Sasha stopped in front of a small shop. "Alright, I have been driving for too long and the smell of proud snacks has filled the air too much. I need real food or I'm gonna pull a Hunter."
"Great, we've been traveling for so long that my name has joined the insult club." Said boy groaned as he rubbed his stomach. "Pulling a me means throwing up, Pulling a luz means diving head first without question, pulling a Lucci means setting things on fire generally…"
"It used to mean mess up magic actually." Luz pointed out. "But since he and I can't do magic anymore, that lost meaning."
"But doesn't the gem stuff count as magic? I feel like that's a vague line that hasn't been elaborated on." Gus pointed out. "I mean, the diamonds have glyphs, aka, forms of magic that Luz can use even in the human realm."
"Well apparently the gems come from the same place Titans do so …" Amity shrugged. "Maybe they just have a way of hacking magic? Peridot was able to make an artificial staff."
"Does it really matter where it comes from?" Lucci spoke up. "We have powers, and they have powers. What matters is using that power to beat them before they beat us."
"I think you're oversimplifying it." Vee said as she got out of the van, letting in fresh air Sasha desperately needed.
"Is he really? In the end, most of the enemies we fight come down to brutally punching them down before they get back up." Willow noted. "Heck, the gems have more experience than all of us, and they're pretty useless."
"And now you're being a jerk." Vee glared. "I thought you were one of the nicer ones of the group."
"Pearl's hell stunt made me lose a lot of respect for them." She responded.
"She does have a point." Amity said. "They haven't actually helped us … ever. If anything they tend to just get in the way of most of our problems."
"They do plenty of good and helpful stuff!"
"Name one." Lucci said. "Just … one."
"....Uh….they helped with Modavite…."
"You mean how they all got beaten up and tossed away before a fusion of Lucci and me had to fix the problem?" Hunter asked. "Heck, the reason why we respect Sasha more than them is because she and her friends helped more than they did." Thank you.
"... Then again that was the only time her friends helped to …" Boscha rudely stated.
"No, there was the concert, and the hospital gem mutants." Gus brought up.
"I'm pretty sure IMP did more damage than them." Boscha said. "At least Sasha can drive us around."
"Well…. they helped with… Belos that one time at prom…" Vee tried to keep going
"You mean how the Gems failed to keep him in, and the main reason he ran away was a fusion of me and Boscha?" Lucci asked. "Heck, even helping build the drill didn't work, as Belos just hijacked it, making me and Spinel need to fuse to reach him."
"...But they're good people…"
"To you, Vee." Luz patted the girl on the back. "They care about you, and mainly just you. If you love them, that's fine. They're your family."
"For the rest of us…" Amity groaned. "They're mostly just the cannon fodder before we jump in for the main fight."
"...And you all wonder why I try to be such a pacifist." Vee sighed, walking inside.
"Alright, enough dogpiling on the girl's fam, get out and stretch. I need something to clear my stomach." Sasha ordered, before she grabbed onto Lucci's shoulder as the others went inside. "I noticed that you tend to be the guy forced to end all the fights." Moldavite, Belos, a lot animals of things in the Boiling Isles.
He stared at her for a moment, before shrugging. "Super powers. What mildly inconveniences me breaks open the skull of my friends. And I don't want to stress test my healing spit." He sighed. "I can take more abuse than they can. My power is to make shields, so I shield."
"That makes you a lot like Luz." She noted. Both of them had a knack of putting everyone's wants on themselves. Having to BE the guy to make all the tough calls…even if his morality was skewed at best, that couldn't be an easy weight to carry.
"Except I can trade off the depression for stress, which gives me extra strength." He snorted. "... Seriously though, if the Gems are failing to save Gravesfield and force us to step in, I'm bubbling all of them, Vee's cries of family be damned. I have both Luz and a little sister to protect now."
The trip really was a great insight into these kid's psyche's, and now she was understanding how Lucci was … well … Lucci. Growing up in a crazy world where he had the power to keep up with the crazy, his definition of dangerous was higher than most people, something she suspected was only beaten into his head recently. At the very least it stemmed from wanting to protect who he cared about. "Just be aware of what you can and can't handle. Even if you think you've reached a bar, something much worse is always ahead."
"Trust me, until I can figure out how to beat Belos in one hit, then I know there's things I can't handle." He smirked as they walked inside. "So what are we walking into again?"
"Your friends driving people insane with witch tastebuds." She snarked, pointing to the counter of the smoothie shop.
"One mango cherry blueberry watermelon twist with blended spinach, kale, and a shot of wheatgrass." Willow asked one of the two girls at the bar.
"I'll have a meatball candy corn surprise swirl." Gus asked. "Please."
"I'll take the black licorice fairy blend if you please." Amity asked. "Any chance you can make it extra black?"
"What is wrong with you children?" The thin girl asked, banging her head against the counter.
"Hey, you don't get to lose your sanity until I've had my hextuple protein shake with vitamins and strawberries." Boscha complained.
"Almost five months in the human world and I never explained to them which fruits actually exist." Luz sighed with a light chuckle. "I'll just have a raspberry smoothie."
"Blueberry for me." Vee raised her hand.
"Thank you, normal ones!" The big girl hugged the two non witches tightly. "Between these guys and giving witchy advice, I just might quit right now and find another job."
"Nah, you wouldn't do that. Then I'd be all on my lonesome." The skinny one leaned affectionately on the big girl. "And then who'd keep me warm throughout the day with all this refrigeration around us?" The big girl began blushing.
"She makes a valid argument." Amity nodded, moving in closer with Luz. Why was everyone hooked up with someone except her? "Lucci, do you want anything?"
"An everything smoothie. I wanna taste the rainbow." He grinned.
"... Disgusting torture for a meme … I can respect that." The thin one nodded. "Alright, give us a second to work the witches cauldron. Brews that fouls take time to stew in all its bitterness."
The kids raised their eyebrows, staring at the girl's round ears. "Are you really witches?" Lucci asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Kinda?" The tall one shrugged. "According to kids, our magic is legit."
"We just give vague sounding advice that they can read into to get the answer they're looking for." The thin one shrugged. "We don't really get it, but the kids say it helps, so why not lean into the shtick?"
"You have anything for finding magical artifacts?" Luz asked.
"We can give you all a ten buck fortune telling." The thin one held out her hand. "Or you can pay … with your souls." She began cackling.
"Tabitha no." The larger one said.
"Aww Courtney, I wanted to at least do it on people who we'd never have to see again."
"For the record, I don't recommend selling your soul to anybody." Gus pointed out. "Seen way to many people begging for the sweet release of existence. So when you get to hell never shake anyone's hand." … Damn, that was morbid, going to hell may have stressed Gus out more than it looked like.
"Here, take twenty and everyone will forget the conversation we just had." Willow handed over the money.
"Sweet, tip money." The thin one laughed. "Courtney, turn down the lights, so that the spirits may enter!"
"They know it's a fake, you don't need to ham it up."
"Come on, where's your spirit of adventure here?"
"I'm not one for fortunes, but even I know aesthetics are a must." Lucci nodded.
The lights were turned off, as Tabitha pulled out a flashlight, and Courtney took out a chicken leg from a bucket, ripping off the meat before snapping it in half. "The bones … they speak to us."
"I feel like Masha would've loved to be here." Vee smiled.
"You shall find your tool on a quest, one sought after by one who draws maps." The thin girl spoke. "Then, the stars shall bend to your guide, as the road becomes set."
"Riiight." Lucci said unconvinced. "Like someone with a map is just gonna-"
The door opened, showing three kids walking through. "Another puzzle cube collected!" The one with a baggy red and white shirt exclaimed
"Another quest completed!" A short girl with a pvc pipe and paper towel roll in the shape of a short sword jumped in the air.
"And another part of the map, drawn!" A kid with a map and toy staff announced excitedly.
"Wow, even by our standards, that's a record of success." Courtney smirked. "Wanna curse your science Prof. to get out of third period?"
Lucci looked at the group, then at the supposed witches. "Actually, do you have any advice on dream hopping?"
"Question later, this is the only lead we have on our next clue." Luz spoke up. "Hey there kiddos."
"Stranger danger!" The girl shouted, aiming the pvc sword at Luz. "Back I say, or you shall face the might of Kelsey the warrior!"
"...Not going to lie, that's pretty cute." Hunter smirked.
"Ya gotta speak their language, otherwise they won't understand a thing you're saying." Tabintha spoke up.
"How the heck do you speak brat?" Boscha asked.
"It's an early Luz dialect. Give me a second to brush up." Lucci walked up, ignoring the miffed Luz as he began coughing. "Oh noble heroes. We are travelers, seeking the lands to build a mystical device to save our home." He spoke dramatically, leaning down on one knee. "Alas, we are unwise to where the parts could be …"
"Oh no!" The stripped kid shouted. "That's bad!"
"However!" He raised his hand. "We sought aid from the witches, who gave us a prophecy, that a map maker should guide the way …" He bowed. "Please, help us save our world."
"Wait, I'm a map maker! That means destiny led you to me!" The kid with the toy staff exclaimed proudly. "Don't worry, I'll do whatever it takes to save your world, or my name isn't Craig!"
"Wow, it really is an early Luz." Willow nodded.
"I wasn't that bad.." Luz blushed.
"Who's to say it's a bad thing?" Amity hugged the girl closed. "I happen to think early you was quite adorable in her naivety."
"Don't worry wanderers!" The kid shouted. "I shall help you on your quest for … something."
"… I'll just drink my smoothie here." This seemed like a pretty kid based adventure in Sasha's book. "Call me if reality starts breaking apart or you open another portal to heck."
"Will do." Vee nodded as they began walking out. "So where are we going?"
"To the place that has everything … the Creek!"
Sasha watched them all head out. Looks like today would at the very least be stress free for her. "… So can I get a strawberry?"
"Sure, as one fellow adult that deals with hyperactive kids to another." Tabathia smirked.
"They passed the hyperactive sugar train a loooong time ago." Sasha chuckled. Time for a break … the days all therapists desperately search for at any opportunity.
========================================================================
Luz had to admit, it was a weird experience seeing these kids so lost in their imaginations, imaginations that she was lost in at their age..the only difference was that they had friends to get lost in those imaginations with. "Your tale of whoa saddens me to the core, Great Bard Lucifer." Kelsy, the little knight gal, shed a single tear as Lucci dove into his special talent of lying…or in this case, spinning the truth. "We shall find the … whatever it is, for your noble family!"
"'Noble' he says." Hunter muttered with a scoff.
"Ignore the Golden Pawn, he's still bitter that he owes his life to us, you know, warriors honor and all." Lucci smirked.
"I know the tale well my friend. I once had to lend my trust Mortimer to someone I owed a debt to once." She said, pointing to her parrot.
"Tweet." It spoke, looking over at the Palisman.
"Chirp." Flapjack answered back.
"Hsssh."
"Bzzz."
"Meow."
"Wow, you guys have like … a soul bond with these guys, Super cool. What, did Wildernessa hook you dudes up?" The stripped kid, PJ, asked them.
"Nope, they're creatures crafted from magical trees by witches that existed long before we were born. They saw we were in need of guidance, so they bonded with us for life." Gus happily explained, not having to lie at all since the truth already blended so well with the kid's active imagination. The chameleon on his shoulder slapped its own face. "… We guide them too from time to time."
"And you all had them?" The kid with the map and staff, Craig, asked. "What about you, Good Witch Luzara?"
Luz had to chuckle at the name Lucci picked out for her. He knew what he wanted, she'd give them that. "No, I've carved my own." She showed off her egg, still unhatched. "They're supposed to come out when I know what I want … guess I still haven't figured that out yet." If it would ever hatch at all.
"It'll come out." Amity placed a hand on her shoulder … one she knew was just trying to reassure the impossible.
"I kinda don't get along with magical pets." Vee chuckled. "Pretty sure if they stay away from Luz they'd hate me." As if to prove her wrong, Emmile instantly slapped out her tongue, moving over to Vee and snuggling her face. "Awww…" Vee noticed her glaring. "I mean….look how…hatefully…they snuggle with me-"
"Don't pity me, it just makes it worse." Luz sighed.
"Trust me, I know what it's like to not get along with wild animals. To this day, I still can't get a good read on Wildernessa." Craig chuckled. "So are we going to the Junkpile? I'm sure we can find metal for your … magical device?"
"We're trying to create a portal back home, so less of a device and more like a magical structure." Luz explained.
"A magical portal?" PJ asked. "Pretty sure the Witches would have been more helpful there."
"Do you think we can ask the Ninja Kids?" Kelsy asked. "The ways of 'manga' might have an answer … or maybe Stacks would be better." She blushed.
"You can take her out on a date later.." Craig countered.
"Not what I was implying!" So much dejavu.
"Maybe it'll make sense if we explain what we're looking for." She took out the journal that held the ingredient list. "First we found a ball of dark matter, then we took the sands of time, after that we grabbed ectoplasm, and on our last journey, we found a boomerang that locks your brain into your opposite personality."
"It must have survived Opposite Day." The kids all shivered. Guess even they had their own incidents.
"Now the next item on our list is a 'spatial' grid, something that warps and manipulates the area around you." Luz explained. "By having this, we'll be able to warp back home without breaking reality as we do so."
They looked it over. "… Kinda looks like a board game." PJ pointed to the picture.
"… You know, it kinda does." Lucci nodded.
"Unfortunately we haven't seen anything like it, so we'll still need to do an info hunt." Craig nodded. "Best chance we can do right now is consult the elders of the creek. It'll be…aha!" Craig moved through some bushes. "Welcomes wandering warriors to the most magical place in town…the Creek!"
"Woooow.." She gazed at the variety. Little shops, stations, cosplayers of different genre's. "There's so much here. Knights, robots, wizards…" All of them embracing the wonderment that imagination granted them all.
"Yep, the creek is home to adventures of all kinds. That's why I'm working to map out all of it." The Craig kid held his staff high. "The unexplored are just stepping stones to new possibilities."
"Sparkles and bubbles will destroy all evil!" They watched a girl in a Sailor scout uniform run past them with a bubble wand.
"Cannonball is reaching the cannon space." A kid with a bike zoomed by with impressive speed. "So many colors!"
"Definitely seems like a fun place." Gus smiled.
"I would've killed to have something like this when I was younger." Luz kept observing. No judgements, no disapproval, just kids allowed to be kids in all their wild and crazy imagination.
"Yep, from three to eight, the creek is where all the action is." Craig cheerfully marched forward. "Everyone joins together and embarks on their own journey to forge their own destinies."
"Three to eight …" Vee looked at her phone. "It's six now." Two hours to find an object. "So what do you guys normally do?"
"Usually we just hang out, play games, and do events." Craig said. "But right now we're doing an overarching thing involving a puzzle cube." He showed off a toy block. "When combined, it'll take us to the heart of the creek."
"Oooh….what does it do?" Hunter asked.
"No idea, but the journey is always more important than the destination." So much childhood innocence and purity in that one sentence. "I guess we can just ask around and see if anyone knows about those objects."
"Sounds like a plan." Luz said, looking over the list again. "Like a board game huh…" Could it really be that simple? Was what they were looking for really a board game…or something one of these kids found and were using as a board game?
They walked around, asking kids for information. From 'horse girls', to kids on bikes, to sewer people. There was an entire group of kids that hung around in the sewers and nobody bated an eye, how awesome was this place!? "This place is paradise." She squeed.
"Yeah, almost like a g rated version of the boiling isles." Willow pointed out, petting all the plants along the way. "And we're surrounded by so many plants!"
"I thought Hawaii was G rated Boiling Isles?" Gus asked.
"Maybe that means we bump up the island to PG rated then?" Hunter asked.
"Who cares what it's rated, are we close to figuring out what we came for!?" Boscha impatiently yelled.
"I doubt we're gonna get the answer by yelling at a bunch of kids." Amity deadpanned. "Can't we ask these 'elders'?"
"They kinda broke up after a fight …" Craig winced. "And we're running low on people to ask."
"There's always Bobby." Pj spoke up.
"Who?" Craig asked.
"The guy with the candy?" Kelsy brought up.
"Oh right…do we have to?" Craig groaned. "Guy keeps saying he's my best friend and it's just….weird."
"Please?" Vee asked with puppy dog eyes.
"… Fine." He sighed, as they walked over to a kid on a log. "Hey Bobby."
"Hey Craig. How's it going best buddy?" …Luz would do her best to repress the Connie memories from her head as much as possible.
"We're on a quest to help these wandering warriors get back home, and to do that, they need an artifact." Craig explained reluctantly as Luz showed off the picture. "Have you seen this somewhere befor-"
"The accursed game!!" The Bobby kid shouted, jumping back. "No, not again!!"
"...Somehow not the worst reaction we could've gotten." Luz nodded. "Could you take us to it?"
"No way! That thing brings misery and destruction to all!" The kid moved back, clutching his bag tightly. "My candy …"
"No offense, but we're no strangers to misery and destruction." Amity laughed. "To be honest, half the time, we ARE the one causing misery and destruction."
"Exactly." Lucci smirked. "So don't hold up on the details, we can take whatever crashes comes our way.
Bobby sighed. "To the north … there is a cave." He spoke. "Inside resides a game master, and a wall of prizes. It was said to have been invented by the ancients, according to carvings, when a woman in pink with fluffy hair came to the creek."
"....." Lucci stared blankly, his eyes twitching rapidly as they became diamond shaped, obviously already figuring out the obvious.
"Go ahead and vent somewhere Crystal, we'll wait." Boscha patted him on the back.
"Thank you." He began walking away.
"What's his deal?" Kelsy asked as shouting was heard.
"Family drama." Luz answered. "You'll understand when you're older."
========================================================================
Craig followed the directions Bobby gave them, looking over his map. "Alright … we just need to take a left at the poison ivy, and we'll be there." A game dungeon, how exciting! A new part of the creek to explore, and new friends to explore it with! It was quite a diverse group for a party.
"Weird how that sudden earthquake came and went without notice." PJ wondered out loud. "Like, it just came out of nowhere and vanished without a trace, except for that flash of pink, super weird."
"Yeah, weird, and definitely something not to question." The great bard Lucci said quickly. "So, are we going to make this a quick smash and grab?"
"Lucci, they're kids." The goodwitch Luzara replied.
"What's wrong with beating up kids?" The succubus (according to the druid Willow, though they refused to elaborate WHAT that was) Boscha asked. "Bruises and broken bones help establish character and discipline. The earlier, the better."
"We're talking about human kids, ie, ones that have never experienced danger and a real fight before." The Golden Pawn Hunter rolled his eyes.
"Hey!" Kelsy waved her sword at him. "We may be young, but our spirits are wise beyond our years! I've seen the dark depths that make even the blackest of souls blink in fear!"
"Besides, I don't even understand the concept of pain!" Craig patted JP on the back.
"Come on, we can't ruin their innocence, they have their whole lives ahead of them." The human Vee (weird that was how she wanted to be referred to as) pleased.
"Fine, no smash and grab." Lucci rolled his eyes. "We'll do it the … is that the cave?" He pointed.
They all turned, looking at an ominous cave on the side of a cliff, where a masked figure in a robe sat in a foldable chair, gazing at them. "Are you players?" The kid asked.
"We are but wanders in a strange land, looking for our home." Luzara bowed, showing off the item in her journal. "We believe this artifact may be one of many to bring us closer to our goal."
"… That does reside within my possession." They spoke.
"Great, thank you, you're doing us a huge favor." Amity smiled.
"I never said I would give it away." They stood up, folding the chair. "I am the Game Master. Giver to winners, taker to losers. If you seek an object in my possession, you must prove worthy with … the squares of fate."
"Great, just what we needed, a mini wannabe Collector." Lucci grumbled.
"Come on, it won't be that bad. It's a human game. At the very least this'll be entertaining." The illusion elf Agustus smiled. "Alright Game Master, what's the dealio here?"
"Follow me." They walked into the cave, silently following behind until they stopped at a wall … filled with all sorts of stuff. "This is the hall of trophies."
Toys, old vhs tapes, gum … "A puzzle cube!" Craig shouted, pointing at the object. They could probably get two in one day, new record!
"And … Bobby's candy." JP pointed to a bag of half eaten candy.
"Yes. If you win I shall give you any object I own. If you lose, I shall take your most prized artifact for myself." The Game Master spoke.
"Let me guess, you have a way of magically taking them?" Amity the death speaker guessed.
"No, Veronica and Betty here just guilt trips you." They held up a puppy and a kitten who smiled at the group.
"Awwwww." Vee and JP cooed at the sight.
"They're so cute!"
"I want to give them my life savings right now."
"Hm, exploiting animal cuteness…." Lucci rubbed his chin while taking a journal. "Note for future scam, adopt a kitten."
They went back to walking, before reaching an opening of what looked like a giant board game painted on the ground. "The rules are simple." The Game Master said. "You roll dice, and walk squares equal to the number. Then you must face … the actions of the tile!"
"So basically a giant game of four square." Luz noted.
"Actually it's more like candy land the size of four square." They reiterated. "For every player who makes it to the end, you get one item from my collection. However if everyone fails, then I shall take an item from each and every one of you."
"Uh huh." Boscha rolled her eyes. "Do we really have to play along with this charade?"
"It's either that or we steal from the two fluffy animals." Amity answered. "And I'm pretty sure most of us would beat you up for that."
"If anyone hurts those animals I would destroy everyone in this room and then myself." JP agreed with a nod.
"Enough chit chit, lets get this game rolling!" Craig announced, grabbing the dice. He rolled them, getting a four. Nice start.
"Your rolled four...and landed on the green." The game master nodded as Craig moved to the space. "Now you must…..eat this whole bowl of unsalted boiled broccoli!"
"You MONSTER!" Kelsy shouted out. "At least let him put cheese on it!"
Craig winced. "Oh … oh Bobby was right, this is a cruel game." He took a bite, hoping that scarfing it down quickly would alleviate the terrible taste.
"… Why were you worried this would get annoying again?" Hunter asked Lucci.
"Because anything involving my womb donor always does." Lucci grumbled. "Honestly, it's a miracle our entire trip hasn't been annoying throughout the entire time."
Craig eventually finished, groaning. "Done …" So gross.
"Most impressive." The Game Master nodded, holding out the dice. "Who goes next?"
"I'll do it, faster we get this done, faster we stop playing pretend." Boshcha rudely grabbed the dice and rolled them. "Six." She walked past Craig, onto a red square.
"You landed on red. You get sent to 'the dark zone' for three turns." The game master spoke, pulling up the small board his new friends were looking for.
"Fine, whatever … do I just wait over by the edge or-" The kid pressed a button … and Boscha vanished.
".....What….did….you do… to my angel?" Lucci's body seemed to glow pink for some odd and bizarre reason, making the ground crack. Super weird.
"I sent her to the dark zone for three turns." The Game Master spoke without any fear. "Don't worry, she is without harm. You want to bring her back, proceed to play the game."
"Why didn't you tell us you'd send us to dark zones!?" Kelsy shouted.
"I made sure you were aware of the risks. The dice and squares decide your fate now … win or lose, pressing on is your only option."
"Relax guys, I'll go next." Vee took the dice next, and landed on two. "Darn, so small." She walked on a blue square.
"You have landed on blue….you are frozen for the rest of the game." They pressed a button, as Vee disappeared … then reappeared next to a small cooler. "Please help yourself to refreshments in the frozen landscape."
"… I think we're forgetting they're still kids despite the newfound danger." Luzura muttered.
"Actually… this is pretty… cold … for….cold blooded…" Vee shivered. Weird, but that only made the danger grow.
========================================================================
Gus moved forward. They've been playing for a few minutes, and so far have continued landing on squares. Greens were dares (if a bit childish), reds were timeouts in the dark zone (according to Boscha, she was in a cave with no light or exit), blues got you kicked out of the game and sent to the cooler with Vee (who was dealing with it pretty badly).
Yellows were rewards that moved you forward, oranges switched places with someone else, and Gus landed on the first purple, feeling fear grip his core. "You have fell onto purple …" Oh no, this was going to suck wasn't it? "Tell a secret. Verossica can sniff out lies."
"A secret?" He asked. "So like, my favorite color or something."
"No, a true secret. One that you'd never tell anyone at any time in any other situation." The gamemaster glared deeply.
"I … don't really keep secrets. I tell Emmeline everything." He pointed to his palisman, who waved a tiny claw. "Should I exclude her or …"
"Gus, don't worry about it." Hunter said, covered in orange gelatin from landing on a green square. "We won't judge…this group literally has no shame over anything."
"Very true." Luz said, having landed on an orange tile that swapped places with Craig, making him start all over.
"Alright …" He didn't want to spill guts that weren't his own … oh. There was one thing. "I once traveled to an alternate timeline."
"Gus, we knew that." Amity, stuck in the cooler along with Amity.
"Where Luz and Lucci were overlords thatkilled me." He didn't want his friends to have nightmares, but better than telling them about the 'grimwalker' thing.
"Wha…" Both of them became flabbergasted at the same time.
"And Lucci was in a threesome with Amity's siblings." Gus shuddered.
"Ah, why did you have to mention that!?" Lucci shouted, on his own dare of standing on his head for the rest of the game. "Gagh, harder to gag when I'm upside down!"
"What's a threesome?" Kelsy asked, halfway there with the power of a yellow square.
"Something that will scar you for the rest of your lives if I explain any further." Gus shuddered. "Who went after me again?"
"Amity, but she got frozen."
"So it's up to me again…oh joy oh joy." Lucci rolled his dice, almost tripping from having to stay on one hand. "Nice, five. He walked forward…and landed on a green. "Not like they can make this worse for me."
"Kiss the person you hate the most."
Lucci took one look to Hunter, both of them sharing an uncomfortable look. "....Nope, I'm out. Not doing it."
"Out it is then." Lucci was warped into a tiny cage. "… Sorry, anyone over the age of thirteen tends to not play."
"Still way better than kissing the Golden Pawn."
"For once we can agree on something." Hunter nodded as he took his turn on the dice, and got a four. "Four, four… landed on a purple, dang it!"
"One truth."
He looked desperate for an answer. "… Um … there was my alternate universe …" He said. "It made me a bit … existential."
"The alternate universe bit is old, choose another truth." The game master glared at them.
"Um …" He gave a nervous chuckle. "I ah …" He gave a quick look to Willow, who had been stuck at the beginning of the game the entire time, and sighed. "I've got nothin." Hunter was placed in the same small cage as Lucci. "Couldn't you have given us another cage!?"
"Hey, cages don't just grow on trees, you know. My allowance is five dollars a week." The Game Master complained.
"Don't worry guys, we'll be winning this game before you know it!" Luz exclaimed.
"Even when we're down four players?" JP asked.
"Not to mention it's seven forty five right now." Kelly looked at her watch. "We gotta wrap this up quickly before dinner."
"Who's in front? How many more spaces until we reach the end?" Lucci asked.
"So far it's me, Luz, Jp." Gus brought up. "Luz is four spaces away, I'm five, and jp's six."
"Don't worry, I'm gonna get a perfect six!" Jp gilled next….and got two. "That could've been better."
"You've landed on green … wear this tacky hat for the rest of the game."
"Aw man, can't I eat the grass or something?" The kid in the baggy shirt groaned. "It completely clashes with my practical yet functional fashion."
"Come on JP, you're almost to the end." Kelsi said from her spot in the back. "You won't have to wear it for long."
"Okay, okay, we're almost there… come on, Aoxoltol, if your listening, please let this be easy..!" Luz shook the dice… and got a three. "Dang it, just one short!" She walked onto a … black square. "... So … what does that mean?"
"Landing on White means victory, landing on Black means defeat." He waved a hand above the button.
"Dang it, I hate instant death." Luz snapped her fingers. "So you're putting me in a cage too?"
"Not exactly." Luz fell through the floor.
"Aaaagh! Spider pit!"
"Don't worry, they're only tarantulas." The game master nodded. "…well, half of them are. The other half I lost track of."
"Boscha, your turn." Gus watched as the Game Master tossed the dice over to her. So close. Craig was in the dark realm so he was skipped, meaning it was just her, Willow, and Kelsey, then it'd loop back to Gus, and he could win.
"I hate this so much." Boscha rolled the dice, and landed on an orange…switching places with Willow. "Oh come on! Bad enough I'm losing, but I'm right behind Willow of all people!?!"
"Snooze you loose." The girl in question smirked, rolling dice … landing on a yellow space as she moved an extra three ahead. "Thanks for the jumpstart Boscha. Who knew we worked to get her so well?"
"I will end you before the day is over!"
"Alright, Craig's lost in the dark realm, and everyone's down, up to you Kelsey, you can do this!" Kelsey shouted, rolling the dice. "Yes, six, all the way to the top…." She ran…only to get on a blue tile. "Dang ittttt-!"
"It's…Its…getting little…crowded in here…" Vee said with her shiver as she, Amity, and the now trapped Kelsey in the cooler.
"Well we have body heat … so that's a plus." A shivering Amity muttered.
Okay … down to Gus … if he got five, he won. If he got four, he lost instantly, and he didn't want to test what happened with a six. He internally growled. Dang it, for once Lucci was right about rules. If he could use magic he could … "Hey." The Game Master spoke up. "Your roll."
"... It is." Gus smirked, grabbing the die. "Come on … five!" He swung it forward as it rolled … landing on a five. "Aha! Yes!" He happily got on the white square "I did it!
"Congragulations, winner." The Game Master bowed, pressing multiple squares as Craig, Vee, Amity, Kelsey, Lucci, and Hunter all came back.
"The light, it blinds my eyes!" The kid shouted.
"So waarrrmmm…" Vee rolled around. "Need the warmth!"
"Spiders, spider still on me!" Luz screamed, shaking them off.
"We did it!" Kelsey shouted, shivering a bit. "We survived the game and beat it!"
"We won!" JP screamed in joy. "Goodbye tacky hat!"
"What made you so confident in the end?" Lucci asked.
Gus smiled, showing off a card. "A little sleight of hand." And changed the image on it without changing the card itself. "They technically never said magic couldn't be used."
"You bent the rules and made your own victory…I've never felt prouder of you."
"Neither have I." It always felt good when illusion magic saved the day.
========================================================================
Hunter watched as the Game Master stopped by the wall. "Gus won the game, followed by JP, Willow, Boscha, and Craig. That is the order you may pick out whatever you desire." They bowed, showing off the walls. "All winners may take one object."
"Sweet! Quest completed!" Craig jumped in the air. "I'll be taking that puzzle cube piece if you please."
"You're last. If anyone else claims the puzzle cube before you, then it's off limits." The kid stated firmly.
"Don't worry. We have our own thing we're looking for." Gus pointed to their own item. "We'll be taking the spatial board please."
The Game Master looked down at the object, and began to chuckle. "The game was fun while it lasted … but it'll be nice to think up a new game for everyone to play." They handed it over to Gus without any hustle.
"Anyone else think that was too ominous?" Hunter asked.
"Nah, it seemed more lighthearted and character archy to me." JP shrugged. "Oh, give me the steering wheel. I need a new one after I crashed last week."
"You crashed a car?" Vee asked.
"I am a car!" The boy shouted, grabbing the wheel and going 'vroom' as he ran off … followed by the sounds of realistic tires screeching.
"Don't worry, I'll get him." Kelsy groaned as she walked off. "Hopefully I won't have to change his oil again."
"How much of that was real and how much was imagined?" Hunter had to ask.
"I was stuck in a dark cave for a solid couple minutes without any clue as to how … I have no clue." Boscha shook.
"Maybe it's like imaginary friends. In some places, the greatest magic is childhood imagination and friendship." Luz smiled. "So, Willow, Boscha, you two gonna grab anything?"
"Depends on what they have… oh, this looks nice." Willow grabbed a crown made up of flowers.
"And … I'll take your mask as a trophy." Boscha smirked.
"Very well." They took it off, revealing a smiling boy who handed it over. "Here you go."
"And the puzzle cube is collected!" Craig shouted, snatching the block. "Another successful adventure!"
"Glad you enjoyed the game…good luck on your quests." The boy walked out of the cave-
Poof
And the entire freaking cave disappeared. "... Okay, now I'm a bit scared." Hunter said in a high pitched voice. "Did he even need the grid?"
"Or maybe he had some kind of connection to the grid that ended when he left…" Luz suggested a bit fearfully.
A horn shouted in the distance. "Talk about ghosts later, I need to get home for dinner." Craig ran off. "It was nice meeting you all!"
"Nice…" Lucci looked longingly. "... All in favor of repressing the last half hour, say I."
"I." Hunter had to get himself checked. He was agreeing with Clawthorne a bit too much lately.