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 Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:16 pm
She had been warned. Told that as the seasons changed some things went awry in the city. Some things went strange. Magic that wasn't theirs, nor their opponents, happened. Creatures that were not controlled by the Negaverse, nor answered to 'Order' roamed the shadowy city.
Mara had been told to keep a eye out for them, to not patrol alone, to not hunt alone, and she even believed the tales she had been briefed on. She had seen some of them herself over the past several months, but this was the first time she had found herself alone in in a void after absently touching a simple six sided die.
It had been an accident and yet there she stood, an illuminated path spread in front of her with evenly spaced golden marks, and a small gilded die in hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she needed to do, especially since it became painfully clear she couldn't leave her current 'space' without fulfilling the requirements. It was like she was in a glass box. Trapped in some kind of mime's prison.
Knowing she would be getting quite the lecture once she escaped from this life-size boardgame, Mara sighed and tossed the die watching as it clattered to the ground, absently hoping it would roll high so she could get to the end sooner rather then later.
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Fiction1119 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:17 pm
((Die Roll: 3 ))
[Space 3:
A strange fog rolls in once you land here. You lose sight of nearly everything, including the game board. If you want to roll, you’re going to have to get close to the ground to even see where you’re supposed to go next. Hopefully nothing sneaks up behind you.]
Her silent hope for a high number was squashed when she spotted the three little glittering pips on the die. With a mental mutter about her luck Mara collected the die and moved forward to her designated space, a gentle testing of the 'boarders' proved she could not move forward... nor back as he fingers pressed into the invisible field holding her prisoner on the board.
Truthfully that feeling of a wall in front of her quickly became comforting for Mara as her square rapidly filled with some kind of cloud. If it was choaking or making it hard to breath she would be concerned about poison or smoke but it was if she was standing in a fog bank. True whiteout conditions. Unable to even see her hand in front of her outstretched arm, all Mara could do was trust the 'wall' in front of her. She knew it was there. She could feel it.
Knowing she had to move, there was no real way to know she was alone in the fog, Mara did the only thing she could think of... she rolled the die. She had crouched against the wall and rolled the little game device against it like some twisted game of craps before practically shoving her face where the die had fallen to see just what she had rolled.
Fingers crossed...
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Fiction1119 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:24 pm
((Die Roll: 1 ))
[Space 4:
Something smells rotten. You can’t see very far into the darkness, but if you squint closely a dark form seems to be dragging itself along the ground. Sometimes you see a pale hand almost close enough to grab you–or, maybe something does grab you. It’s cold, and frightening, and it’s trying to drag you out of bounds.]
It had been bad... So very bad as far as Mara was concerned. That single gain in a space had her stepping into a square that smelled vile. Absolutely horrid! Like someone threw up in a garbage dump on a hot summers day in Arizona, bad.
She gagged and tried to cover her nose but it didn't help. There was only one thing that would and Mara knew that. So she prepared to toss the die and prayed it would land on something, anything, that would get her away from the smell.
Only it wasn't the smell that was the danger it was the hands that were grabbing from the darkness. Skeletal hands. Grotesque. Rotting. Reaching from the shadows as Mara scrambled after the die, trying to avoid being touched let alone grabbed. There was nothing she wanted more then to get away from those hands and had nearly succeeded when something wrapped around her ankle...
She faceplanted, the die bouncing away even as she began to be dragged across her current space. With a scream that was more fear than rage, she lashed out with her free foot. Fighting with everything she had but it wasn't helping. Not really. When one hand let go another latched on. She was slowly but surely being dragged towards the void of darkness and she knew she didn't want to find out what was out there. Not like this!
Desperate, and knowing her magic was likely to backfire, Mara called out 'Little Apple of Pain' and directed as much of her skill towards the hands holding her, bracing for the burns she knew was coming.
For once she didn't feel any pain but the hands obviously did since they instantly released her. Mara didn't even wait to wonder what had happened, and how it didn't 'splash back' on her, she just ran. She grabbed the die and took off. She hadn't even looked at the roll results, Mara just put up a hand and slowed just enough to test each space's barrier before barreling through.
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Fiction1119 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:30 pm
((Die Roll: 5 ))
[Space 9:
The smell of saltwater fills the air, and you can hear the water lapping against the shore. You hear boards creaking, and bells in the distance. And then, a song. Haunting. Ghostly, and calling you. For a second, you fall in love. And then, water fills your lungs. You’re choking, you can’t breathe. The song is loud and seems to caress you, even as a wet chill gathers in your square. Scaly hands reach for you, you gently caressing, and try to lure you into an endless sleep.]
She was limping by the time the 'wall' stopped her once more. Mara ached and she still smelled! She had no idea how many spaces she had just ran but it felt like she had run a marathon.
As she stood there gulping in the air the young woman slowly realized that there was a gentle sound of water lapping at a hidden shore. Wood creaking underfoot, even if she couldn't see it, and the distant chiming of a bell. Even the air in her square tasted of brine and of the sea. It was a welcome change from the stench of the last space. So Mara took advantage of her brief reprieve, closing her eyes as she tried to ease the tension in her shoulders.
At first the song was soft, ghostly. She didn't even realize it someone or something was singing but soon she was taking a step towards the darkness that lurked right outside of the boarders of the board. Mara reached out an entreating hand before it felt like the 'boards' benight her feet dropped away and she was sinking into the ocean that salted the air she had been breathing just moments ago.
Once again hands reached for her but rather then clawing and pulling these slid up her bare legs. Caressed her skin and brushed against the bruises that the previous square had created. They fluttered against her, urging her to just take that final gulp of water and sink with them. There she would be welcome. There she would be apart of them. Forever.
All she needed to do was to let go...
As she stood drowning in the sensation of physically drowning in a sea while unseen creatures tried to lure her into their grasp Mara wondered if it might actually be easier to let herself 'dry' drown as it were because she knew she was standing on the board space and yet it still felt like she was slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the void of water surrounding her.
And then she couldn't hold her breath anymore. With a gasp she opened her mouth only to desperately cover it with her hands. She didn't want to die. She wouldn't die here! Couldn't!
Even as darkness started to eat away at her vision she saw the little glittering die that had fallen from her hand when she covered her mouth to keep herself from swallowing any of the imaginary water. Realizing she had a way out from her 'watery' grave Mara grabbed the die and started to 'swim' towards the next square.
Her air was rapidly running out but she continued forward.
She had to.
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Fiction1119 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:38 pm
((Die Roll: 6 ))
[Space 15:
Bats. Maybe you missed them attacking earlier, but they’re back again, and angrier than ever. Instead of just screeching or scratching, they’re swooping down and biting now–and the effects are instantaneous. The little teeth are sharp and painful, but once bitten you might feel agitated and prone to violence, and you might feel perpetually cold and hungry with no relief in sight. The effects might last when you leave the square–or they might linger for a few hours or days after you get out of here.]
Mara had nearly made through one whole space before she couldn't hold her breath anymore. Luckily she found she could breath again so she kept moving, slower, taking in as much air as she could as she made her way across the board. Leery now about what she was going to find next as she reached the last square she was able to enter. She could see the end of the game, it was so close and yet she was still so very far away.
She braced for an attack, eyes darting from side to side. She didn't have long to wait but she hadn't expected something to come swooping down from above. Nothing so far on the board had come from above. Below and from the sides yes but not from above. A whole colony of bats came swarming in, swirling and screeching at her.
They bit at her, scratched and beat her with their wings. They were angry for no apparent reason. She hadn't done anything to them! Why were they attacking? With each n**, they didn't really hurt, she felt her anger rise higher and higher. She swatted at them, trying to drive them away, even as a chill filled her. It soaked into her bones, slowing her down.
Finally, with a guttural yell of rage, she unleashed her magic once again only to growl in frustration as very little actually happened. Unlike the first time the bats just flew away before swarming around her once more, no apparent harm or damage done. With a roar she threw the thing in her hand at the creatures attacking, unaware that she was tossing the little die that determined her fate. It wasn't until she saw it bounce against the 'wall' keeping her trapped in her current space that a small inkling of reason returned to Mara.
Rage still colored her vision but it didn't stop her from stumbling towards the die and moving towards her next fight.
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Fiction1119 rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:46 pm
((Die Roll: 5 ))
[Space 20:
The end; once you have arrived here you are free to leave. You will see be basked in the glow of a beautiful, opalescent aura that will take you back home. If you arrived with a guest, you can leave without them or choose to stay until they make it to the end as well. When you arrive back in Destiny City, you may choose to keep the six sided die–if nothing else, it’s pretty! Though, it doesn’t seem to have any magical qualities, that might be for the best.]
It wasn't until she stumbled across the 'finish line' that her rage truly faded. Mara was left colder then hell and ravenous but once again fully rational. She had faced zombies, sirens, and bats... now all she wanted to do was to go home and sleep... maybe eat some pasta.
She was tired. So very tired.
So when the pretty colorful aura swirled around her she didn't fight it. She barely even twitched. It wasn't until it dropped her unceremoniously back where she had found the die to begin with that Mara even bothered to look up. Her cousin was right, weird s**t really did happen in this city.
The young woman tossed the die into her subspace so she could show it to Beni. He might have some use for it, and she hoped it would prove that she wasn't completely at fault. With that done Mara limped into the darkness, her mind circling around her plan for the rest of the night. A drink, a long hot bath in the whirlpool tub, and a pot of Kraft Mac and Cheese.
She would have to spend extra time over the next few days exercising to burn off the calories but right then all Mara wanted was an entire box of mac and cheese with all the fixings....
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