Onward to glory.

You muster up your most enthusiastic “Hell ya.” And take your offered seat between Vanessa and Marcy. The next several hours are filled with some amazing role playing. The two new characters are made to feel at home and welcomed into the party. It is funny, Vanessa’s character is often quite mean to your character and picks on her for being a “twerp” yet the same time she keeps trying to come up with ideas to solve problems that hinge on your character turning into a horse for her to ride. Every time she also makes a terrible sexual innuendo joke that are very cringe inducing at first but as the night goes on they either get more funny or you are simply more tired. As if not to be left out, Marcy tries a few of her own but they always illicit boos, hissing, and thrown chips. That said, they always make you smile. The two of them also decide that the hand and leg on their side of your body is fair game and within a few hours you have been pinched, punched, caressed, and even kissed lightly by either of them a dozen times or more. It is simultaneously panic inducing and exhilarating.

Four hours later they all cheer as your lightning bolt rips through a line of elite orcs. Marcy follows it up with a fireball and the way to the Dragon is clear. Vanessa is the first to fall from a critical hit with the giants huge bite. Dartanion, the cleric, played by Daniel, rushes to her aid and brings her back from the brink. The sly rogue Silvaar, springs from the shadows and lands the first strike on the dragon. Nixie punishes it with her eldrich blast and the valiant wizard Elric follows with 4 rays of fire that everyone watches intently as the girls roll and connect with blast after blast, chewing away at the dragons HP. With your front line Paladin injured, you turn into an ape and charge the dragon, to the surprise of everyone, and with the slight boost to your ac and attacks from your magic items, you even remain an ape after the dragons punishing attacks.

“Hell ya, take ‘em down.” Vanessa yells as her and Daniel focus on getting her character back to fighting shape. Spells blast away, you punch and howl, and are sadly sent flying back to your normal form with a powerful tail slap. But you absorbed attacks and call down a beam of holy moonlight as the Cleric and Paladin hold it in place.

The final blow comes this time from the cleric’s spiritual weapon, a golden hammer, you all cheer as Daniel describes the powerful upward strike that flips the dragon over. Steve smiles wryly, shakes his head, and says loudly, “Fuck it, why not. The dragons body flips completely end over end with a savage crack and lies belly up in front of you. Dead.”

The cheers continue and suddenly both Vanessa and Marcy grab you for a hug. Realizing they are both tugging you in opposite directions they seem to look at you to decide who’s embrace you accept. Do you?

Hug Marcy.

Vanessa.

Neither.

Both.