unwittinglyheroic

[unwittinglyheroic]

It’s always a fun time when you re-write something seven times and then delete it because you had an idea you liked more. 

Bonus points if you come to the conclusion that the first idea was better after all. 

[unwittinglyheroic]

I'm rolling to whack-a-mole this goblin.

I said as I rolled to have my tiefling, Aktai, smack a goblin over the head with his quarterstaff

[unwittinglyheroic]

Unwittingly Heroic: Charmed, I’m Sure - Part II

View Part I: here.

Well met, guys, gals, and non-binary pals. This is the second part of Charmed, I'm Sure, the first adventure of Unwittingly Heroic, and I hope y'all enjoy it!

Recap: After dealing with a thieving bard, Vim, Aktai, and Leiagore are approached by a woman seeking their aid. But with what?

Find out below!

Chapter Two: An Ear for Business

Vim led Aktai and Leiagore through the open doorway, eager to find out what the woman wanted with them, but halted abruptly in his tracks. Aktai skidded to a stop to avoid colliding into Vim’s back and hissed out the beginning of a complaint. However, he never finished the thought, trailing off mid sentence as they all looked around the room, gaping.

The three of them may as well have stepped into a completely different building. Where the tavern’s main room was plainly decorated and just on the grimy side of things, the room they found themselves in then was spotless, perfumed, and ostentatiously furnished. Ornate vases adorned each corner, and a set of shiny floor-to-ceiling shelves covered the back wall. Each and every shelf was decked out with an assortment of glittering trinkets, polished so intensely they almost seemed to glow. In the center of the room sat the most extravagant desk any of them had ever seen. An overlapping array of delicately outlined, golden roses were expertly carved into its dark wood, each petal perfectly detailed.

And behind the desk, sitting in a luxurious, high-backed chair, was the woman who had propositioned them.

“No need to be shy. Come,” she insisted, beckoning to them with a gloved hand.

Aktai grimaced and seemed about ready to turn on his heel and leave, just to spite the woman, but Vim grabbed his arm before he could escape. He dragged him up to the woman’s desk, and Leiagore followed them, albeit a few feet back.

Vim dropped Aktai’s arm and sent him a warning look before smiling politely at the woman.

“I apologize. He’s-” he paused and looked back at Leiagore, who was still eyeing the woman quizzically. “-Or rather, they - are both a little wary of new people,” Vim explained.

The woman gracefully waved her hand. “Their caution marks them as exactly the kind of people I’m looking for,” she said. “You all dealt with that nuisance of a bard ably, and it’s clear to the discerning eye that the three of you are no simple travelers. If you feel so inclined, I have a task that persons such as yourselves may be suited to addressing.”

Vim smiled again. It felt nice to be recognized for helping in the tavern; that wasn’t something that usually happened with the company he held. “What task would we be doing, exactly?” he asked.

The woman laced her gloved fingers together and leaned forward to rest her chin atop them. “I’m afraid a gathering of goblins have made a home of my cellar. I would like you to dispose of them.”

Aktai snorted. “No beating around the bush with this one. Lacks dramatic flair, but I appreciate the promptness,” he quipped, ignoring Vim’s startled glare.

“Aktai,” he murmured warningly, a promise for retribution laced in his tone. Aktai merely shrugged, grinning lopsidedly as he rested one hand on his hip.

“Your companion’s observation is accurate,” the woman cut in, drawing their attention back to her. “I prefer directness when dealing with business. ‘Dramatic flair’ can be left for after the transaction is complete.”

“Now that’s interesting,” Aktai said, and his grin shifted into something decidedly wicked. “I think I speak for us all when I say we’d be agreeable to negotiating the removal of your goblin problem for adequate compensation.”

Vim wanted to protest, on principle, because helping people wasn’t always about the money, regardless of what Aktai thought. But at the same time, they were all pitifully short on gold, and their armor had taken a sound beating over the last few weeks. They desperately needed repairs - if not complete replacements.

The woman matched Aktai’s gaze unperturbed. “What do you say to five gold a piece?”

“I say you’re not that interested in clearing out your basement. Twenty gold. Each,” he countered.

She considered for a moment. “Ten gold a piece, and I will tell you of a bounty you may not have heard.”

“That sounds like extra work, and I’m really only interested in the one job.”

“It seems like a fair deal to me,” Vim interrupted, taking his turn to ignore Aktai’s glare. “What kind of bounty are you talking about?” he asked.

“Before I divulge the details of the bounty, I must confirm: You three will rid me of my infestation, and in return, a total of thirty gold, plus the information I possess, will be given in exchange. Are we agreed on these terms?”

Vim looked to Leiagore and Aktai, both of whom nodded, though Aktai was less forthcoming with his assent.

“I guess we are,” Vim replied.

“Excellent,” said the woman. “As a demonstration of good faith, I will explain the bounty to you now, before I send you into the cellar.” “Excellent,” Aktai repeated, his tone thick with contempt.

The woman smiled thinly, but otherwise paid Aktai no mind. “The baron presiding over these lands has a distaste for goblins and their ilk. He’s prepared a reward for the brave souls who act to thin their numbers. Anyone who presents the baron with the ears of their slain quarry will be offered a reward of five silver per set.”

“That’s...,” Vim trailed off, biting his tongue. Disgusting, he wanted to say, but he didn’t want to be rude to the woman who’d just hired them.

Seemingly sensing Vim’s displeasure, the woman raised her hands placatingly. “You needn’t fulfill the bounty if you find it distasteful. However, a deal is a deal, and I have upheld the first part of my side of our bargain. If the three of you are ready, I do insist that you make good on yours.”  

“Of course,” Vim replied, though his polite smile was feeling suddenly strained. “We’re ready.”

“Then if you’ll follow me,” the woman said as she stood and promptly led them to a door at the side of her office. She unlocked and opened it for them, gesturing to it with a flourish. “You will find a set of stairs within this store room. The first room of the cellar has remained mostly untouched by the goblins, so you shouldn’t need to fear a sneak attack. However, I do advise caution proceeding further in.”

“‘Course,” Aktai said. “Caution’s my middle name. Almost made it my first.” He brushed passed the woman without another look back and quickly disappeared into the store room.

“Aktai!” Vim called after him. Hurriedly, he turned to the woman and said, “Thank you for the opportunity. We’ll be done quickly.” He nodded politely and followed after Aktai.

Leiagore was the last left in the woman’s office. As they didn’t seem to be in a hurry to follow after the other two, the woman turned to them with a quizzical smile. “Are you not interested in joining your companions?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“I will,” Leiagore answered but made no move for the door. “I didn’t catch your name,” they added.

“I’m afraid we skipped our introductions, dear. But if it is quite important to you, you may refer to me as Savyra.”

“Interesting name,” Leiagore remarked. Without further notice, they passed through the doorway and into the storage room to catch up with Aktai and Vim.

Once again, thanks for reading, dudes. If you liked the story, I’d love to hear it. Didn’t like it? I‘d love to hear why. (Seriously, criticism helps me improve, and I appreciate every bit of it.) 

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I’ll see you next Friday with part three! 

[unwittinglyheroic]

Unwittingly Heroic: Charmed, I’m Sure

((Hey, guys. This is the first chapter of my D&D 5e campaign-turned-story. If you like Tieflings, Changelings, Mermaids, or general adventuring shenanigans, then this may be the story for you. Hope you enjoy it!))

Chapter One: Silver Touch

"Finally," Aktai groaned. Not too far down the trail, he could see the telltale sign of chimney smoke. The group was approaching a village.

Looking up and noticing the smoke himself, Vim sighed loudly in relief. He couldn’t remember the last time they had been in a village, but Vim was looking forward to recuperating in the fluffiest bed he could find, now that their latest adventure-gone-wrong was complete.

Speaking of, if Leiagore cared about the discovery of the village, they didn’t show it. But that, the other two were realizing, was not unusual. The mermaid had barely reacted upon being freed from the cage Aktai and Vim found them in and said no more than necessary to ask to travel with the pair until they made their way back to the sea. Safer that way, Leiagore said, and based on where they had found them, Aktai and Vim couldn’t help but agree.

The trip had been long and grueling. For weeks, the duo tracked a band of slavers from their main hideout near a port town Aktai couldn’t remember the name of, through the surrounding woods, up and over a mountain range, and back through another cluster of overgrown trees. It was there they eventually managed to catch up with the traffickers. The ensuing battle hadn’t been much of a challenge - between Vim’s sneak attacks and Aktai’s aptitude for using the forest to his advantage, the slavers had been easy to subdue. Things took a bit of a nosedive when that same forest came alive and attacked, however. Leave it to criminals to set up shop in a haunted greenwood. Aktai swore after that if so much as a twig animated itself, he’d set the whole forest ablaze.

But now, thankfully, that all seemed behind them. It was only another few minutes before the trio was right outside the village.

"Wait," Vim croaked, throat dry and scratchy. He cleared his throat quickly and tried again. "I'm gonna change first."

Aktai's shoulders drooped and he exhaled in a drawn out tortured sigh. "Please, I just want to sit down and eat," he whined.

As much as Vim wanted to do just the same, he knew he was right. "Lullin," was all he had to say to change Aktai's tune. He reflexively winced, face morphing into a grimace, and Vim instantly felt bad for saying the name, even if it was a fair reminder.

Lullin was one of the first towns Aktai and Vim had ever explored together. It was also the only time Aktai had ever convinced Vim to walk into town in broad daylight without changing his form. Rumored to be a peaceful, almost sleepy town, Aktai thought it would be safe to do so. He had wanted his friend to be able to walk around as himself for once.

Their trip had not gone to plan - but when did their plans ever work out, really?

The guard had taken one look at the pair and confronted them, weapons drawn. As a tiefling, Aktai had been met with suspicion all his life, had even been treated like a criminal, if not a monster, for it at times. But Vim, he thought, looked nearly human. Evidently, not human enough. The two of them had barely escaped Lullin with their lives.

"Yeah, okay, go ahead and change," he grumbled. Vim smiled apologetically.

"I'll be quick," he promised. At this point, even Leiagore was taking interest in the conversation. They looked between them with one arched eyebrow raised.

"Change what?" they asked.

Aktai grinned lopsidedly. "You're in for a show." Leiagore was about to ask him exactly what he meant when they heard Vim exhale slowly, and looked back to see... They weren't quite sure what.

Leiagore's silver eyes widened as Vim's skin wavered, fluctuating with a movement akin to fluid. The features of his face melted and reformed, his nose sharper and his jaw more defined. His skin warmed from grey to sun-kissed tan, and his white hair spun itself into a golden blonde. Though he gained no height, Vim filled out, shoulders broadening slightly so he was no longer unnaturally slender. The transformation wasn't dramatic, but for all the world to see, Vim looked like a completely different person.

"Alright, let's go," Vim said, trying and failing to hide his proud smile. His transformations didn't always go well, and he was pleased to see he actually looked convincingly human this time.

"What the fuck," Leiagore whispered, eyes still wide, and Aktai laughed, head thrown back as the party resumed walking, Vim taking the lead.

"Vim’s a changeling," he said when he was able to regain his breath. "He can shift into a humanoid he's seen before. Or, he can try," Aktai explained, snorting, as he thought back to the one and only time Vim had tried to change into a halfling. He had completely messed up the proportions and toppled over immediately, landing face-first in a patch of mud.

"Asshole," Vim grumbled, knowing what Aktai was probably giggling about. That failed transformation had haunted him for years, and he knew by now that Aktai would never let it go. "Hurry up, or I'm gonna tell the guards that you're trying to kill me, and you'll be enjoying your dinner in a jail cell."

With that, the party made their way into town, Aktai ranting facetiously about the discrimination and injustice heaped upon the tiefling race. He continued his tirade as they walked through town, increasing his volume every time Vim anxiously told him to shut up.

"People are staring."

"Let them! Let them gaze upon the product of their abuse and cruelty!"

"I hope someone stabs you, Aktai. I really fucking do."

"It wouldn't be the first time a member of your race attacked me without provocation, and it shan't be the last!" Aktai wailed, flailing his arms dramatically. Several people gasped and ducked for cover. An old lady fainted. Multiple children and one grown man started crying.

"Would you stop!?" Vim hissed. "It's not funny anymore." His words went unheard over the sound of Aktai's cackling. Even Leiagore was chuckling at the display. "I hate you both."

Aktai gasped in mock hurt. "You wound me," he cried, grasping at an imaginary chest wound.

"Not yet, but keep this shit up and we'll see what happens."  

Fuming, Vim shepherded his trouble maker and Leiagore further into town, jabbing Aktai in the side more than once for acting up. It never got him to shut up for long, but at least it made Vim feel a little better.

By the time they found the tavern, Vim had apologized to well over a dozen terrified townspeople, and Aktai had a well-developed bruise on his left side.

"Listen, I'm not saying I'm not an asshole, I'm just saying you overdid it a little on that last punch," Aktai said sulkily, rubbing his aching torso.

"And yet, you're still talking," Vim muttered. He was too tired and too hungry to deal with Aktai’s antics any longer and ignored his response in favor of entering the tavern.

As he pushed open the heavy oak door, Vim was greeted with the heavy smell of stale ale and the sound of a dozen drunks warbling along to a bard's out-of-tune lute.

Aktai and Leiagore were quick to follow their companion inside, stomachs rumbling in anticipation.

"Welcome!" a half-elf called as the party looked around for a table. "Sit wherever you'd like!"

Vim waved his thanks and led his group toward an empty table he spotted at the back of the tavern. The three tired travelers collapsed into their seats with matching groans of relief, sinking into the sturdy wooden chairs.

"I'm never getting up," Aktai murmured and closed his eyes with a contented sigh. He slouched in his chair until his long arms nearly brushed against the floor, legs sprawling out under the table. Leiagore lay similarly. Even Vim was stretched out, propping his legs up on top of Aktai's, though he didn't recline as far as his companions. Unlike them, he didn't have an inch to spare and feared disappearing under the table entirely if he were to spread out like they were.

As they laid there, the bard started a softer tune, and the volume of the tavern dropped dramatically for a time. Aktai thought he could almost fall asleep like that, if his stomach wasn't trying to devour itself. As if in answer to the thought, it gave off a loud, thunderous growl.

"Better eat up. Your stomach sounds like it's about to riot."

Aktai opened his eyes to see the half-elf setting down a plate of food for each of them, as well as three mugs and a pitcher of water. Leiagore lunged for the pitcher, foregoing the mugs entirely, and started chugging.

"I've worked here long enough to recognize a hungry group when I see one," said the half-elf with a knowing smile.

"Bless you," Aktai replied with absolute sincerity. The half-elf winked roguishly and left, but not before Leiagore asked for a second pitcher of water, and he promised to return with one.

Vim peered into the empty pitcher incredulously. "How did you manage to drink all of it already?" he asked, nose scrunched.

Leiagore shrugged and set their attention on the plate of food laid before them. They stared at it for several seconds before they delicately grabbed a potato chunk between their fingers and lifted it to eye-level for closer examination.

"You're almost there, now you've just got to stick it in your mouth," Aktai teased. Leiagore regarded him with a sober stare and promptly chomped down on the piece of potato. Their eyes lit up and they gazed at their plate in wonderment, chewing enthusiastically.

The rest of their meal flew by. The half-elf returned with a second pitcher of water and Leiagore even allowed Aktai and Vim a mug each before gulping down the rest. And in between mouthfuls of well cooked potatoes, carrots, and a mystery meat none of them examined too closely, Leiagore entertained Aktai by teaching him easy words and phrases in Sylvan. He returned the favor by teaching the mermaid about the miniature tridents he and Vim used to eat.

While his companions were blessedly occupied, Vim took a moment to look around the tavern, munching contentedly.

The bard was still performing and weaved slowly through the tables of patrons as he sang a common tune Vim was familiar enough with to know was out of key. His performance was surprisingly bad for a bard, Vim thought, but the tavern's patrons seemed happy with the entertainment, singing and clapping and stomping along to the music. At least they were enjoying themselves.

It was as Vim turned back to his food that he caught a quick movement out of the corner of his eye and swiftly glanced back just in time to see the bard's hand retreat from the coin purse of an unsuspecting townsman. No wonder his playing was so bad - it couldn't be easy to work an instrument and pick pocket at the same time.

"Hey," Vim whispered, kicking Aktai under the table. He paused his heated debate with Leiagore over the usefulness of utensils and quirked a brow curiously. "Look at the bard, but don't be obvious," Vim said in a hushed tone.

Both Aktai and Leiagore looked up at the bard, not nearly as inconspicuously as Vim had wanted. "What about him?" Aktai asked.

"He's stealing from the patrons."

Aktai dropped his head into one hand and watched the bard casually for a while, eyes glinting mischievously. It only took a minute before he caught the bard sneaking into the back pocket of an unsuspecting patron. "He's a better thief than he is a musician, I'll give him that."

"We have to do something. We can't just let him steal from everybody."

"You’re right. Then there wouldn’t be anything for us to steal."

“Aktai, no,” Vim reprimanded.

“Why not? It’s not like these people are keeping a tight hold of their gold in the first place.”

Vim bristled. He gestured subtly, but vehemently, to the tavern's customers. "Which of these farmers do you think have any gold to their name, exactly? They aren't rich merchants or snobby nobles with more coin than they know what to do with. We have to stop this guy!" Vim whispered emphatically.

"Then what do you expect to get out of helping them? A strong pat on the back? A medal of honor? Not interested," Aktai murmured.

Each stared down the other, Vim glaring spectacularly into Aktai's uncaring gaze, before Vim ultimately looked away and at Leiagore who shrugged.

"Let the humans work it out," they said.

"Fine, don’t help." Vim stood. "But I’m going to do something about this." He turned and stomped away.

"Is he always like this?" Leiagore asked as they watched Vim march toward the bard.

"No,” Aktai drawled, “he usually makes me help."

The pair observed as Vim tapped the bard's shoulder to get his attention. Surprised, the bard turned around, smiling mildly, to ask if there was anything he could do for him. The bard’s expression quickly soured as Vim addressed his lawbreaking ways. "Should we help him?" Leiagore asked. The bard put on quite a show, flipping his long, flowy hair over his shoulder indignantly as he denied the charge.

"Nah, I'd have to get up." Aktai could feel his exhaustion worsen with every second he spent watching Vim and his do-gooder attitude. Why couldn’t he ever just let these things go? When had helping a human ever helped either of them? Never. But Vim always got involved. Even after years of knowing each other, that was one part of Vim’s personality Aktai would never truly comprehend, he thought.

Vim was really riled up now, the two of them could see. He poked the bard in the center of his chest and used all five-feet-small of his to get up in the guy's face. An impressive feat, considering he only came up to the bard's chin.

Aktai sighed. As much as he complained, Vim was the only person who had stayed by him through everything, and that wasn’t a loyalty he could easily betray, even if it had him playing the do-gooder more often than not. And for free.

"Alright, let’s do this,” Aktai said. "Vim looks about ready to strangle him, and knowing my luck, I’m the one who’d end up in prison for it." Leiagore nodded and the two rose from the table. As they approached, they caught the tail-end of Vim’s rebuttal.

"-and I saw you! But if you're so adamant you're innocent, stick around while everyone checks their pockets!" Vim huffed.

Flicking his wrist dismissively, the bard sneered in return, "Yes, let's inconvenience these people further to count coins, in addition to so rudely interrupting their merriment. A splendid idea!" A general murmur of agreement rang through the crowd and Vim stared at the other patrons incredulously.

"I didn't notice anything," one man called out. Several patrons echoed his proclamation, much to Vim's dismay. There were a few in the crowd, however, who looked into their coin purses and pockets with a mixture of confusion and concern.

The bard smirked and puffed out his chest. “See? Your accusations are completely unfounded! Now begone, pest.”

Flushed and furious, Vim drew even closer to the bard, hand on the hilt of his dagger. “Just because no one seems to realize what you’ve done doesn’t mean I don’t know what happened. I’m giving you one chance to return what you stole, and I suggest you take it.” The bard blanched at the threat and took an involuntary step backward.

By then, Aktai and Leiagore had positioned themselves on either side of Vim, looming imposingly behind him.

They were a ragtag team, for sure, the three of them. Their armor had seen better days, and weeks of travelling had left them fatigued and dirty, but in some regards that only added to their intimidating aura. Their muscles were clearly defined in the gaps and rips in their attire, and their disheveled appearance created a wild air about them. And while their armor was lacking, their weapons were not.

The bard eyed Vim’s reinforcements warily. One human, he may have been able to take on, especially with the majority of the crowd on his side. But the townsfolk weren’t a fighting bunch, and the sharp, evil grin the tiefling was fixing him with and the antipathetic stare of the… blue elf-thing set him on edge. That said nothing of his accuser, who radiated a righteous fury that prickled down his spine.

For a moment, time stood still in the tavern as Aktai, Leiagore, and Vim stared down the bard. His resolve was cracking under their combined pressure, but he held out, chin jutting imperiously as he faced down their threatening and accusatory glares.

It was a quiet, mystified voice that broke the spell.

“I think... I think I’m missing money.”

The declaration struck like lightning. The patrons who had supported the bard quieted and shifted nervously in their seats as their confidence faltered, and those few who had been examining their own purses and pockets added their voices to the first in a chorus of shouts and outraged exclamations.

Vim allowed himself a small, triumphant smirk as all around them people were realizing what the bard had done. “Hand over what you stole. Now.”

The bard glowered at him, but acquiesced and slowly reached beneath his cloak for a bag of coins tied to his belt. “Take back your pocket change, then,” he snarled and flung the velvet bag at Vim who caught it deftly, much to his displeasure. But he spared no extra second waiting to learn what his fate may be at the hands of Vim and his henchmen, quickly scurrying from the tavern with his cloak wrapped tightly around himself as the crowd pelted him with chunks of carrots and potatoes.

Vim was tempted to go after him, to turn him into the guard or -- he didn’t know what, exactly. While he was happy to have retrieved the stolen money, that the bard walked away without punishment didn’t sit well with him at all. But before he could give chase, his fellow patrons surrounded him, cheering.

It took a while, but Vim managed to return what was taken from those it was taken from. With Leiagore and Vim still leering at the crowd, looking ready for a fight, no one had the guts to try and take more than what they were owed.

Which left Vim with a bag full of silver.

Ultimately, it didn’t amount to much. After giving the townspeople back their money, only about fifty silver remained, but it was fifty silver more than Vim had to start with. That fluffy bed wasn’t looking so far out of reach anymore.

It might not have been late enough yet to call it a day, but Vim was ready to suggest they do just that. He also wanted to get Aktai and Leiagore, who were squabbling over which one of them was the scarier of the pair and scaring the crowd in the process, out of the tavern.

“You’re just a blue elf! I look like a demon,” Aktai argued.

Leiagore crossed their arms across their chest. “But I have scales.”

“So do fish, and humans eat fish. But what eats humans? Demons.”  

Vim rolled his eyes as he tucked away the pouch of silver. “You’re both equally terrifying.” And stupid, he added silently. “Now, can we go? I want to find a room before you two get us kicked out of town.”

Behind Vim, someone cleared their throat. When he turned to look, Vim saw a short, cloaked woman standing just a little too close for comfort. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end; he hadn’t noticed the woman approach at all.

“Is there something I can do for you?” he asked cautiously. There was something in the woman’s eyes he couldn’t place but unsettled him all the same.

“I couldn’t help but notice how... adeptly you dealt with our local thief. If you’re not otherwise engaged, might I borrow a moment of your time?” the woman asked. Her voice was eerily beautiful, a strange, alluring melody that left all three of them off-balance.

“Oh, um... Well, we were just about to leave,” he replied. As the woman’s face fell, he quickly amended, “But I suppose we could stick around for a minute.”

The woman smiled. “Wonderful. This way, if you please.” She turned gracefully and retreated to the other side of the tavern toward a door beside the bar, not checking to see if they were following her.

Aktai grabbed ahold of Vim’s arm as he moved to follow the woman. “Slow down there, Sir Gallant. That lady is creepy.”

“She’s... a little off, but she didn’t seem dangerous,” Vim replied. “Besides, if she’s asking us for help because she saw how we handled the bard, she might have a job for us. And unless you have a secret stash of gold I don’t know about, we could use the work.”

Aktai dropped his arm and gazed in the direction the woman had gone. She had disappeared through the door but left it open for them to enter. “We listen for one minute,” he said. “But if she asks us to work for free, I’m leaving.”

“Fair enough,” Vim agreed. “Leiagore, you in?”

Leiagore peered at the open door with an inscrutable expression carved into their angular face. “Yeah,” they said a beat later. Aktai and Vim shared a confused look, but decided not to comment on their companions odd manner.

“Alrighty then,” Aktai drawled. “Let’s get this over with.”

That settled, the party followed the cloaked woman into the room.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, I’d love to hear it! Didn’t like it? I’d love to hear why! 

And for the lovely people who followed me already, y’all are awesome and really made my day!! I hope this first chapter fulfilled your expectations. 

I’ll see you next Friday with chapter two! :)

[unwittinglyheroic]

Unwittingly Heroic

Greetings guys, gals, and non-binary pals!

This is a new blog that I created in order to house a story of mine, Unwittingly Heroic, that is based off of a D&D campaign my friends and I are running.

It revolves around the characters Aktai, Vim, and Leiagore, and their adventure through a land that is as-of-yet unnamed.

Though I’m the one writing this story, I couldn’t have done it without the combined efforts of my group’s DM, @thatsafly-peter, the creator of Vim, @marvelmuffin, and our friend @goodbye-puppy, who doesn’t use tumblr anymore but still deserves credit for the creation of Leiagore.

I plan on updating the story either every Friday or every other Friday, depending on how much I have written. While this is being written so that my friends and I can read our campaign as a story and experience it all over again, I also want to share it here so that anyone else who might find it can read it as well.

On that note, I hope you enjoy Unwittingly Heroic as it comes out. And without further ado, here’s a look at an excerpt from chapter two!

“This is always the kind of shit that happens when we try to help people,” Aktai groused as he tried to pry his hand off of the treasure chest that had somehow stuck itself to him. Vim was trying hard not to laugh.

"Serves you right for trying to steal.”

"You stole first," Aktai snapped, bracing his foot against the box to try and detach it, to no avail. It only served to rip the cloth wrapped around his foot, the frayed fabric sticking to the chest. "Get. Off. Of. Me!"

Flailing wildly, Aktai smashed the chest into the stone rise it had sat on before adhering to his hand. But instead of the satisfying crack of wood he was hoping for - along with the release of his appendage - the box began shifting, its edges melting and oozing until it didn't look much like a box at all anymore.

Aktai gaped as he stared into the many eyes of the mimic still attached to his arm, its rows of sharp teeth dripping acid as it snarled.

"Oh, for fuck's sake."