𝖛𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘 ↠ sweet pea [2]

|| TWENTY-SEVEN ||

"I've gathered you all here because the world is changing," the Game Master began with his clan sitting in a circle on the floor of the bunker, all eyes sharing the same, eager expressions as they gaped at each other.

As soon as Lauryn climbed down that ladder into the damp and dirty room under the soil, she almost forgot the ragingly probable secret she may have been hiding. She didn't know for sure, but the period reminders coming up on her phone didn't make it any easier to forget. 

Without Toni close to her and Sweet Pea being more invested in real life than the game, the thought of even taking a pregnancy test made her feel sick.

"Strange, dark, times have fallen upon us," Jughead continued as he read his scripture, written perfectly as if by a playwright. "The realm of Eldervair is in disorder, afflicted by evil. As its heart and soul, the Red Paladin has been captured by the Mad Emperor, and twisted into a beast of war."

Usually, Angel Face's undivided attention would belong to the game and the exciting plots that lay ahead, but today, something just wasn't clicking. It all seemed like ridiculous, childish nonsense.

The game went on, and the small group of now-gamer gang members were still all ears. "A dastardly act of betrayal. A traitor has wounded the Paladin, severely weakening his defenses. With his life in peril, it is now up to you, dream warriors, to save the Red Paladin and to restore peace and order to the realm. But be warned, with every second that passes, the Paladin's fate dims. And with it, all hope for peace in the realm..." He placed down the egg timer, and the players were now all hands on deck. "Without further ado, let the game begin."

Their Game Master took a few medieval seconds to decide where to drive the game first, picking on Cheryl first who already looked to have a suspicion that it was going to be her from the beginning. "Deadeye, you're at the entrance of the Mad Emperor's dungeon but you've been blocked by a bridge troll. How do you proceed?"

"I roll for an intimidation spell, obviously, if the Illusionist is willing to lend me one of her recipes," Cheryl answered as she beamed her wide puppy dog eyes at Lauryn who just threw her the card. It was only a game. She couldn't see why everyone saw it as something so important.

Rich Foster, who was sitting opposite her, took note of the way she was poised, much more than her fiance did. He practically felt her vulnerability being soaked into his chest, and his fist coiling around what was soon to be his. In that moment, he pulled a mythically dangerous weapon from his pocket, a magnetic affection card. At any moment during his turn, he could throw it at Lauryn and confuse everyone.

"Good job, you're inside," Jughead congratulated. "Pantera, you're up."

Fangs rolled the dice with an encouraging pat on the knee from his best friend. Lauryn studied her brother or the suit the entity which possessed him had on. She couldn't understand where the version of him which had an outburst just a couple days ago could've gone. Perhaps he wanted to change form just as much as she did formerly.

Jughead leaned down into his game script, scanning the pages with his lost eyes and a hunger to continue. "We're entering the lion's den. The Paladin is being marched in to meet his doom. For her must face a resurrected hellhound," He told the players. Fangs took a deep breath while he fell deeper into the clouds of this game. "Klytie, Nymph Advisor, what is your observation?" Game Master requested, throwing an unexpected hand towards Katie who then spoke.

"It is almost time for Stormraiser to begin the diversion with the help of Gold Illusionist. I give my permission for him to make any additions to the plan."

Rich licked his lips as he placed his magical card down, eyeing up the girl who held her breath. "I choose to kiss the Illusionist before our risky descent, to strengthen our partnership." He began leaning across to her, and she wondered why Sweet Pea wasn't intervening.