Lucas found the 'strange and mysterious' cave quite.. well.. strange and mysterious. Her sword glowed, lighting the way. But strangely enough, she found treasure chests, that were already open. She didn't really care though, she already had a lot of 'swag' from the town she picked clean.
Yep, knowing the rules to an RPG pretty much made her run the place.
... but it was also really, very boring. She was already practically a goddess. Still, she had to find Lilly's father and the others that were lost in this strange world.
Then... she came across something very strange.
It looked like a skeleton, long dead.
Then there was a shudder, as the tunnels suddenly closed off.
... Lucas was trapped!
She frowned a bit, but this tended to happen in games. There was 'always' a way out. She suspected it had to have something to do with the skeleton. Of course the game wouldn't put her into this situation if there wasn't a way out...
... right?
Clifford groaned (in hilariously high pitch) as the spell cast on the watch faded and needed re-charging. His voice sounded like a chipmunk again, and he still couldn't work out why his magic failed so catastrophically. Lilly said it had something to do with a game he played, and putting himself in the mind of his character.
.. a character he had not thought of in years.
After his father died, he emerged himself in various fantasy lives. It was a bit like trying to see what his life might have been like if things were different. If he had a sibling, or a good father... fighting against evil, in an evil world... to just be somone better. That is before boring crushing reality set in (pre-sun change that is.)
... He sought out the most interesting, most dangerous kinds of worlds that would try to give a little 'meaning' to 'meaningless' fantasy's.
Clifford went to his computer, and typed up the website where that old game was advertised. He was incredibly surprised to see that the site was still there. There was even an E-mail... and a list of some of the custom rules regarding spells...
... and there, in bold letters, was a link to a 'fumble table' if one attempted to cast a spell they couldn't.
'chipmunk voice' Clifford said rolling his eyes. This just.. couldn't be coincidence. He needed more answers. He sent an E-mail to the Dungeon Master, not really sure if he would get a response... he left them years ago. It was a surprise to see a message almost immediately.
'You want access to your Character's spells?' Said the message from 'DM-battle194'
'yes' messaged Cliff back.
There was a long pause... Cliff's heart beat furiously.
'I got your stats loaded. Let's see... died to goblins in a cave at level 6. Five years ago. So no. you can't get them.'
Now Cliff remembered why he abandoned this game! He put everything into that character. His heart and soul, personality, everything! They had achieved so much, only for him to die to 'goblins'! He argued with the DM but he was absolutely unmovable on the rules. The character died, and that was it. He was offered to make a new character... but it wouldn't be the same. Not after the months of blood and sweat and dice rolls it took to get that far.
He tried a pleading message to the DM tapping furiously on the keyboard. 'For god's sake! I need more detail on some of the things he had. I need to play a round with him to reverse a spell'. Why won't he yield on just a stupid game?
DM-battle194 sent another message. 'He died with 'one' spell point left, and as per the rules you are allowed one spell with the death-spell feat you got on level four. But you left the game. hmm.. for some reason... my table says you already used up that spell slot. It looks like you did it as a level 40 spell too due to 'time-delayed feat'... and you fumbled your roll.'
Cliff blanched. So... this was how he cast his spell? And... the DM's notes had all changed to reflect it? God... It was a bizarre thought... but if he could bring the character to life, then he could probably cast the spell to change his voice back to normal. 'Bring my character back to life please. Just say it happens. You are the DM, you can make it happen.'
'... I can't.' replied the DM.
'Look this is important! It's just a bloody game I need this character to come back to life because I think it might be affecting me in RL.'
There was another pause. 'I can't. The character died years ago, and we did our campaign without you. It was a hard-core hellish world, and I said that death would be real. You agreed to respect the dice however they fell... in the world of Blade-casters, Death is real.. and people rarely come back. Bringing you back needs an encounter with a divine being.'
Cliff sighed. All this was just... doing his head in. It happened years ago. he fell out from this internet gaming group years ago. '... I need you to do another roll'.
'What do you want to roll?' asked the DM.
The teenager groaned leaning back in his chair. 'An encounter roll. That's on your table right? I want to roll for the chances of a divine being coming across my character's body, and bringing it back to life.'
'hm... one in a million. Fine. Does an angel find your character's body years later... Okay, I'll roll the die.'
Cliff waited and waited... the answer seemed to be taking forever!
'... you succeed.'
Cliff almost spat out. 'Really?'
'yes. I had to screen shot this because these are lottery winning rolls. You actually succeeded in your encounter roll. An.. angel- with a ship no less, just discovered your body, and is about to cast the reincarnation scroll she 'happened' to have.'
Cliff paused. 'Wait! Reincarnation?! I want a raise dead or resurrection!'
'It can't be done. Your character was dead too long. My world, my rules. I'm rolling the reincarnation table now...'
Cliff wasn't sure quite what to feel at this point. Yes it was just a game... but at the same time, it was starting to become uncomfortably real, given what had happened to him. Still.. if his character was alive, he could undo the spell in the real world too! He stared at the screen anxious to see what happened.
Dm-battle took a while to type it out, clearly wanting to be accurate. '...oh what do you know? You get to re-start as a level 2.. Neko-girl. Height three feet tall. Hair, red. Green Eyes. 25% cat. Heh. Funny.'
Cliff blinked as he typed a reply. 'Are you kidding?' The neko race was essentially halflings... with cute ears and a tail, if he remembered right. A bit of a joke race really. Good reflexes though. Wait- did he say neko 'girl'?
'Not kidding. I said I play a serious game, and the dice roll will be respected. Your character is now a level 2 neko-girl sorceress. As per the reincarnation spell I'm rolling your family life... heh, One of three sisters. Go figure. Oh- but you still have that cursed necklace, and its become a cursed collar to match your new form. So you are hostile to the angel that just raised you. it's forcing you to attack her. I think your character is going to die again again. I have to do a few private rolls.'
Cliff groaned again. That old story... he was bringing it up fully? What kind of crazy DM was this? His character had a cursed necklace that boosted his power, but sometimes turned him hostile. It was one of those things that the party members were actually glad to see him gone, and just made him hate the game all the more. 'Eh... I just want to cast my spell now. Can I forget the battle and just do that?'
'My world, my rules. Your character had that cursed necklace, and you can't take it off. You are about to attack the angel, and you 'really' are not going to last. Her power level is frankly, awesome.'
Cliff was getting angry. 'You know what! Screw this! Screw you! My character decides 'not' to attack the angel.
'Your character is cursed. It's not up to you. She attacks. Attacking damage.. nothing. Hm.. angel is motivated into not attacking you though. Maybe you have a chance after all...'
Cliff was furious. 'I don't attack I don't attack I don't attack! he was speaking it at the same time as typing it.
The watch around his wrist started to glow...
