Author's note: Again, thanks to those that commented yesterday. This is the third chapter and the last of what I have completed, chapter-wise. I'm at the halfway portion of chapter 4 currently. Your comments keep me writing.

Part 3

Perhaps it was better this way. I’d planned on coming out at the next gaming night, but idiots in large numbers tend to have a group mind. That means, if one of them decided to freak out then there was a large likelihood that all of them would join in so the others didn’t think they were weird too. It seemed like nobody could actually think for themself unless they were by themself.

It wasn’t until I reached the bottom of the stairs when Fred got a look at me. Of course the stairs were illuminated just fine.

“Dude?”

I looked up at Fred standing at the top of the stairs. “Save your questions until we get inside.”

The glamour was still going strong since the restaurant. I hadn’t thought to take it off during the ride over. I was kind of glad I didn’t. Less explaining needed to be done.

His eyes were glued to me the entire time. It was weird, when a total stranger ogled me, I was completely comfortable. It was flattering to me. But when someone I knew well did it, like Fred, I was nervous as hell.

I was through the door pretty quickly, setting my purse on the cushy chair that edged up against the single loveseat. Hey, I was relatively poor, and I’d only lived there for two months, give me a break about the lack of furniture.

Before Fred had the door closed, I disappeared into the kitchen and retrieved two beers from the fridge. There was no use doing this without alcohol. I’m just glad one of us four was old enough to buy the stuff and nice enough to leave the extras behind.

Exhaling a large breath to give me courage, I steeled myself and reentered the living room holding one of the beers out to Fred.

“I thought you might want one of these.”

He got his first good look at me from the front and to say he was astonished was downplaying the expression on his face. Dumbly, he took the proffered beer, unscrewed the cap and took a really long swig.

“You want to sit down for this?”

His head moved a little. I wouldn’t exactly call it a nod, but he dropped down on the couch and took another swig. I followed suit and crossed my legs, luckily I was wearing jeans; however, his eyes did drop to my heels and my polished nails poking out of the tip.

“Fred?” His eyes popped back up to meet mine. “I’m a girl.”

He coughed while he was finishing off the last dregs from the bottle. Short of shotgunning a beer, that was the fastest I’d ever seen anyone finish an entire bottle. I think some of it backed up into his nose, because he coughed a few more times and rubbed at it for a moment.

“All this time?” he managed to slip in at the end.

There was my out. Considering the gullibility of the guys I knew, I could probably get away with that, but I had a hard time lying to people. I just wasn’t any good at it.

“No, well, sort of. Biologically I was a guy. Now the body matches what was inside.” For the most part.

He pondered that for a minute. “So you’re one of those tranny guys?”

Isadriembor give me strength. Oh, sorry. Elven god of wisdom. Isn’t it weird how I’d fallen to my new Elven heritage for help in not strangling my friend? “No, I’m not a tranny. I’m a girl. Please don’t try to pigeon-hole me into preconceived idiocy, Fred.”

“Uh, sorry.” He looked confused. “Don’t you need to have an operation or something to do that?”

I nodded. “I took the or something route.”

“And now you’re a chick.”

“Right.”

“Can I have another beer?”

I closed my eyes and shook my head in disbelief. “Help yourself.”

Fred returned a few minutes later with two beers. I guess he was looking ahead. “So, uh, you don’t have any… um… I mean down there?”

“No, Fred. I don’t.”

“How, I mean… how can they do things that fast? Six days ago you were a dude.”

Okay, I could understand the confusion. I would probably ask the same inane questions if I didn’t know about the true existence of magic. “I was a special case for a different type of procedure than the traditional gender reassignment surgery.”

“Really?” He kind of accepted the answer but still had his doubts.

“Really.”

He stared at me again. “Are you actually Harry’s hot cousin in town for a visit? ‘Cause that would make a whole lot more sense.”

I sighed. “Do the thing where you ask me a question that only Harry would know.”

He bounced in his seat. “Oh, good one. Uh… Okay, I’ve got one. What’s the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

“Fred, that’s a movie quote. Anyone could get that.”

He looked crestfallen for a moment. “Right. Uhhh… oh, I know! Who did I want to dress up as, originally, last Halloween?”

I nearly snorted. “Percy Jackson, but I wouldn’t be your goat friend.”

“He’s a Satyr, man… Gah! Okay, you’re you.” He took another swig off his beer. “Dude! You’re a dudette!”

Well that went well.

~O~

The next morning, I locked up and made haste to the Cooper before anyone else stopped by unannounced. My wardrobe consisted of forest green linin shorts and a brown cami. I was going for a woodland look, considering the whole elf thing, I thought it was appropriate. My shoes were downgraded to simple flat sandals. After being in heels for most of the last four days, I felt short.

“Good morning, Miss Bauquinea,” the receptionist at DG chirped when I entered.

“Isn’t it a beautiful morning?” I replied. I was in such a good mood that I wanted to share it with everyone. And yes, I hated people like me when I was a guy.

With a swipe of my ID badge I was through the security door and behind the scenes where I could finally take off my sunglasses and be myself.

I pulled both sides of my hair back behind my ears and then strode meaningfully to the Personnel office. Elf pride… I’m thinking about starting a parade or something. Hold it, Lesbian Elf Pride! Better.

When I turned the first corner I ran smack into a wall of concrete that was playing at being a living being.

You’ve seen Conan and the Terminator… hold on, those are both the same guy, uh… oh, the Hulk, the TV show, not the movie. Well, it was easy to see that gigantic muscle-bound guys actually existed, they’ve just never been anywhere around me. I always thought, you know, maybe it was all special effects or something.

Nope, they existed and I was eye level with the bottom of his ribcage.

I looked up, and then looked up a little further. Oh shit.

It wasn’t readily apparent as to what type of creature he was: definitely humanoid, tawny skin with some impressive scarring here and there. He had a full head of messy black hair and a giant jaw with two thick, sharp teeth jutting from his lower lip.

“Hi.” My voice sounded like it came from a squeak toy.

He grunted and then his head tilted to the side like he couldn’t comprehend my presence.

“Kog, you’re blocking the way,” a voice sounded from behind the mountain of maleness before me.

He really was blocking the hall. It was kind of hard for him not to. I’m talking really big muscles here.

“Is that your name? Kog?” I stood my ground and waved up at him. “I’m Ar’ri. I’m new here.”

“Kog,” he rumbled. “Ar’ri.”

I nodded. “That’s right. Look, I’m kind of in a little bit of a hurry. Can I get past?”

“Pretty girl.” It kind of sounded like he might have thought I would taste good with a little barbecue sauce.

“Thank you, Kog. And you’re quite the specimen of… uh, what race are you anyway?”

“He’s a Half-Orc,” the voice said from behind him.

A hand squeezed through underneath the canon of a right arm. “I’m Steve. Me and Kog are kind of a matched set.”

Seeing the human—sized hand I severely doubted that, but I shook it anyway.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

Looking up at the giant Half-Orc, I gave him a stern face. It wasn’t a good idea to show fear to a lot of different races, Orcs were one of them.

“You going to step aside for me, Kog?”

He grunted again and showed me some of his malformed teeth with a little drool dripping down the side of his mouth. “Pretty girl.”

I cleared my throat. “Kog, please don’t make this pretty girl kick your ass.”

Steve’s voice whimpered. “Oh shit. You shouldn’t have said that.”

Before I knew it, there were two large meaty hands wrapped around my waist and lifting me up to eye level with the small mountain.

A long flat tongue raked across my entire cheek and I thought I was going to lose my breakfast right there. “Pretty girl kick Kog ass?”

He grunted and I could see he was amused at the thought.

“Yes, yes I can. This pretty girl kicked Black Dragon ass. Half-Orcs aren’t near as tough.” Okay, I was laying it on pretty thick since that particular campaign occurred before I actually changed into my new body.

Steve nearly bounced. I actually got to see him this time. He backed up enough to where I could see over Kog’s shoulder. “You’re her! Shit. Kog, put her down. That’s our new boss lady.”

Kog grunted, confused. “Pretty girl… boss?”

“Yeah, buddy. There’s a good chance that she really might be able to kick your ass.”

Kog looked me over with a critical eye, even shaking me at one point to see if anything fell loose, I guess. Then he turned in place and set me down. “Kog hungry.”

The muscles in my abdomen pulsed and I stifled a groan. Steve shifted and gave a short wave. “Sorry about that. Kog is like a force of nature.”

Once they had turned the corner, I leaned against the wall. “Epic bullshit. I’m not epic if I don’t have all my stuff.”

That was a lesson that I didn’t want to learn the hard way. Like it or not, I needed to be prepared, and if that meant that I couldn’t be miss girlie girl all the time then that was something I’d just have to deal with.

Ms. Gants fawned over me and provided a wet towel to wipe off the Orc spit that coated half my face.

“I’ve told that behemoth a hundred times to keep his tongue in his mouth.”

Something shifted inside my body in the vicinity of my waist and I felt decidedly better. “It’s okay. I have a feeling he’s not all there, mentally.”

She eyed me with judgment in her eyes. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing you are so forgiving, since he’ll be on your team for your more challenging adventures.”

Oh joy.

“Look, um, the reason I’m here is that new gear you talked about yesterday.”

~O~

I frowned at the supplies that hung on the walls and the racks of the Equipment Room. It all looked too modern. I wasn’t a SWAT girl and that’s exactly what it all appeared to be. About the only thing that I liked was one of the cross-shoulder bags and a couple of the backpacks.

“This utility belt needs work.” I said holding the best example they had. “We’ll be carrying potions with us, so the flimsy pouches are useless. One strong bump against anything hard and I’ll have a wet pouch full of broken glass.”

Ms. Gants held up a finger. “We’ve improved the regular vials.”

Moving to a table she reached into one of the little bins and pulled out a tiny metal vial. “How is this?”

I sidled up beside her and unscrewed the top. “Oh, cool, excellent.” I took several and stuffed them in the various belt pouches, took the cross-shoulder bag and the best looking backpack, and left the rest.

“You’re not going to use any of the uniforms?” Ms. Gants asked.

I shook my head. “No, I’ve got a better idea. Thanks for your help, Ms. Gants.”

When I eventually found my way to the residential suite, I got to work transferring my most used items over to the smaller cross-shoulder bag and utility belt. Rings, potions, and the most useful lockpicks went into the belt, and the rest of my Thieves’ Kit went into the smaller bag. A pair of armlets was slid to my upper arms and a leather thong circlet around my forehead. Those two items were always useful; more on them later.

Everything else went into the larger pack. With the Shadowdancer abilities, the Cloak of Blending was all but useless, so I left it for Sam. It took me another twenty minutes to swap out the glass potion vials for the new ones and to mark them, but it was time well spent.

When all of that was finished, I looked at my watch, wondering where Sam was. It was already mid-morning. I guessed she wasn’t feeling all that pumped to get more things done since she wouldn’t be able to do much considering she was still just an average human with no training.

“Ar’ri Bauquinea.”

I nearly jolted out of my chair. There wasn’t anyone in the suite, but someone that sounded suspiciously like Barry, said my name.

“What?”

“Gnort is coming to retrieve you. Gather your things. Timing is paramount.”

“Uh, okay.”

Rushing to the bedroom, I dropped my shorts and slipped into my leather bottoms, grabbed my top and just slid it on over the cami. I stopped and sniffed. Someone cleaned my leathers. Weird.

Dropping to the bed, I pulled on my boots right when I heard the knock on the door.

“Come in!”

I wore my sword on my back with a harness that secured to the utility belt. Gnort appeared at the bedroom door and I nodded. “Barry called, I know.”

Grabbing my bags on the way out, I threw on the first one, backpack style and the second slipped over my head and rested on my right hip.

~O~

Barry was still Barristix and he was still in the ritual cavern room thing. There was a lot of loose wool over by the wall and he was picking at one of his teeth with a massive claw on his right fore…hand-leg, whatever it was.

Standing in front of him, conversing with the Dragon in Draconic — the language of Dragons -- was what could only be an ancient Elven Wizard or Sorcerer.

Barristix’s eyes moved to me when I entered the room. “Good,” he grated. “Come, Ar’ri. Dá»rdor Faladhen may I introduce Lady Ar’ri Bauquinea.”

Lady? I didn’t offer my hand as full-blooded Elves don’t really like to be touched all that much. Instead, I gave him a nod of acknowledgment.

Turning to Barristix, I got to the point. “What’s happened?”

The dragon sighed which sent a wave of heated air in my direction along with the strong smell of raw meat. “You were to be notified not to interact with your relatives or friends when you left here. I’ve already dealt with the person responsible for not informing you.”

My eyebrows bunched together. “Why?”

“I have already sent some of our people to pick your parents up at their places of business, however your friends will be out of my reach in time enough to save them from opposing forces.”

“What!”

“Manners, child,” the Wizard said.

I shot him a nasty glare and then looked back at Barristix. “I have to go.”

“Which is why I am here.” Before I could ask what he meant by that, the wizard stepped closer to me. “Concentrate on the home of your male human acquaintance you met with, unchaperoned, last night. Set it in your mind as if you were presently there. The more detail you remember, the closer you will be when you arrive.”

He was going to Teleport me to Fred’s house. Oh wow!

“Geek out later, Ar’ri, there’s a job that needs to be done.”

Looking over at Barristix, I nodded.

“Transportation will arrive in approximately fifteen minutes. You have that much time to deal with the minions that are coming for your friends. Do not stay your hand in mercy, for they most assuredly will not stay theirs. There will also be no assistance from your transport, they are not warriors.”

“Great. Okay, let’s do this thing.”

“Concentrate and nod when you have a firm picture in your head,” Dá»rdor said.

I’d been over to Fred’s so many times it was like a second home. In other words, this was cake. I nodded. That static bubble thing I mentioned before? Well, that again, and the next thing I knew I was standing outside the front door of my destination.

A quick look around and I saw that I was unobserved, so I knocked repeatedly and punched the doorbell until he answered.

“Dudette!” He spun around and pointed at me. “See?”

Oh great, David and Tim were there too. All we needed was Tom and we could game.

Without asking for an invitation, I pushed my way inside. “Guys, we don’t have a lot of time here.”

“Whoa!” David almost screamed. “What’s with your freaky eyes?”

Shit, I forgot to add the glamour. Oh well, screw it. Too late now.

Before I knew it, everyone was talking, loudly and at a rapid pace, totally freaked out by any number of topics. With a frown, I slipped off my Ring of Feather Falling, and replaced it with something else.

“Muzak!”

Ride of the Valkyries blared in the small living room until everyone shut up and I removed the ring. I held it up. “Recognize this? Ring of Theme Songs anyone? Short version: Magic is real. Problem: There are things coming over here any second to kill or kidnap all of you. Solution: Grab your shit, a ride is on its way.”

Nothing. Not even a peep. Instead, all three of them were staring at my eyes and ears.

“Now!” I snapped.

Fred was the first to move. David didn’t live there and thus had no shit to grab. Tim skirted waaaaaay around me and headed to his bedroom.

“Man, are those for real?”

David started to reach for my left ear and I smacked his hand away. “Yes, now go help the others. I’ll watch the door.”

Since it was a ground floor apartment and there was only two ways in and out of the place, I was well positioned between the front door and the sliding glass door directly opposite, on the other wall. I unsheathed my longsword and looked at it for the second time since it was made real.

“All right, you and me, babe. Don’t let me down and you’ll get a nice polishing and oiling when we get back, okay?”

I may have got a little antsy and activated the Circlet that was tied around my head. “Carnac!”

It was a Circlet of the Inner Eye. In D&D-speak, for those of you not in the know, among other powers it bestows upon its wearer, I could hear the thoughts of anyone within a select radius if I could look them in the eye. What I was more concerned with at the moment was part where I could tell if anyone was in the general area.

There were two people upstairs and judging how close they were to each other, they were probably having sex. The guys were in their rooms and…

A knock sounded at the door.

…someone was outside… several someones.

“Psst!”

I looked back and saw Fred at his bedroom door holding a backpack.

“Shit this is so fucked!” he thought. “Should I answer it?”

I shook my head. “Get together in one room and stay there no matter what you hear, okay? Maybe grab a baseball bat or something.”

I eased over to the door and looked through the peephole. I blinked at the aura I saw surrounding the blond-haired guy standing on the other side. With the aid of the Circlet, I knew his alignment was Lawful Evil. That was a very bad thing.

He leaned in, like he was trying to see through the peephole from the other side. “Open up already. Stupid humans,” he thought.

That’s when I rammed my sword through the door. It’s a magic sword, remember? Otherwise, I would have probably scratched up the door rather nastily with a mundane one.

“Screw it. Muzak!” What the hell, it might help.

Taking two steps back, I pulled my sword back out and decapitated the single lamp, throwing shadows all over the room. The door blew off its hinges and I barely sidestepped in time to avoid it embedding itself in the wall behind me.

It looked very similar to Gnort, except it wasn’t wearing a business suit and tie. So, Ogre. He had a battle axe in his right hand and charged. I took a step back into a shadow cast by the entertainment center and came back out of a shadow cast by the full sized couch by the door.

Okay, that was seriously cool. Sensing someone else about to enter the apartment, I swung my sword as hard as I could, parallel to the ground about chest high for a human male.

The scream was cut off and I watched as the Ogre turned back around looking supremely pissed off. I didn’t have time to scurry into the shadow again before his axe was coming down at me, so I lunged forward and buried the sword under his ribs and out the back through his shoulder blades.

It was the one good thing about their height. It was almost impossible to miss any vital organs. But the thing about Ogres is that they are very resilient because they have redundant hearts.

I ducked under the panicked swing of his free arm and pulled the sword away while we were about to be joined by a fourth from the backside, namely the glass door.

There wasn’t enough room to get another decent swipe at the Ogre and his axe was coming around for a third attempt. He was going low this time and I leaped into the air, over and on top of the couch, bounding away in time for the sliding glass door to shatter inward.

One of my daggers at my hip was out and tossed at him, nailing the human in the arm, sinking about half the length of the blade

In the same movement I brought the sword around and took the Ogre’s weapon arm off at the elbow.

The axe dropped to the floor and the Ogre bellowed loud and strong, above the sound of the Valkyries riding, while he grabbed at his injury. Another swipe and I opened up his throat.

Spinning back around to face my last opponent, I was caught off guard since he was already gone. I concentrated on the surrounding area and felt him making tracks out front to his vehicle.

Looking down at my watch, I noticed that the entire fight took less than two minutes and we had another eight or nine until our ride showed up. I swallowed and slowed my breathing before taking off the noisy music ring. My ears were throbbing from the decibel level of that magic.

“It’s safe to come out now,” I called out.

Fred was first through the door with a golf club in his hand and his eyes wide. “Is that…?”

I nodded. “Dead Ogre.”

The one human body I could see was transforming. I was guessing those Polymorph rings were like candy for us considering the need for them, and very little magic worked on dead bodies unless it was Necromancy, which I didn’t even want to think about at the moment.

The sound of retching came from the bathroom. Since I couldn’t see Tim, I was guessing he lost his lunch at the carnage.

Bending down, I wiped my sword on the Ogre’s jumpsuit to clean the blood off, and then slid it back into its scabbard.

“Guys, now’s the time. You might want to pillage while you have the chance. Our ride will be here in a few minutes.”

Fred finally looked back up at me. “She so freaking hot right now,” he thought.

David stared at me like I’d just grown a second head. “What are you?”

I smirked and then looked around for the dagger I threw at the last guy and seeing it on the floor by the destroyed glass door. “I’m Ar’ri Bauquinea, Half-Elf and Champion to Barristix the Bronze Dragon. Care to join the team?”

~O~

It was a cargo van with no rear seats and a twitchy driver.

“Are you sure nobody is following us?”

I reached out with assistance from the Circlet and felt for the injured guy that I’d knifed. “All clear.”

We were already halfway back to DG headquarters and I was still being assaulted by questions.

“Can I go home?”

Tim was the weak link. I didn’t have to read his thoughts to see that he didn’t want anything to do with what I’d stumbled upon. D&D was supposed to be a game. He was the only one that stood back when Fred claimed the battle axe and David was rifling through the pockets of the two Orcs. That’s what the other guys were once the magic of the Polymorph wore off. They didn’t find much. The Orcs each had a dagger and one of them had a short sword, plus the rings. There wasn’t supposed to be much resistance after all.

“Not right now. There are still a lot of dead bodies in your apartment.”

He turned a little green when I reminded him of that.

“I mean my parents place.”

I tried to be consoling. “Let me talk to Barry and see what the deal is. Maybe he can work something out.”

Fred was caressing the axe blade. “You can so count me in this game.”

David nodded in agreement. “Should we call Tom, give him a chance to come back?”

Fred’s face screwed up. “He bailed on us, Dude, right in the middle of a module. Said his job was more important. Whatever.”

I shrugged. There wasn’t any love lost there. If you had to leave for whatever reason, it was only right to finish the current adventure you were an integral part of. “You guys weren’t supposed to be dragged into this. I wouldn’t involve anyone that doesn’t have a clue of what’s going on.”

David looked more closely at me. “Damn, those are sweet tits.” He thought. “I can’t believe he’s a she now. That is so incredibly awesome.”

I rolled my eyes and turned away. It was kind of hard to find a time to cancel the Circlet when I was so close to the guys, so I was catching every stray male surface thought when I saw their eyes. Guys think about sex way too much.

“Do we become our characters too?” David asked.

He was a Wizard and Fred was a Fighter, both sixteenth level.

“I don’t have a clue. But I don’t see why not.”

Fred got a concerned look on his face. “I don’t have to turn into a chick though, right?”

A smirk rose on my face. “That’s all part of the deal. How does Frederica sound for a new name?”

David laughed. “She’s jerking your chain, man. Her character was a girl so she is.”

I nodded in conformation and Fred relaxed considerably.

“Majorly uncool, dudette.”

“All of you are nuts.” Tim shouted from the rear of the van. “It’s supposed to be a game. You’re all gonna get killed.”

I raised my eyebrows at him and then looked at the other two. Fred led a boring unfulfilled life like I did. I knew he’d want in. David came from a decent family and was attending community college. It was kind of a surprise that he’d want to join.

Strangely enough it was he that defended our position. “Tim, we’re not ragging on you for being a coward. That’s cool, that’s who you are.”

“David…” I warned. Using the word coward was a little harsh.

“No, Harry, it’s true. I’m not knocking him for it. It’s just a fact.” Turning back the boy in question, he continued. “The way I’m looking at it, is that the world needs people to step up, ‘cause pretty soon it’s invasion time and where are you gonna be, Tim?”

Tim lowered his head between his knees.

“I’ll tell you where I’m gonna be, right up front, kicking ass with Harry and Fred. If that means I die at some point, then I’ll know I went out fighting for my family so they didn’t have to. But if I come out the other end in one piece, then hell man, I’ll be a fuckin’ hero.”

Fred gave a single nod. “Fuckin-A.”

They high-fived each other while I rubbed at my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

~O~

Tim wasn’t even allowed past the front desk. It was like they were expecting him and knew that he didn’t want any part of what I had. They said that they’d take care of him and make sure he’d make it to his parents’ house.

I was a little concerned that he’d spill the beans about what he knew, but then again, who would believe him? If he tried to tell everyone about dead Orcs, Dragons, and a Half-elf that used to be human, he’d wind up with an armful of Thorazine for his troubles.

Once I’d swiped my ID at the door, one of the people that helped drag my stuff out of the Cooper, the previous day, said she’d escort the boys to the suite and that I had things to deal with behind one of the closed doors along the corridor.

I had totally forgotten about my parents. Barristix told me that they’d be taken care of and I believed him with barely a thought. However, it was up to me to deal with the fallout.

My hand hovered over the knob to the door for a few moments while I argued over whether or not to bring my glamour back up. I elected to let it stay down, but I did slip my sunglasses on so I didn’t have to deal with every issue all at once.

The room was pleasant enough, styled a bit more relaxing than a waiting room, equipped with a wet bar, restroom and comfortable seating. This didn’t take away from the one person that was pacing the floor looking angry and worried, my dad, and the person who was wringing her hands while an untouched glass of water with condensation dripping down the sides to form a small puddle on the table in front of her.

“Harry!” she cried as she jumped up from her place on the couch and rushed to hug me.

We’d have to work on the whole I’m a girl and have changed my name to Ar’ri thing after I’d explained what was going on.

“You guys okay?” I asked over Mom’s shoulder while she was squeezing the life out of me.

Dad nodded. I saw the look on his face that was present every time he wanted me to explain myself. He was never one of those fathers that demanded explanations right up front. I’d just get the stare and know that I’d better explain myself or there would be consequences.

When Mom eventually released me, she backed up a single step and looked me over. “What on Earth are you wearing?”

“Sylvia,” Dad interrupted. “I think our… daughter’s wardrobe choices are the least of the issues we need to deal with at the moment.”

I held back a wry smile. Shows how little he knows about girls.

“Why don’t we sit down and I’ll explain.”

I shrugged off both bags and set them to the side of one of the chairs so they’d be less obtrusive. Of course there was no way to hide the sword strapped to my back, so I left it there.

“Is that a sword?” asked Mom.

With a nod I got to the meat of the conversation. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve got to talk to you two about. Have they told you anything about what’s going on?”

Mom looked increasingly frustrated. “No. The only thing we know is that you were in some kind of trouble and they sent a limo over to pick us up so we could be here for you.”

“I want to show you something, not to shock you, but to prove to you that something you thought wasn’t real is actually very real. So don’t freak out, because nothing is wrong.”

“Arri, what are you talking about?” Hey, Dad remembered my name, even if he was still mangling it.

“Remember when I first got into playing D&D and you sat me down to verify that I knew the difference between reality and fantasy?”

He nodded. Conversations were never lacking in our house. We talked all the time, about everything from drugs, to sex, to school. That included my predilection for role playing games.

“Well let’s just say that you were misinformed.” It was then that I took my sunglasses off and pulled my hair behind one of my ears.

I looked up at them, and even with the Circlet, I couldn’t tell what they were thinking because their minds went into complete chaos.

~O~

Canceling the Circlet, I left the room after a few minutes of insanity to let them cool off and regain their composure. It was a lot easier to convince the guys that what I was saying was real when I had a dead Ogre and two dead Orcs for evidence. Dad was convinced that everything I showed him could have been attained through scientific means and my body alterations through medical. Set aside the fact that I looked very different the night before. The Glamour Charm didn’t even work. Apparently that was attributed to micro-holographic projectors or something equally as inane. Suffice it to say that Dad was in denial.

Before I’d even gone two steps Barristix decided to butt in.

“Bring them to me, Ar’ri. It will prove the validity of your claims.”

I was getting progressively creeped out that he could talk to me in my head.

“We will deal with your unease at another time. Bring your parents to me.”

With a sigh, I backtracked and opened the door. Mom and Dad were locked in some sort of hushed debate before they looked over.

“You guys want undeniable proof? Come on.”

Mom looked at Dad and he suddenly appeared very apprehensive. Some people just couldn’t accept anything that went against what they had come to believe was the truth, even if evidence to the contrary was stacked in front of them.

Eventually, he assented and followed me down into the depths of DG.

“I can’t believe that all of this is down here,” my father said. “Aren’t we below the water shelf? How do they stop the place from flooding?”

“Magic, Dad.”

He grunted. “More like advanced engineering, I’d say.”

When the floor started turning into hard dirt and the electrical lighting was replaced with torches, he guffawed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I just let him have his notions to ease his nerves until we’d reached the anteroom to the cavern. After I set my packs down, I turned to them.

“Okay, beyond this door is a really big cavern, and in there is my boss.”

Dad almost looked triumphant. “Finally we can get down to disturbed individual that has filled your head with all this rot.”

I gave him a look that was almost sympathetic, because I knew what he was about to face. On the other hand, Mom seemed to be taking this a lot more seriously. That was appreciated by me.

“Prepare yourselves, because seeing him is mind-blowing.”

“More pointed ears and contacts to make his eyes look bigger?” Dad quipped.

I shook my head. “No, more like a Brass Dragon about twenty feet tall and about fifty or sixty feet long. Please try not to embarrass me. He’s very smart, can understand everything you say, and then some. Alright?”

Dad looked at me like I’d gone over the edge. “We’ll see.”

Mom grabbed my hand, and I smiled softly to her. “It’ll be alright. He’s a good guy… dragon, whichever.”

Her returned smile was anything but confident, but she was trying, that was easy to see.

Without any further ado I opened the door and tugged Mom through. Let’s just say that you didn’t have to look around to find the most amazing thing in the room. She sucked in her breath and I actually heard my dad swallowing with a gulp sound.

“It’s not real…holograms or something…” he whispered.

The Wizard was still there and he turned to face us. Even as far away as he was, I could see the displeasure written on his face. My guess was that he didn’t like to deal with humans on any level.

“Come on. It’s perfectly safe.”

Dad kept up with us while we closed in on my boss.

“Ar’ri,” Barristix said in greeting.

I nodded in acknowledgment after I heard my mom whimper at hearing the Dragon speak.

“Barristix, I’d like to introduce you to my parents. This is my mother, Mrs. Sylvia Higgins and her husband, my father, Mr. Harrison Higgins Senior.”

Barristix’s head shifted to eye them directly. “It is a pleasure to meet both of you. I regret it is under such stressful circumstances. And no, Mr. Higgins, I am not a Hologram.”

I closed my eyes, forgetting about how sensitive his hearing was.

“If you wish to sate your curiosity then you may touch me.”

The Wizard lifted his hand. “I could always morph him into a squirrel. That usually gets the point across.”

I scowled at him. “You could always try. But don’t be surprised if you pull back a stump.”

“Dá»rdor,” Barristix warned. “We’ve spoken about your antiquated views.”

Mom’s hand was shaking until I gave it a squeeze. The ancient elf looked properly rebuked. “Mom, this is Dá»rdor Faladhen. He’s a Wizard.”

“I am a Sorcerer, child. Do not presume there are limits to my ability.”

Turning to my mom, I explained. “He’s a magic user and he’s arguing semantics. And if your powers were limitless then why did I have to rescue my friends and why haven’t you dealt with the threat.”

The Sorcerer’s eyes narrowed, but he was cut off by Barristix. “Enough. I will not have the two most important figures in this campaign bickering at each other over meaningless drivel.”

It was my turn to be scolded. “Sorry,” I said to the Dragon.

“To answer your question simply, Ar’ri, the only thing that is standing between Earth and Qrynn are the talents of Dá»rdor Faladhen. It was he that opened the veil between our worlds and freed the limited few that chose to accompany my mother to Earth. He is also the only person that is holding that veil in place so that only a small measure of the enemy is allowed though.”

“Enemy?” My father was through with his inspection and it looked like he had a new subject to poke at. “Arri, what’s he talking about.”

I sighed and was about to explain, but the Dragon beat me to it. “Your daughter is a very singularly talented individual, Mr. Higgins. Through her devotion to what you thought was a simple game, she has learned the skills and knowledge not only to survive, but to thrive and overcome any adversary.”

His eyes tracked to me. “Once confronted with the true threat of invasion from my mother’s home world, your son gave up his mundane life on this plane and instead chose another, becoming your daughter and my Champion.”

Mom finally snapped out of her fear and realized what the Dragon was saying. “Champion? Invasion?” She turned to me. “What have you done?”

I grabbed her forearms and tried to calm her, but I already knew it was a fruitless effort. “Mom, Barristix’s mother came over here to escape a world that is run by evil Dragons. They’re just here trying to live, like anyone else. But the head Dragon over there isn’t content with just ruling his place.”

“Her place,” Barristix corrected. “She is female.”

I smiled. “Her place then. Anyway, she’s been trying to break through this veil thing and has been successful enough to send enough of the enemy through to start things up. Barristix’s people here are civilians. They need someone experienced to help them fight. I volunteered.”

“You can’t,” she said with a little more conviction that I was used to seeing from her. “You’re just a teenager. You’re not experienced. You’ll be hurt.”

I shook my head. “Not anymore. Look at me, Mom… Dad. He was able to turn me into the character I played when I gamed. I have seriously wicked skills now. Just a little while ago, I took out two Orcs and an Ogre, by myself and I didn’t even work up a sweat.”

Looking over at Dá»rdor, I saw that his thin white eyebrows lift.

“Anyway, I’m not alone in this. Fred and David want to join in and I know there’s a Half-Orc here that could do some serious damage if he wanted.”

Dá»rdor groaned. “Kog.” He said the name with a serious amount of distaste.

“Right. He looks like he is spoiling for a fight. If he wants, I want him on my team.” It looked like Dad wanted to say something, so I faced him. “What?”

We were both interrupted by Barristix. “They both doubt your abilities, Ar’ri. I have summoned Kog. If he is to be led by you, then he will have to be defeated in single combat. He will have no respect for you otherwise.”

I paled. “You’re joking.”

“I am not.”

“What’s a Kog?” asked Mom after seeing the look on my face.

I swallowed a dry lump in my throat. “He’s a Half-Orc. Well, you’ll see for yourself.”

“Well, you’re not fighting. It’s as simple as that.”

“It’s not that simple, Mom.”

“No weapons, Ar’ri,” Barristix said.

With a nod, I unbuckled my sword and took off my utility belt.

“The gloves, Dá»rdor.”

I turned around at the Dragon’s voice and saw the Sorcerer withdrawing a pair of fingerless gloves. He held them out to me. “I insist on their return after your… brawl. They are Gloves of Ogre Strength. There is no command word.”

Salvation! I nodded my head slightly. “Thank you for letting me borrow them.”

He inclined his head at my show of respect. Perhaps we could come to some mutual understanding after all. I slipped them on and then made a fist so that they’d conform to my hands properly. Before anything more could be said, the door opened and the guy from earlier came inside Steve looked sharp in his poet shirt and pressed jeans carrying some sort of guitar.

“Greetings one and all. Kog is preparing for his bout with yon opponent. Where is he, by the way?”

I raised my hand.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.” Steve rushed up to stand over me. “Kid, Kog has been wanting to test your mettle ever since this morning. Are you sure you’re up to this?”

I shrugged.

He noticed Mom standing beside me and then looked back and forth between the two of us. “Ah, and you must be Ar’ri’s slightly more mature sister. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Bard, Steve. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”

He was piling on the charm and it was working its magic on my mother. More mature sister, whatever. He kissed her hand and then moved his attention to Dad.

“And your father, Ar’ri?” Holding his hand out for a shake he toned down the smile for him. “Sir, your stunning daughters obviously get their beauty from their mother and their daring from you. Well met.”

The door slammed open and was filled with the mountain of muscle I’d run into earlier. He didn’t look quite as big as I remembered, but he was still easily twice my size in height and four or five times as wide. Kog had to turn himself sideways to fit though the door.

“Begin at any time, Ar’ri,” said Barristix.

I put a lot of distance between my parents and where we would fight before they tried to stop me.

Kog grinned his mismatched teeth at me. “Pretty girl fight Kog.”

I nodded. “That’s right.”

He shook his head. “Girl not be pretty anymore after.”

Summoning as much courage as I could, I returned his smack. “Kog not look pretty any more after.”

That seemed to stall him for a second. “Kog pretty?”

Taking a single step, I leaped in the air and brought my fist down with every bit of strength I had against his jaw. I landed before he could react and spun out of the way.

Kog blinked and I watched as he shifted his mouth around. A tiny trickle of blood escaped his lip.

Oh shit. That was probably a bad move. I looked at the Gloves of Ogre Strength like they were a pair of Isotoners or something equally as useless.

“Pretty girl don’t hit like girl.”

I was still crouched on all fours, ready to move if needed. “Kog give up?”

He moved a lot faster than a person his size ought to, grabbing out at me. I rolled to his left and into a shadow, reappearing behind him. Leaping up, I pulled back and gave him a roundhouse to the back of the neck.

Kog staggered a second and dropped to one knee. When I dropped back down it was into his shadow, where I reappeared in a shadow ten feet in front of him.

“Are we done yet, Kog?”

In answer, he yelled so loud that my ears rang. I was caught off guard by his speed and should have dived through his legs, but instead I tried jumping over him. He grabbed ahold of my ankle and body slammed me into the hard dirt.

Everything went black for a second and then exploded into sparkling lights shooting off behind my eyes. When I refocused on the real world, I heard Mom scream and I saw a fist, bigger than my head, rushing down to end me. I rolled to the right this time and felt the ground tremble at the impact.

My legs were shaky and my arms felt like Jello, not to mention I could have probably used a quick trip to the Chiropractor. I felt something pop and knew the Ring of Regeneration was doing its job on whatever happened to my spinal column.

In the meantime, Kog spun around looking a whole lot like the Hulk, except without all of the green skin involved. His muscles bulged and his teeth were clenched together and red foam at the corners of his mouth. That’s when I came to the conclusion that he wasn’t simply a really big fighter. He was a Barbarian which basically meant that the madder he got, the stronger and faster he was. And at the moment, he was severely pissed. If he got one hand on me from there on out, he’d pop me like a Twinkie, which gave me an idea.

“Pennzoil!”

Those armlets I was wearing? Armlet of Escaping. It basically meant, in magical terms, that I was covered in the most slippery substance known to man. I wasn’t really, but the magic that was shifting all over my body made it seem like I was.

I rushed him and Kog welcomed me with open arms, literally. Quicker than I could move, which is pretty darn fast if you ask me, he had his arms wrapped around me in a vise grip. Instead of staying still and waiting for my fate, the pressure increased and I began to feel the downside to my plan.

Like a greased pickle, I shot through his arms and straight up into the air. Tucking my body in, I flipped over and came straight back down at a stunned giant of a Half-Orc. One more time, I reared back and let him have everything that I had, which was backed up with about a hundred and thirty pounds of Half-Elf body weight.

We both crumpled to the ground.

I heard something snap and didn’t know if it was from him or me until the pain hit.

TBC...