Dungeons and Dimwits

     Huge columns towered above them, gleaming smooth and bright as though made of solid pearl. This place was as illuminated as daylight itself, but none could place where the source of it was, or what. A long carpet trailed along the floor. It was scarlet with a gold-colored trim. The carpet ran to the other side of the room. Steps led up to a platform, and on that platform was a throne.

     The throne appeared to be made from bones. At the end of each armrest was the skull of a Dragoyle with dark garnets in the eye sockets. Despite its morbid makeup, it was the most luxurious throne they’d ever seen. The bones poked out here and there, but it had thick cushions of scarlet and gold, and there was a violet cloth draped loosely over its backrest.

     Leala and Mio’s ears perked at the faint sound of ringing bells. The ears on Kay’s hood moved about as well. There was a high-pitched, steady pulse of rings coming from somewhere. Anywhere. Everywhere.

     Something was off here. Something was very wrong indeed. Everyone readied their weapons and spells and stood back-to-back in a messy circle. They crept along as one. They stopped when they reached the centre of the room, and everyone stood still and tense as they listened to the ringing of the unseen bells.

     From the ever-dark of the heart of her dungeon came Alphirasune’s maddening howl. For the first time in what may as well have been eternity, she could see and hear and feel and breathe. She was about to make that everyone else’s problem.

     With a flash of darkness, the ringing disappeared. The dimwits were left in a deafening silence. There was nought but the sounds of their heartbeats and their shaky breaths.

     Their eyes darted to the throne. Out from behind it appeared a Lupe queen in tattered wear of bloody red and deep violet. Her jewellery and crown were gold, coated in layers of ancient dust. She carried a sceptre of similar make, broken halfway down to create a jagged and deadly point. At its top was a garnet gemstone that had seen better days. It gleamed hungrily. It wanted to see those days again.

     The Lupess bore a feral, tangled pelt of brown and cream. She stood on two legs instead of four. Her tail was long and matted. Her claws were twisted like dark thorns. Her maw, though narrow, held a set of vicious fangs. One of her ears was torn. She walked with a limp. She showed herself to the party with a grin that betrayed a pure, unfettered madness.

     Alphirasune had been locked away for lifetimes. Generations had come and gone. Landscapes had changed. Kingdoms had risen and fallen since her departure. She had spent so long in this realm, alone at its shadowy heart, with not even the phantoms' visage of a Neopet to keep her company. To keep her from spiralling deeper and deeper…

     She would make her escape. She would see the light of a real Neopian day again-no matter who she had to strike down in the name of it. Wordlessly, the party got ready for their final fight, and Alphirasune let out another feral howl.

     She charged at them as quickly as a blink. She pushed her broken sceptre into Kalilu’s chest and sent her flying before the Kougress could throw up a shield. She swung it at Mio. Mio hopped out of the way. Once, twice… but she felt a jolt run through her before she could again.

     Alphirsune turned her gold and scarlet eyes to Kay. She growled.

     Kay growled back. No one hurt her friends and got away with it!

     Snatching the die out of Reena’s hand, she threw it. It rolled and clattered on the polished marble floor. A strange energy crackled in her gauntlets. Her eyes flashed maroon…

     But the die landed on one.

     Kay threw herself at their opponent. She swiped with her clawed weapons, magic humming at the tips. She flew through the air. She put everything she had into her attack. She was going to take down this weird monster Lupe, and save her friends!

     Dark magic flooding her veins, Alphirasune knocked her to the side. Kay went flying. She landed harshly on the floor and slid until her poor spine rammed into the steps. She wheezed and said, “Ah, dang it,” and was unable to get back to her feet.

     “My turn,” said Reena with a grin.

     The die came back to her, and she gave it a toss. It landed on fourteen. She ran at the Lupess with her sword drawn. Alphirasune dodged it. But Reena reached for her exploding potions and broke one on the floor at the wolf queen’s feet. Jumping back, she watched Alphirasune howl in pain. Reena gave herself a mental pat on the back for her clever fake-out.

     “Artifice, heal Kalilu,” Leala ordered and rolled a seven.

     It manifested and shot over to the Tyrannian's pet. With Blook on guard, it managed to give her a bit of energy and healing before it crumbled to dust. Kalilu picked herself up and limped away as fast as she could. If she could get a healing spell done, she could start gathering enough energy to make her team a proper defence.

     “Urgh… I… I roll to-”

     Alphirasune cut her off with a charge. Undefined energies created a forceful shock wave before her. She ran at Mio. Mio tried a dodge with some magic of her own. The die tossed itself and landed on five. Sinking into a pool of shadows and out of one, a few feet away, the Cybunny barely escaped harm.

     The queen wasn’t grinning anymore. This wasn’t right. There were too many of them; it wasn’t fair. It simply wasn’t fair!

     Looking more animal than Neopet, the ferocious beast leapt high into the air. She landed and sent out rippling waves of destructive light magic. Reena’s silver wings were like a peal of thunder. She was able to take off, but everyone else took at least one hit.

     Leala was closest. She took two blows of it before she was able to summon her shield. Mio hopped over one, then another, but slipped and fell beneath the third. Kalilu was farthest. Only one ripple got to her, but it did nothing to help as she scoured her inventory for any useful potions. Kay had just about gotten to her feet when all three hit her right in the gut.

     “Ack! Those… were my… internal… organs…”

     Ah, now things were a bit more even. Alphirasune smiled up at the Faerie Xweetok. They stared each other down, scarlet and gold meeting a pale sky blue.

     “Let’s finish this,” said Reena, angry at the sight of her family in this state.

     Alphirasune spoke for the first time in ages. Her voice was deep and growling. “Yes. Let’s end this battle so that I may be free.”

     The die came back to Reena’s waiting hand. She threw it. It bounced off the wall. It bounced off the floor. It clattered as it rolled. It landed on fourteen.

     Reena, ever the skilful flier, swooped down with a speed that the Lupess couldn’t match. She swung her sword and rose out of Alphirasune’s clawed reach.

     Alphirasune let out an air-rattling howl. She tensed her hind legs and leapt. Reena swung out of her way. She landed and crouched low to the ground. She remained there, hunched over as if injured.

     Reena rolled an eleven, and from her hand erupted a stream of flames. Alphirasune shot up with an attack of her own. Hers was a beam of frost. Fire and ice steamed and crackled and filled the room with mist until their magic petered out.

     A twelve. Reena sent down a rain of throwing stars. Alphirasune expertly weaved her way through them with only a few scratches. She tossed up a trio of spears made of pure light.

     Reena swooped down again as she tossed the twenty-sided die. She didn’t look where it landed. Alphirasune, with unexpected grace, stepped aside and wrenched the Xweetok’s sword away and knocked her to the floor. Reena looked around. She saw Niri hiding safely in a corner of the ceiling. She saw a golden number three.

     They carried on in this manner, both of them growing tired as the minutes wore on. The longer they fought, the more graceful and fluid Alphirasune’s movements became. The fog cleared from her eyes.

     Finally, Reena rolled a twenty. The number blazed through the mist and illuminated the room anew. Its power cleared the air. When the fog fell away and the rest of the party could see, they witnessed the Lupess on the floor, one hand raised in feeble defence against the adventurer before her.

     Reena’s clothes and fur danced in a wind that only she could feel. She was levitating just above the floor, though her wings did not move. A prismatic flame engulfed her, radiating eldritch power. Her eyes glowed brighter than they ever had before.

     “This game,” she said, “is SO over!”

     “You may say that again,” said Kalilu.

     “Yeah. I didn’t like this vacation very much,” said Mio.

     “Heh. Cool,” said Leala as she took in her sister’s appearance.

     A portal opened up.

     “I just,” growled the Lupe queen, before words just couldn’t say it.

     “What?” questioned Reena. “You just what?”

     “I have been trapped here for so long. Trapped in this realm, in the very heart of it, my life in a state of eternal pause. Yours are the first hands to touch those dice in so long… I had hoped that I would gain my freedom through your defeat.”

     The glow began to fade away. Reena slowly drifted down to the floor. She landed gently. Niri jumped down onto her shoulder. She looked around, confused about what to do.

     “Not sure what’s going on here.”

     “I believe she is saying that she does not belong in this realm,” said Kalilu as she limped closer with Blook by her side. “That she was sealed away here many years ago.”

     “The dice were the keys to her dungeon,” said Leala, hopping up to them.

     “This whole dang thing was a dungeon just for her,” Kay managed to croak out as she joined them. “Everything else was just pretend. She’s the only real thing we’ve seen in this whole pocket realm.”

     “Which of course begs the question: what did you do to deserve such imprisonment?” asked Kalilu.

     “Um,” Mio piped up before Alphirasune could answer. “Maybe… Maybe it doesn’t have to matter?”

     “She could come with us,” explained the bunny. “If it’s been so long, maybe she could… start over? Have a second chance?”

     “Would you… Would you really...”

     Everyone paused to think about this matter for all of five seconds. This version of DnD wasn’t much fun at all, and the exit portal was right there.

     “Eh, whatever,” said Reena, heading for their exit.

     “I don’t care,” said Leala, following her. “Just keep her out of my lab.”

     Mio happily hopped past them, telling Alphirasune about the family as she did.

     Kalilu ambled by. “I advise you not to repeat your past crimes.”

     Kay looked at Alphirasune.

     Alphirasune looked at Kay.

     “New puppy!” cheered Kay, grabbing the Lupess by the arm and practically dragging her through the portal.

     And then they all went out for pizza.

To be continued…