Lethal Reword - Tatters of the Fourth Wall

Just as Ann finished talking, the door to the back room opened wide, the sound of revelry creeping in and Michael half stumbled half swaggered into the room, closing the door behind him
"Scho, Neruschee, Kat an' pretty lady, waschup?" His voice slurred and his eyes galssy, Michael grinned
"hey, chekkit out, my voisch hasch the funniescht lischp when i'm drunk" as he spoke, Michael's eyes widened slightly
"oh, the drunknessch? well i figured i'd deal wisch the whole schucked into a computer sching, an i guesch i got carried away, schlightly" Michael sawyed a little before walking over to where Kat was, almsot curling up at her feet like a pet animal
"I schink imma have a nap now, 'less you all need me for schumthing" with that, Michael stopped talking, though he couldn't fall asleep.
 
Olivia blinked at the man that stood before her. She was still in shock and smirked at him noting the paper but not taking. "Look if this is some long standing joke to all of you at Beta Si something or other you have another thing coming, is isnt funny. I mean one moment Im trying to get my stolen dinner away from my greedy roommates and then nex thing I knew I woke up here with a horrible head ache."

Olivia walked back and forth as she spoke.. she was trying to hash things over in her mind and wrap her brain around what just happened but seeing his reaction it started to sink in that this wasnt a bad trip or joke.

"wait what..?" she looked at him and then at the paper in her hand. The names didnt match. Shaking she took another look at it and read aloud.

"Zu? But Im not.. I mean Im Olivia.. no this cant be right, I need to wake up, I have to wake up. I mean look at my hands oh my god.. Im a lizard woman.. " tears started to fill her eyes.

"Im scared... am I really like this now.. maybe I should have eatn that Thai food.." blinking away a tear her hand rested on the tree. She looked at it with longing. "I lived on Oak street.. does that matter.. " Her eyes were full of sorrow and questions as she looked at Roxelvi.
 
Seeing that he was too late with the boat Vagre simply shrugged and climbed back onto the dock. "Try to help people and I end up standing in a boat feeling like an idiot. HEY! DnD <b><i>is</i> </b>just like real life. I owe a lot of people apologies." He looked around, there was still a small crowd on the dock, it would be a good time to see is he could make some cash from dabbling in petty thievery, except that the townspeople where still keeping an eye of the 'demihumans' and their companions. 'I don't like being stared at.' he muttered pulling his hood down over his face and moving into the crowd pushing through trying to get somewhere where he could get some privacy.

Pushing through the crowd he noticed a purse sticking out of one of the towns people's pockets, "Wel I AM a rogue." he though and gently pulled it out without breaking step.

A hand grabbed Vagre's arm and he was pulled to the ground hitting several peoplke on the way down, his head ached where it hit a rock in the road.

"Just what do you think you're doing? asked a guard as he pulled the purse out of the dazed rogue's hand.
 
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Nerusai's normally pale complexion, so much like pure, sweet cream flushed as she kissed him, a bloody scarlet color. Before he could respond to anything around him, he was pulled as though in a current to a tavern where the woman proceeded to tell them her name. Aidyn...

Nerusai glanced around the place nervously, giving it hardly a cursory glance as he peered around. Shooting his gaze back to the woman, he tilted his head to the side, a small smile on his lips.

"Very, very kind of you to offer to answer out questions, to try to help us... but why would you want to? These people are suspicious, they seem to have good reason. Why would you, lovely Miss Lightbringer, go out of your way to help a loosely affiliated band of adventurers?"

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"You're coming with me, thief!" The guard said, he and his buddy picking Vagre off by his arms, picking him up so that only his feet dragged on the ground. "We don't have much kindness for thieves... even sloppy ones, such as yourself." They take him to the town hall, going down a few flights of stairs into a candlelit little 'dungeon' - two clean cells, face-to-face. They walk him over to the unoccupied cell, and firmly-but-gently put him inside, locking him up afterwards. "You're lucky we're not like other villages - we'll keep you here for an amount of time determined by the people, then set you free... you know, other places would just cut your hand off." The guards nod to each other, then walk out, locking the next door in front of them... leaving only the two cells, and their 'guests'. The cells were relatively clean, and seemed to have a type of sewage system for waste, and a clean, flealess bed.

Vagre receives Achievement - "Ouch, that's gotta hurt" for rolling his first Natural 1 on a roll. +10 EXP.

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Aidyn smiles with a wink towards Nerusai. "Hmmm... why to help you..." She raises her hand to about her eye, holding the wink and whispering: "Sore... wa himitsu desu." She giggles a bit, nodding. "Sorry, I couldn't resist... but as for why..." She think a little more. "...Hmmm, 'cause I feel like it, I guess. Nothing else much exciting going on anymore - opening this tavern in a fishing city instead of a larger town was a poor idea... though I guess it sort of worked out - Fishing Town hasn't been attacked yet..."

She rolls her eyes, "Yes. I am aware of Fishing Town's very unoriginal name. A far as we know, it was penned by the town idiot at the time." She grins at Nerusai, 'bouncing' a bit for her. "Not too bad looking yourself... though I'm not sure I'd try to go for adventurers... never really works out. Nine Hells, the one I was interested in MY party was all, 'I don't sleep with party members, it only causes drama'... Psh." She folds her arms over her chest, pushing them out and pouting cutely. She hold that pose for a while, then nods. "Any other questions?"

-----

"That's... sort of interesting. I was 'Oliver' 'fore the jump. Zu is a ferry... very cute name, though." He states, stumbling over another word. He turns a bit red - he had thought he was getting over this! "S-sorry." He mumbles... when she seems to panic, her eyes watering...

He reaches a hand forward, touching her arm. "...Hey. Don't be scared. You're a lot stronger than you used to be, I'm sure... and at least you're not alone. There's a few of us." His silver hair glimmers a bit, giving him the 'halo of light' that had once been seen on him before. "I'll protect you." He says this with confidence, grinning his sharp-toothed smile at her.

He looks a bit embarrassed. "...Though from the feel of you, you won't really need it." He was speaking of her arm - muscular thing that it was. "I don't think it mattered where we once lived... for now. What matters most now is that we stay together... and work to get back." He looks up at her, silver ears flicking. "...'Kay?"
 
A half conscious rogue was dragged through the streets, a bloody patch on the back of his head and a small party of townsfolk booing him. He has dragged into the jailhouse and his equipment confiscated before being thrown into a barred cell. Vagre lay on the floor for several seconds groaning slightly before forcing himself onto his hands and knees and crawling to one of the two cots and pulling himself onto it and lay still.

"Guess the game doesn't like me much." he mumbled into the straw-filled pillow. For the first time he wished he hadn't thrown his character sheet away, it would be nice to know exactly how many HP the encounter with the toad had cost him. Finally he sat up and looked around his cell. "Its times like this I like to go AFK." he commented to himself before poring himself some water from a small jug.
 
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Nerusai turned, if possible, even more red than he had when the small female next to him kissed his cheek. His smile wavered only slightly as he brushed his hair from his face and slid away from the table to stand, ignoring the commotion around him.

"As much as it pains me to leave the company of two fair maidens, and in such rough company, I fear for the safety of my companion and trust you'll both be fine. Miss Lightbringer, when I return, I have half a mind of asking you to join us."

With that, Nerusai retreated to the door, exiting the place and nearly collapsing against it as he breathed a sigh of relief. Females, females, females. They were making him dizzy with confusion and he just couldn't seem to figure even one out. Now, he had two to deal with, both making him feel slightly uncomfortable.

Standing upright again, Nerusai scanned the area to find which direction they had left Roxelvi in. Roxelvi might make him feel very pathetic, but that was more the doing of he himself than of the charmingly silver male. In this way, despite the feelings he felt then too, Neru preferred to be near Roxelvi.

"R-roxelvi?"
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Zu took a step back as she heard someone coming. She seemed to be able to hear everything around them. Even the wind seemed sharper and more defined. Looking down and away she wasnt sure what to say.

"Your.. your kindness will cost me wont it. Everything has a price, this much I do know even if Im in a life now that I do not understand." As she spoke she moved around them and took in the woods, the density of the trees and the lack of eye contact from the humans that walked past them.

It took all she had to not attack them out of pure ignorance. She hated that most of all in people and knew that was the root of most wars amoung any races.

"Someones coming.." she spoke to him in an even tone, but it carried with it a hint of worry. Zu stood back and readied her sword, it was small when compared to that of the average man, but to her it was perfect. Light-weight to the touch, but made for her kind it was no match for an average man's blade. Her eyes narrowed as she heard the foot steps get closer.
 
Just as Nerusai left the room, Michael jolted upwards, his glazy eyes focusing on Aidyn, though his face contained only curiosity, rather than the previous, almost 'schoolboy with a crush' way he had looked at her previously
"Yesch, I hasch a queschtion!" he said, rasing his index finger to illustrate his point
"Why.....why is the Rum alwaysch gone, furthermore, why isch it that you're an adventuressch that didnt get facegrabbed and dragged into thisch.....predicament....oh, and do you know where i can get some water and chips, i need to schober up a tad....just a tad...y'know, loosch thisch lischp" while his spoke, the drunken fighter swayed slightly, the erratic movements almsot gentle, though before Aidyn could reply he turned to Kat
"hey pretty-kitty-kat, where'd magicman and the othersch go" Michael's voice became rather childlike, though in a slightly endearing fashion as he waited for either of the women to answer.
 
He had barely entered the town premises when he saw an interesting sight. Somebody must have been bored enough to pick the pockets, of a small child. A hooded man, perhaps a rouge, trying to pick the pocket of a small child.

Unknown to the bored rouge, some of the town's guards were actually watching him, and stifled their laughter before coming to him and apprehended him.

"Wel I AM a rogue." he gloated over his handiwork. Before he can do an evil laugh, one of the guards grabbed his arm and pulled him to the ground, causing him to hit several people on his way down.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" asked a guard as he pulled the purse out of the dazed rogue's hand.

"You're coming with me, thief!" the guard said as he and his buddy picked the rouge up so that only his feet dragged on the ground. "We don't have much kindness for thieves... even sloppy ones, such as yourself." he continued, as they walked towards the town hall.

Vincent followed the three, the rouge and the two guards, as they proceeded towards the town hall, making sure that he remained unsuspicious.

"Wait.." he thought as the three entered the hall. "Maybe the rouge is after free food and lodging?" With that thought, Vincent stopped and felt his own stomach grumble.

"Who knows?" he shrugged and went inside the town hall. "I would know once I ask him"

The town hall is just what he had expected to a small town's town hall. A directory was posted to the left side of the doorway, opposite a bored-looking guard sitting in behind a desk. Vincent approached the guard, who didn't seem to notice his presence.

"Uhm... Can I ask where the dungeons of this town hall are?" Vincent asked in such a neutral tone that the guard suddenly sat upright and looked at Vincent intently.

"Pardon? I might not have heard you correctly the first time." the guard said as he cleaned his ears.

"Uhhh..." Vincent hesitantly replied, not really sure now if asking the guard is the best of ideas. "Can I ask where the dungeons of this town hall are?" he asked again, this time, in a clear and deliberate manner.

"You visiting somebody?" the guard asked back, relaxing his stance a bit.

"Uhm, not really...." Vincent answered, "But I saw a rouge being dragged to this direction a while back."

With this, the guard laughed, "Oh! Them player characters eh? I should have known." The guard stood up and approached one of the other guards. The two looked at Vincent and laughed. After a short while, the guard beckoned Vincent to follow him.

The other guard led Vincent down a few flights of stairs into a little candlelit dungeon.

"Oi thief!!" the guard yelled as they reached the dungeon doors, "you have a guest!" The guard then turned his attenion to Vincent, "One hour, no more no less." The guard also did a quick inspection of Vincent, frisked him and asked him to leave his backpack, equipment and weapons.

"Whoa! I had all of those stuff?!" Vincent thought as he looked at all of the equipment the guard had temporarily confiscated. "No wonder I felt so heavy all this while"

"Ok weird fella," the guard said after he had placed Vincent's belongings to some locker near the door, "No doing of funny stuff inside huh?"

The guard then opened the dungeon door and pushed Vincent in, almost felling him down. "Have fun! I'll be back to check on you guys after an hour." the guard yelled as he locked the dungeon doors once again.

"uhm.. Hi!" Vincent said as he stood in the middle of a dark dungeon, unsure as to where the rouge was.
 
"Hey." Vagre said waving at Vincent from the bed. "Are you here to look at my head, or to preach to me that stealing is bad?" he said in a bored voice. "Look. I didn't ask to be sucked into this game. I was just sitting at work wanting to do a little RPing. If the game wants me here I'm not playing by its rules. Besides that kid was a nameless NPC, not even important to have a face. I mean unless someone bothered to look. The game is just angry at me for throwing away my character sheet. But it doesn't know me. I created me based on me, if that makes any sense." He sprang up from the bed using and walked over to the bars, "So why did you come to see me anyway?"
 
"Hey. Are you here to look at my head, or to preach to me that stealing is bad?" a bored voice said, perhaps, this is the bored rouge Vincent's looking for.

Vincent tried to look for the source of the voice, and he found it, sitting on a bed inside a dungeon cell. As his eyes got used to the darkness, he started to discern more of the dungeon's features. The dungeon door was behind him. To his left was the rouge's cell, with another cell like it to the right.

The rouge went on without waiting for Vincent to answer. "Look. I didn't ask to be sucked into this game. I was just sitting at work wanting to do a little RPing."

After a barely audible sigh, the rouge went on, "If the game wants me here I'm not playing by its rules."

The rouge's speech becomes faster as a simple greeting becomes a rant. "Besides," he said, "that kid was a nameless NPC, not even important to have a face. I mean unless someone bothered to look. The game is just angry at me for throwing away my character sheet. But it doesn't know me. I created me based on me, if that makes any sense."

Vincent heaved a big sigh and looked at the rouge. "I feel your pain," he started, "heck! I was simply checking out my personal messages when I suddenly ended up in the middle of a freaking lake!"

"Anyways, no matter how we bitch and moan about it," Vincent said, "I don't think it's going to do us any good."

"Truth is, I wanted to meet a player character like myself, since I haven't quite gotten the hang of this place... err... world"

"Like this sheet of paper!" Vincent said as he showed a his character sheet. "It seems to belong to a guy named Faramond, who is some sort of a Deva Bard."

"I tried to show that piece of paper to that girl who saved me, but she wasn't able to read it" Vincent went on, "not because she can't read shit, but because she can't see any shit written on that piece of paper!"

"I mean, can you believe that?!" he said, leaning on the bars separating him from the imprisoned rouge.
 
"As for as I can tell, as soon as he see that we are accepted we get pulled in." he explained. "Even the GM is here, so whoever is accepting new players is beyond me." he scratched the back of his head, but stopped when he touched where he had hit his head with a sharp intake of breath. "Its not a sheet for a guy called Framond, its your sheet, you are Framond. Those are your stats, that is your inventory. And it apparently updates. The GM is the big half werewolf fighter who swam out to the plane earlier, perhaps he can explain things to you better."

He paced a little, he hated being cooped up, both in this cell and in the game. "But like I said, I thew my sheet away, and look what the game did to me." he faced Framond and spread out his arms indicating the cell around him.

"And Framond, I'm Vagre, level one brutal rogue." He walked up to the bars where the other stood and extended a hand through the bars. "Sorry if I'm boring you but I only have like eight charisma points."
 
"As for as I can tell, as soon as he see that we are accepted we get pulled in." the rouge said as he took the character sheet.

"Even the GM is here, so whoever is accepting new players is beyond me." the rouge said as he scratched the back of his head. He suddenly stopped when he touched where he had hit his head with a sharp intake of breath.

"Hmmm... A game that absorbs whoever plays the game? Is this like Jumanji? or perhaps Fushigi Yuugi?" Vincent mused while laughing softly.

The rouge lightly touched that bump on his head and looked at the character sheet Vincent gave him. The rouge read the character sheet briefly and looked at Vincent. He read the character sheet one more time and again, looked at Vincent. He took yet another look at the character sheet and glared at Vincent. And then he took a big sigh.

"Its not a sheet for a guy called Faramond, its your sheet," the rouge said, glaring at Vincent.

"You are Faramond." the rouge said slowly, deliberately.

"What? I am that guy? I don't even look like him! ...I think." Vincent, or Faramond, thought, unable to believe what the rouge had just said.

Not waiting for Vincent or Faramond to recover, the rouge went on. "Those are your stats," the rouge said, pointing at some part of the sheet, "and that is your inventory," he continued, pointing at another part of the sheet.

"And it apparently updates." the rouge said, after some pause.

"Wait, so you mean that's who I am supposed to be in this world?" Vincent or Faramond mumbled and thought "Fine then, I will be Faramond for the time being."

Faramond (after Vincent had convinced himself that he's Faramond, at least for the time being) didn't reply, being contented in looking at the rouge.

"The GM is the big half werewolf fighter who swam out to the plane earlier, perhaps he can explain things to you better."

The rouge paced around the small cell, seemingly restless being cooped in such a small space. "But like I said, I thew my sheet away, and look what the game did to me." the rouge faced Faramond and spread out his arms indicating the cell around him.

"Yeah, quite a little coop... but for a free stay, I think it's a good deal!" Faramond thought and hid a little smile.

"And Faramond, I'm Vagre, level one brutal rogue." He walked up to the bars where the other stood and extended a hand through the bars. "Sorry if I'm boring you but I only have like eight charisma points."

Faramond grasped Vagre's hands and shook it warmly, "Vincent here, though I ought to refer to myself as Faramond in this game. And don't worry, you're quite an interesting character, no matter what your stats say."

"I think you can help me find out how to get back to the real world" Faramond said, "Not that I am looking forward to returning there, but..."

Faramond didn't finish his sentence, for fear of being misintepreted. "never mind...." he sighed.

"And oh, about the character sheets, I think they're pretty indestructible, try to check for your pockets. I am pretty sure yours is already in there." Faramond said as he took his own sheet back, and put it inside his pocket.
 
Kat sighed as she saw Nerusai leave. "..I am beginning to understand how you must have felt then, Aidyn..." She lifted Micheal's head and sat down, placing his head so that it was resting in her lap.

"Mostly, we want to know the background behind this whole war with the demihumans. How it started, how we can help, that sort of thing. Also if there have been any mysterious strangers, or anything remotely odd going on, mention that too."

She looked down at the mostly asleep Micheal. "They went off..." Her gaze shifted back up to Aidyn.

"Uh...also...if it's not to personal...are you single?"
 
"Mysterious strangers other than yourselves, you mean?" She smiles. "As a matter of fact, yes - there is a large kobold tribe that settled nearby - destroyed the outlying farms and killed most of the farmers. If you think you can take them, they're stationed to the north-west farmlands... As far as I can tell, they're deserters from the demihuman side of the war..."

She nods, preparing to tell of what happened, "See, the demihumans and the humans had fought for years... it's just that it was normally a bunch of various scuffles, scrapes... mini-wars. Originally, the humans did what they pleased in these wars... until King Royal was crowned. He decided that all of the war and such were stupid, that peace will reign triumphant... as such, he showed his want of peace by proclaiming it."

"...This sent such a ripple of shock through the monster ranks that for a while there was peace. Good now refused to fight Evil, choosing to 'turn the other cheek'. There were a few fights here and there, mostly monsters' raids, testing to see if it was true. When they found out it was true... they were enraged. Good was supposed to fight Evil. For a while, Evil fought against itself... but the monsters found no pleasure in destroying the equally-vile, and began to attack the non-human races... and still, the humans did not aid them."

"The elves stayed hidden in all of this... until the moon vanished." Aidyn looks longingly up at the darkening sky. "No one knows why it suddenly vanished, but the loss of beauty in the night sky was seen as a sign to the elves... who took up arms and joined the monsters in an effort to obliterate the human nation that 'caused' this - trying to restore the balance of good versus evil."

Aidyn raises an eyebrow. "...Also, yes, I am quite single." She also turns, opening a shelf nearby, and handing a few things to Micheal on the floor. "The rum is gone on account of the wizard and his apprentice. It' a favorite of theirs."

--------

"Why would me being nice cost you anything? I'm no devil. I've been told a few times that I'm quite the opposite, in fact." He chuckles slightly, nodding. "I'm not going to hold anything over your head... there's no reason to.

His ears flicked, hearing closing footsteps before Zu even mentioned someone coming. At the voice, his face brightened. "Nerusai! Over here, by the tree!" He nods to Zu, "Neru's a Reworder like us - and a friend of mine." He grins a bit, patting Zu on the shoulder. "You'll be fine... may I see that sheet of yours for a moment? It'll help me figure out what you are... and maybe I can explain some things to you?"

By this time, if Nerusai had arrived, Roxelvi would smile at him. "I'd love to explain some things to you, too - 'sides, you're nervous to be here, too?"
 
Kobolds.
"Ah..we'll try. The kobolds probably aren't elite ninjas...or I sure as hell hope not."

"That whole war sounds kinda..." well, wait. Kat thought about it. This world followed the rules of a story. People were acting out their parts, in an epic battle between good and evil. So when that battle stopped...it figures that some crisis would happen.

But the moon? That didn't sound like it was related to it at all. She frowned. Something was going on here, and she didn't know quite what.

She smiled again as Aidyn mentioned that she was single.
"Ah, that's great! See...well...I do think you're rather pretty, and you're the first person I've met around here that Bob likes too...actually, forget that part about Bob. You don't need to worry about him right now. But, if you're free for a while tonight, and I'm not off gallivanting about the countryside fighting kobolds, would you like to...ah..go out?"
 
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Nerusai smiled shyly at Roxelvi and the woman, lowering his head in embarrassment. As he swept his thick orange locks from around his face. A few careless strands clung loosely to his cheeks, the satin skin tinted delicately pink at the high cheekbones.

"Am I interrupting you two?"

Nerusai's smooth voice wavered again. Realizing belatedly that he had lost his indulgent charms in his breathless nervousness, he could think of nothing to do but toy with the golden button resting against his slender hip on the right side.

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Vagre reached into the pocket where he had first found the character sheet, but feeling it was empty withdrew his hand and shrugged.
"Its probably blowing around in the field we teleported to just outside town." he shrugged before walking over and pored some water for his guest and handed the cup to him through the bars. "There are quite a few players." he went on, but I don't know where they are now." suddenly he stopped pacing and looked at the ceiling smiling, a small laugh forming in his throat. "You know, this could hardly get better for me. I'm here. I'm sheltered. I'm bound to get food. And here even the plot can't get to me." he continued to laugh for a short time before seeming so deflate. He still hated being trapped.
"Look, I understand. You want to go home, but at the same time you don't. I don't know how to get out. But maybe it is like Jamunji, maybe we have to finish the game to get out of it. Another way out could be dieing, he said with a small shrug. Another could be to break the game. Dieing is risky, and if we finish the game then it wins. People say you beat the game when you finish it. But its really the game that has gotten you to do what it wanted you to."
He realized he was ranting again and stopped. "But you didn't come here to listen to a jail-crazy rogue did you?" he half-joked.
 
Zu slowly lowered her sword and watched Nerusai with much curiosity. Tilting her head from one side to the other she picked up the random scents from the tavern and all the people within it. Some had cattle, and others pigs. Some smoked but all needed baths.

Sniffling and rubbing her nose she tried to look away as it overwhelmed her. She handed the paper to Roxelvi and waited. "So whats it say.." she was eager to find out more but also scared too. Her eyes went over to Nerusai. Without really thinking about it she started to stare and then caught herself and she looked away. A mossy rock made for a great distraction as she started to crave into the thick moss as she waited for Roxelvi to sum up her role and or her fate.
 
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