Chương 407: Meanwhile, the sidekicks

The others had all had their turns. Today, it was Orange's, and she intended to make it a memorable night. Or day? It was hard to tell. The strange space between spaces was a realm all of its own, which followed its own rules. Much like a spirit world, it was both real and not. At least it was timely. They had a game every Friday evening, and it always ended with all of them back home as if not a single minute had passed. That was fortunate, otherwise it would interrupt her meticulously planned sleeping schedule.

Tonight was her night though, at long last. The Pet Extradimensional Tax-exempt Association was about to learn what it was like to have a proper apex predator in charge. Orange fussed with things around the table. She walked around the edge, batting anything left on it from their last session off the side, then she sat behind the game master's screen and scowled. The dimension responded to her will, and sheets of paper appeared around the table before three empty spaces.

Rules, notes, shortcuts, and a small heap of colorful dice appeared behind the screen, and Orange grinned the grin of a cat seeing the mouse who had seen the cheese. As the other characters began to appear one by one, Orange couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement mixed with mischief. First to arrive was Auri, the fiery phoenix, who fluttered in with the grace of a hummingbird, looking as self-absorbed as ever.

She preened her beautiful, fiery feathers and cast a glance at her reflection in a conveniently placed mirror, oblivious to Orange's grin growing wider. Next came the Plushie, the adorable, blue-eyed, white-furred creature with a hidden dark side. It waddled over to its seat, carrying an assortment of weapons that appeared comically oversized for its tiny frame. As it settled down, it innocently cooed, "I love you," which only served to make Orange's grin more sinister.

Finally, She-Who-Feasts-On-Many-And-Gets-Much-Gold, also known as Arthur, teleported in with a loud "pop" and a puff of smoke. The teenage dragon gave a haughty snort before settling down at the table, a small pouch of gold around her neck jingling as she moved. Orange surveyed her fellow participants with a gleam in her eyes. The game was about to begin, and she was determined to make it a night they wouldn't soon forget.

"Welcome, my fellow adventurers," Orange began, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "to a tale of daring, deception, and the ultimate test of your true natures." She paused, relishing the looks of anticipation and curiosity on their faces.

"Prepare yourselves, for tonight's game shall reveal who among you can truly embrace their chosen roles... and who shall fall to their true instincts." What's the game? Orange nodded to Arthur.

"This is Mortals and Mayhem," she said.

"Let's be friends!" the plushie said. Orange rolled her eyes. Where had she heard that before?

"I know, but this time it will be difference. Your character sheets are in front of you already." BRRRT? Auri asked.

"Yes, I've premade them. They're made special just for you. A magical hand appeared next to Auri and she flipped the page around. Then the little phoenix brrt'd most mightily, wings all aflutter. What is it? Is the character not brokenly overpowered? Brrt! BRRT!... BRRRRT! The more Auri read from her sheet, the more incensed the little phoenix became.

By the end, little spurts of fire were flicking off her wings with every beat and the character sheet was trembling before her in the ever-tightening grip of her mage hand. Arthur leaned way over, then scanned through the page. Then the dragon started to cackle. A water druid! Yes! A humble water druid is perfect for you, Auri! Orange certainly thought so.

"No fireballs," she said calmly.

"She-Who-Feasts-On-Many-And-Gets-Much-Gold, why don't you look at your own character?" Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The juvenile dragon's mirth froze, and she rather nervously looked at the sheet before her. Carefully, she turned it over, then squinted at the page. Her expression morphed into draconic horror. Auri flittered over to read, and soon joyful (and a little mean) BRRTS sounded out as the phoenix laughed herself into a barrel-roll. A...

a Paladin who donates all the gold they make? They're not even a dragonkin!

"I thought it would be interesting for you to play," Orange said with a fresh lick of her paw. Her eyes turned to the most difficult person at the table.

"I love you!" the plushie said. It hadn't looked at its sheet at all, but Orange could feel the anger pulsing out of those lifeless plushie eyes. Auri and Arthur both craned their necks to see what their character was, and soon Auri's pleased BRRRT'ing continued. A pacifist healer. With everyone's roles revealed, Orange wasted no time in setting the stage for their adventure.

"You find yourselves in the bustling town of Harlequin Haven, a place known for its eccentric inhabitants and magical oddities. Your quest, should you choose to accept it, is to retrieve the legendary Whimsy Stone, an artifact that grants its possessor the power to alter reality in the most unpredictable ways." She watched them from over the lip of the GM screen, tail tip twitching. Yes, this was going ot be fun. As the game unfolded, the players struggled to adapt to their new roles.

Auri, the water druid, grumbled and Brrt'ed as she desperately tried to quench fires with water spells instead of creating them. At one point, she accidentally flooded a local tavern, drenching the patrons and prompting laughter from Arthur, who was having her own set of problems. Arthur, the gold-donating paladin, found it nearly impossible to part with any treasure they encountered.

Her draconic greed battled with her character's niceness, and Arthur protested and whined about every coin donated to a better cause. At one point, she tried to secretly hoard a handful of coins, only to be caught by a group of orphans she was meant to help. Orange was never so satisfied to make one of her friends cry before. The Plushie struggled to suppress its murderous tendencies. It would often wander towards the violence, cooing sweet nothings like, "Let's be pals!"

before remembering its role and reluctantly tending to the wounded. It did like to heal fallen enemies back from the brink just to watch them die again. However, when an injured child appeared in their path, The Plushie's protective instincts kicked in and it seemed--momentarily--content with the role of healer. As the adventure progressed, chaos reigned, and the pets found themselves in increasingly absurd situations.

They encountered a gang of thieving squirrels, were chased by an angry mob of enchanted brooms, and even found themselves trapped in a room that turned their weapons into sentient, talking fish. With every passing moment, Orange watched with delight as her adventurers stumbled and bumbled their way through the game. It was truly a memorable night, filled with laughter, mishaps, and the occasional fiery outburst from a certain disgruntled phoenix. Finally, however, the night drew to a close.

The legendary Whimsy Stone was within their grasp, the characters were forced to band together and embrace their new roles in one final, climactic battle against a fearsome foe! As they emerged victorious, each had learned something new about themselves and gained a newfound appreciation for the challenges and quirks of their chosen roles. Orange couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, as if she'd just finished a bowlful of milk onto to find a baby mouse drowned within.

The Pet Extradimensional Tax-exempt Association had indeed experienced a night to remember, and the apex predator in charge had ensured that they would not soon forget it. The campaign continues on the link below!