying to find a place to enter now was like rock climbing in a monsoon. Monika caught her eye, and the club leader’s grin and eye roll gave her a feeling of reassurance.

“Okay, everyone, let’s bring it back to the table.” Natsuki and Sayori stopped their conversation, which had now gone far past the original topic into nonsense nobody could understand, dead in the middle of a sentence.

“We’ll pick this up later,” Natsuki assured Sayori as the two returned to their seats. Monika took a look around at the party. With new abilities in hand, all three felt like they could take on all sorts of new challenges, and their faces reflected that. Monika was quite ecstatic about that, because she had all sorts of new challenges to throw at them.

Chapter Text

A loud cacophony rang out through the silent home. The front door swung upon its hinges quickly enough to cause it to give out a shriek as it careened into the standing coat rack. The ensuing sounds of wood clattering on wood only soured his mood even further.

“Stupid fuckin’ thing...why is it even...ugh,” Vernon muttered to himself as he bent over to lift the long wooden rack back into its standard placement, albeit slightly further from the path of the door. As he rose, a sharp pain shot through his back. He slapped a hand to his side, as if he were trying to cover a bleeding wound. It did no good. He rose to his full height with a grimace through clenched teeth.

As he stood, his gaze met a framed photograph hanging on the wall. Well, he saw the back of it. He’d turned the frame around years ago. Just seeing it ruined his day every time. The divorce never left his mind. He was reminded of it every single day. Every time she stepped through the door, every dinner as she sat across from him, every time he had to answer an unnecessary question of hers, every day the thought ran through his head. How? How had it gotten so bad?

He made a loop from the fridge to the living room. It was a familiar path for him. As he planted himself onto the couch, he kicked his shoes across the room with a sharp laugh. Every day he mentally measured how far he could kick them. This time they had made it a yard from the front door. If he got them much further, he might actually land them on the shoe rack. The thought of that amused him.

The beer in his hand sighed and popped as he cracked it open on the edge of the coffee table. A pile of bottle caps was quickly forming on the stained, scratched table. A few times he had considered keeping the caps and maybe making some sort of craft with them. On some passing show he had watched he had seen somebody actually made a tabletop out of hundreds of caps. It didn’t take much math to figure out that he could have made that one a long time ago.

He threw his head back. It was quiet without Natsuki. No matter how far she was, he could always hear her in the background. Whether it was the repetitive sound effect of some videogame, or the loud screeching of one of her Japanese cartoons, she was never far off, but rarely ever was she in his sight. That thought caused his mouth to curl into a snarl.

How was he the bad guy? He was the one who took her in. He was the one who clothed her, who paid for her school supplies, who fed her...at least most days. Vernon scratched the back of his head as he remembered the benders he’d gone on. When he came back, he found every cabinet in the house empty, and Natsuki nowhere to be found. She’d gone to the neighbor, apparently asking if they’d seen him. A pang of guilt stabbed him in the gut. She could have said so much more. She could have said so much worse. But she didn’t. And when they didn’t know, that was the end of it. He could understand it now, so why did it make him so angry at the time?

Vernon sat his beer down and put his head in his hands.

“Why do I always fuck everything up?” He wasn’t sure who he was talking to. The walls, the pictures, maybe God himself? The question went unanswered as he sat in contemplation. There were more mistakes than he could count, and every day he made more of them. If there was a Hell, his would be standing in front of the pearly gates, listening to Saint Peter list off all his sins in front of everybody. The mere thought of it made him want to vomit.

The glares, the behind-the-hand whispers, all of it. He deserved it, yet he couldn’t stand it. Every time the two of them left the house, that’s all he got. The stupid look the waiter gave him when he ordered another beer popped into his mind. Who the hell was he to judge? Who the hell was anybody to judge? They didn’t know, they hadn’t been through what he had, they weren’t dealing with the same thing.

From the start, it felt to Vernon like everybody was running the same race, but his track had been cluttered with hurdles and pits as far as he could see. The biggest one was right behind him now, but his race was far from over, and he didn’t have the stamina left to keep going.

And she returned to his mind: Natsuki. His girl...their baby girl.

“It shouldn’t have went down like this,” he spoke to himself again. His hands supported the full weight of his splitting head as he leaned over the coffee table. His hand blindly scrambled for the remote. He tapped the power button on the remote, and the blaring sounds of whatever sitcom was playing during the middle of the day came on. It would help. Anything to kill the silence. To end his thoughts.

A few swigs of beer later, and Vernon was back on the couch, groaning and muttering about work. Every move sent a wave of discomfort through him, no matter which way he turned. He almost called out for Natsuki to bring his muscle rub to him, but their conversation the day before came back to mind.

“Why’d she look so damn scared?” he asked himself, eyes fixed on the television. “I don’t care. It’s fine.” He shook his head as he drained the bottle. His thoughts lingered for a moment, and the only way to settle them was to retrieve his phone from his pocket. He only had a handful of contacts on the old smartphone, and Natsuki was at the top of them. A few taps later, and he had sent her a simple message: When r you comin home?

He sat his phone down. She always took a minute to respond, but rarely ever did she keep him waiting. Unfortunately for him, Vernon knew she wasn’t going to be home in the next few minutes, so with some effort, he rose from the couch to retrieve his cream and another beer. His phone laid silent on the table.

&&&&&

“Now...ya wanna tell me what the hell y’all have done here?” Mr. Jamison questioned as the girls drug the creature through the front door. Natsu trudged forward with both arms flexing, but its wooden feet scraped along the ground only an inch at a time. Laverna and Sunflower stood by patiently, and Tommy held his club at the ready.

“Is that one of those things?” Clarissa looked to Jamison for the answer.

“Welp, uh, looks like it. T’be honest, I remembered ‘em being bigger.”

“Well, he’s been a pretty big pain in the ass, if that counts for anything!” Natsu hollered as she finally tripped the creature up and slid him along the floor. The barbarian was covered in bruises, scratches, and what looked to be a bite mark on her right bicep. She had been in charge of escorting the creature, and it had made sure her job was not an enjoyable one.

Without the freedom to kill it, Natsu had to settle for verbal attacks, and after a while, her insults had run dry. Laverna snatched a chair from a desk in the corner and sat it behind the Blight. With some effort, Natsu was able to lift and restrain the creature long enough for Sunflower to secure it to the chair.

“Is it tight?” Natsu questioned, leaning away from the snapping creature.

“I think so.”

“Think so or know so?”

“Uh...little bit of both?” Natsu sighed and trusted her companion. She let the creature go, and much to her relief, its frantic attempts at escape were not enough to persuade the length of rope to loosen. It wasn’t going anywhere.

“Alright, great work, good work, team. Now what the hell are we doin’?” Jamison repeated his earlier statement.

“To make a long story short, Mr. Jamison, we plan on interrogating this creature in one form or another,” Laverna said. The half-elf kicked the mud from her boots at the door, and dusted herself off as she re-entered the hall.

“Can this thing even talk, though?” Sunflower questioned, swiveling her head around for an answer. Nobody seemed to have a solid one for her.

“Well, it didn’t say anything back, but it seemed to understand when I called it a useless twiggy piece of shit,” Natsu replied. As she repeated the statement, the creature made a futile attempt to leap at her. She blew a raspberry at it.

“Right. Right. Good info,” Jamison nodded his head, tipping his hat back for a better look at the creature. “So, where do we start?” Natsu lifted her fist slowly. Laverna placed a hand on hers, lowered the barbarian’s fist, then shook her head.

A good deal of time passed as the group collectively brainstormed. All the while, the creature thrashed and writhed in the chair. On one occasion, it almost slipped a twiggy arm from its binding, but a good bonk from Tommy’s club set it back in line.

“Okay...hear me out,” Sunflower began for the third time. “Does it have a brain?”

“No, I split one in half. I literally have no idea how these things are alive,” Natsu replied, laying face-down on a bench, her arm dragging the ground.

“Magic, more than likely,” Laverna answered; she was sitting in the corner reading a book. A few seconds of silence--save for the snoring of Mr. Jamison--passed by. Sunflower’s eyes lit up once more. She stood up from the bench suddenly enough to wake the sleeping retiree.

“I’ve got it! If magic is the problem, then magic is the solution!”

“Fight fire with fire? I like it,” Natsu said, turning herself over to rejoin the conversation.

“But what kind?” Laverna questioned. Sunflower took inventory of her own abilities.

“I could...heal it? No. Stupid idea.”

“You are correct, but I may have an idea,” a groggy Mr. Jamison replied. “Clarissa, be a dear and go get the map, would ya?” The mousy girl nodded and practically dove into the pile of junk harbored in one of the hall closets. She tossed aside several dozen objects of varying importance before she found a map case. Dust danced through the sunbeams as she carried it from the closet to the table.

She struggled to unravel it, but once she weighed each end down with a mug, she was finally able to see it. Jamison meandered his way over, spitting on the floor as he crossed.

“Alrighty, I’m trustin’ one of ya knows how to read a map.” Sunflower and Natsu looked to Laverna, who gave them a shrug and a semi-confident nod. “Works for me. So, if y’all will direct your attention, here is where we are.” He poked a weathered finger into the bottom left corner of the continent labeled “Ceraphin”. The girls were blown away by the sheer size of the land they were currently on. It would take more than a week to cross it from coast to coast.

“Side note, just want to say this map is pretty rad,” Natsu gave the compliment, which Jamison received and replied in a voice that sounded much more like a young girl than his own voice. He gave a cough and continued.

“So this is where we are. Albeit, a lot more forest ‘round us than there was before. There’s a town called Seratin about a day’s walk east from here. ‘Fore ya could follow the road and probably get there before sundown, but now...well, it’s anybody's game, really. I’m thinkin’ having a ranger in the party’ll help with that, though.” He turned toward the half-elf with a nod. Laverna was beaming with pride.

“I won’t let you down,” she assured him.

“Okay, good plan so far...but why are we going there?” Natsu asked.

“Oh, right, right. See, I got a friend who owes me a favor there. Name’s Sera. She’s a druid. Now I am not sure how familiar y’all are with druids, but--”

“Isn’t the Witch of the Woods a druid?” Clarissa piped up. Jamison turned to her.

“Listen, I am aware the irony of the situation--usin’ a druid to help fight a druid--but we ain’t got a plethora of choices, m’kay? Anyway. Druids can speak with plants. Some of ‘em, anyway. My hope is that she can get into this one’s mind.” He planted a hand on the Blight’s head and gave its twiggy tangle a tousle. That irritated it for sure. “And maybe we can get somethin’ useful out of it. If not, well, turn his ass into firewood on the way back. I don’t care.” All three girls nodded and agreed it was the best plan they had at the moment.

“I gotta say, Jamison, this is the most useful you’ve been so far,” Natsu said with a smirk that curved her lips.

“Backhanded compliment aside, I’ll also be needin’ y’all to give me a report of the town when you get back. We’ve been cut off for a while, and it’s been silent. We need to know how things are goin’ on their end. And especially let ‘em know how things are goin’ on ours.” Jamison removed the mugs and rolled the map back up. He handed it to Laverna, who took it with deep appreciation. She gushed over the quality of the paper.

“But more than anything, be careful!” Clarissa said, looking smaller than she really was in that moment. “There’s a reason we don’t travel the roads anymore. You’ll be in constant danger! You have to make sure you’re absolutely ready before you leave!”

“Maybe some sturdier armor might help a few of ya.” Jamison gave a quick survey of the party. The entirety of them, including Tommy, wore leather at best. Most of their garments had been torn, soiled, soaked, or scratched terribly. It was a wonder that they had held up as long as they had. The girls were suddenly quite aware of the dilapidated status of their armors, except for Natsu.

“I’m only just now noticing you’re not wearing any armor,” Laverna pointed out.

“Nope. Don’t need it when you’re tough.” She patted her biceps. Laverna raised a finger to object, but Natsu looked determined to prove her wrong no matter what she said.

“You are tough, I’ll give you that.”

“Ooh, are we gonna go shopping?” Sunflower perked up.

“Unfortunately...there aren’t a lot of choices for shopping in Woodrot.”

“Well, where can we go, Clarissa?” Laverna inquired. The mousy girl took a few moments before opening her mouth once more.

“You’re not gonna like it…”

“Just tell us the name at least,” Natsu cut in.

“The Rowdy Maiden.” The name took all three girls aback, and Laverna even chuckled before the grimaces on both Tommy and Clarissa’s faces confirmed that it wasn’t a joke after all.

“Are you quite sure that isn’t a tavern of some sort? I mean who gives that kind of a name to a blacksmith’s shop?”

“Probably a gross old man,” Natsu replied, only to be surprised by the shaking of Tommy’s head.

“Actually...she’s the rowdy maiden.” A few beats of silence passed.

“What?”

“You’ll see for yourself.”

*****

The walk over hadn’t taken long, but Laverna regretted taking the time to kick the mud off her boots earlier. It was absolutely pouring down bucket after bucket of rain, and the moment she had stepped back onto the road, she had sunk nearly ankle-deep into a mud puddle. With a groan, she yanked her foot out and continued.

Sunflower led the group to the shop. The others had decided that Sunflower should be the face of the party in situations like this. How could anybody say no to that smile? She equipped that same smile as they came upon the shop. It wasn’t particularly impressive; it looked about like the rest of the town. It was a single-story building made of stone that now sported a moss overcoat. Only one large window allowed light into the building, but it was covered with a curtain. The only other distinct feature was the sign: a woman with a bottle in her hand, leaning on an anvil. The girls braced themselves.

Sunflower knocked as delicate as a spring rain tapping on the door. She got no response. She knocked two more times before Natsu stepped past her and all but bashed the door down with her dense knuckles.

“Oi, I’m comin’!” A voice called out from inside. Sunflower turned back to the dwarf with a look of worry, but Natsu merely gave her a thumbs up and shoved her forward. The door swung in on itself to reveal a human woman taller than Laverna by a head. She had hair as red and exuberant as the flaming forge behind her; it hung down to her hips in wild locks. Her biceps were thicker than Sunflower’s entire body. Her own body was only obscured by a blacksmith’s apron and a pair of simple cloth pants. She wore no shoes. Her leathery skin told a winding tale of battle with a plethora of scars that carved all sorts of shapes across her body.

This woman was intimidating. Sunflower struggled to unlock her jaw. “Aye, whit?” she asked in a harsh, stony voice. It was a strange dialect, and one that Sunflower had to strain to understand. “Ya Awright?” She leaned down to Sunflower’s level. She smelled of sweat and charcoal. The tiefling leaned back reflexively. Eventually, she was able to find her voice, albeit meek and mild.

“Hi-hello. My friends and I were looking for equipment.” The woman took a survey of the room behind her, then crinkled her face in a look of genuine confusion.

“W-What? This is a bakery, lassie. Ah don’t ken nothin’ aboot na equipment.”

“Oh, oh really?” Sunflower put a hand to cover her mouth.

“Pfft, nah!” She smacked Sunflower on the shoulder. “I’m joshin’ ya, ya hen. Come on in, bring yer gommies wit ye.” The large woman turned back to her shop. Laverna and Natsu stood silent for a few moments before they realized they were the gommies.

“What’s a gommy?”

“It must be another language. Maybe orcish,” Laverna replied before entering. Natsu shut the door behind them, and the dwarf was instantly hit with a wave of heat.

“Geez! How can you stand this?” Natsu immediately removed the hide mantle she used to keep the rain off of herself. Other than that, all the girl wore were some simple leather gauntlets lined with fur, and a mismatched shirt of rabbit hide and other various small critters.

“Aw, yer a bit of a crabbit, ain’t ye?” The large woman took a seat on a stool by her forge, rattling through a basket to find a small glass bottle.

“A what?” Natsu questioned as she slipped the mantle under her arm.

“A crabbit. Eh, can’t hulp it, ah suppose. Yer absolutely drookit! Nuttin tae be dane ‘bout it. It’s a dreich day.” Natsu stared at the woman as if she had been speaking an Eldritch language to her. Not more than two words of that entire sentence made sense to the barbarian, but to her credit, it made no more sense to Laverna either. Sunflower on the other hand was nodding along with a smile.

“Right. Right. It’s nasty out there,” Sunflower commented.

“Aye. Bit I’m bein’ a blether. Whit kin ah dae fur ya?” The woman turned her stool back toward Sunflower, bottle in hand.

“Like I said, we’re--what’s that?” Sunflower, filled with the curiosity of a cat, slunk over to the woman and observed the bottle.

“Oi, this? A smourich from this’ll hae ya bokin’ in na time. ‘Specially a bonnie lass like yerself.” The tall woman put her large, scarred fist to Sunflower’s belly and gave her a light tap. The tiefling giggled. The blacksmith raised the bottle to her mouth, flashing her wolf-like canine teeth. She snapped her jaw down onto the cork and yanked it out with a pop. “Hae a whiff, see if it don’t make ya greet.” She held the bottle out to the small girl.

The tiefling leaned over the bottle. It was a green, delicate thing that was only slightly bigger than her own hand; it looked like a toy in the large woman’s hands. The odor slowly rose into her nostrils, and the moment it did, the tiefling’s eyes began to water. It smelled like rotted apples and charcoal. She gave a cough and covered her nose with her arm.

“Ha! It’s right boggin, itn’t it?” Sunflower nodded with a laugh. The blacksmith put a hand on her head and tousled her curly brown hair. “Yer a clever hen, ya know?” Laverna and Natsu found themselves a warm place by the forge to wring the water out of their clothes and hair. As Laverna shook the rain off of her, she and Natsuki shared a raised eyebrow.

“Well, at least they’re getting along well,” Laverna said. Sunflower and the blacksmith began to converse about casual topics, and it was clear that the cheery girl had already forgotten the reason they had come.

“Whatever. I’m gonna take a look around,” Natsu said, before shaking her hair like a wet dog, flicking beads of water at the half-elf.

“Right. Sounds good,” Laverna said, wiping the water from her face. Whilst Sunflower shared stories and jokes with the blacksmith, who hooted and hollered with nearly every other sentence, Laverna and Natsu went about choosing new equipment from the displays.

It was pretty standard stuff. The less impressive work was folded up on some shelves, whilst the more sturdy armor stood on display mannequins. Natsu had her eye on a set of plate armor that stood guard in the center of the floor.

“I’d be unstoppable in this.”

“You’d also be unmovable. You really think that’d work out for you?” Natsu took a brief measurement comparison of her own body to the armor meant for a human, then narrowed her eyes at the plate armor, almost as if it had tricked her with its allure. “Not to mention the price...geez. 1,800 gold pieces? It would take all three of us months to pay this off!”

“Right. Well, how much you got?”

“Let me check.” Laverna rifled around for her purse, and then took a moment to count. “About 155. You?”

“Less than that, I’ll tell ya that.”

“So that’s definitely gonna be a no on the armor. What can we buy with this much?”

“I already told you, I don’t need armor.” Something suddenly caught Natsu’s eye. “However, weapons are a totally different story.” The dwarf ambled over to a rack on the wall with an enormous two-handed sword on it. The blade was nearly as tall as she was, and it was nearly four inches thick. It was glorious, and Natsu didn’t even notice that she was reaching out for it.

“Oi! Gonny no dae that!” The blacksmith rose from her stool suddenly and crossed the shop with a few quick strides. “Don be touchin’ me good stuff!”

“Why? It’s a shop. People buy things here,” Natsu spoke slowly, as if she were having to explain the concept to a toddler.

“Ah ken! Bit if ye drop that yer gonna break the floor!” Natsu was suddenly intrigued by her strange, archaic language.

“What now?”

“Tis git weights alang th' blade. Cannae ye see? This naughty wee jimmy is made tae break bones.” Natsu used her context clues and imagination to understand that she was pointing out the fact that along the blade’s center there were iron weights affixed to it, making the blade much heavier. Along with this realization, she noticed that the sword was actually quite dull. The end was more blunt than anything. It was more of a hammer disguising itself as a sword, and Natsu was in love.

“I’ve gotta have it!”

“Ye? haw! Come back whin ye'r three feet taller 'n' aboot twa times as pure tough.” The woman nearly doubled over laughing. Unfortunately, she’d need to triple over to reach Natsu’s height. Nonetheless, the dwarf dug her heels in.

“What’s your price?”

“Ye'r joking, richt? ye dinnae hae a diamond in that poke, dae ye?” She pointed to the satchel that hung at Natsu’s hip.

“Well, no, but I do have...uh.” Natsu began rooting through her satchel desperately. When the most impressive thing she could find was a deer antler, Natsu sighed and let her bag rest.

“Tell ye whit. Fur laughs, how come dinnae ye huv a go 'n' hurl that sword?” The blacksmith put a hand on the hilt of the enormous blade.

“Catrina, you probably shouldn’t--” Sunflower attempted to say, but Natsu was already getting handsy with the sword.

“Ye git it?” Catrina said, still holding the end of the sword with one hand as Natsu took the hilt in her own. Her biceps were straining a bit, but a smirk crossed her lips. The challenge was tough, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

“Yeah...I got it.” She puffed. “No problem.”

“Great.” And the blacksmith released her end of the sword. In mere moments, the weight of the blade nearly pulled Natsu to the ground as it nosedived forward. It made contact with a pile of rags, and made a dull thud as it hit the stone underneath. Natsu huffed and strained as she, with both hands and all of her weight, tried and failed to lift the sword a mere few inches off the ground.

“Haw! Heavy isnae it?” Natsu did not answer. She continued her fight with the sword for another minute or so in strained silence.

“Natsu, stop! Before you pop a blood vessel!” Laverna put a hand on her friend’s shaking shoulder. Natsu’s face matched the shade of Catrina’s hair. When she gave up her fight, she all but collapsed. Laverna offered some support, but Natsu pushed her away after leaning into her embrace for a few moments.

“I-I’m fine! I’m fine! But...thanks, anyway.” Natsu coughed and cut her eyes to the side. Laverna provided the best supportive smile she could, but there was no lessening the girl’s embarrassment.

To add insult to injury, with one hand, Catrina took hold of the hilt with one hand and lifted the blade back onto the rack. If Natsu wasn’t so furious, she would have been starstruck by her strength.

“Mibbie listen neist time, wee lassie.” Natsu wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but a goblin could have understood she was being mocked. The dwarf snuck away to the corner to find something more reasonable to buy, hiding her face the entire time.

The rest of the shopping experience remained thankfully uneventful. Laverna attempted to get Natsu’s opinion on a new set of medium armor, but the girl was still too ashamed to speak up too loudly.

“Like a dog with her tail between her legs,” Laverna commented to herself as she ran her hands over a chainmail shirt. It was right about in her price range, and not as noisy as the scale mail. With a nod, she tucked it under her arm for purchase. She tossed a look at Natsu as she moved onto weapons. The girl was still tight of lip as Laverna slid over to her.

“Do you see anything of use?”

“Yeah, I mean, I guess.” Laverna craned her head to get a look at the girl. “What?”

“Why don’t we get you something new? Maybe...ooh, how about this?” Laverna, with some effort, lifted a pike for Natsu to examine.

“Ehh...it’s neat, but no.” Natsu turned away from her. Laverna set her eyes upon the racks once more before exclaiming and retrieving another weapon. The half-elf’s strained grunts drew her attention once more. “Is that a greataxe? Looks kinda wicked...but no.” Natsu fought the curling of her lips as she watched Laverna struggle with the weight of the axe. She chuckled, then made her way over just before Laverna let the heavy weapon slip. She helped her guide the weapon back into the rack. Their hands touched, and neither pulled away for a few seconds. Their eyes met. Natsu laughed it off, but Laverna couldn’t find the words to reply. “How about we look for something for you instead?”

As Laverna watched Natsu slowly warm back up, she felt a strange, warm sensation flow through her. It was a new feeling. It reminded her of the feeling she’d had when they returned the cat to Ms. Withersbee, but different somehow. Her head felt kind of cloudy, and her cheeks felt warm. She wasn’t sure what this feeling was, but she liked it.

“Oh, hey, look at this!” Natsu held a scimitar high in the air. “How cool is this?” Natsu’s wide smile as she waved the strange, curved weapon around brought that feeling to a boil inside Laverna. She clutched a hand to her chest and smiled right back at her.

&&&&

Yuri found herself staring at Natsuki. The girl took no notice as she read over the table before her, seeing if she could find anything of interest. When she finally noticed her, Yuri immediately averted her eyes, but Natsuki gave her another smile nonetheless.

“I hate--I’m sorry to be rude, but I have to excuse myself. I need to use the bathroom.” Yuri stood suddenly, nearly knocking her binder off the table before clumsily fumbling it back into place before scurrying away.

“Down the hall to the left!” Monika called after her. She turned back to the table. “She’s doing really well! I don’t think I’ve ever heard Yuri talk as much as I have today.”

“Yeah, she’s doing super!” Sayori chimed in, currently struggling to open a small bag of chips. “This has been fun, Monika! I’m glad we could all get together today.”

“Yeah, me too. We’ve been playing for a good while now.” Monika tossed a glance at the window. The sun was still high in the sky, but it was mere inches from beginning its gradual downward descent. Unfortunately, as fall came closer, the days grew shorter. Simultaneously, Natsuki’s phone buzzed loudly against the wooden table, drawing the attention of all the girls.

A pit formed in her stomach at the thought of it. Only one person would be texting her right now, and she dreaded it. It could be nothing, or it could be an angry rant for whatever small thing she had done wrong. Natsuki felt a wave of rage form inside of her. How dare he ruin this for her? She had been savoring every moment up until now. This had been a magical day. She’d felt so at peace, so comfortable for once. She’d had more laughs and smiles today than she had in a long time, and like always, her father felt the need to step in and smash her joy.

Natsuki refused to read it. At best it was nothing, at worst it was a demand for her to return home. She felt it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, and set her phone to silent.

“What’s up?” Monika inquired.

“Nothing. Not important, just some stuff,” Natsuki replied. She did her best to play it off, and Monika seemed to fall for it as the conversation continued, but Sayori kept an eye on her for a strangely long time. Big, kind blue eyes met small, sharp pink eyes, and there was an exchange of information neither quite understood at the time, but would become glaringly clear one day in the future.

Chapter Text

Yuri’s heart was fighting her. She put a hand over it, desperate to calm it down, but it refused her, like a hyperactive dog that was simply too overjoyed to sit still. Her whole body was trembling as if she had hypothermia, but she was fine. She was healthy. There was nothing wrong with her, so why was she feeling like she was about to die?

Her breath came in shallow, short puffs. There was an audible clack as she clenched her jaw in an attempt to steady herself. When she had finally calmed herself down, Yuri turned on the faucet, letting it run for a few moments before splashing a few handfuls of water onto her face. It felt like the antidote to a poison. She looked into the mirror to see just how red her face had gone. Slowly, she raised a hand to her cheek to feel the heat radiating off of her. It felt like a sunburn. What had caused this? It wasn’t like a panic attack, but it had hit her so powerfully she had no choice but to flee.

And then she took a moment to ponder the possibilities. Had Natsuki really caused this? With what? Yuri took her hair in her hands, focusing on the calming motion of sliding the soft locks through her fingers. She pictured a waterfall in her mind. Repeating this motion for a few minutes finally allowed the overpowering emotions to drain from her body.

Once she came back to her normal self, Yuri felt a terrible wave of embarrassment come over her. Had the rest of the girls noticed her outburst? Were they talking about it? What if they were all judging her now? Thinking that she was some sort of freak. She bit her knuckle as the terrible thoughts came to plague her like demons floating around her, poking at her with their claws. Had she ruined the day with this, or could she resume like nothing had happened at all? Maybe they hadn’t noticed in the first place.

Yuri decided it was best to act cool, and to pretend that she was merely using the bathroom all this time. Maybe even lie and tell them she was feeling a bit ill. Anything to salvage this wonderful day. She gave herself another once-over in the mirror. Besides a healthy pink on her pale cheeks, she looked fine. She looked normal. Never had Yuri been so thankful that her inner turmoil didn’t show itself on her body.

She found no resistance upon reentering the room, not even a question. The young girl sighed in relief as she looked over to see Natsuki giving her the same looks she always had. Nothing had changed, thankfully. The conversation before her had escalated, as it always did, and was now in the upper bounds of nonsense and poppycock. It took Monika several minutes to calm Sayori down as she nearly hyperventilated talking about the intricacies of friendships between horses.

Yuri couldn’t help but laugh at herself as she realized just how pointless her anxieties had been. She looked over the table and saw nothing but kind faces...friendly faces. She took her hair in her hands again as Monika finally settled Sayori in place and began her narration once more. Today was going to be a good day, no matter what.

&&&&&

By the time the trio had finally rounded up their gear and paid the rowdy blacksmith, all were looking quite low on coin. Except for Sunflower, who was currently holding up her new garments proudly.

“They look so tough!” she cried, holding the studded leather armor set for all to see.

“And you’re sure she didn’t want you to pay for it?” Laverna leaned over Sunflower’s shoulder to get a look at the armor.

“Yep! She said it was a gift! For her favorite bonnie lass.”

“That woman can’t even speak Common, how would anybody know what she said?” Natsu huffed, continuing past the two.

“She’s still a bit nettled about the whole...thing...that happened. Try not to mention it,” Laverna said. Sunflower nodded as she began slipping on the armor, with some help from Laverna. As the two donned their new equipment, two familiar faces appeared before them.

“Oh, hey Tommy!” Sunflower, who was currently adjusting a strap with her teeth, called out.

“Hiya. Y’all just get finished shoppin’?”

“Something like that, yes. What are you two up to?” Clarissa seemed slow to answer, but Tommy stepped up without hesitation.

“I’m here to get myself some better armor. I’m gonna come with y’all.” Laverna sucked her teeth. A decision was laid out before her here, and thankfully, Natsu wasn’t present to damage the boy’s spirits if she did have to decline him. A seed of anxiety planted itself in her stomach as each second passed by, and with each of those terrible seconds, the hopeful look in the boy’s eyes slowly died.

Another helping hand would have been wonderful to have around. For combat, navigation, survival, and if worse came to worse, he could carry the captive. On the other hand...Laverna froze as she practically saw the veil of death looming over his head. His thin body, his pale cheeks, the tremble in his hand...all of it showed to her that he was just a boy. A courageous boy, but a boy nonetheless, and boys were liable to get killed when the fire started to fly. What could she do? Who was she to make this decision?

When Laverna failed to find the words, Clarissa found some of her own. She took hold of Tommy’s arm. The youth turned to see her, red in the face and teary.
“Tommy...I didn’t want to say it...but you can’t go.” He pulled away, but she hung on.

“Why shouldn’t I? I can help! They saw! I can fight!” Her grip on him remained steadfast.

“But that’s not it, Tommy! Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!”

“Clarrissa, I--”

“No! Just let me speak...please. Tommy, I’ve known you since we were kids, and you’ve always managed to get yourself hurt...and I’ve been petrified thinking about you out there.” Clarissa put a hand to her heart, and as she continued, an obvious truth slowly dawned upon Laverna. “I’m so scared that you’re not going to come back, but you had them with you...and that made me feel a little safer, but Tommy, I have a gut feeling about this. Please, don’t go, because--”

“Because why? What do I have here?” The boy, now worked up into a rage, gestured to the decrepit, disappointing town around him. The mousy girl held her down for a few moments before answering in no more than a whisper.

“You have me.” And before he realized it, she had taken his hand into her own, interlocking their fingers. He found that they fit perfectly, like ten keys in ten perfect, warm locks. Tommy opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it once more. It was dawning upon him as well. He chuckled and shook his head, and for just a moment, Tommy looked half-a-man.

“You’re right. You’re always right.” And without another word, he snaked an arm around her back and pulled the mousy girl into his arms. The two stood there for quite some time in a silent, tender embrace. A warm smile edged its way up Laverna’s cheeks. Love, that’s what this was. And that’s what it looked like. How alien it seemed to her, yet how natural it felt to her. Perhaps there were things in the world that no amount of experience or study could prepare you for. Some things you merely had to find out on your own, Laverna pondered.

As she unraveled this revelation, Sunflower let out a choked squeal as she put both hands over her mouth.

“It’s so cute,” she squeaked out. Laverna, now fully strapped in her medium armor, leaned down to the tiefling.

“Maybe they would like to be alone, don’t you think?”

“Just one more minute.” Laverna patted her on the shoulder as she passed on by, leaving the tiefling to slowly, reluctantly leave the heartfelt display behind.

*****

Natsu felt like she was on fire. The heat of embarrassment was a burn more vicious than any battle injury. She played the scene in the rowdy blacksmith’s shop over and over again in her mind. It was obviously humiliating to be shown up so greatly in a test of strength, but there was something more to it that she couldn’t quite figure out. Why had it hurt so much?

And then Laverna’s smiling face came to mind. It was a smile of pity, she was sure. The kind of smile you give to a three-legged dog that’s doing its best to run a race. She was no dog; she was a wolf, and she’d prove it. Natsu stomped through town with her head held high, glaring at anybody who passed her. This mission was going to be a success. She’d stake her life on it.

Natsu approached the front gate. A staggered Mr. Jamison was currently holding onto their prisoner with a leash fashioned from a leather cord. It seemed he had finally calmed down a bit, but the moment he spotted Natsu, his fury reignited.

“Yeah, yeah, shut it,” she said before slapping the creature back to the ground.

“Hey, don’t be doin’ that too much. Too many of them and he’ll be down for the count.” He wasn’t wrong. While ferocious, this creature was hollow inside. Natsu stared at it as it laid on the ground. It looked back up at her with glassy, vacant black eyes, but somehow, she could feel something behind them.
“What?” she said. There was no response, only a cold, steady silence. Still on the ground, the creature curled itself up, making itself as small as possible.

This creature was covered head-to-toe in cracks, scratches, and dents. From the moment it had been created, it had to fight its way through this world. Never stopping, never resting, always on the defensive. It was scared. It lashed out because it was terrified of the world around it. And only now did it become clear that it was terrified of her. Natsu felt a certain pity for this strange creature, and a pang of guilt.

“What in the hell are you doin’?” Jamison questioned. Natsu kneeled in the mud to offer a hand to this fallen creature. It was a slow, cautious gesture, and when the blight saw it, he batted the hand away. Natsu pulled back. It had slapped her hand away, but it hadn’t clawed her. It was a start. Both she and the creature rose from the mud. Natsu wasn’t sure what was going on behind the doll eyes of the blight, but she hoped that perhaps it had somehow understood her intentions.

Natsu never bothered answering Jamison. She merely took the cord from him and shoved him on his way. Surprisingly, the blight did not attempt a second outburst in the hands of Natsu. It did get a bit riled up when Laverna and Sunflower approached, though. The tiefling bent down to speak to the creature as one would a puppy, keeping inches out of arm's reach.

“Aw, are you mad, little guy?” He was, in fact. Sunflower quickly poked the creature in its wooden belly, which nobody in the party was sure how to react to.

“Sunflower, it is not a pet,” Laverna said.

“But what if we give him a name?”

“Once again, not a pet, and it’s not a he,” Laverna reminded her.

“A name’s not such a bad idea,” Natsu piped up. Both girls studied her face for intention. “I just--I mean it would be easier than saying ‘it’ and stuff.”

“Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.”

“Alright, so I’ve got a list of names ready. Let me--” Sunflower began.

“What about Vernon?” Natsu interrupted.

“Vernon?” Laverna questioned.

“Yeah.” A moment of silence passed between the three. Natsu could practically feel Sunflower’s gaze blazing a hole through her. It wasn’t the first time she had given somebody this look, but no matter how many times she felt it, it never felt any less painful. It was like being the specimen under a microscope with nothing left to hide. Laverna became her savior.

“Well, it’s as fine a name as any.”

“Hmm...it wasn’t on my list, but sure!” Thankfully, the radiant smile on her face returned, and Natsu was saved.

“Vernon, huh?” Laverna leaned down to him. “Seems a fine name.”

“You like that, boy? Vernon?” The blight did not respond, but it didn’t fight the name either, so that was all they needed.

“Yeah, anyway, can we get on with the adventure, and all that?”

“I would say so. It looks like it’s time to leave Woodrot behind,” Laverna turned to take a good look at the town that had started their adventures. It was damp, dirty, and absolutely falling apart at the seams, but they had enjoyed their time within it. All three girls gave the town one final goodbye as they turned their backs to it and shoved off, back into the creeping treeline.

*****

The forest never was, never had been, and apparently never would be kind to the trio. As they trudged along, struggling to follow Laverna’s sage words of guidance, each member of the party, Vernon included, found themselves in predicament after predicament.

Natsu, Laverna, and Vernon currently stood around the mouth of a sinkhole, staring down at Sunflower who was currently struggling to climb the rope they had tossed her.

“Ya know, good exercise is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle!” Natsu mocked the girl as she failed to ascend the rope for the second time. Laverna gave her an admonishing shake of the head. “Oh, alright, fine. Sunflower, just hang on to it, okay?” The tiefling wasted no time in pulling the rope to her chest and wrapping around it with her entire body. Natsu gave the rope a tug, and then began heaving with all her might to lift the girl out of the cave below.

Sunflower gave out a cry of joy as she slowly, rhythmically rose out of the dark depths. She was almost too overjoyed to notice it, but far from her, deep in the darkness, a set of red eyes were watching her. The two met gazes, and then another pair appeared in the shadows, and then another, and another until there were more than she could count. A shudder went down her spine as she became suddenly desperate to escape this cave.

The moment her hands were able to, the tiefling clawed her way up the lip of the sinkhole and scrambled onto the safety and sunshine above. She nearly knocked over Natsu and Laverna in her desperation to get away.

“Geez, you alright?” Natsu leaned down to the shaken girl. “I didn’t know you were so afraid of the dark.” Sunflower just shook her head, struggling to form a sentence as she simply pointed to the sinkhole. An intense curiosity overcame Natsu as she stepped cautiously to the edge of the pit. She peered down inside, but nothing immediately stood out to her. Whatever it was, it had Sunflower all flustered. Lavera had taken on the job of trying to calm down their companion.

“There, there, it’s okay.” Laverna took a look at the setting sun. “We’ll make camp soon, okay? Just a little further.” Sunflower nodded in agreement as she scrambled to her feet. Natsu and Vernon were the last to leave the scene as they lingered around the pit. After a short, failed search, she shrugged, leaving the darkness behind her. But the moment her back was turned, two bright red eyes shined through the dark like gems of living fire.

****
They had traveled for the remainder of the day before settling down to make camp. It wasn’t far enough for Sunflower’s comfort. The tiefling was still shaken and barely able to describe what she had seen. She had insisted that she could feel eyes on them, and was jumping at every noise and shadow. Her own fear had spread through the group like an infectious disease, and before long, all three were ready for a rest. Laverna threw a blanket over the tiefling’s shoulders as she settled down beside her.

“There, there. We all see scary things, it’s nothing to get worked up over.” Sunflower wrapped her arms around Laverna and pulled herself into her embrace. “Oh, my, um...it’s quite alright.” She patted the girl’s head awkwardly as she took on this role of a comforter. She looked to Natsu for guidance.

The dwarf was standing a good distance from the fire, Vernon’s leash secured in her grip. She was glaring into the dark woods, almost as if she were trying to make the encroaching darkness take a step back. Something had unsettled her as well, and clearly, she wasn’t going to rest until she figured out what exactly that something was. Laverna patted Sunflower on the head, wrapped the remainder of the blanket around her once more, and rose to speak with Natsu.

Laverna made no sound as she approached, but Natsu knew she was there without even turning. She acknowledged her with a side-eyed glance, and then returned to her vigilant watch.

“It’s quite a night, don’t you think?” Natsu remained silent. Laverna bit the inside of her cheek. “Um...the weather has held up quite nicely, don’t you think?”

“The woods. They’re quiet.” Laverna was taken aback by this statement. She strained her ears to listen for the normal background noises of the forest. Not a single cicada cried out, crickets refused to play their beautiful song, and owls kept their questions to themselves. The only audible sound was the crackling of the campfire as a log split in two, revealing a treasure trove of red hot embers.

“You’re right,” Laverna said. “That’s unnatural.” She put her hand to her chin as the strange question suddenly came to mind.

“Might be somethin’ scared ‘em off.” Natsu’s face was hard, cold iron as she never broke her staring contest with the treeline.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Laverna said. Her answer got no response from Natsu. “That would be absurd.” Once again, her demeanor didn’t change; she held that stony resolve. “I mean--it’s not like--There’s nothing out there that would cause that, alright?” Laverna was trying to convince herself more than anybody.

And then it came. Two embers in the dark slowly creeping forward. Natsu’s expression suddenly changed as she spun around, grabbing Laverna with her free hand.

“We need to move. Now!” The half-elf, flustered and confused, complied. As did Sunflower. All three snatched their packs and bolted into the woods, leaving behind the light and warmth of the campfire. Sunflower, shaken and shivering, swiveled her head back to see what was pursuing them.

It dashed through the campfire, kicking up embers as it trounced the sickly flame. In that split-second she got a good look at it. A white wolf, standing nearly as tall as Natsu, and just as muscular. Its fangs were sharpened pearls, and its claws were ebony daggers. It darted back into the darkness, leaving Sunflower with only the mental portrait she had painted. This encouraged her to take the lead in the rout.

Not long after, the predators made themselves known. A cacophonous howling from behind them shook the entire forest. The dire song wormed and winded its way through the trees and into their ears, giving them no choice but to be afraid. All three had legs pumping as quickly as they could muster. Vernon wasn’t able to keep up with their speeds, so Natsu had thrown him over her shoulder like a sack of grain. Thankfully, this hadn’t been a time where he had chosen to get feisty.

This pursuit closed in on them. On the left and right the girls could hear the rattling of bushes and snapping of sticks. What was really terrifying was when they could actually see it. The bounding forms of gray wolves forming two lines on either side of them. Laverna struggled to count them, but failed each time. Every time they looked, there seemed to be more of them.

That left them no choice; at each turn they had been cut off. They were being led forward, and this realization was only more unsettling as the mouth of a cave came into view. Natsu, huffing and stomping her way forward, finally took the lead as the shadow of the cave overcame them. With the gift of darkvision, she was able to see forward just enough to make a plan.

From here the cave went into three separate paths: the center path, which led straight down, the left path, which continued forward, or the right path, which led straight up. Natsu, still in front, spun around, to make eye contact with Laverna, and incidentally, with the pair of red eyes in the distance. From her shoulder, she heaved Vernon into Laverna’s arms.

“Go!” She shouted as she shoved the half-elf down the left path. Laverna wanted to argue, she wanted to fight her on it, she wanted to make a plan, but this was no time for plans; it was time for action. She followed Natsu’s guidance, and sprinted forward, clutching the blight to her chest as she continued on.

Natsu shoved Sunflower up the right path with some trouble. She was equally reluctant to leave, and just as terrified. As the pack closed in on them, these were the only words of guidance Natsu had time to provide.

“Sometimes you’re gonna be scared, and that’s okay. Just don’t let that fear control you! Push forward! Keep going! Don’t be afraid!” Natsu called out, hearing her own echo as she watched the tiefling vanish into the darkness. Natsu returned to the center. And now she could see the white wolf herself as it bounded down the open path, lined on both sides by smaller gray wolves. It was coming for her, but she was ready.

Natsu threw both her hands in the air, then beat her chest like a mighty gorilla as this wolf came at her full force. There was nowhere to run now, nowhere to hide. Her only choice was to face this beast. She readied her sword as it slammed into her with all the force of a charging bull. This overwhelming strength caused Natsu to roll backwards, the wolf mounted on top of her, trying to maul her as Natsu fended it off. The two went kicking, scratching, and biting as they rolled down the stony path and into the darkness, the sound of their battle ringing out through the entirety of the damp cave.

*****

Laverna stalked her way through the cave as stealthily as she could with the writhing blight in her arms. Clearly, he wasn’t happy to be with her, but thankfully, he had refrained from attacking her. She rounded a corner, then ducked behind a rock as she heard the skittering of claws on stone as two wolves leapt down from a hole in the wall. They looked at each other, then gave a sniff of the musty air. Laverna’s knuckles went white as the prospect came to her. Could she fight them both off? Could she win? If she did, would more come? Should she run again? Questions swirled about her head like a hurricane. The wolves looked in her general direction.

A bead of cold sweat dripped down Laverna’s forehead as she kept herself as small as possible behind this rock. Seconds felt like hours in this moment as she listened for any change in the moment. And then it came, the sound of claws gently scraping against stone, but thankfully, the sound was going in the opposite direction. She didn’t even dare to breathe until they were long gone.

She stealthed forward, keeping her breathing as quiet as possible. It had been maybe ten minute since they had split, and Laverna couldn’t stop thinking about Natsu and Sunflower. Had both made it out? Had neither of them made it out? Where were they? Did these tunnels connect? More questions with no answers for Laverna. All she could do was press on.

Another few minutes of pained stealth and silence before Laverna could finally hear a sound. It was a familiar sound, but not a pleasant one. It was barely audible, but above her she could hear it: the sound of Sunflower’s screaming. In that moment, Laverna herself became an animal, desperate for action. She found herself in a circular room with no features. Nothing to climb, nothing to use, nothing to do. She ran back and forth, searching for some way she could assist, or even to just let Sunflower know how close she was. In the end, it came to her.

“Thunderwave!” A cacophony unlike any other broke out as Sunflower played the powerful chord above her. Like a mighty god’s hammer striking the earth, the thunderous explosion rocked the entire cave above and below, sending shockwaves and carrying the sound for hundreds of feet down the winding tunnels. Laverna covered her ears the best she could, but there was no escaping the rumbling of the stone around her.

That rumbling became much stronger as the ceiling above her began to give way. It started small, with a single crack. That crack spread forward and further, becoming thicker, deeper, and branching out like a mighty oak tree before bringing down a chunk of rock as big as a wagon down, with a single dead wolf on top of it.

Now Sunflower’s cries could be heard loud and clear, and Laverna figured she would waste no time in acting. She darted forward, climbing the chunk of rock, and then leaping up to ascend to the second level. Now her companion was in her sight. The girl was covered in bites and scratches, and currently surrounded by three gray wolves.

She was backed into a corner, with the wolves on her front, left, and right, all spaced out just enough to keep her from fleeing without retribution. She wouldn’t survive, that horrifying realization hit Laverna like a ton of bricks. She would die unless she did something right here and now, and it had better be good. Laverna extended her hand.

In no higher than a whisper, Laverna said a string of elven incantations as the air around Sunflower began to glow with arcane energy. A thick, opaque fog began to rise from the ground, obscuring vision at even close range. The wolves were taken aback and quite confused at what was happening, as was Sunflower. The only thing the tiefling had to go on was a gut feeling.

The tiefling leapt from the fog, darting between the two wolves on her left. With the cover of the fog, the two wolves were able to just barely miss snatching Sunflower’s swinging arms as she bolted from the trap. The wolves emerged from the fog just as Sunflower was able to reach her companion.

“Do you have another one of those in you? That spell?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“Alright, then get down.” Laverna spun the girl around, then placed her in a kneeling position. Laverna readied her bow as the wolves began bounding down the cavern toward them. The one in the center took the lead as he bounded toward Sunflower once more. The girl was readying herself, but there was no chance she’d get the spell off before it got to her.

They were quick, but Laverna was quicker. She knocked an arrow, and the mark appeared before her. A guiding target that placed itself on the direct center of the wolf’s chest.

“The heart. I have to hit the heart,” she muttered to herself as the wolf was no more than a dozen feet away. She only had one shot at this, with no room for error. She drew the string back just as the wolf leaped into the air, the saliva from its snapping jaws sending a spray over Sunflower’s face.

The arrow soared like a bolt of lightning as it hit the bull’s eye. Its limp body bounced and rolled along the stone behind them before coming to a stop. The wolf was dead before it hit the ground. Laverna knocked another arrow as she breathed a sigh of relief. The other two were coming, but it looked as if Sunflower was finally ready.

Just as the two made a pincer attack to tear the tiefling apart, she took a step back, then, with a mighty bellow, shouted “Thunderwave!”. The concussive blast rang out once more, shaking and rattling the cave all around them. Laverna was beginning to worry about the health of her long-term hearing, but her short-term health was much more important right now.

The blast wasn’t enough to put the wolves down, but it was enough to send them sprawling and skittering backwards ten feet. Just as they began to rise and shake themselves off, that familiar rumbling returned as more of the cave began to collapse. The pathway behind them fell another twenty feet, and the ceiling above them dropped another chunk of rock about half the size of the first, and unfortunately for the wolf below, it was more than enough to put it down as it hit with a squishy thud.

Now alone and wounded, the singular wolf scurried away, slipping through a hole barely wide enough for it by a couple inches. Moonlight flooded the cavern, and salvation rang out in their hearts.

“A way out!” Lavera called out with joy. She immediately took a step towards it, but stopped once she spotted the reluctance on Sunflower’s face.

“What about Natsu? We can’t leave her there!” Sunflower looked down the destroyed slope. Her inquiry was met with an approaching howling.

“I know it seems bad, but if we go back, we’ll die. Sunflower, look at me,” Laverna put her hands on the tiefling’s shoulders. “If we don’t get out of here now, we won’t get out of here at all, okay?”

“But…”

“I know, I know! I don’t want to either, but Natsu wouldn’t want you to worry about her. She’s tough, remember?”

“Tough, yeah.” The howling was closing in. “Oh, alright! But when we find her, don’t you go saying that I wanted to leave her!”

“I promise. When we find her, I’ll tell her all about it.” Laverna turned to survey the room. The hole in the ceiling was in the center of the room. It was too high to be climbed, and she had no time or equipment to make something she could use. How could she possibly get all three of them out of there? It was only at this moment that Laverna realized she had sat Vernon down. She immediately went wide-eyed and began scanning the ground for him, only to find him still at her side.

“Aw, there’s my good boy,” Sunflower reached out to pet him, and surprisingly, he did not swat away her hand. Laverna supposed near-death experiences bonded people and creatures of all sorts. She crouched down to his height.

“Alright, Vernon, do you want to get out of here?” The blight looked at her. He did not nod, nor speak, but it was enough for Laverna to take it at a yes. “Good, then I have a very important job for you.” Laverna produced a coil of rope and handed one end to the small creature. “I need you to listen, okay? I need you to hold on to this rope. We’re going to throw you up there, and I just need you to tie it to the closest tree you can find. Do you understand?” Another similar response. It would have to be good enough.

She handed the rope to Vernon, making sure to wrap it around his hand a bit before carrying him over to the hole. Sunflower and Laverna interlocked their hands to provide a good base for Vernon to stand on.

“Do you think this will work?” Sunflower said, the shadows on her face lengthening. Down the slope, that familiar skittering returned as another wave of wolves came barreling through.

“It looks like it will have to.” Sunflower and Laverna gave Vernon a couple test raises before finally flinging him up toward the night sky. With all the might they had, they were able to get Vernon to the lip of the hole. He had to scramble and claw his way out, but he made it with the rope in tow.

“Now what?”

“Now we wait,” Laverna said, drawing her bow once more. The wave of wolves began leaping, one after the other over the chasm that had been created by the previous spell. Several of them failed to make the jump, and fell down to the level below, but a handful were able to make the leap; Laverna wasted no time in pelting those few with arrows.

Her shots were sloppy and rushed, and against an armored opponent, they would have failed spectacularly, but when metal met flesh, metal won out every time. Several of the shots found home, but were not enough to put the writhing creatures down. Thankfully, Sunflower, looking haggard and wounded, was still able to belt out her beautiful song of slumber. In their weakened state, the wolves dropped, one after the other, to the majesty of the song. The song winded down the slope and found a home in the ears of another couple wolves, causing one of them to actually fall asleep mid-jump and go tumbling down.

The success was great, but Laverna couldn’t help but keep her eyes on the ceiling above. Each passing second was filling her with more doubt and anxiety. She only had a handful of arrows left, and Sunflower was pooling the last bit of energy she had remaining. Just as the next wave made its way over the chasm, Laverna was relieved to see the beautiful sight of a length of rope swinging and swaying in the breeze. She loosed one last arrow and turned to climb.

She hurriedly shoved Sunflower up the rope just as the wolves leapt toward them. Laverna’s ascent was quick, but not quick enough to prevent the maw of a wolf from tearing a chunk of flesh from her calf. It hurt immensely, but she wouldn’t let it stop her from climbing. Once she reached the top, Sunflower yanked her onto the cool grass and cut the rope with her dagger, leaving it to fall in a heap at the bottom of the cave.

The two girls looked each other in the eye, then breathed a sigh of relief as they wrapped their arms around each other.

“I was so scared!” Sunflower wailed.

“So was I!” Laverna confessed, still shaking from the terror of the danger below. They pulled away, tears in both their eyes that glittered like diamonds in the pale moonlight.

“Wait, where’s my boy?” Sunflower looked around to see Vernon standing proudly next to a tree. His knot tying job was horrendous. It must have been penta-looped, and was all over the place; however, it did save their lives, so nobody questioned it.

“I have to say, Vernon, you saved us. And for that, I thank you.” Vernon didn’t give them much, but Laverna trusted he felt the appreciation.

“So, what do we do now?”

“We run. We get far away from here. The sooner we can get to town the better.” Sunflower’s eyes lingered on the cavern below, but she nodded nonetheless.

“Right. Let’s go.” She leaned down and picked Vernon up by his armpits, and for the first time, he didn’t even attempt to swipe at her. “Mama’s gonna need you, okay?” And without another word, Sunflower clutched Vernon to her chest the way one might would a teddy bear. If he minded it, he didn’t make it clear. Albeit reluctantly, the two carried on with haste, leaving the bloody scene behind them.

*****

The winding, stony paths were slick with an equal amount of water and blood. A scratch here, and a slash there, their battle had made marks on this cavern that would never be forgotten. The white wolf rose, its pristine white fur now stained crimson with equal parts its own and Natsu’s blood. It stood over the dwarf woman, who now laid in a pool of her own blood, her breath shallow and ragged, and her vision flickering. It stood over her, and then, it seemed to stand considerably taller. It was not until she heard its voice did she realize what had happened.

“Perhaps that will teach you to know your place in the natural order.” The white wolf that stood before her was now the figure of a man covered in white fur, with long white hair that reached down to his lower back. The claws on his hands were still slick with her blood, as were his sharpened teeth. The only thing that remained constant on him were those glowing red eyes that pierced the night. Natsu’s own eyes struggled to blink back the blood that flowed into them, but she was sure what she was seeing was real.
“These forests belong to the Earth Mother. And you and your kind will know that,” his voice was like cold steel, hard, unbending, and without a trace of mercy or compassion. Natsu could not even manage to bark a response at this shapeshifted wolf.

“If you survive, let this be a lesson to not stand in the way of Her.” He turned from her, and in no time at all, he was back on all fours, bounding up the length of the cavern that had served as their battle ground. Natsu laid there, her own blood the only thing keeping her warm. There wasn’t much she could do at that moment. She knew it was do-or-die for her. The only choice she had was to be tough. She reached a hand up, ever-so-slowly, to the ceiling, and she began her fight against death.

Chapter Text

Monika looked around the table, barely able to fight back the smile that pulled at her lips like an impatient child would his mother’s hand. The tension in the room was heavy enough to change the air pressure. Every eye was on her. She felt a slight pang of guilt at how satisfying the attention felt in this moment. Did that make her sadistic?

She let everybody stew in that silence for a few moments, flicking her eyes from member to member. Ironically, Natsuki seemed the least worried. Was it bravery or bravado? Monika spared them any more anguish and finally broke the silence with an exhale that swept through the room like a frigid arctic wind.

“If I could get everybody but Natsuki to leave the room.” Yuri and Sayori cried out in indignation.

“Come on, Monikaaa!” Sayori whined. Monika held a hand up without a word, then pointed to the door. Yuri had to pull the reluctant Sayori from the table. The door shut behind them ever-so-slowly. Natsuki sat across the table from Monika. That distance seemed like an enormous canyon to her now. It was strange the gravity the situation had. A life was on the line. Three dice rolls away from sweet salvation or eternal damnation. Paradise was only a pair of dice away. The two locked eyes from across the table.

“Are you ready?” She asked Natsuki. Natsuki lowered her head like a wolf might before baring her teeth. Her jaw was clenched, her foot tapped the ground rhythmically. Her empty hand gripped the side of the table as if she were getting ready to engage in an arm wrestling match.

“Always.” Natsuki lifted her D20. It was a shiny, pink little plastic die, and it held all of her hopes. She rattled it around in her palm for a moment, not quite sure when to release it. Before she did, Monika halted her with a hand, then stood from the table. A look of confusion crossed Natsuki’s face as she passed her, but it all became clear when Monika crouched down to the keyhole of the door.

She took a deep breath, then shot a blast of warm breath through the hole. Immediately after, they heard a surprised squeal from the other side.
“Into the other room, Sayori,” Monika said, sounding strangely maternal.

“Okay, fine,” Sayori said. The dejection in her voice painted a vivid picture of her facial expression even from behind the door. Monika wasted no time in returning to the table.

“Roll it.” Natsuki nodded, gulped, then turned her hand over to allow the little die to fall to the table with a clatter. It bounced once. Then twice. A third time. It took a final fourth bounce before it finally came to a stop. Natsuki looked at the number, then up to Monika, who nodded.

“Again.”

&&&&&

If somebody had been out in the hallway with Sayori at that time, they might have thought she was waiting on a life-or-death call at the emergency room. She paced the entire length of the hall, muttering to herself. Yuri watched on, partially amused, partially worried.

“Maybe we should--”

“Oh, what if this is it?” Sayori cut her off. “This could be it for Natsu. And we wouldn’t even know! Oh, man, I can’t take this!” She threw herself onto the living room couch and flailed her limbs around before going completely limp. She covered her face with a pillow and moaned into it. A long, stretched out, melodramatic display of anguish that Yuri couldn’t help but chuckle at.

“Sayori. Sayori, look at me, please?” Sayori slid the pillow down just enough to see with one eye. “Remove the pillow, please.” Sayori grumbled, then did as she was requested. Yuri sat on the couch beside her and took her hand. “It’s going to be okay.” She spoke slowly and deliberately, emitting a calming aura that was just enough to pull Sayori out of her spastic fit.

“I know...I guess,” Sayori sighed. She bit her bottom lip. “I just don’t want Natsuki to lose Natsu!” She turned to face Yuri. “I want her to keep playing!” Yuri’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, if she dies, then Natsuki won’t have a character, right? So she wouldn’t be able to play!” Sayori cut her eyes to the side. “Right?” Yuri chuckled again. It was sweet just how deep this girl’s heart ran. She gave her hand a reaffirming squeeze.

“Sayori, if Natsu dies, that doesn’t mean Natsuki can’t keep playing.” Sayori shot up.

“Shut up! For real? What?”

“Yes, Sayori. If she were to die, Natsu would just have to roll up a new character.”

“You mean Natsuki?”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you said Natsu.”

“Did I?”

“I’m pretty sure you did.”

“I don’t think I did.”

“No, I’m about 90% sure you did.”

“Well it’s a good thing we left that 10%.”

Thankfully, the debate was interrupted by the theatrical opening of the dining room door. Natsuki and Monika emerged, neither revealing any secrets with their visages. Sayori attacked her like a rabid badger.

“Well? What happened? Are you dead?” Natsuki remained tight-lipped and unresponsive. It was Monika who answered.

“You’ll have to find out later. All you know is that the last time you saw Natsu was in the cave.”

“But, Monika!”

“Sorry, Sayori. No metagaming,” Natsuki finally replied.

“Say what?”

“Metagaming. It’s like...using information that your character wouldn’t know to do stuff...if that makes sense.” Natsuki scratched the back of her neck and averted her eyes. Sayori nodded, but she was definitely still hung up on the question.

“Well, are we gonna get back to the table?” Sayori asked. Monika gave a glance to the red sun beams criss-crossing their way across the floor.

“Not looking like it today. It’s getting pretty late. We’ve been playing just about all day!” Monika chuckled.

“Aw, man. I could keep going,” Sayori mumbled.

“I think we all need a break, but I like the enthusiasm, Sayori.” She perked up at the compliment.

“Well, then…” Sayori tapped her fingers together, “what are we gonna do now?” Yuri froze up for a mere moment. This question, this moment had run through her mind earlier. She had rehearsed what she had planned to say if they asked. She was ready.

“Uh, I mean, I don’t really know?” Monika shrugged.

“So...can we stay the night?” Sayori stared up at her with big, round, doe-like eyes. Monika swished the idea around for a moment, then shrugged with a grin.

“I don’t see why not! Natsuki? Yuri?” The hair on the back of her neck stuck up. Social requests: her greatest fear. Did she deny the invitation and seem rude? Or did she accept and risk overstepping her boundaries? She’d done well all day; it would be a shame to ruin it now.

“I’d love to,” Yuri said. If she were to overstep her boundaries, it could practically reset all the work she had done to attain their friendship. It would be a shame to--Yuri’s nonstop train of thought finally paused for a moment. Had she already answered? She had. She’d agreed happily. The quiet girl was taken aback. It was like watching herself move in the third-person. She had acted without hesitation, and answered without fear. This was beyond strange for her, but she decided to take her seat and watch where she took herself when she released control.

“Awesome! How about you Natsuki?” The pink-loving girl paused much longer than Yuri did. That was a surprise. She took a look at her phone, perhaps checking the time. She took a good, long look at it before scoffing and sliding it back into her skirt pocket.

“Sure, why not?” Sayori squealed in delight. She had finally gotten what she had wanted.

“Sleepover!” Yuri thought she was joking when she had brought the idea up at the club room, but here they were, at an actual sleepover. They were nearly grown adults and they were playing Dungeons and Dragons, and having a sleepover; and it might possibly have been the most fun Yuri had ever had. She wore the brightest smile she could as the girls began settling down in the living room, getting comfortable and casting off the shackles of social etiquette.

&&&&&
It was well into the night at this point. Monika had ordered pizza and Natsuki was baking brownies. Yuri had curled herself into an armchair and was dozing off every so often. Sayori felt like she had lightning in her blood. Social interaction charged Sayori like a battery, and this night made her feel like she could power an entire city block. Her cheeks were sore from smiling so much.

“What’s the ETA on those brownies, Natsuki?” Monika called from the living room.

“What does that mean?” The petite girl slipped on an oven mitt.

“Estimated time of arrival!”

“Oh.” Natsuki lowered the door to the oven. “About right now!” With all the caution of somebody bearing several burns on her forearms, Natsuki carefully removed the pan and sat it down on a cooling rack on the counter. It didn’t take long for Monika and Sayori to crowd around the pan like hungry hyenas staring down a slow meal.

“Ohhh, they look so good,” Sayori gushed, staring deep into the chocolate center of the pan.

“Those are some tasty looking treats, Natsuki! I’m just surprised we had a box; we never cook.”

“Well, your oven is actually a little weaker than the one at home, so I kinda had to estimate, but they should be done. Might be a bit gooey.”

“Is there any other way to eat brownies?” Monika asked with a sly smirk on her face. Natsuki took a deep breath, but Monika cut her off. “That was rhetorical, honey.” Monika’s face instantly went red as she realized what had slipped out.

“Ooh, honey? Look, I know I’m cooking for you, but we’re not even married yet, Monika,” Natsuki teased her.

“It--It slipped out, I am--It’s just a--It’s a thing I say. Or used to say.”

“Oh, well, I hope you enjoy the brownies...honey.” Natsuki put enough sugar on that word to cause tooth decay, and to send Monika spiraling. Sayori took note of the situation, as she often did. Natsuki reveled in making Monika lose her nearly unbreakable composure. It seemed that Monika had some secrets she hid from them just like everybody else. Sayori figured that Monika used to call her close friends honey, but hadn’t really had an opportunity to in a long time. A wide smile warmed her cheeks as she came to this realization.

Just as Natsuki had Monika sputtering and trying to back-pedal, Sayori threw her arms out and wrapped them around her club leader in a bear hug.
“Aw, you’re so sweet...honey!” She had Monika trapped, and Natsuki was joining in.

“Hey, that’s my honey, not yours!” Natsuki claimed. Sayori stuck her tongue out.

“Too late. She’s my honey now.” Sayori turned her body so that she blocked Natsuki from Monika. Natsuki let out a big guffaw.

“Oh yeah? Git yer damn hands off my honey!” Natsuki did her best impression of what Sayori assumed to be a man from the 50’s. Either way, she applauded the effort. Monika, meanwhile, was drowning in shame.

“Um, what did I miss?” Yuri, now woken from her nap, stood in the doorframe.

“Hi, honey!” Sayori cried, skipping over to Yuri, who immediately became just as flustered as Monika. She looked from girl to girl, begging for some context.

“H-Hi...honey,” Yuri squeaked out, causing both Sayori and Natsuki to burst out laughing, and Monika to bury her head in her hands.

&&&&&
The night had winded down. After the “honey” incident was explained and settled, everybody had a good laugh about it. Monika wasn’t quite sure what to do with the sleeping arrangement, and felt guilty about sleeping in her own bed. She had offered the bed to one of the girls, but they had all refused, taking a “one for all, all for one” mentality, and electing for all of them to sleep in the living room.

Yuri was more than comfortable sleeping in the armchair, Monika had nestled herself onto the couch, and Natsuki and Sayori had found themselves a comfortable cot on the floor, propped up with pillows and blankets. It was quiet now, with only the ticking of a distant grandfather clock to break the silence. Sayori and Natsuki laid side-by-side in the dark. Sayori was unable to sleep. The excitement hadn’t quite worn off yet, and the events of the day were still racing through her head.

She rolled over to see the back of Natsuki’s head. She whispered to her.

“Pssst. Natsuki. Are you awake?”

“If I were asleep, how would I answer that question?” Sayori shrugged.

“What happened to Natsu?” Natsuki groaned.

“Go to sleep, Sayori.”

“Come on, tell me. Please!”

“It’s not happening, you dork!” She rolled over to face Sayori. She may have been trying to hide it, but she had enjoyed this day just as much as Sayori had.

“What’s it going to take to get you to tell me?”

“Getting a good night’s sleep.”

“I can’t sleep! Not now! I’ve got so much going through my head!” Natsuki scoffed at that.

“Yeah, me too.” In this darkness it was harder for Sayori to hone in on her. It was harder to read facial expressions, harder to see eye movement. The darkness allowed for complete amnesty, but it also allowed for complete honesty. Sayori rolled over onto her back, seeing no point in trying to squint through the dark.

“Natsuki...is everything okay?” Her question was met with silence.

“What?” She pretended not to hear her.

“I asked if everything was okay. Is there anything you want to tell me? Anything you want to talk about?” That silence seemed to stretch on for hours. Sayori fixed her gaze on a certain point of the ceiling as she awaited an answer.

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

“I figured there’d only be one way to answer that.”

“Well...there’s not. And I don’t know how to begin.” Sayori bit her lip. She was so close to getting through, all she had to do was find the right button that would let her in.

“Natsuki...we’re friends, aren’t we?” That silence was painful, and damn near eternal.

“Of course we are.” Her voice came out thick with emotion.

“Then you can trust me. You can trust us. You’re not alone, not anymore.” In the dark she grasped blindly until she found her hand. “You can tell me.” She was crying. Sayori could even feel her hand trembling as she struggled to keep it under wraps. Another silent beat.

“I don’t even know.”

“Then start with what you do.”

“I know that I just want everything to be the way it was. But at the same time...I want what I have now. I want this. I don’t ever want this to stop. But I don’t think I can have both.” It was Sayori’s turn to be confused.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I...I don’t know. I just don’t know what to do. I never do. I always seem to do the wrong thing.”

“Well, I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.” This silence was longer than all the ones before it.

“Maybe. We’ll have to see.”

“When?”

“Soon. Go to sleep, Sayori.” She was at a loss for words. Whatever button she had pressed sure as hell hadn’t been the right one. Her head felt like a brick on her pillow as she stared into that darkness. “And thank you.” Natsuki tacked on. Sayori wasn’t sure whether to smile or frown. Now she was questioning if it was her who did the right thing. So many questions, but nobody to ask them to. She sighed. Sleep wouldn’t come easy.

&&&&&
They all woke up rather late the next morning, especially Sayori. When her head finally lifted from her pillow, she pushed the tangled mess of hair out of her eyes and scanned the room. Yuri was on the couch with her bare feet propped up on the coffee table. She had a blanket around her shoulders and a cup of coffee steaming in her hand. Monika was in the kitchen, heating something in the microwave.

She surveyed the room, but found no signs of Natsuki. She inquired to the other girls, but they seemed just as confused.

“Is she in the bathroom, maybe?” Yuri offered.

“Maybe so. I’ll check,” Monika said, leaving behind her microwave creation. After a short search was conducted all through the house, the consensus they came to was that Natsuki had already left.

“That’s rather strange. Do you think she wasn’t feeling well?” Yuri opened the question up to the room.

“She didn’t say anything about it. Not to me, at least,” Monika said. The questions continued to drift past Sayori as she felt a pit forming in her stomach. She had failed to help her friend; she knew it without a shadow of a doubt.

“I hope she made it home okay. Does anybody have her number?” Monika suggested, but neither girl offered any digits up. “Ah, well, that idea’s out.” Monika took a look around before answering herself. “Well, I’m sure she’s fine. I guess we’ll see her on Monday.” And so the comfort and relaxation of the day pressed on. Sayori did her best to participate and to not drag anybody else’s mood down, but it was eating at her, and it would devour her whole if she didn’t figure it out. Natsuki was on her mind, and that’s where she would stay until she saw her again.

&&&&&

Natsuki crept into the house like a thief in the night. Even shutting the door felt like too much of a noise. She took a deep breath and summoned up all the courage she had as she walked down the hall of her home. Nobody was in the living room. That was troubling. She peaked into the kitchen. Nobody there either. With shaking hands, she took another deep breath.

“Papa? I’m home.” Like a curse, he appeared moments after his name was called.

“For fuck’s sake, did you not think it was necessary to let me know where you are?” She had expected this. She was ready for it. “You could have been dead in a ditch for all I knew!

“I know...I’m sorry, papa. I just forgot.”

“You forgot? What, did you throw your fuckin’ phone in a ravine? You’re always on it.” He stood over her now, towering over her petite frame, only making her challenge of facing him that much more terrifying. If only she were bigger...stronger...braver.

“I was just with the literature club.”

“Again? On a Saturday? Yeah, bullshit. What were you actually doing?”

“I was just hanging out! Okay?” Natsuki felt a spark of rage flare up in her. She was tired, so tired of repeating this game over and over again with him. That snap obviously didn’t sit right with him.

“Then let me see your bag.” Natsuki froze. She was trapped now. No way to distract, no way to hide. “If you weren’t doing anything then it should be fine, right?” His smug face made her so angry, but there was no way out of this one. She handed it over and clenched her fist, ready for the outburst.

It took him longer than she thought it would, and she held onto hope that it had somehow slipped out of her bag, but it all came crashing down when he found her dice bag.

“What. The fuck. Is this?” Anger spread across his face like a storm. It was obvious he misunderstood, but the clarification wasn’t going to make him any happier. He nearly ripped the bag open to get to the dice inside. It gave him pause. He locked eyes with her, and genuine confusion blotted out his anger for a moment. But he kept digging, and eventually he found it. The holy grail of contraband: her character sheet.

“No...no, no no. Natsuki what the fuck is this?” He drug his hand down his face. This particular wave of shame she felt was familiar. It was going to be the sequel to the manga incident.

“It’s a game!”

“Oh, God, not more of this manga shit. We talked about this, Natsuki! You know how fuckin’ weird you look in high school with this kid shit? Nobody’s gonna wanna be around you if you keep playing with this weird, creepy nerd shit.” He took a closer look at the sheet and began reading the contents. Natsuki wanted to snatch the sheet from his hands, but she didn’t dare dream of doing something so bold.

“Natsu the barbarian? What is this?” he suppressed a spiteful chuckle.

“It’s a game I started playing…It’s not weird, I’m playing it with the other girls in the club. That’s what I was doing yesterday.”

“Ohhh, I see. So now you’re a club of fuckin’ weirdos. God, Natsuki, why do you keep doing this? Just do normal shit! Go play softball or somethin’, Christ! Why do I have to be the one to tell you how weird this shit is? What the fuck is Dungeons & Dragons?”

There was no way Natsuki could explain it. There was no way she could make him understand. All she could do was pray he stopped.
“I...I’m sorry, papa. Can I just have it back?” She reached out to him slowly, like trying to pet a rabid dog without getting bit.

“This? Fuck no!” And without any further warning, he gripped the sheet at the top, and then tore it in half.
“No!” Natsuki shrieked loud enough for her father to cover his ears. She knew that was a mistake the second it left her lips. Monika had worked so hard on that. She had worked so hard on that. It meant so much to her. It meant more to her than she could ever realize. And it definitely meant more to her than father could ever realize.

“Natsuki, shut up! God!” He massaged his temples, and rubbed his eyelids. “Listen, I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, kid, but if you keep this up?” He held up the sheet. “You’re not gonna make friends. Nobody wants to be around the weird kid, alright? I know. Don’t argue with me on this, I know how normal people are, okay? You don’t.” Natsuki stood there, enough rage to kill a man. Her knuckles were white, her cheeks were red, and her eyes were shimmering with tears.

“I. Have. Friends.”

“Who? Tell me.”

“The girls at the club--”

“Natsuki. You’re gonna stop hanging around those fuckin’ weird kids. You think they’re your friends, but they’re only gonna make it worse for you. Sorry, sweetie, but it’s better to just go ahead and rip the band-aid off now. I want you to come straight home from now on. You’re done with that club, and you’re done hanging around with the weird witch girls or whatever they are, alright?”

Natsuki didn’t know what to do. She was lost. She had lost. She couldn’t fight back. Not here, not when she had no other choices. Perhaps one day when she was older she would be able to tell him those words she’d yearned to for so many years: fuck you. But for now she did the only thing she knew how to do. Roll over.

“Okay, papa.” Hot, angry tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away. If he saw, he pretended not to.

“Listen, it’s not the end of the world, alright? We all go through phases. Listen, how about we get you into a normal club, alright? Maybe...shit, I don’t know. Maybe like a sport or something? I’m not sure, but we’ll figure it out, alright?” He put his hands on her shoulders, and never in her life had she been so revolted by the touch of another human being. “You’re gonna be so much better off if you just listen to papa, okay?”

Her neck felt like it was composed of rusty gears as she craned her head up inch-by-inch to look him in the eye. It was wrong. It went against every single fiber of her being, but she nodded and told him “okay.”

She watched as he tore the paper beyond recognition. Tore it in half, then again, and again, and again until it was nothing more than paper streamers. Never before had confetti made her want to vomit.

Chapter Text

A day would never pass more slowly than when a person had something to worry about. And unfortunately for her, Sayori always seemed to have something to worry about. Anxiety clung to her like a thin jacket in the rain, always present, always noticeable, and always uncomfortable. Whether it be a single harsh word directed toward her, accidentally coming on too strong and annoying a friend, or a callous remark she had made off-the-cuff, Sayori did nothing but sit in class and stew on what she had done wrong.

It made it impossible for her to actually focus, and her grades reflected that quite clearly. Even when she vowed to herself to push all other thoughts out of her mind, she would find herself slowly slipping away as the teacher droned on about whatever subject she found herself in at that moment. It was trying to hear a single voice whispering through the shouting match that was constantly going on in her head. Whatever information she was able to salvage from the class was rarely useful enough to help her get by.

Her hand idly traced a doodle in her notebook. They were just mindless shapes, but some came close to resembling actual objects, whether they be clouds or mountains or whatever came to her mind. She had successfully drawn a sunflower in the center of the tangled mess of black lines. It triggered a chain of thoughts.

That flower brought her back to her own character by the same name. She ambled through her memories like she was window shopping, taking brief peeks at some, and staring lovingly at others. Her adrenaline threatened to rise in the middle of this dull white classroom as she remembered the chase of the wolves.

A smile came to her face as she basked in that feeling of warmth she had experienced over the weekend. It was always tinged with a bitter drop of sadness, as she always realized in the moment just how disappointed she would be when it was over. But she held onto the memories nonetheless, and hugged them to her chest like they were a safety blanket. They would take permanent residence in her mind, as all the warm thoughts she could hold onto did.

Dark clouds of a thunderstorm blotted out the warm rays of her memory as she stopped her meandering to think about Natsuki. She had been trying to avoid it, but that girl had been on her mind ever since that moment. There was nothing she could do; she realized that. It didn’t stop her from wanting nothing more than to fix all her problems, and to see her smile again.

Sayori wanted that world to be real. That world where she could help others and make every problem go away just by working hard. But she was only one girl, and there were millions of thunderclouds. The rain pelted her as she ran through every possible scenario of how she could have handled their conversation better. What could she have said in that moment to help her? What would let her in?

The bell rang before Sayori could finish her thought. She scooped all of her belongings loosely into her bag. This was the last class of the day, and so that meant the club meeting was only minutes away. Anxiety, that old, faithful friend, held her hand too tightly as she made her way up the stairs. There were only ever two outcomes to any situation, Sayori postulated. The first being that everything would be alright, and the second being that everything would go terribly. It was a simple philosophy, but it was good enough for her.

*****

Monika stared out the window, analyzing and studying every thing that passed by. A gaggle of students horsing around, a bird collecting shiny bits of trash to display in its nest, and a stray dog that some kind boy fed a scrap of food to, these were her findings. A sigh slipped out from her lips, and Yuri almost jumped. The silence had been overwhelming.

Yuri sat at the front of the room, nose in a book, barely making eye contact, and making no conversation with Monika. Every attempt so far had fallen flat on the club leader’s side as well. She was uncomfortable, that much was clear. It was reminiscent of their first days of forming the literature club. Something was wrong; Monika felt it in the air. There was an elephant in the room nobody was talking about, and she had a strong feeling she knew what it was. Sayori burst through the door, scanned the room, then let the smile on her face melt away.

“Hey, Sayori!” Monika called, thankful to have the cheery girl here.

“Has anybody seen Natsuki?” she asked. Monika and Yuri exchanged a look before shaking their heads. Sayori’s face took an even deeper dive into melancholy.

“I’m sure she…” Yuri spoke up, but immediately bit her tongue. “Maybe she’s just…” She shook her head, possibly at herself. Monika felt a bit downtrodden seeing it; she had thought Yuri was making real breakthroughs with her social fears. Sayori didn’t say much more as they assembled the desks, which was quite strange for her. Normally she filled the room with laughter and chatter, but today she was nothing but responses and nods. Monika attempted to break the silence, but the shoes she had to fill were massive.

“Well, we can just go ahead and start, and when she shows up, we’ll just fill her in. How’s that sound?” Both hesitated, but it was Sayori who answered.

“Yeah, that’s alright.”

“Okay, everyone, are we all ready?” she asked, trying to put a bit more cheer in her voice than normal.

“Yes,” Yuri replied.

“Yeah,” Sayori said.

“Alright, here we go!”

&&&&&

Laverna, Sunflower, and Vernon, now able to walk by their sides without trouble, trudged through the woods, too afraid to stop and rest at any point before this. They pushed on through fatigue and filth to escape the behemoth that was the forest. Every time they dared to hope they had found the end, another wave of pine sentinels blocked their path. These soldiers were stalwart and infinite, it seemed. Sunflower put her back to a tree, then slid to the ground.

“A rest? Just a short one?” Sunflower huffed.

“Yes, that seems to be in order.” Laverna sat beside her, setting her pack down and rifling through it.

“How much further? Didn’t he say a day’s walk?”

“Well, I’m assuming he did not account for wolves chasing us, so we might need to tack on some extra time.” Laverna dug her canteen and a neatly tied bag of rations from her pack. Sunflower shared this meal with her. They ate in silence for a while before Sunshine finally decided to ask the question that had been on her mind.

“Do you think Natsu’s alright?” Laverna put her knuckle to her chin, then sighed.

“I can’t say for certain.” Sunflower looked immediately distraught. “But! But she might have just made it out another path, like we did. She’s tough, remember?”

“Yeah...tough.” Sunflower stared out into the forest, almost as if she were hoping to see Natsu the moment they spoke of her.

“W-Well, frankly, I think it’s good that it was her. No! Not like that! I just meant that...if it were me that got separated...well, I don’t think I would even have a chance, do you?”

“No...no, I don’t.”

“She made a choice in the moment. And I think it’s because she knows us better than we do.” Laverna put an arm around the melancholy girl. “Listen, when we see her again--and yes, I said when--we’ll tell her all about how worried we were. And you know what she’ll do?” Sunflower looked up to her, like the way a lost child would. Her big, bright eyes were full of worry and fear, and were only an inch away from tears.

“What?”

“She’ll laugh at us. Because we doubted her.” Sunflower nodded, then looked away.

“You’re right.”

“Of course I am. This is Natsuki we’re talking about.” Laverna bit her lip, hoping her slip wasn’t caught. “Anyway, look at Vernon! He doesn’t seem to be worried!” In honesty, she had absolutely no idea what emotion was on Vernon’s wooden face, but he sat under the tree, cross-legged, with his hands on his knees. He rocked back and forth slightly, like a leaf in the wind. “Vernon?”

“Buddy?” Sunflower reached out to poke him. The moment she made contact, he practically burst into a pile of flailing limbs. He uncoiled himself and fell onto the ground, swatting and swiping before he realized where he was. When he stopped, he returned to his usual demeanor. “Aw, were you asleep, buddy?” Sunflower slipped her arms around him and pulled him close, almost cradling him like a baby or a puppy. Laverna was thankful for the distraction.

After a brief rest, the three found the strength to move on, pushing their past fears aside to make way for more present fears. Laverna stopped several times along the way to point out footprints in the mud. She figured that they were human, or at least humanoid. The two came to the conclusion that that meant they weren’t too much further from their destination, but at the same time, that meant danger was going to be even closer. With a grim nod, the two continued, following the tracks.

They winded and turned through the game trails, sometimes picking up with several others, sometimes traveling along more animalistic footprints, but the one track stayed steady. That trail had led them for nearly two hours at this point. It finally came to an end in an unassuming stretch of forest. The last few steps were quite a bit deeper before they finally ended at the foot of a corpse.

Both girls were taken aback by the sight of the man. An arrow was firmly lodged between his shoulder blades. Laverna knelt down to investigate the body further.

She attempted to get a better look at the wound itself, but the moment she poked or prodded at it, the horrid, putrid smell it released was enough to send her gagging and reeling. The only thing she could gleam from her investigation was that this man had been dead for quite some time.

“You okay?” Sunflower asked the gagging Laverna. She gave a nod as she dry heaved.

“I’ll be okay.” She took a deep breath through her mouth, then spit. “It’s strange though.”

“What is?”

“To see an arrow. Animals don’t craft arrows.” Without getting too much closer, Laverna inspected the arrow. It was a simple wooden arrow fletched with plain brown feathers of what looked to be maybe a hawk. Sunflower was hesitant to look. Vernon seemed unaffected.

It was at this moment she heard it. Just the slightest rustling of leaves, almost imperceptible. If she had been talking at that exact second, there’s no way she would have been able to hear it. She instinctively tackled Sunflower to the ground just as another arrow went soaring overhead, striking the tree directly behind her with a twang. If she’d hesitated for even a second, that arrow would have stricken Sunflower between the eyes.

“You okay?” Laverna huffed.

“Mhm,” Sunflower replied. The two girls stood from the dirt to see their attacker. It was difficult to distinguish from the trees around it, but it looked quite a bit like the blights they had encountered before. Its skin was dark bark with vines wrapped around it, looking almost like veins. In its chest sat a green, glowing core that beat like a heart. Its hands were reminiscent of a human’s, but its feet looked like that of a goat. On its feet were hooves not made of keratin, but more tree bark. In its hands it held a longbow crafted from a sapling with a string weaved from plant fiber, and an arrow matching the one in the corpse. The strangest feature was its face. It was oddly humanoid, with false cheekbones and even pointed, long ears that looked to be elven. Above those ears were a pair of horns that would match a tiefling, but once again made from bark. It was a strange amalgamation of humanoid parts, as if some mad botanist Frankenstein had created it.

Even its eyes glowed that same bright green as its chest. It was almost mistakable for a breathing creature with how sculpted the features looked.

“What the--” was all Sunflower was able to mutter before its attack continued. Another arrow went soaring right between them, whistling past their ears. It began to knock another arrow as the two split up to find cover. Laverna was the quicker of the two to respond. She readied an arrow of her own. The string drew back across her chest as she steadied her breath.

“I’ve got you,” she said, casting “Hunter’s Mark” right before she let her arrow loose. It struck center mass, interrupting the stream of green energy in the chasm in its chest. The waves of green seemed to spasm and wriggle violently, like a fish that had just been yanked out of the water. After the creature ripped the arrow out and snapped it, the waves seemed to return to their normal flow. Laverna made a mental note of that discovery.

It was Sunflower’s turn to act. With her back to the tree trunk, she began belting out a beautiful song. A soft lullaby that Laverna had to blink away the sleep in her eyes as it invaded her ears. Sunflower looked to her for confirmation. Their target shook its wooden head at the irritation of the song, but did not fall. Laverna shook her own head. Sunflower would need to try something else.

Laverna was only just now aware of the tiny wooden hands on her calf. She jumped and almost reflexively attacked the source, only to find out that it was Vernon. A sigh of relief left her chest. Vernon was trembling. He clung to her as a child would his mother’s skirt. Obviously this creature was not a friend of his. Yet another reason to not lose this fight.

It removed a hand from its bow, lifting it high into the sky and saying a string of words in a language she did not understand. That was a bit strange. She spoke five languages, yet this one was out of her reach.

Sunflower had no time to react as creeping vines from the tree behind her slithered around and constricted her like a snake. She was unable to move, and unable to play. She was out of this fight until she found a way to free herself.

“Laverna!” She cried out before a vine wrapped itself around her mouth to silence her.

“I’m coming!” She tried to take a step forward, but Vernon’s clinging hand kept her in place. She huffed, then knelt down to him.

“I need you to be brave, okay? Stay here. Stay in cover. Can you do that?” Vernon gave her the slightest of nods, then put his back to the tree. “Perfect.” Laverna allowed herself a few deep breaths before she left the safety of cover behind to cross the clearing. She wouldn’t be able to make it to Sunflower before it got a shot off on her, but she wouldn’t make it easy. She attempted to fire a shot of her own.

Just as she did, an arrow made eye contact with her. It was flying on a direct course for her face. She was forced to abandon her own arrow, leaving it to go flying into the underbrush, but what was much worse was that this arrow actually struck her bowstring. Laverna watched in horror as this arrow actually split her string. A nearly impossible shot. It was something she would never have even dared to try. With one final cry, her string gave out, going limp and useless.

Heat began to rise up from Laverna’s chest. Her head became swarmed with ideas and fears. She looked from one problem to the next, and struggled to keep any semblance of composure. Her gaze turned toward Sunflower, who was still struggling and failing to escape the vines that entrapped her. Vernon was paralyzed with fear, trembling behind the tree. No, this fight was up to her and only her.

She kept one single thought in her head: what would Natsu do? What would she do? How would she do it? Why would she do it? No! There was no questioning with Natsu. There was only doing. And that’s what she needed to do in this moment. She locked eyes with the creature once more as it prepared another arrow. What would Natsu do? She would charge it. Laverna took a deep breath, and began sprinting forward as the arrow came at her. It struck her in the gut, but Laverna didn’t stop. With an animalistic roar, she gripped the arrow and snapped it, tossing aside the remains.

With her bow tossed to the side, Laverna drew a longsword in one hand and a dagger in the other. It was do or die at this point, and she knew Natsu wouldn’t die. Not here, not in that cave, not anywhere. Her target got closer and closer with each step. Before it could let loose another arrow, she reeled both arms around herself, then attempted to make two horizontal slashes across its chest, right through the stream.

Her sword slash was blocked by the bow right at the last moment. Laverna’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t hesitate as she attempted to drive the dagger in deep. She failed. Just as the tip of the dagger touched the bright, glowing energy of the stream, the creature’s other hand caught her. Its grasp was hard, rough, and unforgiving. It was crushing the bones in her hand without care, and more frighteningly, without effort. The fire in her eyes went out as she came to a horrible realization: she wasn’t Natsu.

Behind her Sunflower shook her head side-to-side like a rabid dog, slowly skinning and ripping away the flesh of the vines until she was able to chew through them. With her mouth freed, she let loose the loudest, most powerful shout she could.

“Hang in there, Laverna!” The half-elf found herself surrounded by that soft, warm yellow light. It cradled her like the sunbeams on a summer morning. It eased her pains momentarily, but as her attack was repelled, a counter-attack came at her to remind her of those pains.

In one motion, it twirled its bow around in a circle. When it came to a stop, it had morphed from a bow into a long club with a heavy, knotted end. That same club suddenly filled her field of vision as it came swinging at her. She found herself unable to move quick enough as the club cracked her across the cheek and sent her spinning. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and it became difficult to breathe out her nose. She clenched the hilt of her sword and continued her attack.

Slash after slash against this creature she made, but not one landed. Each strike either deflected harmlessly, or missed entirely. Her breaths became more and more heavy, each slash became weaker by the second, and her head felt like it was filled with a million buzzing insects. She couldn’t keep this effort up, and she knew it.

“Laverna! Don’t let that fear control you! You’ve gotta push through!” More encouraging words from Sunflower propped Laverna up in her uphill battle. Unfortunately, those words couldn’t form a shield as the next blow came. She attempted to parry it, but it came down too hard for her to deflect. It pushed aside her sword and cracked her over the head, sending a little stream of blood into her eyes and obscuring her vision. Every bit Sunflower healed her for, she lost moments later. Sunflower couldn't keep this support up for much longer. If she didn’t win this soon, it would be over for all of them.

She weakly swung her sword in an upward slash, but found that it was knocked to the side. She tried to bury her dagger into its chest, but found the bark to be stronger than she was.

“Laverna! Don’t give up!” Sunflower cried out, her voice growing more and more hoarse as she felt the last of her energy leaving her. Laverna felt it too. These rays were not the almost burning beams they had been less than a minute ago; they were now the slightest of warmth, like the sun just barely poking through a thunderstorm. This was it. The last chance. The next attack came.

It was a body blow that knocked the air out of her. She doubled over the club, almost using it as a support before it was yanked away from her. She slashed at it with her sword slowly, only for it to be caught with an open hand. With the last burst of strength she had, she finally was able to drive her dagger into the core once again.

That same disrupting swirl came once more, and the creature let out a roar. If she would die, at least it would be satisfying to know she had done some damage. The creature gripped her arm and tried to yank it away. Laverna held it there with all her strength, hoping that maybe she would be able to deal the final blow this way.

A raspy, dry voice rang out through the trees.

“Get ‘im...Laverna!” Sunflower coughed out, giving Laverna inspiration as a last hope. Eventually, the creature opted to strike her with its club once more to get her away. It cracked her across the temple, then the top of the head, then the cheek. A rain of blows struck her, each one knocking her senseless. All she could taste, see, or smell was blood. Blood everywhere. But she was still standing. Shaking like a leaf, but still standing. The creature was just as surprised as Laverna was.

She didn’t even swing, she merely put her weight on the blade. It pushed in deeper, and the creature’s rage only multiplied. Laverna knew she wouldn’t survive another strike. She had done some serious damage to it, though. Perhaps enough for Sunflower to escape or maybe even defeat it. She leaned back, only just barely hearing Sunflower crying out to her.

The damage finally got to her. She fell to the ground, barely breathing, wanting nothing more than to rest. The creature stood over her defiantly, her dagger still in its chest. Sunflower’s shouts were as far in the background as the chirping of crickets to her. But what she did notice was Vernon for the first time. He had snuck behind the creature, still trembling in that same way he had been. She wanted to shout, to cry out to him, to protect him, but it was too late. There was no time.

Vernon reeled back a tiny claw and raked it across the creature’s calf, causing it to halt its attack on Laverna.

“No!” she managed to cough out. The creature turned to Vernon, towering over him by nearly four feet, outweighing him by well over one-hundred and fifty pounds. This was no fight; it was a slaughter. In rage, it lifted his club high into the air, and brought it down in a swift, arc motion. Laverna could now hear Sunflower’s screams loud and clear.

Vernon...dodged by no more than a hair. The club, nearly the entire size of his body, struck the ground in front of him, creating a divot that was the size of his entire head. His trembling only worsened, but he was still alive.

Laverna felt a renewed vigor inside of her. From the ground, she found her discarded sword, and with both hands, chopped at its leg like she were a mighty lumberjack. With a roar that could put a tiger to shame, bloody, bruised, but not broken Laverna sliced right through the creature’s leg, leaving it to fall to the ground, scratching and clawing after Vernon. Laverna took one more deep breath, then collapsed, watching the remainder from the ground.

A small, light foot came into view, stomping through the grass with an anger unlike she had ever seen before. Sunflower had finally broken free. Laverna saw this next part through half-lidded eyes, but heard it quite clearly. With that tiny, unassuming foot, Sunflower stomped this creature onto its back. And then stomped again. And again. Again and again until the sound of wood crunching and splinters shattering rang out through the desolate woods. The creature’s roars soon turned to screams as it was crushed into a pile of kindling. When the screaming stopped and the job was finished, Laverna heard that same sweet voice again.

“Oh, come here, baby! Mama’s here, yes.” When Laverna managed to open her eyes once more, she saw a mother cuddling her child on her hip. When she opened them again, she noticed it was actually just Sunflower and Vernon, both of whom were looking quite terrified and ragged.

“Oh, no, no, are you okay? Can you hear me?” She kneeled down to speak to Laverna, who in truth, had to shake some blood out of her ears.

“I’m alive. That’s all that’s important.”

“I don’t have any spells left, I could...I could uh...hm.”

“Shh...I just need some rest.”

“Okay, I can do that. I can do that. I’m good at that, uh, I’ll play you a song, I--”

“Hello? Hello!” More voices rang out through the trees. Laverna was paralyzed with fear for a moment. If they weren’t friendly, she had no options. She tossed around the idea of telling Sunflower to run, but her decision was not made quick enough as a band of three hunters slid down the hill to greet them.

“We heard shouting! Are you alright?” Hospitality. Finally.

“I--yeah, I was the one who shouted. Do you know magic?”

“No, but we can help. We’ll take--” the rest of the conversation was a blur for Laverna as she finally gave way to her exhaustion. The last memory she had of this encounter was the feeling of two pairs of strong hands slipping under her arms and legs. She was either being taken somewhere safe, or being carted away to the cemetery. Either way, she’d get a nice rest.

Chapter Text

Monika had been relieved to see the mood of the club return to the status quo. Slowly, as Sayori became engulfed in the epic battle before them, that sadness had melted away from her face. It was always a shame to see that smile dim. Monika avoided any talk about Natsuki for the remainder of the session, fearing she would trigger a downward spiral in the girl. She left the room with a half-smile that day, and Monika considered that a victory.

She and Yuri shared a moment of silence in that room when Sayori had left. A knowing silence. A silence that communicated so much more than words could in that moment. Storm clouds were on the horizon, and they couldn’t avoid it forever. For now, the two packed up their belongings and chose to hope this storm would pass.

Monika had tried and failed to find any way to contact Natsuki. Nobody seemed to have her phone number, the attempts to track her down on social media had been a bust, and even when she tried to find her in the halls, the petite girl seemed to be invisible. She was disappointed when the end of the next day came. The club leader stood in front of her members empty-handed and defeated. Sayori’s long face and Yuri’s pained expressions were all the encouragement she needed to postpone the session.

Another day passed in this same fashion. The club members found it too difficult to even stay in the room together without talking about her. When the theorizing became too agonizing, the three packed it up and headed home. It was, without a doubt, the shortest meeting the literature club ever had.

By the third day, the elephant in the room had grown too large to be ignored. Monika sat at the head of their improvised table, alone. She had left class fifteen minutes early to prepare herself. She was the club leader, and as the leader, it was her job to stand up and take charge. The clouds had come and they were pouring on her literature club. If she didn’t do something to break them up, her club would drown. Her DM screen stood before her, blocking all her work from the players. Her dice were neatly arranged in ascending order. Two pencils and a notepad stood on the ready. Her notes laid open before her, reminding her of all she needed to do. In bold letters, on the page in front of her was written “Be a leader!”.

She smiled, blowing her doubts away with a deep breath. Above that, a sticky note told her to “Go for it!”. Beside that, another note affirmed her with “Don’t be afraid.” Along the length of her screen were dozens of these notes. Each one she had written when she had had a doubt about her leadership. Each one represented a storm cloud she had pushed from her mind. Now all she had to do was do the same for her club members. She was ready when the door opened.

“Okay, everyone! Are you ready for some D&D?” Monika belted out, wearing a grin so wide it hurt her cheeks. Sayori and Yuri had actually entered together, which she was thankful for. Neither carried the enthusiasm they had before.

“Monika...I’m just not feeling it...I’m sorry,” Sayori said, clutching her arm and observing the floor.

“I…” was all Yuri was able to say. Monika sat back down.

“Well...I guess Woodrot is doomed then, huh?” Monika said, a coy smile on her lips. Sayori looked up from the ground for just a moment. Come on, take the bait, Monika thought.

“I don’t wanna stop playing, but...we can’t.”

“And why would that be?” Sayori bit her lip before answering.

“We can’t play without Natsuki. It doesn’t feel right.” Yuri nodded along.

“Well, as far as I can tell, Natsu is separated from the party, having her own adventure...as far as you know.” Monika shrugged and turned away. She could see the curiosity bubbling up in Sayori. The girl tapped the floor with her toe and squirmed in place before finally belting out the question she had held in for so long.

“Just...tell me if Natsu died? Please?”

“As far as you can tell, Natsu could be alive...or maybe not. I guess we’d have to keep playing to find out, huh?”

“I just don’t--”

“Shhh.” Monika stood from the chair and approached Sayori, who almost flinched away from her touch. “Natsuki can tell you herself. Because she’s coming back, Sayori.”

“How do you know that?” The girl looked Monika in the eyes, a deluge of tears threatening to spill from them.
“Because she doesn’t give up. She’s not gonna give up on this club. And she’s not gonna give up on this.” Monika gestured to her set up. “I know she’ll be back because I know Natsuki. Although, I think she’s gonna need a push.”

“A push?” Yuri inquired.

“Yeah. A push. I’ve got a plan.” That gave Sayori enough hope to smile again. “Although, it’s too late to do it today.”

“What? Why?”

“Just trust me. Do you trust me?” There was a moment of silence before both members answered.

“I do,” they said.

“Then come play some D&D with me, alright?” She hugged Sayori, and judging by how long the girl held that hug, she truly needed it. When she pulled away, sunshine had cut through the bitter dark clouds, and blessed her club with some warmth once more. Tomorrow would be work...today was for play.

&&&&&

Laverna awoke upon a stiff mattress that did not pay her any mind when she tossed and turned upon it. Her bruises and cuts served as reminders that the day before had not been just a bad dream. She would live, but she was by no means in peak condition. The first thing she laid eyes on when she turned over was Vernon, sitting in an adorable wooden chair she assumed had been made for either a toddler or a doll to sit in.

The moment she laid eyes on him, he hopped up from the chair and sprinted from the room. Before she could even ask herself what was going on, Vernon returned, nearly tripping over himself as he rounded the corner. Behind him was Sunflower, who did trip on Vernon as she entered the room. The tiefling slid across the wooden floor, coming to a slow stop at the side of her bed. Her hand shot up, holding a donut in front of Laverna’s face.

“You’re awake! Also, I found donuts.” Sunflower’s beaming face came into view, bringing a smile to her own lips. The half-elf took the treat with gratitude. “We were so worried about you. You’ve been unconscious since yesterday! But we haven’t left your side once. Well, actually that’s not true. I left a few times to pee. Also to get donuts. So, I left a few times, but Vernon’s been here the whole time!” Vernon gave a confident nod.

“Thank you, Sunflower. Where are we?”

“We’re in Seratin. We made it! And we got Vernon here safe and sound.” She gave a warm smile to Vernon, who she was sure would be doing the same if he had functioning lips. She hadn’t forgotten about the bravery he had displayed in the woods. If it wasn’t for his distraction, she would be dead right now. And he could have died just as easily. It was almost unbelievable that he was no more than a monster to her merely a few days ago. She extended a hand to the blight.

“Come here, Vernon. If you will.” He took a few steps forward, close enough for her to put her hand on his head. “From this day forward, Vernon, I declare you an official member of this party. That is...if you accept the offer?” She then extended a handshake to the blight. He stood, unmoving for a few moments. It was long enough for Laverna to fear she was being rejected, but it all became clear when she noticed how Vernon was staring at her hand from all directions. She laughed and kneeled down to his level.

“It’s a handshake. Here, give me your hand.” She gently took hold of his large, bear paw-like hand and placed it in her own. She wrapped her fingers as far around the wooden hand as she could and gave it a good shake. “See? It’s how we make a promise.” Vernon pulled his hand away slowly and stared at it, as if it were some magical artifact. He then held his hand out to Sunflower to shake, and then to Laverna, and to Sunflower again. He learned quickly.

*****

After a short rest and about a dozen handshakes, the party left the inn they had been put up in. Laverna was sure to thank the owner for his hospitality before leaving. The scene they were greeted with upon exiting was the difference between night and day when compared to Woodrot. The cobblestones were clean and well cut, the buildings were sturdy and beautiful, and the people, albeit looking a bit nervous, were full of life and energy. They carried crates, equipment, and tools back and forth like ants collecting crumbs for their colony. Several times she found herself nearly bowled over by a worker carrying something hastily.

“What’s going on?” Laverna asked.

“Oh, right. We gotta go to the town hall. Lord Stiltwell is waiting for us. He’ll explain everything.”

“Who?”

“The guy who runs the town. Ya know, the mayor, I guess?” Sunflower looked to Vernon, but neither were quite sure what to call him. Either way, the party weaved through the streets to arrive in the town square, where a clock tower jutted into the sky like the marble finger of a giant. The thought of giants brought a bitter taste to Laverna’s mouth.

“Okay...he said if you’re standing in front of the clock tower, face north...so, north is...okay, so the sun rises in the east, so that means, hm,” Sunflower turned and pointed her fingers in several directions before finally deciding on one. Laverna slowly turned her in the opposite direction, leaving her index finger to point out the town hall.

It was a wide, two-story stone building with wide columns supporting it. Ivy stretched across the dark stones like green veins. Under normal circumstances, it would be charming, but seeing ivy and vines in any form gave Laverna a hint of anxiety at the time. Sunflower didn’t seem to share the sentiment, as she was practically skipping her way across the plaza to knock on the wooden double doors.

“Helloooo? Hello! Hello? We’re here to see the lord guy!” It took a few moments before a guard finally came to the door. When his bald head poked out from the door to be greeted by the enormous brown eyes and sharp teeth of a tiefling, the guard let out a yelp. He quickly realized the situation, and apologized before granting them entry, keeping an eye on Vernon the entire time.

Inside were long tables not unlike the guild hall in Woodrot, but a hell of a lot nicer. These tables were clean, polished, and without blemishes. Laverna would be downright proud to have a meal on a table like that. The guard escorted them through this wide hall and up a staircase against the far wall to the second floor, where the lord’s office was located.

It was a mess. Papers littered every flat surface in the room, most of them held down by stones, cups, gold, and whatever was heavy enough to not be moved by a strong breeze. Laverna noticed one handwritten report sitting on a chair being held down by a boot. It took a moment for her to match this up with the fact that the lord was barefoot. The other boot was across the room.

“Ah, you’re awake. Excellent,” he said, rising from his desk. Lord Stiltwell was a gaunt man with a pointed goatee and slicked back salt and pepper hair. His robes looked to be twice his size, and, as previously said, he wore no shoes. He looked less like a noble lord and more like a disgraced wizard who’d fallen on hard times. “Please, sit, sit.” He gestured in front of his desk.

“Um, where?” Laverna asked, pointing to the fact that all the chairs in the room were occupied by papers and documents.

“Ah, yes, I see. Terribly sorry for that, um, we’ve been having a bit of a problem with--” before he could finish his sentence, a powerful gust blasted through the window, rattling the shutters and threatening to blow any paper that was not completely secured away. One paper fluttered past Sunflower, who was able to catch it at the last moment before it was carried away by the breeze.

“Um, you want this?” She held it out.

“Yes, thank you. That is...ah, yes. A field report. Let me read this. One moment.” He donned a pair of spectacles and quickly scanned the lines, murmuring to himself the entire time. “Ah, wonderful.”

“Good news?” Laverna asked.

“No, but my guards’ spelling is getting better.” He sighed, then shuffled together enough papers for the girls to take a seat, with Vernon in Sunflower’s lap. “Now, I assume you’d like some information?”

“Well, that and to share some. How about you start?”

“Well, if you are from Woodrot, as the tiefling has said, then you’ve faced a similar problem to what we are dealing with, although I suspect on a much smaller scale.” Laverna didn’t like the sound of that. Sunflower’s grip on Vernon got just a bit tighter.

“Go on.”

“The woods threaten to overtake the town. They’ve already claimed several homes and businesses. We’ve found the only two ways to combat it are to burn the trees and to combat the attackers. It seems you had a run-in with one of them yesterday. They call them Avengers of the Forest. Creatures created from the earth by the Witch of the Woods to destroy our civilizations. They are but one of the many tools she wields, and unfortunately, they are nowhere near the strongest.” Hearing that made Laverna’s heart drop. Just one of these creatures nearly killed her, so what could an army of them do?

“How has your battle with them gone?”

“To say terrible would be pessimistic, but to say well would be far too hopeful. We’ve discovered the use of fire destroys them just as well as any tree, which is good to know, but their raw power is still a thing to be feared, as you know. And some have claimed to have seen treants among their numbers. Hulking monsters made from entire trees that can crush a large party of warriors.” He leaned over the desk. “If you ever encounter one, then you should run and never look back.” By this point, Sunflower was clutching onto Vernon so tightly that Laverna was worried she’d snap him in two.

“What do we do?” Sunflower exclaimed in a panic.

“I was hoping you’d have the answer for me. So far, all we’ve been able to do is repel the attacks. We’ve been successful in keeping a path to the ocean burnt out. Several ships have been sent out to seek aid, but none have returned, and I fear none will in time. I’ve considered evacuating the entire town via ship and just leaving Seratin to the beasts.”

“Well, don’t lose hope! Not just yet, anyway. We’ve hopefully brought something that can help. Well, someone.”

“Who would that be?” Lord Stiltwell stood, his eyes going wide in anticipation. Laverna slowly gestured to Vernon. “The...twig? You’re serious?”

“Yeah! We just need to see Sera! She can talk to him! I can kinda talk to him, but not so well,” Sunflower said.

“You need to see Sera? The druid?”

“Yes, as soon as possible.”

“Hm...well, I hate to tell you then that you’re going to have to go back into the woods once more.”

“You are joking,” Laverna said, nearly falling out of her chair.

“Come on, man! We just got back!”

“It’s just a short walk to her cabin! You’ll just follow the game trail for a couple miles, no longer than that. I’d offer you an escort, but as you can see, every hand around here is full.” Laverna sighed.

“It’s okay. We understand.”

“We can show you the trail, at least. Trust me, everybody around here is rooting for you. We’ve got everything attacking us, even the wind itself.” As if he had angered it, the wind once again blasted through, this one strong enough to blow several papers out from under their weights and send them scattering across the floor. The entire room stared at the papers for a few awkward moments before anybody said anything. “Damn.”

Lord Stiltwell slowly began to collect his papers while retaining some dignity, which at this point, was a mighty task. The girls decided to spare him the embarrassment and leave him to his work. They updated the bald, heavy-set guard on their situation, and he agreed to take him to the famed game trail that would lead them to their next objective. It was a short walk through the city streets to get to the edge of town, but with the swarm of people crossing the streets, even the shortest of walks was quite a struggle.

“Ooh, look at all these shops! Should we stop for a bit?” Sunflower asked, darting from window to window to peer into the stores.

“With what money? I spent almost all of it on equipment in Woodrot.”

“I’ve got money! She gave me the armor for free, remember? Called me her ‘favorite bonnie lass’!”

“I hate to eavesdrop, but if you ladies are lookin’ to shop, you’ve come to the wrong town. Just about every shop has shut down. The only stores still open are providing for the...well, I guess you’d call it a war effort, but this ain’t like no war I ever saw.”

“You can say that again.”

“This ain’t like no war I ever saw,” he repeated.

“No I didn’t--whatever. How much further?”

“Just gotta cut through the market here and we’ll be on the other side of town.” Their guide led them through a tucked away back alley that allowed them a reprieve from the bustling crowd. When they emerged, they were greeted by neat rows of brick homes, all with smoke rising up from chimneys, and with lights in the windows. It would be a cozy sight if danger weren’t constantly closing in around them.

As they continued through the street, the homes became less and less full of life. First, they lost the smoke, then the lights, and then, when they finally got to the last row, their integrity. The last rows of homes had been destroyed, with vines growing through the stones and slowly pulling them apart. The windows laid upon the floor, scattered into thousands of unrecognizable pieces. A peek inside the home would reveal that the furniture had been smashed and splintered into debris as well. It looked as if these buildings had been degrading for hundreds of years. It shocked Laverna to hear they had only been destroyed a month ago.

“Alright, here we are. I ain’t goin’ no further than this.” The guard stopped when he got to the bottom of the hill that led into the forest. “If you climb up there, it’s a bit of a winding path, but it leads straight up to the cabin, can’t miss it. You ladies just keep an eye out, and maybe keep one on that thing.” He jabbed a sausage finger at Vernon, who batted it away with prejudice.

“We’ll keep it in mind. Thank you, and good luck.”

“Appreciate it, but you save that luck for yourself. You’ll be needin’ it a lot more than me, anyhow,” he said before climbing his way back up the hill and into the safety and warmth of Seratin. Both girls stared up at the path before them.

“Aww, man. Why is it that we can’t just enjoy some peace and quiet? And maybe a donut?” Sunflower whined.

“So is the life of an adventurer, I suppose.”

“Yeah, I guess.” The two stood in silence once more.

“I suppose we should be getting a move on then, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Right, right.” Laverna coughed and kicked the dirt. “Maybe, uh, maybe you wanna go first?”

“Oh, no, I’m good, thanks. You go right ahead.”

“Oh, are you sure? I wouldn’t want to...want to, uh, ya know.” The duo stared each other in the eyes for a brief moment before exploding into a playground debate.

“You go first.”

“I’m not going first, you go first!”

“No, you!” Sunflower got behind Laverna and attempted to push her. Laverna dug her heels in, but found herself no match for Sunflower’s strength. It wasn’t much more than hers, but it was more, make no mistake. Her heels carved a path in the mud as she was pushed forward.

“Alright, fine! I’ll go first.” Laverna took a deep breath as she began to climb. She was really starting to miss having their tank around. It was an especially daunting thought due to the fact that she still wasn’t in peak condition. Her prayers went out for a quiet and peaceful walk.

After climbing up the hill and beginning their trek, Laverna was thankful that it had been peaceful, but quiet Sunflower would not allow. The trio pushed their way through the overgrown game trail, jumping at every rattling bush or squawking bird. On at least two occasions, Laverna had seen Vernon jump into Sunflower’s arms. And at least once, she had noticed Sunflower used her as a shield.

“Ahem,” she had said.

“My bad,” Sunflower had replied. She couldn’t fault the girl. After the encounter they had gone through before, the idea of fighting another was less than appealing.

“Hey, Laverna?”

“Yes?”

“What’s a treant? He said it was like...a big tree?” Laverna’s gut dropped at the mere mention of the creature.

“Well, that’s not far off. It’s a tree that’s been...awakened? I suppose? They’re a creature of their own, and they aren’t violent, typically. However...with the current circumstances, I think this Witch of the Woods has them stirred up into a frenzy.”

“So, what’s the plan if we see one?” Laverna did not wish to answer with “die,” but it did come to her mind immediately.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” she said instead, hoping that Sunflower didn’t pick up on the stench of her fear. It didn’t take a high roll to see.

*****

It had not been a perilous journey, but it had been one fraught with anxiety. The site of the ancient cabin had been enough for both girls to let out a cry of relief. Sunflower practically ran to the door, leaving all ideas of stealth behind.

“Hello? Please open up!”

“Sunflower!” Laverna rushed to her side. “Keep quiet, there could be enemies around.”

“Yes, she’s right. Enemies like me,” a strange and unfamiliar voice rang out from behind them. Both girls went stiff as a board. They turned slowly, their bodies trembling. Before them stood an enormous woman. She was shrouded with a hood, but it seemed that she stood a foot taller than either of them. For Vernon, the distance was incredible.

Her garb was a blend of plant fibers with flowers growing all along the length of it. In her hand was a long, gnarled wooden staff that doubled as a walking stick. She was barefoot. Just as Laverna finished taking all this in, she spoke again.

“You two should not be in the forest.”

“You’re right,” Laverna said, fear setting her speech on autopilot at this point.

“Why are you here?”

“We came to come to see the woman the--the--we came to see,” Sunflower stuttered. The woman in front of them, whose voice had been steely and reserved suddenly burst out into laughter.

“Oh, gods, you are a mess. Alright, enough of this,” she said. Laverna feared that statement for a moment before she removed her hood. The height they had assumed of her was actually attributed to the large horns that grew out of the top of her head. At first, she assumed them to be a costume piece, but they were authentic, and they rivaled any buck she had ever seen. On second inspection, she was about the same height as they were. “Okay, I was just having a bit of fun, sorry.”

“It’s...okay,” Laverna was fixed on her horns.

“You’re staring. Okay, yeah, they’re real. It kind of just happens to druids sometimes. Nature has a funny way of imprinting on you.” She gave her horns a flick to show that they were indeed not a costume.

“That’s awesome! Can I get some?”

“Maybe live in the woods for a few decades, and we’ll see. But, anyway, where are my manners? Would you girls like to come in for tea?”

“That would be nice, actually.”

“Wonderful. You wait right there.” And before Laverna could question what she was planning to do, the woman before them vanished in a puff of mist. She and Sunflower shared a few moments of confused searching before the door behind them clicked, then opened. “I don’t carry keys, sorry.”

“Did you…just teleport?”

“Oh, yeah. Do it all the time, it’s very handy.” Laverna became more and more intrigued with this woman by the second. She ushered the three of them into her home. It was a small, one-room cottage with little room to move around in. Nearly the entire home was cluttered with bookshelves or tables holding strange mixtures. It was clear this woman had only left enough room for her to slip from one side of the room to the other between the clutter. Even getting to her bed seemed a difficult task.

“Take a seat, take a seat. Just move that. Not that! Anything but that one. Yes, that one is fine.” Eventually, the two found a seat by the fire, which the woman had lit with a snap of her finger.

“Before we go any further, you are Sera, correct?”

“Oh, geez, nobody’s called me that in a while. Usually it’s sage, witch doctor, druid, you know the titles. Let me guess...Jamison sent you?” Sera handed each girl a handmade tea cup and poured a fragrant brew into each. Vernon was offered a cup, but denied it.

“Wow, yeah, that’s right!” Sunflower answered.

“He’s an old friend. We go way back.”

“Just how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Me?” Sera took a sip of her tea, then spit it into the fire. “Ugh, that’s terrible. Well, another funny side effect of being a druid is that age kinda gets wonky for you. Years are more like months to you. I’m...I think I’d be about 70 or so. I stopped keeping track a good while back.” Laverna’s jaw dropped. The woman before them looked to be not even middle-aged, let alone a senior. If she had been an elf, that may have been less shocking, but this was a human woman. And by the sounds of it, she may grow to be even older than Laverna would naturally. Laverna put a finger to her chin as she pondered the nature of druids.

“You don’t look a day over 20!” Sunflower said with a smile.

“Aw, you’re too kind. But I’m doubting you two braved the forest for pleasantries. What can I do for ya?” Laverna snapped out of it.

“Uh, yes, we were told you can speak to plants?”

“Mm, not exactly like you might be thinking, but pretty much, yeah, I can.”

“Well, what about a blight?”

“I had a feeling this is where this was gonna go.” Vernon suddenly caught her attention, and he became quite bashful. “So, this little guy has something important to say?”

“We’re hoping,” Sunflower said, holding him up like a proud parent.

“More than hoping at this point.” Sera cracked her knuckles and dumped her tea into the fire.

“Well, can’t say I’ve ever done it, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Bring the little guy here.” Vernon turned away from her, burying his face in Sunflower’s blouse.

“Don’t be scared, buddy,” Sunflower said. “Hey, who’s my brave little guy, huh?” Vernon peeked up at her. “Yeah, it’s you!”

“He’s fine right there,” Sera said before closing her eyes. She repeated an incantation in Sylvan, a language Laverna was actually able to understand for once.

“May the barrier between flesh and plant be removed, and allow me to converse with them. Spirits be with us.” There was a pregnant pause as Sunflower looked to Vernon, waiting for his first words.

“Well?” Sunflower cocked her head.

“Oh, sorry to disappoint. He can only speak with me,” Sera said with a click of her tongue.

“Aw, man. I wanted to hear it.”

“So, what questions do you have? I’ll relay the answers.” Laverna bit her lip. What questions needed answering more than any?

“I’ll start simple. Vernon, do you know where the Witch of the Woods is?” Sera looked to Vernon, who slowly turned from Sunflower to look at Sera. The way his head bobbed up and down made it seem as if he were speaking, but there was no audible sound, as far as they could tell.

“He says yes. Or at least, he did.”

“Did? What does that mean?” A brief pause was given for translation.

“Okay. So, to make a long story short, he says that all plants awakened by the Earth Mother have a telepathic link to her. Almost like a hive mind. But when Vernon acted out against her wishes, he was cut off from the link, and now he’s in the dark as much as you are. But he does know where she should be.” Laverna took a few moments to digest all that information.

“Does he know why she’s doing this?” Sunflower piped up.

“Okay, I’ll tell them. He says that she was once a hero, but one day the planet cried out to her to end its suffering. Apparently the planet could feel the corruption the civilizations of the world brought, and begged for her to end it. So...that’s why she wants to destroy the cities and stop their growth.” That took Laverna aback. She couldn’t speak for the rest, but to know that the planet was suffering gave her pause. Could they continue forward, knowing what they were doing was hurting the very ground they walked upon? This question gnawed at her.

“What about Woodrot?” Sunflower took over.

“He says Woodrot will be destroyed, but the people won’t be killed if they stand aside. At least she once thought that.”

“So...if we leave society behind...she won’t kill anyone else?” Laverna resumed.

“That seems correct, yes.”

“But, that’s impossible! She can’t expect everyone to abandon everything they’ve created!” Laverna stood from her chair, not sure who she should be looking at.

“She’s aware of that, apparently. And it’s not a problem for her.” That hit Laverna like a swift punch in the gut. What could she do? In the end, civilization would never stop the fight, and nature would never stop their campaign to conquer it. The two sides would be ground down until one of them had nothing left. There was a silence in the cabin, as nobody was quite sure what to ask next. “If you don’t mind, he says, he has a question for you.”

“Oh, uh, go ahead, Vernon.” She looked down to the twig blight with a smile.

“He asks why you’re doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to stop her. He...he worries it will get you all killed. And he’s come to like you, he says.” Sera gave them a warm smile. “He calls you his friends.” Sunflower put a hand over her mouth as emotion choked her.

“He called us his friends,” Sunflower repeated.

“I heard. Well, Vernon...I suppose our only answer for that is...if we don’t, who will? Although, with what we’ve learned today...I think we need some time to reevaluate our plan.” There was another long pause as the two discussed silently. Sera nodded several times before speaking to them once again.

“He wants to see you succeed. He doesn’t know how he feels about all this, but he knows he wants you to win. Oh? And also he wants some clothes. He says he wants to dress like people.” Sunflower was absolutely through the roof at this point. She snatched Vernon up and hugged him to her chest.

“Oh, buddy, we’ll get you the best little clothes! We’ll get you a little cloak and a little hat, and you’re gonna look so cute!” Sunflower held him up in the air and looked into his eyes.

“He wants you to know he’s smiling. In his heart.”

“Aww, buddy.”

“I hate to interrupt this moment, but how many more questions do we have time for?”

“The spell should last a few more minutes. What do ya got?”

“Vernon...how do we stop this? How do we stop the progression of the forest? How do we stop the suffering of the planet?” Vernon turned to look her in the eye.

“About the suffering of the planet, well, he says he doesn’t know how to stop it. As for the progression, he says you’ve done all you can. There is no way to stop it other than fighting it...but! He also says that you may be able to disrupt it for some time.”

“How can we do that?”

“By defeating the generals. The ones the Earth Mother has put in charge of her expansion. He says you’ve already encountered one of them. In the caves?”

“Yes...I’m aware.” Several things suddenly clicked into place for her.

“If you can stop them, you may be able to disrupt the movement long enough for you to make a plan of attack.”

“Attack of what?”

“To attack the Earth Mother. Until you defeat her, this will never end.”

“How can we hope to do that? She’s leagues above us.”

“He says he doesn’t know...but he believes in you.” Sera closed her eyes. “And that’s all I have for now. Did you get everything you needed?”

“I...I think so. Sunflower?” She was far too busy hugging Vernon and trying not to sob like a mother at an award show to answer. “Right. Thank you for your help, Sera.”

“No, thank you for the company. I don’t get many visitors, especially with the whole...situation.”

“Yes, I wouldn’t think so.” The ground beneath them suddenly rumbled. Once, then a long pause, then twice, then another pause, and another rumble. “What is that?” Sera shut her eyes for a few moments, then muttered another incantation. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.

“Seratin is in trouble.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“A general is on the move.”

Chapter Text

Natsuki clutched her hand to her chest. Slowly, she reached out for the door handle, pausing the moment her fingers wrapped around the cold steel. A few moments passed silently, then she deflated with a deep exhale. Her fingers uncurled and began to retract, but before they could, the door handle suddenly jiggled and twisted. The door before her was thrown open to reveal four strange girls she had never met before. Her eyes fixated on them, one-by-one.

A tall, gorgeous girl with silky purple hair was lost in a book, far away from the rest of the world. She didn’t move, even as the door opened; completely motionless, like a flawless statue. When she finally did notice the interloper at their doorstep, she jolted, putting aside her book for fear of seeming rude. There was a tender heart under that stony look.

Beside her was another girl, not quite as tall, but still much larger than Natsuki. Her brunette hair was done up in a ponytail held in place by a large white bow. Her smiles and grins were so full of confidence and vigor that Natsuki felt put to shame. This girl looked strikingly like the figurines she hid in her closet. Even back then, it was obvious that she was a magnet, pulling together all those around her to form something stronger than they were by themselves.

The one who had opened the door, and who now invaded her personal space held the brightest smile in the room. Her proximity made it difficult to register all her features, but Natsuki could hardly look past her eyes. They were like spring pools, so clear and pure, but deep and knowing. Even during this first encounter, Natsuki knew. The girl before her was a watcher who knew so much more than anybody would ever give her credit for.

Natsuki found herself unable to speak as all three turned her way. One-by-one they greeted her, and introduced themselves as the literature club. Yuri, Monika, and Sayori were their names. Natsuki had never been good with names. She’d never thought to bother with it, as friendships with her never really stuck. She was bossy, loud, prideful, spiteful, and everything she said came out wrong the moment it left her head and entered her mouth. She wasn’t worth being friends with...but for some reason, these girls thought differently.

She kept them at arm’s length, afraid of the anguish and anxiety that came with rejection. There were times where she thought to break it off before they had the chance, but that day never came, no matter how many mistakes she made. She showed up late, she didn’t speak up, she didn’t share, but it didn’t make a difference to them. They never got upset with her, they never got bored of her, and they eagerly listened to her. Why were they like that? What made them different?

After the first month, her heart dared to crack the gates ever-so-slightly. Every day Natsuki woke up, and she vowed to do a little better each time. She left a little earlier, she made notes to remember her poems, and she would force herself to say at least one sentence every meeting. One soon became two, and two soon became four. Eventually, she wasn’t trying anymore. She wasn’t a stranger in the literature club; she was a member, and proud to be one.

She didn’t understand poems, not really, anyway. They were just pretty words on paper to her, but they seemed to mean a lot to Yuri, so she would always do her best to write them. Natsuki didn’t have a way with words. She didn’t know what people wanted to hear in a poem, so she just wrote what she thought. She wrote about what she felt...about who she felt for.

They never said it to her face, but they were terrible. Natsuki knew they weren’t nearly as good, but she was proud of them. She was proud of the effort, no matter the result. And then came something new. A game that made sense to her. A game where she could be anybody she wanted, and a game where she could live out the fantasies she’d always hidden away. It was something beautiful, and it had a strange magic to it.

It had the magic to peel back the façade they all wore, and to reveal the truths they all hid. And so Natsu came to be. Natsu, the brave, outspoken woman who never hesitated. Playing the role was comfortable to Natsuki, like slipping on a pair of slippers after wearing terrible uniform shoes all day. She could finally relax and speak her mind.

And then it all came crashing down, like it always did. Her father had been the guillotine of her happiness since the day her mother had left. Vernon was covered in spikes, and ready to lash out at any moment, but Natsuki allowed those spikes to poke and pierce her skin anyway, even though she wasn’t sure why. She had wrestled with those thoughts for so many years, and so many times she thought she was sure of what she felt, but it wasn’t until now she realized what that feeling was.

It wasn’t hate she felt. Not hatred for his drinking, his ignorance, or his negligence, no, it was mourning. Mourning for the radiant father she had lost to the never-ending waves of sorrow. They had broken him down, eroded him away, layer by layer. Each day that smile had lessened, bit by bit, but Natsuki knew it was still in there. She didn’t want to hurt her father, nor did she want to leave him. She chose to stay with him, and that was because she had one goal: to save her father.

Under that spiked carapace was a beating heart. It was shriveled, stained, and weak, but it was still beating, and it was not for himself. Natsuki vowed to save the father that had lifted her on his shoulders to watch parades. She vowed to save the father who lost sleep for a week sitting by her bedside to protect her from monsters. The father she would save was the same man who had held her tight and cried with her when they read that final note from the woman they both loved.

Vernon hurt her, but not for cruelty’s sake. He was a child, scared and confused, clutching too tightly to the only thing he had left in this godforsaken world. Loving him hurt, but it was something Natsuki would never stop doing. She couldn’t let him control her, and she couldn’t let him waste away, but she couldn’t do it alone. She had learned that over these past few days. And it was for that reason that she found herself standing in front of that same door again, hesitating.

Why couldn’t she be braver? She begged for the answer, but it never came. She sighed as she peered through the window. Monika made the motion of drawing back a bow and arrow, narrating the actions of some creature. Her eyes were wide and full of life, as they always were. This world she had created was everything to her, and she was determined to pump as much of her own life force into it as she could.

Yuri leaned forward over the desk, clearly distressed. She stammered as she flipped through her sheets, struggling to come up with a response. Natsuki grinned. That girl always had been easy to fluster, and to see such genuine emotions coming from that face made of stone warmed her heart.

Sayori leaned back, apparently taken out of the action. She looked disappointed that there wasn’t much more she could do...Natsuki had seen that look on her face before. And even now she was the one causing it. A pang of guilt shot through her heart as she put a hand to the window. Sayori, as if the universe whispered in her ear, suddenly jerked her head toward the door.

Natsuki dropped to the ground, praying that they hadn’t seen her. She scurried away, hiding in the shadows of the stairwell. It was a familiar place; the same place Sayori had dropped her bag to scramble for her sheet. Natsuki took a seat under the stairs, and drew her bag close. She fumbled with it in the dark before removing a pink folder from it. Inside was a pitiful thing.

Hundreds of pieces of paper taped together with several rolls of clear tape. Most of them were crooked, torn, creased, and illegible. It wasn’t even able to hold up its own weight when she removed it from the folder. These tiny pieces of paper were nearly impossible to read, but one thing remained intact. The name at the top read: Natsu.

She didn’t dare cry over it, fearing she might ruin the sheet ever further. Instinctively, her hand clutched her mouth tightly, pushing back the wail that begged to be released into the world. Above her, footsteps rang out softly. She froze, unsure of what to do.
“Hello?” Sayori’s gentle voice bounced off the walls and into her ears. It was full of hope and sorrow. “Anybody there?” Natsuki looked up to the ceiling. The answer to her problem was so clear, yet she couldn’t bring herself to take the next step.

The comfort of compliance and order simply held too much power over her. The idea of freedom and confidence was not much more than a daydream to her. Her mind was ready, but her spirit was still that of little Natsuki, the girl too scared to do what was right for anybody, not even herself.

She slipped the ruins of her character sheet back into the folder and hid it away from the world. She grieved in silence under those stairs, knowing that what would make her happy was only a floor above her. Those footsteps disappeared after a long silence, and carried with them her last hopes for a rebellion. She didn’t hold onto the thought any longer, as it only burned her the more she lingered on it.

_____

Days passed by, same as they always had. Strangely enough, no matter how much she hurt, the world kept spinning, people kept moving forward, and everybody around her smiled without trouble. Natsuki swallowed her grief, and decided to join that crowd. This was just another chapter in her long history of failures. It might have been different, as it had many times in the past, but she told herself it would be next time. It would always be that next time she would succeed.

The final bell had rung minutes before, and Natsuki currently found herself lingering in an alcove away from the throngs of people passing through. She sat on a rickety bench and flipped through multi-colored flyers she had collected from the school bulletin board. At Vernon’s insistence, she had collected a few to consider new clubs to join. Natsuki couldn’t help but feel sick at the idea of it. It was like she had lost a loyal dog, and now they were shopping for a puppy to replace it. She figured a replacement was better than mourning at a grave.

A bright yellow paper slipped from her hand into a pile beside her. The first to go were all the sports clubs. Natsuki was too short, too skinny, and far too lazy to take joy in any team sports. She tapped her finger idly on the chess club flyer. The game wasn’t alien to her by any means, but it wasn’t her favorite. “Castling” was about the most advanced technique she knew. It went into the pile on her other side. That served as the “maybe” pile.

Another ten minutes of sorting went by before Natsuki finally settled on one: the anime club. It seemed the most obvious choice for her. Her father wouldn’t be happy about it, but she figured she could rename it to make it sound a bit more appealing, perhaps the “animation” or “entertainment” club would pass under the radar. She figured she would have plenty of time to figure it out later.

Approaching the club wasn’t as difficult as she feared, for a few others were actually going as well. She didn’t speak to them, but instead kept a healthy distance. It was easier just to pretend she hadn’t seen them look over their shoulders and whisper about her. Those two slipped past the door frame, and Natsuki wasn’t far behind.

There was no introduction for her in this club. It felt more like some kind of party at somebody’s house she’d never met. Those two she had been tailing quickly disappeared into the events around her. There were around 30 people in this room, nearly all of them guys, and their staring at her couldn’t have been more obvious if they had tried. In each corner of the room people had split into groups. A few were playing card games with various fantasy-themed depictions on the cards, and a few were playing some intricate post-apocalyptic board games. Somebody in the room had brought a gaming console and had hooked up a retro fighting game, and a crowd was forming around the competitors. There were shouts, cheers, and profanities with every punch and kick, all the way up to the end.

A lump began to form in her throat as she took the flier out and began to skim over it once more. She was looking for a guy named Alexander; apparently he was the leader of the club. It didn’t take long for her to hit a wall of people, forcing her to shove her way through, as nobody cared to make way for her. She was used to it.

“I’m looking for Alexander?” she meekly spoke up, only to receive no answer. She repeated it twice more, then dropped her attempts all together. She huffed and dusted herself off once she broke through the wall of people. A quick right turn led her into a collision with a boy much taller than she was. If this was an anime, she would have fallen on top of him, and they would have shared a tender, sweet moment. Unfortunately, it was not, and instead, she unceremoniously fell on her ass with a swear leaving her lips.

“Oh, damn, are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m whatever.” She rose to her feet, then locked eyes with the obstacle in front of her. Her shoulders rolled back, and her eyes widened once she recognized who the obstacle was. “Wait a second...don’t I know you?” She cocked her head forward and narrowed her eyes.

“Uh...don’t think so.” He awkwardly began to turn away from her, but he wasn’t quick enough. Natsuki could feel venom rising in her throat.

“No, I’m pretty sure I do!” She cut him off and got a better look at his face. He had round cheeks with freckles, a hooked nose, shaggy brunet hair, and deep, sunken gray eyes. He wasn’t very recognizable, but she had burned this face into her memory. “MC, right?”

“Uh, yeah, most folks just call me Michael.”

“Not Sayori.” Even saying her name shot a pang of sadness through her, but it was merely a drop of oil in the bucket compared to the rage she felt.

“Oh, you know her?”

“Yeah! I do!” Natsuki took a few steps closer. “You wanna tell me where you’ve been? Why you ignored her, maybe?”

“I don’t even know you, chill.” That sentence was enough to set her off. This boy had hurt Sayori enough by breaking his promise, but apparently he didn’t even recall the promise at all. That promise had been made right in front of Natsuki. Sayori had shown him off to her like somebody would a trophy husband, telling her everything about him with bright, starry eyes. The idea of him being in her life again filled her with so much joy, and he didn’t even care enough to remember.

Natsuki became a sputtering mess, too angry to properly form a sentence. She settled on the most basic thought in her head.

“You hurt her, you know!” She all but yelled.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do!” She stomped her foot and clenched her fist, raising her body as tall as it could possibly stand. Even with all her effort, she only came up to his ribcage. “You don’t even care, do you?” She tried to push him, but it wasn’t nearly strong enough to make an impact.

“So, what? What’s it matter to you?” That question brought Natsuki back to earth. It was only now that she realized the scene she was making. More than half the room had turned toward her, hiding laughter behind their hands. Whispers and snickers traveled through the room like a rampant disease. The heat of rage soon transformed into the burn of humiliation. She pushed her way past MC successfully, covering her face and running out of the room. It wasn’t more than a few seconds later she heard the room explode into laughter and chatter. He didn’t care. He never cared, but his question stuck with her.

“What does it matter to me?” Natsuki repeated to herself, her rapid pace now slowed to a leisurely amble. Roaming the corridors of the school alone, shut off from the merriment in the various rooms around her made Natsuki feel akin to a ghost haunting the building. Much like a ghost, all she wanted to do was disappear.

That question stabbed through her brain again and again. If they were in her past, why couldn’t she get them out of her mind? She wasn’t a member of the literature club anymore, and she needed to get that through her head.

*****

Friday had finally come. Natsuki had trudged her way through this awful week, but it was almost over. Every day she’d come home, her father had been doing his best to support her, keeping a smile on his face ever since the incident. He asked her questions, gave her advice, and told her he was there for her. It was almost like they were a family again...except for the fact that it made Natsuki sick. She’d always hated lying, but here she was, putting on a completely different persona to keep the peace.

She took a deep breath as the final bell rang. It was finally over. The weekend would be easier. She wouldn’t have to think about her answers, and she wouldn’t have to lie for a couple days. Natsuki was optimistic about it, although she couldn’t say it was exactly how she wanted to spend her weekend. The walk home from her last class took her past the club room where she’d humiliated herself the day prior. She pulled her bangs down in front of her eyes, trying to force the embarrassment from her body, but it ate at her like a viral disease. Natsuki always hated trying new things.

The staircase that had played a surprisingly dramatic role in her recent events came before her. It drug up old memories like a screeching tire through a dirt road. Natsuki winced; she would start taking a different path from here on out. But suddenly her memories escaped her mind, and they had become reality. Before her, standing at the bottom of the staircase with trembling chin and hands, Sayori and her clear eyes stared a hole right through her.

She was blocking her path. Natsuki looked up from the landing to see another figure had emerged from the darkness to block her path at the top. It was Yuri, in all her lavender beauty. Natsuki was unsure what was going on. And then, a clear, melodic voice rang out.

“Okay, everyone. I’m glad we’re all here.” From the shadows another figure emerged: Monika. She slowly began to descend the stairs with her hands up, as if she were approaching a scared animal, which, judging from the look on Natsuki’s face, wasn’t too far off-base. “Sorry about this, Natsuki, but we thought you would avoid us if we tried to talk to you.” She wasn’t wrong there. Natsuki shuffled in place, unsure of what her next move would be. Here she was, trying to hide from her problems, but they came and found her. Were those problems...or friends?

“I...I just--”

“You don’t have to say anything, Natsuki,” Yuri said with a small smile.

“We understand!” Sayori shouted, tears at the edge of her eyes.

“We want you back, Natsuki. You’re a member of the literature club, and we know that something’s wrong.” Every single hair on the back of Natsuki’s neck stood on end. How could they know? Her eyes drifted to Sayori. Could she have possibly figured it out? If they did, her whole world could come crashing down. She backed away from Monika. Monika paused in response.

“I...I know. But...it’s not that simple.”

“Why can’t it be?” Monika asked. Natsuki didn’t know how to answer that question herself, let alone figure it out for others. “Why can’t we just go on the way we have been?” She reached out for Natsuki, arms wide open for a hug. She truly was a magnet, because Natsuki felt herself being pulled toward her subconsciously. She was just a few steps away. Just a couple seconds away from being able to let it all out, to force this pain out of her, and have somebody hold her.

But she couldn’t. Not after everything she had said and done. She held onto the railing like an anchor in a stormy sea. It was Sayori’s turn to approach.

“Natsuki!” If Sayori got a hold of her, it would be over. “Listen to me.” Up the stairs she went, one by one, those familiar footsteps ringing out again, only this time there was no hiding from them. “Natsuki...we’re friends, aren’t we?” She arrived on the landing, and Natsuki knew that she couldn’t hide, but she could run. Behind her was an emergency exit. Cold steel pressed against her back. It was incredibly stupid to use it, but she had no choice. She quickly turned, but not before she got one last sentence in.

“Of course we are,” Natsuki couldn’t hold back the tears this time as she bolted through the emergency door. Milliseconds after her exit, a blaring alarm went off, alerting the entire school. Yuri and Monika panickily looked around.

“What should we do?” Yuri asked.

“Sayori!” Monika called out. The girl sprinted past her, running faster than anyone had ever seen her go, and looking more determined than she ever had before.

_____

Natsuki had never been athletic, but she was able to pick up speed. She had torn past the school grounds, and was now passing through the track field. Thankfully, it was emptied out for the day; she didn’t want anybody to see her in such a state.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stupid Sayori, stupid Monika, stupid Yuri, stupid...me,” Natsuki huffed between deep breaths. Her head was swimming, her brain was a roulette wheel spinning between choices. She had run from her problems once more, but unfortunately for her, her problems were faster than her.

“Natsukiii!” a voice called out. She looked over her shoulder. There was a blur, an impact, and then she was on the ground, looking up at the sky. Thankfully she had landed on the soft green grass. Before she could get up, Sayori filled her vision, and the girl’s arms shot out on either side of her.

“Sayori!”

“Stop running from me!” Sayori shouted from the bottom of her gut, sending a spray of tears flying. “I know you don’t wanna leave, so stop trying to!” Sayori softened up a bit, the hard lines on her face rounding out. She went from a vicious hunting dog to a sad puppy in no time.

“Sayori...you don’t understand.”

“Stop lying to me!” That took Natsuki aback. “You’ve been lying this entire time. Why can’t you just tell me the truth!” The petite girl bit her lip and looked away. She gently pushed Sayori off of her to sit up. “Just look at me. I’m here. Please, talk to me.” Sayori slid to sit beside her now that there was no fear of her running off again.

“I don’t wanna quit the literature club...but it’s not my choice.”

“It’s your dad, isn’t it?” Natsuki’s eyes shot open, and she turned to stare at Sayori. “I’ve heard things around the school...rumors and stuff.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Please, Natsuki. Let me in.” She put a hand on the girl’s tiny shoulder. “Let me be a part of your world...you’re a big part of mine.” Natsuki’s tears rolled forward without her even noticing at this point. Her body was begging for the emotional release. It had festered in her chest for so long that it felt like it was part of her, but it wasn’t. It truly didn’t have to be. Here on this field is where it could finally be put to rest.

“I don’t think I can.” The two girls sat in silence for a few moments before Sayori finally spoke up, sniffling and wiping some snot on her sleeve as she did so.

“How about a trade, then?” Even in this moment, Natsuki couldn’t help but laugh.

“A trade?”

“A secret for a secret. If it’s such a big one...then I’ll let you know my worst secret.” Sayori dug through her pocket for a slip of paper. It took her a moment, but Natsuki soon realized that she had seen this paper before. She recognized the little heart doodled in the corner margins of it from the day Sayori had dropped her bag. It seemed so long ago, yet it was no more than a couple weeks. Her hand reached out for it, but Sayori pulled away. “Do you promise?” Natsuki bit the inside of her cheek. It was finally time. She nodded, and took the paper from her.

Unfolding the paper revealed just how worn it was. Hundreds of creases made it difficult to read in the first place, not to mention the fact that it had been written, rewritten, crossed-out, erased, and written again at least a dozen times. It was difficult to even understand it at all, but after some straining, it finally became clear to Natsuki what this was: it was a suicide note.

A new kind of sadness arose in Natsuki as she looked at Sayori. This note was her heart, carved and bled onto the page. She spoke of her mistakes, her failures, and how she never felt she could succeed in anything. Her thoughts were all over the place, and many of them were scratched out, but the meaning was still there. It was at that moment Natsuki realized just how selfish she had been.

“I carry it around with me at all times...in case...yeah.” Natsuki didn’t give her another second to talk as she tackled her in a hug.

“Don’t you ever!” Natsuki was wailing now. Eight years of pent up emotions came rocketing out of her body in a sob that was loud enough to echo through the track field. “Don’t you ever even think about doing it, Sayori!” She pulled the girl so close and so tight that she was afraid she might hurt her, but she couldn’t help herself. “Please...you’re my friend.”

“You’re my friend too.” Sayori reciprocated the embrace, burying her face in Natsuki’s shoulder. “And I don’t ever wanna lose you.” Natsuki pulled back to look into her eyes. There was nothing she could think to say that was strong enough, so she settled for what she could do. She clasped Sayori’s hand in her own, and she smiled.

“You still have to tell me,” Sayori said, wiping away some tears. Natsuki took a deep breath, and prepared herself to jettison this pain from herself. If Sayori had been brave enough to do something so bold, she could muster up the courage to be honest with her.

“When I was ten...my mom left. She divorced my dad, and I chose to stay with him. For a few years, I would see her pretty often, but when I was fourteen she moved to Europe. I still hear from her, but I don’t see her more than a couple times a year.” Sayori nodded along as the story went, listening intently. Natsuki would have to push herself through the next part, but with Sayori’s hand in her own, she felt stronger, not so alone in her strife.

“Go on.” As if she were reading her mind, Sayori affirmed her.

“That’s when it got really bad. My dad went into a depression. He started drinking, he started getting angry with me, and most of all, he just stopped being there for me.” Natsuki could feel Sayori’s grip tightening, but by her face she wouldn’t be able to tell.

“Did he ever hit you?” She hesitated.

“A few times...that was when it got really really bad. He hasn’t in a while.” Sayori’s teeth clenched. “But...I’ve managed to get through it. He’s never liked what I like. He always said that it would make it hard for me to make friends if I didn’t act more normal. He burned my manga, he threw away my figurines. I’m surprised he let me keep my hair dyed.” Natsuki fiddled with a lock of her hair nervously. She kept her eyes on the ground. There was no way she could look at Sayori right now.

“Is that why you keep that box of manga in the closet?”

“Yeah...I didn’t wanna risk losing Parfait Girls, so I kept it here.”

“I see,” Sayori’s tears had burned away at this point, and Natsuki could feel the indignant rage boiling up. She had feared this might happen, but there was no stopping it now. This cancer had to be cut from her heart if she ever wanted to heal.

“After last weekend...when I came home late, dad went through my bag, and he found my character sheet. I tried to make him understand, but he wouldn’t listen. So...he tore it up.”

“What? Why did he do that?” Sayori could no longer hide her anger.

“He thought I was joining...a weird group. So, he tore it up and he told me to find a new club...to make normal friends. But…” Natsuki wanted to cry, but at this point, she felt that all the tears in her body had already left her. “...I don’t want normal friends. I want you guys.” She wrapped her arms around Sayori’s waist and pulled her in close, resting her head on her shoulder.

“We want you too, Natsuki. We were afraid you weren’t coming back.”

“I’m not sure if I was. I wanted to, but I was scared.”

“Of him?” Sayori spoke with venom dripping from her tongue.

“Kinda...I know it’s hard to understand, but he’s trying to help...in his own way.” Natsuki knew there would be no way to make her see anything but red. That was a problem she would face down the road. Right now she only wanted to enjoy having her friends back.

“Sayori?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s make a pact. Right here and now.” Natsuki let go of her and stood up.

“Okay, what is it?”

“Give me the note.” Sayori took a step back.

“Why?”

“Please, Sayori.” The girl was hesitant, but she complied. “Let’s make a pact to never leave each other. Ever. Even after high school, even after the club ends, even after we get...I don’t know, get married or whatever. You’re my friend, and I don’t want to lose you, but I might need you to make sure you don’t lose me either. So, are you with me?”

“Yeah, Natsuki, of course.”

“Then tear this note up with me.” Natsuki held half of it to her. “Tear it up, and from now on, we’re gonna keep each other in check, alright? We’re not gonna let it get there ever again, okay?” Natsuki almost felt childish making such wide and hopeful promises, but it was the only way she knew how to be. Sayori was quite slow to do it, but she agreed, and the two tore the paper in half. And then they tore it again. Over and over until it was torn asunder and completely unrecognizable.

They let the chilled autumn winds carry those bitter words away, and for a moment, it seemed that they had found the eye of the storm in those dark, dark clouds.

____

Back on the hill above the track field, two figures stood. They watched the scene play out before them, trusting that Sayori knew what she was doing. By the end, they were sure that their literature club, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, was born once more. As the two came up the hill, hands intertwined and smiles on their faces, Monika couldn’t control herself, and she lost all decorum. She all but snatched Natsuki away, lifting her off the ground in a hug.

“Oh, honey, it’s so great to have you back.” She sat the girl down. “You are coming back, right?” Natsuki nodded with a small smile and a blush.

“I agree, Natsuki. I missed you.” Natsuki’s blush darkened. “I meant we missed you! We all missed you...of course. It didn’t feel right without you.”

“You’re a piece of our puzzle, Natsuki. Without you, we’re just not whole,” Monika said.

“So, what should we do now that we’re all back together?” Sayori asked with a wide smile. Natsuki would tell them what transpired soon, but for now there was only one thing she truly, truly wanted.

“I wanna play D&D with you guuuys!” Natsuki apparently found her last vestige of tears in the tank as they came out in the final cry of the night. They didn’t last long, as all three members rushed to wipe them away, and she nearly found herself pulled apart as all three desired to pull her in for a hug. Everything would be okay, Natsuki finally decided.

Chapter Text

Four heads, including Vernon whom Sunflower was holding up to see, peeked out the window of Sera’s cabin. The forest was alive with the sounds of war. Shouts in Sylvan rang out through the woods, and the treetops shook so violently that it looked as if they had been caught in a hurricane. Past the treetops, wispy white trails of smoke danced in the air over the town.

“I’m gonna take a guess and say that that’s probably not a good thing?” Sunflower winced.

“Not even close. For the townsfolk, at least,” Sera replied, her brows knitting, and her eyes darting from side-to-side. Laverna slung her bow over her shoulder, nearly knocking over a vase as she did so.

“Then we need to get moving! Thank you again, Sera.” Laverna turned to leave the cabin, but Sera put a hand on her shoulder to halt her.

“You probably want this?” Sera held out a map of the continent with a large red circle upon it. “I marked where Vernon said she might be.”

“Oh, yes, thank you. I can’t believe I almost left without it.” Laverna let out a sharp, chattering laugh. Sera patted her cheek.

“Hey, everything is gonna be okay. Just take a breath.” The half-elf did as she said. If she wanted to attain victory today, she couldn’t even entertain the idea of failure. She learned that from Natsu.

The party fled from the cabin. Sunflower turned to look back at Sera as she was gathering a few items in a satchel, and donning her enormous hood.

“Y’all keep moving. I’m gonna investigate something,” she said.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Sunflower asked.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m pretty hard to kill.” And without another word, the druid disappeared in another puff of mist. Sunflower nodded, then followed Laverna’s trail, with Vernon on her tail.

“Hey, Laverna!” she called out. “You think...you think we can handle this? You think we’re ready?” The half-elf bit the inside of her cheek, and scanned the ground beneath her for a few moments. Before she could form a reply, about a hundred yards ahead of them, a tree standing about 20 feet tall suddenly began to move. It twisted and shook violently, as if the unseen hand of an angry giant was manhandling it. A few brief moments of confusion passed by before the creature made itself known. Its trunk split into two enormous logs with tri-pointed toes, its branches twisted into enormous wooden hands with 6 fingers, and at its heart, a scrunched-up, scowling face formed in the bark. With a roar, it broke free from its original placement, snapping the roots that confined it as it did so. It was a treant, and a bloody gargantuan one. Laverna’s blood froze, and she paused in her tracks.

“I...it’s gonna be rough,” Laverna whimpered. Sunflower trotted to her side, and they stood in the silence for a few moments more, enjoying the quiet and calm before the battle. As Sunflower took her hand in her own, it hit Laverna that this could quite possibly be the last calm they ever enjoyed together.

In her heart, she gave a prayer. A prayer for safety; she didn’t dare to ask for more. Her eyes locked onto the trembling tiefling beside her, and all she could think about was how small she looked in that moment. If she could survive, then Laverna would be satisfied. She gave her hand a squeeze, then let it fall away as she moved forward.

They dashed ahead, weaving their way past the monstrous treant, and not daring to look it in the eye. Thankfully, it took no notice of them as they passed. The three slid down the hill with haste, with Vernon tripping and rolling his way into Sunflower’s arms at the bottom. The hesitation they had when traversing the woods before was all but gone, as the fear of the unknown had made itself quite known. The worries in their head had come alive within the smell of smoke and the sound of angry shouting growing with each step. Haste was imperative.

It was a flood of green pouring in from the forest. Laverna lost count, but dozens and dozens of various creatures, all made of plant material, stormed past the destroyed homes and continued their attack on the town. She watched as a troop of forest avengers gracefully climbed onto the roof of a house, then launched a volley of arrows onto the town guards below who were already struggling to hold back the overwhelming numbers.

Laverna’s gut tightened into a knot. Just one avenger had put her out of commission, how could she fight an army of them? The guards had formed a human wall in the street, using the houses to their advantage. Shield and sword proved only so effective as a wave of blights shredded them with an onslaught of needles. Many held their ground, but one dropped, either dead or unconscious; truly, it did not matter. That miniscule hole in their defense was all the enemy needed to rush in and break apart the wall. The avengers served as shock troopers.

It was a horrible sight to witness, but Laverna knew there was no saving them. The avengers surrounded them, then assaulted them with blows from their mighty wooden arms from all angles. Pity bubbled up inside of her, but Laverna knew it was certain death to step in now. She took Sunflower by the hand and snuck through the alley, moving closer to the heart of the town.

At the end of the alley, the trio were blocked by a hastily-made barricade. It was no more than a few pieces of furniture toppled to block the way, but it would hopefully serve its purpose. Laverna ascended with ease, then held out a hand for Sunflower and Vernon. The three stood atop the barricade to see the full scope of the battle. Two buildings were burning, and Laverna was not sure who had started it, as from the balcony of the town hall, guards were firing arrows with burning tips at the approaching avengers and blights. The flaming bodies of the defeated ones crackled and roared as they laid on the ground, slowly spreading out to anything flammable around them.

In the streets, a dozen guards were doing everything they could to push back the invading forces. Burly men with tower shields pushed the enemy back into the alleys. Those with crossbows stood atop crates, barricades, and anything that could give them a better shot as they fired. Young men, some barely old enough to be called such, were slashing and hacking at the creatures with swords and buckler shields. As she watched a boy fall limp upon the arm of the avenger who had impaled him, Laverna could not help but see the face of Tommy under the helmet. This was the fate that awaited him. This was what awaited all of them.

Laverna fell into a state of panic as she descended into her own thoughts. Millions of possibilities were available to her, and so many of them would end with death. How could she make the right call? How could she protect anybody? How could she protect herself? Could she protect herself?

Sunflower’s touch broke her out of the stupor she had found herself in. Laverna shook the thoughts out of her head, then muttered her appreciation. She had to remind herself that those thoughts had no place in her mind right now.

“What should we do?” Sunflower asked, her eyes continually scanning the battlefield.

“We need to get to the town hall.” She pointed across the yard, where two men were slashing at avengers with long glaives with red banners tied to them. They looked considerably more grizzled then the men fighting and dying in the courtyard. Sunflower nodded, following her lead. It was no more than a hundred yard dash, yet a sea of enemies stood between them and their goal. “Let’s get to it.”

The three leapt from the barricade and hit the ground running. It proved difficult to weave and serpentine between the battles without the enemy taking notice. It came in a brown blur from her peripheral vision, but Laverna was able to duck a shillelagh attack from one of the avengers by inches. Her distraction gave the guard dueling it an opening to slash the creature from waist to shoulder, leaving it to fall into two pieces. He muttered his gratitude before moving onto another battle.

The next attack came from above. A flurry of arrows struck the ground all around Sunflower, just barely missing her head. Laverna was not quite so lucky as an arrow struck her right between the shoulder blades. She screeched as a horrible, stinging pain traveled up her spine like flames engulfing an oil trail. She didn’t let it slow her; she suffered through the pain and kept running.

“Laverna!”

“We’ll heal it later!” She grunted. “Just keep moving.” Their goal was no more than fifty yards away now. Ahead of them, one of the avengers began to grunt in Sylvan and point at them.

“Get them!” it grunted. Three avengers halted their assault, and turned to carry out the order with their longbows made from gnarled branches.

“Fog Cloud!” Laverna called out as she made a strange gesture with her hand. Suddenly, a burst of fog formed in front of the archers, blocking their shots, and allowing the trio to narrowly escape their misfired arrows. It was a race now. They had to get to the entrance before they could ready another volley. That’s all there was to it, but things were often as dangerous as they were simple in war.

Laverna could see the sweat beaded on the guards’ brows from this distance. Just a few more seconds was all she needed, but fate was not quite that forgiving. The squad of avengers stepped out of the fog, each with another arrow nocked and ready to go. There was nothing she could do now. She watched as the first arrow came flying.

Laverna twisted her entire body, like a ballerina pirouetting, and allowed the arrow to slide past her, scratching a line across her metal chest piece as it did. Sunflower was not quite as graceful as the arrow sought her out. She dived forward, arching her back as she did so. Like a ship sailing under a bridge, the projectile flew under her stomach and struck a crate behind her. She tumbled forward, getting back on her feet before the next arrow could come.

Laverna was the first to reach the entrance. The guards waved her through without a word. Sunflower put a foot on the doorstep, then whipped around to search for Vernon. His stubby legs were struggling to cross the distance. As the arrow flew toward him, she screamed. He turned just in time to see it making its path.

He stopped dead in his tracks, flinching, and covering himself in anticipation. The arrow struck with a meaty thud. A guard, felled in battle by another adversary, toppled over just in time to catch the arrow in his back. Vernon looked himself over to make sure he was still alive.

Sunflower sprinted forward to meet him halfway and scoop him up in her arms. Once they made it inside, the doors were slammed and barred behind them. A handful of guards defended the entrance. The lobby of the hall had become a makeshift fortress. The windows were boarded up, crossbowmen took position on the balconies, both inside and out, and the tables had been upturned to make more barricades in hope of bottlenecking the flood of enemies. Once the girls had passed through, the guards returned to their positions, knuckles white and a prayer on every trembling lip.

The girls hurriedly ascended the stairs once more, calling out the name of the lord the entire time. They were greeted about halfway up the second set of stairs by a ragged Lord Stiltwell. He waved them up and thanked them in the same breath before dashing back upstairs.

His office looked no more orderly than when they had seen it previously, only now with more than just their one balding guard. The twang of crossbow bolts rang out like a song of battle, rising and falling with every moment, and occasionally broken up by the grunts and whines of a dying man. This was war, and this was hell. Laverna knew at that moment she couldn’t allow this fate to fall to the rest of humanity.

“What in the name of the gods is going on?” Lord Stitlwell asked them. “We’ve never seen a full scale invasion like this before.”

“We’ve got reason to believe a general is backing this fight. They’re not going to leave until they’ve taken the town.”

“Or until we’ve beaten them!” Sunflower added with a confidence Laverna wished she could share.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Laverna. We’re not an army, and we’re already on the backfoot.” He took a short look out the window before an arrow sailed above his head and forced him back under. It was a tableau of destruction and death. Bodies, both wooden and flesh, dotted the square like toys carelessly scattered by the gods. It was hard to look at and believe that each of those corpses were once people. Even in that very room, a guard laid on the ground with the life leaking out of a hole in his chest.

Laverna was ready to give up the ghost, but Sunflower didn’t seem to share that same despair. She pushed past both of them, then climbed onto one of the few remaining upright desks. She took a deep breath.

“Sunflower, what are you--”

“Don’t give up hope!” Sunflower called out. “This isn't over. Not by a long shot!” Sunflower gestured to the various guards in the room, speaking to the entire room at this point. “As long as we’re breathing, we’re winning.” Laverna felt a sensation rising in her chest. “They might have the numbers, but we have something much more powerful.”

At this point, the entire room had turned to hear her speech. “All they want to do is take, but we’re fighting for our very lives. Don’t you feel it? Your will to fight? Your will to live? It burns, doesn’t it?” Laverna put a hand to her chest as she felt the breath catch in her throat. “Let it burn. Let it roar. That fire is what pushes you forward. What pushes us forward!” A cheer went up through the crowd. “We won’t be beaten! We won’t be snuffed out!” Another cheer, including Laverna herself. “We won’t go quietly! Let ‘em hear it! Let them hear your roar!” Sunflower roared like an uncaged beast. Her call to action stirred the resolve of every guard in that room as they roared with her. Even Laverna herself felt inspired.

Every man and woman in that room returned to the battle with renewed vigor. Their shots hit closer to home, tearing holes clean through the enemy. Each kill sent a wave of roars through the room, like tiny sparks lighting fires, those roars triggered more and more until no another sound could be heard. Those roars, Laverna could swear, sounded like the crackling of a roaring inferno.

She couldn’t help but gawk at Sunflower as she took charge. She walked through the room, encouraging and inspiring all those who needed it. Before he was able to give his final dying breath, Sunflower even rushed to heal the dying guard. She was a whirlwind of magic and uplifting words, and not a soul in that room didn’t feel a connection with her.

“Let them hear it!” she would occasionally shout, throwing her fist in the air to a chorus of raucous roars. And for a moment, there was hope. Hope in their eyes, hope in their hearts, hope that this storm would pass, and everything would go back to the way it once was. Hope was all they had left, and they couldn’t let it die out.

Laverna felt embarrassed for the despair she had begun to fall into. She rose to her full height, and began to formulate another plan of her own. A sudden splitting pain reminded her of the arrow in her back, but Sunflower was even on top of that ordeal.

“Hold still, and brace yourself.” A ripping pain suddenly shot across her back, but it was immediately followed up by the soothing, cooling feeling of healing magic washing over her. “You okay?”

“Much better.”

“Ma’am! Dead ahead!” a guard on the balcony called out to Sunflower. The trio made their way outside to see the commotion. Coming down the main street, moving at a snail’s pace, but unstoppable as a tank, the treant had finally made its way to the battle. Sunflower shook her head and sighed. The square was finally becoming clear, the guards, with the assistance of the crossbowmen, had finally been able to push away the overwhelming numbers of avengers and blights, but if that treant joined the fray, it was over.

The largest barricade stood between it and the square. Two guards stood on top of it, each balancing on the remains of a table and bed frame respectively, firing bolts at the creature in hopes of slowing it.

“If that thing gets in, we’re finished,” Laverna said absently.

“Not if we stop it!” Sunflower said, drawing her lute as if it were a longsword.

“There’s no chance--”
“If we don’t even try, then we can’t call ourselves heroes, Laverna!” She reached out and grabbed Laverna by the shoulder. “This is what heroes do! No matter how stupid.” She softened the statement with a smile. Laverna shared a chuckle with her before shaking her head.

“I suppose you’re right. Come on, let’s go be heroes.” Sunflower perked her head up as she felt a pulling on her sleeve. It was Vernon at her heel, looking up at her like a child would their mother. She kneeled down to him.

“You gotta stay here, buddy.” He shook his head. “I know, I know. But you can’t. I can’t let you.” It was Laverna’s turn to lay a hand on her.

“I made him a promise, Sunflower. He’s as much a member of this team as you or I.” She looked down at him with a grin. “If we die, we die together. As heroes.” Vernon nodded, puffing his chest out. Sunflower sighed.

“Okay, but you stay with mommy, okay? Don’t leave my sight for even a second.” Vernon nodded along. “And don’t get into trouble. If things get too bad, you get out of there, okay?” His nodding knew no end. “Alright, let’s hop to it!” She took his hand, then threw him upon her shoulders. “Onward!” She charged back down the stairs.

Laverna said another silent prayer before following. Safety. That was all she needed. Was it too much to ask for, even now?

By the time they made it down to the square, the battles had reignited, but the guards had a solid handle on it. Each avenger was fighting at least two guards at this point, and those who were unharmed were dragging the injured away from the fray. The two guards at the door had long abandoned their posts to join the melee, and they saved at least two lives by doing so, from what they saw.

“Aye! You! Come quick!” The guard on the left of the barricade, a woman with a gravelly voice, called out. She knelt to offer a hand to the party. At this point, the treant was no more than a hundred feet away from the barricade. Just from standing atop of it, Laverna and Sunflower easily judged that the monster would tear through it in moments. It was do or die. Both crossbowmen took up arms once more and fired.

The woman they had spoken to was dead on with her shot, striking the behemoth dead center. The bolt looked so small as it pierced the treant’s bark carapace. It didn’t even bother with snapping the bolt or removing it. That sent a cold shiver down Laverna’s spine.The other shot went wide, and smashed the window of a cobbler’s store.

“What are y’all waitin’ for? Get to it!” The other crossbowman shouted, offering the both of them a light crossbow. Laverna denied it in favor of her own, but Sunflower accepted it. “What ‘bout him?” he asked as Laverna pushed away the weapon. She looked to Vernon.

“Uh? Vernon?” Vernon took the weapon with absolute confidence, although it was just as tall as he was. “He’ll figure it out.” The man spit out the corner of his mouth.

“Good ‘nuff for me.” And so the time came for them to attack. Laverna took her shot first. She allowed herself a deep breath and a single word as she marked her target. In her mind, a bullseye appeared on the creature’s chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at her comrades, and she knew that this was the time to perform beyond her limits. She released the arrow with a prayer, not to the gods, but to the earth itself. A prayer to end this madness.

It hit the creature in the center of the face, shattering a chunk of bark with a crack like lightning striking the ground. The blow had enough power to stagger the creature for a moment as a sheet of bark the size of a tower shield fell from its chest and shattered on the cobblestones. When it turned back to look at them, she saw that half of its face had been removed, although she wasn’t sure if it even needed it.

“Yes!” Laverna called out.

“Good work, lass,” the lady clapped her on the back.

“Good work, Laverna!” Sunflower called out as she lined up a shot of her own. Clearly, this was unfamiliar territory for her, but she was nowhere near discouraged. She fired, and the kickback nearly knocked her off the barricade. Vernon was able to keep her standing with a push to the backside. He gave her a thumbs up, which she reciprocated.

Meanwhile, the bolt found its home in the arm of the treant. As it made contact, it ripped a stray branch from the creature, which nobody was sure if it felt. A curse went up from the crossbowmen beside her.

“This ain’t gonna cut it.” Just as he said that, Vernon launched a bolt of his own. Although it missed wide, Laverna felt it was pretty close for somebody who’d never held a crossbow before.

“Right on, Tawney. Heads up,” the woman beside her said before tossing a bolt to the man. She also handed one to each of the girls.

“Let’s turn up the heat, girls. Don’t worry about collateral,” Tawney said before a roar drowned him out. The treant was approaching, but that wasn’t all it was doing. It was done being shot at, and decided to return the favor. With a single hand, it gripped a horse cart at its feet, and lifted it from the ground. The contents went spilling into the street and smashing against the cobblestones. The creature roared once more, then reeled back and launched the cart at the barricade.

It was difficult to tell who the attack was aimed at, but it came toward Laverna. As its shadow came over her, Laverna felt her blood turn to ice. She instinctively crouched to defend herself, but thankfully, the cart came up short, slamming into the barricade below her. The force was enough to rock the entire platform, and knock the entire party, guests included, to their knees

“Ah, gods above. Put a bolt in that thing, Ronda!”

“I’m tryin’ me best here!” she replied, getting back to her feet and preparing another shot, this time with a flame burning the tip of it. Before Tawney took his own shot, he did the girls the courtesy of lighting their arrows for them. This time, the roles were reversed as Ronda’s shot slammed into what Laverna believed to be a cafe of some sort. Inside, the flame caught some old furniture and started a raging inferno. Ronda sucked her teeth and belted out an apology.

Tawney’s shot found home, just barely missing the creature’s eyes. It roared a horrible wail as the fire enveloped it. It swatted at the flames, but it was much too slow to beat them out before they found home amongst its leaves. A cheer went up through the party, but Laverna couldn’t share the joy. Seeing this horror, even on an enemy, put a sour taste in her mouth. In no more than a minute, death would claim one of them, and Laverna only wished for it to be swift and painless to whomever it was.

She launched another shot of her own. The flames on its end danced and quivered as it sailed, but once it struck the leg of the treant, that flame’s lifeforce returned with a vengeance. Another horrid roar of pain followed.

Both Vernon and Sunflower took their own shots, but neither were able to hit the mark. The flames of their bolts lit a wagon down the street on fire. The treant, now ablaze, stomped toward them like an unstoppable demon straight out of the lowest circles of hell. Its rage grew with the flames, and as it took hold of a reinforced crate about the size of the cart it had thrown previously, Laverna could see that this next attack would be to kill.

The crate, licked by flames, went sailing through the air, and just barely avoided decapitating Ronda. It exploded into a pile of splinters on the other side of the barricade.

“Too damn close!” she hollered. “Last chance, girls!” she reminded them as she handed out another round of flame bolts. Every member of the party stood, straightened their backs, and stared the monster in the face. It was no more than forty feet away now. They had to stop it here.

“All together now!” Sunflower called out. Five arrows were loosed at the same time, carrying the last of their hopes with them. Three of them slammed into the creature, and the flames gave it pause, but even with all the damage they had dealt to it, it was not enough to stop it. The treant, now burned and twisted, with arrows dotting it like porcupine quills, finally made its way to the barricade. Each stomp was enough to shake their unsteady footing, and nearly bring them to the ground.

With one massive leg, it demolished the barricade right down the middle, sending Sunflower and Laverna flying through the air. The cracking of wood and bending of steel was a horrible cacophony that rang out through the streets like a death gnoll for the town.

“No!” both Ronda and Tawney shouted in unison from atop the remains of the barricade. Both were able to land without incurring any further damage, but from the ground, staring up at a flaming behemoth made of charred wood and singed leaves, they feared that their chances were slim. Both girls shared a long, anguished look before giving a sad smile. They rose to their feet, weapons in hand, and what hope they had left worn on their sleeves.

“Like heroes, right?” Laverna called out to her partner.

“Get outta there!” Ronda shouted as she took another shot at the creature. It raised a hand to block the shot like one would swat at a fly, but as it did, Tawney was able to get a decent shot off. While they had it distracted, Laverna figured now was the best time to make her attack. Both she and Sunflower retreated as they made their shots.

They regained its attention as their shots formed a ladder on its left leg. Another bone-shaking roar followed, although this one was close enough to rock the ground. The treant broke into a sprint as it lifted its enormous wooden hand high into the smoky sky. It was coming for Laverna. There was nothing she could do as it approached. Its hand fell like a hammer ready to strike down a nail.

The shadow of death closed in on her, and right before it hit, she gave a look to Sunflower. Her prayers had been answered, she couldn’t help but think as the blow hit her. The hand was large enough to smash her entire body into the cobblestone. Her gaunt form made an indent in the street as she hit the ground. The breath left her body, blood came gushing from her mouth, and her head rang like a church bell.

Sunflower watched as the treant lifted its enormous hand from Laverna’s limp body. She wasn’t moving. The tiefling roared at it, rage exploding from her lungs like dragon fire. This was enough for it to take another swing at her. Its arm slammed into the ground, then slid towards her with the force of a train.

Its extended hand caught her, then carried her for a fair distance before slamming her into the wall of a building. Immediately, her vision went black, and her entire body felt like it was on fire. When it pulled away, she fell to the ground, unable to catch herself. She was losing consciousness quickly.

“Is...this it?” Laverna coughed, barely able to lift her head to watch Sunflower receive a similar blow. The blood that filled her mouth seemed to answer her. “Please...don’t let this be it.” Laverna stared up to the sky, sending her prayer out one final time.

“Aye, you! Over here, ya bloody bastard!” Ronda shouted, descending the barricade and drawing a longsword. Tawney followed her swiftly. The two spread out around the creature, desperately trying to get its attention. As it brought a hand down between them, Tawney moved forward, striking the creature’s leg, and bringing it to one knee.

Ronda took this opportunity, and sprinted forward, ascending the stairs that the bolts had formed, and leapt upon the creature like a woman possessed. She buried her longsword up to the hilt into its chest. It stood to its full height, roaring and screeching. It swung Ronda from side-to-side until she was eventually thrown back to the ground, her sword still lost in its body.

She hit the ground with an ungraceful thud. Tawney called out for her, but before he could reach her, another of those massive legs came barreling toward him. It hit him with enough force to send him spiraling and tumbling into the front door of the candle shop. The door folded in two as Tawney smashed through it.

Ronda got back to her feet, then threw back her cloak to reveal another, smaller sword. She rushed forward with it held close to her chest. She slashed and stabbed the creature with all the might she had, calling out to Laverna and Sunflower the entire time.

“Girls, answer me! Hang in there!” Laverna could barely hear her. Her voice was a dull ringing in the back of her mind, but it was there. She did all she could to rise, but all she could muster was a small wriggle.

Tawney emerged from the rubble, but clutched his ribs as a pool of blood began to blossom across his surcoat like a crimson flower. Instead, he hollered a warning to Ronda.

“Look out!” he shouted, but it came too late for her to hear. Two massive hands slammed onto her, crushing her into the ground. She was not finished, but Ronda was horribly injured, as was Tawny.

Laverna felt another voice calling to her, though this one was soft and warm, like a comforting hug or a warm cup of coffee. Warmth spread through her entire body, and that voice became clearer and clearer. She found the strength in her to rise, and to see Sunflower on her hands and knees, not even able to lift her head, but shouting for Laverna to get up.

She felt that familiar healing magic doing its work. It wasn’t enough to make her feel like new, but it was enough for her to find her footing. She surveyed the battlefield. Tawney was slicing away at the treant, desperately trying to get it away from Ronda, although he himself was just as bloodied as she was, if not worse. Ronda was shakily rising from the ground, the sword in her hand vibrating like a tuning fork.

Laverna took a deep, copper-flavored breath. Her bow found its way into her hand. That target reappeared on her enemy, albeit shakily. One more arrow. That’s all she needed. Her hands were trembling, but she nocked it, and with one final shout, she loosed it.

“Leave this place!” Laverna shouted as the arrow soared through the air. The creature turned just in time to catch the arrow in its one remaining eye. It made solid contact, then, with an explosive crack, split the treant’s eye, and made a path straight through its thick wooden skull. The creature gave one final roar as it fell like a toppling tower, just barely avoiding crushing Tawney.

A stunned silence went through the square. Laverna wiped the blood from her lip, smearing it across her cheek. She looked to Tawney, then Ronda, and then to Sunflower. And then, like a powder keg going off, a cavalcade of cheers and roars went up from the town hall. Laverna hurried to Sunflower’s side, giving her a hand to get her to her feet.

“Did...we do it?”

“I think so?” Laverna said. “Although it definitely wasn’t just us.” She pointed to the two guards who were now approaching them.

“Haw, ya gals had it all along,” Ronda coughed. “Just needed a little help.”

“Ya gonna be alright, bluejay?” Tawney spoke in a voice just barely above a whisper.

“Yeah, yeah, just need a good sleep,” Ronda responded.

As the dust settled, the battle still raged around them, but an enormous victory was won. It was only now that she noticed Vernon still standing upon the barricade, jumping and waving to the party. Laverna smiled and waved to him, but he didn’t stop jumping. It seemed like he was trying to get their attention for some reason. Laverna and crew limped toward the hole in the barricade, dread building up in her stomach.

“No...not now,” she said to herself as she saw what was on the other side. An enormous pack of wolves, with a white wolf with red streaks of crimson slashed across his fur leading them. The General had arrived.

Chapter Text

Tawney turned to Ronda. Both wore expressions of dread under their battle-damaged helmets, and neither had a single spot on them that wasn’t soaked with blood.

“Got another fight left in ya?” Tawney asked as he produced a small flask of reinforced glass from his surcoat. It was cracked heavily, but the contents remained safely inside.

“Not even close.” Ronda dug through her pockets for a small metal box.

“Yeah, me neither. Girls! Can you walk?” He turned back to Laverna, who was supporting Sunflower on her shoulder. Vernon had now descended the barricade and was rushing toward them.

“Well enough, I suppose.”

“Then get your bony asses back to the hall, alright?” Ronda winced, and gripped her trembling arm. Tawney ripped the cork from the top of the flask and began to pour it over the barricade as he yanked and threw pieces of furniture from the remaining sides back to the middle.

“But what--”

“Just go!” Tawney shouted as he finished pouring the last of what Laverna understood to be oil over the furniture. On the other side, the wolves were slowly prowling down the street, their heads hung low, and their jaws snapping. Their leader, The General, skulked down the destroyed cobblestone street with his head held high, and a certain arrogant swagger in his step.

“We’ll be okay. Just turn and don’t look back,” Ronda said with a soft smile before lighting a spark that ignited the entire barricade. Laverna wanted to fight with them, but with one glance at Sunflower, she knew they were in no position to argue. Vernon was the only one walking without a limp.

“Thank you,” Laverna whispered with a tear in her eye as she used what was left of her strength to shuffle her and Sunflower across the courtyard.

As the first spark was struck, a contingent of gray wolves suddenly broke into a dead sprint, six of them in total. Meanwhile, their leader never so much as stirred or hasted as they charged.
The two guards only had enough time to take a few steps back and draw their swords before the wolves leapt over the growing flames. They were swift enough that the fire only licked at their underbellies, much to the guards’ dismay.

“Aw, piss off, ya dogs,” Ronda said with an exhale.

“Stay close to me.” Tawney put his back to hers as the wolves began to form a circle around them. His grip on the sword tightened until his knuckles went white. “I won’t let ‘em get to ya,” he whispered tenderly. Ronda spit a concoction of blood and mucus onto the stones at her feet.

“Yeah? Then who’s gonna protect you?” Tawney’s eyes fell to the ground, then back to the enemy. In the time it took for Ronda to release a pained breath, a flurry of fangs and claws closed in on the two.

*****

“Don’t look back. Don’t look back,” Laverna repeated to herself with every sound she heard. With every strike, crunch, and yelp, she had to remember that if she looked back, all would be lost.

“Ronda!” Tawney shouted, his voice thick with rage and trembling with sorrow.

“Don’t look back. Don’t look back.” The hall was no more than ten feet away at this point. And then, the sounds stopped. The slashing and the yelling, all of it came to a dead silence. Laverna snapped her eyes shut and clenched her fist as she banged on the heavy wooden door.

“Don’t look. Don’t.” She rested her head against the cool stone of the wall. “Don’t.” She knew the answer, but it gnawed at her to not be able to confirm it. The door before her was thrown open, but before she was yanked inside, she was able to spin around to catch the smallest, shortest glance at the scene. Neither were still standing, and blood formed a pool in the street. Laverna would never be able to forget that image.

The guards took Sunflower’s weight from her. The moment they did, Laverna all but collapsed onto the floor. Her hands balled into fists. She punched the floor, again and again until blood welled up on the surface of her pale knuckles. What was she even angry about? Her prayers had been answered.

Had Tawney and Ronda said prayers too? Had they prayed for their own safety? Or...the thought gave Laverna pause, and then fat, heavy tears began to roll down her cheeks. She released her anger in one final exhale, and hung her head. The fight still wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

When she lifted her head once more, she saw that the guards in the room were all staring at the scene she had made. After an awkward pause, one finally stepped forward to offer her a hand. From the deep-set lines in his face and the faded color of his hair, Laverna could tell that he was an older human guard. He kept his hair tied in a low ponytail, and a scruffy beard covered the majority of his face. His helmet had either been lost or forgotten, and upon his forehead was a fresh gash that stretched from temple to temple. She took his hand gratefully.

“You did great, girls,” Lord Stiltwell said as he descended the stairs.

“Not good enough,” Laverna retorted with a scoff. Stiltwell opened his mouth, but hesitated, then dropped his reply entirely. “Siegfried, get these girls some healing potions. We should have at least a couple left in the stock room.”

“Aye, sir,” the guard who had helped her up replied before trotting down a hall and out of sight. He moved quickly for his age. Stiltwell gave him a nod as he passed, then approached the girls. He kneeled down to look at Sunflower’s battered, blood-smeared face.

“Good gods, you girls are lucky to be alive. I can never thank you enough for slaying that beast.”

“But we failed. It got through, and...Tawney and Ronda...they…” Laverna couldn’t bring herself to finish the statement.

“Did everything they could. As did you. The creature is dead, which is a massive boon in our favor.”

“But we have a new problem. The General himself has arrived. And he’s brought an enormous pack of wolves with him.” This took Lord Stiltwell aback for a moment.

“It’s true, sir. Take a look. Between the boards.” A guard stepped from the window to allow him to take a peek at the battlefield outside. In that silence, even Stiltwell’s nervous gulp could be heard. When he turned back to face them, he was considerably paler.

“Well?” Laverna questioned.

“Those wolves are tearing through the guards. Surrounding them and…” He spun around to take another look through the boards. “We need to--we need--make sure these barricades are sturdy. Test these windows! I don’t want anything getting through!”

“Aye, sir!” a chorus of guards replied.

“Girls, will you please come with me? You too...Vernon, was it?” Vernon nodded. “Siegfried!”

“Aye, coming, m’lord!” Siegfried returned to the main hall with four red bottles in his arms. “I was able to scrounge up four, sir, but this is the absolute last of the reserves. Are you sure?”

“Yes, more than sure. Give it to them.” Siegfried nodded, then handed them over. Both wasted no time in downing the first potion. It was thick like honey, but had an earthy, nutty flavor to it, with a strangely sweet after-taste. Once the girls had polished off the first bottle, both breathed a good deal easier. Sunflower’s bruising eased and deflated before Laverna’s eyes.

“Feeling better, partner?” Laverna asked.

“Much. Vernon, how’re you holding up?” The twig blight looked himself up and down, then gave an exaggerated thumbs up. “Good to hear it.” Both girls handed Siegfried back the empty bottle, then pocketed the other one for later use. They followed Stiltwell with a spring in their step.

“I’m not sure of the status of the invasion at this point. This could be the last of the reinforcements, or they could be readying for another wave.” He was speaking a mile-a-minute. “Either way, having that enormous creature dead is a good thing, but even with the barricade burning, they’re finding other routes into the square.” They made it to the second floor, then ascended once more to the top office. He took a brief moment to look out an unbarred window. “The battles are subsiding, I think the guards are taking up refuge in the buildings.” Then he suddenly whipped around on the stairs to look the girls in the eye.

“Yes?” Laverna took a step back.

“I know I’ve asked far too much of you already, but how much would you three say you have left in you?” The girls looked at each other for a moment.

“I’m tapped out on magic,” Laverna said.

“I’ve got one left in me maybe.”

“Then we’d best use it wisely,” Laverna said. “Vernon, ready to go as ever?” He replied with a confident nod. Lord Stiltwell gave a chuckle.

“Only adventurers could be so resilient. Well, I’m glad to hear it.” They finally arrived back at the office, and as they did, what was left of the guards cheered when they spotted the returning heroes.

“That was a real spectacle!” one shouted.

“You gave ‘em hell!” another said. Laverna and Sunflower waved off the excitement, and continued to follow Stiltwell to the center of the room, where he had placed a roll of parchment down, right next to Sunflower’s boot print. It was a map of the town, and on it, several marks and crosses had been made. Stiltwell whistled to gather the attention of the guards.

“They’ve broken through the barricades here, here, and here. The rest have stood sturdy, or been defended. So, the wolves will have to come through these three entrances. We’re going to send in the reserves here, and hope for the best.” He took a moment to survey the room. He gave a nod, then went back to the map. “We have to stop them here. We’re in the final stretch now. There’s no going back from here.” He swallowed his spit. “If there’s anybody who doesn’t think they’re up to this, you may stay in this room. May the gods be with you.” A discongrous chattering went through the crowd.

“Hell no!”

“We fight as one!”

“We’re not dead yet!” Stiltwell smiled.

“I’m glad to see your encouragement hasn’t worn off yet.” He gave a wink to Sunflower. “Fine then. We’ll split into three groups, and we’ll defend these points. Where would you three like to go?”

“Here, the closest one,” Sunflower answered.

“Right. We’ll send Siegfried, Roy, Rosemary, and Thyme with you.” Sunflower and Laverna nodded. “Well, what are we waiting for? Everybody get moving!” A roar went through the room as they slung their crossbows over their shoulders and drew their swords.

*****

Two wolves prowled the street, blood smeared across their jowls and claws. They sniffed at the alleys and doors of every building they passed. One stopped to sniff and prod a guard lying prostrate in a pool of blood, but moved on once a bite did not stir him. They halted in front of one with a large, reinforced door. After a few moments of sniffing around, the front door of the town hall quickly opened with a heavy thud, and two crossbow quills came sailing from the entrance. Both struck the wolves through the hearts, killing them almost instantly. A wave of guards, both male and female, both human and elf, rushed out from the hall. They split up immediately, felling wolves and fighting back twigs on their way through the streets. For the third time that day, Sunflower, Laverna, and Vernon crossed the length of that bloody square.

This time Laverna couldn’t help but give the scene a passing glance. Their bodies were still there, lying on their backs, unmoving, unbreathing. A large pool of shiny crimson blood had spread out from them, and it slowly trickled down and through the cracks in the cobblestone. She couldn’t spare the time to mourn them, not yet. Once this battle was over, there would be plenty of time. She had to keep telling herself that.

“Here it is,” Siegfried pointed out, firing a crossbow bolt at a straggling blight as he did so. The bolt practically exploded the blight as it shot through it. It always felt strange to see a blight die after becoming so attached to Vernon. Death never felt right to Laverna, but unfortunately there was no avoiding it today.

The barricade they arrived at was surprisingly empty. Down the street, some blights had rooted themselves to the ground, and branches had begun to sprout from their bodies. They twisted and grasped the houses like thin, leafy hands trying to crush the buildings. Although they were growing, they were not advancing, which Laverna was thankful for. They could be dealt with later.

“Where are they?” Rosemary spoke in a high, wispy voice that could only belong to an elf.

“I do not know. But I have a dreadful feeling about this,” Thyme replied in a similar manner.

“Everybody, get ready,” Siegfried said, nocking an arrow into his crossbow. Moments after his warning was given, from the shadows of the alleys, six gray wolves appeared, slowly stalking forward. They moved side-to-side in an almost serpentine motion. It was strangely cautious how they approached. Before Laverna could pipe up, Siegfried fired a shot.

“Attack!” he shouted. His bolt flew forward with blinding speed, but the wolf it was aimed at quickly side-stepped it entirely. Its movements were odd, almost calculated, even. Laverna had to double-check that this wolf’s fur was gray. The remainder of the guards fanned-out to meet these wolves in battle. Rosemary was the first to strike. His blade came down in a wide-arc to strike the ground. Moments before the blow came, the wolf leapt back to avoid the attack, then stared directly at the guard.

Thyme was the next to attack. He pivoted his entire body, almost like the swing of a baseball player, to strike the wolf. Once again, as the swing came, the wolf darted back, only this time, it darted forward once he was mid-swing. It bit him, almost harmlessly, on the wrist. It didn’t do much damage to him, but the sudden pressure caused his hand to open, and send his sword flying. It did not go far, not more than 8 feet away, but that was quite the distance when the wolves were blocking.

“What in the name of the gods?” Thyme huffed as he drew a short dagger from his belt.

“What is this?” Roy shouted as he also missed his swing to a rather crafty wolf. Laverna couldn’t believe what she was seeing: these wolves were strategizing. They were dodging purposefully. Even Laverna’s own shots found no home as the wolves leapt and danced from side-to-side to avoid her arrows. Sunflower, with nearly no magic left, resorted to using the crossbow she had been given before. She found just as much luck as everybody else.

“What is happening?” Siegfried cried out. Over all the ruckus of growling, swinging, and swearing, Laverna’s ears suddenly pricked up. The tiniest of sounds, but a distinct one: the clacking of claws on cobblestones, only it was coming from behind them. Laverna whipped around to see it.

A large wolf, standing nearly at eye-level with her, was skulking toward them, cutting off their retreat. It was a daunting thing, with matted tangles of black-gray fur, fangs as long as an elf’s finger, and claws as sharp as any rogue’s dagger. A dire wolf it was, a formidable foe in any environment, but being ambushed by one could be lethal.

“Behind us!” Laverna shouted as they approached. The entire group suddenly whipped around to see the ambush in progress. And as they did, the wolves halted their game of dodging, falling back on their heels and lowering their heads. Now it was time to go on the offensive.

It was Laverna who moved the quickest--to nobody’s surprise. She fired an arrow at the dire wolf, but it was already on the move by the time she shot. It pounced upon Siegfried. Its massive jaws opened wide, then caught the butt of Siegfried’s crossbow as he jammed it into its mouth.

“Not makin’ me a meal! Not today!” The creature held fast to his bow, shaking from side-to-side as Siegfried tried to recapture it. After a brief scuffle, Siegfried eventually let the crossbow go in favor of drawing his longsword. “Bite this one!” he shouted as he brought his blade down upon the beast’s forehead. It yelped, finally releasing the crossbow and letting it slide across the cobblestones. Another blow came, but it was able to maneuver out of the way just in time.

Sunflower knew she had to assist. She put her bow aside in favor of her shortsword. It only occurred to Laverna later that this was the first time she had seen Sunflower use a sword in battle. She was surprisingly handy with it. As she pierced the beast’s side with both hands, it gave out a yelp, then a furious growl.

Even Vernon stepped forward to assist. Standing at the creature’s chest, Vernon slashed at it, quickly staining it’s tangled gray fur crimson. It was a striking reminder that Vernon wasn’t as helpless as he seemed. Laverna would need to rely on him if she were to survive the day.

They spared a brief moment to review the situation with the wolves behind them. So far, the guards had been holding them off quite well, although it didn’t seem like they were making much progress for themselves. It was a stalemate, but the tides could turn at any minute.

Laverna wasted no time in drawing her own shortsword and dagger, and rushing the creature. She stood on the opposite side of Sunflower to flank the beast. With a grunt, she buried both blades into the wolf’s side. She felt the flesh part and give way as she buried them to the hilt. As she did so, she could feel the creature below begin to weaken. Flesh was much more giving than bark, she had discovered.

It would not go without a fight by any means, though. The creature quickly spun around, whipping its tail and shaking the attackers off of it. When it halted, it was looking Laverna directly in the eyes. It pounced, and although her friends tried to stop it, the dire wolf leapt upon her, biting and slashing at her for a tremendous amount of damage. Its crushing weight knocked the wind out of her, and she could feel the blood quickly leaking out from each gash the claws left. If this kept up, she would be unconscious or dead in no time.

Across the field, another brutal scene was taking place. One of the wolves had leapt upon Rosemary, gripping him by the neck with its teeth. With one swift motion, it tore open his throat, sending a spray of crimson across the field. It would not be long before the wolves swarmed. Roy and Thyme tightened their formation.

Siegfried attacked the creature with a renewed fervor, more trying to knock it off of Laverna than anything. His wild slashes and stabs appeared to be ineffectual. It reeled back to bite her throat, but Laverna jammed her forearm between its jaws to stop it. It shredded the skin on her arm and pelted her with blood that fell like raindrops. Its attacks were losing vigor, but so was she. The real question at this point was who would give in first.

Another shrill shriek went up across the field as Thyme found himself beset on two sides. The wolves brought him to his knees, then made a bloody show of finishing him off. Only Roy was left to fend off six wolves. He was smart enough to put his back to the wall; Laverna feared it wouldn’t be enough.

But Laverna had her own worries to deal with. She wanted to, but she couldn’t save him. She couldn’t even save herself. The flash of death appeared in this wolf’s eyes as it reared up for another go at her throat. Suddenly, like a streak of lightning, a yellow hand snatched this creature by the upper jaw. With every muscle in her arm tensing, Sunflower stood, holding this creature in place as it tried to break away to kill her.

“Get. Away. From. Her!” Sunflower shouted, plunging her blade into the wolf’s back. A spray of red shot into the air, raining upon Laverna once more, and forced her to turn her face away. The creature gave out one last defiant howl as it finally fell to the ground. Laverna heaved a sigh of relief as the weight was quite literally lifted off her chest.

“You still with us?” Sunflower asked.

“Barely.” Laverna coughed up a few specks of blood. The strange thing was that she wasn’t sure whose it was. “Today has not been kind to us.”

“And it still ain’t. On your feet!” Siegfried shouted as he took his crossbow in hand once more. “Roy! Defend yourself!” The attention was now on the soul survivor, who already looked quite bloody to begin with. But it was not Siegfried to rush into the fray, no, it was Vernon, with claws outstretched.

Their little warrior buried his claws into the side of the nearest wolf, who gave out an angry growl and snapped at him instinctively. He had the right idea; Laverna had no time to lay around. With some strain, she downed her last vial of health potion, and got to her feet. That thick syrupy drink could really work miracles.

The wolf Vernon had engaged snapped at his claw, taking a chunk of wood with it, but Vernon didn’t seem to be terribly bothered by it. As he stumbled back, another wolf came to blindside him. It bowled him over, then took a chunk from his shoulder. Vernon wasn’t looking so good, as he struggled to take a swing with the missing chunk of his arm.

“Hang in there, buddy!” Sunflower bellowed, still coated in dire wolf blood. Siegfried was finally able to ready himself, and fired a couple shots at the wolves ahead of them. His first bolt blew the wolf that last attacked Vernon away, sending it sliding limply across the stones. His other shot the first, wounding it terribly, but not quite killing it. It was Roy, standing behind it, who finished it off with one clean slice through its neck.

He gave a deep sigh, then a thumbs up to the little blight, who with his good arm, returned the favor. Even with this momentary distraction, the wolves attempted to capitalize. A gray wolf leapt upon Roy’s back, but with one strong arm, he was able to grab it by the scruff of the neck and toss it away from him.

Sunflower rushed to Vernon’s side, looking him up and down like a worried mother. But Vernon did not seem shaken by his dire experience. He still held that same unshakable confidence in himself as he moved forward.

Once again, the wolves attempted to use their concern against them, but as a wolf leapt toward the distracted Sunshine, Vernon suddenly pushed her back, leaving the beast to harmlessly slide past her. Sunshine threw him a bewildered glance, but he merely responded with his trademark thumbs up. She shook it off as the wolf wheeled around for another lunge. This time, as it came, Sunshine ducked it, holding her blade up to create an enormous gash that spanned its entire body. This time, it did not get back up.

The three remaining wolves, most of them bloodied and injured, halted at the threshold of the battle, stepping back and away from the reorganizing group. It was clear that their advantage had been lost. The party stood, five against three, all battered, but standing. Laverna wiped the sweat from her brow as she drew her bow.

“Do you still want to try?” The wolves retreated a few feet, giving them some breathing room. Siegfried and Laverna kept their bows trained on them. For a moment, it seemed as if they might actually rout the wolves. And then, a cold chuckle came from the shadows.

He appeared, still slinking forward at his relaxed pace. The General approached, with his white fur glistening and pristine; the only red on him were the stripes in his fur. Now that he was closer, Laverna noticed that he had a strange amulet dangling from his neck.

“A capital show you’ve put on.” His eyes paused on Laverna and Sunflower. “Hm, I thought I’d taught you to stay away already. Back in the caves?” Laverna felt both her fists and gut tighten. Her desire to flee was just as strong as her desire to shoot.

“Is that wolf talkin’?” Siegfried asked, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“I am no mere wolf, you simpleton.” The General stood on his hind legs, and then he stood a bit taller, and then even taller as he grew before their very eyes.

“What in the name of the gods?” Siegfried whispered. The white wolf before them slowly transformed into the form of a human man with the distinct features of a wolf. Delight danced in his eyes as he witnessed the look upon their faces.

“Surprised, are you?” When he took a step forward, they took a step back. His lips curved into a crooked smile. “You stand before Rambaken, The Wolf General of the Earth Mother. See this as an honor, for today I will kill you with my own hands.” His claws flashed like shards of obsidian.

“I think we need to beat a retreat,” Siegfried whispered. Rambaken’s canine ears suddenly perked up.

“By all means, run.” He turned to the pack of wolves that approached behind him. “The wolves love a good chase,” he said with a laugh. A cold sweat broke out across the entire group. With each step they took, he took a step forward, slightly quicker. Gaining only a couple inches each time, but any distance gained was that much more terrifying.

“Look, why don’t y’all just get outta here before any more blood gets shed.”

“Oh, but we quite like the sight of blood.”

“Well, it could be my blood, or his blood, or maybe it could be your blood you’d be seein’ if we come to blows.” Rambaken suddenly stopped, a smirk breaking out across his face.

“Oh, is that a threat?”

“A warning.”

“Well then, big man…” Rambaken ducked into a crouch, “consider it taken.” In a red and white blur, he rushed forward, slashing Siegfried across the chest in an X motion. It created a horrid metallic shrieking sound as his attack tore a path through Siegfried’s armor with ease. His claws came back dripping with blood. Siegfried stepped back, then barked a single order as he drew his sword.

“Run!” he shouted as he parried the next oncoming blow. They followed his order without hesitation, sprinting as quickly as they could. It left a bad taste in Laverna’s mouth once again to leave behind another comrade, but it was his decision, and a brave one at that. She spared him a glance over the shoulder.

He dealt The General a vicious blow across the chest, but the attack only seemed to entertain him. Rambaken dodged the next, and the one after that. Eventually, he grew bored of their game, and caught the blade in his open hand.

“Oh, come on now, you can do better than that, can’t you?” Rambaken slashed Siegfried from temple to chin, creating gouges deep enough to put a finger in. With a screech, he clutched his face, and then reeled back with his open hand to throw a punch, but his attempts were not quick enough. Rambaken slashed again, although this time was across the gut. Siegfried let out a gasp, then dropped his sword to clutch his bleeding stomach. Rambaken scowled, then tossed the sword aside. “Oh, dear. It seems you can’t. Goodbye then.” And with one raised claw, Rambaken reeled back.

Laverna couldn’t bear to watch it. Not again. She repeated her montra from before, only now with a couple words added.

“Don’t look back...not yet.” A chilling howl went up from behind them, followed by the sounds of dozens of claws clacking against cobblestones. Siegfried had allowed them a small lead, but it wouldn’t be enough to flee.

They were able to reach the town square once more. They bee-lined for the town hall, but another retinue of gray wolves suddenly cut them off. They turned back to see more and more of them pouring in, with Rambaken stalking closer.

“What a terrible bore you were.” Rambaken shook his head and sighed. “And here She was, thinking you were so much more.” He rolled his neck, popping and cracking his joints before sighing. “Alright then, how shall we do this?”

“Do what?” Roy questioned.

“Kill you, of course! Haha! Would you like to duel me, as your commander did? Or would you rather I just sick the wolves on you, and we see what’s left afterward, hm?” It sickened Laverna just how much delight he was taking in this sadism. “You, guard, you seem like you want to defend the ladies and this traitorous blight. Why don’t you face me? I’m not even armed.” He flashed his obsidian claws with a smirk.

Roy was flush with terror; his shaking legs could tell anybody that, but he took a single step forward, nonetheless.

“I...I--”

“Yes, you what? Go on. I’m patient.” Rambaken crossed his arms. But before Roy could say his next sentence, he was interrupted by a bellowing, thunderous horn. All ears, whether they be human, elf, or canine, pricked up. “What the devil?” Another horn rang out. It was coming from the main street. The flaming barricade had died out at this point, and it allowed them to view past it.

The horn was soon accompanied by the beating of drums. War drums. But not like any Laverna had ever heard. Rambaken uncrossed his arms and turned to face the spectacle that was making its way down the street. Like a triumphant parade, dozens of figures stomped their way down the street, their drums heralding their arrival.

As they got closer, it became more clear what they were. Their bodies and faces were covered in war paint. Every member wore very little armor. Most wore scraps of leather or hide, but nearly all of them wore a hood made from the head of a wolf. Gray wolves, to be specific. They brandished axes, spears, and swords, some of them even carrying one in each hand. They beat their chests and roared like animals. These were barbarians. Rambaken scowled.

“It seems the local savages have come to loot and pillage.” He turned to Roy. “Seems your kind never misses an opportunity to destroy.” But it was not all humans in this band of warriors. Among them was a short figure, standing at only about four feet tall. It had long, fiery red hair that reached down to its backside, and in its hand was an enormous greatsword, taller than it stood.

Laverna’s eyes went wide. It couldn’t possibly be what she thought. She was hallucinating. The band finally came to a halt in the middle of the street. That small figure ripped off their hood to reveal the face of a dwarven woman. A familiar dwarven woman. A woman they knew as Natsu the Barbarian. Rambaken’s eyes flashed with malice. He let out a low growl as he laid eyes on her.

“I thought I left you in the caverns,” he growled. Natsu smirked. A large scar in the shape of a claw mark across her face would always serve as a reminder of the battle. She crossed her arms, then gave a nod to a barbarian down the line. In response, he lifted a cow bell, then struck it two times with a large bone.

“Round two!” she called out. The hairs on Rambaken’s neck shot up.

“Kill her! Kill all of them!” He pointed down the street, and in a moment, his wolves rushed forward like a gray wave. The barbarians let out a battle cry, then charged forward to meet them in battle. Fangs met steel as the forces clashed.

The wolves attempted to knock these warriors to the ground, but found they were simply too strong to be bowled over. Even with no armor, their skin was strong enough to take the bites and slashes in stride. To hear them call out to one another when they were struck, one would think that they were having a friendly brawl, rather than a deadly showdown.

Rambaken watched the melee with distinct interest. For every barbarian his wolves killed, two wolves were put down. Although, it was hard to keep track of anything in the swirling maelstrom of combat. All of a sudden, a unanimous cheer went up.

It was a sea of conflict, but in that sea, a small tide broke free. Natsu pushed and shoved her way past the wolves to make eye contact with Rambaken once more. The General had not moved, and he seemed genuinely shocked to see the defiance her warriors were providing. Natsu cracked her knuckles as she crossed the barricade. Rambaken growled, then lowered his head solemnly.

“The warning I gave you was not a mere threat. It would have been much smarter to stay away.”

“Well, fortunately for them,” she glanced over to the party, “I’m not smart, I’m tough.” Rambaken wasted no more time on words. He rushed Natsu with full fury, and she returned his rage in kind. He slashed at her three times, one of which she blocked, two of which she took in full force. They were vicious slashes that would have killed any other member of the party, but not Natsu. He laughed in her face upon impact.

“Where’s that bravado now?” Natsu spit in his face.

“I’ve seen puppies with sharper claws.” She returned his blows with a swing of her massive sword. It caught him between the neck and shoulder, and the sheer weight of it caused him to flinch.

“Wait for it!” she hollered as she brought the sword back in a horizontal slash across his chest. His rage was churning his spit to foam at this point.

“I’ll finish what I started!”

“No you won’t!” Laverna shouted out as she launched an arrow into the back of The General.

“You’ve got this, Natsu! We’re with you all the way!” Sunflower began to strum her loot. It was a low tune that mingled with the drums and horns, and swirled like electricity in the air. Natsu’s wounds began to close, and a sparkle formed in her eye. Laverna sighed. It was good to have the team back together again, even if this might be their last battle.

“Insolent wretches! Who do you think you are?” The General wound up for another swing at Natsu, but felt his arm suddenly get caught. He turned to see Vernon, gripping his right arm with his entire body. “So, the traitor has joined too? Is this dwarf’s life worth your own?”

“Yes!” both Laverna and Sunflower cried out, their faces flushed and full of passion.

“I see.” Rambaken spun a quick circle, sending Vernon sliding across the stones as he continued to attack Natsu. He became a white whirlwind as he attacked. Each blow was vicious and bloody, and carried enough force to knock a bull of its feet, but Natsu took each with a smile.

“Is. That. All you got?” Even with her moxy, Natsu was clearly slowing down. Her injuries were getting to her, but they would have to kill her before she gave up. The final blow she blocked with the flat of her sword, then put her palm behind it to bash it into Rambaken’s face. Blood began to trickle from his nose, mingling with his fur. He stopped for a moment to feel the blood between his fingers. He seemed shocked.

“That hurt, you daft troll!”

“Really? I meant to knock you out, sorry,” Natsu replied through heavy breaths.

“You’ll have to do a lot more than that.” Another arrow came, striking him in the arm. It was becoming difficult to discern the red stripes in his fur that were natural, and the ones that were drawn in blood. He turned to glare at Laverna after she took her shot.

“I was being kind before, but now I think I’ll show you how vicious I can be.” Rambaken suddenly crouched again, as he had with Siegfried. Both Natsu and Vernon slashed at him as he fled, but it did no good as he leapt forward, claws crossed across his chest. Laverna had no time to prepare herself as he zipped forward.

Moments before he struck her, Sunflower, with arms spread, blocked the blow, screaming in a language Laverna did not understand. He slashed a deep X across her chest, but as he did, Sunflower put a hand around his throat, and as she fell, a bright red inferno blazed across Rambaken’s body. The bellowing roar of the flames drowned out his furious exclamations. The flame burned bright as hellfire, and even from that distance, the heat was unbearable. Laverna slid behind her to catch her before she hit the ground.

It went as quick as it came, but it left Rambaken terribly burned and smoking. The smell was horrid. He fell back on his heels, looking more animalistic than ever as he swatted away the flames. When he got back to his feet, there was murder in his eyes, but a sudden realization came over all of them: there were sounds getting closer. Two different sounds. The sounds of the drums, and the sounds of clanking chainmail.

Laverna looked behind her, and her heart soared with joy. At least ten guards had returned triumphant from their battles. They were bloodied, their armor was scratched, chewed, and dented, but they soldiered on nonetheless. They marched into the square with weapons drawn. Rambaken made this realization at the same time they did. And then the next, as the first barbarian rushed through the gap in the barricade, charging him directly.

The barbarian struck him across the chest with his axe. Rambaken returned the blow with another of his own, but before he could strike again, another bolt struck him in the gut, this one sent by the town guards. Laverna fired an arrow of her own, striking him in the thigh. Natsu soon joined in on this attack, carving a gash down his turned back. Rambaken, for the first time, let out a howl of anguish. He crouched into a defensive stance, looking all around him at the growing threats.

“Mark my words, creatures. I will return, and I will not underestimate you again.” Before another bolt could strike him, Rambaken zipped away in a red blur, darting from side to side before transforming back into his wolf form. Those few moments of peace seemed like hours. Every one of them looked to the other, confirming reality in their comrade’s sparkling eyes.

“Did...did we just win?” Roy asked around him. “Did we just win?” He yelled out to the guards, who cheered in response. Laverna wanted to cheer with them, but she was far too busy with searching through Sunshine’s bag to find their last healing potion. She gave an awkward attempt at propping her up and opening the bottle at the same time. It was then that a familiar, calloused hand took hold of hers.

“Need a hand, elfy?” Laverna’s joy drowned out any words she could find in that moment. A nod was all she could suffice. “Alright, down the hatch.” Natsu roughly ripped the cork out and tossed it over her shoulder before pouring the thick potion down her throat, then gave the tiefling a firm slap in the face for good measure. “Come on, soldier. You’re not dyin’ here.” Sunflower’s eyes fluttered open slowly.

“N-Natsu?”

“In the flesh.” Sunflower didn’t speak another word, she merely grabbed the dwarf by the neck and yanked her into a tight embrace.

&&&&&

Reality seemed to copy fiction, as Sayori herself had pulled Natsuki into a hug. Both Monika and Yuri were fighting back tears during this reunion. Monika sniffled, then coughed.

“Okay, everyone. I think that’s where we’ll call it for the night.” Sayori finally pulled away from Natsuki, and gave her a warm smile.

“I’m so happy to have you back.”

“I’m happy to be back.” Once this meaningful moment had ended, Sayori wasted no time in returning to her goofy self.

“Do you have any idea how worried we were about Natsu? We thought you died or something!”

“Yeah, Monika and I talked for a bit that day about it. I had to roll death saves and everything.”

“Been doing that a lot today.” Monika’s eyes lazily shifted to Yuri, who almost looked guilty.

“I-I’m not as equipped for frontline combat as Natsu was--is!”

“Yeah, no, she’s no tank. But I am, baby!” Natsuki pointed to herself with both thumbs and grinned.

“What’s up with those barbarians? Are they, like, your family?” Sunflower pondered.

“Ah, ah, ah! No metagaming!” Monika wagged her finger across the table.

“Just trust me. It’s a neat story me and Monika came up with.”

“Now, I hate to interrupt, but...um, Monika, did we level up yet?” Yuri inquired.

“Oh, yeah...you guys...you guys actually leveled up after beating the treant.”

“What!” Yuri and Sayori cried out.

“We did what?” Sayori squealed.

“Monika, why didn’t you tell us?”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t just...stop the flow, ya know? You were still in combat pretty much the whole time, there was no time for a rest!” Yuri sighed.

“Oh, how much better I might have done with just one more spell slot,” Yuri lamented.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get to that soon. But, for now?” Monika looked at the clock. It was well past ten. “I think it’s time we all get some sleep.” Monika rose from the table and walked around the table toward the door that led to the living room. But, just as she opened it, she quickly spun around and snatched Natsuki up in a bear hug.

“Monika!” she yelled, her voice muffled by Monika’s jacket.

“What? The DM gets worried too, honey.”

Chapter Text

As they had done once before, the four club members settled down for the night in Monika’s living room. They had made a veritable camp among the blankets, couches, and pillows. Natuski once again found herself laying beside Sayori, staring up at a dark ceiling, only this time she held no secrets. She felt a gentle, hesitant hand reach out for her own.

“You awake, Natsuki?”

“Mhm.” She gave her hand a squeeze.

“Good. I’m really glad to have you back. Everybody is.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Natsuki hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused.” It was at that moment Natsuki jolted as she felt another hand touch her shoulder.

“It was no trouble at all, honey.”

“Monika?”

“Mhm.”

“Is…is everybody still awake?”

“I am,” Yuri quietly replied from across the room.

“I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to be sure you were alright,” Monika said. A smile pulled at Natsuki’s rosy cheeks. Never before had she felt such love and affection from a simple gesture.

“I was worried as well,” Yuri chimed in with a tone so awkward Natsuki was forced to giggle.

“I appreciate that, guys.”

“It’s like I said,” Sayori spoke, choked with emotion once more “we’re with you. I promise.” Natsuki placed her hand on top of both Monika and Sayori’s, the warmth from the two of them calmed her nerves, and allowed her to finally relax. The day’s events replayed in her mind over and over again. It started with such anxiety, such fear, and by the end of it, she was happier than she had been in years--maybe even her whole life. What she had right here, right now, in this room was exactly what she always wanted. The nagging fears of loneliness, of rejection, of disappointment, she found all them swept away in the smiles of her club.

She sighed in relief, slowly slipping into slumber as she listened to the soothing sounds of her fellow club members slowly succumbing to sleep themselves. The last thing she saw that night was Sayori’s smiling face, bathed in the moonlight.

*****
When the morning came, Yuri was the first to arise. A quick glance at the clock indicated that it was still quite early in the morning. About right, she figured. Even without an alarm, she woke up at nearly the exact same time every day. She wiped away the sleep from her eyes, then silently slipped across the room toward the kitchen. She made no noise as she moved, like a drowsy spirit haunting the home.

Each little sound she made was like a booming crash to her. Each button pressed on the coffee pot, the humming of the open fridge, and especially the squeaky hinge on the cabinet made her flinch. She gave several nervous looks back to assure that she hadn’t disturbed anybody. She stood still as a statue, her mouth agape, her ears pricked, listening for the sound of Sayori’s peaceful snoring. Once she heard it, she took it as a green light to continue her plan.

Thankfully, retrieving a frying pan from Monika’s organized cabinet was a simple, and more importantly, quiet task. Yuri could not help but check every few moments to make sure she hadn’t disturbed anybody’s slumber. As she was idly watching the coffee pot drip, Yuri felt a sudden tap on her shoulder that made her jump. She stifled a yelp as she turned to see nothing at all.

A slight downturn of her head revealed the culprit: the tiny Natsuki. Yuri breathed a sigh of relief, placing a hand over her chest.

“What are you up to?” Natsuki said, much louder than Yuri would prefer. She replied in a much more toned down voice.

“I was…I wanted to do something nice for everybody.” Yuri began to twirl her hair, feeling as if she had just been caught in the act. Natsuki took a quick survey of the counter. Bread, eggs, bacon, and coffee, it didn’t take her long to figure out what was going on.

“Oh!” Natsuki exclaimed, causing Yuri to cup her hand over her friend’s mouth in a fit of panic.

“Shh!” Yuri flushed once she realized what she was doing, and immediately took a polite step back. “Apologies.”

“Uh…no problem.” Natsuki flashed her a reassuring grin. “You wanna make breakfast for everybody, right?” Yuri nodded. “I gotcha. Welp, lemme help you with that.”

“Oh, I appreciate that, bu--”

“No problem. I’ll handle the eggs if you wanna fry the bacon.” Natsuki wasted no time in tying her hair back and taking control of the operation. “Sayori likes her eggs sunny side up. Can you hand me the pan lid?” Yuri nodded, doing as she said.

“Why is that?” Natsuki chuckled and shook her head.

“It’s because they look like a smiley face with bacon.” She let loose a small chuckle, thinking that that sounded about right for Sayori. Yuri was honestly relieved that Natsuki had joined her in the kitchen. She’d always struggled with cooking, let alone cooking in somebody else’s house. Yuri admired not only her skill, but her confidence. Natsuki simply seemed so sure of her every action, of her timing, of her results. But…Yuri knew that wasn’t the only reason she admired her. Her concentration slowly drifted from the pan she was holding, and instead began tracing a line from Natsuki’s adorable hands to her slender neck. Ever so slowly, ever so hesitantly, she raised her gaze past the girl’s rosy cheeks. Her eyes were determined, her mouth set straight in concentration; she was a chef at work, and Yuri wanted nothing more than to see more of this side of her. Before she could be caught, Yuri snapped her attention back to the task ahead of her. The bacon was almost ready.

And so the two went about their work for a few more minutes in peaceful silence until Natsuki suddenly placed her hand on Yuri’s, causing her to jump.

“Natsuki!” she cried reflexively. Over the heat of the stove, Yuri could feel her own heat spreading across her cheeks.

“Leave a few pieces of bacon in longer. For Monika.”

“Oh…why’s that?”

“She likes her bacon crispy, her eggs fried, and her toast a bit burnt.” Natsuki listed them out on her fingers as she spoke. Yuri’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Oh, you must really know her well then?” It was Natsuki’s turn to blush this time. She turned her petite face away from Yuri, and began scratching a terrible itch on the back of her neck.

“Oh…ya know. I just pay attention. A lot.” A curious grin crossed Yuri’s face.

“Well, what about me? How do I like mine?” Natsuki raised her eyes to meet Yuri’s.

“Well, you’ve never told me much about your breakfast.” Yuri eagerly opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Natsuki continued. “But knowing you, I assume you like your eggs over-medium, toast crispy, and,” she put her finger to her chin “bacon a bit chewy, but crispy on the edges.” Yuri was flabbergasted. Every. Single. One was right.

“How could you know that?”

“Well, I didn’t know it.” Natsuki then took her hands away from the pan, and leaned her back against the counter. She crossed her arms, then directed her eyes toward the ceiling as she continued. “Ya see, food can tell you a lot about somebody. And vice versa. I knew what you liked because I know you. You’re always caught in the middle. You’re never sure of what you want, so you always stick to the middle ground where you can find the best of both worlds.” She then turned to Yuri with a grin on her face. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Yuri folded her hands against her stomach. She felt so naked in that moment, as if Natsuki was unraveling every secret she tried so hard to keep hidden. She wasn’t sure what to say at that moment. Did she delve further? Or did she try to redirect the conversation to more foreign topics?

“You’re doing it right now.” Yuri flinched.

“Huh?”

“Thinking. Trying to find the middle ground. You’re worried you’ll say something too personal, and you’re worried about coming off as rude. So you’re trying to find the right thing to say, aren’t you?” Yuri felt as if Natsuki was yanking the words from her mouth the very moment they formed. As silly as she was, she clamped her mouth shut, and nodded. Natsuki chuckled.

“I know because I used to do the same thing.” She cut her eyes to the side. “At home, I still do.”

“How did--what did you do to change it?”

“Well, that’s the tough part.” She bit the inside of her cheek as she formed her reply. “It took a hard realization to figure it out. You’ve gotta understand that you’re never gonna please everybody. You’re gonna piss people off, you’re gonna accidentally hurt somebody’s feelings, you’re gonna look like a total jackass sometimes, and that’s fine.” Yuri felt her words reaching through her chest to take hold of her heart. She knew her pain, and she had come out the other side with the knowledge of how to handle it. If Natsuki had done it, couldn't’ she?

“But…how do you get over that?”

“It’s not easy, I’ll tell you that. But if you just don’t give yourself time to think about it, and you just say what you feel, it gets a little easier each time. Nobody can ever accuse you of being dishonest, that’s for sure.” Natsuki shoved off the counter. “But that’s just me. It’s not gonna work for everybody, ya know. You do what feels right to you.”

“I’ll try. Thank you, Natsuki.”

“I know it’s rich coming from me right now, but you’ve got to remember that you’ve got friends to fall back on. No matter how embarrassed you are, no matter how bad you feel, you’ve always got friends who care about you, no matter what you did.”

“You’re right.”

“One more thing.”

“Hm?”

“Bacon’s burning.” Yuri yelped, then immediately began her rescue of the cremated pork.

*****

Sayori was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes when they gathered around the table. Monika seemed a bit embarrassed by the fact that both Natsuki and Yuri had gotten such an early start on her; clearly she wasn’t used to that. Both cooks came to the table bearing gifts of bountiful breakfast options. As they set them down, Sayori lit up.

“Aww, Natsuki! You remembered!” Sayori immediately began rummaging through her skirt pocket for her phone. She snapped a picture of the smiling plate, and saved it.

“Wasn’t just my work. Thank Yuri too.”

“Thank you both. Honestly, if I’d have known you were gonna do this, I’d have helped,” Monika said, crunching on her burnt toast.

“Well that was the whole point, wasn’t it?” Natsuki replied as she tossed a smile Yuri’s way.

“I thought it would be a nice way to start the day.” Yuri began to fiddle with a lock of her hair.

“You two are so sweet,” Monika gushed. As she watched Sayori flip through filters to set on her picture, Monika suddenly lit up. “Oh! That reminds me! Okay, everyone, could you get your phones out?”

“Already there!” Sayori sang. Natsuki and Yuri, albeit a bit confused, did as she said.

“I want everybody to exchange numbers. I wanna make sure we can all get a hold of each other in the future, m’kay?” Natsuki felt a bit bashful, as she had been told about the search around the school for her phone number.

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Yuri replied.

“Ooh, I’ll start!” Sayori suddenly exclaimed, nearly choking on her juice. And so the four went around the table, tapping away at their phones, one after the other. Natsuki’s heart swole with joy as she slowly watched her contact list nearly triple in size. She couldn’t take her eyes off the girl’s names in her phone. As they continued the conversation, she silently went about adding little touches to their names.

Beside Monika’s name she put emojis of pencils, pens, music notes, and the image of a teacher. Sayori’s name received the sun, a star, a smiley face, and an egg in a frying pan. Natsuki hesitated on Yuri’s name. Over and over again she typed an emoji, but then erased it. She teetered on the edge with a bottle of wine, but erased and replaced it with a steaming cup of tea. She typed the emoji of a man with a monocle, but instead chose to put a brain. Several more decisions came and went, but Natsuki was unsure of which one to end it with. She was currently mulling over this choice when Yuri leaned over.

“What are you doing, Natsuki?” She nearly dropped the phone as she quickly clicked save and sat her phone face down on the table.

“Nothing! Just looking at some stuff.” When the heat was off of her, Natsuki lifted the phone once more to see that the emoji she had saved…was a heart. A bright red washed over her features, and she side-eyed Yuri to determine if she had noticed. From what she could tell, Yuri was oblivious to the mistake. Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief, but as she went to change it, something inside her made her hesitate. Her finger trembled over the settings button for several seconds before a raucous buzzing interrupted her train of thought.

Everyone at the table turned her way, the same thought in each of their heads. Natsuki solemnly looked down at her phone. It was exactly who she thought it was. She straightened her back, puffed out her chest, made a few decisive taps of the keys on her phone, then set it to silent.

“Well?” Yuri inquired.

“What did he say?” Sayori asked, the rage already boiling inside of her.

“What did you say?” Monika followed up.

“He wanted to know where I was,” Natsuki said without a hint of emotion. “I told him he’d see me on Monday.” She shrugged, then looked away, confidence surging within her. The girls around the table shared a look of shock and respect. She knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as that, but for now? He was practically a thousand miles away.

“You won’t have to deal with it alone,” Monika reassured her.

“Right, we’ll be right there with you! If…if you want us, that is,” Sayori said, shrinking down into her chair toward the end of her statement. Natsuki took a deep breath.

“I’d love to have you over,” Natsuki simply said. The rest of the table pried no further, and took the conversation to new topics and locations. But deep down, in their own way, each of them prepared for that encounter in the back of their minds. Natsuki knew this had to come one day, and she had finally found her strength to face it.

*****

The tension of the room had deflated not long after that fretful moment. Natsuki, for once in her life, seemed unshaken by her father’s words, and it showed in her voice. Sayori analyzed her every move, and it was like a weight had finally been lifted from her. The way she carried herself now…it was like a whole new person. The person she had always been afraid to be. Sayori couldn’t help but feel a joy that radiated through her entire body like a ray of sunshine.

“I did it…I finally did something right,” she whispered to herself when the rest of the table had migrated their conversation to another side of the room. She bit back sobs of joy, desperate not to make a scene about it. This was not her day, and not her time, but she couldn’t help herself as she savored the fact that her actions had finally worked out. She had proved him wrong after all this time. She wasn’t a failure, at least not today.

By the time the table had returned to her, she had dried her wet eyes and swallowed her emotions.

“Sayori! Come on!”

“Natsuki, don’t!” Yuri chided her.

“What? What’s going on?” Sayori swiveled her head around rapidly.

“Don’t you wanna go see Monika’s room?” Natsuki had both fists tightened, and was practically bouncing with excitement.

“Natsuki, it’s rude to barge in when somebody hasn’t had a chance to straighten up!”

“Monika won’t mind, will you?” Monika looked to be caught in between the words “yes” and “no” as if they were pulling at different sides of her mouth, leaving her with a strange, curvy expression somewhere between a grin and a scowl.

“Ooh, I’d love to see it!” Sayori joined in on the whirlwind of excitement Natsuki had begun.

“I…guess…it’s okay.”

“Are you sure, Monika?” Yuri cocked her head and leaned toward her, as if this was a grand commitment one could not come back from.

“Yeah, yeah go ahead. I’ll explain when you get up there.” Monika couldn’t have chosen a better collection of words to make the duo rush up the stairs any faster. Curiosity fueled their strides as they bounded up the stairs, following the directions that were called out to them. The more composed duo slowly marched after them, readying themselves for the reveal to come.

“Monika, I completely understand if you don’t want us to enter. A bedroom is a private place where one can--”

“It’s okay, Yuri.” She raised a hand to keep her friend from getting any further riled up. “I want you guys to see this.”

At the top of the stairs, Natsuki and Sayori were debating who should open it by the time Monika and Yuri approached.

“I wanna do it,” Natsuki insisted.

“Come on, Natty, please!”

“Why don’t we play rock-paper-scissors for it?”

“Oh, you know you always beat me at that.” While the two bickered, Monika simply stepped past the two and opened her door, holding it open and ushering them inside. What they were met with was a strange mixture of bizarre and exactly what they had expected. Inside, Monika’s rooms consisted mostly of a tasteful matching color scheme of white and emerald green. The curtains, the bed spread, the furniture, it was all so perfect. Each item on her shelves was so neatly organized, her books were in alphabetical order, her school work was neatly arranged and finished on her writing desk. That was exactly what they had expected, but what shocked them were th recent changes made.

Like a splatter of red paint on her white walls, a large poster had been tacked up loosely. It displayed the image of a young knight fighting a red dragon with a garish crimson border around the entire picture, with the words “Dungeons and Dragons” plastered across the top of it in white letters. It was strikingly different from the rest of the room, and that wasn’t the only change. On her bed, several books were so messily strewn about. Upon further inspection, each of them related to the game, with one of them being the book she had brought that first day to make their characters with. Beside that she had a notebook scribbled full of notes, ideas, and sketches for various things. Some ranged from gorgeous diagrams of plants, creatures, and people, while some were barely-scrutable doodles and random phrases like “goblin sled?” written in random spots on the page. When compared to her school work, it looked like a completely different person had written it.

But the most shocking and quite definitely the most exciting development of her room was on her desk, just past her school work. As Sayori approached it, Monika began to fess up.

“Okay, here’s what I needed to explain. I wanted this to be a surprise, but…well, it turns out I’m not all that good at it.” Sayori approached the scene with all the care of a nature photographer discovering an endangered species. Upon Monika’s desk were several small pots of paint, each labeled with ridiculous names, and most of them with spots of the same paint dribbled down the side of them. Beside those three strange little figures stood. They stood about an inch tall, and were made of brightly painted plastic. Upon closer look, it was revealed that these figurines were miniatures of their characters!

Laverna, Sunflower, and Natsu, all three there, all three so lovingly painted. The paint job was admittedly spotty, the colors were a bit dull, and there were obvious imperfections--all which Monika pointed out before anybody had even said anything--but they were theirs. Sayori clutched it so tenderly to her heart, as if it were her own child. She turned to the sputtering Monika, who was still defending herself, and spoke.

“I absolutely love it, Monika,” Sayori said with a solemnity unlike her usual self. It was enough to knock Monika right out of her self-defense monologue and into a bashful appreciation.

“It was no problem,” she said, cutting her eyes to the side. “I would have got one for Vernon too, but I actually bought those before he joined the group…I’ve been working on them for a while.”

“Monika these rule!” Natsuki said excitedly, holding her figure up to her eye for closer inspection. “They’re so tiny, how did you even do this?” Natsuki asked, holding the one-inch figure between her thumb and forefinger, rotating it to see it at every angle.

“With some very tiny brushes,” Monika laughed. “I wanna get some more in the future, but I wanted to make sure it was something I could do first. I think they turned out okay.” And so a moment of silence passed between the four of them. The same question burned in each of their minds, but it was Sayori who finally broke the silence.

“So…when do we get to try these bad boys out?”