“How’sChloedoing at the farm?” the bearded guy asked, tipping back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “Shemanaged to completely redesign the business yet?”
I frowned. “Isthat what she’s trying to do?”
The beard laughed, but the tall, blondeKendoll next to him hit his arm. “He’skidding,” theKensaid. “Chloe’sjust very … magnetic.”
I scoffed, and the beard frowned slightly at me. “Youdisagree?”
I wasn’t sure– didI?Maybethere wassomethingabout her that made me want to give in a bit, but it certainly wasn’t irresistible.Iwas very adept at resisting, thank you very much.
“I didn’t say that,”Isaid. “Wejust haven’t worked together for very long.”
“Well, she’s great,” theKensaid. “You’rereally lucky to have her.She’sgot a lot of great ideas, and she’s been so excited about the job.Talkingabout it nonstop.”
I nodded;Chloe’senthusiasm wasn’t up for question.And, honestly, neither was her vision.I’dsat in on half of her meeting withJentoday as she’d gone through some of her longer-term ideas if her plan was successful, and they were really good.SomeI’dalso had myself over the years– like laying a nice patio with some picnic tables– and someIwishedI’dthought of first, like putting in a farm stand to sell honey and soap to the local community.And, thoughI’dhave assumed she would wantJenand me to sort the actual work out, she’d actually gone as far as to price up the goods through her contractor friend and give us a timeline for how long it would take her to build the patio herself.DidIbelieve she’d ever carried a flagstone in her life?No,Idid not.ButdidIbelieve she would do it in the name of executing on an idea, and possibly to spite me if she sensed even the slightest lack of faith?Yeah,Iwas starting to.Especiallysince she’d spent the rest of the day after the meeting hauling gravel in a wheelbarrow to fill in the balding spots on the driveway– no one had asked her to, she’d just noticed the spots on her walk in, seen the pile of spare gravel behind the warehouse, and asked if she could use it for that.I’dfelt bad enough for her after watching her push a few loads thatI’dcaved and showed her how to use theATVand trailer.
“I’m beginning to understand that,”Isaid eventually, and theKenand the beard seemed happy with this, nodding almost in unison.Ichuckled to myself and turned back to the stuff on the table in front of me.
“So, tell me again whatI’msupposed to do with all this?”IaskedFatima, tapping the paper she’d given me.Therewere so many different types of skills my character had– strength, deception, even acrobatics– and a bunch of stuff that meant absolutely nothing to me, like “ArmorClass” and “CurrentHitPoints” and “DeathSaves”.
“Do you know anything about the game already?” she asked.
I shook my head, andImust have looked terrified, because she gave me a pinched smile and patted my arm.
“It’s not as scary as it looks.Basically, we’re telling a story together.Youguys say what you want to say and let me know what you want to do, and you’ll roll dice to see how successful you are.Ihave information about the world and the people and creatures you’ll encounter.”
I tried to look confident, but the bestIcould manage was to press my mouth into a thin smile.
“Everyone has the same list of skills,” she continued, “but everyone has different numbers based on the characters they created.Someare stronger, so they’ll have better numbers for things like athletics and strength-based attacks, but they’ll have lower numbers for other things.You’replaying a monk, so you’re wiser and more dexterous, meaning you’re good at things like stealth and insight, and you can evade attacks better.Butyour charisma is lower, meaning you’re less persuasive and less skilled at deception.”
I tried to take in everything she was saying, but, as my eyes darted to each stat she pointed to, it was likeIinstantly forgot whatever she’d said just before.
“DoIneed to act all of that out, then?”
“Not really,” she said. “It’sgood to remember that you’re wise and stoic and sneaky, but it’s mostly to modify your dice rolls.Anytime you want to do something,I’llhave you roll one of these dice, probably the one with the duck, and the relevant number on the sheet will add to or take away from what you roll.Andyour final number determines how well you succeed at what you’re trying to do.”
“Okay, so,Idon’t actually have to memorise any of this?”
She shook her head. “Absolutelynot.”
I sank back into the chair with a relieved sigh. “Okay, that’s good.”
“LikeIsaid, your character is stoic and sneaky.Idid that on purpose so you wouldn’t have to roleplay much unless you want to.Sojust keep those traits in mind when you’re making decisions, and you should be okay.Anythingelse, just ask.”
I nodded. “Ican do that.”Iwasn’t sure how true that felt, butIcould at least be stoic for a couple of hours.
“Oh, except, there’s one thing you should keep in mind when you meet the party,” she said, flipping the page over to the back– there was even more information here,unbelievably– and pointed at a section that said “Background.”Therewas a note typed there:
Your character has been sent to protect and keep an eye on the daughter of a demon lord namedTrulnuroth, a.k.a. thePrinceofPandemonium.Youfeel hostility towards this character because of her entitlement to the demon lord’s favour over you, despite your many loyal years of servitude.
I looked up atFatima. “Whichcharacter is that referring to?”Iasked, though part of me knew the answer.
Fatima nodded toward the doorway, andIlooked over to seeChloewalking back into the room.
Chapter9
Calamity
“You may be my daughter,”Trulnurothhad said, “but you’ve hardly a fraction of my power.”He’dpressed the stone totem intoCalamity’shand, just two of his fingers covering her palm entirely. “Thiswill keep me close until you need it.Justcall on me, andIwill be there.”
