Authors Note: This chapter contains harsh language, and insensitive young people. It also has drug use, D&D, and a form of sexual abuse I suppose, though imaginary. Just be warned. I'll put more thoughts at the end.

Chapter 4 D&D
Garrett

The first thing that hit him was the smell. Jake’s basement smelled like smoke and beer. Ashton’s basement was more like an old must. Garrett stepped through the beaded curtain into a small room, painted black and decorated with glowing posters of mushrooms, and a very large Frank Frazetta poster of a barbarian warrior with a nude woman bound on her knees at his feet.

“Damn,” Garrett said, staring in awe at the 24x36 inch paper.

“Hot Damn,” Rick replied and slapped him on the back.

“Welcome to the WFG,” Jake said and cracked open a beer. Rick put a cold one in Garrett’s hand and he smiled. This was not like playing D&D with Ashton’s group.

“Thanks for the invite guys,” Garrett said and opened his beer. He sat purple Crown Royal dice bag and binder on the table. A very overweight redhead man with a baby face slid it over a few spots. “That’s Cain’s seat,” he said.

Garrett put up his hands, “Sorry man.”

Rick slapped the guy on the back of the head, “Be nice to the new guy fat ass.”

“Fuck off,” the the red head said.

“Hey fuck face, language,” Jake said. “Dale is very sensitive where his boyfriend Cain sits.”

A tall blonde guy with a goatee wearing a western style duster walked in and slid into the chair by Dale. Garrett smiled, the wolf fang game was kind of legendary. These guys had been playing D&D together since the 8th grade. On the tenth anniversary of their group Jake had bought everyone a wolf fang necklace.

Getting invited to even sit in for a game was a big deal, and becoming a regular was like being Geek royalty in Mud Creek. Rick had been a regular for a few years now.

Jake took some time to set up his area then took a long moment to study Garrett. “OK new guy, what are you thinking? Fighter?”

Garrett studied the blank character sheet in front of him for a second. “I was actually thinking of something a bit more interesting. Mage?”

“Yeah man, Kyle’s not here,” Rick said. “We need a mage for that job, you know.”

Everyone seemed to agree so Garrett started rolling up Nicodemus Arkais, 3rd level wizard.

Jake smiled, “OK hitpoints, lets roll.”

Garrett frowned, “Roll? We usually just take the full die.”

Dale laughed out loud. Cain patted him on the shoulder, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, in this game we roll.”

Garrett shook the 4 sided die in his hands. “Can I reroll 1s?”

“No,” Rick said.

Garrett rolled for the precious life points that would keep Nicodemus alive, he ended up with nine. He could be killed with one lucky hit. But that was the risk a player took when running a wizard. He’d have to be smart.

“So what classes do you guys run?” Garrett asked.

“Oh, I’m a Paladin,” Rick said.

“I’m a zero level human,” Cain said with a laugh.

“Oh, yeah,” Garrett laughed.

Jake shuffled some papers and was laying out some maps from his folder. “Look man, this isn’t that kind of game.”

“Yeah, Dale doesn’t walk around with 4th level faggot floating above his head. It took us years of work to figure that out.” Rick said.

Dale rolled his eyes, “Don’t listen to that bitch, despite his wildest dreams I’m not gay.”

“We don’t usually do this but I’m giving you the knock spell in your spell book for free,” Jake said.

Garrett nodded, “Cool.”

Jake went on to fill him in on the setting, they were in a Kingdom called Jericus. It was ruled by oppressive god-king and oversaw by his priests, The brothers of Sammus. The party was currently in the small provincial city of Blacktower on the border of the Eastern Waste. As usual the game opened in a tavern.

Nicodemus was quickly hired by the party to help them with a job. It was established that he was new in town. Rick’s character was named Pius the Brave, he wore the White garments of Chalice, the God of Sacrifice. “You must understand Nicodemus, I would not normally condone breaking and entering, but the scoundrel took my sister hostage. Besides that he is a corrupt tax collector.”

Garrett smiled. “Why don’t you report him to the magistrate if he has taken your sister?” Garrett asked in a very poor British accent.

There were laughs around the table, Cain’s character, a fighter named Red, spoke, “You sure we want this fool Brother Pius?”

Rick smiled. “He is new here, he doesn’t know that the magistrate is corrupt, as is the town guard. We would be thrown in irons. No, we must do this alone, but once we’ve rescued my sister and found evidence of his crime we will then report him to the magistrate. He will face justice.”

“Oh guys, I’ve got a surprise for us.” Rick took his army green backpack in his lap and reached in, he pulled out a clear plastic sleeve that covered a rainbow colored piece of paper. He took out the paper and tore off small squares.

“Oh, fuck year,” Cain said as he took a little square of paper and put it his mouth.

Garrett felt his stomach knot. “Is that acid?”

Rick smiled and handed him a square, Garrett looked at the tiny rainbow mushroom. “Yeah, LSD man, it really enhances the game. Just hold it under your tongue man.”

Garrett watched everyone put the paper in their mouths. Enhancing the game sounded pretty cool. People had told him they’d taken acid and nothing happened. He put the paper under his tongue.

Back in the game Nicodemus was sold, and over the next half hour they broke into Minton’s estate by way of the sewers. They fought some kobolds. Then inside Milton’s walls Nicodemus cast sleep on some guards. Cain, Dale and Rick incapacitated them, then they continued deeper into the manor.

So many things were different at this table. Notes were constantly being passed to the DM and between players. Jake took players aside a few times. Dice were being rolled all the time and Garrett had no idea for what.

Eventually they came to the magically locked door that he was hired to crack, he used his knock spell. Dale’s character slunk in, apparently he was a thief. Some notes were passed between him and the DM. Eventually he came back to the door and waved everyone in. Dale, Cain, and RIck were filling bags with gold, silver and documents. A man laid in bed, his bedding stained crimson from the blood spilling around his neck.

“Wait, where’s your sister?” Nicodemus asked, forgoing the cheesy accent.

Cain tossed him a bag. “Keep your bloody mouth shut, and fill this.”

Nicodemus threw the bag back at him, “You lied to me, we just murdered and robbed that man.”

Pius came over, “Nicodemus no, it’s not like that. Roll for an attack. I backhand him.” Rick calmly said and rolled at 17.

“Hit. Nicodemus, Pius’ blow does 4 damage, you are spun around and fall to your knees,” Jake announced.

Rick smiled, he spoke in a different voice. “Listen here you sad little measlite. I ain’t no Paladin, but I’ll tell you what you are. You’re an outlaw, like us. You just aided and abetted the murder of Pius the Brave, the brother of Clarence the Righteous, who just happens to be the Governor of Blackwater. I got half a mind to run you through and leave you here for the guard to find. Or you can make yourself useful and grab some loot.”

Garrett was stunned, this was not the way his D&D games were played. He had no spells, and no choice. “I wipe the blood out of my mouth and start filling the bag.”

They made their escape back through the sewers and stashed the loot at a safe house, then Rick took them to a place called “The Rusted Nail” to celebrate. It was an underground tavern, a place where the misfits and outlaws of the city gathered. The rushes on the floor hadn’t been changed in ages. The damp straw was filled with the refuse of this rancid place, it had soaked up a season of spilled ale, drunken laughter and tears. Nicodemus felt something crawling over his feet as they made their way to a corner table. The wenches were barely dressed, a half-elf woman in a loincloth on a leash was forced to dance on the bar. Her body moved sensually but her eyes showed nothing, like empty windows to a dead soul.

Garrett began forming a plan to rescue her and lead her to a better world, then he remembered he was in a different game. Then he noticed the beer can on the table was the wrong color, it was too white, the blue logo wasn’t blue. He looked around at everyone’s faces, they were the same, the dice spread out on the table glowing like radioactive jewels. Nothing was right. There were candles lit, all around them flames, they didn’t flicker so much as breath like little creatures made of pure energy and light. He watched them with his mouth hanging open for a minute.

“I think he’s starting to feel it,” Cain said and giggled.

Jake laughed, then said, “A barmaid approaches your table, she’s a lusty ruined wench, her cleavage spilling out of a laced bodice.” Jake’s voice rose an octave. “Ahh, bloody hell, it’s Malachi and his merry band of do-nothings. Have you coin tonight?”

“Hold your tongue wench, we have coin, and Nicodemus here has joined us.” Rick said. He turned to Garrett. “Sasha, here, she’s gonna take good care of us, her special, Moldy bowls, are known to return a weary adventurer to health and vigor.

Five minutes later all four of them were severed with tankards of ale and a bowl covered in a weird slime. Nicodemus looked around, trying to find a way to escape.

“Lick your bowl, slug,” Red said as he picked up his dirty wooden bowl and took a lick.

“It really is good for you,” Malcahi said and licked his. Dale’s thief licked his as well.

Garrett was getting confused, did he lick the bowl? Is that why everything was weird? Is that why the dice on the table glowed? Rick was turning red. He was getting scared. Nicodemus needed to get the hell out of here.

Jake made a series of rolls, “Five minutes pass, you all drink your ale and slowly the bar begins to take on new colors.”

“It already did my man,” Cain said dreamily.

The half elf woman had stopped dancing hours ago, she was sitting in Garrett’s lap. Rick had grown horns, he had a funny goatee. The rushes on the floor, no it’s thick shag carpet, and it was moving, they were in the ocean. They were on fire. They were water. They were lava. You had to stay at the table, or you’d be burned to death.

They were on a ship at sea, lower passage, lower decks. The smell, the horror. They were in chains. Everyone found it funny, they were laughing.

Jake was snapping his fingers in front of Garrett’s face. “Dude, bro, are you crying.” Jake's mouth moved but the words came from behind him, echoing off the bulkhead too low.

“OK, so Nicodemus, you failed your last saving throw, everything turns black. Close your eyes,” Jack said with a laugh. “What do you guys do?”

RIck smiled, his horns grew longer, Garrett shut his eyes hoping this nightmare would end, “I go to the bar and ask to talk to Lindsey,” Rick said.

Jake smiled. ‘OK you’re led to the backroom and Lindsey is sitting behind his desk, his great bulk straining the chair. What do you want, Malachai.”

“I’ve got a patsy, at my table, he couldn’t handle a bowl. You want to buy him?”

Jake seemed to think it over. “Lindsey closed the account book at his desk and put away his quill. What do I need with another street urchin?”

“Ahh, this one is no street urchin, an idiot yes, but a spellcaster. He could be useful.” Rick said in Malachi’s voice.

Jake rolled then spoke, “How much?”

Rick put his palms on the table and bent forward, “Nothing, just a name, a way in to the Governor. The son of a bitch has my sister.”

Lindsey stroked his chin, “Ahh, perhaps we can make a deal. I have a wench, Esmerellda. She is contracted to go to the Governor's Spring Folly. The last girl I sent came back… ruined.”

Rick’s smile couldn’t have gotten deeper. “Do you still have that cursed girdle?”

The fat man laughed, his eyes glowed, “I like the way you think Malachai.”

Garrett, or was it Nicodemus now? Listened to this. Despite his eyes being closed the words danced around his vision.

“Nicodemus, open your eyes,” Jake said.

Nicodemus slowly opened them.

“You are laying in dirty straw on the floor. You can tell your body is different. You’re smaller, your skin is different, and you got big boobs. You have a dirty loincloth on and around your waist is a thick gold belt with shimmering jewels. A slave collar is bolted around your neck and it’s chained to a hook. So basically you’re a slave wench now.”

Garrett got dizzy and put his head down while everyone laughed. “Welcome to the Wolf Fang,” Jake said between laughs.

Authors Note: So, let me tell you where this chapter come from. I played D&D with friends where we'd go on adventures, kill bandits and monsters stuff like that. Around the time I was 18 I got in a game like this one. The players seemed to be playing against each other as much as the environment. They kept as much hidden from the other players as possible, no one knew for sure what each player was, their stats, or anything like that. That game is where the Moldy bowl came from. After the adventure the two new characters were drugged and robbed of all the loot from the adventure. Of course I also remember hearing stories about the "Girdle of feminiity/masculinity" from older players. Including one who had been playing with the same group for 10 years. Everyone in the group wore a wolf's fang.

Oh yeah LSD. I've never taken it. I don't use drugs or drink, but I knew alot of people who did. One guy told me he took acid before playing because it made the game alot more interesting, he said sometimes it feels like I am my character. Didn't seem like a healthy thing to do to me.