The D20

Elsie slipped the side panel off of the computer in front of her. Her headphones were on, the guitar remix of the Castlevania theme was blaring, she had a freshly opened packet of custard creams, and she was less than an hour from quitting time.

Plenty long enough for the next sixteen repairs she had to do.

She set about them with a vengeance, reassembling, soldering, and replacing with graceful alacrity. Slender limbs moved with precision as she worked her way through the last of her checklist. Her department was the most efficient in the nation out of the entire chain, and she intended to keep it that way.

And besides, she liked fixing things. It calmed her, when her nerves might otherwise be easily frayed.

An hour later, and the stack of computers on the cart next to her desk was four wide and four high—the most the cart could take without them starting to slip off.

She carefully printed off the spreadsheet she had printed earlier for the morning crew. It included a list of names and desks that the computers were to be returned to. A small piece of tape secured it to the top of the stack of desktops.

The following morning, the early shift got in and began to distribute the workstations that Elsie had fixed without ever realizing that she hadn’t gotten to clock out the night before.

* * *

“At least she isn’t naked.” Kevin stared at the mousy brunette who stumbled through one of the doorways abruptly and then stared around the courtyard in shock.

The magic that had gathered around Tess had finished its transformation, and the athletic woman was now wearing a set of shining metal armor that looked like it had been painted by Boris Vallejo, but at least she wasn’t naked anymore.

The brunette looked between the half-naked knight and the milf-queen that was Penny, and finally asked in confusion, “Am I on the set of the porn parody of Game of Thrones?”

Her voice was quiet, but firm, and carried an accent that Kevin could place as coming from England, though he had no idea what part. She was the shortest person in the room by no small margin, only clearing five feet tall thanks to a set of slightly clunky shoes with thick soles, and was dressed in a set of khakis and a brown polo shirt.

Lily beamed a smile at the woman. “Not yet you aren’t, but we’ll get to that. No, you’re on the latest season of Harem Hotel, where you’ll be competing in a series of dives into our fantasy dungeon as you compete for the favor of our Master. Now, everyone, please welcome our latest arrival, the D20, Elsie Hobman!”

As before, the die Kevin had been holding was enveloped in light and flew over to float over the newest arrival’s head, and just as before the music changed. This tune was lighter, calmer, with flutes and what might have been a xylophone providing a chiming backdrop.

“Like—we’re playing Dungeons and Dragons with this guy?” Though the brunette looked confused, she did not appear overly upset at the concept, and Kevin’s face lit up in delight.

“You actually know Dungeons and Dragons?”

“I mean, I’m more of a FATE girl when it comes down to it, but you can’t escape D&D in the modern tabletop scene. How did I get here?”

“It’s magic. Literal actual magic. All of us were dragged here like this. I’m Kevin, this is Penny, and Tess.”

Elsie gave a little wave, then seemed to shrink back into herself under the gaze of the room.

Lily beckoned her forward, and Elsie stepped out of the shade of the wall to stand in the dazzling sunlight that breached the walls of the castle. Her voice was unnaturally loud and confident as she announced, “My name is Elsie Hobman. I’m twenty-eight years old and have lived in Bristol, England for my entire life. I work in IT, and what neither I nor my parents realize is that I come from a long line of brownies.”

“Like the food?”

Tess sounded confused until Kevin chimed in, “Brownies are usually a kind of fairy or helpful spirit, in mythology. The kind you leave out milk and cookies for in exchange for help with household chores.”

Elsie’s skin—already pale thanks to a life spent avoiding the sun—went white. “I—wait, my roommates always–”

“Looks like she may have some reflection to do, but there’s plenty of time for that later.”

This time, Lily didn’t bother to wait for a dramatic moment before blasting Elsie with magic, and the petite woman was still absorbing the knowledge when the hostess continued, “We’re on a roll here, Kevin, let’s find out who the next member of your party is going to be!”

Resigned to the succubus getting her way for now, Kevin reached out without being ****.