An Adventure

“I’m not sure if I’m still upset about swapping bodies with you, or if its simply the biological nature of drow to be pissed off all the time,” Ibrim said, “But we need to find that wizard to have him undo this body swap spell.”

Araj agreed, “The stench of your human body bothers my nostrils -- even as I am breathing with human nostrils. And to be in a male body is so degrading. I never should’ve travelled to the surface, but I had no other choice in order to restore my family’s house.”

“Whatever. I get it. We all have our own reasons for adventuring. But they won’t likely care for you too much in the Underdark if you return there still inside my body. And I have no interest running around in your body or clothes any longer than I have to myself. So let’s just get a move on, okay!?”

Drow

For the record, I played way too much Baldur's Gate last year, and it's totally reflected in my captions.

Gene and Jason entered the mall through a side entrance. It was almost always nearly empty these days, but every now and again, there was a reason to go. No sooner had they entered, did a strange puff of smoke exploded in front of them, and two women appeared from within. They appeared to be dressed as fantasy characters...

“Drow?” Gene asked.

“Silent, Human!” The lead drow said.

“Sister,” The second one pleaded, “I do not think these two are adequate. They are weak. They are male!”

“The fact that are so unremarkable is what makes them perfect. We will steal their bodies and go on our mission to investigate the surface undetected, so that we may solidify our invasion plans.”

The second drow sighed before speaking strange words. In the next instant, Gene and Jason were looking at their own selves, realizing they had swapped bodies with the two drow women. Jason, now in the lead drow’s body, decided to run as fast as he could. Gene, in the second drow’s body, tried to follow, but a second spell spoken by the drow now in the men’s bodies held him in place before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, presumably pulled into the underdark.

Jason ran into one of the few occupied stores where a few people actually were. He got more than a few stares based on his new body. He thought fast as a few people gathered.

“Hey, thanks for the concern,” He said, “I just ran into some crazy fans back there. I knew my cosplays were getting big on Instagram, but I guess I never realized how big, you know?”

The crowd seemed satisfied with his lie, Jason was proud of his excuse. It explained why he was running and why he looked the way he did. However, trying to come up with a plan about how to get back to normal seemed like it was going to be much, much harder.

Into the Game (Epilogue)

View Into the Game (Part 1) here.
View Into the Game (Part 2) here.
View Into the Game (Part 3) here.
View Into the Game (Part 4) here.
View Into the Game (Part 5) here.
View Into the Game (Part 6) here.
View Into the Game (Part 7) here.

Once arriving at the graveyard, Martin was able to succesfully cast the spell and return people to the real world. As the spellcaster, he had to stay behind. He was filled with curiosity. What would they do with his lifeless body? It certainly wasn’t dead. Would he be considered in a coma and go to the hospital? Would the group be blamed for what happened to him? He sighed.

“Hey, Old Man, you just going to stand there all day long? We’re going to need to find a new party!” A voice shouted out.

Martin turned around and smiled, “I’m glad you stayed behind with me, Xira. I think I would’ve been sad to lose all of you.”

Xira smiled back. “Truth be told, everything about this is what I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve always wanted to be a woman, first and foremost. I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone that. And once given that opportunity, I couldn’t give that up--even if it means fighting kobolds for the rest of my life.”

“I’ll fight by your side as long as I am able.”

“Thanks, Martin. You’re a true friend.”

“You too, Xira.”

Into the Game (Part 7)

View Into the Game (Part 1) here.
View Into the Game (Part 2) here.
View Into the Game (Part 3) here.
View Into the Game (Part 4) here.
View Into the Game (Part 5) here.
View Into the Game (Part 6) here.

“The dark elf is right,” A low voice spoke out.

Martin was the youngest member of their group, but he always used the same wizard character he had simply named ‘Martin the WIzard.’ As such, his character was the wisest and had the most experience.

“The quest is not the answer. The way home is through the graveyard.” He said.

“How do you know, old man?” Hissed Arthur.

“It was all there. In her words. At the graveyard, I can send you back to the real world.”

“It sounds like you aren’t coming,” Jenny asked.

“I need to cast the spell. I must remain.”

“Let me cast it!” Jason offered.

“You are not a magic user. The dark elf is too novice. I’m afraid I’m the only choice.”

Into the Game (Part 6)

View Into the Game (Part 1) here.
View Into the Game (Part 2) here.
View Into the Game (Part 3) here.
View Into the Game (Part 4) here.
View Into the Game (Part 5) here.

“I don’t know this character’s abilities. I created her almost at random when my previous character died right before we entered this world and assumed the form of our characters.” Matthew stated, “I hadn’t even written a name. She’s a novice, a newb. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t quite done, I can still sort of feel myself at Kevin’s table. It’s like I’m both there AND here. We’re lifeless.”

“I don’t feel any of that,” Althea stated.

“No, you do. You just don’t know you do. You know the answer is not on the quest.” Matthew paused. His body seemed to space out for a moment, seemingly disconnected to the world. He resumed, “I have no solution, though. No hope. It’s darkness and depair. I am a woman with no identity. I am a mage with no magic.”

While Jason had Althea woried, Matthew had her downright scared.

Into the Game (Part 5)

View Into the Game (Part 1) here.
View Into the Game (Part 2) here.
View Into the Game (Part 3) here.
View Into the Game (Part 4) here.

“I hate to say it, but he may be right,” Althea said.

“She,” Jason corrected.

“What?”

“I am Xira right now, and Xira is a she.”

Althea was worried Jason was getting weirdly into the game. She felt a weird tingle inside her that was trying to tell her something. Her character was mostly human, but was also 1/8 dragon, giving her a few clearly non-human traits (such as her yellow eyes) and the ability to sense things. Was it trying to tell her something about Jason? Or was there danger nearby?

“You feel it, too, don’t you?” Matthew interjected rather suddenly.

Into the Game (Part 4)

View Into the Game (Part 1) here.
View Into the Game (Part 2) here.
View Into the Game (Part 3) here.

Much like Arthur, Jason had also selected a female character (a female warrior elf, to be specific). But unlike Arthur, Jason created characters he actually wished he could be. He had never told any of his friends about his secret desire to be a woman, and (truth be told) he was absolutely thrilled that he now had the body of “Xira” (the elf he had created). Seeing as how the rest of his friends seemed to be in a panic about being stuck in their characters’ bodies, he assessed that now wasn’t a good time to tell them either. It probably helped that he made his character rather stoic and logical in nature.

He added to his initial disgust, “This is no time for your lust, Devra. Even if this isn’t the master’s world, our best hope is to continue on our quest.”

“Did you just call Arthur, ‘Devra?’” Althea asked.

“I did, Jerica,” Jason replied referring to Althea by her character’s name as well.

“Stop being weird, Jason” Althea sighed.

Into the Game (Part 3)

View Into the Game (Part 1) here.
View Into the Game (Part 2) here.

Much like Jenny, Arthur had regrets about the character he had created. He tended to make characters he could fantasize about, and “Devra” had been no exception to this rule. He had designed Devra as a seductive thief, and he now could feel both her bloodlust and her hyper libido that he had given her. Perhaps the only thing containing both from exploding were his scars that his character obtained in a battle right before everyone literally became their own characters. They were more painful than he could imagine.

A thought dawned on him. Since his subclass allowed him to learn a few spells, he tried to heal himself and was amazed as the scars went away.

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed, “Not only are we are our characters, but the magic is now real.” He quickly put on a seductive grin, giving a noted glance over in Jason’s direction, “If anyone wants to celebrate.”

“Ew, no!” Jason quickly responded.

Into the Game (Part 2)

View Into the Game (Part 1) here.

Jenny grunted at Kevin’s response. One thing she wanted was out of this game as soon as possible. Back in the real world, she knew the guys in their D&D group had a crush on her. While she considered herself pretty average in the looks department, the fact that she played these types of games made her into a goddess amongst other players. As such, she tried to pick characters that fought againt this perception.

In hindsight, picking a smelly ol’ male orc as her character was a terrible decision. She was easily the strongest in the party, and she realized she could probably flatten Kevin into a pancake if she wanted to. She obviously wouldn’t, but it the one thing that felt good about this being stuck like this right now was knowing she could. Plus, she also tried to subvert perceptions by having her orc be a pacifist cleric, resorting to violence only when necessary. Crushing Kevin would simply be out of character. She wasn’t quite so sure about Arthur though.

Into the Game (Part 1)

Kevin could certainly recognize the six figures that stood before him. They all looked exactly as they had described when his friends had created the characters. It was supposed to be a simple game of Dungeons and Dragons, but the group could’ve never anticipated being sucked into the game to play as the various characters.

Kevin was the obvious exception. He had been the Dungeon Master, so he had no need to create a character. While he was still sucked into the game with the others, his appearance had not changed.

“Is everyone okay?” He asked before adding.

“Do you want us to roll some dice to find out?” Arthur asked sarcastically.

“Well, aside from the obvious,” Kevin added.

“Oh, we’re just peachy,” Jenny quipped, “Can you give us any guidance?”

“We’re not in my living room anymore,” Kevin flatly stated, “I can try, but I’m not sure this even resembles the game I had planned. Also, just compared to the rest of you, well, I doubt this is a +10 cardigan or anything, but I’ll try to help as much as I can.”